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.