Quilters' little bit of the blues

I'm not talking about the color blue. When I was younger, in my teens I was privileged to see many rock and roll shows, at Winterland in San Francisco, as well as other venues.  There were  always musicians on the bill besides the headline acts, and sometimes they would be well-known blues artists. When I was fifteen or so, I didn't get their music at all, and I just thought it was too sad. As I matured in life I realized more and more how much these songs and tunes meant, and spoke to me directly. I saw the great blues guitarist Albert King as a youth, but didn't "get" him. Now I think I understand what he and others were saying.
 I realize that there are many messages in old quilts, if we choose to see them and try to understand them.Beginning quilters might not be able to see those messages, but they're there if we take the time to study and learn from them.

Quilters' little challenges

I believe that quilters have always, throughout time, challenged themselves.We often participate in quilt challenges now, where we are given certain guidelines or restrictions to follow.I can imagine a woman living in decades past, who would have time for sewing some patchwork in the evenings saying to herself, "I think I can make one of these blocks in an evening. If I need 63 blocks, I should be able to make all of them in two month's time." That would have been her challenge to herself. Another type of challenge would have been to make the thirteen quilts which would have traditionally been a goal to have finished before marriage.
Here is a version of the Le Moyne Star which I referenced in my post The Quilt Show (March 9, 2011). I drafted it last week, for the challenge of doing the math, and figuring out the angles. I've decided I wanted to do a hand-piecing project, and this is perfect. I will need to tweak the size of the triangle at the top of the star, but otherwise the pieces seem to be fitting together pretty well. This type of traditional block is very much better suited to hand piecing because of all the short seams. Only 62 1/2 more blocks to finish! And no, I certainly don't expect to have them done in two months.

Make one quilt block first

If you're using a new quilt pattern for the first time, try making up one quilt block first, before you commit yourself to a lot of fabric and time.Make a block out of scraps you have on hand, to see if there are any problems with the instructions. If you have drafted the quilt block yourself, or are getting the pattern from a book or magazine, you want to make sure that the entire thing fits together as it's supposed to. One other consideration is do you even enjoy putting that block together? If it's frustrating, or too time consuming, or you simply don't like it for whatever reason, chances are that you will not be finishing that quilt.I've just drafted a new block for myself, even though I have the pattern in a book. I wanted to give myself the challenge of doing the math. Now I'll cut out my pattern pieces and try to figure the best and fastest way to cut them out. I can also figure my yardage. But before I commit to buying any more fabric, I will cut and sew one block. Hopefully I'll enjoy the process.

Meanwhile, here's another little pink flower for you to enjoy. Notice the ragged little blossom in the corner. Less than perfect, yet it still has pretty colors.

Quilts as a tool for healing

Quilting and quilts can be a powerful tool for healing. We can make and give quilts to those who have suffered a loss, and we can also benefit from the very actions of sewing and planning a quilt to help ourselves in times of need. Hand piecing can be done simply while waiting in a hospital or doctor's office, when some quiet work and reflection can help to reduce feelings of anxiety or sorrow. As someone who favors the sewing machine for most of my work, I still do love to be able to sit and hand piece quilt squares. It's amazing how much you can get done in a relatively short amount of time.
Making and giving a quilt can be a way to deal with feelings of helplessness during times of crisis.
The pictures I'm showing here are of a quilt called "Ode to Oz", which was sent to help with Australian bushfire relief a few years ago. It wasn't hand pieced, but made rather quickly, to be sent overseas.

Tools of the trade

Here are some of the tools I use to draft quilt blocks. This is something which I really enjoy doing, and can be an extremely valuable tool for re-creating old quilts for which there is no pattern. Included are a 2" gridded ruler, protractor, triangles and a mechanical pencil, which can all be found at office supply stores. The 12 1/2" square ruler is an indispensable tool, not only for drafting, but for cutting quilt pieces. The 45 and 60 degree lines are useful as well.And of course, very few quilters can work without chocolate. In this case it is locally produced Ghirardelli, one of my own personal favorites. If you ever get to San Francisco, or bring visitors there, be sure to visit Ghirardelli Square, and the chocolate factory (http://www.ghirardelli.com/), where you can see the chocolate being made.

I usually use graph paper on which to draft my blocks, but if the block is going to be larger than 8 1/2" x 11", then I will often use a large piece of newsprint paper or vellum.

The Quilt Show

Last Friday I helped to hang some of the quilts for our guild's show. I was assigned to work with a member named Diane, to hang the quilts which needed special handling. The first was a group of small quilts which had been pinned to a piece of black felt, part of a group challenge. Diane got stabbed with a straight pin, so I set off to find a bandaid for her. Let this be a lesson! No straight pins!
Other quilts we worked with were small ones, which needed to be pinned to a sheet. First a sheet had tob be hung up, as you would a  quilt, and then the quilts had to be pinned from the back. This was definitely tricky to do, and getting them straight was a real challenge.
We also hung another group of small quilts, with a water theme. These were cleverly joined together with safety pins which had beads strung on them, so that all you saw were the beads. Diane informed me that this was from her small quilt group, and I was able to ask her how she did her block.
The afternoon was fun, and it's always nice to be able to help out. I found time to see most of the quilts in the show, and got to have a close up view of a quilt from the mid 30's, which seems to have been made by the members of a ladies softball team in Nebraska. They each embroidered their names on the blocks, and some even included a date or the position they played (second bace was one, and that's just how it was spelled). Back in the thirties every factory and workplace would have had a baseball or softball team, so that employees could have some socializing and sport after work. This particular quilt was part of a collection from the San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles How lucky we are to have this great museum so close by!
The softball quilt was a version of the LeMoyne Star. It took some searching but I found the block in one of my books, America's Favorite Quilts, by Leslie Linsley. I finally figured out how to draft it, and might try to make a version some day.

Santa Clara Valley Quilt Association Show this weekend.

http://scvqaquiltshow.org/
 Here's the link to our guild's upcoming show this weekend. I hope if you are in the area you'll try to make it out there. It's a wonderful show, with many vendors, a boutique, and door prizes. There are guest quilters, demonstrations, and a bed turning. For those of you who may not know what this is, a number of quilts are piled on a bed, and then shown one at a time as a couple of people turn back each quilt. It's a charming tradition, a way to see quilts close up, and on a bed, as many were meant to be seen.
As I've said previously, I will be going to help hang the show on Friday. I've never done this before, and am looking forward to it. We were told to be sure to have clean hands!

Lucky me!

At our guild meetings each month we are fortunate enough to have a raffle drawing. The prize baskets are wonderfully assembled by a group of ladies, who manage to make them especially appealing each time. Well, one of the baskets offered last night had a pink theme, and I gladly parted with three dollars for three chances to win. And I won! Included were books, a magazine, soap, gift cards many lovely fat quarters and some Ghirardelli chocolate. Wow. Now, what to do with all that lovely fabric? I'll keep you posted.
And yes, I shared the chocolate with friends.