Mary B Quiltin’

November is the month when many of us think of Thanksgiving. Some think of a large meal and eating too much. Some think of relatives coming from far away to spend the day or weekend. I believe many make a time in the day’s festivities to be reminded of things they are thankful for. For some it is a time of sadness or depression because of disrupted relationships or cold, dark days. I can be one of those.

Sometimes when I’m depressed I write about it and talk myself out of it: “I do have much to be thankful for. November shouldn’t be the only time of year we’re thankful. I am thankful all the time for many things, large and small. Things as taken for granted as the sound of wind chimes in the back yard, the trains and planes that pass by and over our house daily, my loving husband who always comes home when he says he will, my favorite chair and quilt.”

I wrote that almost two years ago, but it is especially poignant to read it today. I have a totally different perspective now. We finally moved into a house last week, five and a half months after moving out of the last place. (At least we started moving in. Most of our stuff is still in three PODS containers in Hayward.) Many of the things I took for granted that day are not part of my life right now: the trains and planes are farther away, and the wind chimes are in storage along with my favorite chair. But some things I have kept nearby during this time away from a home. I still have a DH (Dear Husband) who “always comes home when he says he will.” And it is very comforting to wrap myself in a quilt made by my own hands when so much of what makes a house a home is far away. It cheers me every time I spread it over the bed, even if the bed is a mattress on the floor this week.

And of course I have many things to be thankful for without having all that stuff here waiting to be unpacked. In fact, I’m very thankful not to have to do that yet! And I’m sure each one of us could come up with a whole list of things we’re grateful for including friends to quilt with, fun guild meetings, fabric, etc.

Happy quilting!

—Mary Brown

We all want to keep our minds sharp, so I thought I’d give you a word puzzle this month.  Each of the following sayings has one letter changed in each word.  The goal is to make real words, but I cheated a little.  (Let me know if you know a real word for the ones I fudged on.)

1.  Frog by bands do four heard
2.  I quiet till ward tour bony aid comport dour foul.
3.  An me set, dew shell we sip.

4.  And lay spend sowing as I hood dam.

5.  I creatine less if fetter thin tiny idleless.
6.  I hat quartet us hot I bode park.

7.  I gold triend as life I worm quiet wrapper ground tie hears.

8. By hobby falls my “set any dew.”  (Answers below.)

            Whew!  That was harder than I thought it would be.  No wonder the puzzle I got the idea from was so short!  I did manage to do six without cheater words…

I found all kinds of great quilt-y sayings researching this article.  Here are some of my favorites:

Quilting with a friend will keep you in stitches.
Always remember you’re unique. Just like everyone else.

Asking a seamstress to mend is like asking Picasso to paint your garage!

I have been put on this earth to sew and finish a certain number of things. I am so far behind now I will never die!  (A favorite for those of us who procrastinate.)

Blessed are the children of quilters, for they shall inherit the quilts.
            Not that quilters need help to use our brains.  There’s quite a bit of brain work involved in our craft, especially math.  And we love every minute of it, don’t we.  Don’t we?

Happy quilting!

—Mary Brown

Answers for Quilter’s Opinion

1. From my hands to your heart
2. A quilt will warm your body and comfort your soul.
3. As ye sew, sew shall ye rip.
4. Any day spent sewing is a good day.

5.      A creative mess is better than tidy idleness

6.      A fat quarter is not a body part.

7.      A good friend is like a warm quilt wrapped around the heart.

8.      My hubby calls me “sew and sew.”

Everything starts with a vision of some kind. Each quilt in every quilt show started with an idea, a pattern, maybe inspirations from several different sources. Every quilt I make is envisioned before I make it. I spend a good amount of time figuring out the quilt top design, but I had gotten into a border rut. I’d pick a fabric for the border and slap on a single color ring or two. Cornerstones were about the biggest innovation I even thought about.

Then Lyn Mann came to share with us last October. I’m so glad her “Slick Tricks” show was misplaced. She talked to us about “Taking It to the Border” instead, and she opened my eyes to at least letting the quilt talk to me about how to finish it. Making the border part of the quilt top’s design was a new concept I hope to incorporate in more quilts in the future.

Actually, my biggest motivator, as often happens, was a mistake. I’d bought a bunch of fabric for the border and backing of a quilt that didn’t look right for the border. With Lyn’s presentation fresh in my mind I started thinking about what could be done with the leftover fabric from the quilt top. Lyn and a border book I’d recently bought gave me plenty of ideas and how-to’s to make them happen. Now all I have to do is sew it up so I can Show and Tell. Maybe my best next step is to envision myself finishing lots of projects.

Happy quilting!

—Mary Brown