Apparently there aren't enough good deeds in the world. At least, according to a quilt forum I recently frequented. I had an idea for a project I wanted to undertake that would provide quilting information from experienced quilters to non-experienced (or mildly experienced) quilters free of charge. Many quilters around the world don't have the good fortune to be able to afford quilt books or to attend seminars from "famous" quilters. When you can barely afford to put food on your table, things like that just are not options. 
It's a well-known fact that when you are working on a large project, no matter what it is, there are times when you need to keep the important details to yourself. Think about inventors. Think about composers, authors, scientists... the list could go on. You and I know that there are times when you need to hold your cards close to your chest to prevent others from knowing what's in your hand. Once they know, they have the potential to take it from you.
And then a very nasty quilter replied and started throwing accusations around. Not. Nice. At. All. Then the forum cop showed up with her deputy badge and threw the whole discussion in jail, slammed shut the door and turned the key. 
dog. 
Good grief.
Inside every forum there is at least one NUTCASE. I don’t think I’ve ever been a part of any forum that didn’t have one person who either
Yesterday was such a day for me, and I’ll not likely be back to visit that forum, which is a shame… lots of nice people there.
Should you decide to join a forum, make sure you:
--Decide if you want to use your REAL name or make one up; this is important!
--Also decide if you want to provide a link to your website or blog. Remember the NUTCASE that lurks in every forum. He or she will treat your website/blog the same way he/she treats the forum (remember your blog may allow people to leave comments!).
Hooray! The center portion of the quilt is now complete. Now to focus on the border. This measures 39.5 inches square. I’m thinking of 10 or 12 inch appliqué borders (blue on cheddar), followed by a narrower solid blue. What do you think?
The small swirl in the center does what I wanted it to do. It allows for quilting a feathered circle in the middle… or some such intense quilting. It also hides the intersection of the four squares. Note: I clipped away the cheddar fabric underneath the circular part of the inside of the swirl so that there is not a lump of any kind underneath.
And as always, it is necessary for cat approval. Stormie held back for a few moments while I took the above pictures, then came flying in from the other end of the house to check things out. “Hey! What does the back look like, mom?”
All in all, I am a happy girl. Love it so far!
Kathie from Inspired by Antique Quilts asked me last night if this pattern was in a book. I found it long ago in Yvonne Khin’s “The Collector’s Dictionary of Quilt Names and Patterns.” As you can see below, I drafted my own pattern. I liked the image on the left, where the feathery swirl in the center just about fills the center. The one on the right just makes it seem too lost, floating in the middle.
Feathered Crown Quilt Block:
I’ve done a search online for the pattern and could not find any reference to it other than to a little wallhanging I made some 20 + years ago.
Last night before I went to bed, I put all four blocks together and took their collective pictures. I’m really liking how this looks! Tonight if time permits, I will sew them all together and put one of the little feather swirls in the center to join them. One of the large feather wreaths would fit in the center, but I want to quilt a feather circle around it.
Ahhhh, the border… what shall I do?
Any suggestions? What would YOU do?
From this:
To this:
I decided I wanted to include the center portion of the block after all. It needed it!
Now to sew all four blocks together… and think about the border. Do you plan out your whole quilt before you make it? Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t. I have ideas for this border, but I want to play a bit before I start creating what’s in my mind.
This is actually a traditional quilt block called “Feathered Crown.” What other quilt blocks do you know of that have the word “feather” or “feathered” in their name?
Three blocks for Feathered Cheddar. Only one more to go!
I picked up my Floral Star of Bethlehem from Longway Planetarium where it spent the past week on exhibit.
It came back with something extra…
It won the Viewer’s Choice Award for 2010!
Susan Lenz had her opening reception for her Decisions Portraits last weekend as well. The quilt she made with my face(s) is in the photo above, far right. Photo copyright Susan Lenz.
All of the photos Susan has taken for her exhibit are posted on her blog along with the information about each one. I do hope you will go take a look. I really wish I could have gone to the opening! If you are in the area and can stop, the exhibit is at City Gallery at Waterfront Park in Charleston, SC September 10 - October 10, 2010.
What an exciting week this has been…
You have probably already tried to Google your name. I know you have! When I Google my name, I get angry. I worked for about three years as a R_E_A_L_T_O_R (spelled with spaces so it doesn’t get picked up by the search engine) and did a lot of marketing to get my name out there for business. Now when I search my name, I still find references to THAT profession no matter how hard I try to get rid of it.
But have you ever gone to Google Images and searched your name there? When I did that, I was trying to see what pops up the most. What am I recognized for? What do people think of when my name comes up? Is it good or bad? Here’s a peek at what I found when I did that. I love that my Floral Star of Bethlehem quilt pops up all over the place!
Sometimes you’ll be surprised at what you find. Like, who’s the guy I circled above? His last name is Mosey. My son and daughter-in-law’s wedding pictures is also on there because I posted about them after the wedding this summer.
Sometimes it’s good to check your reputation online. How’s yours today? Let me know what you find!
It was a normal, relaxing weekend… we celebrated my father’s 88th birthday by taking him to breakfast on Saturday. Hubby Dean created this table for a birthday present… it was made from a slab of wood he’s kept since cutting the tree down on our property in the early 60’s. He was SO excited to get it!
On Sunday morning, I was walking through the living room and happened to catch some movement outside the window. We had visitors! The deer come up every fall from the creek to eat the apples off our tree.
This little one also checked out the bird feeder to see if there were any yummy snacks there for her.
A walk downtown, grilling out on the deck, a good movie (The Book of Eli) and some appliqué on “Feathered Cheddar” made for a great time. No stress. All relaxing. What could be better?
Last night was the opening reception for the Michigan Quilt Artists Invitational quilt exhibit. It’s always fun to see how other quilters translate the theme. I saw flowers, quilts that looked like clay tiles, landscapes, mola designs, and a quilt with the cover of Gene Autrey’s album “South of the Border” on it. The gallery was PACKED with people, so much that it was hard to get around and see all the quilts. There were a lot of college students in attendance – which was GREAT! It showed any art majors that quilting is another option for artists.
The title “2013: Mayan Tree of Life Lives” is in reference to the 2012 phenomenon that says based on the end-date of a 5,125-year-long cycle in the Mayan Long Count calendar, the world will end on December 21, 2012. For further information about this, visit http://www.december2012endofworld.com/ .
The Maya believe that the universe is divided into 5 sacred regions. Each region is represented by the following:
East – Red – Fire
North – White – Air
West – Black – Water
South – Yellow – Earth
In the middle is the Ceiba Tree which is the sacred Tree of Life of the Maya. Incense was important to the Maya; it was said to manifest and gratify the presence of the gods, with fragrance being a divinity attribute. The incensario at the bottom right corner is based on ancient Mayan artifacts and when lit, raises the fragrance of life up towards the heavens.
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The quilt has 100 percent cotton, netting, fused applique, beading, silk flowers, hand and machine embroidery, oil pastels, with machine quilting.
This Friday, September 10th, from 6-9 PM:
Come visit the artists at the Michigan Quilt Artists Invitational at the Greater Flint Arts Council, 816 S. Saginaw Street in Downtown Flint, Michigan.
All quilts are based on the 2010 theme:
South Of The Border!
“2013: Mayan Tree of Life Lives”
by Caron Mosey, Flushing, MI
The title “2013: Mayan Tree of Life Lives” is in reference to the 2012 phenomenon that says based on the end-date of a 5,125-year-long cycle in the Mayan Long Count calendar, the world will end on December 21,2012,
The Maya believe that the universe is divided into 5 sacred regions. Each region is represented by the following:
East – Red – Fire
North – White – Air
West – Black – Water
South – Yellow – Earth
In the middle is the Ceiba Tree which is the sacred Tree of Life of the Maya. Incense was important to the Maya; it was said to manifest and gratify the presence of the gods, with fragrance being a divinity attribute. The incensario at the bottom right corner is based on ancient Mayan artifacts and when lit, raises the fragrance of life up towards the heavens.
Close-up
This is a continuation of Things You Might Not Know About Me from September 2, 2010… and from 26-50 Things You Might Not Know About Me from September 5, 2010.
51. I love driving around and looking at houses. I can visualize myself living in them.
52. I absolutely hate plaid. My mom made everything I wore out of plaid when I was a kid.
53. I was a Realtor for a few years, but that was when the market was changing and not for the better.
54. My favorite color changes frequently. Now I’m so confused I don’t know what it is!
55. I’d like to go hiking very long distances in beautiful places…
56. My very first kitten was given to me by my neighbor when I was four. He later ran over it by accident, and after that my parents wouldn’t ever let me have another pet. 
57. I was in love with Bobby Sherman. If you remember Bobby, you’re probably as old as I am!
58. I am drawn to old houses; I love that sense of history.
59. I detest women who only talk about clothes and how people look. Get a life!
60. I don’t understand why women get fake fingernails and always have their nails done. What a waste of good money when they could be buying fabric!
61. I am done with the stock market. It has never made me any money.
62. I love Dave Ramsey. We paid off everything except our house and car.
63. Three sewing machines live in my basement. A Pfaff Hobby Grand Quilter (on a frame), a very old Bernina Nova (1978), and my mom’s old Singer Featherweight.
64. I haven’t been able to bring myself to the point of setting up the Featherweight, though I’d like to.
65. My (adoptive) mom passed away in April 2007.
66. I have 3 brothers and 2 sisters… I only grew up with one brother (Bob), though. I know one of my (half) sisters (Debbie)… the other one I only heard from twice and that was in the early 80’s. I have a good relationship with Michael, and don’t know where Jerry and Dale are.
67. I’m thinking I might like to teach quilting in small group settings… 6-8 people… for a more intimate atmosphere. Perhaps in a home setting?
68. How in the world does anybody make any money selling new full-size quilts at $110? That’s about what the materials would cost!
69. Being a part of the “Sandwich Generation” is difficult; watching over elderly parents, children and grandchildren while entering your own older/approaching retirement time = YIKES!
70. I do NOT want to be one of those retired people who just sits around doing nothing. I want to be active and doing things!
71. I’d love to write another quilting book sometime…
72. I often wonder what happened to people I used to know… and haven’t seen in a very long time. Where are they? What are they doing?
73. In Michigan, people often retire to Florida or to a house on the lake up north. We’re talking about moving to Ann Arbor where there is much more to do. U of M: Go Blue!
74. I’m a U of M grad but don’t like football. Go figure!
75. Baseball is my “sport to watch” though I haven’t done much of that this year.
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| October |
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| Sean and family at brother Loren's wedding |
Can a stranger look at your quilts and know what your specialty is?
Would they know what makes you tick?
How about knowing what your strengths and weaknesses are?
If you visit quilt shows around the world, you can spot “famous quilter’s names” on workshop doors. When you see them, you can usually take a guess at what the general topic of their class will be. You know what they stand for.
For example, what stands out when you see these names? For each name, can you name one or two things that are their specialty?
Here’s a challenge for you: If a stranger looked at your work, could they tell you something about yourself? What would they say?
I challenge you to “step up your game” over the next year and make a statement about who you are as a quilter. Do some soul searching about what you have created, what you like making, what you enjoy seeing, and do more to improve yourself in that area. Share more about this side of you with others… on your blog, in shows, in your guild… on Facebook… any where you can, really.
I know that as quilters, there is so much that we see and enjoy. We WANT to do it all. But we can’t. So let’s fine-tune ourselves and see what we come up with? It doesn’t have to be popular. It doesn’t have to be the same as everybody else. But it DOES need to be uniquely YOU.
Give it a shot! Tell us a little about your specialty in the comment area below.
26-50 will have to come later.
Stay tuned!
