This Has Been a Tough Week . . .

but I finally went to the doctor today and he thinks I either have bronchitis or sinusitis.  So, now on to getting better!!

The day before I got sick last week I went to lunch with Janet O. from The Rogue Quilter and she brought me a present!!  Was I ever surprised!!  A couple of months ago she had been over to my house looking for a varigated thread to do some free motion quilting on a little quilt she had just finished.  Well, I gushed about how much I loved it and look what was inside the bag ~

Oh, my gosh!!  Now those of you that know Janet, know she is more of a dark and dirty kinda gal when it come to her quilt colors.  And I am a bright and never dirty kinda gal - so it was such a perfect present!!

 Here is a peek at some of the gorgeous quilting she did with the thread she picked out.

And the cute, cute label she added to the back!!  Thanks, Janet, I LOVE it!!

The one thing I did get finished and in the mail this past week was my May Doll Quilt Swap quilt to Sher.  These little quilts take me so much time as I am sure you all know and so I have decided that this May quilt is my last one in this swap.  I hope Sher enjoys it as much as I enjoyed making it for her.

I am hoping that the rest of this week and next will have more quilting time!!  I hate being sick and I just do not do it very well!!

Happy Memorial Day!!

These are the little cemetery pots I made from my garden to put on the graves of my maternal Grandmother and Grandfather (Nana and Gramps) in the Brigham City Cemetery.  It has been many years since I lived near a cemetery where relatives are buried and I am really looking forward to visiting!!

Because my parents are buried down at the Riverside National Cemetery in Southern California, over 700 miles from here, I am honoring them with my Grandparents in Brigham City.

I also want to honor all of the brave men and women from all the Wars and skirmishes and battles who lost their lives or were severely wounded in order to protect this great country!!  And I want to especially thank my brother, Greg Young, for his service during the Vietnam War.  Greg was exposed to Agent Orange while over there and for the past decade has lived with the ramifications of that nasty poison.  But what I love most about Greg is that he NEVER complains!!  I love you, Greg!!

And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; 

that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow

beings ye are only in the service of your God.

Mosiah 2:17

Saturday's Smile

I have been absent all week as I have been sick and have nothing to show :-(( except this!!

Saturday's Smile!!

For my friend, Tag!!  :-)

Busy, Busy Week!!

Oh, wow, this has been such a busy week but I got a lot done!!

I finally got all 36 of Lynne's blocks done and in the mail!!  That was the biggest quilting project of my quilting career and I am thinking it might be the last huge project like that as it was so stressful to get it finished!!  Gratefully, Lynne was so nice about the job taking so long!!

Next, we got a real good start on my friend Chris's son and his new bride's wedding gift.  Chris does not sew but she is a dang good pinner!!

Then, I got all the 9-patches done for the baby shower gift.  When Shannon told me she wanted blue, brown and green, I said what??????  Yuk!!  But look what we found and it is going to be darling for her daughter that is coming into the world the end of June!!

And finally, I just about got Pat's April Doll Quilt done but then I decided I wanted to put sprinkles on the cupcakes, so I am keeping it until tomorrow and then off in the mail it goes!!

Now it is bedtime and I think I am going to sleep like a baby tonight!!

Saturday's Smile

Working on My April Doll Quilt

and the theme for April is Birthday.  My partner asked for a table runner for all the birthdays she has coming up this summer, so here is what I have at this point ~

Loving it so far!!

Birthday Present on Its Way . . .

to my "Dear Jane" Secret Pal!!  Woo!  Hoo!!  And it should actually get there on time - May 9!!  And today is my Mom's birthday - she would have been 95 years old!!  Happy birthday, Mom!!

This picture is sorta blurry - sorry, but the package is already in the mail so I can't get another.  It measures about 25" x 25" and so hope fully my Secret Pal will use it for a table topper and put her birthday cake on it!!

And look at the cute label I sewed into the binding.  It is cotton twill and comes by the yard from Lilla Lotta Handmade Goodness.  What a fun touch!!

P.S.  And check out the snow drops as you move your mouse around the blog - especially fun on the lavender sides!!  :-)

Saturday's Smile!!

March Doll Quilt for Mary

Ok, so I am a little late on this one and I guess the April doll quilt is late too, but I am hoping that Mary has received her quilt and that she enjoys it as much as I enjoyed making it for her!!

This is one that I tried the HSTs by sewing all the way around the sandwiched blocks and then cutting the block in 4ths.  I have always had an aversion to HSTs because everyone has always said they were so difficult.  So, when I saw this technique, I thought I would give my first ones a try.

I used some vintage Barbara Brackman Morris and Company fabrics and then got a chance to use my new sit-down long arm, Fred.  Actually, her full name is Fredericka II but Janet O. from Roque Quilter and I just call her Fred.  Janet is Fred's Godmother because if it weren't for Janet, Fred would not be living downstairs in the Studio.

Oh, boy, do I love this little baby!!  Now, it is just practice, practice, practice!!

And here you can see some of my quilting, it's still just meandering, but it is so much more fun on Fred than on my old machine!!

Oh Boy, Did I Have Fun Today!!

I tried something new!!  Who said you can't teach an ol' dog new tricks??

We started out with this~

And ended up with this ~

Oh, yeah, and a little of this ~

And we get to do it again in two weeks!!  Maybe that saying should be ~ you CAN teach an ol' ewe new tricks!!  :-))

Saturday's Smile!!

We Started with a T-Shirt and a Family Photo . . .

My neighbor across the street, Becky, came to me last week and said she had a brainstorm that she wanted to throw out.  She has been working with a group of university students in China over the past ten years to help a group of young, deaf Chinese students, ages 4 through about 9, from a small village in rural China, get an eduacation and learn how to get acclimated into a hearing society.

She wanted to make a quilted wallhanging for the 10-year celebration of the program.    Through great collaboration and many prayers for inspiration, we came up with this darling banner-style quilt ~

It measures about 28" x 44" and that is Becky in the of the picture.  Becky left for China early this morning and she will bind the quilt on her 27-28 hour journey to Shanghai and then she will spend 3 weeks over there helping the Chinese folks that are keeping the program going with all the things that need doing.  I was so excited to be a part of this wonderful project that helps young kids be better people!!  I wish I could share Becky's whole story with you but alas . . .

UPDATE FROM BECKY IN CHINA - 4/29/3013

Here it is with the binding finished - Becky said she finished on the plane and watched a couple of movies while finishing it!!

This is Becky with her quilt!!

In her email Becky said:

Attached are some picture of our quilted banner . . . It turned out so great and everyone that has seen it has been so positive.  Most can't believe that we could make such a beautiful thing by hand.    I finished the sewing on the plane -- helped the fht go faster and I was able to watch some movies as I did it.    We will be using it to help promote the project from May 1st thru May 10th!   My time here has been busy and good so far . . . will be working tomorrow with the student on the web-site and we'll see how it all works out.   It has beautiful here . . . lots of green trees and plants in Nanjing and the temperatures have been up in the 80's!!!

Saturday's Smile!!

When I am an Old Women I Shall Wear Purple!!

As I was working on these two Flowers for a swap this evening ~

I couldn't help but think about the poem, "Warning!" by Jenny Joseph.

I remember when this poem was so popular back in the late 1990s and when the Red Hat Society was so big - and as I have researched it, still is!! 

Warning!!

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple

With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.

And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves

And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.

I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired

And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells

And run my stick along the public railings

And make up for the sobriety of my youth.

I shall go out in my slippers in the rain

And pick flowers in other people's gardens

And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat

And eat three pounds of sausages at a go

Or only bread and pickle for a week

And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry

And pay our rent and not swear in the street

And set a good example for the children.

We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?

So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised

When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

By Jenny Joseph (1932 - )

Do you remember this poem??  And are you a Red Hat Society member??  :-))