March 31 Block

This marks 90 days of daily blocks and one quarter of the year down.... Mary

Madison 30 Block

Happy 25th birthday to Eileen!  It's true, our baby is 25 today!  And we are all full of lamb and creme brulee thanks to Anne as head birthday chef.

As I believe I've mentioned before, Eileen's favorite color is shiny.... Mary

March 29 Block

One dozen egg yolks later and the creme brulee is cooling on the counter in all its creamy, yellow, yolky goodness awaiting Eileen's birthday dinner tomorrow night.... Mary

March 28 Block

Really terrible night's sleep last night.  I'm hoping the shockingly bright stripes will keep me awake until 9:00, then I can justify going to bed and actually have a chance of sleeping through the night.... Mary

March 27 Block

Never been a huge fan of paisleys, but my older daughter, Anne, loves a paisley, and she's bringing me around.  Although I'll have to use this fabric again to show off the paisley design to greater effect.

Grandma needed a smaller quilt for the hospital so I made a lap quilt with each of the eighteen squares using just one of the four fabrics from the original four square quilt.  Rick delivered the quilt to her this weekend.... Mary

March 26 Block

A little reminder to myself to stop and smell the roses, as they say, even if it's snowing outside (which it is) and even if the rose is crocheted.  Thanks to my anonymous collaborator on this piece:  a craftswoman who somewhere, sometime took thread and a hook and turned it into a rose.... Mary

March 25 Block

Life is a whirligig.  What a great word.... Mary

March 24 Block

Not sure if these are beads on strings going all the wrong ways, or if they're bulges in long balloons ready to burst.  It's been a strange week.... Mary

March 23 Block

As my husband says, "It's always frigging something."  It was one of those days.... Mary

March 22 Block

There may be rain and sleet outside, but there are flowers on the fabric and daffodils on the table....  Mary

March 21 Block

First full day of Spring.... Mary

March 20 Block

Today is the vernal equinox.  Don't you just love the sound of that, vernal equinox.  Just sounds impressive.  Of course, it poured rain all day on this, our first day of spring.  It's supposed to be 54 and sunny tomorrow for the first full day of spring!  Then it's supposed to snow on Wednesday.  When we moved here 33 years ago one of the first things we were told about Wisconsin was, "If you don't like the weather just wait five minutes.  It will change."  And as we all know, there's actually not one single thing we can do about the weather.... Mary

March 19 Block

We are very fortunate in the Madison area to have some amazing quilt shops.  My nearest and dearest is Stitcher's Crossing here on the west side of town.  The selection of fabric is wonderful, and the staff is delightful and helpful to a fault.  And they have a fabulous knitting section if that happens to be your preferred addiction.  On the east side of town is Gayfeather Fabrics which carries a wonderful assortment including some unusual silks and velvets, again with a marvelous and helpful staff.  Slightly further afield but still in the Madison area are Mill House Quilts in lovely downtown Waunakee with a huge selection of great quilt fabrics from contemporary to traditional to repro to batik and more.  All of these shops offer classes to help folks get started and keep going with their sewing and quilting.  To name a few more, Saving Thyme in downtown Stoughton and J J Stitches and Prairie Quilt Works in downtown Sun Prairie.

Again, I have no affiliation with any of these stores, I just enjoy having them available to myself and other quilters right here in our own backyard.  I am personally far too visual and tactile to not want to actually see and touch the fabrics I'm going to buy.  We do need to support our local businesses because, well, they're local, and they're employers who add to the quality of life in our cities and towns.  The push to buy local helps everyone.  As the late Paul Wellstone said, "Everyone does better when everyone does better."  These shops help our local economies do better so we can all do better.  Enough preaching for tonight....  Mary

March 18 Block

Today is Friday of spring break for the University, so it was a mandatory furlough day.  JK and I took advantage of a lovely, nearly spring day and went to Elm Grove, WI, and visited two amazing quilting/sewing stores that are just a block apart:  Patch Works and Bigsby's Sewing Center.  (Please understand that I am not affiliated with or receive any compensation from any store that I mention.)  Patch Works has room after room of gorgeous quilt fabric from the traditional to the contemporary and then some.  Bigsby's is a complete sewing center with a wall of threads and imported Japanese fabrics, as well as just regular, fabulous quilt fabric.  Both stores are bright, delightful, and have staff that are beyond helpful.  Other quilters were there sharing their projects as they chose their fabric.  It was an awesome day!

Please excuse me while I get on my soapbox for a moment:  If we want to continue to have these amazing, wonderful, fabulous local quilt (knitting, bead, craft, art supply, etc., etc.) stores, we need to spend our dollars locally.  These businesses can only stay in business if we keep them in business.  Particularly with the rising cost of cotton brought on by the devastating floods in Pakistan and the slowly recovering worldwide economy, we have to support our local shops or there will be no local shops.

This is not to disparage online suppliers.  There are some wonderful companies selling great fabrics and supplies.  Certainly there are areas that do not have local shops available to them, especially rural quilters who may have to travel long distances to find a quilt store.  But local shops give us access to classes, sponsors guild events, and host quilt shows that would be lost to us without their presence in our communities.  Let's keep supporting them, so they can support us in our art making.

Tomorrow I'll talk about my favorite Madison area quilt shops.  We are blessed with several....  Mary

March 17 Block

This block was inspired by the belted back of my daughter's bathrobe.  The gathers are interesting, but I don't know if I'd want a whole quilt with gathers.  I suppose it's not a lot different than yo-yo quilts, just straight across instead of circular.  The dimensionality of it is a challenge to photograph though, a lot like beadwork.... Mary

March 16 Block

We still have piles of dirty snow on the ground, and it may snow again before we're done, but it was sunny and 58 degrees today.... Mary

March 15 Block

And the crocus are just coming up around the tree in the front yard!  I'm watching the movie, Hidalgo, while I sort fabric.  I need a story where the good guys prevail against adversity.  Plus, who can't look at Vigo Mortensen on horseback, or just standing there for that matter, for a couple of hours?  Mary

March 14 Block

There are little tiny green tips of daffodils and hyacinths poking up through the dirt.  It's just a matter of time, and we'll have flowers in the yard again.... Mary

March 13 Block

Picked up a batch of daffodils at the Co-op, first ones of the season.  They are on the kitchen table, and they smell amazing and light up the room like a Christmas tree.  Unfortunately, I don't have any daffodil fabric, so I went with pansy fabric instead.  The garden center will probably have pansies soon in all their amazing variety.

Since making Grandma's quilt was a rather hurried job, my studio ended up looking like a bomb exploded in it.  Throwing fabric over my shoulder as I went, it ended up everywhere with nothing being put back where it belonged.  I managed to beat back most of the mess today, so here are before and after pictures.

Grandma's quilt is done and delivered.  There are 18 four patch squares, each one in a family member's favorite color:  One for Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Sheila (her sister), three children, three spouses, and nine grandchildren.  It was done very quickly and the quilting is about as simple and fast as possible.  I am definitely no machine quilter as yet.  If I'd had six months to make a beaded piece for her, that would have been a different story.  Time was of the essence, and while my beaded work may be exquisite, it doesn't keep you warm.... Mary

March 12 Block

The "official" count for today's Capitol rally was 85,000, which means it was a least 100,000, probably more.  I've never seen anything like this at the Wisconsin State Capitol in my 30+ years in Madison - not for Cows on Concourse, not for any Farmers' Market, not for any art or food fair.  The rally was appropriately loud but entirely peaceful.  People were thanking the police officers who were stationed in the Capitol itself, applauding the Teamsters, cheering the firefighters.  There were babies, children, elderly folks, folks in wheelchairs and walking with canes, dogs with placards, even Uncle Sam on stilts.  Unfortunately, we missed the farmers who circled the Capitol in the morning with their tractors and combines because they had to get back for the evening milking.  It was very moving and very inspiring.... Mary

March 11 Block

Too tired to even think very much.  Unbelievable week.  My friend JK saw a beautifully lettered sign in a jewelry store window today that said, "Don't Mourn, Organize!"  Can't say much more than that.... Mary

March 10 Block

The most heartbreaking part of this awful legislation is not what it will do to public employees.  It was not clear last night but is all too clear today - the "budget repair" bill will place the fate of all Medicaid recipients in Wisconsin in the hands of a single person, the Secretary of Health.  There will be no legislative oversight, no public hearings, just one man denying health insurance coverage to the weakest and most vulnerable of our citizens: children, the elderly, and the disabled.  These government officials profess to be devoted Christians, but I feel pretty safe in saying, this is NOT what Jesus would do.... Mary

March 9 Block

The Republicans in the Wisconsin Senate used the nuclear option and uncoupled the collective bargaining segment of the "budget repair" bill from the fiscal portion and passed the bill.  This basically strips Wisconsin state workers (teachers, nurses, EMTs, prison guards, office workers...) of their rights.  Worse than that it completely tramples on the democratic process in Wisconsin.  I'm guessing that none of the people who voted for this bill have ever had to choose between buying food and paying for health care, yet this is exactly what will happen to a large number of workers in our state.  Shame on everyone involved in this mess.... Mary

March 8 Block

Grandma likes bright primary (and secondary) colors.... Mary

March 7 Block

Then again there's a lot to be said for snowdrops and crocus and buttery, lemony jonquils.... Mary

March 6 Block

As much as I complain about being done with winter, it's really the short days (thankfully getting longer) and the lack of sunshine (today was a delightful 'partly sunny') that get to me.  We drove into Illinois today to see Grandma who is doing as well as can be expected and better than I'd been prepared for.  There is virtually no snow on the ground there so all of the amazingly subtle winter colors were on display: the varied grays of the tree trunks with their beautiful silhouettes, the muted and waving grasses, the still tufted and browned cattails in the ditches, and the grayed black of the winter top soil with dried stalks waiting to be plowed under.  Maybe some day I'll want to fly south for the winter, but for now I still love the winter fields of the Midwest and the subtle beauty of the quieted landscape.

March 5 Block

Woobly Dr. Seuss stripes from the border of Grandma's quilt.... Mary

March 4 Block

On a gray and raining day, make your own sunshine.... Mary

March 3 Block

The temperatures stayed warmer than expected today so no freezing rain or snow.  Tomorrow will be rain and more rain, but by Sunday we may see sunshine.  For now, no ice means we're in the pink.... Mary

March 2 Block

I'm trying to stay optimistic about the imminent arrival of spring, even though we're about to have two days of freezing rain and snow.  Flowers, warmth, sunshine, it is coming.  Really, it is.... Mary

March 1 Block

Two full months of daily blocks done, wow!  Spent another day off working on Grandma's quilt.  Anne's favorite color is green, definitely not blue greens though.  She loves yellow greens, avocado greens.  And I must admit a secret weakness for rickrack.  There is just something so frivolous and fun about it.  Even the name is fun, rick-rack.  So the rickrack stripes were irresistible!  Back to work tomorrow and then home to quilt in the evening.... Mary