Crazy Quilter—Or Just Plain Crazy?

I made my first quilt my senior year in high school and used it all through college and for several years after that. About the same time I discovered that I could crochet more than a granny square or a circle, I started making the quilt block of the month blocks from JoAnn Fabrics. These, along with a variety of other incomplete quilts, were later packed in a box and moved from Utah to Pennsylvania with me.

About a year ago a friend of mine invited me to be part of group of women—mostly from our church—who sew/quilt each week. While my schedule allowed, I joined this wonderful group of women, and began a period of "quilt therapy." Friday a week ago I decided that I wanted to make a quilt for a friend who is moving away. Very last minute—I went on the JoAnn's web site and found a "make in a weekend" pattern that I decided to use (Afternoon Tea—check out the pattern here). After work, off I went to JoAnn's to buy the fabric. What a challenge! On top of the pattern being very poorly written, they called for using 15 fabrics out of their Legacy Studios collection. The problem being, each store only got a few of the pieces in the collection! So there I stood, with about 5 or 6 pieces from the collection and a myriad of other fabrics trying to decide which to use where, and how much to get, as the pattern was NOT user friendly! Alas, the fabric was cut and purchased, and home I went.

Once I got home, I proceeded to re-write the pattern and cutting directions in order to facilitate cutting and making the quilt—and maintaining what sanity I still possess! Before I retired for the evening, I had about half of the quilt cut out. Saturday morning, I finished cutting and started sewing. I sewed, and sewed, and sewed. All day Saturday and Sunday, with very few breaks. By the time the weekend was over, I had a top—minus its borders. I was finally able to get back to it Wednesday, and the top finally had borders. Thursday I took it to the lady who is going to machine quilt it and hope to have it back next week sometime. Did I mention that I discovered a new "toy" I'd like to have? (As in a long-arm professional quilting machine? Check them out at www.gammill.com.) I'm thinking they "lied" about this being a "weekend" project!

This past Thursday I was lamenting over a gift for another friend of mine. What could I get? What could I make? Could I pull off another quilt in a couple of weeks? I was drawn to a book on my bookshelf—Egg Money Quilts by Eleanor Burns. I purchased the book a few months ago simply for the pattern for the Double Wedding Ring Tablerunner. So as I pulled it off the shelf, I was thinking this might be the perfect gift, as well as a wonderful use for the fabric left from last weekend's project.

Yesterday I cut out all the pieces, and today I started sewing. It's past the bewitching hour, but the tablerunner is nearing semi-completion—which means all the blocks are made, just need to be squared up and sewn together, then quilted. I had to buy more fabric of two of the pieces used in the rings, as well as fabric for the backing and background. The cool thing—there was enough fabric to make two tablerunners! So...another day...another weekend...I'll finish the second one—which currently has the rings sewn together, and the interfacing pinned to the about half of them...so after yet another trip to JoAnn's tomorrow for more fusible interfacing, I'll be able to continue!

Note to self: print more coupons!

P.S. The photos above are from their respective web sites. Once the gift quilt is back from the quilter's and bound, and once the tablerunner is completed, I'll post photos of both!

Déesses de la Déco

Déesses de la Déco is French for Domestic Diva. I was talking with a design client recently and she marveled over the fact that I have a catering/baking business. In the course of the conversation, her eyes bulged when the topic of conversation turned to a quilt I was working on. She said, "You sew, too???" I have to pause and be grateful for my grandmothers who instilled in me a passion for most all things domestic—did I say that I don't generally do windows? I am eternally grateful that the Lord has taken the tidbits my grandmothers and home economics teachers taught me years ago, and "grown" my passions into activities that not only allow me to make a few extra bucks while serving others, but most importantly, are hugely therapeutic while traversing the wicked twists and turns of life.

My Mammaw (Dad's mom) taught me the basics of crochet as a small girl. She "showed" me how to do all that she taught me—never was there a printed crochet pattern involved. Needless to say, trying to read a pattern did nothing less that frustrate me for many years. Eight years ago I was going through a very difficult time in life—a time where life easily could have been more than I could bear. My neighbor was working on a "Scripture" afghan—an afghan that was made up of many different blocks, each symbolizing a specific verse in the Bible. I borrowed her pattern, and amazingly enough, I was able to "read" the pattern for the first time ever! This began a lengthy period of "crochet therapy", where I cranked out afghans faster than one would imagine! I truly believe it was God's perfect timing with my new-found skills that helped me maintain my composure through those trying times, and several that would soon come.

So now, during another one of "those times," I've spent many months in the kitchen enjoying the art of feeding others, as well as quilting, crocheting, cross stitching, reading, and working Sudoku puzzles to fill my "free time" and keep my mind sharp.