Answered prayers

I have friends who live in Maryland.  They have been trying to have a baby for a number of years.  Bless their hearts for their fortitude with failed IVF attempts.  In answer to their prayers, they had a friend raise her hand and volunteer to be a surrogate.  

In mid-January (before all the craziness of the Corona virus grounded us), we had a baby shower.  We had no clue as to gender of the long-anticipated bundle of joy, so I went with gender-neutral.

This is the quilt.  The pattern is from Missouri Star Quilt Company.  Although I didn't plan it, the quilt is in the colors of our beloved Georgia Bulldogs.  (G'Mama picked up on it immediately.)  In the picture are the mom, me, and three of the cousins of the long-awaited baby.  

On March 9, Luciana "Lucy" Rose made her appearance.  

Congratulations to Mom & Dad, the grandparents, and family on this long-awaited bundle of joy.  I am so happy to be able to contribute a gift to the arrival of this sweetheart.

Where does the MoJo go?

When I last posted in 2016 (😖), I pledged to post more often.  Well, life gets in the way.  My Dad passed away.  I miss him so much and have been somewhat depressed.  We've had the normal clean-out his house and settling the estate.  None of it has been easy. 

My studio got into a mess and with the depression from missing my Dad, it's been hard to pull up the boot straps and get it straightened up.  Last Monday, I had nine girl scouts come to make pillowcases for charity.  I couldn't let the girls into a mess, so they became my incentive to organize the space.  What kind of quilter would I be if I didn't set a good example?  I cut 30 pillowcase sets and let them choose their set to make.  The two Scout leaders helped facilitate the sewing and all nine girls got to make a pillowcase.  

So, looking back, I've been to a couple retreats with my primary Guild.  Also, the secretarial duties have occupied a couple days a month. This Guild also makes pillowcases for two charities.  I made 37 to donate last year.  

Even with the lack of incentive and other activities, I have had some finishes over the past couple years.  

This quilt was made for Alec and Ashley as a wedding present.  It is from Pat Wys' White Chocolate pattern.  I love Pat's pattern.  Her cutting directions were spot on.  I only had slivers when I squared up the blocks. 

When I can find the baby quilt I made for their first little girl, I'll post it.  One of my upcoming projects is a quilt for baby #2. 

This quilt was made for Shane and Natalie as a Christmas gift for Shane's mom.  

It is a braid quilt.  I took a class at a LQS on the technique.  I think I'd like to try another.  I didn't quite get it done for Christmas but they gave her some of the fabrics and I finished it in January 2019.  

Most of 2018 and 2019 were spent being a buddy to my husband.  Our days evolved into lunch dates out before or after running errands.  He broke his foot in three places in December 2019 so we've spent a lot of time at home and I've spent the first three weeks of 2020 in the studio.  I have really enjoyed my creative time and pledge to myself to spend more time there this year.  I think the MoJo's back.

Sunnyside

Wow!  It has been a long time since I've posted.  It's not because I've been sitting on my thumbs.  Almost all quilters have multiple projects in process at the same time.  I think I've reached max.  I have seven projects in boxes on which I am actively quilting.  I keep saying I'm not going to start anything else until those are finished... and then something comes up...  This time, it was a baby shower.  

I have four granddaughters.  Two of them (Chloe and Kaitlin) live in North Carolina.  A month or so ago, Chloe called and during the course of the conversation, she told me that Mommy is expecting a baby sister.  Oh, by the way, would I make baby sister a quilt?  Of course, I will.  

Pat Wys released a book some years back called Spotlight on Neutrals.  I've taken several classes from Pat and proudly claim (self-proclaimed) the title of President of her fan club.  Although Pat created the quilt in neutrals, I love it in color.  It is called Sunnyside.  It is my favorite "go-to" pattern for baby quilts.  It is the perfect size for laying on the floor for the little one to roll around on. 

The baby's room will be decorated in an "ocean" theme so the requested colors were seafoam green and aqua.  Mommy's favorite color is purple so I knew I couldn't go wrong there.  It reminds me of looking at the water at Panama City Beach and being able to see the colors as they deepen in the Gulf of Mexico.  

 

The perfect quilt for a perfect baby girl.  

 

My First Mystery Quilt

Bonnie Hunter is a nationally-known quilter.  Her website is quiltville.com.  She does scrappy quilts.  I have had the pleasure of taking a couple of classes from Bonnie and she's a wonderful teacher.  

Each year, she publishes clues for a mystery quilt.  The clue on what colors she used comes out in early November so you can go shopping for fabric.  The first clue for blocks comes out on Friday after Thanksgiving.  She releases a clue a week until the Friday after New Year's.  If you keep up with her, you will have a completed quilt.  

For the past three years, I have intended to complete the mystery quilt.  Year 1 (Easy Street), I have the fabrics and completed clue 1.  Easy Street contains lime green and it doesn't speak to me.  I think I'm going to have to swap out the lime green to bring the quilt to completion.  

Year 2 (Celtic Solstice), I have the fabrics.  It's a beautiful blend of shirtings, blues, greens, and oranges.  It is on my to-do list.  

Year 3 was Grand Illusion.  The inspiration came from the Grand Island Hotel on Mackinaw Island.  The colors are yellow, aqua, grass green, pink, black and white.  Bonnie pulls paint chips from her local Lowe's and provides the colors so we have a better representation of the quilt colors than the colors on a computer monitor.  

Here's the quilt in progress.  My white has a design on it with all the colors in the rest of the quilt.  The design is dogs, chickens, butterflies, leaves, etc.  I just love it.

I love the border.  To me, it looks like flowers in bloom.  After I finished the quilt, I asked my granddaughter, Sarah -- the artist, for her opinion on the binding and she said green.  So here's the final...

I don't have a quilt that I have made.  I usually make quilts and give them away.  This one is staying with me.  It's a biggie -- 88" x 88". 

My Legacies

A legacy is something that comes from someone in the past, according to Webster.  I certainly grew up with women in my past who had a love of sewing and they left that legacy to me.

This is a picture of my family.  Left to right, my grandmother (Ethel), my grandfather (Freddie holding my older sister, Sarah), Aunt Ruth, Aunt Polly, and my Mom (Martha).  All the women in this picture sewed.  My mom had a sewing machine that my grandmother gave to her when she got married.  My brother still has it.  My grandmother taught 4H.  I learned to make an apron from her at a young age.  My grandmother also quilted.  I have some of her blocks.  

But this post is about Aunt Ruth.  She was my mom's older sister.  I can only imagine these girls as young girls.  I know they were full of life.  Aunt Ruth was one of my mentors for hard work.  When we worked in the tobacco fields, Aunt Ruth was the stringer.  We handed three leaves of tobacco to Aunt Ruth and she would tie it to the tobacco stick with string.  You had to be on your toes to keep up with Aunt Ruth.  Aunt Ruth contracted hepatitis in 1974 and left us when she was far too young.  Her passing was a great loss to the whole family.  

Aunt Ruth's first great grandchild was born in December.  I can only imagine how excited she would be as I remember how excited she was when my son was born.  When I read about the birth of Jasper, I felt that I had to make a baby quilt for him in Aunt Ruth's honor.  I know that she would have made him one if she were still here.  So, here's Jasper's quilt...

It is by the Trip Around the World pattern from the book Tradition With a Twist.  I think about little Jasper embarking on his life with the world ahead of him.  I hope this small gesture comforts him in the early years of his life.  Congratulations to his parents, Richard and Ashley, and his grandparents, Dick and Deb. 

Lilah's Quilt

The "group" quilt has been finished for quite some time.  It's lacking a label.  If you recall from my last post, a group of friends collaborated to create a quilt for a lady at church who had a stroke.  We showed it at Quilt Guild in February. It measured 74" square. 

I love the Guild but our room is small and it is hard to get a good picture.  It seems like all the pictures have someone's back or a chair in them.  

I've been wanting to take a picture of the quilt outside at my house, but the weather hasn't been cooperating and the ground has been too wet.  But, Sunday was a good, sunny day so I ran out with my camera and snapped pictures of a couple quilts.    

I love how this quilt turned out.  It is the Disappearing Hourglass from Missouri Star Quilt Company's video tutorials.  I didn't get a close up of the quilting.  I quilted it in blue thread.  I find it interesting how colored thread plays on the colored blocks.  On the yellow, it looked grey.  On the white, it was a bright blue.  Quite fun!

Sewing with Friends

I have a quilt studio.  I love it and many of my friends do as well.  One of the ladies in my church had a stroke.  A friend suggested to several other friends in our Sunday School class that we make the lady a quilt.  So, we pulled a couple layer cakes from my stash and used the Disappearing Hourglass pattern from Missouri Quilt Company.  

Disclaimer:  When I am quilting, I don't dress up (understatement).  I dress very comfortably. Make up and hair styling do not exist.  

My cutting table is awesome.  Connie and Sandra liked it as well...

 We put blocks on the quilt wall and then moved them around. Carole, Shirley and I each took turns flipping blocks.  Although, you have to watch Shirley and step stools.  Remember to close the doors behind the design walls!  (Note to self:  don't let Sandra take pictures of my backside.)

Sandra shows our thoughts on the final layout.  We all loved the color block design. 

Don't look too close because some of the pieces were rotated.  When we got them on the wall, it was evident.  Blocks have been taken apart and restitched.  The flimsy is together and the borders are sewn on.  It will go on the frame this morning. 

The best part of the whole experience is the memory we have as friends.  There was a lot of laughter, some scary moments and lots of good food. This is what the studio was intended to be.  

Disappearing Four Patch

I belong to the Georgia Friendship Guild.  I love this group of ladies.  We have a business meeting the first Wednesday of the month and a workshop on the third Wednesday of the month.  I admire the ladies who have served in the Vice President slot as they are responsible for planning the programs and workshop.  It is a challenge to find interesting topics on a limited budget.  

One of our workshops this past year was a disappearing four patch.  I've seen the pattern many times but have not tried it.  This particular pattern used big blocks... 10 inch.  I used two layer cakes.  (Anyone who is familiar with my stash knows that I have an abundance of layer cakes thanks to Missouri Star Quilt Company's deal of the day.)  

I had a layer cake of beach prints designed by Paul Brent who is an artist from Panama City, FL.  We had several of his prints in our condo at the beach.  I combined it with a white layer cake.  Here's the result...

Isn't this a happy quilt?  I quilted it with a light blue thread.  I was so pleased with the end result.  Joe and I made a trip to the Outer Banks in October.  We spent some time with Joe's friends, Frank and Ann.  I gifted this quilt to them for their hospitality.  They have a home on the Pamlico River in NC and the quilt seemed to fit the decor of the home.  

I see another one of these in my future.  I have many layer cakes just waiting to be stitched, cut, and stitched again.  After all, isn't that what quilters do? 

Kiwanis Charity Quilt

My husband, Joe, belongs to a local chapter of the Kiwanis International.  His group is The Jonquil City Kiwanis Club.  (Smyrna, GA is the called Jonquil City.)  The motto of Kiwanis International is they are dedicated to improving the world, one child and one community at a time.  

Joe's group works with our local schools to support the children.  At the elementary school level, they read to children and donate books to the library.  In middle school, the sponsor Builder's Club which is an organization that teaches the children how to plan and run projects.  In high school, they support Key Leader which builds the skills our children need to become the next generation of leaders, and give four year scholarships to a graduating senior.  

The club funds their projects by selling Vidalia onions in the spring and pecans in the fall/winter (now).  Both projects are hard work for the members.  It requires many volunteer hours to source product, procure product, and sell product to raise funds.  

To help supplement their fund raising, I made a quilt for them to be raffled.  One hundred percent of the proceeds from sales of the raffle tickets go to Kiwanis.  I purchased the materials to make the quilt and donated them, along with my labor, to the club.  Here's the quilt...

 

The pattern of the quilt is called a Hunter's Star.  My friend, Nelda, suggested that I made the quilt in blue and gold which are the colors of Kiwanis International.  All the fabrics in this quilt came from one of my favorite local quilt stores, Tiny Stitches.  

The quilt raffle will be held next Tuesday, December 9th.  I am anxious to find out who has the winning ticket!

Baby Quilts -- My Summer Work

It seems that my circle of friends includes a lot of young people who are having babies.  My niece and nephew are at the top of the list.  They welcomed their young son, Silas Alexander, last summer.  My niece's only request was for a colorful quilt.  

This pattern is called Sunburst from Pat Wys' book Spotlight on Neutrals.  Pat's book, of course, uses neutral colors, but I knew this happy, sunny quilt was the perfect choice for these colorful fabrics.  The background fabric has giraffes on it and I just fell in love.

The next quilt was made for a friend of my son's, Wes and Jamie.  

They named their daughter Novalee, which I just love.  It reminds me of the movie which starred Natalie Portman where she had her baby in a Walmart.  In the movie Novalee overcame her rough beginnings to become a successful young mother.  

Jamie sent me the sweetest thank you note for the quilt.  It means a lot to know that your work is appreciated.  I know Baby Novalee will be as sweet as her mother and this quilt. 

The final quilt was for our housekeeper and friend, Ester.  She had her second baby this past summer.  

Ester has a daughter who is about two years old.  She didn't find out the sex of this baby until she was born so the quilt had to be gender neutral.  This is a larger version of the pink quilt above.  It has eight patch squares where the pink quilt has four patches.  The eight patches have a lot of designs on them which will make this a great "I spy" quilt.  I love the brightness of the blue and the blue quilting just popped. 

As Al Roker says, what's happening in your neck of the woods?

Row By Row

There's a shop hop type event going on called Row by Row Experience.  If you want to read about it, check out the website www.rowbyrowexperience.com.  I have been shop hopping around Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.  

One of the "features" of the Row by Row shop hop is the ability to collect fabric licenses plates which resemble the state's plate with a quilty saying on it.  Here are some of my collection...

 Aren't they just so stinkin' cute?  I haven't figured out exactly how I will use them on my row-by-row quilt but I know they have a place.  

While at the shop in Martinsville, VA, my very talented, artistic granddaughter, Sarah, spotted some fabric ink.  She selected a variety of colors.  On the way to her Dad's house, we stopped by the mall and picked up a pair of white Vann shoes. Here is her result...

She is just so talented.  She painted the "tie dye" and blended the colors.  Then she overlaid the black ink using a toothpick.  I am so very proud of her.  She helps me pick my quilt fabrics and layout the quilt blocks.  Now that she's living in North Carolina with her Dad, we quilt by cell phone.  Better quilting with technology.    
 
  

Congratulations Jessie

My neighbor's niece graduated from Kennesaw Mountain High School this year.  The neighbor asked if I would make her a quilt from her t-shirts.  I'm not crazy about t-shirt quilts because they seem to lack the creativity that makes quilting such a passion of mine.  However, her shirts were so diverse and gave me a lot to work with.  

She had a combination of school shirts and church shirts.  The white shirts on the sides of the bottom three rows and the shirts on the bottom row were church shirts.  I created a "stair step" of the green shirts in the center.  I paired several fronts and backs side-by-side and top-bottom so they told her story.  I was one shirt short, so I put her graduation picture in the center.  

I used a new panto for the quilting...

It was a big panto... 14" high which I had to downsize a bit for my long arm throat width.  I loved it for the swirls and wasn't disappointed in how it quilted out.  I'll definitely use it again.  

My guild just had a program on t-shirt quilts.  One of our members shared that members of a neighboring guild to which she belongs charge $25 per t-shirt for t-shirt quilts.  So, dear readers, I'm interested in your thoughts on what to charge...
 

Charity Quilts

I belong to a couple quilt guilds.  Quilters are passionate contributors to charitable causes.  I have to admit that I have been slack in this area.  I seem to have so many projects coming at me that I cannot even finish my UFOs... let alone make the charity quilts that I should.  

However, my son asked me to make a quilt to benefit his step-nephew who has Autism.  The symbol for Autism is a puzzle and he requested a puzzle quilt to be raffled off.  Here's what I came up with...  (on the back porch)

(on the bed)

My oldest granddaughter, Sarah, helped me with the color layout of the squares.  She is quite the artist and has an eye for color.  Notice the offset rows of black and white mixed with the colors.  There are no accidents in her work... everything has a purpose.  I was pleased with the result and hope the raffle yields a lot of money to benefit Autism research.  

Colon Health Awareness Month

At the end of 2013, Joe went for his routine physical.  During the conversation with his primary care physician, the topic of Joe's last colonoscopy came up.  It had been 10 years which is the interval to have another.  

The first week of January, Joe did the dreaded prep and went for the colonoscopy.  A normal colonoscopy take 30 minutes.  After sitting in the waiting room for an hour and a half, I figured something was up.  After the procedure, the doctor told us Joe had a large polyp and he removed 70% of it.  The biopsy indicated that the polyp was pre-cancerous, so the doctor recommended that Joe have the right side of his colon removed.  

So, Joe had surgery on March 10.  The pathology report was negative with no signs on cancer.  And he is recovering nicely.

Here he is with his nurse tech and two student nurses.  

March is Colon Health Awareness Month.  Although none of us enjoy the prep for a colonoscopy, Joe is the perfect example of why it is important to have the routine check ups.  I am so thankful for perfect timing and that his results were negative. 

My Dad

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

  a time to be born and a time to die,    
  a time to plant and a time to uproot,
  a time to kill and a time to heal,
  a time to tear down and a time to build,
  a time to weep and a time to laugh,
  a time to mourn and a time to dance,

My Dad went to Heaven on February15.  He had aortic stenosis which weaken his heart.  I sat with him during his last week as the disease sapped his strength.  We watched it snow on Wednesday and then the sun came out by Saturday when he made his journey home.  

The verses from Ecclesiastes so describe my Dad.  He loved his garden.  He planted green beans, corn, October beans, onions, and tomatoes every year.  Just this past summer he was talking about planting strawberries and setting up a stand to sell them in his front yard.  He was a fisherman.  He loved catching fish and spent many hours on the local lakes.  He wouldn't ask my stepmother to cook them because she didn't like them, so he gave them to the neighbors.  He was a brick mason by trade.  At the visitation, so many people came up and said, "your dad bricked by house/chimney/porch."  His legacy will live on through his work for years to come.  He loved a good joke.  He spent many hours at the garage and I am sure the jokes rolled.  And, he loved to dance.  Not long ago, he said he wished he knew where there was a square dance.  I remember going to him to the American Legion when I was in my early 20s and dancing with him.  

As a child, I remember him to be a stern disciplinarian.  As an adult, I know that he instilled the work ethics I have today.  He was my rock when I got into trouble in my early 20s.  He was always there for me and I will miss him every day.  

Love you, Dad.  

Southern Snow

It started snowing here about 10:00 yesterday morning.  It started as a light snow and increased in size and intensity.  About Noon, I considered going out to the studio to work on my quilt from last weekend's retreat.  Out the back door, this is what I saw...

Nope... looks cold... and it was.  Decided to stay in.  The snow stopped about 5:00, so I went out and swept a path off the deck.  When I got down to the driveway, there was about 1/2 an inch of ice underneath the powdery snow.  Ahh... that explains the gridlocked traffic.  

On that note, the TV stations have been broadcasting nothing but traffic info for the past 24 hours.  Multiple factors contributed to the traffic gridlock, but it has been quite the mess in metro Atlanta.  My neighbors had stories of sitting in their cars for hours, and walking home.  And again, I am so glad that I don't have to go to work any longer.  I like my cozy, warm house. 

Red & White Magic -- End of Story

So, I finished the red and white quilt and I can tell the end of the story.  I worked at The Coca-Cola Company for 31 years.  After my retirement party in May of 2011, I walked to my car with a co-worker, Theresa Senter.  Theresa asked me if I would make her a red and white quilt.  

In early January, I got an invitation to Theresa's retirement celebration.  Theresa was celebrating 37 years at The Coca-Cola Company.  I figured my chances of getting together with Theresa after the party were probably few and far between as people tend to go their separate ways when major life events occur.  I thought I had to get busy if I was going to pull this one off... and I did... but I couldn't resist putting the red and white quilt on my bed before it left to its new home.  

It looks pretty at home there, doesn't it?  But Red & White Magic went to its new home last night.  (I might just have to make another.) 

Red & White Magic Continues

I went shopping last week for red and white fabric to complement the border of the quilt squares I posted a week ago Monday.  Of course, I look for the small red and white prints because that is what appeals to me.  My friend, Jackie, at Stitch 'n Quilts in Mableton, GA pulled out a red and white retro print that I never would have picked.  

I was thinking nine patch.  Then I started playing with EQ and played with this on point border.  I really like how it turned out.  

I mentioned that this is a gift, if I get it finished in time.  Until the gift is gifted, I'm holding off on the total reveal.  It goes on the frame in the morning, after I get through picking red strings off the back of it.  

Design Wall Monday -- January 6

This is what's on the design wall for today...

I just love red and white quilts.  This is going to be a gift... if I get it finished in time.  

Wouldn't it be nice to have something on the design wall every Monday...

Merry Christmas

A couple months ago, I got a text from by husband's daughter with a picture of a quilt attached and a comment... "Mackenzie (granddaughter) wondered if Geema could make her a quilt like this."  As my husband says, granddaughter's want... granddaughter's get.  

Of course, it was a Christmas Eve finish.  (Don't we all work better under pressure?)

A black and white chevron.  The construction is 6" finished half square triangle.  I used five or six different blacks and scrappied them up.  

I love a big, ole' fat binding...  

One thing I love about the long arm quilter is that the quilt basting on the top and sides makes for a full, fat binding.  I love the way the binding rolls to the back and puffs up.  And, yes, the backing is a red print... hoping for a Georgia Bulldawg when dear granddaughter heads to college.  

The quilting was puffy clouds in a black and white variegated thread.  Black thread is weaker than white thread due to the amount of dyeing required to get it black.  I had more than my share of thread breaks and challenges with this thread, but it is lovely on the quilt.  

I love the quilt.  I may make another one for me!