Let me introduce you to Bernita, seated, in this photo; here she is with her quilting buddies yesterday. Bernita is a resident in a local care facility, a lifelong seamstress and crafter who was bitten by the quilting bug in 1961 when she was gifted a Sunbonnet Sue baby quilt at a baby shower for her soon-to-be-born daughter.
The quilt that started it all!
Yesterday Bernita was honored at her residence by presenting a one-woman quilt show; wonderful in absolutely every way! Bernita showcased a body of work through the years that could be rivaled by none. Amazingly, and to her absolute attention to detail and organization, she has documented each work of art with the quilt's name, date, where she was living at the time, who the quilt was made for and what inspired its creation. This documentation is such a gift in itself! I am so happy that she had this opportunity to share her love of quilts with all of her friends and loved ones in such a special way!
As you can see here, her many quilts are varied and exceptional,both in craftmanship and detail. I asked her if she felt like "Queen For A Day?" She smiled and said "yes, you can call me Queen B"! I will do that, for sure! I'm including the poem that she recited below, maybe some of you are familiar with it. It is precious. I've been bitten by that same bug and am so thankful every day that there is no known cure. Congratulations, Bernita! You are an inspiration!
Out with the snowmen, it's February; love and hearts have replaced them on the tabletops and kitchen windowsill!
And yet, while all of that is true, here is the greater question:
Thank you so much, blogger friends and those in real life who've reached out to inquire about my whereabouts and well-being. I'm fine, just as busy as I've ever been. I had taken on quite a few outside longarm commitments over the past few weeks; those, along with regular day-to-day activities have pretty much taken every free minute and run out the clock on February. Whew! Of course, that didn't stop me from starting a few projects of my own...
... as well as a new set of Lenten paraments for church. If anyone reading this has experience with sewing paraments or vestments let me know. I have questions for you!
I got a this bitty cross stitch piece bordered with all the best intentions to make a seasonal pillow but the backing/stuffing part still hasn't happened and this cutie remains one dimensional, I need to finish it for next year now.
This little hanging is now 25 years old; made by a dear friend who's since passed away. She made one of these for every month of the year, they hang in the kitchen window as a reminder of our friendship over all these many the years. 💗
And just like that this month has all but passed and spring is knocking LOUDLY at the door! Augie is now sixteen months old and the absolute perfect companion. I'm going to TRY to be better about posting here, I seem to have gotten out of the habit, time to get back in the swing of things!
As you know from the last post, we have a new family member, Augie. Nothing else has quite the power to connect with people of all ages than a new puppy. Augie's been on a "getting to know you" tour over these last few days and making friends of everyone he meets. It's absolutely exhausting being that cute!
The very best part of introducing him around has been the happy reaction of our grandchildren. Here are the Capital City two learning about little Augie via Face Time:
And here are Gregory and Lynnleigh being surprised to be greeted by a puppy at our house!
Augie is a nine week old miniature dachshund, he has silky long hair, is one of a litter of five, weighs 2.6 lbs. and, as you can see, is settling in around here quite nicely! We're endeavoring to crate train him. That's taking time, lots of patience, and occasionally turning a deaf ear to his pititful cries; that's, by far, the hardest part. But, every once in a while, he will sneak into his crate on his own now to grab a quick nap. We leave the door open so that he can come and go and we're counting this as a huge success!
It's hard work, but he's decided that we're trainable!
I received a box of new patchwork (new to me) pins in a gift box from a friend a few weeks back. They're called "Magic Pins".
I'm very particular about my pins (read: obsessed), each pin has a purpose and each type is assigned its own, designated, pin cushion-- they're NEVER to be intermingled (ask my grandchildren! 😉). I have fine patchwork pins and fork pins for piecing, extra-fine pins for applique, flat-flower head pins for attaching quilts to the leaders on the longarm, and long, sturdy quilting pins for attaching blocks and units to the design wall. I've been happy for years to exist with these wonderful products and never considered even trying out anything else. Then, along came the Magic pins into my life! Hmmmm... I couldn't wait to put them to the test.
I'm happy to report that they're smooth, comfortable, and very easy to handle with those ribbed heads. I was extremely pleased with these! (Disclaimer: Despite what you see in this photo, I never, ever, recommend sewing OVER pins!) These heads are also heat resistant, making them a good choice when pressing and pinning are combined. They're available in Applique, Quilting and also in the "Silk" variety, which appears to be the same as the patchwork variety that I tested, as well as Fork and Longarm pins. (I tested the .04 Extra Fine, as shown above). I've used these pins exclusively this past week for all of my piecing and can report, enthusiastically, that I'm a convert! I won't ditch my former choices, they've all got a place in my sewing room but these Magic Pins have earned their own pin cushion! (I'm sure that my friend who sent these is laughing at me right now!) If you see some at your local quilt shop you might want to give them a try for yourself.
Oh, and what was that under the needle above? It's a turquoise pineapple! This pattern is by Elizabeth Hartman, it's called "Pineapple Farm". I scrounged through all the leftover scraps from my granddaughter's recently completed quilt to make her a three-block pillow for her for Christmas. She loves all things with a pineapple motif and I believe she'll find this to be a happy surprise.
After learning the news about my dear friend (and former neighbor) who's currently going through chemotherapy for a recent lymphoma diagnosis all I could think of is "what can I do?" She lives in Oklahoma, so not only is distance a factor in feeling helpless, but my current state of worry over infecting someone with anything, (let alone a dreaded virus) when their immune system is wiped out is another, even if I still lived next door to her! I thought about her having to endure the treatments and worried about her being warm and comfortable throughout those procedures. What could I do? I quilted up the most recently completed top that I had on hand and quickly put together a matching tote bag which I personalized for her; my thinking was that this could be her "go bag", it could stay in her car and be ready whenever she needed it. I shipped it off on Wednesday. It's all that I could think of that I could do right away, I sent it along with love and prayers; I included a note and explained to her that this was a quilted hug, directly from me to her. She received it yesterday and I heard from her immediately; she began her first chemotherapy treatment on Thursday, it lasted for eight hours and will recur every three weeks. She loved the quilt but was concerned because her skin is leaching toxins out through her pores and, if she used it, that the quilt will need to be washed constantly, in hot water. I assured her there was no problem whatsoever with that, everything had been prewashed and if the quilt wore out (is there any higher praise for a quiltmaker?) over time that I would make her another! I know that she feels the love and the prayers; thank you for praying for Janis; please, keep them coming! Through tortured hours of repeated questions running on a loop within my brain: "how could I help, what could I do", God whispered directly to my heart: "send off a quilt"~ that's exactly what I did!
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Isn't this why we do what we do?
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We cover those that we know, and many times those we'll never meet,
with love and quilted hugs, warming their bodies and their souls.
This is me with my friend Janis, the photo was taken four years ago when we visited her and her husband at their ranch in Oklahoma. Janis and I were next door neighbors here in North Carolina back in the day, we raised our families together and our lives overlapped every day in all the very best ways. I got a phone call from her daughter last week and even before I answered my heart dropped into my stomach-- I knew something was wrong. It is. Janis found a small lump on her collarbone, she immediately called her doctor and was in the office that very afternoon; from there things have escalated at a very fast pace. She has received a lymphoma diagnosis, has been assigned an oncologist, has had a biopsy and a PT scan and will begin chemotherapy treatment next week. In the meantime she'll have a chemo port put in, have a bone marrow specimen drawn and attend a class on "what to expect" going forward. Her oncologist is the son of a Methodist minister and a firm believer in the power of prayer. Please join me in praying for my dear and loyal friend; my prayers are for complete healing and for Janis, for comfort, strength and patience as she receives her prescribed course of treatment and for peace and support for her loving family.
And, if I may ask for yet another prayer: this one for our daughter and her family. They lost their precious Sophie last week. Sophie was the best dog; quiet and loving. This photo was taken a year ago when we kept her while the family traveled to Disney World, she always wanted to be snuggled up wherever Hannes was, or as close to her humans as she could possibly be. She will be sorely missed by all of us. My daily prayer includes one for healing balm for their broken hearts and the hope that happy memories of Sophie replace the sadness and sorrow that descends following the loss of a beloved pet.
As I prepare quilts for tying this coming Sunday afternoon, for the monthly meeting of our women's service group from church, I am reminded of how we spent our April meeting. We are Lutheran, we are a liturgical church, and following along with the service in the hymnal can take many "markers" to keep one on the correct page. Some people tear little scraps of paper from their bulletins to mark the order of service, hymns and Psalm before worship begins; some fumble to quickly catch up, and some work ahead holding the upcoming page with their finger so that they will be ready. So, last month, as a service project for our own church, we made hymnal markers that would slip down into the binding of the hymnal between the pages and the hymnal's cover. We used grosgrain ribbon in five liturgical colors and went to town. I figured out a way to save money and use up cardstock that I already owned. Cutting the cardstock into strips twice as wide as we needed, we stitched the ribbons, side by side, onto one half of the short end of the bookmark. Then, these bookmarks, were folded, lengthwise, to cover the stitching and ribbon ends and glued together with glue sticks. As you can see, we set up assembly-line style and each person had their own step to perform as the bookmarks moved on down the line. We enjoyed chatting and each others' company as we worked, the time slipped by pleasantly and all too quickly! Many hands, and cheerful hearts, make light work! We are blessed, also, by a local quilt shop, to be allowed workspace to meet when their shop is closed, one of our members is an employee there. Being a tiny mission church, we still do not have space of our own and are exceedingly grateful for the generosity displayed by this small business!
The ends that were to be slipped into the hymnals were cut on a gentle curve to ease in the insertion.
No, we're not cheerleaders; we're showing off the 70 bookmarks that were completed in less than two hours! We had a wonderfully productive afternoon, made all the more fun by our youngest helper!
The next Sunday morning the bookmarks were placed in the hymnals and are being enjoyed by all! This was a simple project that has long-lasting benefits; perhaps the greatest is the joy of working together to accomplish a common goal, developing friendships and involving our youth so that they have ownership in the project too!
I didn't lose my place even once last week!
And, I couldn't help but notice that those afore-mentioned bulletins are remaining intact too!😉
I've been going up to MidAtlantic Quilt Festival for a long time, somewhere in the vicinity of twenty years; always with friends and always making memories. Back when I started going up it was held in Williamsburg, VA; it moved to Hampton in 2005. Back in those earlier days I traveled with these two: Quiltkeemosabe in the center and Maredda, on the right. We met in the summer of 1992. I was teaching a class at a local quilt shop and these two ladies signed up, they were both brand-new in town and were wanting to connect with the quilting community. The three of us became fast friends from that very day. We were always up for an adventure, that never changed. I moved away in January of 1995, to Puerto Rico. I still remember the day that the moving van arrived, sitting on a bed amidst boxes piled high, with Maredda; she assured me that I would make new friends. I wasn't so sure. I moved once again, in July of 1996, from Puerto Rico to Geneva, Switzerland. Through it all Maredda sent notes and cards and photos, so did Quiltkeemosabe, even at foreign postal rates. Eventually, Quiltkeemosabe moved away too. The two of us vowed to move back one day. Maredda remained and continued to be faithful with prolific correspondence. During this time of being scattered, one from another, the three of us launched a Round Robin challenge with other local quilters from "back home". Again, my friends were loyal; keeping me as a part of the group despite exorbitant postal rates at each "round". We had a grand unveiling party and social gathering at Maredda's home in May of 1997. What fun we had that evening, as always.
Maredda with her Round Robin quilt top at the "unveiling" event.
Each time that I managed a "home leave" the three of us got together again. Sometimes our adventures were attending a quilt show, or maybe a fabric shopping excursion or sharing a meal; but there was always MidAtlantic Quilt Festival in February. The last time the three of us went together was in 2003. After that, things changed; Maredda's husband had retired and they had purchased a large recreational vehicle together to winter in Texas on the gulf coast. I had returned "back home" by that time and we built our home and were settled. Quiltkeemosabe had moved again but wasn't too far away, she moved back, for good, in 2005; but the three amigas were no longer bonded as we had been before. Sadly, Maredda was leaving us-- by inches. Her memory was fading fast, Alzheimer's was claiming her, although we didn't quite understand what was happening at the time.
One day, maybe ten years ago, I found a fat envelope in my mailbox containing many cards and letters that I had sent to her when we lived far away. She had kept them, and mailed them back to me (or someone did). Rather than viewing this as a rejection of our friendship Quiltkeemosabe was quick to point out to me that letting go of things that she was trying so desperately to remember, or keep organized, was necessary for her tortured mind. Since then I have read through and through these letters and cards, I am thankful that she returned them, they serve as a precious journal of those long-ago days for me now.
This photo was taken in the fall of 2004, Hannes was just a tiny puppy! I had stopped by a local rec-center where I knew Maredda quilted with friends on Wednesday mornings to show her our newest family member. We had a wonderful visit that morning but things were changing, despite how hard we tried to pretend that they weren't.
I think of Maredda every day. Each time that I look at the window and beyond. At the window in our eating area because there hangs one of these monthly quilt minis that she made for me many years ago. This is such a fitting gift and lovely reminder as she always decorated her home seasonally. I think of her when I look beyond the window, too; as there stands the birdbath that she hauled out to our home construction site in early 2001 after witnessing birds bathing there in a rain-filled rut left by a tractor tire. We immediately placed that birdbath and filled it, long before our house had roof or walls. It stands in the side yard to this day, providing a bathing and drinking respite for our fine feathered friends and reminding me of a long ago kindness bestowed by a loving friend.
MidAtlantic Quilt Festival 2018 ~ I am the shortest one standing, Quiltkeemosabe on far right.
Fast forward to yet another MidAtlantic Quilt festival, this one; just a few weeks ago. This photo was taken on the very day that Maredda passed away; although we didn't learn this very sad fact until days after we had returned. Naturally, my heart broke but I was thankful that her suffering was over at long last. She had already been gone from us now for a long time, but we will never forget her and all the fun that we had together. Maredda was right after all: I did acquire new friends. Hold on to them tightly, make memories while you can; life changes with twists and turns you might never expect but your memories will be your treasures forever! ❤
I am back, from Savannah GA and QUILTCON 2017, it was a new adventure filled with sights, experiences and learning. Oh, yeah, and then there was the food-- that too, but the food in Savannah is another story for another day, it will always be there even when QUILTCON isn't; if you haven't ever visited Savannah you need to do that! So, QUILTCON: lots and lots of people. Here I am with two of my best buddies waiting for the big rolling doors (in the background) to open up on Friday morning, admitting the masses. This was fun, standing and waiting, meeting new friends in line from all over the world, learning about them through their stories, thousands brought together in one place at the same time through the love of quilts; there was an excitement, an enthusiastic vibe all around. The quilts at the show were great, click on the link below for a quick slideshow of my favorites. These are all fresh, fun and modern; I learned something about myself while viewing the show: the modern quilts that appeal the most to me are those based in traditional piecing, that combined with over-the-top quilting stops me in my tracks every time! I believe I view the quilts with a "transitional" eye, if that makes sense; the quilt category that I found myself drawn to was that entitled "modern traditionalism". Okay, I can own that!
The venue for this event, the Savannah International Trade and Convention Center, was beautiful; spacious, light and bright inside. The quilts were all displayed in the space to the front with lots of room in between the aisles to comfortably stroll and take photos. The sponsor booths and the vendors were around the outer perimeter and to the rear of this room.
Just outside the venue were sprawling green spaces and the Savannah River.
The weather was perfectly cooperative for stretching out for an impromptu nap on the grass. Yes, that is an amazingly large container ship working its way up the river!
On Friday evening we met up with some friends at the Westin Hotel next door for a mini-reunion and a meal; this was the view just outside the door at that location. Those are snapdragons in bloom!
Old friends on a new adventure; QUILTCON East 2017!
All in all, my impressions of Quiltcon were very good. The sponsor booths, while not selling goods, were showcasing lines and products as well as providing opportunities to give back through making quilt blocks for charity quilts or volunteering. These sponsor booths were generous with "swag" as well, getting to a booth when they were handing out freebies was a frequent occurrence. The Cotton and Steel bag pictured above was just such an item. I have to admit though, that my own feet weren't fleet enough to score that strawberry bag, it was just out of my grasp. However, my good friend Nane was quick enough to capture it ahead of the thundering herd and presented it to me! I remain extremely grateful. A greater power smiled upon her generosity, only moments later she won a half-yard bundle of gorgeous fabrics in a different booth. Call it karma or divine intervention, no good turn goes unnoticed. The retail vendor booths that were selling had products new to me, I was eager to try out a few and some of those items followed me home! The one thing that I did notice was not many vendors had fabric yardage for sale, there were lots of booths with precuts of entire collections and the like, but my own personal hunt for yardage to complete a few projects was fruitless. On Friday afternoon my buddies and I took a lecture from Elizabeth Hartman on choosing color for quilts, that was one of the highlights of the entire weekend!
I was hope-hope-hoping to come home with the copy of her newest pattern: "Dogs in Sweaters", but it wasn't quite available yet. I received an email that it was for sale today and ordered my copy immediately; you knew I just HAD TO have this one the minute it hit the market!
Just in case you thought I might have come home relatively empty handed, don't be fooled. This is the "loot" before organizing and stashing it in its rightful place. Not only all of this, but tons of inspiration too!
QUILTCON East 2017 is now history. Next year it will be on the west coast, in Pasadena. I will most likely consider driving north once again in February 2018 and returning to MidAtlantic Quilt Festival in Hampton, VA. One thing I know for sure: there won't be snapdragons blooming up there at that time!
A chronicle of random musings celebrating daily life, faith, family, sewing and making quilts from my semi-rural North Carolina studio:
"Strawberry Patch Quiltworks"
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