Quilt Con East

What a wonderful place to be for Quilt Con East--

Savannah, Georgia!  A lovely setting for a great event!

Catalog

As someone who has attended Quilt Con twice, this is an event not to be missed!

St. Valentine's Day

THE LEGEND OF ST. VALENTINE

The history of Valentine’s Day–and the story of its patron saint–is shrouded in mystery. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite?

Did You Know?

Approximately 150 million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged annually, making Valentine's Day the second most popular card-sending holiday after Christmas.

The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl–possibly his jailor’s daughter–who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and–most importantly–romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France.

ORIGINS OF VALENTINE’S DAY: A PAGAN FESTIVAL IN FEBRUARY

While some believe that Valentine’s Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine’s death or burial–which probably occurred around A.D. 270–others claim that the Christian church may have decided to place St. Valentine’s feast day in the middle of February in an effort to “Christianize” the pagan celebration of Lupercalia. Celebrated at the ides of February, or February 15, Lupercalia was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.

To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at a sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. They would then strip the goat’s hide into strips, dip them into the sacrificial blood and take to the streets, gently slapping both women and crop fields with the goat hide. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed the touch of the hides because it was believed to make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city’s bachelors would each choose a name and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage. Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages, though written Valentine’s didn’t begin to appear until after 1400. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. (The greeting is now part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England.) Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois. 

TYPICAL VALENTINE’S DAY GREETINGS  In addition to the United States, Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France and Australia. In Great Britain, Valentine’s Day began to be popularly celebrated around the 17th century. By the middle of the 18th, it was common for friends and lovers of all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes, and by 1900 printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one’s feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine’s Day greetings.

Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in America. Howland, known as the “Mother of the Valentine,” made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as “scrap.” Today, according to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated 1 billion Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.) Women purchase approximately 85 percent of all valentines.

Stitch Away.............The Love of Home

I love stitching!  It's a form of mediation for me--I don't need anything else but my fabric, a nice pattern and my boxes of embroidery threads.  And I love this new series of stitching patterns that
Jenny has designed.  The Love of Home!

A sweet pattern that includes some applique--check it out--Free for the month!

and come stitching with me!

I Could Knit These All Day...............

Hearts to You! from Barrett Wool and Susan Anderson!

Such darling hearts that can be knitted in a few minutes

If you use wool, you can felt and have a delightful garland

for your sweetheart.  Find the pattern on the website

and knit away!

FREE! FREE! Skillbuilder!

If you want to accomplish more with your sewing abilities

or need some maintenance with your skills, then this is the

monthly FREE Quilt Along for you!

I mentioned in an earlier blog that Sherri had free

blocks for us each month--well, Sherri has designed this

quilt as a Skillbuilder and the first block is up and ready

for you to download--and yes, there is a video tutorial!

Grab the pattern and sew sew sew to build your sewing skills and

have a finished (we hope) quilt in the process!

It's Never Too Early!

Houston Fiber Fest

Is coming up this summer--JUNE 23-25, 2017 AT THE BERRY CENTER IN CYPRESS, TX

This is Lester, the mascot for Fiber Fest.  The Fiber Fest will feature two outstanding

knitters in 

Lucy Neatby is an internationally recognized teacher, designer, and writer who thrills knitters around the world with her inimitable charm, knowledge, and uniquely colourful designs. Her passion for nurturing and empowering knitters, and putting them in control of their art, is legendary! She is the author of three books: Cool Socks Warm Feet, Cool Knitters Finish in Style, A Little Book of BIG Holes for Hand-knitters! and the Learn With Lucy DVD series.

JC Briar is a self-professed knitter, puzzle solver, and chart fanatic. She likes to ask questions, probe beyond the surface, and figure things out for herself. Which cast on method really is the most stretchy? How do you knit sock heels and toes that really fit? JC has honed her teaching skills to recognize that different students have different learning styles, and she tries to adapt to match each student’s needs. JC is author of the book Charts Made Simple and creator of the revolutionary Stitch Maps charting software.

You have plenty of time to knit up Lester!  A Free pattern from Gritty Knits

Mystery Block #2

You can always count on me being late to the party!  I've

missed Mystery block #1-- but luckily, 

Sherri, A Quilting Life has left the tutorial up for us late comers.

I like the way she is designing these blocks--as she is playing

around with colors and design elements--we can also play with

our stash 

She even gives an outline if you wish to make the blocks smaller

February: Scrappy Star	6” Block	12” Block
Fabric 1 (green in block)	(2) 2” x 2” Squares	(2) 4” x 4” Squares
Fabric 2 – 7 (shades of pink)	(1) 2” x 2” Squares (6 total)	(1) 4” x 4” Square (6 total)
Background	(8) 2” x 2” Squares	(8) 4” x 4” Squares

Now, if only I can keep up each month, I'll have a completed quilt by

year's end!  

Happy stitching!

Houston Art Exhibits

Every few months, I take time to visit the wonderful museums and art galleries

around Houston area.  It's a time to take stock of what is going on in the

art world.

Contemporary Art Museum:  ANGEL OTERO: EVERYTHING AND NOTHING

On View: December 10, 2016 – March 19, 2017

Angel Otero: Everything and Nothing is Otero’s first survey exhibition and encompasses nearly a decade of his painting and sculpture.

Two Centuries of American Still-Life Painting: The Frank and Michelle Hevrdejs Collection 
Through April 9, 2017:  The Museum of Fine Arts

Holy Barbarians: Beat Culture on the West Coast:  This exhibition brings together a selection of California artists who emerged following the Second World War and took advantage of the region’s permissive atmosphere to help create a thriving new art scene. Artists like John Altoon, Wallace Berman, Bruce Conner, Jay DeFeo, George Herms, and Edward Kienholz were part of a “Beat” generation, whose social critiques would eventually be incorporated into the counterculture and social protest movements that shaped the second half of the 20th century.

Nov 18, 2016 – Mar 12, 2017

Main Building  Menil

UNITED BY HAND: WORK AND SERVICE BY DREW CAMERON, ALICIA DIETZ, AND EHREN TOOL 

FEBRUARY 3, 2017 — MAY 28, 2017
IN THE MAIN GALLERY At Houston Center For Contemporary Crafts

Contemporary Handweavers of Texas Conference

Here it is!  The bi-annual state conference for weavers, spinners, dyers!

Registration opened February for members of CHT

Registration for non-members will begin March 1:

There will be pre-conference workshops and during conference

weekend there will be seminars, 1/2 day workshops, fashion show

and members exhibits.

Keynote Speaker – Deborah Chandler

Closing Speaker:  Michael Rohde

Special Event Speaker:  Mary Zicafoose

Preconference Workshops

• It’s in the Warp – Rosalie Neilson
  
  

  Connie Elliot – Indigo Dye Day
• Four Selvedge Wedge Weave – Michael Rohde
• It’s All  Very Basic – Michele Belson
• Weaving with Unusual Materials – Anastasia Azure
• Indigo Dye Day – Connie Elliot

Conference teachers

• Deborah Chandler
• Michael Rohde
• Mary Zicafoose
• Rosalie Neilson
• Michele Belson
• Eileen Hallman
• Anastasia Azure
• Karen Hobbs
• Deb Luce McClintock
• Plus, many local Texas talents

It's Not Your Granny Square Anymore!

Labyrinth Mandala was inspired by black and white vector graphics. The Designer's idea was to imitate brioche knitting stitch and create a very clear and graphical pattern which can be worked with only two (or more) colors. Using this pattern you can make a reversible pillow throw with different palette for each side. You can also use this mandala as an appliqué or wall hanging decoration.

Read more about this design on the blog HERE.

Labyrinth Mandala is made in Overlay Crochet technique. This easy to follow pattern (15 pages) is written for one size. It contains step by step full written instructions in English using standard crochet abbreviations and US terms (stitch guide is given in the pattern). It also contains lots of pictures explaining all the tricky and difficult places.

Crochet level: Intermediate (front post stitches and crochet in 3rd loop - everything is explained in the pattern).

I'm so pleased with crocheting techniques now!  

Not your typical Granny Square, for sure!

Science In Paper!

I am blown away!  Paper! Science turns into art with 

paper cuts! 

Artist Rogan Brown just completed work on his latest paper artwork titled Outbreak, a piece he describes as an exploration “of the microbiological sublime.” Over four months in the making, the work depicts an array of interconnected sculptures—entirely hand cut from paper—based on the smallest structures found within the human body: cells, microbes, pathogens, and neurons. Outbreak represents nearly four months of tedious planning, cutting and assembly. ew installation of 8 hand cut paper sculptures!

Read more at: 123 Inspirations

I'm So Confused!

I'm so confused!  Well, it doesn't take much for me to be confused at this point!

Anyway, brown headed daughter and I watched the "The Gilmore Girls Revival"

on Netflix over Christmas.

Of course, she fell in love with one of the scarves that Paris was wearing........

"Gee, that's a great scarf," she said.  "Could you make that for me?"

Being the wonderful mother I am, I answered, "Of course!"

Then, I found the pattern and saw that it was 

double knit...................................oh, gee whiz--could I have

been more mistaken!

Not only, do I have not one, but two classes saved on Craftsy

on double knitting!  And, in true fashion, I've only watched lesson one on each

of the classes--

I'm willing to try this technique--glad to learn something new and different

in my warehouse of knitting.  I did understand the stripes--easy peazy!

But, then it has come to the chart part of the Dots and Dashes 

That's when I got so confused!  Okay, it's going to take at least lesson two or

three to conquer this part of the pattern.  I've got to wrap my mind around this

double knitting chart reading.  

"When Calls The Heart"

This kit came with two circle needles, stitch markers and a lovely

hand dyed yarn, along with accent yarn.  

Oh My Gosh!  I'm a sucker for sappy movies and warm hearted shows--I love watching

Hallmark Channel

And I was hooked when Knitty Stash offered their specialty dyed yarn, I was

there-- They have created a lovely color way that's called Hope Valley Skies and using sock yarn the mystery project project. 

Kits are now available!!
Join group on Ravelry When Calls the Heart MKAL 2017 to receive the links to the pattern and all the information you will need.

Got Old T-Shirts, Get Potholders

Got old T-shirts and don't know what to do with them after they have been used up their life?  I have so many shirts from past events and I wanted to save the logo--I cut out the logo and saved them, but I threw away the best part of the T-shirt, the Bottoms!  Now, when I see my old shirts, I know to save the bottoms as well.  Anyway, I'm making a T-shirt quilt from the logo tops and saving the bottoms for the potholders!

Mommy potamus has an excellent way to use those old T-shirts and turn them into potholders.

What Exciting Thing Will You Do Today?

February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 333 days remaining until the end of the year (334 in leap years).

I'm beginning my February month with exciting quilt pattern from Nancy Zimmerman

This block fits in perfectly with February and Valentine's Day.

As usually, I'm behind as this is January’s Block: Goose in the Pond

All twelve, 15-inch finished-sized blocks, will be created from one 24-piece fat quarter bundle and 2-1/4 yards of cream background fabric. 

Check out Nancy's blog today--most likely you'll find the 

February block too!

Go create an exciting day!

Hygge--Let's Crochet And Read!

Hygge’ (pronounced ‘Hoo-ga’) is a Danish word, which means cosiness.

Designer Kirsten Ballering, Haak Maar Raak blog, has been working with

Scheejies to plan this lovely Scandinavian themed crochet along.  The CAL features

crochet and cross stitch will begin Wednesday, February 15th and run for

14 weeks.  Each Wednesday a new part of the pattern will be released

The patterns are available in English UK terminology as well as US terminology, Dutch and Swedish.  Esther from It’s All in a Nutshell blog will be one of your Hygge friends helping you learn new skills along the way.

Absolutely smashing!!

Here are just three of the books I found on Hygge!  there are many more!

Who knew that the Danish had a really

 cozy way of life--guess the Danish did. 

Relaxing...................Planning for 2018 Spin-in!

We have moved further down the beach--Panama City Beach!  We are taking a few days to enjoy some 'down' time after the excitement of Spin-in.  The weather is on the winter side! for Florida, but the snowbirds love it--better than their northern weather of snow and ice!
I'll take this time to show off what I bought at spin-in:

I only wish you could run your fingers through this yummy stuff!

This roving is from Sunshine Knit Designs

I couldn't resist this special edition yarn

from Gale's Art

I got naked so I can dye a solid color

One of the features for the year was our challenge kit--

$5 for the package that contains natural fibers

This will be fun to spin and design a garment to bring back for 2018

Really ready to break out the wheel to spin

this Alpaca/silk blend (70-30)  Can we say

Yummy!

Saying Good-Bye!

It's always tough saying good-bye to our spinning friends--yet, another year of January spin-in has come and gone.  Everyone is packing up their prize purchases, along with their wheels and sundry equipment.  The dates have been set for 2018--January 24-27--we are always the last full weekend in January, beginning on Wednesday before (did that make any sense?)  Skits are being schemed and hatched.

My partner in crime dressed in her green theme outfit

My hat sits comfortably on the beads we'll use

for 2018 theme--"Baubles, Bangles, beads!"

In her free time, partner in crime spent playing with her

new wheel--A little Gypsy spinner.

I think she should have gotten a commission from the maker--

because everyone loved it and wanted one!

So, I'm using this lovely spinning wheel towel as my crying towel!

We are over for another year--Go Green in 17 has come to an end.