I am sitting here prepping some applique blocks and got to thinking about how I ended up finding the antique princess feather block in Millersburg Ohio in Nov 2011.
Well, it all started when my husband told me that the American Guernsey convention was going to be in Lancaster Pennsylvania in 2010. Says I, "Hey, that's serious quilting country. Take me with you."
So we went and I got to visit some really nice quilt shops and that is where I found the place that sold 15 yard bundles at $2.50 per yard so I bought several. One of them is the background I am using for the CCCQ . It was there that I met Betsy who, when she saw me take out some applique to stitch on after one of several awards dinners, told me she found some old quilts in a blanket box a few years ago when they were doing renovations on their really old farm house. I replied that I would love to see them some day. So, the following year, my husband reminded me about the blanket box find and so I started brainstorming with my Q@F friends an idea to go to the north west corner of Pennsylvania to visit Betsy and see her quilts and as I was looking on the google maps I realized that she lived only 2 hours from Holmes County Ohio. Now I had been to Holmes County a couple of times before and visited some of the quilt shops and thought it might be fun to visit there again with my friends so we made plans to drive out mid July. In the meantime, my husband had consigned a very special cow to the AGA Convention sale that summer and at the last minute asked me to fly out and meet him in St Louis. I was in the middle of back-to-back summer courses on my masters and, being a good, submissive wife, I skipped part of the last class and flew out to join him, all the while reading a 750 page textbook with more foot notes than text and a 129 page introduction. And it was in the parking lot between the hotel and the banquet hall that I met Amanda Sue, an Amish woman who owned some Guernsey cows, who told me she lives in Millersburg Ohio. Says I, " I am going there next month," so she gave me their business card and invited me to visit her and her husband. The next day, at the cattle sale, I was sitting in the nice air conditioned rental car reading my textbook when Amanda Sue knocked on the window and asked of she could join me. I explained what I was reading and why and she asked me, "If I read that book, would I understand my Bible better?"
Pause . . . for air . . .
"No." I responded. "You would only get more confused because it is a very technical book with lots of Greek that I do not understand and had to read it for marks for the course I was taking and had to complete by the end of the week." I still had 5 papers to write in the next 2 weeks and my husband had blessed me by getting someone else to milk cows every morning so I would have more time to do my school work.
Says he, "I think it might be a good idea for you to take Amanda Sue a Bible when you and your friends drive out there next month." So I got a modern translation Woman's Study Bible and planned to look up Amanda Sue after I completed all 5 papers and my Q@F friends and I drove out to Holmes County and tried to find Amanda Sue but I had left the business card at home and did not remember how to spell her last name. So we drove into Millersburg and stopped in an antique store and asked for help, but were not successful and we gave up looking since we could not find them in the phone book because they did not have a phone because they are Amish and it was raining the next day so we went shopping.
Three months later, I had a Wed class cancelled and packed an overnight bag, 11 commentaries, my laptop, my GPS and Amanda Sue's business card and headed out to Ohio to do a 10 stop quilt shop hop that just happened to be in Holmes County that week. Now, I may not be the sharpest pencil in the box, but it took me until then to realize that I was no longer getting up before 5 every morning to milk cows because I was retired and my husband tells people that he had to hire 6 people to replace me in the barn.
I found Amanda Sue at her beautiful old farm house and had a wonderful visit with her and asked her husband permission to give her the new Bible. They were both delighted, since most of us have difficulty reading a King James Bible.
And that is how I ended up finding this old quilt block in an antique store in Millersburg Ohio in Nov 2011. (You can read more about it here.)
Blessings,
Chris
Well, it all started when my husband told me that the American Guernsey convention was going to be in Lancaster Pennsylvania in 2010. Says I, "Hey, that's serious quilting country. Take me with you."
So we went and I got to visit some really nice quilt shops and that is where I found the place that sold 15 yard bundles at $2.50 per yard so I bought several. One of them is the background I am using for the CCCQ . It was there that I met Betsy who, when she saw me take out some applique to stitch on after one of several awards dinners, told me she found some old quilts in a blanket box a few years ago when they were doing renovations on their really old farm house. I replied that I would love to see them some day. So, the following year, my husband reminded me about the blanket box find and so I started brainstorming with my Q@F friends an idea to go to the north west corner of Pennsylvania to visit Betsy and see her quilts and as I was looking on the google maps I realized that she lived only 2 hours from Holmes County Ohio. Now I had been to Holmes County a couple of times before and visited some of the quilt shops and thought it might be fun to visit there again with my friends so we made plans to drive out mid July. In the meantime, my husband had consigned a very special cow to the AGA Convention sale that summer and at the last minute asked me to fly out and meet him in St Louis. I was in the middle of back-to-back summer courses on my masters and, being a good, submissive wife, I skipped part of the last class and flew out to join him, all the while reading a 750 page textbook with more foot notes than text and a 129 page introduction. And it was in the parking lot between the hotel and the banquet hall that I met Amanda Sue, an Amish woman who owned some Guernsey cows, who told me she lives in Millersburg Ohio. Says I, " I am going there next month," so she gave me their business card and invited me to visit her and her husband. The next day, at the cattle sale, I was sitting in the nice air conditioned rental car reading my textbook when Amanda Sue knocked on the window and asked of she could join me. I explained what I was reading and why and she asked me, "If I read that book, would I understand my Bible better?"
Pause . . . for air . . .
"No." I responded. "You would only get more confused because it is a very technical book with lots of Greek that I do not understand and had to read it for marks for the course I was taking and had to complete by the end of the week." I still had 5 papers to write in the next 2 weeks and my husband had blessed me by getting someone else to milk cows every morning so I would have more time to do my school work.
Says he, "I think it might be a good idea for you to take Amanda Sue a Bible when you and your friends drive out there next month." So I got a modern translation Woman's Study Bible and planned to look up Amanda Sue after I completed all 5 papers and my Q@F friends and I drove out to Holmes County and tried to find Amanda Sue but I had left the business card at home and did not remember how to spell her last name. So we drove into Millersburg and stopped in an antique store and asked for help, but were not successful and we gave up looking since we could not find them in the phone book because they did not have a phone because they are Amish and it was raining the next day so we went shopping.
Three months later, I had a Wed class cancelled and packed an overnight bag, 11 commentaries, my laptop, my GPS and Amanda Sue's business card and headed out to Ohio to do a 10 stop quilt shop hop that just happened to be in Holmes County that week. Now, I may not be the sharpest pencil in the box, but it took me until then to realize that I was no longer getting up before 5 every morning to milk cows because I was retired and my husband tells people that he had to hire 6 people to replace me in the barn.
I found Amanda Sue at her beautiful old farm house and had a wonderful visit with her and asked her husband permission to give her the new Bible. They were both delighted, since most of us have difficulty reading a King James Bible.
And that is how I ended up finding this old quilt block in an antique store in Millersburg Ohio in Nov 2011. (You can read more about it here.)
Blessings,
Chris
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