Fly High!

A small wallhanging, telling the story of a birdie which was always told that it could NEVER learn how to fly. 

And look what it does! :-)

And here is another one, same story:

I've started sewing the top for a new bed-quilt, and since I really like my pattern with five Ginkgo leaves and five petals, all spreading out from the five-sided small piece in the center, I decided to use such blocks, and: to make it colorful. In between I put some strips...

And what I do is, I wash each finished block and every strip before I sew them all together, so I can work spontaneously, grabbing fabric I like - pre-washed or not - , but I also avoid having unwanted surprises (shrinking, color-bleeding), 

at a stage when it's difficult to solve such a problem.

Much fun!!!

World Day for Cultural Diversity, for Dialogue and Development

It's today! 

"Our cultural diversity is the common heritage of humanity. It is a source of renewal of ideas and societies, through which we open up to others and craft new ways of thinking. This diversity provides opportunities for peace and sustainable development."

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/events/prizes-and-celebrations/celebrations/international-days/world-day-for-cultural-diversity-for-dialogue-and-development/

This fabulous book celebrates just this: Celia Eddy shows and describes historic and contemporary quilts from all continents. I love it and it is one of the finest books about quilts in my collection, "Quilted Planet" by Celia Eddy, it's "Die Welt der Quilts" in German:

"She smiled.

She was picking up with the rest of her story. She wouldn't say what happened to her with words. She would tell it in the cloth."

Isn't that an idea all quilt-makers from all over the world, female, male, old or young, from whatever century or country they come from, can relate to?

The quote is from: "The Invention of Wings" by Sue Monk Kidd, it's an incredibly beautiful book and quilts play a very important role here.

Red and White Quilts

There had been a WONDERFUl exhibition in New York in 2011:

Infinite Variety, Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts. 

The American Folk Art Museum presented 650 quilts! 

I just found out about it, it must have been so BEAUTIFUL!!

Here is a lovely video, enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XK99ct7o5s

Different, but Equal

... because they are all cut from the same cloth!

I arranged four squares, each showing five Ginkgo leaves forming a circle with five petals in the middle, in a wallhanging. It could also decorate a table or a chest. It is 102,5 x 25.5 cm (40 1/2" x 10"), consists of linen and cotton, the batting is a thin piece of untreated cotton, and it is sewn and quilted by hand.

"A Priceless Coin of Time"

"For a priceless coin of time, their hands are linked by a few inches of fragrant herb, witnessed by a dozen blood-orange sunflowers."

This is one of many really stunning sentences in the book "The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet" by David Mitchell. 

I think this novel is absolutely fantastic: abundant with detailed descriptions of extraordinary historic situations and places, abundant with unique characters, rich in plot, in wisdom as well (I think he very subtly and successfully promotes the idea of  the importance of peaceful cooperation and solidarity between humans of different ages, genders, cultural or social backgrounds).

 I so much enjoyed reading this book!

The picture shows my May-block for my 2014-quilt.

It looks like this now: