Tuesday, March 10, 2009

The Wonder of "the Internets"

Everytime I gripe about the high cost of internet service, I have to stop and remember all the wonderful perks that come with my internet service!!! Example: free BOMs. Here are my March editions of Christmas Wish from Gail Pan and A Tisket A Tasket from Bunny Hill. See sidebar for links.


Then there's example two: book suggestions from other bloggers. I saw this book on
Happy Things sidebar recently, Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression. So I immediately requested it from my local library. It came, I read, I LOVED!!! No, I didn't grow up during the Depression (I was a World War II baby) but I heard countless references from my parents about it while growing up. With the current economic times (some would say we're in a depression now) this book captures the truly important "things"--self reliance, family, innovative problem solving, and joyous revelling in all that nature gives us. I laughed, I cried. Now I need to OWN that book.
Example three: help in locating items. You may recall a previous post called
A Tale of Two Quilts in which I was frantically searching for a book that contained the pattern for this beautiful quilt I saw at my guild meeting.

I had combed websites, quilt stores, craft stores, and asked friends to help find it. To no avail! Well, a very kind reader (Betsy who had no email or blog for me to respond and thank her) commented that this book was on eBay. I "Buy It Now--ed" it. It arrived the other day and sure enough--there was the quilt. Different colors and a slight variation in the applique, but still--THE QUILT!!!




























Can you believe it??? I am grateful to Betsy. I am going to delay the start of this quilt so that I can select fabrics carefully--it's been a long time since I set out to buy fabric for a quilt. I have been whittling down my stash for projects. So I think I deserve a splurge. My story, sticking to it. In the meantime, I have been working to finish a string quilt that has been languishing in a dark corner for too many years, Spiderweb.
Oh, and one more example of internet perks: friendship


9 comments:

sewprimitive karen said...

What a great post, Vera. Blogging really is a great networking tool. I'm fascinated by the Great Depression, too, although I never wanted to actually experience it myself, as I fear we are going to do. I can remember lots of talk about the Depression, too, when I was little, like the almost-relative who rode the boxcars out to Oregon to work in one of the government work programs, and how people could never stop saving string long after the Depression was over.

Elaine Adair said...

So glad you found the pattern. I have the book and like you, it is one of my all-time favs, but I've not made plans to make it. 8-))

Wish you FUN and pleasure!

Lorraine said...

I love the internet!! I have met some great people thru my blog - some I will never meet but some who live not so far away who I have met - it is funny....you know so much about someone thru their blog meeting for the first time is a bit different! Glad you found the book/pattern you were looking for...I still haven't found the book I thought it was in and know I have "somewhere"...but I am sure it will turn up...Love the bunny block.....those green shamrock/hearts are just gorgeous!!

Teresa said...

Oh my goodness....I have that book and did not ever recognize that it was the same quilt. I just love your March Tisket a'Tasket block.

Mary Johnson said...

I've got that book too and it's one of my favorite quilts -- I don't think I would have recognized it if I'd seen your earlier post. In fact, I was just thinking about making a string version of a courthouse steps quilt and had this one in the back of my mind (minus the applique!)

Andrea said...

Hurray - what a result. I love your reasoning for buying the new fabric for this quilt - lol ! Seems like everyone has that book but me :-(

Libby said...

I was very resistant to having the internet in our home . . . . look at me now, poor Hubby can hardly get a moment at the computer. I'm always reading a blog, searching for a pattern or a fabric. It's opened up a whole world to me *s8

Little Penpen said...

Oh my goodness... thank you for the link to the Bunny Hill patterns. I would like to do them in redwork. Your applique is beautiful. The book looks wonderful (depression book).. will have to see if my library has it.

Quilting by the Lake said...

I'm so happy that you found the book! It took me two tries just to leave a comment. I'm not sure yet how to leave an email address for comments - just learning...but enjoy reading your blog. I like the quilt too!