Quilts often give us a chance to travel back in time. Imagine wrapping a quilt made by your mother, grandmother, aunt, or even great-grandmother. My friend and fellow author, Deborah has a quilt made by her mother-in-law, just for Deborah.
The quilt is across the bottom of her bed, for looks. However, on bad days, or when Deborah is ill she wants that quilt to wrap around her. It gives her the feeling of having her mother-in-law’s arms wrap around her. A feeling she enjoys since her mother-in-law died several years ago.
We don’t have to wrap a quilt around us to visit the past and feel the emotions of those long ago quilters. We can visit quilt museums. No, we can’t wrap up in those quilts, but just seeing them touches our hearts.
On my list of quilty places to visit is the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Golden Colorado. As a bonus, until the end of April that museum has a special exhibit by male (another “m” word) quilters. While I won’t make it to the Colorado museum this month, it is on my list of places to see.
Quilt museums are like a permanent quilt show, giving guests the opportunity to see a variety of quilts over a longer period of time. The museums also offer visitors a chance to see special displays, such as the round-up of men’s quilts available at the Rocky Mountain Quilt museum.
You don’t have to go to a quilt museum though. Other museums often offer a peek into the past with quilt displays. The quilt show above was made in 1850 and is on display in a museum in Dodge City Kansas.
Do you have a quilt museum in your state?
Have you ever visited a quilt museum?
Do you own a quilt made by a relative, or loved one no longer with us?
Cajun cooking, jazz music, Mardi Gras parties, with all that going for it Louisiana must have quilts. They do, quilt guilds across the state, at least one show each year, and they have their own block.
The Louisiana quilt block is a patchwork block of flying geese set in a pin wheel design.
The Louisiana Quilt Block, image from ideas-for-quilting.com/images
According to Quilter’s Resource there are two major quilt shows in Louisiana, and I’ve missed both of them this year. That’s ok though, that just gives me more time to plan on visiting.
The first show, presented by the North Louisiana Quilters Guild is a biannual event. That gives me a whole year to plan that visit. Their next show will be in February 2015.
The second show, sponsored by The Gulf States Quilting Association, is an annual event. Held in Slidell Louisiana , one of the towns affected by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, they have a wide array of teachers, vendors and I’m sure quilts. This one is definitely going on my quilt tour list.
Have you ever been to Louisiana? If so what was your favorite thing to do or see?
Are you from Louisiana? Do you know of other quilt shows?
Have you made a quilt using the Louisiana block? Share it in comments?
What do you think of when you hear “Kentucky”, that little patch of red over toward the eastern border of the United States?
It looks like a small patch on the USA quilt, but it’s filled to the borders with quilters
For some it’s the Kentucky derby. Others think of the bluegrass of Kentucky, and bluegrass music. For the music lovers there is the song, My Old Kentucky Home,
But for quilters, it is the home of the Paducah Quilt show. An event most of us have on our wish list. From all reports it is a fantastic time. Not only is there the event itself, but the town gets into the stitch of things.
Visiting Paducah Kentucky, will take a few dollars. The trip to and from won’t be too expensive but I can’t imagine going those miles, to such a great event and not spending money.
I’d probably have to save my “getting home” money in a special spot, or I’ll spend it too.
Have you ever been to the Paducah Kentucky show?
What quilt show is on your “have to visit” list?
What’s your favorite fabric?
April is the month for the A to Z challenge. Check them out, there are hundreds of bloggers, you’e sure to find some one new to follow or visit.
The wonderful bloggers over at the A to Z challenge are responsible for today’s post about the letter J.
Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash weren’t talking about Jackson Wyoming when they sang the song, “Jackson.” At least I don’t thing so. If they were, they sure weren’t singing about the quilts available there.
However, for the J portion of my quilty travels, Jackson Hole Wyoming and the quilt festival is where I hope to be headed in October.
According to the website there will be classes, vendors and quilts, I’m hoping lots and lots of quilts. On the way too and from Jackson Hole I can stop off in Colorado, probably have to go through there anyway. And enjoy some of this scenery:
Lake in the hills of Colorado.
Once I get to Jackson Hole, I can soak up the beauty of the quilts on display and learn from some of the talented instructors available:
Natalia Bonner, author and free-motion quilter. Oh yeah, I hope to learn something from her. My free motion quilting is questionable to say the least.
Barbara Olson, fiber artist. Check out her work on her website. While I’m not an artistic quilter, she may change my mind.
Charlotte Warr-Anderson, quiltist. Her word. She is known for her portraits in fabric in which she uses intricate applique. She has also been featured on been The Quilt Show.
Carole Liebzeit is a local quilter and will be sharing her varied talents with those attending the festival.Susan Garrity designs floral, abstract, wildlife, and landscape art quilt often using fabric she dyed.
When I’m all filled up with gorgeous quilts and my brain is stuffed with new lessons another stop in Colorado to visit with a few of my grandsons will top off the trip.
Have you ever taken a class at a quilt show?
What would be your dream location to attend a quilt show?
Have you ever combined a quilt show visit with another fun activity?
No rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma in the Quilt stores, especially in April.
No, in April (April 24-May 3) we have the HOP THE RIVER SHOP HOP. An extravaganza of quilt store shopping that couldn’t be contained in one state.
The Hop includes five stores in Oklahoma and four in that state below the river (Texas). A complete list of the stores involved in the hop can be found at The Quilt n Bee.
Hopping from store to store, especially with friends is a great way to spend the day, weekend, or week.
Stores offer prizes and have gifts for their customers during hops. However, the best thing about a hop is seeing different quilts, almost like a quilt show on the road. Instead of the quilts traveling, the visitors are.
Each store has different fabrics and tools. Sharing, learning, visiting, and fabrics. This will be my first time to Hop the River and I’m looking forward to the adventure.
Have you ever participated in a shop Hop?
How often do you visit new stores?
How many stores would be your limit to visit in a day?
Please leave a comment, I love hearing from you.
This post using the letter H was brought to you by the friendly folks at the A to Z challenge. Over 2,000 bloggers are participating.
Gardens are beautiful (especially if I don’t have to do the work). Flower gardens, those with beautiful blooms are preferrable to the all green of some gardens.
Maybe it’s the quilter in me that loves all the color, I don’t know. I do know that on my list of places to visit is Indiana to take a quilt garden tour.
Just imagine. Wondering around a flower garden inhaling the intoxicating scents of the different plants. Enjoying the riot of color as the patch of one color and flower met with the patch of another.
Why, it might even spark a different color combination idea, or plant the seed for a quilt design.
Enjoying time in the garden is always a pleasure and I’m looking forward to the day I can enjoy both quilts and gardens at the same time in a quilt garden.
Have you ever visited a quilt garden?
Have you ever considered trying to plant a quilt garden?
If you were doing a mini-quilt garden which quilt blocks would you try to replicate?
Today is for the seventh letter of the alphabet (G) in the A to Z challenge. Due to some family challenges I am a few letters behind. Stay tuned, I will catch up.
Calling all quilters. The sun is shinning, the birds are singing, it’s too hot for sewing. If you’re ready to take a sewing break and read I have the perfect book for you. SONG OF THE STORM is book three in the Stone Trilogy by Mariam Kobras.
With another captivating episode in the Jon and Naomi Stone saga, author Mariam Kobras has quilted her magic. SONG OF THE STORM, the last (maybe) book in the Stone Trilogy continues with the real-life characters, conflict, love and tragedy.
Life with a rock star isn’t easy, but hotel empire heiress, Naomi is determined to build a life together with her soul mate, rock star Jon Stone. Jon is just as determined. However, just as in our lives, their road to happiness is often rocky and the baggage both carry from the past, too many times, gets in their way. Good news, that another child is on the way leads to more insecurities for both of them.
The book isn’t just about Naomi and Jon though. Their lives are intertwined with family and friends who also have issues. A subplot of the book revolves around one of those close friends, Jon’s manager Stan.
Stan has long-held a one-sided love for Naomi. When he meets Maya, he believes he’s found Naomi’s replacement. Except, happiness isn’t always easily achieved. Maya has a maturity well beyond her young age. She realizes long before Sal does that their love is not made to last. Will Stan find a lasting love? Only readers of SONG OF THE STORM, and the author of course, will know.
The reappearance of Naomi’s parents adds more tension to the story. They have little belief in their son-in-law, and often display concern for their only daughter’s safety, both physical and emotional. Given their background, and knowledge of the past, it’s easy to understand. Yet, this reader, wanted them to just love their daughter and accept her marriage. However, since that rarely happens in real life, it felt right that they continue to suspect their son-in-law and the marriage.
In the middle of all of the tension, and emotional confusion we are reminded that family, friends, and love are what is truly important when the characters are forced to deal with the real-life tragedy and drama of the September 11 attack.
Wherever you were, the emotions you felt that day will return as you are taken back to that unforgettable experience. However, Jon, Naomi, their family and friends remind us that hope and love are eternal.
SONG OF THE STORM is a perfect read while you take a break from sewing and quilting. You can curl up on the couch under the air conditioning and continue the journey with Naomi and Jon. If you haven’t read book 1, THE DISTANT SHORE, and book 2, UNDER THE SAME SUN, no worries, this book stands alone. Although you WILL want to get book one and two, because you won’t be ready to let them go and you’ll want more time with them.
WARNING!! Do not read this by the pool if you are also watching young children. You will be pulled into the story and forget where you are. Leaving children unsupervised around water is not recommended. However, if there are no children present, read and allow yourself to be whisked away.
For more reviews, or to meet Mariam herself, check out her blog at where all the links for the blog hop can be found.
Whether traveling a short distance, 100 miles or less, or going far away, I am thankful for my ability to travel.
Yesterday, and today in many places, we honored our veterans, and those now serving our country. Whether they served in time of strife or peace, they were always willing to put their lives on the line for the rest of us. They spent and are spending days, and months away from their families for our security and freedoms.
The right to travel when and where we want is one of those freedoms they secured for us, and allow us to continue to enjoy.
There are many modes of transportation available to us:
By foot:
By bike:
By air:
By boat:
Even by animal:
Now, to be honest, I don’t use all these modes of transportation on a regular basis. I don’t even use some of them, ever.
For example, I’m not getting on an animal, especially not to travel. That’s a long way to fall and I’m against falling.
It doesn’t matter how the travel is achieved, thank goodness for the right and ability to travel.
What about you? Do you travel often? Far or local? What’s your favorite destination, or your favorite trip?
Time to play catch-up. Again. Sometimes I think I play that game much too often. The last few days have been spent working on Christmas projects and writing, which left my little blog neglected.
So, today I will catch up on at least the last couple of days of gratitude. My list for the month is listed here. The last “thankful” post was for my computer, all computers, here.
Next on the list are, the internet, Ozzie (my dog), and trees. Here we go.
The Internet
Our connection source. The world has become much smaller in my lifetime thanks to the telephone, television, and air travel. These are all good tools to help us reach others, but they have their limits.
We only call, or receive calls, to chat and visit from people we’ve previously met. Seldom do we call a random number and strike up a conversation and friendship with someone.
The television is passive, we don’t interact with it and we view only what others want us to view.
Travel is expensive and time consuming. Whether we travel by plane, car, bus, train, or boat, there is a cost and time factor involved. Limiting how much we connect with others far away.
Enter the internet. We can meet others online. We can go to sites, and meet others with similar interests. I “met” several friends at Absolute Write (AW). We have writing as a common factor, but we differ in many ways.
I’ve even found quilters I visit and follow at the Quilting Gallery. Who knew people moved away from their sewing machines long enough to post their sewing progress online?
Then, of course, there are the social networks, Facebook, Twitter, and Pintrest that allow me to meet a variety of people from all walks of life. Online friends are an eclectic group, a more diverse group than can be found in any neighborhood, or social gathering.
The internet also allows me to do research for my books, or just for my information easily. The closest library to me is 15 miles and only open in the afternoon, my next choices are both 30 miles away. Doing research at the library requires planning (something I’m not good at), and travel. The internet allows almost instant (assuming it’s working) access to a larger research pool.
Of course, nothing is perfect and the internet has its flaws. Among other cons, the internet can cause people to abandon their real lives and families, that’s not good. But, for most of us, the internet has been a benefit and I am thankful to have it.
How about you? How has the internet impacted your life?
Next up on the list for Saturday is Ozzie my little dog.
Ozzie was a ‘gift’ from my little granddaughter Paisley. He was her dog. Mom and dad had their hands full with their jobs, Paisley, livestock, and the new baby on the way, they needed a new home for Ozzie.
Paisley, of course, did not want to get rid of her dog. However, she was willing to let Grandma Nin take him, for awhile. It’s been three years. Now, she’s okay with him living at my house.
Ozzie may be four years old, but he’s a little like having a two year old in the house. He gets into everything that is within reach. Drop a pin cushion on the floor, or just forget and leave it on the ottoman and it’s his. I’ll be running the magnet over the entire floor to pick up pins, and gathering up what’s left of the pin cushion after he chewed it.
It’s common for him to hear, “Ozzie, what do you have?” Then he tilts his head and gives me that innocent, ‘what are you talking about?’ look.
Ozzie loves people. One year my dog-sitter was unavailable so Ozzie attended the Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, Inc. (OWFI) conference with me. He loved all the attention from the other writers. Amy Shojai shared a video of him playing which Paisley enjoyed watching.
Ozzie makes me smile and I am so glad he’s in my life. Thank you Paisley. Do you have a pet?
Finally, for today, trees are on my list.
I’m lucky to live in Southeast Oklahoma which is full of trees. I can’t imagine living in a place without trees.
Right now the wind is blowing, hard. Not tornado hard, or hurricane hard, but hard enough to rock the chairs on the porch, and blow unsecured items around the yard. The trees buffer a lot of that wind. Sitting in the security of my house the wind howls and sounds horrible. The trees however, stand their ground.
In the summer the trees offer shade and relief from the blistering heat. I’m often the last of my friends to turn on the air conditioner, because the trees surrounding me help keep me at a comfortable temperature.
Although I no longer climb trees, in my youth I did. Today the trees remind me of that time when my brothers, and neighborhood friends would climb the trees. We climbed and hid among the leaves, creating our own worlds high above the real world and our parents below.
In the winter, the trees offer refuge to wildlife, and the bare limbs remind me that spring and new life is coming.
So, there you have it. I’m almost caught up, and three things I’m thankful to have. What about you? What are you thankful to have in your life?
What happens when a quilter starts writing? Scraps of fabric make beautiful quilts, word scraps create wonderful stories. At least in the hands of former quilter, Mariam Kobras.
Mariam has gone from sewing scraps of fabric together to form a warm, comforting, cover to stitching words together to create an entertaining, enjoyable read. Under the Same Sun, is the second in The Stone Trilogy, and follows Naomi, Jon and those close to them as they try to regain control of their lives after the shooting of Naomi. The event affected them all in different ways. Added to the mix is Naomi’s desperate wish to have a second child and her difficulty in conceiving.
Mariam’s characters and situations, while figments of her imagination, are real and she could be telling the story of their lives were they actual living, breathing, people instead of just “real” characters from her fertile imagination.
She expertly stitches events and feelings together to form a tapestry that one can almost reach out and touch. Her descriptions are beyond good. She writes with layers, much like a quilt. Each sentence another stitch in the written quilt, the story.
Mariam’s beautiful sensory descriptions of each new venue allow her readers, even the most frugal of us, to feel as though we’ve traveled the world with Naomi and Jon. Whether we are dancing on a lakeshore in Geneva with them, shopping at Harrods in London or decorating her house in Brooklyn, with Naomi, we are there. We can see the area, feel the smooth wood of the Steinway or the rough cobblestone road, the local aromas waft around us, as the sounds mingle with those of our real surroundings.
Real life drama fills the book and the resolutions are satisfying and make sense.
Sometimes in reading the story I wondered, “how did she know about that?” Because a portion of my life so closely followed the happenings in the book. There are so many real life situations in the book, that most people will be able to relate to at least one of them. Even if we have no idea what it’s like to be a rock star and have more money than we could possibly need.
While Under the Same Sun is the second book in the series, it also stands alone. That is you can read it and understand who everyone is without reading The Distant Shore, but why would you want to? Reading the books are a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.
And of course, Mariam needs to buy a Porsche. How can she do that if we don’t all rush out and buy both books?
I am so happy to be a part of Mariam’s blog tour, that way I got to read the book sooner. I’d been looking forward to reading it as soon as I finished, The Distant Shore. Now, I am eager to read the final book. Oh. My. Gosh. It won’t be out until next year !
This was the sixth stop in Mariam’s Blog Hop celebrating the launch of her latest book, Under the Same Sun (Book II in the Stone Trilogy) which hit the Amazon.com bestseller list on its first day on sale!
There’s only a few left, so order yours now, then while you’re waiting you can go to our blog and click the link to read the first two chapters for free.
But first, write a comment below about this blog post for a chance to win one of three copies of Under the Same Sun (plus some pretty gosh, darn, yummy chocolate)! You can get additional chances by following Mariam at every stop on her hop and leaving comments after each post. And hey, while you’re here, why not follow this blog. You won’t regret it.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, 10/23, Mariam will be visiting Carrie Bailey. Join us there!
Check our blog for the full calendar and more details!
about the author: Born in Frankfurt, Germany, Mariam lived in Brazil and Saudi Arabia with her parents as a child before they decided to settle in Germany. She attended school there and studied American Literature and Psychology at Justus-Liebig-University in Giessen, where she met her husband. She lives in Hamburg, Germany, with her husband, two sons and two cats.
I am linking up with The Nester during the month of October and posting about one subject each day (more or less). My subject is “scraps”. Check out her website for other blogs writing on the subject of their choice.
Nita Beshear - A Patchwork Life 