Elizabeth Barrett Browning quote

via Elsa Bailey on facebook:


"Earth's crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God: 
But only s/he who Sees takes off his/her shoes." 
~Elizabeth Barrett Browning


....'nuff said!

Girl's Night Out. (no, this was not me.)

via Nell Stanley on Facebook:

A woman was invited out for a night with the "girls." She told her husband that she would be home by midnight, "I promise!" Well, the hours passed and the margaritas went down way too easily. Around 3 a.m, a bit loaded, she headed for home. 

Just as she got in the door, the cuckoo clock in the hallway started up and cuckooed 3 times. Quickly, realizing her husband would probably wake up, she cuckooed another 9 times. She was really proud of herself for coming up with such a quick-witted solution, in order to escape a possible conflict with him. (Even when totally smashed, 3 cuckoos plus 9 cuckoos totals 12 cuckoos = MIDNIGHT !) 

The next morning her husband asked her what time she got in, she told him "MIDNIGHT"... he didn't seem pissed off in the least. Then he said "Oh by the way we need a new cuckoo clock." When she asked him why, he said, "Well, last night our clock cuckooed three times, then said "oh shit" Cuckooed 4 more times, cleared its throat, cuckooed another three times, giggled, cuckooed twice more, and then tripped over the coffee table and farted."

Be Authentic; Be Yourself.

"Be authentic, be yourself. That’s a beautiful expression. Everyone is divine because there is only one God, one truth, one reality, and it can be expressed in infinite varieties. The Vedic sages recognized that Truth is one but various sages call it by various names. Let us not quarrel with the names and forms, different paths; ultimately we are only manifesting, unfolding, our divinity."


For the entire article: Swami Dayatmananda - Three Expressions of Reality

A Country Road

Etsy, and Quit Your Day Job

Quit Your Day Job: larimeloom

Read the entire Etsy blog post in LarimeLooms own words. And for a little sojourn into her etsy store. Enjoy!

Recent Saga with a Privately owned Quilt Store

Some of my energy lately has been consumed with getting 9 of my Cathedral Windows wallhangings back from Alma Sue's Quilt Shop in Sarasota, Fla.  I took a number of quilts in to her shop in early July for possible consignment, & she handpicked 9 that she deemed saleable in her store. Some of them she said would sell once the snowbirds got here since they were colors more frequently used for home decor in the northern states. 


Recently, I became curious how the quilts were doing and stopped in two weeks ago. I didn't see any of them. The owner, Ella wasn't in and the sales clerk couldn't tell me anything. She made a written note for Ella to call me. Later that day in the afternoon I called. They said, "Oh, Monday is Ella's day off. Call in the morning after 10:30." So, I called the next day around noon and they said, "Oh, Ella was here but became sick & went home".  So, I waited 2 weeks for the "Phone Call" & the Quilt Shop never called. So the following weekend on Saturday's shopping trip I stopped in, again. This time I spoke with Ella, and she said "Oh, today's not a good day. You'll have to come back another time." At that point she acknowledged she didn't know where the wallhangings were, and didn't know if they had actually ever been on display during the four months. Said that Michael, a man who used to work there had rearranged her store completely over the summer when she was on vacation, and if he didn't like something he just put it away in the storeroom.


We live about 25 minutes from the store so I insisted on scheduling a time, and she said Tuesday at 1:00. Tues. morning came, I did not know what to think. Fred offered to call and find out if the quilts would be ready for pick-up at 1:00 before we drove a half hour to get there. We thought she might take it more seriously with a male voice calling. He called and asked to speak with Ella, and was told she was in a meeting, and they would call back. Fred  said he bets  they will call back in 15 minutes, and they never called at all! He begrudgingly admitted to losing the bet on that one! I bet him a dollar they wouldn't, and we shook on it. So Fred made another call when it was time to leave, & they curtly said the quilts were ready. Together we went & picked them up. The quilts were all there, and in good condition. I checked them out thoroughly before signing for them. The clerk asked me what I was looking for..."just checking to make sure everything is OK before I sign for them". The clerks were polite, but not pleasant. So, after four phone calls and 3 store visits in a 2.5 week saga, my quilts are back home with me. And, not once did anyone at Alma Sue's offer an apology. On the contrary, I was left  with the feeling that I was out of line.


(Years ago, in Pa. I had a very bad experience with a returned Giant Dahlia quilt that had been consigned at a local quilt and fabric store. When I laid it out on my bed I became aware of a wide band that had become faded from their overhead lighting system. They flatly denied it, and assumed no responsibility. Always check your consigned quilts and crafts for issues prior to signing for their release.)

I haven't been buying much fabric except online or at thrift stores lately. And now I will feel absolutely no guilt at not supporting this particular family-owned fabric store as oppposed to JoAnns or Walmart - for supplies, etc. Respect and trust are earned.  


As for the future of privately owned quilt stores and fabric stores - my sense is they will be few and far between as more and more people buy online, or scour thrift stores and yard sales as alternative, inexpensive sources of fabrics.  

Sustainably Harvested Hardwood Buttons by ReMaineWicked

Surprise this morning!...one of my supply items has been included in this DIY Mania Etsy Treasury collated by Rachel of http://www.etsy.com/people/coolclimates   

I've been feeling a great affection for all things wood lately...so, pictured below is one treasury item that particularly caught  my eye!

Organic Hardwood Buttons from Maine

In the artist's words: "Wooden Buttons, Sustainably Harvested and Organic, set of four. These buttons were made by my 14 year old son, in order to try and raise money for a field trip to France!

They are made from naturally fallen, dried, Maine hardwood (either Beech, Ironwood or Maple). They were then cut, sanded, drilled, sanded and then soaked in food grade Mineral Oil for preservation. They would make a great stocking stuffer for knitters, seamstress's and crafters."

 Rain Harbison also says:

"I am passionate about creating new, lovable things from discarded, unloved or out-dated items. My clothes and housewares are made with love and respect for you and the earth. Each is made from repurposed clothing and/or vintage fabrics that otherwise, would end up in a landfill."

Click on the following link for more details about the buttons, and to see other items by Rain at  RemaineWicked.

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This holiday season consider shopping with artists and crafters who specialize in bringing environmentally sustainable merchandise to the marketplace!

Quietly, and with dignity, Listen to Your Heart of Hearts

French Model

The photo of this French model was floating around on Facebook awhile ago, and I feel as though I've already used it in another blog post. However, it is perfect for a point I feel the need to make.  


Living a less active life, and going through menopause is causing my body to look a bit more like her body. Maybe I can do something about it. Maybe that something is just to be more accepting of what is....that, AND do something about it! 


Acorns already have all the knowledge (DNA) of the tree they will one day become. Climate and day to day weather are influential as well. 


We as humans have more choices than acorns do...mobility for one. And trees don't need to get an education to make a living to provide for their own basic needs, or the needs of their offspring - if they have any. That's another choice people have.


The words I really wish someone had spoken to me when I was a teenager are: "Quietly, and with dignity, consistently listen to and follow the impressions you receive from your own 'heart of hearts'. Do not let even the people you love the most get in the way of you fulfilling your own destiny. And, continue doing that for the rest of your life" So there! I've now said the words for others to hear, and follow if they so choose.


What I wanted as a young girl was to live a beautiful life. I wanted to be able to wear feminine clothing, shoes and hairstyle of my choice, listen to joyful music, read thought-provoking books & have uplifting conversations with people with educated minds...in other words - a refined life. Unfortunately, the hard work of trying to establish my right to assert myself got in the way of many of my primary relationships. We never were able to have an understanding of what was going on. I was never even able to speak the words....it just seemed like they were going to hit a really, really hard wall, get all smashed and slide down onto a quivering little heap. 


Mom and Dad...wherever you hang out now, I really hope that you have the ability and or courage to understand. For all I know, you too had many of the same desires of the heart that I did, with even less capability to make choices for yourself. 

Mint Green and Charcoal Log Cabin

Eccentric Log Cabin Wall Hanging

Charcoal and Mint Green Juxtaposition

These vintage Log Cabin quilt blocks were a discovery on a recent thrifting/treasure hunt. The color combination caught my interest, and I decided to honor the artist who made the blocks by completing a wallhanging. I am also somewhat infatuated with the black and white polka dot binding! Well, actually quite a lot. 


These colors together make me "feel good"! Don't know why, but they do! So, I made an Etsy Treasury Collection, too! For me, treasury making is "sortof"  like making a digital quilt, but I digress.


Steve Jobs quote: 
"Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn't really do it. They just saw something."


I'm familiar with that guilty feeling. And sometimes it's a quilty feeling! ;-) Actually, I like feeling a little guilty when I've been waxing creative...because it means (to me) that it wasn't just "me" there.


 ~*~

Cathedral Windows Pillows Giveaway 12/18/2011

 Cathedral Windows Pillows  12/2011 Giveaway (covers only)

USA & Canada residents only...For more information, and to enter the Giveaway click on the following blog page link: CW Pillows-Giveaway-12/2011

What are friends for! Especially old ones.

Q. So, you are quilting printed panels now? (from a longtime friend)

A. The Princess Quilt was made at a friend's request. She was going to get it for a birthday gift for her little daughter & forgot about it -spent all her money elsewhere. 


The Little Girls Gardening Quilt was made using two  strips of the girls gardening fabric - that was all I had,  filled in with latticework, using scrap fabrics. The borders and back were new fabric.  The little quilts were just fun little side projects. 

There are times when I wonder if quilters have gone completely insane...cutting up yardages of outrageously expensive fabric into small pieces and sewing them back together again. Then getting together in small or not-so-small cliches and oh-ing and ah-ing about the end result over sweets, junk foods & coffee. Sometimes I wonder if it's just busy-work for people, with women in particular - who cannot do much else artistically. Wait, wait...put down the gun! Don't shoot me just yet! I don't believe that for one minute! Because, I have seen absolutely stunning and gorgeous quilts! But I must say, if I were looking in on the planet from another planet I think I might seriously question the whole thing. Making quilts out of scraps leftover from other sewing projects I get. That makes sense. That is how quilts were made historically.


Every once in a while a good friend from town gives me a bag of scrap fabrics. Other people's scrap fabrics are fun! One time, Donna Foxwell (back in Pa.) brought me a large number of big black garbage bags filled with scrap fabric/fat quarters  & yardage even - leftover from her fabric store. Said she just threw them downstairs into her basement over the years. "The Dungeon" she called it. I dumped the bags out onto my kitchen floor, and sorted the fabrics out by color. What fun that was! Made a lot of very interesting quilts, too, because many of the fabrics were vintage.

But! ...the Big Project coming up even as I write...making 280, 4" Cathedral Windows frames for a custom request through etsy. She sent her muslin. I've got them all cut & ready to sew assembly line fashion. 


Interesting thought:
There is a group of aliens who think our planet is owned by cars. And that humans are slaves to the cars. The humans spend all their time working to make sure they have the money to take care of the cars...  Taking them out to dine at gas stations. Taking them to the beauty salon, aka car wash. Taking them to socialize in huge parking lots- long drives in the countryside or highways. Bringing them big bags of surprises from mall stores...you get the picture. Think about it! What owns you?


"The truth will set you free. But first, it will piss you off".~Gloria Steinem


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Quilts for the Kidlets

Little Girls Gardening

Princess Quilt

Flannel Robot Quilt 

Interested? See my etsy store widget in the upper right sidebar.

Vintage Four-Patch Blocks to CW Frames

There's a first time for everything, and this in the first time I tried using four-patch blocks for Cathedral Windows frames - something I've been wanting to do for a long time. These vintage handstitched four-patch blocks were in a large bag of fabrics from Goodwill, along with many other hand-stitched patches. And, I am sooo looking forward to making many tiny quilts this winter!

Vintage Four Patch blocks

Reverse Side of CW frames

Completed CW Frames

Reverse side of CW Frames

So now! Choosing the insets...that will be interesting, I'm sure! Or, letting them choose me...that could be even more interesting!

One of the Greatest Gifts...

Wow! I won something I really wanted!

Had an email from Connecting Threads today stating that the comment I left on their blog won the Table Stand Quilt Display...I wanted one to display my little CW quilts, etc. 

I also adore the Metal Hanger with Pineapple in their mail order catalog - will have to call about that because I could simply not locate it online at their website.

Wire_Table_Stand_and_Headers

Cathedral Windows Wall Hanging - fits perfectly!

Maxine-ism

Approaching the Holidays with Honesty

Darn it!

‎"Our lives improve only when we take chances... and the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest with ourselves."


~ Walter Anderson

Framed!

Cathedral Windows Frames- ready to go!

These 64 Cathedral Windows frames were fun to make, & the fabric was great to work with. I especially like the tiny, coffee & cream colored flower print. It's demure and elegant. Since I wanted to use up the entire piece of fabric I cut the squares accordingly. Consequently, the frames measure 4 and 5/8" square...a bit of an unusual size, but who said anyway what they should be! Windows are meant to be seen through - not keep you boxed in!