Crazy For Quilting

The Crazy for Quilting journey was a great success!  Here’s a day by day description of the fun.

Friday, Sept. 30

The Friendship Force of Cedar Rapids/Iowa City welcomed 18 Ambassadors at Wickiup Hill Nature Center!  Our club has prepared a Best of Iowa dinner, featuring roast pork loin and side dish pot luck.  In the spirit of Friendship Force, 5 Ukrainian educators and their hosts joined us for dinner.  This will be their final evening of an Open World program featuring the education system in Iowa.

Saturday Oct 1

Amish/Mennonite community of Kalona. We had a guided exploration provided by Kalona Historical Village with stops including the Amish Country Store, J & K Woods, Sunnyside Conservative Church, lunch at a conservative Mennonite farm, Stringtown Grocery, Quilt Galleries/Quilt storage at the Historical Village Visitor Center and a demonstration and shopping time at the Stitch N Sew quilt shop.

Sunday, Oct. 2

Lunch at the 100-year old General Store Pub along the Wapsipinicon river in Stone City, where regional artist Grant Wood lived, worked and painted landscapes of eastern Iowa.

Monday, Oct. 3

Amana Colonies, seven small villages that once practiced a communal lifestyle.  Families had their own living quarters, but shared work on the farms, shops, kitchens, schools and shared meals in communal dining rooms.  Stops on the this tour, include Fern Hill Gifts & Quilts in South Amana, Amana Arts Guild Gallery Shop in High Amana and the Amana Church Museum in Homestead.  Lunch was served family style, chicken, roast beef and smoked pork chops, at the Ox Yoke Inn.  Following lunch was a demonstration of Amana quilting at Heritage Designs.

Tuesday, Oct. 4

5 Turner Alley, where Grant Wood lived and painted from 1924 to 1935, now an extension of the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art.  Lunch at 350 First, at the top of the Doubletree Hotel,  with the great view of downtown Cedar Rapids, flood barriers and Quaker Oats.  Afternoon stops included the ‘Through the Needle’s Eye’ exhibit at the Marion Heritage Center.

Wednesday, Oct 5

A muffin & mimosa farewell toast to our guests as the boarded the bus to Winterset.  The journey concluded with a 5 day stay hosted by the Central Iowa Friendship Force Club.