Friday, July 18, 2014

Two overdue quilting projects

While I was away on vacation in June, the quilting guild I belong to had their last get together/pot luck dinner, prior to having the Summer off.   Those of you who have been following me know our guild makes quilts for the chemo patients at our local hospital.   Each month all members make a 12 1/2 inch block, in previously chosen colours.  Red and grey were the colours for the June meeting, however, life got in the way...again,  mine  did not get done until early this week.   Yesterday I delivered my overdue block......one down.

During the past year I have been working on a quilt for my youngest daughter and her husband.  The top and backing was also delivered yesterday to the long arm quilter....photo's when I get it back. two down.

Now those are out of my sewing room I have started on the quilt for daughter number one and her husband, and also planning on six.............yes six more.  

Let me explain.....  In 1998, daughter #2 and hubby adopted a baby from China, travelling with five other couples who were also picking up their babies.  Every year since '98 we, (I went to China with them) have been having a reunion, each family takes a turn in hosting and this year we go to Ottawa.  In 2015 it is my daughter's turn to host the reunion, at which time all of the girls will be 17 years old and thinking about furthering their education and starting to go their separate ways, and sadly these yearly get together's may be a thing of the past.  Over the years these girls and parents have been a support group for each other and they will miss these yearly reunions.   I know social media will allow them to be in contact with each other but..........I wanted them to have something they can touch....................So what does a quilter do...............she makes quilts, six quilts.

My idea....This year at the reunion, I am going to have all six girls write a short message and sign six blocks of white fabric, then over the next year I am going to make a quilt for each girl.  I am think of printing photo's from all of the reunions onto fabric and incorporating them into these quilts along with some Asian inspired fabric.    I am hoping it will be a nice surprise for all of them.    

What do you think?

Header photo is from  Yellowstone National Park,  if you ever get a chance to go, it is a fantastic experience.  Just knowing you are standing close to this hot ground just inches from bubbling mud and water heated from the earth's core is...........well, I can't find the words.

Have a great weekend,  just like all the weekends I now have, mine is going to be very busy, attending a music festival, an air show, and a family picnic.

Patricia

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Perfect day

Thursday morning, it is a beautiful sunny day, no humidity, laundry on the line and drying in a light breeze and later going out to lunch with a relative of my late husband, what could make this day any better

What could make this day any better?...................Last weekend I was given a container of miscellaneous unfinished craft projects.   These projects were started by a woman, who passed away before any of them could be completed.  In one of the bags I discovered flannel fabric cut and ready to sew into quilt for a child.  I knew then and there this fabric had to be sewn together and this project completed.   No pattern was included in the bag,  just a few hand written notes which indicated it should be a quilt as you go, rag quilt.  Not a fan of rag quilts, I decided to do a quilt as you go, but cover the seams,  I like tidy. 

What could make this day any better?...............The warm feeling I have knowing that this quilt is now finished and I will be giving it back to the person who gave me the container so it can be given to a child, maybe the child who it was intended to go to in the first place.  


Patricia

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Home safe and sound

I am now back home after having a wonderful two week vacation with the new man in my life. 

On our way to British Columbia to visit his brother,  we made stops in Yellowstone National Park, to see "Old Faithful" and all of the steaming ponds of boiling mud and water, quite an impressive place to visit. There were many interesting and amazing places we visited, I must say, for me this was the highlight of the trip.  We also visited the Badlands of South Dakota, getting up at 4:30 a.m. to see them during in the light of the sun rise, only to be disappointed, due to a layer of fog which seemed to come out of no where just as the sun came up.  Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse, the William F. Cody Museum, Custer State Park.  Sighting buffalo, elk, prairie dog, mule deer, pronghorns, burros, Coyotes and also black bear. The beautiful scenery of mountains and plains.  On June 21st, the first day of Summer, we drove to the top of one mountain, not a planned route,  (at the base of a mountain we had to make a decision, take a scenic route or highway #212, we took the highway, a mistake, no  the views were amazing) we drove though 10 foot snow drifts on each side of the road, the temp was 4*C and people were skiing, and snow began to fall as we began our decent. 

Heading north we crossed the border into B.C. visiting family, then on to Banff, Jasper, climbing to the base of a glacier and Lake Louise, before beginning our return journey to home.

After dodging heavy rain and forecasted tornadoes during the first days of our trip, we had beautiful weather for the remainder of our travels.

Back to reality, the garden needs weeding, and the lawn does need a trim and I need to make a block for our guild's June chemo quilt and also need to work on some UFO's.

Patricia