The Unveiling

The Asheville Quilt Guild held its annual Christmas dinner on Tuesday night and it was really nice.  The location  was beautiful (although the parking was sparse), the food was better than most and the guild group that put it on did a great job.
For me, it was the occasion for the unveiling of the Opportunity Quilt for the 2013 quilt show.  When I was asked to come up with the quilt for next year, I was the victim of not being able to say, "no."  However, it was one of those things in life that definitely turns lemons into lemonade.  While I was stewing within myself for being a gutless wonder, a fellow guild member approached me to offer the assistance of her art group for the project.  (I wonder if she heard my big sigh of relief?)  This has been a difficult year in so many ways and. all of a sudden, there was a lightness that wasn't there before.
To make a long story short, the Out-Of-The-Boxers stepped up to the plate in a BIG way.  I provided the basic form for the quilt and the idea (all things Western North Carolina) and they jumped in with additional content and willing hands.  It truly was a group project and much better for it.  For me personally, it was major.  At the end, they invited me to join the group and I feel that my feet have landed on some pretty solid ground after wobbling around looking for a place to share my quilting life. (Right now, I'm drinking a BIG glass of lemonade!)
The name of our quilt is Delectable Mountains and the tickets will be on sale very soon.  A member of our guild, Noreen Goard did the longarm quilting and she took particular pains to choose motifs that also reflected Western North Carolina flora and fauna.
An additional note about the Christmas dinner:  The Ammons Sisters put on a program in which one sister told stories of growing up in the mountains with little or no material possessions and her sister drew the stories has she told them.  I really loved listening to the stories.  For some reason, I have always connected with the spirit of these mountains that I now call home and stories told by people who have been here for generations give depth and breadth to the experience.  It made me think about how stories impact our lives.  Years ago, when we lived in Saluda, we visited an abandoned stone bridge--called Poinsett Bridge--in the Greenville Water Shed.  It was still mostly there and had a keystone type of construction.  At one time, it was a route from Greenville, SC to Asheville, NC.
Not too long after we visited that bridge, I came across a book of short stories by Robert Morgan called The Mountains Won't Remember Us.  In that book was a story about the building of the Poinsett Bridge which focused on the character of one of the stonemasons.  It vividly portrayed what his life must have been like in those hard-scrapple days of mountain living.  No, he probably wasn't a real person; however, it forever changed my perspective of that bridge.  It no longer was just a beautiful artifact but, rather, was a real bridge built by real people who lived a life of scarcity and brutally hard work.   Stories can bring us as much truth as history books--just in a different way.  Precise facts don't always matter if these stories lead us to a new appreciation of the people who came before.
Sometimes it makes me wonder who will share OUR stories with future generations.

"Air- Conditioned" Scarf

As some of you might remember from an earlier blog, I bought yarn at the huge Fiber Fair a while back to make a scarf that was displayed in the booth.  My husband's comment was something about how is a scarf with a lot of holes in it going to keep your neck warm.  Well . . .what did THAT have to do with anything?  I liked the yarn and I liked the scarf.  Nothing else really mattered.
Of course, the scarf will keep me warm though.  There's plenty there to do the job.  It was a lot of fun to knit because I could hardly wait to see how the next color gradation was going to look.  The only drawback was that I have to keep binding off 10 stitches--which meant I had to count them--uninterrupted.  That can put quite a damper  on conversation.
So, it's finished and the socks are well on their way to completion.  I did cheat a little with the socks and bought some less expensive yarn for my first pair before I use the "good stuff" I bought at the fair.
For those of you interested in this yarn it is by Kauni (www.kauni.com).

Let There Be Peace On Earth--And Let It Begin With Each Of Us

The day after Thanksgiving, my sister-in-law, niece and I went to a craft/gift show in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  I used to be a production potter and went to many craft shows throughout the years and, as a result, haven't been to many of them in recent times.  This year, it was the choice of sitting around all day, going to the mall or the craft show.  And I'm very glad we made the choice we did.
Why?  Well, for several reasons.  First of all, it's kind of fun--if you go at a time when the crowds aren't so great i.e. at the very beginning of the day or at the end of the day.  The other thing is to head to the left as you enter because most people go to the right.  We followed both of these rules and it was very pleasant until we got just about to the end of our time there and hit all of the people turning to the right two hours after the show had opened.
Anyway, another very good reason to go to a craft show is that you are pretty much guaranteed to encounter products made in America.  AND, if you're lucky and friendly, you'll get the back story behind the individual crafts that you encounter.  (In case you're wondering at this point what the back story is on the quilt at the top, I'll get to it pretty soon)
I used to be a potter--as I said--and as such, I always look at pots when I'm in a gallery or craft show.  These days, I'm pretty horrified at the prices (and am perhaps jealous that my prices never got that high!).  There were several potters at the show and, I'll have to say, all of there prices were more reasonable than most BUT a lower price doesn't necessarily mean a desirable pot.  But then I came to a booth where the pots just drew me in.  I picked up a mug, the price was good and, more importantly, it felt good in the hand.  I was sold.  Now, one of the benefits of buying at a craft show is that you meet the maker and what he or she says becomes part of the vessel that you purchase.  And what a nice young man--I think more or less just getting started and very enthusiastic about making pots. (He also showed me how to use The Square to charge purchases).  So now, my morning cup of coffee is more than just a cup of coffee--I'm back at that show and thinking about the back story.
I also bought a small hand-carved gourd that is so beautiful.  The young man in that booth told me that he was from Peru and that his father, grandfather and great-grandfather had all carved gourds.  Another back story.
Now to the quilt above.  While we were walking the show, my sister-in-law spied a quilt hanging up that was made from a Christmas panel--nothing fancy--nothing to mark the maker as a quilter.  Just a product.  I couldn't help myself.  I asked her why she would want to hang that on her wall at Christmas when there was someone who could make her a REAL quilt (me and my big mouth).  Well, she allowed as how the argument had some validity.  And so, I was committed to the project.  I had previously purchased the pattern Peace by Paris Bottman after seeing a finished sample at a quilt show. So it seemed that it might be a good time to make it. Now, it's finished and ready to mail.
And, hopefully, my sister-in-law will think about the back story when she hangs it on the wall--the back story of going to a craft show with her daughter and sister-in-law on the day after Thanksgiving--a day when she saw a lot of wonderful things made in America by real people with faces that gave depth and meaning to the things she purchased.  And, hopefully, she will like the quilt that offers the prayer for peace in our time.

Rose-Colored Glasses

I got up early yesterday morning and went about doing the things I needed to do before we left town for Thanksgiving. As I passed by the window in the dining room, I felt an unusual light.  I looked up and saw this beautiful sky.  But the really unusual thing was the rosey glow that was all around.  It was the softest, most gentle feeling.  I raced for my camera to capture as much of it while I could.  And then I went outside and the entire 360 degrees of the sky was Carolina blue and rose.  I have never experienced such a thing before and it a moment of bliss.  (Of course, maybe if I got up earlier more often I would perhaps have more moments of bliss!). Anyway, I am grateful for this particular moment.
And I'm also glad that my nephew helped me to figure out how to post this from my iPad--which was not the easiest thing in the world.  One more step in my journey to computer savvy.  But how come they keep moving the goal post?

Just Coastin' Along

 When I was at a friend's house last week, she showed me some small bowls and coasters that she had made with Jelly Rolls and clothesline cord.  A while back I made a  clothesline project that was huge and it kind of burned me out on the technique.  After seeing her method, I became re-engaged in the process and decided to give it another try.
To begin with, I didn't use a Jelly Roll (mainly because I didn't have one).  Instead, I used some fat quarters that I DID have.  The method I had used before involved sewing the jelly roll fabrics together into a very long strip, pressing them as if you were going to make them into a bias tape and then enclosing the clothesline within the strip and sewing through the entire thing--all the way down

with a straight stitch (which was mighty difficult to keep straight with all of those layers).  The result of this was that you had more bulk than you needed and the finished piece was somewhat floppy.
This is how my friend did it:
She cut her 2 1/2" Jelly Roll strips into 1 1/4" strips (so you'd get twice the length).  She then sewed the pieces into a long strip.  At this point, she wrapped the finished strip around the clothesline and--with a cording foot--sewed down the entire length, encasing the clothesline..  She previously moved the needle to the right so that it wouldn't sew into the clothesline itself. 

After this was finished, she trimmed the extra fabric away, leaving less that a 1/16" edge from the stitching.  She was then ready to start her finished shape which she formed using a zig-zag stitch.  This method really appealed to me and I've been having fun making the coasters pictured above.
The clothesline I used was 100 feet long and was 3/16" thick.  It was composed of a cotton outer shell that was reinforced with a poly core.  If you don't have a cording foot to sew the fabric over the clothesline, you can use a zipper foot and I used cotton thread.  I also used an open-toed foot to do the zig-zag stitching--which allows you to see what you are doing.  It took almost the entire
roll to make 16 coasters.

The pieces that I have made so far have ended up quite firm and I've been quite pleased with the result.  Give it a try and see what  you think.

It's A Sweet Trip

Do you ever make quilts just BECAUSE . . .in this case, just because the idea came and you think it would be a fun thing to do?
I spent the night with a friend in Raleigh and while I was there, she told the story of Necco Wafers in her life.  As it turns out, when she's on the way to a quilting event, she takes a roll of Necco Wafers and s-l-o-w-l-y enjoys them--one at a time.  And, unlike it would me, the roll lasts her the entire trip.
A few years ago, she bought her usual roll of Necco Wafers and was not happy when she opened them and ate her first one.  SOMEONE had changed them.  They no longer either looked the same or tasted the same.  She called the company to complain and asked why oh why they had messed with a good thing.  Their response was that now they were more healthy (Candy healthy?  That's not really the point, is it?) and that they were now using natural flavors and dyes.
Well, my friend wasn't the only person who complained.  The sales of Necco Wafers dropped by 35% and while the company wasn't particularly interested in customer satisfaction, they WERE interested in the bottom line.  So .  . . now my friend can toodle on down the road with taste satisfaction in every mile!  And I just HAD to put that into a quilt.
The takeaway:  If you're dissatisfied with a product, service, political decision, etc, make your voice heard.  If enough of us speak up--who knows--the world just may be a better place.

It Beads Me

 While my friends were here for the Asheville Quilt Show, we took a little side trip to the knitting store in the Biltmore Mall.  The only thing you can say when you go in there is ,"Wow!"  Yarn, yarn--and more yarn.  And so many samples to inspire you (and if you're not careful, you'll come away with way more than you intended).
Anyway, one of the samples was a beautiful beaded and knitted necklace that was in this book, Betsy Beads.  We opted for the kit--and the book.  They assured us that the book was VERY clear in its instructions--not so.  But the pictures are wonderful.
The necklace is constructed by knitting and i-cord (read that: idiot cord).  It took the three of us to figure out how to knit like an idiot.  You add the beads as you go along and that took about another hour to figure out.

I'm making it sound like we were sorry we  undertook this project.  What I forgot to mention was all of the laughing and the GREAT time we had in the process.  It really was so much fun and now I can make an i-cord (that is, if I look in the directions again).  The only drawback to the entire project was that there are supposed to be 4 strands in this necklace but the kit only had the hardware for 2.  I still have two other colors of yarn to knit and the beads to accompany so I guess I'll be traveling back into that den of temptation--with blinders on--to get another clasp to finish another necklace.  And maybe I'll get the  supplies to make something else from this beautiful book--the only problem is I need my friends here to laugh me through the directions.

The Choice Is Yours

 Recently, I was asked to teach a 4 1/2 day class at the John C. Campbell Folk School next August.  I was delighted, of course.   Everyone I know who has taught there has had nothing but praise about their experiences.  And in my own life, I have found that spending time away from one's daily life can heighten the creative artistry within one's own self.  I attended Penland School of the Crafts twice in my  "former" life as a potter and the air on the campus seemed to be super-charged with ions of creative particles.  All one had to do was be there and allow the particles to be absorbed.
Anyway, as I said, I was pleased to be asked BUT then I had to figure out what to teach for that length of time.  I decided that a wallhanging project would work in combination with "time-outs" for focusing on appliqué once the top is fused and then working on possible quilting stitches before starting on that process.

 So often, my students have commented that they really don't know where to start when it comes to how to quilt various parts of their quilt.  I know how they feel because I go through the same angst each time I get to that point in the process.
Hopefully, by learning some new stitch patterns and having the time to discuss choices, each quilter will be able to choose what will work best for their work.  And, thus, the name of the class is THE CHOICE IS YOURS!
I knew I needed to make a new quilt for the class and this is it.  The name of the quilt is Magic Moments.  The reason I chose this name is because of the origin of the design.

 Several years ago, I took a class with a nationally recognized quilter and hated it.  The quilter did a terrible job that day and it was a disappointment to everyone there.  For me personally, she told me that I had not brought any of the proper threads we needed for the class (which since she didn't specify which threads to bring, would have been difficult to determine while packing my supplies). At first, I was sort of upset but, ultimately, I just took out paper and pencil and drew an imaginary flower. And it made me happy.  It also transformed a negative day into a creatively happy memory.
The drawing has been sitting around my studio for about 4 years.  Every so often, I have looked

 at it and thought about using it.  Well, the time has come!  It was just waiting for the day that I would be called to teach this class.  I really had a lot of fun designing the top and then bringing it into fruition.  I used a couple of different quilting patterns from what I usually use and am really happy with the overall effect.  And I think it's going to be a fun class.
The takeaway?  Nothing is ever wasted in our creative journeys.  Even a day that is definitely on the side of the lemons can, ultimately, become a refreshing glass of fresh-squeezed lemonade.  We just need to open our hearts enough to recognize it when it's served.

Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair

 This weekend, the Ag Center in Asheville is filled with some of the most beautiful yarns you might ever see.  Many, many of them are hand spun from the wool/hair of local animals--sheep, alpacas, llamas, goats, rabbits and even some dogs.  It is somewhat difficult to tell from my picture, but as you enter the building and look down at the main floor, you are simply overwhelmed with the abundance of beauty.  And the display continues around the upper level.  AND, there is another large building (see below) with even more vendors.  We got there just a little after the show opened today and the parking was already at a premium.  When we left, people were riding around looking for a space to park.

I guess this is a pretty popular event.  We saw license plates from many states.  I attended it several years ago and have wanted to come each year since, but it just hasn't worked out.  So I was really glad I could get there this year.

 After we walked through all of the vendors' areas, we walked outside and looked at some of the animals that are the source for the yarns.
SIDE BAR:  I think that so often we are removed from the sources of our food and other commodities.  I remember when my son was small and his friends would come to play and when they saw our chickens, they had absolutely no idea that that was where their eggs came from. And when you look at these animals and think about the time and effort it takes to get that skein of beautiful yarn to the sales desk, it is no wonder the price is expensive.

Anyway, the animals were wonderful to look at--although I wasn't too sure that they exactly enjoyed being the object of our attention.









Once the wool has been carded and dyed, it is ready to spin and this was going on at the show in several booths.  The spinner in this photo is from Indianapolis and was once a nurse at Mission Hospital.
She still is a nurse-- in Indiana.  She indicated that the spinning was a good way to relax.  I bought some yarn in her booth to make a scarf and will post it after the scarf is finished (here's hoping).

 This vendor had some beautiful, soft and silky yarns that are great for knitting socks.  Since I've had that particular bee in my bonnet for a while, I decided to get one hank of yarn to try it.  Again, we'll see.

 

A vendor from Cullowee, NC had some particularly interesting things in her booth.  See the Angelina? She sells it by the ounce (see the bag next to the $bill) for $6.00.  And you can see all of the colors on the table.  And look at the little wool balls.  I couldn't pass them up.

 All in all, it was a very enjoyable time at the Fiber Fair.

There were SO many yarns that I would have loved to buy but ultimately I needed to be a little practical.  Am I really going to spend that much time knitting when I truly would rather be quilting?  I don't think so.  But I sure did enjoy looking and feeling so much wonderfully, beautiful yarn.  Maybe next year . . .

A Learning Curve--A HUGE ONE!

 Well, on the advice of a trusted, smart friend, I visited the Apple Store this week and bought a new computer.  And now it's a case of teaching an old dog new tricks.  I KNOW I'm going to be happy in the long run but for now it's a situation of doing almost everything in  a different than before.  But one thing I know for sure, this is a great computer and I'm going to love it after I get used to it.  I also bought a new printer that was recommended for use with "air printing" between an iPad and a printer.   In my case, it is the HP6600.  I got it up and running last night and followed all of the steps and attained ZERO communication between the iPad and the printer.  So . . .I walked away (which is usually the best defense against doing something stupid) and waited for another day.  Today being the "other" day, I tried again--and failed.  And wouldn't you, a light suddenly dawned.  I realized that I had my iPad set to the 3G network rather than wireless--so, of course, it wasn't going to pick up a wireless signal.  And now, all is well--for the moment.

 These pictures are from a workshop I took yesterday with Patsy Thompson, a quilter well known for her colorful quilts and wonderful quilting style.  I had a great time in class and picked up a few pointers.  She told us how she dyes threads and the fabrics for her quilt backgrounds.  I'm going to try both methods and when I do, I'll post pictures and directions.
The first picture is  one of her quilting patterns that a friend of mine really liked (I do, too) and wants to use on a quilt.  The third is a drawing by Patsy of one of her background feather quilting motifs.  I will probably use this one in my work

And this is my practice of that design.
That's all for now--a studio "clean-up" is the task of the moment.

Oh The Beautiful Mountains!

 This week, I went to West Jefferson, NC to give a Trunk Show and to teach my class on quilting feathers/  I had never been there before and was just bowled over by the terrain.  The leaves were about 50% turned--and that was nice--but I really was drawn in by the hills, the open spaces and the plant life.  Can you believe that this was the view from the Hampton Inn parking lot?

 When I was taking some of my bags out to the car in the morning, the sunrise was spectacular.  Of course, by the time I went back to my room and came back with my camera, it wasn't quite as much of a wow factor, but it was still pretty darn nice.

Across the highway from the motel I saw this unusual grouping of plants which reminded me of the agriculture that I saw on the sides of mountains in Guatemala.  Turns out, these are Christmas trees.  And I understand that the White House Christmas tree is coming from here--Ashe County--this year.

 Downtown West Jefferson was really nice because there were so many wonderful murals painted on the sides of buildings.  This is really an area that appreciates the Arts.  I wasn't able to get any pictures of the murals; however, on the curb beside the restaurant where we ate dinner there was a concrete "thing" that looked as if there might be some kind of utility service thing inside.  As you can see in these next four pictures, an artist painted each side with a beautiful flower of the area.  Would that more cities incorporated artful areas into everyday life.

 Here are my students getting ready for a day of quilting, quilting, quilting.  They were all so nice, willing to work hard and, at the end of the day, came away with samples that they should have been proud of.  And, as usual, I learned from them also.

One of my students, Rheta, brought an example of her flower pounding art.  Isn't it Beautiful?  She says that she would like to teach more classes and I hope that people will contact her as it is something that not only celebrates the beauty of nature but IS nature's beauty right there on the fabric.

 And Sandi, who did so many nice things for me while I was in West Jefferson, told me about this Barn Wedding quilt that she had made.  She was kind enough to send me the pictures of it and I would like to share them with you.  The large quilt just looks like a VERY nice wedding ring pattern, doesn't it?  Well, take a look at the closeup photo and you will see that each segment of the wedding rings is a photo of a barn or the quilt pattern that is on the barn.  This is a BIG wow.  I can't even imagine the time and effort it took to bring this project to fruition.  Not only is it wonderful and unusual, it's also an historic record.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the barn project, it is located in Tennessee, North Carolina and parts of upstate South Carolina (and probably other states).  Barns throughout these areas (and some other buildings also) provide the backdrop for a large painted wooden quilt block that can easily be seen at a distance.  There is a certain procedure that is followed in the creation of these blocks and is a wonderful way to celebrate our nation's quilting heritage.  There are publications that contain location of most of these blocks so, if you are interested in taking a wonderful day trip through some pretty nice country roads, seek one of them out and have a blast.  I saw three of these blocks on my way back to Hendersonville last night and was really wishing I wasn't driving so I could have a better look.  Hopelly, next time someone else will be at the wheel!

Tis The Season

 In Western North Carolina, the coming of fall brings along with it numerous quilt shows to enjoy.  We just had our Asheville Quilt Show--which was great--and there

will be one in Hendersonville later this month.  There were several shows this past weekend and, since the weather was pretty on Saturday, we decided to trek to Concord, NC to see the show at the Carrabus Arena.  This was a very large facility with lots of Vendors and about 142 quilts.  This quilt was one that I liked.  It is a traditional pattern but I really liked the choice of fabrics.  I would say that the majority of quilts were traditional in nature and, surprisingly, it seemed that a majority were quilted on a longarm. (I've been trying to figure out if there is any significance to that).

Scott Murkin was one of the judges and he also had a display of his quilts there.  His earlier quilts were hand-quilted.  This is one of his more recent ones.











The interesting thing about this next quilt was that it was almost entirely machine embroidered.  For those of you who don't know what that entails, just let me say that it requires a LOT of accurate hooping.  I don't know how one would really compare it to traditionally constructed quilts but I don't suppose that there are enough of them to have their own category.

 This quilt was machine quilted but won the award for best handwork.  The appliques are wool, I think, and were attached with handwork.

 I guess this was one of the funkiest pieces that were there.

And I just liked the colors in this one.

And, finally, another quilt by Scott Murkin.


I wish I had taken a photo of the Raffle Quilt as it was quite lovely.  One thing that kind of threw me was that it had been entered into the show contest and won a blue ribbon--as also happened in the show in Charleston, SC this year.  Any opinions?  I don't know if there is some kind of protocol for this but it just struck me as not quite right.  I think it's fine to enter it in other shows--and maybe even bring some prize money into the show's coffers.  I don't know.
Anyway--down off the soapbox--since it was a 2 1/2 hour drive back home, we were needing to eat after we left the show.  We really don't like to eat at fast food places but, of course, knew nothing about the other restaurants in the area.  BUT, we had noticed a huge crowd at the Harrisburg Family House Restaurant (4429 Highway 49S, Harrisburg, NC) on the way to the show and there was still a huge crowd on the way back, so we decided to take a chance (knowing full well that large crowds are not always an indicator of quality).  I am very pleased to say that it was great.  Friendly, good service and excellent food--at least what we got (Gyro Platter).  So, in case you're in the area, give it a try.
And now I'm packing my quilts for a trunk show and quilting class in West Jefferson, NC tomorrow and Friday.  I've never been there so am looking forward to seeing it and, perhaps, some beautiful fall leaves.
I hope there are some where you, too, can see them.

Asheville Quilt Show 2012

Well, the Asheville Quilt Show has come and gone and what a wonderful weekend it was!  Beautiful quilts--and lots of them.  And, for me, beautiful friends--both here and from out of town.  (more about the out-of-town friends in a later post).
Friday morning, I did a demo on quilting feathers and I had a blast.  If you can see the camera on the tripod in the lower right hand corner of the picture, it was projecting my quilting onto a screen so everyone could see.  This was my first time doing that, and I LOVED it.  The audience was far larger than I expected and it made it a lot easier for everyone to see.

 I'm afraid that I wasn't too good about taking pictures this year.  I guess I was too busy looking and drooling at everyone else's work.  But here is a picture of my quilt, Lady In Waiting--part of my series of "Lady" quilts.  I call it Lady In Waiting because the flower is a Lenten Rose and the season of Lent is all about waiting.  Anyway, this is my re-do of the quilt that I ruined when I quilted it before.  This time, I used different quilting stitches and different batting and,thankfully, didn't have the same problems.  And, as you can see, I got a blue ribbon!  I can tell you, that was a total surprise--but a welcome one.

And this is my other quilt that was in the show, Oriental Impressions.  For this quilt, I incorporated several motifs that are in my oriental rug in my living room.  I have looked at this rug for years and knew that at some point I wanted to make it into a quilt.  I really had so much fun working it out, taking parts and combining them with other parts and coming up with something entirely different.  My real rug is black and needs re-vacuuming about 10 minutes after I turn off the vacuum ( a poor choice of colors in retrospect) so for this quilt I corrected my egregious error.  And this last picture shows some of the quilting on the border.
I wish I had more pictures to show--but I don't.  I just hope that many of you were able to see the entire show in person and, of course, take advantage of all the wonderful things the vendors brought.  I know my pocketbook was a lot lighter when the weekend was over . . .