Fiddle Sticks

I've been busy the last few days quilting up a few quilt tops for a friend, they were donated to her Quilt Ministry. They are both wonderful, scrappy quilts; my favorite kind! The first one is bright and spring-like in its coloration. Working on it was like a ray of warm sunshine. (Something that has been desperately needed in our neck of the gloomy, rainy woods lately). My friend told me that this one would go to a lady from her church who's a shut-in, she's very spunky and positive.

This is the quilt, my friend included a hot pink flannel backing and I thought that hot pink quilting thread might add a bit more "punch" to the overall look; I believe it will fit a spunky and positive lady!

The next quilt, below, is to go to a home bound gentleman. 

Here it is, before, during and after quilting. I used a pantograph called "Calm Water" by Anne Bright in a sand-colored thread. I'm inspired by this quilt design; all of the "bricks" are 2" X 6", the inner border is 4", the brick off-sets are all 2" squares and the corner squares are 6". I drafted up the design in EQ (above, left), so that I wouldn't forget, and named it "Fiddle Sticks". Guess which bin of precut scraps I'll be raiding next? My friend's Quilt Ministry is blessed, indeed, to have some fine piecers in their group. 

I began quilting on my own Star Flowers low volume quilt yesterday. The sun has returned and the days have warmed up nicely, such a change from the cold rain that we've been plagued with for weeks on end. That didn't stop me from quilting "Puddles" though. This is a new (to me) pantograph, I love the effect.

Life is Good! 

Lucky 13

Can you imagine, in your wildest dream, being given thirteen quilt tops that are masterfully and beautifully designed and stitched? It's hard to believe, but this is the gift recently received by our Quilt Ministry! One of our members brought these to us after visiting with her parents in Minnesota. Her Mom and Dad are former longarmers; they've given that up due to the physical strain associated with loading and unloading quilts, they are of advanced age and simply couldn't do that anymore. Her mother, however, cannot stop piecing quilt tops... and, so, we are the beneficiaries of her talented hands and generous heart! It just doesn't get any better than this. Quilt dreams really do come true.

Life is Good!

This, That and The Other Thing

Warning: this post is a compilation of complete and total randomness.

There's been a lot going on lately... not any one big thing in particular, just this, that and the other thing.

This picture now greets me every morning when I enter the kitchen, it makes my heart smile. Ever since I've known my husband and his family this has hung in his mother's kitchen. She took it off the wall recently, wrapped it up and gave it to me. She knew how much I had always admired it. It's true, I always have. While it makes me sad that she is beginning to give away her possessions, I am grateful that she is able to delight in placing her items in the hands of those who will treasure them always, that is a blessing.

I spotted this product at the grocery store recently.  So now there's a dryer sheet especially "for men and those who smell them"? Why, I ask. Is Outdoor Fresh not manly enough anymore?

We concluded another successful Quilt Ministry year, we're off for the summer months and will resume our weekly meetings again after Labor Day. This was the last quilt we finished, it was a retirement gift for the outgoing Bishop of the NC Synod of the ELCA; from all reports it was warmly received.

 On the home front: quilting progress is being made on this small quilt for my mother, she purchased it as a top a few years ago at a yard sale and only recently discovered it in an all but forgotten box.

She plans to use it as a seasonal table topper.

Mason helped to design this T-shirt for himself last weekend, after the bridge building was completed. He chose the fabrics for the appliques and the size of the camper. He stood right by my side as I stitched and was delighted with the results... is that not the face of one happy camper?

I finished this book over the past weekend, in all honesty I couldn't put it down. 

If you haven't read it I think you should... it will change you. In a good way.

We attended a funeral yesterday; one for the precious daddy of a dear friend. 

Something that the Pastor said resonated with me: "in reality we all write our own eulogies".

Hmmmm... that we do. One. Day. At. A. Time.

I was sitting in the car waiting for my husband to come out of a fastener store the other day (screws, nails, bolts, etc.); now you know why I didn't accompany him inside. The sun was beating through the window onto my arm and I noticed, for the first time, that my skin had sparkles on it! Okay, I doctored this photo a bit w/ Picmonkey so you'd get the idea. I suppose the sparkles come from my Jergens body lotion, that's all that is on my skin other than soap and water! It's just regular, original Jergens too, no tanner, firmer, healer or other enhancements contained. I've used this product for years and never noticed sparkles before. I suppose there must be some talc or other mineral in the composition of the lotion; enough to make me sparkle in the sunshine. To be honest I'm not really sure how I feel about this.

I'll be back; with more structure, content and regularity...  you can count on it.

In the meantime, it's just been this that and the other thing.

Life is Good!

 

Fit To Be Tied

Graduation quilts; stitched, layered and awaiting tying.

It's that time of year again... graduation is just around the corner.  Our Quilt Ministry has been bestowing quilts upon our church's high school graduates every year since 2009. This year it is a smaller-than-average class, only six graduates. We've fine-tuned the process over the years, and have settled on creating quilts that reflect the school colors of their intended college destinations, whenever possible. Because those decisions aren't always made early, we (the quilters) are typically scrambling at the last minute to get them ready before Youth Sunday and the beautiful service of presentation. It's always worth the effort. Our quilts are unique, based solely on the inventory in our closet. Seven years ago we were gifted with a truckload of solid broadcloth fabric samples, I'm not certain of the origin of the samples; they're all rectangular and sorted by color name and number. We determined, early on, that we could trim each sample piece to a consistent 23" X 13" rectangle, and, using twelve rectangles, we could assemble a generous sized throw (50" X 66"). The quilts today still reflect that original stitch, slash and shuffle  method; each one is backed with polar fleece and machine embroidered with our church logo. They are gifts we're proud to offer; and, I dare say, that our graduates are happy to receive as a token of love from their congregation. May these quilts offer warmth and comfort to this year's graduates as they venture out and make their own way in the world, always remembering their church family back home.

Life is Good!

Loving Hearts and Hands

Our church's Quilt Ministry gathered here yesterday for the fourteenth time to celebrate with food and fellowship at Christmastime, all served up over piping hot tea. Four of us pictured above have been a part of the group from the beginning. I was able to share history and some fun facts about the Quilt Ministry with everyone before we ate yesterday, having recently found the original sign-in sheet that included an early summary of the group's accomplishments.  Our Quilt Ministry began meeting on January 25, 2001, the average attendance back then was between 9 and 10. By April of that year we had completed, and gifted, eleven quilts; at that time we worked where we could find the space and begged for, borrowed and/or shared storage area for our (then) meager supplies. Fast forward to now: the average attendance is about the same, and these ladies with their loving hearts and hands have completed somewhere in the neighborhood of 700 quilts! We now have a dedicated work space and two large closets (holding a treasure trove of donated supplies) from which we operate on a weekly basis. Some of the names and faces may have changed throughout the years, we mourn the loss of a few dear friends and warmly welcome new ones; through it all the mission and purpose has remained the same: to make and give away quilts that will warm bodies and souls. At Christmastime we pause, reflect and give thanks; we're carrying on a tradition...oh, and we drink tea!

Life is Good!

Quilts For Tanzania

Our Quilt Ministry with some of the quilts bound for Tanzania

Our Quilt Ministry is busy making quilts for children in Tanzania. These quilts will be hand delivered to an orphanage by some of the youth from our congregation who will travel there, with adult advisors, at the end of June. It is a great opportunity for all involved... and as far as our Quilt Ministry is concerned: we never miss an opportunity to wrap someone, anywhere in the world, in the love that only a quilt can provide!

Life is Good!

"Turtle" Blessings

Billie and "friends"

Meet my friend, Billie. I've been privileged by the friendship of this dear lady since 1975 when I became a member of our church as a young bride. She took me under her wing and introduced me around, we've been friends ever since; she is living model of Christian faith and love.  Billie was my husband's Sunday School teacher when he was a young boy; later on she taught our own children in that same Sunday School program when they were three year olds, she watched them grow and, a few years back, attended each of their weddings! One thing that Billie has always loved (as much as children) is turtles; she's received many as gifts from friends and family and, over time, has accumulated every type of turtle figurine and motif, her is collection vast!  From a very young age our son began calling this friend of mine, his Sunday School teacher, "Ms. Turtle"; he couldn't pronounce her real name... as time progressed his title for her shortened, simply to "Turtle." That was just fine with her!  On Thursday I hosted the Quilt Ministry Potluck Picnic at our home. Billie, of course, came bearing a covered dish which I expected; but, what I didn't expect was a box full of carefully wrapped turtles from her collection... she wanted us all to take one as a special gift from her! She had already given our grandchildren some of her own turtle ornaments at Christmastime for their trees; I was surprised and saddened to think of her giving away what has always been so precious to her. The turtles were a big hit; everyone selected one as a special souvenir from Billie. After our picnic concluded I followed my friend to her car to say good-bye before she drove off. I told her how sad this turtle "give-away" of hers made me. She gave me a tight hug and a huge smile. "Don't be" she replied "it gives me great joy to know my friends will keep them for me."  I can't be sad now, not after that!  I have a new friend in the studio today, I learned that this bright little friend came all the way from Russia! I will take good care of her; I've named her BJ for "Billie's Joy."  How could I do anything else? Not that I need a physical souvenir to remember my special friend, I've been showered with constant "Turtle" blessings for, oh, let me see... almost the last 39 years!

BJ

Life is Good!

Bye-bye, Sundance!

Sundance has left the building; not to worry, it's all good! There are changes afoot at The Strawberry Patch, stay tuned for further updates. Sundance has served me faithfully and well for the last six years; I had the unique opportunity to sell her, locally, to a phenomenal sit-down quilter who is ready to take to her feet and expand her own quilting horizons, I am so happy for Laura. I hope Sundance is enjoying the rest today, even though disassambled, she won't be collecting one bit of dust at her new home... she'll be busier than ever!

 I've been busily preparing graduation quilts for tying by the Quilt Ministry. Working in small batches, four were ready this past week. My part of readying them is to cut the fleece backs to size, embroider the church logo onto the backing and then layer them with the batting. I stitch through all three layers (envelope style) before turning them right side out and top-stitching the edges all around. There's a lot of crawling around on the floor during these various stages, I like to think of this as my new daily work-out. Whew! We did some recent calculations and figured that, counting this year, we've sewn up eighty of these quilts to present to our congregation's high school graduates; we began with the class of 2009, what a meaningful tradition this has become!

I'm happy today... as happy as if I had just opened a case full

 of "Christmas Morning"!  Oh wait, that's exactly what I did...

Life is Good!

Twelve, And Counting...

It's that time of year again.  As graduations approach our Quilt Ministry gets busy assembling quilt tops for our high school graduates, fourteen in this graduating class; which means, I have twelve more to go. We've done the same style over the last six years: twelve large, solid color, rectangles pieced together and then recut and sewn back together in a fashion that yields a quilt top measuring 50" X 66", looking like this:

We back each one of the quilts with fleece, in a coordinating color, onto which I embroider our church logo, (see how important it was for me to locate that dongle?!) before they're returned to church for tying and tagging; these will  be presented on Youth Sunday in mid-May. When we know of a student's college of choice, with enough lead time, we make every attempt to match their quilt with that school's colors. The reason for the use of solid colors and this piecing scheme is no accident. Right before we began the graduation quilt project a small truckload of fabric samples was donated to our Quilt Ministry, these samples consisted entirely of heavyweight broadcloth in every color and shade imaginable; they were roughly cut into rectangles approximately 14" X 24" inches. We began using those, trimming them to an even 13" X 23" for consistency, and went from there; our pattern was developed based on what we had available. On this, the sixth year of using up these sample pieces, we are making a dent in that stash but it continues to yield what we need, with leftovers, certainly this has proved to be a "loaves and fishes" donation!  Working on quilt tops of that dimension with only twenty four pieces is the exact opposite of my current WIP*. As I plug away on "Mountain Day" (Twelve pieces in each six inch block) I have discovered this to be the perfect Leader-Ender project as I stitch on other projects, with deadlines, that rank a bit higher on the priority list.

"Mountain Day" (currently measuring 60" X 60", to be 60" X 84" at completion)
Right now, at this stage, there are twelve hundred pieces in the top.

Twelve is the word of the day, which reminds me of a cute story that I heard from a friend: she was buying eggs in the grocery store and had opened the carton to wiggle each one as a way of determining if any were cracked and stuck to the bottom of the carton. She noticed a young boy quietly watching her as she fingered each egg in it's little individual compartment; when she paused and looked up at him in acknowledgement, he said: "there are twelve" she smiled, and he added: "in each box!"

Life is Good!

*WIP- Work In Progress

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

There's a certain urgency about those last, waning days of summer. As Labor Day approached and that fall calendar loomed there seemed to be a much more deliberate effort, on my part, to make every last summer minute count for something! Maybe it's a throw-back to those inevitable "how I spent my summer vacation" assignments of days gone by, or maybe it's that recognized realization that at this time of year, when school begins again, there's that "starting over" opportunity.

Whatever it is, there's been a surge of activity around here resulting in projects seeing new beginnings. One such project is really three in one. The strip pieced quilt blocks (above) and the tumbler pieces (right) are combining to become Chicken Soup quilts #1 and #2 for gift giving at Christmas. This summer I amassed a very healthy low volume fabric collection. I ended up with enough fat quarters to begin construction of not only these two (in the 60" X 80" size range) but also had sufficient leftover scraps for three hundred 60 degree diamonds to stich up this, a keeper quilt too! By the way: cutting all those strips and diamonds took days to for me accomplish, while cutting the 400+  tumbler shapes took about one hour with the Accquilt cutter! Take a look at that little hen piece and the words "she quietly chuckled" printed below, my feelings exactly about using the ever-efficient die cutter! Directions for that Sunday Morning strip-pieced quilt mention acheiving a random look by throwing all the strips into a brown paper bag, and mixing them up well, and simply grabbing them out one at a time for stitching together in that fashion. Well, I'm here to tell you, that random isn't easy for this quilter! I do love the results but I find myself second guessing every single selection!

The dining room table continues to hold the photo archives, what a major project this has become! Each photo triggers a memory and it has taken much fortitude to avoid repeated trips down memory lane and stick to the path of organization. The piles grow taller as the identification and documentation, year by year, goes on. I recently saw some first day of school photos on Facebook with kiddos cleverly holding large ordinal numbers displaying their school grade. Oh, how I wish I had done something similar when our children were younger! I have many "1st day" photographs that are undated and struggle to differentiate third grade from fourth or even fifth! Sigh. The urgency behind completing this project has become the fact that I can't clean any of this up until the task is done; setting this up front and center in our home was the best idea, there's no avoiding this responsibility anymore once it's spread out before me!

That looming fall calendar that I mentioned above signals the return of Quilt Ministry on Thursday mornings at church. The stewardship committee has requested tri-fold information boards from each standing committee and ministry to be on display as part of this years Stewardship Fair for their Every Member Response campaign. I began on Saturday and got this much done, (yes, this has been a long-standing summer assignment!) Hannes would like very much to be a part of our display, I believe he'd be a great asset in recruiting new members; today I will add selected photos, quotes, and the remaining information to the board to round out the Quilt Ministry's presence and plan to get it all set up down there tomorrow. A trip to the local Scrapbooking mecca for cardstock is on today's agenda; it's difficult shopping there while wearing blinders as I am always bumping into things, but that's a necessity! I avoid that place like the plague only because it represents yet one more path that I don't ever need to venture down; but, oh, how tempting that diversionary route appears to be! And so...one more summer is, officially, in the books; and what a wonderful summer it's been. 

How did you spend yours?

Life is Good!

Table With A View

I met Clara in 2002, she had recently moved to town to be closer to her daughter; she joined our church, and our Quilt Ministry. She was 84 at the time. We became quick friends and, eventually, I began picking her up at her apartment, and taking her back home, on Thursdays for our weekly quilting sessions at church; I enjoyed those times and I believe that Clara did too. I learned a lot from Clara, especially not to count on spring arriving and staying even though the daffodils might be blooming.  "No, she'd explain, we've not been through Blackberry winter (or Dogwood winter or Redbud winter) yet, there's more cold yet to come" she would caution. One time she invited me to visit her so that she could show me her quilt collection. She had prepared delicious little orange cookies and sweet tea for us to enjoy while she entertained me with wonderful stories about growing up in Tennessee, and about being a schoolteacher there. She told me all about her husband and how he was paid in quilts for some sort of job he did when they were newlyweds and about the adventures that she and her husband had enjoyed while searching out antiques from estate sales all over the East coast after he had retired. They bought, and ultimately sold, specific antiques to customers who would use them in their homes or places of business; she loved the hunt, and the travel. She told me about a day that they had driven to Maine to pick up a load of items and, as was her habit, she had asked the man  ahead of time, over the phone, if he happened to have any pieces of certain antique china pattern. This was her own personal request; she some pieces from that collection and she wanted to complete her place settings. He told her that he did and she asked if he would lay them back for her. When they arrived at this man's place they made short work of loading up the goods that they had driven up there for and Clara inquired about the china. The man looked pleased with himself and asked them to follow him; he walked back behind his barn and started off across a field, they kept right up with him. Clara told me that she was somewhat perplexed until she looked off in the distance and caught sight of the most beautiful ocean view extending beneath the bluff where they stood; and there, right in front of them, was a table spread with a cloth and set with all of the dishes she'd ever imagined in that pattern!  She could scarcely believe the sight before her. When she told me the story her eyes sparkled and her face beamed with joy. She wanted very much to communicate the very same joy to me that she'd felt on that day; at that was she most successful! We laughed together when she related how, her husband realized he'd just met a very skilled salesman and had little other choice but to buy every bit of that china right then and there!

Clara's health began to fail a few years back; she no longer joined us at quilting; and, over time, I didn't see her anymore at church for worship. She passed away early last Friday morning. When I received the phonecall from a friend at church informing me of Clara's death all I could think about was that story of the china being set out on a table with an ocean view and Clara's beaming, joy-filled face. I know that is how she looks now, in His kingdom, free from pain and suffering and joined together once again with her beloved husband; I imagine that they're sitting together at a table... one with an absolutely spectacular view!

Life is Good!

Indelible Imprints

Oh

 This photo was taken yesterday at church during our Quilt Ministry workshop before we locked the closet doors and "closed up shop" for our summer break. We've been taking the summer months off since we began, almost thirteen years ago; I'm not really sure why we do that, it's not like we have small children at home, but it's fine with me that we do. (Our Senior Pastor happened to stop by at picture time, he comes downstairs for a short visit every week, but he's not a quilter!) When our Quilt Ministry began it was on a trial basis. I remember there being a certain hesitancy on the part of the church leadership at the time; not that there was ever any out and out opposition, but rather more of an attitude of let's wait and see what happens. We struggled, as a group, in the beginning; attendance was low and our working location was shifted from place to place, we scrounged around for a storage area for our supplies. Eventually, over time, acceptance came and the ministry grew; we were happy when we were granted a real closet in the same room where we set up and work, and downright giddy when we scored a second one!  We are affirmed in our role as Quilt Ministers today, we have our own financial reserve and are recognized by the congregation as an active and vital group. Over this time period our Quilt Ministry membership has changed, we've mourned the loss of some and welcomed new quilters along the way, but the one thing that has never changed is our mutual respect and support of, and for, each other. Each and every one of the ladies I have worked with through this ministry has left an indelible imprint on my life. Since the Ministry's inception in January of 2001 God has been with us, guiding us, and binding us together into a solid team for His work.

From our morning devotions today: "How often in your life has what appeared to be a brick wall actually been a fence around a new garden filled with wonderful opportunities? We never know where a simple decision might lead.  Offering a greeting to a new person might lead to a great friendship.  Going for a job interview might lead to a new way of life.  Every day contains the possibility for a life-transforming encounter with God through some unanticipated new connection...  ...the willingness to say "yes" is the invitation to be transformed".*

I cannot express the amount of joy and depth of the profound impact that our church's Quilt Ministry has had on my own life, I am grateful that God encouraged me in this leap of faith and stood behind me, preventing retreat, in those early years when pushing forward was tough going. Through perseverance and enormous support  real-life transformation has occurred;  I, for one, have the indelible imprints to prove it!

Life is Good!

*  Christ In Our Home today's text by Kathryn Haueisen of Houston, TX

The Tie That Binds

Here are two quilts that have been stitched together and are ready to take to church for tying today by our Quilt Ministry. Each year we make quilts to bestow upon our high school graduates for them to take along to college or wherever life leads them. They are made from solid color squares*, backed with fleece and embroidered in the lower corner with our church's logo. I do the final sandwiching assembly and embroidery at home, it is a joy-filled privilege; the graduates love their church quilts! Whenever they wrap up, for the rest of their lives, they can remember their church family that loves them, and will always be there to welcome them back home!

Life is Good!
*  Six years ago a trunk load of fabric samples were donated to the quilt ministry; all solid colors of every
 shade and hue. We refer to them as the loaves and fishes fabrics as our supply seemingly never runs low!