Do you ever stop to wonder what happens to the stuff we leave behind or give away? Where does it go and what kind of life does it live after us? My latest quilt is a collaboration with a co-conspirator I will never meet. I purchased these hand pieced (!) scrap log cabins for $1… Continue reading The Last of My Kind
Right Place, Wrong Time
Timing is everything, or so the well worn adage says. I venture all of us have life experiences when something happens at the exact right time. (And the wrong time too, but I don’t want to go there...) There is also the acute realization that specific things (meaning a book, music, movie or a hobby)… Continue reading Right Place, Wrong Time
Give It What You Can
Lately, my days have been bursting full with tasks, to-dos and urgency. This time has led me to ponder, for the umpteenth time, why is busyness so celebrated in America? My contemporaries (Gen X) began our working years in a culture where the amount you worked was synonymous with your worth. For many of us,… Continue reading Give It What You Can
Be Who You Are
Music is essential to me; more than a necessity, it is vital to my well-being. My intense love of music started as a little one when a favorite activity was to put on my fuzzy pajamas, huge headphones, start up a record and curl up in a chair with my blankie. Which, come to think… Continue reading Be Who You Are
Reckoner
Good old technology. How do we do modern life without it? A few weeks back I had to replace my four year old bargain cell phone. Thankfully, I knew the phone was on the fritz and had time to prepare before catastrophe struck. I use catastrophe here in a non-hyperbolic way because it made me… Continue reading Reckoner
Love Is The Key
All quiltmaking is love. Yet there is something extra powerful about making a quilt specifically for someone. When I craft a quilt for a person, I pay close attention to the materials, shapes, colors, patterns, and even the music I listen to, so that the final product showcases an essence – or vibe – of… Continue reading Love Is The Key
People Say
There is a common thread to many of my recent conversations. Multiple times a day, in work meetings, with friends and family and out in public spaces, I hear commentary on how fast this year has passed by. I get it, I too cannot believe that the date on the calendar is real. (And don’t… Continue reading People Say
Look at Miss Ohio
Have you ever loved an inanimate object? Have you have had something you cherished as if it were someone? I certainly have -- Bishop the 1984 VW Westfalia camper van. Even as a youngin, I dreamed of having my own camper and my wish came true with Bishop. Oh, what joy that vehicle brought to… Continue reading Look at Miss Ohio
Every Time I Hear That Song
Lincoln City in my backyard Oftentimes it is good to step back, reflect and ask yourself why. As a child, I was always encouraged to ask questions/seek answers and it is still part of my nature to do both. Curiosity is important! When you’re committed to a time-intensive craft such as quilting, it is my… Continue reading Every Time I Hear That Song
Hey Though I Wander
Two of the more upsetting losses in the American public education system are the discontinuation of a regular arts curriculum and the disappearance of hands on work. When I was in elementary school, we had art class twice a week which included everything from pottery (with a kiln!) to painting to creative reuse (think popsicle… Continue reading Hey Though I Wander