Sunday, March 9, 2014

A Legacy Project

One of the things we have been discussing at work is what type of legacy project our board wants to pursue. Boards before us left behind the star brick sidewalks that line the downtown streets, others the bronze plaques on the historic buildings. We are searching for that one great project--the project that will be our legacy.

I think this concept should be embraced by everyone. Not only should we be constantly scratching things off of our bucket lists, but we should all be plugging away at that one great legacy project. Since the moment I saw the tile floor in the West Baden Springs Hotel last summer, I knew that it would be my personal legacy project. I plan to copy it into a quilt.


It is an intimidating project. It will take years--maybe even a decade. And who knows, maybe I'll never finish it? The maker of the following quilt top never finished hers back in the 1840s. But I suspect that, like me, that was not necessarily ever her intention anyway.


More so, the point is to focus a concentrated effort on something great. Something that challenges you to keep looking forward while appreciating how far you have already come.

What will be YOUR legacy project?


Saturday, March 8, 2014

Cheddar Scrappy Stars

I was downtown last night for our First Friday downtown celebration. This month's theme was a Jimmy Buffett Beach Bash. The restaurants really went all out with their Cheeseburgers in Paradise. Believe it or not this one is a cupcake!


After dinner was a great time to burn off those calories by browsing all the fun shops we have on the square. Perhaps it was all the tropical shirts and island beach music that had me in such a bright mood that when I saw this cheddar star quilt in the antique mall I had to have it. 


It is a light-weight summer quilt with tiny hand quilted stitches that has never even been washed--the marking lines can still be seen.  


I paid so very little for it I almost feel I stole it. I couldn't even begin to buy the fabric to make one myself for that price. I'm sure the seller didn't think an orange quilt would appeal to many people, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Cheddar star quilts were popular throughout the 1800s. This is the simple style of quilt that really speaks to me and I think it is priceless.  It is just the pop of color my quilt collection needed.