Quilting Style

"He who sleeps under a quilt, rests under a blanket of Love." Who said that? I can't remember, but I love that quote. It is so true...quilts are made by hand and they are pack jammed with love and dreams. Dreams? Really? Yes, indeed! That actually came to me this morning in the shower as I was preparing for my next blog post about essentials for your sewing room. So you are going to get 2 blog posts today. Go grab your tea and I will be here when you get back.

OK, are you all set? Good! Now let me open up with this picture. It is an older picture that I took back in Texas (Ft Hood, in my front yard). Becky Smith (she now has a website where she makes bags like mine http://www.petalsisters.com/ )and I had been working like crazy women to get ready for a Christmas bizarre, and we thought baby quilts would sell well.

OK, so now back to dreams...the quilting part of making a quilt is my favorite part. I like it because I have already planned out in my mind how I am going to do it and am able to let my mind wonder...my mind wonders towards my dreams. My dreams are not really specific, filled with love and my children and family and friends and goals for the future and places to visit and emotions that I save tucked away for later. I have wonderful conversations with my mom and sisters....I plan my next quilt...I revisit the beach in Hawaii or Palm Cove and catch the rays of sun again on my face...no telling where I go when I quilt or who I will be talking with. Now that I read back over that that sounds a little crazy...but it is all talking in my mind, I am not chattering away in my sewing room to myself! That would be crazy, huh?

My dreams can't be to different from yours...don't we all daydream about peace and happiness? Now on a regular basis I am too busy to daydream much. I am go go go from when I get up early in the morning until I can finally close my eyes at night...but quilting, that is MY time to daydream. So each thing I quilt is infused with my (your?) dreams and hopes. If I am working on a bag or quilt for a military member I pray while I quilt. I pray for the angels to surround the soldier and his troops, I pray for wisdom and blessings for his family.

OK...maybe that got a little deep. Anyway I like to do the quilting of my quilts in a nutshell. For those of you starting out with your quilting journey, don't be afraid of this step. Find some scraps and practice letting your mind wonder and approach the quilting as a relaxing point of view.

ox,

Tia

**just so you know, Becky Smith were friends and neighbors when I lived at FT Hood. I was making the bags before Becky and some of the bags we kinda came up with together. She is not a big fat copy cat of my bags and I am not copying her either. I am digging some of her new designs though. She is a very good seamstress, I can vouch for Becky, but I don't know the other lady she is working with...I am sure she is just fine too. Now that I have posted the link to her site I see that she is closed for new orders just like me...I am sure some one some where is open and taking orders for bags!