slump ended/why I quilt

I will be the first to admit that I have been in a quilting/piecing slump. Part of the reason was just winding up the loose ends before we put the quilts out on the pews last weekend. Another part was my grandmother's passing and making that 5 day trip out to MO and then trying to get caught up at home from my absence. The other part is frankly, I just didn't feel like it. Who feels like having that hot thing on their lap when it is 80 degrees in the house and the fans are not cutting it? I know better than to sew when I don't have the desire.

I did manage to get the binding finished up on this one Thursday. Yesterday I added aome quilted lines around those large half square triangles and in the large red and plaid flying geese around that center star to get the large pieces to lay down a little better. My frequent readers will recognize the picture from a July post.

I threw it in the washer to remove the markings I had made and DJ was looking at it laid out on a chair in the kitchen as we ate supper. "That sure is a pretty quilt", says he. High praise indeed! (Thank you, Betsy for making the top and then giving permission to scale it back a notch)

The machine was and is still set up for quilting so my eyes lit next on my 30's Pioneer Sampler, pinned and waiting for me to decide whether I am handquilting any of it or machine quilting all of it. I don't know if my sore thumbs are up to the hand quilting part. I started locking in the outer border and some of the vertical lines and the next thing I know I am quilting a few of the blocks. Guess I made my decision though there are a couple blocks that would be easier to hand quilt more in the middle. Man, that thing is heavy with all the pins and just plain BIG!! I'm hoping that it will be easier to handle as I proceed because right now it feels like I have been wrestling a bear. I really want this on my bed sometime and this will make that happen quicker. Y'all have been after me to quilt or piece something for myself so I guess this was it.

Patti asked the question on her blog "why do you quilt?" Well, since I was in a bit of a slump that was a little harder to answer but I think I can come up with a few answers anyway.

Part of it is for the reason you see in the picture at left. Occasionally we get pictures of children with quilts we have donated. This happens to be a little fellow in Paraguay wrapped in a quilt I made and sent with my niece/godchild who had gone on a mission trip with a group from a church in the Bradley/Kankakee/Bourbonnais, IL area about 5 years back.

I feel that quilting is my mission and a way to use my God given talents. My own nieces and nephews don't necessarily need me to make them quilts--my mother has already taken care of that (or will do so if they are still waiting). They, fortunately, will never want for anything in their young lives. I have no children of my own--I've made DJ's grandson two quilts and probably another when he graduates from college so where should I best use my talents? You got it--for someone else that needs them.

I quilt because I do not care to make garments. This way I can still play with fabric but not have to wear it or expect it to fit properly. I have always done something creative with my hands and tried a lot of them. My husband swears that when I die they will have to beat my hands to death with a stick because they will still be fidgeting. He may be right, LOL. I cannot just sit and watch TV without having something else to do--redwork, knitting, even ugh, binding.

I quilt because I love trying new techniques and new patterns. I quilt because I am reasonably good at it and I can't really do things like draw or paint as much as I would like to. It is an art form I can embrace and be a part of.

I quilt because my mom and grandmothers did to some extent. It is something my mom and I can share since we both make quilts for WTIL. It is something that has always been around either on my bed or in borrowed quilt frames and my helping to tie them or at quilt shows I have attended. I own a quilt my great-grandmom made and will share that with you one day. It keeps me connected with all our quilting foremothers and their part in women's history and preserving our craft, seeing that it gets passed on to the next generation.

I quilt because I blog and blog because I quilt. I have friends that do as well and make new ones everyday through this medium. That's about it off the top of my head which is how I usually write anyway--and then re-read to see if it makes any sense, LOL. Hope you all are having a good weekend so far-------

this and that

Jealousy Rears Its Ugly Head
Okay, this picture doesn't have much to do with anything other than it came from a friend in morning email along with a joke. Joke was okay but the picture looks priceless. Perfect picture of human nature, even at this young age. The little one on the right is pretty upset about the attentions being paid elsewhere.

Yesterday I managed to slog through two more chapters on my continuing ed units--two to go today but these are a lot less reading. I promised myself a peek at the new Fons and Porter "Love Of Quilting" magazine that came in today's mail once I am done with the last exam on the material.

I also got the binding completed on Betsy's revamped medallion for the boys. I am going to stick a few more quilting lines in it before I stick it up in my closet for holding purposes. I see that the walking foot is still on the machine so maybe later today or tomorrow. I know it is silly, but once the machine is set up one way or the other I hate having to switch it over just to switch it back. It would be different if I had the room to move from one machine to the other like some do between machine and serger if they garment sew. Isn't happening here! I also prefer to do all the cutting at one time if I can and if not cutting, then keep things set up for pressing. It is not hard to take the pressing board down-- it just disrupts my flow to keep switching gears like that.

Pam asked me last week what I thought I wanted to sew on since I was close to being caught up with the kids quilts. I am still debating that one. I'm still thinking finishing up with the ostrich round robin center but which of the things on my August goals if any, do I want to work on. Creatively, I need a kick start so that almost makes it something that I have not started and it should definitely be a personal project, not anything kid related. HMMMMMM. This will need more thought. I miss seeing quilts up here too, Esteemarlu! Unless I drag out some I own or some from the past there may not be any quilts to see for a bit at this rate.

Last night I was looking at EQ and realized that I can now download those extra fabric palletes of the month a whole lot quicker with the new faster internet connection along with the RJR project files that the two companies have worked on. Zip, zip those were downloaded. Some EQ owners may not realize that you can also download the Quilt Design Wizard projects as well and they will open in EQ5 as it is an EQ product. There is a Project of the Month Archives available that also loads the various fabric lines into the computer to play with in other areas. Got caught up with downloading those in no time at all---gotta love it!!

Below is one of the designs that I thought would be kind of fun for the boys quilts. I guess I would pick up on this because Antoinette had just gotten some soccer ball fabric in two colors as well as a race car flag like stuff and handed it to me at a recent meeting. The block measure 13 inches and the whole quilt 60 x 60 or thereabouts. There are some other balls, jerseys and so forth in the Sew Precise 1-2 (or was it 3?) that could be added. Since all the libraries of the other software can be linked to EQ, it adds even MORE blocks that can be used. Not entirely sure what those green things are supposed to be---ball diamonds??? I do like the "curves" though---different.

Grocery shopping day got pushed back from my usual Monday to Thursday because of my being out of town for 5 days last week. I had to laugh though---I had stopped at Dollar General in our little burg to get some of the paper supplies and canned goods we needed. When I got back to the car I found something I had in the trunk of the car had spilled over and unbeknownst to me, my cart started rolling down the parking lot as I tried to corral that mess. The next thing I knew the clerk came running out the door hollering "your buggy is getting away" It almost collided with the UPS truck, she said, but it didn't stop and it kept rolling. The driver was in the back getting his delivery out and couldn't catch it either. I thought I had my foot hooked around the cart as I normally do. Apparently not--- there goes my purse and all my stuff headed down the slope almost out to Main Street. She caught up to it before it rounded the corner or went out into the road. Of course, it helps that this is a very, very small town. Talk about customer service!

Well, Chapter 8 and 9 here I come--get this over with.

another block find

Seesaw Brackman#1336 from Gutcheon's Perfect Patchwork Primer. 1973.

What brought this up? Well, I flipped the 365 Quilt Blocks perpetual calendar page that sits atop my computer and there it is. LOL, after I just asked Karen about the one she featured in her post dated 8/20. The fabrics are blending at bit in her blocks and the flying geese units are less prominent then in the colored sketch. I can see how using a no waste, 4 at once flying geese pattern would come in handy for making this block especially if you were doing a whole quilt.

Judy had asked where I was coming up with the numbers on the previous post--which book etc I was using. BlockBase software which is just Electric Quilt's version of the Barbara Brackman book, actually more like the quilting bible in my opinion, Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Blocks. The software is probably easier to use than the handdrawn quilt thumbnails but I still pull the book out occasionally.

I really enjoy learning about the history of quilt blocks--their names, where the blocks came from or when they date back to. The other night, as bedtime reading, I was looking at Young's Civil War Diary Quilt that I recently purchased at a quilt shop closing out sale and reading the diary entries.I may never make a block in that book but I can still enjoy their stories. What a connection we all have to those quilters who proceed us whether we consider ourselves traditional or maverick quilters! They are just geometric shapes, after all, endlessly rearranged and recolored. New methods perhaps for arriving at an end is all.

No sewing or binding got done yesterday--too much computer playing, I'm afraid. My husband thinks that now that I have high speed internet that I can get my computer time done quicker and wonders what I will do with that "extra time" HA! not extra when you just do more of it, faster. I was finding all kinds of fascinating things like the satellite view of my house--though they put the address in the middle of the main road. It must have been done in the fall or winter as everything looks brown or red dirt color plus it is about two years back because those houses across the road are not there either. I can watch video now--quilter's news network, anyone--which was never possible with dial-up. Still, I managed to slog through two chapters of my nursing continuing ed stuff (Elaine, just to keep my license current just in case--too expensive to re-instate) with another printed up for today's "hour". Three more to go after that so some progress is being made.

An errand to run and back at it----

quilt blocks

I was looking for what the quilt block that Libby shows in the homespun fabric on her site today. While stumbling through the various categories of block divisions in BlockBase, I found the block that many of you have been using for JudyL's challenge as shown at left is called Lincoln's Platform Brackman #1935---I knew it looked familiar! Judy may have identified it as such and I just missed it in the reading. I may try this eventually as all of yours are turning out so wonderfully--all the different color variations.

Oh, I think that Libby's block is called Lady of the Lake Brackman #1342. They show one on Quilter's Cache here.

Paperwork is basically done for Bama Belles but wouldn't you know just when I thought it was finished, all three of the checking accounts statements came---those can wait a couple days! Documents updated, pictures properly filed and CD burned. We had thunderstorms last evening and about 4 inches of rain in our gauge over about a 2-3 hour time frame. Lights kept flickering but we didn't lose power like we did on Sunday. I was finished with the computer by the time all that happened, fortunately and didn't lose any data.

Today: walk soon while we have some cloud cover, one chapter of my continuing ed units (big ugh but September and license renewal comes soon), finish that binding and then work on that ostrich center completion. Now that I have set those small goals best find my shoes and get ready to roll as my husband will be standing in my doorway nudging me along any second.

typical Monday

No quilt pictures to show you--did plenty of that in the last two posts, I think. I appreciate all the kind statements you made on viewing them laid out the church pews.

I work with a great group of women here locally but I would be remiss if I did not thank my online friends (and Mom) who also sent tops and materials to keep us going. The core group of active piecers and quilters here is probably about 8-10 people but everyone contributed at least one quilt this year. The core group, more quilts or tops. Volunteerism is not mandatory to be a Bama Belle but it is contagious. You saw how they add up over time- one and then another, another, etc!

While I am on this topic, I could have sent a press release to the local paper but they have covered our efforts on three different occasions. Once was a pictorial spread and they said we had made dozens of quilts----that I took issue to because it was more like 100's and actually we were very close to 1100 since late 99 at that point. *VBS* I could not let that go by without correction.

Patti suggested that we send this in to Quilter's Newsletter magazine---nice thought but no. I don't even subscribe to it anymore and so many groups do the same sort of thing. What would make it newsworthy? The Bama Belles make quilts on behalf of WTIL but Cher does the same thing with her Portland Piecers and Pam took a huge bunch down to Mexico a few months back. I am happy to share the quilts here in this forum for you and the Belles but that is mostly because you have seen them in the making or when I have brought them home for the meeting. Beyond that, there is no need, in my opinion.

Not much sewing related going on here. The simplest thing I could grab is binding to finish up on the last WTIL quilt currently in my stack. That might be part of the day's hourly tasks. With traveling, the funeral and the quilt display stuff I am really off kilter. I am still thinking that the center of the medallion is too poofy and needs a bit of quilting--some crosshatching or a few extra lines of some sort.

Since Kim extended the deadline for the ostrich round robin centers until 9-1, I had decided to join in the fun and managed to stick down the starts of an Eleanor Burn's style Sunbonnet Sue and do the blanket stitching around it on Thursday evening. I put it on point and then had to work with EQ to get the block to a mathematically feasible number for the next round--just hope that I didn't goof up adding or subtracting the seam allowances because I already trimmed it possibly too close. That is as far as it got ....nothing done to it over the weekend. The sewing machine sits beckoning to me but not enough to actually cut the strips I need and add them.

I had intended to go to bee Gary and Betsy host on 2nd Friday to have him take a look at the local round robin I am facing until I got called out of town. I spoke to him about it on Saturday---altering or easing apparently is okay----alas, removing the offending material is not but then I didn't think it was. I got as far as pre-washing the fabric yesterday but no further.

Yesterday I spent some time updating my quilt documents now that I know what is going where, organizing some pictures so I can burn a disc for Ellen to send along with her copy. Then general paperwork, bill paying etc had to be be done as well. Even some room straightening and laundry though I fear I have had some sort of stomach virus for about a week and really didn't feel like it. Today so far has been a typical Monday with errands (post office, bank, gas up the car, grocery stop, etc) along with a trip over to the church to grab the photo albums. Why I didn't think to do it on Saturday, I don't know!

Before I left, Oren came by to get the Christmas quilt to take to his son's. They will be visiting them out of state later in the week. Bless him, he brought back the buttons I had wanted to ask if I could have--I collect them, thanks to my grandma and extra quilt blocks that I can pass onto Sarah to work her magic. I didn't know if the daughter-in-law was a seamtress or crafter so had slipped them back in the bag when he took it to the long armer.

So that's how it goes in my little corner of the world---I'll check in your spot in a bit

quilt display, post 2

A better view of the church left hand side--every surface covered with quilts. The rest, groups of the right hand side--apparently there is a limit to how many pics I can post. If you really haven't seen enough (there are 20 total pics) then you are welcome to look at my yahoo photo album dated 2006-08-19.

A few of these have been posted on my blog before and you may remember them--some you have not. Some tops were shared by friends here in the ring so I hope you enjoy looking at the finished product.

See the preceeding post for the "rest of story"

Quilt display

My regular readers may recall my mentioning that today was the day we were to take the quilts on hand that will be donated soon. We counted 98 quilts on the pews today at our little display. It was just like visiting some "old friends"--if you missed a couple meetings, then you didn't see all of them so there were some new ones to you. We had a few visitors but I said that we put them out there more for us see one more time before we hand them over.

Most will be going to the Girls Big Oak Ranch at the end of the month, some of the ones that screamed "boy" were saved towards our efforts for the Boys Big Oak Ranch next year (12). Several (6) will be going to a cottage of girls that the Presbyterian church where we met has "adopted". We also had some that are a bit too small for our needs this year but we share some members of our group with a guild in Etowah county--they need some help to make some for DHR and we had 9 to share. I need to crunch a few numbers/verify but that means 68 or 71 for the girls.

Linda S was holding about 30 some quilts at her house but I had the others stuffed in my closet, atop the armoire almost to ceiling height and a stack on the hamper--I've showed those pictures in previous posts. Linda and I were to meet down at the church Friday morning to bring the quilts down to store overnight and lay them out this morning for viewing. SOOOO Thursday afternoon, I start lugging the quilts out to the car, DJ offers to help after I had made 3 or 4 trips out. We emptied armoire and hamper (about 30 quilts) and he asks "is that all?" Nope, there was a pile on the bed that I had started taking out of the closet and all of them IN the closet to go. Then I got "where did all these come from?" "why are you storing them?" Ah, where do you think??? We have only been working on these since the first of the year and twice a month I drag more in the house.

Okay enough of a set up---you want to see some pictures, right? I have more of the closeups that I can post but this should be enough for you to get an idea of it anyway. Looks like I am missing one that shows more of the left side of the pews so maybe on edit. Nope, not behaving---I'll post a few more in another post and totally bore you to death but you should be able to see the quilts a little better close up that way.

right hand side looking towards the back

left hand side towards piano and organ

" Amen" corner



More of amen corner and right side