Catching Up with Everyone and Etc. Etc. Etc.!

Happy Father’s Day and a Happy Summer Solstice Day tomorrow, one of my favorite days when the LONG days begin their journey to normal days! I certainly pray that Texans vote to do away with Daylight Savings Time (DST) in November! Fingers crossed!

I have been working on just about everything but mostly attitude and gathering as much Vitamin D as I can by sitting in the sun 10 to 15 minutes each day and using the Sun Lamp – AND it works! I have decided for the time being to post when I have something to show or say yet keeping up with To-Do Tuesdays, Slow Sunday Stitching, HQAL, and PHD 2021 and other Linky Parties (see below) for the time being. Life has begun to get back to a more relaxed and restful time for me. I am still working on my UFOs and making some progress!

I found a local quilting buddy whom I am now teaching how to quilt. She loves it and just soaks up all I can throw at her. And for a bonus – she and I are 100% Trump Conservative and we have many life experiences that are so very similar. How blessed I am that we connected. The time goes by so quickly when she comes over and it is so much fun and fulfilling when I can share what I have learned in my quilting life. I have really missed teaching and sharing with other quilters. Yesterday when she came over she brought 2 of the most beautiful antique quilts that her Grandmother had made that were in pristine condition! A postage stamp quilt hand made with 1″ squares, and a Cathedral Window Coverlet. What Heirlooms to have from a Grandmother, Jean Shelly! Her granddaughter Lois has taken immaculate care of these quilts. Jean lived to be 103 and passed away in 2018. Lois was so blessed to have her in her life!

Which brings me to something that I realized the other day. When I started quilting in 2000, Three color quilts, hand applique, and hand quilting were extremely popular (called Traditional Quilting). It was around 2003 that the Kaffe Fassets of the world were just beginning to break into the Quilting World with their wild artisan fabrics. Kaffe was one of the first Artisans to cross over from Art to introduce Contemporary quilting into the Traditional Quilting World.

Starting in 2004 the long arm quilting machines and sewing machines with digitizing capability entered into the Quilt World. These three changes had a great impact in Judged Quilt Shows. Changes included, but not limited to, “the backing had to be fabric that blended with the quilt top” (no muslin backings please), Quilts were judged on the quilting and the Judges preferred that quilting be done by a Professional Quilter. Therefore, quilts was judged on how well the Long Arm Quilter did rather than how complex the quilt top was and the work that the Quilter had accomplished in making the quilt.

It became more difficult for the Traditional Quilter to compete for those valued Ribbons. It has taken about 10 years to weed out the Traditional Quilter who wants to enter Quilt Shows and be able to compete with other quilters. They spend hours in making their quilts and they are more difficult quilts that can be very time consuming and expensive to make. Therefore the desire to enter their creations in the shows has diminished. So Sad! In fact, you will hardly find any quilt in a show that has been hand quilted these days, if any at all. The Categories for Hand Applique and Hand Quilted Quilts are GONE!

To add to the demise in Traditional Quilters, around 2012 or 2013 the Modern Quilters came into being in the South Texas area with their Improve (Better known as Improvisational) quilts. They brought the ideas of making the patterns very simple just slapping any color of fabrics and any shape together and calling it a quilt. Personally they give me Migraine Headaches. In 2017 Clay and I visited the Dallas, Texas Quilt Show. I had wanted to enter a quilt for 2018 Show, but after I saw the quilt that won Best of Show I could see the writing on the wall! This is what won. (Oops I feel a Migraine coming on)

If that is not wild enough for you how about this one? Looks like a messed up mind to me!

Call me old fashioned or out of touch with the In Crowd, but I prefer to be labeled as a Traditional Quilter. I am one who does not use glue, starch, nor do I quilt my quilts to death, and last but not least – no paper piecing. I can make a quilt and not cut off points just using good old meth and a great ruler! I have a few Jelly Rolls, but I would bet that if I make the few quilts that I purchased them for that the strips will not be a perfect 2 1/2″ wide! Any takers?

To really understand my position on Traditional, Contemporary, and Improve, I started my quilting journey in 2000 watching the “young” Alex Anderson when she was on PBS each week. I taped her shows and learned about all the wonderful quilt Designers and their specialty techniques. In other words, I arrived at the tail end of the last of the Traditional Quilters. I thrived on all I could learn through books, other quilters, and some on-line courses. It was wonderful. Those Designers are now gone and if any of them are still active in Quilting it is very few. They were experts in Traditional Quilting.

Now about the fabric colors currently available to Quilters. The popular ones are the orange, aqua, teal and pinks all of which are not my colors. Of course now that we are close to the 4th of July there are a lot of red, white, and blue colors of which I love to see. But I have had my fill of RAINBOW COLORS! I love Reproduction fabrics and all Batiks as they make beautiful quilts. Kaffe Fasset is still around and in 2007 I did make a quilt from his fabrics but gave it to my Cousin to finish – it was just too busy and loud for me. I currently have 2 fat quart bundles that I will be using someday to make a quilt called Lollypop Trees by Kim McLean (unless I get a wild notion to sell the pattern and fabric – it will depend on how many Migraines I can handle).

At the show we met Artisan Barbara McCraw and were in awe of the beautiful quilt she had made depicting her family heritage! The quilt was titled “Family Reunion” and it won First Place in Masters Category, Viewers Choice Award, and Fine Artist Award for Hand Needle Work!!! NOW this quilt should have been chosen by those Judges as The Best of Show instead of the quilt shown above! The work that Barbara put into this Heirloom was absolutely exquisite and absolutely perfect!!!! An Artisan doing Traditional Quilting! This is a picture of the cover of her book called “My Family Quilt – A Sentimental Journey in Applique”

Sometimes walking down memory lane is fun and going to Quilt Shows has always been exciting to me, but after seeing how our craft has changed, this particular show proved to me that a “traditional quilter” needs to just stay at home and enjoy making her quilts and forget about competing in Quilt Shows. I will be saving lots of $$$$$ by NOT sending out my 4 Quilts designated for Quilt Shows to have them Custom Quilted! End of Story!

Back to the life as it is in 2021. Jaydee is really making great headway on her Civil War Bride quilt. Her hand quilting is perfect. I love the echo quilting she is doing – it really makes the applique stand out. Great work Jaydee!

I began this post early this morning and just now finishing it. I will be doing some more posts on where I am in my projects! We had a wonderful visit with my step-son Ricky whom I love dearly along with his brother George. It was a great day for him to come visit on Father’s Day. He always gives the best hugs and gave one to Clay for Father’s Day.

Hugs, Nanette

Linking To:  My Quilt Infatuation; Confessions of a Fabric Addict; Finished or Not Friday ; Em’s Scrap Bag; BOM’s Away;  Sew Fresh Quilts; Crazy Mom Quilts;  Oh Scrap; Scrap Happy Saturday; Slow Sunday Stitching  Quilt Fabrication Mid Week Makers; Peacock Party; Design Wall Monday, Scrap Happy Days, Quilting Patch Linky Party To-Do-Tuesdays;PHD in 2021;