ONLY 31 DAYS?

FRED, our beloved neighborhood cow--lookin' like autumn

Have you noticed? Everyday seems perfect--the air is cool but not too cool. The days are long but not too long--and the moon! Big, beautiful and orange. Wow! There is something about October--it is the perfect month of twix and tween.

After enduring the intense heat of this past summer, we Texans embrace October's lower temperatures and harvest moon amid the bonus of pumpkins and scarecrow decorations. In addition to the natural bounty is the month's saturation of quilt classes and shows, antique fairs--even gourd festivals--oh, and don't forget to add the writing workshops and contests. Everyone and every organization seems to thrive with energy. What a glorious season of the year.

                                           Kaffe Fassett and Day 1
                                                                      --it's all about diamonds

Embracing the first half of the month I worked to captured quilting and writing every possible way. First, Creations of Kerrville www.creations.com offered an exciting educational opportunity with famous guest teachers Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably hosting 2 1/2 days of class and lecture. They focused on their amazing fabrics, using simplistic traditional patchwork to show off their bold prints.  Discussion of borders to flush the complimentary accents helped each student strengthen her color choices. And of course, fat quarters flew around the room (via Creations store!) as we all tried to find the perfect accent.  We learned from each other and I, the rebel, worked in less brights, learning from my more traditional palette. Two days of uninterrupted sewing time--just perfect.

                                          Cut one more for the design wall....

And serendipity, Kim Buchmann of Quilting Adventures www.quiltingadventures.com dropped by and we talked and laughed until driving home demanded deer lights. She and her partner/mom Debby Walters have ENDLESS great ideas for their spring 2012 seminars. Each year they host national teachers the first two weeks of March at the comfortable TBarM resort in New Braunfels. It is such fun to stitch and learn 'til you drop--especially while someone else prepares meals. It is saturation plus, learning while playing. Barbara and I hosted  QA in years past, so now it is SO-O exciting to see new energy pushing the venue of the unending potential of quilting. Wow--check out their faculty--12 stars--your choice. I'm going for Laura Wasiloswki www.artfabrik.com   and Sue Spargo www.suespargo.com . Man, did I struggle to make that decision. ...and I can't wait to see you. Send me an email of your teacher choice.

UPTOWN BLANCO--Mary and Donna ready the show

Next my calendar provided the opportunity to engage in Blanco's first quilt show.  Blanco, TX is developing a fabulous new area on the square called Uptown Blanco www.UptownBlanco.com.  They decided to christen the beautiful new ballroom with a regional quilt show. Their entries were delightful, beautifully designed and sewn. I predict it is the perfect beginning of Blanco tradition. Thanks, Mary and Donna, for letting me get a first hand look.

In-between, new writing opportunities keep appearing. My friend, Sally Clark constantly updates the local WOW group http://hcwomenofwords.org  to writing contests, workshops, etc. She just told us of the San Antonio Writer's Group  www.sawritersguild.com and their October contest. (deadline just passed-but watch for their future events)  Another is Abilene's www.abilenewritersguild.org contest with a November 30 deadline. Cash awards too!  The contests work for me. They help push my procrastination out the window and encourage a "get with it" attitude-- a perfect venue for growth in the writing arena.

In between hubby and I found time to attend the annual Texas Gourd festival in Fredericksburg this weekend and hit several antique shops so I could droul over endless "old stuff." I can never get enough of the old textiles, stoneware and handhewn wood pieces. Lucky for me, George likes old more than I, so he is perfectly content walking the aisles of old.

Well, the calendar says it is just the 16th, so we still have two more weeks of this glorious month.
Go play and let me know, WHAT YOU FIND!

Best,


Alice

a great read: ONE THOUSAND GIFTS by Ann Voskamp, Zondervan,2010.
--written by a 30-something talented young mom, ...in essence, be thankful.
My sweet daughter gave it to me.

a great scripture: Luke 24:29-30 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us; for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. And it came to pass, as sat at meat with them, he took bread and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.

a great blog: http://hillcountryhouse.blogspot.com

Excuse me, DO YOU QUILT?

One word at a time makes story...

the writers workshop that changed my life

It seemed simple enough. I was taking a writer's workshop in the awesome desert town of Alpine. Joe Nick Patoski, my creative non-fiction teacher opened the class with "What is your passion?" Pas-sion? I heard. What does he mean?--kids, cooking, writing? One student after another started answering his question. I knew my turn was next.

"Ugh," I thought. "Well, I'll just say "quilting." He smiled, turned to the chalk board and wrote: 

Class dismissed. Go find your passion. Come back to class tomorrow with a 1500 word story of what you find.

Gulp-Gulp. I couldn't believe it. It was only 1 p.m. and hot as August can be. I was home-based on a solitary college campus and did not have a car. Town was two miles away. Well, I thought..."guess I better figure this out." After all, I had a tote, a camera, a plastic water bottle and comfortable shoes. I knew I could make the walk to town.

After a few minutes of web surfing, commonly called "procrastination" I took off on my adventure. Anxious to find quilters from the Sul Ross campus to the end of town, I was confident to find the latest quilt happenings. After all, women share, women stitch, no matter what the circumstances. And the internet had shown lots of quilt activity.

My first stop was the DeJaVu Store and Gallery-RECYCLED. Surely they would have a polyester double-knit quilted pillow or a used how-to quilt book. I wandered up and down the aisles--"not much here that works for me. Maybe I should ask?" I spotted an "authority figure", a woman about age 50 with glasses on her nose.

"Ma'am, I'm a writer taking a workshop at Sul Ross. I'm doing a story about the quilting interest in Alpine. I thought you might have some quilts or know some quilters."

"Dooney, Dooney," she called. "Do you know the name of that quilter's place? It's a little house just before the grocery store. I think it's called the Sunshine Store, the Sunshine Shop. What's it called? Oh, anyway, take a left at this corner walk down about two blocks. There might be some quilters in there."

"Thanks." Off I went, counting the blocks, one- two, I spotted a neat house with pretty petunias on the porch and a plaque by the front door "Surely the Lord shall live in this place." Confidence filled my chest. I knew this would be a safe place to ask again about "The Sunshine Shop." It must be close by. Knock, knock...no answer.

Well, how big can this town be? I kept walking. "Oh, there it is"...an attractive plastered house with potted plants around the porch and the sign, "The Sunshine Shop." I eagerly walked to the door. It was locked. I peered in and saw a red and white star quilt hanging on the wall. The sign read: Hours 10-2. "Shucks, well, at least I know where it is. ...maybe tomorrow."

"Mercy, it's hot," I reminded myself as I gulped the bottled water. Across the street I saw the town's Thriftway Grocery. The store looked nice and cool. "Surely there is a quilter there." I stalked the aisles. I looked at every face. "No, she's too young. She looks in a hurry." Maybe, around the cereal aisle...

"Oh, ma'am, ma'am," I approached the middle-aged lady wearing the blue Thiftway shirt. "Excuse me, but do you quilt?" Standing on a ladder and restocking beans, she stopped and looked down at me, blankly..

"Oh, hi, I'm Alice and I'm working on an article about quilters in the beautiful Big Bend area. Are you a quilter?"
"Well, no, but I do embroidery."
"You do, what kind?"

"Well, I draw my own pictures and sew them every night. It keeps me from getting stressed. Well, I don't do exact pictures. I just sew the shapes. I fill in the areas. I sort of make it up as I go. I used to have a store here and one time they were filming a movie nearby and one of the movie stars came and bought everything I had."


"Really, were you pleased?"
"Pleased, you betcha."

"Do you have any more embroidered pieces?"
"Oh yeah, I have lots. You want to see them? How long will you be here? I'll bring them tomorrow if you have time to come back." I quickly read her name tag, "Irma, I can't wait. I'll see you tomorrow."

I returned. We walked to her truck; she opened the door. There, a box full of her stress-relief embroideries. Wow! What colors, what imagery. I was in love.

Wonderful little children's faces, drawn in Charles Shultz'-Peanuts style--multiple tiny french knots created happy children in sets of two or three, sometimes sets of five or more. Intriguing little faces, curly hair, bright eyes...

"Oh, Irma, May I buy one?"

"Sure, Pick out the one you want.'Several minutes later, I had chosen my favorite.

"Will you sign it for me?"
"Sure....you don't mind if I use my art name do you?" 

I watched her write  Pink Cookie ...boldly and proudly.

We shared smiles. We knew; we each had found a friend. 

To another great day,

Alice

a favorite scripture: Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His faithful love endures forever. Psalm 106:1

a favorite book: Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes, 1996.
I'm always the last to read the best sellers so older books feel new to me. So,if like me, you haven't read this...go, fast to your bookstore or library and indulge! A great read.