Tie One On!!

Thanksgiving is looming. I hope this is a happy time for you and you are looking forward to being surrounded by your family and friends. I hope you love all the wonderful things that come with this grand American family holiday. Getting the extra beds ready for out of town company -- shopping for the groceries....baking your special pumpkin pies, your Grandma's stuffing or Aunt Glad's cranberry salad...

God knows there's PRESSURE to make the perfect turkey...

BUT -- there are people you know who may not be having a Norman Rockwell experience. Many people, through no fault of their own, are lonely during this time of year. They don't have warm, fuzzy families or giving, caring friends who include them. Today would be a good time to reflect on that -- and think about what you could do to include them in your holiday.

Which is why I love the whole concept of Tie One On Day. EllynAnne Geisel, author of The Apron Book, created this day and I LOVE IT. You should go to her website to read more about it: Apron Memories

In a nutshell -- on Wednesday, Thanksgiving Eve, you use an apron to wrap a gift of food and deliver it to somebody who just might need a lift. Consider it a random act of kindness...paying it forward....

It was an honor for me to interview EllynAnne for Inspired To Sew magazine. Click on the link to read the story -- and then, I'm sure you'll want to TIE ONE ON next week!!

There are only two rules...you must personally deliver your apron/food/gift...and you must include a hand-written note.

You can do it. I will, too.  For several years, the person I chose to honor on that day was Warren's babysitter.  Her name is Julie, and she runs a home day care.  Before he started kindergarten, Warren went to her house two days a week.  He made so many friends there, and established many good habits.  She is a very popular babysitter, with children of her own -- and her house is always jammed with kids and toys and coats and boots...and lots of noise and laughter.

I knew Julie hosted a big Thanksgiving dinner -- but she had to wait until a dozen children went home on Wednesday night.  When I'd pick up Warren -- instead of delivering a baked good....I gave her an extra-large Casey's Pizza.

This year, I have another friend in mine...who recently lost her daughter...Wow.  Her Thanksgiving is really gonna suck...

PiecedTogether

So -- it's time for the Iowa premiere of Julianne Donofrio's award winning documentary, Pieced Together.

Julianne is a talented film maker who made this wonderful documentary about the story behind the barn quilt phenomenon. I mean -- did you ever wonder who started that? Well -- Julianne's documentary beautifully tells that story...

Rhonda, Phyllis and Julianne took a last walk through the Iowa Quilt Museum...

Then we went out to the Winterest town square -- and crossed the street to the Iowa Theater.

We were excited to be a part of this special event.  THE IOWA PREMIERE!!

The event was sponsored by Quilt Folk magazine.

The new editor of Quilt Folk is, of course -- MARY FONS.

The Iowa Theater, renovated by Marianne Fons and her daughter Rebecca -- has delicious popcorn!

It's a small room -- with comfy new seats...

WHAT A NIGHT..!!

The Iowa Theater

Here's the wonderful thing about life. One thing leads to another...

I started off going to the Quilt Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. There, I met Julianne Donofrio. She invited me to the premiere of her documentary, Pieced Together...which took me on a scenic road trip with Rhonda and Phyllis -- to Winterset, Iowa.

In Winterset, we visited the Iowa Quilt Museum...which was a worth the whole trip, just on it's own.

Before I tell you about the documentary...which is our whole reason for being in Winterset...

I must tell you about the Iowa Theater.

The Theater sits right on the town square in Winterset, Iowa.  Many of the stores around the square were vacant...and having no theater, no reason to go downtown, seemed to speed up the abandon...

 Well, this story is A.M.A.Z.I.N.G...

And, thanks to Marianne Fons and her daughter Rebecca -- the theater has reopened.

And I GOT TO GO THERE....

But before I write about our Premiere event -- you really need to read about the renovation of the Iowa Theater...and the award-winning Des Moines Register did a better job of telling this story than I ever could.... wonderful article from the Des Moines Register.

Rhonda's Turning Demo

The Iowa Quilt Museum (the former J.C. Penney's building) in Winterset has a Mezzanine level....

The ceilings are low...you can see in the background, there are stairs to the upper level -- which used to be where the offices were.

Looking down into the main exhibit space.

There was a "turning" exhibit.

Rhonda put on her white gloves and started turning...

This girl is a pro!!

Iowa Quilt Museum Grandmother's Garden

Kudos to Marianne Fons for establishing the Iowa Quilt Museum!!

It is right on the town square...

In the old J.C.Penney building!!

Winterset, Iowa is also the birthplace of John Wayne.

And they have built a very impressive museum (several blocks away from the town square).

But -- hey -- back to the Iowa Quilt Museum...

It's fun to read the story of each quilt.

This Baltimore Album Quilt was stunning.

This Grandmother's Garden -- with all those hexies...YIKES...

This quilt stopped me in my tracks, because my sister Ronda HAS a quilt top that looks very similar. Even the green border is the same. We believe it was started by our great-grandmother, then completed by our Grandma Dodds. Mom inherited it, but never did anything with it. Now Ronda has it, and the big question has always been HOW DO YOU FINISH THIS SUCKER??

The story of this particular quilt could have been written by my family. It took THREE GENERATIONS of women to finish the damn thing!! (except, of course, we're on the forth generation and still only have a quilt top).

The most recent owners of this quilt HIRED a woman to turn the quilt top into a finished quilt.

The woman to did a knife edge finish...which was something new to me (remember -- I AM NOT A QUILTER)...

Seeing the Grandmother's Garden at the Iowa Quilt Museum has given me new hope for our family heirloom quilt top.

It's too bad my sister Ronda doesn't read this blog...but, then again -- she is only interested in making ragged edge blankets.  So I don't see her tackling this project.....so it will fall to her daughters. 

Hummm...I could post this blog on their Facebook pages...

Good Luck, Amy and Nicole!  You will be the FIFTH generation to not finish this Grandmother's Garden quilt...

Veteran's Day

I try to never let my politics show in this blog.  But these are scary times...and the country feels more and more like two countries.  Nobody on either side is willing to compromise or listen to reason...

But I think we can all agree today, on this one thing.  Veteran's Day is the day when we think about and honor the men and women who served this country in the armed forces.

Because here's the thing -- freedom isn't free and the United State of America has seldom been "united".

From the very beginning -- George Washington and his gang didn't have it easy.  They had to eat their horses, for crying out loud!!

Although his Presidency is fondly remembered -- it was full of turmoil and political back-biting.  They didn't have Twitter in those days -- so Thomas Jefferson had HIS OWN newspaper, and Alexander Hamilton had HIS OWN newspaper.  They both wrote under pseudo-names to slander and discredit one another.

From the first stroke of the pen on our Declaration of Independence, we have struggled with the issue of race and equality.

As a nation, we were only 80 years old when we fought the bloody Civil War...eventually killing 600,000 of our own citizens...think about that number...

We survived two World Wars -- when many countries didn't.  But that wasn't easy, either.  After WW I, the immigrants struggling to make it in America were the Irish and the Italians.  There were 36 coordinated bombings across the United States.  A bomb went off on Wall Street,  killing 30 people.  These bombings were credited to Italian Anarchists responding to the Immigration Act of 1919, which was about deporting undesirable individuals -- (defined as anti-war protestors, foreign born anarchists, and union labor radicals). 

When I was in college, the Vietnam War was the issue dividing the country...and U.S. soldiers shot and killed student demonstrators at Kent State University...

During the race riots of the 60's -- we watched cities burn on the evening news.  Detroit, Newark, Chicago, Los Angeles...

I'm just saying America has been through a lot -- and it has never been easy.  Americans disagree with each other...on a host of issues....and we always have!!   THAT'S WHAT WE FOUGHT FOR, DON'T YOU SEE??

It's good to take a moment to consider HOW VERY, VERY LUCK WE ARE to live in a country that has elections. No matter what side you're on, or how contentious this election was -- I am grateful to live in America, where every person, rich or poor -- black or white -- Christian, Jew or Muslim -- has the RIGHT TO VOTE.

On this Veteran's Day -- I'd like to give a shout out to the Quilts of Valor organization...

I attend their regional event at the Quad Cities Botanical Center.

My husband John and my son Elliott both received quilts.

Terry Austin is in charge of the local chapter of Quilts of Valor

She gives a big hug to every single veteran.

Terry Austin made the two matching quilts John and Elliott received. (there is a label on every quilt).

Check into your local organization -- you can honor them by making a quilt, or attending an event...

The very best thing about the Quilts of Valor is that they don't have a "process"...no veteran needs to fill out a form or prove they are worthy.  No officer is considered or honored before a private...their service to their country is honored, without question.

Iowa Quilt Museum Trip!!

So, okay -- the stage is set. Deanna introduced me to Julianne Donofrio at the Wisconsin Quilt Expo, and a few weeks later, I'M ATTENDING THE IOWA PREMIERE of her award-winning documentary -- Pieced Together.

I am so excited!! But -- hey -- it's a 3-hour drive from my house to Winterset. I need some company!!

When I posted the event on my Facebook page -- I got a jingle from my friend Phyllis (hey -- who even knew she was on Facebook!)

And, at the last minute -- Rhonda decided she wanted to go, too. EVEN THOUGH SHE HAS TO DRIVE 3 HOURS before she even  GETS TO MY HOUSE!!

So -- off we went to the home of the Bridges of Madison County.  We had the most wonderful time.

Winterset Iowa is in Madison County, Iowa.  Home of those charming covered bridges, inspiration for the Nicolas Sparks book, Bridges of Madison County.  (remember that book?  I was so annoyed when I found out IT WASN'T TRUE.)...

Winterset is also the home of Marianne Fons, who founded the Iowa Quilt Museum.  Then, because she had some time on her hands, she renovated the abandoned theater -- and the Iowa Theater is where the premiere is going to take place.  

Winterset has one of those charming  town squares.  The Ben Franklin is right on the corner (they have a GREAT fabric department).  The Iowa Quilt Museum is the gold building next door...

It's a bustling little downtown.

Rhonda is taking a picture of me and Phyllis, standing in the doorway of the Museum.

I didn't get a picture of the three of us.

Because I was distracted by ALL THE BEAUTIFUL QUILTS.

We went shopping at the Ben Franklin

And then -- WE HOOKED UP WITH JULIANNE DONOFRIO..!!

OH, YEAH -- this is gonna be a good time!!