Many Years ago , I was heavily into Cross stitch as an escape from a stressful Job. In fact I have hundreds of charts and books and magazines to prove it. I have purged quite a few magazines recently but I kept the Lions share.

In the beginning I started with a book My mom sent. " You can be a super quilter too!"

From there I watched <taped> the local PBS stations.

Kaye Woods Elenor Burns Georgia Bonesteele

I tried my hand at a few "cheater " panels. These are panels that look like they are pieced but are just printed on. Theory being to hone my quilting stitch. I really didn't enjoy the process of piecing, because it was all template cutting.

I really didnt have any idea about all the wonderful tools rulers gadgets and do thingies!

As I have mentioned before I have a few favorite websites. www.equilter.com for fabrics and books and quilt forum.

and www.quilterscache.com a site for inspiration patterns and how to's.

There is a lot to be said for getting the best tools for the job whenever possible. Rulers scissors cutting mats Rotary Cutters.

Fresh blades are essential nothing worse than scissors that are dull or had a skip or dull spot. same is for the rotary blades <pizza cutter but verrry sharp! >

Just like in Cooking you HAVE to have sharp knives and good quality cookware. Getting the best you can afford even if it means being super shopper or saving up IT IS WORTH IT.

A $2.00 pair of scissors is so *not worth* cutting thread with, much less fabrics. I practically killed my kids for cutting cardboard with My $30. gingher scissors that I found on sale for $15.

And taking them with me to have them sharpened with thier piggy bank money was not an option.... I thought about it, ... hard!

There are so many opportunities for creative direction in quilting.

There is the history of quilts that draws a lot of people.

The idea of some sumerian chieftan having a quilted carpet in his funeral collection. <things to be buried with him> 4000 bc. WOW!

Most people think of the Amish or Mennonite ladies work the dark fabrics with stars or more made of bright bits of fabric solid colors....

There are Quilt shows all over the country, and globally. I will make it to the Internation quilt show in Houston one of these days. There are Travel companys devoted to Quilters tours & Quilter's cruises.

I am going to save for one "Fall quilters cruise" NY, boston, halifax Nova Scotia. and back 7 days of heaven.........

I talk to a customer at my current job, who has a book store in Halifax, He has promised to show me the best seafood meal when I get there. Fresh lobster mmmmmm.

So Getting quality tools and fabrics are a must! 100 % cottons. no seconds. Starting small is easy to say, but hard to do.

So when I started with the cheater panels that were 40x60. add a border and made my quilt sandwich add a binding then quilt. Mistake. Quilt first then do the binding. The edges can be trimmed to look straight instead of what actually occured.... disappointing.

Clueless I marched forward.

Wow 1989,  My friend and neighbor is getting married. I helped in creating her wedding dress. I had the brainstorm that I would do a wedding sampler cross stitch. Using that as the central square in a king size wedding quilt. yeah I could use fabrics from the wedding clothes as appliqued puffy hears in a heart shape around the central square. Then, I could quilt feathered hearts in the other squares and some shadow quilting around the appliqued hearts into a shape of a heart.

More time passed doing baby quilts, doing some strip quilting with Kaye woods books and reading Georgia bonesteel. I learned and tried my hand at some simple 9 patch designs. While working on my quilting stitch at lunch in the cafeteria no sooner did I get the last knot couched than some one would walk up and ask if I was selling it. Most often my answer was yes. I did a brisk business but it was not feeding my soul. I pushed all my stress and angst into the process and didnt do any real creative soul searching... I treaded water, I didnt move forward.

I became obsessed with A Medieval History group and wrapped alot of my creative time and personal self worth there.

 When we moved here  the self delusion bubble had a major leak.. no one cared really that we were leaving, just hike up the brewski's   sure will miss your hazelnut shortbread   and chicken and dumplings though....

But at least I had left behind a piece of work I was proud of.

The SCA group I was with had the great idea to do a quilt for the cornation event for the Kingdom group Caid. The gent who put up the money for the materials got an award <AOA> The ladies who did the applique <the shield in the center> Got  accolades.

I worked, schleped the quilt to events and woke up worked on the quilt for a couple hours before I went to work. Then went home and quilted until I fell asleep in the process, late into the night and upon waking worked another hour then went to bed, and back up early in the am to start again for 3 months....... I got to carry it up the aisle for presentation at the feast.

no mention in the newsletter no mention in the minutes other than my name with the list of other people who touched it for about an hour.

Below is a photo of it while in the progress, the Quilting was done in a diamond pattern 4 inches apart all over the top.

This is a king size quilt. osnaburg linen the batting is competition heirloom cotton and felted wool. 3 months of work about 6 hours a weekday and 30 hours on the weekend I would estimate went into the quilt production.  

 along with the quilt  went another ladies 26 pages of documentation  so this would be able to be submitted as Arts and Sciences competion item.

  <no mention for me>

But I obsess.

I was not paid to do this  I wanted to do this   but  an AOA  would have been nice.   That was many years ago.

Gamergirl was small then too.

When we moved here I stopped for a while  in the actual process and became really obsessed with buying fabrics for the next project.  Would do the project and then give it away.   My parents received most,  I sold some.  I never kept  any for me.   I do still have  three  that I made  many years ago.

two never did get quilted.  one that my dad had on his bed and one on my bed.

Well loved and  represents my pre 1995 work.

What I guess I am saying is ....  Be SELFISH!

Do it for yourself,  do it because you want to,  do it for your inner muse.

IF in the process you dont like it  or  it is not where you wanted to go with it. Take a step back,  breath  and give yourself permission to trash it, remake it,  or  finish and  give it away....    The homeless shelter doesnt mind about the points not being perfect.    It is warmth on a cold day.  it is loved for what it is.

Start small   learn    stretch   and grow!    But do it for you,  not what others think or want of you.