A Neat Gift

A couple of weeks ago, Jennifer gave me something that looked like a washcloth with something in it. She explained that it was a footwarmer. I was to heat it in the microwave for two minutes and it would make my feet warm. Wow! It works. Of course, the house smells like cooked rice but it certainly makes my feet warm. If you have cold feet, I can't recommend this enough. :)

The Loss of a Good Friend

This has been a hard week for me, my daughter and my bee. We have lost one of our founding members. She went in for a surgery that was not supposed to be very serious but there were other complications after the surgery that she could not overcome.

I first met Lois about five years ago when we both joined the bee that was formed by a group who were interested in making blocks. She and I hit it off right away and enjoyed the challenges of making the different types of blocks requested. Of course, she was a much more experienced quilter than I so she really had a head start on me.

We traveled to quilt shows together and became good friends. We co-chaired one of the day groups for our guild and then co-chaired the Program Committee. That was really fun as we enjoyed researching information for speakers and looking for good ones to bring to the guild. We worked on the guild quilt show together last year and we were looking forward to working together on the 2011 show which I am chairing.

Lois was a wonderful friend and I will miss her greatly. Who else can I call at midnight and talk about the seam that isn't working or the missing book? We spent lots of time talking about my grandkids Jenna and Jack whom she adored.

Farewell Lois - I know you are up there teaching Betsy Ross how to use a rotary cutter and mat.

Is Christmas Over Already?

It seems like it was just a short while ago I was finishing up and wrapping presents. Now it is 2010, I am a year older and the holidays are behind us. Wow! Where does the time go?

The pillowcases were for Jack and Jenna (Jen's kids). They were very pleased but since I made the digger pillowcase for Jack he has turned into a "Cars" kid. I'll keep looking for this fabric I guess.

My son was really impressed with the pictures in his wallhanging. They were taken in 1990 - long before there were digital cameras. I just copied the pictures I had on to fabric and went on from there. It was fun to make and I knew I had to do it when I first saw the Boy Scout fabric.

Here are a few pictures of presents I made:

Pay It Forward

Several months ago, Jen posted on her blog that she would send a gift to the first three people who responded to that entry. I was one of the lucky three and this is what I received:


It is the neatest bag - it holds all of my sewing supplies that I take with me when I travel to workdays, friend's homes or other places to sew. It is big enough to hold my 4"x7" ruler, scissors, thread and much more. It has handles on the end so it is really easy to grab when my hands are full.

Now I will continue Pay It Forward. The first three people who comment on this entry will receive a gift from me. They must then do the same thing. It doesn't have to anything terribly difficult; just something that is fun to make and that another person will enjoy.

I look forward to hearing from you.

I'm Back in the Groove

I finally have taken some pictures so that you can see what I have been up to. I am trying to multi-task - that is knit, stitch and quilt each day.

I am currently working on knitting hats for Christmas presents and for the homeless. Our quilt guild members made 350 hats last year that were distributed to soup kitchens and shelters. They are quick and I can usually complete one in an evening. No picture yet but it will come.

I am also working on a cross stitch project that will be a Christmas present. I have it ~2/3 completed and hope to get it done this weekend.

I have been making blocks as thank yous for the co-chairs of our day guild and one of our bee members.





















I am also working on finishing a BOM quilt top that I started in 2007. Of course, Kay and I are still working on our blue stars - it will take a few more months to finish that as we work on it on the first Thursday of each month. I have also finished a tree skirt - here are pictures of the front and back:

I'm Back in My Sewing Room

Well, what a good feeling. I am finally upstairs again working on several things. I completed a block for our outgoing guild president today and am also working on some really cute towels I bought at our quilt show last weekend.

Kay and I sewed together today - the first time in at least three weeks. We always get a lot accomplished and today was no different. I'll post some pictures when I remember to bring my camera upstairs.

Tomorrow will probably be another good day to sew as they are predicting rain all day. What else is there to do on a rainy day?

What A Success!

The quilt show is over and I am awake but not doing much today. This has been a really busy week since I returned from Houston late Monday and had judging, set up, hanging and vendors and then two days of the show. Take down went very smoothly and the pipe and drape have returned to their home not to be seen again for two years.

And, what a show it was! No numbers yet but we had a lot of people attend and lots of compliments from them and the vendors. The quilts were absolutely beautiful. We have so many talented members in our guild. Congratulations to all of our winners!