Where does one begin a blog? Heaven only knows, but here goes. As I've said in my profile, I wear just a few hats. The main one that I will talk about here is quilting. Of course, like any normal grandmother, I'll have to throw in a few comments now and then about my wonderful grandchildren.
When did the quilting portion of my life begin? My first memories of quilting are of playing underneath my own grandmother's quilting frame in the small town of Fairview, W.Va. It was my tent, my hiding place, and where my imagination could soar. The other memory I have of quilting is meeting my grandmother after school on Mondays, where she and her friends would have their quilting bees. They quilted for people and their profits (?) went to a service organization that they belonged to. The word profit is used very loosely. As best I remember, they charged 50 cents per spool of thread they used. I also remember my grandmother paying someone else to mark the quilting lines in her own quilts. Everytime I mark the quilting lines in a quilt top I think, "If only there was someone I could pay to do this!"
Unfortunately, my grandmother didn't teach me to quilt. An expression she used often when it came to sewing, cooking, etc. was "Get away, I can do it while you're getting ready!" She wasn't being mean; she was just a perfectionist. She had a simpler way of introducing me to sewing: "I signed you up for the 4-H Club. You're taking sewing." All righty then! The first project was a linen dish towel, finding the straight of the grain by pulling a thread clear through the fabric and then hemming it by hand. A good question to ask after that experience would be why on earth would I want to sew? The answer is simple. Sewing and quilting give me peace. When one of the hats you wear in life is being a psychiatric nurse, peace is a valued commodity.
Years after Grandma went to heaven, I got it in my head to make my daughter a quilt before she went away to school. The resources I had were my thimble, a little knowledge of how to use a sewing machine and a book entitled "Lap Quilting" by Georgia Bonesteel. One of the major things I didn't know was the difference between 100% cotton and a polyester blend. Oh well, why sweat the small stuff? Yipes!
Enough said for my first blog entry. Right now I need to go to my sewing machine and for a little while forget those fun meetings that happened at work today and what's in store for me tomorrow. All I need to concentrate on is completing the eleven Snap It Purses that I cut the pieces for last night not to mention finishing a Halloween tutu costume for a friend's great dane. Tip of the Day: Do NOT tell your friends you can sew :)
Peace to All,
Paula
