Sunday, October 28, 2007

I wish THESE were MY creations!






A gal named Linda, from Ontario, Canada, not yet a blogger, sent these photos to me. What a gift for me, to open my mail and see this in my mailbox!!! I am honored and thrilled to have received her permission to post her photos here. Also, look how clever her borders are, where I presume she had seams, yet the method she used to artistically hide seams is wonderful! Her paragraph below refers mostly to the blue "Fishez" project, but she sent me other quilt photos as well.

"I just sent my pictures to you to let you know how much your beautiful blue string inspired me and, then, lifted a burden of how to use my "fishez" from Stargazey. I fell in love with this "fishez" pattern, but went overboard with the mixing of the blue background fabrics. They just did not work as an entire quilt top so I put them aside to live in a plastic bin for a while...........the very first time I saw your amazing blue string I thought water........fish/water......maybe they could work. And, if you will notice, I tried to copy closely your wonderful blue strings with the reds and greens since I felt they were like the deep/shallow, warm/cool areas you can feel in a lake..........

My name is Linda. I live in Southern Ontario, Canada. I am a blog surfer and have been very inspired by string quilts. I am limited by the number I can finish since I hand quilt....... finding out about "all over fan" quilting has made work so much easier.

I am not concerned at all if you include my pictures-----credit or none. I have a life goal to make a quilt for each of my four married children and their spouses plus my husband! Two down. This fish and strings will be number 3. That will keep me busy for a few years!

I had a dream to make a quilt for a fund raiser and thought I could quickly manage a string. The dark was my first. Then I made the two pink ones. We had two girls staying with us for 6 weeks from the Chernobyl region of Belarus for a health rest.........from the effects of the nuclear meltdown in the 80's. It is suggested the land is still very contaminated. I wanted to make them each a quilt. I am an impatient quilter who gets bored easily, so strings suit my style these days. I have been totally inspired by you, Bonnie and Mary and the possibilities that strings hold out for colour experiments.

Thank you Elaine for your sharing of your work which has allowed me to grow in my hobby............ Linda"

This last photo is my own original blue string quilt, (donation) that many of you have seen before. THIS PARTICULAR CORRESPONDENCE, ENTHUSIASM, ENERGY, AND INSPIRATION IS CLEARLY WHAT I HOPE TO ACHIEVE WITH MY BLOG. I dearly love the creative and frugal process of using humble strings, and especially LOVE the excitement and thrill when they morph into something unexpected AND beautiful.

21 comments:

  1. This is one of the nicest posts I have read on anyone's blog is a long while! Thanks for taking the time to show us Linda's work. (I am impressed that she is also Canadian--just like me!!!) I love the way she has hidden her joins on her borders--very creative and clever! Congratulations on inspiring another quilter in another area of the world. You should know you have also been inspiration to myself. Keep up the creativity--we are all feeding off of it!

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  2. fabulous string creations! thanks to Linda for sending her photos to you, and a big thank you- Elaine for inspiring another quilter-this is my favorite thing about blog surfing-the creativity and inspiration I gain from each blog I visit. way to go!

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  3. Another quilter inspired by you:)
    lovely post and I hope you had a happy productive weekend. Of course knowing the drip ray was sparkling clean made it even better.

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  4. Those are fabulous string quilts - please thank Linda for allowing you to post the pics for all to see. I love the way she did her borders.

    This is a very special reason why we blog!

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  5. What great quilts from Linda - I shared the link to your post over at HeartStrings. I just love her borders. How nice that we can all share our ideas and be inspired by each other.

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  6. Fabulous ... I hope Linda reads our comments. I love each and everyone of her quilts. I'm inspired all over again. Thanks so much for sharing your story and especially the photos.

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  7. Ooohhhh, pretty! I will echo the other's comments - I LOVE her borders! What a clever way of using fabric that might not be the exact perfect length!!! And, how wonderful for you to receive such a nice note from Linda with these photos!!! The internet sure has opened the doors wide for finding quilt inspiration and Blogging is such a great venue for sharing!!!

    Cheers!

    Evelyn

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  8. What lovely quilts! Linda is a talent lady.

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  9. Thanks so much for sharing Linda's quilts with us - they are AMAZING!! Love the quirky borders :)

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  10. Wow, what a tribute to you, Elaine! And such a deserving friend, you are too! :D And her quilts are gorgeous---so is your 'blue strings'--such an inspiration to all of us!! :D

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  11. Doesn't that make you feel good that you can be such an inspiration! Linda's borders are fantastic. I'll have to keep them in mind. They work very well with the string pattern don't they.

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  12. Linda should have her own blog and soon as she is such an inspiration too .... just look at the creative borders!

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  13. The result of your inspiration is like the rays of the sun ... it spreads out and covers a lot of ground. Thank you for sharing.

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  14. What a wonderful wonderful post! I am likewise so inspired by her quilts, and the borders are SO COOL!! Isn't it great to share and inspire this way? This is what quilting is meant to be!

    Bonnie

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  15. I'm so glad you shared this letter and photos . . . so sweet and inspiring.

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  16. You certainly are an inspiration Elaine. How nice that that Linda could take what you presented and run with it with her own creative use of borders. Now we will take her border ideas and run forward from there!

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  17. What a sweet letter! This is the joy of quilting and blogging as well. You are able to reach so many people and the ideas just race around the world! You inspired Linda and now Linda has inspired all of us with her quilts and clever borders. Love the fish!The fun never stops!

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  18. Oh, my. What a tribute. My MIL used to talk about "flowers for the living" and those pictures certainly comprise a bouquet. And, yes, the borders are a wonderful addition to a simple design.

    (And aren't you the chick who last year thought no one was reading your blog???)

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  19. Truly lovely post Elaine.
    We are so often inspired by others!!

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  20. Elaine,
    Thanks for posting the letter and photographs--what a creative person she is--the borders with the strips are very clever and pleasing.
    You have inspired her and me!
    Lynn

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  21. Hi Elaine,
    Thanks for sharing the string quilts- I think they are all beautiful and Linda's borders are really a wonderful addition to the design.
    Like Linda, I have enjoyed surfing the blogs since the summertime. I am also a Canadian though I come from Western Canada from the province of Alberta. I have enjoyed seeing all the beautiful quilts. They have inspired me to try new things. Keep writing your blog and sharing your quilts. I look forward to visiting your site again.
    Regards from a Western Canadian Quilter,
    Anna

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