Arrrgh!!!

Remember how they sing, "Congratulations! Congratulations!" in "My Fair Lady"? That's what I'm sending your way--mentally (that way you won't realize with your musically trained ears that I am singing off-key.) Wow! I am so-o-o eager to see a good photo of the finished product.

I just received a letter, this week, from the only surviving member of my parents' generation in my family. It was from my mother's younger sister (#3 in the order of birth of 4 siblings), asking if we had some of Mother's quilts on display. I had to tell her, "no". Except for the 50th Anniversary friendship quilt that she kept on her guest bed, Mother never displayed any of her quilts. I guess I take after her. That 50th Anniversary quilt was given to a small museum in the town (Nevada MO) where most of her family was born because most of the people represented in the quilt were from the Nevada area and because that's what my sister-in-law who actually did the real work of cutting, piecing, and assembling the quilt wanted.

I'm sure the families of the people who signed the quilt appreciate that you donated it to the museum.

If you have any of your mother's quilts, the best way to store them (other than in acid free tissue paper in acid free archival storage boxes, is to layer them, one atop the next, on the bed in the guest room. Keep the blinds closed to keep the sun from bleaching the top quilt.

Er...Buffy...thanks for the advice, but we have no guest room. We have two beds and they are both in use. The quilts are in drawers and shelves. The one quilt that I have that I know to be older than I am is in a metal trunk. Now don't go ballistic on me, Buffy. They ain't people, they is quilts. (Heresy, heresy!) Please laugh with me and quit gnashing your teeth! (I HATE putting the pressure on you this way.)

You could hear me gnashing my teeth across three states, couldn't you?? You're contributing to my TMJ! We'll have to have a little talk about archival storage of your treasures.

I don't have my quilts spread across a bed either, mainly because the bed gets so much use. I just thought I'd share some conservation info with you. I'd recommend that you put your quilt into a soft cotton pillowcase, so that the quilt itself is not touching the metal of the trunk. And, if you would, please refold the quilt differently every few months, so that the fibers don't break at the folds.

Yes, I do put quilts into old pillow cases before tucking them away in trunks; but, I plead guilty to not re-folding them as one should. (Yes...three states isn't too great a distance over which to hear your teeth grind--LOL.)
I'm sorry if I failed to acknowledge your trying to be helpful. You can't help it if you're dealing with a stubborn old fool. (I do recall your having given me these tips when I was there last October. Maybe next year that will be my self-improvement area: conservation of family treasures. Right now, I'd like to get around to sorting through a ton of old photographs, cards, and letters. When I get the sorting done, I'll buy a scanner for digital storage of some of them.) Now promise me that you won't "worry" yourself over my intransigence. You have enough on your plate without that!!!

Wonderful.
Have you dared to think about how many hours of work it took in total?

Look forward to seeing the finished article.

Blue Witch, I don't keep track of my hours. I'd probably be compulsive and try to make a distinction between actual sewing hours, and design hours, and it would drive me crazy.

I had a friend who used to say that it took her nine months to make a full sized quilt, as long as it took to bring a baby to term. She would buy her fabric the first week of January, and by the end of September, she would have a finished quilt. I suspect that she was much more diligent about keeping on track than I am. I find I have twenty things going at one time, so it's harder to get to the end of some of my projects. For the past few months, I've been trying to complete UFOs (Un-Finished Objects). I'm making a little headway!

Cop Car, I give that "lecture" so often, that I can't always remember who's heard it. Sorry for the repetition. I didn't feel that you ignored my advice. It takes time to manage our treasures, and I have trouble getting the maintence done, too.

I recently reorganized my stash, and I tried to refold fabrics as I went, so they wouldn't be so creased. The quilts are next.

Oh, no, you don't get away with a simple apology, Buffy. I get to sit here and lick my wounds for the next week--LOL. But...of course I ignored your advice. Otherwise, my quilts would all be re-folded by now, wouldn't they? Mother would have loved having you in our family. I'm sorry that she missed you.
P.S. Really, it was sweet of you to apologize, but I had/have no glimmering that one was warranted.

(laughing) Hey, I TRIED to be nice about it! I know you'll get to them. You're organized. I bet you have it on a mental list of things to do.

Ahhh yes, I do recall that quilt... congrats on finishing it! Bet that feels oh so good. Bet you are looking forward to cuddling in it once it is all put together!