Hi,
My name is Sandi and I am a new quilter[actually a restarter] and am hooked. I look forward to reading and offering ideas to this forum and hope to see you all in the chat as well.

My interests currently are WAY beyond my abilities but any sewing[quilting] is fun to me.. I figure I better get some techniques down before venturing into the art or asian quilting. I love the Lemoyne star too. It all fascinates me.

I have made 2 baby quilts, a stack n whack pillow and am now working on various little things. I'm intrigued by Ruth McDowell's quilting and hope to develop skill to do art quilts.

I live in Massachusetts near Lowell where they host the New England
Quilt Festival which is now going to be yearly.

See you all in print soon!
Sandi

New to this forum, new to intricacies of the internet--a modern day Rip van Winkle! First quilt top made when I was 9 years. Learned that I could knit a sweater faster than I could piece and finish a quilt spent more time knitting until my interest in quilting was seriously rejuvenated during the American bi-centinnial of 1976. Never lost interest in quilting, had some begun, but lost them when my home burned to the ground nearly 30 years ago. Have made many down through the years, sold some, but most are for family and friends. They make perfect wedding gifts. Have several quilts in various stages of completion on hand.

Dana Allison

New here, from Hendersonville NC. Hope to get to all you talented folks better. :) Hey Sandyi from Lowell, MA. I am a native Rhode Islander, and sure do miss New England! Have been to the quilt show in Lowell, and it is awesome.

Welcome all 3 of you! I'm from New Hampshire, another New Englander. You'll learn so much here from the talented and creative souls who make up this board.

I am sure that as you become involved in making more and more quilts you will never cease for things to do--merely the time to do them in. One project leads to another. Our minds run rampant with new and innovative ideas on how to use our quilting tools to mani[iulate fabric. One of the features of modern day quilting is that many people have devised tools which make quilting go faster, as well as easier to begin that first quilt. My grand mother, who lived in Kentucky, had only scissors, graphite pencils, needles, rulers, and a treadle machine. My mother would watch me with rotary cutters, and other tools of the modern trade. "Oh, what my mother would have given to have had those tools!. The internet is one more tool we, who are living today, have at our disposal to pick up on other methods to produce our masterpieces. WE are fortunate.

Dana Allison

Interesting to know that other New Englanders have found this means of communicating.

When I go down I-95 to visit my son in Conn., I take I-495, thus go by Lowell. Perhaps we could meet up sometime.

I have been to the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, and am so very thankful that the old mill had not been destroyed, or allowed to fully decay. That museum is worth its weight in gold.

You, who are in NH. Just where are you? My daughter lives in Rollinsford, and often when I am down there I make a side trip to Keepsake Quilting. I have attended quilt shows in Laconia. I used to water ski on Lake Winnepesauke--more than fifty years ago! Perhaps, we, too, could get together.

Dana Allison

Hi Dana,
I live in the Nashua area, close to Massachusetts. Oh, but the mention of sweet little Rollinsford that your daughter lives in brings back so many memories. My grandparents lived there for 40 years, and I lived with them for two years while attending UNH. (As a matter of fact, my screen name of Jennie Penny came from them when I was about 2 years old and they were the ONLY people on this earth whom I would allow to call me that. Now that they're gone, I want everybody to call me that.) I'd love to get together -- haven't been to Keepsake in a long time, seems about a year now, so I'd be up to a trip there in the coming months.

I too love the Lowell Quilt Museum.
Sincerely,
Jennie

Oh, yes, I know Nashua, have been there from time to time. Any time I need to fly I go to my daughter's home, a 350 mile trek, one way from my home in the top of Maine, and have her drive me to Manchester. Manchester is a much easier airport to get into and out of than is Boston's Logan Air Port. Besides that, the personnel at the Manchester air port are much nicer than those in Logan Air Port. I very rarely fly out of Presque Isle as the fare is extremly expensive, sometimes greater than the fare from either Boston or Manchester to any other port in the US.

A side note: my step grandmother's name was Jenny The name, Jenny Penny, is very rhythmetical, poetic.

The next time I shall be going down the line will be at Thanksgiving time. Some of my family will be celebrating that holiday at my son's home in Conn. One of his sons has a birthday on the 23rd, so it will be a merry time for us all.

Christmas will be spent at my daughter's in Rollinsford. This year will be particularly joyous as my other daughter, who lives in Boston, will have a little elf to put under the tree. Four of my five will be present.

Let's plan on getting together some time along.

Sincerely,

Dana Allison

Welcome from Michigan.

you are so lucky to live so close to a festival...would love to go to New England. Happy quilting enjoy the board

Dana,
You are blessed with a large family and grandchildren. Enjoy all the holiday festivities. Maybe we can plan some kind of meeting in Jan/ Feb. Maybe in the spring also, since the winters in your part of Maine can make for some dangerous driving.

I'm always right here though, on the board for online friendship.

Here in Maine we have several quilting shows throughout the state during the summer, fall, and early winter. They are put on, mostly, by local quilting clubs, or church societies, or some other social society. Maine does have a state wide quilt show late July, early August in Augusta, a five hour drive, one way, for me. Add on a few more hours, as well as many more miles, for me to get to quilting shows in New Hampshire, Massachuestts, and Vermont. When taking them in I combine the trek with visits to my sons and daughters, sometimes other relatives, living in the area where the show is that I wish to attend. It does provide a most enjoyable excursion.

P. S. Usually I do not venture far from home during the winter for fear of the house freezing up should the heating plant go awry during my absence. I grew up in Vermont where the winters are similar to the ones we have up here in Northern Maine. If there is a bad storm, trips are post poned for a day. Just must be ever alert to road conditios. Late spring before planting can take place is when I usually head south again.

During winters I am torn between working on a quilt, or putting on my skies at the back doo,r and taking off over the fields. I love the quietness of tramping on snow, especially freshly fallen snow, and looking for animal foot prints as I trudge along. A good time to go is just before the snow begins falling off the evergreens.

Hello from WV and welcome to the group

Hello and welcome from Germany! I'm sure you will love it over here.

I was in Germany in 1952. One of the most beautiful scenes I have ever experienced was on a train ride down the Rhein River at early evening time. The sunset reflected off those massive rock formations, and made the boats on the river look as if they were sailing on gold leaf. The best thrill I had was skiing down Main Street in a small town near Bavaria. The people there were so very nice to me. Sometime I may vsit agan.

Dana Allison