Hi Pokey,

Congratulations on reaching 10 years.  I've enjoyed Quilting Arts and Cloth Paper Scissors.

My moment wasn't really anything all that profound.  I had just returned from America (I'm Aussie living back in Australia).  I'd been married for several years to a wonderful American man who passed away.  I was unable to remain in the US so I returned home to Australia.  I had never made a quilt before.  I decided as part of the healing process to make a traditional quilt.  It wasn't anything fancy, just 6" squares stitched together.  It's still my favourite quilt.  Unfortunately it's currently in storage otherwise I'd take a photo to show you.

Many blessings for another 10 years.

Johoanna

Dear Pokey,

My special moment was reading about Susie Shie in Quilting Arts (many, many years ago...) and then taking a workshop with her in Montreal the following year. She's an amazing artist.

I don't have cable tv and can't watch Quilting Arts TV, but I buy a serie at a time and I am very happy to have all your guests-artists with me in my workshop. I wish I could meet them in person... some day I will and that will be another special moment.

Line from Montreal

When I took my first quilting class, several years ago, I decided that I would give my quilt to my mother, when I presented it to her, she cried, she had never had a quilt that was made for her before, she uses it everyday.  Several years later, I

used my scraps for her a lap quilt, she hung it over her bed for a wall hanging.

I am making my 3 year old granddaughter a princess  appliqueembroidery  quilt now (will I ever finish?) I tried for her 3rd birthday in July, did not make it, tried for Christmas, did not happen, maybe this century?.......

A special moment for me was when I attended a local quilt group's meeting my first time. I brought a quilt I had made (my own design) and showed it to the group during their show and tell session. I was very nervous because I wasn't an artist and had never shared anything like that with other people before. They were so encouraging and enthusiastic to me. I joined the group and have been a member for about 5 years now. Now I do consider myself an artist thanks to them and that first meeting.

I was so excited when I received an heirloom quilt topper from my great Aunt Dorothy. Her family had cut every piece by hand (small pieces) and stitched everything together by hand. It is a beautiful an antique piece with retro material.

Congratulations for 10 years of inspiration to readers! Your cover art of the Summer 2005 inspired me to try the technique many times over. So many of your issues make me think outside of the box and I thank you for that.  Cheers to you!

Hi Pokey,

I speak for myself, and likely for many other artists in this world, by saying we are truly blessed to have you, your talent, and your beautiful magazines to inspire us!!!

I have every Quilting Arts issue on my bookshelf and look forward to another 10 years of issues!! I adore your enthusiasm and passion!! Keep up the great work!!!

Jackie - St. Louis, MO

A  quilting memory of mine~  We had a neighborhood quilt group.  We just did things for fun and there was a lot of learning involved as most of us just started quilting.  One project, everyone needed to buy fabric the  colors from the crayola eight pack and then all of us needed to make the same block with the fabric we purchased.  We all shared our blocks at a gathering and then one of the ladies (very patient as some we just figuring out how to sew a 1/4 in) put it all together into a wall hanging.  Well nobody wanted it so guess what I ended up with this wall hanging because I was moving away from the neighborhood.   We moved across town and saw these ladies whenever I wanted.  So it sat in a pile of material with not much meaning to me.  Six months ago I moved across the country to most likely never see most of those women ever again.  So while unpacking my sewing room I came across this wall hanging and decided it now needed to be hung on my sewing room wall.  I will treasure it forever and all the memories that it brings.  Great women and lots of good laughs.

Hi Pokey

I find it hard to believe that 10 years has gone by.  The 1st time I met you was in the shop I worked and you came in with the 1st issue of QA & wanted us to carry it.  I was not very positive about the 1st issue but when you changed the main function & topic I was thrilled to carry your QA & I notice that shop still carries it.  Sorry to see you close the shop @ move to CO but if that keeps QA coming to us so be it.

Keep up your wonderful work.

Cyndee

CONGRATULATIONS on 10 years!!!

My GREATEST memory was finding issue #3 of QA at the book store and falling in LOVE with art quilting.  Its been a life changing experience because I finally accepted myself as an artist!  

THANK YOU for the BESTEST 10 years ever!!!

Hi Pokey,

Congratulations on 10 years!  I am in LOVE with the magazine!

I tend to do more art quilting over traditional.  I belong to a group called The Explorers.  The first time I went I knew this was where I needed to be.  People who think creatively like me.  Over the last several years I have been fortunate enough to present several techniques to the group.  We have lots of fun together.  I like my regular quilt guild as well, but I get so inspired by the Explorers.

The Quilting Arts Magazine inspires me too.

Our local PBS no longer carries your show so I would be thrilled to receive a DVD of them!

I remember as a child my grandmother always had quilts. I hated to sleep under them because they were so heavy. As I reflect back, I realize that they were made of the same cloth that she used to make the mattress, and the pillows, you know the pinstripe fabric... The only difference in the mattress and the quilt is that the mattress had feathers in it (we had to fluff them all the time). Now that I am quilting I am careful not to make them out of heavy fabric.

So many special moments over the course of 10 years. Through QA and CPS, I have "met" so many wonderful artists and been inspired in ways I would never have imagined. Thank you. My special quilt memory is when my Gram gave me the quilt her mother of scraps from my Mom and Aunt's dresses. I had just started quilting and she was so happy to share her love of quilting with me. Thanks again Pokey and all the staff at QA and CPS.

Congratulations on 10 years!!! I discovered QA magazine a few years back and have been awed and inspired ever since. We don't seem to get QATV on our PBS channel anymore so would love those DVD's. I used to tape the shows and watch them in my sewing room while I sewed.

I have had many memorable quilting moments.. like seeing a ribbon on one of the first quilts I entered in our local guild show! I couldn't believe it!!!

Prior to 1981 I had done patchwork, a few art quilts and had not tried hand quilting. I was very pregnant with my first baby and decided I would join the quilting group at church. I sat down at the quilt frame and the kind ladies showed me how to hand quilt. They also told me that they would check my stitches when I left and if they weren't right they would take them out - and they wouldn't tell me. I thought that was very kind. I rarely hand quilt, but I did go on to make a quilt which I hand quilted for the baby that was to come. This June I expect to hand that quilt off to the daughter I made it for for her first baby. It isn't a spectacular quilt in any way, but it was my first baby quilt. This daughter has learned piecing. Someday perhaps I'll teach her to hand quilt too. She was able to do hand piecing while she was in the Peace Corps, now she machine pieces. She has yet to finish a quilt. She will, someday. She is convinced the child she is carrying is a baby girl -we'll find out later this month and maybe this child will also learn to make quilts. My special moment was the the kindness. Kindness begets kindness.

Congrats on ten years!

My quilting memory is of several ladies gathered around my grandma's kitchen table, talking and hand-quilting. I overheard someone say later that my grandma was never satisfied with one of the ladies stitches, and after she would leave, Grandma would rip out her sewing and re-do it.

Many memories, but one that stands out is an art quilt meeting at my home in Southern Indiana. Terry White,  showed off her copies of Quilting Arts, and I was hooked. My first issue was #12, and then I bought all the back issues.

My best quilting memory is also my very first one. I LOVED quilts but couldn't afford them. One day I was helping my grandmother clean out some things and ran across a Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt her aunt had made... I wanted that quilt!! Some of its "flowers" were tattered and it needed some repair. She handed it to me and said, "If you can learn how to fix this, it's yours." I signed up for my first class as soon as I returned home!

Several years later a woman in my quilt guild had some feed sack "flowers" that were the exact size to repair the quilt...and she gave them to me!  I didn't just repair it, I was able to restore it. :o)

Last Year I celebrated my 60th birthday by sending out little 3 inch squares  of fabric to all my family and friends, and they decorated the fabric squares  in all sorts of different ways - button, drawings, transferred photos, embroidery, mixed media collages, patchwork, motifs, badges, scumbling - and much more. Each one tells a special story about our relationship/friendship and when I finish putting it together it will be a unique art work as well as a celebration of the wonderful people in my life.

Happy 10th!!!  My special moment....When I was waiting to retire from teaching, I had been building a fabric stash and ideas for years; just ripe for my new life. I first worked on an old Singer for a few months; then on a 70's Sears Kenmore. Neither one was just right for wild free-motion quilting. On the anniversary day of a special family member's death, I ordered myself a Bernina 440 QE. For 30 years of that day, I had dreaded getting through the 24 hours. It was always so depressing. But when I ordered that new machine for my new creative life, I soared!! I made about 80 little quilts in the next two years.  March 23rd does not bug me anymore. And that same magical week 4 years ago, I had a phone lesson from Mary Jardine in Cottonwood, Az, on how to do raw edge applique landscapes. I finally met her this last Spring, and she was pivotal to my career. Art quilting and Quilting Arts magazine; it's all good.

My first quilt was a traditional quilting pattern as I did not know anything else existed.  It was not enjoyable to me because I had to fight my perfectionism so hard!  Then, one day, a friend who was much older than I showed me some of her work.  It was nothing like work I had done!  She had been taking classes with people like Nancy Crow!  Well, she showed me a single technique that completely changed the direction of my quilting.  It opened a whole new world for me.  I began looking at publications for art quilting and, as they say, the rest is history.  I haven't actually done any piecing remotely traditional since!  I was freed and released that day with my friend and I'll be eternally grateful!

Angie

Congrats on the 10 years...I have been with you from the start and love all of it!!  Ten years ago, I attended a Jinny Beyer seminar at Hilton Head with my daughter who had been quilting for a few years before I started.  I had signed up for a class in reverse applique...way above my experience level!!  The instructor started talking about "Broderie Perse"...and I turned to a lovely lady next to me and said "Oh, I didn't know we were going to be making purses!"  She very nicely and kindly explained what it was all about...and it turned out she was from the same city in Texas that I was and invited me to join the local guild.  I was still working at the time, but did join two years later when I retired...and that lovely lady was still there!!!  I have grown so much since then.  Had she been less kind I might not have felt comfortable continuing in a new venue of art.

Congrats on the 10 years...I have been with you from the start and love all of it!!  Ten years ago, I attended a Jinny Beyer seminar at Hilton Head with my daughter who had been quilting for a few years before I started.  I had signed up for a class in reverse applique...way above my experience level!!  The instructor started talking about "Broderie Perse"...and I turned to a lovely lady next to me and said "Oh, I didn't know we were going to be making purses!"  She very nicely and kindly explained what it was all about...and it turned out she was from the same city in Texas that I was and invited me to join the local guild.  I was still working at the time, but did join two years later when I retired...and that lovely lady was still there!!!  I have grown so much since then.  Had she been less kind I might not have felt comfortable continuing in a new venue of art.

Jay in Texas

My special memory? 14 years ago I moved from a large city, with a huge quilt guild, to a very small town with nary a quilt group in sight. So, I ran an ad, got responses, and a quilt group was born. Life went on, and I had to move away. After my husband's death 5 years ago, I returned to this much loved area and what did I find? The quilt group was larger and going strong and still had many of the original members. What a thrill! I am 'home'!

I am named after my great grandma, who made quilts. I still have the quilt she made for me, and it's in tatters.  My moment was when I decided to make quilts myself ... in my teens, and I thought of Nanny.

When my Mom moved a few years back, she brought me some boxes and asked that I hang on to them for her until she could get settled. 3 years later, I asked if she was settled enough to get her boxes. She said she didn't remember any boxes and to 'just throw them away'. I AM SO GLAD TO BE THE NOSY WOMAN I AM!!!!  I opened one of the boxes and found quilt pieces cut out by my grandmother, pinned together in sets - enough for a quilt top AND I found 25 small squares and rectangles hand embroidered by her.  My grandmother passed away when I was only 20 years old and not quilting yet.

I'm now working on putting these wonderful treasures into the quilts I imagine she might have made.

Congratulations on 10 awesome years, I've enjoyed your great magazine for each and every one of them! I had such a special moment this past Christmas, when we were visiting my parents Christmas night and opening our gifts. Of course the most fun is watching others open their gifts and seeing their joy; my sister had unwrapped an especially large box from my mom, and what should be inside but a special quilt my mom had made for her! Mom has not been well this fall, and shared that she had just finished the quilt the night before, Christmas Eve, and was so glad that she was able to get it done by Christmas. Well I was just so happy for my sis, it was a beautiful quilt with lots of hand embroidery and piecing too, and I had found the pattern for Mom at a quilt show. We finished opening the gifts, and then my mom said, Well you forgot your gift bag; I unsuspectingly opened a very large gift bag from my mom to me, and guess what? I got a handmade quilt too! It is so special, I'll treasure it forever and never forget this Christmas.

Hi Pokey -

Congratulations to all of the QA team for reaching this milestone! Thanks for the last 10 years of wonderful and inspiring publications.

My friend Susan said to me "I'd like to learn to make a quilt", so we signed up at a local fabric store. We had cutters of some sort (not rotary) and the instructor provided us with (somewhat wavy) acrylic rulers with sandpaper backing in several widths. Susan and I each made PART of (as in "didn't finish because it was too boring") "A Trip Around the World" quilt.

Susan became a prolific quilter and taught quilting at another fabric store. When she moved away, she asked if I would take over her classes. I did so and taught for 2 1/2 years, but my students NEVER knew that I had actually NEVER completed a quilt!

I am looking forward to finding QA in my mail box for another next ten years!

Dale Kathryn

My 'aha' came from a series you did with a segment from Beryl Taylor on fabric paper.  I recently dedicated that little art quilt to a good friend of mine.  I LOVE making fabric paper... or is it paper fabric!  I now make my hubby save, and flatten! all his candy wrappers!  YAY for the 10 year anniversary celebration!

Congratulations on 10 years of issues of one of the best magazines. I'm happy to have been here since the first issue! The very first quilting class I ever took was at the very first quilt show I ever went to. I took a class on miniature foundation paper piecing and to this day miniatures are my favorite style of quilting.

Dear Pokey - one of my best memories was being at the Renwick Gallery in DC (during the 2000 election) when Carolyn Mazloomi's display of African quilts was in one gallery and Amish quilts in the gallery across the hall. Oh my! The vibrancy and excitement in one hall, and the restful colors in the othe rgallery. I knew that quilts would always speak to me.

Linda from Tucson

I was taking a course on applique where we were all doing the same project. I was thinking about modifying mine by adding some different borders and designs since I thought it would add something to my piece because of the fabrics I had chosen. I was talking to the instructor about this, but I said that it would be alot of work and not sure if it would be worth it. She said to do it, because if I didn't do it, I would always look at that piece with regret. She was right....

Congrats on the ten years!

Happy 10th Anniversary!

When my dad was moved into a nursing home I decided to surprise him with a quilt.  He had never taken an interest in my quilting so I was surprised at how touched he was with the gift.  I was told by many of the staff that he loved pointing out to all that his daughter had made the quilt just for him. Sadly he passed away this past August and this has become one of my fond memories.

Congratulations on double digits! I remember (and still have) the very first issue. Still love it after all these years. My favorite quilting memory was the first time I turned the corner at a quilt show and saw MY quilt hanging up for all the world to see. What a thrill!

I'm not able to get the PBS channel where I live so I would love to win the dvd!

My special moment in quilting was when I was able to take a hand applique class from Pat Campbell in Edmonton, Alberta Canada. Pat was so inspiring and so delightful. Her class was so imformative and I even learned how to make the perfect circle! I haven't heard much about her lately and hope that her new lifestyle allows her to still play with her fabric and applique - A super lady for sure!!!

Dear Pokey,

About 4 years ago in Houston I took a class on making Kaleidoscope Quilts with Sandy Bonsib. I was supposed to bring cut rectangles so we could make the class more dynamic and learn about design rather than spend time cutting fabric.  I helped my son get settled into his dorm at NYU and I flew to Houston the night before the class. I believed I would have time to cut my fabric while I was in New York but how wrong I was.... When I got to Houston I felt awful because class would start early and I got in real late. I couldn't steal one more hour to the day; I really had to get some sleep.  Next morning my head was busy thinking: should I just skip the class altogether? I decided I should go and tell Sandy what happened and graciously leave the classroom.  I had never met her and found a sweet and soft voice reassuring me to just take a seat and if I decided to leave I could do so after she gave out the material since I had already paid for the class.  I quietly sat way back in the room.  She asked everyone to introduce themselves and when my turn came I just mentioned I was from Mexico and that quilting was my absolute passion.  Sandy added the part about me not being able to bring all the material because of my full schedule with my freshman son at NYU.  Suddenly, all the ladies attending the class stood up and everyone gave me fabric... everyone gave me rectangles of beautiful fabric !  Nobody knew me... nobody had to do this... but everyone shared their fabric treasures with me!  I had always known that quilters are very generous people but this incredible gesture made me feel privileged and thankful to belong to the quilter's universe.   The kaleidoscope quilt will always be one of my most cherished possessions.     Happy 10th Anniversary !  Warmly, Alejandra Alcantara

Dear Pokey,

About 4 years ago in Houston I took a class on making Kaleidoscope Quilts with Sandy Bonsib. I was supposed to bring cut rectangles so we could make the class more dynamic and learn about design rather than spend time cutting fabric.  I helped my son get settled into his dorm at NYU and I flew to Houston the night before the class. I believed I would have time to cut my fabric while I was in New York but how wrong I was.... When I got to Houston I felt awful because class would start early and I got in real late. I couldn't steal one more hour to the day; I really had to get some sleep.  Next morning my head was busy thinking: should I just skip the class altogether? I decided I should go and tell Sandy what happened and graciously leave the classroom.  I had never met her and found a sweet and soft voice reassuring me to just take a seat and if I decided to leave I could do so after she gave out the material since I had already paid for the class.  I quietly sat way back in the room.  She asked everyone to introduce themselves and when my turn came I just mentioned I was from Mexico and that quilting was my absolute passion.  Sandy added the part about me not being able to bring all the material because of my full schedule with my freshman son at NYU.  Suddenly, all the ladies attending the class stood up and everyone gave me fabric... everyone gave me rectangles of beautiful fabric !  Nobody knew me... nobody had to do this... but everyone shared their fabric treasures with me!  I had always known that quilters are very generous people but this incredible gesture made me feel privileged and thankful to belong to the quilter's universe.   The kaleidoscope quilt will always be one of my most cherished possessions.     Happy 10th Anniversary !  Warmly, Alejandra Alcantara

hi pokey!  and happy happy birthday Quilting Arts!!!  where would we all be without you!!  :)

okay - favorite quilting memory.  hmmm... i'd have to say when i read the article on Susan Lucky Shie about handstitching her little quilt pieces... way back in 2002?? i was enthralled by the simplicity and impact of it with embroidery flosses.  that handstitching is one of my "base" ingredients for all my quilting.  :)

smooches!!  xoxo

Congratulations and Than you for bringing us an awesome magazine

I love your magazines - congrats on making ten years my you have many more inspirational years.

My brother in law and his long standing girlfriend decided to get married in 2000. My husband wanted to buy them some kitchen utensils... Our local Hancocks had a quilt made  2000 2.5" sqs different squares of fabrics to celebrate the millennium hanging in their shop, from Fall to January. I thought it would be a fun wedding gift for them and it wouldn't take me long! They wouldn't get anything else like it. I had 2 small children so thought it would be easy to cut squares in nap time and sew in the evenings. It was the first real quilt I'd ever attempted! OMG little did I know how long it would take to cut 2000 squares and then I decided to group them by colour... it took over my life and our family room. The children helped to create the quilt by arranging the squares as they liked them! In the end my husband put 2 nails up and strung washing line between them in the family room so I could put up an old full size sheet and use it as a design wall. Just to complicate it I decided to add family photos and thankfully I found some cute wedding fabric to make a "heart" design in the centre. I finished it 7 months after I started cutting fabric, including a trial by fire of quilting it myself, advised by our local quilt shop owner. My brother in law and his wife were thrilled and amazed by the quilt. My friend and I still find fabrics in our stashes with neat 2.5" square gaps!

I've made quite a few quilts over the years, but the most special to me was made by someone else - another member of our quilt club who asked if she could include the words of one of my poems in her quilt.

Congratulations on turning 10! My special moments (yes plural) are the smiles we see when we donate quilts to the underprivileged children in Thailand. I started a project about 10 years ago when I first started quilting with a group of expatriate ladies in Bangkok. We started by donating quilts to HIV?AID orphans but have since expanded to include all underprivileged children. Many are refugees or the children of migrant workers. This has inspired me to create Quilts of Aloha which is my project that will bring more smiles.

Wow - 10 yrs already - hard to believe. I have buying both magazines all along. My quilting memory is of the first time I designed a quilt as a fund-raiser for my dd's choir trip to Great Britain in 1993.  I used a traditional 2 color block but made it the 3 colors that the choir used in their uniforms.  When the quilt top was assembled, it was the same as the "picture" in my head that I designed.  THAT was a powerful moment for me!

congratulations on reaching ten years! my special quilt moment was the moment that kicked it all off for me- when I was 16 I visited Texas to see my aunt and uncle- my aunt is texan and my uncle went over from the uk to live there. when I went to visit I was sleeping in her quilting workroom under a beautiful handmade quilt. I've finally just started quilting my self, at 23 years old!

Hi Pokey,

congratulations!!

The year was 1977 and our youngest was in kintergarden.  Our PTA really needed money.  I was in charge of figuring out how to raise it.  I had never quilted before but saw the Grandmother's Garden quilt pattern in a magzine.  Eight of us gathered at my home and we marked and cut by hand the hexegons to be sewn together.  My husband had made our patterns from the side of a milk jug and sanded one side so they would stick to the fabric.  We put arrows in the seam allowance so whoever put them together would know the up side.  I sorted and put enough pieces in large envelops with the directions. Thirthy one gals assembled the blocks and gave them back to me.  I assembled the quilt with the garden border blocks laying over the steering wheel of my car while our girls were taking swiming lessons that summer.  Eleven of us including my husband sat and quilted the quilt by hand.  It was a labor of love.  The gal who won it did not mind that our stitches were anything but perfect.  Her mother had made quilt for her 4 boys but hadn't made one for her daughter and this would be hers.  We raised $1600. with the raffle.  It would be 5 years before I took a quilt class and began quilting as a hobby. I still look back and wonder how we made that quilt.  Only angels know as it was not a beginners pattern.

Looking forward to your show on PBS as we do not have cable.

Bernice

As a graduation gift for my best friend, I made my first quilt. She recently told me that she still has that quilt.  And as a graduation gift from my Grandmother I (and everyone of her 6 granddaughters) received a hand quilted Sunbonnet Sue quilt. I have always been facinated with fabric art and have gotten many many ideas from your show. Thanks for lots of inspiration.

My first quiilting memory is trying to finish my son's quilt just before I went into labor when one gets the extra burst of energy.  It was in the days of Yours Truly kits and was made of polyester-cotton using quilt-as-you-go and puffy polyester batting.  I satin stitched the train so close to the edge that it cannot fit in the seam line, and the quilt is still unfinished.  He is almost 28

I have also been lucky enough to meet wonderful quilters allover the world, from Poland to Australia and new Zealand.  I even got "kidnapped" from Auckland airport during a 6 hour layover.  When I came out of immigration there was a huge quilt display awaiting me (to prove they were quilters) and all the waiting relatives/friends of others on the flight had been given my name and welcomed me.  I had a wild afternoon going to the botaniccal gardens in the rain, and then to someone's Mother's house for tea.!

Congrats on 10 years!  Here's to many more!

There are so many important moments in my quilting life, from the friends it has brought me, to a great job in 'the business', to the many ribbons adorning my sewing room, but I suppose the moment with the greatest "impact over the course of my life" was years ago when, while doodling on graph paper, I realized those orderly little designs looked like a quilt and so decided to put my ideas to fabric and try my hand at actually making a quilt. Oh, how my tastes and style have evolved since then--all for good!  QA has certainly aided in that evolution!  Keep it coming!  

Annie

Hey Pokey -

Congratulations! In 10 years you've managed to create a phenomenal magazine (well, 2 really) that really fits with a particular group of fiber artists. I never considered myself a fabric anything until I got my ink-stained hands on my first issue of QA...and I've  never been the same since!

I love your quilting memory - and a photo of Will's letter really makes it special. I'm so glad you shared!

It is with tremendous sadness that my dad passed the week before Christmas. He is already greatly missed and the thought of not having him here for the rest of my life, is still too overwhelming for me to wrap my head around.

In life, he and my mom were HUGE BMW motorcycle riders. HUGE. They've completed (and even won!) many contests with ridiculous mileage requirements. One that comes to mind is the Iron Butt - 11,000 miles in 11 days. Yes, they're both absolutely nuts! I could share stories with you that would just blow you away. He was also deeply in love with racing cars. Not NASCAR - but all sorts of other cars he could soup up and get moving. There has never been a dull moment around my parents - although there have been many quick runs across the country to bring the necessary tools/equipment to the gear heads, so they could bolt, weld, or duct tape their race car back together and make it to the finish line.

It is solely because of the variety of techniques I have learned from QA (both the magazine and the TV show) that I am able to properly "compensate" the pallbearers and a few others for their help and strength during Dad's funeral. I was able to get part of Dad's racing outfit before he was dressed and buried in it. I am using that cloth - and a few techniques I can directly attribute to QA (one of which is from my friend & absolute favorite, Beryl Taylor, and a segment she did with you on a show from last season). Without Quilting Arts I never would have found such interest in fabric - nor would I have any clue what to do with it. Thankfully, Quilting Arts has turned me into a fabriholic (aka, hoarder!) and I treasure my time spent working with fabric. I even have to admit that making these small tokens from Dad's racing suit has been therapeutic, getting me through the worst holiday season of my life. I've pulled out old issues of QA to look for ideas - and it is within those pages I not only found some really great ideas, but also a familiar comfort I always find when looking through the magazine. I can honestly say that QA (and CPS) are the only publications I read that allow me to feel comfortable, inspired, and energized...like I am surrounded by good friends. I always look forward to their arrival (like a kid at Christmas!) and I spend hours pouring over every word, technique, and delicious picture between the covers. The kids know better than to bother me when I'm reading it - I'm transported to my favorite world within the glossy pages and I tend not to hear - or pay any attention to - anything outside those pages. :)

Thank you for all your work putting together such a fantastic magazine (and an incredible staff - and amazing artists - who make it all possible). I've always loved QA (and CPS, of course) - but over the last few weeks, it has established itself as something truly wonderful, comforting, and healing. I have no doubt that those who receive these special remembrances of Dad will appreciate what I've gleaned from QA as well.

Happy New Year - and here's to another fantastic decade of QA and everything it inspires!

Katherine, your neighbor in south Denver

Hi Pokey,

Congratulations on 10 years.

You have worked hard to reach this milestone-but quilting is fun work.

I always said to my daughter that quilters were nuts. Cutting fabric up than sewing it back together. Why do that? Well fast forward 10 years and what am I doing "cutting up fabric and sewing it back together and loving it"

My first project at the request of my granddaughter was a quilt for her wedding gift.

She picked bright (pink,yellow,lime green and purple) Kaffe Fassett prints.

With no pattern and 2 weeks later a king size quilt was finished. The best part even a year  and half later she continually comments on how much she loves her quilt. A special quilt for a special person in my life.

May your life  and business continue  to have success for a long time. I will watch with  interest your  next 10 years.

Mary Ann

I bought a sewing machine to make a wedding quilt for my sister including photos of them and spanning back the generations.  Talk about pressure for your first quilt!

My special quilt moment was Spring 2009.  We had just got news that my mother's brother had cancer and only a short time left.  Mom took it hard especially because he lived out of state and she didn't get to visit much.

As a way to show our love to my uncle and to help my mom feel better, the women in our family, eight in all, made a photo memory quilt to send to my uncle.  I was the only one who knew how to quilt and three more knew a little sewing so it wasn't fancy but it was made with lots of ove.  My uncle cherished it until he passed away in March 2010.  

Happy 10th Anniversary Q.A.!!

Lori

Time flies, doesn't it!  Congratulations on 10 years of Quilting Arts.

Hmmm, so many stories.  I made my first quilt when I was in the sixth grade.  It was a gift for a teacher there who had been very kind to me and who I liked a lot.  My Mom made the suggestion, but I did the whole thing.  Flannelette strippy (pink floral and white), tied with yarn, the edges were turned under and whip stitched with embroidery floss.  She was married, but they did not have children yet.  Twentysome years later, my guild was doing a first/latest quilt program of the members.  I got up the courage to call her to ask for a photo of the quilt.  We had a nice long chat and she promised to send a picture.  Days later, a package arrived.  It seems her two grown children were arguing over who should get the quilt.  Bonnie decided since I gave it to her, she could give it back to me as a gift.  All I wanted was a picture, but by sending it back she got peace in her family.  As a quilt, it is not great, except it survived many years of use and love.  

Looking forward to many more years of inspiration in QA.  Cheers!  Donna  

Dear Pokey,

Congratulations on 10 years inspiring others! A few years ago I was commissioned to make a quilt for  a young mother with stage 4 colon cancer using clothing from her 3 kids and the children of her 3 best friends. It was not a very pretty quilt but it was beautiful! The thank-you note from the friends made me cry. She passed away a few months ago and I got another note from them expressing how much the quilt meant to her kids.

Hi Pokey,

A few years ago my friend, Marcia, and I took a hand quilting class. I quickly learned that machine quilting is the way for me! I just could not get the "rocking" motion needed to hand quilt. If I hadn't tried, I would never have known.

Thanks for the giveaways and Happy Birthday, Quilting Arts!

Joanie

About 5 years ago my quilting journey took a turn when I gave a few baby quilts to co-workers.  They weren't very appreciative for all the hard work and cost that had gone into the gift.  It caught me by surprise as that wasn't the usual reaction for these gifts.  That is when I embarked on journey of exploring quilt as an art form and foresakened quilt in its traditional form.  Those 2 people changed the course of my creative spirit and allowed me to think of quilting in a whole new way.  I make art quilts for self-expression and to challenge myself in exploring new techniques.  

After a 6 year hiatus I have made a few baby quilts recently to people who were very appreciative, however they have been unique one of a kind designs.  

Congratulations Pokey for your 10 year vision and dedication to exploring the quilting universe.  Here is to continued success on your journey.

I have been quilting 3 years now and for Christmas this year I made my DSD an autograph quilt from her wedding this summer.  It was based on the How Sweet it Is wrapped candy pattern.  Her thank you note said "We are still so amazed by our wall hanging you made just for us!  So much talent and time went into making it...beyond perfect!"  This sweet DSD is very reserved so in the 5 years I've been married to her father, I've never really gotten much response from her, so it was lovely to get this note from her and know that she really liked her gift!  

I'm a new member of Quilting Arts and I'm looking forward to learning from everyone here!

Congratulations Pokey to you and your team on your 10th anniversary ... I love the magazine and TV show which I have through season 5 on DVD.

I belong to my local quilt guild which is made up of mostly elderly ladies who make beautiful traditional pieced and appliqued quilts. I am the odd ball who brings the odd ball pieces for show and tell! The guild celebrated our 30th anniversary last year, and inspired by the recycle challenge in QA mag a few years ago, I suggested we make 6 inch squares out of recycled items and also incorporate the number 30. Not everyone participated, but the ones who did created some fun pieces and seemed to have a good time stepping out of the box. I don't think I got any converts to art quilting, but I tried!!

We'll be displaying all the squares at our upcoming quilt show in May, and my hope is that they will inspire someone who may not be a quilter because they only think of quilting in the traditional sense.

Looking forward to another 10 years of inspiration from QA!

Congratulations on 10 wonderfully creative years. I've enjoyed your magazine from the beginning, thanks to an ex-roommate. I was originally "forced" into quilting by my ex-roommate so she could have a partner in a beginner's quilting class and found out that I LOVED to work with fabric, and have been a quilter ever since. One memory that was significant happened just recently. I joined a Yahoo Group for Trading Fabric Postcards and during one swap I put together a purple fused little puppy and after I finished the postcard it really hit me why I started quilting to begin with. From the joy I receive when I can create something beautiful from little scraps of fabric that have virtually no value on their own.

Pokey- Here's wishing you another 10 years, and more!!

Katina

Congratulations on 10 FABULOUS years of Quilting Arts!  I still remember seeing the first copy at my local grocery store and it took my breath away.   I ran home, curled up on my bed and devoured each beautiful page!  I've been a subscriber ever since!

I have so many quilt memories.  But I think I will tell you about my first quilt.  I wanted to make a quilt and took a "hand quilting" class.  I thought it would teach me to make a quilt by hand - well, it was just a class on the hand quilting.  We made a 16"x16" sandwich and hand quilted - oh, but I want to make a quilt!  So I bought a book - Triple Irish Quilts and fabric enough for a King size bed.  I made it for my guy friend since it was just practice and the next would be something more serious.  OMG!  I hand quilted the whole thing and cried inside when I gave it away.  My friend knew how much work it was and felt guilty taking it - LOL.  I had no idea how much work it would be!  

My love story revolves around a handmade quilt. I was living alone  in Mexico on a tiny island Isla Mujeres. I was on my way to the Lavanderia, when my friends gave me a ride on their golf cart. They introduced me to the man on board, and when we arrived the Lavanderia, he hopped off with his bundle of laundry, wrapped in a beautiful yellow, blue and red  patchwork applique quilt....I squealed and said..."oh no, you can't let them wash that here...it will ruin forever" So he looked me square in the eye, (this is the love) and knew I was the green eyed woman he had been dreaming about for 2 years. I convinced him to let me take it to my house, wash it with tender loving care, and we have been together ever since! and yes, I still have that quilt, hanging on my clothes line right now as the Texas sunshine is breezy and warm!  Deb

My great grandmother was a wonderful quilter.  I have many of her quilts and enjoy showing them to friends.  My grandmother and mother were never interested in quilting, they both worked very hard to help their families.  So when I started cuddling in the old quilts I decided to make my own.  That has lead me down a wonderful path of friendships and into the fiber art world.  I know my great grandma is proud that I am keeping the tradition alive and well and sharing it with new family members.

Thanks for letting me share my story.  Sincerely,  Jeri

My grandma made quilts out of old wool clothing for all her children and grand children.... they were cut into big squares or rectangles and she would then quilt in thick cotton a design on it.   So very practical and so treasured.

My quilting memory is remembering my mom (died of *** cancer when I was 16) work on her first quilt. It was a 9-patch, for my sister, done in browns, tans, and off white. She wasn't able to finish it. After her death, my grandmother told the church ladies about it and they got it finished and presented it to my sister. Grandma felt so badly that I didn't have a quilt from mom that she gave me a quilt that HER mother had made in the 20's or 30's. How I treasure that quilt! It's bright and cheery on a yellow background with appliqued tulips in oranges, bright pinks, and purples.

Congratulations on 10 years!

robin

arjanz at xplornet dot com

Congrats on turning 10.  I have a cute story to tell.  For the last 2 years I have been teaching my girls (8 &6) how to quilt.  They each will make 1 or 2 paper pieced blocks and then stop.  They are quick to move onto something else!  For the last 2 weeks, every time I sit down to quilt, my 8 year old ( who has the shortest attention span) wants to sew!  Thankfully, I can sew now that school has started back.  They are beginning to think my sewing machine belongs to them!

Caren

I want to do more art quilt but I am intimided so far I made one and I am really pleased it is called 4 seasons.

Hope I will have more guts and make many in 2011...

Pokey, you have absolutely changed the art quilt world over the last 10 years!!!! Thank you for all the inspiration and education.

My most special quilt  moment was seeing my sister standing in front of her art quilt at the International Quilt Festival in 2009. I was totally overcome and thrilled. In addition we were really excited to meet you while you were working on a special exhibit there.

The whole experience was the roadtrip of a lifetime since drove we from Seattle to Houston and back. Thank goodness for our GPS and digital cameras (4000+ pictures).

Best Wishes for the next 10 years.

Marlene

Congrats Pokey! I love watching QATV.

My profound moment was the first time I picked up a QA magazine! I did traditional quilting and happened to see the magazine in a local quilt shop. My heart just about stopped, it was so beautiful. I ordered a bunch of back issues to read while recovering from surgery and I fell in love. That was 5 years ago. Today I own my own business selling mixed media and fiber art supplies and get to work from home, spend time making art, and hanging out with cool people. That magazine changed my life and I can thank you for it!

Cheers for another 10 years!

Lisa C

www.artistcellar.com

Good afternoon Pokey,

Congrats on 10 years!  I still remember when I got my first issue.

Here's my quilt story:

Quite a few years back I made a quilt for my mom for Mother's Day.  I finished it late, because my sewing machine was acting up and couldn't do the quilting.  But ... finally the quilt was done, and mom got it.  She couldn't believe it!  I had used photos of her with my grandma and my sister and then different vintage buttons, lace pieces, etc. that had belonged to both my great-grandmother and grandmother.  She loved it!  A few years after that, she passed away unexpectedly, and dad kept the quilt himself.  He wouldn't let me take it back.  About 15 months later, he passed away and I found the quilt in his closet, wrapped in a blanket, with a note saying that whoever found it was supposed to return it to me.  So ... the quilt is back in Canada with me, and serves as a reminder that life is fleeting and short, and that we need to make the best of it.

In the meantime, here's to another 10 years of Quilting Arts.

Ana in Calgary

I've been reading your wonderful magazine for most of those ten years.  Congratulations on reaching the decade mark!  

Years ago I took my first class with Caryl Bryer Fallert.  She is one of the most talented, encouraging, and giving teachers I have ever encountered.  In that class I learned about the importance of value and contrast.  As someone who had no formal art education, this was a huge leap for me.  Caryl also passed along some wonderful techniques.  But it was learning the importance of value that did the most for my quilt art.

My most recent best memory is the baby quilt I'm now creating for my first grandchild, born earlier this week!

As a homeschooling, over-volunteering, engineering mother my life is usually a hum of activity; sometimes so much activity that my brain struggles to ever go to a quiet place. A few years back I discovered when I became immersed in free-motion quilting, time can finally stand still. It is a moment of peace, just for me. I often don't have the time to tackle much free-motion quilting, but just stepping into my studio almost always brings a fond remembrance of what is waiting for me the next time I sit down at my machine.

Congratulations on 10 wonderful years.

I don't remember the day I first found QA Magazine, but I know that day changed my life.  I learned that I could make quilts that spoke to me whether or not they had little corners that matched and strait lines of quilting.  I started buying back copies and finding out there was a great big world of artists who used fabric.  I still love reviewing the old issues--I feel like I find constant inspiration!

Thanks Pokey for your vision!

Debbie

Congratulations on 10 wonderful years.

I don't remember the day I first found QA Magazine, but I know that day changed my life.  I learned that I could make quilts that spoke to me whether or not they had little corners that matched and strait lines of quilting.  I started buying back copies and finding out there was a great big world of artists who used fabric.  I still love reviewing the old issues--I feel like I find constant inspiration!

Thanks Pokey for your vision!

Debbie

Pokey

One Christmas I was sewing mini quilts to hang around my home when my oldest daughter, who was seven at the time, climbed on my lap and wanted to know  what I was doing.  I took her hands in mine and we guided the material through the machine, telling her about each step as we sewed.  That little quilt has special meaning every Christmas I get it out of the attic.

She is now married and last year I asked her what she wanted for Christmas and she said a sewing machine.  I was touched!

When I go to visit her we always have a special sewing project we do together and I recall that little girl on my lap as we sew together.

Diane

By the time I was in high school I had already been sewing for over 10 years, but. . .  had never thrown out a scrap! My mother, who was not thrilled about it kept threatening to pitch it all. . .  but I was so sure I could figure something out before the dreadful day hit. One day I was talking to a friend's mom who used to rock in her special rocking chair and tell me stories of her youth.

One the day the lightbulb in my head went off with starting brightness. She explained that as a kid, her family was so poor that she and her sisters had to make quilts from any scraps they could find just to have bedding for warmth.

I immediately went home, grabbed a handful of scraps and started sewing pieces together by hand, making bed sized quilts. I've never looked back.

To this day, whenever I make a quilt (though no more bed quilts) . . . so many decades later, I always think of that sweet woman who opened up a whole new world to me. I owe her my life. I owe her my sanity.

Quilting Arts has pushed me to find my own creative voice, the next step in feeding my quilting and fabric addiction. Congrats on 10 years of sharing ideas and techniques, and bringing creative people together.

Quilt moments...I have been blessed with many positive and impacting moments but if I had to select one it would be when my 4-H'er Stacy wrote this article about her experiences in my 4-H quilting program.  (The article is still on our local paper's website.  Unfortunately the pictures are gone:(

www.sent-trib.com/.../index.php

There is nothing greater than to see young people learning the importance of serving others by creating something with their own hands.  I'm happy to share this special moment!

Growing up in New Jersy, I was a Girl Scout from Brownie to Senior Scout. About the age of 11, a lady from Missouri moved into our town. She becane a Girl Scout leader in whichever town her Highway Enginerer husband was assigned to work. Before long, she had our troop started on an ambitious quiltmaking project. Over several months, we sewed by hand the beautiful red to yellow diamonds of fabric into a "Lone Star of Texas Quilt." From that time on, I wanted to sew my own quilt ... 60 years later, I enjoy my true calling of art quiltmaking! Thanks for Quilting Arts role!

Congratulations on 10 years! I have so many memories it's hard to choose. One of my best memories is when I took my first quilting class. I learned so many helpful techniques from a wonderful teacher who continues to mentor me and never tires of my questions or request for help.

A special quilting memory for me involved doing a computer search for help with my applique technique. This search led me to find a Yahoo group that was begun by a wonderful quilt teacher. Through my contact and membership with this awesome network of quilters, I not only became adept at applique, but also developed amazing friendships.

WOW, congrats on 10 years; I can't believe I only found it a year ago! After picking up the first magazine I immediately tried one of the designs ... and haven't stopped quilting since.

I've been staying home with our twins and we usually try to fill the days with something crafty. (Lucky me, all my kids are artists) I had no idea how your magazine would change our lives!

Instead of kids projects we now spend all of our free time designing quilts, painting and dying fabric and sewing. The twins are 6 now and their designs were made in to wall hangings and given out a Christmas gifts this year.

We all feel very passionate about our quilting and it is very impressive how quilting seems to fill so many needs in our lives from the creativity, to trying new ideas without hesitation to either giving a quilt away or snuggling under it on a cold night - it is very satisfying and results in a lot of Proud Mom moments.  

Good luck for the next 10 years and I hope my kids will be watching the new series soon!

Dawn Kelly

My biggest memory is with my grandson. He would love to be in my studio with me and play with the fabric and "safe" gadgets I had. He never seemed to get bored as we created together. He startd out in the studio before age 2:>}. Congrats on 10 year's loving quilting arts mag!!

Sandy

The first trapunto style quilting I did was when my sister was going off to college.  She loved Charlie Brown and Snoopy so I bought a piece of fabric which featured them and made her a wall hanging that measured about 2feet by 4 feet.  She loved it!!

My first ever quilt. Magnificent, a copy of Deirdre Amsden's "Starry Night" with 3 sizes of triangles all in blue down to black to represent the sky. I had no stash but had been visiting jumble sales and charity shops just to buy sky fabric. I couldn't pass someone in the street without checking out if their dress was starry night blue. The piece came together. As previously mentioned, magnificent. Just one problem, it was a size 38 DD Cup bra shaped. I had ignored the sewing together instructions, just plowed on in my own fashion (what's new?) and ended up with a tent. I took it to the local quilt shop owner who was very kind. After surveying it for a while she said "Well dear, I normally say of first quilts "Very nice, let's put it in the drawer and start again." But I think you have something here. Go and buy me some sandwiches and when you come back I will have fixed it." She fixed it. She cut it into six blocks and I had to sew them back together and applique over the joins. I still have "Starry Night" ...in the closet. There is absolutely No Doubt the most encouraging single item in my quilting life has been your magazine. No more 38DD cups!

I remember with visceral clarity sitting on a step stool beside my paternal grandmother's wood stove in the early morning as she washed up from breakfast. She showed me how to sew strips of fabric together onto a newspaper base (I later learned this is called String Quilting). I'm sure my little girlie stitches were long and uneven, but I _remember_ them being wonderfully strong and that they held the bits of fabric together into a satisfying whole piece.

Over the times I spent with her in the summers of my childhood she also taught me to embroider (tracing around the top of a glass onto her feedsack towels). As an adult, I derive tremendous enjoyment from following up on those early, initial lessons!

:) Linda

At my weekly quilting bee, one of the gals brought copies of a quilting arts magazine.  I borrowed all 10 copies and took them home.  That was in April, 2009.  I have been making art quilts ever since.  I have discovered so much about myself and my talent by reading Quilting Arts.  Thank you so much.  Congratulations on your 10th anniversary!

My life has been richer the last ten years, thanks to you and Q.A.!

The year was 1965. I was 8 years old and went on something rare for my family - a holiday to attend an aunt's wedding. She was one of 17 children and one of the last to be married. While I was there another of my aunts invited us to visit and although I had never met her before she gave me a gift before I left - my very own quilt. It was a pretty humble little quilt - made of rather somber-coloured men's cotton shirting. There was the nine pieced top and a backing with no middle layer. Still that quilt kept me warm all my growing up years and although now it is literally worn to shreds I can't bring myself to throw it out.  -- Nancy McElroy ndmcelroy1@yahoo.ca

My life has been enriched by you and Q.A. over the last 10 years and I thank you.

1965 marked the year of the only holiday our family ever had. We attended the wedding of an aunt. As a matter of interest she was one of 17, count 'em 17!!! children, and one of the last to be married. One of my other aunts invited us to visit and although I had never met her she presented me with the gift of a quilt. It was a rather humble quilt. She fashioned it from somber-coloured men's shirt fabrics and used a nine patch for the top and plain fabric for the bottom with no batting in between. Even without the batting it kept me warm all of my growing up years and although it is now tattered and shredded almost beyond recognition I can't bring myself to part with it.  -- Nancy McElroy, ndmcelroy1@yahoo.ca

The very first time that I found a Quilting Arts magazine. Wow the inspiration. Each issue continued to release the experimental quilter inside me. I constantly refer to my issues to try something new or just get ideas for my next adventure.

My quilting story is strictly connected to ..magazins!

In Italy, where I live, still today patchwork and quilting are two almost unknown words, despite this nearly 30 years I found a pattern for a double wedding ring quilt pattern in an italian magazin and it was love at the first sight, since I hava always played with needle and threads.

Yeah, not a very simple project to begin my quilting career, after a lot of attempts and a lot of difficult to get the right fabrics, it became my very first ...UFO!

Years later, grew smarter thanks to Web and....... credit card, that made  possible to buy books, and magazine and fabrics everywhere, I went to Milan with my son, since we have won two tickets to attend a television showabout dogs.

In Milan (and in Rome too) you can find an important newsstand that sells also international press, and that time, it was december 2002 I bought my first copy of your magazin, and from the first page I felt that I ‘ve foun what I’ve been always looking for!

Thank you and go on like this.

My special quilting moments are from a series of Tuesday’s.  Two years ago I connected with a couple ladies from my son’s rowing team.  We were all volunteering in the food tent one day and we ended up talking about our love of quilting and sewing.  So we thought it would be fun to get together once a week to sew and quilt.  So we started to meet on Tuesday’s.  This group of ladies has now expanded to five ladies that I call my best friends.  Some nights we sew up a storm, some nights we just provide moral support when one of us is going through a rough time.  I cherish these nights and the ladies I share them with.  

I make quilts so that my husband does not have to endure the "attention" that we get when I wear them.....poor man is lutheran......

Hi Pokey,

I had a humorous , albeit  embarrassing moment 6 years ago when I took my oldest son to have braces put on. I knew I would be there for some time so I brought along a small hand quilting project I was working on. I'm not sure if I was nervous for my son or distracted by the thought of the cost of this visit. But at some point I caught the bottom of my shirt in the stitching. When I saw my son come out to the reception area I started putting my things away only to realize I had created my first "wearable" art piece. Of course I had to undo half the work I had just completed,  not quite as fun or relaxing. . I'm still not sure how I managed to do that but I still enjoy quilting, tend to do it when I'm stressed, and always look to Quilting Arts for inspiration. Look forward in anticipation to many more years of OOOs and AHHHs at each new edition.

Dona of ARTrageous Designs

Quilts That Reunited a Family.

Families are an interesting tapestry of experiences. Sometimes the threads weaken and gaping holes tear them apart. My sweetheart’s family was threadbare. Mike was merely an acquaintance to his adult son and six grandchildren.

In 2009 I made quilts each of his grandchildren for Christmas. It was a labor of love my for sweetheart, in appreciation for his TLC during my successful battle with Stage III Endometrial cancer (!).

The quilts were a much grander success than I anticipated. I knew the kids had read the “Quiltmaker’s Gift” books with their Mom. But their Dad was the one who surprised me the most; he is a computer geek. He described watching his kids with the quilts. They brought them downstairs to wrap in while watching TV or lay on the floor. They took the quilts upstairs for bedtime. He observed that unlike toys, books and games that were fun and exciting when new, the quilts had an endurance of care and usefulness; they were made and given with love. He predicted the kids would cherish those quilts forever.

Last summer, they drove from Utah to Seattle to ‘meet’ the quilter and reunite with Grandpa. We spent a wonderful week together. Some of the kids even traveled with their quilts. Letters, emails and pictures flow lovingly now. Christmas 2010 I sent quilted stockings and a wall hanging for their mantel. Next year... a coordinating quilted tree skirt!

More amazing power of quilts ...

I also had friends that sewed blocks and made me cancer ‘recovery’ quilts to comfort me. They sure brighten a hospital room and warmed my heart!

I also made two ‘pay it forward’ quilts from Mariner baseball T-shirts and patchwork that were successfully auctioned for two cancer charities: the Jamie Moyer Foundation’s Catch A Cure for Cancer, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

<Quiltster@mindspring.com>

Gina on the wet, western side of the great state of WA

Hi Pokey,

 I make quilts and give them away but I want them to be used not put away.  I made one for my nephews son 10 years ago and boy has he used it.  He won't go anywhere without it and makes them turn around and go back and get it if they forget it!  I have patched holes several times and replaced the binding twice and just recently had to put a whole new backing on it.  Although all of the color has faded now; this is the one quilt that I have to say has lived its  purpose.  It just warms my heart to know that I actually made him something that he loves so much.  I continue to make quilts after a brief hiatus when my dad got sick and passed but I wish you could just see the light in this little boys eyes when I return his quilt all patched up!

                            Rheta Conley  Rheta@carolina.rr.com

One of my first memories was lying in my small bed, looking at the lovely colors of my handmade baby quilt. The pieces of the quilt were sewn together by machine, and then hand quilted. Although the quilt is mostly white with small triangles of varying colors and prints, I remember marveling at the blues.  The blue colors in my quilt soothed me then, and now, 55 years later, blue remains my favorite color.  I have often looked at that quilt, wondering which blues I loved when I was two or three.  Were they the same blues that catch my eye now?  The quilt is faded and a bit worn, so it’s hard to know for sure.

Although I marveled at handmade quilts, I myself was never interested in quilting, although I used to love to hand sew.  But two years ago, I stumbled upon a Quilting Arts magazine and I couldn’t wait to get home to look through this beautiful magazine.  I became enthralled with art quilts – I hadn’t known they existed.  In the past several months, I have been buying as many back issues of Quilting Arts as I can find.  They are so marvelous that I have looked through the magazines over and over, and never fail to be thrilled.  They truly feed my soul!  Last night I did one more internet search, and once I receive the few issues that I ordered then, I will own all but the first three issues.  I will keep searching until someone decides that they can relinquish those first three issues, so that I can own the entire set of Quilting Arts magazines!  I am a subscriber to the magazine, now, and look forward to each new issue.

In the meantime, I found my old, clunky sewing machine, which did not come with a darning/free motion foot.  I have tried a bit of free motion quilting without such a foot and the results aren’t great.  But I have learned that I may be able to find a universal foot that will fit my machine and someday, I dream of owning a lovely new sewing machine with all of the features I could desire!

Thank you for providing so much delight in my life!

Jan from Wyoming