Valentine's Day

Wishing you all a very Happy Valentine's Day. 💗I finished this cute little cross-stitch just in time for the occasion. It's been a very long time since I've done any of this, Quiltkeemosabe made me up a little kit with this pattern, the linen and the thread. She introduced me to stitching over two and I just love it. 

This sweet little applique piece was a birthday gift from a dear friend twenty two years ago. She sent it to me when we were living overseas, at a time when I missed all of my friends and family so very much. It meant the world to me then, as it still does today. I get it out in time for Valentine's Day every year. 

Another treasured Valentine memento, an antique Valentine from Quiltkeemosabe many years ago. Today, during the children's sermon at church, our pastor explained about St. Valentine and how, as a Roman priest under the rule of Emperor Claudius, he defied a decree that all soldiers remain unmarried; Valentine continued to marry Christian couples in the church, albeit secretly. He believed that the government had no say in love and matters of the heart, and if couples came to him to be joined in marriage he did just that. Ultimately he was killed for his beliefs and acts contrary to those laws set down by Claudius. I never fully understood the story behind St. Valentine's martyrdom until today. Now I better comprehend the covertness associated with slipping a Valentine to a secret love. Who says that children's sermons are only for children? After all, aren't we all children of God?

My Valentine surprised me at the breakfast table this morning with this beautiful orchid.

He's been my one-and-only bestest Valentine for a very long time now, and that's no secret at all!

💗 

Love never fails!

Bible Block Day!

Today is the day! Quiltkeemosabe and I have been at this for several years now; working our way through Rosemary Youngs' book: the Quilt Block Bible. Our get-togethers have been few and far between of late, life has gotten in the way. Somehow, even with a litany of other commitments between the two of us, we have managed to prioritize and get a Bible Block Day back onto our calendars! Our days together are much more than sharing our tips, tricks, construction directions and progress with one another; we also catch up, make plans and eat lunch (alternating homes each time). I have prepared a slow cooker beef roast this morning for French Dip sandwiches (the house smells heavenly right now) and a batch of Dr. Pepper cupcakes for dessert. We need to make room in our lives for what is important to us; those obligations and commitments will always be there, clamoring to clutter up our calendars and push other tasks to the bottom of the list. I have to take special care to guard against that. The latest ten blocks, pictured on the left, bring me to 141 completed out of 202, I am almost 70%  finished! These blocks will finish to 6" square. If you are familiar with the book you know that there are no instructions included, it is a book of beautiful quilt block pictures and an accompanying CD with each block diagrammed in black and white for printing out. Quiltkeemosabe and I have written out directions, and proofed each other's, at every step. The bonus, in addition to our our burgeoning quilt block stacks (and holding each other accountable) has been our enriched friendship, new recipes from meals shared together and a whole lot of fun and laughs along the way.

My own Quilt Block Bible blocks as of June last year.

What do you need to make room for in your life today? 
Find a way to make it happen, you won't be sorry!
Life is Good!

Daytrippin'

Quiltdivajulie and me

It took some doing; but, at long last, I can now say (with photo proof) that Quiltdivajulie and I are in-person friends! We've shared a LOT over the past ten years or so, all online, as blogging buddies. Over the years we discovered many similarities that we have in common: our birthdays are within days of each other (day and year!), our wedding anniversaries are too. We share likes and dislikes in an uncanny way and have kindred personality quirks characteristics.😉 When the opportunity presented itself (Julie was teaching her amazing Build-A-Barn quilt class last week at the John C. Campbell Folk School in the far-western part of North Carolina) Mr. Goodneedle and I discussed taking off for the day; there is still ongoing work cleaning out my in-law's home, but he knew how much fun this would be for all of us (he has long admired Julie's husband's incredible wood-turning abilities and he was going to be there too), as well the value of a much-needed break in our own work schedule.  Last Friday we hit the road early and drove west. It was a gorgeous day.

We arrived at Keith House, on campus, around 11 AM and easily found the JCCFS office, and our lunch tickets, before settling in to experience the class "show and tell" and end of week wrap up. I fell in love with this quilt, by Mary Lou Weidman, on permanent display at the folk school. Read the story behind the quilt linked here, you'll be in love with the quilt, and the Folk School too! This is an amazing place. Soon the assembly hall was filled with talented craftsmen-students and instructors all eager to show what they had done all week. Julie and I quickly found each other and the conversation flowed easily and non-stop,  it was much more like a much-anticipated reunion than an initial meeting! Our husbands, too, had plenty in common to discuss. We had barely all gotten our seats when the dulcimer class serenaded the crowd to start things off, they were followed by a steady stream of blacksmiths, wood carvers, jewelry makers, wood turners, print makers, quilters, wood workers, painters, enamelers and story tellers. I am sure I am forgetting other folk crafts that were learned and displayed. After the wrap-up show we adjourned to the dining hall for a delicious family-style lunch in the dining hall. From there it was a quick walk to the Pittman Fiber Arts building and the quilt studio!

Julie still had a few things to pack up and get ready for the car and her drive back home. Take a look at this space, and the LIGHT; who wouldn't want to take a week-long quilting class here?

Another view. These classrooms are well-stocked with all the needed supplies, it really is a dream come true. (Notice the power cords suspended from the ceiling over each work space-- no cords on the floor to worry about tripping over!) I also peeked into the adjacent weaving studio; I am not a weaver, but after seeing that space I could become one! Mr. Goodneedle had the same feeling about the woodturning studio; the facilities are quite enticing and hard to resist. We are both destined to be JCCFS students sooner rather than later! We came home with an armload of catalogs listing all of the class offerings to pore over.

Julie's husband and Mr. Goodneedle

We had a few moments for photos in front of, what else, but a barn; before hitting the road, each of us heading our own direction back home. We will definitely meet up again, hopefully for a longer visit, next time! In my memory book of "day trips" this one may just go down as the best ever!

Life is Good!

My Magnificent Mentors

Marianna ~ one of my magnificent mentors,
circa 1992.

I started quilting back in 1982; the first class that I took was at a small fabric/quilt shop from a wonderfully kind lady who remains a dear and treasured friend to this day, her name is Ann.  Ann encouraged me to join a local quilt guild, it was there that I first met the magnificent mentors. These ladies may not have even realized how important they became in my life as the years progressed. There was Fannye, I have blogged about her and her legacy here before; then there were the Pfafftown Four. The Pfafftown Four were ladies who demonstrated nothing but pure and honest appreciation and love for quilting; Lib, Zola, Natalie and Marianna were masterful quiltmakers whom I admired, respected and looked to for guidance and direction. They quilted with open hearts, always willing and eager to sit and show me how to accomplish any little trick or technique if I even suggested I might want to learn how to do what they were doing. They were just those kind of ladies, through the years I have remained grateful to each one of them for their kindness and enduring friendship. One by one, they've left their earthly homes for a place in Heaven, taking a small piece of my heart each time. On Monday Marianna joined them, what a glorious reunion the magnificent mentors must be having!  I attended Marianna's memorial service yesterday, it was a loving tribute to a beautiful lady in every sense of that word; several of her quilts were on display at the reception afterwards, I am still in awe of her miniscule hand quilting stitches and flawless hand applique, there is a void now that can't ever be filled.  I am suddenly face to face with the fact that I am one of those older generation quilters now, the responsibility associated with that is a heavy one. I'm not all together sure that the next quilting generation is as sponge-like in their quest to absorb knowledge as I was. With the proliferation of classes, books and you tube videos today's young quiltmakers are equipped with everything they need to be successful from their very first project; there's value in that, but, from my perspective, they're missing out on the very best part... the intergenerational relationships that add incalculable worth.  Think about this: who do look to as a mentor (in any regard, not necessarily in quilting) today? And now, think of the flip side of that question: to whom can you act as a mentor right now? What skills can you offer freely from your own heart and hands? Personally, I know that so much has been handed down to me; others saw fit to preserve and protect what was of greatest value by passing down that torch personally; it's too heavy to hang on to by myself... out of loving respect to my magnificent mentors I want to reach out in kind wherever I can. My heart may be heavy this evening but my gratitude is overflowing, I am deeply thankful to each and every magnificent mentor who has touched my life along the way with love, kindness, friendship and the desire to be the very best that I can be in whatever I set my mind to do.

Life is Good!

31.188%

I've been busy catching up on a lot of projects lately; my "Bible Study" homework is just one of them. Quiltkeemosabe and I will meet again this week to work on our next batch of blocks out of Rosemary Youngs' book. As of today, here's where I stand: 63 out of 202 (6" blocks) are complete, that's 31.188%. Our "Bible Study" began innocently enough late last summer, you can read about our idea and how it all got started here. This has been so much fun so far; along the way we've experimented with new piecing techniques and tools, read books that we might not have picked up if the other hadn't suggested them, and enjoyed catching up and reinforcing our longtime friendship over a home-cooked meal (usually with an exchange of recipes). Plus, the BIG bonus: we'll each end up with a quilt when it's all said and done. Since I'm on the subject of percentages, I can tell you this with 100% certainty: it just doesn't get any better than this! Grab a book and a buddy and set up your own "study" group, you'll be glad you did.

Life is Good!

Give It Away!

"Love in your heart wasn't put there to stay.  Love isn't love 'til you give it away."   - Oscar Hammerstein

Love; it's this weeks' Advent word. My husband and I walked into church yesterday morning to be greeted by a friend, she came right up to me with a sad look in her eye. "I have some bad news" she began, " it's really bad." I braced myself. She went on to tell us that our church's Parish Administrator had unexpectedly and suddenly died over the weekend. I felt like I'd been kicked in the stomach, I certainly hadn't braced myself firmly enough to receive that tragic news! Phyllis, our efficient and always professional Parish Administrator could easily run our church office with one hand tied behind her back; she knew everything, every one, and kept it all straight. There was never any confusion as to where she stood or what was being handled, Phyllis was a straight shooter and a clear communicator. In every phone call, e-mail or face to face meeting that I had with her over the years I always came away feeling confident and reassured that whatever business we had spoken about was being tended to, and well. We became friends as time passed and we both became grandmothers, often chatting about the joys of grandchildren; and yet, Phyllis was always the consummate professional when it came to the church office. Late this past spring she was plagued with back pain and time after time had to postpone treatment because of some chronic breathing and pulmonary issues. At long last, about three weeks ago, she was deemed healthy enough to undergo back surgery and she came through that procedure with flying colors. Last Thursday I checked on her and learned that she had a Dr.'s appointment that afternoon and was doing fine. Her last Facebook status update, dated November 28, confirmed her now pain-free state and her desire to get back to work as soon as possible.

How was the news that I had just heard even possible? 

I sat in the sanctuary yesterday morning and tried to remember the last time I had seen Phyllis and spoken with her. All of a sudden the moment came flooding back, as clear as could be. We were standing in the hall outside the church offices, she was hurting and had come in to tend to busisness for as long as she could that day; she was eagerly looking forward to getting her surgery behind her. I told her that I would be praying for her. She started to walk away, turned back toward me and said "I love you." I echoed that sentiment right back to her, extremely uncharacteristic behavior; and yet, in that time and space it didn't seem unusual at all. I walked away feeling God's presence between us and surrounding us. I knew that she was going to be okay. This exchange haunted me yesterday, but in a very good way. I am so deeply thankful now that I expressed those words of love, I had no way of knowing then that they would be the very last words we'd ever speak to each other.

So, back to our Advent word of the week: love; don't hold it too tight. Remember the rhyme by Hammerstein, live it; your heart can't possibly hold onto all the love that you have. By all means... give it away; you will be so glad that you did!

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!