Going Green and musings

I have decided that I am going to go green. I have several patterns and I am going to start making grocery bags for myself and anyone else I can pass them on to...I've been wanting to do this anyway cuz I hate those plastic bags. I always liked the paper sacks we used to get . We would use those to cover our school books with when our bookcovers got too dirty. My Mom would use them for all kinds of things. We'd take them apart and draw on them. We'd cut them up and make paper hats out of them.... We were recycling when we didn't know what the word really meant....Do you remember saving your newspapers and having paper drives at the schools? My grandmother used to put newspapers in her quilts when she didn't have money for batting...She also used newspaper to cut out her patterns AND she sewed directly on the newspaper just like paper piecing today.
One of my favorite dresses when I was a kid, was made out of a sugar sack. I thought it was the most beautiful dress I had ever seen. It had red roses on it and I thought I was really something. We used feed sacks for dish towels and for diapers too.
We bought oatmeal that had the glasses in it just so we could have the glass. My Grandmother dipped snuff and she always saved her snuff glasses for drinking glasses. Jelly used to come in glasses too and we saved those for drinking glasses.

Isn't it funny how you do things all your life and then whamo, somebody comes along and names it something and gets credit for starting something? I've always turned the lights out when I leave a room, don't run water when I'm brushing my teeth, put a brick in my toilet to reduce the water needed, catch water off the house to water my plants, save plastic and aluminum for recycling....etc, etc, etc. I just thought it was using common sense.

Dallas Quilt Show, New Books, Old Magazine Find, QNN and QuiltersTV

The show was great. Beautiful quilts, great vendors and good friends, can't beat anything like that! I was going to go to the show with some friends and they all backed out. They went on Saturday and wore themselves out and couldn't go on Sunday. I went and walked around and took my time to admire all the beautiful quilts. There are so many talented people in the quilt world, it is amazing! I was able to pick up the two Civil War books I have been wanting. Our local shops have been sold out of these books so I got them at the show. I picked up Civil War Love Letters and The Amish Circle Quilt Book, both of these written by Rosemary Youngs. I'm still working on my Civil War Diary Quilt blocks but didn't want these books to not be available when I wanted them. Also, this way, I can read the books ahead of time and enjoy the stories. I might even start on these blocks and work them along the way too....too many quilts, not enough time!

Several months ago I joined QNN, Quilter's News Network and I have been watching the videos on this online quilt program. Fons and Porter are high profile on this site and you can watch their videos 24/7. One of the programs was a basketweave quilt and I just loved this little (it was a baby size) quilt. I saw the quilt made up at the show and the shop had kits made up with the old magazine (Jan/Feb 2007 issue) included in the kit. I did not want the fabric and was able to sweet talk the shop owner into selling me the magazine. Nice lady! I think she got tickled at me....I saw the quilt from across the aisle and I practically ran into her booth. I didn't even wait for her to quit talking to other customers , I just blurted out, "Is that the same quilt that was on the Fons and Porter Video?" She laughed and said yes, it was! I was so excited about it that I think it thrilled her too. I ended up with the magazine and there are several other good patterns in it too. I am so pleased and can't wait to give this pattern a try...Isn't it funny how something so minor can make us so happy?

I like QNN but you do have to join that one. Another site that I go to is QuiltersTv and it is free. Try that one out...Both are good. I found one on Saturday, it is Kay Woods TV but I haven't watched it yet so I can't say if it is any good. I'll start watching that one and let everyone know...'til next time, quilty hugs.

Musings and a little sewing

Well, it's getting late and I'm tired but I wanted to write a little something, something before I head for the bed.
I have finished piecing 20 Log Cabin blocks for my Block of the month. These were the "filler" blocks and were the last of the blocks and now I can start putting it all together. I have enjoyed this BOM but I'm not sure I will do another one. This was my first and my last. I am not one of those people that needs a kit or someone else to pick out fabric for them just to pump out a quilt. I don't want to have one of the same quilts that 5000 other people have. I enjoy doing my own thing. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with kits or Block of the Months. I think they are big time savers for alot of people. All I'm saying is that I want to be the one that makes my own kit or my own BOM or do my own thing. I like being different or singing my own out of key song....Anyway, I didn't mean to get on the bandwagon or anything about that, I just wanted to say I am finished with my blocks and can get to the putting together phase of the project....Woo hoo. I do like to see a finished project.
Someone once told me (and I don't remember who it was), if you figure out what kind of quilter you are, you will feel better....What I mean by this is: are you a product person or a process person?....Do you just have to see a finished product or do you enjoy the process? Most of the time, I am both. I am a very obsessive, compulsive person. I really have to stop myself and take time to ENJOY myself. I love piecing a block and seeing it come together. It's like a puzzle. If you can just fit that piece together with that other one, it will fit just right over in that little corner. ANYWAY, I am going to have a finished quilt shortly and I will put up a picture soon. I have to find my camera first....