I've just joined a new blog hop, beginning October 1.  Click on the tree above for more details.  Sign ups will go until August 17th and as always, the more the merrier!

I've never participated before, so don't be shy.  If I can do it, you can do it!  There's plenty of time to get a block or two pieced and then show it off to the blog hoppers.  Come on.... hop in!

I'm home from a delightful mini vacation with three of my dearest friends.  We've known each other for decades.... since high school and then roommates in college.  Many, many years of friendship.  We don't get to see each other as often as we would like.  You know how it goes, life gets in the way, schedules are full.  But when we do get together, the years and months apart melt away and we just have a wonderful time together.  Lots of giggles and laughter and just being ourselves with friends that we can be completely vulnerable with, knowing our backs will always be covered and there will be no judgment.

These ladies mean the world to me and I'm so grateful that we have maintained our bond for so many years.  I know we will be friends until (and then beyond) our dying days. 

Here's Cathy, Pat, and Sandy in front of Cathy's cottage.  Even sitting in the pontoon while tethered to the dock is so relaxing and rejuvenating.  I know that I certainly wanted this time away and it was just what I needed to lift my spirits.

So here's to priceless friendships..... lifelong friends....... memories from the past, present, and future...... to times with loved ones that will be cherished forever!

(Hey....I found my missing knitting needle at home in the office.  It never even made it to the trunk of the car!  And, of course, this was after I stopped and bought a new pair at Michaels. Hee-hee!)

 

Yes....... I've won another giveaway!  And no, these are not fat quarters, they are YARD cuts of fabric!  I won six yards of coordinating fabrics from Westminster Fibers, Inc.  This generous assortment is from the Free Spirit Fabric blog giveaway, featuring the Pretty Little Things collection of 24 fabrics.  You can click on these links and go to the site featuring all 24 fabrics.  They are bright and happy fabrics and winning them has made me very happy too!  (I'm not especially bright, just lucky!)

The wedding autograph blocks are humming along.  I've done 72 blocks so far and they are going together very quickly.  As you can see in the picture of four blocks above, I'm doing a simple 9-patch variation (I wanted the center of the block to be larger for more writing area) and alternating the two focal colors.  Half of the blocks will have green as the main color, half of the blocks will have brown as the main color.  By alternating the blocks, it makes a 2-color 4 patch where they are joined together in the center.

My eyes are a little crossed for today, so I'm calling it quits.  I'm hoping to have more time tomorrow for sewing and maybe (this is a big maybe) get all of the blocks completed.  We'll see!

A new project in the works.......

My sister Patti is getting married in October.  She and her fiance, David, already have about everything that they need, so gifting was a problem.  I decided to make them a wedding autograph quilt and asked Patti if she thought that would make a good gift.  She thought it was a great idea and I asked what colors she would like.  Green and brown.  I can go ahead and blog about this since it isn't a surprise.

Off to the quilt shop to buy fabric!  The fabrics above will make the entire top, which will consist of 100 blocks.  All batiks (and one Moda Marble) so that it won't be feminine.  Click on the photo for a closer look.  There will have to be some doubling up of signatures because I didn't want the quilt to be too huge.  (The last fabric on the left actually has a lot of green in it, although the picture only shows blue and brown from the way I folded it.)  From left to right...... the border fabric, the binding fabric, the center fabric which will be the autograph section, then the last two fabrics will make up the blocks along with the light colored center.  I didn't buy the backing yet, but with brown as the binding, I'll easily be able to find a nice green and brown backing fabric.

My block pattern is very simple so that I can get the blocks done fairly quickly.  I'll be able to rotary cut everything and chain sew the pieces. 

My plan is to get the blocks done as quickly as possible, iron freezer paper on the center autograph section to make signing  smoother, and mail the blocks to Patti.  They will not be sewn together into a top at this point to make signing them easier.  She could also mail some blocks out to people that won't be able to attend the wedding.  

My finished quilt gift will have to be belated, as I'll have to wait until the wedding is over and everyone has signed the blocks.  Then I'll sew them together......quilt them...... and give them their "official" gift.  Sounds easy enough......right?!  ;)  We'll see how it goes!

This came in the mail today, sent by my vet's office.  It's a hardened clay imprint of Gracie's footprint and her name.  I thought it was really sweet of them to send this, along with a nice note of condolence.

And here is July's BOM from the Fat Quarter Shop.  Just like last month, there is ample fabric left over to make another block of my own design or choice.  I'll tackle that another day.

It is with great sadness that I post about the passing of my beloved cat and namesake of this blog, Gracie Lee. 

You know how much my cats mean to me..... they are valued members of my family.  I've never really blogged about Gracie's health issues, but she has been a diabetic for the past four years.  She required insulin shots every 12 hours, 365 days a year.  Her personality was such that she took this in complete stride, even coming out to the kitchen (without prompting) to get her shots at the proper time.  She was quite a trooper with a fairly accurate inner timer.  I admired her wonderful attitude and sweet disposition.

Her death was not caused by the diabetes, but by some sort of throat, esophageal, or vocal chord cancer.  She was only 15, but being a senior diabetic did not make her a good candidate for surgery or extensive treatment.  It was in her best interest to let her go.

My life has changed drastically and Gracie is missed terribly.  Oliver is doing his best to carry on, but it is evident that he is also missing Gracie.  They were the best of friends for 15 years and it is going to take some time for both of us to adjust. 

So here's to Gracie, my dear, loyal friend.  May you rest in peace.  I thank God for bringing you into my home.  I am blessed for having you in my life, albeit way too short, and you will always hold a special place in my heart.  Godspeed to you!

Found this on Facebook and thought it was cute.  It is so dry and crispy around here that we won't be able to recover this year, even if we do get rain...... too much of a water deficit. 

There is one thing good about this drought.......very little yard mowing! 

***Please be careful and respect the laws in your area.  It is illegal to shoot off any fireworks in Allen County in Indiana due to the drought.  Please, please don't start any unnecessary fires.  Be smart and be safe!***

Horrible wind storms hit my city and neighborhood last Friday leaving a wake of destruction.  This shot is very near my house and there are plenty more pictures all around that have a similar scene.  You can't drive down many streets that don't have some damage.  Thankfully, no one was killed, only cuts and bruises from falling limbs.  Even homes that were completely destroyed did not injure anyone severely.

The winds were 91 miles an hour and the debris (limbs, trash, leaves, shingles, and branches, etc.) absolutely filled the air.  I was outside, trying to drag my recycle bin back to my yard and realized I needed to sacrifice my bin and get myself back in the house.  It was all I could do to get my door open with the force of the wind oposing me.  I gathered my cats... one was busy looking out the window trying to grab at the things floating by....... kind of like the Wizard of Oz scene minus the witch on the bicycle!  I finally got both of them corraled and we waited things out in the bathroom (my only room without a window) until things got quiet.  I've only headed to the bathroom twice in my life for shelter and this time I was really afraid for my safety. 

I was very lucky.  I don't have any trees in my yard, but had lots of branches and twigs from neighboring trees littering my yard afterwards.  It took me about an hour to clean things up.  I only lost power shortly, although my transformer was hit.  Still today, there are downed, live wires on my garage, in the alley, and draped around my neighbor's cars.  My other neighbor took a stick and moved one of the wires so that I could get my car out of the garage.  From my transformer, only two of us have electricity.....I'm so very grateful!  The electric company says it may be as late as midnight Wednesday before all homes will be restored.  118,000 lost their power, 74,000 still remain without power.   And to top it all off, we have been having weather temps in the high 90's with 100's on the way. 

Many businesses are without power too and today we had several churches join my church for services because they were without power.  We are also hosting one of the children's homes and letting them "camp" out in the church until their power is restored.  Shelters are open throughout the city where people can stay or just come in for cooling.  

It will be a long clean up but things will be back to normal in a few weeks.  Again, I feel so blessed to have had little damage or inconvenience.  And as frightening as it was, it was also absolutely beautiful and mesmerizing to see and feel the force of nature.  Such amazing, raw power! 

(More storms are due this afternoon and I'm praying that it won't do further damage!) 

*Edited to say that the storms passed by without causing any further trouble.  The news says it will take until September to complete the clean up.....much worse than I thought.  According to the firemen in my backyard this afternoon, I may still loose power for a few days while repairs are being made.  But......so far, so good!*

You knew that I couldn't let that extra fabric from the BOM series just sit there!  I went ahead and made this block, taking a chance that it will fit with the blocks to come.  I don't anticipate a problem.  And believe it or not, there is enough fabric left to make a third block.  I don't have many big pieces left and would have to kind of build a block from the center out.  Very generous BOM from the Fat Quarter Shop!

Just finished Block #1 from the Designer Mystery Block of the Month series from the Fat Quarter Shop.  (See last post.) I was very impressed with the clear, easy to follow instructions as well as PLENTY of fabric to work with.  I've joined other BOM's where you are given exactly the right amount of fabric with absolutely no room for errors.  With this BOM, I easily have enough fabric leftover to make another block.  It just takes the stress off of making a silly mistake and having to buy extra fabric to finish a block. 

I was going to go ahead and make a second block using a different pattern of my own choice, but I think I'll hold off until I see what kind of blocks we'll be making.  I want whatever I make to blend in with the rest.

And now I wait for the next block to arrive in July........



Mail Call!! 

I just received Block #1 in the 2012 Designer Mystery Block of the Month kit!

This block of the month series is sponsored by the Fat Quarter Shop and features the Moda fabric line, Vintage Modern.  Go to the link and select "Clubs and Programs" to see this BOM as well as several other BOM series.

This particular BOM is for 12 months.  It's called a "mystery" because you do not know what the block will be each month until you receive it.  Each block is designed by a different quilt artist and I'm sure that I'll just love all of the blocks!  The fabric is wonderful too, very bright and cheerful.  The kit contains the needed fabric and a pattern with detailed instructions.  The first month also included a bonus of a 2 1/2" charm pack.

It's not too late to join this BOM.  As long as there are openings, they will accept more people.  I hope you'll join me each month!  I love having a small project that gives me a sense of completion while I'm struggling away on those larger projects.  Can't wait to cut into this fabric!

Remembering...........

with utmost respect and gratefulness.

Here's something a little different for me.  My sister, Patti, asked me to make a stuffed elephant for her to give to a friend after the birth of her baby in early June.  The baby's room has an elephant theme, using gray and yellow.

 Here's the elephant.  He's made entirely out of fleece.  The yellow on his chest/tummy is a heart.  I had to sew it on the fabric before it was sewn together so it's a bit low. 

And here's his tail.  It's not like a normal, thin elephant tail, but I needed to write "You are my sunshine" on it and that meant it had to be a bit wide.  It still looks OK in person. 

I pray that the delivery goes well, the baby is healthy and strong.....and that the elephant will bring joy to both Mom and Baby!

Here's a recent project that was a birthday gift for Kathy.  I love these little table holders and all of the quick quilts you can make for display.  The cake is simple enough for any celebration, not just birthdays.

And here's a close up.  (There is no yellowing....not sure why it looks this way.)  I'm still playing it safe with  simple stippling quilting, but it does the job.

Another giveaway....... another win!  I was actually doubly lucky on this one, as the person that won this pin cushion did not claim it and I won the second time it was offered.  I guess it was meant to be mine!

This is one pin cushion, showing the front and back side.  I won this from Carol, who makes the most wonderful, bright, quirky kinds of quilts and other items.  Check out her blog to see some of her creative works.

The pin cushion is machine and hand embellished to make it pop.  Lots of french knots surround the flower.  It also has a tiny, piped edge to finish it off so neatly.  Carol stuffed it with walnut shells, which makes it feel very substantial and is supposed to be good for your needles.  (However, I think I'm going to have a hard time sticking it with pins...... it's just so cute!)

Thank you, Carol, for this wonderful little work of art!  I love it and my pins will too!

As a young girl of babysitting age, two of the girls that I sat for always surprised me with some fresh flowers on my doorstep on May Day.  They would ring the doorbell and run to hide around the side of the house.  I could always hear them giggling, but would act surprised and look around to see who could have left such a nice gift.  Even at my young age, I really appreciated their sweet act of kindness.  (Thank you, Carla and Beth, where ever you may be!)

May 1st is also Gracie's (my sweet cat) birthday.  Not sure this is the actual day, but it was the vet's best guess when she first entered my life and it's the date I have honored for 15 years.  Happy Birthday, Gracie!

It's been awhile since I've won any give-a-way goodies and today's mail contained a jackpot!

I entered a give-a-way on Amy Bradley Designs web site (specifically on her blog) and look what I won.  A T-shirt, a quilter notepad, quilters note cards, and a Quilt Diva Pin!  Amy Bradley is one of my favorite designers.......I feel like the things she designs are things that are running around in my brain but I'm not talented enough to express them and get them out of my head.  Check out her web site for her fabrics, patterns, and goodies.  She has the best sense of humor and her designs reflect her quirkiness!

Thank you so much for a wonderful array of fun quilting goodies!  I love them all!

I'm helping my friend, Joyce, make a charity quilt.  I'll post more details at some time in the future.  Anyway, she wanted me to make border blocks and gave me some yardage of the fabrics that she's using in the main blocks.  I was to make the border blocks 12 1/2" x 6 1/2" and make them anyway I wanted using only the fabrics she gave me.  I made 26 total blocks, two of each design.  One of the blocks isn't in the pictures simply because it looked lonely all by itself.  ;)

Two of each were made- (only one of each is pictured);

Two of each were made- (only one of each is pictured);

You'll notice that several of the blocks are two-6" blocks joined side by side.

Someday I'll have a picture of the full quilt and the details

 of the quilt.  (This may be quite awhile!)

My Christmas cactus is a late bloomer!  This was taken last week and many more buds and blooms have appeared since.  I'm not the only one experiencing "St. Patrick's Day" cacti instead of Christmas cacti.  Many bloggers that I follow have cacti that are in full bloom right now so I can't give myself any credit for having a green thumb.  No matter what, I'm enjoying the beautiful blooms in March!

I mowed my yard yesterday!  March....in Indiana....never, ever, ever have I mowed in March.  I still have lots of yard work to do....all of that spring clean up and trimming.  I feel like I'm behind because of all of the warm weather this past month and I have to remind myself that it's ONLY March and I'm way ahead of schedule.  I'm hoping for snow in August or September to shorten my yard work season!

My Wonky neighborhood arrived today!  Everyone made 12-12 1/2" wonky house blocks, one to keep and 11 to swap with 11 other participants.  Here are the eleven blocks that I received and the one that I made (second picture, yellow house, upper right).  Sorry about the blurry shots....

I've got a few blocks to show you today that will be going to The Gathering of Quilters on March 17th in Auburn, Indiana.  Details can be found at the link and it's not too late to plan on attending.  The featured speaker will be Edyta Sitar.

One of the optional activities is to bring a 12" block or a 6" block that contains green (March 17th is Saint Patrick's Day).  Each block that you make gives you a chance to win a group of blocks.  In other words, bringing a block does not mean you will take home a block in exchange, (you probably won't take any blocks home) it just gives you the chance to win several blocks that have been put together for a drawing.  

The first two blocks are 12 1/2".

The second two are 6 1/2" blocks.

I used the same pattern for three of the blocks, a windmill pattern, and the other block was a leftover block from a BOM series from a couple of years ago. 

It would sure be great to win some blocks, but I know that the best part will be a day spent with my quilting friends!

I recently came across a picture of a looped pot holder on Pinterest and just had to pin it.  I used to love to make these pot holders and I remember Mom having a kitchen drawer full of them.  So anyway, I was at Joann Fabrics the other day and the kids crafts were on sale.  I saw this pot holder kit and the price on sale was around $4.00.  Not bad for a little reminiscing pleasure.

Here's the kit.  It came with the plastic loom, crochet hook, and the fabric loops.  The loops seem to be made of a hosiery type of fabric, like sliced, colored stockings.

Here it is.....warped.  I'm not sure if I can call it weft too since you don't use a continuous thread through the warped loops.  Weft may just mean crosswise and not have to be continuous.  Hmmmmm....  (Never mind if you aren't familiar with setting up a loom.)

And here's the finished pot holder.  It came out about 4 1/2" square.  (It really is square, even though it looks wonky.)  It was really fun to make this and well worth the $4.00.  The kit included enough loops to make two pot holders, but the quality of the loops varied greatly.  I was unable to use the white ones at all because they were so thin and long.  I actually made a pot holder using them and took it apart because it look pitiful. 

It was fun to make a craft I used to make decades ago in grade school.  I may have to pick up some more loops to make a few more.  It's fun being a kid again!

Indiana......February......Circa 2012........

IMHO, this is just wrong.  I'm a winter lover and there have only been a few days that I would call wintry.  We've had very little snow followed each time by warm, thawing weather.....even the crocuses are confused.  They started coming up in December and after each snowfall melts, I see that they continue to grow taller.  Oh well.  I can't control the weather and it's been easy on my back to let the sun do most of my snow removal.  Maybe next year will be white, bright, and snowy!

Here's a recently finished quilt for the Linus Project.  I've had the fabric for quite some time and finally made the quilt.  I had a motive for getting it done...... Edwards, a local fabric shop, enticed me to get it finished in order to be eligible for a drawing for a new sewing machine and several other door prizes.  The "admission price" was a finished quilt to donate to our local Linus chapter.  Talk about motivation!

I did my "signature" wave quilting pattern.  It's just so easy and I've never had any trouble with bunching up.  It's not very fancy, but it gets the job done fairly neatly.

Here's a folded over shot of the back, which used the same focal fabric as the front.

And, no, they didn't draw my name.  The real winner was Project Linus, which received over 180 quilts that day.  These quilts will bring a smile to lots of faces!  Be sure to check for Linus chapters in your area...... many children will be thankful for your donations.

This poem was written by Stephanie Husted

Somewhere
Somewhere...someplace... today...
A family is waiting to hear...
Is something wrong with their baby?
The answers aren't quite clear...
This family has entered an unwanted world...
And they just don't know what to expect...
Somewhere...someplace... today
They first heard the words: heart defect.
And how they hoped this was not true...
And thought... this cannot be...
I too... know just how this feels...
For one day...this was me.
Somewhere...someplace...today...
A man and a woman embrace...
Their baby is in surgery...
They long to see her face...
They haven't got to hold her yet...
Without...a cord or line...
They pace the room awaiting news...
And hope she'll be just fine.
Prayers fill this busy waiting room...
And mom and dad are scared...
Somewhere...someplace..today...
The tiniest hearts are repaired.
Somewhere...someplace...today...
A child's growing fast...
Smiling,laughing,thriving...
His mom thinks...can this last?
It's almost easy...to forget...
That anything is wrong...
Somewhere...someplace..today...
Her child seems so strong.
Somewhere...someplace... today...
A little boy fights...just to live
A father holds his tiny hand...
His love...all he can give...
The doctor's are all baffled...
They fear that he might die...
Somewhere...someplace...today...
A family says goodbye...
Somewhere...someplace...each year..
More than 40,000 families will see...
What it means...when something's wrong...
They'll face a CHD.
Today...for just a moment...
Stop...remember...reflect...
Make time to tell someone you know...
"I've been changed by a heart defect".
Some bonds cannot be understood...
Unless you have walked them before...
A path that I would not have chosen...
A future I just can't ignore.
We've all watched our children intently...
Memorizing each line...
And let them leave our loving arms...
And prayed things would be fine.
We've paced the halls awaiting news...
And wondered just what lie in store...
We've felt our own heart's racing as...
We walked through an ICU door...
We've seen the child we love so much...
Struggling to overcome...
The lines...the cords....the monitors...
No thoughts...no words...would come...
We've prayed for an improvement...
We've laid it in God's hands..
We've cried...we've hoped...we've worried...
We've wondered of God's plans.
We've learned just how a heart works...
Each valve and artery...
We've asked a lot of questions...
We've faced each surgery.
And somewhere down this well worn path...
We've met more families...
Who know exactly what it means...
To live with this disease.
We've smiled at every triumph...
And shared in every sigh...
We've prayed for a child that struggles...
And each family that must say goodbye.
Some battles are fought with bullets...
And weapons made for war...
While these are fought in silence...
Behind a hospital door...
We've wondered what lies in our future...
We've been thankful for just one more day...
We've stopped and watched with tear-filled eyes...
Our children...as they play.
We've struggled with ounces and weight gain...
Why won't my child just eat?
But heart mom's ...we're a tough group...
We've learned how to face a defeat.
We've faced those moments...others do...
When life has got us stressed...
But it doesn't take long to remember...
That we are richly blessed.
We've taken on a whole new role...
One we we wouldn't exchange if we could...
We know that life is difficult...
We hold onto all that is good.
God chose each of us carefully...
I do believe he smiled...
Some bonds begin with strangers...
And just one special child.



One in one hundred children will have some sort of heart defect.  Heart disease is not just for adults.  Please pray for continuing research and funding to help more and more of these children survive.

This post is dedicated to little Madison who, at 9 months, is an inspiration to me in strength, bravery, hope, and fortitude.

My 12 Wonky House Swap Blocks are all finished!  Because no one will receive more than one of my blocks, it wasn't necessary to make them different.  Many of the swappers are doing just that....making 12 different blocks.....but due to time and not wanting to get overwhelmed, I chose to make the same basic block.  They all ended up being squared up a bit differently, just due to the construction.....more sky....less sky......more ground.....less ground....more to the right....more to the left.  A few of the roofs are different and a few of the ground fabrics are different.

I just need to sign my siggy blocks and get them all in the mail next week.  I won't receive my swap partners blocks until mid March-ish and I'll post them when they arrive.  I can't wait to see all of the different wonky houses!

Along with 12 Wonky House Blocks, we are to make 12 signature blocks to enclose with each house block.  I made these last night and just need to sign them.  They are 5" square.  It was nice to have a quick project to work on and complete in just 30 minutes.  Now, I must get back to house construction....

I'm finally able to reveal another Christmas project.  It arrived last night and now I can show some photos.

This wall hanging was made for my SIL, Patti, who went on an African mission trip last summer.  I wanted to make something that would bring back memories of her trip.  First of all, this is not my design.  It was made from a pattern called "My Favorite Earrings!" by Sandy Fitzpatrick.  The only change that I made to the pattern was to reduce the pattern pieces.  The hanging was supposed to measure 40" x 43" and mine ended up measuring 22" x 38".  I figured it would still be plenty large at this smaller size....and....what if she didn't like it.....I didn't want it to be too overwhelming.  Here's the full wall hanging.

It was fun to pick out all of the batik fabrics for this hanging.  Many of the fabrics came from my stash.  I did have to buy the background and the backing (same fabric).  None of these pictures show much of the quilting.  The entire brown background was stippled and the bright border just has straight stitching lines, about 1/2" (or less) apart.  All of the applique pieces were fused and stitched with a narrow zigzag stitch.  The small lines on the butterflies were hand back stitched.

So that's it for Christmas 2011.  I suppose I'd better get moving on Christmas 2012!

I've been working on my Wonky House Block exchange and I'm finding it to be quite challenging.  I started out with paper piecing, but found it wasted too much fabric because of all of the angles.  You paper piecers will understand this issue.  Anyway, I switched to a template method.  I cut most of my pieces larger than the templates and it went together fairly well.  I knew that I could trim it down to 12 1/2" if it turned out too large.  Being "wonky", the rules of normal quilt block construction just don't apply which is a saving grace.  Accuracy, as such,  is not as important as regular piecing.  No points to match, etc.  Here's everything cut out and ready to sew.  I had the first two rows pieced before I realized that I wanted to take a before picture.

This is the finished block, trimmed down to 12 1/2".  I may switch a few of the fabrics on some of the next blocks.....I have eleven more blocks to make....but they will all be similar to this one.  It all depends on how much of the same fabric that I have.  For instance, I know I don't have enough roof fabric to make 11 more roofs with this fabric.  I'll just "build" one house at a time and see how they turn out.