September 11, 2012

Starting My Block...

 Never let it be said that I'm unwilling to do whatever I ask of others.

When I ran a law office in Wisconsin, my "girls" always hated that
 I could take direct dictation from our boss. He would be ready to leave
for a meeting, and stop to dictate a letter over my shoulder that needed 
to go with him. I would type the letter (correcting his grammar on the fly), 
and when he got to the closing, I would type his name, pull it from my
typewriter for his signature (no computers then), and off he'd go.

On the rare occasion that I called in sick, he would expect his other 
employees to be able to do the same thing for him. They used to give
me a hard time about it, begging me to stop doing it because they couldn't.
Anyway, I taught the workshop on Saturday and knew that when I got
home, I'd start my own block to contribute to the guild raffle quilt.
I would execute a block using the same techniques I taught the women
in our workshop. I would do what I was asking of all of them.
 
Pearl hasn't designed a Wisconsin block (yet), and we need to be working
 on all of our blocks to meet our deadlines, so I designed one in her style
to use instead. Because I don't have the luxury of a color photograph of a 
finished block so that others might be able to interpret my design, I decided
 that I should be the one to execute on fabric what I saw in my mind.
 I started the process on Sunday and this is as far as I've gone.

Now I know what they meant about "tiny pieces", but once you start
working through the elements - one at a time - it's not bad at all. It's actually
 quite satisfying to conquer a technique that you've never done before.

I've been told that I'm going to develop an attachment to this quilt (as the
chairman of the committee responsible for creating it). They tell me that
I'll protect it like a precious gem as we work together from conception to completion.
I don't doubt this for a single second, and I know that I'll have a
special affection for the block that I'm creating to honor my home state.
DonnaAcornSignature

9 comments:

  1. Wow Donna! This is going to be so amazing and beautiful!

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  2. Wowzers! I can't ever remember seeing such an intricate applique! It sure is going to be difficult to give away...

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  3. I look forward to seeing how this block develops.

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  4. Holy moly Donna - designed it yourself - stunning! I don't think I've ever seen such such an intricate quilt block... are you doing needleturn applique?
    As for the rest of your post - I agree wholeheartedly with your management style. You gain far more respect from people when you actually do the same work you expect of them - many think just knowing how is enough but I think employees respect knowledge most when they see it in action! Good on you.

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  5. Wow this is going to be a masterpiece quilt!!
    Have a great day.
    Always, Queenie

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  6. Your words are very true...never ask anyone to do a job you yourself cannot do equally well. I agree with you and Jillayne. This block is terribly intricate and extraordinary and will be the diamond of the quilt. You my dear are a master quilter doing this applique work. Getting attached is to be certain. Blissful Stitching Dear...

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  7. A great post today Donna. I have to say that I would go insane trying to do the block you have assigned yourself. You have certainly set yourself a task. It will be magnificent when you have finished it and you most certainly will be atached to that quilt when it's all completed.

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  8. That looks beautiful, Donna, but is there a cow on there somewhere? LOL
    I can't wait to see this quilt - it's going to be stunning.

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  9. Wowee, Missus - is there *nothing* you can't do! This is amazing. It's going to look extraordinarily beautiful! I bet you'll find it super-hard to give away!

    Sarahx

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Thank you so much for leaving a comment today. I'm using new settings on my comments so that I'll be able to respond to your messages to me. Be sure to come back to see my replies!

Blessings, Donna