A quilting challenge?

This winter my daughter said, "if I posted on my blog an opportunity to make some quilt blocks, would you like to participate?" And I surprised my self with a yes. I don't know where it came from, I said count me in. I have a new Brother Machine, and made an applique quilt for my oldest grandson this winter, "Oma" grandma designed.

So Anilia's challenge was answered by nine other women. And once a month, her husband John gives us a theme, we have the addresses of the participants, a fancy spreadsheet to show who we are sewing for each month and the colors they have requested...and after that it is up to the seamstress/creator in us to make the block and get it sent off to the recipient.

The block above is my first piece.

But truth be told, it was the dickens getting there. I have a rotary cutter, my Mom's cutting table and cutting mat, but a very reduced stash and my first assignment was for something in greens, and somehow incorporate "HOME". So I made a trip to School House Fabrics in Floyd, VA and chose green fat quarters...and a few pieces that are more than fat quarters, then I had to select a pattern or design one...I surfed the net and found the McCall's quilting sitehttp://www.mccallsquilting.com/patterns/index.html and http://www.quilterscache.com/P/ProvidenceQuilt.html, selected the pattern Providence. I downloaded instructions, cut material and began to assemble the pieces. But shortly into assembly, I heard my husband say..."maybe you need to take a break", either the air was blue, or he could smell the smoke as I flamed at the mistakes I had made. Had I cut on the wrong side of the line, did I not measure right? Let me say here that I am learning disabled, try as I might, I could not assemble two of the rows correctly.

And so it sat...then on a Sunday at church I saw my friend Judy, and asked her for help. So one evening with material in hand, the rotary cutter, the seam ripper,and the written directions, I arrived at Judy's home. Judy is a mathematician. She has taught college math and home schooled her youngest daughter. She has probably tutored countless children and young adults...so we looked at her current project a double Irish Chain quilt, looked at my project, had supper and returned to the sewing room to salvage the project.

Judy found graph paper with 1/4 inch squares, her square block measuring tool, and began to build the block based on the internal square and the outside dimensions. We both agreed, that one small square and triangle could become a single piece of cloth...and so there are little fat "houses" and little skinny "houses" in the new pattern. Who knew! Bless her heart, she cut the new pieces. I was the recipient of extra tips...like how to press each seam, and after reviewing two separate ways of assembling the block Judy suggested the one she felt would be easiest. So I brought the block home and assembled it. I have Judy's hand drawn pattern, and I plan to put to use some of those other green fat quarters. Thanks Judy...thanks Anilia for sparking the work. And thanks Grace for choosing green. I love green!

Quilting and sewing

I learned to love to sew from my mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. Through my youth, my mother made most of my cloths. When I was old enough, she taught me how to place the patterns and cut the material. I was the cutter, at least that is how I remember it. Mom did not teach me to sew, I learned at Girl Scouts -Brownies and a whole lot more in high school, but once I learned, I loved choosing the materials and patterns.


When I had children of my own, I bought a treadle machine and began making clothes for them and myself. A friend taught me to bead, and the children did not leave the house with out some bead embellishment on their home made outfits.

When we moved back to the States my first sewing machine was an "Elnita", made not in Europe but Japan. For years this machine sewed the quilts, bed coverlets, curtains, outfits for my daughter. I have had a large material stash..and two Christmases ago I asked my daughters, Anilia and Erica, to choose what they wanted. Then that spring began stone carving...and somehow I didn't think I would be sewing much any longer. I gave away material that the girls did not want...but I still have a stash of linen and muslin and dungaree material.

This year as I helped my folks downsize, my sisters told me I was to take my mother's material collection. It never dawned on me to say no. And I agreed with them that we would never get a fair price for the material Mom had collected. But along with the material came the treadle machines, which I will lovingly use but they are still in the middle of the country at my younger sister's home waiting to come east. And it will this spring.

At Christmas my husband asked me - would I like a new sewing machine? I said yes. And cried like a baby at so wonderful a gift. Yes to creating for my daughters and grandchildren and my sisters and their children and grand children from that precious gift of my mothers and her mothers, and her mother.

Waiting for Dean and Spring

It's February 2nd, and the ground hog made his showing. According to legend we have six more weeks of winter. We have lived near the Blue Ridge over 20 years and know all about 30 inch snows in March. But this winter is different, our son and daughter-in-law are expecting their second son. I will have a welcome reprieve from winter the last weeks of February as I travel to Baton Rouge where spring has arrived and fresh strawberries are in the marketplace. I can hardly wait to see what is in bloom- Kent our 2 year old grandson and baby Dean as he will have arrived in advance of my visit. I will get to celebrate a belated birthday with my son. I will be warmed by the southern sun and loving family, sweet little boy smiles and frustrations, that I will share this late winter with so sweet a young family. And I hope on my return, I can patiently await the red bud, the dogwoods and forsythia.

About those closets

Truely I am not complaining. I just want to state, I didn't realize the new heating system was going to take the whole of the biggest "catchall" closet. I know this is a blessing...but I am wondering where I am going to put the 5 x 8 U-haul trailer of things from Mom's house, now living in Patty's garage. By the way, thanks Patty and Tom for letting the things over"night" winter at your house. The Christmas closet lost about a fifth of its size, the utility closet is definateley less than 50% of what it was...and that big closet...the good news is we will be warm for many years to come. And now I will have to address what was stored in that closet and continue to downsize.

Christmas past

Okay, let me just say, I love Christmas. I have always loved Christmas. There is something wonderful and full of glory about this season, Christ.

Through the years we accumulate so much stuff...recently in Kansas I helped my sisters clean out the house and we found the aluminum Christmas tree, and Patty and I came to an agreement. One year at her house one at mine...now she took it home the question is will I enjoy it in her home? But back to past....

We had always had a traditional short needle tree. But this year our brother had been in an accident, caught between a parked car and a go-carts spinning front wheel, his leg was torn open and broken in multiple places in the fall. He was still in the hospital at Thanksgiving. At Christmas, we knew our present was to be Mike at home for Christmas day. We had gone to bed without the usual trappings of Christmas, no tree, no presents, just the hope that Mom and Dad would be able to bring Mike home for the day. Grandma was making the turkey and all the fixings, and she would bring them down to our home (just a block away) for lunch. When we got up on Christmas morning there was the aluminum tree and presents. Mom and Dad had left already to go pick Mike up...family friends made the day magical for all of us..and Mike made it home for most of the day...and finally came home soon after the New Year.

But this is a side track to this issue of past. When we moved to Haiti, I gave away the few items I had begun to collect for Christmas, except the duck, pig, and goose candelabra. When we moved home to the US from Haiti, I gave away most of the Christmas ornaments (keeping the ones that Jack and I had painted. Jack's first "song" was to hum Jingle Bell Rock), the wonderful churches with tissue paper "stained glass" windows that were highlighted by a flickering candle.

When Jack was 16/17 he stated that we needed a more adult tree. Something that was not the handmade ornaments we had made through the years...and so without much encouragement I accommodated his wishes. And began to use the homemade ornaments as part of the package wrappings for family and friends.

Now I find myself working at cleaning out...adjusting, changing, and the front closet will become smaller with return chases located in it for the geothermal system...so I think many ornaments will now be recycled onto wreaths. At least one for my front door. others for friends...and simplify life.

Being thankful

My daughter does a Friday post of reasons to be thankful. So I thought I would take a stab...

I am thankful for wanting and getting the opportunity to meet my husband.
I am thankful for grandsons!
I am thankful for the grandson's parents.
For the opportunity to "live in the woods and mountains"
For a job
For good friends who are loving in spite of political and or religious differences
Of faith filled friends.
Of unexpected opportunities...like our furry friends.

Summer time fun

When we were girls, I could not have been more then 10, my dad found in our community a Ferris wheel. After a few trips to see the contraption, he decided to make one for us. I am one of five children. I have three sisters, and had one brother. We accompanied dad to the country where he borrowed a shed and welding machine and assembled the cut lengths of pipe, the tractor seats, the chrome handle bars. At the end of the fall we had our own Ferriswheel. And we spent hours riding every year, from the first day that one could use a jacket to climb the wheel, to the hot of summer riding in our bathing suits, to the late fall when one required a jacket. All the kids in the neighborhood came to play. many high school kids came after we had gone to bed. My brother and I were the expert climbers, willing to ride with others two or three times our weight. We knew no fear just hours of enjoyment swinging in the Kansas wind, rain, and sun. I am still a ride junky. I don't think I have found one yet that I wouldn't be willing to give a try.