Garden of Eden Quilt

 A number of years ago, I collected an antique quilt even though it is in very poor condition and even though the piecing on it was not accurate or up to our current high standards. This quilt was obviously made for utilitarian reasons and it has been used extensively. Patches have worn off and some fabrics have faded. Nonetheless, I love it for its wonky layout and its use of many blue fabrics ranging from light blue to a very dark blue.

 

This past week as I was perusing my Facebook page, I spotted an advertisement by Connecting Threads. Right away I contacted the company and ordered two sets of blue fabrics that ranged from light to dark. The fabrics and a photo of my old quilt will be the inspiration for a new twin size quilt that I plan to make.

This morning I printed out rotary cutting directions for #1873 (Garden of Eden) from Blockbase, a software program by Barbara Brackman that is so useful in block construction. I am pretty certain that the maker of this quilt did not have a rotary cutter available.. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

 This St. Patrick's Day, more than ever, I've heard people mentioning that they were going to have corned beef and cabbage to celebrate the day. I wondered where this tradition came from inasmuch as Ireland, traditionally, did not raise many beef cattle and tended to have sheep or pigs instead on their small tenant farms. 

At dinnertime, while we were eating a boiled dinner consisting of boiled pork shoulder, cabbage, potatoes, onions, celery, and carrots, I turned to my husband, Jim, and asked if he knew anything about the tradition of corned beef for Irish-Americans. Of course, he did! He told me that when the Irish first came to America, they were poor and they settled in big cities like New York, Boston and Chicago. They shopped at Jewish delis that were present in the ghetto areas. Corned beef was originally a Jewish food. 

The Irish were used to boiling their food and by St. Patrick's Day, in Ireland, they would still have root vegetables left from the previous year's harvest and cabbage which was a staple in their diet. Thus was born the boiled dinner!

Jim arose early this morning to make Irish Soda Bread. I have not been a fan of it, in the past, but his is excellent! The key is to cool it completely and then, to keep it wrapped in a damp towel. Feeling like baking today, Jim also made a squash pie. He is a keeper. Anyhow, I now have my answer to the corned beef question and thought maybe you were wondering about that, too! It's an Irish-American tradition, but not an Irish tradition!

Presidents' Day

 At some point, we stopped celebrating only George Washington's birthday and extended the holiday to include all former presidents of the U.S. Therefore, the day should rightly be called Presidents' Day, not Presidents Day or President's Day. It seems that many just don't know where to put the apostrophe. Jim calls me the "Grammar Police," a title I own up to. It really bugs me when people misspell words or, in this case, put the apostrophe in the wrong place.

Today does not seem like a holiday. Some banks are open, some are closed. Some businesses are open and others are shuttered. Some schools are out on vacation for the week (I think Massachusetts and Maine). Some charter schools in NH were in session today, as was Nashua High School but in that case, the kids were sent home early due to someone putting a bullet in a toilet. (That individual probably just wanted the day off). The post office was closed as it is a federal holiday. 

There was very little traffic this morning at 8 a.m. when we ventured out to go eat breakfast at Friendly's Restaurant and inside the establishment, there was only one other gentleman eating during the whole time we were there.

Today we celebrate George Washington's birthday, as well as all the other presidents, a later add-on to the day. Enjoy! 

Jim Shore Impersonator

 I fell victim to a cyber scam by responding to an ad on Facebook. The person posting claimed that Jim Shore was going out of business (he isn't), and he was offering Jim Shore Christmas ornaments and other products @75% off. It seemed too good to be true and that was the case. I ordered on November 16 and today, December 2, I thought it was a long time that the package was delayed. 

I checked the website provided by the "seller" and it does not exist. I had also received a confirmation of my payment and the email address to reach out for support, also is a non-working address.

My husband went on Facebook to Jim Shore's page and found out about the impersonator today. I have contacted my credit card company. What a nuisance! It's always something!

February 10, 2024 Update

I never did receive a package of Jim Shore Christmas Ornaments from VIKRASSETH LIMITED, the company to which I paid $59.88. They provided a photocopy of a postmark with what looked to be Chinese writing stamped all over it and submitted that as proof to my credit card company that the package had been mailed and said that it was mailed on December 9. The credit card company took their word for it and charged my account. I have reported this case of fraud to the Federal Trade Commission and written to my credit card company once again, saying I did not receive the package. 

March 3, 2024 Update

There is an online website that discusses the company who scammed me. The link is: https://malwaretips.com/blogs/vikrasseth-com/ 

Presentation on November 29, 2023

 I will be presenting a retrospective of my 40 years of quilt making via a slide presentation as well as a show of some quilts that the audience will be able to see "in person". This talk, "Every Quilt Has a Story," will be given at the Concord Parks and Recreation building on Canterbury Rd., Concord, New Hampshire on November 29 at 10:30 a.m. - to approximately noon (which provides for a time period for questions from the audience). The program is free and open to the public, with prior registration.

My decision to give a program about my quilts is based on a desire to spread the joy of quilt making and to demonstrate some of the reasons why quilts are made. Often, when I say that I am a "certified master craftsman in quilting," people don't know what I mean. They think I belong to the NH League of Craftsmen, a marketing group for handmade crafts of all kinds. No, I am not a member. I don't sell my work. The title I earned was through a TESTING program formerly offered by the Embroiderers' Guild of America. I started the program in 1991 and finished in April 2000.

Over 40 years, I have given away a lot of quilts and made all kinds of quilts, exploring various techniques and styles. My favorite types of quilts are small ones (miniatures and wall quilts) but I've been known to make quilts in all sizes, up to and including King size ones. I like small quilts because of the quicker turn-around time. Also, I don't need any more bed size quilts. In fact, on my own bed, I have a comforter bought at Walmart or some such place. I've given away all the larger (bed) quilts that I made over the years, save one. I prefer applique quilts and quilts that incorporate Redwork embroidery.

I think it will be an eye-opening exposure to what quilting can entail and I hope the audience enjoys it. I am happy that I've documented my work as far as taking photos and measurements, etc. over the years. A few years ago, a dear friend put together a printed book of many of my quilt projects up to the year 2012. Of course, I've made more quilts since then. Quilting is a pastime that can be enjoyed by all ages of learners. I'll admit that I have slowed down and I don't produce quilts in the great numbers I did in the 1990s. It's been a fun journey and one that I am happy to share.

O