Approaching the Finish Line

I have two more unfinished projects to report. The first one is a second version of a basket quilt that I did for a challenge in our splinter group. The one I made originally was needleturn applique and the basket design was the same as in this one--which is fused and machine appliqued. On this one, I added an oval frame and the corner scrolls, plus a different colorway. I redid the outside border before I started quilting and was a lot happier with the final product. Anyway. it is now quilted--after at least two years!

The second quilt I just finished is for the silent auction at the Cobblestone Quilt Show in March. It consists of needleturn applique blocks that were "leftovers" from other projects. It, too, is now quilted. If I keep going at this rate, I'm going to have to actually start something new because there won't being any unfinished projects left!

Another thing I've been working on is knitting. I have resisted taking up knitting again because I know that it can eat into your time that would maybe be better spent on quilting but it's COLD here in Hendersonville and I needed hats and scarves--and, wouldn't you know, there's a WONDERFUL knit shop here in town. SO . . .I've been buying yarn (and also needles to replace the ones I gave away years ago) and finding excuses to watch t.v. so I can keep warm outside. And, now, my husband has complimented me and says if I have time, MAYBE I could make him a sleeveless pullover sweater. How could I turn down someone who has so lovingly and generously supported me in all of my quilting endeavors? Never!

It's a Topper!

This will be my final posting of the my work in progress on Swamp Hibiscus. The border and blanket stitching are done and now it's on to piecing the back, pinning and THEN quilting. I leave for Hendersonville tomorrow for (I hope) 2 weeks and so the pinning will have to wait until I come back to Charleston where I have a big enough floor to lay it out on (yes, I STILL get down on the floor to pin). I'm really pleased with how it's turned out and now my general nervousness will set in about just how to proceed with the quilting. I know it will work out, but . . .

One thing I've been doing while spending more time than I had planned on in Charleston is finishing up some of my unfinished projects. This is one that I started about four years ago at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival. It was a needleturn applique class with Linda Cantrell. One of the unique "twists" in this class was that you ironed all of the applique pieces onto freezer paper, ironed under the raw edges and then glued the entire piece onto the background fabric. You cut away the backing as you go. It's kind of tough in the beginning because there is so much stiffness to the work, but you get the reward of seeing the entire piece from the start. I actually have had the entire piece finished for years, but just added the borders. I'll be taking it with me to the mountains and will quilt it up there. It won't take long and will make a nice Christmas present for someone.

That's it for now. Hope things are going well with everyone.

The View

Whew! I just realized how long it has been since I last posted anything. This has been a hard few weeks dealing with a very weak and ill mother-in-law with little time left for anything else. One thing that is a comfort to us when we have to deal with life's unpleasant happenings is the view from our window. We drink our coffee every morning looking out at this beautiful bit of our environment and read our meditations and somehow find some kind of center to maintain our balance in this world. I was so disappointed that I didn't get to see the fall color this year; however, even I--a mountain girl--had to admit that that golden hue of the marsh grass looks pretty darn good. As we were sitting and looking out this morning, fish were literally jumping all over the place! And they were BIG! We were discussing the various ways we could cook them if only we had a fishing license (not really). I saw my neighbor shortly afterwards and he said he caught 16 fish in about 15 minutes. The only thing was . . .they were mullet, not the bass I had been envisioning. Oh well--he threw them back into the drink, but we all had a little excitement.

I had brought my Swamp Hibiscus quilt back to Charleston with me to work on while I was here and when it came time to do the blanket stitiching around my applique, I was in trouble. I had used my Bernina up in the mountains to do much of it and neither of the machines I have here in Charleston have a blanket stitch that even comes close to the quality of the Bernina one (at least in my opinion). One of the machines is quite expensive but it just didn't measure up.

So . . .I asked my daughter-in-law (to whom I had given my Bernina 200) if I could borrow it long enough to do the stitching. She, of course, said yes and I trotted home with it. I started sewing and was just about overwhelmed with how much I missed that machine (I gave it away because I wasn't getting good service from the dealer). Since we have a good dealer in Hendersonville, my sweet husband said that I must get another one like the 200 (I don't know the model number now). Although I thought it was pretty great of him to say that, I really thought it came under the category of trying to make yourself feel better when you're under family stress and I felt I had him at a disadvantage (would that be WRONG? I would have to say probably.)

Anyway, when I told my daughter-in-law just how much I had enjoyed using my old friend and that I hoped to get another one sometime, she immediately told me to keep it, that she really didn't have the time to use it (she's going to college). I was really overwhelmed by her kindness and wanted to do something for her. I have packed up my other top-of-the-line machine and it will be hers when she is ready for it. But I also wanted to do something immediate and offered to quilt one of her unfinished projects. This is the one she chose--a project from a Myrtle Beach Quilt Party weekend. I really enjoyed doing it because it was something where I could sit down at my Juki and go almost into automatic and listen to books on tape. I was pleased with how it turned out and I think she was, too.

And so, I have had a wonderful reunion with my Bernina 200. I know that other machine owners could say just as many wonderful things about their own particular brand of machines--it's just a matter about what suits our own needs and ease of operation. I like the heft of the Bernina presser feet and I like the way certain stitches stitch and I like some of the features that are unique to the Bernina and I am used to. And, I am almost finished with my Swamp Hibscus quilt top and will post it soon.

Moving Right Along

Thought I'd post the next completed step of my Swamp Hibicus quilt. I finished the borders today and now I have to decide what to put on top of the border fabric.

The little "squiggles" on the upper right border are just pieces of fabric placed to think about color and shape. After I decide on what to put there--and actually PUT it there--I'll be finished. And then on to the quilting! I took the picture of the swamp hibiscus over a year ago and have been thinking about it ever since. It is such a beautiful and delicate flower; and yet, unlike the typical hibiscus that one buys at Lowe's, it dies down in the winter and regenerates in the spring. As well as seeing the in Charleston, I saw several huge plants at the Arboretum in Asheville this summer, so I'm hopeful that I can have a plant in my yard in Hendersonville.

The beautiful Angel's Trumpet (which will be a quilt some day--hopefully sooner than later) that we had in our yard in Hendersonville was full of buds the last time we were there, but the weather was so cool that the new flowers were very hesitant to break out from their protective covering. So when we came back to Charleston, we loaded it onto the back of the truck (COVERED back of the truck) and brought it with us. Once it hit the sun and warmth of Charleston, the flowers just jumped out and shouted for joy. The Angel's Trumpet is a night-scented flower, so we placed it by an entrance to the house. When you walk by it in the evening, the odor just envelopes you. I love it--although it COULD be called over-powering. . .

On a different note, I've been taking pictures of everything in our house. I saw a piece on the television that addressed the issue of insurance coverage in case of loss. They advised video-taping household contents (I don't have a video camera) or taking digital pictures. They also suggested taking photos of the contents of drawers, the point being that we don't remember EVERYTHING that we own and the pictures serve as an aid to remember and, at the same time, prove to the insurance company that we actually had what we say we had. I have 3 more rooms to do and then the cd's will go into the lock box in the bank. I'll have to admit that I didn't do any house cleaning before I took the pictures. Now there's firm, provable evidence that I'm a lousy housekeeper! Oh well. (And I don't think I'll be posting any of THOSE pictures.)

The Re-Do is Done

Did you ever make a quilt, live with it for a while and then decide that you just really needed to change it? Well, I did. The more I looked at my quilt, Magical Thinking, the areas in the blue background just got to me enough that I HAD to change it--which isn't the easiest thing to do once it's totally finished. I was asked by friends why I just didn't move on and make another one like it and change THAT one or, another friend asked, why didn't I just give it away? I don't know.

This is my original version--except that it doesn't show all of the bugle beads that were finally in the black "figures" situated in the blue background. And it was the beads and all of the machine appliqued and quilted black figures that I decided had to come out. That took about 6 weeks. When I finished that, I machine quilted in the areas that I had uncovered.

Once that was done, I designed the elongated two-colored stars in Electric Quilt, sewed them together and hand appliqued them on top of the quilted surface. And, finally, I hand quilted them through 2 layers of the quilt (I didn't want to come through to the machine quilting on the back) and sewed a gold & black bead in the center of each one. And NOW, I'm finished--and happy.

I know that some people would have a term for the effort I just went to for a smallish return, but sometimes you just have to do what you have to do.

There's Fiber and then there's FIBER!

Although we don't subscribe to the newspaper anymore because we're spending so much time in Hendersonville, I always try to buy the paper on Wednesday (for grocery ads), Friday (for activities over the weekend) and Sunday (well, because it's Sunday). We're in Hendersonville now and when I got the newspaper yesterday, I noticed that there was a quilt show in Brevard this weekend, as well as a fiber fair in Fletcher. Since the two places are fairly close together and since we've been working so hard this week on house repairs, I decided that an outing was in order.

To begin with, the weather has been incredible today. The leaves are beautiful and the temperatures are just right--just a little nip in the air. We went to Brevard first. The show had no admission fee and was strictly a local event. Nothing to write home about (or even to blog about) but the people there were nice and enthusiastic and obviously enjoyed quilting.

Next we went to the fiber fair at the Ag Center. I have to say, what I had expected was to see some angora goats, rabbits, sheep and llamas--and I did indeed see them. You can see one of the prize specimans here. The animals were beautiful. And then, we saw some of the raw and dyed wool that people had brought to sell. Since I don't spin (or card or any of the other things it takes for raw wool to become yarn) I was only interested in the finished product that I could manipulate with knitting needles. And there was some very nice yarn there and I did buy a hank to make a scarf.

But THEN . . .we went inside the arena and there were VENDORS! I had absolutely no idea the enormity of what was going to be there. The variety and types of yarns, raw materials, notions, etc. were so incredible--I almost wished that I wanted to knit an entire wardrobe. I felt as if I were surrounded by a soft rainbow of heavenly colortones. I have to admit that I did buy enough yarn to make a fancy shawl and a warm sweater--so that will be my "carwork" for the forseeable future. It is really hard to describe how I felt when I first saw all of those wondrous colors and textures but I think some of the joy came from realizing that I wasn't actually looking for anything (like I do at Mary Jo's) and I could just simply enjoy the sight. And that was the greatest gift of all.

And, now I am posting my latest efforts on my Swamp Hibiscus journey. For those of you who noticed my last post on it, you might notice that part of it is missing. Well, the more I looked at those corner pieces, the more I realized that they just didn't belong there. I spent several days looking at the quilt, making samples of what "might" go there and, finally came up with something I'm happy with. I haven't sewn everything down yet, but I think it's a "go." I'm getting close to completion and then I'll have to start all over with the quilting choices. That's what makes it such an exciting journey, isn't it?

The Web of Life

My husband, Smokey, went outside to leave on an errand but came back in and told me to come out and see the cool beauty created by nature.

The entire area around our entrance was covered with the little cobwebs. There had been a heavy fog in the morning and the dew had settled on each of them, making an incredible work of art. I looked at them more closely and saw a little hole in each one--a hole in which I guess the little spider (or creature) had gone back down into the ground. (Click to enlarge picture if you can't see the little opening) It was just so cool to see this little quirk of nature--and what with it being so close to Halloween . . .Hmmmmm.
And then, last night we went to a poetry reading in downtown Charleston with the renowned poet Coleman Barks reciting (such a mundane word for such a great rendering) the poetry of Rumi, the 13th century mystic. We have been reading these poems everyday for over a year and were so excited to have this opportunity. And, coincidentally, one of the major emphases of his poems is the importance of nature in our lives. He would have LOVED to have stepped outside of his tent on one fine autumn day and have seen these little webs. The difference between him and me, however, is that he probably would have spent QUITE a long time pondering the significance of the event. I'm not there yet.
And, today, we're back in the mountains. I was thrilled to see that my Angel's Trumpet has many new buds on it and, hopefully, the freeze will hold off long enough for a few blooms. And tonight I am back at work on my Swamp Hibiscus quilt--doing some satin stitching around applique pieces, etc. We brought up another sewing table and Smokey "altered" an old sewing machine insert I had so that my Bernina can fit into the smaller opening--he's a whiz.
Tuesday, my friend Nancy Coleman is coming up for the day and we will be going to the Asheville Guild meeting to attend a lecture by Kaffe Fassett. That ought to be fun. She had told me that she was waiting to come see our new place until we had finished the work on it and were settled in. I told her that it would be a LONG wait.

Surprises Come When Least Expected

Well, I got back to Charleston yesterday (in the midst of pouring rain) and checked my messages on the telephone. There was a message from Margiotta's Sewing Store saying that they had a surprise for me. I thought . . well, never mind what I thought. My husband said, "Maybe it's about the sewing machine you won in the $100,000 Quilt Challenge." Duh! So, I called them, and you know what? He was right! So, we went there this morning and brought home a shiny, new Baby Lock Quilter's Choice Sewing Machine. Pretty nice, huh? It sounds good and is pretty easy to use (at least the straight stitch and zigzag that I've tried so far . . .) This is a nice size and will be the one I take to classes. It even cuts threads (which I have become too accustomed to. How lazy can one get?)

Also waiting for me when I arrived home was my quilt that traveled in the Hoffman Challenge 2006 Show. What I want to show you is the Prize Ribbon. Whoever made them, made them from the Challenge Fabric. I thought that was really neat.

And finally today, a minor update on my swamp hibiscus quilt that I'm working on in the mountains. I haven't had a lot of time when I've been there because we've been pulling up carpet and refinishing floors, but I did choose the background I've been looking long and hard for and got the oval sewn in place. I then decided on the yellow frame roping (although technically it will be in the shape of hearts--not rope), fused it down and did the blanket stitch around all of it. When I left, I was working on anchoring down the flower itself. I pinned it on the design wall along with the corner sections I'll be working on next. This is still very much a work in progress, but I'm pretty optimistic . And when I go back in a week or so I'll have a fresh perspective. Who knows what I'll decide to do then!

Jacksonville Quiltfest

This past weekend we went to Jacksonville, Florida to see the quilt show there. It is a large show with a great variety of quilts. And, of course, a lot of great vendors (isn't THAT why we go?). This year I was fortunate enough to win prizes for both of the quilts I had entered: The Eye of the Storm and Honey Locust Beans. Batiks, Etc. (one of my favorite vendors and shops) was the sponsor of two of the ribbons. I also won a ribbon for Artistic Merit (I was floored by that one!) which was sponsored by the show itself. The committee that puts on this show does a lot of really neat things--some of which work better than others. They had a recognition ceremony on Saturday morning which is really just a photo "op" because they didn't have a microphone and no one could really hear anything but , they presented each of us with a gorgeous rose that was done in the style of Joan Shay (and that was a LOT of roses for them to make). They did a similar thing last year and I think it is a really nice touch to make each ribbon winner feel special. After the ceremony, each winner was asked to stand by her quilt for a while to answer any questions people might have. This year, my husband Smokey stood by one of my quilts and talked also (I think he enjoyed it!). The people are so nice and really seem to appreciate the opportunity to talk and ask questions. Again, they did this last year also and I think it is a great addition to any quilt show.

There was another quilt there by a Charlestonian, Virginia Schrenker. She does absolutely beautiful needleturn applique and her quilt is really outstanding.

I took more pictures, but there were so many wonderful quilts that it was hard to choose just a few to post. This one I liked because of the use of color--something that I always need to work on. Working out where to put so many individual pieces of fabric really takes a lot of patience and a good eye. And the dog by Pauline Salzman I really liked because she does such a great job of looking at the ordinary and making it extraordinary.

So . . .all in all, it was a great trip that included a visit to the Old Green Cupboard (a GREAT quilt shop), some good food and a comfortable bed. Hopefully, tomorrow I head back to the mountains and can get back to work on my swamp hibiscus quilt. And then, Karen, I can post an updated picture.

Finished Drunkard's Path

Hi Again--Just thought I'd post the Drunkard's Path with the quilting finished. It was a lot of fun.

Quilters of SC Retreat

This past weekend was our State Retreat and my first time to teach there. The class I taught, Winter Blessings, lasted the entire weekend and, although I had taught this class before, this was the first time I taught it two days in a row rather than two Saturdays in a row. I learned a lot about the difference 6 days can make. There is so much more time to work at home and get ready pattern pieces traced and fused for the next class. At any rate, I think most everyone had fun and were pleased with the results of their efforts. I think it would have been a lot to expect to finish the entire top in two whole work days, but everyone went home with a good "chunk" of it completed. These two pictures are of Jean and Ann, a "sister act." They may be related, but they will end up with quilts that are completely different. They are both pretty lucky when it comes to winning prizes though. Ann won a nice collection of thread and Jean won a massage and a SEWING MACHINE! Good work girls.

It was a great weekend and I enjoyed being with quilt friends from all over the state of South Carolina. Karen Kendo did a really great job of organizing the retreat and we're all glad that she's agreed to do it again next year.

Swamp Hibiscus Update

I've had a small block of "alone" time so I was able to focus on my Swamp Hibiscus quilt for the last two days. It's still very much in the beginning stages, but I'm excited about how it MAY turn out. My husband, Smokey, is a great asset when it comes to giving honest opinions about my designs and choice of color. I have spent literally weeks looking for a certain kind of background fabric for this oval. Finally, at the AQS Show in Nashville, I found more or less what I was looking for. When I got home, I pinned it up on the design wall behind the flower. Smokey took one look at it and said, "No." We talked about why it wasn't good and then I pulled out the fabric that I had chosen almost a year ago when I first drew out the pattern. Wouldn't you know? It was the perfect fabric all along! And now, I start the process all over again as I work out from the center. People have asked me if I have the entire quilt in mind before I start . . .Are they kidding?

We enjoyed the show in Nashville. The vendors were great and I especially was interested in all of the different threads available. It's great to purchase small amounts, try them, and then you can order larger amounts if you like them. I think I bought thread from four different companies. We stayed at the Opryland Hotel. Unreal. BUT, we absolutely loved walking around in the evening through the lush greenery. We had planned on doing some sightseeing in Nashville but it was so hot (102 degrees) that we came on home a day early.

I Can "Bearly" Stand It

In Charleston, there are huge painted turtles all around the downtown area. This is the first year that they've had them and they seem to be a big success. For those who aren't aware of what I'm talking about, different groups (or individuals) start with a blank slate on the surface of a molded turtle. They paint or otherwise decorate it and then it finds a home in front of the sponsoring store or organization. Early one Sunday morning, Smokey and I took our grandson around downtown and stopped at each one we found. It really was a lot of fun.

They also do the same thing in Hendersonville and have now done it for a few years. Only they do bears. They are all up and down Main Street and some of the painting on them is wonderful. On my walk this morning, I took my camera with me and took pictures of several of them. One of the interesting bear factoids around here is that the bear population has increased so much that they are going to have a bear hunting season this year in the state parks. I was surprised to learn of the dramatic increase because their habitat has been so diminished by the increased building all around.

Another thing that is so wonderful here in the Hendersonville area is the abundance of free entertainment. Friday night we went to the library to hear a bluegrass concert by the Piney Mountain Band. They focus on playing authentic bluegrass music--much of which originated in this area. They were very entertaining. The Friends of the Library here uses some of the proceeds from the annual book sale to provide many different enrichment programs throughout the year--some musical, some movies, some authors, etc. Tonight they are showing silent movies in the field behind the library (I passed on that one).

And then, Friday night, we went to the parking lot at the Visitors' Center to hear a band play oldies rock. They are called Sound Investment and to say that they were very good would be an understatement. A great thing about this venue (which has been every Friday night during the summer) is that all ages of people get out in the middle of the space and dance. Last night I saw a couple dancing to a fast beat song that had to be 90 years old. It was amazing. Everyone was in good spirits and it was just a nice time. I was even asked to dance one time by my husband (Will miracles never cease!)

As Promised

Well, I didn't exactly get around to it right away, but here are a few pictures from the Asheville Quilt Show. This first quilt won Best of Show and it really is an example of simplicity winning the attention of the judges. The work on this quilt was excellent but it certainly was more low key than some of the others. I personally think that it is so very difficult to choose "one best" of anything in a large group.



(By the way, all of these images are in a sideways position) This quilt was made by Barbara Swinea of Asheville and won 1st place in the Professional Pieced Category. If you click on it and open it up into a larger format, you can really see just how wonderful it is. (It was one of my personal favorites). This was the first time that I had seen any of her solo work. Previously, I had just seen her collaborative works with Linda Cantrell.

And this is another of the First Place Winners. I really can't begin to tell you just how high quality this show is--and it's not a juried show. The Asheville Guild is full of creative people and, with the decent prize money, they also attract quilts from a pretty wide area.






And finally, a work in progress (and you can see it better if you click it to enlarge). I taught a class Saturday at People, Places & Quilts on the Drunkard's Path. I really love to teach this class, because there are so many, many ways to use this very simple block and come up with some pretty dramatic quilts. And students are always so amazed to learn that sewing a curved seam is not all that hard. At least three of the women came away with that affirmation this time.

I had taken this quilt top to the class as an example of another layout for the Drunkard's Path. After I got back home, I stenciled in a design on the white blocks and then thought long and hard about the color of the thread and the quilting for the rest of the top. And so, I did something a little different from anything I've done before. That's why I like to quilt things that will never be prize winners. It's a great opportunity to work out ideas. I'm really pleased with this concept and will definitely use it again.


Well, it's back up to the mountains tomorrow and I'm hoping the air conditioner is working. It'll be cooler than Charleston, but it will still be HOT!

What's Happening?

This weekend is the annual quilt show that is sponsored by the Asheville Quilt Guild. This is the second year that I have entered it and the first year that I have actually helped in the preparations. A couple of weeks ago, I helped with the judging process and yesterday I helped hang the quilts. I really like to listen to judges as they talk about each quilt. You can learn so much about what makes a "show-worthy" quilt. My friend said on the way home that she certainly had learned that she needed to work on having straight borders.

This is such a high quality show and I had hoped to post some great pictures, but holding the camera with one hand and trying to shoot around a mass of people just doesn't work for me! I hope to get some better ones when I go back on Sunday to help break the show down and pick up my quilts. This was one of my favorite quilts at the show: It's really a very simple pattern--the Drunkard's Path--but the use of color and placement of the blocks was spectacular. I'll see if I can get a better picture of the Best of Show quilt and a couple of others that I really liked. I was very pleased that both of my quilts won awards--one lst and one 2nd. It's always nice to have something that you've labored over be recognized. Those quilts are already posted on this blog, so I won't add them again.

I have finally gotten a good start on my next quilt that will focus on a swamp hibiscus. I took pictures last year of the plant in my yard and have mulled over it since. I finally got the inspiration for how I wanted the quilt to be, drew it out and then studied it some more. I started sewing the background last week and, after sewing for 2 days, decided that it looked terrible. Back to square 1. I then found a background fabric that I like, but don't have enough. Soooo.....now I have to find it. I guess I'm going to be FORCED to go to Mary Jo's! Anyway, I've started piecing the flower and I'm posting the work in progress: It has now reached the enjoyment stage--until the next roadblock. Oh well, we should welcome those growth opportunities.

The other thing we did recently was to go hiking in the Dupont State Forest this Monday. It was a great day for a hike and was so beautiful. We went on a trail that leads to Triple Falls. This picture isn't that entire vista, but it gives you an idea of what we saw. I'm looking forward to building up my mountain legs enough so that we can go back to some of the places we went to six or seven years ago. There is just something so peaceful about being in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by massive trees and flowing waters.

Spending Time With Alex

One of the best things about having your 12-year old grandson stay with you for a few days is that you go places that you probably wouldn't go to otherwise. Yesterday, the weather was iffy so I tried to think of somewhere outdoors that wasn't too far away or too long a path to follow. I came up with Pearson's Falls, a beautiful waterfall that is managed by the Tryon Garden Club and is not too far from where we used to live.The walk down to the falls is under a mile and is so lovely. It did start raining while we were there but the heavy canopy of trees protected us. There wasn't much in the way of blooming flowers but the greenery was lush.

And then today we went to the Biltmore House and right off the bat I was dazzled by a plant that I hadn't seen in a while, the Angel's Trumpet. Unfortunately, some of the photos didn't make it from the shutter to picture (Could it be the camera operator?) but the two I took were good and I can see a quilt in my future. Another great thing: We stopped by the nursery at Biltmore and it actually had the plants for sale. You can guess who brought one home in the car.

And this is what I meant by receiving inspiration when you aren't even looking for it. Angel trumpets weren't even on my radar, but you can bet they are now!

In The Mountains

We have come back to Hendersonville today and have brought our 12 year old grandson with us. Hopefully, the weather will be good and we'll get to do a lot of things outdoors. On the top of the agenda is climbing Mt. Pisgah. It's only about 1 1/2 miles to the top--but it's a tough walk. I'll take my camera and hope for a clear shot.

I'm also hoping for some quilt inspiration, but what I"ve found is that inspiration comes when you least expect it. Take this quilt, for instance==Honey Locust Beans. I was just walking along one morning and there they were--just hanging down in front of me on the sidewalk (the locust beaqns, that is). Talk about being hit on the side of the head! I had to go right home, get my camera and come back and take the picture. And not too long after that, the quilt was started. This has been a very special quilt--it has won several awards and was just published on the cover of the AQS Wholesale Catalog. How lucky can you get?

Well, time to start thinking about climbing that mountain because I'm certainly not getting any younger and each day counts. Each day I strive to live in the moment and sometimes I even succeed.

You have to begin somewhere

So many people have said so many nice things about my quilts, I thought that I would begin to share photos and thoughts on this journey. I'll start with a quilt that I just received back in the mail yesterday from Vermont. Like most quilters who send their quilts off to shows, there is always a huge sigh of relief when it returns home. This quilt is named "Althea's Waltz in the Starlight Ballroom" and is an interpretation of the Rose of Sharon block. It was well received at the show--which is always nice. You can't really tell from this picture, but there are crystals scattered across the black background. As I was sewing them on, the surface began to remind me of the crystal rotating ball that often twirls above the dance floor and that is how I decided on a name.

Well, this is my start. Let me kow what you think!