Ragtime One-Patch Lives Again

This week was devoted to preparing the backing fabric for and tweaking the patchwork top of Ragtime Dreams, making all ready for the Monday meeting with Jan, the long-arm professional quilter, who will put it all together. Final size for the quilt: 96" wide by 104" long - way big enough for our queen-sized bed. Yea!

This is the vintage fabric, one-patch, quilt top found in a thrift shop over a year ago for a ridiculously low cost (that I could not pass up). At first I thought it was ugly, poorly made from scraps of nothing special. Now that I have come to know intimately the work and the fabrics my attitude has reversed and I believe that maker had a method, organized the rows to balance and must have had a purpose in mind.

Looking at the fabric prints and patterns I have begun to think that this top is likely about the same age that I am (that old!). I should only hope for a such a revival and rejuvenation in my next life. What was the original intent is another question; as is the question why was it abandoned.

More to the point, I realize that my studio is full of many such abandoned projects and the day will likely come when some unknown shopper will find my work (the day after my spouse cleans out my studio), and may finish work I did not see to completion. I like to think they will come to appreciate my efforts as I appreciate those of my thriftshop finds.

In doing the prep to ready the Ragtime project, I am reminded of another thrift shop find early last year that became a bonus for my step-son, David. The photos are of a twin sized, Rail Fence block, with a floral-print backing that was tied w/yarns.

After a through laundering, I re-cut and re-bound the edges, hand quilted the green border, re-did most of the ties and added buttons for interest and accent (mainly and to keep David from using the top-side (?)

The pillow was a fusing-workshop-exercise that I knew I was never going to use.
Costs: the quilt was $10 and for the pillow, some scraps and a few cents for a fusible-web with 1" grid that I hated using. The idea was much better than the actual application. Never again.
Keep sewing....b

Orchids Dead, Orchids Live

...notes written the first of May.

Learning about the history of Durham, North Carolina and the South has been an on-going aim since moving here a decade ago - but last Tuesday was a major milestone. Dear Hubby was interested in the OLLI class "Local Musicians in Performance" and the week’s speaker was provided by the NC Humanities Council. Billy Stevens is an historian (U of Miss), tracing the evolution of popular American music to it’s European and African roots. What a revelation about not just music but social customs and events that shaped the instruments, singers, songs and pioneers in 19th and 20th- century music. I could have stayed for more.

Next issue under consideration: our former dance teacher is organizing a non-profit to teach dance in elementary schools in local counties and has asked me to be on the board. Not that I want or need another B-O-D assignment but I am willing to help vet his student applicants and edit proposals. If this sounds a bit like "Mad, Hot Ballroom" or "Take the Lead," you got it. As the state and local school funds continually cut funding for the arts, the outside programs sponsored by the PTA or other supporters becomes vital for keeping cultural activities part of the curriculum.

Not that it means I will get to dance. Quite the contrary, without the senior ballroom class for the moment my dancing shoes are still in the closet. However, come June we have weekly dance dates for the summer months and I will be ready.

The Wellness Center’s dance class (wanna-be Rockettes), continued yesterday with a simple routine and the Check-It-Out Cha Cha. I taught the short, line dance sequence at the end of class to relieve Claudia somewhat before a flight to LA. Claudia has been teaching dance for twenty-five years (mostly to children), and her number one student -daughter Erin, has been nominated for a CAMI award for her role in a Hallmark Channel drama series. Naturally proud mom wants to be there for the "red carpet" event and to see her daughter’s winning moment. If there is one. SO-o-o I got to be the junior teacher assistant leading the Cha Cha.

After the dance class I too headed out - driving south to Pittsboro, home of Hanks Chapel Orchid Greenhouses where I took the recently de-leafed orchid back and to collect the next soon-to-bloom orchid. You may remember photos of the blooms the first of January, then the dying stage at the end of March.

The orchid grower took one look and pronounced it ‘dead on arrival.’ Bummer. That was one of the first orchids I bought years ago and I thought it would out live me.

But the latest one is bigger, has many more blossoms and is just about to open.




This orchid was an anniversary present from DH some years back, has grown, been divided, grown more and keeps on going.


The blossoms are tiny, but oh so brilliant in rusts and yellows. What more could you want for a spring blooming flower in the house?

The side bonus of driving to Pittsboro a few times each year is to shop the thrift shops looking for - well anything. Always looking for cook books (found one), for jewelry (0) and for fabric. This time the fabric sought is woven cotton plaids in bright Caribbean colors - and I found many. Buying men’s shirts in bold plaids, or women’s cotton skirts will provide just the amount of fabric I need to cut square patches and make a bold, dancing skirt. Total outlay = $20.
What a big spender I am!
stay tuned, b