The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini takes place primarily at Elm Creek Manor, Sylvia Compson's girlhood home and family estate. Elm Creek Manor is located in the fictional town of Waterford, Pennsylvania. The author writes, "Elm Creek Manor is fictional, but the red barn on the estate is based upon a real barn in Boalsburg, Pennsylvania that has been restored and turned into a theater-in-the-round for a local community theater group, the State College Community Theatre. The fictional town of Waterford, Pennsylvania is based upon State College, Pennsylvania -- but Waterford is much smaller, just as Waterford College is much smaller than Penn State." Jennifer discovered too late to change The Quilter's Apprentice that there is an actual town of Waterford, Pennsylvania!
In the book, Mrs. Compson teaches the much younger Sarah McClure how to quilt by having her create a sampler quilt. Two of the blocks in Sarah's Sampler Quilt fit perfectly with the setting of the book. The first block is the
Chimneys and Cornerstones Quilt Block. When the author created the sampler quilt, she arranged the pieces differently than is shown in the pattern. Check out her Sarah's Sampler Quilt here: http://elmcreek.net/gallery/quilts/sarahs-sampler if you want to make the block just like she did.
The Lancaster Rose Quilt Block would also be a good one for the setting of Elm Creek Manor in Waterford, Pennsylvania. I am sorry that I cannot find a pattern for it online. However, there is a pattern available in the book Elm Creek Quilts: Quilt Projects Inspired by The Elm Creek Quilts Novels. I checked it out from my local library, so maybe you can find it in your local library, too.
Have you ever been on a quilt retreat? Inquiring minds want to know! Please answer in the comments section below.
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You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post here.
I have never felt the need to pay to get together with friends to quilt. I already get together every Thursday for sew-ins and have the opportunity to get together 2 Tuesdays a month with my Quilts of Valor ladies, too.
ReplyDeleteI have never been on a quilt retreat and I don't know what I would expect on one other than probably meals without having to cook and wash up. In my mind, there might be some teacher having the people make something by machine and spend the kind of money I don't have. If I could gather my blogging friends in one spot for a day ... that would be better than any retreat I can imagine.
ReplyDeleteno i haven't been on a retreat yet and i don't know that i ever will. i'd worry about the hubz home alone.........lol. eventually i wouldn't mind taking some classes tho
ReplyDeleteI go on a retreat organized by my LQS once or twice a year, spring and fall. It costs a bit of money which pays for the venue, meals and hotel rooms, but it is in a beautiful town and the location is pretty wonderful. I live in a very small town. There are a few other people here that quilt (five of us all together - one other woman and I do quite a bit of quilting. The other three dabble in it but are more attracted to knitting) and we do get together but it is so nice to get together with a larger group of quilters and see what others are doing. And I always get tons of sewing done at the retreats.
ReplyDeleteI quilt with friends weekly, but a retreat would be fun. Haven't done it yet, but it is on my list.
ReplyDeleteThis book series is among my favorites
No, I have never been on a retreat, nor do I ever expect to. Can't afford such things on a fixed income, and too many health issues. I "retreat" with my blog-viewing every morning. I enjoy that a lot.
ReplyDeleteI have been on a few quilt retreats and enjoyed them all. My friend has named us the "Wild and Crazy Quilt Chicks" when we get together.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been on a retreat, but have entertained the idea of having 2 or 3 days set aside when some local ladies would sew on their own projects - or maybe the same pattern but use our own fabric choices. It would be fun to leave everything for the night and return again the next day. I guess it would be more of a day camp instead of a retreat.
ReplyDeleteI have been on three 'Go-it-alone' quilting holidays to a wonderful place in Suffolk (UK), called Belstead House. A group of ladies regularly meet up for 3 days to just stitch on a project. Wonderful meals are provided, so all you have to think of is working on your project from dawn til dusk. Unfortunately, this place closed at the end of last year, so clubs are looking for an alternative venue. I have booked to go to Denman college in November (4 days) for a Winter school. There will be two projects to choose from or you can work on a project of your own. I will see, what is on offer but I am thinking that I will work on pieceing my Redwork quilt, which will include blocks from the book club.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I go on quilt retreat about twice a year, usually to Northern Michigan, beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI have never been on a quilt retreat although I have been to all day workshops.
ReplyDeleteI have never been to a retreat, but would one day love to. It would be great to sew all day & not have to worry about cooking etc.
ReplyDeletehave been to two .... the first one we lost power. the next one ....... bed bugs. sigh. But still loved the time away with other quilters!
ReplyDeletemy sisters and I have had our private family quilt retreats a couple of times. they were great fun!
I have been on one quilt retreat with my quilt guild. I have been on many scrapbooking retreats, which basically are the same thing. 3 days to devote to nothing but my sewing. No worries about cooking or cleaning. Just a special time with friends and doing what I love. A great break from the daily grind.
ReplyDeleteNo, I have never been, but would like to give one a try if I could find one close by.
ReplyDeleteSandy C. couldn't publish her comment so asked me to do it for her:
ReplyDeleteI have gone on many retreats, but would love to go to one like the ones at Elm Creek Manor!! Our guild has a yearly retreat, where you can take classes or just use the time to sew on your own projects. The LQS has one that is just a sew what you want time, and very unstructured. I like it best when the time is really your own to sew rather than to have lots of demos and structured social events. A retreat is really great because you do get away and totally get into the quilting groove. You don't have to set up and take down constantly, and some people will actually sew all day and well into the night. But the best part about a retreat is that you can talk quilts and quilting all weekend long, and nobody's eyes glaze over!! The next best thing is the show and tell!! Rather than think of it as paying for time to sew, I like to look at it as an inexpensive holiday where I get to sew!! Most of the time when I go to a retreat, I try to plan it so my sister can come. Three days to sew with my sister, no kids around, no meals to make . . . priceless!!
I have not been on a quilt retreat, but would like to.
ReplyDelete