I love this Christmas quilt. The pattern is an early Fig Tree called Simple Baskets. I have always been fond of basket blocks, and this was my first attempt at one. The fabrics are mostly from 3 Sisters for Moda. I can't recall the names of the groups I used, but there may have been two from 3 Sisters, and others from old Robyn Pandolf collections. I used what I had on hand in the stash that pleased me. The thing I learned when making this quilt is that black in a quilt makes things "sparkle". Your eyes dance over the quilt searching for the black. When you can, toss in a bit of black.
Also, this quilt involved applique, which had made me rather nervous in the past. 16 appliqued basket handles. Could I manage that? Evidently! I finished the quilt, and it has remained one of my favorite Christmas quilts, and as a matter of fact, I keep it out all year long!
Now for the story. There used to be a quilt shop in Cupertino called Whiffle Tree. It was a bit far out for me in terms of distance, but I used to go there fairly regularly. Their inventory wasn't as large as some other stores, but they offered dynamite classes. They had terrific teachers, and a very loyal customer following. This shop too has folded and is no longer in business, and their clientele scattered to the two remaining shops in the vicinity.
I discovered that there was a class offered for this particular quilt, and I signed up because the teacher was known to be very good and because I thought I might get some instruction on hand applique, which obviously, I needed. Also, I was in the hope that I might meet some new quilting friends, and perhaps join in a sewing group that met regularly. There is nothing so lovely as getting into a nice group of quilters. That particular joy and camaraderie is incomparable. This class met three times, so there would be an opportunity to get to know the other people in the class.
I turned up for the class and nearly every spot in the classroom was taken. Most of the women seemed to know each other, and sat together. I set up my machine and introduced myself to the women sitting nearest to me. There was an Indian woman who didn't speak much English and seemed very shy, and me, and this passel of gals who were all buddies.
The teacher turned out to be great, and I learned some good applique techniques. For example, did you know when you make a bias strip, the strip wants to bend in one direction or the other? It doesn't want to bend the same in both directions, it prefers one way of the other. So, when you curve your bias strip, try to get it to go the way of least resistance. It appeared to be true when I tried it.
My fantasy of making friends and joining in a quilting group? Not so successful. That clique of women was SO not interested in getting to know me, or the other newcomer in the group. At. All. Despite many many efforts on my part to join in their conversations, make little jokes, share pleasantries---nada. Zip. Zilch. I could have been a traffic cone setting in one section of the table. I was totally ignored. And the poor non-English speaking woman? She fared worse than I did. Have you ever introduced yourself to a group, telling them your name, and in all subsequent gatherings, never hear them speak it to you? They didn't care if I was Nicole or Noel or Michelle--they just didn't care.
It may not have been realistic of me to expect instant friendship, but it certainly did open my eyes to how I treat new people who join a group. Would it have killed them to ask me questions, compliment my fabric choice, share applique tips? Didn't they have any curiosity to get to know someone outside their little circle? Had they never had the experience of being new and uncertain in a situation? Good grief, it reminded me of high school and having the new kid move to town in the middle of the semester. All the friends were all ready taken. What nonsense.
So, next time your sewing group, book club, or bible study class meets, think about my little story. If there is a newcomer, bend over backwards to engage them. Use their name when you speak to them. They have an accent? Get over it. Try to talk to them anyway. If all you do is gesture and smile, you will make the occasion meaningful and memorable to them. And you know what? You might even make a friend for life.
Today is my dear departed mother's birthday. She was the most open-hearted woman ever. When she met someone new to town, before they knew it, they were sitting at her dining room table having beef stroganoff and sharing life stories. I can hardly remember a holiday where we didn't have some stranger at dinner who was far from home and had no place to go. Trust me, we kids met a lot of interesting people while we were growing up! I dedicate this post to Mom and the fact that she made many many friends in her rich life, mostly due to her making the first move. So go out there and make a new friend today. You won't regret it.