Good morning from the Beautiful Bluegrass!

Good morning from Kentucky!  I love being a part of Marlene's Let's Go Visiting and I am happy to meet some new folks.  We are patiently, actually EAGERLY, waiting on spring, the same as folks everywhere.  My work as a medical transcriptionist took me into the wee morning hours or I would have written a little about myself yesterday yesterday.  Basically, the subheader of my blog sums it up .... Child of God, wife, mother, sister, daughter, quilter, and more.  I love to quilt, I do.  My lack of time to devote to it is very frustrating, but I breathe deeply and when I DO get to sit down and quilt it saves my sanity.  I usually keep at least one full sized quilt going and a small project or two going at the same time.  When I only have 30 minutes to quilt, I work on something small.  I am working on a braid table runner right now 3 blue fabrics, a solid, floral, and gingham.  I will post a picture just as soon as it is finished.  I have work deadlines to meet by noon so I will need to cut this short today, but I am very happy to meet some new folks and will sit down this evening and visit the rest of the blogs on Marlene's list.  I hope each and every one of you have a day full of blessings!

Mini Churn Dash

I finally did a little quilting for me this weekend, a mini quilt that I have had in mind for some time.  We painted the downstairs bathroom in November and I have wanted something quilted in there since.  I went through my stash (yes, 2013 is the year for stash busting) and found some Moda --- one called Warm Memories and the other two pieces Vine Creek, both by Kansas Troubles.  I have a couple of blogging friends who are the masters of mini-quilts (hello Janet and Doniene)!  If you love quilting and have not checked out their blogs, hop right on over to both because you will be delighted.  Anyway, their quilting and their faith have inspired me many times.  My new mini-quilt isn't quite as "mini" as some they have done, but at 15 x 15 inches, it is still mini to me.

I have a couple of baskets in my bathroom and I made garters for both.  I am still not quite sure about the bows.  It seemed like a good idea, but once I got them on they look a little too "cutesy" for my taste.  I can always remove that part later if I decide I would rather not have them.

I have been doing some quilting for others, so it was nice to spend just a little time yesterday making something for myself.  I hope you all are having a day full of blessings!

A different kind of memory quilt --- in memory of

These two quilts were ones I was honored to create, but wish the circumstances were different.  Our little town lost a beloved member last August.  His name is Josh and he was in his 20s, I think 28.   He was captain of the volunteer fire department and that had been his passion since he was a little boy.  He was engaged to be married in September, and the week before his death in August he took wedding invitations to all his firemen friends at their weekly fire meeting.  They later talked about the smile on his face as he passed out the invitations for the upcoming celebration.  He worked as a logger and one morning in August he was struck by a falling tree.  He knew he was very badly injured and wanted to speak with his mom.  A coworker dialed her number and Josh spoke to her for several minutes before he passed away.  As a mother …… I cannot imagine.  It had to be the most painful yet one of the most precious conversations of her life.  She talked calmly to him and asked him to hang on because help was on the way.  She said later that she was at work and did not recognize the number because it was her son's co-worker's phone and typically would not have even answered it, but this time she did.  She said she is forever grateful for those precious few moments to spend talking to her son before he died.  The young man's aunt asked me if I could make two memory quilts, one for her sister and one for her mother (Josh's mother and grandmother).  Josh's mom loves purple and his grandmother loves red, so they each got their own quilt made of Josh's tees.  I heard from the mom today and she put the quilt on the antique cast iron twin bed that he once slept in.  Here are pictures of the two finished quilts and a center block of each, which were tees from a benefit held in his honor last fall. The ladies in the picture are his sister and his aunt. 

Framed memory quilt block

My sister-in-law lost her only brother in an accident at his job about a year and a half ago.  He was the only male sibling and his loss has been greatly felt by his family and all who knew him.  He loved the farm life, especially riding horses and tractors.  I wanted to do something for my sister-in-law to perhaps bring her some comfort and decided to make her a framed quilt block.  I talked with his wife and told her what I wanted to do and asked if she had any extra clothes of his that she might be able to part with.  She brought me a pair of his jeans and a tee shirt.  Since he loved the farm life, I thought about Hole in the Barn Door block but after some thought decided on a simple star, I think it is sawtooth star.  Since denim is really heavy and tees are really light, I worried about how this would go together, but it truly went together as well as any I have ever sewn.  I did use a fusible stabilizer on the back of the tee to keep it from stretching.  I gave my sister-in-law the block today and she really loves it and was very moved.

On a brighter note, my husband hung two bird feeders outside my office window.  I have kept my camera ready on my desk and managed to catch a few shots.  The quality is not the best because I took the pictures through the glass and screen of my window and had to be really sneaky and slow so the birds would not fly off.

 He put a wooden tomato cage between the two feeders to give the birds something to perch on and they have loved it. 

I hope y'all have a day full of blessings!  Hug your family and tell them you love them.

Sweet little "feel good" moment

I admit it .... I love to watch the surprise first couple wedding dances and the surprise father and daughter wedding dances.  This proposal is one of my favorites, ever.   I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.  There is one of those pesky ads at the beginning, but it only lasts 3 seconds. 

Jamin's Downtown Disney wedding proposal

Grateful for answered prayer

I cannot pass up the opportunity to thank God for answered prayers, one today in particular.  I have a couple of blogging friends that I had shared this with, and am very grateful for praying friends.  God's grace is amazing, every single day.  

Quilting goals for 2013

I clearly remember blogging about this very same thing at the beginning of 2012.  I have a list of quilts that I want to finish in the next year.  I told you last January that when 2012 was over you could laugh at me or laugh with me.  Ha-ha-ha.  First of all, before I get to THE LIST …. another goal for 2013 (and I managed to do very well with this one in 2012) … is to continue to work on my fabric stash and not buy new fabric unless absolutely necessary to complete a project (batting, backing, thread, etc.) 

Now, on to THE LIST: 

I am happy to say that I DID manage to mark two things off that list …. I quilted a top that had been pieced for a very long time ….. 

  

And I quilted a baby quilt for a new family member in Mississippi …. 

Although I did not get it quilted yet, I pieced a queen size tumbler quilt with "Grace" from Moda … 

And I pieced a queen size tumbler quilt with 30s fabric …. cannot seem to find a picture of that one. 

I fell short on the rest of my to-do list for 2012.  In all fairness to me, a couple of friends asked me to make tee-shirt quilts for their child and those took a lot of time.  I also started a little business at a local Farmer's Market Pavilion selling quilted grocery bag holders, pot holders, and other small quilted things and I made lots and lots of those.  My mother-in-law came to live with us in September and, well, ummmmm…..  Free time, what free time?  Enough about that.  2013 is the year for quilts and here is my new and revised list, keeping in mind that this is fabric that I already have on hand and quilt blocks that I had in mind when I purchased it ….

January:  Quilt the 30s tumbler and the Moda Grace tumbler. 

February:  Sawtooth Star with Wuthering Heights fabric. 

March:  Star and churn dash with Antique Fair fabric. 

April:  Friendship Star with Kansas Troubles Vine Creek. 

May:  Pioneer Braid with Day in the Country by Moda. 

June:  Log cabin with Kansas Troubles Seeds of Time. 

July:  Christmas quilt with blocks from block swap at quilt shop. 

August:  Christmas quilt with paisley, red polka dot, and cream fabric. 

September:  Christmas rag quilt with red and green homespun. 

October:  Christmas Gingerbread quilt with kit purchased from quilt shop. 

November and December --- Finish up UFOs. 

I am going to try my very best to get these finished this year.  If I manage to succeed, my fabric stash will go waaayyyy down.  I am not going to beat myself up over it if it does not go as planned because, let's face it, things get in the way.  But, if my best laid plans get accomplished, I will have a really nice new stack of quilts!