Blue Lake Suzuki Family Camp

P and I are back from almost two weeks at Blue Lake Suzuki Family Camp. This was our sixth year attending camp but the first year we have been there for all three sessions they offer. 

The first session is only for piano students. My daughter-in-law was there teaching so miss P and I stayed with her in her faculty cabin and babysat for my grandbaby. We walked many miles with the all terrain stroller. He also enjoyed playing in the sand and swinging at the playground across from our cabin. 

When the piano session was over, P and I moved to a different cabin near the rest of the campers for the cello sessions. 

P was happy to be reunited with her one week a year cello friends.

While the cellists were off at their classes I set up for an  "artist residency" for the rest of our time at Blue Lake.  I had initially scouted out a nice place at a picnic table, it had a roof, electric outlet, and a bulletin board and a beautiful view. I tried it for a day but there were way too many mosquitoes for that to work. I ended up using the outlet in our cabin and having a stand up sewing station. It worked well enough.

My original plan for little quilt blocks included narrow strips as part of each block. After making a few of those they seemed a bit too congested. I tried a more minimal approach on the next blocks and was much happier.

It was a good schedule, meeting P at the dining hall for meals, walking all around the large camp, sewing a little, and bringing a bit of hand work (knitting and hand quilting) to P's individual lessons. 

P was chosen to play a solo in the "Honors Recital" in this big shell. She performed Largo from Sonata in G minor by Henry Eccles.

Mid week we enjoyed a camp cookout on the shore of Lake Michigan. It was a BEAUTIFUL day for a picnic. 

On the beautiful sunny days, I made sure to get out and walk about the camp. I love this area where the trees are tall and there is little undergrowth.

There's also a lovely beach area where I sat and did some hand work. I finished knitting a pair of socks that I started in January and worked a bit more on quilting this little quilt.

When the weather was cloudy or rainy I spent more time in the cabin sewing on the machine and completed 16 little blocks that will finish at 2 inches. I'm not sure what they will become yet.

Throw in a few trips to Pekadill's, the ice cream shop and it was pretty much a perfect week.

Quilted Conversations

Last week I joined Laura Hopper and several other Chicago Modern Quilt Guild members at the MSU Museum in East Lansing, MI. Laura had arranged a curator led tour of the current exhibit, Quilted Conversations, and a behind the scenes tour of the museum storage facility.  The Quilted Conversations exhibit is designed to help raise awareness of civil and human rights and the quilts are all of that theme. 

The exhibit is designed to be interactive and spark conversatin. There is a table with paper and pencil for those who are not viewing the show with someone that they can talk to. The "conversation" can then take place between people who have visited and are visiting the exhibit. It was interesting to read the notes that have been left and really made clear to me the power of art to bring deep rooted emotional reactions.

The One for Eric G by Chawne Kimber, 2015

The quilt on the right in the above photo is Quilt for Equality, by Eric the Quilter. 

The One for Eric G - detail, by Chawne Kimber.

I was thrilled to see one of Kathryn Clark's foreclosure quilts in person.

Flint Foreclosure Quilt - detail by Kathryn Clark, 2013. 

Here are a couple of other quilt detail shots. 

I Want to Stitch - detail, by Bethan Ash, 2009

From Vision to Victory - detail,  by Carolyn Crump, 2009

After viewing the exhibit we went to the storage facility to see some of the collections and how things are stored. The curator had two quilts out for our viewing pleasure. The first was this 1896 Temerance Quilt. 

Liberty Tree ("abstain from strong drink") 

Mrs S K Daniels, Mach 1896

The temperance quilt was pulled back to reveal The Sun Sets on Sunbonnet Sue. I remember this quilt and all the controversy around it back when it was making the show rounds.

The Sun Sets on Sunbonnet Sue, Seamsters Local #500, 1979

My favorite block is the Three Mile Island version of Sue's demise.

Three Mile Island

Seamsters Local #500

Thank you, Laura, for arranging a wonderful day at MSU and allowing me to join your group! I may have to become a long distance member of the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild!

Edited to add -

Some of the quilts in the Quilted Conversations exhibit will be on display at the Pick Museum in the fall. Here's what Laura Hopper, who is a curator there, has to say about that exhibit.

"The exhibit is called "Quilts and Human Rights," it's a traveling exhibit from the MSU Museum that has been expanded for our upcoming installation to bring the exhibit up to the present day. It was be open at the Pick Museum of Anthropology at Northern Illinois University from September 5 - December 8."

Welcome!

Welcome to my new website! I'll be blogging over here from now on. I will be leaving the older posts up at the other address for reference but all new updates will be here. 

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