How to make an American Quilt!!

Jenny's beginners quilting class has come to an end ... it was just three, 3 hour sessions long ... and not only has she learnt a new skill but a whole new vocabulary too ... basting, binding, scant quarter of an inch, batting, floss (or what we might know as thread!) ... the list goes on!!

So in her own words this is how it's done ...

• Pick some material (for those of you who are surprised by the choice ... to cut a long story short due to the snow I couldn't get to the shops I wanted too ... but figured this was going to be a trial run!!)

• Go to a class ... round here it's not difficult to find one ... quilting is a way of life for many people!! (The Vacshak in Downtowner Plaza, here in Coshocton is where I headed!!)

• Lots of work at home and in the class ... the sewing machine was smokin' ... anytime Abigail was asleep I was usually working away (the class was over just 3 weeks ... so there was lots of homework!!)

• A class photo at the end of the 3 sessions with our handiwork ... it was great to meet new people in town all of whom were doing the class for different reasons ... clockwise from me, Becky, Susan (mother & daughter), Mary & Kay.

In such a short amount of time, as beginners, we weren't ever going have a completed quilt ... but we now have the skills and knowledge to finish these ones ... and then start new different styled ones ... and the lovely Brenda and Denise who run the Vacshak are always there to help when we get stuck (thank you ladies!).

Unfortunately for Mark ... I'm hooked!! Whether it's the possibilities of different colours/patterns/materials ... the precision involved ... the fun of laying it all out & piecing it together like a jigsaw ... I'm not sure ... but I'm definitely already getting ideas for my next project!! For those of you rolling your eyes and thinking there's no hope for her ... you're right!!! With each passing day I seem to be turning into the stereotypical missionary wife ... he he!! I now just need a few extra days in the week so that I can actually get on and keep stitching, on top of everything else!!

What ... no pictures?!

It's been a while since we noted some of the many differences to living life out here in the States ... here are a few more ...

• Some words here have been shortened by a letter or two ... caramel becomes carmel, aluminium becomes aluminum
• Some words are completely different ... Abigail's not cheeky, she's ornery ... you play on a teeter-totter not a see-saw
• Other words are used differently ... to 'visit' with someone can be just to have a chat with them ... to be 'fussy' isn't to be choosy or meticulous but to be whinging and whining
• Road kill is different too ... no more rabbits, hedgehogs and badgers ... here you're much more likely to find skunks, racoons and deer!!
• Tipping at a restaurant can be double what you'd expect to pay in the UK if the service is good
• Tax isn't included on the price of things ... so you always have to add a little bit extra ... oh to actually be told the 'real' price and know exactly what you're paying (and tax changes from state to state too!)
• Houses are generally made of wood and are detached (some might say they look like little holiday cabins!!!) and most people don't have fences so people's yards just flow one into another
• A 'garden' out here is a veggie patch ... what us Brits know as a garden is more likely to be referred to as an 'English Country Garden' ... and not that many people do them either ... it's mostly grass, grass and more grass!
• Drive-thru's are everywhere ... there are your usual fast-food places ... like McD's, Burger King, Starbucks etc ... then there are ones we're not so used to in the UK ... ATM's, Banking, Library Drop-Off, Pharmacies ... the list goes on!

It's not in our nature to update the blog without some sort of photo ... so here's a sight we've never seen in the UK ... but it's been quite common place round here lately ...

... clearing HUGE piles of snow from local car parks and ferrying it off by the truckload ... to some great big snow dumping ground somewhere!