A New Skill: Fabric Purses

The Clara Ford Foundation is participating in the Atlanta YWCA's Open Your Purse fundraiser. The event is being held September 25, 2007 at the Downtown Ritz Carlton. Four hundred (400) agressive women are expected to fight over the right to take home beautiful handbags.

The Foundation was aked to contribute fabric purses that will be auctioned at the event, and that forced me to learn how to make a fabiric handbag. I chose to make what I call Moving Uptown bags. These bags make me think of tea at Tiffany's or breakfast at Tavern on the Green -- with my own ethnic flair, of course. The bag shown here is done in an Aboriginal print.

Hmmm. There may be a line of these in my future. . . .

Fulton County Memories: A Special Quilt Gift

I sort of digressed. Let's get back to the party --The Quiltmaker's Gift Party. After I presented all of my quilts and promised to keep quilting so the unlucky ones could have hope, I was ready to thank everyone for coming. But to my amazement, out walked two pirates (Willie and Joe) with a treasure chest. There were some nice things in the chest, but guess what was at the bottom??? You guessed it -- a quilt!

Now this truly was a surprise that a staff of legal minds could manage to get me a quilt made. The quilt is beautiful and fun. I love the African prints in combination with the red border. I love anything red. But the fun part was that each member of my 40-person staff had included a charm that would remind me of them. They were so creative! India and I spent an hour playing I Spy on the quilt and trying to match the charm with the person. What a thoughtful, imaginative gift.

And people wonder why I cried when I retired. I left behind the greatest, most gifted group of people in the universe.

But as Arnold would say, "I'll be back!" They don't know it yet, but they are all a part of my future. But that's a blog for another day.

Retirement is a Bowl of Cherries: A Gift from the Quilting Sisters

In hindsight, I guess I should have known that my special group of quilting friends would not let the occasion pass without making me a quilt. I guess I also thought they could not keep a secret and when I had not heard anything. . . . . So when we gathered at our first quilting bee after I retired, and they presented me with Retirement is a Bowl of Cherries, I was totally surprised.

It has all of my favorite colors -- browns, taupes and reds. The quilting on it is beautiful. Thank you so much Roz, Marva, Max, Laura, Cathy and Bessie. It has a special place in my home library and in my heart.

Retired!

Charlotte Lindsey, one of my special quilting sisters presented me with one of her magnificent creations. She entitled it Retired!. The lady in the quilt (Me) is thinking about all the wonderful things she will get to do when she is retired -- sleep late, read, take long soaking baths, travel, visit quilt shops, take classes and have fun, fun, fun!

Isn't she beautiful?