The “Bacon Bracelet”

I made this bracelet a while ago for my online class on Tyvek that I am in the middle of teaching on Joggles.com, but forgot to post it. I made it from Tyvek beads embossed with a rubber stamp, and because of the colors, my husband refers to it as “the bacon bracelet.” (And, truth be told, he has a bit of a bacon obsession, too…)

It has a magnetic toggle closure, so it is really easy to put on and take off. And of course, it is super light because Tyvek weighs next to nothing.

So thankful!

As Thanksgiving approaches, I am so thankful for all that I have been given. One of the things for which I am grateful is the quilting community… the people I have met through guild meetings, through presentations I've given to quilting groups, and through online groups and online classes and teaching. The internet, and blogging, have introduced me to so many interesting, kind and generous people that I have not (yet) met face to face. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

In the spirit of the holiday, I am including my recipe for Spicy Pecans. They are easy to make, and are great as an appetizer or sprinkled on a green salad. Or put some in a jar tied with a ribbon for a wonderful holiday hostess gift.



Spicy Pecans
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (such as Tabasco)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound pecan halves

Heat oven to 300 degrees F. Melt butter, add Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salt and pepper, and mix well. Place pecans in mixing bowl and pour the liquid on top, then stir to thoroughly coat. Spread onto a cookie sheet or jellyroll pan in a single layer. Bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring and re-spreading every 10 minutes or so. Take out of oven and place on paper towels. When cool, store in an airtight container.

“Varigated” sold!

The 12"-square quilt I made for the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) One Foot Square Auction sold today to The Schroder Collection! Hooray, and thank you very much.

There are still some gorgeous quilts available, some by very well-known art quilters. The price goes down by $100 each day at 2 p.m., so they are getting more affordable.

The second group of quilts will go up for auction on Tuesday, Nov. 18. The third group goes up Friday, Nov. 28.

To see my quilt, scroll down a bit to my Nov. 6 post.

Judy’s Tulip Bag

My friend Judy Whitehead just finished making my Tulip Bag pattern, and her bag is absolutely gorgeous. Judy is a talented fabric dyer, art quilter and longarm quilter, and she used all her talents to make a bag that is completely Judy. WOW! To read more about how she made her bag, check out her blog post here.

Veterans Day

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

– John McCrae, 1915
Canadian poet and medical officer in the Boer War and World War I

Today I remember and honor my father-in-law, who served in the U.S. Army, and was part of the Normandy invasion of World War II in 1944, and all those who have served and are serving my country. I think of the terrible sacrifices they and their families have made so that we can live our lives as we do. Of my own father's service in the Marine Corps. And of all the young people of all nations whom we send to war.

The poem above has been interpreted as both pro-war and anti-war by different people. I like the ambiguity, and prefer to think that the poet’s reference to “the foe” refers to war itself. Let it end.

Piecing the LNQ donation quilt

Some of the members of Lake Norman Quilters got together today to start piecing our 2009 donation quilt. This quilt will help pay for our 2009 quilt show.

Many thanks to Liz, Eileen, Michele, Judy, Cathy, Lucinda, Jean, Grace, Alisan, Susan D-L, Mary Jo, Joyce and Cheryl, who worked tirelessly and got a lot done in one day! And to Centre Presbyterian Church for giving us a nice place to work.



Here's Susan D-L piecing nine-patches:



Mary Jo looks like she’s having too much fun:



Eileen helped piece the stars:



Grace and Alisan demonstrate beautiful teamwork cutting long strips for the borders:



Cheryl matches up her pieces before stitching:



Cathy models a lovely boa of strip-pieced units:



Jean was focused on her task:



Liz told us (in no uncertain terms) that she doesn’t “do” triangles, so we put her to work lining up the units to be stitched:

SAQA Auction starts on Monday

A major fundraiser for Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) begins on Monday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. Eastern time. It is the One Foot Square Auction, where you can bid on 12"-square works donated by SAQA members. My piece, “Varigated,” is shown above (and there’s a detail shot at the end of this post).

The pieces are divided into three groups for the auction. The auction for Group I will begin November 10th. My piece is in this group.

Group II will begin November 18th. And Group III will begin November 28th.

This is a reverse auction, with all pieces starting out on the first day at $750. Art quilt collectors usually snap up the pieces by well-known artists very quickly at that price. From there, the price goes down by $100 each day. On Day 2 of each auction (at 2 p.m. Eastern), the price drops to $650. The third day - $550, then $450, $350, $250, $150, and $75 (the lowest bid that will be accepted). Purchase is by credit card only.

So if you want to own a wonderful piece of fiber art and support a great organization at the same time, check it out. Even if you can’t afford to buy, take a look; it is a beautiful gallery of work.

My quilts... at Festival in Houston!

A sweet friend, Sarah Ann Smith, a fabulous art quilter from Camden Maine, just sent me these photos of my quilts hanging at the International Quilt Festival in Houston last week. So nice of her! It is very fun to see how they were hung, who their “neighbors” were. Thanks, Sarah!

Here’s my Journal quilt, “Running Deep,” in the photo below on the left. I can’t make out the artists’ names on the other pieces... if you are reading this and recognize them, write and let me know so I can give them proper credit! (Note: After posting this entry, I got a note from a blog reader who helped me identify the piece to the right of mine. It is by Susan Andrus of Towanda, Pa., and is called "Iris on the Rocks.”)



Here’s my piece “Harbinger’s Hope,” (the bluish one with the nest). To its right is “The Arb House” by Sue Holdaway-Heys of Ann Arbor, Michigan (behind the woman viewer’s head; you can see it better in the next photo), and then “Malian Peace Corps Story” by Charlene Bremer and Patricia Bremer Chell of Champaign, Illinois. I do not have credit information on the pieces to the left of mine.

Election Day is here!

The flag looked so pretty against my maple’s gorgeous golden leaves today. I just got back from voting; there was no line at my polling place, but traffic was brisk.

Time to do the right thing!

It’s Election Day eve, and I hope everyone is getting ready to go out tomorrow and vote (if you haven’t already). To get you in the mood, here is a link to Patchwork Politics, an exhibit of politically themed quilts at last week’s International Quilt Festival.