Hello and welcome 😎. Last week I was on a very nostalgic road trip with a friend. It was really great reminiscing about our childhood. It felt like we were saying goodbye after all this time. It's good to remember but it's also good to let go - and that's what I did.
My Favourite Provincial Park
Although I spent most of my summers at our cottage, we did, as a family, spend a lot of time at Esker Lakes Provincial Park. We are blessed with many amazing Ontario parks, but this one is special! It was created by the receding ice age that deposited lots of sand, some huge boulders and gave us many beautiful spring-fed lakes. There are also has some awesome birch trees among the pines. This is truly impressive in North-eastern Ontario.😍
When I got home, I stitched on my Almost Daily Stitching tablecloth. It had been a long time - mostly because I don't usually know what to stitch! The Esker Park photos below inspired me to stitch a few blocks.
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| Esker Lakes embroidery |
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| Embroidery of a close up of a fireweed |
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| Fireweed - the model for the embroidery |
Here are a few more photos of Esker Park. This is at the beginning of Bog Trail. It really has a rugged beauty.
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| Swamp and lotus flowers |
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| Rugged beauty |
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| More rugged beauty |
Here is the trail to the beach - you can see the birch trees. Unfortunately the sandy beach has mostly been flooded and taken over by the swamp.
Although the beach has been taken over by the swamp, there was still a bit of a sandy beach and space to swim. Amazingly enough for a spring-fed lake, the water wasn't as cold as I remember it.
When we drove to the other end of the lake where the camping area is, we saw and heard loons. They were crossing the lake and calling to each other. It really was magical. I was able to modify and upload my recording. Click here to listen to it.
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| Trail to the beach. |
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| View of the lake from the beach |
Although the beach has been taken over by the swamp, there was still a bit of a sandy beach and space to swim. Amazingly enough for a spring-fed lake, the water wasn't as cold as I remember it.
When we drove to the other end of the lake where the camping area is, we saw and heard loons. They were crossing the lake and calling to each other. It really was magical. I was able to modify and upload my recording. Click here to listen to it.
In a ditch, next to the hotel in town, was more swamp - but look what was hiding in the shade there!
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| Forget-me-nots hiding among the bull rushes |
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| Embroidery in progress of a spotted Joe-Pye weed |
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| View from the road - just a little blue peaking out! |
On the way to Kirkland Lake we stopped in at the Quilting Barn in Earlton. What a lovely store. I was very reasonable 😁
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| Quilting Barn in Earlton |
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| My purchases - a Christmas panel, some 5" fabric cuts and this beautiful fabric designed by Peter Parling by Stof |
I also embroidered on the last space of the row of my Almost Daily Stitching project - it's a little smaller so I just stitched an abstract design in variegated thread.
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| Abstract design in the square on the edge |
One Monthly Goal for August
I'm really going to try to get that Cowboy panel quilt done. I put on the inner border in July and now I'd like to get at least one outer border done. I suspect that once I have one border done, that I'll be encouraged to make the others. Here's hoping!
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| Going to get at least one outside border done in August |
What I learned
- Travelling with my friend was great. Among other things, we both love food, so we found some lovely restaurants along the way.
- During the trip I did play with hexies but haven't stitched them together. I'm no sure if I want to use them for the Bloomers SAL - all of the different colours might distract from the appliqué.
- I'm considering either using all of the same colour for the hexies, and/or using larger hexie templates than ¾".
- I've already started putting together some of those 5" fabric cuts that I bought. This month's Table Scraps Challenge colour is teal (aqua), so I've put together another BB quilt. I'm looking forward to sharing this with you soon.
Related links
- Almost Daily Stitching project (which is not at all daily or even almost!)
- Quilting Barn, Earlton Ontario
- Esker Lakes Provincial Park
- Cowboy Panel Quilt OMG completed for July
Linking parties
I'll be linking up to many fun linking parties. You may want to check some out, after you've linked up below. One Monthly Goal Setting for August, Monday Musings, Design Wall Monday, Sew & Tell, Put your foot down, Off The Wall Friday, Finished (Or Not) Friday, Patchwork & Quilts, 15 Minutes to Stitch 2025, Slow Sunday Stitching,
Free Motion Mavericks
Welcome to week 543 of Free Motion Mavericks! It was a very productive week! Thanks for linking up. Here are the projects from last week that included FMQ, ruler work or walking foot quilting.
Kate of Scrapbox Quilts has completed more Bear Hug quilts. She's FMQ one with an orange peel design. The second image is of a baby quilt that she FMQ with various designs. The FMQ is really lovely.
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| Kat's Bear Hug quilt with FMQ orange peel design |
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| Baby quilt with some lovely FMQ by Kat |
Donnalee finished a lovely cactus runner using an oval circular template to quilt them.
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| Donnalee's Cactus runner quilted with an oval circular template |
Quilting Gail finished her orange quilt for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge in July. Her design is lovely and based on the disappearing nine patch. Gail used the Silly Moon Charming ruler as well as FMQ some lovely swirls.
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| Gail's lovely Orange quilt with ruler work and FMQ |
JanineMarie of Quilts from the Little House made a lovely Billie inspired quilt. What a lovely finish. You can check out her post for more pictures.
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| JanineMarie's Billie inspired quilt |
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| Details of JanineMarie's quilting |
It's now your turn.
It was nice you and your friend were able to spend time together and reconnect in a place that was special to both of you. It looks like your visit to Esker Lake has inspired your embroidery, happy stitching!
ReplyDeleteThanks Gretchen, it was a lovely trip and I'm so happy that it's inspired my embroidery, especially on a project that has not been close to almost daily - but at least it is these days!
DeleteYour trip surroundings look beautiful and peaceful. Smart that you captured that beauty in some of your stitchings.
ReplyDeleteThanks Vicki, that park has so many fond memories and it is one of the places that I "discovered" nature as a kid.
DeleteWhat a lovely trip you had with your friend. Love how you took the flowers at the park and recreated them in stitch.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Gwyned, and thanks for linking up :-)
DeleteBeautiful embroidery, Andree. Sounds like a great trip. I really enjoyed the call of the Loons. I bet it was a peaceful place to visit. Enjoy your goodies from your quilt store stop! Thanks for joining us at Monday Musings. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteThanks Brenda, hearing those loons brought back so many memories. I've actually started playing with the 5" squares - they are now a teal BB quilt. Hopefully it'll be finished by next week.
DeleteWhat a wonderful trip. I like the loons. I'll be cheering you on while you add border(s) to the quilt.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the cheering Anne-Marie...it worked! I now have 2 of the 4 borders on and am looking forward to adding the other 2. Thanks!!!!
DeleteI love hearing the loons too! Your trip was relaxing and inspiring! I love the embroidery on the tablecloth you did as a result of what you saw...perfect.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Kathleen. It was the perfect trip - fun, relaxing, good food with a good friend. What else can you ask for!
DeleteSounds like a very fun trip. Love the stitcheries that were inspired by the park. Happy stitching this week.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kate, it was actually a very productive week! Thanks for your kind words :-)
DeleteSounds like a fun trip - and what amazing scenery. I like how you are stitching what you saw!! so fun!!
ReplyDeleteThe cowboy panel - I love him
Thanks Alycia, I think of you when I'm working on the cowboy quilt - you're the only cowgal I know!
DeleteMagnifiques paysages, et c'est chouette de se retrouver entre amis ! Tes broderies inspirées du voyage seront un beau souvenir.
ReplyDeleteMerci beaucoup Frédérique, ce sera vraiment un bon souvenir de revoir ces petites broderies dans le project. Bises
DeleteHow lovely you and your friend could visit the places of your youth and remember the good times. So many magical places to inspire your creativity.
ReplyDelete