Quilt Therapy

My camera is never far away from me, especially when I’m playing tourist.  I was sitting here yesterday, trying to come up with some new design ideas – when I started going through my photographs from days gone by.  Lo-and-behold there were some photos that need to be turned into quilt designs. 

Look at this one photo of a door, from the Institute for Texan Culture:

Now take a look at how many different quilt design inspirations I garnered from this one photograph:

Amazing how one can find quilt design inspiration in the most unlikely of places.  Guess I’d better get to work!

I take many photographs of my quilts and fabric.

Most of the time, I’m photographing because I need an image for the front of a pattern, or for instructions for a pattern. 

But, sometimes.  Ah yes – occasionally.  I’ll take a close-up of a quilt or fabric … just because I want to remember the feel of that quilt against my cheek. 

Take a minute to view these photos and see if you can feel the same, soft, cotton-y goodness of a quilt made of these fabrics, rubbing against your cheek as you sniggle into a comfy position, with a book in-hand or a chick-flick showing on the television, or snuggling up with a child who wants some special closeness:

Do you feel it?  I’m hoping you do – and it shows your quilted heart, too.

I think I always show up for work on Mondays in a smug mood, when I’ve had a successful quilting weekend!  On Friday night, I cut out and pieced another “Building Blocks Baby Quilt” in batiks, which gave it a very colorful camo look:

On Saturday, I cut out and pieced another “Nine-Patch Star Baby Quilt” with the Chutes & Ladders fabric from Moda:

On Sunday, I felt the above photographed quilt needed just a touch more, so I added a 5″ striped border – wow, what a difference it made!

As we put the kids to bed on Wednesday evening, we lingered in the door of DD#1’s bedroom.  She told us to go away.  Hubby said we were just staring at a 13 year-old, because we’d never had one of our own.  Like in a zoo, yaknow?

Yup, she is now 13 and we are now parents of a teen.  Which is about the point that I find a nautical radio and call the Coast Guard for an S.O.S. – right?

Click here for these instructions in PDF

Click here for these instructions in PDF

“Quilted Placemat with Silverware Holder”

Free Pattern!

Available at BOMquilts.com

Vicki W. from Field Trips in Fiber nominated my “Snow Smores” quilt for a Brilliante Weblog Award.  I’m so very honored, thank you Vicki {bowing graciously}!

First, I must post the rules:

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog/
2. Link to the person you received your award from
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs
4. Put links to those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs of the people you have nominated.

Now, may we have the envelope please …… {drumroll} ……

The winners that I have selected offer quilt projects online, and since quilting is way beyond a passion for me, I must help showcase their talents:

1. Linda Pearl, director of the CottonSpice.com BOM quilt
2. Rochelle Martin of Cottage Quilt Designs, designer of the CottonSpice.com QuiltAlong Quilt
3. Linda from Gabbi Abbi’s and AbbiMays.com, designer of the super-simple Sock Monkey Flannel Quilt
4. Debi from Quilting With Debi, for her RRRR Mystery Quilt
5. Susan Brubaker Knapp from Blue Moon River, designer of House Rules
6. Laura West Kong of Quilting-Diva, designer of Quilt Charms
7. Karen Gass, editor of Cotton Spice quilting magazine, for her “Summer Quilt” in the June 2008 magazine issue (free pattern)

There’s my list!  I’m off to tell each of these quilters about their awards!  Quilt On!

I received word last week that a friend I had in Utah committed suicide.  My heart went out to her children.  And I was so very sad for her.  My mother committed suicide, so I’ve been there, done that.  I know how her children will never get over it.  I know what life is like, growing up not just without a mother – but, without a mother who couldn’t see beyond her own depression to realize that she had children who needed, wanted and loved her.

She went through a very nasty divorce, and once her husband was awarded custody of her children, she lost all hopes of building her life with the American dream.  She was a tenured professor of German, and while she was working hard to get tenure, her husband was taking care of the kids.  And then, once she got tenure — he used all of that time she spent working against her in court – and of course, he demanded that she pay child support, based on her new tenured pay upgrade.  And then he moved himself and the kids east.  I remember once, after she got tenure, that she took a sabbatical, and her husband kidnapped the kids and returned to Utah – not only taking her children away from her, but cutting short her work time — so that she appeared to have failed on all accounts.

Of course, I feel guilt, too.  I know that I could not save her from herself – she needed professional help.  But, as will oft happen with depression, she closed herself off from the rest of us and we were unable to penetrate her life as friends.  Then, she converted to a popular religion in Utah, and it further alienated her Lutheran friends.  Once my family and I left Utah, I have had no communications with her.  So, I, too, failed her.

By God’s Grace, I pray that she’s now found the peace that she couldn’t find on earth.  I pray that she meets her mother, who died when Renate was just a baby.  And I pray that Renate’s children can find some way to grow and learn from their mother – in whatever small way her X husband will allow.  Because, the bottom line is that those kids will need a whole lotta love, to find their peace with her life and with her death.

God’s Peace to you, Renate.  The world is not a better place without you in it…but, your soul is now cared for in a way that you couldn’t find on earth – and for that, I am thankful, my friend.

Sometimes, I feel like my quilting is moving forward … sometimes, it feels like I’m always playing catch-up!  After the family reunion (that lasted about 10 days) and the kids’ camps … I’m still playing catch-up with my quilt projects.  And tomorrow evening is our monthly quilt group meeting, so I know I’ll be at the machine most of tonight, betting my BOM blocks ready …. and if I play my cards right, I might even get next month’s BOMquilts.com “Strippin’ with the Stars” blocks done …. or maybe I’ll work more on another set of “Paisley Flower Cakes.”  ooooh, it’s so hard to decide when you have a world of quilting at your fingertips!

Here’s what I accomplished thus far this weekend:

“Strippin’ with the Stars” July Block with “Katmandu” fabrics

“Strippin’ with the Stars” July Block with “At Water’s Edge” fabrics

“Paisley Flower Cakes” Flower #2 with “Prairie Paisley” fabrics

“Paisley Flower Cakes” Flowers #1 & #2 with “Prairie Paisley” fabrics