Bad Blogger

I've been falling down on the job, but life has been way too busy for me lately to blog (or quilt) much. However, I'm now really going to try to get more quilting/sewing done and hopefully, more blogging about it. Thanks for sticking with me.

This is a photo of part of the bathroom wall at one of my favorite quilt shops, O'Susannah's Quilts and Gifts, in Watkins Glen, NY. There are lots of markers in various colors on the sink, and visiting quilters are encouraged to write on the walls. It's a patchwork of names in a rainbow of colors -- just like our quilts!

Gratitude

Thank you to everyone who has congratulated me on getting my Jane Stickle quilt accepted into the International Quilt Festival in Houston (see previous post). I've tried to respond to all, but some of you have your profiles set to "no reply", so I can't answer directly. Hopefully, you will see this on my blog.

As I've said before, it is only thanks to the support that I received from my local quilting friends and those of you in cyberspace that I managed to finish my quilt. There is no way that I would have been able to complete the process without all of you. Thank you, thank you, thank you! All of the awards that my Jane has won are partly yours as well.

Since I don't like to have blog posts without at least one photo, I'll leave you with a photo of the very first DJ block I finished back in May 2008. You can read my blog post about it by clicking here. Too bad all the blocks weren't that easy!

Once again, thank you all!

Houston, We DON'T Have a Problem

(Photograph by Charles N. Abbott Photography)

I've been so excited since I got this news a couple of weeks ago that I almost forgot to post this on my blog...

My Jane Stickle quilt (more commonly know as Dear Jane in the quilting world) has been accepted for display at the 2014 International Quilt Festival in Houston!

And...

...They want it to be part of a traveling exhibit to their other quilt shows and events through August 2015!

To say that I am honored and overwhelmed by the excitement is definitely an understatement!

For A Dear Friend

A dear friend of mine will be moving away later this month, so of course I had to make something for her to remember me by.

My friend and I are members of a small art quilting group that has gotten together every few months over the last several years. When the group learned (more than a year ago) of the upcoming move, we decided to create something that wouldn't be just a plain old quilt. Sure, we could make a nice quilt, but what would she do with it? One of our members had the idea of having each one of us make a small quilted piece (5 x 7 inches) that could have holes punched into the left side so they would all be put together into a memory book of sorts. The rest of us loved the idea and got to work.

What you see in the photo is my contribution. And there's a story behind it --

First, it's a block from the Jane Stickle 1863 quilt (commonly known as Dear Jane). Most of my readers know that I have made my own version of this quilt, so I thought it would be appropriate to make a block from it because it's definitely a reminder of me.

Second, the name of the block is "Eye of the Cyclone", which fits perfectly because I suspect that that is an accurate description of what my friend's life has been like while she's been preparing for her move (and, frankly, it describes my life recently as I help my parents prepare for a move). The block is far from perfect, but that's what happens when life is hectic.

And third, the block is made with red and white fabrics because it is only thanks to my dear friend that I was fortunate to see the famous red and white quilt exhibit ("Infinite Variety" ) in New York City a few years ago. (If you have not seen photos from that exhibit, click here for a sample.) That day was probably one of the top ten days of my life, so I will be eternally grateful to my friend for inviting me to join her that day.

Our quilt group gave the finished book to our friend last week, and I think we all agreed that it was a wonderful creation. Each page was unique and represented each quilter perfectly. Although we are sad to see our friend go, we really enjoyed taking part in making something special for her as she starts the next stage of her life.

WIP

I don't often show my projects as I'm working on them, but since I've had very little time to do any kind of stitching at all lately, I thought I'd show what I'm currently working (very slowly) on. The top is finished; now to decide on a quilting design.

The pattern is Shenandoah (click here for info). It's a great way to show off large-print fabric that you don't want to cut up into teeny tiny pieces.