A personal Quilt Tale

  I love sharing quilt stories....I call them quilt tales.  These two things  happened recently to me.  It gave me a warm heart to know how my family does feel.

I got this text message and photo from one of the "grandpups"....lol.

Dear Grandmom- Thank you for making us lots of quilts.  I'm snuggled in on this cold snowy night.  Mommy keeps trying to make me go out... Please tell her 6" of snow makes that request unreasonable.  Lots of love- Nicolas

  You have to love that cute face.....of course, I think this is just a plea for another quilt!




  Then over the weekend: 

Dan's journey

  When my brother abruptly moved for a job a couple of years ago, we pitched in and did a lot of the packing up.   The weekend he was allotted for the pack up did not make a dent it what had to be done.  Luckily, his house had a storage area off the basement that could hold most of everything he was leaving.  Sir Old Man put a lock on the door and then helped me pack box upon box, and made multiple trips to drop off donation items.

Under the Sea..not quite finished

     Over the weekend, my brother called and said he would be up this week to clear out and take care of the items he left.  I questioned why since his older son is living in the house now.  He replied that there were some things missing....things he said were valuable.  I thought that odd because we did not remember anything of "value" being put in there.
   Then he said, "The quilts.  The quilts are gone.  I looked for them at Christmas.  I was afraid to tell you."
    Shocked, I said,....No, I have the quilts.  We were concerned about mildew or mold and stored the quilts under the bed.  He was relieved--a lot--and I was surprised/pleased to find out he considered them that valuable.   The three photos are part of his collection of quilts.....I can't find photos of the others.  I need to take care of that.

 Moral of the story:   I am reminded of Sally Fields accepting her Oscar many years ago....."You like me. You really, really like me."    Yes, our families do like our quilts.  In fact, they have placed a high value upon them.  Even if they never say so in words, our quilts are valuable to them.  Make more!

Knitted scarf, please

  For all you knitters out there..............
    While we were in Michigan, Deana showed me her latest scarf that she knitted up from all her left over sock yarns.  I just love it!  A rainbow of fabulous colors that is over 6 feet long.    I don't know the pattern or stitch, but I put my order in for one that is shorter....if she finds time.











 



   She insisted that I use Nickolas, the Whippet, for a model.  Isn't he a perfect one with that long neck?  Of course, he got payment in the shape of a cookie treat for the effort.
 
   One the sewing front......the buzz saw blocks are being joined this week.  When I get that accomplished, I need to begin to move things around.  I am expecting a delivery on Friday.  Trying to stay focused rather than just be excited....but I can hardly wait!

  

At week's end...

   It has been a very long week.  I think it is because we missed last weekend ----no rest and all that painting in Charlotte instead.     

    I got an update on the travel with the Furkins and move in. Logan, the big furball, is loving the new house and all the nooks and crannies to explore.  

Songo, the princess cat, traveled well and found herself  a safe zone in the basement.  Nick, the retired champion Whippet,  loves the snow right now and is running circles around the yard.  Phoebe, the alpha personality Jack Russell, is in true form as she has already discovered how to get through/around/under the fence!  But what about Lucy, I asked.  Lucy, the blue eyed rescued hound and my digger of holes, is afraid of the stairs in the house.  She has to be coaxed down or up them.  She's been a part of the family for 5 years, but still she carries such awful "scars and fears" from her early years.  But she's a tough cookie....like me and that's why I love her....she will be fine.   Moving Day was hard work as you can see.   Oh, yeah, the two 2-legged human parents are well and settling in too!

  

  I had several question about the guild challenge, which I have been calling the ugly challenge.  Actually it is Lemons to Lemonade.  The fabric I got is the dark calico print in the photo.  I was lucky, as it's not that bad.   

   So how do I turn this into a lemonade thing.....dilute it out with other fabric is my philosophy.  If  I give the eye lots of space and things to look at, I believe I can hide a half yard of  this calico in a garden quilt.   

  

 This week I began the fusing in earnest.  The stems and vines are even partly stitched down.  One panel is completely fused and I am working on this second one now.    

   Here's hoping next week is more productive, as the month is almost gone.  I also have another class to teach locally soon and I need to re-vamp the worksheets.  I'll add that to March's list  :)

Happy stitching.  

Pets on quilts

 
   I don't have grandkids.    I do have grandkitties and grandpups, or as my daughter calls them, the Furkins.  Each with a distinctive personality.
   I have been waiting  to share this one.  Logan, the big fur ball, snoozes on a quilt that is covering  Lucy, the hole digger.  Actually, there is an edge of another quilt under Logan's belly.   Nothing like hogging all the cover, is there?

















   Lucy finally came up for air here and got that quilt all to herself.
   Thanks, Deana, for sharing this moment with us.  I'm linking to Pets on Quilts  show.  There is sure to be a lot of cuteness shown.  Hop over and visit the entries.    
Enjoy!    Happy stitching.  

Furkins

That's what we call them---furkins.  Here is Logan, Lucy, and Songo piled on the bed at Deana's.  She also had 2 other dogs, Phoebe and Nick. 
Lucy's sick right now---vets think she has a low thyroid, but also some type of infection.  She is such a sweetie, so I thought I would share a photo of her.
  I am working on another block for the AK quilt.  It's an experiment to blend fabrics for the mountains with inset strips.  I know I said I didn't like the technique, but I decided to try one more time.  I hate to let something get the best of me.