Welcome, October

Some years I am just fine with the changing of the seasons, and I look forward to different Ohio weather. For some reason this year, I am rather ambivalent about leaving summer behind and moving into fall. Maybe it's because I have had such a fantastic summer, with a wedding, a big fraternity party, and 2 beach vacations. So, even though I love the cooler weather, and the chance to wear jeans and sweaters and socks and shoes (as opposed to sandals which I've had on every day since mid-April!), I just hate waving bye-bye to all that sunny, carefree fun.

Get a grip, Jayne!

Enough! I will welcome fall. I have already pulled out my meager few fall decorations and placed them around the house. I have dug out my favorite pumpkin coffee cake recipe, and look forward to making it this weekend. I am full-throttle into football season, as I watch the Buckeyes and Browns try to make successes out of their off-season headlines (Braxton Miller's injury for the Bucks; Johnny Football mania for the Browns).

Well, let's quit with the whining and opining, and get to some quilting news, shall we? Before Hilton Head, you may recall, I took the t-shirt quilt I'd been working on to Terry for quilting. On Monday evening I picked it up and spent Tuesday (yesterday) binding it. I finished it, and it is ready to be delivered to the customer. She has seen a picture of the finish and is quite pleased, I am happy to report. Have a look for yourself.

This t-shirt quilt is the 5th or 6th I have made, and I am becoming more and more fond of doing them. I am happy that people contact me to ask about making one for them. T-shirts represent memories and go back years and years, in many cases. The events in our lives that are represented by those t-shirts come back to us just the same way as memories do when we look at photo albums or yearbooks. I think that is why they are so popular. They are a tangible and useful memory of happy days gone by. But here's the catch - because they are made of t-shirts, there's little need to worry about using the quilt. Go ahead and take it on a picnic, or to a football game! It can take the abuse!

T-shirt quilts are perfect for those who love to recycle and reuse. This is a great alternative to shipping old shirts off to Goodwill or a clothing bank, or using them as rags in the workshop or garage. Give them new life in a quilt that will be cuddled and loved and used and appreciated for many years to come. It's gratifying to see customers who are pleased with their decision to do this.

Now, they do cost, have no doubt about that! I don't do them for free, and I try to make it clear before starting that my time is valuable. So far, I've not had anyone who has objected to paying the price I quote for making a quilt. Thankfully. It is a one-of-a-kind memento, after all. Even if it is made of old t-shirts, the time they take to make - and make well, I might add - has to be considered.

Happy Quilting, Friends!