President's Message by Liz Laney

Okay, so after my announcement to the whole world that I was not only going to lose weight, but that I was going to (drum roll, please…) DECLUTTER MY BASEMENT AND RECLAIM MY QUILT ROOM, I received a few emails about the subject. Bonnie Miles identified with my "de-clutter and reclaim" project. She thinks a contest for the wackiest thing you have stored for the 'just in case' in your life" would be fun. Barbara Murdock suggested I take a before and after picture of my quilt room so you could all see the transformation when I for done with the project. She said, "I want to see the saddle in there!" I am actually getting started on the room. I found out it was a lot easier to just move my sewing machine and quilt project next door to the vacant grandma's house. However, since my husband is almost through with the remodeling and wants to rent it out, that could be a temporary fix.

I did get a chance to go through my collection of unfinished projects. It looks like could finish a quilt for "show and tell" every month this year. I‘ve got a great one laid out on the carpet over at the vacant grandma‘s house right now. It is a "Rose of Sharon" appliqué quilt. It‘s for my guest room where one of my best friends from my former life in Arizona stays when she comes to visit. Her name is Sharon and I chose the pattern for her. I‘ve been working on the quilt for about ten years now. The problem with the quilt is that I didn‘t have a pattern and made it up as I went along. I changed my mind on several things and sometimes didn‘t know exactly what to do next. Whenever I ran into a brick wall, I put the Rose of Sharon project away and worked on something else. I‘m finally finishing the appliquéd vine at the corners, then it will be ready to quilt and bind.  Since we don‘t have Show and Tell in February because of our Service Day, I‘ve got until March to get it done. I hope the new renters don‘t mind me working in their living room.

Of course, that‘s not the only unfinished project. I‘ve got a Double Wedding Ring that was for my fifth child‘s wedding I‘m not saying how long they have been married; a yellow scrap reproduction of a thirties quilt; a Redwork Quilt, and a Postcards from the Past quilt, just to name a few. And of course, there‘s the Lincoln Quilt which I‘m also finishing up at the vacant grandma‘s house. By the way, I also received an email from the Mae Sisters that said, "Mama always said we shouldn‘t air our dirty laundry," so I won‘t tell you what the wackiest thing I‘ve ever held onto for the "just in case." And I definitely won‘t tell you about the contest I won on KSL for having the most interesting clutter "stored" in my house. I‘ll keep you posted on my progress.
~Liz