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Tuesday, June 28, 2011

So I'm entry level on a high dollar machine....

The Pfaff Creative 2.0 Sewing and Embroidery machine is a great entry level embroidery machine....hmmmmm





For the life of me.... I can't put my hands on my manual.... and I don't have the buttons and commands memorized..........................

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

A Stitch in Time ~ Owens Museum Exhibit Begins Today!

The Guthrie News Leader (click) of 6-11-2011 distributed a beautiful 2-pg article and color photo of the kickoff exhibit and reception being hosted in the Owens Fine Arts Museum.

Britches Quilt  c. 1940 - Owner Valerie Helaire, OKC, OK
 African Bar Strip Quilt, c.2004 by Lee Wasson
 Old Quilts,,, c.1950 - Owner Zenetta Kendricks

 Puzzle Block Quilt  c.2007 quilted by Lee Wasson
Log Cabin Quilt c. 2010 by Kelley Ramsey
 Wool Treasure Quilt c. 1950  Owner Janet King
Applique Contemporary quilts c 2009 by Evelyn Spriggs and Lee Wasson
 Geometric Beauty c 2008 by Lee Wasson
 Harriet Powers Story Quilt  c.2008 bu Annette Johnson   - Masterful !
 MLK Wall hanging  c.2008 by Beverly Kirk
Reception Activities on Sunday 6-12-2011

 Professor Wallace Owens


Kwanza Quilt in Red!  c.2008 by Annette Johnson


Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Africa West 2011 Festival in Oklahoma City, OK

The Africa West Festival was designed to create involvement in the Northeast Oklahoma City community and to highlight the need for safety, community and economic development, health and education improvements.  

Indeed, it proved to be an exciting, fun and educational event that brought together the community, historians, political leaders, and businesses.   Highlighted was an “African American Imprint” art exhibit, a Quilt Show entitled "Connecting Threads",  a fashion show, food vendors, and programs designed to promote the history and culture of Africa, Indian and Oklahoma Territory, early 20th and 21st Century America.











A ... "Show-off Quilt"

I stumbled upon this question somewhere...sometime ago on the web... and would like to share it....


What possesses a woman to cut out tiny pieces of fabric and spend hours and hours sewing them together?   The words of one help explain: "I made quilts as fast as I could to keep my family warm . . . and as pretty as I could to keep my heart from breaking." So while many quilts were made for functional purposes, and some were made for personal pleasure, some were also made to "show off."

Monday, June 13, 2011

Life's Thread Stitched Into Quilts (1996)

The Daughters of Dorcas & Sons is named for a seamstress in the New Testament who made clothes for the poor. (They added "& Sons" after three men joined the organization.) It is the oldest African-American quilting group, founded 16 years ago by Viola V. Canady, a retired Army seamstress, whose quilted angel's wings shimmer with tiny, gold-thread stitches. At the time, Mrs. Canady recalled, "I couldn't find find any black people who quilted." She continued. "Most of the women I'd ask didn't want to quilt because they connected it with poverty, with the country, when everybody had to sleep on quilts."
Mrs. Canady, who was born in Goldsboro, N.C., and moved to Washington in 1945, persevered, convinced that without those tenuous bits of cloth a vital link would disappear. "We have lost so very much of what our people did," she said. "Quilting is what we were about. If you wanted to stay warm, you had to quilt."


"Within the African-American community, the quilt is perhaps the single most important image families have created for several centuries, and often the most lasting and permanent," said Dr. William Ferris, the director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi.
"Quilts connect to memory and constitute a bond between generations," he added. "They have roots in African culture, where quilt making and textiles are important. But they are critical to African-American history because much of the history of black culture has not been written down. Oral tradition and the world of the quilt constitute the most important record we have of black families."


"It has historically provided women an opportunity to come together to work, exchange ideas and share in each others troubles," Dr. Dobard said. In times of social fragmentation, it offers an antidote, common ground. "In many ways," he added, "quilting is a healing art."


The definition of an African-American quilt has been the subject of scholarly debate in recent years. Some historians have interpreted it strictly as a Southern rural utilitarian quilt, based strictly on "remembered" African precedents. Cuesta Benberry, a quilter and historian in St. Louis, has a simpler definition: "An African-American quilt," she said, "is one made by an African-American."http://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/04/garden/life-s-thread-stitched-into-quilts.html?src=pm

Forever Learning....Quilt Category of APPLIED ARTS

Quilting is my passion  . . .  Quilting is my companion  . . .
Quilting is my soul . . .  Quilting is an applied art  ,,, the application of design and aesthetics to objects of function and everyday use. Whereas fine arts serve as intellectual stimulation to the viewer or academic sensibilities, the applied arts incorporate design and creative ideals to objects of utility, such as a cup, magazine or decorative park bench. There is considerable overlap between the field and that of the decorative arts; to some extent they are alternative terms.
The fields of industrial designgraphic designfashion designinterior design, decorative art and functional art are considered applied arts. In a creative and/or abstract context, the fields of architecture and photography are considered applied arts. Many applied art objects are collected, for instance ceramicstextilesjewelryglassfurniture, children's toys, cars, electric guitars, as well as various forms of images produced in commercial contexts, such as film posters or old advertisements.


Aesthetics . .  is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty.[1] It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste.[2] More broadly, scholars in the field define aesthetics as "critical reflection on artculture and nature."


Textile refers to any material made of interlacing fibres. Fabric refers to any material made through weaving, knitting, spreading, crocheting, or bonding that may be used in production of further goods (garments, etc.). Cloth may be used synonymously with fabric but often refers to a finished piece of fabric used for a specific purpose (e.g., table cloth).

Monday, June 6, 2011

Won't You Be My Neighbor..... ?? !!

Hi, I hope you're stopping by for a look at QUILT ~ LIFE.... and you might even take the time to sip a good cup of Java with me....



Did you notice the ever-ready batteries that keep us going.... coffee caffeine that is in my quilting bloodline......
Cut kid...huh???   Turning 6 // 1st grade on 6-16-2011

Friday, June 3, 2011

Re~Learning the Facts about my Featherweight.... !!


I took it out of the closet... and it is sitting pretty... wouldn't you say!!  The Featherweight is a very portable sewing machine weighing about 11 pounds... Model 221 is an ideal machine for quilters to take to classes.... very quiet and sturdily made with all-metal parts (mostly aluminum), the Featherweight sews only straight stitches.  The Featherweight cme in a standard black model made in the U.S. Those made before World War II had an attractive "Egyptian Scrollwork" pattern on the faceplate, while most of those made after the war had a simple, striated pattern of vertical stripes. They were further decorated with gold decals and the Singer name, but nowhere do they say "Featherweight" on them. 

I think it's coming back to me...

Praise the Lord... in time for upcoming Owens Museum Quilt Exhibit.....

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Shopping... Like a kid in a candy store.....

Which is why they call sewing stuff.... eye candy for the sewist!


 Take notice of the great little black sewing machine....
 This is my quilter - Bill Crye... he turned 80 about May 25th or so......
 Below,,, his brainy idea was to use medicine tablet holders for his 40-so odd bobbins he uses on this Gammil and Pfaff......!!!!   Always a great visit with him.... May his days be long!!!

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They Told Us:  Lymphoma 8-31-2009

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