Missing and Inaction

Maybe some of you have been wondering where I've been lately as there haven't been any postings in such a long while. Well, I was under the knife! I had rotator cuff surgery and it's been a while for the recovery process. Although I can't work for a long period of time--or work on anything large--I am feeling lots better and, with therapy, will soon be better than I've been in a long time. Everything about my surgery went so well and I am very greatful. But you know us quilters--anytime away from our work is WAY too much. In the meantime, I've been reading a lot of "fluff" novels and sleeping through a lot of television. And for someone who was a production potter and still an organic gardener, it's been especially tough to not go on ahead and pick up whatever I want to. Oh yes, there have a lot of life lessons going on in this house.

So anyway, I thought I'd post what I HAVE done in the last month. This autumn wallhanging is the Fall Memories pattern from Laundry Basket Quilts. I had made it one other time and gave it away but I really liked it and wanted one for myself. I actually got all of the fusing done before my surgery. As soon as I could elevate my arm enough to thread the sewing machine, I was back at it and finished it about 4 days ago.

Yesterday, a friend came over and we each started on a paper-pieced placemat from Quilts With Attitude by Deb Karasik.

I am not a big fan of paperpiecing (or, as Jane Hall has corrected me more than once, foundation piecing) but I liked the looks of this mat and, since it was a small project, decided to tackle it. I hope to make 6 mats, but this one mat was an all-day project--and I haven't even quilted it yet! I do like it though and its gets faster as you move along.

I would like to make a couple comments on this particular pattern though. The picture in the book just showed this mat as an oval, so it was a little confusing when there was an extra pattern piece. Also, there was way too much text without accompanying illustrations. I guess this might sound picky, but I kept thinking about newer quilters and the difficulty they might have making this fairly simple project. When I write patterns, I try very hard to keep the instructions simple and clear--and even then students sometimes have problems. And in teaching, I invariably come away with ideas on how to improve the written and illustrated word. I think there needs to be some of that with this book. HOWEVER, I need to say that the quilts in this book are wonderful and if you're into paperpiecing, you will want to add this to your library of "can't do without" books.

One last word today--I didn't have the camera with me when I went places this autumn, but I sure wish I had. The leaves here in Hendersonville were beyond description in their beauty. There was one tree in our neighborhood that looked as if it were on fire with the mixture of orange and red leaves on its branches. I consistently kept thinking about some of Wordworth's poetry--especially his poem where he talks about his "heart leaping up" upon seeing a rainbow. That was exactly how I felt each time I saw one of these beyond-gorgeous trees--a beauty that is beyond measure and quantifying and brings far more satisfaction than most of our store-bought possessions. Now . . .if only I could capture that in a quilt. . .