World Blog Hop

Hi. My name is Chris and I am somewhat retired, mother of 2, grandmother of 4 delightfully wonderful children and married to one Sweet, Sweet farmer who allows me and encourages me to study and travel while he carries on milking cows here on our family farm in Southern Ontario, Canada.

Carole at  wheels on the warrandyte bus  tagged me and I immediately panicked wondering, "What am I going to write??"  I discovered Carole's blog from Australia when I joined the chester criswell quilt  BOM which I found through  Esther Aliu . I was intrigued by the yellow buses lining the sides of Carole's blog and how she learned to do hand stitching on the bus commute everyday. Stitching or reading anything in a moving vehicle makes my stomach, um . . . unsettled. But what she stitches just blows me away! She finished her Morrell. Her What?? I thought? Her Sarah Morrell Sampler quilt. I tracked down the Di ford pattern from threadbear. It is on my one-of-these-days-I'll-get-to-it list. And she is presently working on the Di Ford Antique Sampler which is also on my to-do-some-day list.

What am I working on?
I have come to realize that I am actively working on no less than large 5 reproduction quilts using about every technique available. I started the Dear Jane quilt 5 years ago trying to keep 10 blocks ahead of the 6 girls who joined my class here at Quilting at the Farm where we quilt most Saturday mornings. I was working on my masters at the time and then started a doctorate. I had all the 4 1/2 inch blocks completed in June 2013 as well as a few of the triangles. Back in April I started a month long blitz to complete as many triangles as I could, and finally finished them end of August. I added all the borders Sept 1. I plan to machine quilt the thing later this winter after I have practiced up my machine quilting skills on my Brother 1500S. I started a second one this week in very bright colours. I am planning to blog my journey through this at a pace of 10 blocks per month on my new blog Quilting Jane at the Farm.

Dear Jane Quilt

One year ago I bought year 1 and 2 of the Chester County Criswell Quilt, a BOM from  Sharon Barnes

I was born in 1952, 100 years after  the original quilt was made as a wedding quilt in 1852 for a distant relative of Sharon's. And, my father's name was Chester so that was enough of a coincidence to get me on board. I added a few reds and greens to the left overs from the Dear Jane project. I started needle turn applique over freezer paper and quickly abandoned that to straight up needle turn cut away after drawing the the design onto the fabric from a freezer paper pattern.Since many of these are paper cut designs, that was the simplest way to prep the blocks. I packed these as hand work when I traveled or babysat. Each block finished at 12 inches. Year 3 has just been just released.

Chester County Criswell Quilt

In January Sentimental Stitches and Dear Jane offered the just takes 2  free for one month BOM and I could not resist, since I had enough left over reds and greens from CCCQ and just enough background fabric for this 100x100 wedding quilt from 1856 located now in an Indiana museum. There are 25 sixteen inch blocks and 4 borders with 10 or 11 swags. I was already doing a hand applique project, so I thought I would take the easy route and do this one by machine applique. I am using the wash away floriani fuseable web and turning under the edges. This is taking a lot longer than I had anticipated. There will be 4 corner buds in each block, eventually. 

  

Benjamin Biggs Wedding Quilt

In the meantime, the beyond-the-cherry-trees-album-quilt patterns went on sale in Feb and I could  not resist, since I had been eyeing them for a couple of years. I started needle turn hand appliqueing these in mid June. This has become my take along/babysitting/keeping my hands busy project this summer. Sad to say, but the hand work is getting done quicker than the machine work. I am really enjoying working with the Kona snow background fabric. I am giving serious thought to hand quilting this one. 

Beyond the Cherry Trees Quilt

I started this Go Real Fast Quilt quilt last year. I bought many of the GO dies and had some custom leaf dies made to hurry up the process. I am happy to announce that I am hosting and teaching the very first GORF Weekend Retreat here at the Farm in mid November. The plan is to make it in a weekend.  Well, we should get all the blocks made using heat and bond lite fuseable for raw edged shapes cut with all my Accuquilt GO dies and hopefully get a lot of the machine appliqueing done. I am quilting each block individually and will connect them with strips. Why I decided to quilt them with 1 inch cross hatching I will never know. I am not enjoying it as much as I should since I am having trouble sewing a straight line some days.

GO Real Fast Quilt

How does my work differ from others of its genre? 
Others get their quilts completed and quilted. I keep starting new ones. I like the reproduction quilts and researching the historicity of quilting. I like the challenge.

Why do I write/create what I do? 
Quilting is not the only thing I do. It is easier to write about my quilting progress than about my writing progress. I am working my way through a self paced online Doctorate in Christian Counseling. This means that I have no deadlines and so am taking way too long to do all the required assignments. I have written a book about my experience as a young mother with a profoundly handicapped child and am still working through the proofing process because, when publishing non-fiction, one has to be careful not to offend any real people who may be referenced in the story. I have a publisher on standby, waiting for me to commit to a contract.
I am also writing through my menopause journey which was a nightmare of anger, depression and thoughts of suicide that eventually turned to peace, joy and purpose. It appears that I cannot work through some of the doctoral studies without addressing and dealing with some of the things in my past that still bring me pain. But then, that is the whole purpose of the doing the degree, to better help others address the hurts and pain of their past and present by bringing issues to Jesus, who is the Word of God, and allowing the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, to bring lasting healing to hearts and spirits to anyone willing to let go of those hurts and pains through forgiveness. In other words, I am still a work in progress and each course brings me closer to God. Quilting had often been a life line for me during those difficult times. So, quilting and writing go hand in hand in my life and experience.

How does my writing process work? 
I usually just start writing and see where the words take me. I am often surprised by the outcome. Much of my professional writing is done long hand where I can think better, but then I still have to take the time to type it all out. I am constantly re-reading  and proofing, but never quite enough, since I often find typos and errors after I hit publish. Sometimes I hit delete and start all over again another day. I am constantly thinking, "Is this what I really want to say?" "Does anyone care what I write?" Then I get comments and emails that make my heart sing with joy as readers share how my words affect them.

I am tagging Marjorie at  marjories busy corner. I first met Marjorie on line last winter through needle and thread network where Canadians are invited to link to others who quilt and sew and knit and do other creative things. She lives in beautiful New Brunswick and says, "it is the open space and fresh air of the country . Everything is green right now and soon the leaves will change with Fall weather. What's not to love, eh?" I am amazed at what Marjorie accomplishes in a 24 hour day. Not only does she do her own quilting, but she quilts for others all day. Now I have only completed a Dear Jane top. Marjorie has hand quilted one for someone else!!

Don't forget that I am giving away a Rosemary Makhan  pattern  to celebrate my 1 year blogging anniversary. Just leave a comment about where you live and what you love about where you live. The draw will take place this Thurs Sept 25th.

Blessings,
Chris