Life has been anything but simple for nearly 2 years now. I know I'm in good company across the planet when I crawl out of bed after midnight because I can't sleep--again. My neck and shoulders are sore from canning apples and making applesauce all day. My head is full of swirling thoughts like, How the heck are we going to get through this mess? (Certainly not by depending on the government!)
Mylast post was early August when I was still working on the quilting of this summer quilt. I needed an uncomplicated project to stitch on, and I loved having something in the frame to pick up for even a few minutes at a time. But August turned into a difficult month healthwise here, and funneled us right into September and a local outbreak of Covid. We were included as well as many friends and family, but thankfully all came through without serious complications. I was out of the studio more than a month, though, and feel like I'm still catching up on sleep.
If this past year has taught me something, it's that we should celebrate milestones, and keep with traditions in our lives. So you and I will celebrate this together. (Cue the horns!) Seven years is nothing to sneeze at. It's ancient in the world of blogging! I know I'm here, though, because of you all, and because I'm still fully in love with life! And the things that make me most happy are quilting, surely you knew that, my garden, and sharing my enthusiasm for both. Helping people learn is important, too, but encouraging people to just try something is the big one.
I hope we all continue to be friends. You are important to me, and the many back channeled conversations that go on among us makes my--and I hope your life rich. Thank you so very much for sharing this wonderful journey!
This has been a good summer. Those of you who know me well will think I'm nuts for saying so, but after last summer, well, it is good. To top that, this has been a doozey of a week, and without explaining the gory details everything panned out well. The involved party is recovering, and it's almost nice to have a slow down for a few days. For one, it's given me time to sit, to stitch, and to write. I really want to tell you about this new quilt for summer--for just me.
I am a gluten free gal with a gluten loving husband, who needs a homemade loaf of bread once in a while. Carefully stirring the ingredients vs. kneading and tossing flour helps keep my kitchen as gluten free as possible, and still delivers the goods. And remember, there are hundreds of simple bread recipes out there if this isn't just what you're looking for, but it's a good place to start. Experiment!
Pictures of my kitchen garden are helpful to me in spiritual ways. I see such a difference week to week in change, in growth, and it feeds my soul knowing I had a part in this. Yes, there's a lot of work and planning, but the payoff is sweet.
One of my major goals this year was to grow food my family could and would eat, and to put some of it up through canning, dehydrating, or freezing. I believe food security is a real issue facing us. Last year's struggle to source food and basic supplies was a lesson to many of us, and should not be wasted on those who think it's past. The supply chains everywhere are fragile, and each of us should think in terms of what we need or want to be comfortable in our homes. How do we maintain our lives in case of future shortages and scarcity? It wouldn't be the first time in history people have had to ask this question, but perhaps in many of our own short lives. This is what I'm doing.
I have some amazing, supportive friends around the world. I traveled young, and am lucky several of those friendships are still strong. But the blogging world has also been a road onto itself connecting me with other like-minded souls. I am grateful for that. One dear friend who hails from Australia, Jan, said, "Oh, Julie! It floats!" about this quilt. I think she summed it up well. It Floats is together, and the class at Berlin Quilter's Gathering is just around the corner. I am hoping to have it quilted by then, but if not, there is a lot to learn by looking at the back. I'm not worried.
By the way, there are a few spots left in Thursday's class, and one in Friday's. I'd love to see you there!
Slowly, but surely--no, that's a lie. I am hammering away at this quilt every chance I get. The 4th is upon us, and we celebrate here with a big party. A rock band at night, this year we have Road Dog, followed by this small town's stunning fireworks. Everyone is welcome here, and we love meeting people who've driven in from several counties away. So there is a lot to do to get ready yet, and I want this done before.
Based on "Huge No-Waste Flying Geese with Fat Quarters"...but My Way
A dear friend called with a quilt emergency. Could I make a super quick quilt for a baby shower in a matter of weeks? There were boxes we had to check, and one of them was a hint of something with aviation. Sure! I know something about that.
Isn't this just the neatest quilt? It's a Krista Moser pattern, and can be purchased through Mercantile on Main LLC in Coshocton, Ohio. The Mercantile also carries the beautiful Tula Pink True Colors line--yum! The brick and mortar store is one of my favorite quilty haunts, and also has an easy to navigate website. And better than most sites, you can always reach the store by phone, if you have a question. Follow the link, show her some love, and tell her Julie said to say hello.
Early in 2019, I was asked to teach at Quilter's Gathering at Berlin 2019. Then Covid took center stage in the world, and all our lives were put on hold. 2021 slowly opened up, infections continued to go down, and plans were made again. The site went live the end of May with my class for Spin Drift. Yes, it was very exciting to see happen after the long wait! It's time to live again.
I want to get this post out this morning as there's so much happening. May is a crazy month between garden and studio. Some days I think I've got things hammered down, and a day or so later I'm backed up both places.
Beneath the busyness, I'll think, "This is something I think people would enjoy seeing," and then I'll forget. That's irritating. Also, subjects and threads are easiest for me to write about while they're still relevant. When I'm deeply involved with a subject, I have a swirl of emotions along with the process. It's that I hope to convey.
Like so many quilters, I have another life. Quilting elevates me, and sustains a need I have to create with cloth. But the Garden is my alter world. Most days this time of year you'll find me barefoot, grounding myself with the earth. I dabble in everything, but especially heirloom varieties of flowers, vegetables, herbs and edible weeds, and the quest for a righteous compost bin. This spring has been a windfall of salad crops, and diabolical episode of gray mold. It's nothing short of Lord of the Rings out my back door.
How's this for a happy spring quilt to lift the mood of a rainy day? Isn't a beauty? Donna Young made this appliqued and pieced top from a Jen Kingwell pattern. I've had it in the studio for several weeks working out how I would quilt it. At the 11th hour the light bulb went off, and I'm so glad it did. Sometimes you have to let a project brew until you see the perfect answer--even on another person's project.
Posing with the last quilt bound by the Gnadenhutten Quilt Project are a few of our unofficial team members. Our core group was made up of 7 talented women that worked at every aspect of quilt and comforter making over nearly 3 years. We estimate we made and shared over 200 quilts and comforters during that time!
It's been a long time since I've posted anything, and I didn't want you to think I'd disappeared completely. I haven't given up quilting in the least, but life has been complicated. This post will explain a large part of it. While I'm not one to share often about my family life, we felt this went beyond the needs of our privacy.
It started with a phone call after we'd gone to bed. It was the middle of January past. Our daughter, Isabella, said she thought there might be someone in her basement. She heard what she thought was her man door being kicked down. I remember saying to go outside, and we would be there as soon as possible. While trying to get my shoes on in the front hall, our house shook some 4 miles away. I tried and tried to call her back, but she didn't answer. My shaking fingers wouldn't do what they were supposed to by then. We were panicked, but steady running for the truck. She called when we had reached the end of our driveway screaming that her house was gone! It had exploded! Her dog and cat inside were gone, but she had Pippi in her arms. She said she was okay.
Writing this now still makes me cry. The pictures are still hard for me to look at, but please do. Izzi has a public link to an album at the top of the post which reads Buy a Gas Detector. There is also a video of a camera at the end of her road.
She stood 5 feet from the house when it blew up if you can imagine. Our family wants people to understand what happened, the absolute miracle of it all, and how to protect your own home. Gas detectors are inexpensive, and can save your life. She didn't have one because we didn't know there was such a thing. Now we do, and now you do, too.
Thank you for reading this important story.
The Morning After
When another daughter and son went back the next morning to look for the missing animals, there was just wreckage. My daughter took pictures, and when she blew this up she saw Vera sitting in the middle of a still smoking house waiting for someone to find her!
Petra, found in a piece of tin after 4 days, burned badly with very little hair left. She lost part of her ears, but otherwise fully recovered including her whiskers.
Hi friends,
As many people have heard (and literally felt from miles away), my house was leveled in a natural gas...
Quilters are made to believe they "need a pattern" for the most basic of things, but breaking out of that thinking is incredibly freeing. We don't need a set of numbers or directions for everything we want to do or make. The makers before us drew mainly on their own ingenuity, imagination, and make-do attitude. If you've never done worked with a pattern, I encourage you. There is a satisfying feeling of creating with your own ideas!
If something doesn't go as planned, it may be reframed as a positive design element instead of a mistake in understanding poorly written pattern instructions. It stimulates your critical thinking, and creates a one-of-a-kind object. Whatever the outcome, it's a feel-good-thing, and we all need that now. Right?
I have said before I come from a long line of Anne's, and one Anna. Edyta Sitar has a line of beautiful reds, pinks, and creams right now called Anna, and a quilt pattern to highlight them. It's simple, and perfect for the not-quite-a-jelly-roll I had from a Tim Holtz line. (It was closer to 2 5/8" than 2 1/2".)
This quilt is for a son who never asked for a quilt because he didn't need one. I do think it's finally he would like one from me more than than a need to stay warm now, and that makes me very happy, if you must know. When he asked, I started sewing. The fabric had already been bought, and I was just waiting for the cue. I knew he'd come around sometime.
I realized the other day I had not posted in some time. I'm keeping very busy quilting for clients, and at a time like this that's good. Each day seems to bring a new twist with the sunrise. Ohio has had rising Covid cases like most other states, and it has inched closer to my circle. Many members of the extended family, and our children's families have it, and we are hoping for uncomplicated cases. I'm thrown back to the days in the past when I'm sure many women felt helpless with the diseases that swept through their own lives, and like them am finding relief in turning fabric into something useful.
Having so much on my mind makes me long for simple projects, and small quilts. When a few last minute Christmas quilts came in, I was tickled with this small one. It was for a little boy, and he loves trucks of all kinds. Instead of a basic E2E, I wanted it to be special when he flipped it over to the red backing.
