Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Desire to Inspire - August Challenger Sharon Parcel

Meet Sharon Parcel, the challenger who accepted the August Desire to Inspire Challenge of using fabric from the Quilt Camp collection by Barbara Jones of Quilt Soup.



Here is her story, and photos of the projects she created for this challenge:

The Henry Glass Company has chosen me to be a part of the Desire to Inspire Challenge for August, and I am delighted to accept the mission for August.  The featured fabric that I got to play with is Quilt Camp by Barbara Jones.  Loved it at first sight!  The simple dots and checks made it easy and fun to design some neat accessories for our RV!  Now my hubby and I are ready for some camping fun next week!



In order for you to get to know me a bit, let me tell you just a bit about myself.  I was born in Kansas…you might know it as that state that is often passed through to get somewhere else!  We moved to northwest Missouri where I grew up in a sleepy farming community nestled among acres of corn and soybeans, and of course the usual farm animals.  I married my high school sweetheart and we had 2 wonderful children who graduated from the same high school that we did.  In 2000, our Y2K turned out to be the swift cancer that took my husband from me.  I stayed in the rural community for a couple of years, but my children had already moved to the big city of Jefferson City and Kansas City.  So I decided what the heck…it’s time to move on.  And this country girl loves living in the city!   I live in the same subdivision as my daughter and her family, so I get plenty of access to my grandsons…would not have it any other way.  If I had not moved to the city, I would not have met Jim.  We have been married 8 years and could not be happier.  God does provide…just be patient.  Sometimes I wonder about the paths I have taken, and looking back I know His hand has been on me all the time. 


My husband has always loved camping…me not so sure about it.  My idea of a vacation is a cruise and someone taking care of the housekeeping and cooking chores.  So we bought a small RV and I said I would give it a chance. 
And I love it!  I love taking the roads less traveled and taking the time to see what is around the next corner.  Both of us do a lot of volunteering, and have had to “clear our calendar” in order to travel this fall.  I told Jim he needed to retire again!  I am doing better at saying no.  My volunteer work is mainly with CASA, QOV and Project Linus and various church activities like Art Camp. 





I started sewing when I was 9.  Why?  When I think about it, I am not sure what the answer is…I just wanted to!  I have always loved to make things and to create!  There were no seamstresses in my family, not my mom, my grandma or any aunts.  My mom did have an old Singer sewing machine at the back of a closet and I found it one day and started begging to learn to use it.  It was a calamity!  My poor mom was so frustrated, I think she had only mended with it.  So she passed me off to someone else and had me join 4-H.  I was in heaven!  I learned to make garments on a treadle sewing machine and never looked back.  My quilting journey started in the 80’s.  I had leftover scraps from sewing for my children and thought they needed to be used.  After my first attempt, I was smitten with the idea of cutting up little pieces of fabric and sewing them back together.  My need to create was satisfied! 



My favorite quilts are scrappy, but I love to learn new techniques.  Lately I have enjoyed paper-piecing and English paper piecing.  Sometimes in my impatience to try something new, to test a new design, a new technique, I start many projects and have many un-finished projects.  I don’t think I am alone!

 I am fortunate to belong to the Lees Summit Quilt Guild, a wonderful quilt guild that continually inspires me with show and tell, and of course classes with amazing instructors!  We in the Kansas City area have a huge quilting community and wonderful quilt shops to tempt us with all the latest fabrics.  About an hour away, is where James Cash “J.C” Penny launched his empire in Hamilton, Missouri.  Now Jenny Doan of Missouri Star has launched another empire…a quilting mecca!  If you have not been there, you must go at least once!  She has done an amazing job of revitalizing a sleepy little farming town.  I remember my first visit, when she was in a corner gas station with mainly pre-cuts for sale.  Her story and her beginning are amazing, and it just shows what we can do if we believe in ourselves. 

Playing with Quilt Camp has been great fun!  I hope you enjoy the projects I have made and will try some for yourself.  Most of my inspiration came from Pinterest, so I will do a blog post with links to a couple of the projects and a pattern for you to try.






Please come visit my blog: www.yellowcatquiltdesigns.com.    I have enjoyed being a part of the Desire to Inspire Challenge, and thank you so much for having me take part, Henry Glass and Company!



12 comments:

Lisa England said...

Your projects are wonderful and I enjoyed reading a bit about you. Congratulations on a job well done!

Anna said...

I was very interested to read about Sharon. I have just retired and plan to become active with my county's Project Linus efforts. My husband plans to retire next year and wants to buy an RV so we can travel around to the national parks and other intriguing places. In the past when our kids were still young, we rented RVs and went out for a week at a time. We enjoyed it, but now my husband wants to go out for a few weeks at a time. My main concern is that I won't be able to bring my quilting supplies, tools and machines! Will I get bored? Will I resent my husband for taking me away for weeks from my sewing machine and longarm? I'd like to hear about Sharon's experiences and advice.

Sherry said...

Your projects are fabulous. I love the fabric you had to work with and I enjoyed reading your story. I will visit your blog and start following you there.

Miriam said...

Your projects are delightful and certainly made the most of this fun collection. I enjoyed reading your quilting story.

Danette said...

Such cute projects! The fabric is so cute, too. I have a motorhome very similar to yours. My husband and I just love camping. I'm going to have to buy this fabric and sew some placemats or a quilt for my camper. Enjoyed your story!

Janice Holton said...

Oh, those camper placemats are the CUTEST EVER! We are thinking about getting a trailer and I know I'll just have to make some of those. I really enjoyed reading your story, Sharon.

Judy1522 said...

Sharon's projects are wonderful and I enjoyed reading her story. I too grew up in the country and did not have anyone to really teach me to sew at a young age so I joined the 4-H sewing club. That started me on my sewing journey for which I will be forever grateful

Joanne said...

These projects are adorable! I love the quilting you did on each piece. It is perfect and looks great. :-)

Kathy said...

Your projects are wonderful. Had so much fun learning about you. You definitely inspire.

Paige said...

Sharon, what an excellent post! Great projects and I enjoyed getting to know you more!

cara mengobati penyakit thalassemia minor said...

your project very good. nice job

Unknown said...

Very pretty projects!