Every Quilt Tells A Story

Back in the spring our daughter-in-law's father asked me if I could help him; he wanted to make a quilt to give to his wife to commemorate the 50th anniversary of their first date. Naturally, the first question I asked was "when's the anniversary?" He told me that it was in mid-November. "Sure", I said, "there's plenty of time, be thinking about what you'd like, design-wise". Since then, off and on, we'd gotten together to discuss his ideas. He knew that he wanted fifty hearts and it was his idea to vary the sizes. From the beginning of the project, once the design and the colors (our daughter-in-law suggested that her Mama's favorite colors were ocean shades) were decided upon, he was very hands-on. He did all of the initial pressing, cutting out and placement. 

All of the outside hearts were appliqued into place by machine, I did lend a hand and applique the large background heart into position, the remaining hearts were then machine appliqued on top. He came out one day and stitched the borders on. The top was done! All of this was, of course, top secret! He's a golfer and it's not unusual for him to be gone for large chunks of the day. And so, the quilt studio became his "golf course"! Thank goodness his wife doesn't have a tracker on his phone. 😉

We made an executive decision to piece the remaining fabrics from the top for the backing.

At long last, it was loaded onto Snowbird and this golfer became a longarm quilter!

The proud quilter and his almost-finished anniversary gift for his beloved. The smile says it all!

He chose an ambitious pantograph for his first-ever quilting job; his work reflects complete dedication!

I received this photograph last Saturday morning! His wife was absolutely delighted with this gift of love and is using it frequently. She told me on Sunday that she'd napped under it already! I just know that every dream she has under this 'Quilt of Hearts' will come true, how could it be any other way?

Yes, every quilt has a story and this is one that's full to overflowing with love!

💗

Life is Good!

Discoveries

Surprise!

This blossom just appeared, out of the blue, on my Christmas cactus in the dining room. Only one; bright and white. This occurrence almost made my heart stop. As we prepare for Easter, albeit so very differently this year, my mind has fast forwarded to Easter dinner. "We have to pick up a ham" I said to Mr. G.; "it's just us, though" he countered. Easter dinner has always been a BIG deal in our family. In fact, his mother made Easter weekend a BIG deal as far back as I can remember. When we were in high school, dating, one of the first times I ever visited his parent's home was on Saturday before Easter, I was invited to dye eggs and help to "get the table ready". It was at that time that I met Mr. Goodneedle's sister, brother, and his brother's wife and son for the first time. The Easter table was quite a production: the best china, crystal, linen and fresh flowers. Mom (as she became to me later) would always go to great lengths to find little Easter treats and keepsakes for each place setting. (I have boxes of them to this day, they're all special and precious.) As the years passed and our own children grew they always went to Grandma and Grandpa's on Easter Saturday to dye eggs and help to get the table ready, there was great excitement building for the next day. Depending on how many out of town family members might have been visiting sometimes two tables were set! These memories warm my heart and I'm certain they have the same effect on our grown children today. As the years passed and Mom couldn't put on the BIG deal Easter weekend event anymore it moved here. We were more than happy to host similar activities for the family, extended family and now for our own grandchildren. Until now. "It's just us, though," he said, or so it seems. No, we won't be hosting Easter dinner this year at a large table or two but, it's more than just us. This blossom, coming now, on a Christmas cactus inherited from my dear mother-in-law has bloomed; one single, white, bloom. Happy Easter, Mom! 🤍

Life is Good!

Random Musings... From My Mind To Yours

Please bear with me, I have a few assorted topics to discuss, question and marvel over. First: these Hydrangeas. Aren't they pretty? We haven't had nary a bloom on these bushes for at least five years. We were beginning to think that they needed to be pulled out and planted somewhere else. We have not done one. thing. extra. to encourage or promote blooming. All of a sudden, last month, I noticed a profusion of buds forming! Hallelujah! Does anyone know why this may be? Knowing that the blossoms come on old wood we haven't cut them back; but then, we hadn't cut them back in at least five years. It's all mysterious and wonderful as far as we are concerned, but if anyone might know the reason, please share!

Our son has been sick: stomach distress, back pain and abdominal discomfort. This past Saturday he surprised everyone (he never gets sick and if he does, he never complains; so, the fact that he went to this extreme, both warned and worried us) and went to the Emergency Department, he feared he had appendicitis. A scan revealed a kidney stone. The stone was small so he was sent home with pain medications and other drugs; the waiting game began. He did not improve. Days dragged, he was miserable and suffering. He went back to the Dr. yesterday and was sent to the hospital for emergency surgery to remove the stone where a blockage had occurred. All went well and he was home last evening again with his family. He is "battle worn" from the ordeal but feeling much, much better and returned to work bright and early this morning. I woke up feeling like a weight had been lifted off of my mind and heart. As mothers they never get too old, do they? We worry the same way that we did when they were three and running a fever through the night or when they broke a bone; the same, exact, way as when they have ever suffered distress! They might be too big to scoop up in our laps and rock them to sleep in our arms anymore, but our hearts and minds revert to that behavior as we rejoice in their recovery; thanks be to God!

How often do you go bra shopping? If you're at all like me it is one of the most agonizing of all shopping excursions (second only to selecting a swimsuit). Whenever I find a style that fits well, and is comfortable, I buy as many as I can find in my size; because, don't you know, the next time you go shopping for one again that style is always discontinued! ALWAYS! Okay, yesterday was the day. I had put it off for as long as I possibly could. Yes, it was agonizingly painful an experience as I thought it would be; but, this time there was a new reality: the image of an old lady's body reflected back at me from the fitting room's mirror. Where did she come from? I found a few styles that met my basic criteria and skee-daddled out of there as fast as I could; far, far away from that old lady's scrutinizing eyes. I should be good for awhile; I bought four, (buy one get a second at 50% off!) maybe that old lady will be gone whenever I return-- a long time from now! Am I alone in this experience? Do any of you encounter "visitors" in those fitting room mirrors? 

These are last year's Easter lilies carried home from Easter Sunday service and plated in the ground. I really forgot about them until they emerged this spring and have, quite simply, burst forth! They have been holding onto these buds for weeks on end. We have had nothing but rain for the longest time but this week the sun has broken through once again and one bud has finally begun to loosen its tight grip. Will these burst forth in bloom today or tomorrow? What a glorious surprise these have been to witness their progress! I planted this year's lilies just behind these plants; next year we should have double the glory! What surprises are you experiencing in your life right now? Who knows, yours might be as close as a glance out the window; whatever it is, I hope that you are wrapped in the wonder of God's gift of glory all around you. Today I give thanks for all that He has so abundantly provided, revealed in blessings of every shape and form. 

Life is Good!

Accepting the Unexpected

I'm a planner. I don't like surprises; my ideal day skips right along from one scheduled and anticipated event to the next. Yesterday wasn't that ideal for me. It all started out okay... but then, when I plunged my hand into the freezer to remove what I needed for our dinner (pre-planned and on the calendar, of course!) something wasn't quite right; there was no icy blast of air, no rock-hard piles of carefully wrapped steaks, chops and fish... in fact, I was greeted by the exact opposite. Warm air, not good; thawed meats and prepared-ahead casseroles, they weren't even slightly cold... the contents were a complete loss. This refrigerator-freezer is probably 25 years old, it has served us well as a kitchen back-up; in all honesty, it is used almost as much as our primary one. It was dead. I had not planned on this.

In the mid-afternoon we lost our power. It was back on within an hour later; I have no idea what happened, but the day's plan was eroding... and fast. What next?

Now, imagine if you lived without weather forecasts (in a cave?); you would just wake up in the morning and deal with whatever the weather gods have in mind for you that day. Welcome to my world; this is what we awakened to today... surprise! I don't like surprises. I need to work on my flexibility.


I imagined that Mr. Goodneedle and I would shop for a new refrigerator-freezer to replace the one we've lost, I was looking at the planner to schedule a time to leave with one eye on the now snowy roads... perhaps we'd have to wait. He had another idea altogether... he thinks he can fix it! Oh. I hadn't planned on that. I should have... what was I thinking? After a string of suprises it's comforting to recognize that this handy husband will most definitely take the time to try and fix what's wrong before we hastily schedule any appliance shopping trip; that's a behavior I can always plan on. I had almost taken leave of my senses; reacting to too many surprises all at once, I can't be held accountable. He's got the back off of it now and a volt-ohm meter in his hand, all is right with the world...

almost!

...There was that light and fluffy, smooth loaf of bread I expected to remove 

from the breadmaker to serve with our spaghetti and salad this evening... 

 I'm going to go do some stretches... I'll jot that down on my calendar!

Life is Good!

Best Kept Secret

"Boiler Up!"  60" X 78"

This quilt might just be the very best kept secret of all time!  I made and surprised my husband with it for Christmas. You might not realize how hard it is for me to keep a secret; the very fact that he didn't know a thing about this quilt until he tore off the wrapping paper was an enormous feat on my part. It isn't that I can't keep a secret because I want to spoil anyone's surprise... it's just so very hard for me to keep any kind of happy news bottled up inside of me; it usually finds a way of leaking out. Years ago, when I suspected that our daughter's then boyfriend was going to ask my husband for his blessing before he proposed, I made my husband promise that he wouldn't tell me... I knew I could never keep that kind of news from our daughter and I didn't want to be responsible for spilling any beans.  He promised that he wouldn't tell me. But then, after the two men had spent time together, the suspense was killing me; I begged my husband to tell me what they had talked about. My husband looked me straight in the eye and said to me: " you made me promise", that was true, I had, but when I suspected that he knew something that I didn't I was tormented by suspicion. It's just the way I am... terrible with secrets. Anyway, back to the quilt story. I had planned to make Mr. Goodneedle a Purdue quilt for a very long time. Last February when I was at Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival I selected 18 fat quarters to combine with this Purdue themed fabric in all shades of black and old gold, I hid them away and began making the blocks last August while on a day-long retreat. The pattern that I selected is the 3-6-9 Quilt. I secretly set the blocks together and added the borders when Mr. Goodneedle was away from the house, I was extra careful to make sure that not even the tiniest scrap was in the trash can, I didn't want even a thread to hint at what I might be working on.

As luck would have it, out son invited Mr. Goodneedle for a weekend away in early November... perfect timing! While they were gone I loaded the quilt and easily finished all the quilting in one day.

I added the binding on day number two of their weekend away. I even had enough time to reload and repostion the quilt that I had been quilting on Snowbird when he left; he was none the wiser.

Here's the quilt and a very happy Purdue alumni on Christmas morning. It was worth all the stealth maneuvers just to hear him ask the two-part question: "how did you do this, when did you do this"?

I just smiled; to be perfectly honest, I have no idea how I was able to keep a secret like this one!

Life is Good!

What's All The Buzz About?

Today is "back pocket" kind of day here; one you'd like to tuck away to retrieve whenever you need a perfect day with a cloudless blue sky, spring bursting forth and gentle sunshine to warm your body and soul. I walked out to the mailbox and could hear a loud drone coming from deep down in the woods, or so I thought; I walked back down the driveway and realized that now the sound was coming from behind me... that's when I looked UP. Right there, buzzing high over my head, were thousands of bees buzzing about the flowers in the Bradford Pear trees that line the edge of our driveway. These trees, while lovely in leaf, have never bloomed well in the past due to being sheltered, and shaded, by taller tree cover from the woods behind them. That all changed last June when we lost a good number of those tall trees to a fast moving and destuctive storm. These Pears remained, untouched, and treated to much more light and sunshine than ever before; hence, their newly acquired blooming status and thousands of buzzing visitors; have a listen here. For all the sadness that I have carried in my heart over losing those big trees I never imagined this surprise that arrived with the change of seasons; God's unexpected gift of glorious flowering trees, and a choir of buzzing bees to announce their presence!

The Forsythia are blooming too, but in a much quieter fashion.
Wishing you a "back pocket" kind of day, wherever you may be.
Life is Good!

Saturday Detour...

Good Morning Starshine  ~ 51" X 39"

It all began innocently enough... I was cleaning up the studio and grabbed my project envelope containing the current BOMs from my LQS to put them away. I placed them in the bin on top of those blocks from the previous year and stopped short. "No" I decided, "I'm NOT going to keep piling UFOs one on top of another"! I took the completed blocks out of the bin and laid them out on the cutting table; I moved them around until I was pleased with the arrangement. Then I went searching for the Setting Triangle ruler that I knew I had...somewhere. Eureka! I quickly located it on the bottom of the ruler drawer, it was brand new; I had to peel the paper backing off and am guessing that I bought that ruler six to eight years ago. I knew I'd need it one day... and, yesterday just happened to be that day! I found the black and white speckled setting fabric in the stash closet and had this together by the end of the day. Is this the path I was heading down when I entered the studio yesterday morning? Heavens, NO! I took a detour... and am happy to report that somedays an unexpected direction can make all the difference!

Life is Good!

Happy Surprises (On The Road, Chapter 2)

While we were gone this past week, visiting my parents in New Hampshire, we had the privilege of riding along on one of the only U.S. Mail boats in the country.  This is the Sophie C., moored    and ready to take on passengers for a two hour cruise. Lake Winnepasaukee is dotted with islands, 365 to be exact. Only 264 of those islands are inhabited; they are served daily by the U.S. Mail boats at seven ports all summer long.

This is a wider shot, just look at those pretty fluffy clouds
and the lake and mountains beyond; it was a beautiful day.

The shoreline is dotted with beautiful year-round homes and seasonal summer cottages.
I chose this one as the one I would like to own, just a simple place with a nice view. 

This was the first mail stop, there was no one there. Our cruise happened to be the premier
trip of the season, the full complement of summer guests will begin arriving in the next few weeks
and the mail service will pick up. Apparently, during the "high season", children bearing coins line up to board the Sophie C. when she ports, buying ice cream from her freezer. As the boat pulls away the
children typically crawl up on these pilings and dive into the lake as a way of seeing her off.

The next stop was Bear Island, the Sophie C. had a welcoming committee there.
Mail was dropped off at this Post Office and letters were carried away in return.

For one of the many islands to be inhabited there need only be a single home.
This island boasts a single, lovely, log cabin and boat docks; this summer home
 was once owned by the daughter of U.S. President Grover Cleveland.

Dad and me supervising one of the mail "drops". In this port there is a swing arm
mounted for the mail bag to be left hanging after the waiting mail bag was retrieved.

I don't have many requirements while traveling, but... a fried clam roll at this little
seafood stand in Winnesquam is one of them. It's worth waiting a year for.
Here Mr. Goodneedle is learning that the Fryolater is out of commission and there won't
be a clam roll on my plate today; I'll have to settle for a lobster roll.

Tables for eating are all outside, some under cover; each with a lake view!

Here's close up of my lunch. The way I look at it is this:
any day that a lobster roll is a consolation prize for your first choice
is a VERY GOOD DAY!! It was absolutely delicious.

This little seafood stand welcomes diners from the water side...

...as well as from the street side!

One of the nicest surprises was this one... my Mom and Dad and their new car!
They were excited to show it to us, and we couldn't be happier for them!

And now... for the biggest surprise of all. The one I promised you and told you that
you wouldn't believe. Well, am I right?     (Laura P. this is for you!)
 

Life is Good!

 

Christmas Surprises!

I received the most wonderful Christmas surprise, one I didn't even know that I needed! It's a clamp-on magnifying light that is infinitely positionable, very slim and extremely easy to use! I love it. I have spent the last few mornings doing some appliqué and now I don't know how I managed without it. That Santa is pretty smart! It has a cover that can be popped on over the lens when it's not in use, for safety purposes; handy!

While Santa was at it he put a Clover Needle Threading Cassette in my stocking. I couldn't figure out how to use it. Thanks to a collaboration between my son and husband I know how it works now and can share some step-by-step instructions below, just in case you get one; or have one and can't figure it out! (Don't bother with the terrible directions printed on the package back!)

I love, love, love this little gadget! I keep it in my appliqué box loaded with size 11 sharps and it works very well! Again, this is something I didn't even know I needed. I guess that makes Santa the best of all personal shoppers!

Life is Good!