It’s kinda funny but I suppose this happens to all of us as we get older. The trip down Memory Lane takes longer and happens more often. Two things I think make my life extra special (at least to me anyway) is that I never have trouble sleeping. I can sleep anywhere . . any time! In the car, on the plane, in a hotel, in a stranger’s house . . takes me about 20 seconds to fall asleep and I sleep til the alarm goes off . . can be 20 minutes or 10 hours. The second thing is that I forget the bad memories. Truth is . . I seem to forget most everything these days! 🙂 Seriously, I can only remember one short period in my life that I would call “bad times” and it was fairly brief and I had the support of family and friends to help me through. There have been rough patches along the way but it was stuff like Chad not doing well in school, or right before we moved here, we had a serious choice to make and we almost made the choice not to come here. The other choice seemed so right when we made it but as we thought about it more, it wasn’t the right choice, though everything pointed to that decision. Anyway … my life has been great and most all my memories are good ones. As I go through the boxes in the basement that I am determined to go through, almost every single thing makes me smile. One box had old Quilters’ Newsletter magazines . . some from 1978. I wasn’t even quilting til 1980 so I guess if I found an old one somewhere along the way,I bought it too.
Some of you probably remember when even the cover was in black and white. Think about how the covers of magazines today are packed with little blurbs about what’s inside the issue. Not in the old days . . one special quilt graced the cover.
The inside . . not color, no glitz! Back then, a subscription was 1 year (10 issues) for $7.50 or 3 years (30 issues) for $19.50.
My favorite find though was this:
I remember when Mary Ellen Hopkins’ “It’s Okay if You Sit on my Quilt” book came out. That was so innovative! And this little pad of graph paper was a companion product for the book. I could sit and draw out the squares and triangles and just come up with so many designs. I hardly had time to go to work any more! 🙂
The Calico Patch — it’s where I learned to quilt, all the way back in 1980. It’s where I met Mrs. Broussard and Norma and Kathy . . ladies I thought walked on water because they knew so much about quilting! It’s where I took classes . . to hand piece and hand quilt. It’s where I became a fabric addict. The shop is no longer there . . hasn’t been there in years. I sure am thankful that it was there back when I first found them though! I might never have learned to quilt. Oh . . that’s a scary thought!
Sharie - Moss Bluff says
Which Kathy????
Vicky says
That floor lamp ad in the magazine cracks me up. From there to those Bright Lights — we’ve come a long way!
Mama Pea Quilts says
Very few bad memories and you can sleep anywhere . . . right off, I’d say you are one well-adjusted person!
karylsquilts says
I spent a whole week sorting thru old magazines mostly thru 80′ 90’s but had a couple from ’78. I was impressed by the patterns they gave, and the simple direct diagrams. The patterns had a story and history written with them. Not the simple rectangles and 5″ squares in the magazine I just got! I tossed most the newer ones and kept plenty from the 80s.
I went from 6 large groc boxes down to 2 small stacks.. ~Progress~!
Pat says
UGH…wish I could sleep anywhere. I cannot sleep in anything that is noticeably moving…with the exception of a cruise ship.
Eileen Lau says
Your thoughts bring a smile to my face….its nice to remember only the nice things.
Emily Hooper says
THANK YOU FOR VISITING WITH ME ON THE PHONE A FEW MINUTES AGO. FOR THE LAST FEW WEEKS I HAVE REALLY ENJOYED ‘YOUR COMPANY’–ALSO THE GOOD PUMPKIN BREAD AND APPLE BREAD THAT CAME FROM YOUR RECIPES.
OUR SMALL GUILD PRESIDENT IS JANE ANDERSON–HER HEADING IS ‘ONE PIECE AT A TIME’. EARLY THIS MONTH SHE GAVE US A LIST OF BLOGS THAT WE MIGHT ENJOY–YOURS WAS FIRST ON LIST AND MUST SAY I AGREE WITH HER.
THANK YOU FOR SHARING SO MUCH —IT MEANS A LOT TO STILL BE LOVING QUILTING AT THIS AGE. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!! EMILY
carol c says
great that you can seep that way. i pulled a Judy L today, i bought 2 bolts of fabric, 4 yards of fabric, a box of 8 yards was delivered from online, plus a box of scraps came, plus an order for red and blue fabric came in (forgot yardage), i bought for 2010 with 50 off coupons, 40 off coupons and extra 10 off too. saved $, saved 2010 gas….never ever done this before. but you inspired me-lol
carol c says
well jUDY, i did it again
this has really got to be a first again, i bought 13 yards of fabric today, couldnt pass up a deal I saw, for advocacy quilt backing in aqua polka dots, and antoher color selection. Planning for next year is all I am doing, even may not be aroudn to make it , but the receiver of my stuff will love it as well-lol. Now I have to go shopping again, for the Morning SPlash colors. I love your colors, that is what drew me in first
but I am thinking of making it for a friend and making it all in shades of lavender to purple as well. just thinking at this stage
Kathie L. says
I’m like you, I only have so much room in my head for memories, so I only keep the good ones. My husband will start recounting some plane flight from h-ll, and I just remember the wonderful time we had once we got there!!
Carol says
I remember “It’s Okay if You Sit on My Quilt”. It was a bright light shining in a very serious world of quilting. How time flies by!
I wish I could sleep anywhere. I know it’s me – I need to learn to relax. Unfortunately we have to remember some of the bad memories so that we can enjoy the good ones and appreciate how luck we are. I just received a copy of “The Quilter” magazine and on the back is an ad for AQS books and … there’s yours Judy “Weekend Quilts”. Can’t wait!