So, after a couple of warmer that average days, we had rain last night followed by…….cooler days ahead. At least today is party sunny. My soul doesn’t feel very sunny today. My friend, who started out as a supervisor and quickly became a really good friend passed away on Tuesday morning. I hadn’t seen her for about 15 months as she had issues that made it unsafe for her to be by herself so her daughters moved her to assisted living in Georgia. Assisted living quickly transitioned memory care and she has been declining fairly rapidly. I knew she wasn’t doing well, but the call that she had passed was still very sad and kind of a shock. Tonight I will have supper with her best friend and a mutual friend of mine. I’m sure Martha, Denise and I will have a very bittersweet time. The last time the three of us were together was when we shared a meal with JoAnne. She is at peace but she will be missed.

So my week so far has been filled with completing a simple quilt made up of two flannel sheets with a piece of flannel in between for a friend of my sister. That went in the mail to Omaha on Tuesday morning. I spent Tuesday working on small fabric bins which I demonstrated at the guild meeting Tuesday evening. I had to write directions and make examples. After the meeting, I found out about JoAnne’s passing, so that meant nothing else accomplished on Tuesday. Wednesday AM I completed 3 more bins that were in various stages of completeness, as I selected fabrics for my examples that I was planning on using as little Christmas gifts. So, I have 4 done except for decorative buttons. I still my make a couple more but I have some fat quarters coming that will be perfect for several more. All the kids and grands are getting one for Christmas. I also checked out the panel that will be made into a doll and dollhouse and I have two of those to do.

I am working on cutting out pieces for letters for the baby quilt I need to do, so on it goes, life has a way of doing that regardless of what stage you are in your life. Will leave here around 4:15 to head to Bloomington for supper.

I forgot to take a picture of the flannels so have asked the recipient to send me one. I try to remember to take pictures of all my projects. I also signed up to get my Covid booster tomorrow and will take my mother for hers. A fun thing, I signed up for a Zoom workshop in early December that is about repairing quilts.

Be back soon with another post. Until then, Keep Calm, Keep Praying and Keep Quilting!

We woke up this morning to a few, great big wet fat snowflakes. It kind of left some slush on the deck outside the kitchen door. This was one of my “don’t have to get dressed days” as I had planned to attend church virtually. So, I’m over winter (LOL) and ready for spring. Guess if it HAS to snow, this is how I wish it was every time it snowed. Really need to win the lottery so we can buy something inexpensive (right?) some place warmer.

I posted pictures of the quilts I will be donating at the guild meeting on Tuesday evening but finished this one also. This one is a “show and tell” not a community quilt.

This fabric really made me think of my friend and former boss/mentor who had an unbelievable back yard and always had deliveries of river rock that she used to control those things that she didn’t want to grow. She is now in memory care in Georgia and I previously made her a quilt and gave it to her. This one is for her best friend (to remind her of JoAnne). I am having dinner with her Thursday this week and will deliver it to her then.

Currently on the quilting frame is flannel sheets with a flannel “batting” that I am quilting for my sister Sharon’s friend in Omaha. I need to get this done, work on samples of a decorative storage basket for the guild meeting on Tuesday AND then decide which Christmas/baby quilt/sister quilt project I am going to work on next.

Until the next time —- Keep Calm, Keep Praying and Keep Quilting.

I posted last about 7 quilts I just completed. All of those will be donated. I have another quilt on the frame and hope to get it finished in the next couple of days. My sister brought me a couple of flannel sheets and a big piece of flannel that will be turned into a “flannel sheet sandwich” and quilted on my frame and returned to her friend in Omaha, Sue. Sue loves flannel sheets and wanted these simply quilted together. She will do the finishing.

I have been doing some “designing, I use that term loosely” of a baby quilt that I need to have finished no later than the end of December and earlier would be better yet. I have a guild meeting next Tuesday and am doing a short demo on a quilted fabric box, I need to work on preparing an example of all the steps and plan to do those in such a way that I can finish and use the resulting boxes as gifts (and that is the suggestion of what the quilters in the guild do also —- I see lots of folks in my area getting these for Christmas gifts. I also have dolls and two fabric doll houses to put together, two minky blankets, a quilt for my twin (which I will work on last and possibly gift it for our birthday in February) a cat pillow and catnip mouse, I think that is all (hopefully).

Also on my plate, not quilting related. The sisters and I drove to Ft Wayne yesterday to pick up our chocolate making supplies. So the week of Thanksgiving I will start making candy, which several extended family members get instead of Christmas gifts. On a Thanksgiving note, we are not doing a big Thanksgiving dinner, will fix a turkey and all the sides for me and John and a delivery meal for Melissa and her family.

So, that is what I’ve been up to. Are you staying busy? Until the next time **Keep Calm, Keep Praying and Keep Quilting……..

Well, I almost made my Saturday self-imposed deadline, but life has a way of happening. Finally, got pictures taken of the 6 donated quilt tops AND finished binding on #7 which is blocks I started at the October Quilting Retreat, put together, quilted and now ready to be donated also. The 6 quilt tops will be donated to my local Churches in Mission group which passes along the quilts to nursing homes and the local shelters.

Told my quilt pusher that I would take one more batch of quilt tops if she had them. I probably won’t get started on the quilting of those until after the holidays as I have at least one more quilt to make (may shoot for 2) and several things that will be Christmas gifts.

Hope you enjoyed seeing what I’ve been working on. Until the next time, Keep Calm, Keep Praying and Keep Quilting.

Okay, so it now the 2nd day of November. It certainly isn’t the longest I have gone without posting but still not quite where I would like to be. I think I would be more likely to share the link to this blog with others if I could get here, say twice a week. Guess if I am going to do that I need to calendar it to “make it so”. I don’t have to make a trip to my mom’s house on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Maybe I need to try to get one done on Wednesday (this late Tuesday can count as my first regular Wednesday) and the second one on Saturday or Sunday. So, to steal the words from a Barry Manilow song, and it started again and I meant every word. Of course, he was talking about a relationship, I’m talking about a blog post.

I have finished the final six (6 yippee) quilt tops that were sent to me to quilt, finish and donate. Haven’t gotten guild tags put on yet or pictures taken. As soon as I get pictures taken I will post those (hopefully, by Saturday or Sunday). I also just put a 30 block red, white and blue quilt on the frame which I am going to try to get finished before I start my next project. I am taking approximately a 30-45 day hiatus from community quilts to get Christmas gifts and a baby quilt completed. I also need to put together step by step of a quilted fabric box that I am demonstrating at the next guild meeting (why oh why do I get myself into things like this).

Seems like nothing is easy and my weeks fill up before you can say, what day is this. I already had a busy Thursday planned —- meds, haircut, traveling to the north side of Indy to see one of my besties on her birthday. I had just made plans to meet a couple of former IU co-workers when we got asked (typed tasked which is relevant here) to watch Cora and Aria Friday afternoon and early (ish) evening. John & I will be in separate cars since I will be going from my lunch and John will have leave before the girls mom comes to get them around 8. Jeremy is planning on heading north to near Chicago for the weekend to visit his girlfriend.

Will post more (and hopefully pictures) on Saturday or Sunday. Until then, Keep Calm, Keep Praying and Keep Quilting.

I felt so bad about not posting for so long that I decided to try for a 2fer. I am procrastinating loading the last the community quilt tops on the frame. I really need to get that done before I call it a night, at least the backing fabric and cutting the batting.

We (my wonderful hubby and I) went on a little road trip to day to Vevey, IN to the Cardinal Quilt Shop. It is about 2 and a half hours from home and all the way at the southern part of the state just north of the Ohio River. What a great shop!!!! They have regular width quilting cotton for $5 a yard! No, they aren’t just released, but they are brand name — 3 of the cuts I got today were Riley Blake. Spent way too much money but I got 7 pieces (4 yards each) plus 3 pieces that were end of bolt or already cut and they were 2 3/4, 2 1/2 and 2 1/4 yard pieces for (drum roll please) less (pennies) than $190. That’s 35 and 1/4 yards. Not too shabby. Most, if not all, will be pieced and made into quilt backings. I’m always looking for inexpensive backing for my community quilts. Several ladies from my guild are doing a road trip down there on Friday, sounds like the shop will be uber busy that day as well as Thursday and Saturday as there are 100 quilters doing a retreat nearby that will also be shopping at Cardinal AND on top of everything else, the shop will be closed for awhile after Saturday as they have lost their lease on the building and are moving a couple of blocks away but moving none-the-less. I think they are hoping to be open again in early December but that might be wishful thinking on their parts. It was a nice day and the weather was good.

Well, I am going to head to my quilting frame and work for a little while before I sit down with my book to read until John gets home.

Until the next time—– Keep Calm, Keep Quilting and Keep Praying!

Hard to believe I haven’t posted since spring and no quilt projects shown since FEBRUARY!!! Hey, it’s now FALL! Can you believe it. How many quilts have I finished since posting in February? 29 — about 4 of those were put together by me, quilted by me and finished by me — 1 for a wedding gift, 1 for a community quilt and 2 for fundraisers. Also 5 or 6 of those were quilting only on guild members community quilts. The other 20 were tops made by others that I quilted and finished and then they were donated. I also have 5 more of those tops ready to finish and 1 more to put on the frame and quilt before I bind. Oh, I also did a 2 1/2 inch strip quilt that I need to quilt and bind and it will also be a community quilt.

Here are pictures of some (will post the rest when I get the 6 I’m currently working on done.

That’s all for this time folks! I’ll try to get back here soon to post the rest of the pictures and catch you up on the momma drama and that which is my life.

Until the next time —- Keep Calm, Keep Praying and Keep Quilting!

I can’t believe it has been so long since I have been here and posted. Time marches on, that’s for sure. Not much new going on. Had my first COVID shot early this month and go back on the 2nd of April for the 2nd one. Looking forward to that immunity since there are soooooo many people who are either not dealing from the top of the deck or are just inconsiderate, probably a combination and a very few who are BOTH.

Haven’t seen our daughter or her girls for a YEAR! We have got to see Jeremy and his two little ones off and on throughout the pandemic including even doing elearning one day a week with Cora (and sitting for both) during the first 8 weeks of school and a couple of extra times too. The girls and their mom just got back from spring break trip and we are going for a visit tomorrow.

Been working on some quilting but not what I should be getting done since I don’t have much else to devote my time to. I did go to a quilting guild meeting last week and my friend Carole is coming up in a couple of weeks so we can do a southern Indiana shop hop. That should be fun and possibly painful, since she is an avid kool-aid drinker and we certainly can’t talk about anything election or Trump/Biden related and it is a two day overnight trip.

Today is my friend (and former bosses) birthday and very likely her last. If she survives the physical ailments, she won’t know who I am soon because of the dementia.

My best Friend Sharry is having surgery on the 12th of April to have her cancer laden female parts removed. I really worry about her survival and hope that this increases her longevity and quality of life.

Welp, that is all for now. Will post again soon (hopefully) and include pics of my latest quilting projects.

So it has been unseasonably cold here for a few days and we are supposed to get 8-11 inches of snow by tomorrow morning (UGH!). I am ready for spring, sunshine, warm days, green on the trees, flowers blooming, you get the drift.

I have been working on some quilts. Don’t know if I will get a chance to drop them off for charity giving, kind of doubt we will have a guild meeting tomorrow evening as we are supposed to get 8-11 inches of snow through tomorrow morning. Also winds picking up and much blowing of snow.

I haven’t been super productive with the quilts but do have a pretty decent stack to donate IF we do have a meeting. Here are the last 5 I finished and I have 4 more that I just need to finish binding on.

These were all interesting to quilt as there was an extra piece of fabric on the back of each diagonal block. I worked from the front of the machine on all of these and did an overall loopy meander with hearts. They will be nice heavy quilts for donating.

The next 4 are much smaller but I still did just a free hand meander on them.

That’s all for now. Until the next time, KEEP CALM, KEEP PRAYING AND KEEP QUILTING!

Where does the time go???? Not sure, but I certainly don’t have anywhere near 31 days of work to show for it. Of course, I didn’t finish Aria’s quilt, bunny and accessories until the middle of the month. Since they I have quilted, trimmed and bound 5 community quilts and have 2 of 4 loaded on the frame to start the next bunch. My binding buddy has a full time job now, so I decided to do front and back binding attachment on the machine. Didn’t turn out too bad. Will post pictures (hopefully) with the next post. The 5 quilts are finished but I haven’t taken pictures yet. I am working on getting some materials (mainly pre-cuts at this point) listed for sale.

It has been an exciting January (even if not a particularly productive one). There was an attempted coup at the US capitol during the confirmation of the electoral collage on the 6th. Our 45th President has been impeached a second time (not convicted the first and who knows whether he will be the second time or not) but he should be impeached and banned from ever running for any political office again and put on a plain with a one way to Siberia.

They are finally giving vaccines for COVID to all 70 and up here in Indiana. My mom (and John’s Dad) have appointments on Thursday for their first dose. Since I turn 65 next week and the next group is 65 and up, will hopefully get mine either late February or early March (at least the first of two).

Not much else new on the home front at this point. John actually got to stay home tonight instead of going to his dads because his dad has the flu.

Until the next time—-KEEP CALM, KEEP PRAYING AND KEEP QUILTING…………….