A Quick Undertaking

Twenty-three years ago - has it been so long? - I joined our local quilt guild. After 21 years of membership, I was tired. I needed a break. I can't exactly explain it, but I didn't join last year. Instead, I attended 2 (or was it 3?) meetings as a visitor.

I found that I missed my friends a lot. Today I paid my dues and rejoined.

I've got enough on my plate these days, what with the quilt show and everything, and I told myself I would remain on the periphery.

Periphery, schmiffery. I jumped into the middle of it with both feet.

Way back when, in 1987, (I was there when it happened!) we had a block contest, to design the guild logo. Lois Hummel created one of her signature applique blocks, and the block has been the guild's visual identity from that day forward.

But much has changed since 1987. Somehow, somewhere, the block was lost. We old-timers remember it, but there aren't that many of us left. New blood has filled the roster, and with it has come a bevy of new ideas. And one of those ideas is to design a website. A website needs color. All we have left of our original block is a 2"copy of a copy of a copy of a copy (ad infinitum) of a black & white line drawing. That just won't work for a website. We want something with pizzazz.

Trying to explain that to those who do not have computers is quite the challenge. Our web designer made a new logo, which is colorful and current and based on the original drawing. But it looks more like a piece of art than a quilt, and no, this is not the time or the place for a discussion of quilts as art or art and quilting...

Anyway, they took a vote, and the old logo won. Which puts us right back where we started: we've got a 2" copy of a copy of a copy of a copy of a black & white line drawing which is not the stuff that websites are made of. At least not the kind of website we'd like to have.

The designer suggested someone make a quilt with the block. Well shoot, I can do that. I did that for our Best of the Valley website. We needed a header so I made a quilt. Our web designer cut and pieced the photograph I sent her and it turned out quite nicely, thankyouverymuch. Why not do the same for the guild? I talked to the web designer and she told me I was welcome to try.

I got home about an hour or so ago, and drew this line drawing. It's pretty close to the original, although my copy of the original is pretty tough to decipher detail...(Are those rocks? Or bushes? On my guild pin, they're colored as bushes.)


I've sent the drawing to the web designer for approval and input as to how she'd like me to proceed. In the meantime, I've pulled the fabrics, and I'm ready to get started. All I need to hear is the word, "Go!"

I love quick projects that have quick results. This one shouldn't take long at all. And hopefully, I'm old enough, and understand the thinking of the charter members well enough, to be able to express what they treasure, in fabric and stitching. After all, that's one of the main reasons we quilt, isn't it? To use our gifts to express our love and appreciation for those whose paths we cross? I know that's one of my primary motivators. Let's just hope that this project is successful and the result is smoothed rather than ruffled feathers.

So much for showing up to the meeting and keeping a low profile...