Another Bite of the Elephant

I have been quilting and busy with quilt related stuff, but haven't had time to write! So here is the next completed block. And yes, another 10+ hour block.

I have already decided the name for this quilt! I was a white glove hostess for the East Cobb Quilt Show, and as one of the observors walked by, he said to me how happy he was that the art of quilting has survived and thrived and has not gone the way of fast food. I assured him that we have our fast food equivalents! But based on how long this is taking, I decided to call it "Not Fast Food." More like the Tasting Menu at a 5-star restaurant.

Speaking of the Cobb Show, I received "Excellent" feedback from the judges! Visual Impact, Piecing Techniques, and Quilting Design were all rated "Excellent"! Comments were that "Pairing of batiks with black fabrics and variegated quilting thread is a very effective combination. Binding is well applied. Corners should be 90 degrees."

Remembering Senator Edward M. Kennedy

Delivering the eulogy for Robert Kennedy in 1968, Ted Kennedy said, "My brother need not be idealized or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life, to be remembered as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it. Those of us who loved him and who take him to his rest today, pray that what he was to us and what he wished for others will someday come to pass for all the world."

"The work goes on...the cause endures...the hope still lives...and the dream shall never die."

Senator Ted Kennedy, 1932-2009

How do you eat an elephant?

One bite at a time!

This is what 1/8 of a block looks like. It took an hour and a half. I am now going to go clean up the kitchen before going to bed.

Just alike but different

Another 10 hour block! I just realized that the last block I said was 8 hours was actually 10. And so was this one. At this rate, I'll finish this quilt when I'm eligible for Social Security, since there are 24 blocks! Oy vey! Only 22 more to go, 220 hours at the rate I'm going. Hmmm....I may have to downsize this quilt, and one thing for darn sure...this quilt will not be given away...it's staying with me!
Guess what? It's the same block as before! Just the ends are turned differently. So the center blue in the first block is the outer purple in the second. The gold in the first one is the green in the second. Just alike but different! Check it out:



"Born to quilt...forced to work."

Customer Care

So I wrote a very nice letter to Delta Customer Service when I got back, complimenting Michael F. It was the least I could do, don't you think? I should have given him a tip, but I didn't think about it until I was rushing through security. And this is hysterical! I got an email response from Customer Care that was the nicest letter I have ever received from a business. I was expecting the usual cut and paste response, but no...this person got an A in her Creative Writing class. Here's the closing:

"You are a special person to take the time to write about a good experience with us and as my day comes to a close, I will smile knowing there are people like you flying with us. As a Gold Medallion member, you are an integral part of our customer base and we deeply value your business."

I can just see her smiling now, thinking of the wonderful customers who are flying Delta. What a wonderful way to wrap up the week. (Anybody got an air sickness bag?)

On my last few Delta flights, the flight attendants have been trying to lighten up their spiel a little bit. "As you exit the plane, please check the seat pocket in front of you, but if you leave anything behind, don't worry. Tomorrow you will be able to find it on eBay."
"If you are seated next to a child, or someone just acting like a child, please assist with their breathing apparatus."
"There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane."
But my favorite is from Southwest:
"Welcome aboard Southwest Flight XXX to YYY. To operate your seatbelt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seatbelt and if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised. In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, oxygen masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with two small children, decide now which one you love more."

I really don't like to spend a lot of time sitting in airports. Yes, the Crown Club is nice, but so is my living room. If I can walk up to the gate as they are starting to board, that is perfect timing as far as I'm concerned. This occasionally results in drama, as happened last Friday, when I arrived at the ATL at 11:10 for my 11:55 flight.

New Rule: Baggage must be checked in and present at the check-in counters at least 45 minutes before your scheduled departure time.

It used to be 30 minutes, but somewhere in there it changed. So I arrived at the airport already too late to check my bag. My bag for the weekend quilt retreat at San Damiano, which had all my quilt supplies and fabric, not to mention my clothes, my bag which weighed 52 pounds, my bag which was too big to carry on the plane. Michael F. at the counter said that it was too late to check my bag and he would see if he could get me on the next flight. Me: (airily) "Oh, I can make this one. I don't mind if my bag gets there later." Michael F: "No, you have to travel with your bag." Me: "Oh. What time's the next flight?" Michael F: "3PM...but it's oversold. You would have to go standby." Me: "What about the flight after that?" Michael F: "6PM, but it's oversold also. Everything is oversold." Me: (Texting Al to come back to the airport.) "What about tomorrow?" Michael F: "It would be too expensive, but the first flight is sold out anyway." "What if I just cancel? What would the penalty be?" "I'll have to go check...I don't know off the top of my head." "OK, thanks so much." I don't know if it was the polite thank you, I don't know if it was time for Michael's break and he didn't feel like dealing with my problem any more or what, but Michael suddenly turned around and said, "Let me see if I can get you on this flight." And he did! I was within the 30 minute timeframe, so, you know, come on. I fully expected no suitcase when I arrived in SF, but guess what? Luggage made it, too! Go, Michael F!

I will spare you the details of the rental car that was in Sue Walton's name, so Hertz wouldn't let me have it, and the traffic at 3 o'clock in the afternoon on the Bay Bridge. All that vanished when I got out to San Damiano and saw all my Quilting Divas. The setup there is we have a big square conference room where we set up 16 tables, then behind that is a kitchen, then behind that are our rooms. It's not luxury, but for $200 for 3 days, 2 nights, who's complaining? It is very clean. I sewed until midnight, and set the alarm to get up at 5:20 am to go meet Regina, Rafiki, and Brent at Lake Merritt for a 6 am walk. When the alarm went off, I lifted my head up and thought, "I can't do it." Cannot do it. Good thing I told Regina that if I didn't make it for 6, I would see them at Peet's at 7 for coffee. So I lay back down for a bit, then drag myself out of bed at 6, quietly walk down the hallway, carefully lock the conference room door as I go out to my car, get in the car and put the key in the ignition and look at the clock and think, "Huh. I didn't notice that clock was so off yesterday." Then it hit me...the clock wasn't off - I was! I had not changed the time on my alarm, which was still on Atlanta time, so it was really 2:20 when the alarm went off. Since I had so carefully locked the doors when I left, I couldn't get back in, sure couldn't call anybody at that time of the morning, so I curled up in a fetal position on the back seat of the car and listened to KGO until 5:30. Once I get up (that's the hard part), I'm up, and usually can't take a nap during the day. I think I stayed up until about midnight Saturday. I know I busted Marilyn when she wrote a Facebook message at 11 that she was planning on a marathon night sewing at the retreat. Marilyn had been packed up and ready for bed for hours!

The quilt retreat was so much fun! We had wine (I still can't drink and sew!) and the food at San Damiano is excellent; we had 3 iPods, and games, and a good time was had by all. Some of the Divas think they have privacy on the internet, so no pictures.

And I came back to more good news! Both of the quilts that I submitted to the East Cobb Quilt Show were accepted! I submitted RA, aka the Sunshine Quilt, and Batik Sun Dance. East Cobb is a juried and judged show. I have to work on RA a bit more...under the gun for time, I wasn't as careful with sewing the binding on. I can't wait to get feedback on my work! Let's make a note of that when I'm backing here crying about something the judges said! I've never submitted work to be judged before, so this should be...interesting!

I am fairly certain that given a cape and a nice tiara I could save the world.

Why there are UFO's...

Seriously! This is an 8-hour block! One block! People complete entire quilts in less time! So admittedly my paper piecing skills are a little rusty, and hopefully as I go along this will be faster, or it really will end up as a UFO! BTW - This is the pattern and fabric that got me in trouble in Chicago at the end of the show.

Knowing me, this one will probably get finished...it is soooooo challenging, and I do love a challenge. I admit to having ADD. I do get bored easily. Which I guess is why that "just can't cut it," a pattern with a bunch of large squares and rectangles, still isn't completed.

So, Marva called me with good news today - RA, aka The Sunshine Quilt, won second place at the quilt show. Actually third place, but who am I to argue? There was a tie for first place! How bout that? I've never won a ribbon in my life, never even crossed my mind that this could be in the running for a ribbon, so that was pretty cool.

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. When it hands you tomatoes, make Bloody Mary's!"

Thank goodness for Epsom Salts!

Whew! Friday we hung the quilts for the Brown Sugar Stitchers show, The Many Facets of African-American Quilting, at the South Fulton Arts Center, 4645 Butner Rd, Atlanta, GA. I think we finally left about 9:30 PM - I think we started about 1:30 in the afternoon. We had intended to start earlier, but a tree fell down and our start time was delayed. I got off a plane from Philadelphia and went right to the Arts Center, even though Marva had sent me an email not to come. Some folks are just hard headed! I was so sore, all I could do was fall in bed. Back up Saturday morning to get to the center for 8:30. I was there all by myself! We were worried about some quilts falling down and there were about 5 quilts that had not been hung. Only about 5 or so quilts fell and we were able to get everything up in time. I was worried early in the morning because we did not have a lot of traffic, but by the afternoon, there were hundreds of people there. Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi was wonderful! I got my books signed and then we went to dinner with her. She is very entertaining, well spoken, and we saw some quilts that will be in her Obama book/show. We were not allowed to take pictures (darn!), but the book will be amazing!

ATL folks - the show is fantastic, and worth the drive from wherever you are!

In Philly, Jennifer and I did the Rocky Steps (Philadelphia Museum of Art)...I didn't see Rocky, but the steps weren't that bad. We were both going, "That wasn't so bad!"

So...what else? I sent Miz Rosie a card to celebrate completion of her second masters a couple of weeks ago...

I am dog tired! I think I can finish piecing the "Can't Cut It" pattern tonight, though. It's easy peasy.

" When life hands you lemons, ask for Tequila and salt and call me!"

The Many Facets of African-American Quilting

The Brown Sugar Stitchers Quilt Guild Proudly Presents "The Many Facets of African-American Quilting." The show runs August 1st through August 7th, 2009 (closed Sunday, August 2nd) at the South Fulton Arts Center, from 10AM to 5PM daily. The show is open to the public (of course!) and is FREE! We are pleased to announce that we will be honored to have Dr. Carolyn Mazloomi, renowned quilter, author, lecturer and curator lecture on Saturday, August 1st, at 2PM at the South Fulton Arts Center, and again on Sunday, August 2nd at 2PM at the Hammonds House Museum. There will be a book signing and reception at both locations. Here are the quilts I will have in the show!

This one is Liberated Shaded Nine-Patch. The pattern is Shaded Nine-Patch and is a swap from the online African American Yahoo Group. Some of us missed the deadline (whoosh!) and decided that we would swap amongst ourselves. Jo said she had been "liberated" from the deadline, so that's why I called it my "Liberated" Shaded Nine Patch. I set it this way to have Adinkra symbols quilted in the negative space:

This is my Carrie Steele Pitts quilt. Carrie Steele is our guild's signature project, where we complete quilts and donate them to the children in the home to have as gifts for the rest of their lives. This quilt is sooooo sweet. You can't see the hearts in the quilting, but it turned out so well, I know the little princess who receives it will have sweet dreams.


This one is Maui Flower Power - the orchids remind me of Hawaii. This is from a class I took in 2004! I should call it Finally Finished!!!


This is my challenge piece, New York Beauty Goes to Africa. The challenge is issued to all guild members to create a piece interpreting The Many Facets of African American Quilting and what that means. To me, European quilting is characterized by repitition, sharp points, and matching patches. Our African heritage is more free-form (like jazz) and colorful. This block features the New York Beauty block, lots of sharp points and matching edges in African Print fabrics. I LOVE this, and am going to start working on blocks to finish this quilt.

And you've seen "Ra," the Egyptian God of the Sun. I thought I would lose my mind completing it. If I ever do that one again, I will put the circle on before quilting, and include that in the quilting.

We have over 140 quilts to display, and from what I saw being turned in on Saturday, it's going to be a great show! I spent all day yesterday cleaning up my sewing room. It looked like a fabric tornado had hit there! I took two big bags of garbage out, but the room doesn't look any different!

"Think of it as a power tool with thread."

La Bella Vita

Ah yes, the beautiful life...

How do you know when you are living the beautiful life?

Well...

When you are living the beautiful life, this is your backyard...

Your neighbors are movie producers who develop...mannequins... to dangle over the side of the house...for the entertainment of passersby...

And this is your gym...back and forth on this three times a week should take care of your cardio needs...

As you can imagine, I've enjoyed my visit to Marina Del Rey in California, and my taste of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. Walking on the beach every day has been great. Pam and I haven't spent this much time together since college, and we've done really well! We go back home on Sunday, to the Lifestyles of the Middle Class and Hardworking! I've only finished one of the five quilts I'm entering into the Brown Sugar Stitchers show, so...time to get going! (Is it the deadline yet?)

"I've been rich and I've been poor. Rich is better." Beatrice Kaufman

Shopportunity and Inspiration

I don't ever want to forget that quilting is my hobby. Sometimes we get so lost in output, and getting everything perfect, that it's easy to lose the fun in the process! I try to free myself to enjoy my hobby...deadlines are a reality, even though I do sometimes treat them as guidelines, something to be aspired to. :)

But the point (and I do have one) isn't about deadlines - it's about taking the time to tap into creativity and inspiration, about letting go and enjoying the hobby. Sometimes that's hard to do with deadlines to swaps, and shows, and birthdays, and illnesses, and donation quilts, and trying to have a life in there somewhere.

Yesterday I took a break and went to a quilt shop down in McDonough. I really should have been working on one of the gazillion projects I have going on, or the guild newsletter, or clearing a path in my sewing room. But, I went shopping instead! The shop is A Scarlet Thread, and it's one of the nicest quilt stores I've been in. Over 7000 bolts of fabric! It occupies the entire building, and I think they have tried to address every little annoyance we have about quilt stores. They have a wide variety of batiks and Asian prints, both of which are favorites. The store is about 50 miles from my house, and so it's not likely that I will just pop in on a whim, but it was so inspiring to see different fabrics and different quilts. When you go to different parts of the country and to quilt shows, you see what others are working on and you can get inspiration from seeing new things or seeing new things in a different way.

Remember this?

I found this pattern when I visited Denver last year. I haven't seen it here in Atlanta, so getting out exposed me to something different that I may not have seen otherwise. As I was quilting it, I decided that I really was not enjoying the process...I was just doing a straight line that followed the curve of the design. I was so not feeling inspired, and so I sent it to long arm quilter Melinda Fulkerson. In this lifetime, I could not have come up with this! This is a great example of "Quilting makes the Quilt!" Thanks for the wonderful quilting, Melinda!

"I love deadlines...I especially like that whoosing sound they make as they fly by."

Let's Stay Together

Went to see Al Green and Etta James at the Chastain Park Amphitheatre last night. Wonderful evening and a great show! Etta James opened at 7:30PM EXACTLY! Apparently there was a question as to whether or not she would actually show up, as she has cancelled a number of shows in Atlanta over the years.

Folks kinda strolled in and got there when they got there. Hard to believe this is a sold out show. The weather was absolutely perfect, after a thunderstorm earlier in the day.

Etta James sang all her old blues songs. I thought her best song was a cover of Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart." What a difference maturity makes! Her song, "I'd Rather Go Blind" than see her man with someone else made me laugh and say, "I'd rather put his eyes out." She closed with "At Last," and yes, continued her tacky reference to Beyonce. “Where’s what’s her name? Where’s Beyonce?... I just want to whoop her a.." Tacky. But at 71, I guess she's earned the right...she sounded great and put on a good show.

After Etta James cleared the stage, Rev. Al Green held church! When Al took the stage, he did not stop moving for the next hour and a half! He handed out about 30 roses throughout the show. He started out with songs from his latest CD, "Lay It Down," but even he acknowledged that we had not come to here that. Who else but Al Green can go from “Amazing Grace” to “Let’s Stay Together” without missing a beat?

Photo Credit: AccessAtlanta.

Surprise!

So much to update! Starting with most recent first...just came back from a surprise visit to Oakland. We had the best time ever! The gang got together for the first time in months...I was talking to Regina one day and she told me about it and we cooked up this plan to surprise everyone! We did not tell anyone we were coming (besides Regina, of course, and we stayed with her)...we went to the party with Regina, then she went inside and said to everyone that we wanted them to call us so we could say hi. They said, "Oh, it's so late in Atlanta, they'll be in bed." (I don't know what they think has happened to us since we moved to Atlanta - 10 o'clock on a Saturday night in bed????) So she called my cell phone and held it up and everyone said, "Hi, Al and Jeanette!" We talked for a bit as we walked up to the front door, and, in a moment that Hollywood could not have scripted, Abner said to me on the phone, "Let me know next time you are going to be in town...I'll pick you up at the airport!" We rang the doorbell, Judy's friend Michael (who was the only one there who does not know us!) opened the door, and I said to Abner, "Which airport?" I'll never forget the looks on everyone's faces, and it was a wonderful evening. We enjoyed catching up with everyone. Everything Harriet cooked was delicious, of course. Back home on Sunday and still on a high about the wonderful weekend! I forgot to charge the battery in my camera, so no photos.

OK - so what else? I finished my block for our BSS President O.V.'s quilt. The quilt will be red and white (Delta colors) and I borrowed some elephant fabric (Delta symbol) from Lynette. The block is called "Arkansas Crossroads," to honor her Arkansas heritage.

And...I finished my Carrie Steele Pitts quilt. Look at me, way ahead of time! At Shannon's to be quilted on the long arm. Here's the finished top...

I am not proud...this is a kit, purchased at Tiny Stitches in March. It is The Princess and the Pea. I hope the little princess who receives this will enjoy this quilt for the rest of her life!

I also finished my postcards for the Black Music Month swap for the online African American Quilt group. Only two weeks late...

"Good friends are like bras, supportive, never leave you hanging, make you look good and are always close to your heart."

Thought for the day is...

I have nothing quilt related to post. But I came across this saying today, and wanted to capture it someplace where I won't lose it.

Life is short - Break the rules...Forgive quickly...Kiss slowly...Love truly...Laugh uncontrollably... And never regret anything that made you smile.