Checkmarks on the List
Although I have been lost in the news with everybody else, my personal life went nicely in January.
Early in the month I had a dinner party for my husband’s birthday. He loves a good gathering, and will often invite people over for barbecued ribs or fajitas. I wanted this dinner to be a little more formal with linens, flowers, candlelight, and best china, and it was a lovely way to spend a winter evening. I finally used some crystal sherbet glasses I have had for 35 years, to serve a delicious tiramisu chocolate mousse I made from this recipe. (The other pictures I took at the party didn’t turn out; I didn’t have the camera settings right for candlelight.)
Tiramisu chocolate mousse. With a little mustard in the background.
We are fortunate to have a group of friends that will go along with and adapt to any dinner party theme with relish. Back when I was researching the Copp Family Textiles, I saw that the collection included a set of “conversation cards” from back in the 1700s — I wrote out some of the sayings, and we tried to figure out what they meant! Some sparked more conversation than others, but it was fun to see what people thought they should discuss back then. Here are a few of the sayings — “It is better to go to Bed supperless than to rise in Debt,” “Most Men are the reverse of what they seem to be,” and “The surest way to be happy is to be good.”
Conversation Cards from the 1700s. Data Source: National Museum of American History, Kenneth E. Behring Center, Gift of John Brenton Copp.
As far as aligning my activities with my goals for the year, I have yet to look at the five books I said I was going to concentrate on, because in the middle of the month I saw all kinds of textile books at a used book store and took home a giant box of coffee table books on tapestry, kilims, carpets, and batiks! Thank goodness I didn’t resolve to not buy anything this year.
I have finished two of the projects on my UFO list – I made two dogs beds from a cheap memory foam mattress topper and some cotton duck (too boring to take a picture of, but useful!), and I finished these two lap quilts for the VA hospital.
Two lap quilts for the VA hospital.
There were some issues in piecing these, because some of the pieces were from poorer quality fabric, but the backing is lovely and it will feel nice to whomever receives it. Also, I could have done more elaborate piecing to make the Attic Windows look more three-dimensional, but I wasn’t willing to spend the time. I am pretty sure that at the hospital they just use these for a few weeks at most and then they probably toss them. I want them to be bright and colorful but I don’t want to invest more time in making them, than the staff will in making use of them. 🙂
One has wool batting and the other has cotton flannel for the middle layer. Both are very lightly quilted, just a few lines of stitch in the ditch, and both have been machine washed and dried. Neither filling caused any shrinkage.
Black and White and Red All Over lap quilt.
Attic Windows lap quilt.
For this year I really wanted to focus on scraps. One of the ladies in my quilting group is moving, and put about 9/10 of her fabric stash up for sale. I bought 8 shoe boxes full of scraps, already sorted by color, and cut into usable strips and squares! If you ask me, it just does not get any better than that. I could dither over making the absolute best choice for the use of all that wealth, but I am working fairly quickly, pulling the strips from one color box at a time and sewing them into sets. Then my plan is to cut those sets into triangles and whip some tops together for donation quilts.
I am finding it very comforting to make use of leftover pieces, to create something attractive that will benefit others.
Your photo of the dessert is all I need from the dinnerparty 😄 yummy!
Love the look of those qvilts.
It was a fabulous dessert! Chocolate that tasted like chocolate and not like just sugar. (In case you are thinking of giving that recipe a try….)
Scraps are wonderful, but be forewarned they can take over your quilting life. Not a bad way to go though. Hope the scraps are better quality fabric than the stuff you used for your VA lap quilts. Life’s too short for crappy fabric. Love your idea of using the conversation cards at your party.
Yes, these scraps are amazing! And I am just planning to put them into easy projects, not like the wonderful scrap art quilts you have been making lately!
I might have bought some yardage too. Like 50 yards.
But I am all about the scraps for now!
Love the quilts. The little conversation cards are a great idea, especially for your neat group of friends.
The VA quilts are bright and fabulous. I was surprised to read from you that you think they throw them away after a few weeks. Most of my donation quilts in the last few years have been for the VA hospital here. I’ve assumed they are given to patients to take home. Perhaps not…
A lady in our group, Ann, knows another lady that heads up collection of lap quilts and wheelchair bags for the VA here, and we were told that ours go to a ward where the people are not expected to return to health. They said that these patients are non-responsive, that they are sometimes just dropped off by family members who just turn over care to the VA and never come back. The patients often don’t have any clothing whatsoever, and the lap robes are the only thing that allows them to leave their beds and be put in wheelchairs. I don’t know if all of that is true but I don’t have any reason to doubt it, so as I am making the quilts, I don’t know if the recipients are even capable of noticing them. I am thinking of the caretakers and just trying to put a little color in the ward somewhere.
I certainly hope yours go home with the patients because yours are so elaborate!
Either way, I guess it is okay. They are meant to be used by vets, people who deserve so much more than we can give them. ❤ Thanks.
I agree. And I want the caretakers to get some color and texture in their lives too while they are working in such a sterile environment. It’s not a huge contribution but it’s what I can do easily.
It’s wonderful to pursue a craft we love while at the same time making something both beautiful and useful for someone in need. I hate to think your gorgeous quilts are discarded after such a short amount of time. Please say that isn’t so? Thank you for making a difference in the life of someone who surely needs some love and light in their life. Congrats on the shoebox stash!
If the quilts do get discarded, I am okay with that (except I don’t like to think of cluttering up landfills with them). Think about all the work you would do to provide a bouquet or some fresh vegetables for someone — it would be hours and hours of work for a joy that would only last a few minutes or hours. But the memory would last! 🙂
You know, there is a lot of life in textiles when managed properly. We have a local charity store called Goodwill that sells stained or otherwise unusable clothing to be used as filling in other manufacturing processes. For a period of time, Goodwill would also using textiles to make dog toys. One of our community centers passes on towels and sheets that they can’t give to clients to animal shelters. It turns out dogs and cats love soft clothing in any condition. 🙂 It’s always nice to see things get a new life. Your quilts are lovely and I can easily imagine them providing a lot of joy, and memories.
Oh and I forgot to say, what fun to make a fancy party for your husband and friends. Sorry the pics didn’t turn out.
Well, I will just have to do it again and get the settings right on my camera next time! 🙂
There you go!
That’s such a depressing story about the way vets are treated and just left at hospitals! I hope that isn’t happening . . . But your impulse to provide some color to those who can enjoy it and to the staff helping them–that’s wonderful and generous. I’ve always loved the Attic Windows design. And I’d love to be at a party where we tried the conversation cards!
I would imagine that some families just get overwhelmed when their family member no longer even knows where they are. I do think the veterans should have all their basics provided for, and it is sad if they don’t.
I would love to have you at a party where we read the conversation cards, but probably you and Don and I would end up in a conversation about weaving and the other people would have to have conversations around us. 🙂
I have included your blog in INTERESTING BLOGS in FRIDAY FOSSICKING at
http://thatmomentintime-crissouli.blogspot.com.au/2017/02/friday-fossicking-jan-3-2017.html
Thank you, Chris
I love scrap quilts and can’t wait to see yours! Have fun!