Where did the summer go?

Me trying to not wheeze because of all of the smoke

It is amazing that three months have gone by in a blink of an eye. Summer is at an end and thankfully, we have begun to receive well-needed rain in Oregon. It has been so dry and the fires have really been bad. We were at a Level 1 evacuation level for two weeks and it was a long two weeks. When you are told to get ready to evacuate and you look around your home at what has taken you a lifetime to accumulate, it is an emotional experience. We gathered pictures, papers, quilts, and short-term clothing and stacked them by the door. I took pictures of everything inside of closets and rooms so that I would have something to see to remind me of items just in case. We were lucky because we didn't have to leave. Others were not as lucky and were homeless for many weeks and some lost their homes even through the heroic efforts of the men and women firefighters working endlessly trying to contain the fire and save as much as they could.

I have been trying so hard to catch up on some long overdo projects. 2017 has been a wonderful year with working on the World Quilting Travel Adventure but it did consume a lot of time in designing and creating the souvenirs and writing patterns and instructions. I realized that I was not getting any closer to finishing older projects. So after designing Australia, I stopped and finished piecing my Christmas quilt. The top is now done and is resting on the second bed waiting its turn to be quilted.

Next I pulled out The Lady that really has languished for years with its top being done but me not feeling up to the level to quilt it myself. I realized that I may never feel comfortable in quilting her so I bit the bullet and have been quilting her. It's been hard and I don't feel like I am getting anywhere near close to being finished, but I am plugging away at her.

Quilting on The Lady's hair

To give myself a break on quilting, I have been making a toothbrush rug for my kitchen. It is a perfect mindless activity after machine quilting for too long. So far, it is about 27 inches in diameter and I hope to finish it at least 45 to 60 inches in diameter.

Toothbrush rug in progress

My finished Israel souvenir was accepted in a local quilt show. I look forward to seeing it hanging next weekend. I was so nervous on whether it would be accepted. Isn't that silly? In the big scheme of life, that is really not even on a measurable level.

Other projects on my to-do list is to make a baby quilt for a neighbor's daughter who is expecting next year. She is such a sweetie and I so rarely get to do baby things. And speaking of baby things! I learned of an organization that makes NICU-friendly diaper shirts for babies, no matter how small! I immediately offered my sewing services and have my flannel all washed and prepped. I still need to locate a special soft Velcro and then I can start cutting and sewing. When you see how small the pattern is for a 1 pound or less infant, it is difficult to wrap your brain around a baby being that tiny. I received 7 patterns for babies from 1 pound to 7 pounds, 8 ounces and you get to choose the ones you want to make. If you are interested in using up a little of your cotton and flannel, please go to Twenty-Five and Four to learn more. I'm thinking this would make a great reason to gather several friends together for an afternoon party of sewing and fellowship while sewing these tiny shirts for such precious babies.

And before you think we have stopped travelling, we have not. Just taken a pause. I assure you that all this activity has not stopped me from contemplating Australia's souvenir and the different techniques to use for it. Honestly, I have gone from one end to another and still have not nailed down which techniques to use. It may end up an everything including the kitchen sink souvenir! The cooler weather is spurring me on to a decision and then I will start transferring the design to templates. I have my fabric chosen so at least that part is decided.

And as a famous person once said, "give your loved ones a daily hug and never let the sun go down with sourness on your lips. It'll leak out of other body parts!"  LOL

Sharing your quilts -- do you? And why you should!

Today, tomorrow, and Saturday is my local guild's quilt show -- Clark County Quilters. I have been a member for a number of years, and I must admit that it has been a wonderful experience. Although I would have never gone and ultimately joined if not for my friend, Terry Knott. She encouraged, persuaded, and helped me step into an unknown and mostly uncomfortable zone. I tend to be on the shy side unless I know someone and then you can't shut me up even if you want to!  LOL Anyway being thrust into a big guild like CCQ can be intimidating unless you have a person in your life like I do named Terry. She walked me around and showed me the ropes...sometimes showing me the ropes multiple times before I remembered everything.

Guilds are wonderful resources, and I highly encourage you to look for your local guild. Not only can you meet wonderful men and women that share the love of quilting and art as much as you, but you will be inspired and encouraged and wowed by all of the wonderful things that members are doing and making.

Running a guild is a tremendous job and I have watched first-hand how much hard work current and past presidents put in to making a guild a success. It really does take an army of volunteers to make a guild successful, and we just happen to have pretty awesome members that volunteer umpteen hours of their time to run it. Each year the guild goes to an incredible amount of work to put on a show that really rivals some of the big shows. Again, all this work is done by volunteers.

I am so proud to see the number of quilts displayed at our show. We really have quite a selection from the youth section, to first time entries, vintage quilts, all the way through exquisite applique, pieced, art and modern. I know of no where else where you can get exposed to so many variations of quiltmaking than at a show, which brings me to the title of this post....sharing your quilts.

If you make quilts, please share them. I am my own biggest critic and can point out every area in every one of my quilts that are less than perfect. All of these things in my mind make my quilts non-show worthy. However, if none of us ever allows our quilts to be seen and viewed, shows will cease to exist and that would be a terrible thing. I view quilts as art and love that each and every one is made by human hands.

I took lots of pictures but don't want to post them until after the show so that I don't spoil someone from seeing a ribbon on their quilt.

The quilt above is my quilt I entered. I was tickled that my Piecing through the Decades received a Best Hand Quilting ribbon and an Honorable Mention ribbon. This quilt is what I call my life quilt. I started it back when templates were made with cardboard and drawn onto the fabric, cut with scissors, and hand pieced. I entered a class but was only able to take three classes before we moved out of state. I have no idea of who the pattern designer was for the blocks because we made our templates during the first class and cut up the paper to glue it onto the cardboard. The next 25 years was spent finishing the center blocks and growing and learning what to do with them. It shows exactly where I was in my growth and as I learned new skills, this quilt grew. I learned to be free and do borders so I designed the borders. I learned precision paper piecing and made the stars, I watched and learned techniques from teachers at The Quilt Show, and the quilt top was finished.

Next I pondered. Do I machine quilt or hand quilt. Because all of the center blocks were done by hand and I love the look of hand quilting, I decided to start a new journey and started hand quilting. I learned that I was not able to hand quilt in a hoop. I located a frame and started again. I learned you cannot move a quilt frame around like a hoop, so I learned to quilt with my thumb and finger so I could quilt in any direction. I found hand quilting therapeutic and relaxing. I finished the quilting and bound the quilt. I love it and see myself in many different ages through it. The quilt belongs to my husband who has given me the most fulfilling life I could have ever imagined.

Entering a quilt into a show takes courage. Courage to allow others to see it, judge it, feel the emotion  you've put into it, and gives you a great push to start the journey again.

Showing your quilts is giving back to all of the quilters who came before us and helping grow the next generation of quilters.