Sunday Quilt Inspiration: F O O T B A L L

I think today is Sunday.  It's difficult to keep track. We've been away for a few days, playing with the kids at Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine, TX, which is just outside of Dallas. In fact, visitors can watch the planes fly into DFW.  More on that trip later.

                   

For now, it turns out that not only is it Sunday, it's Super Bowl Sunday for most Americans. I figure that means we can use football as inspiration for a few quilts.  First, some ideas for your next football game or party.

And, are you ready for some football quilts?

Rather than just look at blue/orange Broncos and red/blue Patriots quilts, here are a few quilts representing other sports.  Just because.

I'm going to play one the long-arm but you enjoy the game. 

Choose Life

Our family is Catholic. Real Catholic. Cradle Catholics. Most of whom have never known or practiced any other religion.

I'm not saying this in a bragging way, although I am happy about this simple fact. The thing about being Catholic is that it requires more than just faith and believing. Catholicism requires action. Doing. Standing up--which can be awfully difficult sometimes. But sometimes Catholicism can be easy. 

Last weekend was one of the easy times. I joined our son and daughter-in-law, several grands, and our teen catechism class at the first Walk for Life in Central Louisiana. 

One of most cool (a grand put it that way) things about the walk is that there were people of many, many races and religions walking alongside us.  Another group of Catholics passed by praying the rosary. People chatting. People singing songs of praise and worship. People struggling to walk. 

People. Just everyday, ordinary people who share the belief that a child is a human beginning at conception.  Yes, even during gestation. A baby has life experiences in the womb. A human child, before birth or born, should have the same opportunities to live a full life as you and me.

And that's where I stood on Saturday. And it was easy to stand, easy to walk, easy to believe.

Personal Favors and Friends

On Thursday, a coworker said hello to me with the words, "Mary, hey, I have a personal favor to ask." Now this friend is one of those whose words can have two, maybe three, different meanings.  



She's friendly, you know? Friendly with words, with compliments, with 
happiness. I tend to gravitate toward people who are so generous and who have lots of happiness to share. My depression sort of demands it. 


She has a fun way of saying my name. Maarre--drawing out the "ar" part of Mary, sometimes leaving the "y" off all together. She is not the first friend to do that. Some of my best, most fun, friends do the same thing. Interestingly, they don't all know each other. 

They do all have the same, very strong personalities. They talk. A lot! It's hard to talk more than I do, but they all give me a run for it. 
They all have lots of interests, and ask about my interests, which they don't actually do, like quilting and sewing. They all ask about my family and my life outside of work. They are all real friends who are invested in me and with whom I am invested.

So when one of them asks for a personal favor, I ask what (just to be sure), and then say okay. In this case, the favor was to shorten the sleeves on a fuzzy jacket. A jacket that would be difficult to work with and would likely make a mess. 

But yes, it was.  Then I saw the beautiful button. So I told her to make sure it returned because I might replace it with a chintzy one. But I didn't.

This is a closeup of one sleeve after the repair. Can you tell that there was a change made? I don't think it shows, but I could be wrong. I tried really hard to match the thread and ended up using a Superior Thread in neutral. 

In the car ready to go back to her house.  I've returned it to her on Friday. I had a few days leeway, but I wanted to get this finished and returned for some reason. It's part of an outfit for a wedding and I wanted her to have time to make sure everything fits well.

 These are the sleeve parts that I cut off.  I haven't tossed them yet, thinking they would make fun cording on a project, but who knows how it will end for them? 

Linking up with

Devoted Quilter who is hosting today's TGIFF 

Really Random Thursday at Live a Colorful Life

Pin It Weekly #139

We'll be celebrating Mardi Gras on Tuesday.  That means a break from school, parades, parties, balls, and drinking (for other people, anyway). I thought you might enjoy a few Fat Tuesday pins.

Mardi Gras colors: purple, green, gold

Beads everywhere. Yes, the trees do look like this after the parades. They get caught in the limbs when thrown. In some towns and cities (including NOLA) you can see broken, faded beads all year long: just look up.

Today my class and I decorated the classroom door to participate in the school-wide contest. Winners get a king cake!

Students decorated the masks and I hung everything up during my planning period so they'll see it when they come in tomorrow morning. I think it brightens the hallway just about right! And this is the extent of my Mardi Gras for this year.  I'll explain why later; so see you then.