Overwhelmed by Tornadoes

Today wasn't a work day (at my day job) so I intended to share with you some of the goodies I brought home from Quilt Market last week. Instead, I sat transfixed in front of the TV. The Weather Channel gave a moment-by-moment description of tornadoes tearing through Missouri again today, threatening to hit Joplin a second time and narrowly missing Kansas City.

I've never been in a tornado and until a month ago never been anywhere near one. But in April, Quilt Queen Patricia and I spent two weeks in Missouri and Kansas to attend the Round Robbin quilt show in Springfield, MO. One night we overhead the desk clerks at our hotel talking to each other about 'the tornado' and I thought I better find out what was going on. Turns out we were in the distant sites of the killer tornado that tore through Arkansas.

That night I discovered the Weather Channel. Reassured by the clerks downstairs that we would be alerted in time to scramble downstairs and huddle in the laundry room if needbe, I pulled up the covers around me and watched the TV experts, for the first time, describe the path of a killer tornado. We were never in any real danger, but just in case I slept in my clothes for a fast get-away.

We shrugged off the storm and continued our tour of the midwest; we stayed in Joplin one night; went to church in Springfield; we visited friends who live in Kansas' infamous tornado alley and until this week, no one I met had been in a tornado.

Now it's different. An entire town is blown away and so many lives shredded.

I need to tell someone that I fell in love with the people there, and the beauty of the countryside. My heart aches for everyone hurt by this immense tragedy. My prayers are for comfort, for safety, for feeling the tangible proof that God cares for you, and for the warmth of knowing the arms of an entire nation surrounds you.

Especially mine.

Look! An X-Blocks Bedroom Suite. Sweet.

X-cersize Your Creative License

Sandy Kent, 'Quilter X-traordinaire' of Magnolia Springs, Texas, sent us more pictures showing how she uses her X-Blocks leftovers (the X-tras that are left when you trim your blocks) with creativity and flair.

She created her Country Liv'n quilt (on the left) from a Quilt Queen Designs Dancing Stars pattern, then used her pieced leftovers to create an entire bedroom suite out of them: matching table runner, table topper and throw.

Sandy deserves a high-five (Texas style) for X-Blockin' outside the box. Stop by Magnolia Springs Quilts and see her other lovely work.

Bye for awhile,

X-Blocks Princess

Another year...another post

I can't wait to share the good news: Quilt Queen Patricia Pepe is coming out with a new X-Blocks Adventure book very soon. It's top secret; in fact I must be careful because if I reveal too much I could lose my crown (chuckle). What I CAN tell you is it retains the whimsical, fun and refreshing style of her first book, Adventures in X-Blocks Land, but from a different direction. How's that for creating confusion?? I promise you'll be the first to know when it comes out. In fact, when it comes out...I'm going to give a way a signed copy. Because I'm the Princess.

Look at what I found on the web. It's a cozy Texas style table topper made by my new friend Sandy at Magnolia Springs Quilts. She used the X-Blocks rotary cutting tool and Dancing Star pattern from Quilt Queen Designs. Isn't the border gorgeous? It was easily made with the pieces that were leftover when constructing her stars.

Now look at Sandy's Country Liv'n quilt. It's the main quilt from the Dancing Star pattern. All those beautiful stars...when you make them, you end up with the border pieces she used in the table topper.

You can see the original Dancing Star pattern on the Quilt Queen Designs website (scroll down the pattern page). Notice many of her patterns include more than one quilt on the cover. That's because the X-Blocks leftovers make the second quilt. It's like getting two patterns for the price of one.

Great job, Sandy. I love your color choices and the splash of plaid.

If you have an X-Blocks project to share, send me a pic.

Andrea, Princess of X-Blocks Land