The fabric of Magpie's Life

Believe it or not... I have participated in One Last Quilt Swap... I swear, the last one. Just last weekend I was getting kidded about never starting the quilt, but for the record, were it not for the fact that family/friends finished sending squares in December and the wait is likely to be close to 2 years, things would have played out different.

This last swap is with a group of very wonderful people online, they are called the ALT's. Yup, I'm one of them, so for those of you who know this group as the dark side, the group that 'swears' and for those that have a very narrow view of the world, well, I imagine this is your last visit to our corner of the world. And that's ok, cause the ALT's, well, they are our kind of people. The sheer honesty, warmth, openess, the ability to share, laugh, cry together has given us a place online that we feel most comfortable with.


We are NOT all alike but we share a common thread (to coin a WAY overused line), the desire to be REAL on this journey to adoption. We come from different walks of life, including religious backgrounds, political beliefs, parenting styles, but unlike the traditional groups where if you 'nay say' someone at the top or near the top, flaming and nasty feedback doesn't occur, either publicly or in your private email account. In fact, an indepth conversation/debate occurs. We've debated politics, religion, lifestyles, SN vs NSN, etc. There's no 'moderating', no censoring but there is a lot of honesty for what that's worth. I'm sure it's not nirvana and the group has different cliques, but it's a wonderful group of people... for ALL of it's diversity. In the 4 months I've been part of it, there have been 2 get togethers and plans for 2 more... what other group out there is like that? We've missed the first 2, but will likely be at the next 2, one of the first 2 was this weekend and we had Eric's fathers 60th birthday which was really nice to be able to attend.


So the pics you see today and many more like it over the coming weeks are from the ALT quilt swap. A swap where 'non traditional' fabric is 'traditional', where originality is encouraged and admired, you'll notice these fabrics really differ from others, and well, I like it that way, I like the variety and I look forward to including these squares in Magpie's quilt.

The first square is from Kristin and Brian, who wish Magpie the courage to follow her dreams, quoting Confucius, Wheresoever you go, Go with all your heart... well said. The fan is one of my favorite patterns, so delicate and the color is unique and soft. Love it.

The second (actually there are 2 squares in this picture) is from Anne Marie, LOVE the orange, again, and I'll likely say this a million times for all the ALT squares have this in common, the colors are so wonderful and unique. I especially love the house fabric, reminds me of Bermuda, all the colors, houses so close. They wish Magpie Joy and Possibilities.

The third square is from Linda, Reuben and Emerson. The fabric is so wonderful with a wish that ties closely to it, talking about imagination, for even the bird inside the cage can imagine the wind... and that it's the spaces between the bars and NOT the bars themselves, which keeps the bird from flying.

The last square is from Lisa M (way cool name) and her family, with a quote that talksa about hope and home. I really love the fabric, so bright, cheery, even sort of tropical.

I love all the ALT squares mostly for their courage to be unique, their courage to go into uncharted waters and their courage to be REAL.