Are you a Joiner?

 I recently attended the meeting of a local quilt guild and it was such a delight to be in the company of these women that all share the same passion of quilt making and related projects. When I am in the company of very talented quilters I usually am intimidated by their amazing talents, but then I realize we all have to start somewhere.  I remember the wisdom of the advice by Warren Buffett:

"It’s better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you’ll drift in that direction.”   I doubt Mr. Buffett was discussing quilt circles at the time, however...the same principle applies.  We can always learn and improve ourselves when we surround ourselves with those we can learn from. I will probably join this group with not only the hope of improving my quilting skills, but to also forge new friendships with people in my community. It's a win- win situation.

Yup...I'm a joiner...as are many of my fellow human beings are.  The significance of this has really become evident as we still are seeking ways to connect with each other in the era of COVID. It is so refreshing to meet face to face beyond the realm of "Zoom land". 

So I was thinking today about all the different groups I belong to and how our group affiliation changes throughout our lifetime.  Currently I belong to a church, a women's Bible Study at another church, a craft group, two writer's groups, two National Parks organizations and soon to be a member of a quilting guild.  Then I could also mention several on-line groups with my targeted interests and geographic location. The Facebook group for my town has proved to be a very valuable tool for finding everything from which restaurant to choose to the best mechanic. So my predisposition of joining groups fits in with my extroverted personality.  So there are those that would prefer to keep to themselves.  This reminds me of this clever meme that really brought a chuckle to me while coping through the COVID isolation:

So what groups do you belong to and how have they impacted and changed your life?  It's kind of fun to think about and it's also a specific way to define your interests and count your blessings. Sometimes when we stop to think about the characteristics of our personality and interests it helps to provide goals and a framework on how we can improve our participation with those groups. 

Our group affiliations definitely change over our lifetime. Probably the first group I joined (that I can remember)was the Girl Scouts. I hold so many fond memories of camping, great songs and believe it or not...I do remember the work and skills I learned working on various merit badges. 

Fast forward to college days: my freshman year I joined a social sorority. I have to confess I originally pursued joining a sorority not so much for the camaraderie and the social aspects, but I wanted a nicer place to live than the dorms.  I had heard many stories about dorm living and I wanted a better (and er...cleaner..) place to live while I pursued my degree.  Although, in hind sight it was a great decision and many of the friendships I forged at my sorority: Alpha Chi Omega have endured. I will be an Alpha Chi for life and I was pleasantly surprised that it became so much more than just a place to live. To this day, I am still in touch with several of my sorority sisters.

Also, during my college days I joined the Society of Professional Journalists, Sigma Delta Chi. At the time it was awesome and wonderful training for a career in journalism. I also went to their convention in Washington, D.C. and was truly inspired to plunge into work as a journalist. Well, the path of life takes many turns and I ended up not pursuing a "traditional" role as a journalist. So this is one group membership that I let lapse, however I don't regret my experiences with them.

So life milestones and stages of our life can be marked by the groups to which we belong.  One of the biggest shocks for me, feeling like a splash of cold water in my face, was the letter I received stating I was eligible to join AARP.  For all you youngsters out there that don't have to even think about this...it stands for the American Association of Retired Persons.  Now I needed to rationalize this with the simple thought the requirement for membership in AARP is only 50.  Most people don't actual retire until age 65. Still....it made me feel OLD.  Nevertheless, I am not knocking AARP. They do great things to help "older" people and I really enjoy the monthly magazine.

I have learned so much from the variety of groups that I have had the pleasure of calling myself a member. My hope is that I can give back and enhance the group in some small way. And how can I forget support groups, they are an important facet to help us with some of the difficulties that life might throw our way. I wanted to end this blog with this great cartoon about support groups. Brought a smile to my day:

Capturing a Memory of Warmth

Apple River Quilt Guild (from their Facebook page)

When the wind and snow are blowing, what a perfect time to be indoors with an indoor hobby.  Also a hobby that creates a practical item to use to keep that winter chill at bay: Quilting. I "dabble" in the wonderful craft of quilting, but my end products pale in comparison to some of the quilts I have seen at shows and also from friends & family that also quilt. Like just about any project or passion one decides to pursue....practice makes perfect. I am now starting work on my 5th quilt, and with each quilt I make; they do get better.  Five quilts is not many, as I said I only "dabble" but it is something fun that I enjoy.

After moving to Wisconsin, I became familiar with a quilting group in my area; the Apple River Quilt Guild.  I went to a show last fall and was blown away by the talent there. But instead of getting intimidated and discouraged by my lack of talent, it was truly an inspiration. The ladies there are so helpful to fellow quilters, and also folks just admiring the artwork; they are more than happy to discuss techniques and pointers. This is a quilt that is displayed on their Facebook page....so beautiful! I have had the opportunity to attend a few of their shows and they always are an inspiration! It's interesting to note that according to the Wall Street Journal, there are an estimated 21 million quilters in the U.S. So I have plenty of company in this "little hobby".

Quilts have a proud and honored heritage starting in Colonial America and earlier. Even before the Civil War, quilts were made by abolitionists to help raise funds and also raise awareness to abolish slavery. During war time, quilts were made to give warmth and comfort to soldiers.  In conjunction to assist the Underground Railroad, some believe that abolitionists hung quilts on the clothesline designating a safe house or directions for runaway slaves for passage to the north. An Iowa rest-stop has a building dedicated to explaining this use of quilts and there are ceramic tiles in the building that resemble quilt squares of that era. Check out my blog on this topic that includes the information about the Underground Railroad: Click on this link:   Iowa Roadways: Uncommon sight on a Common journey.

T-shirt Quilt pattern

So that 5th quilt that I spoke of is a "t-shirt" quilt for my son. He provided several of his old favorite t-shirts that he wanted to have "memorialized" in quilt form. I did learn, luckily before I got started, that t-shirts have to be stabilized with interfacing to they won't stretch and you can more easily work with the fabric. 

My husband, always the Engineer.... formulated a layout on the computer for the quilt. He used Microsoft Excel and graphed it  creating a handy-dandy chart to help us figure out "what goes where." Here's a picture of the final layout.  Its a very cool design, albeit kind of intimidating, but we have a good start on it.  As you can see it's a joint endeavor, so it will be a gift to our son from both Mom & Dad. My husband said he may even assist with sewing and assembly work. Truly a family heirloom. Wish us luck and when it's done, I will post a photo here. (but not until after my son sees it, don't want to spoil the surprise of how the end result looks...hoping it will be awesome!)

So we have all the fabric and other materials purchased for constructing the quilt, but every time I go to a quilt (and or craft) store I just can't help but Oooo and Ahhh at all the pretty colors, patterns and wonderful possibilities floating inside my head. Made me really laugh when I saw this meme...I bet every quilter in the world can relate to this! Happy stitching! JES