More than Coffee

This photo is from The Coffee Cup Project website. I ran across it while googling up a visual to add to today's blog entry. Trust me, this is the best picture in the bunch. I might take my own of something similar for the next "Simple Still Life", just haven't done it yet.

First, a big thank you to eveyone who visited and commented yesterday. I love how it feels like a group of friends here. I probably "know" some of you better than my friends here at work, and I see them every day. This got me thinking about the nature of web logs and how intimate they often are in tone. Many of us use them to vent, think out loud, work through projects, and document our lives. A forum at once very public and yet very intimate. I don't know about you, but I tend to forget about the "public" part. When I am writing here, it feels like a private journal or a letter. Why do you suppose that is?

A couple of things have me feeling happier today. A) It's Friday and B)Thursday night is Starbuck's night and I always feel better after that. I'm so glad the blues struck on Thursday, because after a session of talk and laughter with my girlfriends how can I feel blue?I am blessed.

This weekend will be busy in a happy way. One of my neices is going to be in town with her daughters, and Saturday will probably mean a picnic somewhere with the family. The forecast says it will be cooler, and in any case if we are down by the water it will be. Sunday is a meeting with my quilting group, always fun and usually the highlight of the month. Happy weekend everyone!

The Season I Miss

These beautiful photos were taken by nature photographer Don Paulson.

Here in San Diego it is HOT. The high near my house (inland) is expected to reach 97 degrees, and on the coast it will be in the 80's. Every October we have a heat wave, so you think I'd be used to it by now. Fall is the season I have missed the most since moving to California. Having been raised in Kentucky and Michigan, I grew up experiencing seasonal changes. I have lived here 29 years, and I still miss them. One of the sweetest adult memories I have is of a time when my mom went for a walk in the woods behind her home, gathered a box of fall leaves, and sent them to me. When I opened the box the sight, smell, and texture of the leaves overwhelmed me. She also wrote me a lovely letter talking about how much she would like to be able to walk with my son into the woods to see the leaves and talk about the trees. He was only five at the time. I showed him the leaves and talked about grandma, and I think we may have made some crayon leaf-rubbings together.

It was always hard for both of us to live so far apart, so every year that Mom was alive I travelled to visit as many times as I could. She would send me tape recorded stories and messages so we could hear the sound of her voice. She has been gone for almost 12 years, and I still miss her desperately. And, as you can see, the fall season still makes me melancholy.

Some stars to share with Quilt Mavericks

This patriotic quilt was a group project, made by my quilting group for our friend Diane following her surgery. All the fabric was from my stash (and I never missed it). This is the very easy "Lucky Stars" pattern. It's a good design for a group because it is so forgiving (never any chopped points)and easy to trim to the correct size.

Over on the Quilt Mavericks list, various quilters have been posting star quilts, thanks to our friend Finn over at Pieces from My Scrapbag.
This is the quilt made for my neice Colleen's wedding a few years ago. It was a group project made by all the girls and women in our family who wanted to help. I am the only official "quilter" in the family, but as a team we have managed to do several quilts together for big family events. This was a lot of fun, and it's now a "tradition". In the close up view you can see the "stipple star" quilting, done by my friend and long-arm quilter Barbara Carini.

Rain clouds in California

I took all of these pictures while standing in my front yard looking east. The big thunderhead clouds are what I wanted to show you. I am sorry to say we did not get any of the rain that usually follows when you see these beautiful clouds.

Arlee's Postcard

This is the great postcard I got from Arlee last week. It made me laugh and was the bright spot in my day. If you haven't seen them all, go on over to Albedo Design and have a look.

The weekend turned out to be busier than I thought it would be. I ended up helping Jerry with a massive "clean and paint project." Our house is a sprawling ranch that was built around 1958. We have never had the money to do a full remodel, just projects here and there. Usually they involve things that are functional and not exciting, like plumbing, electricity, and central air. Then of course there is painting, staining, and landscaping. It's definitely a high maintenance house. Between the house and garage is an area we call the "breezeway". It was built when garages first started to become attached, a little "indoor-outdoor" room in between the garage and the house. Ours had become, shall we say, a bit cluttered. No more. A good cleaning out and power washing, followed by a new coat of paint, took care of that. Aren't you glad I share this exciting stuff with you?

Emily Mason

This is a painting entitled "Juice", done by Emily Mason in 2004. Frances, this is for you.

Got the quiz below from Deb R. of Red Shoe fame. What I really meant to do for posting today didn't happen, and that was to take some pictures or scan Arlee's stunning postcard.(Wait til you see it!) I think I will have more time to share with you tomorrow, so I will try to get a picture up. I was disappointed with my last set of pictures, but at least I got them to download. I got nary a prompt or message from my computer to help me figure out why, but the problem turned out to be space. After I cleared out all my files by copying pictures to CD everything worked. I hate being techno-stupid and always seem to learn this stuff the hard way. Whenever possible I get my son or husband to work on these problems, but the digital camera is all mine since Jerry takes film (to make DVDs) and not stills. He does not blog, or that would change I'm sure.

Today was really a nice day, in the 80s with a fresh breeze. I almost feel guilty having decent weather when so many are worrying about surviving a hurricane. I have watched the news a little, but am trying not to get swallowed up in it. Have been sending positive energy and saying prayers for everyone who may be affected.
Today I took off from work since we had to take cars in for service. Jerry and I had a fabulous Mexican lunch (I had a grilled chicken burrito and he had carnitas. The very fresh homemade salsa was to die for.) Both of us were stuffed and sleepy afterward, but he got back to work and I went to my studio. I am sewing a traditional quilt right now using leaf blocks and trying to decide how big it's going to be. It's all part of my resolution to finish some of the UFOs I have hanging around. That, and my obsession to pretend we have a fall season. Sometimes I really like working on traditional things because the sewing is soothing and predictable. My brain just wasn't working for art today, but I hope to get back to working on postcards (at least that!) this weekend.

What Color are You?

Your Power Color Is Teal

At Your Highest: You feel accomplished and optimistic about the future. At Your Lowest: You feel in a slump and lack creativity. In Love: You tend to be many people's ideal partner. How You're Attractive: You make people feel confident and accepted. Your Eternal Question: "What Impression Am I Giving?"

What's Your Power Color?

Another quiz

You are 'Latin'. Even among obsolete skills, the
tongue of the ancient Romans is a real
anachronism. With its profusion of different
cases and conjugations, Latin is more than a
language; it is a whole different way of
thinking about things.
You are very classy, meaning that you value the
classics. You value old things, good things
which have stood the test of time. You value
things which have been proven worthy and
valuable, even if no one else these days sees
them that way. Your life is touched by a
certain 'pietas', or piety; perhaps you are
even a Stoic. Nonetheless, you have a certain
fascination with the grotesque and the profane.
Also, the modern world rejects you like a bad
transplant. Your problem is that Latin has
been obsolete for a long time.

What obsolete skill are you?
brought to you by

Sunspot

Here is the great sun postcard I got from Deb R. of
Red Shoe Ramblings fame.
I know the pictures of these little cards are not doing them justice, so you will just have to use your imagination.
Thanks Deb, I love this!

Dreaming Spirals

This is my postcard from Liz at Dreaming Spirals.

Liz says: "I made this from a sample I did for the wallhanging which inspired the name for my blog. The red bits are Tyvek."

Isn't it great? Thanks Liz!

Rain, retirement and postcards

It's an unusual day here in Southern California. It's raining! I awoke this morning with our Nikki trying to climb over my head in her panic at the sound of thunder. (See photo of Nikki in a calmer moment.) The large lightning streaks were clearly visible through the windows, quite a storm for us. Hopefully there is enough rain to prevent brush fires, and not so much as to cause mud slides.

After work yesterday I went to a retirement party for one of our long time librarians. Mild-mannered and kind, he has an inner flair for drama. Every Halloween he dresses as Phantom of the Opera and stalks about the library swishing his cape with great flair. The patrons are startled for a moment, then they usually laugh. He could always be counted on to dress as Santa (or the Grinch) for Holiday parties. I understand he plans to come back occasionally to fill these roles, provided he and his wife are not off globe trotting somewhere. They like to go to obscure places and do things like participate in archeological digs. Somehow I can't imagine spending my hard earned vacation money this way...

I still have not done anything about solving the photo software problem, and I got home too late to fiddle with scanning. I was delighted to see that the mail brought me another postcard, this one from Deb R. of Red Shoe fame. It is a gorgeous sun in fall-ish colors and it is truly wonderful. I think it would look fantastic made bigger. Another piece in the sun series perhaps?

I have been making these small cards, and so far I am learning lots but haven't come up with something satisfactory to send.(Problems in structure, not design.)
I started off using actual card stock for the back, but quickly discovered that the card separates after the edge is stitched and would never hold up. Fabric fused over the cardstock was much better and seems to hold up fine. I think Lisa uses Timtex (fabric basket stuff), but I am hoping to get along without it.

With any luck, my next post includes a scan or two. With even greater luck I will be back to downloading pictures.

A Season's Change

This is some beautiful Guatemalan print fabric from The Unique Spool. I have resisted the tempatation to buy any, but isn't it gorgeous?

I am having a little trouble with the software I use to download digital pictures.
(Camera is Canon G2 and software is Zoom Browser). I received a beautiful postcard from Liz over at Dreaming Spirals, but I will have to try to scan it later to share it with you. I suspect Picasa of interfering with my software, but I really have no idea. The plan is to download lots of photos to CD just in case it is a space issue and try again.

It was one of those busy weekends that just flew by and I hardly spent a moment in my studio. It still feels a little pretentious for me to call it that because its really just a spare bedroom crammed to the rafters with all my fabric, art supplies and sewing machines...but hey its all mine and it IS my creative space. It's not my dream space, but I'm grateful to have it.

I spent some time shopping with one of my wonderful SILs at a store I had never seen before called "Home Goods." It was a little drive, but worth it. Many of you live to buy the Shoes, but I live to buy the Home Stuff. Catalogs from Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn make my pulse rate go up. Now to be honest, there is a lot of junk at "Home Goods", but there are also some great things at low prices. In no time at all I had a cart full of goodies. After a few mental calcualtions and with heroic self control, I put back everything except 2 fall-themed plates, a festive striped salt and pepper shaker set, a tablecloth, and a basket. Pleased with myself and filled with inspiration, once home I hauled out all the "fall" decor and spent a chunk of time on that. You cannot now enter any room in my house without knowing what season it is supposed to be. Here in southern California you often need those visual cues..

The men in my house, and some of my women friends too, are mystified at my seasonal decorating rituals. I swap out linens, rugs, dishes, towels, pillows, flower arrangements and even a window treatment or two. And, of course, the quilts, wallhangings, and some of the art. It has taken years of careful collecting. Christmas and Harvest season call for big time cleaning and decorating, but to a lesser degree so do Spring and Summer. Some of you have a closet full of shoes, but I have closets, cupboards, and an attic, full of seasonal home decor.

Wolf Kahn

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All of these lovely paintings are by a German born American artist Wolf Kahn. You can read more in this wonderful book . One of the great advantages of working in a university library....







I blogged about this artist several months ago because he is one of my favorites, and I am absolutely arrested by his paintings. As you know if you read this blog, I am also a HUGE fan of the work of Emily Mason, who, incidentally, was his wife. Imagine the work that took place in their house.

Art and Spirit

Wolf Kahn

Something about this painting just speaks to me. The color choices, the vertical repetition, the skillful and subtle impression of trees, the mood created, the way the whole thing works together. Sometimes it's not easy to analyze why, but I absolutely love the work of this artist. See more paintings here.


Art communicates the spirit. This idea facinates me more than any other. Put aside all the academic historical stuff and just consider the idea. It's huge.

Making Art

Why do we make art? It surely must be a part of the human spirit, present from the earliest time we can grasp a crayon or take up a stick to scratch in the sand. Think of all the people, all over the world, all through the ages. Imagine the intricately patterned items made for every day use: bowls, baskets, shields, blankets. Weaving, painting, carving, tattoos. Patterns repeat everywhere in the universe. How about color? Fierce, hot red. Cool, soothing blue. Sunny, joyful yellow. Lush, deep purple. In responding to color, again we find a common ground. In giving form to thought, we create a glimpse of inner life, making the intangible somehow visible. Something inside us longs to do this. For some of us it is imperative.

Whether you are showing something recognizable (a leaf, a tree, a face) or using pure form and color, you are in touch with your spirit and interacting with the universe. My quality of line (or stitch) will be different from yours. My application of color (or choice of fabric) will be different too. Different, and yet the same. When we perceive and understand the sameness, art has become communication.

In those moments when creation is taking place, you feel a part of what you are meant to be. Art, for me, comes from the joyful place inside where the connection to the universe is felt.

OK, Its silly but addictive

I love these quiz things, silly as they are. Saw this one on Gabrielle's blog and had to play.

Your Inner Child Is Happy

You see life as simple, and simple is a very good thing.You're cheerful and upbeat, taking everything as it comes.And you decide not to worry, even when things look bad.You figure there's just so many great things to look forward to.

How Is Your Inner Child?

Safe Handling of Procion Dye

Sharing a little something about handling Procion dye, from the BOOKARTS mailing list. I thought this was actually a pretty good idea (about the clear container). I worry a little about the dye particulate because I know of people who have developed a sensitivity to it.

Here is advice given in the email:
(snip) I avoided fabric dyeing for years because the MSDS and general warnings were so terrifying. Let me reassure you that you can do this safely and sensibly - you have two options
1) Build a clear plexiglass box, or better yet, buy a large clear storage box such as they have at Walmart. Cut two round hand-sized holes in the side. When ready to dye, put the lid of the box on the counter upside-down, place damp paper towels all over it. Place on it the jar of dye powder, measuring spoon, empty jar with lid and measuring cup with water. Put the box on the lid upside-down. Put light-weight dust mask on if you want but I do not. Put on gloves.
Reach in holes and measure dye powder into jar, replace lid on powder, add water to other jar, put on lid, shake.
The whole point is to contain the dust and KEEP IT FROM BLOWING AROUND! We do NOT want good ventilation here, we want stillness! Keep doors and windows closed.
You will be gratified to see lots and lots of little specks of dye on the damp paper towel - once they light there they are no longer a risk for you to inhale them. The dye that is now in the jar with water is no risk to you at all - wearing gloves is to avoid serious changes in our skin color and on general principal to avoid absorption through your skin.
2) I no longer use the box - I set up everything in a room with all windows and doors closed so there is no draft, I spread out damp paper towels over a three foot square area and I go to work. I do wear the light - weight dust mask and gloves. In my experience the dye/dust specks all turn up well within the 3 ft perimeter of damp towels, which tells me there aren't any floating freely around the room. When done I wipe every surface with damp towels. That's it.
This all sounds much more complicated than it really is - just focus on containing the dust and using damp everywhere. The rewards are multitudinous and marvelous - dye everything with plant origin (cotton, wood pulp, linen, rayon) including paper and your own book cloth!!
Good Luck, Henrietta in Blue Hill, Maine

Blame it on Gabrielle and Deb R.

You are the Fool card. The Fool fearlessly begins
the journey into the unknown. To do this, he
does not regard the world he knows as firm and
fixed. He has a seemingly reckless disregard
for obstacles. In the Ryder-Waite deck, he is
seen stepping off a cliff with his gaze on the
sky, and a rainbow is there to catch him. In
order to explore and expand, one must disregard
convention and conformity. Those in the throes
of convention look at the unconventional,
non-conformist personality and think What a
fool. They lack the point of view to understand
The Fool's actions. But The Fool has roots in
tradition as one who is closest to the spirit
world. In many tribal cultures, those born with
strange and unusual character traits were held
in awe. Shamans were people who could see
visions and go on journeys that we now label
hallucinations and schizophrenia. Those with
physical differences had experience and
knowledge that the average person could not
understand. The Fool is God. The number of the
card is zero, which when drawn is a perfect
circle. This circle represents both emptiness
and infinity. The Fool is not shackled by
mountains and valleys or by his physical body.
He does not accept the appearance of cliff and
air as being distinct or real. Image from: Mary
DeLave http://www.marydelave.com/

Which Tarot Card Are You?
brought to you by

Beautiful ATCs from Artful Quilters

ATC from Jen M. (sent to me). While not quite as confusing as all the Debs,
there are a few Jens.

From Lisa

Here are the pictures of the two beautiful ATCs I have received from the Artful Quilter's swap, one from Lisa, one from Jen. I think I am beginning to understand why these swaps are so addictive! It really does brighten the day to receive one of these little beauties in the mail.
I finished up my Quilts for Katrina and mailed them off to Houston, so now I can start on the ATCs. Artful Quilters' cards may be on hold for a few more days since I want to make some to send to Phase Two of the Open Hearts, Helping Hands fundraiser. I have a few other small pieces to send, but they also are not yet completed. So today will be the day to work on finishing all those things. I really have to make the most of weekends since some days after work lately I am just too wiped out to focus. I have felt drained and depressed and have been sleeping badly, but I attribute it to thinking too much about the victims of Katrina. A day in the studio will be just the right therapy.

Something Wonderful in the Mail

I received a beautiful ATC from Lisa, actually I've had it since Friday. I am dying to post a picture to share, but I don't want to spoil the surprise for anyone else. So, Lisa, should I post the picture now or wait a few days?

SDSU will help Evacuees

I got this email at work today. Wow! I am really happy we are going to be helping out here on campus. Jen

TO: SDSU Students, Faculty and Staff
FROM: President Stephen L. Weber
SUBJECT: San Diego State Offers Shelter to Hurricane
Evacuees

San Diego State University has offered, in cooperation with the
local chapter of the American Red Cross, to establish a shelter
on the SDSU campus at Peterson Gym should the need arise to house
evacuees from Hurricane Katrina. The shelter at Peterson Gym
could temporarily house as many as 600 people.
It is uncertain if or when our shelter might be needed. If it
is, the first evacuees might arrive as early as the next 24 to 48
hours. While American Red Cross officials hope the shelter will
be needed only for several weeks, SDSU has agreed to make the
building available for as long as 60 days.

The American Red Cross has told the university we will have 24
hours notice of any evacuees coming to San Diego. Upon notice
from the Red Cross, Peterson Gym activities will be temporarily
relocated to the Aztec Recreation Center. This includes classes
in Exercise and Nutritional Sciences, SDSU's intercollegiate
athletic teams which use the gym for competition and practice,
and recreational sports activities. Other than temporary
disruptions to student recreational activities in the ARC, the
campus will be in full operation while the shelter is in place.
For updated information, visit the SDSU Web site at:
http://www.sdsu.edu/.
The shelter will be operated by the San Diego/Imperial Counties
Chapter of the American Red Cross, which will provide all staff
and resources for the hurricane survivors. The American Red Cross
will contract with Aztec Shops and possibly outside vendors to
provide food and other services to evacuees.
The shelter at SDSU is one of many being established by the
American Red Cross across the country to handle the immense and
immediate needs of the hundreds of thousands of people who have
been displaced by the disaster. We are glad San Diego State can
assist those who have endured such a tremendous loss.
I anticipate that many of you will want to know how you can help:
o The San Diego Chapter of the American Red Cross tells us
the most immediate need is for monetary contributions. The best
way to make a contribution is through the local organization's
Web site: http://www.sdarc.org/, the American Red Cross' national site at
http://www.redcross.org/, or by phone at 1-800-HELP-NOW. Those wishing
to can indicate their affiliation with SDSU when making an online
contribution.
o Those wishing to volunteer are encouraged to contact San
Diego County's new services hotline by dialing 2-1-1. Horizon
Christian Fellowship (HCF) will accept donations of food,
toiletries, clothing, and toys for the victims of Hurricane
Katrina. HCF is located at 5331 Mt. Alifan Drive in Clairemont.
o SDSU has also established a liaison with the American Red
Cross - should SDSU's faculty, staff and students wish to make
special offers of assistance to the evacuees. Please contact Ron
Oshima at: roshima@mail.sdsu.edu.
Please do not bring cash or other donations to the shelter in
Peterson Gym. Also, no volunteers will be accepted without
appropriate training by the American Red Cross.
In addition to establishing the shelter, San Diego State is
enrolling dozens of undergraduate and graduate students from Gulf
Coast colleges and universities shut down by Hurricane Katrina.
Also, SDSU's Athletics department and its supporters raised
$15,300 at the SDSU-UCLA football game Sept. 3 to aid the
nationwide relief effort.
I want to thank all of you who have helped or are helping in this
important humanitarian effort - especially those in Exercise and
Nutritional Sciences, Athletics and Associated Students who have
been so accommodating. I ask that we all welcome the hurricane
evacuees and treat them as guests on our campus with respect and
understanding for the hardships they have endured. We will keep
you updated as more information becomes available.

Quilt Show Goodies and Hurricane Quilts

Ok, I confess I was not nearly as disciplined as our friend Lisa was when I went to the San Diego Quilt Show. I was pleasantly surprised by a lot of quilts I liked very much, probably since I didn't go expecting to see art quilts . The few I did see were delightful, I'm sorry I didn't write down the names to share. Lisa's duster jacket with dancing folk was wonderful, but to be fair so were all the entries in the professional class. Lisa's coat was truly a work of art and something to
be proud of. I think if I ever made anything that nice, I'd be delerious. I did indulge myself just a little with the vendors. My friends were enthusiastically buying, you know how contagious that is. How could I help it?

Yesterday I went antique browsing with one of my fabulous sister-in-laws. Since that took up most of the day, I waited until today to make some serious progress on the "hurricane quilts."

Sewing room hurricane 

These are the types of "hurricane"quilts I am making. Note the super king size giant squares. They are quilted in "channels" to hold them together, kind of like comforters. The sewing makes me feel better, although I am still having trouble watching the news. I am not the wonderful quilt maker that Bonnie is, especially not at top speed. A long arm machine would definitely help with the quilting part, or at least one with a wider throat. I am starting to think about an upgrade to the Janome 6500 (or maybe next year's 6600 model). I love my Janome Gem and imagine I would be really happy with the other machine. Must go and test drive and start saving up.

I will also be able to help with the quilt art fundraiser that Laura started. Many of you have
probably already heard about it, but here is the website:
http://www.artdoinggood.com/

Your small works of art will be "sold" to raise money for the Red Cross. At this point, they are talking very small, ATC size up to journal quilt size (8 1/2 x 11"). Go to the website and read
about it. Even those of you who don't ever make anything traditional can do this! Find or make something small and donate it.

Happy Friday!

Tomorrow I go to the San Diego Quilt show. Generally it's a mixed bag and not too many art quilts, but I go with friends, and hey its in town. So I will have fun regardless...
I am feeling a little less stressed and more sane. Working on my FAST quilt to send to Houston is good therapy. So is seeing my friends and shopping, both things I plan to do this weekend! An extra day off, too. YEA! If I buy anything fun, I will show you...

Hurricane Katrina

Just a note to say I haven't really dropped off the face of the earth, just haven't felt like blogging lately. Fall semester has started, and that automatically means that adjusting to the crowds and organized chaos on campus has left me exhausted.

I am so overwhelmed and sad about the suffering caused by Hurricane Katrina that I had to stop watching the news. Gerrie posted some info about how to help, and so did Arlee.

From www.quilts.com:
To quilters everywhere:
The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast is beyond belief. Here in Houston our hearts are heavy with sorrow for all the horrible losses, and we are preparing to welcome the thousands of refugees that are being bussed to us because they have lost their homes or have no access to whatever is left of their homes. Like so many other people, we want to help. Knowing quilters, we think you want to help, too, because there are no more generous, giving, open-hearted people than quilters.
Therefore, we are launching QUILTERS COMFORT AMERICA--a two-part drive for Hurricane Katrina relief--and we urge you to join us in this project.
PART 1: Urgent Donations to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. We will match EVERY donation made by quilters to the American Red Cross, up to a maximum of $10,000, on a dollar for dollar basis. For more information on how to participate, click HERE.
PART 2: QUILTS FOR COMFORT
Many thousands of the Katrina refugees are being sent to Houston RIGHT NOW, and no one knows how long they will have to be here. Most of them escaped the hurricane's fury with only the clothes on their backs--nothing more--and they may have absolutely nothing to go home to. They don't even know.

Part 2 of QUILTERS COMFORT AMERICA is the collection of quilts of all kinds to be distributed to the refugees here in Houston so that they have something soft to sleep on instead of the hard concrete floors of the temporary shelters and something warm to cover up with against the chill of otherwise welcome air-conditioning (we've been in the 90s and 100s for weeks now). Quilt Festival will serve as the collection point for these quilts, and we will deliver them DAILY to the American Red Cross staffing the refugee centers in Houston, where they will be distributed by the Red Cross volunteers. Because we are right here in Houston where more than 25,000 of the refugees will be, we can make a difference RIGHT NOW...if you'll help. For more information on how to participate, click HERE.

Time is critical--the need is NOW! People are arriving by the hour, children and old folks are bedding down on the cold concrete, bedding is needed by people of all ages who have lost everything in this horrible storm. Please help if you can.
QUILTERS COMFORT AMERICA.
Karey Patterson Bresenhan
Director, International Quilt Festival--Houston and Chicago

Jen again: This is a wonderful offer, to match dollar for dollar, giving us all a chance to make the gift count even more.

I am not a speedy quilt maker, but I probably have a couple of quilts already made that I can send. It is so little, but it will make me feel like I have done a little something to express my concern.