Today was a perfect day. My friend from work retires at the end of the month. She has been a nurse for over 30 years. To celebrate her freedom and our friendship we spent a fabulous day in Hill City. A beautiful town nestled in the Black Hills. It is filled with winerys, art galleries, small businesses, and for the weekend quilts. They have a quilt show every summer. I love the community because although tourism is a major part of the economy they still hosted a wonderful event that the local community could enjoy. Also all of the stores are quick to recommend other local businesses.
We started the day with wine tasting and a glass of wine at the Prairie Berry. The Prairie Berry is what started my winemaking hobby. It was there I learned about the endless possibilities when making fruit wines. We then wandered down Main Street enjoying the galleries and shops. All of the businesses had a quilt hanging out front. The high school is at the bottom of main and the quilt show was there. We then enjoyed a good meal, wandered back up through the stores, and ended with another wine tasting and a much needed slushy. The fall weather was perfect, as was the day.
The time and talent put into these quilts was amazing. Some were machine quilted and some were hand quilted.
There were color combinations and patterns I could never have envisioned.
The quilt below was completely hand stitched. I wish I had taken a close up of the turtles at the bottom.
One of the funniest things that happened was there was a raffle drawing with many beautiful prizes. Your phone number was to be on the ticket and they would call the winners at 4:00. We were in a shop at 3:55 when my friend's phone rang. Everyone in the store said, "she won." Turned out to be her daughter. Then at 4:00 someone else's phone rang and we all said "she won." It was her husband looking for her. Who knew so many people call around 4:00.
It was a consummate day. We bought Christmas gifts, chocolate, enjoyed some wine, and visited until our heart's content. I went home thankful for a good friend and in awe of the talent around me. I am also inspired for my winter quilt project and new wine combinations.
What are your hobbies? Does your community host a quilt show? Is there a community close to you that hosts an enjoyable day?
Yay for Friends Day OUt! I know I would have gone home inspired too! There are so many talented and hard-working people out there. Quilters may be at the top of the list! I went a little deeper into your blog and so enjoyed visiting some of your older posts. What a nice blog you have!
ReplyDeleteThose quilts are works of art. I couldn't imagine hand quilting any of them (well, I couldn't imagine machine quilting them either!). I used to sew when I was much younger - clothes mostly. Haven't sewed in such a long time. -Jenn
ReplyDeleteWhat a great outing. There's a quilt show once a year in a local church. Amazing to see all the quilts. My oldest daughter quilts and she won best in show at the township fair this year.
ReplyDeleteOur quilt show is this upcoming weekend 😊 Sounds like a wonderful day. It's nice that there are still places with smaller shops to browse and not just strip malls. Sounds charming.
ReplyDeleteThose quilts are beautiful! Our area is known for it's handmade, handquilted quilts, primarily by the Amish. My dad made quilting frames in his younger years, and I am thrilled to own one...although the only thing I've quilted is a wallhanging that my mom pieced for me! :) They are such amazing works of art. I'm curious which one was your favorite?
ReplyDelete