Podcasts of interest...

I had no idea that so much time passed since my last post.  I can see how blogs will get created, and then peter out!  I am going to declare this blog an inconsistent one for the moment.  I will write as the mood strikes.  I notice that if I'm busier at work, I have less energy to want to communicate in other ways, and so thoughts of self-expression don't come as easy.  This week I'm off with my daughter for spring break, and I think I'm finally relaxing (just in time to get back to it tomorrow!).

I am not sure how to get my pics up to the site - so that may be longer in coming.

I'm super impressed with what other people are able to do with their blogs and especially podcasts!  I listen to a variety - but have just found a brand new one today that I am already in love with: Laura's 'Sewing Mom' podcast (http://sewingmompodcast.com/ ).  Hope this link works.  I especially loved that she talked about having been a quilter for a long time, and doing it just because she loves it. I'm so glad to hear her talking about the same kinds of things I am still struggling with (1/4 inch seams, ruler slippage, etc).  She was great company for my sewing corner this morning.

Anyway, other podcasts that keep me company: American Patchwork and Quilter 'Radio' with Pat Sloan; Quilt Cast with Amy Ellis and April; Quilting for the Rest of Us with Sandi Hasenauer; Quilt Cabana with Sandy Coldwell.  I know I have listened to others, but these are the ones that I've spent time with recently.  They are terrific inspiration, and just good company.

On a final note - I've been working on a quilt for myself that I have just decided that I am gifting to a friend with a chronic illness.  She has recently been struggling more, and there is nothing that can be really said to take the pain of that away.  But I thought this quilt might give her some comfort, and I just found out that the colors are something that she would likely enjoy.  It gives me even more impetus to get moving on it!

So many things to love!

Quilting is such a rich hobby to explore - and I think that's why I'm still obsessing about it a whole year after taking my first class.  I will often pick a topic up, and go with it intensely for a few months, and then put it down.  With quilts, I haven't lost that feeling of deep interest.  There are so many perspectives to consider: history, art, women's studies, techniques, tools, fabrics.  When I took my first quilting class, it focused on the piecing, but didn't get into the 'quilting' part of quilting.  I didn't realize that quilting was in itself an entire subject, and could be divided into hand quilting and machine quilting!  It is this part of quilting - the creation of pattern using thread - that first drew me to consider quilts.  I continue to be fascinated by it, but I have found a new appreciation for the geometry and pattern that can be created through piecing.  I soon found that applique is another area that I love to look at - with the lovely florals, and curves that can wander across the top of a pieced quilt, or be firmly seated in symmetrical splendor in a single square. I have fallen in love with whole cloth quilts from 15th century Marseilles, France (http://www.quiltstudy.org/collections/major.html/title/the-kathryn-wilson-berenson-collection-of-french-quilts and see the awesome podcast on iTunes from the International Quilt Study Center in Lincoln, NE).  I have been intrigued by the history of the Gee's Bend Quilters.  I am awed by the incredible handwork accomplished by the needlewomen of the 18th and 19th centuries.  And it seems that the more I learn about quilts and quilt history, the more there is TO learn. 

I will admit to lusting after a copy of EQ #7 (http://electricquilt.com/online-shop/electric-quilt-7/) - because I feel that I would learn so much more quickly how to combine fabrics into pleasing quilts.  My first quilt did not AT ALL match my vision for it - primarily because I didn't know how to consider brightness when choosing fabrics.  I wanted something soft and pastelle - and ended up with something bold and vibrant!  I followed the directions in picking fabrics but was overwhelmed - and settled on a set without really understanding how they would all fit together.  The interesting thing is that as I have travelled this past year I have visited many other quilt shops, and I realize that the quilt shop where we took the lessons was medium to small in size and selection.  I can't imagine how it would have felt if we had MORE choices!

I'm going to the AQS Show in Paducah (http://aqsshows.com/AQSPaducah/) in April (just for a day), and can't wait - but I'm thinking I should come up with a 'theme' for my day just to help me make the most of my time there.  I have a feeling that if I think I have been overwhelmed up until now - that this show will blow me out of the water.  Luckily I am going with a bus full from our guild, so hopefully I will get some good tips from 'old timers' who have been before!

If you're going to be in Paducah - and are a fledgling too - drop me a line (fledglingquilter@gmail.com )!  Maybe we can meet up.