Today was my husband’s birthday.  We decided to take the day off and explore some of the beautiful countryside near our home in Central New York.

We stopped at Buttermilk State Park near Ithaca NY – but the Falls had stopped!  It looked as though they were doing some kind of restoration project and had to divert the water so they could work.  Normally the falls are cascading down the rocks.  It was quite a disappointment to see the rocks ‘naked’.

 

As an alternative, we decided to go down the road to Robert H. Treman State Park and have a picnic lunch.  This park features a beautiful 115-foot waterfall.   While I was fixing our lunch, my husband surprised me with a copy of Northwoods Flannel Quilts & Projects by Debbie Field.  He had picked it up on a recent trip to the Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake.  We both love the Adirondacks and these quilts just ‘speak’ of the mountains and scenery of the north country.

 

It may have been his birthday – but I received a gift too!

 

 

There's always time to quilt!

Finally, I’ve been able to get back to some of the UFO’s in my stash. Each year I vow to finish them – but seem to just add more projects to the box than I actually do finish. This wall-hanging has been ‘crying’ to be hung on the wall in my family room, for some time now.  Featured in the Spring/Summer 2005 issue of Quilt Sampler, it was designed by Calico Gals Quilt Shop in Syracuse NY.

I did get as far as fusing the applique pieces, but never got around to the machine applique part of the quit.   I normally like to hand applique.  It’s so relaxing as well as portable.   I can pick up a block and take it on a road trip or work on it while enjoying a summer afternoon on the back deck. I really like this pattern but haven’t done much machine applique.  Off to my library to find some help.  A while back I took a class from Sue Nichols on her Raw Edge Applique technique.  I pulled out the book – practiced some same stitching.

My Bernina has two choices of blanket stitch.  I think the single stitch will be best for this piece especially around the flowers.  Possibly, the double stitch will add a little more interest to the vase.  We’ll see what it asks me for when I get to that element.

And now I’m on my way to begin working on the actual wall-hanging.

There's always time to quilt!

One of our ‘must’ stops in New York City was a trip to Ground Zero.

On display is a quilt by Deborah Fell.

The accompanying plaque certainly gives us pause to reflect, especially as we approach this Fourth of July weekend.  Please don’t let us forget how and why this country was founded – on Christian principles and ethics.  The song that Congress chose to sing on the steps of the Capitol on that horrific occasion was God Bless America. Partisan politics were set aside showing the world and ourselves the solidarity of our country.    I wish we were able to do that every day!

(Unfortunately with my photographic skills, or lack thereof, the plaque is very hard to read in this picture so I’ve repeated the wording below.)

”  ‘Tuesday’s Child:  Does God Have Enough Hands?’

A news story about a young child epitomized the week’s tragic events.  The parent was trying to explain, why Daddy wasn’t coming home from work at the World Trade Center.  In her explanation, the mother said that God came down and lifted Daddy to heaven that day.  The little boy looked up at his mother and asked,

‘Does God have enough hands?’

The art quilt is a response to the horrific events that changed the United States forever.  It is an abstracted image of the toppled World Trade Center Towers.  The rubble below are photographic transfers of newspaper articles, headlines and photographs.  It is unorganized with chaos reigning everywhere.  The quilt is unfinished — the building is exposed & charred & threads are not trimmed — reflecting the vast number of lives that were so unfinished when the World Trade Center was destroyed.

There are no words.  Only frozen thoughts.

This piece is dedicated to all the victims of the World Trade Center bombing.  It is specifically dedicated to my friend who carefully walked away from the bombing, navigating the darkness until he & a colleague reached safety across the Brooklyn Bridge.”

 

Let us never forget!

 

There's always time to quilt!