Topsfield Fair's 200th anniversary!

Click here for Topsfield Fair information

The Essex County's famous Topsfield Fair starts today (Friday September 28, 2018.)  I had the pleasure of assisting the judging of the quilt entries again this year ... 80 quilts are hanging in the Coolidge Building, and one of my young students has submitted hers for the second year. Last year she won best of show with her Jaguar's Jungle quilt, and this year's entry is titled Galileo's Galaxy.  I am not a judge of the quilts ... just one of a dozen helpers who record the judge's scores and comments, or hold the quilts up for the judge's eyes, or, in my case, hold the judge to a limit of three minutes per quilt. I learn a great deal at these sessions, listening to the comments and seeing how the various components of the quilts are judged. Of course, I can't reveal the judge's results until after the show has opened ... but I can tell you that it is an impressive assortment of quilts made by talented sewists of all ages!

Click here for MVQ show information

Also opening today (Friday) is the Merrimack Valley Quilters Guild Show, in Newburyport, MA. This is a two day show and features quilts made by members of the guild, along with tables of boutique items, a room full of 'white elephant' sale items, raffle baskets filled with fabrics, notions, batting and various other items that catch visitors' eyes. I don't attend the guild's show as my shop, Quilters' Quarters, is open on those two days and Rick is no longer here to spell me while I would attend. All guild members are asked to donate at least two hours of their time during the show to man the various displays, work as 'white glovers' to turn quilts and allow visits to view the backs, and demonstrate various skills.

As I'm unable to be in two places at once, I try to donate items to the show to be raffled off ... this year I've given a few antique sewing machines, including a beautiful Singer model 66 Treadle machine with Red Eye Decals in a multi-drawer cabinet, which I'm sure will garner a lot of attention!

I had a wonderful surprise this week at Quilters' Quarters ... a woman called and said she had some juvenile fabrics that she wanted to donate, as she had learned that I work at making comfort quilts for the local fire and police departments to carry in their vehicles for children who are at fire or accident scenes ... she came this morning with three full crates of beautiful fabrics! I'm looking forward to bringing some to the Georgetown Senior Center to make quilts with the volunteers there.  I'm sure we'll have enough to continue to provide the public safety building supply and also donate to a homeless shelter nearby. 

Wishing you all an easier season this autumn ... looking forward myself to cooler weather!

~Terry

As always, thanks for reading my shop's blog. Please feel free to forward this email (if you're reading this in email) or share the URL of the page with your friends and family. And if the posted schedule  doesn't work for you, give me a call and we can set up a time more convenient to your own schedule.

Yes, It's Been a Busy Week!

Customers, not so much. But community needs were high this week ... three towns not ten miles away from Quilters' Quarters were involved in what federal agencies called " Absolute Devastation" when the natural gas pipes leading to 8000 private homes and businesses in Lawrence, Andover and North Andover, Massachusetts (known as The Merrimack Valley) were overpressurized and caused three major explosions and more than 70 structure fires, simultaneously.

Fire fighters, local and state police and first responders answered the first alarm call for mutual aid from scores of towns in Massachusetts and New Hampshire; Red Cross set up shelters in local public buildings in each area, and the governor of Massachusetts declared all three municipalities in a state of emergency. Homeowners were told to evacuate the areas and relocate in those shelters or with relatives or friends out of the area. Schools were cancelled ... all non-emergency municipal workers were asked to stay home and away from the area. Highway exits were closed for the weekend to the affected area, and all electricity was turned off to avoid any further sparks, as leaking gas pipes was a strong possibility. After all the fires were out, teams made up of a firefighter, police officer, gas company representative and electric company representative were assigned to go door to door and make sure that ALL 8,000 GAS METERS WERE TURNED OFF. Modern homes have gas meters on the outside, easily accessible ... but many homes in these areas are older, and entrance to the home had to be made ... hence, the police officer on each team. And then street by street, permissions to return to homes were given by the officials who deemed dwellings safe to re-enter. 

This all began on Thursday afternoon. Permission to re-enter was not given to most until Saturday evening. Even then, there were Facebook reports of a new fire that started because a returning homeowner's meter had not been turned off, and upon entering and turning something on, a fire was ignited. Unconfirmed reports that the street of that home had been 'missed' and the meters were not turned off began to circulate. The public's confidence was shattered by this report. Some are still being cared for in shelters, waiting for a safe return.

I learned Friday that a local resident in the next town would be bringing supplies to the shelters in Lawrence to assist those homeowners staying there for the duration.  I  'pulled an all nighter' Friday (something I hadn't done in decades) and was able to make up five juvenile quilts and got them to his home early Saturday morning in time to be included in the delivery. I was astonished at the collection of bottles of water, packages of disposable diapers, boxes of infant formula and so much more that he had gathered in those overnight hours ... I did put out a call to local quilters to join in the effort, but if they saw the call on Facebook they were unable to respond on such short notice ... it is likely that some were able to make quilt donations directly to shelters near them. I choose to believe that. Quilters are like that.

There was one death ... a young man sitting in a car outside one of the homes that suddenly exploded;th e home's chimney fell on top of the car he was sitting in. Some victims are still in hospital ... some were able to receive care and be released, but not to their homes ... The kind man who delivered the goods to the Lawrence shelter, including my humble quilts, told me they had an infant at the shelter with the mother, who had just come home from the hospital the day before the explosions happened. My heart broke for that family, but I was glad,knowing he would get one of those quilts to the baby.

There is a larger catastrophe currently in process ... flooding and evacuations facing families in the states of North and South Carolina. If I hear of a nation-wide call for donations (as I did and responded to a few years ago for the Idaho wildfires) I will let you know here or on Facebook. Though the needs are great, I believe our communities of quilters are up to the calls, and invite you to tune in and share what you can.

Love,
Terry

As always, thanks for reading my shop's blog. Please feel free to forward this email (if you're reading this in email) or share the URL of the page with your friends and family. And if the posted schedule  doesn't work for you, give me a call and we can set up a time more convenient to your own schedule.

Happy Labor Day!

And happy back to school week for most families. Whether you have children or grandchildren, nieces or nephews or even the great-grands, there are always children to quilt for. And many adults appreciate quilts as gifts, too!

Quilters' Quarters is involved in a few quilting groups. Some of us meet twice a month to work on the Juvenile Emergency Comfort Quilts that we provide to the Georgetown MA Fire and Police vehicles. Another group meets once a month to collaborate on lap quilts and/or wall hangings to be presented to our local military veterans.  And when I hear that someone in town is reaching the age of 100 years, I make them a Centennarian Quilt!

In my family, I've made many quilts for 60th birthdays, and others to comfort those facing significant illnesses or surgeries. Grandchildren, of course have each received a few from me, as have several newborns in my extended family. And friends with grandchildren sometimes need a hand in making quilts.

One of my friends was surprised when she asked me to make a T-Shirt quilt from her collection ... my answer was the surprise. I told her I would gladly coach her through the steps involved in such a project, as the memories in those T-Shirt belongs to her and her husband, and deserved their attention and care. As we worked together on cutting and stabilizing and arranging the shirts, the stories flowed, the memories blossomed, , her pride in her accomplishment shone and the quilts will have so much more meaning as a result. 

Another customer came and asked if I would help her make a wedding wall hanging for her niece, and in a matter of a month she had learned how to cut with a rotary cutter and ruler, how to add sashing to a block, how to shirr fabric to border a machine-embroidered center, and how to back, quilt and bind the piece. It was a lovely accomplishment for someone who had little time but much desire to provide a special heirloom for her niece. The wedding invitation sent by the bride was the focus for the colors and theme of the wall hanging ... serendipity!

So if you are wondering what type of quilt you might make, or wishing I had provided more photos of these individuals' accomplishments, come into the shop and I'll show you the fabrics involved in such quilts.  Sometimes an idea comes from a family photo, or from a favorite fabric, or even an article of clothing.

As always, thanks for reading my shop's blog. Please feel free to forward this email (if you're reading this in email) or share the url of the page with your friends and family. And if the posted schedule doesn't work for you, give me a call and we can set up a time more convenient to your own schedule.

~ Terry Crawford Palardy