Christmas Preparations

How are your holiday preparations coming along? Is your Christmas shopping done? (Ours isn‘t) Got your tree up? (Nope) How about those exterior lights and flashy yard ornaments? (Never have, never will) Is your holiday menu planned? (Kind of) Are your Christmas cards in the mail? (Just)

No wonder my Santa has an anxious look on his face. He’s in panic mode!

Actually, our family is celebrating Christmas simply this year, with minimal decorating, minimal gift giving, minimal hassle, but maximum love! It just feels right.

As far as I’m concerned, this antique quilt is the only decoration we need to give the house a festive look. It dates from the mid 1800’s and is in pristine condition. You can still see faint pencil lines used to mark the quilting pattern, which in no way detracts from the tiny stitches, 12 to the inch.

The quilt maker chose solid colored fabrics in classic red and green for her seemingly simple star design. But look closer... 

The star blocks are quilted with parallel lines and a grid within each green square. Alternate muslin blocks are heavily quilted with a double clamshell design, showing the maker had amazing prowess with a needle.

I'd like to display this in our living room for Christmas. Does anyone have experience hanging a quilt from picture molding that's already attached to the wall?

Christmas blessings to you for the coming year.

Fun with Barb and...

Have you seen Barb Vedder's new blog yet? Fun with Barb and Mary follows the exploits of two quilters who maintain their long-distance friendship after one of them moves from the East Coast to the Midwest.

Wait a minute... why does that sound familiar? Barb and I are longtime quilt friends too and have had plenty of fun together. When her move from Chicago to the East Coast made us long-distance friends, believe me, the fun didn't stop!

Diane and Barb, 2002

Before she moved, Barb and I collaborated on a Churn Dash block swap based on this pattern from the Jan/Feb 2002 issue of Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine. We used Civil Was reproduction fabrics and shirting prints, making enough blocks for two large quilts with no two blocks alike.

The blocks finish at 5" and my quilt measures 64" x 85". It was machine quilted by Robyn Saunders of Batavia, Illinois.

Click to enlarge

 Link to Barb’s quilt HERE. 

The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt:

Number of visitors to the Quilt: +18,000,000

Number of names on the Quilt: more than 91,000 (representing only about 18% of all U.S. AIDS deaths)

Size: 1,293,300 square feet (6 city blocks)

Viewing time: To see the entire Quilt spending only one minute per panel - over 33 days

Total Weight: More than 54 tons

Last Full Display: The Mall in Washington, D.C. in 1996

Goal of the Quilt: to honor and remember those who've died of AIDS, to bring awareness to how massive the AIDS pandemic really is, and to bring support and healing to those affected by it.

These are the panels I made to honor my brother, Wayne Hanson and his partner, Don Melvin, who died of AIDS in the mid 1990's. Each individual panel measures 3 feet by 6 feet (roughly the size of a grave).

Eight panels are combined into 12 by 12 foot units that make up the massive quilt.

If you ever get an opportunity to view a portion of the NAMES Quilt in person, don't hesitate. You'll find it a powerfully moving experience.

As I count my blessings today,

know that you are among them.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Fondly, Diane

Indian Summer

Indian Summer has come at last. Two glorious days of warmth and sunshine lured my husband outside to complete his autumn yard clean up (and snap a couple quilt photos too).


If you grew up in the Chicago area, Indian Summer may have a special significance to you. As kids, we'd look forward to the official pronouncement of the season by the Chicago Tribune. When the air turned hazy with the smell of burning leaves, we’d start scouting the newspaper for Injun Summer, the classic story and cartoon by John T. McCutcheon.


This little quilt evokes Indian Summer with its autumn colors and harvest-inspired name. I call it "Spinach and Squash" because of the fabrics I used - the green and gold of early Pennsylvania German quilts.

It was pieced and quilted entirely by hand. Sounds tedious, I know, but it was easier for me to stitch a few triangles in the spare moments of my day than it would have been to make time to sit at the sewing machine. Besides, I find the slow process of hand sewing relaxing. 

The small half-square triangles finish at 1" and the large ones are 3".

Spinach and Squash Sawtooth

15" x 18"

 hand pieced, hand quilted
© Diane Burdin, 1990

Replicating Vintage Quilts

rep·li·cate: make an exact copy of; reproduce.

What originally drew me to quilt-making was the allure of antique quilts. It wasn't the fancy ones that caught my eye so much as the humble utility quilts, those made for hardwearing, everyday use. I loved their scrappy "make do" spirit, their worn spots, their patches, their soul.

Here’s a great example. It’s a copy of a vintage Variable Star quilt made by my friend, Mary Radke. The original was featured in an old issue of Country Living Magazine. 

Years before we met, Mary and I clipped the same photo from the magazine. Look closely and you'll see how Mary painstakingly reproduced the quilt, fabric by fabric and block for block. Amazing!

        

We can only guess why the quilter broke pattern as she stitched this quilt. Was she tired of piecing star after similar star? Did she run out of fabric and have to make do? Whatever her reason, it's the "renegade" blocks, the ones that "break rank" with the others, that make this quilt so interesting to look at!

So, how did I come to own this quilt? Mary made it as a sample for a quilt talk she used to give on the history of quilt making. When she decided to sell off pieces from her collection, I was lucky enough to buy a few of my favorites. I hand quilted this one with an all-over fan design, typical of old utility quilts.

Scrappy Stars

30” x 42”

Attitude Adjustment

This autumn has been so dreary! Twenty-two days of rain in October gave me sinus headaches and now, with the time change, SAD (seasonal affective disorder) has kicked in. These waning hours of sunlight really influence my moods. How about you?

My husband has noticed my increased irritability and tells me that the only peace he gets is while I’m sleeping! As much as I hate to admit it, he’s probably right. An attitude adjustment is in order.

Several years ago, when Sarah Ban Breathnach's books were all the rage, I made a half hearted attempt to keep a gratitude journal. The timing was all wrong and I only lasted about a week. But the exercise has merit. The act of focusing on simple, everyday blessings is a healthy practice. I’ve recommended it to others who suffer from depression. Now, it’s time for a dose of my own medicine.

I've got my gratitude journal ready. It was made by Wanda Hanson of Exuberant Color. The last time Wanda visited me, I cleared out her stock of journals by buying one for myself and several for friends. They make great gifts. Wanda has written a tutorial for making journal covers, if you'd like to give it a try yourself. 

I promise not to gripe and grumble too much through the dreary months ahead. As far as blogging goes, “no news” from me is probably news you wouldn’t want to hear anyway. Wishing you sunshine!

I've Got the Power!

After weeks of futzing with our computer and Internet connection, the problem has been resolved…with a new power cord. 

And, yes, the irony of wasting so much time trying to fix something that wastes so much time, is not lost on me!

I double checked the spelling of “futz” in the dictionary and had a good laugh at the example it gave for usage: "spends hours futzing with that computer."

An Envelope of Autumn

Home in New Hampshire, William Glackens, c. 1919

Under Construction

Most of you know I spend a lot of time on my computer… a really lot… okay, all day… every day! It’s permanently perched on my lap, with a minimum of four or five tabs open at all times. The Internet is a godsend for someone with MS. It helps pass the time and connects me to the “outside world.” 

So, imagine my angst, that our Internet service is on the fritz. For several weeks, we’ve been getting sporadic signals that waver between excellent and nonexistent.

Naturally, I’m impatient and blow things out of proportion. To my computer programmer husband: “Can you fix it? Can you fix it NOW? What do you mean, you don’t know what’s wrong!” To the Geek Squad: “Can you fix it? Can you fix it NOW? What do you mean it costs $300 just to get started!”

I’m an Internet junky, in need of a fix. Why not just put that $300 toward a new computer and be done with it? Meanwhile, Netzero is sending us a new power cord, speculating that the intermittent service is due to a loose connection.

At any rate, when I’m finally able to post this rant, it will be to tell you that my absence has been due to a technological glitch and not worsening health. I’ve missed you, and look forward to "reconnecting" soon.

Recycled Clothing Quilt-Along

I asked a friend to photograph each of my denim and flannel quilt blocks so I could continue playing with virtual layouts on the computer. The cutting and pasting from one program to another might be tedious for some, but as libbyquilter commented, “It’s much better than having to get down on the floor and arrange multiple times!”

The layout I ended up liking best was what several of you preferred ~ the Straight Furrows set. Its diagonal pattern is not diminished by the scrappiness of the blocks. The effect is strong and masculine, which is just the feeling I was going for (picture the Brawny paper towel guy sleeping under this quilt). The final arrangement of blocks will differ from the photo above as I add new blocks to the mix, but it gives you an idea of where I'm headed.

Visit the Recycled Clothing Quilt-Along to see what others are making from reclaimed garments.

Roman Stripe Blocks

I had several of these Roman Stripe blocks already made when I read about the Recycled Clothing Quilt-Along. Like so many other projects, this one was set aside when MS began interfering with my quilt making. Truth be told, this is the first machine sewing I've done in a couple years. And while I feel like I'm all thumbs, the work itself is very forgiving.


The fabrics for this quilt have come from my family's old or outgrown clothing. The denim is cut into 8" squares. It serves as the background fabric for the block, and also the foundation on which the strips are sewn. I cut flannel strips into three different widths: 3”, 2 ½”, and 2”, but they could just as easily be cut into random widths or all the same size.

Instructions for making this block can be found here. It's a simple sew and flip method, with little or no pinning required.


My son's have given me sideways glances as they come to breakfast in flannel boxers and pajama bottoms. I've been warned not to get too close with a scissor!

Get Cutting

Back in June, Anita at Bloomin’ Workshop described a summer quilt-along that caught my interest. She, and others, have been collecting clothing to make quilts. Everything from thrifted men's dress shirts to outgrown children's clothing is being reused, repurposed and recycled. Why not grab a stack of tee shirts and join the Reclaimed Clothing crusade?

I've been saving old blue jeans for years with the intention of making a quilt. My husband and sons have kept me in constant supply. The only problem is getting them to stop wearing the jeans while the fabric is still functional. Many's the pair that was just too holey and threadbare to be of use.

Denim and flannel are a natural combination, so as collars and elbows wear out of my family’s shirts, I've claimed them as well. A nice assortment of colorful plaids are ready to join the denim in their next incarnation - a quilt.

Pioneer Nine Patch

If I had known a new camera would lead to photos like these, I would have given one to our son William a lot sooner!


Chech out the great pictures he took without even leaving our neighborhood.

William found a clever backdrop at a nearby cornfield. 

I'll settle for shadows if he's willing to climb trees to get the shot!

Direct sunlight won't bother me so long as the full quilt is in frame. 

I made this Nine Patch in the early 1990's from 9" blocks, swapped with friends. The Streak of Lightening border adds extra interest.

I'll probably drive Will crazy with my requests for photos these next few weeks, but he knows how much I appreciate his efforts. I'm sure gonna miss him when he heads off to college!

List of Lasts

Our son, William, just graduated from high school. Months before his big day, I noticed him pointing out particular events that were going to be his "last." Football games, concerts, plays, and dances were each noted and checked off, like items on some adolescent "bucket list.” 

“This is the last time I’ll wear my drum major’s uniform,” he sighed, while preparing to lead the marching band in the Loyalty Day Parade.

“This is my last high school stage performance,” he thought, after taking a curtain call for the musical “Big River.”

He expressed it in his farewell address at commencement, “Our joy dims when we realize that…each day we enter this school becomes one closer to the last.” I couldn't help but feel his outlook was a little sad, that each experience may have become tainted by focusing on the bitter rather than the sweet.

As it turned out, Will's perspective wasn’t as negative as I feared. He wasn't bemoaning the end of high school or expressing reluctance to graduate to the next stage in life. He was just stating, matter of factly, that it’s been a year of mixed emotions, including both nostalgia for the past and anticipation of the future.

I began to wonder if I could view this pivotal year with a healthy balance of emotion. I came up with my own "list of lasts." These seemingly insignificant daily rituals have been honed and polished into touchstones over sixteen years of sending kids off to school.

It’s the last time I‘ll…
~Wash a gym suit.
~Pack a lunch.
~Shout, “Do your best.” as he races out the door for school.
~Nag about homework and clarinet practicing.
~Pick up dirty socks.
~Trip over piles of sneakers.
~Wait up at night for him to come home.

And you know what? I'll miss every last one of them! It's the bittersweet end of an era that I'm approaching with mixed emotions. Now who’s the one with a negative attitude?