Thursday, May 30, 2013
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Batik BOM top done....
This is one of the few times I followed the directions, next time I make it I will change some things.
The fabrics for the blocks were chosen by The Quilt House, as part of their BOM program (yeah the one I am doing 2 of this year) The pattern is "Close to My Heart"--I had collected the pattern in a FabShopHop but never made it.
The rest I chose with some help of my friend Tina. We are doing these BOM's together. As we have to travel to a different city, we make it a girls day out, with fast food breakfast, a nice lunch, and sometimes other shops along the way to and from <GASP> ha ha
We are good friends and help each other into more trouble that we keep ourselves out of--all fabric related of course...but that is what quilty friends are for--right?
Friday, May 17, 2013
Maybe I am a little crazy?
I have started 2 new BOM, because I could not decide which color way, so I am doing both a black n brights and a cream n blue. These are the first two blocks:
I am assembling the top from the last one:
I am assembling the top from the last one:
But got sidetracked making a skirt for my granddaughter and her friend Wocket (I have a soft book for my grandson, I am just deciding if I wan't to embellish before I put it together):
The "simple" 8 gore twirly skirt, gave me some fits, so I needed some helpers:
On one of my Online Quilting communities, there was a questioned posed about "dirty little quilting secrets" -mine; that I often only finger press with a bamboo presser my Grammy lacquered a good 40+ years ago:
So, I need to finish the Batik BOM top, make some pillow covers and valances, and 2 prayer shawls....more pics to come as I progress.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Blessed....
Now bear with me, I have many things I have been blessed with. A great Husband of almost 37 years, 2 wonderful kids, 2 awesome grand kids, good friends, and the list would be sooo very long you would tire of it....but it is LONG. I finished this BOW quilt top yesterday, and it is now in the queue to be quilted. I am going to start on the sashing for the Batik BOM next.
This morning I woke early. My granddaughter who spent the night with us is still sleeping, so I decided to spend some time working on the hand quilting of the last quilt top that my Grammy made, while enjoying a quiet house and coffee. Just me and the cats.
As I was into the rhythm of the stitch, I realized again, just how much I have to be thankful to my Grammy for. She was a widow that kept a plumbing shop after her husband died, when it was "expected" that women would sell such a business. I would go to the shop with her sometime. In those days --tile and counter top samples were little chips about 3" X 3" I'm guessing from memory, on a bead chain. I got the old ones to play with.
My Grammy as some of my previous post have said, started me sewing when I was very little. But she taught me so much more. She taught me to have faith, to be humble, to be helpful, to give even if it meant you do without. To do what it takes to take care of your family. To be resilient, to face adversity, to know that the hard times won't last; although an 18 month stretch of unemployment has been quite the test of this faith, and one that I am quite ready to have over with-- but as Grammy would say, it will be what it will be....
She was able in the days before the internet (gasp), when interstate phone calls were still VERY expensive and usually done on a Sunday afternoon once a month (yes, really), and we wrote letters, that went by mail. From California (where my Dad was stationed in various places until he retired to Winnemucca, Nevada, except his 2 tours to Vietnam) it took about 2 1/2 weeks to get a letter to and back from Grammy. If I was having a problem with something, I could explain it to her, and she would send me back instructions to try and fix the problem. She was usually able to diagnose and send me the fix-it recipe the first time...and we didn't send pictures either very often, they were still expensive too...you know, you had to buy film, and then it had to get processed--and there was no such thing as 1 hour developing...
I am blessed that I can hand quilt still, it allows for a great depth of thought sometimes, pure sanity at others. I teach as many as I can, but I am working on my freehand machine quilting skills as there are some art quilts in me wanting to get out. I have seen marking on some of the fabrics as I quilt, that let me know she made a day dress from this floral material (the only time my Grandmother wore pants was to go fishing and to pick asparagus. Both of which we did in the Wabash River). She lived in Terre Haute, Indiana, and she did take me to fish and pick asparagus along the muddy Mississippi a couple of times (my dad was stationed in St Louis at the time.) I still love fried fish for breakfast.
My Grandmother was an amazing woman. I hope she is pleased with the woman that I have become.
This morning I woke early. My granddaughter who spent the night with us is still sleeping, so I decided to spend some time working on the hand quilting of the last quilt top that my Grammy made, while enjoying a quiet house and coffee. Just me and the cats.
As I was into the rhythm of the stitch, I realized again, just how much I have to be thankful to my Grammy for. She was a widow that kept a plumbing shop after her husband died, when it was "expected" that women would sell such a business. I would go to the shop with her sometime. In those days --tile and counter top samples were little chips about 3" X 3" I'm guessing from memory, on a bead chain. I got the old ones to play with.
My Grammy as some of my previous post have said, started me sewing when I was very little. But she taught me so much more. She taught me to have faith, to be humble, to be helpful, to give even if it meant you do without. To do what it takes to take care of your family. To be resilient, to face adversity, to know that the hard times won't last; although an 18 month stretch of unemployment has been quite the test of this faith, and one that I am quite ready to have over with-- but as Grammy would say, it will be what it will be....
She was able in the days before the internet (gasp), when interstate phone calls were still VERY expensive and usually done on a Sunday afternoon once a month (yes, really), and we wrote letters, that went by mail. From California (where my Dad was stationed in various places until he retired to Winnemucca, Nevada, except his 2 tours to Vietnam) it took about 2 1/2 weeks to get a letter to and back from Grammy. If I was having a problem with something, I could explain it to her, and she would send me back instructions to try and fix the problem. She was usually able to diagnose and send me the fix-it recipe the first time...and we didn't send pictures either very often, they were still expensive too...you know, you had to buy film, and then it had to get processed--and there was no such thing as 1 hour developing...
I am blessed that I can hand quilt still, it allows for a great depth of thought sometimes, pure sanity at others. I teach as many as I can, but I am working on my freehand machine quilting skills as there are some art quilts in me wanting to get out. I have seen marking on some of the fabrics as I quilt, that let me know she made a day dress from this floral material (the only time my Grandmother wore pants was to go fishing and to pick asparagus. Both of which we did in the Wabash River). She lived in Terre Haute, Indiana, and she did take me to fish and pick asparagus along the muddy Mississippi a couple of times (my dad was stationed in St Louis at the time.) I still love fried fish for breakfast.
My Grandmother was an amazing woman. I hope she is pleased with the woman that I have become.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)