Dear Jane...

H3

welcomes me back! LOL Actually, I was zipping around the webring and noticed that on Pam's Pages that she had another blog about her Dear Jane. I finally checked it out and I would have sworn that she took the picture at MY house! She does hers exactly how I do..has the same tools--the thread, the glasses..the ring pincushion, the snips, the felt board. It was uncanny. Unfortunately, it's been almost 9 months since I have done a block! Well, after a few emails back and forth, we are kind of challenging each other to keep at it. It's so easy to get away from it. I do great when the blocks are all prepped, but when they are not..I put it off. I was told early on in my DJ adventure to do them in order, otherwise you'll do all the easy ones and only the hard ones will remain. So, I prepare one row at a time. Since I'm doing them all by hand, I trace the pattern onto freezer paper (Pam's smart--she got the DJ CD and prints them on freezer paper--which was NOT available when I first started), and then cut them out and adhere them onto the fabric. I trace the templates with a fine pencil and then hand sew them. When I get all the blocks in a row done, I sew the row together with the sashing. At least I won't lose the blocks this way! So...thanks to Pam, I'm back on the DJ track and have one more done! H3 with 24 pieces bringing my total to: 94 blocks done, 1877 pieces.

Here's the dreaded block of the bunch..I see my star points on the insdie aren't perfect..but hey--it's done! And those seams were only 3 stitches long! I did this about 3 years ago already! I guess it's about time I get back on the stick!

Quilt Pink

We participated in Quilt Pink this year, but in a little different way. It was so awesome that Quilt Pink received so many donated quilts to auction last year. The bad thing is that it was a LOT of quilts to auction off. You can't help but wonder if the market got a little saturated. Just goes to show you how generous quilters are! So, in wondering what I could do this year for Quilt Pink, I was wishing there were a local person that a quilt could be given to? Shortly after that, a student of mine called me and filled me on her friend (who has taken classes also) was struggling a bit with her breast cancer treatments and was there any way we could get people together to make her a quilt? Well, there you have it--an answer to prayer!

So I started searching for patterns that would be great to have all levels of quilters be able to do. I thought I had a great design and thought I would check over at Bonnie's for one last look-see. Lo and behold, I found the perfect pattern. And someone submitted her version in...pinks and whites! The colors we were doing! So, at the end of September, after one of my classes, about 8 people got together to sew Delectable Mountain blocks. I thought I would just have to make up whatever we didn't get done that day. And do you know we got 32 blocks done in 2 1/2 hours! I was shocked! Emma, our intended receipient, happened to be there to socialize. She wasn't up to sewing or even getting up to look at the progress, but just enjoyed the chatter and cackling that goes on in a room full of quilters! When someone said, we're done, I didn't believe her! She made me go look at the design wall in the other room. We brought Emma in to see it and asked how she liked 'her' quilt. The comment went over her head. So I said, 'Emma--this is for YOU!' She was so surprised, she knew the quilt was a charity quilt for Quilt Pink, but had no clue SHE was going to get it. She held good control of her emotions (meaning she didn't break down and bawl) and causing all of us to cry! Unfortunately, that was still part of the same weekend that I 'lost' my camera, so I didn't get pictures of the participants, but here's the quilt..Thanks to Mary Jo, Maureen, Deb, Julie, Joyce, Jenny and Sharon for their generous help in getting all these blocks done. I sewed them together and added a border and then finished the quilting last week. Emma came for a visit on Saturday to a class and we were able to present her the quilt.

Deb (her friend who suggested the whole idea) and Emma. We wish you the very best Emma in your treatments and pray that they 'beat' this disease in your body!

Welcome to Alia Rae

A little girl sent from heaven.............Thanks to God for a safe delivery and healthy baby!
I tried posting this on October 16 and Blogger wouldn't let me post pictures :( And what kind of blog is it without pictures? Anyway, my daughter and her husband welcomed their second little girl (and third child) into the world on Oct. 16 at 11:51 AM. She was 7 lbs. 15 oz. and 19" long. Everything went fairly well and speedy and we all thought her new doctor did a great job. There were a couple of things that gave us great comfort in how he handled things. Baby and new Mom are doing great! Her name is Alia (AL-ee-ah) Rae. Here's Mom on speaker phone 5 MINUTES after giving birth telling her Grandma and Grandpa in South Carolina. Proud aunt --she's Aunt #5 she says :)Nana and big sister (4) are getting a close look at that cute little thing. She did the thorough inspection and determined--'she's SMALL!'

Blog Action Day

First..on a 'quilty' note...this is for my new grandbaby, who is scheduled to arrive TOMORROW! I'll let you know all the details, but wanted to show the quilt I made for him/her this past weekend. I put Minkee on the back--ah, so soft! It's a bit hard to tell in the picture, but the middle pictures on the top and bottom rows, and the side panels on the middle row are made from chenille. Lots of fun colors and textures to stimulate a baby. :)

I'm joining in on Blog Action Day along with other Blogger's wanting to make a difference in our environment. I'm just one person, but I can make a difference in what "I" do. And the one thing that I had actively decided to do (starting this past summer) is to eliminate plastic bags and water bottles from my life. When San Francisco decided to ban plastic shopping bags, it made me start to think about not only the waste it creates, but the damage to the environment and animals. This quote is from Ecobags, "Starting with the simple step of bringing your own reusable bag to shop may seem trivial, but it creates a "mindset" that has a big impact on those who make that choice. Like anything, the more people who take this simple step, the more it seems like the natural and right thing to do." I went one step further and rather than buy MORE stuff, I decided to recycle all my canvas tote bags from the various quilt shows I've attended and a few others. I'm also making my own bags out of my old valances (I can't bear to part with anything! LOL I mean after all, it's still good fabric!) When I first started taking my 'bag full of bags' to the grocery store, I got some strange looks! Remember, I live in the Midwest. :) The baggers (usually young teenagers) kind of rolled their eyes at me, it makes their job a little tougher. After all, they just can't throw 1 or 2 things in a bag. They actually have to plan a little bit what type of groceries to put in each bag as not to squish anything. Remember the old days when a 'good bagger' was worth waiting in line for? Anyway, they are used to me now and I was so excited when I was shopping the other day, there were 3 other people with their own bags! I know it's such a small thing, but it really is true, once you make a simple step to start making a difference, it's easy to take other small steps too.

And water bottles! "using a premium reusable bottle like SIGG greatly helps reduce unnecessary environmental waste caused by plastic PET water bottles. Sadly, Americans add over 30 million plastic water bottles to our nation's landfills – everyday!
While not everyone is ready to purchase a hybrid vehicle, we believe every little bit helps. And thinking "reusable" instead of "disposable" is a great place to start. So, Rise Above Plastic – and consider the advantages of hydrating with a SIGG." although I have been using just the generic water bottles, these are so fun!

So, what are YOU doing to make a small difference in your corner of the world?

catching up

Seems like it's either feast or famine with me! I have a lot on my plate and hardly have had any computer time. But I'm getting stuff done! And I'm my own worst enemy, I swear! I misplaced my camera, so I didn't get to take pictures of my PJ party, where we made the heart pincushions from the free pattern at Fat Quarter Shop. My husband was out of town and I told him that too bad he missed it, because we all wore lingerie that night--but no pictures! LOL yeah right... I finally got this top finished, 4 Patch and Friends. It's from a Debbie Caffrey book "Open a Can of Worms". I had 4 blocks done for a class, and then finished the other 76 in Canada this summer and then realized I didn't bring border material. So, I just sat down and assembled the blocks and added the borders. Another one for the quilting pile! They do add up quick, don't they? I wish I were as prolific as Mary in getting my quilts quilted.
I also didn't have my camera for my Quilt Pink Day. Neat story..to be continued. I finally found my camera--so I can take a picture of what blocks we made, but not the people. :( oh well..it was a great day anyway.
On a personal note...my daughter (who is pregnant and due next week) went to the doctor last week and saw the nurse practitioner. She told her, oh..by the way. The doctor (a female)is having a bit of trouble with her 'on call' staff because they want more $$ for her increased business and they can't settle on a pricing structure, so she is without them for the moment. AND the hospital won't let her deliver babies without that on call staff and since the Dr. was going out of town this week for a conference, she hasn't been able to work out a deal. SOOO, long story short--find yourself another doctor! Yes--my daughter left the Dr.'s office, had to go back to work and start calling Dr.'s to see if anyone would take her at 38+ weeks! After about 10 calls, (most of them either couldn't fit her in their schedule or was appalled that she would try to find a Dr. so late in her pregnancy!), she found one. He was most sympathetic and said he knew the situation and would be most happy to help her. But he needed to see her immediately! So, I went with her yesterday and he was very compassionate and understanding of her situation. Plus, he was REAL easy on the eyes! heehee (the Mom's agreed he should be her Dr.!) So, with a week left to go, she now has a Dr. she has met and he was very kind and understanding. But wow! What an unprofessional Dr. she had! First of all, she didn't tell my daughter herself and she was in this situation the last time she saw my daughter. And she delivered her other two babies. Apparently there is more to the story that they were letting on, like she lost her liability insurance. So, stay tuned...grand baby #5 will soon be here!