Layer Cake

Clint Eastwood once said, “God gave you a brain. Do the best you can with it. You don't have to be Einstein. Einstein was mentally tough. He believed what he believed. He worked out things. He argued with people who disagreed with him. But I’m sure he didn’t call everybody jerks.” Colin Farrell said, “As I get older and calmer and quieter in my own self, the one quality I find more and more attractive is kindness. A sense of adventure and humor is important too, but I truly find kindness and consideration for others to be the most attractive thing.” “Keep your face always toward the sunshine and shadows will fall behind you,” was Walt Whitman’s advice. My favorite Brooke Shields quote: “Smoking kills. If you’re killed, you’ve lost a very important part of your life.” What do they have in common? They share the same birthday; my birthday. Happy birthday to all of us!

Sixteen Fisherman's Reels

Pasta Cobb Salad

1 pound gemelli pasta

8 slices crisp bacon, crumbled

8 ounces ranch or blue cheese dressing

4 hard boiled eggs, coarsely chopped

2.25 ounce can sliced black olives, drained

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1 large ripe avocado, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Prepare pasta al dente as directed. Drain and rinse with cold water. Toss with remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and chill thoroughly. Serves eight as a side dish.

Morning Star

“I have read and passed over the seemingly unremarkable expression ‘certain women’ numerous times before, but recently as I pondered more carefully, those words seemed to jump off the page. Consider these synonyms of one meaning of the word certain as connected to faithful, certain women: convinced, positive, confident, firm, definite, assured, and dependable. As I pondered those powerful descriptors, I remembered two of those New Testament certain women who bore positive, confident, firm, assured testimonies of the Savior. Though they, like us, were imperfect women, their witness is inspiring. Remember the unnamed woman at the well who invited others to come and see what she had learned of the Savior? She bore her certain witness in the form of a question: ‘Is not this the Christ?’ Her testimony and invitation were so compelling that many believed on him.” - Linda K. Burton, Relief Society General President

One Heart One Hand

I bought a dozen fat quarters several springs ago. They were all from the same line: One Heart, One Hand by Debbie Beaves for RJR Fabric. They were rusty red or shades of blue with a little cream, gold and green tossed in. Most were floral prints, but some had stars and stripes. A few even wore the words, “One heart, one hand, one flag, one land.” The pattern came from Quilts Etc. - either the one they give moms for Mother's Day, or one I won in a drawing.  Essentially, you carve a 12.5” square from each 18x22” fat quarter. From the scraps you cut two dozen 6.5” squares and three dozen 4.5x6.5” rectangles. The result is a slightly smaller, slightly more interesting version of Tricia Cribbs’ Turning Twenty quilt. I think I bound it myself, because the binding is perfectly awful. It’s a terrific Memorial Day picnic quilt: one that doesn’t mind a little mustard.

Musical Mice

Heather was learning to crawl when I started teaching piano lessons in our home. Her brothers studied percussion, wind and string instruments. So I shouldn’t have been surprised when my daughter started asking for music lessons of her own. I’d read about the good things that can come of providing enrichment activities like this for children with Down Syndrome. So I set out to look for a teacher who was willing to take her on. It was a harder task than you might think, but eventually we found Brittany. She’s a great teacher – enthusiastic, supportive and patient. Almost twelve years ago, when Brittany was expecting her first baby, I made this quilt for her from Northcott’s Musical Mice line in garnet, royal blue, jade and banana. I’ve searched in vain for the names of the two blocks used in this quilt. They really should have names of their own, but I don’t know it what they are. 

Nine Fisherman's Reels

My daughter Heather and I are regulars at the library. We’ve visited once a week her entire life, whether it’s our local branch, the grand Salt Lake City Main Library, the elegant Harrogate Library (a Carnegie original from 1906) or a tiny military base collection. She takes forever to decide what to bring home, and her choices generally make sense to no one but herself. Often – but not always –  they’re Disney books and DVDs. Occasionally they’re DVDs she already owns. About a year ago I realized she was using the large initials on their spines to spell 5- or 6-letter words. One week she brought home DVDs that spelled the word “SHARK.” The week before it was “CASTLE,” and before that she checked out “FAIRY.” Last December she spelled “BEDLAM,” a word I’ve never heard her use. But this week she needed seven DVDs to tell us what was on her mind. 

Iris Garden Sampler

When Heather’s quilt started to show signs of wear I took her shopping to gather material for a replacement. She chose a lovely moss green print covered with raspberry canes, leaves, blossoms and fruit. It was from a line called Audra’s Iris Garden by Brannock and Patek for Moda Fabrics. The other colors in the line were toast, chocolate, scarlet, goldenrod and a deep, satisfying purple. I bought a little of everything and set to work. It didn’t take long to assemble twenty 12” blocks. Several are copies of blocks on Heather’s current quilt. But by the time the twelve intermediary Daisy Chain blocks were done, she’d decided she no longer wants this quilt. Heather’s not very good at expressing why she dislikes something, but I have to assume it’s because it isn’t green enough. So this top is the seventeenth donated to the hospital quilters, and her new quilt is back to square one.

Four Fisherman's Reels

This year the Utah Shop Hop begins on my birthday, a week from tomorrow. I’ve mentioned the shop hop more than a few times here. It’s been the inspiration for dozens of the 1800+ blocks I’ve posted so far. This year the theme will be “Main Street, USA.” Hopefully that means each shop has a block depicting a business you’d find on Main Street, like a barber, a grocer or a bookstore. Recently the shops have each given away patterns for quilts instead of blocks, which sounds like a better deal than it is. If you visit all fourteen shops during the four day event, you’re eligible for a prize drawing. Last year the grand prize was a retreat for ten at the Quilter’s Lodge. I didn’t win, and the lady who did win didn’t invite me to come along. But I’m still excited about this year’s drawing. After all, SOMEONE has to win. Why not me?

A Dozen Placemats

“We are a worldwide Church. Our membership is found across the globe. I admonish you to be good citizens of the nations in which you live and good neighbors in your communities, reaching out to those of other faiths as well as to our own. May we be tolerant of, as well as kind and loving to, those who do not share our beliefs and our standards. The Savior brought to this earth a message of love and goodwill to all men and women. May we ever follow His example. I pray that we may be aware of the needs of those around us. There are those who are lonely, including widows and widowers, who long for the company and concern of others. May we ever be ready to extend to them a helping hand and a loving heart.” – President Thomas S. Monson

3" Fisherman's Reel

Before the accident, Derek Amato had seen his share of bad luck. In 2002 he’d lost everything in a business investment. “I was homeless a while,” he says. “I slept in my car at rest stops for three months while I looked for work.” He got back on his feet after finding a job with the post office. Then in 2006, he was partying with friends when he dived into the shallow end of a swimming pool and hit his head – hard. Since then Derek has been dealing with headaches, hearing loss and memory issues. He’s also discovered a sudden aptitude for music. Without a single lesson, Derek now plays eight instruments. He can’t read a note. He can’t play “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” But his improvised melodies have a beauty and fluidity that defy explanation. “I’m convinced it’s all for a reason,” Derek says about his gift. “I’d like it to stay.”

Home Sweet Home

Nineteen-year-old Parker Strong was serving a two-year mission in Ghana in 2013. He was missing the comforts of home like electricity and running water, and wondering if this was really where he belonged. Elder Strong and his companion were teaching in a tiny fishing village just before sunset when a boy walked by wearing a Jr. Jazz jersey. “That’s cool,” he said, “a little piece of home in West Africa.” The jersey was a number 0, just like the one he’d worn in the Jr. Jazz at age 10. He asked the boy if he could take a look at it, and the boy handed the shirt over. Inside was his own name: Parker B. Strong. He saw the shirt as a tangible sign “God really does hear you. He honestly cares and loves you. You may not always feel it at times, but he’s there. I’ve loved having that knowledge, it’s a happy way to live.”

Two-Patch Chains

Many of my earliest quilts used reproductions of 1930’s feedsack prints. I like the cheerful florals and geometric designs, and I love the way they all seemed to get along. I made this baby quilt for a dear friend who was expecting a little girl. It feels like just yesterday but that baby is a teenager now. Where does the time go? I’d never had a top quilted before let alone quilted one myself. So I did what I knew: I tied it. I’m surprised to see it has a proper binding. If not for the photo, I’d have guessed that it would have been sewn to the back and batting inside out – like a pillowcase – and then turned. Tied quilts don’t last as long as the quilted variety. Baby quilts tend to see heavy use, especially if the baby grows fond of it. It’s likely this picture is all that’s left of that baby quilt. 

Arabic Latticework

Last week I stopped by the office supply to replace a printer cartridge. They’ve recently remodeled and NOTHING is where it used to be. I’d have asked for directions, but there seemed to be only two employees present. One was manning the register, the other was helping a tablet customer. I eventually found the cartridge and paid in cash. I took $5.25 in change and did a double-take. The “quarter” he’d handed me was gold with a tree on one side and 250 on the other. I handed it back but by this time he’d closed his till. He asked tablet man how to open it again without a sale. “You can’t,” he said. “A manager has to do it.” Then they just looked at each other. Did they pay for the remodel by firing all the workers? So I pocketed 250 Lebanese pounds. Before you get excited, it’s worth about 22 cents. If you can exchange it.

Shooting Squares Quilt

There aren’t many places in this house where you can spread a large quilt to take its portrait. The design wall in the sewing room is big enough, but there’s always something half-finished on it. When I want a shot of anything bigger than a table topper or a wall hanging, I usually lay it on the tile floor in the entry. Then I grab my camera, run up the stairs to the balcony, and aim. You wouldn’t think spreading a quilt on a floor would make a noise, would you? But every time I do, somehow from where ever else in the house  the cat is hiding, she hears me and comes running. By the time I’m to the top of the stairs, there she is, daring me to kick her off. So, no, I didn’t Photoshop a cat onto this quilt. The real trick is getting a picture of a quilt WITHOUT someone lying on it.

Stacked Coins

Elder David T. Warner spoke about his son Matthew at our ward conference. When Matthew was about four, he became interested in collecting coins. He kept them in a big plastic tub. His dad, always on the lookout for a teaching moment, showed Matthew how to count them and sort them into rolls. Tithing and saving for the future were mentioned. The next day Matthew’s mom saw him dumping them back into his plastic tub. “What are you doing?” she asked. “I just have to feel like me again,” he replied. Elder Warner said his son’s coin obsession brought clarity to Alma 45:16. One day he saw Matthew bounding about with his cheeks stuffed with nickels. Alarmed, he grabbed his son and coins went flying. “Daddy,” Matthew said, “don’t be mad!” “I’m not mad,” Elder Warner said. “But I love you. I can’t look at nickels in your mouth with the least degree of allowance.”

Twenty-eight Bouquets

Jeanne P. Lawler’s obituary says she’s best remembered for five songs in the LDS Children’s Song Book: "I Often Go Walking", "Hinges," "Family History," "When Jesus Christ Was Baptized," and "The Holy Ghost." It also says, “She found joy in living, made friends everywhere and had an adventurous spirit.” I was one of those many lucky friends. Jeanne and I were students in a recorder class for music teachers at BYU. I can’t recall much about the class, but I remember she made it fun. Have a happy Mother’s Day!

 I often go walking in meadows of clover, and I gather armfuls of blossoms of blue.

I gather the blossoms the whole meadow over; dear mother, all flowers remind me of you.

O mother, I give you my love with each flower to give forth sweet fragrance a whole lifetime through;

For if I love blossoms and meadows and walking, I learn how to love them, dear mother, from you.

Prairie Sky

If you haven’t seen “The Blind Side” yet, you should. Here’s one of my favorite quotes: “One thing I know about shopping is that if you don't absolutely love it in the store, you won't wear it. The store is where you like it best.” This is true about more than just clothes. I was thrilled when I brought this kit home, until I opened it and read the directions. All the dark prints were meant to be squares and rectangles pieced together as a background. Then the light prints were to be cut into impossibly small triangles and diamonds (about an inch across) and appliquéd on top! The finished quilt would measure only 10x12” – too small even for a placemat. The cover photo reminded me of kaleidoscopes (http://mombowe.blogspot.com/2015/10/kaleidoscope-block.html) and diamond stars (http://mombowe.blogspot.com/2016/04/four-diamond-stars.html). I was sure I could duplicate the quilt with traditional piecing methods. There was so much extra fabric in the kit, I made a lap quilt.

Aunt Dinah

“Jane had a stuffed toy chimpanzee named Jubilee. She cherished Jubilee and took him everywhere she went. Jane loved to be outside. Jane learned all she could about the animals and plants she studied in her backyard and read about in books. It was a magical world full of joy and wonder, and Jane felt very much a part of it. Jane would climb her favorite tree, lay her cheek against its trunk and seem to feel the sap flowing beneath the bark. Jane could feel her own heart beating. She reread books about Tarzan of the Apes, in which another girl, also named Jane, lived in the jungles of Africa. Jane dreamed of a life in Africa, too – a life living with and helping all animals. At night Jane would tuck Jubilee into bed, say her prayers, and fall asleep...to awake one day to her dream come true.” – from Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell, about Jane Goodall

Sixteen Shoemaker's Puzzles

“If a person has ugly thoughts, it begins to show on the face. And when that person has ugly thoughts every day, every week, every year, the face gets uglier and uglier until you can hardly bear to look at it. A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts it will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.” – from The Twits by Roald Dahl

Ladies' Aid

Sam: After a whole day of that, you still want to get engaged?

Robert: Those people got married on a crazy romantic whim. It's not like that with Nancy and me.

Sam: Right. None of that crazy romantic stuff for you, huh?

Robert: Oh, come on. I mean, we're rational. We understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

Sam: Sounds like building a bridge. Have you told your daughter? 

Robert: No, I haven’t. Not yet. I'm going to tonight. I got a present to ease her into it.

Sam: With news like this, I hope you got her a Shetland pony.

Robert: No. Something much better than that.

Morgan: A book?

Robert: Oh, come on. Don’t give me that look. I know it's not that fairy tale book you wanted, but this is better. Look at this. See? Madame Curie. She was a remarkable woman who dedicated her life to research until she died from...radiation poisoning.

Morgan: She...died?
 - from Disney's Enchanted

Nine Shoemaker's Puzzles

“Remember the words of Nephi. ‘I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do. Nevertheless,’ he said, ‘I went forth.’ And so must we. We must be confident in our first promptings. Sometimes we rationalize; we wonder if we are feeling a spiritual impression or if it is just our own thoughts. When we begin to second-guess, even third-guess, our feelings—and we all have—we are dismissing the Spirit; we are questioning divine counsel. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that if you will listen to the first promptings, you will get it right nine times out of ten. Now a caution: don’t expect fireworks because you responded to the Holy Ghost. Remember, you are about the work of the still, small voice.” – Elder Ronald A. Rasband

Staff of Life

Graham and Meg Hemmings had an old piano in their house for 33 years before they very generously donated it to a Bishop’s Castle Community College in Shropshire in central England. Last year the school sent the instrument to piano technician Martin Backhouse so it could be cleaned, repaired and tuned. That’s when they came to light: eight hand-stitched cloth pouches containing 913 gold sovereigns and half-sovereigns from the 1800’s and early 1900’s. Typically when treasure is discovered, the proceeds are split between property owner and finder; in this case, the school and the tuner. There was an exhaustive search for the original owner of the piano, but none was ever found. My guess is the musical Silas Marner passed away long ago without telling his heirs what he’d hidden under the keys. By now, even his heirs have probably gone to their final reward. 

Four Shoemaker's Puzzles

After the American civil war ended, Mexico fought with the US over the annexation of Texas. Instead of winning Texas back Mexico lost most of present-day California, Utah, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico. A decade later Mexico was involved in its own civil war to decide how much influence the Catholic Church should have over the country. War is such expensive business. In 1861 Mexico announced it could no longer repay its foreign debt. France sent an army to repossess. May 5, 1862 the French attacked two forts near Puebla. Though they were poorly equipped and outnumbered two to one, the Mexicans won the battle. They eventually lost the war and the French held Mexico until 1867 – which may explain why Mexico doesn’t really celebrate Cinco de Mayo. It’s a bigger deal in the parts of the US that used to be Mexico. Who doesn’t love a good David and Goliath story?

Nine No Room at the Inn Blocks

As far as I can tell it all started in 1993 with Armenian-American artist Nina Katchadourian. She called her project “Sorted Books.” She would start with a library – public or private – and collect books with titles that in some way caught her eye. These she arranged vertically with the spines facing forward sandwiched between backward-facing books. She then photographed and shared the result. Today it’s an artform called “Book Spine Poetry.” Book spines are stacked horizontally so the titles can be read top to bottom, their combination forming some new meaning. Sometimes they create a haiku; occasionally they rhyme. Like most poetry, they may startle, amuse, set a mood or provoke thought. One of my favorites (wish I’d thought of it) is, “My Dad is Big and Strong, BUT...I Am a Tyrannosaurus.” Here are two from my own shelves:

Shoemaker's Puzzle

We’ve known them both nearly two decades. I think the first musical we did together was "My Fair Lady" in September 1998, when the twins played matching housemaids. They were pretty, talented, and fun to be with – the kind of girls everyone wanted to call their friends. Today Jamie is a personal trainer and Melissa is a massage therapist. They still have the infectious enthusiasm for life that drew people to them when they were teenagers. Jamie, always the more competitive, now holds the Guiness World Record for catching the most bridal bouquets. It’s a bigger accomplishment than you might think. First you must be invited to fifty weddings. Then you’ve gotta beat a host of other ambitious brides’ maids to the punch, fifty times. Finally, you have to coax documentation – photos, video and witness statements – out of all those brides. But Jamie never quit. “You can do anything if you know your end goal,” she says.

Barn Stars Quilt

Once, many years ago, I made catsup from scratch. I peeled, seeded and cored a bushel of home-grown tomatoes, added seasonings and simmered, stirring, FOREVER. The result was delicious, but I never made it again. I  might this year, with a few shortcuts:

Tomato Catsup

9 pounds Roma tomatoes

3 onions, chopped

2 bell peppers, seeded and chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 cloves fresh garlic

1 cup cider vinegar

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons allspice

1 teaspoon whole cloves

1 teaspoon peppercorns

1 cinnamon stick

Purée  all vegetables in blender, add to slow cooker. Stir in vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt and paprika. Tie remaining spices in cheesecloth, toss in slow cooker. Cover and cook eight hours on low. Transfer to stock pot and simmer until thickened. Remove spice bag and pour into glass or plastic containers. Keeps several weeks refrigerated or several months frozen.

Indigoes Around

“How many times have I asked the heavens, ‘Carest thou not that I perish?’ or ‘How canst thou lie asleep?’ Perhaps the Savior could have just answered the question. That He cares. That the boat won’t sink. But instead, he arose and said unto the sea, ‘Peace, be still.’ And there was a great calm. The disciples wanted to know if the Savior cared. The Savior gave them peace in the storm. When I’ve asked, ‘How come I have to deal with this particular situation in my life?’ I don’t usually get the answer I expect. And I probably wouldn’t appreciate it if I did. If God answered all my questions with a spoken-word answer, it probably wouldn’t always reach me or suffice my need. The facts of the matter aren’t always what I need, even though it’s what I think I want. Instead, there is a great calm. The answer is simply peace.” – Liz Stitt