Quilt book

The story here is that I don't have my books with me. They are in storage. I want to make these tiny little quilts that are maybe 4 to 6 inches that will be given to women being treated for cancer. My sister Linda told me about this woman who makes these simple little quilts that are just four blocks and each block is knotted and they come with a note that says "Each knot is tied with love for you." The women who get these are very moved and keep them very close. An act of love and compassion between two women. So I thought I could do that with all of these scraps that I have from my own work and from all of the scraps that friends have sent me. But I am not an experienced quilter, even though there are those out there who think I am. So I have been looking for books with patterns I might use. I thought I would do something a bit different instead of just four squares sewn together. You know me. Never that simple. My mother and I were out today and we went to Martin's House of Fabrics. It used to be a big place, but now they are small and a bit disappointing. They have a decently small offering of quilting fabrics, but their books are on display on just a turning rack. Nothing to speak of. So we went to JoAnn Fabrics. I know. You are all screaming "WHAT??? It is all we have. I found this great book and brought it to the counter when I realized my 40% coupon expired yesterday. I thought that maybe if I was nice to the cashier, he might give me a small discount just the same. Well, was I impressed. He was so lovely. He gave me a 50% discount. Yes. 50%. I only paid $13 for the book. I just about died. And this is a thick book.

It was the type of customer care we would give to customers at Fabric Depot in Portland Oregon. When I told him that, he said "Oh, I know that store! I lived there and shopped there all the time! It was a great store!!!" This young man could not have been any older that what - 20, maybe 22 years old. I was very impressed. I may go to that store more often now for my emergencies. JoAnn Fabrics hit my heart today, I must admit.

Shawl

This is a small photo of the Honey Bee shawl I have been working on forever. I am running out of the yarn and am hoping that my sister will find more of the yarn in storage in Oregon. The yarn is very thin. I should have taken a picture of the yarn itself. The first picture is a good picture of the color. I will have to go back to my sister Linda's house and snap a picture of the yarn itself so D- can get an idea of the size of the yarn.

Kimono Scarf

Perhaps you have seen these in catalogs selling for anywhere from $60 to $150. They are made of course, from old Kimono silks and generally lined with new silks. I have not seen one in over a year. In my diaries which are in storage in Oregon, I have clipped the catalog pages they are advertised on. They are usually short and tied in one knot in the front. And they are always beautiful to look at and, I would imagine, wonderful to wear.


But I have chosen to design mine differently. I lined mine with the lining of the kimono, here you can see the coral pink. I made it 70 inches long so it can be twisted 'round in two. My two sisters always wear their scarves that way, and frankly, I love a scarf that is between 2 & 1/2 to 3 yards long. But I am a bit excessive.



In this piece there are gold, silver and pink metallic threads woven right into the design of the silk. There are just so many fabrics that it was difficult to choose which to use.


This copper piece also had a green dye graded into it. It was a lovely addition into the neutrals.


My sister Suzanne received this one for her birthday. I think I should make more. I want to take more of the kimonos out of storage. It takes forever to take one apart. But it is a peaceful process as I imagine the artist putting one together. Maybe I will go to the storage space tomorrow.