Zebras and Other Illusions

Fellow Quilters,

Today’s post is just a quick one because I have a pile of work to do on an exciting new Northcott venture (I can’t tell you about it yet) AND I need to finish up the details for my row as part of the Christmas Caroling Row-along in September (the logo is over on the right).  So, without further ado, a couple of musings and tidbits for today…

My commute into the office takes me along a 4-lane freeway through a rural area that includes farms and rolling green hills.  A couple of weeks back, as I was driving, thinking of all the things on my To Do list, out of the corner of my eye I spotted 2 zebras in one of the fields.  I did a double take – why were zebras grazing in that field?!?  A couple of very quick glances revealed that it was a horse farm and the horses were wearing zebra-patterned blankets.  Hahaha!  What a great illusion!  Unfortunately, the traffic was moving at 60mph so I had no opportunity to slow down and snap a picture. It brought a smile to my face however, and made me think about how I have been playing with the idea of creating illusions in my quilts.

The other musing is from a dinner that I attended.  I was sitting beside someone I didn’t know – a friend of a friend.  Light conversation ensued – “what do you do”, “where do you work”, etc. It’s always interesting explaining to someone what you do for a living when you work in the quilting industry.  Sometimes, particularly with Border Patrol officers, you get The Look, as they process what “quilting industry” means.  My dining companion, however, proceeded to share a wonderful story with me.  Her mother grew up in a rather poor family, with 5 children in a 4-room house, and the 3 sisters shared 2 beds in one of the rooms.  There was a quilt on one of the beds, and as was typical of that period, it was made from patches of old clothing.  The quilt was a great source of entertainment for the girls – they would select a patch and make up a story about where that fabric came from -what the garment looked like, who wore it, what they were doing while wearing it.  The quilt was so much more than patches of fabric – it allowed the sisters to dream.  Even though it was made from scraps, it became a cherished part of the girls’ lives, so much so that the woman sitting beside me was telling me about its importance.  It was humbling to hear the story.  I often receive emails from quilters who have made a quilt from one of my patterns.  They share photos of their quilt, telling me it’s for their daughter/son, grandchild or niece/nephew who is getting married or going off to college.  It is a symbol of the quiltmaker’s love for the recipient.  These quilts are also much loved by the recipients – they are much more than blankets.  Last week I attended a workshop and lecture by modern quilting guru Angela Walters.  In her lecture, Angela talked about the “blankets” (quilts) made by her husband’s grandfather, and how special they were to the family.  If you ever get a chance to attend one of Angela’s lectures or workshops, I highly recommend it – in addition to being inspiring, she is also very funny!

I was scrolling through some photos on my camera, and came across a picture that I took a couple months back of the magnolia bush/tree in my front garden. I am usually away when it blooms, so it was a pleasure to see it in full bloom.  There were an exceptional number of blooms this year – isn’t it glorious?

Time to get back to work.  We’ll chat soon!

Cheers,

Patti