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Quilting a joy for Harvest Fair winner

Jean Charleyboy is quite enjoying her retirement in Williams Lake surrounded by family and friends.
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In retirement Jean Charleyboy is finding joy in making quilts for her family members. This beautiful butterfly quilt that won Best in Show at the Williams Lake Harvest Fair this year is going to one of her granddaughters.

Jean Charleyboy is quite enjoying her retirement in Williams Lake surrounded by family and friends.

Quilting is one of her many loves. A member of the Cariboo Piecemakers quilting club, she makes about a dozen quilts each year and gives them away to members of her large, extended family.

At the Williams Lake Harvest Fair in September a beautiful butterfly patterned quilt that she made for one of her granddaughters ended up winning the Best of Show ribbon.

The quilt features tiny squares of many colours that weave together to create the beautiful  butterfly.

The quilt took a year to make working between her other projects.

“I like designing and putting colours together,” Jean says. “I also enjoy designing rockeries and flower arranging.”

Jean moved from the U.S. to the Chilcotin in 1967. She raised her family at Red Stone where she also worked as an alcohol and drug counsellor and drove a bus for special community events. She says she and her family enjoyed hunting, fishing and camping in the region.

Ten years ago Jean retired to Williams Lake. When she isn’t quilting you will find her gardening and canning and spending time with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, most of whom continue to live in the Cariboo-Chilcotin.

With so many things she wants to do in life, Jean says she is never bored.

“Life is never boring. If you feel life is boring open your eyes, and get your mind and body going,” Jean says.

“There is more to do than you would ever have time to do, so enjoy your life.”