quiltersmuse.com Blog

Linda Laird is nothing, if not resourceful and ingenious. She was first exposed to ancient Mayan designs while a student of Anthropology at the University of Arizona. Today, she is creating state-of-the-art appliqué designs for quilts and quilted wall hangings, that if cut carefully, are reverse images, and can be used to make two quilts!

Please visit her website and see what she has been doing. I am tempted to order one of these patterns, if only I could make up my mind which one I like the best!

“Mayan Birds and Butterflies” quilt, available as a pattern on Linda Laird’s site. photo courtesy of Linda Laird; edited for this blog by Patricia Cummings

Good work, Linda. We will watch for even more of your original, Maya-based designs, as time goes on.

Linda Laird Designs Website

Patricia Cummings

When I was a young teenager, the television happened to be on, when I noticed that an instructional program was about to be shown to teach how to play “Folk Guitar.” I ran upstairs to find my brother’s guitar that he had always intended to learn to play.

The series was only a few lessons, but I learned the names of the guitar strings, basic chords, how to strum in different ways, and how to do runs, along with a little bit about reading music. I ordered the instructional booklets so that I could keep the information and the words to the songs demonstrated. I still have two or three but lost one or two, having loaned them to someone else.

The series was created by Laura Weber and Virginia Duncan in 1966. At the time, this video series was cutting edge technology, and was recorded long before the first how-to-videos for quilting were ever done. I would call this a pioneer program and have never seen anything like it since! While I have sometimes said that I received virtually no formal musical training, actually I learned a lot through this free, educational folk guitar series. Of course, I also learned a lot as a member of the Glee Club in high school!

There is a lot to be said for sharing information freely. Apparently, Jim and I believe in that theory as you will notice, if you view our website. Information is the best resource known to man. Often, it helps to guide our ways, or inspires us to new levels of creativity.

I am a strong believer in public television. One can count on the stations for unbiased presentation of material. When my son was small, he devoured every episode of Sesame Street. When he was grown-up, he enjoyed “Pride and Prejudice,” and other Jane Austen movies. There have been wonderful and enriching musical programs from “Celtic Woman,” to “Andrea Boccelli,” (my personal favorite).

Whether you like music, drama, quality programs for kids, or just want to learn to cook, turn to Public Television. In these hard economic times, think about sending them a few dollars of support. You will feel good about that, knowing that every dollar is used wisely and helps them to continue in their educational mission.

The local call letters for public television are WGBH in Boston, and New Hampshire Public Television, NHPTV. Please be generous.

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications

I am happy to say that my husband not only “brings home the bacon,” he cooks it, too! In fact, he cooks a lot more than bacon, and he has started a new blog to reveal all of his cooking secrets.

He hopes to add new items, daily, with wonderful photos to tempt you to try the recipes for yourself. New England regional cooking is a bit different than elsewhere, and was always based on what could be grown or raised, here.

Here is the link: Jim’s Cooking Blog

Today, I received this note in my mailbox.

Pat,

I thought I would pass on some pictures to you that I took of things given to me while I was in Pakistan. I am also the owner of a small home-based business called The Lost Caravan, and I sell imports from Pakistan, to help me be able to work on projects within Pakistan. I started a non-profit organization in the N.W.F.P. of Pakistan called The Roshni Centre for Women (www.roshnicentre.org).

Sincerely,
Rabia

“Is your Caravan Lost? It is, if you no longer weep from gratitude or happiness, or weep from being cut deep with the awareness of the extraordinary beauty that emanates from the most simple act and common object.”

from “Someone Untied Your Camel” — Hafiz (1320-1389)

Black and white Sindhi quilt, close-up

Embroidered bodice of red satin dress

Brightly-colored Sindhi quilt, close-up

Detail of Balochi dress panel

Pakistani embroidered veil, close-up

Many thanks to Rabiajehan Sher for sending these images. I hope you have enjoyed them and will check out her website.

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications

To view more textiles from Pakistan, visit our website.

Above is a photo taken by James Cummings: a pillow made with all natural fibers that originate in Afghanistan. The peacock pillow was created by a member of the Rubia organization, a group that raises money through the sale of Afghan-made embroideries. They are sold in Kabul and in the United States. Rachel Lehr, an American woman who is fluent in all of the dialects spoken in that far away country, has been instrumental in working with Afghan women in their attempt at a better life via literacy for themselves and their children. Travel is not safe in that country, yet Rachel has visited there on numerous occasions, under the shield of a burqa.

Several years ago, we had a chance to hear a talk by Hafiza Malikbaba, translated by Rachel Lehr. This resulted in a magazine article for The Quilter, and the following file that is presently on our website: http://www.quiltersmuse.com/afghanistan_embroideries.htm

To see updates on current Rubia activities, please access their current newsletter at: http://www.rubiahandwork.org/newsletter.html

Their annual calendar is now available. The calendar features the poetry of the women of Afghanistan. “They are songs of nature and earth, life and death, love and war.” See: www.rubiahandwork.org/calendar.html

This is a worthy cause.

Patricia Cummings