Why Quilt?

One thing I love about the blog is that it is always here whenever I get back to it. Never looking at me with a judgmental eye or criticizing. I appreciate you for continuing to check in to see what is happening like an old friend who is there for me each time I call.

Well I have been working very hard. Some days I wonder why I am working, why is quilting my passion, and why do I wake up in the morning dying to get back to work on the latest project. I don't know if I ever find answers to the questions I ask but I am still having fun with it.

One thing I know for sure is that quilts are not loved/appreciated by everyone. So many people tell me that it was something their grandmother used to make them do or something they say old people do. I wonder if they ever stop to think about why they did it. Of course the obvious reason was for bed covering so why have people continued it. We no longer NEED quilts to stay warm. That quilt need has been usurped by blankets, comforters and duvets. Yet we still joyfully do it.

I have heard many quilters say that once they tried it, they were hooked. I know exactly what they mean but can I put it into words. From my husbands point of view, I just go out and buy fabric; bring it home and cut it up into little bitty pieces, and then take untold amounts of time sewing them back together. Yes that is what I do but I have to confess that a lot of internal bliss happens between the lines.

There is something exhilarating about creating a thing (quilt) or putting a puzzle together. The internal peace that I can find when I zone out while doing a repetitive motion is so wonderful. Many times I get up and dance around because I love what I doing so much. It is a beautiful thing when your career and your passion come together. :-)

Third Base

I can see home base glaring in the bright summer sun. Just one more hit and I am flying into home base like a super ball player. I went window shopping at all the online fabric stores. Then one fabric stuck in my mind. I went past it and made a mental note. I looked at about 100 more fabrics only to go back to that one that initially turned my head. Somehow I knew it was the one to make the statement I wanted.After a lot of auditioning ideas, I finally settled on the fabric for the background.

The closer I get to the end, the further away it seems. Quilting is next. I have pinned the face onto the background. I need to sew that on by hand before quilting. The task of embellishing will be last. The good news is that I am up to the task. The main problem is that the clock is chasing me around the house and he is winning. I plan to have it together by the deadline, but it looks like it will be tight.  I'll keep you posted.

Home Stretch

I'm finally back to work on this project. It has been sitting on the design board, looking at me, while I work on other projects and meditate on how it will develop. Plus I wanted some focused-time to concentrate on it and nothing else.

I tackled the lips as soon as I had three hours of alone time with this quilt. When I am close to the quilt, it just looks like a lot of little pieces of fabric cut into the craziest shapes. But when I step back from it, I find it worth every little twist and turn on the sewing machine.

Then I was on to that wonderful gray spot in her hair. I know the standard now is to dye it so we can look young as long as possible. If gray hair means aging, then I say flaunt it. Show the world all the years you have to be grateful for living. Let it be an accumulation of knowledge. Let it tell the story of survival, compassion and triumph. So I found a good four or five hours and let the sewing machine have its way. I first layered in some black strands of thread over the white fabric. Then I laid in with the gray and white mix. Back and forth, back and forth. Whooooo Wee......

Finally an almost complete face (no eyelashes yet), but I am still trying to decide on the background. I'm sure it will strike me soon.

Good Eating

I am so happy to announce the release of my new cookbook. It is time to have healthy food and good tasting food at the same time. Changing to a vegetarian diet was a difficult twist that upset my life. I understood all of the rational for eating better, but could not find food that tasted like the food I was used to eating. I set out on a journey to learn more about food and soul food cooking. I wanted to know why soul food was considered so bad.

My family was pretty upset about my change. They all love soul food but I never liked chitterlings, so maybe that is why I leaned towards a change easier than many others. I also want to be healthy. I found that we are not taught what it takes to make our bodies healthy, especially where food is concerned.

Over time I found some answers. I tried recipes in a lot of cookbooks to no avail. Then I remembered that we basically ate fresh food right out of the garden. I also remembered that my Home Economics teacher said that beans were a high source of protein. So I started there. Much to my surprise, I found out that people had been eating vegetarian food for over 100 years-maybe longer. I couldn't help but wonder why I had never heard of different kinds of eating while others knew a lot about it. And if it encouraged health, why wasn't that information made readily available to all of us.

I can't say enough about my love of biscuits. I didn't want to give them up, but I had long given up lard and crisco and that is how my auntie taught me to make them. I tried to make them with my new found ingredients. We often laugh about those hard little pieces of bread that were reminiscent of rocks. My nephews say they would use them to throw at the apples to make them fall from the top of the tree. I got to say that it was pretty bad. Whole wheat flour and cold pressed oils only made biscuits that were a far far cry from the light and fluffy biscuits of Marie Ponder's kitchen.

After so much trial and lots of error, I finally got it together. It was more about the technique than the ingredients. Don't get me wrong now, the ingredients do play a roll but the soft melt-in-your-mouth texture is in the touch. Breads and desserts are the biggest challenge. I could always stir up some squash, steam some broccoli or cook some lentils, no real challenge there, but that bread! I have now become know for those biscuits. When I travel to visit friends, they ask if I will make biscuits.

Now many foodies swear off bread and that is alright too. I like to live in the world of moderation and I think of bread as something I can have in moderation. Anyway, long story short is the birth of "Cuisine On The Nile Vegetarian Cookbook." Check it out at www.theveganveteran.com

Sewing It Up

I think of this as a big puzzle and I love puzzles. As a matter of fact, my whole family love puzzles. My brother talks of fond memories of putting puzzles together with our Mom. Not to mention all the puzzle fun we have had at family reunions.

Once I get all the pieces together, I stand back to see if it all works. Then I am ready to sew down all of the pieces. I use two different techniques for sewing the pieces to the foundation. I opted to sew this one with straight stitches as opposed to a zigzag stitch. You can hardly tell where I stitched.

Of course I still have a long way to go with the stitching but so far the start is promising. I'm still in the process of deciding the background. Pretty sure it is going to be a print pattern although I usually use a solid fabric for the background.

I haven't started to sew the lips yet. I saved them for last. I need to have a stretch of uninterrupted time to focus on them. I don't want to lose that look with rushed and bungled stitches.

You may have noticed that I finished the blouse and all outside edges. What I absolutely love- is the fact that the work ticks along over time. It is as if I have done what I always say is the key to art. I have arrested time and I will slowly bring it back to movement as it develops.

Great Beginnings

I am feeling really good about the start of this quilt. Each day I get a little bit done and then I put it back on the design wall.  I have so many things to think about on it. Like the background, I haven't even thought about the background.  I would like it to be a print that doesn't distract from the portrait but I am not sure yet what that will be.

I also can't wait to start sewing all those pieces down. And I plan to do some thread painting in the hair, especially in the gray area. I just need to finish that little spot near the eye.

A couple of days passed and I was able to finish piecing the entire face. The next step will be at the sewing machine.

I will post the next stage as soon as I can find a little bit more time to work,. You'll see

In Focus

I find that as the days tick by, the face gets more and more in focus. Just filling in the little sections now. Can't hardly wait to move to the next phase. I get a little anxious thinking of what comes next as I get to the end of each phase. Didn't get to the nose yet but I am so happy with the eyes and the mouth.

Maybe the next time I post I will have all the little spots filled in. It has been hard for me to find a big block of time to work on it. I am sure that I'll at least get one of the sections finished. Thanks for checking in with my progress.