The Quilting Diva’s Blog

It’s dark.

What time is it? 9:10. In the morning. On further investigation, I find that it’s just overcast, drizzley and a little breezy outside. Ah, it’s November.

Or, like today, it can be a bit grey. Very grey. The chimes on the porch (my husband HATES them) are clanging, so I know there’s a little wind going on. (My husband has one of the “underground weather stations” and prefers a more scientific approach to weather. I on the other hand, love the Weather stick method. Put a stick on the deck. If it’s wet, it’s raining.

Weather like this encourages me to bake, make soup, and to quilt. Oh, add knitting to that list. But I’m totally content staying home, and doing these things. Oh, my god, look at the mess on the dining room table…..
Add Clean up the Dining Room to my list.

So before long, I’m going to have to search the cabinets and refrigerator to plan Soup/Stoup for dinner tonight, and throw together some homemade bread. That is the plan. By 10, I need to be in the studio finishing a 103×93 quilt on the frame. So you see, even though I don’t work outside the home, I do occasionally work in it.

The cooler/cloudier the weather, the more inclined I am to work on beautiful colors and fabric/fiber. The ability to touch colors long gone from our environment, are found in my studio! The stacks of fabrics, in the multitudes of colors, make me happy. The yarn closet makes me happy. I CAN stay home and not go anywhere for days on end.

I’m writing my blog as I’m waiting for the parade to my door…it’s Halloween, y’all.

We live in a small neighborhood. Just a handful of homes, less than 10 homes have children. We are guessing about 15 little ghoulies will be coming to the door in search of treats, not tricks.

We live in a suburban community, just outside of Atlanta. You’d think that in the year 2010, more people would be up for the challenge of giving kids a fun night out. But so few of us open our doors for Halloween. Are my neighbors so afraid of a few children dressing up like superheros and tigers? We know to expect only 15 or so kids, and some of them, challenged to fill their bags, will come by twice without changing costumes. We tell them that someone else wearing the same costume was here just a few minutes ago….they laugh, we give out more candy.

We don’t have caravans of kids coming ’round our neighborhood. We are pretty much on the outer lines of the county. Our roads have farms. An occasional trailer. In the fastest growing county, we still have poverty. My guess is that even in the more affluent areas, there is more hidden poverty.

If all we can do is invite small children to dress up and be in the spirit of Trick and Treating, why not humor them and leave our religious opinions to ourselves? All Hallows Eve was a religious holiday, that grew when the candy companies started Halloween. I’m sure that even the dentist in our neighborhood hands out SOMETHING.

Don’t be overly concerned of what dark spirits may come with Halloween, but the darkness that meets them everyday in schoolyards and video games.

Well, I didn’t think Fall would ever get here.
In Georgia, we’ve had temps over 90 since May. REALLY. Heat index? Over 100 more times than I can count. Inspiration to quilt? ZERO

The change of season should give us permission to try new things. Explore strange new worlds, to seek out … you know where this is going, right?

That being said, I will try to stick to the topic of conversation. Today it is raining, and we are being told that along with the rain will be a change in temps. Well, it is October after all. And the rain? Bring it on! I LOVE rain. Rain is finally making my garden look like it has a fighting chance.

I get to pack up the summer clothes and look forward to days when I will need a sweatshirt. In Georgia it hardly ever gets cold enough for a coat, hat and gloves. Don’t go looking for a winter coat here, you won’t find one. I am, however, knitting hats and scarves for gifts. If you live in the North, expect you will get something knit and wooly. That’s all I’m sayin’.

Fall makes us want to Bake cookies, Brew concoctions that turn into SOUP, and consider a holiday quilt. Christmas fabrics….hmmm….NOT. I like contemporary fabrics that can also be Holiday fabrics. RED/Green/White. On first look, they look Christmas, but on closer examination you realize they are not. Do I think I will finish any of these. NO. Look, I’m being realistic. I have been knitting, and working on my Massage re-certifications (required every 2 years in GA), and that is all the ambition I can muster. I’ve been in the frumpy, dumpy, lack of motivation for MONTHS. If anyone else knows what I’m talking about and wants to send me a “Get Well” card, I would encourage you to start writing it now. And include a surprise. I need a surprise!

I have committed to making a raffle quilt for June 2011. I guess, I’m looking forward to THAT. It will be a challenge as I have to work this project long-distance. I’m looking for a lone/blazing star pattern that will support embroidery in the larger squares. We have to choose colors. Maybe this project will be what I need to jump-start the creativity engine.

And Mom is coming to visit soon. That will be happy time for me. I can’t get enough of mom. Two peas in a pod. A vision of my future…it’s all good. Time to sit in our jammies, half the day. Don’t know what else we will do. We have fun scouring antique markets for nothing in particular, and she has a great eye for collectibles. Maybe we’ll make soup and cookies….

My Toby has crossed the Rainbow Bridge. In truth, I think that has been the catalyst for the FUNK. I’ve been anticipating it for 6 months, and the day arrived when I had to make the decision to let him go. As logical as that may seem (based on his physical deterioration) it was a very SAD day. His mind was sharp as a tack but the body was not cooperating. Systems had begun to fail, and all I can say is I hope someone out there will love me enough to make that decision for me when the time comes. We adopted him in 1998, we had two other Pekes at the time, Peaches (she had Personality!), Cookie (who always wanted to be Alpha). Toby was a guy’s dog. Loved anyone who held the remote. He was clay colored until the Groomer bathed him 3 times. Then he was white. Peaches passed later that year, and right after we moved, so did Cookie. Toby began to travel with me, and his favorite things were Belly Rubs, Sleeping with Mom, and trips to McDonalds. He had a great smile, you knew when he was happy, and he loved to play. At night when we said “bedtime” he knew that meant treats on the bed. Three. He could count. After we brought Isaac home we talked about the “new dog” and that he would just have to tell me when he wanted more attention, and he understood. He asked for attention more and more towards the end. Bedtime, however, was our special time, and I know he loved it just as much as I did. I cannot imagine loving any dog more than I loved Toby. I’ve been handling the loss well for the last couple of weeks, but I’m crying my eyes out now, and realizing he’s really gone.

Gracie and Isaac are here with me, distracting me with “give me treats” and let’s play ball. Funny how in their own way, they are doing their best to fill the space. The cat, too, misses Toby. He was her best snuggle buddy, and she attached herself to him from the start. Even she is demanding more attention. What’s a mom to do? We save a space in our hearts for that “one” and make room for the other 3. I guess it’s just something we have to do. Yes, the seasons do bring change, and the rain does bring renewal. It just may take a while longer than I expected.

Where does the time go? Ok, I’ve totally wimped out on housework and piecing. Why…Knitting. I blame it all on the new yarn shop that opened last year. Since last fall, I’ve been knitting. I started out with Scarves for Christmas. Everyone got one. One thing led to another and quicker than you can say “I’ll Take the Pretty one with the sparkles”, I’m hooked. Or needled…

It’s not been bad. I’ve learned quite a bit about knitting. More than your standard knit and purl. I’ve learned Yarn overs (increasing) and knitting 2tog is decreasing. I’ve learned how to fix dropped stitches, but not how to avoid them. I’ve actually finished quite a few things, and I’ve finished a sock. One.

I’ve learned that I love hand-dyed over all others. My favorite is Fingering weight. I’m a fan of wool, especially Alpaca.

I am subscribed to all sorts of knit related websites and blogs. Do I need to tell you how long it takes to read everything. It’s like a job. I have to check all my emails, and my RSS feeds, etc. Plus stay on top of facebook (social networking). I’ve even started The Dutch Monkey Knitters, a stitch in group that meets once a week. At a doughnut shop of course. They serve this great Counter Culture coffee…

So that’s what I’m up to. Next thing to try : Kool Aid Dyeing…

I’ve been Professionally quilting for 6 years? What is the most common color I seen in Quilts? Take a guess. No peeking below…Spoilers!

Ok, it’s RED. Really? Yes. That being said, I did take a long look at my stash, and it’s true. RED.

I have worked on 10 quilts this month. And with very little exception, RED is the most predominant color in those quilts.

So is it because the color red inspires passion? Think of Valentine’s Day. Lots of red. We’re told that we should include red in the dining room because it stimulates the appetite. And that we shouldn’t use red for dinnerware if we’re trying to lose weight…hahahaha! Ok, I see that comparison: ok for the walls but not for eating…Eating Red: Cherry pie, strawberry shortcake. Red Velvet cake, beets. Can you think of anymore?

Red is a popular color theme in colonial homes. And if you want to really add pop to the standard Black and White, red is a good way to go. I’m wondering…nope. I have a few pieces that have a sliver of red in them, but you’d have to be looking for them. Well, I’m not suggesting that I lack passion, just that you have to know that it’s in my sewing room! I own 2 red bath towels. Red Notebooks (so I can find them). So there’s not a lot of red in my house, but maybe there’s some in yours!

Take a look at your home, and tell me if you have any significant amounts of RED in the room…it could be that you are a more passionate person than I am, but I doubt your red-stash is larger than mine.