Stormy Weather

We have had some great thunder and lightening storms over the last week.  Of course they also bring the uprooted trees, tornado touchdowns and wind damage but they are exciting to watch and listen to.

My quilt room looks like it has gone through wind damage.  There are at least six projects in the works to finish and they are laying on tables and floor - wherever I could find a spot.  My very type A organized husband just shakes his head and asks how I can work in that mess.  Don't tell him but it is getting to the point that I need to do some organizing and cleaning.

Why is there such a mess and so many projects, you ask?  The summer quilt retreat is fast approaching and I have a bunch of favors to make, I need to complete my demo step-outs,  one wedding quilt due in July and the second one in September and prep for the classes I am presently teaching to name but a few.

In the midst of all this chaos I have found a very helpful organizing method.  As I complete projects and have just a bit of fabric left over and not enough  to use in another quilt I strip the fabric or cut it into squares and store them by size and color or style of fabric. Since I am a fan of scrappy quilts it is proving to be a very quick way to make a quilt and use up the leftovers with some pretty stunning results.  Many of Edyta Sitar's patterns are great ones for using up those strips and squares.  Baskets on a bookshelf make a pretty and organized way to store those strips and squares too.

May the storms in your life only be the gentle rains that nourish.

Blessings,
Dee

Old is New

This past week I have been doing some research on signature quilts along with just enjoying all the quilt designs from the past.  Brett and Stephanie have decided not to have a traditional guest book for the wedding but have everyone sign a quilt block as the guest book and after the wedding I will assemble the blocks.  Personally I think it is a great idea.  I know how much I have enjoyed the quilt In Between Stitches did for me when I moved to MI.  I know it will bring them a great deal of joy and warmth through the years, much more than my guest book that sits on a shelf and rarely if ever opened.

How distracted I get!!!  During my research I had a few aha moments.  Many of the antique quilts from the 19th and 20th centuries were very graphic and organic.  They look an awful lot like many of the modern quilts of today.  There are so many different types and styles of quilts and all are so beautiful.  Whether you are a traditionalist, an art quilter, modern bent, contemporary, landscapist quilter or other it doesn't matter, just enjoy it all and once in a while jump out of your box and try something new.  I have found that trying new things makes me a better "loose traditionalist" quilter.  I'm jumping into paint, gilding, felting, embellishing, couching and seeing how many different ways freezer paper can really be used.  It's messy and fun!

Following is an example of what I found and saw the similarities of todays modern or contemporary quilter.  Enjoy!

Walk Down Memory Lane

This past weekend I took a memory trip to my past.  The president of my High School Alumni Association called me about our reunion coming up in August.  I won't even begin to tell you which number reunion it is-ghastly is all I can say. :)  We talked for awhile and I caught up with all the news on everyone.  How fun to chat with her.

The same evening Steve was the speaker at a school reunion celebrating the school's anniversary serving children and families since 1849.  I reunited with my college roommate's brother there and a dear friend from college days.  What a fabulous, unexpected surprise on both counts.  It certainly made the evening delightful.

Yesterday I had the joy of sharing my antique quilts with a friend.  We discussed the fabrics and the women who created them, one being my mother, another Steve's grandmother and a woman I never met but bought the quilts from her son and heard his stories and love for his mother.  Fun! Fun! Fun!

There are so many ways to share friendships and life through quilting connections.  I am always amazed.  I have so many wonderful friends and memories that wouldn't be if I hadn't taken up quilting.  Know each of you are thought of often and lovingly remembered.

Dee

Hello! Hello!

You may have noticed some changes to the Home page of the blog.  Hopefully it will be easier for you to navigate.  I would like to encourage you to sign up to follow by email so that you are notified when new material is added to the blog.

I would also like to invite you to share projects that you are working on and comment in the comments section under each blog.  I do love hearing from you.

Following are some projects I have been working on recently.  I think I have about six projects going at this moment.  Sheesh!  When will I learn?

July Retreat Quilt Demo

Top left is a new pattern and class, bottom right is a class and the star is the middle of Rachel's Wedding Quilt

Way too much fabric to iron

                       

very small reproduction blocks for a group I sew with

No pictures of Brett's quilt this time.  I haven't been making a great deal of progress on it at this time.

Enjoy your days and keep quilting!

Blessings,

Dee