A Little Sunshine; A Little Rain

Here in New Hampshire we are in the midst of summer, a favorite time of year when flowers are blooming and the garden is giving forth its bounty of fresh vegetables and (soon) berries. Change is in the air though, although I do not mean outside. Since we are now both "retired," we have decided to "downsize" our online presence. The blog that you are currently reading will remain in place but our main website (http://www.quiltersmuse.com) will be going away forever on July 18, 2017.

Patricia Cummings, ready for sunshine or for rain

Why am I telling you this? There are plenty of articles there worth reading, if you have not yet taken the time. Once, it was a mammoth site but since it was hacked in 2011, it is a shadow of its former self, if not still large. The site was in place from 2002-2017, a span of 15 years, a long time to be paying big bucks for something that amounts to just a public service. In retirement, we need to be more frugal. But, it was certainly fun to share my knowledge and new findings, not to mention many photos of quilts and embroidery, with readers!

We will still be attending quilt shows, especially ones in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine and will continue to post quilt show reviews to highlight quilts that have a special appeal.

I really do miss writing articles for The Quilter magazine which went out of business in August 2014. All good things must come to an end. The trouble was that none of the employees or associates saw the "end" coming!

The quilt world is changing, that is for sure. There is more sophistication in making quilts, more use of high-end, expensive long-arm machines, and less emphasis on antique quilts (or so it seems). There is a niche group of avid historians who cling to the past and really enjoy seeing and studying old quilts but there is definitely a trend toward transforming vintage textiles and quilts into updated, machine-quilted items.

Whatever type of quilts or quilting you enjoy, it is a worthwhile pursuit. We say "Happy Trails" to you and may we meet along the way!

Patricia Cummings