Moose Jaw is is a city in south-central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the Moose Jaw River. It is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, 77 km (48 mi) west of Regina. Residents of Moose Jaw are known as Moose Javians. Best known as a retirement, and tourist city, it serves the small towns and farms of the surrounding region. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Moose Jaw No. 161.
Moose Jaw is an industrial centre and important railway junction for the area's agricultural produce. It is known for its giant historical murals on the exterior walls of buildings in its business district, and its tunnels were used for rum-running during Prohibition. CFB Moose Jaw is a NATO flight training school, and is home to the Snowbirds, Canada's military aerobatic air show flight demonstration team. Moose Jaw also has a casino and geothermal spa.
Six of us made the trip - Carole, Judy, Faye, Cheryl, Jane and myself - and we were joined by four other quilting friends - Darlene, Margaret, Phyllis and Wendy. Our husbands dropped us off at Tim Hortons in Sherwood Park at 7:15 am
We had a very nice time; Carole had booked appointments for us at both quilt stores so that the owners would know we are coming and both stores greeted us with discounts and specials! And Quilters Haven even had a lovely door prize that was just for us! We really enjoyed our time there - a number of us were interested in the patterns they had that involved embroidery like this beautiful one -
The gals at Quilters Haven were very friendly - and oh, I almost forgot, they had special demos for us too! If you are ever in Moose Jaw, please stop by Quilters Haven or visit them via their website here! They also attend the Creative Stitches shows and will be in Edmonton on September 11th and 12th - you can check out Creative Stitches right here!
We walked the streets of Moose Jaw - in the daytime only - and discovered a few cute little stores and places to dine.
Here are Darlene, Faye, Wendy and Phyllis ..
and Carole and Darlene ...
and Jane, Margaret and Judy .....
with Cheryl and me!
A street shot - typical small town Canada!
We also toured the underground tunnels of Moose Jaw, this is what wikipedia says about the tunnels:
Tunnels of Moose Jaw
A network of underground tunnels connecting buildings in downtown Moose Jaw was constructed beginning around 1908. They were originally built as an underground steam system that was abandoned. The tunnels were used to hide Chinese railway workers escaping persecution during the Yellow Peril or unable to pay the government-imposed head tax. Entire families lived in the tunnels and worked at above-ground businesses in exchange for food and supplies. The tunnels became a hub of renewed activity in the 1920s for rum-running during Prohibition in the United States. They were reported to have warehoused illegal alcohol that was then shipped to the U.S. via the Soo Line Railroad. The tunnels were also used for gambling and prostitution, all without interference from the corrupt police chief. There has long been anecdotal evidence that American mobster Al Capone had visited Moose Jaw or at least had interests in the bootlegging operations. Although no written or photographic proof exists of Capone's presence, several firsthand accounts from people in Moose Jaw who claim to have met him have been documented. Capone's grandniece also confirmed that he had been in Moose Jaw prior to his 1931 conviction for tax evasion. In the 21st century, the city capitalized on this notoriety to restore the tunnel network into the Tunnels of Moose Jaw, a tourist attraction that opened in June 2000.
Exciting and interesting! Unfortunately we couldn't take photos during the tunnel tours but it was an adventure - there were 2 tours, one that explained the exploitation of the Chinese workers (which was very disheartening and sad) and one that focussed on the supposed boot-legging. We had a great time in Moose Jaw and enjoyed the small town atmosphere and the friendliness of the Moose Javians!
Now back to sewing and quilting - our May sewing days seemed to be 'catch-up" days. Here is Cheryl working on another quilt she is going to donate to charity; Cheryl has donated quite a few of her quilts - way to go Cheryl!
Jane is working on a two-colour quilt from the book "Block" by Jennie Doan from Missouri Star Quilt Company. I LOVE these books - so much information, so many patterns, lovely colour. To get your copy, click HERE!
Here is a photo of Jacob's Ladder from the Block book.
Here is Louise working on a lovely applique quilt, love the fall colours!
This is the pattern, Quilted Escapes, Maple Leaves and Canada Geese.
Carole is sorting and pressing blocks she is making from a layer cake purchased at the Quilt Patch in Moose Jaw; the pattern came with the layer
cake and is super easy to put together.
Faye is thinking very hard about her quilt; more to come!
Judy is completing the tea-towel gifts she is making for her grandson's school - I think she has made about 40 - wow!
Myrtle is nearing the end of her polka dot quilt - or is it near the end of her wits? Just kidding - it will be stunning!
And I'm working on 3 more Necessary Clutch wallets for my cousin Pam, my cousin Kathy and Pam's daughter, Kari. Kari's is going to be the black and white one, Kath's will be orange and Pam's will be red. Looking forward to making these and sending them away to Minnesota!
That's all for now - enjoy the warm weather!
Bev