Yet More Quilts from The 2018 Vermont Quilt Festival

 As I promised my readers, here is another blog featuring more of the quilts from the 2018 Vermont Quilt Festival. The photographs were taken by my husband, Tom McMillen and each caption will credit the names of the quilts as well as their creators and their locations. Sit back and enjoy these wonderful quilts!

Blossoms From the East, pieced and hand-quilted by Barbara Korengold
of Chevy Chase, MD, taking Best of Show. This quilt shows not only a
beautifully designed hand-appliqued quilt but shows beautiful hand-
quilting as well!!

My Splendid Sampler, First Generation, pieced and quilted using a domestic
machine by Janet Dalis of Melrose, MA. I loved this sampler!

This is the backside of  My Splendid Sampler with names
dedicating each block separately! The design front and back
were beautifully done earning winning ribbons!

Braided Triple Irish Chain, pieced and quilted by Claire B. Watts of
Cohasset, MA. I loved the design,  muted colors and delicate lace edging
on this quilt. It was quilted using domestic machine and the quilting is
amazing! What a lovely quilt!

Radiant Stars, pieced and quilted by Nancy Simmons of Duncannon, PA.
She used domestic and longarm quilting machines to quilt it! Another winner!

Barnum and Bailey, pieced by Daisy Dodge of Carmel, NY. This was long-
armed quilted by Angie Vertucci. I didn't begin to try to estimate the amount
of pieces in this amazing quilt! And yes, that is a first place ribbon and
well-deserved recognition! I believe I read that this was the creator's
own original design.

Les Cubes, pieced by Liliane Whalen of St.-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, QC, and
Hand-quilted by Jocelyne Martel! Each of these cubes is pieced from tiny
octagons. I tried to figure out how many pieces and came up with
approximately 33,666 pieces? Surely my math must be off?..
And to think, her quilt is finished and my own simple quilts
are still in process!

40th Year Celebration, pieced by Miki Peine of Saint Paul MN. Longarm
quilted by Page Johnson. Think it is just like the other red and white quilt
featured below?...It isn't! Look at the center of this quilt!

40th Year Celebration, pieced by Miki Peine of St. Paul MN. This picture
shows the detail of the center of this quilt! Amazing or what!? Longarm
quilted by Page Johnson.

Rosslyn Tartan, created and quilted by Pat Delaney of Abington, MA.
This was quilted using a domestic machine and is an excellent example
of what we used to call "whole cloth quilting". My mother loved to let her
hand quilting be "the art", and this one one does just that!

Silky Six Collection, pieced and hand quilted by Susan Sherman of
Westport, NY. She has used silks and then embellished each design with
hand-embroidery, much like a crazy quilt! Very nice indeed!

Circle of Illusion, pieced and long arm quilted by Jean S. Welch
of West Chazy, NY. No show is complete without a beautiful
red and white quilt! What a marvelous quilt this is! Similar,
but different to the one above!

Vintage Rose, pieced by Lisa McCarthy of East Kingston, NH., quilted
using longarm quilting machine by Carrie Zizza of It's A Zizza. It is
definitely a winner!!

Blue Feathered Star, pieced by Laura Hartwell, Elkton, MD and longarm
quilted by Sue Whitaker. Love the classic blue and white colors and
 rather traditional pieced blue star design with appliqued borders! Very
beautiful!

Nevertheless She Persisted, pieced by Kathleen Bowler, Holyoke, MA,
and long arm quilted by Timna Tarr. Persistence is indeed what it took
to create this lovely and complicated quilt! It looks like a paper-pieced
quilt to me.

A-B-Sea for Ewe and Me, pieced and quilted using domestic machine by
Andree Bergeron, Lavel QC. What a lovely child's quilt!

As you can see, no quilt is finished until the quilting is done and how
beautiful is this quilting, earning multiple ribbons!

This is but a sampling of the many beautiful quilts at this year's show. Do mark your calendars and come to The Vermont Quilt Festival next June 2019 (information can be found on line)! You will be glad you did!

A Day at The Vermont Quilt Festival

A week ago, last Sunday, my daughter, husband and I went to the Vermont Quilt Festival. It was the last day of the show and so we left early to arrive as the doors opened at 10:00 a.m. It is a tough show to "do" in only one day and we were going to make the most of it! My husband likes to take photos of the quilts for me, so I can enjoy the show all year long on my computer, and he gets to practice his photography skills on subjects worthy of his time! I am going to share his photos so that you can enjoy some of this show as well. Of course, your view of the show through my blogs will be at my mercy, but I hope to do the show justice! This year did not disappoint us! The quilts were exceptional and the shopping too!

I will also share my new fabric collection with you. I have been spending any earnings as well as allowances on Kaffe Fasset fabrics and it was so fun to get to shop them first hand at the show, though some were purchased on ebay prior to the quilt festival. They are challenging me to use bigger, brighter and bolder prints. I will have to think outside the box in terms of patterns and use of these bright fabrics this next year, but the quilt show certainly gave me great examples of what can be created with them!

Some of my new Kaffe Fassett fabrics, bright and bold colors! Fun or fun?!

In this blog I will focus on the more wild and artsy quilts we saw at the show. They are super creative! I will post yet another blog to share some of the more traditional quilts with you. All are  beautiful works of art!

Though I haven't posted blogs in quite a while, I have been very busy sewing and creating quilts of my own and will follow these Vermont Quilt Festival blogs with one to bring you up to date with what has been happening at Little House. I have just finished two simple comforters that I squeezed in between my other longer term quilt projects, but seeing as how I am not ready to compete with the quilt experts who entered their quilts in the show, I will bring them to you in a separate blog! So sit back and enjoy this special selection of wild and artsy quilts. They stretched my brain and maybe they will stretch yours as well?

In yet another blog, I want to share with my readers what I have learned from another special quilter I met at the show last year and saw her again at this year's show. She personally shared information and philosophy about her process, much of which I have adopted to fit my own style of creating. I have never been one to create a quilt from start to finish and apparently I am not the only one. There are other ways to create and work on multiple projects. I have followed some of her advice and my quilts are growing rather painlessly. Her style of making quilts is relaxed and sure and allows me to bounce back and forth with different projects. My skills are growing as I work on multiple quilts. I am more patient with myself and am pleased with my quilt production.

Now for the wild and artsy quilts of the 2018 Vermont Quilt Festival: Please note that if you press "control" on your computer and use the wheel of your mouse, you may be able to take a closer look at the detail in these quilts! Again many thanks to my husband, Tom McMillen for these wonderful photos!

Glorious, hand-pieced by Shelley Sas and long-arm quilted
by Andrew Sas of Londonderry, Vt. Note the colorful Kaffe Fassett
fabrics! We loved the octagonal shapes, but don't be fooled,
 many have other designs  appliqued or pieced within them,
creating quite a feast for the eyes!

Dot, hand pieced and hand quilted by Susan Painting of Southampton, NJ.
Again this quilt artist has used many Kaffe Fassett fabrics! The bright colors
make this simple design so beautiful!

Elephant and Flowers, pieced and quilted by Michelle Bik of Trois-Rivieres,
QC. Machine quilted using domestic machine. Note the detailed bead work,
if you can!

Doodle Dandy, pieced, appliqued and quilted by Norma Ippolito
of Chester, Vt. The Quilting is done on domestic machine.
Many Kaffe Fassett fabrics were used to create this lovely
"collaged" floral rooster. 

The Chase, pieced and quilted using domestic machine by Jeannette Harrison
of Essex Jct, Vt. Very colorful and fun wall hanging!

Trouble in the Garden, pieced and quilted using a domestic machine by
Wilma Gatti of Jericho, Vermont. Beautifully designed and stitched!

Sweet Morgan, pieced and quilted by Mary Ellen Bradley-Gilbert  of
Florence, MA, using a domestic machine. Very sweet indeed!

Super Dex, pieced and quilted by Ree Fagan of Bow NH. She used a
long arm quilting machine to quilt this wonderful wall hanging!

Up Close and Personal, pieced and quilted by Timna Tarr of South Hadley,
MA. Quilting method": longarm quilting machine. Inspired by a fun photo
taken of a relative! She may think twice before making such a face again?

60 Years of Memories, pieced and quilted by Karen Swiech of Ashland, MA.
Quilted using domestic machine.

This is the back of 60 Years of Memories. Karen Swiech has transferred
photos to material and pieced this quilt! Nice job and what an incredible
way to save  and make a lasting family photo collection!

Elvis in the Garden of Matisse, pieced by Beth Reisman of Newton Center,
MA, and quilted by Irene Berry using a domestic machine.

Kimimila (translation, Butterfly) pieced and quilting by Beverly Cook of
Reading, MA. Quilted using domestic machine. I love butterfly quilts
and this one is especially colorful with great detail on the butterflies!

Classic Line Dance, pieced and quilted by Beth Cameron of Manotick,
Ontario. Quilted using domestic machine. This is done using stripped
 fabric, and applique. I love the optical illusion created here. Very
colorful and creative, albeit it, simple in construction and design!

Piece of Cake, pieced and quilted by Ann Feitelson of Motague, MA.
Quilting done on a domestic machine. Love all the colors in this! Very
creative version of baby blocks quilt pattern, all in the materials used!

Pot Luck, pieced and quilted by Wendy Caton Reed of Bath, ME. She
quilted it using a domestic machine. Most quilters could have such a quilt,
as it was all about the scrapped quilt blocks not used from previous quilts!
Interesting quilt or what? Very creative and to think all this beautiful quilt
might have been thrown out and wasted otherwise!

Please return to see my next blog covering some of the more traditionally created quilts. All are so fun!!

On a Quilt High

A prize winning quilt, Dragonfly Polka by Sylvia Smith of East Dorset, Vt.

My oldest daughter and I went to our local Maple Leaf Quilt Show last Saturday and had a marvelous time.  It is, of course, wonderful to see creations by some of the many who stitch away in their homes over the winter months like me, but at quilt shows, the quilts are only part of the celebration. Seeing old friends not seen for a long time as well as viewing vendor's booths filled with the newest and latest in machines, and materials are fun too.  The hallmark, however, of this particular event is getting to shop at their Consignment Shop. It is filled with all sorts of "white elephants" from their quilt club members and there are books, patterns, notions, threads and materials, at great prices! I have never met a quilter that isn't tempted by getting more fabrics and such for their private stashes!

Quilters were everywhere and it felt good to get the support of those who share our love and passion for quilts . As one woman right next to me at the sale said, "I don't even know you, but you appear to be like me and would agree that shopping for materials is more fun than sex!"  I knew exactly what she meant! We were all on a "quilt high" and picking through bags of delicious scraps is truly a joy, and this show and sale did what it was supposed to do, recharge our spirits and resupply us to keep us all creating quilts!

My daughter and I piled high my special quilt-show-rollator, a walker on wheels that keeps me balanced at quilt shows when I am not focused on walking and doubles as a shopping cart besides. Complete with basket, it was like driving a truck and gave me breathing room in a crowded sale as well! There were enough bargains for everyone and we were all delighted to pounce on so many great deals!

And to think that a yet bigger quilt show, The Vermont Quilt Festival is right around the corner at the end of June (in Colchester, Vermont)! It is one of the biggest quilt shows in the East and happens every year, unlike our local Maple Leaf Quilt Show that happens only once every two years! Our calendars are marked and I am practicing at relaxing well at night to ensure I get a good night's sleep the night before.  I have even been working out at the pool by swimming laps to get stronger as well. It is much like a marathon that a person must train for!

I invited one of my on-line friends I correspond with for this show, but soon realized that her focus was on traveling with her dog. She didn't understand that adding her dog to my own menagerie added a complexity to this event that I was not prepared to deal with. At seventy, and being physically challenged, my focus must be without major distractions in order for me to successfully take-in and enjoy such events! Quilting is what I do, and quilt shows demand that I collect and focus my energies for such events. They are "over-stimulating and exhausting events", but so important as they keep me motivated and charged for the rest of the year! They are not merely fun events, but ones that I don't want to miss. I realized that for those who travel, they may not be as important as they are for me! They are the only events that I really get out for and they create "a quilt high", that energizes me for the entire year!

Bless you, members of The Maple Leaf Quilter's Guild! What a wonderful event you put on for the community and a special thank you from this old lady, who didn't wait two years for the next show, but rather returned the next day with my husband who loves to see the quilts and photograph them for me. It is his gift to me, so I can enjoy the show whenever I want! Thank you, Tom McMillen for these and many more lovely pictures! I hope my readers will enjoy them too!

Maple Leaf Guild's own member was the 2018 Featured Quilter,
Sharon Shorey. This is her I Dream in Miniature Quilt.
Each block is an entire miniature quilt.

This miniature quilt, Tennessee Waltz, by Sharon Shorey
measures only 15 x 21 inches. Her detail is incredible!

Another miniature, Stars in Stripe by Sharon Shorey measures 20 x 24 inches!

Plaid Bird Houses by Sharon Shorey.  Sweet miniature quilt measures 8 x 8 in.

Hats off to all those who entered their quilt(s). You certainly delighted those that came to see your work! One of these years perhaps you will feature me as a guest quilter, not that my own quilts are done so well, but rather that I have so many to finish that perhaps I will in fact, turn into the Grandma Moses of Quilters, and be one of the most prolific quilters of my day, though I must admit that as yet few are finished! Though I plan to complete each of them, I also love to start new ones!! I am one of those that can't seem to focus on doing one quilt at a time and so one great day, I will finish dozens! UFO's are what quilters call their unfinished quilts, and I am not the only one that dreams faster than I can sew! I do remind myself, however, that it isn't about the number of quilts I do, but rather all the fun I have playing with fabrics each day!! It truly makes for a perfect retirement!

This wonderful quilt, Ties that Bind, is made out of neckties and then
beautifully embellished with white feather stitching.
By Diane Planter of North Clarendon, Vermont. 

I loved this quilt, A Challenge, by Janet Block of Rutland, Vermont. The
colors are so unusual and it is so richly quilted!

This was another favorite and won the 2016 Viewer's Choice Award. It is
called Harvest Celebration and is by Sylvia Smith of East Dorset, Vt.
It is so bright and colorful!

This is a close up of one of the blocks of Harvest Celebration by Sylvia Smith.
 It shows the amazing quilting and beautiful applique work!

Last, but not least is my friend and quilter, Holly Young of Florence, Vt.
proudly showing off her beautiful Red and White Quilt. Holly loves
scrap quilts and so do I. She won more awards with this year's quilt!
Way to go Holly! I will have to get her to autograph this picture! I
am so proud to know this talented, fun and silly quilter!

I love Holly, as she always shares her errors, making so many of us feel
like our quilts aren't the only ones that have them! The Amish actually
intentionally add errors to their quilts as only God makes perfect things.
I never have to intentionally add errors as they seem to find my quilts.
Holly laughed saying it wasn't until she hung up her quilt for the show
that she immediately saw the row of triangles going in a
different direction! I think it adds a bit of humor to her quilt
and makes Holly a humble and human quilter, like us!...
There is another quote about "pride going before a fall?" I
know that one too well!

Naming My Blessings

Addie Boy, my dear cat companion.

I used to say, when I was caught talking to myself, that I was consulting the best person I know. Now I am also consulting with my monthly house cleaner! I find him to be a warm soul and so I confide in him about the preceding month's events. This month I told him that I had lost another friend.  I am not sure if God is cleaning out my friend list, but truly any loss of friendship at my age sits heavy in my heart!  He smiled sweetly as he does when he is being sympathetic and then replied that one of his clients talks of spending much time with her friend, Phyllis and then added that she has likely named her sewing machine after its brand, Pfaff. His story made me smile. I was quick to pick up on his suggestion and started thinking of names for my sewing machines. He knows that I love to sew and each month I show him my sewing projects and he is one of my most avid supporters of my stitching.

Addie Boy, my constant sewing friend, with my dear friend, Beatrix.
Bernice, not pictured here, looks much like her relation, Beatrix.

I pondered about what to name my two Bernina sewing machines. Perhaps Bernie and Bernice, though both are deserving of more thoughtful consideration. Perhaps my mother's machine should be named Beatrix after one of my mother's and my favorite authors, Beatrix Potter. The name is fitting as it means "one who brings joy"! They are my most durable and faithful machines! They have only six different stitches and continue to work hard, and no matter how much I over-use them, they never let me down. My mother was always there for me when I needed her, and was my wonderful partner-in-crime when it came to quilting and so it is only fitting that her machine have such a special name!

I have another machine that I rarely use, but still treasure, my Husqvarna that does beautiful embroidery work among its other fancy stitches. Perhaps its name should be Husky Varna? I am no slight woman and so having a name like Husky is meant as no insult, but quite the contrary, she is much like me and she does stitching that I greatly admire!

Handi-Hope, a new friend that is going to help me quilt my many quilts.

I also  have my new semi-long arm Handi Quilter Simply Sixteen machine in my craft room in the basement. I confess she has been sitting in isolation too long as I focus on getting my quilt tops pieced right now. It will be like a new relationship when I return to her! The name Handi-Andy first came to mind, though I think Handi Hope might be a more fitting name for her as I have hopes that she and I will make quite a team when I get to quilting all my newly made quilt tops in the near future. For Christmas I acquired some rulers and a ruler table for her and I will soon be ready to quilt any sort of design I can imagine with her help.

I have a couple of other machines tucked away as well...my favorite Aunt's old Singer Featherweight machine, that I think I will call Fairlight as she is not only a beautiful antique and special treasure coming from my dearest Aunt, she is also dependable and  lightweight!

I also have another antique machine in its own cabinet likely not to be used unless the power goes out for an extended period of time as she is an old New Ideal treadle machine and has been a dependable and functional friend as well. I think I will name her Talulla which is both an Irish and American Indian name. The idea that she be given an Irish and American Indian name fits as she is a precursor to my other machines, like a rather primitive and early settler in my life and I do have a bit of Irish in my ancestry.  I also thought the name, Therese would be fitting after my French Grandmother as she represents the grandmother of all my machines. I  will then call her T.T., short for Tallulah Therese which means Princess of Abundance and  after some of my favorite French saints, Therese of Liseau and Theresa of Avila as well as my own grandmother). She is mostly stored and ready for use should any power outages occur. She was the first machine that I owned, back in the days when my ankles were trim and fit and less rusted than they are now!

My final machine friend is a pleating machine to be used for smocking. I keep her still for I still plan to someday use her to pleat and then hand smock like my mother used to do. I shall name her Pammy Pleater, after my long time nursing school friend, Pam, who lives in Colorado. I likely wouldn't have made it through college without her friendship! My house cleaner is right. With such trusty friends to spend time with, I will simply name them, and count my blessings that I have such loyal and abiding friends as these.

Not to be forgotten are my family of furry friends, Addie Boy and Cassie Dog, though I shall reserve other blogs for these trusty companions...and of course, last, but not least are my two daughters and husband, again deserving of their own blogs.

I must admit, that in my earliest days, my mother used to tell me that I had a best friend named Kathy Een, though my mother never saw her, she would however see me talking to her quite often and I apparently spent many hours in her company. I was apparently too young to master calling her by her real name, Kathleen, but that didn't keep me from enjoying her company no matter how invisible she was to those around us. Some say we revisit some of our previous issues as we get older. Some even need to wear clothes that weren't too different from our earliest days and it is interesting that they call them by special names too, like Depends or Poise, names that make them more dear to us as well, so why not give names to my special machines that keep me company while I stitch? Thanks to my house cleaner and his wise counsel, I now have seven friends I had not considered before as friends: Bernice, Beatrix, Husky-Varna, Handi-Hope, Fairlight, T. T. Treadle and Pammy Pleater! I am feeling less lonely already! And truly these are friends that have proved themselves to be true and loyal friends indeed!

As spring comes and it will be easier to get out and about, I will consider making more  "friends-with-skin", as one of my friends on-line calls "people-in-person" these days. She and I are growing used to having more on-line friends than "friends-with-skin" as we become more confined by the weather and our health issues.  With many inches of snow on the ground yet, I will presently count my blessings and appreciate the friends that I have right here within my own house, including my now named seven trusty friends, along with my dear Addie Boy Cat and Cassie Dog. I am thankful for them all, and grateful too for the wise counsel of my monthly house cleaner!

Cassie Dog, my meal and nap time companion.

Addie Boy is very fond of Beatrix as well as me!

A Civil War Quilt

I learned a few years ago, that my great grandfather was in the Civil War, and have been reading about it ever since. What an amazing time in our country's history and the more I learn about it, the more I realize that our present day political polarization isn't so different than it was in those days. Even our own households can be divided politically and our differences can seem quite large.

I am currently sewing Civil War blocks to create two quilts. I am using red, blue and off- white reproduction fabrics and patterns from Barbara Brackman's Civil War Sampler Quilt Book.  Her book has 50 different patterns, and the directions include different ways to assemble these blocks to create different quilts. It is providing me with much practice using different piecing techniques, and I am working to get my blocks exact so as to have corners meet and points remain points!

I am also reading about various women of those days and making the most out of what they have, and figured I might as well try to do the same. It makes me feel good to create something beautiful, as I think about the present's difficult issues. Passionate conflicts and divisions seem to be dividing us just as they did during the Civil War days. I am trying to be positive and hopeful that verbal discourse will lead to solving the problems at hand, and no matter what happens, I will have created some beautiful quilts! I am simple and practical enough to hope that relaxing and creating something beautiful will be a first step to creating peace in our household despite our differences. My quilt blocks will be as diverse as our opinions and yet will hopefully create a beautiful whole and unified quilt. Should our country be as fortunate!

Healing Hearts Sequel, or "Breathe, Jane, Breathe!"...

Like these roads in Chester, Vermont, friendships take twists and turns.

Shortly after posting my blog regarding how reluctant I am to keep my address book in pencil, my resolve was soon tested. Trying to be a good friend, means that I will be tested, as after all, it is the Lenten Season when Godliness versus humanness is the focus! I no longer sacrifice chocolate. "No, Lent is a season that I need all the reinforcements I can get". Sometimes just trying to be a decent human being is challenge enough.

Civility seems to fall short these days, as entitlement seems to reign and when you make promises to God, testing seems to follow. I was just swimming and suddenly there arose from the water two adults standing in my swim lane conversing nonchalantly. I nicely excused myself for being in their way, though the opposite was true and let them know that the narrow lane we were all standing in was occupied by me for swimming. They excused themselves minutes later, as I delayed my swimming to wait for them to move out of my lane.

I have considered what I wrote in my Healing Hearts Blog, posted just weeks ago, and decided that I must correct it, though I still maintain that as much as possible I am reluctant to remove friends from my address book. I am appreciating that occasionally declaring my boundaries is not only OK but totally appropriate. If I remember the golden rule correctly, it says, "do unto others as you would have them do unto you", and scripture states it more clearly, "love others as you love yourself".  Self respect must be honored too and being a door mat isn't loving yourself! It is then my friend's choice versus mine as to whether or not they respect my limits and remain a friend. We all have limits that must be respected.

If  a person doesn't respect my boundaries, I am apparently no prize as their friend. Is it not presumptuous to assume that I am there only to be used for whatever they might need?  I am now seriously considering keeping my address book in pencil! I don't believe that God demands me to stress-out over keeping my friends "in permanent ink".

I broke another Lenten sacrifice to complain to one of my faithful friends regarding the lack of swim ettiquette at the pool to which she wisely answered, "I know" and then added, "Breathe, Jane, Breathe..."....and I understood perfectly..."Good air in, bad feelings out"...and started repeating, "Breathe, Jane, breathe, and yet again...Breathe, Jane, breathe! A new mantra for the remainder of my life or at least this Lenten Season, or for as long as I continue to try to be a nice person in the face of those not working to be the same. "Breathe Jane, Breathe!"

Healing Hearts

My heart blocks for my new Appliqued Double Hearts Scrap
Quilt. I am hand-stitching two blocks a week and have
one-hundred quilt blocks with double hearts cut out. They
will be all different colors with different shades of neutrals
for the blocks backing them.

Valentine's Day seems the perfect time to write about "healing hearts". Heart wounds are part of everyone's life and I have recently acquired a new "heart wound". While I am not new to such wounds, I seem to be as vulnerable as ever to their pain. After much reflection, I think it is about my address book and my unwillingness to keep it in pencil versus permanent ink. Names are easily added but I have unrealistic expectations regarding ever deleting names. Deletions usually only happen if they are transferred to my prayer list after a loved one dies and I want to be sure that they make it to heaven safely! I prefer too, if my friends never move or change their address, or phone. I like sameness in my life. It makes me feel more secure, though I do white out addresses and phone numbers to correct them if changes occur. I trust others to take care and keep their friend list, as I do mine, at all costs save "losing my soul".

I am learning, once again, about my self as I deal with my latest conflict with what I thought was a forever friend. I have learned that I delight in my friendships with others, though my limitations are very real and prevent me from seeing people in person as often as I would like. I still cherish them and reach out to them by phone or correspondence when I can't see them in person. I love them and I try to understand and be all I can be for them. I want to please my friends, likely too much. Its about loving them in the true Christian-agape-way!

Am I a good friend? I would like to think so. I try to be, but I am also good to myself and work to meet my needs. I love others as I love myself and am likely guilty of "using my friends" to feel good about myself. I can only hope that it is mutual and that loving and giving to my friends is as good for them as it is for me. I try not to burden anyone but likely I am too human, even weak and quite expect friends to cut me the slack that I do with them. None of us are perfect! One of my friends refers to her friends as a "friendship garden" and I like to think of my friends as that, as they are indeed so beautiful to me.

I am certain "my garden" has weeds and gets overgrown and needs care and manicuring. I usually leave any weeding to fate however. People die and/or move out of my life, making my friendship garden a bit sparse here and there and I try to make more friends to fill in these bare spots. Interests change along with values and, of course, those who know me well, know that I am opinionated which means I hang out in different mindsets, not to be mistaken for narrowness but rather convictions. I am Christian and conservative, albeit, imperfectly so. I am also a quilter as well, and am given to extremes of my hobby, not always so easy to take, especially if you are not a quilter or a fabricaholic like myself.

Many scratch their heads and don't draw too close to my odd ways. Still others support me well and yet miss that I am not so willing to give up my limited sewing time to spend time on say "car or sporting events" and sadly I don't travel well, making me too much of a stay-at-home "Johnny-one-note"-person, commonly known by some as "unfun" or even "boring" and staunchly so! I do absolutely love to sew and also love all things fabric-related, like quilt shows and fabric or thread shops.

But about heart wounds or losses of friendships, they hit me hard, no matter the cause as I value my friends and am at a loss as to how to deal with acrimonious endings.  Friends that naturally drift away are relegated to my annual Christmas letter list or a phone call here and there, but to cross them out of my phone book and heart altogether just isn't what I do.

Altercations are serious matters to me and I work hard to examine myself when they happen. I  have faults and know that I can be out-spoken, especially about things that I believe in, though I do appreciate that others don't always share my beliefs and I try to respect differences. Variety in my friendship garden is good, but in today's world sometimes that is not enough. Extreme political polarization isn't uncommon these days and I am learning that some things that are intrinsically "Jane" must remain as self-chosen values that some people don't and won't value. It is with care that I choose to remain committed to them.

I have also learned that loving another is a decision, not a feeling. Once this decision is made, I am loyal to a fault despite conflicts or differences, which I feel are no reason to cease loving someone. Heart wounds are deep and difficult to heal. My family and friends are the very fabric of my life and as a quilter none are insignificant or without purpose to my life's tapestry. I am grateful for each, past and present. Fortunately heart wounds are few and far between and I try to learn from them and grow. Their purpose is to refine and polish my rough edges and fault lines. They are precious to my life as  they too have made me what I am, though their losses remain sad to me.

There is a prayer process that I go through when I find myself at an impasse with a friend. I work to try to communicate carefully with those friends to work out our differences or at least agree to disagree. If they intentionally hurt me, I "will" myself to forgive and pray for God's help to to so. When angry with someone, it is too easy to let it fester and I have learned that such pain hurts me likely more than it hurts the person who is upset with me. I need to consciously will myself to forgive and through prayer, let God do the rest. I then pray for healing for my friend as well as for myself. Life is too short to harbor resentments, and mine is growing ever shorter all the time anyway! I need to release the pain and anger and give it to God. It isn't a one-step process but involves praying and re-praying whenever pain and anger rise within me. It has worked rather miraculously and sometimes the relationships heal and sometimes I simply heal and move on. Whatever happens, it is important for my heart to not become bitter and hard.

This Valentine's Day, I wish you all a happy and healthy heart. Tend to whatever heart wounds you may carry and appreciate that no matter what, all our friendships, past and present, truly make us who and what we are, and don't allow yourself to become hard of heart and wall others out. Continue to be vulnerable and open with all its risks and potential hurts. When doors to others are shut and locked, respect their decision and pray for them.

I love heart symbols and use many in my creations and even now am creating a new Appliqued Double Heart Scrap Quilt (see above) and am working to finish my mother's most beautiful candle-wicking, hand-embroidered "Flowers and Heart Quilt" that I featured in my last blog.

I am offering two Crazy-Quilted, Penny-Rug Heart samplers as well as a framed wool "Primitive Penny-Rug Wall-Hanging" with embroidered saying. All are on sale this month through my blog. If you are interested please contact me. Each one is selling for $70 which includes shipping to anywhere in the USA. They would make a unique gift for a friend or loved one, or purchase one for yourself.  Please contact me if you are interested. I have only three left, and will sell them on a first come, first serve basis, and do visit my Etsy store by simply clicking on Etsy Page on upper right hand corner of this blog! Happy Valentine's Day!

(you may leave a message at the end of my blog or email me at: jmcvermont@comcast.net, Jane McMillen.)

Victorian Crazy Quilted Heart Sampler. All hand-stitched.

Measures 8.75" wide by 10.5" long (in frame).

Victorian Crazy Quilted Heart Sampler.
Measures 13.25" wide by 16.25 " long (framed).

All hand-stitched.

Primitive Felted Wool Penny-Rug Wall Hanging.
All hand-stitched. Dark Green background.
Measures 14.5" wide by 17.5" long. Framed.