SUNDAY STROLL - QUILT STUDIO

I've always had a sewing room or area I claimed for my sewing 'stuff' but moving to Tennessee allowed me the luxury of a place set apart just for my passion. Since, to my way of thinking, a Stroll is just another way of saying a leisurely saunter and there is no way a saunter is what I want to do on this very cold, I mean really, extremely cold afternoon, let me take you the short path from the back door over to the HOBBY SHOP. I share the space in this busy little shop with Flutemaker. His side is a wood and metal shop and

of course I use my side to play with fabrics. Here we have stepped in out of the cold and you can see it is jammed packed. The cutting area is high enough to cut and baste fabric without the pain of bending over a desk top height for any length of time.

Look up at our 'plain-sight' attic. We had the ceiling built two feet higher so that we could store all our extra paraphernalia where we could get at it easily. The true attic is also stuffed to the max.

Here in the center with the cutting table is my sewing station at an office desk I have jerry rigged to accomodate the sewing bed at desk top level. I have so much room now to manipulate my quilt size fabric for machine quilting. You can see my chair swivels to work at the second desk or the sewing machine.

Sitting at the machine I can look straight at my design wall and be inspired and think of different ways to move blocks in different patterns to decide which I prefer.

Although I have had my ironing station at the desk beside where I sit, I prefer to get up and stretch and iron my work so that my hunched over sewing posture gets relief from time to time.

Here are just some of the tools of the trade. Things have certainly changed since I started quilting and we drew our patterns on newspaper or opened out cereal boxes to cut templates. Cutting has been revolutionized with rotary cutters and plastic rulers that don't distort after several uses.

The right hand wall is to my back as I sew, but that is my thread area and storage for fabric and notions. I also have a wonderful distraction when I get stumped or very tired. Under the black striped fabric is one of Flutemakers musical instruments.

Here is the first Hammered Dulcimer he made for me. It is on a tall base for standing and playing. The stripes are cardboard cheater sheets that name the strings they are under.

Over on the left wall behind my design wall are two tall kitchen cupboards that I pushed together for storing fabric, lots of fabric.

Here is a quick peek into the wood shop. Since all wood needs sanding we have a double curtain at the doorway that can be dropped to fill the space and keep all the sawdust on the other side of the shop.

Here is a second sewing station where I keep my old and very dear friend, my faithful Singer. My new machine has a deeper area for stuffing large bed size quilts in for quilting. But little seamstress is still in good working order. This also happens to be winter storage for my front porch plants.

Before we go back out let me show you my computer station and give you a glimpse of a quilt program for designing patterns and quilts. I don't use it often but it's there when I need it. Also I can play quilting music CDs or games from time to time.

Button up your coat and lets scurry back to the house and have some hot cocoa. Then if you want to stroll with someone else go on over to Aisling's house and see who else is waiting for you to share their stroll.

ONE YEAR AS A BLOGGER

Happy New Year

from Flutemaker and Cloudhands

I started blogging a year ago yesterday. What an interesting experience. The best part is all the agreeable folks who have been kind enough to say hello and add interesting comments in response to my words and pictures. Thank you so much.

I began after much encouragement from my daughter Aisling at The Quiet Country House. She and her brother John were blogging and they thought I would enjoy it as well.

Having dabbled at writing years ago in a newspaper column, filling a space with words was not totally unfamiliar. Now to be perfectly clear, this was not big time newspaper work. The Tri-City Times was a weekly paper and so I wrote weekly in a column I called The Partyline. I wrote a local happenings spot where after telling club, church, school and personal interest stories I was allowed to finish out the 1500 words with whatever struck my fancy.

The most recurring theme here at 'Uncarved Block' has been the Sunday Stroll in response to Aisling and the feature she started and encouraged her blog friends to participate with her. I think I only missed a few Sundays. I begin the new year with a clearer understanding that this is something I enjoy and my intention to write more about Tai Chi and the Taoist thoughts indicated by my name Cloudhands and the Uncarved Block header have not really been realized. I hope to correct this in the coming months.

I think the next most visited theme in my life has been my sharing of my love of quilting.

Being out in nature may actually trump that because of the Sunday Strolls.

Live simply.

Love generously.

Care deeply.

Speak kindly.

Leave the rest to God.

Ronald Reagan

SUNDAY STROLL - AWAY FROM THE MADDENING CROWD

Come with me to a place apart. The sort of place we are told from many sources to visit often to restore ourselves mentally, physically and spiritually. We live in a home that is in a setting of peace and quiet, but we have built a little cabin down away from our busy house and hobby shop so that we can actually move to that other place that is apart.
We will stroll a short distance down to the bluff at the creek.

Come in with me. Perhaps we can sit a spell and listen to the wind in the trees and catch the song of the waterfalls.

It's never locked.

This is a wonderful place to pray, meditate and contemplate. Perhaps you would enjoy the sweet scent of sage to create an atmosphere of cleansing.

We even have a bedroll for you should you choose to spend the night.

The porch is an excellent place to look and listen to nature.

Does the sound of moving water lull you into serenity?

Do glimpses of the sky take you on flights of imagination and inspiration?

Perhaps you would enjoy a slow meander around the Labyrinth to open the doorway into your soul and your hearts delight.

Whenever you take time to 'come ye apart' you are giving yourself a gift of solitude laced with the comfort and joy that we sing about during the Christmas season. Where do you go for that sweet refreshment of time and reflection?

Do you want to continue strolling? Aisling's is the place to go.

JOYOUS NOEL

The birth of a child ... the miracle of Christmas

Out of the silence ... music

Out of the darkness ... light

Out of the uncertainty ... promise

Hope was born that night.

May you always hear the music

May you always be guided by the light

May you live the promise

And be led by the hope of peace and goodwill

to all men.

2009 MYSTERY QUILT

Last January Verda passed out 'Clue One' of our Mystery Quilt to be worked on for the '09' year of quilting within our Quilt Club. Each month she passed out another clue that we could follow the instructions to discover our suspect of the month. Eventually as the months passed we began to see patterns and possibilities to answer the mystery of what kind of quilt we were creating. The first month we were instructed how much fabric to purchase or gather from our 'stash'. We quilters are inclined to have shelves full of fabric (our stash) that appealed to our taste in color and possibility of quilts without knowing how we might end up using any of it in a project. This first picture shows how I followed my first clue and ended up with suspect 'A'

This process was followed each month until the experienced eye began to see likely patterns and potential. Finally we were given the final clue that showed how all the suspects lined up to create the whole picture of the finished quilt. The aHa! and 'But, of course' were realized and we could begin to sew it all together and solve the mystery.

Here I am at our Christmas party where we brought our quilts to be viewed during our Show and Tell portion of our get-together. This is a favorite and fun time to ooh and ahh and admire each others work. The choices of colors was as varied and special as each gal that had chosen them. We had learned that the pattern was called "Twisted Cables".

Come January of 2010 we will once again embark on the solving of the newest mystery that we will be presented with month by month. And so it begins as Sherlock would say. "Come, Watson, come. The game is afoot"

AN ECHO OF ANGELS ON HIGH

At last I had an opportunity to photograph clouds called 'mare's tails' at least that is what my Dad always called them. But wait...

as I looked around I was enthralled by an interesting possibility. What to my wondering eyes should I behold, but a gathering of angel whispers that grew


and grew until I thrilled at the possibility of an echo of

angels proclaiming the Wonder and Glory of God.

Oh, my!

Decking the hall

Slowly but surely I bring out the decorations, a little each week. Here I wanted to fill the corner of the dinning room with a little whimsy. The tree limb needed more than just a cartridge as decoration, at least in my eyes.

May your days be merry and bright as we celebrate the wonders of a loving God.