The Meandering Thoughts of a Quilter

Weekly rant

Whatever happened to teaching kids basic sewing skills? I would not presume that all kids are like this, but mine at least don’t know how to thread a needle, let alone sew on a button or mend a ripped seam.

It's usually ‘MOM, can you fix this???’ or they throw the garment out. I personally think that no child should be able to graduate high school unless they can demonstrate basic mending skills, balance a checkbook and change a diaper.

Fun facts about Quilting

Because the climate of Hawaii is unsuitable for cotton cultivation, the original Hawaiian coverings were made from the inner bark of local trees, which was beaten and felted, then dyed in geometric patterns. Hawaiian women learned how to quilt from the New England missionaries in the early 19th century, using imported fabrics and steel needles.

Since the Hawaiians were given this imported fabric on bolts, it made no sense for them to cut up large pieces of cloth into little pieces and sew them back together. Therefore, they developed a method of folding the fabric and cutting geometric or snowflake designs into it and then appliqued the design onto another piece of fabric to create a quilt top. Hawaiian quilts are very beautiful and can take more than a 1,000 hours to create.

Read more: The History Behind Hawaiian Quilting - Royal Tiki Articles http://www.royaltiki.com/Articles/History-And-Culture/The-History-Behind-Hawaiian-Quilting#ixzz1oeVmgfgF

Project update

Well I finished my scrap quilt and gave it away – and forgot to take pictures. My Drunkard’s Path quilt blocks are progressing – I have 50 out of the 100 finished.

I need to finalize the design for the next quilt. I am now leaning towards a 10 Minute Block pattern – they are easy to do, make up quickly and can be very striking. I posted a picture of a baby quilt using this pattern.

I am also going to start a table-runner for a bridal gift using a Celtic Illusions pattern. I might even hand-piece it since it’s easier to match up all the angles.

People look at my quilts, NOT my housework!