APRIL 2013 AtoZ LONE STAR QUILTING BEE

 

4-30-13

Quilters Zodiac...AtoZ Letter Z

 

There are not many if any subjects/topics/images from AtoZ that can't be represented through needlework...specifically for me and the LoneStar Quilting BeeGals...QUILTING. Therefore, it will come as no surprise that The Zodiac and it's symbols have been stitched into many quilts.

In Rags To Riches I showed you a piece of Zodiac fabric from the 1960's....suposedly the Age of Aquarius.  During the 60's, the Zodiac was a new study for me, and being a curious Aquarian, I had to see what it was all about.  You can read about that in what has become my All Time Popular Post...The Age of Aquarius...Here's My Sign.

Through the AtoZ Challenge, It has been my pleasure to introduce Ya'll to the 'BeeGals'.  They have shared their quilts, quilting stories, and pieces of their lives that speak of women with True Grit and characteristics to be admired regardless...or in spite of...their Zodiac Sign.



The BeeGals Quilters Signs and Horoscopes



Alma...ARIES ~ March 21-April 20...Aries are adventurous and energetic quilters.  They are forever looking for new ideas.  The whole world to them is a palette of endless possibilities.  Always confident, they use colour schemes that others wouldn't dare consider.  Being impulsive by nature, they generally don't bother reading the instructions for designs.  Of course, as far as they are concerned the patterns are just to give them more ideas.  Aries have a talent for the arts and make excellent designers.  They don't follow techniques; they invent them. 

Irene...TARUS ~ April 21 to May 20...Taurus is the quilter who always finishes a project, as they are persistent and determined.  They follow patterns to the letter and can become greedy when it comes to their stash, as they know the value of every piece of fabric and scrap.  They are warmhearted and loving to such a degree that they have given away nearly every quilt they ever made.  They are gifted artists, excelling at sewing, patchwork and quilting.  The stitching in their quilts is of such high quality that their quilts will endure for eons.

Bea...CAPRICORN ~ December 22 to January 19...Capricorns are precise fabric calculators, prudent and practical in their estimates of yardage, and always looking to be cost effective.  They are extremely organized, disciplined and take as much care in the storage of their stash as they do in the quality of their work.  They see themselves as sensible and perform a regular clear out of suppllies and materials.  They are not the type to horde anything and do not own more than one type of tool. 

Sudie...Gemini ~ May 21 to June 21 

Diane...Libra ~September 23 to October 23

Flo...Sagittarius ~ November 23 to December 21

Josephine...Scorpio ~ October 24 to November 22

Read their Quilters Horoscopes and Yours on The Quilters Horoscope Website

Are you wondering if MINE fits ME?

Sue...AQUARIUS ~ January 20 to February 18...Aquarius is very gifted and produce exceptionally original quilts.  They are known to invent new techniques that enhance the art form.  They are friendly but their independent nature leads them to prefer to spend time quilting by themselves.  Although you can find them in a quilting class, they are the most likely of all signs to choose tolearn from books or a video.  However if you ever have a patchwork or quilting dilemma they are the kind of person that you can turn to for help and advice.  They are nice and will be thoughtful when making a quilt for friends or family.  They will create the quilt with careful consideration of what the individual would like.

See Ya May 3rd for 'The Reflection Post"

Confessions of A YarnAholic...AtoZ Letter Y

When Alma turned the key to her 'Skeleton Closet' and revealed her Knitting Habitat, I was never so relieved in my life.  My first thought was...Here is a woman with a worse addiction than mine.  Here is the result of a lifetime of  'OverDoNess'....and yet, she is seemingly free from FiberPsychosis.  

Right then and there, I took a 'silent vow' to come to grips with my own Fiber Psychosis, and regain the 'Comfort and Calm' it once was for me.  I'm sick and tired of worrying about what will happen to 'All My Stuff' when I'm gone.  I knew talking with Alma would help.  Here is her story testamony confession....

In the beginning, I had no idea that a couple of sticks and a piece of string would culminate in a life of Knitting Stuff Addiction and a constant state of FiberComa.  Most folks have an idea of how Yarn gets from Sheep to Shop, but only fellow knitters truly understand the implications of knitting and starting a Yarn Stash. 

It's a full time job maintaining a Yarn Stash where at least 2 to 4 skeins of every color known to woman kind is right at your fingertips.  In those colors it's imperative to have a variety of weights like Fingering, DK, Sport, Sock and Worsted.  Then there is the yarn content....one can't use 100% wool for everything.  Therefore, the stash must have silk blends, acrylics, cottons and whatever else is the latest in the YarnArama world.  If that's not bad enough, there are the horrible side effects of YarnAholicism....the tools, gadgets, bags, books and STUFF. (I approve this confession to be used as Sue sees fit.  Alma)

After counseling with Alma, I began to re-evaluate my condition.  The thing is, I never intended for my Yarn Thingie to get to the Coma and Addiction Stage.  It's not like I haven't been there done that!

Before I became a Yarn Junkie, I was a Quilt/FabricAHolic.   

I was the Queen of QuiteALot of Everything Quilty!

 

Some might say I still am, however after lots of

Fabric DeTox and ReFocus Therapy

that Stash is what I call Busted!

Now I am ReFocused on managing my YarnArama.

~SuKnitWitty...knitting blog...is incorporated into CollectInTexas Gal.

~I Group-Knit one afternoon a week and on occasion in the evening while watching TV.

~I belong to only one Knitting Guild which meets once a month...down from the National Guild and a dozen or so Online Guilds.

~My knitting is confined to two shelves in a small corner of the Sewing Studio...down from two rooms and a living room nest.

 

And yet, I am still plagued with thoughts of my DaughterInLaw's solution for downsizing and dispensing...

Craigs List and Garage Sales.

Sue to Alma

How did you overcome your Knitting Addiction?

Alma to Sue

I took up Quilting!

See Ya Tomorrow for the Last Letter 'Z'...Quilters Zodiac

TeXas Our TeXas Quilt...AtoZ Letter X

As Josephine and I are nearing our final days of working on her Texas Our Texas Quilt, I can't help but think back to my first time stitching on this Texas Quilt.   It was Monday, April 1st, with the Letter A post...The A Frame. 

I remember being really nervous about my hand stitching skills, but Josephine was patient and didn't mention my #9 Fence Post Needle and the less than perfect stitches I made on her quilt.  I also remember my feeling of deja vu and Jo calling me Janie.  So today, when she commented on how much my hand quilting had improved and how she had enjoyed our time together, I asked her about calling me Janie.  I was blown away with what she said....

When you started stitching on Emily's Yellow Rose block, I told you her story and how I learned to sew and quilt from her.  I kept thinking you would ask if she also did the 'Mockingbird' block, but when you didn't, I just let the story of how it came to be in this quilt pass.

I'm glad you asked about my calling you Janie.  The moment you sat down here at this quilting frame, I had the strongest feeling of deja vu and that I knew you...and not just casually, but in my soul.  From somewhere deep inside a voice spoke for me when I said, "I'm glad you're here, Janie".  It surprised me, and when you didn't react or correct me, I just let it go. 

Later, as I thought it over, I realized how much you reminded me of my great grandmother Josephine's oldest daughter Martha Jane who everyone called Janie.  I was very young when we would all gather for Family Quilting Bees, and I remember her mostly from my grandmother Belle who was Janie's 18 years younger sister.  Anyway, to keep this from being a long family lineage story...Janie was in her late 80's when she stitched the 'Mockingbird' block.  And that is the only reason I can think of why I called you Janie.  Can you think of anything?

As I listened to Jo's story, the strangest feeling of what I can only describe as an 'epiphany' came over me.  It was not the first time I had heard that I favored a woman named Martha Jane.   In reply to her question I asked,

"Josephine, what was your great grandmother Josephine's last name?"

"Marley"

The 'epiphany' exploded, "No wonder we feel so connected".

"I am Janie's great granddaughter!!!"

Josephine to Sue

Okay, so what does that make us?

Sue to Josephine

2nd Cousins 1x Removed

Josephine to Alma

Meet our Cousin Sue!!!

See Ya Monday for The Letter Y

Variety in Texas Wildflowers...AtoZ Letter VandW

Once the Quilt Sandwich was mounted on the Frame, the BeeGals were ready for a walk through the Wildflowers.   A field near the cabin was lush with a Variety of Wildflowers that Texas Mother Nature had put together just for our enjoyment and for the picking.

Since we were on Alma's property, we could do just that.....pick bouquets.  I should mention that it's against the law to pick the Texas State Flower...the Bluebonnet...from someone's property without their consent...Tresspassing.  Also, it can be dangerous as the Diamondback Rattle Snake likes Bluebonnets, too.

There is such a Variety of Texas Wildflowers that they are grouped in ColorWays of Red, White/Green, Blue/Purple, Orange, Yellow, and Pink and are listed on the Wildflower Index website.

During the Spring Wildflower Bloom, Texans look forward to drives along the Wildflower Trails throughout the state.  Some years are better than others....depending on the amount of rain during the winter and early spring.

You may remember The Armadillo Sisters Irene and Bea's Bluebonnet story...Bluebonnet Lore...where their Mother was a spokesperson in favor of the Bluebonnet becoming the State Flower of Texas.  As the Texas State Flower, the Bluebonnet is a popular subject for painters, craftsman and of course quilters.

Josephine has both 'Appliqued Bluebonnets'...shown in UFO Retreat...and 'Pieced Bluebonnet's like the block shown here, in her Texas Our Texas Quilt.  Bluebonnet Fabrics are extremely popular with Texas Quilters and several of the major Quilt Shop Fabric Suppliers come out with a line of Texas Bluebonnet and Texas Prints yearly.

Oh, here come the BeeGals with their arms full of Wildflowers. 

I'd better gather some vases and whip up a mixture of marigold oil, vinegar and water...they will be covered in ants...

the Wildflowers, hopefully not the BeeGals. 

See Ya Saturday for the Letter X.

UFO Retreat...AtoZ Letter U

Our president Alma, finished up the secret meeting with, "All in favor say Aye.  All opposed.  Okay, that's that then!  Remember, though, this is top secret and highly classified.  Flo must not have even an inkling of our plans.  Now let's get on with the layout." 

Espionage among needle whelding 'Blue Haired Old Ladies'.  Imagine that!  Gosh, this is going to be fun....a UFO Retreat.  Our plans were air tight and our only regret was that Flo would not be there to share in the fun.  It couldn't be helped, though, if her Friendship Fan Quilt was to remain a surprise. 

For the rest of the morning, Josephine and I quilted on her Texas Our Texas quilt.  As I stitched around the cabin, I thought about the UFO Retreat.  We were leaving first thing in the morning for Alma's cabin in the mountains.  This was going to be my first Retreat with the BeeGals, and I was pumped.  And the fact that my 'Signature Blocks' were not classified as UFO's but FO's ready to be pieced into Flo's UFO...well, that was icing on the cake.

Alma's van was packed tight with everything needed for a weekend in the mountains. She assured us we didn't need to take a quilting frame for Flo's UFO as she had one all set up at the cabin.

This was the perfect time of the year to take a trip to the Big Bend.  The Bluebonnets were blooming.  They were mixed among the Indian Paintbrush and other wildflowers along the roadside and in the basins of the mesas.  A perfect setting for finishing Flo's UFO.

We pulled up to the cabin, and much to our surprise, there was a car parked in the graveled drive.  We all piled out of the van, surrounded Alma and cautiously advanced to the cabin door.  Just as Alma was about to insert the key, the door was jerked open...

SURPRISE!!!!

It was
FLO!!!

Flo to Alma's HighFive

"TopSecret-Highly Classified...Good One!!!"

Flo to All

"Friendships are sewn...one stitch at a time."

"We'd better get to Stitchin' if were going to Finish my UFO"

"I Love You All"

Group Hug

UFO...In the Quilt World...UnFinished Object!!!
See Ya Tomorrow for the Letter V

Only In TEXAS Towns...AtoZ Letter T

"You know Jo, I've never heard of Tessellated T's until now.  Shoot, I never heard of Tessellate before.  Is it a Texas Town?"

"No, it's not a Texas Town.  It's a Math Thing.  My goodness, didn't you take Geometry in school? "

Really, it's not a town down by Turkey, Texas?   I could swear I've been through there on my way to Venus and Mars, Texas. 

 Josephine and I have been steadily working on her Texas Quilt, and over the course of these several weeks we've had a running commentary going with 'Have you ever been to (blank), Texas?.  The plan is to include these Only In Texas Towns on the 'Label' of  Josephine's Texas Our Texas Quilt.

The 'Label' is the finishing touch on a quilt and serves as a record about the who, where and when of the quilt.  We are going to need a BIG label in order to include all of these Only In Texas Towns.

~How about some Sun Lovin' Towns in Texas...Sun City, Sunrise, Sunset, Sundown, Sunray and Sunny Side, Texas.

 

~Are ya hungry?  These are Tasty Texas Towns...Bacon, Noodle, Oatmeal, Turkey, Trout, Sugar Land, Salty, Rice, Orange and Sweetwater, Texas.

 

~Why travel to Cities in the US...Texas has them all...Detroit, Cleveland, Colorado City, Denver City, Pittsburg, Newark, Memphis, Miami, Boston, SantaFe, Reno, and Pasadena, Texas.

 

~Feel like traveling Outside the Country?  No need for a passport in Athens, Canadian, China, Dublin, Egypt, Ireland, Italy, London, Paris, and Palestine, Texas.

 

~No need to travel to Washington, D.C. either....we have our own Whitehouse, Texas.

 

~We even have a city named after our Planet...Earth, Texas

 

~You'll find plenty of History in Santa Anna, Goliad, Alamo, Gun Barrel City, and Robert Lee, Texas.

 

~There's Towns for the Kids, too...Kermit, Elmo, Nemo, Tarzan, Winnie, and Sylvester, Texas.

 

~And just for Grins...Frognot, Bigfoot, Hogeye, Notrees, Best, Veribest, Kickapoo, Dime Box, Telephone, Telegraph, Whiteface and Twitty, Texas.

 

~ Josephines Favorites...Cut and Shoot, Ding Dong, and Muleshoe, Texas.

Ya'll Come to Texas. 

You will love our Smiley, Friendship, Comfort, Paradise and Sweet Home, Texas Towns

See Ya Tomorrow for Letter U

Our Middle Name Is Sue...AtoZ Letter S

Sue use to be a popular given name. On the PopChart of Girls Names it's highest ranking was #100 back in 1950...I was three years old.

Everyone called me Sue, not SusieQ or some other derivative of Sue, so you can imagine my confusion when I started school and my first grade teacher called me Sandra. Yep, Sue is my middle name. It was years before I came to grips with that fact and learned to spell Sandra.

I never thought of myself as a Sandra and for sure could not imagine putting the two names together like Buddy Holly's Peggy Sue or the Oak Ridge Boys Bobbie Sue. I suffered some when Dion and the Belmonts came out with Runaround Sue.  So by the time Johnny Cash broke all the Gender Name Rules and again popularized Sue with  A Boy Named Sue, I was one tough Sue.

When I entered the world of Quilting and discovered Sunbonnet Sue, we became instant friends.  Here was another Middle Name Sue that I could totally relate to. 

She was almost always dressed in my favorite 1930's flour sack fabrics.  I loved hats...she did too.  We were both into quilts.  We did alot of the same things, like Sewing on Wednesday, Baking on Thursday and Church on Sunday.

Sunbonnet Sue became my Quilting Signature Symbol, and I have collected any and everything that represents and depicts her...from plates to pin cushions.

 I have rescued her from dumpsters...Sue To The Rescue of Sunbonnet Sue.  Found her in Junktique Shops, Flea Markets, Garage Sales and Thrift Stores.  She decorates my walls, lays on my beds and  clips on my sewing machines.  I've stitched her, pinned her, and studied her family genealogy.

She was the Logo for Sue's Quilt Shop...Oooops, that kinda slipped out.  

Now you know why I have a Mega Fabric Stash. 

Now you know how I became a Quantum Mechanics Fabricator.

Now you know why I am a Prolific Patchwork Pattern Piecer.

Now you understand why I 'Cut Up Yardage to Make SCRAPS.

Now YOU know something the LoneStar BeeGals don't.

Can you keep it under your Bonnet for awhile longer...you know...about

Our Middle Names being Sue?

Alma to Irene

I'm making Sue's name Tag.  Do you know her Middle Name?

Irene to Alma

I think I heard her say she was named after her Grandmother Effie.

Alma

Bless her heart!!!

See Ya Tomorrow for Letter T...Oh, and Thanks!!!

Rags to Riches...AtoZ Letter R

If the BeeGals take a day off it's usually on Saturday. It has something to do with the Senior Bus, Walmart Shopping Spree and Senior Center Bingo. I'm a few years away from needing those services, so here I am, by myself, in The Grand Jury Room picking out fabrics for Flo's Friendship Fan Blocks..

Completely engrossed in the stack of 1930's reproductions, I didn't hear Alma come in the room.  I near jumped out of my shoes when she said, "Sue, I have a restoration project for you."

After regaining my composure and picking the 30's Stack off the floor, I took one look at the so called project and said, "That looks like a Rag."  Holding it by the corners, Alma let the top drop to the floor revealing the falling apart seams, missing pieces, gapping holes, puckered piecing and one Petal Piece that sealed the deal for me.  Sure enough it was a RAG, "I'll do it if I can keep the Scraps and quilt it on *QuiltALottie."

With that she wadded up 'RaggedyAquarius', tossed it on the table and said, "Do what ever it takes to make at least a throw size quilt.  The man that brought it by said it was the last thing his Mother pieced and he hoped it could be saved.  I'll see ya later, it's nearly time for Bingo."

This is a TEST, I thought to myself.  It's an initiation...more like a hazing...look at this mess.  I do love that piece of Zodiac fabric, though.  I'm pretty sure I can salvedge a piece of that to add to my Aquarius Fabric Collection.  She did say, "Do whatever it takes".....I can do this.

After a good pressing, repairing and replacing of seams and pieces, rotary cutting into blocks and re-assembling, bordering, backing, *QuiltALottie quilting, and binding....I think I've passed the Test!

If nothing else...I've created a Rags to Riches Family Heirloom...at least that's what Mr. Bush said. 

As a Quilter/Quilt Appraiser, I'm often asked to repair/restore vintage quilts and quilt tops. 

Here are a few Guidelines I suggest to clients.

-Consider the sentimental attachment vs the historical/monetary value. 

(any changes/restoration affect the historical/monetary value for Collectors)

-Consider the condition, construction, skill level of piecing, and pattern. 

-Consider how the piece will be preserved, inherited, used or displayed.

-DoNOT throw it in the washer and dryer.  Your Rags to Riches will be reduced to RAGS.

*QuiltALottie...Another Modern Marvel

Quilt Question #1...AtoZ Letter Q

Sue, how many quilts have you made?

Just thinking about the answer to that question, gives me a headache and makes me queasy. 

First of all, I am not a Numbers Person.  That fact was evident from my First Grade Report Card...U in Arithmetic.  That 'U' followed me all the way through a college masters degree and to this very day as a Senior Citizen.  Who knew that turning 65 would involve so many questions that required cyphering!  Thank goodness medicare doesn't want to know how many quilts I've made.

What I am is a.....Quantum Mechanics Fabricator.  And, yes, I'm stretching the QM definition a bit, but the part about 'observable quantities' fits my BS in Visual Studies, and aforementioned Masters of ArtEd in Advanced Visual Studies.  (feel free to apply your own interpretation to the BS, but know that the MAEd is qualified.)  Basically, as a QM Fabricator, 'What I can SEE is what I can COUNT'...if I have to. 

I posed this Number One Quilt Question to the Armadillos this morning.  

Here are their answers...

Sudie...I lost count a long time ago. But, since I became a grandmother and great grandmother, I could come up with a number based on the quilts I've made for them. Do you have a calculator?

 

Bea...Ditto on what Sudie said, and Quadruple her total calculated number.

 

Irene...That use to be important to me...the numbers, but now the value of human effort is what counts.  We are preserving a simple unchanging act of handiwork, and that is immeasurable.

 

Okay, back to "Sue, how many quilts have you made?"
"What Irene said....times a *Quattuordecillion"! 

*Quattuordecillion...10 to the 45th power (45 zeros) above one million in the American system of numeration.
That number definately gives me a headache and makes me queasy!
See Ya tomorrow for Letter R...Number 18 of 26.

Prolific Patchwork Pattern Piecer...AtoZ Letter P

Several weeks ago, as a Newbie at the LoneStar Quilting Bee, I took a 'Silent Vow' to go slow, get to know these ladies and give them a chance to know me before I revealed my 'OverDoSue' self. I think I've done a pretty good job of containing myself.

I mean, I've offered my 'Teaching Expertise' just once...No Pain~No Jane. Given One modest Quilt Show, believe me when I say it could have turned into what others might consider an 'EgoFest' with entries from just one walk-in-closet.  I've given only one report based on my extensive research and knowledge of quilting...Heart Healthy Stitching...and that was totally off the cuff and solicited.

I came close with Modern Marvels, to showing my 'Prideful and SmugSide'.  Really, Sue...TWO Featherweights and so insensitive to a dear friend's heartfelt wish for just one....I'm very sorry Cheryl...let me make it up to you.  Next time you are in town and need a sewing machine, you can borrow one of my Featherweights.  I'm just thankful no one has asked me, "Sue, how many sewing machines do you have?"

I guess, the closest I've come to 'OverDoDisclosure' was the day I fell to my knees in The Grand Jury Room.  I look back on that day with a tinge of redness and remorse for my sacriledge.  Quilt Goddess!!!...phaleeze, Sue!  BeeGals...forgive me, it was just such a shock to see a Fabric Stash to equal mine.  I do plan on donating a goodly amount of yardage to the Grand JR Stash.  I am, if nothing else, generous to a fault and eager to share my fabric stash....except for The Scraps.

Now that I've cleared the air, appologized, and given you a glimpse into my 'OverDoPsyche', I feel more confident in talking about being a 'Prolific Patchwork Pattern Piecer'.  You see, it's the result of what I hinted about in the Letter 'O' post...Obsessiveness. 

I'm not going to go so far as calling it OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)

because to my way of thinking it's simply a 'SideEffect' of too much Patchwork Pattern Piecing.

  It will go away when my Fabric Stash is depleted or when...

Pigs Fly!!!

See Ya tomorrow for Letter Q...Do ya think it might be about QUILTS?

Obsessions Over Odds and Ends...AtoZ Letter O

No matter what you call them

...Bits and Pieces, Left Overs, This and That, Odds and Ends...

when you get right down to the Nitty Gritty or the Bottom of the Barrel...

they are still just SCRAPS. 

Quilters have been known to:

Organize and categorize Scraps more efficently than the Dewey Decimal System.

Cut up perfectly good YARDAGE to make scraps.

Salvage and save 'Salvages' as well as miniscule pieces from the dustpan.

Scrounge Estate Sales, Garage Sales, Barns, Attics, Antique Shops and Flea Markets for Scraps.

Beg Borrow Barter for Scraps....Oh Okay...that (steal), too.

Stand on the corner with this sign:

 Quilters will tell you that Scrap Quilts are their FAVORITE Quilts to make and the hardest ones to part with,

unless it's for someone extra special.

This quilt is made of cloth and thread

To place upon your little bed.

It's not an heirloom just to keep,
But to lay upon as you count sheep.

Or perhaps the floor's the perfect place
For a doll and and teddy picnic space.

This quilt can be anything you can dream,

From superman's cape to the robe of a queen.
Pretend it's a raft adrift at sea,

Or just cuddle up when you watch TV.

So use it up and wear it out, I promise I won't yell or pout.

Just tell me when its days are through,

And I'll make another, just for you.

(author unknown)

 

As you may have already guessed...I'm an Obsessive Odds and Ends Quilter!

See Ya tomorrow for Letter P...Patchwork (another name for scraps...LOL)

Needle Nests...AtoZ Letter N

Quilters are notorious nesters. The Nesting Phenomenon among Needleworkers goes as far back as, well, the first needles. That would be back in the cave man days when needles were made from bone and were used to sew animal hides together. The oldest known bone sewing needle was one found in what is now southwestern France and has been estimated to be over 25,000 years old.

I can just imagine how the Neanderthal Needleworker must have treasured and protected that Needle....with a Needle Case/Keeper or my personal favorite...Nest.

There are as many different versions of Needle Nests as there are Needleworkers.  As collectors of Needles and Needle Cases/Keepers/Nests, the BeeGals have put together this display to share with you a bit of history and their Needle Treasures.

Take your needle, my child, and work at your pattern; it will come out a rose by and by.

Life is like that - one stitch at a time taken patiently and the pattern will come out all right like the embroidery.

Oliver Wendell Holmes

The knowledge of needle making was also used to make fish hooks in England.

The country became well known for high quality fish hooks as well as sewing needles in the middle of the 17th century.

"I will not allow my creative spirit and need to knit to be thwarted by a lack of materials."

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee ~ The Yarn Harlot

Metal needles were handcrafted before the industrial age. The process began with cutting wire long enough to make two needles. Then points were ground on either end of the wire, the wire was flattened in the middle and eyes punched out. The needles were then separated. This operation is still followed today, but machines now do the work instead of people.

Thanks to Alma for sharing her Knitting Needle Collection....her Knitting story HERE.

Thanks to the Armadillos...Irene, Bea, Sudie and Mae for sharing their Vintage Needle Collections and their stories

Bluebonnet Lore and The Chisolm Trail.

As I was wrapping up the interviews and photographing the collections, 

 I noticed the flyer from Moda's Blog...The Cutting Table...on the Armadillo's quilting frame. 

In a teasing tone, I asked, "So, Irene (she's the youngest at 75) which of these Tattoos are you getting.
You know they do those with a NEEDLE...right?"

She winked at her older sister and said, "These young whipper snappers are such whimps. 

I'm not worried about Tattoo Needle Sticks...why we've had worse needle pricks on our eyeballs...wink wink."

Bea picked up the flyer and pointed to the 'Skull and Scissors',

"I'm thinking of getting this one on my right Bicep. 

 Sister likes the 'Heart' and thought about putting it on her left Boob."

"Really", I said as I picked up the flyer for a closer look.

"Yeah, but then we remembered she doesn't have a 'TankTop' low cut enough to show it off,

so it's going on her ankle....she wears capris and flipflops all summer.

See Ya tomorrow for Letter O