I hope all of you have a safe and wonderful holiday with your family and friends!

Hand Quilting is not just a hobby

As you get to know me, you'll realize I can't write without adding a little history to anything I'm talking about. My friends and family know that when we would drive by a building or an area that I know, I'll always start with “did you know...” and begin to tell them the history of that building, or who used to own that land and what business operated by who...I Love history. I narrow it down to the 1800's into the turn of the century. Most of what I research and read about are about people. Not the genealogy, although my friends take care of that aspect and I go on to read and write about the 'why'. Why the families staked out that piece of land, what they did with it, their history.


When this blog was 'built', I drew a blank. What in the world would I write about? I would visit blogs and oh, my,...they're beautiful, artistic, full of beautiful pictures and handcrafted works of art. More like diaries of people. I would end up reading and reading THEIR blogs and still....drawing a blank on mine. You wouldn't be interested in My life and there's no way I would write as if my blog was a diary to the public domain.


I belong to a Facebook group. As soon as I get permission from the owner of that page to disclose the name of that page, I will. During the past ten years, my life has been a roller coaster just as most of yours has been. Nothing new there. No better and no worse. But, I found that even if I've retired from the labors of hand quilting, my passion hasn't left me. I found that out by joining this group and reading the posts and comments and the passion these people, men and women, have for their hand quilting.


Lo and behold, I found that nagging feeling in my stomach. The urge to get back in to the quilting world in some form. The damage to my body can't be fixed and I'm alright with that. I can't quilt anymore, not the way I used to, but...I CAN help with the questions and where to start, how to.


When I taught hand quilting classes, it was such a joy to see the faces when they realized, Yes, they CAN do it! It's not rocket science, it's patience. Then, the skill comes in to play. Practice, practice, practice...going to Carnegie Hall. WE didn't invent hand quilting, but, we're carrying on the Art of hand quilting. I retired about 2001 and I can't believe how far in that time that quilting has come. Which is where I come in to the fray. (I put myself in the fray) Because there are so many beautiful quilts out there and so many competitions with hand quilting it can be Very daunting to the beginner. Having said that, I decided to write about the early quilters. What they had to deal with, to work with and work it into modern day equipment and, hopefully, help others feel the joy in the process of hand work.


In the beginning-
Most of the hand quilting started in the European countries. In the 'new world' there were quilts, yes, but most were made in a rough fashion for warmth for the families. There was no time for the pretty quilts, especially when the country was being formed and there were no stores, nor money for the materials. Times were harsh for these settlers and material/fabric was a luxury item. Every scrap was used for clothing, re-used and then, if there was a little scrap left, it was put in the scrap bag for a quilt. The designs for these quilts were slightly limited because there were very few designs to use at the time. Remember, these designs were made up by the women themselves. Some had enough imagination to see the beauty in a building, barn or just a roof-line and sketch it out and try to reproduce that design in their quilts. These were traded back and forth with friends and families. One of the favorites was the Log Cabin and along with that the Rail Fence. The log cabin quilt depicted the actual log cabin. The center of this block was usually red fabric to symbolize the fireplace, the hearth the Heart of the home. The logs were sewn around that 'heart' of the home.

The picture is a log cabin made with wool and homespun, tied with yarn. There wasn't the luxury of time to hand quilt for utility quilts for the beds. Very few quiet nights to do that, they needed to get them finished quickly before winter came. The next time you buy that three yards of yummy fabric, remember the ladies who had to shear those sheep, comb the wool, spin and make into a piece of homespun or Lindsey-woolsey to make the garment and HOPE to have enough for a scrap for the quilt.


Of course, this wasn't the very First quilt, but this is the background/history of that particular block. Most of the blocks have a history behind them, why was it designed the way it was, how has it evolved to meet Our needs and talents.
Sign up for notification of another chapter....there's Always more to say about quilts and hand quilting!!


I'll get into the hand quilting process...I just had to get his started and of course, that meant some HISTORY to get an image of what life was like and why we do what we do best...HAND QUILT!

I'm a lazy blogger :(

Ok, so I missed my own deadline for the blog with an article. Sorry. I'm still working on it. I have to do a little more research, I changed direction mid-stream for what I was writing about! Typical! ha....Now, I have a favor to get me kick-started....I know you all are buying my book. If you would leave a review on Amazon it would be greatly appreciated! THAT would give me a little more incentive to get this blog Going, thank you and I hope your Christmas shopping and craziness is starting to calm down so you can Enjoy the rest of the time before the holiday!

Christmas shopping for Hand Quilters!

While your Christmas shopping or finishing up, don't forget all of your sewing and quilting friends!Maybe the friends who want to Learn how to hand quilt!! Eazzzy--peezy, just go to Amazon and order my book to Hand Quilting, a guide for the beginner and for the advanced hand quilter who might pick up a few tips! Amazon offers my book as soft cover to ship OR Kindle version! Yippee!!! You can also 'gift' both versions. Just click on, click off...easy as that :)
Read about it, I included the tools of the trade, why and why not, hints, tips, photos of the process, etc.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H5G6HB8

New KINDLE VERSION Guide to Hand Quilting!

Yippppeeee!!! It's official! My new Kindle version is on Amazon and ready for your to gift for Christmas!!!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H5G6HB8
ENJOY and Please don't forget to 'Review' it on Amazon !! :)

Time to get your Quilting and/or Non-quilting friends together for your winter project!

Well, Thanksgiving is over and it's time, now to get the lists finished and start marking off..who's been good.Maybe you know someone or have a group of friends who would love to have a 'winter' project. Learning to hand quilt might just be at the top of the list!
Are you confused with what batting, needles, thread to use? Or, how to get those stitches looking like the pros? I hope my book can help! There is also a Bonus section in the back with simple quilting designs to help you get started. I write the way I talk, so, it would be just like we were quilting along together:)
The price is right for a last minute stocking stuffer or to have a special gift 'in reserve' . You also have my permission to USE it for groups and classes. Go to Amazon and get the soft copy Now. The ebook will be available soon but not in time for Christmas.
And Thank You for all of you that have ordered and are Using it!
http://tinyurl.com/lnu67o5

Needles and doo-dahs. A/K/A...now NOT to go crazy shopping for the basics

How confusing is it to walk into a shop and see tons of gadgets, needles, thimbles, etc staring at you. You have NO idea what's good and what's not. I have a lot of hints and tips on deciding and trying out different needles. The 'why's and what-for' of each. Completely unbiased and not sponsored by any company, just experience and what worked for me. It's all in the book!

THANK YOU!

Just a quick word- for those of you who are buying my book....THANK YOU!!!! I'd really appreciate some reviews as well...it just takes a second...as long as it's a 'nice' one...haha..Thanks again for your purchase and I hope it helps you with your hand quilting questions.

AMAZON

You can own this!

Ding, dong the book is out! FINALLY! I dragged my feet long enough and finished it!!

 

 NOW ON AMAZON!

 

This book is a revised and updated version of my book “Quilt As Desired” that I wrote another lifetime ago. Since it was so popular as a basic tool for hand quilting, hints and tips for individuals, workshops and retreats, shops, etc, I decided to update it and make it available for you again through Amazon.

I hope you enjoy it and more important, I hope it will help with those pesky questions on how to get started and some tools and tips for the beginners AND the experienced hand quilters!

When you've perused the book, I would appreciate it if you gave it a review on Amazon. 

Thanking you in advance and happy quilting!

The Repurposed Life of a Quilt- Repair Tutorial

I'm sure a lot of you have a quilt that's lost its luster. Maybe a little too loved? The dog found it?
Well, I had a quilt that was ready to pitch. Yes, it was that bad. It had hours and hours of hand quilting on it. Feather design, wreath and grid on a simple little 9 patch and was an anniversary gift to my parents.

Little did we know what a bedspread with nylon backing could do to a pieced and quilted quilt! OUCH! 


This is just a small section of the top of the quilt. The nylon comforter that my Mom put over the quilt ATE it! Yep, like a pac-man...just ate up the cotton and totally destroyed it. Well, ALMOST.
I wasn't going to let all that work and those vintage blocks go to the trash. I had to DO something!
So, when necessity is the mother of invention, right?
So, I put together a cotton print for the new back, turned the quilt backwards (top now being Inside) and not only hid the unsightly, chewed mess, but came out with a New quilt!
I'll try to show you the pix of progress on this. Little did I think at the time that I would be using this on a blog or would have taken better pix!
So, step 1- showing the picture and trying to calm the churning stomach at the destruction

2. Ok, I'm over that, now...time to get to work. It was a shame in the first place that I quilted so heavily in the dark brown print border, but I did. You can't really see it, but that's feather plumes around the entire quilt in the border. 
   
   
   
   

This shows the back of the original quilt. See why I wanted to keep it!? Lots of outline on the Flying Geese, grid, and of course, the feather plumes.
Ok....eaaazy, peezy.
1. I just found the cotton print I wanted for the new backing.

2. I turned the quilt so that the back was now the Top of the quilt. The back (which is the gnarled former top) is now going to be on the Inside of the quilt.
   
3. The new back is a green print (why,I don't know, but it works)
   
4. Voila! I not only have a 'new' quilt, it's more of a Whole Cloth quilt.
   
   
   
   

I couldn't let it just go like that. That's against my grain (pardon the pun). I HAD to applique to spruce it up a tad. Now, this was several years ago that I did this and used hand-dyed cottons for the Dogwood applique design and embroidery floss for the stems and leaves.
After taking the pix for this blog, I was Aghast....no, I was a Quilter but still....
The Dogwood applique was soooo faded! I hadn't realized it until then. So, to carry on my never-ending OCD....I Re-applique the Dogwood. It's easy to do. I didn't take off the old, I just applique Over the existing. This is also hand dyed cotton, so in another three years or so, I'll probably be doing this again. I might even go ahead and applique the stems and leaves like I planned to to begin with :)

To hold the three layers together, I used tiny ties/tacks. I started from the top side and took the tie to the back side and clipped closely to the backing fabric so it's pretty much invisible.
So, there ya go! Have any questions? Just ask :)
  Finished product:

Now, I have a dear, dear friend who takes beautiful pictures and has software to clean them up, edit, etc...as soon as she sees this tute...I'm SURE she'll want to grab these pix and re-do them! LOL....well, she can but I'll leave these up until then!

What a difference a day or two makes! Am I right? Well, my book was delayed for a few months but now it's back on the FRONT burner, tweaking and getting it ready to sell on Amazon. YIPPPE!!!
The book is a handy book for beginning hand quilters and those of you who have been at this for a while. I've tried to include all the hints and tips from experience, the good, bad and the ugly.

I don't profess to be a 'writer' but I have tried to cover most of the bases of hand quilting from the top, sandwiching, basting, tools, etc.
So, sign up for my blog and I Hope to make it happen within the week of August 19th. It will be available in hard copy through Amazon and Kindle.
Please, if you'd like to comment on my blog with questions, feel free! I'll be happy to answer or to Find the answer!
In the meantime, I'm getting a page started on the blog on re-purposing a quilt. I'm not that in to blogging, but I guess I'll have to learn to, right?
Ok, I'm off to writing the text on the quilt I saved from the trash! Stay tuned :)

My Very Last Quilt

You'd think that I would have taken more pix of my quilts, sadly, I didn't. I would hand quilt for clients and then ship them on their way to turn around and start another one.  I didn't think at the time that it would be helpful to have a scrapbook of quilts that I had hand quilted for clients and publications. Oh well...

I DID find this one picture of the last quilt that I hand pieced, hand applique and hand quilted for myself. 

It was titled "Quilt of One Thousand Leaves" by my friends. Once I start applique and quilting, there's No stopping me! This was made at a very low point in my life and was my therapy to get through it. I represented personal things to me as to how many Dogwood blooms and then just continued with leaves.
I pieced the Courthouse steps as the background for the main center and then different, muted neutrals for the rest of the background.
I checked and there isn't one square inch that isn't hand quilted. I used 'echo', outline and feather wreaths....it went on and on until I decided it was time to stop, bind it and use it on my bed for comfort during the darker days. When it was time to let go.....I sold at an auction. It happens. I'm kicking myself now, but that was then.
Who knows, one of these days, I might try another one if my hands and fingers cooperate :)

 I always thought, when I grow up I want to be a pioneer woman. Well, I grew up and know that I'm NOT the stuff the pioneer women were made of! Instead, I would 'pretend' in re-enactments and study our local history. That lead to history on quilts, of course, costumes and the women of the frontier. How they lived, where and why. Not just the women, but the families, why did they travel and did they make it?

 

 (alert: this pic of me is After my hat got blown off, not the best picture I might add)

Were they happy? 

My favorite time period of history was the 1800's and turn of the century to about 1920's. I love walking into deserted barns, homes, land that was lived on and the old graveyards of the families. It's not morbid, it's...history!

Some of my favorite people are the re-enactors I've worked with Of course, these men are Confederates and were in different units in Missouri. We've had good times at their camp fires and petting the horses noses. Notice I said PETTING their noses....they'll Never get me on a horse again! As much as I admire their beauty and personalities, they wayyyyy up there to sit on. I know for a fact that they understand my fear of being in the saddle and take Full advantage of it.

Along with my love of history, I've was a member of our local historical society and was the manager/director of our Counties historic museum. It's a wonderful building. Originally an 'Alms' home for the poor and needy, built in 1915 and quite a building at the time. Indoor plumbing, electricity and all. All of the original woodwork, parlors and rooms are still there and displayed with artifacts of the 1800's time period into our museum.
So, that's a little bit of 'me' and my world.

I made most of my own costumes and hats. Another one of my passions. I've kept the most favorite and donated all of the rest to different theatre groups and rental organizations. I got tired of the hoops and trains! I love my Jammies and jeans!
In my book Guide to Hand Quilting that will be available,soon, I add little blurbs of history of quilts and quilting. Who knows, another book might be the making!

While I'm figuring out these images, you can meet my little feathered buddy. She's got a nest right outside my bedroom window. No matter that we had a SNOW storm May 3, she stayed on that nest. Still sitting. I'll give 'progress' reports in between screaming at this computer! :)

Spring is here today!

I thought I was going to work on this blog today but I'm having a problem. I have all these pix to put up for you to see and Blogspot won't co-operate!
If anyone out there can help me to get these pix to upload, I would be eternally grateful!!!

Well, since the last post about my new e-book on hand quilting, life got in the way a tad.
The final edits were being done to ta-daaaa Launch the e-book and the book on demand. Then, BOOM. My editor's life took a u-turn and we're in a little bit of limbo at the moment. Health issues came up, life happens and sometimes gets really irritating, not to mention nerve-wracking. Not to mention that it would have been ready to launch a lot sooner if I hadn't kept coming up with new info and sections to add to the chapters!

So, we decided that I keep posting on my Blog, which I'm not good at doing but will keep on keep'n on until that day that her health issues and Karma will combine and things will get back to normal. Whatever 'normal' is.
I still need to learn this blog-world and the doo-dahs to use, so I'll start with this new post about what's going on with the Guide to Hand Quilting and hope that you find me and subscribe to know when the e-book comes out Along with that, I'll put a new section in here on Q&A and let YOU ask me any questions on hand quilting and allow others to answer as well as me. This can be based on your own experiences, questions, etc. A little quilt-chat room in a way.
So, with that said, I guess I'd better get busy, huh??

My NEW Blog !

Well, welcome to my new blog and thank you for dropping in.

In the following days, I'll have news on my new book that will be out on the basics on hand quilting. NOT the quilt making process, but the hand quilting those layers and showing you step-by-step.

I initially wrote a hard copy of Quilt As Desired in 1998 and published myself. Now, the computer world has vastly changed and I decided to re-vamp, reformat the book for an Instant download and Kindle.
I'll use this blog to tell you up-to-date news, answer questions and, in general, get to know the quilting world again!

Along with learning the ins and outs of creating this blog and new articles, I'll have special features on quilting designs and try to help you fill in those backgrounds. LOTS of pictures and surprises.

Now, I have to learn this Blog-world and how to make this special for all of you!
Again, Thank you for dropping by and I'm just an email away!

or, leave a comment or question!
karenbush11@hotmail.com