Library Quilt underway!

I have been asked to help construct a quilt to benefit the Whitehall Public Library as well as celebrate its 50th Anniversary! Plans are already underway and we are excited to get to work. But we can't do too much until we know what books will be featured on the quilt. The quilt has been designed and we have a list of books, so far, but want to make sure people are aware of this project and let them know they have the opportunity to get their favorite book represented on the quilt, too!

The actual quilt will be a book shelf/shelves with 50 adult titles and 50 children's titles. It will hang in the Whitehall Library and be displayed with a companion book that will feature the names of the people who chose the books and their reasons for their choice.

We have a lot of special details planned for the quilt so it will definitely be something to see when it is finished. The deadline to get your book choice in is August 31st, 2012 so we will have enough time to construct it and have it ready for unveiling in the spring of 2013.

Feel free to contact me via email for more information: larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com

Or contact The Whitehall Public Library
                  100 Borough Park Drive | Pittsburgh, PA 15236
                  412-882-6622
                  www.whitehallpubliclibrary.org Email - whitehall@einetwork.net

Update on QOV quilt on eBay

This is the email I just received from the maker of the Quilt of Valor quilt currently being auctioned on eBay:

Sue: thanks for the note, and yes I'm the quiltmaker and am fully aware of the eBay auction. Both June Moore and Catherine Roberts are "on it" in an attempt to prevent the sale. I've heard from a number of people, and its gratifying to know the QOVers are being so supportive and share my feelings.
Carole Halteman
Orono, Maine

Special thanks to AT for tracking down the maker and getting contact information for me. I would love to name you but not without your permission!

Does anyone recognize this beautiful quilt?

Does anyone recognize this quilt or know its makers? This quilt was made in 2007 as a Quilt of Valor. According to the label it was made by Carole from Orono, Maine and quilted by Janice from Warner, NH. If you have any information about this quilt I would love to hear from you. You can leave a comment on my blog or email me at: larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com

Ready, Set, GO!

I am getting ready to start teaching my own independent classes. This will be our first project. It contains all of the elements of a traditional quilt so it is the perfect beginner class! I have been teaching for about 10 years but it has always been through a shop, Community College or Chautauqua Institution. I am so excited to be more in control and be able to concentrate on what my students want. Wish me luck!

Heart Star Table Runner class at Sew Special in Uniontown, PA

I am teaching at Sew Special in Uniontown, PA this coming Saturday. The project I am teaching is my newest design called Heart Star. See the hearts? It is a paper pieced table runner with a Y seam and I am looking forward to showing my students how easy it is to do! If you're looking for something to do Saturday, January 21st, call the shop and see if there's still room: 724-438-1765

WTF--Did I get your attention?

What has happened to us? Why do we think we have the right to offend others and that by calling it FREE SPEECH it makes it okay? Let's call it what it really is--a lack of respect for others.

One of my recent Facebook statuses was asking people to refrain from posting things they wouldn't want their children, other peoples' children, their parents/grandparents or other peoples' parents/grandparents to see. One response was "We can't control what others do on their computer or what they're thinking. Same as wishing upon a star to lend a prince charming. Free speach, I believed they call it *_* (this was copied and pasted from FB so all the typos are the writer's)

Does free speech mean we don't have to have manners anymore?

Posting inappropriate pictures or words makes the writer look trashy and uneducated and it has no purpose except to shock. If you need attention, even negative attention, so badly you need to get off the computer and get some therapy!

I'm not saying that everything that comes out of my mouth is nice or even proper but I certainly wouldn't post something on the internet for the whole world to see that I wouldn't show my children myself so why do other people think its okay to put whatever they want there. Who raised these people? No one, it seems.

In this day and age, it seems, we have no modesty, we are proud of things we should be embarrassed by. Celebrities showing off their ankle bracelets meant to monitor their whereabouts is a good example. Would you use the "f" word in front of your grandmother? If you would, I would venture to say there is something psychologically wrong with you or she must have done something terribly wrong to you to have so little respect for her. If you wouldn't, why would you do it in front of the REST of the world?

I don't think its asking too much to respect my rights and others' rights not to be offended every time I/we turn on our computers by simply choosing another word or by eliminating an expletive from your comment or post.

Okay, I am climbing down off the soapbox and going back to quilting. I just needed to get that off of my chest.

BTW- in my life, WTF stands for Where's The Fudge?

Uggh! Back to work! Finally.

2012 is already 5 days old and I've been slacking for months. I lost 2 really close friends in the last 3 months and struggled through the holidays without them. I didn't feel like decorating or celebrating in any way but when you have children you don't really have a choice, so I did the minimum-- a Christmas tree and small angel wallhanging on the front door. My husband did all the shopping and planning and he did a wonderful job but it was still hard.

To be completely honest, I have been barely functioning lately. I'm sure I have disappointed several people but they have been so kind and understanding not to show their disappoinment. Grief is a strange thing. You just don't know when it will hit or how it will affect you. It can be crippling if you let it and coming back is hard but, as I've been told, "Life if for the living.", so its time to get on with the business of living.

There are plans to be made, classes to teach, shows to vend and new designs to be sewn. When I was on Facebook a couple of days ago I posted a picture of a quilt design that I have been playing with and waited to see what people thought of it. One of the groups I belong to on FB is Quilt Guild and there are a lot of wonderful, creative people who are generous enough to take time to offer suggestions and help. Over the course of 2 or 3 days I got opinions and suggestions and the process was very interesting.

This is what I started with:

I won't bore you with all of the changes in between but if you want to see them they are on the Quilt Guild page of FB.

This is what I ended up with:

I'd love to hear what you think about it, too, if you've got a minute!

Happy New Year! I hope its a good one for all of us!