Busy busy busy....

It has been very busy at my house.  The girls are finnishing up the Swim year with City Meet this week.  They are doing great so far.  Daughter #2 has had her best times yet.  She finally decided NOT to look around at everyone else as she swims!  Daughter #1 has also had her best times.  We are so proud of both of them.

In other news.....
The August AAQI online auction is set to be huge!  This auction will offer quilts from the "Alzheimer's: Forgetting Piece by Piece" exhibit .  Check them out here.  The quilts are awsome.  These are larger than the Priority quilts.  Auction starts August 1 and ends August 10.  Shop early for Christmas gifts!

Happy Quilting
Caren

WIPS and a finish...or 2

I haven't had a lot of time to sew over the last week.  I did get a few small quilts started.  I don't know when I will get them finished, my sewing machine is acting up.  It is time for it's annual tune up.

"The Road Home"  this is dedicated to my grandmother.  The scene is similar to all the mountains we saw on vacation.  Grandma never lived in the mountains, but she did live on a hill!

 "Our Dream House" was made a few months ago for a QA reader challenge.  The topic was "Tag your it."   This was a lot of fun to make.  I tried to make a crooked house, but it only leans a little!  Most of the fabric was either painted or dyed.  The chicken in the door is from fabric I made matching quilts for Sweetie Pie and daughter #1.

 "Rocks in a Stream" was also inspired by my trip to the mountains.  This is for a QA forum challenge.  The topic is the 4 elements.  The rocks are trapunto, my first attempt.  I wanted the quilting to reflect ripples and waves.  I'm not happy with how it ended up.  There are too many swirls.  I think I will add some thread work to look like moss on the rocks....maybe.

"Boo-tiful Night"  was meant to be a fun fall piece.  That's when my sewing machine decided to go haywire.  All of the eyes are quilted with glow in the dark thread.  The pumpkin arms are silk ribbon and there are beads all over the sky for stars. 

I'm trying to get a few tops fused, then when my sewing machine comes back I will have plenty to sew.
Thanks for stopping by.

Happy quilting
Caren
PS.  I have my "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" part 2 tickets.  Do you?

What a week

It has been a rough week.    MOnday my Grandmother died.  She had  Alzheimer's.  She also taught me how to quilt.  Which is why I got involved with AAQI.  She was 82 years old.  I didn't expect her passing to be as upsetting to me as it was.  I know that sounds awful.  But we have been saying goodbye for over 2 years.  Each day would take another little piece of my grandmother's memory and life.  She was a "ghost" of the person she once was.  She had not been able to recognize any of her children or her spouse for several years.  Her passing was bittersweet.  She is now in no pain, and she is with her husband again...and she knows him.  Yet, we mourn her again, now that her body has followed.  God's grace is unfailing.

During this week my parents' friends have shown up with enough food to feed a small army and sweets to open a bakery.  It's amazing how food is a blessing in difficult times.  We never had to think about cooking the whole week.

The wake and service were wonderful and reflected my grandmother's life.  It was wonderful seeing and talking to people who knew her before.  Amazing fact:  She was on the basketball team in high school.  That has always been my favorite photo of her.  All dressed up in her uniform.  I could not imagine my granny as a teenager...much less as a basketball player.  (In case you are wondering, I am short). 

After the service the entire family was blessed with a wonderful meal from my aunts church.  I don't know how things are done in other parts of the world. Nothing happens in the life of a Southerner ( esp. a Baptist), without food.  And it has helped me greatly this week.

Call your mama and your grandma and tell them that you love them.  Then go to your children and bore them with stories of when you were younger.  They will treasure it later.

Thank you for listening
Caren