Sisterhood of the Traveling Quilt in a Classic New England Town

Block NE-3 of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Quilt project was made by Nancy of UniquelyNancy of the quaint New England town of Warren, Connecticut.

Originally part of Kent, its neighbor to the east, Warren was settled in 1737. In 1786 the western Connecticut town was incorporated and named for the Revolutionary War hero, General Joseph Warren, who was killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill. Even though for most of its history Warren has been an agricultural community, by 1810 Warren became known as an educational center with 5 private schools and an academy which produced 15 ministers and educators.

Warren lies in the highlands between the Housatonic River Valley and the basin of Lake Waramaug (a glacial lake of extraordinary clarity and beauty) which has been a recreational and tourist mecca since the early 19th century, once supporting 7 inns and now ringed by spacious summer homes with lawns sloping down to the water. You can drive, bike or run around the lake on winding town roads or camp, swim and canoe at Lake Waramaug State Park. Warren shares the lake with its neighbors that have all joined together to create watchdog groups dedicated to maintaining its water quality and monitoring its use to prevent incursion of invasive aquatic plants.

Warren center, consisting of the town hall, the grammar school, a general store and a liquor store, is dominated by its Congregational church which was built in 1818 on a knoll overlooking the village center. The church steeple features a clock visible for miles -- a clock that in the 20th century had stopped functioning until artist Eric Sloane organized a fall festival and auction to raise funds to restore it to working order. The festival has continued and still retails the flavor of Mr. Sloane's harvest fair and auction. Sloane, whose last studio was in Warren, is famous for his paintings of New England landscapes and barns which usually feature dramatic skies and weather formations. He is also well known for his massive mural of the American landscape and clouds and weather patterns above it which adorns the main gallery of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Collections of his early American tools and implements as well as a re-creation of working studio are permanently displayed at the nearby Sloane-Stanley Museum.

Today, Warren remains a very rural enclave with virtually no visible commercial center. It has recently undergone a modest housing boom as families from more suburban towns to the south have chosen a less crowded environment to raise their families.

Nancy has been a professional seamstress and costumer for over 20 years, though she has been sewing for 50 years! Nancy's focus is mainly on handbags and quilts. She loves using bright fabrics with unexpected color combinations. The new art quilts make Nancy's brain spin with new ideas.

Nancy's items are truly unique. You might check out Nancy's "sold" items for a peek at some of her Teapot Handbag creations...and her Tomato purse. She's very talented and well worth your time to check out her shop, UniquelyNancy.

Block SOUTH-3 of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Quilt Project

Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Morganton, North Carolina is a gateway town to the mountains in the west and the economic centers in the east.

Natural beauty surrounds the area, providing a respite from city life and a great variety of outdoor recreational activities. Living and working in this idyllic place is Linda of SewUpScale, creator of Block SOUTH-3 of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Quilt Project.

Rated the #1 retirement community by Retirement Living magazine, and one of the top 10 places to raise a family by Readers Digest, Morganton has a mix of culture, leisure activities and quality of life that make it a favorite with young and old alike. The city's downtown is filled with clothing stores, restaurants and antique stores.

Pisgah National Forest's eastern borders are west of town. Morganton is half an hour west of Hickory, North Carolina, an hour east of Asheville, North Carolina and an hour and a half north of Charlotte, North Carolina. Morganton's location gives it a great advantage of accesibility, while remaining a bit off the beaten path. Here is a beautiful nature blog about hiking in the area.

Local wildlife includes bald eagles, falcons, hawks, deer, bears, and turkey. There are four challenging golf courses in the area. The nearby 6,500 acre man-made Lake James provides boating, camping, sailing, skiiing and fishing opportunities. The pristine water from Lake James is the primary source of drinking water for every community along the Catawba River. The Catawba River is famous for trout fishing, rafting, tubing and canoeing pursuits. A 5-mile paved Greeway parallels the Catawba River where joggers, bikers, and walkers can enjoy the natural sites and wildlife. In season, cross country and downhill snow skiing are available less than an hour away in the upper Blue Ridge Mountain elevations near Boone.

The area also supports a strong arts culture, from musicians to painters, potters to scultors. Several arts galleries are located in downtown Morganton. The annual Tour d'Art fine arts show is held there showcasing visual, performing and culinary arts.

Linda has lived her whole life in and near the mountains of eastern Tennessee and western North Caroina. Linda has a special affinity for making things featuring mountain landscapes and outdoor scenes. Currently she concentrates on using a variety of fiber art techniques to make small landscapes within the genre known as fabric postcards.

Like many quilters, Linda has sewn most of her life and made everything from doll clothes to dog collars, and of course, full sized bed quilts. Once she even made a man's suit! Linda loves the challenges of custom work. Check out her shop SewUpScale and consider her for your next creative idea.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Quilt SW-3 from Sunny Scottsdale, Arizona

Scottsdale, Arizona is located in the Sonoran Desert -- a vibrant oasis bursting at the seams with unusual wildlife and vegetation, including 2,000 native plant species. Scottsdale is also home to Donna of DesertSkyQuilts, creator of the SW-3 Block of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Quilt Project.

By day, Scottsdale's sunny skies and lush desert setting create an ideal backdrop for outdoor adventures, championship golf, relaxing spa treatments and lots of shopping. By night, acclaimed chefs, ArtWalks and dozens of wine bars, lounges and performing arts venues await. The New York Times described downtown Scottsdale as a "desert version of Miami's South Beach."

Due to the area's high concentration of full-service hotels and resorts, other major tourism-based industries flourish there too. Scottsdale claims to be the world's finest golf destination. It's a bold claim that they back up with nearly 200 area golf courses with 330+ days of sunshine a year.

Scottsdale's rich arts scene is brimming with Native, Western and Contemporary Arts. There are more than 100 galleries, making it one of the most concentrated collections in the US. Scottsdale is home to internationally acclaimed museums, architectural icons, renowned arts festivals, the country's longest running art walk, world-class performance spaces and an award-winning public art program that dot's the community's landscape with striking statues and dramatic fountains.

Frank Lloyd Wright originally visited Scottsdale while consulting on the Arizona Biltmore Resort in the late 1920's. The natural serenity of the desert provoked him to buy 640 acres of land from which he created his world famous house and school, Taliesin West. This National Historic Landmark is located in the northeast fringe of the city, at the base of the McDowell Mountains, and is now one of the most popular tourist attractions in Arizona.

The brand new baseball facility, Salt River Fields at Talking Stick is the new spring training home of both the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Colorado Rockies. This amazing new sports complex is located just a short 7-mile drive from downtown Scottsdale. While the main stadium is shared by the two teams, each team has their own wing of the complex with 6 practice fields, clubhouses, batting cages and other amenities. Fans can get up close during batting and pitching practices as well as the outfield grass area of the stadium.

The famous Mayo Clinic has one of its three major branches in Scottsdale. Some of the companies headquartered in Scottsdale include Fender, GoDaddy, Kona Grill, P.F. Chang's China Bistro and iCrossing.


Donna started sewing when she was 5 years old. She studied textiles and photography at the Philadelphia College of Textiles and draws from that experience when creating.

Donna has been particularly smitten lately with the Cotton Theory style of quilting. She loves custom work and helping build stronger community through supporting various charities with her work.

Check out the great items in her shop, DesertSkyQuilts.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Quilt - Final Canadian Block NW-2

Just 20 minutes from downtown Vancouver, via Sky Train, you can discover the Royal City. New Westminster is where you'll find fiber artist Terry Aske of Terry Aske Art Quilts, the creator of Block NW-2 of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Quilt Project.

The oldest city in western Canada, New Westminster was the capital of British Columbia between 1858-1866. Founded on a lofty hill where two branches of the Fraser River meet, New Westminster was chosen as much for the strategic value of its natural defenses as for the commercial potential of the area.

In 1859, New Westminster was the mainland berth for the fleet of sternwheelers that plied the waters between Victoria and yale, the starting point of the Cariboo Wagon Road. The young city saw much action and furious traffic and trade during the Gold Rush years.

Positioned at the hub of the Greater Vancouver network today, New Westminster is now a charming mix of old and new, with a picturesque waterfront and fabulous Victorian architecture -- a vibrant and progressive city with a community rich in tradition and respect for its heritage. Actor Raymond Burr is one of many New Westminster notables. Check out the live web cam here.

Terry's earliest creative memory is from making a mosaic from seeds and beans during kindergarten. Thus began her life-long quest to find the perfect medium with which to express herself. Over the years she has dabbled in such creative activities as beading, drawing, painting, knitting and sewing. Although all were enjoyable, they didn't hold her interest very long.

Then in 1998 a friend invited her to a one-day quilting course. Finally Terry found an artistic medium that fascinated and inspired her! She discovered the world of art quilts and now you can say the design and construction of fabric-based art has become Terry's passion.

A self-professed perfectionist by nature, Terry finds the precision demanded by the complex quilts she creates, combined with her passion for beautiful and vivid fabrics, makes art quilting the perfect outlet for her creativity.

Since 1998 Terry has completed more than 60 art quilts. Many of her quilts have been or are currently or about to be on exhibit in the US and Canada. I had the pleasure of meeting Terry last year when she flew to Houston to attend the International Quilt Festival. THREE of Terry's pieces were exhibited there at the world's largest quilt show.

Terry's goal is to continue to evolve as an artist and explore new subject matter and techniques in her art quilts. Terry is a founding member of the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild. Be sure and see some of Terry's beautiful work in her shop.

NORTH-5 Comes from Ohio State Capital

Catherine of MoranArtandQuilts lives in Columbus, Ohio, the 4th largest city in the American Midwest. That is where block NORTH-5 originates for the Sisterhood of the Traveling Quilt Project.

The city is named after the famous explorer.

In 2009 BusinessWeek magazine named Columbus the best place in America to raise a family and the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium was ranked #1 by USA Travel Guide. In 2008 Forbes magazine had named the city as the #1 up-and-coming tech city in the nation. As you can imagine, many businesses headquarter there, including the world's largest private research & development foundation, the Battelle Memorial Institute.

Columbus contains many institutions of higher-learning, led by Ohio State University, where you'll find the largest university campus in the US. Every August, Columbus hosts the rest of the state at the Ohio State Fair & Expo.



You'll also find many spectacular parks and green spaces in Columbus. One of the more interesting is at Old Deaf School Park where Columbus artist James Mason turned topiaries into art. Shown is his conception conceived from George Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon On the Island of La Grand Jolle." Click the link to the park for more wonderful photos.

Catherine is an artist in many mediums. Art has been a passion of Catherine's ever since she won her first award in the 4th grade for a painting of "Charlotte's Web." She paints with watercolors, draws with colored pencils and quilts. After purchasing an art quilt in 2004 from a gallery, Catherine was inspired to learn to quilt. She admits to often having several projects in different mediums going at the same time. (Sound familiar to anyone?)

Most of Catherine's quilts are designed as they progress. Catherine loves creating one of a kind pieces and lets the design change as the ideas flow based on the work's progress. Catherine also admits to love playing with fabric and making beautiful things from fabric.

Catherine's work has been exhibited in many shows over the years, many through a local art league she is involved with. Catherine has made over 100 portraits of customer's homes and pets and still accepts those kinds of commissions. Be sure and visit Catherine's quilt shop and also her art shop to see her lovely items.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Quilt - NORTH Row Moves to Ohio

The North Row has now moved to Ohio for the remainder of its blocks. Pam Geisel of For Quilts Sake starts out the Ohio Sisterhood contingent with her block NORTH-4 from Yellow Springs, Ohio. The village of Yellow Springs takes its name from a natural spring located in nearby Glen Helen Preserve which is rich in iron ore, leaving a yellowish-orange coloring on the rocks. The spring was thought to have curative properties and spas and hotels were built nearby.

The village was founded in 1825 by approximately 100 families, followers of Robert Owen, who wanted to emulate the utopian community at New Harmony, Indiana. The communitarian efforts dissolved due to internal conflicts. The Little Miami Railroad was completed in 1846 and brought increased commerce, inhabitants, and tourism.

Yellow Springs was one of the final stops on the Underground Railroad and the village was known for its racial tolerance. Wheeling Gaunt, a former slave who purchased his own freedom, came to Yellow Springs in the 1860s and owned a substantial amount of land upon his death in 1894. Gaunt bequeathed to the village a large piece of land, requesting that the rent be used to buy flour for the "poor and worthy widows" of Yellow Springs. Although the land was used to create Gaunt Park, and thus does not generate rent, the village expanded the bequest to include sugar and still delivers flour and sugar to the village's widows at Christmas time.

Pam's background in graphic design shows through with her passion for original fiber art, with an emphasis on art quilts and quilt-related art. Pam took her first quilting class in 2001 and has never looked back.

Her work is currently being shown as part of the Women's Voice Out Loud show in Yellow Springs during March 2011, and the Uncommon Threads V exhibit at the Dayton Metro Library. Her Fireflies artquilt will be traveling later this year as part of the Ohio Designer Craftmen's Best of 2011 exhibit.

Pam's work is also on display the galleries Urban Handman and Frame Haven. In addition to being a long time member of Quiltsy Team, Pam also belongs to the Miami Valley Art Quilt Network, the Miami Valley Quilters Guild, the Dayton Visual Arts Center, Ohio Designer Craftsmen, Fairborn Art Association and the Monday Morning Artists (of Yellow Springs).

To see more of Pam's goodies, please visit her etsy shop ForQuilt'sSake.

Sisterhood of the Traveling Quilt - Block NORTH 3

Block 3 of the North Row comes to us from southcentral Wisconsin. Kim of KimsCraftyApple tried out the 'wonky' technique for her pretty block.





Kim lives in a rural area just outside Madison, Wisconsin. She and her husband have an apple orchard business where folks can pick their own apples. Read more about the orchard's interesting history here.






In the county where Kim lives with her husband and two daughters, they are developing a "Barn Quilt Trail." Kim is excited that theirs is the second official barn quilt in the county.



Kim exhibits the current Sisterhood North Row with one of the two emus on the farm. She didn't say if it is the one named Mac or Tosh. Kim's mother-in-law acquired the two emus one day by trading their former owner 13 caramel apples and a sack of potatoes. The emus are mainly for the visitors to enjoy. They also have four goats, named Itsy, Zestar, Tree and Super April, along with two dogs and countless cats.

Kim is currently expecting her third daughter, due April 25th. She says she's nesting by quilting and currently has four quilt tops in the works. While researching Kim's area, I discovered that the Pleasant Company began there, original home of the American Girl dolls.

Be sure and check out the many fun items in Kim's shop.

NORTH 2 of the Sisterhood of the Traveling Quilt

The second block of the North Row comes to us from Owatonna, Minnesota and long-time Quiltsy member Lynn of lmkquilts. Owatonna is located straight down I-35 from Minneapolis and is known as the "Heart of Southern Minnesota."

Legend has it that Chief Wabena heard of the curing waters called minnewaucan. His daughter, Princess Owatonna, was very frail so he moved the tribe to the site of the natural springs on the banks of Maple Creek. Princess Owatonna drank from the springs daily and recovered her health. Her kindly spirit hovers near the bubbling waters and beckons weary travelers to pause in the beautiful valley and drink of the magic waters. You can visit the springs and the statue of Princess Owatonna at Mineral Springs Park.

Although this makes a colorful and romantic campfire story, the name most likely originated from the major river running through the county, named the Straight River. For hunders of years before the arrival of the first white settlers, Native Americans camped on the banks of the river they called "Ouitunya", which means straight.

In the middle of Owatonna's downtown is the National Farmer's Bank, widely recognized as one of the premier pieces of the "Prairie School of Architecture" in America. Designed by Louis Sullivan, the building was finished in 1908 and features gold leaf arches, stained glass windows and nouveau baroque art designs. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and is not occupied by a branch of Wells Fargo Bank.

Lynn has many wonderful things in her shop. She has a long arm quilting machine that she uses to turn out her amazing work. Currently she is not able to undertake any custom work until her load is more manageable. Keep checking back to her shop to see when that status might change.