Wintertime With Quilts

Happy 2020!

I have about 30 themes I've used around the quilt. Sometimes I just have to let QUILTS be the theme. For our January gathering, we needed something warm and cozy.

I grabbed my patchwork, wraparound skirt and headed off with bundles of cozy quilt stuff! I love this crazy thing from Guatemala. The design is crude, but the fabrics are fabulous!

Tiny Quilts... Unfinished Quilts

I covered the table with this and that and let the folks examine.

I needed no planning. The colors and designs got everyone talking.

This unfinished piece is always a favorite. Questions fly! Which square is your favorite? How many squares are there? Which one is the most different? Why was it never finished? Is it perfect? What does perfect even mean?

Children's Books

Why are there so many children's books about quilts? Well... then why do kids love quilts?

These books have gotten some love over the years. I've always enjoyed watching both adults and children absorbing the wonderful illustrations in these books. The words in a few of them, are as cozy and comforting as a quilt.

Sharing

There was some nice book sharing, in my morning and afternoon gatherings.

I loved watching this pair, pointing out the quilts in the illustrations. 

Another pair, looked over the Patchwork Picnic book. ​

Suddenly the whole table began talking about picnic quilts. What kinds of food might you eat, while sitting on a picnic quilt? 

Depends on if you put the quilt on a table or the grass! 

Fabric Recycling

Ramona spotted a photograph of an old quilt, made of worn out fabric scraps.

It reminded her of a quilt her mother made. We decided quilts can display the best kind of recycling!

Simple Design

Some were drawn to the quilts with complicated designs. Some preferred the quilt from Mexico, made simply with squares.

"Look! You can see the hand stitching! This is my favorite!"

Music and Wooden Quilts

I played a few recordings of songs, related to quilts. I had to dig pretty hard to find "Quilt Songs". I passed out lots of wooden shapes while the music played.

It was nice to have something to do with our hands while we listened to the lyrics, about quilts. One song made us all stop and listen. A man's voice sang about his mother's dedication to quilting... he described her focus and patience... 

"Do any of you remember your mother quilting?" I asked my morning group. I was totally surprised when no one said yes. Two said their mothers were too busy working to make quilts. 

The Traveling Quilt

I told my afternoon group, that I used to do volunteer quilt gatherings when I traveled. I showed them the "new quilt" that's in progress... made with all the squares that adults and kids have decorated, on my visits to schools and centers in different states and countries.

The odd and colorful thing has been buried in my closet for quite a while now. I haven't lugged my quilt and props on a trip in 3 years. As I saw the folks sitting around, pointing to the fun fabrics and smiling over the messages, it made me realize I've gotten lazy. 

What Did I Learn?

The enthusiasm of others can be so motivating. I got home in the late afternoon and made myself some tea in my favorite mug.

Maybe I need to challenge myself some more. It's hard these days to "get the okay" to volunteer, when you're far away in a new town or even a different country. Organizations that work with kids or the elderly have good reason to be cautious about volunteers.

But maybe getting the okay, is a little part of the Quilt Adventure that I love. I think I'll try to push myself and think about taking my quilt on the road again.  
​