Sunday, March 24, 2024

The Journey

 A big thanks to patient Mary Jerz for quilting my latest flimsy: I am calling it, "The Journey".  African fabric scrap strips in the Railway pattern...bold blue, my sister's idea...perfect.!!!



Next:
I am almost finished with  my Hour Glass plaid scrap top...then off to Mary again...

Today, I walked for exercise and read: The Women,  by Kristen Hannah.  I could not put it down.
Great historical novel...bringing back cursory memories of  my Vietnam travel.
I was a flight attendant for Pan Am, based in NYC.  I volunteered to fly in and out of Vietnam during the war, bringing soldiers to  Hong Kong or Bangkok for R and R...(rest and recuperation)  The airline gave us dog tags and told us that if we were captured by the enemy, we were to tell them that we were American and they would send us home.  I was 22 and believed every word.  I have my dog tags hanging on my apartment wall. The bombs went off as we took off and landed, but naive me was not scared.  Young GIs took us on a little tour of their barracks....a  tent with a stick Christmas tree., two  cots on the ground.  I worked those flights for months, going through Saigon and Danang.

Last year I told a grocery store manager here in Charlotte that I was parking that day in the veteran parking spot because I had been to Saigon and Danang.  He asked, "Where is that"?

This brings back even more memories. A few years later,   I was based in Los Angeles , working on a big 747 filled with bi-racial babies and toddlers coming from Vietnam to America to be adopted.  Each baby had someone with it....most children were vomiting because of the food difference and the travel. It was a long, long flight from Asia to LA.
I have not thought of this for years,  until now, reading this book.  I must say it is one of the best books I have ever read.


Tuesday, March 19, 2024

This Quilty Day

All day today with quilty friends at a sit and sew at Quilt Patch Fabrics in Stallings.
I  have completed 12 wonky stars in repro fabric....(pattern from Blue Elephant Stitches) 

I so love these blocks so will keep on making more.

From the boxes of neglect came my Hour Glass plaid and striped blocks..
So motivated now to sew these together after years as little pieces in a bag..

Big thanks to Susie for helping me today...Big thanks to God for bringing friends into my life!!
Big thanks to Brachs for making classic Easter jelly beans. and big thanks to Amazon for delivering them.
Big thanks to a couple at sewing today who celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary with a huge yummy cake...my favorite kind.
We all had some for  breakfast and for late afternoon snack.
Big thanks to God for helping me survive all the grief of life.


Sunday, March 17, 2024

St Paddy's Day and More

Happy St Paddy's Day
Aoife and her dog Rosie...all ready for the parade in Portland

Spring garden here in Charlotte..., so happy!!

Underplanting bulbs in the fall was incredibly worth it. Thank you Dylan!!

My friend, Susan, brought this treasure to me...a present from the museum in Paducah!!


Top done....already with our fine longarmer, Mary Jerz.

The latest group of potholders:

My Marshall's bargain, now with the iron on star Applique...


 
St Paddy's Day is always tough for  me without my dear Irish man.  Nine years gone...sigh..
I  tried to post a few nights ago.  It was all finished when the computer ate it...saved and all.
In disgust, I just went to bed.
Here is what I remember of it...posting quick before it is devoured once again.


Friday, March 8, 2024

The Half Full Glass

Who could not smile when seeing this picture of adorable Aoife.


My daughter came in for a visit Thursday morning on the red eye from Oregon.
She is sick. No cold, no whatever, just in the bed exhausted with chills.
The half-full glass tells me how grateful I am for just  her warming presence.. We are talking and napping in the comfort of  each other.
Aoife and her daddy dropped her off at the airport in Portland Wednesday night.  On the way home, Aoife asked if they could please go back and get her...so cute.


All the blocks for this Railroad scrap quilt have been made now..Just left, the easy sew together.
My last, for awhile, African fabric potholder...moving on to something else.


All my African fabric scraps now hanging in an African fabric bag on my wall.
The bag itself should remind me where they are!!

Here are two links from folks who went to QuiltCon 2024.
Since I could not go, I enjoyed watching these:

Cary's Quilt Con Review 

A cold grey day awaits me outside.  I am going to put a jacket over my jammies and go for a walk anyway. That  should wake me up! And, it should keep my good attitude in check.!!


Saturday, March 2, 2024

When I was a Child, I Loved to Swing, Now, Not so Much

 The eyes have it, Lynsey, age 15; Grandma, age 76.


The visit:


.Well, anyway, Friday and Saturday a visit from Lynsey gave me a great lift.  Just one or two spats when she dressed for a  nice dinner in a tight orange top, ending just below her breasts, revealing a sparkly navel rhinestone piercing....Oh, dear.  I asked her to change, she changed alright.....into a volcano of resentment toward this old grandma from the 80's????   hmmm, I wish......Other than that, we had a lovely visit...Great talks, great food, she helped me so much....BUT, she did win the canasta game.. Lynsey took both these pix above of the Christmas Amaryllis from Trader Joe's.  She  liked them both, so I am showing them both.  I had three plants...only one performed this well.

We have a terrific bus driver here, Tony.  He helps me so much...When I go out, I am made by PT to use a walker...It annoys me no end. 
My poor ego is shattered....I mean really????  !!!
Tony tells me that I am still OK and should not fall, etc. He is an avid golfer...thus the new potholder I made for him last night to say "Thank You".  Above is the front; Below, the backing.


More potholders:
A perfect backing for the ladies above....


Too many projects....Below the wonky stars....two the wrong size and one the right size.
And how in the world did that happen?????  I must be losing it....

Maybe losing it, but still having quilty fun xo
PS
(Lynsey changed her shirt)
(Grandma uses a pretty cane when no one is looking.)


Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Grandma O'Quilt Wins....Pearl Loses

Well now...a no good, terrible day started in arthritic 
pain, staying in bed, which made it worse. Of course being in my head is being in such a bad neighborhood!!
At last, up at noon for a walk and it was raining.
I could not get a grip.  Finally with a bit of help from friends and the universe, I went outside in the wind tonight.
I breathed deeply with GUS....Great Universal Spirit.  
I love the wind, as Charlotte has very  little of it. Tonight, Pearl blew away in the beauty of this tree and the realization that I was not in control. Such a relief.
You see, I was so into self that I was even annoyed that a picture of me looked just like my grandmother at my age.  Reality is not my strong suit.

Below:  Goodbye mustard, Hello blue!!  My artistic sister has great color sense...She helped me see the error of my safety net.

 I even finished two wonky blocks from Blue Elephant Stitches


Here, we have Linda at Quilt Con, admiring the YMCA T-shirt quilt by Mac Barnes
Such a delight. Only 20% of Quilt Con entries were accepted, making things even more awesome for our Mac Barnes.
Tell me  how lucky I am to be on the recipient end of the work of artist, Linda Swanekamp.
The month of February is a month of love  and kindness.
More love for grateful me: a pair of quilty handmade earrings from Sally Catoe!!

Lastly a funny:  Lynsey at 15 sent me this text last night.
Grandma, I found you on Google so you must be famous.  Why did you not ever tell me????
OMG!!
This is a picture from 1978 as my man and I recieved our graduate degree diplomas...
Crazy  that Lynsey found this yesterday....Famous???  Right!!!!


Wednesday, February 21, 2024

It is OK to Chill

For some reason I seem to have an agenda to just do what I feel like doing, instead of the "shoulds". Then feel guilty..Jeeze...The new and improved me will try to remember that I am retired...
I deem it OK to just be...
A good day today with friends for lunch, more talking than sewing.  It is OK
We have known each other 25 years...That  brings  enormous comfort.

I am showing here what I have done with my strip sets of African fabric.  I have cut them 4.5 inches wide in preparation for a Railroad Crossing quilt.

I hope I am not losing my touch as I wonder once again on color....Maybe it should be a bright blue or a more subtle red...etc...instead of going with my gut favorite...gold.  Going to just leave this all on the design wall to perculate while I read or sew something else.

A thrill tonight as I was able to watch the awards ceremony at Quilt Con on my computer from home.
Thanks for the  link , Mac Barnes
I know you are having a great time.
 

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Life, the Craziest Activity I Have Ever Been Part of.....

 Today, I was excited about a Sit and Sew....I was packed and ready.  The morning light brought a disgruntled me who decided to stay home and pout..However, .I made myself go and had a great time.

Below are the results of my day. I had brought a bag of African scrap strips, fully planning to give them away.  Not!!!...Selfish me sewed them together instead.  Great relaxing fun!!
All these strip sets are fodder for creativity.....
At Christmas, I bought myself three Amaryllis plants.  One bloomed once and I gave it away in disgust.
One bloomed several times, I keep it on the mantle in hope.. This one is a winner...keeps on blooming until almost March...way to go.

Aged insecurity soothed with gifts.  From Lucy came a bouquet of roses; from Susan came a little Easter gift because she knows I love orange; from my DIL, a text that she is thinking of me...
Lucky, Lucky me. At Sit and Sew, friend, Suzie calmed my soul and friends gathered round to help me lift my bags and to laugh in quilty comraderie..

Meanwhile, in the Oregon mountains, near Mt.Hood, Aoife and her daddy built an igloo
At 3 and a half, Aoife learns the fine art of snowball throwing.
The valentine I received from Aoife....she stamped her name on the back.

A God thing.... a great read by Dr. Edwards from right here in Charlotte.
How to live the last part of life...with eyes wide open...
Very grateful I found this.
Now, as the night went on...poof, a blown fuse or something.  I had to get security up to unplug things. Silly me had the iron and fireplace plugged in too long at the same time.in the same socket.

This crazy life:  I never know which way is up and which way is down.
Tonight I went nuts trying to access the Quilt Con awards online...only to be told it was tomorrow night...Dear me...


Thursday, February 15, 2024

The Many Turns

Not too crazy about Valentine's Day without my dear man...April 14, it it will have been 9 years..OMG
Alas, someone left these by my door this morning..with a note:  'You are loved!!'
 I guess someone found out the I fell the night before...so embarrassisng.  I slipped in some water on the way to the bathroom at 3 am.  And, I could not get up...Jeeze Louize.  My trusty old lady button on my wrist was pushed and in 5 minutes two big security guys showed up...Boom, I was up and back in bed...so embarrassing...like a freaking baby.  So grateful I am at senior living apartments. So grateful nothing broke....but, my ego and my spirit....ugh!!
Today was a pool exercise day and a two short walk day
Also visitors for lunch...My DIL and two darling adolescent grands.
We did a quick Happy Birthday song for them both.  Lynsey turns 15 tomorrow and in a few, Dylan turns 14. I gave them a money limit and told  them to pick out their presents online and I would buy them.  Whew...so easy peasy for old Grandma..  Lynsey is so not happy  that her  younger brother is now taller than she is.  Looks like Lynsey is  ending up at 4'11" like both of her great-grandmothers on her mother's side.

Nothing fazes Dylan...Mr Charming,  just like his father.

linda and Sherry came for lunch on Wednesday.  In this cute box I found baker Linda's awesome heart chocolate cookies...the best!!  Here she is with a background to die for.

It took the three of  us to work on the obstinate African layer cake quilt top.
It is still not done, but on its way...stay tuned.
This quilt started out as red, white and blue for Black history  month...but it did not seem to work.
Next I added color and movement....alas, too much color and too much movement with no place for the eye to rest.  This is the fourth try before the garbage bin....Looks like it does have some possibility..However....no red, white and blue!! 
The many turns of the quilting process!!

The End...not really...because tomorrow is another day.
Another sewing day and another sunny day!!

PS:  More
I finished the above top, sans border...I do know that border and quilting will make a  big difference.
I am still crabby....to spend so much time  on something that usually comes  easy to me is frustrating..and at the end of the day, it was  just sewing big blocks together...Jeeze Louize
It is also bigger than I had planned....So, I know once the border is on and I put it away for awhile, it will be ok.
Then this disappointment:
I bought this because of the great color combination.  Upon  closer look, it has Bob Marley and marijuana on it...nothing wrong with Bob Marley,.......but.....OMG
AND, my great, wonderful African fabric store is now sending out fabric that is much poorer quality  than  before...I sent them an email....have to wait and see...
OK...Just sharing xo  
It is like life...not turning out quite as planned, but we make the best of it.