There is no place like home. [Dorothy, in “The Wizard of Oz”]. – L. Frank Baum
Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in. – Robert Frost
There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort. – Jane Austen
Traditionally we say that February is the month when cabin fever strikes a lot of people; the past 10 months have been a testament to traditions and how many are affected by having to postpone them. Perhaps this year a different way to spend February, and maybe March, is in order. Instead of Cabin Fever we could start a new tradition and celebrate our homes.
This next 5 to 6 weeks I am having my own little Celebration of Home. I am going room by room and planning to sew new curtains all around, finishing quilts for two beds, cleaning cupboards and closets, and dedicating trash bags of old papers to stoke a bonfire when the weather is a bit warmer than 5 degrees! [I know we will have company in June, so that is an inspiration to get more done!]
For quilters, there is a driving passion to sew quilts – but the traditional monthly “sharing of finished quilts” at guild meetings has had to be delayed, although we have been doing some meetings online. We will do the best we can and encourage you to send photos of your quilts to be posted on Facebook. Zoom meetings are – for now – a new, and hopefully temporary, condition.
To celebrate in a quilt-maker’s way, I searched for house quilt patterns. There is such a variety of patterns and designs, that it was fun just to think about doing some of them. Although I am still dealing with about 3 UFOs and not quite ready to begin another quilt – but close!
At Quilt Inspiration I found lots of free patterns for house quilts, wall hangings, table runners, mug rugs and potholders: modern, scrappy, wonky, traditional, bright colours, muted colours, and everything in between. The site was just updated January 26th, so although it says 56 patterns, there are many more than that. I especially like The Art Haus pattern. The blues are vibrant hues to chase away any kind of blue you may be feeling – especially when being blue means being excruciatingly cold – and the other colours electrify the blues.
http://quiltinspiration.blogspot.com/2016/05/free-pattern-day-house-quilts.html
Whatever has gotten you through January and whatever you plan to do in February, I hope that celebrating your home is part of it.
As usual, I have found a few other projects that may appeal to some of you and am including the links below. You will need to right click on the title of the WeAllSew and SuzyQuilts links and then click on ‘open in new tab’ to get to the article.
A modern quilt below, Mod Melons, from SuzyQuilts at https://suzyquilts.com/.
Download the pattern here: https://suzyquilts.com/mod-melons-free-quilt-pattern/ .
Or right-click on the title below and then click on “open in new tab”.
And if you would like to look at some vintage quilts – these are for sale, but I recommend making your own! – go to the Rocky Mountain Quilts site. RMQ is located in York Village, Maine.
https://www.rockymountainquilts.com/files/antique_quilts_20.php
And two more house patterns – schoolhouses:
https://www.connectingthreads.com/search?q=schoolhouse
Be well, be safe – be happy! And quilt to your heart’s content.
Shd
1/31/2021
Cornerstone Quilters Guild 