Blogger Comments - not working

Going to step away from blogging for a while until Blogger can figure out how to fix the mess they have created with the comments/notification situation. I have tried the fixes suggested - it worked for a few days and then yesterday (6/26) the ability to have readers comment has disappeared all together. No comment box showing...I jumped in to the Blogger community forum for help and there are dozens of similar bloggers with the exact problem. I don’t know if this happened to just the 6/26 post and will find out by posting this short update...

Very frustrating!

I might be back eventually - maybe...meanwhile, making tiny hexies seems less problematic...

and you will often find me out in the garden...

(This Inge Look card makes me smile!!)

Happy stitching to everyone.

Pat

The 70273 Project

Many of you have participated in the 70273 Project or have heard of it. I was one of the later...knew of it, was interested and have been “meaning to make a block” - you know how that goes...

While at the Minnesota Quilt Show last week, along with my friends, we met Jeanne Hewell Chambers and her husband, The Engineer. This woman reached out with her warm, Southern accent and touched us deeply. She is a hugger, and a wonderful lady filled with thousands of stories, sharing her Project all around the world.

We were priviledged to view her exhibit of completed quilts...

(Left to right...Joan, Jeanne, Kathy, Pat G. - I had one with all of us, but can’t find it)

...you can make blocks in 3 different sizes or a complete mini quilt based on 18” x 22” (a fat 1/4). If you make a complete mini it is called a Middling. There was one Middling that really reached out for attention...

Jeanne told us the story of this one with the tiny christening gown. It had been brought into church in a pile of donated things and apparently it was decided to just throw it away. Instead Jeanne asked if she could have it and she took it home to create this moving tribute. Each pair of the tiny double X’s represents one person of 70,273 people who were executed by the Nazi’s when it was determined they were unfit for labor camps due to a disability or deemed “imperfect.” Jeanne embroidered many double X’s around the edges of the delicate lace on the christening gown as well as filling in the background of the Middling...and yes, those are teardrops done in double X’s.

When I returned home from the quilt show on Saturday, I knew what my plan was for Sunday. Using whatever scraps I had on hand, 4 blocks were quickly put together. You can use any technique...

Rick rack...Grosgrain ribbon...Choosing a decorative embroidery stitch on your sewing machine...Or a simply pieced block...

As long as each block has a pair of X’s to represent one person...I have some ideas for future blocks.

I had no TV on, no background music...just the haunted thoughts about these people who are gone. And I thought of those around me today...who struggle with difficulties in their lives...perhaps unable to walk, difficulty in hearing, vision or speech...would someone determine they are not perfect enough? And I thought about how much hatred there seems to be in the world now and the evil things that are done...

And I thought about all the wonderful, giving quilters I know...we can join Jeanne in getting her project to goal...she is over halfway there!

If you have not visited Jeanne’s website, here is the link and information about block sizes.

http://thebarefootheart.com/?s=Block+sizes

Please visit her website to learn more and consider making a block or two...or more.

This is our way of remembering and hopefully adding to the message that this must never happen again.

Pat

Minnesota Quilt Show - 2018

We are back from a 3 day visit to the neighboring state of Minnesota where we attended the 2018 Minnesota Quilt Show at St. Cloud. Along with 3 quilting friends, the miles flew by as we drove over and just happened to make a few stops along the way...S.R. Harris - a huge outlet featuring a gazillion yards of every kind of fabric imaginable (but disappointed not to find the old fashioned heavy oil cloth I was looking for) and then onto Grubers Quilt Shop which was filled with eager shoppers.

Of course we did some shopping - although mine was minimal - afterall...I could make countless scrap quilts out of my stash - if only time was there...but I did find a lovely floral that looks like a great piece for broderie perse....And a few odds and ends from the Primitive Gatherings booth. And I just could not resist adding some more Di Ford fabric - these fat 1/4’s from her newest Maling Road collection...

Along with needles for English Paper Piecing...And these nice looking “toothpicks” for tweeking problem areas when doing needle-turn applique...

The 2 highlights of being at the Show -

The Van Gogh Challenge which was sponsored by Cherrywood Fabrics (Minnesota based company) - oh my! Using a Cherrywood provided blue fabric each participant was challenged to create their own mini quilt based on Van Gogh’s paintings or his life...the embellishments and stitching (by hand or machine) were over the top!

The exhibit which really touched my heart was the 70273 Project...I had earlier thought about making a block but until I met Jeanne and heard her story and saw the exhibit, the power of this project was not truly felt. In my next post later this week, I will show you the 4 blocks I made the day after I got home and how I felt while making them. I will also share a few photos from our little group which met Thursday evening for Show and Tell. So stay tuned...

We toured the quilt show and what wonderful and imaginative quilts were on display - these are just a couple, including Best of Show & Worksmanship awards...

And on Saturday, before we left for home, we closed out our visit by attending a very nice lecture about basket quilts presented by Dawn Ronnigen (of Collector With A Needle)It was great to see Dawn again and hard to believe almost 2 years have gone by since she brought her wonderful trunk show to our guild here in Wisconsin. She is so knowledgable and and always has such interesting background information about antique quilts. Looking forward to seeing her new book due out in July...Antique American Needlework Tools.

Thanks for stopping by & come back soon to hear more about our trip to Minnesota.

Happy stitching!

Pat