Hi, I'm Back!!

I forgot how much I love quilters and 1quilting!!!  It has been so long since I have been a part of this world that I love so much!! So much has happened and so much has changed and so much has remained the same. I will be working on a quilt for my beloved Scott to take with him to chemo so it can warm him as he has his infusions. I have been afraid of working on it because of the INSANE fear that as soon as I finish it he will die....".FEAR NOT" says my Lord and I am going to take him at His word.

Just another day on the farm

I have decided to just spout off here on my blog and not worry about writing about just quilting. sometimes you just need to get something off your mind and haqve no place to put it,so I will be putting it here.

Today was pretty quiet and short as I didn't get up til 2pm and then talked to my BFF  Linda for almost an hour. She was having a bad day, too.

I promised her to ride my bike everyday... I haven;t been doing it at all and I love it. so tomorrow morning I begin again...Hopefully it will strengthen my knees so I am not so afraid to walk and go out places. I have become a hermit of sorts and I have not been sewing as much as I COULD BE.

Quilt Shops

I LOVE shopping for fabric!!  I am a Fabriholic extraordinaire. I couldn't use all my fabric if I lived to be 210!! BUT more than anything I love quilt shops. I am not talking about those great huge places that advertise having thousands of bolts. I find them to be as a rule cold and intimidating, not at all personal with easy to find staff who can or will spend time with you to get just the right off-white to compliment the other 60 + you have to create your granddaughter's wedding quilt.
I am a small local quilt shop person. I love that they know your name and greet you warmly as you come in and have time to look for just 'the right one' you need to complete that baby quilt or laprobe for a friend. I love the camraderie; the atmoshere; the unspoken understanding of who you are and the fabrics and patterns and threads and needles YOU lcan always find a cure for any homesickness in the local quilt shop.ove.
I also love to visit small local places when I travel as well. they know when you come in that you are not a regular, but they always have time for a chat as you peruse their shop. It is always amazing to me that where ever I go I

A New Year,,,,A New Life

I guess I am in an ambivelent place in my life. I 'm not certain that I made a good decision to retire.... yet my body is so happy! My heart is steady, if irregular, my knees are lots less painful although they are creaky still,my mind, well that;s a story for another day.
I have a sewing room FULL of projects waithing to be planned and made, kits to be put together and the neverending pile of UFO's to be finished. My problem is not what do I do but, what do I do Next.
I guess that will be my grandson Kyle's wedding quilt. he and his wife Rita were married in August 2011 and their quilt is almost done. they are coming for dinner in 2 weeks and I HAVE to have it ready for them without excuse!!I will let you know how I make out.

A finished project!!

It has been so long since I finished a project that I had forgotten how wonderful it feels to clip the last thread and fold up the quilt and say, "There you are done!"

This particular quilt is a baby quilt made with much love and many prayers for a little girl who was born several years ago. I started it as soon as her parents knew she was a girl and have worked on it off and on through her life to date. the knowlege that she would be one of God's "special ones" lead to many , many prayers during its construction . My own "blocks" led to the longevity of its completion.

TOday it is done and I can with much joy wrap it and hand it to her Grandmother, my friend Kim, on Tuesday.
"Here is EMMA'S QUILT!!" finished.

ROUGH TIMES

These are rough times for me emotionally as my husband is fighting cancer. The kind of cancer is unimportant, but the fight is. I have been hiding from the truth of what was going on with him, even though I have been at his appointments, picked up his prescriptions, hugged him and rubbed his back to warm him when he has been cold and put my hands on him, in his sleep, and prayed with all my heart for God's healing and comfort for him.

Somehow,, through all of the past 4 months I not allowed myself to be aware of his fight for life. I am aware NOW! For the last 12 days we have been fighting an enormously nasty and difficult reaction to radiation therapy. I have watched him as he lurches up from his rest to dash for the bathroom, unable to eat even a bite of an Easter dinner for our family of children, grandchildren and great-grandson, that he managed to cook as usual (this year, with some help), I watch him walk in his beloved gardens that are brillant yellow with hundreds of daffodils, planted for me because I love them, too tired to pull a weed or rake, even for 5 minutes. Today we learned that the surgery for his second cancer is postponed until they can complete the radiation therapy for the first cancer, without lingering side effects. Rough Times.

While we have been battling our battle, our closest friends are battling too. It's a totally different kind of cancer with far more deadly consequences and we miss being there for them in the ways we are used to, sharing our burdens. Rough times.

Thank God for long distance, cell phones, Lifeline, friends that pray, families too. We are so grateful for the caring of family and friends, God's comfort and peace......in Rough Times

O, Duh!

Have you ever had a projrct that you just knew would be a breeze because you had done it before? Well, that was me this weekend. I had committed to making my youngest daughter a new Schlepp Bag almost a year ago and I was FINALLY getting to it. I have made a number of these bags in the past and they go together rather quickly.

I cut my fabic squares and proceeded to piece them together into the strips for the body of the bag and the lining. Then I cut the top of each strip into the triangle required to make the top work; next I put the bottom squares of the strips together to form the bottom of the bag in a configuration to begin to form the shape of the bag and its lining. I was way ahead of my anticipated time frame and feeling quite smug. Cindy's fabric choices were good and looked bright and lively. Perfect. Famous last words. I could not get this bag to go together right no matter what! I ripped out and restitched over and over and over......My husbands call up the stairs that dinner was ready rescued the bag from total destruction! Oh, my was I ever frustrated... WHat was wrong the that Bag?

I stayed away until the next day. then I ripped it out once more. I carefully laid everything back out and finally realized, AHA! that I had cut the tops of each strip into a triangle BUT, going in the opposite direction from the directions.. OH, DUH!!
from that moment of enlightenment and a few adjustments in where what went, the bag was complete .... with lining and extended handles as requested. And only taking at least 3 times longer than anticipated!