A Stitchin' Good Time

Our quilt guild met today for our scheduled sewing. Karleen started things off with a short business meeting and then we had "show and tell". Although it's summer and we had fewer in attendance, there were a lot of beautiful quilts to enjoy.

Mary showed us a Mystery Quilt she made awhile back. It's beautiful, isn't it?

Her granddaughter is graduating high school next week-end, and she made this lovely "film" quilt for her. What a wonderful surprise it will be! The pictures she chose to print on fabric are of her granddaughter, friends, family, and special buddy. That buddy came to check things out today. Adorable!

Karleen calls these the peacock quilts, because the prints are peacock themed. They were stitched by one of her friends and quilted by one of our guilt members. Both of these quilts are gifts for an upcoming family reunion. Someone sure will be lucky to receive them!

Louise is the first in our guild to complete this year's Mystery Quilt. It is gorgeous!

And we had a little visitor today named Joaquin. He kept himself entertained by playing Minecraft on his iPad while his mother cut out quilt blocks.

As is customary, we all looked forward to potluck and all the yummy foods that people brought. The conversation was just as good. My tea thermos came with me today, filled with Yorkshire tea. It was a good day.

Sewing Like Mom

Do you sew like your mother? Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't. Yesterday, as I was cutting out aprons I was pondering this question. It's funny how simple tasks can take you back in time. My mother has been gone for twelve years, but her legacy lives on through her daughters. I must have been about eleven years old when my mother taught me to sew. By twelve years old I was sewing almost all of my own clothes. Store bought clothes were pretty rare in our family while I was growing up. My mother taught me to sew as her mother had taught her --- and as her mother taught her. It is a family thread that continues down through generations. Sometimes the mother, grandmother , and great-grandmother methods of garment construction are not 'proper' nor 'by the book', but they were methods that worked for them. And they still work for me today. Yesterday I was able to cut out aprons, one on top of the other without removing the pattern or pins from the first one. And I was able to get double the contrast pieces cut out of what the pattern said I needed for one! What a feeling of accomplishment! Although over time home economics coursework ensued, I find that there are times that I still revert back to themethods my mother taught me. They work well, those homespun methods of shortcuts and construction techniques. Thank you, mom!

Common Threads

When women create...they are tied together by common threads. Threads of friendship, service, and community. Threads of proximity, mutual interest, and appreciation for the materials from which they create. 

Our "show and tell" at this month's quilt guild meeting included many beautiful quilts. Mary's quilt was stunning! She's the one on the right. Her quilt's a Thimbleberry design and is called "A Quilter's Garden". It was my favorite.  Although she only brought one to show to the group, she's made another quilt just like it. She pieced two, one for her and one for a friend. Her friend quilted both. And now they each have one of these beautiful quilts. That's a cooperative friendship!

In the meantime...

Karleen and I are coordinating the creation of blocks for charity quilts from our guild. Each month, each guild member makes a block from an assigned pattern. The selected design is another one by Thimbleberry called "Month by Month". It consists of twelve blocks, one for each month of the year. Guild member have generously jumped right into participation! So far we've gathered quilt blocks for January through April and more than forty blocks have been turned in! At this point we have enough blocks for four full-size quilts. We hope to have twelve or more charity quilts ready to give away to individuals in our community by the end of the year.

I love April's block. The tulips remind me of all the pretty tulip pictures I've been seeing around blogland from tulips fields in Washington, Oregon, and Michigan. They've been stunning!

And for May, a sweet basket that's just ready to be filled with May flowers. It really does feel good to work on a project communally with other women. When women create, friendships deepen and generosity is shared. Common threads.

Chikaramachi

The teacup markings indicate that this teacup is:

~ Chikaramachi ~

Hand-painted

Made in Japan

I appreciate the hand painting which is primitive and unique. Uneven swirls of a paint from a brush can be seen along the base and handle. Hand-painted gold flourishes and swirls add a fine touch, making this teacup and saucer set quite charming. The porcelain is fine and a luster of luminescence creates a pearl-like affect. This is the kind of teacup that reminds you of tea in an environment rich in silks, tapestry, and fine wood. It is a teacup that is inviting to hold and is perfect for any place with old world charm.

The logo on the marking is a crown and wreath. This mark was registered by the Nippon Toki Gornei Kaisha porcelain manufacturing company about 1928 and was used for several years. The company was on Chikaramachi Street in a village called Noritake, a small suburb naer Nagoya, Japan. Eventually the company grew and changed its name to Noritake Company, Ltd. (1981). 

The tea is a classic gunpowder green. It seemed the perfect choice to go with the teacup. It is made of leaves that are hand-rolled into tiny pellets. The pellets resemble gunpowder, which is how this tea got its name. This tea has depth of body and a slight hint of smokiness. Green tea is said to have great antioxidant and phytochemical qualities which are beneficial to health and wellness. Adagio Teas

Work continues on the floral quilt. The sewing machine is set next to a picture window so I can enjoy the spring sunshine and the garden flowers as I sew. I hope you enjoy a happy week!

Linking to Antiques and Teacups with this post.

The Gladdest Thing

I will be the gladdest thing 
Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
And not pick one.

Edna St. Vincent Millay
~ Afternoon on a Hill ~

When Women Create

 

The quilt guild ladies don't seem to ever slow down! 

Such energy and passion for quilting! 

For five days last week, guild members were busy sewing up a storm at this beautiful bed & breakfast.

A calm and gently flowing river sits on one side of the yellow bed & breakfast.

And on the other side is a quilt shop that is filled with bolt after bolt of quilt fabric! There's enough fabric to fill two buildings. Fabric is tucked into every crook, cranny, and corner! It is amazing!

Sewing machines, ironing boards, and cutting tables

fill the main rooms in this beautiful old house.

Unique and special hand-made quilts cover the beds in every sleeping room. Each is beautiful and exemplifies the care that the keeper of the house so willingly gives. The breakfasts she prepares each morning get rave reviews from guests!

Crock pots and tea kettles are a quilters friend. They can be filled and allowed to simmer the day away while everyone sews.

Such diligence reaps wonderful reward! The reward is not just an abundance of completed quilts, but friendships that will last a lifetime.

When women create...unbreakable bonds are formed.

Pour Yourself a Cuppa Tea

Pour yourself a cuppa tea. It's time for a little "show and tell". 

The ladies at our small, rural quilt guild are amazing! They are such prolific and talented quilters. At each monthly sewing bee, group members arrive with quilts that they have completed. Each has a story to tell. Most quilts are made by loving mothers, grandmothers, or aunts for someone who lights up their life. These are the quilts that were brought for "show and tell" at our March sewing session.

Some creators have comments like "It was nothing, just two jelly rolls from Walmart and an idea". But, I think this one really turned into something charming!

This quilt is a stunning maze of many small pieces! The border alone would take me forever to piece! Isn't it pretty?

And another pieced quilt, this one in a beautiful palate of rust and blue.

And a quilt just perfect for March! Kites! It's so spring-like and whimsical. Such a delight! This quilt is another example of "no pattern, just an idea" that was implemented to perfection!

How blessed I am to know these talented, creative women!

Apron Strings

"A good mother
gives her
daughter an apron
without
strings."

-Virginia Helweg

What kind of apron strings did your mother give to you?

Stitched in Love

The ladies at the quilt guild are very prolific! Millions of stitches flow out of their sewing machines as they create all sorts of beautiful quilts, wall hangings, and table runners. Some of them are experts in machine embroidery, while others own large quilting machines and are the designated "go to" members for quilting a completed quilt top.

~A colorful quilt top ~

Their creativity and skill never ceases to amaze me. From one guild meeting to another, it's possible to see their progresses as quilts that were started one month are completed by the next. The mathematics of quilt design offers endless possibilities, as do the variety in color schemes and print choices. Sometimes several guild members will be making the same quilt, but they never look the same. Sometimes the viewer has to analyze each project for a few moments before realizing that the quilt design is one and the same.

~ A unique quilt top featuring windmill blocks and a solid centerpiece ~

The best part of quilt guild (besides the potluck lunch, of course) is the "show and tell" that happens at the beginning of the monthly sewing session. It's the time when guild members bring the projects they have in process and share them with the group. It's not only fun to see what they are making, but to hear who they are making the quilt for. Guild members are an altruistic bunch! Maybe I should say that quilters are altruistic people in general. Quilts are lovingly stitched for so many people or groups: grandchildren, a retiring cook at the school district, the Cancer Center, community members who are seriously ill, and more. There's a lot of love that goes into each stitch!

My wish for you today is that your day may be a patchwork of both purposeful and impromptu activities. And that each moment of your day is stitched in love and bound by ties of graciousness. And while you are at it, be sure to take some time for tea! Enjoy your day!

Quilt Vision Board

I love vision boards. I think a beautiful, gold-leafed frame that's hung on the wall with a blank space inside to place pictures and objects that inspire you is just lovely! But I really don't have space on my walls for one. Yesterday I was thinking about the quilt I'm making and wanted to see what it was going to look like when done. I found my wooden drying rack and discovered it made a very helpful "vision board"! Layers of print fabrics and some of the nine-patch squares hung on the wooden dowels gave me a vision of what my completed quilt might look like. And the secret to every good quilt and the coordination of prints, colors, and fabric? Squinting! I always analyze my choices by squinting, just to make sure nothing stands out too much --- or gets buried in the mix. A cuppa tea helps with the analysing process. 


Do you quilt? What is your secret to selecting fabrics for your project?