A Recipe, A Contest . . .

But not a recipe contest.

For today's menu, we have Ham and Egg Pie.

When my mom was President of the United Methodist's Women committee (and chief menu planner) she found this recipe to serve at the men's breakfast. It was not called quiche then. You may call it whatever you like. I call it delicious and quick! (Recipe at bottom of post).

Just for grins, I thought you might enjoy seeing my pincushion collection. After all, pincushions are like Lay's Potato Chips, you definitely will want more than one. It never fails that when you are working on your cutting table, your pincushion is over by your sewing machine. Or upstairs, or in your work basket . . . . (You know what I'm talking about.)

One day the light bulb finally went off and I said, "aha, why can't I have more than one?" So I've been making and collecting them ever since. I especially love homemade ones. Although the wooly purple egg, which I bought in Florida, is so tough in the middle I rarely use it. Now the one on the glass candlestick pedestal I made recently. It is stuffed with sheep's fleece that I bought from a local weaver who also raises sheep, and it keeps my pins very sharp indeed. The red plaid apple came from Ohio (made by local Amish ladies). The light colored basket was found at Joanne's Fabrics. And the brown basket was made by a local gal who sells them at a yearly craft fair nearby. (The log cabin background fabric I recently found at Susan's shop, but sorry folks, she's all out.)


And yes, I was serious when I mentioned a contest. You see these two well loved chickens? Well, they do not have names and are in desparate need of one. I know, I know, with my love of fiction, you'd think I could come up with something appropriate. However, my brain is tired so I'm leaving it up to you.

Please leave a comment and submit your favorite names. On Saturday, October 20th, I'll pick a winner. And what will you win?

This lovely lady right here. Whom I did name. She's Aunt Bertha and she rules the roost. Bertha wears a steel apron, carries a wooden spoon, and knows how to use it. When she cackles, the whole neighborhood wakes. (Of course, you can make up your own story.)


I'm going to leave you with my version of my mom's recipe. I'll be taking a few days off from blog land as there are some things I need to catch up on. Not to worry, I'll be back with more fun and adventure.

Until then, keep stitchin' . . . .

HAM AND EGG PIE

4 eggs (I use 6-8 for a fuller pie)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups cooked ham (cubed 1/2")
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk
1 cup grated sharp cheese (I use a medium sharp and monterey jack blend.)

Mix the above items. Pour into an unbaked pie shell. Bake at 425 degrees for 35 minutes OR 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Enjoy!

No magic wand needed.

I'd like to begin today's post by saying Happy Birthday to Finn. If you have a moment why not drop by her blog and wish her a Great Day!

Some of you may be wondering how I can possibly piece a quilt top so quickly. Well okay, yes, some are done faster than others. However, awhile back when I was teaching in a 3-state range, while working full time and doing commissioned quilts, I learned the art of fabric preparedness. Basically this means I spent a lot of time prepping and cutting pieces. From pretty much every single fabric that I buy. Yes, this takes time. But, and here's the glimmer, it pays off if you're doing quilts or blocks with same size pieces. Also, you can do it in stages and slowly build up your collection. No magic wand, no marathon shopping sprees, simple progress in slow degrees.

This is also a wonderful way to learn about color. I realize that you can now go out and purchase fully coordinated jelly rolls, charm packs, quilt kits, etc. And . . . there are many lovely pre-selected fabric groupings out there, believe me I love them too. However, if you really want to learn, begin by working with every single color you own.

One way to do that is with your fabric library. Here is a picture of my 2-1/2" square library. Well most of them. Many blues are in a separate box. Yes, it's a suitcase; meaning it's portable, fits my lifestyle, and only cost $3.00 at the thrift store. But from it, I can work with a vast array of squares easily.

And when I want to play in pastels, I simply pull out all light to mediums in soft baby tones. Working on my design wall, I place each one. It may not look like it at first glance, but this piece is for advanced color work. Balancing light, medium, and dark; soft and bright; white or slightly muddy. No, I don't need an expansive collection of Aunt Grace's, Aunt Sadie's, Cousin Bertha's, or Yosemite Sam's. Some would be nice, yes. But this is my collection, no one else's.

It represents who I am simply by its portrayal of color.

Until then, keep stitchin' . . . .

Ahhh yes . . .

You knew it was coming didn't you? Big Blue is growing by leaps and bounds. And what could be better than an excursion to Blue Ridge, GA on a sunny Fall day? A very quick excursion mind you, but great fun nonetheless.

Besides, they were having a sale . . . . on fat quarters, (well okay, some fat quarters). And who can resist this pomegranite color. It is the most lucious color I've seen in ages. Now if only Dawn would drop by and show me what pattern I can use it in. She'll have just the right idea I know. (I'll even make cookies Dawn!)

To top it all off, my new Vintage Quilts magazines came in. (These are older issues, but currently still available.) Inside are many lovely old quilts, but one in particular caught my attention. It's difficult to see in the magazine I know, but it's a Pennsylvania Dutch double Irish chain variation. I took along my school bus orange and Civil War green in order to find the perfect red. I mean PERFECT. It's sooo wonderful, I want to order a bolt of it. Well a gal can dream can't she? (It shows up very dark so you'll have to trust me.)

Not to worry, Big Blue has to get done first. Has anybody seen my box of time?

Oldie, but Goodie

Churn dash has got to be one of my all time favorites. (Yes, I know, I have a lot of those.) However, it seems that no matter what size block, or color, or even placement you decide on, they all come out beautifully.

This treasure has held it's color better than the D.I.C. It is 18 years old now and I keep thinking, "why don't I make this pattern more often?" Well it could be because I have so many others to finish up. Duhhh, silly me. It's so simple and so nice to teach to beginning quilters.




In order to make the back more interesting, I chose to quilt the looped star pattern on the churn dash block and the feathered wreath on the alternating plain block. The half circle pattern done along the borders was made by tracing along the bottom half of a large thread cone. Back then, I used whatever was handy for templates. Cool whip lids also became one of my favorite pattern tools.

Until then, keep stitchen' . . . .

Comfort

As the saying goes, "sometimes life hands you a curve." Then again sometimes it's a cliff . . . full of ragged edges and broken dreams.

This quilt is 21 years old now, made during a time of great turmoil and unhappiness in my life. The road since has been somewhat bumpy and often full of pot holes, but I'm learning to either steer around them or gun the engine and jump.

Through it all, my double Irish chain has brought me comfort, and warmth, and when I needed it, a snugly.

It's semi-retired now and only comes out when I'm feeling ill or especially "blue." No pun intended.

The original colors have faded to a soothing gray. At the time, I did not know that Woolite had bleach in it and Orvus soap was the way to go.

The binding has been mended a time or two. And once, a puppy I had found it on the line and decided to chew a bit. I mended it and thus added one more story to it's journey.

And the bottom photo, the newest one. Big Blue it's called, for the moment. It's still in progress as you can see. No doubt, it too will have stories to tell as I prepare for a new journey. Finding a house, buying a house, settling down. Life is full of journeys and stories.

If your quilts could talk, what tales would they tell?

And your grandmother's quilts?

Label them if you can, for they've traveled further than any of us.

Pass it on . . .

I've been tagged by Su.

And if I understand the rules correctly it seems a clever name game is to follow. Hmmmm, I'll give it my best shot.

G ~ Giver, I love to mail out packages of fabric and such. Of course I love to get them too.

Y ~ Yes, I do love chocolate. Milk chocolate, dark chocolate, Swiss chocolate.

P ~ Pet lover, partial to dogs.

S ~ Sinnamon bun maker, with lots of brown sugar and cinnamon.

Y ~ Yodel, heck no I can't yodel, but I will hum along.

Q ~ Quiltaholic. (No explanation necessary.)

U ~ U gotta have fabric, how else can you be a quilter?

I ~ In the woods, that's where I reside.

L ~ Licensed to carry; scissors, needles, rotary cutters. And believe me, I know how to use them.

T ~ Teacher

E ~ Effervescent, excitable, enthusiastic about quilting.

R ~ Resourceful. I can find fabric anywhere.

And the folks who make me laugh, well I have to include all of my e-mail pals who have the same quirky Yankee sense of humor as I. Along with:

Carolyn ~ http://knotgarden.blogspot.com/

The Little Admiral ~ http://goatdancefarm.blogspot.com/

Susan ~ http://patchworkreflections.blogspot.com/

Tazzie ~ http://tazziequilts.blogspot.com/

Kim ~ http://forcemajeurefarm.blogspot.com/

Feeling blue?

The question of the ages: Why finish an old project when it's much more fun to begin a new one?

Actually, this quilt has been on my mind for about 3 years now. I forget where I saw the original pattern.

If I were ever kidnapped and forced to eat hot fudge sundaes by a panel of quilt judges who demanded to know what my favorite color was, I guess I would have to say blue.

Every single one. Sky blue, robbin's egg blue, midnight blue, peacock blue, ocean blue . . . . . . Well, you get the idea.

Problem is, I cannot work with 1 or 2 or even 3 fabrics. Oh no, 300 is more my style.

And this is just the beginning. I've been trimming 2-1/2" squares from every single one of my blues. All told, I'll need 540 pieces of blue and 540 of white.

Do you think that by the time it's done, I'll be tired of blue? It's doubtful, after all it's timeless.

Who doesn't love chocolate?

I imagine the folks who love chocolate are the same ones who enjoy Connie and Mary's patterns from Country Threads. (http://www.countrythreads.com/)

Who can resist those adorable chickens, cows, sheep, and bright red barns. Even for those who don't often use plaids, their patterns will make you want to.

For me, the best part of their books, along with their emphatic love of animals, is their promotion of the spaying and neutering of pets. Those animal lovers out there know what I mean. I've noticed that abandonment is especially rampant in rural areas I've lived near.

This quilt comes from their book Country Threads, which came out in 1992. Of course I had to change it around. I chose to use 2" strips instead of 1-1/2" as called for and adjusted the house blocks accordingly.

And just so I won't disappoint those yearning for something sweet, here is a great cookie recipe you can make while contemplating which plaids and prints to pull for this quilt.

Chocolate Chunk Cookies

2 packages (8 squares each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate, divided
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter or margerine, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups chopped walnuts

Coarsely chop 8 squares (1 package) of the chocolate; set aside.

Microwave remaining 8 squares of chocolate in a large bowel on high 2 minutes. Stir until chocolate is melted and smooth. Add sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Stir with a wooden sppon until well blended. Add flour and baking powder; mix well. Stir in chopped chocolate and walnuts.

Drop by scant 1/4 cupfuls of dough onto ungreased baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 13 to 14 minutes or until cookies are puffed and feel set to the touch.

Cool 1 minute and remove from sheet on to wire cooling racks. Makes 18 large cookies.

Author's note: As you can see no where does it say "add calories" in the ingredients section. Therefore, there aren't any.

Can I interest you in toll tickets for the bridge to Hawaii?

How I survived summer school.

I made this quilt waaaaay back in the summer of 1995 while I was in college working on my certificate for medical transcription. As many of you know, summer school is a shorter session, which means you have to cram more stuff in to your brain in less time.

To say I was majorly stressed would not be putting too fine a point on it. Of course, the main culprits were two intense classes, one of which was anatomy. For those fellow medical majors out there, you know what I mean. To top it all off, the teacher could not teach. Really. Oh she tried, but simply was not capable. As a matter of fact, I remember having to go to the dean's office about it. But I digress.
Through teaching and personal experience, I've learned that one way to deal with stress is with the use of color. Many, many colors. The more colors, the better. Sort and trim and sew and place as much as possible. Let the fabric speak for you. Clear your mind of all clutter and focus on color. Follow a pattern if you want to. This one happens to be from Little Quilts.
And when you're all done, make sure the label says, "I survived . . . . . . " You'll be a stronger person for it and have a new quilt to boot.

Until then, keep stitchin' . . . . . .

Celebrate Fall

The book, "Colorsplash, Trip Around The World" came out around 1995. Rarely do I follow instructions in a book simply because I generally work in a smaller scale. And okay, yes, following someone else's instructions is simply not in my nature. I tend to make up my own method as I go along. Nevertheless, their technique for speed piecing proved to be the exception.

For such a thin volume (just 21 pages) it holds a wealth of information on creating 8 different size quilts.

I really don't know how many quilts I've made using this pattern since some were sold. I'm glad I decided to keep this one though, as it remains a favorite of mine.

Oh Happy Day

In February of 1999, Valentine's day fell on the weekend so I decided a quilting pot luck was in order.

There were 3 cutting stations set up and 1 main sewing table in the long living room. Several of my friends (mostly all former students) came by for an afternoon of sewing and a lot of laughter.

This was the pattern I taught them that day. As far as I know almost everyone else finished theirs. However, I can proudly say that mine is now DONE! Oh Happy Day.

Play Time

Isn't it amazing how the leftover pieces from one project find themselves in yet another?

Set aside after a lengthy involvement with bear paw blocks, were these tiny triangle units. I tend to work small, but not miniature. These started out as 2-1/2" squares. And yes, each and every unit was trimmed.

The fun part of leftovers is the option to simply play. No pattern, no book, no written guidelines, just play time.

Put on some soothing music, let your mind wander, and your fingers do the work. Try it and see what your unconscious mind can create. I bet you'll be surprised.

The Well-Traveled Pineapple

In 1989, Nancy Smith and Lynda Milligan came out with the book Pineapple Passion. It was a huge success.

In the early 1990's I was going through a "use every fabric in the stack" phase and simply "had" to make this quilt. I remember that it took me 3 weeks just to cut out the pieces.

Finally, ahem, FINALLY, this summer I was able to put the borders on! We can only hope that I can get it quilted before I have to move again, as I still love it just as much as when I first started it.

If you have scraps . . . . old scraps, new scraps, red scraps, blue scraps, then this is the quilt for you.

Sad Times, Glad Times

Today would have been my mother's 77th birthday.

This photo was taken at the Philadelphia Zoo and one of her sisters is sitting on the right. I can only imagine the laughter they shared that day.

My mother loved to laugh. She had a marvelous, witty sense of humor. But what I remember most was her love of family and the joy she got from cooking for and feeding those around her.

I remember holiday dinners when the house was filled with the smells of fresh baked pie, roasting turkey, steaming hot mashed potatoes, and her special coleslaw. Then company would arrive and there would be more laughter and merriment around the table.

I have her soup pot and you know to this day, I cannot make soup for less than 30 people. So of course I share it with those I love just like she did.

Unfortunately, during her last days, I did not get to visit my mother until she was intubated in the hospital and unable to respond. However, I was there at her passing. She fought a hard battle with asthmatic illness most all of her life, but her inner beauty, strength of character, and integrity will continue to be my goalposts. She set the bar high. I will always remember her smile and her courage. And how to make soup for 30 people.

If you can, call or hug your mothers today. No matter how far away they are.

The String's The Thing

Frugality can certainly be fun. These string blocks go together very quickly. You can make the top as large or as small as you like. This is also the type of quilt that would make your grandmother very proud, especially if she grew up during the depression. (Maybe you should make one for her.)

The smallest string is 3/4 of an inch wide or thereabouts (before sewing). The narrow strings work best for this quilt as they create more contrast and texture.

The foundation paper is from Golden Threads at www.goldenthreads.com/ or, as Bonnie suggests, you can use old phone book pages.

Squares begin at 6". Then after sewing on your strings, starch heavily until stiff. Starching makes the paper backing come off more easily and deters fraying. It also keeps those bias edges stable with less tendency to stretch. After it dries, trim the block down to 5-1/2" and you're all set to play on your design wall. You may borrow my design idea or come up with your own. Whichever you choose, I hope you'll share a picture.

ASIDE: If you enjoy the process and have some bigger strings to use up, why not check out Mary's blog at http://maryquilts.blogspot.com/ . Click on the Heart Strings Quilt Project and learn how you can donate extra blocks for a very good cause.

Until then, keep stitchin' . . . . . .

Get a grip

Sometimes, it's not easy holding on to a quilt while you are machine quilting. The loss of hand strength can be very gradual, but nevertheless, it happens.

Recently I've discovered 2 items that assist with the grip dilemma. The Nitrile gloves put out by Mr. Clean are very thin, but flexible. When they fit your hand snugly, you get much better control and I tend to use these when working on smaller quilts. The Stanley brand gloves I found in the hardware section of a local store. These fit fairly tightly but are still a bit more bulky than I'd like. Still, when working on larger quilts they do a good job of handling the big rolls.

The brand I prefer, but have not been able to find locally, are those used by car mechanics. They are made of the same blue Nitrile as the first, but are a bit thicker. The plus side of the Nitrile is that they are fairly inexpensive and you can clip off the fingertips on those fingers that need to be available for threading needles, etc.

If you are having any trouble at all manipulating the rolled layers in and around your sewing machine, give one of these a try. Who knows, you may have all of your tops finished by the end of the year.

Awwww shucks. . . . .

It's taken me a few days to post it (new nickname Pokey), but thank you Carolyn for the award. That was most thoughtful of you. And I sure hope you are feeling better soon. For those of you who have not had a chance, pop on over to Carolyn's blog at "Lakeside Quilting" and wish her well as she recently just had surgery.

Now whom do I pass it along to? Well, that will take some serious consideration as I'm only permitted 5 and how can one possibly narrow the list down that far. Goodness gracious. Can you smell the smoke, I'm thinking that hard. Obviously a commercial break is in order and I'll have to get back to you all on this one. You might want to pick up a good book while you wait. Say . . . . War and Peace.

Color My World

Let's make the world a more colorful place. After all, that's why we're quilters, isn't it?

Have you ever listened to a Louis L'Amour book? I mean really listened. My favorite is the Chick Bowdrie series. Now there's a man a woman could fall in love with. Chick is part Apache and a Texas Ranger. He has ax handle shoulders, knowing eyes, and sits tall in the saddle on his trusty horse, "The Strawberry Roan." Poor horse never gets a name; it's simply, "The Strawberry Roan."

Then there are the secondary characters including the ranch hands whose names come under the heading of Tex, Slim, Rusty, Dusty, and of course Cookie. Can't have a chuck wagon without a "Cookie."

Chick rides from town to town saving the ranch from foreclosure, the school marm from harm, the boy from growing up to become a gunslinger, and of course the "day." Chick always saves the day. Then he rambles on to the next adventure, to the next town, ranch, or day, always meeting a very colorful group of characters.

This leads me to the question of why aren't there more nicknames in the world? When you head in to the corporate office in the sky-high building in the traffic-congested city see what nicknames come to mind. As you take that long elevator ride to the 27th floor, are you standing next to Buck, Curly, Pecos Pete, Ramblin' Roy, or Git-A-Long Sal. If you're in line at the grocery store, is it Lulabell, Coyote Jane, or Hitchem-up Bob in front of you? You know, perhaps if folks all had nicknames, the world would be a far more colorful place.

Bye Bye Summer

When working with my hand-dyed 2" squares, I noticed that despite all of the Synthropol and washing, some colors were still bleeding. Sooo, little by little over the summer, I've been re-washing with a vinegar rinse. I won't miss the heat, but I will miss hanging out the wash. It really does brighten up the neighborhood.

Fuse box cover up

Is there a fuse box on an exposed wall that needs to be hidden? Or how about a phone jack that doesn't hold a phone anymore?

You really don't need a reason to make this fun little quilt, just a few 4-patches, some HST's and wallah you're done.

The 4-patches are made with 2" squares trimmed down to 3-1/4". Take 4" squares of dark and light fabric to make the HST's (as shown in previous post).

Pull out a few of your favorite colors, throw in some almost uglies just for fun and play. If you really like it, hang it in the kitchen. If you don't, well, just call it practice and hang it over the fuse box.

Just for Tonya

Since the weather was holding, I decided to get a picture out on the back clothesline. At the top of the quilt, the sun is just beginning to make it's way down towards the other mountain. In winter, when the leaves are off of the trees, I get some wonderful sunsets.

This pattern is based on the one found in Scrap Quilt Celebration by Karen Bolesta (page 156). It is a very lovely book with a wide variety of ideas. I bought mine in 2003 so it's most likely still available.

The close up view allows you to see the hand-dyed fabrics versus the store bought. They add a lovely glimmer.

If you have not tried dying your own fabric, I recommend 2 resources. One is Pro Chemical and Dye( www.prochemical.com/ ) and the second is http://www.dharmatrading.com/. I would place my order based on where I lived as shipping is outrageous, ( i.e. Pro Chemical is on the east coast and Dharma is on the west coast. ) If you're outside the U.S., well then you already know all about shipping costs. Dharma offers a free catalog full of a wide variety of clothing and accessories ready to be hand-dyed.

If you want to dye fabric only, http://www.hancocksofpaducah.com/ offers a high quality bleached muslin that works very well with Procion MX dyes. I cannot think of the name of it, but they'll be happy to help you out.

Until then, keep stitchin' . . . . . .

The Straight and Narrow

Title sounds like a PG-13 movie pertaining to blue jeans worn in the 1980's. Forgive my warped sense of humor, it's been a very long work day.

Today's quilt class is really about working with the "straight of grain." I've been promising a couple of folks that I would cover this aspect of quilting and now FINALLY it's here. Please forgive the delay ladies, you both know the hours we work.

1. Begin with 100% cotton fabric of course. Clip a notch about 2" down from the top and tear straight across from selvedge to selvedge. (save torn strip for string quilting) You now have a TRUE grain line.

2. On the right hand side of your well-padded ironing board (I use an old mattress pad, flannel sheet, or army blanket), pin the selvedge edges together in a straight vertical line. Make sure it is even and straight - VERY IMPORTANT.

3. Notice how the fabric bubbles. This is because the top edges are not in alignment.

4. Insert the big long ruler in between along the fold. Spray with water or spray starch. Using your hands and your hip, (yes, this is quilter's aerobics), apply gentle pressure to the fold line allowing your torn top edges to line up evenly. Your fabric fold line and your straight of grain each must be straight. Press with a warm iron, tugging and pressing at the same time to align the top edge and keep the fold vertical.

5. Next, align your straightened fabric on the vertical and horizontal measurement lines on your cutting mat. Again, your fold line must be straight. No waves.

6. Align the vertical dark line on your ruler with the fold of the fabric. This is a true indicator of how straight your fold is. If it is not straight, take it back to ironing board and try again. (This piece took me 3 trips to the ironing board.)

7. With fabric evenly placed on the cutting mat and vertical ruler line along the fold, trim off just enough of the top horizontally to create a clean edge. Not too much, you don't want to waste it.

8. Move over to the other side of your cutting mat, align the long line of the ruler along the clean cut edge and cut your first strip, whatever width you need.

9. After cutting 2 or 3 strips, move back once again to the previous side and align the vertical ruler line along the fold and trim a tiny bit off the top edge to even it up again.

10. Move back around to the side of your mat and cut your next strip.

11. If you cannot move from side to side at your cutting station, move your mat board to make the proper cut. DO NOT MOVE your fabric. When you move your fabric it shifts everything that you just worked so hard to line up.

12. I've seen some students use their cutting mat yellow line as a guide for cutting. I do not recommend this as those lines get worn. Stick with a good ruler. Quilter's Rule brand is my favorite as the lines are raised and there is less slippage.

NOTE: Not all fabric becomes off grain when wound on to the bolt.

Fabric that must have the grain straightened is best worked in small sections depending on the size and number of strips to be cut. For instance, if I need five 2" strips, I tear off a piece of fabric that is 11". That 1" allowance is usually enough for trimming. However, sometimes if the fabric is very untrue, 2" extra may be needed.

I hope this helps. If you have any questions, you know where to find me. Night Ya'll

Feeling Blue ?

Sweet Blueberry Muffins

Batter:
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup cooking oil
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Crumbs:
1 cup flour
½ cup sugar
¼ cup butter

To prepare batter combine eggs, milk, and oil in a bowl.
In separate bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just moistened. Fold in blueberries. Spoon batter into 24 paper-line muffin cups.

To prepare crumbs, crumble all ingredients together. Sprinkle crumbs over each muffin.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 – 30 minutes.

(Why not make 2 batches and deliver some to your favorite librarians?)

More Free patterns - Oh Yeah!

Just a quick post today, as I have to get ready for work.

Three of my favorite sites on the internet that have free patterns are:

http://quickquilts.com/qblocks/
http://www.freequiltpatterns.info/index.htm#AB http://homepage.mac.com/chiaverini/sylviasbridalsampler/patterns/patterns.html

Until then, keep stitchin' . . . . .

Fabric therapy

Have you ever had a really bad day at work? I mean REALLY bad.

The downpour begins just as you leave the house and your youngest child needs the umbrella. You have to park 2 blocks from your building, whereupon you break a heel on your favorite pair of shoes and ruin a brand new pair of hose.

You arrive in the midst of a company meeting in which your boss is mad because her boss is mad and they are both yelling at you.

Your coworker makes her usual uncouth statement regarding your attire simply because it is in her nature to do so. Obviously she needs her medication adjusted. As a matter of fact, they all need their medication adjusted. Either that, or a good dose of FiberCon. Can it be hidden in coffee? hmmm . . . . .

Unfortunately, everyone has rough days. Well okay, maybe not quite this bad, but pretty darn bad.

That's why there are solid colors. There is an intensity about shades and tints that takes you to a higher level of concentration. There are no swirls or whirls, no spirals, leaves, vines, pedals, or pinstripes to hide behind. Just pure saturated color and like a good book, it draws you in.

Every 2" square carefully placed, complimenting it's neighbor. They are all different. They all get along. Each piece in a planned arrangement simple in its uniformity forming a beautifully blended whole.

Why can't people be more like solid colors?