Another Challenge

Another challenge our art quilt group had recently was to make a quilt based on connections.  Once again, I really had no idea on how to approach the topic, but I finally came up with the concept of a jigsaw puzzle.  And tied up with the concept of the connected pieces of the jigsaw puzzle was the idea of connecting with things that could help our environment.

 I ended up having a lot of fun figuring out the pattern for the jigsaw (I really enjoy the "figuring out" part of designing) and then I digitized the blue part of the quilt with designs that remind us of ways to make our our world a better place--Such as Compost Your Yard Waste, Rethink Bottled Water, Buy Locally, Brush Without Running Water, Plant A Tree.  And I named the quilt Traveling.
Around the edge of the puzzle, I wrote this saying:  "Consider this:  We are all traveling on the Mother Ship.  And . . .together we can preserve it for future generations."
I know that many feel that it is already too late to turn things around--and that may be the truth, I don't know.  However, if we sit back and do nothing then, for sure, it will be true.  I look at this quilt everyday in my studio and everyday I am reminded of what I have and have not done and, hopefully, am more mindful of my own part in finding a solution rather than being part of the problem.

There can be beauty and art in our food--depending on how you look at it.  Last year, the art group that I belonged to at the time, decided to do a challenge on Structure.   Well, I drew mostly a blank on that one because I don't really like to depict bridges or houses or anything like that in my quilts.  It's just not my thing usually.  So I started thinking smaller and it came to me that the structure of an okra leaf could be interesting--and beautiful.  How often do we stop and think about things like that?  Even though I've grown okra for years in the garden, I don't think that I had looked that closely at one of it's leaves.  Sure, I was familiar with the SHAPE of the leaf--but not it's structure.  So, this is my structure quilt.  I call it Lifelines.  And I'll never look at an okra leaf in the same way again.

Did You Ever Wonder?

How many times have you bought a particular product at the grocery store and ate it without thinking about where it came from or how it grew in its natural habitat? I think that is probably true about a lot of food that we consume.
I've been an organic gardener for more than 50 years but there is ALWAYS something new to grow--something I haven't tried before.  This year it was peanuts.  Have you ever thought about what peanuts look like before they make it to the factory to become peanut butter or to a ballgame where you buy a bag of them roasted?  Do they grow above ground?
Technically, I HAVE grown peanuts before but it was at least 45 years ago so it really doesn't count.  A friend asked me this year if I would like to have some peanut seeds.  Of course, I said yes--I thought that sounded pretty exotic for growing in the mountains as I thought they needed a lot of hot weather (and I guess we DID have a LOT of hot weather here this year).  Anyway, I asked him where he got his seed.  His answer?  The produce department of Ingles grocery store.  He bought a bag of raw peanuts and shelled them.  That would never have occurred to me.
Well, they grew quite nicely--the only problem being a hungry rabbit ( whom I cut off from the supply with a low fence once I realized he was eating MY food) and later voles attacking from underground.  (Gardening is a series of challenges) I still ended up with a good crop and harvested enough for my husband to have several batches of boiled peanuts.  Frankly, I don't understand the boiled peanut thing--they just seem like wet, stale peanuts to me--but he loves them and that's enough.   Glad to oblige.  I'm going to plant them again next year--only more--and maybe I'll get to make some peanut butter for myself.
So, here is what a peanut plant looks like after it has been pulled up.  These plants are upside down.  The bulk of the peanuts grow at the base of the  plant and others grow along the runners that the plant sends out.  You can't see how many peanuts you have until you pull them up at the end of the season.  Yet another exercise in delayed gratification.

Giving Back

Every so often a couple of friends and I get together to make quilts for people who, hopefully, will find some comfort in the receipt of them.  And, of course, we receive so much joy and pleasure knowing that they will lift someone's spirits in a difficult situation.  This is our most recent one.
The interesting thing about it is how it came to be.
Two of us went to an quilt exhibition a while back put on by the Shady Ladies--a group of quilters in the Asheville area.   They also had a boutique with many different things for sale.  I happened to buy a bag of blocks--maybe orphan blocks--that were made of hand-dyed fabrics.  Ultimately, I took all of them apart and we reconfigured them into this quilt--with added sashings and borders.   And we were happy with the result.  I quilted it and soon it will be on its way to someone who needs it.  And,  of course, we've already begun our next one!

Another Beginning

Well,  it's been a while since I last posted on a blog--I guess about three years.  So long that I couldn't continue the blog I had in place--Carolina Musings.  So, here I am with a fresh start--new title, same love of quilts and nature.
Why am I posting after such a long space of time?  Why,  indeed! The real answer is because I had an a-ha moment at the Asheville Quilt Show this past weekend--or rather, my husband gave me one that evening at home.  You see, I did a demo at the show on Quilting On A Regular Sewing Machine and this was the first time he had ever heard me do this sort of thing.  He listened to me as I talked with the audience while demonstrating various quilting techniques and he watched them as they responded to that and asked questions.  His final impression of that demo was that people seemed to enjoy my method of teaching and sharing my love of quilting and that I should do more teaching with quilters who want to learn how to quilt their own quilts.
I HAVE done that quite often in the past but had pulled back from it in more recent times.  Various things had stepped in the way--mainly life itself.  You know how that can be.  But life moves on and attitudes change and some things look brighter--and you sometimes realize that life can still be full of surprises.
SO---here I am and, hopefully, some of you will find me after such an extended absence.  I hope so.
And, if you are interested in having me come to your Guild to teach Machine Quilting or to do a Trunk Show, you can contact me at judyheyward@gmail.com.

Coincidentally, I won a major award of Best Machine Stitching for my quilt, Patience, at the Asheville Quilt Show.  I was really surprised by the award because the competition was pretty stiff--and am quite grateful for the honor.  And so very many people made a point of finding me and telling me how wonderful they thought it was.  Such graciousness is humbling.

This quilt took me over a year to complete.  As I've said many times in the past, I try to listen to what a quilt has to to tell me as I go along.  Sometimes, I don't  listen closely enough and have to start over in some sections--but I'm almost always glad to have made the changes I think are necessary.  And when it comes to the quilting itself, I sometimes consider myself to be the Queen of picking out stitches and starting over.  Yes, it's tedious and time consuming, but I'm the one who has to live with it--so I just pull out the trusty seam ripper and go for it.  And in the creation of this particular quilt I had some of both things happen.

This second quilt, Sunshine Makes Me Happy, also won an award--2nd place.  Again, a surprise.  I really love to make log cabin quilts and this one was mainly a project of using some of the thousands of strips that I had "over-cut" for a project I ended up not making.  I added the curved black bias binding strips and red circles to add some additional character to the quilt and was pleased with the outcome.  And it DID remind me of standing in the sunshine and feeling its warmth on a cool spring day.  AND it made me happy!
And now, I'm back to a blank design wall in my studio--waiting for that next idea to present itself.  I feel a couple of things beginning to nudge me a little and, hopefully, they'll show themselves before too long.  Thanks for reading and I'll be back soon.