Sewing the pieces together and adding borders.

Quilting a little more for Sydney

After vacation I took a week off from the quilt and focused on school. Sunday I made up for lost time and finished the top. Some of the pics show the colors better than others. The last border is purple with fun swirls on it. I'm hoping to get a better shot once its quilted and bound.

This was gong to be my first quilt for me to quilt together, but I needed to finish this week while Sydney is able to receive a visitor. Next week she has surgery and I want her to be able to cuddle up with it then. So a friend is quilting it for me. Then I'll add the binding. Those fotos will be posted later this week.

I like the top. Its sunny colors and polka dots. Makes me think of easer eggs. The back is a fun flannel. Light lime green checks with little hearts that are almost polka dots. I'm excited to know that I will be able to give it to her soon.

It was great news when I learned the name of her surgeon. I worked with him when I worked for the tissue bank. I even watched him perform surgery too. She has one of the very best taking care of her at Children's.

Ok. time for pics. Talk more soon. Me(g)

These run from bottom to top. Pieces, pattern, small squares, my sewing room, my sewing view

Quilting for Sydney

I'm a quilter. Not quite a beginner, but not too far along either. I love it. I don't really understand fabric, but I love the mixing of colors and designs. I enjoy the women I've met through the hobby and I love the sense of community and service that exists with quilters.

My sister got me started. Yes, she starts me on new paths quite often. Nice, hey?! Then she started the rest of the sisters in the family. Now we talk fabric stores and fat quarters. Machine quilting and how best to bind a quilt. Thread and projects and laughter and fun!

So, coming soon are pictures of my current project. One of my students has cancer and has basically moved into the hospital for 6-9 months. She and her family were accepted into the Ronald McDonald house. This is where community counts too.

Both of her parents are teachers and the school community, plus the larger town along with friends and family are finding ways to support the foursome as they face a challenging disease and its treatment far from home.

Me? I'm starting with a quilt; filling it with love and hope and hugs and greetings from all of her current teachers. She's a sixth grader with lots to live for and lots to get through in the coming months. I hope this quilt will help keep her warm and cozy all the while.

Share the proces with me. Me(g)

I love reading everyone's blogs. Makes me feel like I just had a cup of coffee and a chat with each of you. But when I try to write mine, the coffee gets cold.

What pushes me into finally making an entry is the joy I get from yours, that and the fact that I promised my sister. Hi Sand'! You're still making me braver than I am.

At the moment I'm on vacation. What a glorious gift that is. My first day off I took three naps! I was worn out. I had had a headache for three days and had just finished two solid days of parent conferences. (I'm a teacher.) The first day we stay until 8pm for our parents and then start at 7:30am the next day. We didn't break for meals, we were so busy. Just took five minutes to grab a snack and kept at it.

The second day I drove to Kent for a baby shower. That was fun. Lots of really nice women, terrific food, great gifts and laughter. Caught up with family and got to hug the cute babies who arrived last fall. Melissa's baby will have cousins his age to play with.

The great aunties have a tradition now. We each sew a row on a baby quilt. This one was filled with lively colors and a zoo full of animals. Grandma Annette connected our rows and did the quilting and binding. It looked really good Annette. Thanks.

And now I'm already on day 4. Someone slow down the clock!!! I'm off to the pool to swim laps and then a new project awaits me. More on that later.

Love you all. Me(g)

Rain

It's raining. That can mean so many things...

The entire sky is covered at the moment. To the east a sheet of grey. To the west the clouds are more delineated. And here in the middle the trees are swaying; rain is sliding drop by drop along the windows. This time the rain is cozy. While the trees bend and twirl and the rain slips quietly down, my kitty and I are comfortably tucked away. Blankets and books and tea.

When we look out there is an invitation to reflect. Life must be good if time allows for reflection, if there is a break from work, if the mind can travel through memory, and if there is a calm in which one can reside while one thinks.

It's a great day.

Spring is Coming

I don't know about you, but I get really tired of winter. Snow is great. Short days are OK. Rain is tolerable. But endless grey is hard to take. I play mind games each year. It's not really winter until late December. January isn't really winter; if you watch, Pussy Willow will start to form buds. February isn't winter the Forsythia bloom and the wild currant won't be far behind. March and April bring official Spring and the local tulip festival. Winter? What winter?

It almost works. If I can make it to February, I know I'll survive.

This year was grey, but Spring has been shaping up for weeks. Buds are forming everywhere. Tulips and daffodils are up and out of the ground. I was in California a couple of weeks ago and everything was in bloom there. A great preview of the color to come. The final proof of life returning was the waking of the frogs. We live by a pond and each year the frogs awaken in spring. Its a full tympany of sound. A percussion section that sings the sound of the earth. Last night the first frog woke and began to call the others. Within a week there will be thousands calling out. This is the music of our vernal equinox.