Faith, Folklore, and Friends

 A "quilt sandwich" is the three layers of the quilt together. The quilt I'm doing today is 20" x 22".  The larger the quilt, the more difficult this is. For this quilt, I am using a muslin backing.  Cut it 2" larger than the quilt top on all sides.  Place on a hard surface with right side down.  Smooth out any wrinkles and tape the ends to your hard surface. Use a lint remover to remove any strings from the backing before you put the batting on. Cut cotton batting 1" larger than the quilt top on all sides.  Center it on the backing.  Cover with the quilt top. Use your hands to smooth out any wrinkles.  Start pinning in the center of the quilt.  Continue moving outward, constantly smoothing as you go. This quilt will be quilted by "stitch-in-the-ditch"; pin away from the ditch so that pins won't have to be removed during quilting.  When the quilt is completely pinned together, you are ready to quilt!

 For this quilt you will need: 16 backing squares--10" each 16 batting squares--9" each 16 squares of focus fabric (birds)--4 1/2" each Strips of 1 7/8" assorted fabric matching the focus fabric.  You will use 8 fabrics per block, so at least 8 different fabrics or more, about 1/4 yard of each. Cut 10 strips 2" x the width of the fabric (usually 42") Press together to form a 1" strip.  From 3 of the strips, cut twelve 4 1/2" strips.  These will be used to cover the seams on the blocks. Put backing fabric wrong-side-up on your table.  Cover it with the batting, leaving 1/2" on all sides. Pin in place. That is a shadow in the photo, not a new kind of batting. Place a square of focus fabric in the center of your square.  Use a ruler for placement.  Pin in place. Sew a strip of the 1 7/8" fabric to one side of focus fabric.  Cut strip even with the bottom of the focus fabric. Press or finger press. Sew a strip of contrasting fabric on the s...

We have taken some odd things on trips.      Sometimes, we don't take enough; sometimes, we take way too much.   We have taken food and water, apparently thinking that wherever we were going didn't have such things.   We used to take a bag full of books; now we take a loaded Kindle and a bag of books in case we forget to charge the Kindle's battery.   Hub does most of the driving, so I usually take something to do with my hands, like knitting or sewing. I hand-quilted a full-sized quilt once on a trip to Sisters, Oregon, to a quilt show.  We have taken loaded weapons through states where it may or may not have been legal.  We have taken framed photos of our granddaughters to decorate our hotel room.  We have taken our own pillows, then left them in hotels in North Carolina and Oklahoma. We have bought plants when we were far away, then struggled to get them home alive.  Yep, we have packed some crazy and totally unnecessar...

One of my latest quilt projects is this one, which I named Out of Africa . Remember, I told you that I wasn't a beige kind of girl.  The quilt is already hanging on the wall; that's why the middle elephant is not exactly flat. I can't remember where I bought the background fabric, but I love it.  I used it in another quilt to represent fire.  I have a stack of small quilts for my as-yet-unborn-great- grandchildren, and I had planned to add this one to the stack.  I loved it so much when it was done, I hung it on the wall. It is one of the first things you see when you come in our front door.  It makes me and others happy when we see it, and that is why I make quilts.

Last week, we drove to Ethridge, Tennessee, to the Amish community there.  They sell fruits and vegetables that are fresh, and Hub had a hankering for some raw peanuts. I have heard people who are fed up with our fast-paced society wish that they could live this kind of life.  Coincidentally, they are the same people who panic and can't function if the power goes off for more than fifteen minutes.  I love their work ethic and the fact they believe in strong families.  I have no desire to join their way of life. The peanuts are mighty tasty.