A Couple of Antiques….tagged!

Image by Quiltsalad
Picture taken of me with my cat Bobo in 1955…..second picture today, same chair, same fabric but couldn’t get my mom’s cat Bobo #2 to join me…….I was tagged by Magikquilter www.flickr.com/photos/magikquilter/3221756653/
to tell 16 unique things about me.

1. This chair is unique because as you can see it was in my home as a child. My mother bought the pair of wing backed chairs in 1955 and just recently she gave me one of them for my sewing room and she still has the other in her living room. It is the original down cushion and the original olive green brocade. (Actually she tells me she had the chairs re-covered once in the 1970’s…..the original color was a light cocoa brown brocade>)

2. I was raised in a very small town for the first 18 years of my life. Then off to college as an art major where I met my husband and married him at 19 and began the nomad life of a construction engineer’s wife. We have so far moved 19 times in 46 years of marriage and lived in Washington, Oregon, California, South Carolina , Florida and Hawaii. For the last 11 years we have been in Oregon and that’s the longest we’ve ever lived in one house. (must be time to move?)

3. I count as my biggest accomplishment in life raising three incredible daughters who have given me 6 fabulous grand children and 3 great son-in-laws. Two are close and one recently moved to New Zealand so we now have a new part of the world to explore.

4. Growing up I always hated sewing….got my worst grades in those classes, wanted to be an artist but after I married my husband and transferred colleges there was no art major at his engineering school so I got my BS in Home Economics.

5. I always enjoyed crafts and anything that used color and design skills. In 1980 a friend talked me into taking a quilting class with her and I fell in love with sewing as it pertained to quilting. I think not having to make clothing was the key.

6. Over the years I have worked in several quilt shops in various parts of the country and made 100’s of quilts, quilting has also brought me friends from all over the world.

7. In 1997 my husband was laid off from a job as engineer and when nothing seemed to be turning up for him in his field I was lucky enough to get a job as a fabric and quilting notion rep. We decided to do the job together and we started out traveling and calling on shops in Montana, Oregon, Idaho, Washington and even some shops in Canada (British Columbia.) Eventually we had enough lines that we were able to cut our territory down to just Oregon and Washington and we did this from 1997 to 2001. When my husband hurt his back and was no longer able to cart all the heavy suitcases of samples in and out of stores for me. Then my son-in-laws took over the business and I worked out of home for them till I retired in 2007. They still are in "the business."

8. I am a cancer survivor having had breast cancer in 1998 but knock on wood still cancer free.

9. I love to cook. As a young wife and college student I cooked for a fraternity one year and after doing that I think nothing of cooking for any size group. I did the food for my friend’s daughters weddings (two summers in a row) a couple of years ago and it was great fun but not something that I want to do on a regular basis although she and I did get asked if we would like to do other people’s weddings (she did all the decorating and table settings, etc.) we both declined……not enough money out there to do it except for people you really care about.

10. I knit and enjoy simple things like scarves and socks, hats etc. …..don’t like the complicated stuff (again like sewing….no clothing please.)

11. Photography is a passion and I love to take lots and lots of pictures when traveling. Sometimes I don’t think I pay enough attention to the guides because I’m always off wandering around taking pictures while my husband is asking lots of questions. We have gone to China (twice), Hong Kong (many times), Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Panama, Mexico, Columbia, Europe and have a trip to New Zealand planned for this spring.

12. I have been involved with computers since the mid 80’s and first was on line back in 1996 so I should know more than I do about what I’m doing but it never cease to amaze me about what I don’t know about the whole computer/internet scene. Right now I’m trying to teach my 88 year old mother how to email. I recently got a new computer and she has my old one and is bound and determined to master it. I’m bound and determined to remain patient despite the "Ground Hogs Day" (the Bill Murray movie) aspect of teaching her.

13. Live four acres of what use to be a Christmas tree farm and have fruit trees, berries, and lots and lots of flowers to take care of. I love flowers and photographing them, always looking for that perfect macro but never quite getting it. I also like to decorate around my quilts and use them for table cloths and throws around the house, my grand children think they make the best tents ever and I take lots of pictures of them too (my grand children and the quilts.) I love living in the country and having peace and quiet surrounding me but I will really miss going to New York a couple of times a year to get my dose of big city. (My daughter who recently moved her family to New Zealand use to live in Brooklyn.)

14. I use to have a room full of fabric, thanks to my job as a fabric sales rep and all the samples you get that you also can keep as well as the building of my stash for over 20 years. A couple of years ago I gave away about 75% of it and just kept my very favorite things Kaffe fabrics, Asian fabric, batik’s, Amy Butler and other young bright designers, and of course reproductions of 1930’s fabric. It was hard to let go but I had gotten so bogged down by the sheer volume of what I had that I couldn’t function. I find I’m sewing more now and enjoying the design process a lot more with out all the fabric that wasn’t "my style" clogging the works. There are lots of charities that make quilts for people in crisis and they love getting those fabrics that clog your thinking.

15. I like to read but it’s hard to find as much time to do it what with FLICKR and all the other internet activities. I spend way to many hours a day on my computer and sadly my butt shows it. Even though I walk every day with my 88 year old mom I notice how much more I fill out that old chair than I did 52 years ago.

16. Wow I’m thinking I must not be all that unique cause I’ve sure run out of things to tell and hope who ever reads this hasn’t fallen asleep on their keyboard!