Daily Blog

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The other day Alex decided to pick up the phone and call Libby's house.  After a few short rings a sweet voice picked up the phone -

"Hi Alex"

Alex asked "who is this?" (thinking it was a sister....)

"It's me, LIBBY!"

Girl talk then pursued.  Libby can communicate quite well, but often there is a disconnect between her brain and her voice. 

Alex asked, "Is it in your brain clear and it is just the getting it out that is hard?" Libby answered , "Yes."  Alex then asked " Are you sewing yet?" and Libby answered, "One thing at a time!" That's LIBBY.  

Is the battle over? No. This poem, shown in the CaringBridge and written by Libby's sister, Ellen, sums it up perfectly.

What is more beautiful -
 A bald eagle soaring in circles searching for food
 or a hummingbird hovering, sipping red nectar from a jar?

 A river crashing its boulders with noisy spray and foam
 or a lake so serene and smooth only the ripples kiss the shore? 

 The mountains born of eruptions and carved by ice
 or young meadows blanketed with soft grass and flowers ?

Who can say what Beauty is?  

Only our Creator, and to Him all is good.  
Why do we doubt his plans for our lives?  
Why do we ask -why? 

Because we are His children, always seeking, asking, stumbling, and struggling, and in need of His mercy.  

Which is more beautiful  
 the "old" Libby at her peak of fame, fortune, and health 
 or the "new" Libby full of promise, compassion, and Hope? 

Why do we ask? All is good.  

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Want to add color to your summer and your quilts? Well, which color? Here is a quick chart of the Pantone Colors of the Year since 2000.

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You should be getting good at this..., but we promise there won't be a test. Here is one of this week's blocks. Do you know its name?

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Looking for a quick, homemade gift, or something to make with your kids?  Julie's adorable pincushion is just the right thing.

Go to Julie's classroom for more tips, tricks, & techniques.

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You'll want to visit the whimsical world of Jamie Fingal as she shares her work and her out-of-this-world studio.

Star Members can watch Jamie in Show 1702: Rebel with a Cause.

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Home is Where your Story Begins was created by Jamie Fingal for the Home is the Where the Quilt Is contest, presented by the Quilt Alliance.  Jamie's quilt was a First Prize winner.  Click here to learn more about the quilt.

Star Members can watch Jamie in Show 1702: Rebel with a Cause.

HomeisWhereYourStoryBeginsbyJamieFingal - 35 pieces non-rotating

HomeisWhereYourStoryBeginsbyJamieFingal - 99 pieces non-rotating

HomeisWhereYourStoryBeginsbyJamieFingal - 300 pieces non-rotating

HomeisWhereYourStoryBeginsbyJamieFingal - 99 pieces rotating

HomeisWhereYourStoryBeginsbyJamieFingal - 300 pieces rotating

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Does your thread look like this, or worse?  Maybe we can help.  Here are some tips from WeAllSew.com for organizing your thread.

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News from the National Quilt Museum:

"To witness how the art of quilting can be both the cultural and economic focal point of an entire community, the National Quilt Museum presents the Quilts of Caohagan exhibit. The quilts in this exhibit were all made by over 100 quilters on the tiny island of Caohagan in the Philippines. The work of these extraordinary quilters ultimately funds food, education, housing, and other community necessities. The exhibit will be at The National Quilt Museum through October 13th, 2015.

As an additional treat, two quilters from the island will demonstrate their quilting process for Museum visitors in mid-August."

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The Francisco Center for the Performing Arts in La Veta, CO wanted to present the musical play, The Quilters, but felt a bit challenged by the quilt that is the main link to telling all the stories within the play. Ricky raised his hand and said, “Making the quilt will be easy! Leave that to me,” and he set out to design and oversee the making of the Legacy Quilt.

There are sixteen blocks in the play — each telling a story of life, laughter, triumph, and tragedy in the lives of pioneer women during the settling of the West in the mid-1800s. Because each block is shown during the play, and then the complete Legacy Quilt is revealed at the end, two of each block had to be made. In large theatrical productions, the quilt is revealed as a gigantic backdrop on the stage. The stage in the theater in La Veta is small, so a regular bed quilt was best suited for the play; a real quilt that could be used and loved, rather than being a stage prop that would be put in storage.  

After measuring the stage to determine the best size of quilt appropriate for this production, Ricky designed each block to finish at 15” and created sashing bars with cornerstones to link together all the blocks. Although the play features sixteen blocks, Ricky’s design called for 20 traditional blocks. The “piano key" border added the finishing touch. Ricky selected all the fabrics for the quilt, new fabrics with an old-fashioned feel to them. He had the vision to choose deep red as a linking element throughout (not all the deep reds are the same fabric, but they are the same general shade of red).

Members of the Colorado Quilt Council (the state guild in Colorado) raised their hands to make the blocks. Each individual was sent a block pattern (with some requiring hand piecing), along with Ricky's fabric choices and a key to fabric placement. A deadline was set for all the blocks to be sent back, with each quilter making two identical blocks. Ricky created the Lone Star block. One volunteer also assembled the sashing units and another volunteer made the piano key border.

Once the blocks were returned, Ricky assembled the quilt top based on his master design. The quilt, which finished at 103” wide by 85” tall, was then sent to a machine quilter - thank you Cyndi McChesney! -  who custom quilted each block with an appropriate pattern or design. One unique characteristic of this quilt is that in order for it to fit on the stage, it had to be assembled in a horizontal layout. This will provide a nice bit of history to the quilt when people are curious why some of the blocks are on their sides.

The quilt was used as a raffle opportunity and raised $2200 for the theater group. The winner of the quilt is a local quilter, so it will be treasured forever. The sixteen blocks used in the play, the additional four unused blocks, and the remaining fabric, were sent to the Colorado Quilt Council to be assembled into a charity quilt. The quilt is a great example of community spirit and teamwork. Ricky is considering making this a pattern - so stay tuned!

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Cami at Tidbits created this great tutorial for a reversible pillowcase that will let you use the wonderful fabric that you have on hand to create two looks in one.