Gallatin Gateway, Montana

Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine – May 2005

Just A Couple Of Quilting Cowgirls –
By Georgia Bonesteel with Charlotte Warr Andersen

These longtime friends have forged their own “western history” and indulged their inner cowgirls at an annual fall retreat in the wilds of Montana.

Cowpokes and trout streams. Bunnies and coyotes. An unlikely setting for patchwork and quilting, but one that works for us. Ten years of retreats at the Nine Quarter Circle Ranch in the Gallatin Gateway, Montana, have resulted in our close friendship and many growing and learning experiences besides.

Each year, on a Sunday morning in September, I hop a plane in North Carolina to fly across the country while Charlotte loads up her car in Salt Lake City and heads north. When we arrive in Bozeman, “it’s like being in our western home,” as I like to say. Other quilters join us, coming from Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, England, even New Zealand over the years.

The charming log cabin accommodations include a cozy, handmade quilt for each bed, but we roll out bright and early each morning at 7 A.M. The clanging of a bell signals breakfast at the lodge. Clothespins marked with our names clipped to red bandanna napkins show us our assigned seats. Almost as important to quilters as fabric and fun is the food, and at meals we mix, mingle, and get to know each other better.

Add-A-Bunny

Overrun

Charlotte and I teach classes on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday mornings. Keeping the surroundings in mind, we design class projects with western themes. In 2004, bunnies were the theme. In 2003, a pieced horseback rider, Trailride, was Charlotte’s class project, while I presented a Log Cabin variation, Log Cabin 9. Other projects have included foundation pieced flowers, Setacolor processes (fabric painting), a Montana mountain scene, horse portraits, and other ranch-related projects.

Afternoons are for fly-fishing, hiking, striking out on the trails upon our “assigned” Appaloosas, or simply enjoying the scenery. The west entrance to Yellowstone Park is just 40 miles down the road and a trip to the park with a picnic lunch is a wonderful day excursion. We’ve climbed nearby Lincoln Mountain, a challenging hike. Last year, we discovered an easier route to the summit, signed the logbook at the top, and had fun reading the comments of previous hikers. Some retreaters stay in class and work on their class projects or other quilting, and some just relax.

Log Cabin

Seminole Skies

Moon and Star Landscape

On Wednesdays, we take a field trip to Bozeman, a lovely ride along the Taylor Fork, Gallatin, and Madison Rivers. At the Bear Comfort Quilt Shop, owner Sandy Taylor take pride in the many classes and wealth of western fabrics offered. Across the street is the Silver Thimble with a diverse fabric inventory. A couple of blocks off Main Street is Margo Krager’s shop Patchworks. Her specialty is vintage reproductions fabric catering to the movie industry and museums. On the outskirts of town is Jane Quinn’s shop Quilting In The Country. We always find Jane catching her breath from her big August quilt show where quilts literally cover the barns, an event that turns the town into quilt heaven. As we head out of town, there is one more shop. Beverly’s Bernina. We head back to the ranch, but wait a minute, there is just one more antique shop calling to us on the way out of town…

Trailride

Bear in the Woods

O' Montana

By the end of the week, we marvel at the animals seen on the trails, the one-that-got-away fish stories, and the results of all our stitching. We’ve even recruited a few ranch hands and ranch guest to join our quilt world. It is always with great nostalgia that we pack our bags and head home, but we always know the ranch awaits us next year. And we have the quilts we’ve made individually and together to remind us throughout the year of our western home.

If you have never been to a ranch, or if you want to soak up the marvelous surroundings and do some quilting too, come join us next fall. Until the, Happy Quilt Trails!

Charlotte Warr Anderson and Georgia Bonesteel have been instrumental in shaping the quilting industry today.

Quilting Cowgirls:
Charlotte Warr Andersen is known for her one-of-a-kind pictorial quilts. She teaches workshops. See her website www.charlottewarrandersen.com.
Georgia Bonesteel’s website is www.georgiabonesteel.com. Her most recent book is Georgia Bonesteel’s Quiltmaking Legacy (American Quilter’s Society, 2004). To order, call 800-626-5420 or visit www.americanquilter.com.