Quilt Challenge Day 10 (the end)

We are at the end of the quilt challenge. It was supposed to be a 10 day challenge, but has taken me close to a month to complete. Talk about technical difficulties, family issues, and life challenges, including a bout of CoVid 19. Believe me, when you're sick from that, you don't care about your blog, your social media, or even your people. 

But this post is about these quilts, which really deserve to be together. They are sister quilts made for two granddaughters who really know how to be sisters. They wanted the quilts to be different but also to coordinate. Sometimes they share a room, sometimes they don't. And the girls have very different personalities. Anyway, here are the sister quilts. 

BTW, I can't match the girls to the quilts. I just call them the sister quilts and smile when I think of the girls. 

Aren't they "close but not quite" in color and design? You should see them on single beds in the same room. Perfect!

Pin It Weekly #318

Welcome back to PIW! My sister has returned home from our impromptu visit. What started as a couple of days, added the Memorial Day weekend and then, well, a doctor's appointment that I had already committed to, so why not stay a few more days? 

We had a good visit, especially since we were able to visit with two of her kids and a grandson. It's always a blast when a one-year old comes by, right?

Back to PIW #338! These are a few quilts that I pinned to "heart, quilts" during the few minutes when C was calm. Having Alzheimers has made her a little more difficult and she requires constant attention.  

Most of the pins can be moved to sections, but I couldn't wait to share them with you. These are only a few of the 13,000 pins on "heart, quilts." 

Happenings 'round here

That title makes it sound like there are happenings. They aren't that many, believe me. 

I had promised my sister that I'd make some bed pads to keep at her house. The short version is that another sister suffers from dementia and is living where the pads are going. You get the picture, I'm sure. I got a reminder text this morning and started working on the pads at noon. I chose ugly, heavy fabrics that I'm sure I wouldn't want for a quilt. 

It's not a difficult chore; there are only four pads. I sewed all the fabrics together much like a pieced backing and loaded the longarm just like a regular quilt. I decided to use the opportunity to practice some motifs and that slowed me down. When finished, I cut it into four pads and finished the edges with the lock-stitch machine.

The other thing slowing me down is Marley. She came by for a sewing lesson and made a pair of shorts. Since it's her first pair, she needed guidance. She's getting really good and will soon be able to complete small projects on her own. 

One other thing happening is that I've been painting again. I'm working on two magnolia paintings and will have something to show you in a day or so. Meanwhile, have a fabulous Friday and weekend!

Face Masks ~~ finishes

Yesterday's SQI was about making cloth face masks for health care workers and patients since there appears to be quite a shortage. Today the president said there would be ample supplies shortly, including face masks. I won't argue with the president. I'll just say I've made a few masks and have plans to make more. 

These four are for my sister, Laura. Her chemo treatments wreak havoc with her immune system, and she must wear a mask every time she goes outside. 

I realize that she'll probably need to wear the CDC approved masks while in the clinic or hospital, but at home or in the car, she can wear one of these. Since she leaves home at least once or twice a week, this will help her to save masks for when she knows she'll encounter people.

These are two-sided so that she has twice the options. She loves flowers but may not always want flowers splattered across her face. Though now that I look at them again, the backs of two are tiny flowers. Well, they'll have to do since the envelope goes out tomorrow. I'm used this PDF pattern but I think I'll try this pattern to decide whether I like it more. Neither one looks difficult and the first ones sewed up pretty fast. Are you making face masks for family or organizations? Do you have a great pattern? Share a link in the comments.

Sunday Quilt Inspiration: Sunset / Sunrise

Yesterday my sister, Courtney, and I were driving home from visiting another sister, Laura. At the top of an overpass, Courtney exclaimed, "Oh look!" We had a perfect view of one gorgeous sunset. 


I got only a glimpse because I was driving and this particular overpass makes a serious curve away from the setting sun. Nevertheless, I shared a spectacular moment with Courtney. She has dementia, so every lucid moment is important.

As we drove along, she kept looking back and naming the colors in the sky and I enjoyed the few minutes that she was able to verbalize the most stunning event. This, dear readers, was a rare moment. Most of the time she cannot remember her children nor can she express herself in a complete sentence. 

As quickly as the moment came, it was gone. I was left with gratitude and my memory of her revelry in life's moments.

I'll leave you with two of my own sunset art quilts from my Trunk Show Quilts board. Have a wonderful week!

Indigo Dusk

Sunset in Utah

Of pills, blood pressure and bags

I have sisters. Lots of sisters. Seven, as a matter of fact. 

We all grew up in very close proximity: three bedrooms and one bathroom--for a family of 10. 

Nothing special, all utilitarian.

There are no brothers. That seems to make us unusual: eight girls and no boys. If I had a nickel for every time...

The orange paper is the size
of a medical card or ID.

We are all adults now. Growing old together, it turns out. Most of us are grandmothers. I said just a couple of days ago that it was wonderful to grow up with many sisters close in age, because we always had friends. But as we grow older, we realize that we are experiencing aches and pains at about the same rate. Hmm, I hope we take care of each other like we did when we played together. 

Lots of space for pill bottles

Our families call us "the sisters." And they aren't always being nice about it.  "The sisters" text each other.  "The sisters" have secrets.  "The sisters." It's almost as though we're an anomaly or a rock band. 

Anyway, two of the sisters are experiencing medical issues. One is taking quite a bit of medicine and must carry a blood pressure cuff. Hence these two small bags. The smaller one for her cuff; the larger one for her meds. If there aren't many medicines, the cuff bag can fit into the larger bag. Convenient, no? Do you think they'll work? I didn't take time to quilt them, because hopefully, these are a temporary necessity. I'll be happier when she doesn't need them.

On Friday I brought her a small sampler quilt that I made years ago to cheer her up a bit. It fits nicely in their living room decor, so if it gets tossed on the sofa, it may look like a planned thing. Before we left I held it up to get a picture since I lost the ones I'd taken before.  Can you tell that I'm not tall enough to do this? My arms don't reach to the edges and I was stretched with all I had. There has to be a better way of taking quilt pictures on the fly. Do you see the house in the background? Won't this work?

Reese's Quilt ~~ finished

Reese is one of my seven sisters. She was a sewist and made many of her now-adult daughter's little-girl dresses. She hasn't sewn in years. Many years. 

A couple of weeks ago we went to her home for a baby shower. She had decided that some of the many items from her sewing room needed a new home. That meant, "Here, Mary, I don't want this clutter. Thank you."

As we were talking about the huge bag of sewing "stuff," she mentioned that she had made a quilt top years ago. It turns out that top was part of the reason the bag was so heavy.

So this week I loaded the top on the long-arm and quilted it up. I've since also bound it. Reese had lots of fabric scraps in the bag but a couple of pieces are big and one particular piece was just big enough to be used for backing. So that's what on the backside of this pretty, little 60" x 60" quilt.

I wanted to keep it simple, so I just stitched in the ditch around every piece. Know what I learned about my quilting? I'm not a stitch-in-the-ditch kind of quilter who can brag about her skills. 

Honestly, I thought I'd get better with practice, and this quilt provided lots of practice! I was wrong. No, really. Things got much worse. Thank goodness Reese will be okay with that. She had no intention of finishing the quilt. I'm rather excited about returning her now-complete quilt gift. 

Lots of Link Ups

Busy Hands Quilts (Finished or Not Friday)

Confessions of a Fabric Addict (Can I get a Whoop! Whoop!)

My Quilt Infatuation

Sew Fresh Quilts  (Let's Bee Social)

Thank Goodness Its Finished Friday is at Alycia Quilts

A Christmas Wedding

My niece and her fiance were married on Sunday in a small town south of Houston. It's the one that I wrote about when I altered her wedding dress only two weeks before. We decided to drive in early to lend a hand where needed, and then to drive home after the reception. It made for a long day as Alvin is almost five hours' drive, but it gave us a chance to chat without interruption. Always a good thing! 

On the way to Alvin, we stopped in Lake Charles to attend Mass at St. Margaret of Ireland Catholic Church. It's easy to get to and the church is beautiful. 

Check out that organ! The organist knows her instrument and the choir knows how to sing together. They were flawless to my ears. It was a bit difficult paying attention to mass when there were so many distractions. 

Those stained glass windows, for example, are stunning. The glow on the top of the windows? Oh, that's the noonday sun shining through. Yes, they are that brilliant! There was also the multilevel altar. I've never seen one, so I was curious how things were done. I kept my eyes on every movement of the altar servers and eucharistic ministers and, of course, the priest and deacon.

Amanda and James

But the stop in Lake Charles was part of a bigger event: my niece's wedding. It was beautifully decorated in wine and white with touches of gold and many Christmas lights in the park were the venue is. The venue itself is an old train depot that's been transformed into a visitor's center and small wedding venue.

One thing is certain, my family knows how to do weddings. Even a small one (45ish people) is a big family thing. This is the bride whose dress I altered a couple of weeks ago. She was beautiful and poised and comfortable enough to close the evening still in the dress and heels. 

a toast to the bride and groom

Doug and Lee (mother of the bride)

Like all weddings in our family it was a family affair. Four of us eight girls were present and each of us had a chore. Angie served as official and as general mistress of ceremonies. Lee is the mother of the bride, so she was in everything. Laura is an accomplished photographer. 

Half of the sisters: Angie, Lee, Laura and moi

I was kitchen help, sort of. I just hung around the venue letting people in, putting out food, and whatever needed doing. I have experience with several weddings and proms and anniversary parties, so I know what needs doing. (Besides I do like to be bossy.) And there you go.