Pray for Lucas

I am a child of God. I have many brothers and sisters in Christ. One of those brothers and his family are in need of prayers. A blog has been set up to keep all informed and comments support the family.



PRAY FOR LUCAS.



Lucas' dad is posting on his daily, sometimes hourly progress. They all need our prayers. He has given permission to share and since I believe in the power of prayer, I have to share.

First Time for Everything

Do you remember the first kiss? First time you drove a car? First Date? First Quilt? For some of those first, you might even remember the song that was playing, the movie that you went to see, or the meal you shared with that special someone. For your first quilt, you probably remember the process of buying the fabric.

Well, I was blessed to experience a couple of "first" this week.

To Begin, my quilt guild (Forsyth Piecer's and Quilters) held it's bi-annual quilt show. I volunteered to help with the judging process. It was a great opportunity to hear the judges thoughts and comments as the meticulously went over each show entry. I have a new respect for what they do. (Admit it, we have all second guessed winners at shows!)

Next, I actually entered two quilts into the show. I've never entered any of my quilts into a show before. Most of us judge our quilts too harshly and don't think they are worthy. (at least in the group of quilters that I spend time with) The only reason I did was to support the guild. It is really disappointing to go to a show, pay the entry fee and not see any quilts!

Now for the "first" that I will not forget. It ranks right up there with some of the other first. NO, I didn't get First Place on any of my quilts, but I was actually awarded Honorable Mention on BOTH of my quilts. Never expected that one. Talk about a shock. I know, Honorable Mention is like coming in 4th place or even lower, but, when you truly didn't ever dream of being considered, it is like a Cinderella team making it to the NCAA Final Four.

So, will there be any "seconds"? Will I ever enter my quilts in another quilt show? Probably, but still, just to support the guild. So, for your viewing pleasure, here are my quilts.

The first one is called "Midnight Garden. It was entered in the Large Wall Hanging - Pieced category.


This one is called Camo Cards. It was in the Small Bed quilts - Pieced category.


To see the Best of Show Quilt, check out Lisa's blog. She is an exceptionally good quilter. Congrats Lisa!!!

Catching up

Last August.....Really???

Life has happened. Here's a little summary.

After the death of my mother-in-law last July, life really changed. We spent more time with the father-in-law keeping him company and making sure he was well taken care of.

In September, my niece (still husbands side of the family) was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with Acute Leukemia. She was in the hospital on strict isolation for around 5 weeks. After strong chemo and a scary round of pneumonia, she was released from the hospital and is doing great.

My brother, living in Ohio, lost his job due to company cut backs. After a couple of months looking for work, he got an interview in Montana. Got the job and moved across country in December. He is now in Butte, MT. I'm looking forward to that trip to visit and see the country. I will wait for the weather to get a little warmer.

January found us taking the kids to Walt Disney World for the first time. I highly recommend the Wilderness Lodge. AWESOME is the only word to describe this resort hotel. Yep, we are ready to go back.

February, snow, snow and more snow. So, sew, sew, sew. Here are some pics of what I've been working on.

Happy Quilting....

An Unexpected Treasure Chest

Have you ever been asked to come to someone’s house to see a quilt?  You never know what you might see.  I’ve seen old poorly pieced tops that have holes, tears and stains.  I’ve seen quilts that have been used at some point to move furniture or be the bed for the dog having puppies. 

But every now and then you find a real treasure.  This is the case with the quilt you see here.   My mom was at my Great Aunts house and she said, “Come in here, I want to show you something.”  As my Great Aunt started to pull out the quilt, packed deeply in a cedar chest, she started telling the story of the quilt.   She had gotten it from her daddy, who had gotten it from his Great Grandmother.  (my great aunt is now 89)  She can’t remember when she got it, but said it was probably some time in the 1950’s.  When mom saw the quilt, she asked if she could have it.  My aunt said sure, why not and it is now my mom’s quilt.  Of course I asked to have it next and my daughter will get it when I’m gone and too old to admire it anymore.

Mom is trying to trace back the family tree to find out exactly when my Great, Great, Great, Great Grandma Booth was alive.  We know that it was pre-Civil War and the pattern is called Washington Sidewalk.   It is absolutely fascinating that the maker was so diligent in cutting the fabrics so that strips went in the right direction in all of the pieces.  She also bought yardage for the quilt background. 

If only those threads could talk….What a wonderful family heirloom for a quilting family.   This is 4 generations under a quilt that is at least 150 years old.

Too long gone...

Where have I been??? I can't believe that I haven't posted since May. I guess that summer time has me on the run more than expected. Work has also been crazy for some strange reason.

Several things have kept me away from the computer. I have been teaching some quilt classes, a little bit of gardening, vacation, trying to get caught up on my long arm customer quilts and the lose of my dear mother-in-law.

Let me take a moment to tell you about Nancy Ruth Calloway McCrary. I've heard a whole lot of jokes and comments from others about how horrible their MIL is to deal with. I can not relate to any of that. My MIL was a wonderful woman. She raised 6 kids, 4 boys and 2 girls, while her husband worked very hard to keep them with food on the table. She never worked outside of the home, but she worked very hard in the home. As a DIL, I was welcomed to the family with open arms. She was always willing to give advice when asked, but never once tried to tell me how to raise my children or treat my husband. She didn't just "drop in" at our home, she always called to be sure it was okay to come by and we were always happy for the visit. She didn't tell me how to keep my house, decorate, cook or clean, but I did know that she could always answer any question I had. Nancy died very unexpectedly on July 19, 2009. She will be greatly missed by all of us.

I'll post again soon...I just can't find any more words right now.

Saturday Morning

The husband has gone fishing, the kids are still in the bed. I have a hot cup of coffee.  There is nothing so peaceful as a quiet house in the early morning.  The only sound I hear are the clocks ticking in the family room and the keys on the keyboard clicking as I type this post.  As Ms Goodneedle would say, “Life is Good”

Why am I up so early?  Well, I placed a bid on eBay last night and went to bed before the auction ended.  My curiosity got the best of me and I had to know if I won or not.  Good news, I WON!  I am now the owner of a 1938 Singer Featherweight 221. 

I’ve been looking for a while (2 years) for the right price on one of these old black beauties.  I’ve been going to Estate auctions, antique shops and yard sales.  I couldn’t believe it when I saw this one up for auction.  I guess with the economy the way it is, people are more willing to part with their treasures for a little less money.  Anyway, dear husband said go for it and I did.

Yep, I’m dancing the happy dance this morning.   (Picture Snoopy, nose up and feet moving) Well at least in my heart anyway.  Don’t want to wake the dog or the kids.    Happy Day to all of you out there in blog land.

Heritage Quilter

Mother’s Day

What a wonderful Mother’s Day.  I spent the day with my family.  First, my church family.  The men of the church gave all of the ladies a day off.  From the organist to the choir.  Yes, we had an all male choir.  That was a first.

Second, lunch with my husband’s family at his mother’s house.  I think there were about 30 members present.

Third, a long afternoon with my mom.  While at her house, my brother called in from Ohio.  I got to talk to him for a long time too. I made mom a special Mother’s Day quilt.  All of the hands are tracings of us kids, spouses and my two kids.   She really liked her gift.

                   

My son surprised me with a spa package that they put together in his 3rd grade class.  Bath salts, an oatmeal soak and a facial of fresh mint leaves.

The husband and daughter gave me a really great gift.  A gift certificate to my Local quilt shop.  He is starting to support my hobby (addiction) more and more all the time.

Heritage Quilter

New Computer

Yes, it has been a while.  I now have a computer that is up and running.  Hope to have pictures up soon too.

National Quilt Day

Yes, I know I'm behind, but it really was a great day. Mom, DD and I went to Charlotte for the guild quilt show. It was a really nice show with many, many vendors. I've been to large shows where a passport was issued for a vendor scavenger hunt, but never a small local show. It was a lot of fun for my daughter (and me) to go around to each vendor to get our card stamped. As we left the show, they had huge boxes to deposit the passport. The winner got a huge basket worth approximately $200 in quilt goodies. My phone hasn't rang, so I guess it wasn't my lucky day.

I did buy a few things, but nothing to show just yet. Here are a few pics of quilts from the show. Sorry, I don't have names.

This was another little cutie...each quilt had a color coordinated pin holding on the label. I just love little YO-YO's. Don't you?