A Favor of you Please

Ahhh you come under the heading type of quilting thrill seeker! Its a wonderful way that you came to be here, and whether you ever finish another quilt or not Im glad you stick around. There have been so many times your posts have opened another veiwpoint to me, cut thru the chaff and gotten to the meat of an issue. Sometimes its even about quilting! Thank you for sharing your tale. Diana, almost sated but dont let that stop anyone!.. Please! lol

I have really enjoyed reading everyone's stories!!

I learned to sew at the age of 9 (that would have been in 1944) when I begged my Mother to let me join 4-H - we weren't supposed to join 4-H until we were 10. So, the powers-that-be let me join, but I wasn't allowed to exhibit my sewing projects at the County Fair until I was 10.

Didn't know anyone that quilted until 1970 after I moved to Arizona. Up until then I sewed lots of clothes, curtains, etc. One of my friends (and her daughters) in Arizona made what she called 'tear quilts.' They would tear fabric into four inch strips, sew the strips into big long strips and roll them up into balls. Then they would start cutting the strips to the width that they wanted their quilts to be. I loved her quilts & really wanted to make one, but at that time we barely had the money for clothes and food - nothing extra for quilts.

Fast forward to late 1982 - first granddaughter was born. A friend of mine gave me copies of instructions for making a log cabin quilt that she had gotten in a class she took. Bought the fabric, knowing nothing about contrasting sides of log cabins and made my first quilt. I actually have a picture of that quilt on my website - just took the picture a couple years ago (Talena still has that quilt).

Since that time I've made more quilts and wall hangings and lap quilts than I can count.

In March 1997 we finally were able to get internet access (without having to pay long distance) out here in the boonies and I found rctq in June 1997. Since that time I've met several rctq'ers in person. It's wonderful how you feel like they are old friends the minute you meet.

Went to the 1999 Houston quilt show and met several rctq'ers. From Houston, Wayne (my DH) and I went to visit Sarah in Las Cruces - what fun that was! Paul and Suzie got there about 4 days after we did. We offered to chauffeur Paul and Suzie for a few days and were certainly glad we did. We had a wonderful time with them. One of the things they wanted to see while they were in New Mexico was the Very Large Array (radio telescopes - here's a link to a really neat picture

so off we went for a two dayjaunt through central New Mexico. We also made a big dent in the inventoryof the two quilt shops in Las Cruces. Paul actually picked out the frogfabric that I used for my granddaughter's (Talena again!) graduation quilt. In 1998 I became SW Idaho Coordinator for Project Linus so my quilting has taken on a completely new dimension - making quilts for at-risk kids that need a hug. Not that I've made even a fraction of the blankets (quilts or afghans) that our chapter has donated - 3,511 blankets as of today!!!!!! We have lots of wonderful 'blanketeers' in our chapter.

So, that's my story! I really do believe that this ng is the best! I treasure the friends I've made - both in cyberspace and face-to-face!

I came to post at RCTQ because my DH put it on my favorites list when he installed new equipment while I was out of town. It took me several weeks before I got down to it, because they were listed alphabetically. This is the only one I still follow because all the others, even though DH chose carefully only topics that interest me (after 38 years, he oughta know!), but the others are unpleasant either because of personal attacks on other posters or because of extremely foul language. I came to be a quilter slowly. We never had quilts when I was a kid, only blankets. When I got married, my DH's grandmother, a quilter, had quilted 3 quilts for my MIL to give to her DILs when her sons got married. Since we were the first to marry, I got first choice. I picked out the plainest one, being unimpressed by quilts. Boy, was that stupid! The other two were applique, and really quite pretty, but I picked out the one that was plain muslin with blue binding and quilting. We still have it, stained in places, but otherwise intact. The Bicentennial, I think, is what got me interested, with its emphasis on history and early American things like quilts. I bought a preprinted queen size cross stitch quilt top and started stitching...and stitching...and stitching...and stitching. I should have started out on something like tea towels. After a year or so, we moved when my DH got a job elsewhere, and it got packed into a box -- and never has been unpacked since then. Not much later I saw a Tree of Life double bed size applique quilt kit and bought it. See, I was learning -- slowly, but learning. This was smaller and only required me to sew the colored areas on, not create them with cross stitches. Then I finally found a fulltime job with an hour's commute time each way, and my diminished sewing time became fully committed to making clothes for myself. I always bought the McCall's Sewing and Crafts Magazine when it was a big quarterly publication and read it cover to cover, mentally planning out how I would finish several projects, what colors I would choose, and where or how I would use the completed projects. There was one coverlet made of velvet that had a Moorish look to it. It was made entirely of wavy diamonds -- the sides curved instead of being straight. I was going to get a yard or two of polyester velvet in purple, blue, and turquoise, cut it into myriads of wavy-sided diamonds, and construct myself a gorgeous bedspread. My mother tried to talk me out of it, stressing the difficulty of sewing all those bias shapes together in a slippery fabric. I was undaunted. Then she pointed out how many yards I would have to buy, helping me measure the size of the bed and the side hangs. Armed with the yardage needed, I went to the fabric store and looked at the price of that velvet. That did daunt me. I walked out empty-handed. Then I started seeing this little magazine called Quilter's Newsletter. It came out monthly and was cheap, so I started reading it cover to cover. The projects looked interesting -- and they were all quilts. Pieced quilts caught my eye. I figured this was for me: I already knew how to sew -- quite well, thank you very much. On the machine, it would go quickly, so my lack of unoccupied hours and hours did not present a problem. And since I sewed a lot, I had plenty of scraps to make quiltse out of. Whoops! I hit a snag. This was in the days when polyester and double knits were riding high, with polyester double knits riding highest of all. I needed a different kind of cloth, different thread, different needles. Ah well, I reasoned, I was working fulltime, going to graduate school at night, so what business did I have adding more onto that? Stuff it back into a mental closet, but keep reading the magazines. Then in 1995 0r '96, Cloth World (now JoAnns) came out with precut BOMs. Just $3.99 a month, so I started buying, opening and reading them. Then, recognizing my lack of time, I put them carefully away in the translucent plastic box labeled with the quilt name -- until the next month's BOM appeared. Now they cost $6.95 a month, and I hoard my 50% coupons to buy them, with an extra on payday. Quilting is like any other addiction, starting out innocently. Then slowly, insidiously, it twines its tentacles down into your very being until it owns you. This newsgroup has no similarity to Alcoholics Anonymous, but a great similarity to the dealer on the corner. I started working at the Texas Education Agency in 1998, visiting school districts to check on their compliance with school law and the quality of their teaching programs. Boy, doesn't that make me sound like a high muckety-muck! In reality, we had a set format to follow, with specific things to check, and a set format for the report we had to write each week. If everything went smoothly, I might have some free time on Thursday afternoon of the visit, so I learned to haul out the local phone book on checking into the hotel and looking in the yellow pages for quilt shops -- fabric shops if nothing was listed under "Quilts." Then I started making sure I had time to visit quilt shops. I hit the jackpot one week when a Central Texas Quilt Hop was scheduled. I was staying in a town with one shop, and visiting a school district in another town that had a LQS. My traveling partner was coming from Houston, meeting me at the hotel Monday evening. I left Austin as early as possible, and managed to swing through two other towns -- and LQSes -- listed. The school district was all hunky-dory, so we had plenty of time. My partner had brought his golf clubs and was able to get in a round while I went LQSing on Thursday. We finished by 10:30 on Friday, and I had no deadline to arrive home. I looped around the map and caught four more LQSes by 6:00 when the last one closed and I had to go home. That was an expensive traveling week for me, because I couldn't just walk in and leave empty handed. No two quilt shops are alike, but all of them are fascinating. I kept rationalizing that "Now I have money, if not time. Soon, I will retire and have time, if not money. It just makes sense to stock up now." Well, here I am almost retired, thanks to the Texas Legislature cutting funding for education, and my annuity will be less than $2,000 a month -- not a living wage. I can go back to work for a school district after October 1. The problem there is that they can get English teachers for a lot less than they would have to pay me -- the pay scale is set by the state, depending on years of experience and education level. A school district can pay over the state rate, but must pay all equally-qualified teachers equal salaries. I love teaching, but it will seriously cut into my quilting time.

Well, this ought to have given you some reading. You probably were not expecting me to go on and on so much. I hope it was pleasurable.

Nell in Austin

"Diana Curtis" wrote in message news:RNT%a.1577$ snipped-for-privacy@reggie.win.bright.net...

Diana, these are all so interesting! I hope you plan to print them out and keep them all.

Nell in Austin

No, I am married to a different SciFi/Fantasy writer............ Rick Cook. He does have books out. A series dealing with magic and computers and full of puns. And my favorite of his is "Mall Purchase Night" , the heroine of which is the owner of a shop called "Bell, Book and....... Candle shop".

A real giggle.

I never have been able to keep inside the lines, always want to draw new ones .

Pati, > Ahhh the BOM. Im just hoping I can come up with something that appeals to a

just remember that anything you make that even slightly resembles that story is going to Wendy as a constant reminder of her guilt (just so you don't send me something that makes me think of dog puke).

cas

I guess I'll add my story. My Mom was a very talented needleworker. She made my clothes and my brothers, as well as all our sweaters. I think she really wanted me to learn. I'd organize sewing groups with my friends and my Mom would teach them. I never finished a project. After my friends became interested, I'd quit. My Mom would help all the girls finish their projects - mine went unfinished, but I had learned all the basics! Years later, after I had married and was living out of the country I found the need to start sewing and other crafts and haven't stopped. My Mom is still amazed at the work I do. I guess a thank you is long over due to her and I'll do that when I finish this post. I started quilting in the sixties. I don't have any idea how many quilts I've made. I love working on baby quilts - I think it's because of the little bundles which the quilts warm. My latest quilting has been for Veterans hospitals and nursing homes. I do lap quilts for people in wheelchairs (13 quilts since Nov.) Also, I'm working on a kingsize quilt (first and maybe last).

That's my story.

I shall have to go find his works. They sound right up my alley! Drawing outside the lines is more fun. Im going to guess your parents didnt buy you coloring books? Diana

So, all we need to do is find a couple of people to post in French and we have you exclusively? Thank you for sharing. Im glad you came and stayed too! Diana

This is a great tale! It has mystery and suspence..when will Nell get to quilt?! Will she find the BOMs when she has time in her life to give to quilting... I loved it! Thank you Nel! Diana

I think Mel is planning to, and then shes going to blackmail everyone. Me, Im just going to savor the literary quality. :-) I hadnt thought to print them, simply because Im running low on paper but they will all stay in Google until I have more. They have been a facinating look into the lives of my internet family. Im grateful so many people took the time to try to alleviate my boredom, it worked! Diana

Thank you!!

When it's your time in life to do something like Project Linus, do it! I couldn't have when I was working full time and had kids at home.

Sometimes it does seem like good ideas just keep wacking us over the head till we get the message. You got the message fast.. two articles in that short time... cool... Its something I would like to do when Meg is less time intensive.. To give back what she was given that day. Im so glad there are people like you who are more give than take. Hugs and salute! Diana

volunteers)

Well thank-ee kindly ma'am for posting that - t'was only fair!

Suzie B

-- "From the internet connection under the pier" Southend, UK

Welcome Sherri - how nice to meet you!

Now you've officially de-lurked, you have to stay out y'know...

Suzie B

-- "From the internet connection under the pier" Southend, UK

In article , Paul & Suzie Beckwith writes

Oh you didnt do that too did you? I made that mistake one year and as soon as it came out of my mouth I knew I shouldnt have said that.

Fortunately he was happy just to see my return ticket, and hotel booking all of which were at the bottom of my bag of course.

:-)

Diana, What a wonderful topic - and interesting posts! I'm at work so don't have time right now to go thru all of them, but will check back for the rest! I came to RCTQ this past Spring - My sister and I were planning a trip to Germany and one of my chapter mates suggested this ng as a source on German-quilt-related info. I keep coming back because I learn a lot, and enjoy the personalities! Also great OT updates on the winter storms of 2003, and the most recent USA NE blackout. And just this week I did a search of the group for Cathedral Window patterns, so I could make samples for my ds and dsil

- with great success! I came to quilting in the early'90s, after I finally got over the I-can't-possibly-quilt fears. Listened to my aunts and momma, took a class, and haven't looked back. What a wonderful combination of problem-solving, color, fabric, and creative excitement. I've met fascinating women, at all stages of life and skill, thru our common bond. For my future, I hope to have time to make at least a few of the quilts still in my head, finish at least a few of the tops waiting to be quilted, meet at least a few of the RCTQ'ers face to face, and figure out how I can work a quilt-focussed income stream into my upcoming retirement plans! Epilogue - we didn't get to Germany (war jitters). But the two of us did drive coast to coast of the grand ole USofA in April. Many thanks to our supportive families! And best wishes, Diana, for your prompt recovery!