Design Wall Monday - 5/31/10

Wow the end of another month, how the time flies.

I hope everyone will have a great Memorial Day with family and friends but also stop and give thanks to all the people that served and gave their lives so the rest of us can enjoy days like this.

Last night I decided to work on another backing. This one is for the second Patriotic Flurries quilt that I made. I didn't have enough of any one fabric so pieced it. I was going to do my usual 10 1/2 squares but decided to go quicker so just cut these 10 1/2 by 20 1/2. Made a quick and easy backing and better yet used up stash.


Kathie

Who Do You Remember

I was reading another blog a little bit ago that asked who you were remembering this memorial day weekend. I am remembering my dad.

As an 18 year old kid he left home with a bus ticket and a cardboard suitcase and went on a construction crew to help rebuild Pearl Harbor a few months after the bombing. While there he received his draft notice and came back to California and went in the Army.

After the usual training he ended up in the infintry and was mainly in Germany. He was one of numerous people that landed on the beaches at Normandy in the dark of night to mark where mines were laid so that the troups landing the next morning could do so more safely.

He wouldn't talk about his service for years and years and wouldn't even watch old John Wayne movies with all the shooting. I think that he probably had what they then called "shell shock" and it took many years to get over it. Many memories were put way back in his mind and a lot of it never came back until the start of the first gulf war. I heard later that it had the same effect on a lot of the vets.

He was a very proud American and believed very much in this country. He didn't live long enough to see the dedication of the WWII memorial but I was there the weekend it was dedicated for him.

Kathie

Sunday Stash Report 5-30-10

I didn't think I would have a very good stash report this week since I didn't get much time to sew but I did put the borders on a quilt and pieced a backing for another quilt so my amount used ended up pretty good.

I did take a trip to the quilt store this week but only got fabric for borders and binding for my pinwheel quilt and also a couple of fabrics to go with a challenge fabric for my one guild, not bad.

Fabric Used this week: 8 yards
Fabric Used YTD: 127 yards
Fabric Added this week: 3.5 yards
Fabric Added YTD: 78.75
NET used in 2010: 48.25

I also FINALLY had a finish. I had been gradually working on the binding for my take 5 quilt for probably two weeks. Finally got it finished the other night.



Kathie

Why We Quilt

I have an aunt that lives in eastern Washington State that I am in touch with a few times a year. In fact she is the last of my Dad's generation. I would tell her about my quilting in letters and a few months ago, maybe a year now (I lose track of time) she mentioned she wished she could see some of my quilts.

I had a quilt I made that was soft pinks and purples, just right for an elderly lady. I packed it up and sent it off to her as a surprise. She was so happy and had her picture taken by one of the people at the assisted living facility she lives in.

She told me several times through the months how much she loves it.

Today I got one of those phone calls you don't want. Her daughter, my cousin, called to say that my aunt had a massive stroke and is only expected to last a few days at most. They are bringing her back home from the hospital where she will be comfortable and will have hospice assistance. She wanted to me to know that the quilt is on the bed waiting for my aunt.

I will always remember the summers we visited her when I was a kid, the great cookies she fed me, giving me my first puppy from her dogs litter and that last month on my birthday she was still remembering my birthday and sending me a card each and every year.

I can't say that I have remembered her on special occasions as much as I would have if we had not been living 3,000 miles away, but I am so glad I sent that quilt!!!

I love you Aunt Arline.


Kathie




Kathie

Backings

The other day I wanted to put one of my craft show quilts on the frame and discovered that I had no backings ready so decided that is my next task. I pulled fabrics yesterday to make backings for a red/white and blue quilt and a Christmas quilt that I have tops made. I also checked in my box of 10 1/2 squares and had enough already cut to make a backing for the pinwheel quilt. I put all the squares on the design wall and am slowing getting them sewn together between customer quilts and work around the house.

Busy weekend coming up with end of the year school project to help with, dance costumes to alter and sew things on and trying to get some painting and de-cluttering down around here.

Doesn't sound like much sewing time so with working on the backings a little at a time I will still accomplish something.

Kathie

Its a GO

We got word tuesday afternoon that our offer on the house had been accepted so we will be moving shortly. I am excited about getting a new house but I am so dreading all the painting etc. that will need to be done on both houses and also the move itself. That is never "fun" it is time consuming and high stress.

At least it is practically the end of the school year and the dance year so our daughter is going to be doing a lot of helping, I told her that will be her summer job this year.

I am trying to get some things done around here that can be done and also keeping up on customer quilting. I finished this large customer quilt the other night.



The colors are wonderful in this quilt. It was nice and flat and square and a pleasure to quilt.

Last night I took the time to get the final border on my tesselating pinwheel quilt. I don't know if I will get it quilted anytime soon but at least the top is done and the binding cut.



Kathie

On the Frame

To answer a couple of question, no I didn't do an OFFICIAL SUNDAY STASH REPORT this week, just didn't have the time. I did not buy or use any fabric last week that had not already been reported so the report would have been zero anyway.

As for moving? Still waiting to hear back on the offer we put in but if we get the house it is probably about 5 or 6 miles from where we currently live. Wanted to say in the same zoning for high school and it is a really nice neighborhood.

This is the customer quilt that is currently on the frame. Very nice fall colors of batiks. I had no clue what color thread to use so ended up ordering a variegated king Tut thread that had just about all the colors in it and it is perfect. I will try and get a picture of that once the quilting is done.


Kathie