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??