Thankful ~

I'm thankful for the season and wish you all a holiday filled with peaceful moments and safe travels.

Home with one ~

Arrived home exhausted from a fabulous 3-day quilting retreat with one finished quilt top and two more quilt tops in progress. 

A "Love" panel was purchased for no particular reason while last at Mama's Quilt Shop in Independence.  The shop had a quilt hanging on the wall so I asked if I could take a picture for reference to cut my panel, add logs around each block  and complete a likeness for myself.  Likeness now completed and ready for quilting and donating to community service.   Borders were not added simply because I couldn't find just the right fabric in my stash but the size is still a good lap size at 48" x 72"












With only three blocks started, I'm already loving The Avenue....a quilt pattern by Louise Papas for the Jen Kingwell designs collective. 

Each tree along the avenue will be made from my scrap fabric bin with no particular focus on color or design.  

And then the cat's paper pieced meow.....I've begun Leila Gardunia's free pattern downloads and am on a quest to complete all 52 scrappy triangles.  

16 and counting 

Until next quilting retreat with friends !

Life's Too Short ~

.....and so time moves on and thankfully I'm moving along with it. 

One thought on arising this morning is that life is too short to stitch straight lines ~

Another thought (and along the same quilting lines) is that life is too short to take small stitches ~

and life is way too short to bury all those knots!  

I've had this buttery yellow linen table cloth for such a long time (it's about bridge club meeting table size) and was just about ready to pass it on to the thrift store when (in)sanity prevailed.  Why not quilt it?  And, so it goes.  I didn't trim the hem....nor did I get around to removing the set in stains . ...a few larger holes were patched, but not every hole....it did get pen basted....quilting lines for guides were not drawn. In keeping with my mood, a large size Perle cotton was selected along with a large enough needle to get the big thread through the eye.

Life's too short not to enjoy it's imperfections.

Nothing ever stays the same ~

There truly are very few things in my life that I would want to remain constant.  Clean air or perhaps fresh water.   But to have the same food at the same eatery prepared by the same person...or to wear the same shoes day in and day out....the unthinkable.  There's a  reason the clothing industry thrives by changing styles every season.  Yes, the makers know we get bored and know that the masses thrive on change. 

Thinking of change:   If I were to start a quilt guild, the mission statement might go something like this: 

     " We are a visionary quilt guild with members who strive to combine beauty with the everyday.                   We are trendsetters with a vision who know that the process of designing and making is                             just as important as the finished product.  

  We embrace the imperfections while altering the idea  of what can be."  

My newly formed guild would be filled with visionaries who push their quilt making and designing to the limit.  

I remember when machine quilting was scorned.  Thankfully, those who continued quilting by machine saved the quilting industry from a quick death.   I remember when there were once strict rules on fabric for quilt backings and bindings and that every quilt must have a border.   I remember being able to find only fabric that I considered lifeless, with no spark,  no color, no movement, with minimum design elements.   I don't look back as these being 'the good ole days'. 

My newly formed guild members would be those  who are willing to contribute to the overall health and growth of the guild....paraphrased all members willingly contribute their time and talent.   There would be generosity in members wanting to hold office and  make meeting presentations and willingness to join in work teams.    There would be generosity in every member coming together to aid and assist. 

What if I incorporate this line of thinking into my personal quilting style.  What if I had made only one block:  

What if  I then added to that one,  more blocks....blocks in different colorways and different sizes? 

What if a block was changed by cutting and inserting? 

What if all the different sizes and colorways with and without insertions joined together in perfect  peace and harmony?  Interesting? 

Nothing ever stays the same - so this too will pass.    

Ready, Set....don't leave me behind ~

Have I been a drag on myself?   Or others?   It's time for me to re-group, re-focus with open eyes and clear head.  Time to get moving and get ready for upcoming events.    My prep work is done for the local guild gathering, the house is clean for holiday company, the yard work is done and the frost will help keep it that way!

It's been a while since my last quilting retreat so I'm excited to get away for a couple of nights and days to be with kindred spirits.   Most of the other participants are new to me so I'm really looking forward to connecting with other quilters in my area.  We'll be at Kings Place in Mer Rouge, Louisiana, just  so you'll know that I'm not venturing too far from home this time.

However, my next quilting adventure will be with Sherri Lynn Wood a little farther down the road.    Sherri Lynn is fabulous at taking an idea and with a scrap from here and a scrap from there,  making most intriguing quilts.  I'll be in the Lafayette area in south Louisiana for a few days in mid-December knee deep in Sherri Lynn's  Patchwork Doodles and Grid Busting Improv Curves workshops. 

Time passes so quickly when planning for fun things.  Before I know it, it will be the semi-annual Tangi House Retreat with friends after Christmas and into the New Year.  Here's  a finish of the little square quilt started when we were last together.  It's not yet quilted, but I'm wishfully thinking it will be soon enough. 

Quilting with buds.  How fun.



Even with all the quilt retreat planning and scheming, there's been some finishes around here.  These little Atkinson Design Cash and Carry pouches come together so quickly with minimum time and fabric.

Sew it goes.  Pass it forward.