I am enrolled in an Advanced Composition course for the summer. One of the requirements is to have a blog. I've decided to use my existing blog. However, instead of discussing my latest quilt project, I would like to share stories about fabrics and quilts found in literature. Homer's Odyssey is a great first example. Homer wrote The Odyssey around 8 B.C. It was a sequel to his Epic poem The Iliad. You may have read about the adventures of Odysseus, also know as Ulysses, during your middle school or high school years. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is the main character. Odysseus was the king of Ithaca. According to legend, his parents were Laertes and Anticlea. Odysseus married Penelope and had a son. Then,when his son is 1 month old, he leaves to participate in the Trojan War. The Odyssey is about Odysseus' adventures after the Fall of Troy. His wife, Penelope, is left at home. Because Odysseus has been gone many years, Penelope is bombarded with more than 100 suitors for her hand in marriage. She devised a plan to hold them at bay and give her husband time to return home. She told everyone that she was weaving a burial shroud for her father-in-law. Once the shroud is completed, she will pick one of the suitors. However, she undid her weaving every night. She wove her fabric during the day and undid it each evening. This went on for years. Finally, Penelope is betrayed by a chamber maid who gives away her secret. Unfortunately, the suitors return but Penolope still waits for Odysseus to return. In Homer's Odyssey, Penelope is known for her loyalty, fidelity and steadfastness. She worked tirelessly on her fabric for years. Most of us who quilt work on our ideas and fabric for years as well. Although our fabrics and projects are not usually saving a kingdom, we, like Penelope, are loyal and steadfast, seeing our project through to the end.