Only one more sleep!

I am so excited! It is only one more sleep until I leave for Salt Lake City to attend HMQS. HMQS is a machine quilting conference and show. It is absolutely wonderful! This is the third time I've been able to attend. For me it is a week full of learning, a wonderful quilt show and merchants with every quilting supply you will ever need. To me it is almost heaven.

This year I signed up to take classes with Dustin, Farrel, Irena Bluhm, Mary Anne Ciccotelli, and Carmen Geddes, Vicki Shetter.  I love learning new things!

Each time I go I am so amazed at the talented people there are. I love looking their work. Several years ago there was a quilt made by Sue McCarty that honored J.R.R. Tolkien (the author of Lord of the Rings series) It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.  And the design was only thread. It was the show winner that year. Here is a picture of it.



Last year there was a display of quilts made by David Taylor. I just love his work.




I think it is wonderful that we have conferences like this that get the best teachers in the quilting world together to share their talents. It allows a quilter like me to learn from the best.

I also like spending this week with two very good friends. Stephanie and Laurie are the best! We have so much fun laughing, quilting and site seeing,  Oh did I mention we talk? Boy do we talk! It starts the minute we get in the car and doesn't stop until we hit the pillow at the end of the day. Good friends are the best!

I don't know whether I'll sleep tonight or not. I'm so excited!

When life throws you a curve ball

Have you ever wondered what you would do when life throws you a curve ball? You know what I mean. Life just doesn't turn out the way you wanted it to. You wanted something and you got something else. Life takes you down an unexpected path.Well, I would like to tell you about an acquaintance of mine. She is a beautiful young women about 30 years old that goes to my church. She is a wife, the mother of three wonderful children and she likes to decorate cakes. She has the best sense of humor and finds joy in the simpliest things in life. She laughs a lot.

She recently found out that she has breast cancer.  Her unexpected path. She has decided to share her journey in a blog. I have been reading it and I have to say, I'm glad it is not my journey.  But, I have been so touched by her candidness. She is just starting her journey but I can tell that she has amazing strength. And I've never laughed so hard. She counting the number of people that have seen her breasts and is having a bit of a contest, like counting the number of jelly beans in the jar.

I can honestly say that I have always been terrified of breast cancer. A very good friend of our family died of it some years ago. I saw the suffering that she went through. My Mother-in-law had breast cancer and had a scare when the doctors though she had it a second time. My husband's aunt died of it. A good friend of mine is a survivor, It seems it is everywhere.

So I'm going to face my fear and I'm going follow her journey. I'm going to laugh when she laughs, and probably cry when she cries. And hopefully I'll be able to lend a helping hand.

I'v been trying to come up with some ideas to cheer her up when things get rough. If you have any ideas, I'd love here from you.

What I've been up to

I thought some of you might like to see some of the quilts I've worked on recently.

 This quilt was made by Helen Etherington. Helen recently passed away and she left some wonderful quilts for her grandchildren.  I'm sure the recipient of this one is going to appreciate it

My husband loves to do Sudoku puzzles. So I made this quilt out of one of his puzzles. This quilt is a sample for a class I'll be teaching at the Cotton Tree Quilt Shop.

This quilt was made by Bonnie McKinnon. I just love that fabric line.

Bonnie's Christmas Quilt has a wonderful array of Christmas fabrics

This lovely Crown of Thorns Quilt was made by Diane Bjorgaard.  It is just beautiful.

This fun quilt was made by Helen Ball for her husband. It is so bright and cheery that I'm sure he is going to love it.

Beginners class excitement

Recently a good friend of mine and I offered to teach a beginners quilting class at the church we go to. We both love to made quilts and wanted to share our skills.  We send around a sign up sheet and were surprised to find that we had 14 people interested. In my mind, I expected about half of those who signed up to attend the first class. But to my surprise, most of them showed up.

At the first class I did an overview of the course and I told them of some of the things they could expect to learn. We talked about some of the supplies they would need and we talked about choosing fabric for their projects. Then Stephanie and I did a show and tell of some of the quilts we have made. We also included some of the quilts that the ladies who took the class the last time I offered it had done. As we showed the quilts we told them the stories of why we made the quilt and some of the things we learned doing the project. It was so neat to see the excitement in their eyes. I could tell that they really wanted to learn. We planned to meet once a month for six months and at the end of the classes the students would have a small project completed. As I was talking with the ladies it was neat to hear of some of the reasons each wanted to learn. One lady mentioned that she was struggling with a smoking addiction and she really wanted to stop. She thought that she might be able  to quit by having something to keep her hands busy. Another wanted to make a quilt for her daughter. Another just thought it would be a good skill to have. Another felt that she needed to get out of her comfort zone and learn something she new nothing about. One lady remembered a quilt that was made for her by a family member out of clothing her family wore. Since she made a lot of clothing for her children, she wanted to make a quilt with memories like the one she had been given.

We just had our second class. To my surprise all the students were there.  A couple of ladies even brought friends and another her mother. Our small classroom was full to bursting.  At this class we talked of quilting terms and they learned how to find the 1/4" on their sewing machine. They learned about using a rotary cutter and about strip piecing. And we had a lesson on pressing. The time just flew by. It was really nice to see some friendships starting.  I loved how when one student grasped a concept, they helped another who struggled.

When one of the ladies announced that she didn't have a sewing machine but really wanted to learn to quilt. One of the visitors said that she liked to hand piece and she would be please to show her how to do it. The visitor had come for moral support. But, she had brought a hand piecing project to work on. She showed her project and many were truly amazed that she had done it all my hand. So this evening, when others were wizzing away on their sewing machine, these two ladies sat peacefully in the corner piecing by hand.

I've spoken to several of the students since that second class. The lady who didn't have a sewing machine came to see me. She found an old sewing machine.  Her friend's husband fixed it up and her friend was going to show her how to use it. Others were meeting sometime in the month to work on their homework. And several others just told me of their excitement starting this journey into quilting.

I am hopeful that these ladies will not only learn a new skill but will make some lasting friendships.

Closed Shop

Several years ago we had four quilt shops in our small town of 20,000. One was a home based business that specialized in batik fabrics. One was a regular fabric shop that carried a huge supply of quilting fabric. Another shop featured the newest Moda collections. And the last one carried quilting fabrics, several brands of sewing machines and gave classes.

I never really appreciated all the selection we had.  If I needed a particular kind of fabric I just checked the shop that carried it. Well over the last while, one by one they have closed. We are now down to one. I've been thinking about this a lot. Why is it that they have closed? Each shop had its own reason.  Retirement, or family reasons were what they told their customers. But I think the biggest reason is that we quilters didn't support our local merchants.

Our town is a short distance from the Canada/ USA border. In a couple of hours you can be at numerous quilt shops that carry the same fabrics and supplies that the shops in our hometown carry. However, there is one big difference. The cost of the fabric and such is dollars less in the USA. So for many people, a short drive would save them a lot of money.

I've really struggled with this. I like a deal ,so yes, I have shopped across the border. But I've also struggled with the fact that if I don't support my local shops, they aren't going to be there. I usually try to purchase what I am looking for at a local shop. Then if I just can't get what I am looking for I would go elsewhere.
I remember the days when we didn't have a quilt shop and I sure don't want to go back to that time.

It really makes me angry when I hear quilters say that the local shops are just ripping them off . That they are charging more for goods just because they can. It wasn't until I started my machine quilting business that I discovered that you can purchase many goods in a USA quilt shop for less than what a merchant can purchase the same product wholesale here is Canada. And I also discovered that a lot of big wholesalers make it almost impossible for a small business to purchase from them. They make it so that you have to order a certain amount of goods before they will accept an order from you. Often times those minimum order limits are so large that a small shop can't afford to buy from them.

Most quilt shop owners aren't in business because they want to get rich. They love quilts, quilting and quilters. They want us to have a place where we can go for inpiration, for help and for friendship.

So, if you want to keep a quilt shop in your community you'd better support them!

What is a quilt?

    A quilt is more than fabric,batting and stitches, It is a rare and wonderful creation of the soul which expresses our personal statements, our likes and dislikes, feelings, thoughts and loves. It is a bridge that encourages friendships. It supports our need for recognition,as we dislpay it proudly to the applause of admirers. It links us with those who've stitched before andwho will follow as it gives a wordlesss but meaningful description of who we are and what we feel. A quilt is all these-and more: it is the emodiment of love. (Diane McClun and Laura Nownes)
    Quilts give us a chance to express our need for giving. It always amazes me how a quilt comforts both the giver and the recipient. A number of years ago, I made a jar quilt. It was a simple quilt that I made as a joke for my sons. At the time, this was a popular pattern and most people filled their jars with bugs and other creepy crawly things that young people collect. In my jars, I decided to put different kinds of fruit and vegetables in my jars to relect my goal  to have some food items on hand for hard times. Since we have limited storage space, most of my canning went under the beds. It was a joke or fear of my sons that one day they would come home and their beds would be high off the ground (like the princess and the pea story) due to the number of canning jars beneath them.
    My sister loved this quilt and begged me to give it to her. Instead of parting with mine, I gave her the materials to make one of her own. Since she was not a quilter at the time I thought is was a perfect way to spend some time with her doing something I loved. She worked very hard to finish that quilt. I helped her cut out the fabric and she sewed. When she left my home she had a completed quilt top but it was not quilted yet. She enlisted the help of an older lady in the community she lived. This lady took her under her wing and showed her how to sandwich the layers of the quilt together and to quilt it.
    Several months after the quilt was complete, she called me. She said "You'll never guess what I did with the quilt?" "I gave it away!" One of our cousin's sons was in the hospital having a very serious heart operation. She had taken her quilt to the hospital and had given it to him. He was so thrilled. During his recuperation, it was his constant source of comfort. It is funny, my sister wanted that quilt so bad. Yet, she gave it away. This quilt gave my sister such joy making it but I think it gave her greater joy giving it away.
    The next quilt my sister made was for our father. She collected fabrics for months to have just the right ones. She just finished the quilt and was planning a triphome to give it to him but before she could, my father passed away. She was very disapointed that Dad never got to feel the warmth and the love that went into that quilt.  She decided that Dad still needed his quilt. It was a touching moment in th funeral home when she placed the quilting lovingly over my father. The joy in her eyes was a priceless gift.
    Ask any quilter why she made a quilt and there is always a story. I made this quilt for a new grandchild, or for a daughters wedding or as a gift for a son coming home from his mission or for a friend who has cancer.
   What ever reason you decided to learn to quilt, I'm glad you did! May you find as much joy in the process as I have.
  
   

Merry Christmas!

I love Christmas time! I love the way that our thoughts and actions turn to those around us. The way that we stop thinking of ourselves and perform those kind acts we neglect through out the year. I love that our hearts turn to the true meaning of Christmas, the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. I love that many of us connect with friends that we may not of seen that year. I love the music of Christmas! I love spending time with my immediate family and extended family.

We have some traditons at Christmas time like I suppose many of you do.  For years my mother and I took time to make the Norwegian sweets that were popular her home. Things like lafse, fattigman and flat bread. It was a great time working together to produce our family favorites. My mother passed away last year so this year my sisters and I got together and made several of the family favorites. It was nice but not quite the same. Mom and I had such a great time working together and I kind of missed doing it with her.

My Mom always wanted to overcook everything and it was a constant battle to get the treats out of the oven before they were crisp.( She liked them that way) One year I was tired of the fight and thought I would just make the items myself. My excuse was that my sister-in-law wanted to learn how to make them and since I had a very small kitchen there wasn't enough room for Mom too. I felt guilting doing this but I did it. (Nort one of my proudest moments) That year Cindy and I made the best lafse. I left mine on the table when I took Cindy home. I was so proud of our day's work. Well, my pay back for not inviting Mom was that by the time I got back home everything we had baked was eaten by my dog. I never ever left Mom out after that.

There is a tradition in my husband's family where we all gather on Christmas Eve. We visit and eat delicious food. My father-in-law plays the guitar and we sing Christmas Carols. Our group is getting pretty big now that there is grandchildren and great grandchildren. It will be a sad day when Grandpa passes away and we no longer have him directing our singing. I'm sure someone else will take over but it just won't be the same.

This year was strange. So many of the family were required to work on Christmas Day. Something I'd never heard of before. My daughter-in-law flew out mid afternoon to be a work at the Vet clinic she works at. My sister-in-law had to work at her job at the Hospital and my son Jeremy didn't have enough time off to come home. And there was a chance that my brother, a railroad worker was going to have to work. I've never heard of businesses not closing on Christmas. Yes, there are always those who needed to work. People like Doctors and nurses etc. But it wasn't the general rule. I think it sad that the world can't just stop for one day and celebrate Christmas. 

To all my friends and clients, I hope you all had a Merry Christmas. And I wish you all the best in 2012!