At Times Like These

Hello everyone. Where were we when I last posted? Oh yeah, smack dab in the middle of the worst year ever! Twenty-sixteen brought an unrelenting onslaught of disasters--everything from wildfires, hurricanes and floods to mass shootings, civil unrest and unprecedented political farce. In the midst of it all, a sudden death in the family left me paralyzed with grief.

It's only been nine months, but I'm ready to start dealing with things instead of just wallowing in sadness. Creative endeavors have helped in the past (here and here), and to that end, we did a deep dive in my sewing room. 

ooking for something to pique my interest. Well, something finally did--an assortment of homespun plaids all cut and ready to sew. Kathie Holland, do you remember sending this kit to me years ago?

Blocks are pieced using Mary Ellen Hopkins' “connector corners” technique. Stars cleverly appear as the blocks are sewn together. Wanda Hanson assembled the quilt and added plaids of her own to make it a more functional table runner size.

Wanda chose a lovely striped backing and binding in my favorite colors. I like how her diagonal machine quilting echoes the linear theme.

Plaid Fancy

18" x 27"

Some of the comfort a quilt provides comes from the soul of its maker. This one's imbued with the love and kindness of compassionate friends, who in bringing it to life, restored a bit of my own!

Welcome Spring

Hello everyone! Today was perfect for a visit from my friend, Terri. The first thing she did after walking through the door.warm and sunny today -- just right for opening the windows to the  air. In fact, that was 

Sunshine settled on our faces as we basked in the warm breeze. No words necessary; our smiles say it all!

Over lunch, we talked nonstop barely getting a bite in edgewise for all the catching up we had to do.

Before leaving, Terri offered to do a little something around the house. I knew she meant cleaning, but dust can wait! Instead, I asked if she'd arrange a little tableau with the tulips she brought and a little quilt from my stash.

As you can see, it's nothing special -- just a few random nine patches swapped with friends. Even so, a humble quilt like this deserves its day in the sun. 

Thanks again, Terri. Your arrangement will keep me smiling all week!

 

The Lincoln Memorial

Hello everyone. Today I'm sharing another birthday quilt made by my friend, Barb Vedder. She sent it to me a few years back, but I'm always happy to revisit it.

I call it "The Lincoln Memorial.” Sure, it's a "monumental" name for a miniature quilt, but I love the play on words.

The medallion-style format features Abe at its center surrounded by three deceptively simple borders. According to Barb, "Fabric choices really matter in small projects like this. When only a few are used, it can be challenging to pick just the right ones."

After trying a "gazillion" options, I'd say her persistence paid off! Barb's savvy fabric choices add depth, complexity, and gravitas to an otherwise simple design. 

I wonder if Barb had Ford’s Theatre in mind as she auditioned fabrics, or was it happenstance how closely they resemble the scene of Lincoln’s demise?

From the rich red carpet

and brocade upholstery...

to the heavy swag draperies of the Presidential Box, the similarities are striking!

Even the riverboat scene on the back is accurate to the Civil War era.

This is just one of many patriotic quilts inspired by Barb’s love of U.S. history. She displays her quilts and collections throughout her lovely home. Be sure to check them out!

Incidentally, there's even a connection between Mary Todd Lincoln and our little town of Batavia, Illinois. Ten years after President Lincoln's assassination, Mary was deemed mentally unstable and committed to Bellevue Place, a rest home and sanitarium just blocks from our house. Her stay was brief, a mere four months, but long enough for her to earn a prominent spot in local lore. In fact, the Batavia Historical Society still keeps the bed she slept in on display!

   

A Spiritual Gift

"If you are a craftsman…only look at your tools, your needle, your thimble…your scales, your measures, and you will find this saying written on them… 'Use me toward your neighbor, as you would want him to act towards you with that which is his.'"   Martin Luther

As new members of our church, we were asked to assess our "spiritual gifts and passions" and consider applying then to various church ministries. As a longtime quilt maker, naturally I was drawn to liturgical art and spent several years crafting banners for worship.

Even though my "making" days are over, that didn't stop me from occasionally "making things happen"!  After a persistent calling to contribute one more banner to Rejoice, I commissioned one. 

It's the work of my friend, Wanda Hanson, who's a prodigious quilt maker and genius when it comes to using color and design. She blends hundreds of fabrics from her extensive collection into extraordinary one-of-a-kind works of art. After seeing her latest colorwash quilts, I knew one would look great in the sanctuary at Rejoice!

The first time I approached Wanda about making a banner, she declined. But at some point, my calling became her calling too. Eventually, she embraced the project as a creative challenge and opportunity to inspire others through her God-given skills.

The Creation Story became our theme. "Let there be light" is a sort of Bible/Big Bang mashup which includes both scriptural and scientific rationale for the origin of the universe. 

Wanda sorted, cut, arranged, and sewed hundreds of luminous batiks, each a different color and print, to create “Let there be Light.” Here are just a few samples of the 356 3"x 6” pieces she used.

And here is Wanda with her 69" x 93” creation.

What better backdrop for worship could there be than this glorious riot of color?

double click to enlarge

Visit Wanda's blog, Exuberant Color, to see more of her exquisite work!

Reality Check!

It’s been a long, lazy, uneventful summer. I’ve been sleeping a lot, reading too little, not writing at all, and taking way too much comfort in my complacency. 

I forgot that MS can pull the rug out from under me at a moment's notice which it did a couple weeks ago. I haven’t had a flare-up in years so didn’t recognize the symptoms (severe pain in hands, wrists, and arms) until my left hand (my only functional appendage) stopped working altogether. You can bet that got my attention!

Three days in the hospital on IV steroids has restored function to my left hand. I can scratch my nose now, give a feeble wave, feed myself finger foods, type o-n-e  l-e-t-t-e-r  a-t  a  t-i-m-e with a pointing device, use the TV remote, and even hold a cup of coffee if I’m lucky enough to get one. 

I've also been assigned a series of hand exercises to practice daily. Hopefully, they’ll make me strong enough to erase the word “complacency” from my vocabulary and live each day with more purpose and intention.

Take good care of yourselves, everyone. I promise there will be more quilty content ahead!

What Goes Around, Comes Around

I've finally reached an age where all I want for my birthday is not to be reminded of it, unless of course, it’s with a birthday quilt from my friend, Barb Vedder. For that, I’ll own up to each and every one of my advancing years!

Imagine my surprise when I opened this year's package only to find a block I’d given Barb a few years earlier. “Wait... What?” It took me a moment to realize she’d transformed it into this stunning quilt! 

The pattern is from Applique with Folded Cutwork by Anita Shackelford. Since I'd taken a workshop with her, I was eager to tackle something more advanced like a four block appliquéd wallhanging. Unfortunately, my hands got the better of me partway through the first block (MS), and I had to ask for help. Our friend, Kathy Smith, was kind enough to complete the block in time for me to send it to Barb for her birthday.

Notice Barb's use of echo quilting, a traditional Hawaiian technique that outlines the appliqué with concentric rows of stitching. Machine quilting with silk thread also adds a subtle elegance to the overall design.

On the back is a tribute to Barb's former stomping ground, New York City.

Thank you for this tremendous surprise Barb! I imagine it was as hard for you to part with as it originally was for me. The best gifts always are! ❤️

A Tisket, A Tasket

This time of year, I think about making a living Easter basket. The problem is I filled mine with ceramic figures and colorful candies like the scenes inside those sugar eggs we had as kids. 

Three weeks before Easter we planted grass seed in an old wicker basket. Within days, the tender shoots sprout and continued flourishing with sunshine and watering. In fact, by Easter it was ready for a trim!

Isn't it sweet? 

Instructions HERE.

This basket quilt was made using blocks I won in a guild raffle. The pattern is from Fons and Porter’s Classic Basket Patterns, 1984 (out of print).

In any sort of block exchange, sizes can vary. I used the smaller ones to make a pillow...

 

and label for the back of the quilt.

Raffle Baskets

36" x 51”

Stover Quality Quilting