Yes!! - I'm a Happy Camper!! -

I recently received my June/July 2016/NO. 452 - Quilters Newsletter -

On Pages 52-55 is an article on English Paper Piecing - by Carolyn Beam -

AND the photos are LEFT-HANDED!! - ;))

I don't want to post photos of the pages just in case that might pose some sort of copyright infringement - but check it out if you have your copy of the issue or can find one on a magazine rack somewhere -

Then please tell me that my eyes are NOT deceiving me -

And that I am NOT seeing things - ;))

And if I AM not seeing things - and the photos really ARE Left-Handed -

I REPEAT -

YES!! - I'm a Happy Camper!! - ;))

BOB (my alter-ego - Bitchy Old Broad) has already told you about the problem she has with Right-Handed teachers who WILL NOT help Left-Handed students.

BOB also has a problem with quilting books that are "bi-lingual". I live in California and we get everything in English and another language (I'm trying to be politically correct here) - and I don't like the ones where every other line is in English or the ones where every other paragraph is in English. I don't like having to read the whole dang thing looking for the English parts!! The best ones are the ones where English is on one side of the page and the other language is on the other side - at least I can read the whole thing at one time without skipping every other line or paragraph.

The same thing is true for the RH quilting books with the - "Oh, by the way - if you're LH just reverse it!" I talked about them in my post -
LHQ - Instructions vs. Directions - HERE -

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EAST/WEST - LEFT/RIGHT can be tricky.  Most diagrams and photos feature right-handed quilters - doing their thing - right-handed.

My advice is to take a pencil and circle obvious right-handed references as you read the instructions for the first time.  Then you can go back through the instructions a second time and decide if you are comfortable doing the step right-handed or not.  If you want to do it right-handed, erase the circle.  If you want to do it left-handed, the circle will remind you that you have to compensate when you get to that step.

Some newer quilting books have diagrams and photos for both right-handed and left-handed quilters.  I know they think that they are helping me - but the reality is - they just confuse me!!  It's like trying to read a bilingual book and having to search through it for the stuff written in English.  It would be easier to read, I think, if they just wrote two separate books - but they don't.  So with these books - I do a variation of the circle thing.  The first time I read them - I take a pencil and cross out the obvious right-handed references.

Just like the numbers on the rulers that go both ways - I just cross off the ones I don't want.
 

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I can compensate for being Left-Handed - I've been doing it all of my life - but I REALLY wish somebody would write a dang book for LH ONLY!!

There are PLENTY of LH quilting PROFESSIONALS out there who have the "connections" - the TV shows - the YouTube videos - why the he!! don't they publish some books for US!!

I WOULD do it -

But I am not a professional -

I quilt for fun -

It's not my job - ;))

And I COULD do it -

But wait!! -

I already did!! -

I've written several books -

• Left-Handed Quilting - Introduction
• Left-Handed Quilting - Basics
• Left-Handed Quilting - Rotary Cutting
• Left-Handed Quilting - Construction
• Left-Handed Quilting - Foundation Paper Piecing
• Left-Handed Quilting - Hand Sewing
• Left-Handed Quilting - Binding
• Left-Handed Quilting - Finishing the Quilt

I even wrote one called - Left-Handed Quilter - Sampler Quilt - where I showed how to make 99 - 6" blocks - with an interesting "border" treatment -

AND they are all FREE - at the top of my blog - ;))

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So - Carolyn - THANK YOU!! - ;))

It is NOT - BOTH - it is LEFT-HANDED!! -

Now if OTHER LEFT-HANDED QUILTING PROFESSIONALS -

Would do the SAME THING - THAT would be AMAZING!! - ;))

As a gentle nudge - the other day I left a comment on the blog of a Professional quilter/teacher/author who I know is Left-Handed. I asked her VERY NICELY if she would be so kind as to post some tutorials or videos of how SHE did a certain technique for all of the other Left-Handed quilters out there in blogland. She posted my comment - but I haven't seen a tutorial or video yet. I know that she is a very busy lady and may not have time - but I hope that she is at least considering it - ;))

But then again, it might be bad for business - ;))

I mentioned that little theory to another quilter and the response was -

I suppose some righties would think that they couldn't do it because they aren't left handed..So you may be right about that.

SOOOOOOOOOOOOO -

BOB has to ask -

Why would it be so difficult for Righties to "just reverse it"? -

Lefties are expected to do it ALL of the time -

We can do something THEY can't do????? -

BOB and I KNOW they can do it, too -

It's EASY! -

At least that's what THEY keep telling us - ;))

Now BOB and I are going to get off of our soapbox -

We have some Free-Motion Quilting classes to watch -

And a whole lot of practicing to do - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -