Thanksgiving is my very favorite holiday.

I love Christmas too, but that holiday is filled with so much stress with worrying about getting things done “on time” and having the perfect present for someone that I don’t enjoy it like I did when I was little. No duh, right?

But I love Thanksgiving because it is Christmas in it’s simplest form; family and friends, good food and plenty of it, and feeling the spirit of the day. Sounds like Christmas without the presents, doesn’t it?

This year, was one of the best Thanksgivings my family has ever had. Everything was perfect. The house looked nice, every item that we had for dinner was cooked to perfection, we shared our dinner with dear friends, played fun games and were just plain happy.

Thanksgiving was a little more meaningful this year for me; at least I was more aware in a different way than I have been in the past. Let me explain. One of the things that I love about Thanksgiving is the idea of giving thanks. Setting aside that one day of the year to count my blessings and pay gratitude to God. In the past, I have made lists (I love lists!). One Thanksgiving before I was married, I took the advice of a radio DJ and had my entire family write down wishes and predictions to be read the following year. It was really cool, as all of my wishes and predictions came true.
So I started this season with overflowing gratitude in my heart. LIfe is good.

So how was this one different and in what way? Ryan’s girlfriend got us hooked on the PBS “House” reality series. First, we watched “Manor House” which was about Georgian England — not something that directly influenced me, as my paternal ancestors were already in the States at the time, and my maternal ancestors were in Portugal and Italy. It was fun to watch and sparked our interest about the other PBS series.

Guy found “Colonial House” at the library and we spent the week before Thanksgiving watching it. It is about a 1628 colony and how they tried to flourish to become a good investment for their backers. This show was the real “Survivor”. Looking at what our ancestors had to accomplish on an every day basis was really eye-opening. The hardest part for all of the people involved was to keep their 2003 opinions and lifestyles out of what they were doing, during the four month period that they were on the project.

But here is the part that got me the most:
The project was done with absolute realism. The settlers met with Indians. Not one tribe from the area, but two. The first were the Passamaquoddy and were mainly interested in trading. The Indians were descendants, not actors, and they spoke about their heritage and the things that are still earnestly meaningful to them. They approached the settlers with friendship and sought to make a bond with them.
The next ones that the settlers encountered towards the end of the project were descendants of the Wampanoag tribe. This group shed a much different light, as they weren’t warm and friendly. In fact, they stole into the village undetected while the settlers were at Sabbath service and stole a chicken! The one who stole the chicken was filled with anger about the settlers, voiced it, and was roundly put in his place by the Matriarch of the tribe. This tribe was outspoken about their view of their relationship with the settlers; they were guarded, didn’t want to have a friendly relationship with them, didn’t want food from them (which is key) and wanted a business-only relationship. In 1628, there would have been unrest between the two.
The Wampanoag said that in their history there was no “Thanksgiving” — no meeting of the Indians and settlers to have a great feast in peace and brotherhood. What we “whitemen” think Thanksgiving is, is just from our history books. According to them, what really happened is that the Indians heard guns shooting and hubbub going on, and decided to investigate. They came upon the settlers and were invited to join them and eat with them. In the Wampanoag’s view, that was the first mistake – that the Indians didn’t need the Whiteman’s food to survive; they were capable of feeding themselves and that Thanksgiving was the beginning of the end for them. The narrator of the show went on to say since 1970 Indians gather on Thanksgiving day at Plimouth for a day of mourning.

So here is the bottom line for me: I am a descendant of colonists and one-eighth Cherokee. I understand both sides and am sympathetic to both sides. I am also the daughter of people who made decisions generations and centuries ago that effect my life today. Watching “Colonial House” was a profound experience for me.

I understand the Indians’ plight from a different perspective, though. It was prophesied centuries before the Colonists that the Indians would be driven; just as the children of Israel have been driven from place and to place. Does knowing that make it easier for me to dismiss what happened to them? Nope. I don’t dismiss it at all because I know my family’s story and it was a hard one. What it does is bring understanding.

For that, I am most thankful.

I love men’s ties. The fabrics that they use are absolutely gorgeous. Why someone doesn’t design fabric for quilting like they use for men’s ties boggles my mind. Those fabrics would make the most gorgeous quilts!

I have felt this way for a long time. I keep saying that one of these days, I am going to collect ties and make a quilt out of them. But then I think about having to pick the stitches out of enough ties to make enough fabric to make a decent quilt and I don’t buy any ties from the Goodwill.

I have this thing about ties, too, because, well, I am partial to guys who wear ties. You know, the ones who ride bikes in white shirts and … ties? Yeah, the missionaries. My son was one of those, as was my husband — and I have a special place in my heart for the young men (and women) who set aside two years of their lives to work and not get paid.

When my son came home from his mission to Italy (one year ago today!), I sat and talked to him while he unpacked his suitcase. All of those Italian ties! Ties from the motherland of Italian silk and tie-making! It was too much for me. My son brought me back down to earth by letting me know in no uncertain terms that I would not be allowed to make him a quilt out of his mission ties. I think he is planning on keeping them for the rest of his life. (When he moves out of the house and leaves his belongings behind, guess what the first thing is that I will nab…!)

Anyway, earlier this week, I was minding my own business when the phone rang. It was a missionary who pleaded with me to take on a quilt that would be a gift for the MIssion Presdient and his wife for Christmas. Not just for Christmas, but it has to be done by December 17th, at noon! It seems the person who agreed to do it, backed out and they were desperate for someone to do it for them. A good friend of mine, who was called also and declined, recommended me — (I love her anyway ; )

It seems all of the missionaries in the San Jose California mission had begun taking pictures over a month ago in anticipation of having this photo quilt made. So, pictures printed to fabric sheets would make up the quilt.
After I hung up with the missionaries, a thought came to my mind “Use their ties to make the quilt”. So I called them back and requested ties, which are a precious commodity for missionaries. That was Tuesday.

On Thursday, I picked up the October issue of Quilter’s Newsletter magazine which someone left by my sewing machine. I flipped through it to find on page 28 and article about using ties for quilts and how to prepare them. I couldn’t believe it! So now I know exactly what I need to do to be able to use pieces of those beautiful silk ties with cotton fabrics.

This morning, I received a bag of ties from the missionaries — 60 so far, more coming next Saturday. My sons immediately started picking the ones they wanted to keep while I was sorting through them — unfortunately for them, they can’t keep any. I need to use all of them.

These next few weeks will be filled with picking, washing, sorting, pressing, cutting, sewing and recutting to get it to the quilter in time. The result will be a beautiful heirloom quilt for President Heywood and his wife for their service in behalf of hundreds of missionaries who have been in their care for the last three years. Mrs. Heywood has been diagnosed recently with cancer, the fast moving kind, which we are hoping will turn out to be better than predicted. The Heywoods are beloved by the Elders and Sister missionaries. What a gift that quilt will be, which I why I said “I would LOVE to do this for you!” when they called.

I hope you remember this story when you see missionaries on their bikes. I hope you’ll honk and wave. Even though they don’t know you, it makes their day.

When the quilt is done, I’ll post a picture. In the meantime, say a prayer for Mrs. Heywood.

P.S. recently, one of the Brazil Mission Presidents contacted me about how to make a quilt using ties, and I realized that I didn’t post a picture of the quilt here. (I may have in another post, but I thought it would be a good idea to have a pic here too) So, here you go:

another P.S. : Sister Heywood survived her cancer and is well and happy!

Annie

After working an obscene amount of hours on the quilt show, I felt entitled to a rest.

So what did I do the following weekend? I took a group of ladies on a quilt retreat. So how was that relaxing, do you ask? Consider this: location is everything. We went to Seascape Resort, which is just south of Santa Cruz, and stayed in a villa that is situated right in the center of Monterey Bay. The weather was perfect, the beach was at our feet and the sound of the ocean drained every last knotted muscle from our bodies as we worked on various projects. It couldn’t have been a more fabulous weekend!

We started our day with shopping and then did more shopping. We went to Natural Expression in Los Gatos, Judy’s Sewing Center in Scott’s Valley where we stayed to eat a yummy lunch prepared by Chef Guy. We travelled to Capitola, where we visited Round Robin and Cabrillo Sewing Center. Oh my, did we have fun shopping! We had show-n-tell of our purchases and many of us got the same fabrics. We decided beforehand to do a Fat Quarter exchange and got all of our fabrics at our stops – which was much like a shop hop.

After lugging our belongings into our room (which felt like moving away from home), we were all starving, so set out for our dinner location. Perfect times are not without mishaps and something to laugh about and this outing was no exception. The lead car (who were the only ones who knew where the restaurant was) got separated from the ones following, in the dark, and it took us 45 minutes to catch up with each other. I was beginning to worry that the lost ones were going to give up and go for pizza! During dinner, they confessed that they thought about it!

We watched movies and listened to music that made us want to get up and dance while we were working. We talked about everything under the sun, shared our projects and love for quilting and did a lot of laughing. The sunrises and sunsets were breathtaking. I think everyone came home with their wellness buckets full to overflowing.

If you have never gone on a retreat before, you need to seriously consider one. The chance to get away from home, work on quilts with other quilters and eat good food is something that everyone should do at least once, if not many times in their lifetime. There are many different varieties to choose from, and in different locations. Personally, I am waiting to find one that is exactly like the Elm Creek Quilt retreats that are described in Jennifer Chiaverrini’s books. I love reading about those and hope that some day, some where, some one will pick up on the idea and do it.

Happy quilting!

Annie

p.s. the saddest part of the weekend is what I did this morning. I synched my camera up to my computer, downloaded all the pictures, wiped the SmartCard and turned off the camera. I opened iPhoto and realized that not ONE of the pictures had saved to my computer!! I took 152 pictures at the retreat, chronicaling almost every detail of this fabulous weekend — now gone.

Sunday night after “A Bountiful Harvest” quilt show… PHEW. Relief and sadness mixed. The hardest part of the show for me is turning out the lights and driving away from an empty building — a building that was filled with beauty and life just a few hours earlier. I cried all the way home, and not from relief.

The show becomes my “baby” during the planning process and becomes real with set-up and the doors opening to greet the public. And then, post partum sets in. I wanted to start a new quilt when I got home last night, just because I felt the need to still be in touch with quilting. I haven’t been able to touch my sewing machine for several weeks now and I have withdrawal symptoms. I am going to make up for that tomorrow morning, when I have to sort the absolute pile of quilts that have overcome both of my sofas and is taller than I am.

I will take time to pour over the details of each quilt as I sort and take time looking at them — something I didn’t have during the show. That’s the regrettable part of running the joint. I had to keep one step ahead of everything, so I don’t have time to tour the hallways and the main floor to take in all of the beauty of each quilt.

Every one who attended the show was absolutely amazed by the talent that was presented there. We had 331 quilts on display, with a needleart room and a wearable arts room. The quilts were an assortment of old and new, traditional and contemporary, plain and mind-blowing. We had a professional photographer take pictures of every quilt in the show and pictures will be posted on the website in about two weeks. I didn’t have time to take pictures either ; ) Oh well, it’s a trade-off.

I’m being summoned to play “Apples to Apples” with my family and become reacquainted with them.

Happy quilting!

Annie