Crazy

My co-workers have been besieged with a whole host of illnesses and misfortunes in the past year.  It is frightening and emotionally exhausting and just sad.  But times of trouble also tend to pull people together, and I've witnessed that over the past year, too, all of us pulling together to support one of our own.  The latest is a retired professor who works with us in Admissions part time for part of the year, who just found out that he is riddled with cancer.  From what I understand, he is not going to be pursuing treatment and he is deteriorating quickly.

When he is gone, we will have lost a gem.  He is generous and funny, compassionate and brilliant, creative and dedicated, and one of the easiest people that I've ever had the pleasure to work with.  I want to visit him, but I'm afraid of breaking down in his presence and doing more harm than good.  I want to give him something, but what?  I'm a lousy cook, and besides, my oven STILL doesn't work.  His wife is a gifted and prolific quilter, so he certainly doesn't need a quilt.  Hmmm....

I decided on a quilted card.  Quilting is what I know, what I do in times of stress and trouble.  Perhaps he doesn't need a quilt, but if I can just think of what I want to say, then a quilted card seems to be the best delivery for me.

I got some cardstock and some solid scraps, choose a decorative stitch, and made a crazy quilt block card.  Now, if I can just think of what to say on the inside...

Much easier to write are the Hurricane Sandy Thank You Cards.  More went out in the mail today, and I have nearly finished addressing them all.  Whew!  But so worth it!

Stitches and stamps

My co-worker's baby came 2 months early.  Ella Clare is a cutie with LOTS of hair. Her APGAR scores were great, so the prognosis is good, but she'll be in NICU for a while yet.  I've been wearing my fingers out trying to get her quilt ready to welcome her when she gets home, and I think I'm going to make it.  I bet I have only one or two evenings left of quilting, and I hope to bind it this weekend.  This was such a fun quilt to make - I feel certain I'll be making more with different color schemes.  I love making baby quilts - they come together so quickly! 

I've addressed and about 110 Hurricane Sandy Relief Quilt Thank You postcards - halfway there! 

Little Things

Last week was BRUTAL! It was super busy at work and I was cramming to make a signature quilt in just 5 days. It all got done, but all I felt like doing this weekend was little things. Luckily, I had two Bee blocks to complete, so I started with those. They were both made with fabric that is very different from what I have in my stash, so that was fun.



We also had a Tiger Scout Den meeting on Sunday afternoon for which I had to prepare. We are going Christmas caroling at a nursing home in early December, before our next Den meeting, so we made Christmas postcards to distribute to residents while we are there (I know, I know, it is early to be thinking Christmas when we haven't even eaten turkey yet, but we wouldn't have had any other time to do it.) On Saturday, I spent several blissful hours cutting letters and green triangles out of old quilting magazines while oogling the quilts. I also cut out some postcard sized rectangles from old cereal boxes, and covered each with a snowy background cut from some Christmas wrapping paper. Here's my sample card:

The ornaments on the tree were made with a 3-hole punch - easy peasy!

Here are the Tigers and their parents working on their cards:


And here is the final result of our efforts:

(Looks like that second tree in the third row is getting chopped down, doesn't it?) I love them! All the boys signed all the backs of the cards.

We also packed 4 boxes of goodies for Operation Christmas Child to send abroad. Can you tell we talked about part of the Law of the Pack, "The Cub Scout gives goodwill"? We defined goodwill as kindness, and these boxes and postcards are physical manifestations of our goodwill towards others this season.

I also spent some time straightening up my sewing room yesterday. I still have a long way to go to make it presentable, but it is better. Part of making it better was cutting up some of my flannels so that they fit back into my flannel bin. I'm hoping to whip up a rag quilt that I can work on snipping later this week on the team bus when the boys and I and ride with my husband's basketball team up to Amherst, Massachusetts where they will play in a tournament. My sister lives within walking distance of the College, so we get to visit family and support the team all at once. Bonus! I will also be working on my November Birdie BOM on that trip. It is nice to have travel projects!

Know what else is nice? Winning giveaways! I won TWO yesterday - 5 fat quarters from Annie at Annie's Ruby Slipperz and a pattern and Charm Pack at House of Wilson. There are more giveaways coming from both of them - I encourage you to pop on over for a peek!

Inspired!

Yesterday, with a whole afternoon and evening spreading out before me with no plans, I felt inspired - inspired to let some of you know how much you inspire me!

When I started blogging, it was to chronicle my quilts: the process, the dates, the fabrics, the techniques, the ideas, the finished products, the frustrations, the triumphs. I had no idea there would be this awesome community of people who would greet me, challenge me, encourage me, support me and INSPIRE me. Thank you!

So armed with some quilt magazines and the materials I have collected to make postcards ALA Julie Tulips with my Cub Scouts this fall, I started playing. Here's what I have come up with so far:



More to come, for sure!

Nellie, all stuffed and ready to nap, sat guard over my workspace.

When Donald saw Nellie, he immediately reached out his arms for her.

I think he was disappointed when I told him that I made her for me. Perhaps I should make one for him, too!

Last night, after nearly gluing my fingers together making postcards, I decided to go downstairs and make one quilt block. After all, there I was cutting up quilt magazines - I couldn't help but be inspired to sew! The one quilt block I made was a log cabin block - a 44" square log cabin block. You know those quilts, usually baby quilt size, that are made of just one block.

That is what I was going for, but as it now stands, I'm not really feeling it. It needs more. What next? Ideas are most welcome!