A Memory Quilt, Scrapbook-Style

Back in August of 2002 I set out to make my mother a special surprise for her 70th birthday, which was in June of the following year. I sent out letters to everyone in my Mom's address book asking for photos that I could borrow, short-term, the idea being that I would copy their pictures onto fabric transfer sheets and assemble them into a memory quilt for her; one that told the story of her life. It was to be a surprise. The response was phenomenal! 

Armed with these two items: a copy of Ami Simms' Creating Scrapbook Quilts, and a generous supply of Photos-to-Fabric sheets, I assembled collage style photo sheets and made numerous trips to Office Depot for the transfer process on their huge, stand-alone, copy machines. At that time, this product was the go-to for photo transferring. The results speak for themselves.

In these detail shots: my Mom, at age 5, at a Christmas party with friends in the late '90's, and Mom and me in 1954. Somewhere I have photos of her on her birthday, opening this big surprise (they're eluding me at present) but, needless to say, she was completely surprised and treasured this quilt for the last twenty-one and a half years. I brought it home; it will have a special place with me here now. The processes may have changed in the last two+ decades. Those transfer sheets are no longer available, I now find a similar product on line and print them at home on my own printer. The technique book, an excellent resource, is no longer being printed but you can purchase one here today. Also, all things considered, I would likely quilt this differently if I were making it again today. But, I'm not; and it's all good!

Their engagement photo,1951; 

my Mom and Dad were married over 72 years. 

💗

Life is Good!

Remembering the Good Times

I finished up this memory quilt for my SIL in time for Christmas. It's made up entirely of her husband's shirts, Dick passed away a year ago in September. I entitled it "Remembering the Good Times" and hope that she'll gain much comfort from wrapping up in it. 

Here it is loaded on the longarm; a solid combination of wool and flannel shirts, dress shirts, sport shirts, T-shirts and sweatshirts, this quilt has a certain heft to it; she'll stay nice and warm. 💗

Back in the fall, after I had deconstructed all of the shirts, someone found this bin to be a cozy place! (I can't remember if I had posted this pic before, Augie is a funny little pup! ) Anyway, I had already mailed the completed quilt off to her before we unexpectedly traveled north last week and, stopping by to visit her one afternoon, found the quilt occupying a place of honor on the back of her late husband's TV chair. She assured me that there are many good times contained in that quilt to remember! 💗 

Speaking of remembering good times: this was a spring afternoon at our home nine years ago when my parents were visiting. Mom and I had spent the day making pillowcases- eleven in all! She made sets and I made seasonal singles for each of the grandchildren plus one to donate. We loved spending time in the sewing room, stitching up a storm together. Back in those days we'd hop in the car and drive to Mary Jo's in Gastonia, NC to search for fabrics that we couldn't live without. Customarily, we'd stop and eat lunch at a Cracker Barrel restaurant on the way back home. We certainly had plenty of good times~ ones that I'll always remember, especially more precious today. 

Life is Good!

My Mom

This is my Mom. Through the years, not only did she occasionally appear in my blog posts, but she always enjoyed reading whatever struck my fancy to post about. If I hadn't posted in a while I'd hear about it. She was my most loyal reader until her diminishing eyesight prohibited her from reading entirely, several years ago. This year saw Mom facing one health crisis after the next. It seemed like she was always able to rally and fight her way back. In April she was given a choice of major surgery or only two weeks to live. She and my Dad discussed it and mutually decided on the latter, knowing that the surgery would be too much for her. Once again, she defied the prognosis and lived on; for eight more months. My Mom passed away ten days ago, she was 91. Knowing that the end was near, Mr. G and I jumped in the car and drove north. We arrived at her bedside where we were able to tell her that we loved her. She squeezed my hand. She knew. 💗 Christmas has come and gone. I felt like a robot yesterday, going through the motions. It's all settling in now; the new normal.

Here we are on a quilt shop excursion in Maine back in the fall of 2015. My Mom was also a quilter; she was always up for a shopping adventure and we went on many together! Over the next few days I'll share more happy memories, thanks for reading and coming along as I reminisce and begin to try putting the pieces of my heart back together. 

Life is Good!

Stitch By Stitch...

My last post was entitled "A Day at a Time", certainly days are rocketing by as the year end approaches but I struggle with a way to measure the passage of time in any concrete fashion; it's a seemingly elusive thing. Certainly I can look back at work that's been accomplished and recognize where time has been spent; perhaps quantifying it in stitches helps. I kind of like that! In the evenings over the last few months, stitch by stitch, I've completed "Strawberry Manor" by Theresa Kogut. I suppose I'll frame it eventually; but, for now, finished is good enough.  

Moving on, I've nearly completed this "Moonlit Garden" sampler from Blackbird Design's booklet "When Leaves Fall". I had a moment of panic the other day when I got this far and realized that I had used up all of the hand-dyed floss called for to complete the lettering on this one... with only two words to go! My panic was relieved at the discovery of not one, but TWO(!) skeins of this very color in and among my stored floss. Oh, happy day!! All my slow stitching happens in the evenings in front of the television. Stitching on 32 count linen in the dim light of our TV space had become increasingly challenging.  

That was, until I found the best solution! Along with my OTT floor lamp I found an LED magnifying light to place on the table beside my chair. It is absolutely and totally fantastic. 

This is the lamp from Amazon, I purchased it with some birthday money that my parents had sent to me. I called to thank them shortly after putting it into service and assured them that their gift is being used and appreciated more than they'll EVER know! I can't recommend this lamp highly enough. The base is heavy and substantial, it stays put even when the gooseneck is being flexed, pulled and contorted to the best viewing angle for me. It's also convertible to a floor lamp, if needed. All I can say is that this product is worth every penny! I could be a spokesperson for the company!! Ha! That's all for today, I've got two more words to stitch this evening; betcha can't guess what they are!😉

One day at a time, 

stitch by stitch,

and sew it goes...

(Hey, maybe those words should be stitched into a sampler!)

Life is Good!

One Day At A Time

Its been a while, I know that. Time marches on, one day at a time, and before you know it a month (or more) has passed! Suffice it to say that the days have been busy ones, and it's all good. I'm going to hit the highlights with loads of photos here, simply as a way to catch up. It's good to be back! Augie is now two years old! That hardly seems possible. He was proud to receive a blessing from Pastor at an outdoor service honoring St. Francis last month. 

The birthday boy with his new toys.

Augie isn't the only one celebrating; both Lucy Ann and Gregory have each recently observed their 14th birthdays!  Those of you who've been longtime readers will remember (seemingly not that long ago!) them as babies, see what I mean about time flying by and losing track as the days evaporate one into the next?

In the studio: a memory quilt for my SIL is s-l-o-w-l-y taking shape on the design wall, it's going to be made up entirely from her husband's shirts. I hope to have this one pieced, quilted and ready for Christmas.

My side-kick thinks that the bin of deconstructed shirt pieces is a comfy spot especially for him. 😬

Nope, I don't think so.

🎂

 I'd like to wish a special friend a very happy birthday today! 

She shared with me yesterday that she was born on the very day that 

Herbert Hoover was elected; here's hoping your day is a great one, Mary! 

Life is Good!

The Test of Time

Once a month, our church hosts a gathering for Young Women/Mothers to socialize, study God's word and enjoy snacks. I've been helping out with the children during these times (seriously believing that I get the best end of the deal!); playing games and supervising outdoor play. I've been digging deep into the game closet at home for new(!) different and exciting ways to occupy their time and satisfy their curiosity. Yesterday was the day; there were just two boys, brothers, 5 and 7 years old. I had brought two vintage games with me which were both a rousing success! The youngest especially loved Booby-Trap. The many-times-repaired outer boxes indicate that these particular games were manufactured in 1965; almost 60 years ago!  In these current days where smart technology moves at breakneck speed in an attempt to make our lives easier and more efficient there's really something quite affirming and heart-warming about the fact that children can still be entertained by simple games.

In fact, on the playground, later in the morning, 

these brothers reveled in collecting acorns together; 

certainly another activity that's survived the test of time!

You can't help but smile at that.

Life is Good!

Shining A Light

When I was a young girl I could do all sorts of things without switching on a light, or even thinking about doing so, and I remember both my Mom and Dad repeating the same warning:  "let's shed a little light on the subject, you don't want to strain your eyes." Today I am thankful for every. bit. of light I can get, the brighter the better! A few years ago a friend gave me this pair of lighted tweezers*. I kept them near the sewing machine, and the longarm, they've helped a LOT with removing a stray thread here, a glob of lint there, or even occasionally threading a needle. Yesterday I used them when I threaded the lower loopers of the serger; usually a difficult task it was made worlds easier with the addition of this super handy must-have tool with the built in LED light!

I've been using the serger more and more since I got it cleaned and tuned last year; that was the best money spent! I'm consistently edging my quilt tops before loading them onto the longarm now... 

...and finishing the edges of my cross-stitch linen. 

It's been worth every penny to have that little workhorse back up and running! 

Sometimes it's the little things that make the BIGGEST difference.

What's making your life easier these days?

Life is Good!

* If you're interested, I found that these are available on Amazon, marketed for cosmetic use, at the price of 3 for $8.99! Search "lighted tweezers", keep one and give two to your friends, they'll thank you!