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.

First time for everything quilting

There is a first time for everything. . . and this is mine - I'm blogging! I'm a quilter, quilt teacher and also quilt explorer, hoping to contribute something of interest to the blogosphere. For my first foray, I'd like to tell you about Patricia Pepe of Quilt Queen Designs and her X-Blocks. http://www.quiltqueendesigns.com/

I met Patricia a few years ago as she taught a New York Beauty quilt class. She was already a prestigious award-winner in the world of quilt competition, and by the next time I saw her, she was an inventor, too. Having just developed a nifty quilt tool, she was understandably excited. "Want my autograph?" she teased as she showed me her X-Blocks rotary cutting square. I took her up on it and that was the beginning of a great friendship.

So just what is the X-Blocks? It's an acrylic square bisected with lots of lines, dots and dashes. It's used to rotary-cut simple, easy-to-piece blocks that, when sewn to each other, create a brand new design that knocks your socks off! Take a look for yourself at wwwquiltqueendesigns.com. While you're there, drop her a line and tell her "princess sent you."

And may all your quilting dreams come true.