15 Minutes Play

A recent treat was the purchase of a new book, 15 Minutes Play by Victoria Findlay Wolfe.

If you love scraps, as I do so much, this is the book for you. I tend to piece stuff together rather aimlessly. Victoria calls that made-fabric. She had the good sense to wrangle it all into designs, setting it all into traditional quilt designs! Of course, with her mad-wonderful color sense, the quilts turn out to be anything but traditional.

I had a good deal of work to do recently and not much time to sew. But I tried Victoria's method and just gave myself 15 minutes to play. Ah! That was a lifesaver during a busy time.

I'm piecing a red/white/black scrap quilt (with a few liberties as you will note - a little blue, etc.). Here is a peek ...I nearly have two 1 yard square pieces together! I'm calling my sewing time this week Pt. Petalabooma East, thinking of my friends sewing together in California without me ... Yachi should know this is ALL SCRAPS! 

Oh Happy Day

Well! Any day that I get to hear my favorite Yellow Dog Democrat (his words) sing America the Beautiful at the presidential inauguration is a happy happy day for me.

I follow politics. I have my favorites. It is good to have leaders you admire.I grew up in a family that paid attention to politics, that talked about current events around the dinner table. Imagine my delight to realize (as a grownup) that my paternal grandmother Anna Schrader Gehlbach had a similar outlook. She actually gave her youngest child the middle name FRANKLIN in 1933 in honor of a favorite leader of hers.

I was reminded of that today by a photo sent by my favorite quilt historian, it's a quilt that features states that elected FDR, courtesy of the NC Quilt Project and the Quilt Index. Thank you, BB.


And I will reveal a guilty pleasure: I regularly check this blog that features the fashions worn by Michelle Obama. Today will be a happy, busy day, keeping up with that!

Severe Book Withdrawal in Lawrence, KS

There are many things my beloved hometown of Lawrence, Kansas is known for.

We are a Civil War destination town, since Southern sympathizers burned our town to the ground in 1863. That's history.

We are a basketball town, known as the home of James Naismith and a continually HOT basketball team. Here is my current favorite player on this year's team, Kevin Young. I love his enthusiasm almost as much as I love his FRO. (Kevin is on right below, photo courtesy of our shriveling local newspaper, the Lawrence Journal-World.)

What you may not know is that is a town of book lovers! Really! This is something I've long suspected BUT with the closing of our public library for the past 2 weeks as it moves to temporary quarters (while our new, improved library will be built in the next 2 years on the just vacated current downtown site), let me just say the library lovers are in a total frenzy. WITHDRAWAL tremors were detected at a luncheon last Thursday. I actually overheard this statement, "Yes, I have 10 books checked out but I've already read them ALL!! What time is that university library open?"

Then yesterday we stopped in Half-Price Books and the place was JAMMED! People needing a book fix on a January day were crammed in the place!

Tuesday. if we can just last until Tuesday, we can visit our beloved library in it's temporary headquarters, either ironically or fittingly in the old Borders store site downtown. Surely we can wait a few more days, right?

Fabulous Sherry Kent dress

Here's my favorite holiday gift, from someone who knows fabric is the best gift.


It's a vintage dress. My friend Linda said she found it at a thrift shop for very few $$.










Since my new fascination is all things Modern era, I was blown away. And so delighted to see a rip in the front, which makes it easier to cut up and repurpose.

I promise to do some research and see what I can learn about Sherry Kent dresses.
and the exact age of this beauty...Here's a close-up shot  of one of the pockets:

Parental discretion advisory, warning, warning, read only if you are immune to shock and naughty words, thanks to raising kids regularly dragging them through thrift shops:
There is a new song out about Thrift Shops! My daughters heard it first, and now I am hooked. I listen to it when I want a good chuckle. It includes lyrics like: I'll wear your grandpa's clothes!  I'm gonna pop some tags, Only got twenty dollars in my pocket...check it out on you tube.