Good morning all. It's good to see this thread back. I do really enjoy it and feel that it helps me to get to know everyone here.

I had a great time at the retreat in Alabama. Even tho I was the teacher, I did get a little time to do some sewing done and to do some prep work for the Sunbonnet Sue quilt I'm making for one of my graduating granddaughters.

DH had his nerve test on his wrist Thursday am and all the doctor said was that he had carpal tunnel. Will have to get the other details when we see the surgeon on March 24. After that session, we make a stop at Joann's since we were so close to it Of course, I had to take some of their fabric off their hands.

Today is a stay inside day. It's raining and cool. Think I'm going to try to get all of my sewing stuff from the retreat unpacked and put away and see if I can get the sewing room cleaned up a little so I can get started on those two graduation quilts. Talk to you later.

Barb Mcf

Good morning all! I'm not usually around on Saturdays but hubby and I have been helping a couple replace a mobile home and they are moving it today! So I have to work in his place. Anyway, we will be moving the entire contents from one house to the other this weekend. I bet I'm gonna' be really sore come Monday! (already whining about it)But I'm just so excited for them!

Good Afternoon, Everyone,

I have been busy this morning getting my May Happy Blocks Sign-up Thread started in the Swaps Section.
I am still doing a happy dance over winning the March Happy Blocks here and am so happy to be hosting the May Swap with Oknana's advice. So you should all go sign-up for May Happy Blocks!

Miss Tassels ... would YOU please explain "Quiltergeist" to Kim and the newbies and others who may have missed this gem!? I know you would do a better ... and much more humorous ... explanation of the word you coined for us ... please?

It is cold and a bit snowy and wintery here this day in my little corner of the planet.

I am surely looking forward to Spring.

On the homefront, my two younger kiddos are home for a week for their spring semester break. I just love having my kids here with me. My DD brought a friend, too, who needed to extend her stay on campus for a night after the dorms closed. The two of them are off today helping the MENC behind the scenes to run a HS Senior District Music Festival. I am running off to go see the concert. I love to hear these talented student musicians. This district concert is held locally each year at our high school because it has a large beautiful old auditorium.

Happy Quilting, <3 Pat

G'day, everyone. Hope your day goes well. Mine, well, let's just say, it might have been better had we stayed in bed today!! Argggh!
Much of our snow had melted, last night we got a couple of inches, so needless to say, the roads are a sloppy mess!! so much salt and sand, it's ridiculous. DH decided to take our classic MB to the house to work, but turned around about 2 miles down the highway, because of the mud on the windshield. The windshield washer fluid pump packed it in, so he couldn't clean the window. I had Saturday Sampler today, and a few other errands, so he told me to take the truck, anyway, he'd stay home - well, didn't I have a flat tire on the truck!! We picked up a screw somewhere - gee, I WONDER WHERE that could have happened! ! So, we limped it across the street to the gas station (Thanks, Lord, for a station so close), pumped it full, went with both vehicles to Canadian Tire to get it fixed - sometime today! and went home. So here I sit, no vehicle, no Sat Sampler class (it's gonna cost me $15 for this one, due to missing the meeting!!) but on the bright side, my daughter will be picking me up shortly to go for groceries, at least!!

Pat, enjoy the concert!! sounds fun! everyone else, stay safe and well. Hugs!!

Gerda

Sorry, didn't mean to sound like I was whining - I really wasn't, just telling it like it is!! I'm in a good mood, really! Things could have been much worse.

gerda

Mandy just PM'd me, she is safely back home. We went to a seminar today at the museum and saw 30 of the over one-hundred quilts found in the home of Susana Allen Hunter. Her grandson was there, I think he told us there were 136 quilts on the beds when they moved her out of her house.

She was not a Gees Bend quilter, per se. She lived down the road (in the same county) about 20 miles and quilted in the same genre. Two of the speakers had been involved in collecting of the oral histories of these women; it was quite fascinating.

The thing the Mandy and I both liked was that some of the quilts were displayed so you could see both sides. Not to say that we didn't like looking at the fronts, but often we were both more fascinated by the back. There was so much going on on the front of the piece that the quilting got lost. The quilting designs flowed in such interesting ways. It reminded me of those Buddhist gardens where you rake designs in the sand.

The exhibit will be up until August (I think). I recommend it to you all.

Hi Everyone - glad this thread came back - it was missed!

Gerda - you just let off steam when you need to - it does one good to get it out!

Mary

Oh, Mary, I am glad you posted here- reminded me of something that was said at the program yesterday. Another one of the speakers was the director of the museum of MSU. She spoke on the why these quilts had a connection to Michigan, and to the global connection.

Many of this genre of quilting came to Michigan in the Great Migration, brought by family memebers. Sometimes the quilters themselves moved to Michigan and brought their quilting techniques with them. (The Great Migration was the movement of large numbers of blacks who were sharecroppers and tenent farmers in the South and had no real ecomonic future there. The industrialized cities of Detroit and Cleveland and the like held the promise of a better future.)

Anyway, the director went on to say she has been working with groups of indigenous people in South Africa, not only to document their quilt techniques but to delvelop ecomonic outlets of their goods. I think she said this was in Sowento, is that spelled correctly? They would like to do a joint quilt exhibit sometime in the future. When she first mentioned South Africa, Mandy and I looked at each other and said Mary! Are you familar with this group of quilters? They looked like quite a lively group from the slideshow.

Wouldn't that be cool if you could be viewing quilts from here at the same time we are viewing quilts from your neck of the woods? It really would be a global village!

Good morning so happy its back Thank you Kim you are a Doll It is windy here the weather in Az is so strange one day you get a sunburn then the next day frostbite. Had a BBQ with family last night it was so much fun. Just spending time at home and will work on the Qillows for Christmas I have 18 to make. Hope all has a wonderful day and tell someone you love them. Laura

Wow, it is really great to see this site back, you know how you don't know what you miss something till it's gone!!!!! well that's the way it was with this site for me. Really glad it is back.