Apr 1, 2010

Happy Free-Piecing Fool's Day! by Liberated Quilters for AAQI


From the couch of one fisted Michele in Salem, Oregon to the countryside of one-eyed Clare in Dordogne, France, our "Free-Piecing Fools' caravan of Ladies Aid quilters put on our eyepatches, wrist wraps, leg casts, and Party Hats early this morning, tossing aside our regulation Mariner's Compass, and headed off without rules, rulers, directions, or quilt police from warm beds around the world and off on a wonky Snail's Trail to attend the 1st annual 'Free-Piecing Fools' marathon of quilting.

 There isn't anything that could be more fun then a group of Wonky women and wonderful men off on a Flying Geese Chase all following a meandering Yellow Brick Road and tee-totaling down a Drunkard's Path, to find our way through the Backwoods and Crossroads, past the Clover Leaf of the Washington Puzzle, avoiding the Way to California and finally going, (as Providence would have it) up the wonky "for better or for worse" Altar Steps to A Dandy quilting retreat of perpetual and mindless liberation.

As each of us makes a Churn Dash through the Endless Chain of Rail Fences, up the Pleasant Path from virtual parking lots, to sewing rooms, quilt studios, quilting havens, and free-piecing heavens everywhere......we are braving the winds and the rains of the incoming Storm at Sea and fighting our way through the mountainous piles of fabric piled up on floors, chairs, couches, beds, cats, dogs, husbands, and kids, everywhere.

We honor the traditions of our past, the women who came before us, but we choose to still do it our way and no matter how many Monkey Wrenches are thrown into our day, each of us plays Leap Frog with the tasks and challenges of daily living... because today is April Fool's Day and not a day of Fair Play! It's time to play with the Darting Minnows of Poisson d'avril or Happy April Fool's Day and Focus Pocus our quilting magic to escape the Fishbowl of our Crazy Pieced lives!

Instead, we are playing our non-existent, but still totally virtual, Follow the Leader, with one leader out with an eye infection, another one who is blogless in Austin, and a third who just lays around day after day on her pile of quilts......wimping out with complaints of her broken arm and endless challenges ;)

Whether you are like me, half crazy and over the endless edge, but still Back Home Again to Salem or you live in Kalamazoo or Timbuktu...... it's going to be a Whirligig of a Windmill day.

A day filled with lovely Souvenirs of April Fool's sewing with Blurred Vision as we work on Our Liberated Challenges and free-wheel our way across the pages of the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative Auction

There isn't anything that could be more fun then a group of liberated quilters off on a Flying Geese chase.... especially when embarking on a Trip Around the World of endless sewing today, and everyday! We celebrate the diversity of our quilting traditions, the history of the women who came before us, and we honor 'our" versions of quilt blocks from around the world.

Join us today, as all of the Free-Piecing Fools celebrate a Virtual Quilt-in together: Finish up a WIP, experiment with something wonky and liberated, or make something special for a charity of your choice.

The remember.......the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative April "Slow & Silent Quilt Auction" To Fight Alzheimer's begins today, April 1...

Check out all of the quilts at: the AAQI Quilt Auction and AAQI Quilt Sale

And if you can't sew straight either, please join the Liberated Quilting and the Liberated Quilters Message Board, in our Liberated Quilting Challenge by clicking here and asking Clare to use her one good eye to sign you up!

And if Clare isn't home, or if she went back to bed as usual...just remember, her time is not our time in France...her fabulous sidekick "Nancie from Texas" is always there to help her (and all of us) out!

What's on your Free-Piecing Fool's Design Wall, today?

I worked on the free piecing fun foolery above plus my projects for AAQI:
Global Village
Liberated Quilting Challenge
Liberated Piecing


5 comments:

Wendy said...

Fantastically fun! This posted at "First Break"

Michele Bilyeu said...

My goodness me! I'm still correcting my posting errors and 'Free-piecing Fool, Wendy is already commenting as she takes her first break from marathon sewing!!!!

Clare said...

What do you mean "if she went back to bed as usual.....". Honestly! You can't get the staff these days!

This is one brilliant post.

julieQ said...

I am so in for this today! A day off...and I am raring to go! Thank you, Michele!

Shelina (formerly known as Shasta) said...

Great post! I'll have a heating pad on my back, and my daughter is braving an earthquake, so I think I'll fit right in!