Quilts at the funeral....

I loved this article, what a tribute to the lady who made all these quilts. By looking at them, you could tell how much she loved each person she gave them to...by all the hundreds of hours that she worked and put into them. And by having them there displayed at her funeral ...you could tell how much they loved her and cherished her incredible gift!
I love making gifts for others!
Night dear friends!

look at the quilts HERE:

Soup, tissue, flowers, cards and quilts!

When you recieve some of these items... tissues, cards, flowers, soup or even a handmade quilt or afghan...what do you think of?
I think of love, hope, comfort, empathy, courage, support, healing and many other feelings.

I have been blessed in my life to recieve each of these things and more ...from dear friends and family. It really did make me feel loved and comforted. It really helped me remember that I wasn't alone in my battle and that I had more support than I even could imagine. 

I think that is what we are suppose to do.

Help and uplift each other throughout our lives! And also to support and share in the joys and 

happiness that life brings too!

 This past month I have lost two more friends. One was a sweet fellow quilter who always came to my Demo Classes! And the other was another fellow quilter who was also my neigbhor for years!

Also, we have had a couple of our friends who have been diagnosed with Cancer or another serious illness. Then we have seen Miracles in some of our other's friend's life. Wonderful blessings, answered prayers that they had waited so long for!

Life truely is made of wonderful and heartbreaking experiences.
 But I really believe we are to be Angels here on earth to each other!
 Giving Hope and Comfort, as well gratitude for the good things that happen in life.
 May we all take time out to look around each day and see if any one around us needs, a tissue, some flowers, a card,  maybe some homemade soup or even a handmade gift, just to show them how much they are loved and thought of, and most important...remind them that they aren't alone?

Creating!

Since my Mom passed away over 16 years ago, I have tried to fill the void that she left with her Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren. I know I can't fill her shoes exactly, but I feel the need to at least try.
She was a great Grandmother, and she was a fabulous cook.
Now she didn't like to do crafts or sewing at all! But since I am not the cook she wa,s and I DO LOVE CRAFTS and CREATING...I have tried to make things for my Nieces, Nephews and now their kids. I think Mom would have liked that! I know she would have loved them!

Today my friend and I got together and created a  Reusable Bag. As of March 1st they are mandatory for our city!

 Then I finally finished the 2 afghans for my neice and nephew...they were suppose to be Valentine gifts... but maybe they will think they are Leap Day gifts. That way I wouldn't  be quite as late. Mailed them out today!

I also got the baby quilts I finished for my Mom's Great Grandsons and Great Granddaughter and mailed them out today. I love seeing them together...just makes me happy. Hopefully it made my Mom happy too!
I wondered now if I should have put my Mom's name on their quilt labels, so they will never forget her either?
I just keep trying to be the best Aunt Lynn, Great Aunt Lynn, Nana and adopted Nana or adopted Aunt Lynn as I can be. Every kid deserves to have a grandparent in their life!

Good Night dear friends!

It's Friday!

It's Friday and I only have one more day left. Kai came upstairs with me while I was getting ready this morning and decided he wanted to do his eyelashes like Nana! He is just too cute!



Then we went to Target and it was so cold outside and there was even snow flurries. I can't believe this is Texas weather. Poor Kai needed a hot chocolate to keep him warm in the store!

Then we went and had Pedicures, we haven't done those since Lauren's weedding. I would love to tell you that this photo was a photo of our feet...but it isn't ! :) 

I guess we thought if we had pedicures that we would force the weather

 to change!

It was so cold tonight that we felt like we should  go eat Pho and then come back and watch a movie.

So we just snuggled up with a good movie Big Hero 6, then got our snacks and blankets and we snuggled down for the night. 

I am going to miss this bunch, how I wish we didn't live so far apart! 

Creating all day!

 Today the girls and I made Easter Purses, and then while they played outside, Amy and I sewed the top for Audrey's quilt. I love the fabric that Amy picked...it is really beautiful and that was before even started cutting and designing it! I can't wait to hold that little Audrey some day. Wonder if she will have RED hair to? :)
It was fun to have the sunshine out all day and knowing that Spring is right around the corner! 

Since we had the girls tonight, so that their Mom and Dad could have a Date Night, we decided to head to Port Townsend tomorrow and do a Date Day! I can't wait, I feel blessed to have this time to be with Jeff!
Hope you had a wonderful day! Good night dear friends

Quilts!

From the time I was young, I always loved quilts. I can always remember sleeping under them at my Grandmothers house. I even remember Grandma and my Aunt Ina working on quilts together, they really enjoyed it.  My other grandmother as she got older went legally blind, but still she would ask us to pick up material for her and then a blanket for the backs. She would cut ( with scissors only ) and Hand Stitch each one. Then she would add on the back and some decorative stitch on the front. These quilts gave her something to do on those long days and nights when she couldn't do anything else. She couldn't read, watching the TV was getting harder and she couldn't garden any more ( one of her big loves ) and so she quilted. There is something healing in the art of quilting, both for the quilter and those who it was made for.

Quilts are also very comforting and safe to be under!  That is why I keep quilting!

How grateful I am to teach at the Quilt Shop!

HERE IS A QUILT PAINTED ON AN OLD BARN IN WEST VIRGINIA

THIS QUILT WAS DESIGNED FOR A DEAR FRIEND WHO WAS GOING THROUGH A GREAT LOSS IN HER LIFE

THIS QUILT WAS DESIGNED FOR OUR FIRST GRANDSON!

 

THIS ONE WAS DESIGNED FOR A DEAR FRIEND!

THIS QUILT WAS DESIGNED FOR A SAMPLE IN THE QUILT SHOP, BUT LAUREN HAS TAGGED THIS ONE!

THIS QUILT IS ANOTHER ONE I DESIGNED FOR THE QUILT SHOP LAST YEAR, IT'S 3-D!

One Stitch at a Time

By Ruth Y. Nott

Friendships are made one stitch at a time.

A feeling of comfort so hard to define,

Like a fine old quilt is soft and warm,

Friendships enfold and then conform.

Friendships surround, yet set us free

So each person can be what she must be.

Together they grow and soon both find

That friendships are made one stitch at a time!

Day Four and Five

Yesterday was our trip to West Virginia, that was where I was born and raised. We first ended up at my best friend's house ( from High School ), it was great to see her and her family. She drove us around Barboursville and Huntington to our old High School... which isn't even there any more. We drove past the house that I grew up in ( on the farm ), it was still there. It didn't look like it was well loved or taken care of, but I can't hardly even explain in words what I felt when I drove past it. First of all the whole road has changed and now there is an interstate right beside our house, that was weird.  I felt like it really wasn't my home, I had good memories there but the bad ones seemed to over ride the others. Then after we left her house, we went to Shirley's old home place in Branchland. Wow, it was amazing to go and look at where she was born, it was 4 miles up the road called 10 mile. We saw on the drive there, a bunny, a dear and a big snack on road. Oh man, I don't miss all the snakes.
 After dinner, we realized we had forgotten to get a couple of things at the store. We hurried and went back out to find a store open, it was 8:15 pm and most of the places were closed. It took us 20 mins to find the nearest gas station that was open. 20 minutes ... really!  We couldn't get internet access or even cell phone coverage. Her Mother hadn't been feeling well so Shirley really wanted to stop and spend some time with her and her Aunt and Uncle that lived next door. It was fun, we really didn't do much but sit and talk. That night we slept under (BEAUTIFUL) handmade quilts... from some reason I seemed to sleep better! :)
This morning we got up and ate our own breakfast. Remember we are still on Weight Watchers, we were afraid that we would hurt her feelings, because she wanted to make eggs, sausage, bacon, biscuits, jelly and milk, I just couldn't eat that, so we said no thanks and hoped that she would understand. But don't think it wasn't hard to resist that home cooked breakfast smell, it brought back a lot of wonderful memories of my Grandmother's kitchen. The dishes she served us with, were certainly a flash from the past too!
 Right before we left, she said she wanted to give us each a quilt, Shirley's was a new one and mine was one she had had for many years. It was simply beautiful, I can't hardly wait to put it in my house. Then we left and stopped by her Aunt's house ( next door ) and she too gave each of us a quilt. They are ones that she made while she was trying to recoup from her Cancer and treatments this past year. She too was a Breast Cancer Survivor, and so this quilt will have a very special meaning to me. It amazes me the talent that these ladies have, what a treat and a gift.
 
 Before we left West Virginia we stopped in Huntington to the cemetery where my parents were buried. I haven't been back here since my Mom died 12 years ago. I was at her funeral but we didn't have the marker there yet. Since then, my Dad passed away and both were buried by my Grandmother Johnson. I thought I could remember where there grave sites were but it took us an hour and half to find it. I prayed so hard, I had brought flowers for their graves and didn't want to leave without finding them. Finally Shirley found them we were thrilled. I think my Mom just knew we were on Weight Watchers and just wanted us to get some Activity points earned by walking up and down those hills...looking for their graves! :)
 
Then we did one last trip down Memory Lane to the home I was born in and raised in the first 10 years of my life. It was in the city but I was shocked to see how run down the whole area was. We were going to stop and take photos but.. that didn't feel safe so we took photos out the windows. Ended up eating lunch in the car at Riter Park ( where Jeff and I spent many evenings together while we were dating ) it made me really miss him.
The next 4 hours we headed to Kentucky and it was a beautiful ride with all the horse farms around. My dear friends from Indiana drove to our motel and had dinner with us. You know that you are with a best friend when you start talking where you left off of 3 years ago! It was so fun catching up! Now we back in our motel and getting ready to head to bed. I am soooo grateful for the opportunity to have this chance to be doing this road trip. I really think this will be a Road Trip we will remember Forever! Good night dear friends!

" Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend. "  ~Albert Camus

"There comes a point in your life when you realize who really matters, who never did, and who always will."

A labor of love

I think one of the main reasons I love quilting is because it is such a Labor of Love! It does take a lot of hours and work, but the whole time you think about the person that you are giving the project to. That is what drives you to sew and sew, and sew some more.
I just finished the main part of the quilt I am working on. I am exhausted, I should have taken a bigger break between all those hours, but I just want to make sure that I get it done before Mother's Day. That is when we will be giving it to our friend. How grateful I am for a complete stranger  ( and owner of  a quilt shop, and now my boss ) offered to give Lauren some free Quilting classes. After two classes, she asked me why I didn't quilt, I told her that it was too hard, I would just probably just keep tying my quilts, like I always did. Of course that wasn't good enough for Lauren, and so she helped me do my first pieced quilt. It wasn't long after that, my neighbors began helping me and well...look at me now, I am hooked on it! I hope all my friends and loved ones that receive anything I make for them, will know it was Handmade with lots of LOVE!
Good night dear friends!

 

"Friendships are sewn...one stitch at a time."

"Good friends are like quilts. They age with you, yet never lose their warmth."

Stuff, Stuff and More Stuff!

Well, it is late and I am so tired that I don't think I should write very much, who knows if I will make any sense. I have been reorganizing my Sewing Room, it isn't a very big room so...you probably wouldn't think it would take someone so long to do that but...you have never seen my stuff! So of course I had to call in the World's Greatest Organizer...my daughter Amy. She is so amazing with taking a room full of STUFF and organizing it in a way that is amazing and functional. I love it even thought it's not quite done. But I am finished for the night, I noticed about a half hour ago that I just took stuff from one box and put it into another box. I didn't sort through it or decide if I wanted it or not; instead I just moved it from one area and then when I looked around, there it was again...just in a different location. I think that is a sign I really needed to stop.

I will try and finish it up tomorrow, I have a lot of sewing to do for work so...I had better get it organized soon. I also found a lot of my quilt tops that are completed but I just haven't quilted them. So I decided that I am not going to buy any more material for myself, until I start knocking out some of these quilts. I have got to make sure that I start finishing these projects before I begin another...what a concept. Good night dear friends!

 

"Quilters aren't greedy, they're just materialistic."

“Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.”
~Roman Catholic Saint Francis of Assisi

"When life gives you scraps - make a quilt."

A quilt and and pillow

    I loved this cute story, one because it shows the compassion and love of a child. Plus, it shows how important quilts are to people. When I was in the Quilt Shop the other day, I got to see all the amazing quilts that were donated for the survivors in Joplin, MO. They were beautiful and there were hundreds and thousands of hours that these quitters put into each quilt. What a gift of love!
   Sorta reminded me of this . We don't have to do much, but we should do something!

   Need to head to bed, the Shop Hop begins at our Quilt Shop tomorrow, and I am working a few hours!
   I am excited and hope that my body holds up with me! :)

   Good night dear friends!

 

A Pillow And A Blanket

A long time ago, a young, wealthy girl was getting ready for bed. She was saying her prayers when she heard a muffled crying coming through her window. A little frightened, she went over to the window and leaned out.
Another girl, who seemed to be about her age and homeless was standing in the alley by the rich girl's house. Her heart went out to the homeless girl, for it was the dead of winter, and the girl had no blanket, only old newspapers someone had thrown out. The rich girl was suddenly struck with a brilliant idea. She called to the other girl and said, "You there, come to my front door, please."
The homeless girl was so startled she could only manage to nod.
As quick as her legs could take her, the young girl ran down the hall to her mothers closet, and picked out an old quilt and a beat up pillow. She had to walk slower down to the front door as to not trip over the quilt which was hanging down, but she made it eventually.
Dropping both the articles, she opened the door. Standing there was the homeless girl, looking quite scared. The rich girl smiled warmly and handed both articles to the other girl. Her smile grew wider as she watched the true amazement and happiness alight upon the other girl's face. She went to bed incredibly satisfied.
In mid-morning the next day a knock came to the door. The rich girl flew to the door hoping that it was the other little girl there. She opened the large door and looked outside. It was the other little girl. Her face looked happy, and she smiled. "I suppose you want these back."
The rich little girl opened her mouth to say that she could keep them when another idea popped into her head. "No, I want them back."
The homeless girl's face fell. This was obviously not the answer she had hoped for. She reluctantly laid down the beat up things, and turned to leave when the rich girl yelled, "Wait! Stay right there."
She turned in time to see the rich girl running up the stairs and down a long corridor. Deciding whatever the rich little girl was doing wasn't worth waiting for she started to turn around and walk away. As her foot hit the first step, she felt someone tap her on the shoulder, turning she saw the rich little girl, thrusting a new blanket and pillow at her. "Have these." she said quietly.
These were her own personal belonging made of silk and down feathers.
As the two grew older they didn't see each other much, but they were never far from each other's minds. One day, the Rich girl, who was now a Rich woman got a telephone call from someone. A lawyer, saying that she was requested to see him.
When she arrived at the office, he told her what had happened. Forty years ago, when she was nine years old, she had helped a little girl in need. That grew into a middle-class woman with a husband and two children. She had recently died and left something for her in her will. "Though," the lawyer said, "it's the most peculiar thing. She left you a pillow and a blanket."
--- Author Unknown

"America is hope. It is compassion. It is excellence. It is valor."  ~ Paul Tsongas

"And as I've gotten older, I've had more of a tendency to look for people who live by kindness, tolerance, compassion, a gentler way of looking at things."   ~ Martin Scorsese

"Those who sleep under a quilt, sleep under a blanket of love!"

Let what you love be what you do

   I remember as a little girl a few really special things, one of those things were... the quilts that my Grandmother and Aunt made together. I would ask them about all the different fabrics that were in quilt and they would tell me stories about each one, such as..."Oh that is the material from our matching dresses", "that is from an old apron of mine" and on and on. It was neat to see that the quilt had quite the history, before it was even made. I only have a couple of the quilts that my Grandmother and Aunt made, but they are proudly displayed in my home. I have sewn since I was about 11 years old but never really thought I could do any other kind of quilts than tied quilts. But thanks to a few talented neighbors and a lot of patience, I can quilt now and love it!

   Yesterday was my Demo class, and of course it was great! I love the sweet spirits of each lady, they are becoming dear friends, and that has meant the world to me! They make me feel so special. They brag on my demos, even though they are small and simple things to make. Still they make me feel like a million bucks.  It is a HIGH to teach twice a month, I wouldn't mind doing it more often, it is a real treat.

   So like the quote below says...I love what I am doing, and I feel blessed, not everyone has that opportunity I realize. But I do hope you are able to do something  you love...OFTEN in your life?  It makes all the difference in the world.

Good night my friends!

 

“Let the beauty of what you love be what you do.”  ~ Jalal ad-Din Rumi

"Act as if what you do makes a difference.  It does."  ~William James

"We can do no great things, only small things with great love."  ~Mother Teresa

Blankies

I read this quote the other day that went like this... "It's a magical moment...when a quilt becomes a blankie". It immediately made me thing of my granddaughters and their quilts I have made for them. Those quilts sure have a lot of love in them, and that is what you hope... they remember and feel, when they are wrapped up inside of them. I think of this sweet photo of my second granddaughter Jenny, with her quilt I made her when she was born. Yes, quilts are a way to tell someone that you really love them. I am so excited that my neighbors got me exciting about learning to quilt 8 years ago, it has become a very healing art for me.

Now, not only do I make baby quilts... but I also make quilts for my granddaughters baby dolls, animals, monsters or anything else! But when I saw that my oldest granddaughter had used one of the doll blankies I made for her, on her pet rock, I had to laugh.:) Oh well, like the tag says... My Nana made it for me! I guess as long as it brings some peace and quiet for her Mom, fun for her and a warm place for her favorite rock to sleep...how can I complain? :)

"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."  ~ Henry David Thoreau

"Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless."  ~Jamie Paolinetti

"A grandchild fill a space in your heart that you never knew was empty."

 

How to survive the grief?

I looked up this web site, which gave suggestions for people who are suffering loss of a loved one. It was a neat idea. When my Mom passed away, we gave many of her clothes to a nursing home near by. But some things I just wanted to keep, and have near me. I only wished that I would have kept more and used them for Memorial Quilts, like these ladies make. It was a very healing idea!  Read it and see what you think?

Memorial Quilts

So what did you do with their clothes?

Well, you probably gave the nicest garments to friends and family, and that's a good thing. But what about the rest of their clothing? It will help de-clutter your life and lighten your grief a little bit if you eventually clean out your loved one's closet, and dispose of their clothes, shoes, ties or purses and other personal items.

And we know exactly what you should do with some of the fabrics... make one of these memorial quilts! (Or have one made for you).

Remembering Bobby

One family who lost their 16-year-old son Bobby to a sudden cardiac death, used quilt making as a ritual for working through their grief. Five quilts were made, one for each member of the family, each of Bobby's younger siblings, and each parent. One of Bobby's shirt pockets was sewn onto each quilt, and the oldest child remarked that the pocket looked as if it was actually on Bobby's chest.

As part of their griefwork, each night the children write a private note to Bobby and tuck it into his pocket. In this way, the kids share their day with their lost brother. The grieving parents also use the quilts in their own way. Bobby's mother wraps herself in her quilt to be close to her son, and his father hung his quilt at work in his office.

Just the gathering of women (and men!) for quilt making can provide much-needed emotional and social support in your time of bereavement. We realize that some people are just not cut out for a project like this. So we present below several different ways you can go with your memorial quilt project.

http://www.recover-from-grief.com/memorial-quilts.html

"Man, when he does not grieve, hardly exists."  ~Antonio Porchia

"Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose."

"Courage is being afraid but going on anyhow."  ~Dan Rather