We have just uploaded a new feature article to our website: “Quilt University: An Opportunity for Quilters.” Carol Miller, Dean of the University, was very gracious in answering some questions, and provided photos of quilts done by students and instructors alike.
We hope that you will enjoy this article:
http://quiltersmuse.com/quilt_university.htm
Pat
We have added a quilt show review to our website. Yesterday, we had the good fortune to visit the Cocheco Quilt Show, organized by the Cocheco Quilt Guild of Dover, NH. This show is always worth attending, but it had been several years since we had been able to do so.
Below is “Circles of Love,” by Jeanne Leland, a 74″ x 85″ quilt based on one seen in American Quilter magazine. The show bulletin states that she figured out how to make the pattern, and chose different colors. The original designer is unknown. The photo directly below the large quilt is a close-up so that you can appreciate the machine quilting done by Sue Foster.
You can find the entire show review here:
http://www.quiltersmuse.com/cocheco_quilters_guild_show_2006.htm
Enjoy!
Pat and Jim
Today, we are advised that there is a weather alert to take care while driving because winds may reach 35 mph or more, making taller vehicles unstable.
The possibilities of the wind have always fascinated me ever since I first saw the “Wizard of Oz” and witnessed Dorothy landing in Kansas.
During the 1980s, I worked for a few years for the state of NH, in the Bureau of Health Promotion office. One day, in the dead of winter, one of my co-workers called home to see how her husband was doing. You see, he was on the Rescue Squad of a small town, outside of Concord, and that day was also very windy, and snowing to beat the band.
In any case, when she got off the phone, she turned to me and said, “Everything is okay. My husband had to go out in all of this (snow and wind) because a report of somebody “down” came in. In a deadly serious tone, she said, “Yes, an elderly person was going to the mailbox and was blown down by the wind, but he will be okay. No broken bones.”
The thought sent me into gales of laughter. Somehow, being blown down by the wind tickled my funny bone. Don’t ask me why. The thought is still highly amusing.
If you go out on this blustery day, akin to one experienced by Winnie the Pooh, please take care not to be blown down by the wind. (Big smile.)
Thanks for tuning in.
Pat
Recycling
In yesterday’s post, I mentioned the Mennonites as folks who recycle cloth and yarn into serviceable goods to donate to those in need. I followed up later on by contacting Barb Garrett, a long time volunteer with a Mennonite Central Committe’s thrift store, in Pennsylvania. I asked her for contact information for them and this is what she said:
“This is a link for the locations of the thrift stores in the US where fabrics and yarn are sold to raise funds to send relief materials where needed” –
http://www.mcc.org/thrift/shop/us/
“I work in one of the thrift stores — Morgantown PA — and sort the fabrics, yarns, and other sewing stuff. Most is used for resale. The fabric that is “slightly out of date, but serviceable” I take to this location so it can be made into comforters for overseas, or school kits and health kits if it’s heavier like drapery fabric. They have no use for yarn.”
Material Resources Center
517 Trout Run Rd
Ephrata, PA 17522
717-733-2847
“Yarn that I can’t sell I give to the knitting circle at the Brethren Village (Retirement Community) in Neffsville and they make hats, scarves and mittens for the free lunch kids in the Lancaster City Schools — who mostly come from warm climates and don’t know how to keep warm. I’ve seen videos of the kids receiving their gifts and thanking the ladies — it’s cool.”
Barb further states, “If you have serviceable fabric and yarn, and want to send it either to me or the Morgantown ReUzit Shoppe, I will see that it gets to the correct place. If you do decide to send it to the shop, please let me know so I can warn them to expect a package. Most donations are dropped off on the loading dock.”
Rather than publishing Barb’s e-mail online, please contact me and I will pass along the info. to her. My address is: pat@quiltersmuse.com
She also mentions that there is a list of Canadian Thrift Stores that accept donations. That list is located at: http://www.mcc.org/thrift/shop/canada/
I hope that this is an incentive for some of you to clean out your “stash” and share with those less fortunate.
To read an excerpt about the work of Mennonite women and quilts from WWII, please visit this link:
http://www.quiltersmuse.com/Passing_on_the_Comfort-book_excerpt.htm
May God Bless your generosity!
Pat
A certain Christmas cactus in my house never fails to amaze me by blooming regularly, two times per year, in the spring and in the fall. I suppose I shouldn’t call it a “Christmas” plant at all, because it is about to bloom right now! Bright pink, double buds have sprouted out on the end of each segmented “branch.”
The picture above does not reflect the size of the current plant which is significantly larger now, having spent a three month vacation on the “summer porch.”
There is a story about how this plant came to be in my possession. When my mother was in a nursing home, five or six years ago, her roommate was being given a plant of this kind. As the person carrying it brushed past the door, one segment, just one little segment, fell on the floor. Mother said, “Why don’t you take that home and root it?” Anyone else would have said, “No, I don’t think so.” However, I had hope that I could bring the segment to life and start a new plant.
This behavior is in contrast to the actions of many in our society. How many times are there treasures lying in someone else’s garbage? The garbage pickers around here who drive up in trucks to look for goodies on “dump day,” when bags of refuse are at roadside, seem to find some grand pickings. I’m convinced that at least a few of these treasures end up for sale at antique stores.
What treasures are lurking at your house? Do you have items you no longer want but which are still serviceable or collectible by someone? I urge you to take the time to find parties who would gladly use the items. There are people (I am thinking of the Mennonites) who will take even leftover bits of yarn to make warm mittens for children. That is just one example of recycling. We are killing the planet by our waste. Next time you think about throwing away anything, think about how it could be salvaged, or even used in a completely different way.
I started this post by talking about houseplants, and as is often the case, I took a little side trip. To keep the topic centered, let me say that houseplants recycle the air by taking in carbon dioxide and expelling oxygen. I sure wish the restaurant where we had lunch today had had some houseplants. With people obnoxiously “lighting up,” the air could have used some freshening. It would not be a minute too soon if all public places became smoke-free environments.
My plant is a treat to behold with its complementary colors of green and pink, the newer leaf segments being a lighter value of green, as fresh as spring.
Here’s a toast to hope in the impossible. Sometimes, miracles do happen. My plant is an example of that. This favorite plant is a symbol of my late mother’s hope and her abiding faith.
Pat
Call me simple-minded. Apparently, it does not take much to amuse me. This afternoon, as I was chatting with my dear, ninety year old friend, on the phone, I happened to spot a cat in our yard. He was hanging out, all scrunched down, by a pine tree that Jim planted a few years ago. The black cat, with a white “bib,” was intending to “hunt,” but what was he after?
Then, I spotted small birds swooping low, flying back and forth, and the cat was ready. On several occasions, he leapt into the air about four feet, but was unsuccessful to grasp a bird in his claws. He went back to laying low and then thought he spotted something in the garden. He crept daintily, putting one white paw after the other, slowly proceeding ahead. When he reached the garden’s edge, he pounced purposely into a bunch of dead Coreopsis, but again came up with nothing good to eat. Goodness knows what he thought he saw.
This was high drama, but nothing compared to another situation I’d been observing. First, there had been a ladybug climbing up the outside of the window. When I looked again, I saw a spider. Then, I realized that the spider was building a web around the ladybug, saving this tender morsel for another day’s lunch.
I was so distracted by the cat and by the other creatures, I had a difficult time concentrating on the telephone conversation, even though my friend and I always have vital things to discuss. Today, we talked about the cost of things in Canada, the Iraq war, and the state of health care. She has not lost any of her mental acuity, and is as sharp as ever. She tells me that she always learns something new every time we talk, and I would have to say the same.
Nature is wonderful, and sometimes the struggles of life and death in that world, go unnoticed. Yet, we all have just one life to live on this earth, and any life is important to the being that is experiencing it, even a ladybug.
Those are my musings for the day.
Pat, from the Spider’s Web
Today, we put the finishing touches on an article about our trip to the north country (northern Maine, and Canada). I purposely left out certain details of our trip like a description of the “haddock swam through it” chowder, or as the natives say, “chowdah.” Though there were few ingredients to be found, it was very tasty and also very welcome on the cold, rainy day it was consumed.
I hope that you will enjoy the account of our adventure. Being people watchers, that is always half the fun of going anywhere. The human race is an interesting assortment of creatures and is infinitely amusing.
The link to the article is this: http://www.quiltersmuse.com/our_trip_to_the_north_country.htm
Pat from the Spider’s Web
This week is International Credit Union Week. There are more than 157 million credit union members worldwide, so it is easy to see that the not-for-profit, member-owned organizations are alive and well.
Last Tuesday, a new exhibit devoted to my father’s life and Credit Union work was unveiled at America’s Credit Union Museum in Manchester, New Hampshire. Invited guests and dignitaries attended. The three speakers included Peter Hildreth, State Banking Commissioner, Denise Caristi, CEO of Granite State Credit Union, and me, the youngest daughter of John E. Grace, a man who founded a total of seventeen credit unions in the state during his lifetime including Utility Workers Credit Union, now called Granite State Credit Union.
John Grace was Manager/Treasurer of Utility Workers Credit Union that served members who worked for Public Service Co. of NH, and the Manchester Transit Authority. In June 1945, two months before the end of World War II, he founded UWCU. He started the organization with a $15.00 deposit which in today’s world would be the equivalent of about $169.00.
In March, I had called the CEO and had offered her a framed photo of my Dad. He passed away in 1974, and no one knew much of anything about John Grace, if they even remembered his name, so it was a great surprise to her to hear from me.
Based on ephemera and photos, I wrote a book about his life, one dedicated to the service of others. A very religious individual, my father belonged to many organizations, not the least of which were men’s Catholic groups and labor unions. Part of his success in establishing credit unions was his ability to give speeches and to network. His sense of humor and pleasant ways won hearts, as did his humility. He built the credit union via personal contacts and the trust of all who knew him as an honest man.
He was active in civic affairs and always participated in any way in which he could to help the two communities where he lived during most of his life, Manchester and Deerfield, NH. Now he is at peace, next to his wife of many years, and surrounded by the monuments of neighbors and friends he knew in the sleepy little town that was his last home. The praying hands that are carved into his/their gravestone tell the story of a faith-based life.
In ending my talk at the museum event, I quoted Robert Frost who once said that everything he had learned about life could be summed up in just three words: “It goes on.” Proof of this statement was clearly apparent, if one looked at the audience. Four of John Grace’s seven grandchildren, and three of his ten, soon to be eleven, great-grandchildren were in attendance. At three months old, and two years old (two of them), they are too little to understand the special event now, yet it is important that they were there. The two youngest boys in the greater family will have newspaper photos of themselves to “remember” the day. The Manchester Union Leader newspaper published on Monday, October 16, 2006 celebrated International Credit Union Week with a series of articles in the Business section.
Sometimes, something happens that will never be repeated. Even though my Dad never sought personal recognition or credit for anything he did, I can’t help but hope that he would be pleased with this posthumous tribute. I greatly appreciate my father’s contributions to his family and to the world at large, and I miss him dearly. Were he alive, he would be 95 years old. Although he lived to be only 63, he embraced life fully and gave it his best.
The museum exhibit will be in place for awhile, so if you are in the area, you would enjoy a trip there.
I am so thankful to America’s Credit Union Museum and Peggy Powell, Executive Director, for her assistance in planning the museum exhibit for my Dad. I salute Granite State Credit Union for underwriting the museum exhibit. Jody Ducharme, an employee of GSCU, was absolutely terrific in her attention to details while planning the special day. The designers who created a display panel and put together a display case of Dad’s artifacts, did wonderfully well. All who worked on food preparation outdid themselves. I am happy that so many friends and family members could be at the gala museum opening. Two nieces traveled all the way from California, and my son came up from Rhode Island. To all who helped in any way, if only by being present, we thank you for sharing this special event.
Family members attending the event were left to right: Loretta Grace, daughter-in-law of John Grace and her three month old granddaughter, Jenna Van Dyke; Amy Winterer De Noble of California, (granddaughter of John Grace); Patricia Grace Cummings, (daughter of John Grace), and her son, James Gorham of Rhode Island, (grandson of John Grace); Sandra Grace Van Dyke (youngest grandchild of John Grace), holding her two year old son, Garrett Van Dyke; and Audrey Winterer Chavez from California, (granddaughter of John Grace), with her two year old son, George Chavez.
See http://www.quiltersmuse.com/granite_state_credit_union_founder.htm
Patricia Cummings
Due to a glitch in the system, my previous post got wiped out. So, I will try again to describe a bit about our recent trip.
Below is an Old Fisherman of the Sea monument that is located in Eastport, Maine, the easternmost city in the United States.
This past week, we traveled north as far as St. John’s, Canada. The further north we drove, the more distantly spaced were the houses, and the more wildlife and birds could be seen. We were very excited to spot our first Bald Eagle, in the wild, near Eastport, Maine, the easternmost city in the United States.
We also saw two moose, both of them in Maine. One of them was walking across a field, and the other, a 400-450 lb. young, male moose, was lying on a carry trailer. He had been hit by a truck and was being taken home by people who live in the Bridgton, Maine area, to provide food for the winter. We saw groups of deer in fields, and one large buck that crossed the road just two cars ahead of us, near Calais, Maine, a border town. We very much enjoyed Calais and found several antique shops there.
Except for the topography, Canada seems a lot like the United States. Restaurant chains, like KFC and McDonald’s provide food that is somewhat equivalent to their American counterparts. One difference is that the road signs and historic landmarks are in both English and French. Everyone was warm and welcoming.
We were able to visit the Ross Memorial Museum in Canada, a Georgian style home that is decorated with material culture from its owners’ world travels. The place was closed, but we were allowed to look around because the curator happened to be there, preparing for the designers to decorate for Christmas. She told us that more than eight hundred children visited the house at Christmas time last year and each was given a homemade cookie. Choral groups and a harpist were on hand to make the season truly festive.
Of course, while we had hoped to find an open quilt shop or possibly antique shops, the real reason for traveling to the north was to see the landscape and to visit the ocean areas. We saw some lighthouses, the large Bay of Fundy, and Irving Park, an amazing natural area that was worth the trip, in itself.
We enjoyed the intoxicating and fragrant smell of Balsam Fir trees, and especially liked the moss-lined floors of some of the forest areas. The moss was so thick, it looked like a green carpet. A narrow, one-way dirt road took us around Irving Park, an island from which there were wonderful ocean views, from on high.
We are so happy to be home. While traveling is fun, we really enjoy the comforts of home and are more than thrilled to get back to home cooked meals, our snail mail, and our computer!
Pat
Just recently, I mentioned Monarch butterflies in one of these blog posts. As we were going into a building on Friday afternoon, a low growing, flowering plant near the entrance was being visited by a Monarch butterfly. It was SO beautiful! I remarked that we never have the camera with us at such times!
Well, yesterday morning, that situation was remedied. Jim was out back in the garden, pulling up the tomato plants that had been hit by heavy frost the night before. He then decided to come around to the front of the house to pick up “trash” on the sidewalk. Lots of people throw candy wrappers and cigarette boxes and used beverage containers, and other irritating litter there, as we try to keep things picked up. On his way past a stone container he’d constructed last year, that contains three Chyrsanthemum plants, he spotted a Monarch butterfly, among the honey bees and bumble bees. No, wait! There were two butterflies, no, three, …and then, no, four!!
He raced into the house to alert us and grabbed his camera on the way out. My niece and I went out, just in time, to see these magnificent creatures. She told us that during butterfly migration, there are huge numbers of them in a tree, right near her sister’s home in northern California.
I never tire of seeing butterflies.
Butterflies were a symbol of hope especially during the Great Depression, and therefore, they show up on many a quilt and coverlet from that era. In some cultures, butterflies symbolize the human soul.
Have a great day!
Pat
