Grandma Lil

Grandma Lil had her 96th birthday this year.  She is an amazing woman.  She is tough. She survived the death of  2 children and 2 husbands, brothers and sisters.  She is soft and loves her grandchildren and great grandchildren.  She is harsh and critical; don't give her a present she has no use for....She is tight lipped and you can confide in her.  She is verbal. Sometimes it's not fun to hear what she has to say.  She has taken care of each of us in her very special way.  When the girls were little she had a child sized grocery cart that she let them use to "go shopping" in her pantry.  There were many times that those "shopping trips" were life savers because we were short on cash......"Grandma, the girls would say, "Mommy is out of this and needs some."   She has what we call the "Grandma Lil whisper!" You know that whisper. Everyone within 25 ft. hears it....and it's generally not something everyone within 25 feet should  hear!  She is generous. She has a biting tongue.  She had a cabinet we all loved.  It was filled with candy, gum, chips...everything you don't need, and you never left her house with out a trip to visit it. 

Grandma Lil now lives in a nursing home.  It kills me that she has to live there but she is in Ohio and I am in Texas. 

In December, just before her birthday, we visited.  She is the same grandma she has always been...just a bit older.  I need to repeat myself more often and sometimes just a bit louder but she is still the same.  The Grandma Lil whisper is even louder. The biting remarks a bit grumpier but her love and kindness still radiates.  She looks exactly the same as she always has!

This year at retreat I decided, at the last minute, to make Grandma Lil a birthday pillow.  I had none of the birthday  fabric I wanted to use.  No fusible, no fiberfill and nothing to use for a backing.    In other words, I was completely  prepared! Enter friends!!!! This one gave me fabric, that one fiberfill and another the backing.  Together we stitched together a little pillow filled with love.

She loved the pillow! She especially liked the fact that my friends helped to make it special.

Friends and family....it's what it's all about!

The Place with Eyes

     I made this long ago for my father.  Ice cream is in our family. Our entire lives, no matter the event, we went out for ice cream.  Lazy Sunday afternoon, my dad would say, "Hey Elaine, Let's go for a ride." Off we'd shoot to look at boring boats, cars, or other things kids "love."  However, after the boredom, we'd end up at one or another place for ice cream.  "Want to go out for ice cream?"  Or as we said in front of the dog, because she knew what it was or my little brother before he caught on....I-C-E Cream.  Buy a new car? Ice cream. Recital, Band concert? Ice cream.  

       After the girls were born, an ice cream shop opened  that put little candy eyes on the cones.  They loved to go to the "place with eyes with grandma and grandpa!" The ice cream tradition continued through their recitals and concerts.  Sometimes the place with eyes, sometimes not.  A number of years ago, as adults, they went to Ohio for a visit. Naturally grandpa had to take them to the place with eyes! 

When I bought my first sewing machine that "made letters," I made this little quilt for my dad.  It's interesting to see my attempt at binding and how I attached the one border the wrong way but, he happily hung it in his work room for years!  The outer edge has all of the reasons and places we went for ice cream.  Of course, the cones all have eyes!

It makes me sad that this little wall hanging lives at my house now but, in a way, also happy.  I know my dad enjoyed looking at it as much as I do now.

Gifts

(why the gift post now when Hanukkah is looooong over? We are just exchanging gifts this weekend as this is the first we've been able to get together)



These are the items I made for my kids...the true gift is mine....the reason....

Last year I made these apples. They were the September gift of the month. I didn't think much of it but Chris2 said "Oh. can you make pears?" I never gave it another thought. Obviously he did. When Ms. Aviva took the apples out this fall he told her, "You know, I really do want your mom to make me pears." Chris2's gift.






A month or so ago, during a family dinner, Chris1 said, "Hey, I need you to make me one of those bowls like Serena's. I later asked my daughter if he serously wanted a bowl! Yup! Seems he wants one for his toiletries. I did something a bit different with this one. No fabric wrapping! Thread only. I like the way it turned out. I was testing different threads so that is why the bottom is different. It looked to "girly" for a guy. Chris1's gift.









Earlier this year our guild had an owl swap. Serena came over one day as I was furiously making owls. She ooohed and aaahhed and said she wanted a pillow. My friend made me a shirt with the owl on it and I wore it one day when Serena and I went out. She ooohed and aaahed and said she wanted a pillow. In October she spotted one of the owl blocks and reminded me that she "wanted one of them." I forgot that she wanted a pillow but made her this shirt. (naturally I remembered the pillow after I'd finished the shirt!) Serena's gift.




I had a gift for everyone else so I needed to come up with something for Aviva.....I decided to make her one of these loopy scarves. (I just used this link for a pic. I bought it from Joanns). It is stlylishly being modeled by my iron! Aviva's gift.




What is my gift in this? Well, all this sewing, crafting and patchkeying around is NOT in vain! They not only like but want the things I make. It make my heart sing that the boys asked for homemade items. Chris#1 is always asking when I'm going to feel like making pj pants again! Chris2 is excited that his kippot (Jewish, traditionally male. head covering) will be made from candy fabric.



I think my girls picked winners when they chose their mates!!

Aviva's Chuppah

Aviva, aka Ms. A is getting married in March. That means I need to make her a chuppah. Serena's chuppah (Mrs. S), was my finest work. A masterpiece. No it wasn't perfect. To another quilter it may have even been simple, the quilting a smidge wobbly, the one side just a bit tippy. It was a stack and whack and the first time I'd ever worked with diamonds. The pattern I used did not include that border and I made it work (I even had to use MATH). I was very proud of that. I machine quilted it on my DSM and I was very proud of that! (never mind the judges in the quilt show thought there was too much white). Aviva's chuppah is going to be another opportunity to create something that I've never done before. Hers too will be a masterpiece, only different. I have been wanting to work with diamonds and hexagons for a long time. I've just been too chicken. Here are the (waaaaay to much) fabrics I've chosen.




This is the way I am going to make the chuppah. I've said before, I love Marti Michell templates (Hi Mr. Michell if you are reading...he searches for hits on Marti's name). I have been wanting to buy this set of templates for a long time. One Sunday morning, while still in my jammies, I punched a few buttons and by Weds. or Thurs., I had this book and the templates.



I actually read the words in this book. I poured over it for days trying to figure out exactly what I wanted. This is a method book not a pattern book. On one hand that made it easier, on the other harder. Not color but value is what I had a hard time with because I am only using one color, green. It took me a while to realize that I'm not quite good enough yet with value to make some of the settings work. It's ok. The one I chose will challenge me enough!




I couldn't resist. I immediately cut a few pieces and tried them out. Guess what?! THEY WORK BEAUTIFULLY! Yes, you need to be carefull. My first attempt at a star is good but not perfect. The outer edges match fine but the inner points missed. That was operator error. I was so excited to put the two sides together that I forgot to pay attenten.



My first attempt at hexagons. (I LOVE, LOVE, grandmothers flower garden and tumbling blocks. I've started a few GFG by hand but never finish....I just may now! Plus with many 6 pointed star designs you need the hex) You can see where the scissors are pointing and at the interesection of the diamond and pink and stripe, that I had a bit of trouble stopping at the right place. Again, I was excited and didn't slow down enough. SLOW is hard work for me.


Here you see I slowed down and made PERFECT HEX'S!!! I am so excited to get started on Aviva's chuppah. She and Chris approved the fabrics and YEAH! I CAN GET STARTED.

Buttons, Buttons

Like my quilters art? One day a few weeks ago I decided to layer my buttons by color. Why? Because they were there of course! About 10 mins. into the separation activity I was sick of it. Mrs. S was helping me. After 20 mins. I was whining and after 30 mins....well, let's just say thank goodness Mrs. S is an adult. She kept saying to me "this was your idea!" Well we finally finished and I think it looks great. The very next day, literally, the very next day was the when I helped my friend . I not only brought home fabric but also loads of craft items for school and buttons. Lots of buttons! I nearly cried when I realized that I could have waited one day!!! I called Mrs. S to ask her to help again...........uhm.... fooled her once but it didn't work twice!! I put them in another container!

Finished in ADVANCE!

Well, almost! I just need to tack down two sides of the label. This is for Mrs. S and Mr. FancyPants 2nd anniversary. I never ever finish things in advance so this is uncharted territory.


This is the back showing the quilting. I paid no never mind to using the thread cutter. It also doesn't bother me that there are a few areas of built up thread. You should be able to click on it for a better view. A closeup of the back.
A closeup of the quilting from the front.

presents

I decided that I am going to give my girls a present a month next year. I am having an absolute blast working on this project. I don't know why but I am totally obsessed with it. Some months are obvious to fill, others need more creativity!
This is what I have so far.....(if only one item is shown, I've finished one for each girl...)


February

Unknown Month

unknown months here and here

These pillows for June or July ( I may keep one of each)

These are for either January or December. You can see the closeups on the quilting here

I do believe that is all that I have finished so far. I'm obsessed!!!!

Done & out the door!

Finally! I finished this quilt a while ago but hadn't tacked down the two sides of the label and mended the hole I put in it when quilting.



















I did that yesterday, washed it and it's was slept under last night! Good thing Mrs. S & Mr. Fancypants didn't decide to call it quits after one year of marriage as this is 7 months late!



















As a late payment, I made them pillowcases...yet another project that I've been wanting to do for years but just haven't tackled. Why I have no idea as I made one before I left for work yesterday morning!

Stashbusting aka "de-UFOing"

I am so thrilled and getting in JUST under the wire. I met my weekly goal! WHOO HOOO! I bound both quilts that needed binding. I finally, finally finished Mrs. S's anniversary quilt. Because I just finished it a few minutes ago, there are no pictures. You;ll just need to check back. I do however have photos of a lap quilt that has been a UFO for ....oh.....2, maybe 3 years.

Sometime, at least 3-4 years ago, a few friends and I went to Laredo to these fabric stores that sold seconds for about $1/yd and scraps, or should I say chunks, by the pound. They had a bin at least 10 feet long mounded with chunks of fabric. Needless to say we bought oodles and oodles of fabric. We fell in love with this Mary Engelbreight fabric. We all bought a bit but I bought a ton! The next time I went back, I bought even more. I finally finished up the last of it...well, not quite true, I threw away the leftover scraps because I couldn't' stand to look at it anymore. I made 4 Yellow Brick Road lap quilts (Atkinson Designs) both front and back from the fabric. (Oh and binding on all but one) YBR lap quilts are very big. The yardage on the package is 8 yards per quilt including backing and binding. So let's figure 8 yards X 4 quilts.....that was 32 yards of the same fabric that I had and used! No wonder I threw away the scraps!!! I WAS SICK OF LOOKING AT IT! (not only that, it wasn't the highest quality to begin with)

I'm showing two of the ME quilts I have left. The one has been finished for 2 years waiting for the other to be completed. (More on that one later in the week)




This is the one that has been in the closet for 2 years....The front and .......






......the back. We also bought these panels. I used them in the backings








Here is a closeup of the back panel



















This is the one I just finished. I was finally out of fabric so I used the bits and pieces for the backing. I also used up all the panels I had left. I had to use Kona Cotton for the binding! I was thrilled! You have no idea how sick I am of these quilts. They have been over my head for years now and not only are all of the quilts finished, all of the fabric is gone!
A BIG SIGH OF RELIEF!


























I did forget to log a few purchases here and there but my totals to date, although in the positive instead of the negative make me happy. Not only have I used up fabric, I've completed 7 UFO's with 3 of them being lap to queen personal quilts and 2 lap sized charity quilts. I have bought 99 yards of fabric and used 65 for a gain of 34yards. I'm not sad, mad or worried. I'm thrilled!!!!! 7 UFO's out the door. I bought 1 fat quarter this week but used a gift certificate to do so. No biggie!

(shiver) My first Post!!!

So here I am....Jumping feet first into the world of blogging! I have absolutely, without a doubt, no idea what I am doing! I keep checking back and forth to see if this is posting! I'm not completely sure why I am doing this but feel left out because everyone else is blogging! I go by the name Morah online. I've been doing so for so long now that if I used my real name noone would know who I am! So, I will remain Morah. I am a wife, mother, daughter, sister, preschool teacher, quilter, ....all of the things that count in life. I have been married for nearly 24 yrs. and have two grown daughters.

We are Ohioians stuck living on the coast in south Texas. It's not that Texas doesn't give us a good life, it's just that we still miss the northern climate and all the things we grew up with. We have been in Texas long enough that you'd think we'd be over it but we're not. Luckily we still have family in Ohio so go and visit at least once a year.

I love quilting and bought a Janome 6600 this year. I have been quilting up a storm ever since. My daughter was married last weekend and I made her chuppah (wedding canopy) with my new machine. The even feed feature helped the diamonds to come out great. I also quilted with a stenciled pattern for the first time on the chuppah. It is amazing what a great machine can do for your quilting. I do love to free motion and only wish that I had quilted with a pattern once or twice before doing it on such an important project. I think stippling is so relaxing and fun. I kept teasing my friend that planned out the quilting that she wouldn't allow me to stipple. She has a fantastic eye for patterns and was right but that didn't stop me from whinning!

The pictures posted are of the chuppah, detail of the quilting and the chuppah hanging. (no that is not me in the picture) We didn't use poles to hold it up but rather suspended it from the ceiling. My husband was a bit like McGyver with paper clips and fishing line. I then hung ribbons from the edges to give it more definition. The wedding and reception were in the same room and my daughter had a vision that after the ceremony she would dance with her new husband under the chuppah and that is exactly what happened. It was lovely. The bottom of the close up looks a bit crooked but isn't really. The angle of the one photo is me laying down under the chuppah and looking up to take the picture. Seems that it wasn't a unique idea as my sister and daughter both did the same thing before me. I have been saying that I am going to enter this quilt in our local bi-annual quilt show. The deadline is Friday and I am a nervous wreck thinking of actually going through with it. Two years ago I wimped out and didn't enter my flip flop quilt and have been disappointed in myself every since. I am working really hard to not wimp this year but time is running out!

Ok, let's see how this posts. It took me a couple of hours to get it right. I don't know what I've gotten myself into but look out world!!! I'm here!!!!