Thanksgiving

Doris Lee~Thanksgiving painting. Oil on canvas c.1935

Thanksgiving brings so many nostalgic feelings. I'm thankful for the many blessings in my life. My family, my home, my health, my freedom and so much that I can't even put into words. Today, I also think of Thanksgivings past. This painting by Doris Lee reminds of those Thanksgivings of when as a child.---Thanksgiving was a huge family event. Aunts, uncles, Nonna, cousins, friends all together preparing the Thanksgiving feast.

My Uncles who made their own wine would arrive with their bottles of wine and conduct their annual wine tasting. Debating who had made the best wine that year.... My mother and her sisters made homemade ravioli downstairs on my aunts big basement kitchen table the day before. Layers of homemade pasta and fillings covered the huge long table. Several wooden ravioli rollers compressed the sections. I would get to use the little rolling cutter to separate each little ravioli. Sauces simmered on the stove. Cheese was grated. The turkey was the side dish. The ravioli was the main dish! Wonderful assorted antipasto dishes all arranged on the side board of the formal dining room table. The best china, glassware and linens.

Memories. Wonderful memories---I'm so thankful for those too.

I hope you are making many happy memories with your families today. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

How Do You Primarily Buy Fabric?

While browsing around other bloggers sites, or peeking into their sewing space I notice many quilters have large stashes of fabric. That was not too surprising!---but, what surprised me is that their stashes primarily consist of large Bolts of Fabric! I'm not noticing they are in a business, they are hobby quilters like myself.
I have bought my share of fabric through the years, but I don't recall buying bolts and bolts of fabric. Occasionally I splurge on six or seven yards, or a wide quilt backing fabric.

Am I missing some unknown advantage to buying fabric by the bolt?

How do you buy fabric? Yards, fat quarters, precuts---bolts of fabric?

If you buy bolts of fabric, is it cost cutting to buy fabric this way?

Do you ever get tired of having so much of the same fabric on hand. A bolt is 15 yards. That seems like a lot of one print or color.

Storage issues?

I would love comments about this, and I've also set up a poll here on the side bar.

Quilts of Valor

Perhaps it is coincidental that I finished quilting several quilts for our soldiers this past week which makes me feel useful in some small way this Veterans Day.

This wonderful quilt top was made by Linda who lives north of me in California. I loved quilting this top for many reasons, but looking at the various patriotic fabrics Linda had collected to make this top made it interesting and fun to quilt. I don't believe I've ever seen so many wonderful patriotic prints combined in one quilt.


One of my quilting friends, Pam made this quilt top, wonderful earthy African animal prints! I love the name Pam gave this quilt. "Peaceful Warriors". I'm sure it will bring much needed peace and comfort to one of our wounded warriors---

Peggy sent me this beautiful quilt top several weeks ago. I just finished the quilting today as I had been waiting for the Milky Way template boards to arrive from Circle Lord that I especially wanted to use on this quilt. Swirls & stars on "For Which It Stands" It will be off in the mail this coming week to one of our brave soldiers. (click on any pic. to enlarge)

A special thank you to all the soldiers who have served our country. We appreciate all the sacrifices you have made.

11-11-2011