Plain and Simple

Last weekend my mother, my Aunt and I had a girls weekend in "Amish Country" Pennsylvania. My personal goals for the weekend were to bond with my family, see beautiful landscapes, escape from the stresses of everyday life and....of course....shop. Well, we are girls, after all, and we do love to shop!

I first visited Amish Country when I was a little girl. My parents and grandmother took a trip and even back then I was fascinated with how simply they live. 30 years and lots of technology advances later, I am more intrigued than ever at how their values and beliefs have withstood the test of time. As someone who works in the software industry I find myself more and more wanting to pull away from technology instead of wanting to embrace it. Because of technology I am completely accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and, quite frankly, I don't want to be that accessible.

The Amish believe that "modern conveniences" can pull the family apart and so they choose not to use them. I have to agree. How often I've gone to dinner with an old girlfriend only to have her text through half the meal, only half listening to what I am saying. When I was a kid we would go outside after dinner and play until dark. Now, the kids just go up to their room and play videogames, skype with their friends or collaborate on facebook. Sigh.

Driving through the Amish farmlands was such a peaceful escape. From dawn until dark we saw men and their horses plowing the fields, women mowing the lawn and tending the gardens, and children doing age-appropriate chores or simply enjoying a ride on their foot-propelled scooters. The clop-clop sound of the horse and buggy was soothing and a sound I miss.

Of course, the Amish are well-known for their beautiful quilts. This was obviously a big draw for us. While visiting we contributed to the local economy in many areas, not the least of which was handmade quilts and fabric. High quality, brand name fabrics that sell for $10+ per yard in New England quilt shops were selling for between $3.99 and $7.99 per yard. We couldn't believe it, we thought we had struck gold. In fact, it was so overwhelming that we didn't buy nearly as much fabric as we now wish we had. I guess, we'll just have to go back and make another donation to the fine folks of Lancaster County. :-)

Inspiration

I was lucky enough to spend the last 4 days in West Palm Beac, FL at the Breakers Resort; an all-expenses-paid gift for my company's 20th anniversary. Altruism in its purestform.

During our stay, I swam in 80 degree ocean water for hours on end. I've loved the ocean ever since I was a little girl collecting seashells on Salisbury beach with my Papa. I'm drawn to it; drawn to its power, it's beauty and its wrath. Its wrath is what fascinates me the most. The inspiration I feel when I stare at the vast expanse is sometimes overwhelming. It makes me unsatisfied and anxious. I dream of a house on the ocean, decorated so beautifully in my head that I can't describe it. The house is located in a quaint New England town where time stands still. Terrorism doesn't exist, nor does crime. The world is a much nicer place at this house, in that quaint New England town.

I haven't figured out how yet, but someday I will see my dream come true. Block by block, thread by thread, I will piece together my dream and my husband and I will live happily ever after in our ocean-side bliss...in that quaint New England town...

Welcome

Well, after several years of wanting to start a blog, last week I finally made the plunge. I signed up for E-Blogger and wrote my very first blog; a quick background of my life leading up to where I am at right now. As is par for the course, E-Blogger blew up and my post was lost.

So the very long story short is this. My mother has been a quilter and fabric lover my whole life. Until last year I didn't have the quilting bug. A chance circumstance during a visit to Rockport,MA in the summer of 2010 changed that forever.  That very same day MomCat Quilts was born.

This blog is likely to take lots of twists and turns. The intent is to chronicle the journey of myself, my mother and my aunt as we attempt to grow MomCat Quilts. But, knowing me, who knows what will sneak in.  Being a new quilter, I have only scratched the surface of all there is to know about quilting. I look forward to sharing my experiences and hope that I can develop a community here where people can collaborate and share.

Thank you for your interest.