Episode 200: Episode 200!

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Don’t forget to leave a comment by December 1st, to win a copy of Birds in the Air (or one of my other books)! We’re celebrating 200 episodes, baby!

Here’s the central unit of the flying geese baby quilt:

babyflyinggeese

And here’s the first part of the first element of a house quilt that lives in my imagination:

house1

 

Some interesting quilt/textile sites I’ve found poking around recently …

http://threadandthrift.blogspot.com/

http://www.michaelcummings.com/

Not about quilting, but about interior decorating–an older piece by Michael Pollan in the NY Times.

The book I’m reading by Michael Pollan: A Place of My Own: The Architecture of Daydreams.

An article about vernacular architecture artist, Beverly Buchanan.

I like this little essay on “It wasn’t for me,” a great way to respond to works of art and literature that don’t really capture you even though you recognize their value. It’s from Austin Kleon’s newsletter, which has lots of great links about creativity and other interesting things.

Do you listen to the “On Being” podcast? It’s one of my favorites. On the most recent episode, Krista Tippett interviews David Brooks and E.J. Dionne, who you might be familiar with from NPR’s All Things Considered (and of course Brooks is an NY Times’ columnist). I was particularly moved by Brooks’ comments about politics, religion and grace. Really beautiful stuff.

Just finished Commonwealth by Ann Patchett. I really enjoyed it, but it might not be for you if you don’t like stories that jump around in time and are told from the perspectives of several different characters.

Oh, the Chagall guy: Simms Taback

http://www.designmom.com/wp-content/uploads/from_blogger/Picture-3-764642.png

And this is Chagall:

https://i0.wp.com/www.guggenheim.org/wp-content/uploads/1913/01/49.1212_ph_web.jpg?fit=1200%2C1061&ssl=1

Thanks for listening!

26 Replies to “Episode 200: Episode 200!”

  1. I love your birds in the air flying geese baby quilt I just found out my daughter is pregnant and will be looking for ideas for a few baby quilts, mind if I borrow yours?

    1. You are welcome to borrow my flying geese, which I borrowed from someone else! It just goes round and round, doesn’t it?

  2. Happy 200th episode to the quilter/podcaster/author who taught me to not complain about the weather!

    1st comment even though I’ve been listening for a while and commenting in my bed. Bought birds in the air and love love love it!

  3. 200! And yay your company while I did some appliqué on a memory quilt tonight. Huzzah! I love the house blocks, love Chagall, and think your ponderings on place fit perfectly with my impending move. You may be interested in my church’s recent series called Love Where You Live, too. It’s a few sermons on the Perimeter Church podcast that would fit well with your thoughts and your work with investing where you live with your work in housing, etc. ❤️

  4. As an oldest child who willingly gave up her room when she went to college, I have to side with Will on this one. He deserves a chance to have the ‘good’ room. It can be a win/win. If Jack gives up his room with a right good heart, he will have more currency when he wants to bargain for something big later. At least that was my experience!

  5. It was about 2010-2011 the prices of quilt fabric sky rocketed. The reason stated then was because of a poor crop world wide of cotton and increased transportation costs. Fabrics went from $7-$8 / yard up to above $11/ yard. Since then the cotton crops have recovered and been bumper with a glut on the markets. Gas prices have reduced ….. but the price of yardage and fabric has not reduced. And the fabric companies and LQS owners wonder why their business are faltering…. they priced themselves out of business.
    .
    .

  6. I’m a new listener and I have really enjoyed listening to your podcast while sewing or quilting. I ordered you book but would love another one.

    Thanks for taking the time to podcast. I love it ( and your voice is so soothing!)

    Happy 200th episode.

  7. I love the baby quilt. It is fab!!! I think it is lovely and definitely a public domain quilt. I am working on a quilt that is a derivative quilt from a quilt is saw on line. It is a public domain block and set in a old school way. I resized it for my purposes to preserve large prints on hand. I drafted it myself. Soooo, I didn’t buy the pattern it because it has been around. I still am careful to say that when it is pictured on social media that it is my version of designer so and so… pattern is on Craftsy, etc. I don’t know if that is proper but this is a quilt for me and I don’t need a pattern for super simple traditional block that I update. Sigh, sometimes though I still feel guilty about it. But really any pattern I design, I find someone is selling a version of it online.

    Good luck with the changing of the room issue , it was a bit weird when it happened at our house. I had a harder time with it all than the kids did. lol that is pretty usual in my life .
    Congrats on 200 episodes and on Birds in the Air , a lovely book!

  8. Congratulations on 200! Haven’t listened yet, that’s for later. I’ve been looking forward to getting my hands on your book.

  9. Congrats on your 200th! I love your podcast! Also, I ordered American Made Fabric from FQS, based on your recommendation, and I am very pleased with it! I will definitely order it again!

  10. Congratulations on your 200th episode! I haven’t had the pleasure of reading “Birds in the Air” yet, but it’s on my list of books to read!

  11. Dear Frances, How I have loved your podcasts. I first heard about you listening to Alison Rosen’s former podcast and that was a long time ago! I have always especially loved hearing about life on the other coast, your family times, and, of course, quilting. Although I am not quilting right now, (I hope my mojo comes back eventually) I still enjoy listening to the life and times of Miss Frances.

    I read Birds in the Air some time ago and congratulate you on a lovely read. I am anxious to read part 2. I live in such a megalopolis but have a mountain heart. I love the diversity in “my very small town in the very big city” (we are about 4 square miles) but it isn’t always easy to connect with busy neighbors. So reading about your imagined small town was wonderful.

    Take care. These are confusing and stressful times and your voice brings such comfort and joy. Warmly, KellyV

  12. Happy 200th episode! I feel like I am coming back to quilting after not really doing much for the past few years. What a great way to the path back, to listen to this podcast! 😀

  13. 200th episode – congratulations! I have to tell you that your “Birds in the Air” quilting “period” was/is so timely. I, too, add meaning to quilt project choices. Because, what IS your brain doing while you are cutting, piecing, and quilting hour after hour? Thinking deep thoughts, right? When you first launched this project I immediately recalled the true words of Jesus spoken in Matt. 6:26. As you’ve shared your birds; I’ve felt lighthearted in these troubled months. Everything’s going to be fine. You (and your followers) are to be commended for keeping politics out of your blog/podcast. I am so looking forward to your “Home” period. My second quilt was a “home quilt” and I can still recall the mind sojourn I traveled as I pieced and quilted it.
    P.S. I’m with you on things that kids need to grow out of sooner rather than later. Trick-or-treating teenagers are not cute.

  14. Hi Frances! I too am one of your newer listeners who comments in her head (and also follows you on Instagram) but wanted to say congratulations on the 200th episode and thank you for being my sewing buddy. (Congratulations also on Birds in the Air, both the book and quilts, the former of which I have requested for Christmas! I am a dedicated library user, so this means I realllllly want to read it.)

    Keep up the good work!

    P.S. I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I trick or treated through senior year of high school and have no regrets! My group of high school friends (seven nerdy, polite, late-blooming girls) always wore inspired costumes, at least, though they did very little to prevent all the “how old ARE you?” comments.

  15. Hi Frances! I just finished “Birds in the Air.” I loved it. Just delightful. I can’t wait for the next one. Tami. ps: I haven’t received my calling cards yet.

  16. Congratulations on your 200th episode! I’ve enjoyed them all, especially the rambly ones.

    PS-repurposing a college child’s room helps them mentally cut the apron strings. Don’t want to make the old home too comfortable. It’s even fun to discuss plans for the room at the dinner table while they are still there to listen with a look of shock on their faces. Haha. After all, we really don’t want them living in our basement when they are 40 (like my cousin).

  17. Congrats on 200 episodes! I have a kindle copy of your book, but would love a hard copy for my mom. We’re both quilters and have read our way through all the quilt novels we can find. Fingers crossed!

  18. I am so behind that you being behind is actually a gift to me.

    Good job on the draft! Nice that you can get her ideas on a very early draft.

    Just finished Persimmon Moon and really liked it. Loved the implications; want more from those characters.

    We have a lot of local libraries and I went to each website and requested that they each buy a copy of Birds in the Air. Let me know if you get any love from them. You may not know who buys; I would be interested.

    UGH! You said “Christmas is coming”. I don’t want to hear that! NOOOOOO!
    Can you tell me I am not even ready? Not even thinking about being ready?

    You have to enter your modern BITA quilt into QuiltCon. It is so fantastic and will wow people!

    Sometimes quilts say what they want to be called and that becomes their name. I need to label my quilts so they all need a name. Also, “Untitled #1” really bugs me, so I make an effort to give my quilts a name. To each his own.

    I made the YM clear out his room before he left for college. I made him start in March! My mom used to come over every Tuesday to spend time with him and they would spend at least an hour on that task. That was about his limit. At least we can walk across his room now. It isn’t perfect, but much better and we can use his room for guests as needed. I think there is more to go, especially now that he has distance from all of the stuff he left at home.

    The idea of houses and spaces also interests me. I really liked all of the thoughts you shared. Perhaps instead of ‘decorate’ you meant “make the space our own”? Yes, I decorate (pick paint, make cushions, etc), but in terms of Elle Decor decorating, that doesn’t happen. We have too many pieces of furniture that are nice, but old. We have no reason to junk them for some unknown more decorative piece. However, we do make the space our own. it could be a grouping of photos or a pile of papers that claims a table corner. I think one thing that we forget is that our shelters are for living in…. If we can’t live in them then what good are they? Living in a house means that small children might come to visit so that white velvet sofa might not get along so well with a small child’s sticky fingers. I guess making spaces our own means making those choices and the Elle Decor version is definitely a choice. Even when we set up a sewing machine on the dining room table, we are making a space our own. I hope you are keeping a sketchbook of your ideas. Perhaps this is a series, but it may be a series that spans several years and a sketchbook might be helpful when you go to evolve your ideas (I think I just made a verb out of a noun, but can’t think of the right phrasing).

    Play is good!

    Did you ever get a color card for American Made Brands?

    Re: vertical Flying Geese – do a search on Google for Flying Geese or Modern Flying Geese or Vertical Flying Geese and see what you see. I am always pleased to say “inspired by a quilt by Jane Doe”. It doesn’t mean that you are stealing; it means that you are acknowledging inspiration.

    Thanks for reminding me to get a copy of BITA for my mom!

    Have a great day and for keeping me company while I press some fabric. Happy Thanksgiving!
    Jaye

  19. Dear Frances, just wanted to catch up with comments, I almost never comment but I am listening and commenting in my head. Congratulations on your 200th episode. I have always enjoyed your podcast and feel like I am listening to a good friend. Love your Southern charm. So sorry to hear about your mother passing.
    Jodie

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