UFOs and Such

 A friend fell out of her big heavy duty electric wheelchair  last night...She is all banged up and in the hospital now..We think  her MS has progressed...I mde this flower hanging to cheer her with a card on the door saying we love her.  This flower is made by ironing scraps on fusible fleece, quilting it..Then running it thru an Accu-Cutter shape.  Cute button from my button collection  adds the touch.

The first UFO finished today is a chair pad.  Wiggle stitches on a piece of baby water resistant flannel, covered with African fabric.is a perfect protector for chairs that somehow might be otherwise stained with red wine, grape jelly, chocolate, etc.  Not that I take in any of these...it is just a precaution:)  On Saturday afternoons friends meet at the Art Room to visit and work on projects..Lucky me was able to bring my 11 pound red Jamone travel machine down there....The hum of the machine and the act of sewing is my best meditaion ever!!

WIP on my bed with random scrappy squares:

A donation quilt top in the works

Just need a border here for a scrap baby quilt...A donation shirt from a  charity store for $2...at least 50 years old gave me the shade of green I wanted.  Just waiting, again....for the border.

A lovey WIP or UFO, six  year old Aoife with her 7 year old cousin, Abby...on vacation by the Irish sea.

Today was a great  day ..Grateful.

Summer Color

 My little porch garden has been tended by a friend on the 3rd floor.  She is passionate about gardening and I am not..I gave my garden to her.  This is a wonderful gift for both of us

The Clematis by my blue bottle tree....In Southern tradition, the blue bottles send evil spirits on their way to somewhere else..Grateful, I am.

My barn star from Oregon, still graces the garden.

Ronald McDonald House in Charlotte is collecting knitted or crocheted small blankets to cover preemies in their carseats for the going home ride.

The size was 20 to  24 inch square.  Below is my quilted offering, made with random scrap HSTs

Very, very fun to make.

The back:

In the Oregon family tradition:

Questions:

1.  Does our cat, Stitch, love fabric???

2.  Is six year old Aoife now a chicken???

Is this really her bedroom???

As my son continues to find himself, my daughter-in-law has stepped up...She came today with the two girls, for lunch and an outing to Trader Joe's..

Grateful xo

A Happy Day

A few UFO blocks now primed for next year's patriotic hangings..So much fun.

My eldest grandson is  21  xo

Out on the west coast, Bok Bok comes inside to lay her eggs and then watches TV for a bit with 6 year old...My youngest grandchild...xo

A scrap beginning, for Ronald McDonald House.  They are asking for yarn made or quilt made 20 inches by 20 inches car seat lovies for the premature infants ride home from the hospital  This is my first try..

Our family's favorite..Stitch....the sewing machine cat ....Miss him so much as  he now lives in Portland.

Potholder...so not worth the effort ...Spent forever finding the perfect middle circle...Linda found it...Then,  I made a  mess attaching it...Joyce took out the threads...Finally...done...sigh...It is only a potholder!!!!

I was just gifted some vintage blocks....all hand pieced...Here, my friends helped me lay them out  in the art room here.

Sew it goes...fabric fun, lunch fun, fresh watermelon and peach fun...fresh peanut butter and cucumber sandwich..fun...Life is good....

Potholders, Paintings, People. Posters

 The bag I posted the other day..cough...other week, is finished...This is the handle and decorative vintage buttons.  I love it.

My friend Lee is a brilliant painter...She was practically giving away some of her paintings.  I just know I can find an inch or two in my small apartment for them.

A few funnies to cheer our day!

Sixteen year old Dylan got his driver's license and bought a truck...so proud!!

Unfinished potholders just had to share.

A thank you pouch for a friend who loves lady bugs.

Well, this post is late and later...been working on it forever. Then, I forgot it!

Thanks to a wonderful Chris helping me with PT, and a smart doctor with a Latin vibe, I am getting better...Slow, I finally  understand, is better than not at all...My group tells me, "Progress, not perfection!!. I am grateful. And, I am grateful for all of  you who still read my blog.

A Very Unproductive Grandma O'Quilts

Here, is a bag I have wanted to try for awhile.  It is made by sewing a fabric rectangle, right sides together with a lining...turning it, then in the middle of this rectangle tying a knot .  That did not sit right with me, so I made a handle instead. The next step is to sew the sides half way up the bag.    I found that the sides did not open far enough to insert objects, so I opened them wider...That was too wide to hold things securely. Wondering what to do...Maybe snaps.?...The outer fabric is from a dress  at Goodwill...25% off on Tuesdays.  The lining is a red star batik.  This was a challenge...not sure I would make it again...but glad I did now.

Mean time in Portland, Aoife uses her mother's iron instead of the cute pink one I sent her....Of course!!

This girl turns 6 next week...amazing.  First grade is coming.......

I couldn't wait to share this picture.  Rosie, the Australian shepherd mix just hanging with the chickens...The cat, Stitch, sometimes joins them...One big happy family.

No other news...I am working on some UFOs...and being lazy. xo

Lucky Grandma O"Quilts

 Things I love about my grands, etc.  When  I really really need something, they do it for me.  Today  my DIL and grands picked me  up for errands and lunch, then without asking cleaned up  my kitchen, etc.   And, of course lots of hugs.  The grands all work and contribute to the family and my DIL is doing a wonderful job.

Things I worry about with that North Carolina family of mine:

They have three dogs, three cats, six kids and now for Father's Day, they all went to the snake store to get their father two snakes and a Gecko..????  Jeeze Louize.

I am so proud that my 16 yr old bought his own truck to fix up, but all shaky that he wants to "raise it up"   Whatever that means.

When I complain about my arthritis and fatigue....In  unison, they say, "Better old than dead"  Lordy!!  Always so exhausted..becoming a hermit....Guess I had better  follow up on that sleep study after all..

Midnight, one or two AM..it is hard not to feel the losses of the past.. Tonight I did some mindless tasks to relax..and watched a blah movie. I stripped the leaves off of the artificial dollar store flowers to make flower pens...All ready for action, I forgot electrical tape..

Lucky me loves a mistake...because I forgot the black tape at the dollar store...I found green tape on Amazon Prime Day...Much prettier for the stems than black..It will be here tomorrow.

I love my family...as for a pet...a cat would be wonderful...How my children ended up with chickens and snakes and expensive blue eyed dogs is so  beyond me.

Above is our Aoife showing her  4 classmates how she feeds her chickens...

Happy News

 First up....Happy Father's Day to Brian...My lucky daughter got a mighty fine Irish man just like her mommy did...Grateful!!

And then, our Dylan...16...His first driver's license...and....with his own savings, bought  his first truck...So Proud here....

More relaxing potholder fun for Grandma...

Our first group quilting...One of our own has an old quilt his mother made....from the 40s...It needs mending so he can still cuddle in it....(he is 85)  We did a mending session for him.

Below:  the last of  my husband's shirt scraps....

A few more bowl cozies...

The finished "Happy Cloths".  I have used so many face cloths to make these..Now I realize that the cloths do not have to be made with high quality toweling.....

A friend at my place is a retired PT...She has taken me under her wing to help  my walking..Before I was able for my 5th joint replacement last year, I was in a wheelchair for 5 months, the pain was so great....Now, pain free, my walking is wobbly.  I have had PT before, but nothing like this one...She is giving me hope.  I am so grateful ..

Another Day

Drinking red wine at 1:30 am seems to be a wonderful way to handle arthritis and a big over-do with  physical therapy.  Trying to be strong and brave and true in just one week did  not work.  Sigh...Guess I am just what I am.

Above is the beautiful Calla Lily gifted to me last May after my hip replacement..Such a beautiful bloom.  Below a linen towel on sale in our thrift shop for a dollar.  I am making it into a bag...Stay tuned.

With millions of  unfinished projects and tons of fabrics from my collection of 60 years, I decided on somethings new...The above potential bag and the below scrap mug rug or hanging...I so love whimsy.  I ironed these small scrap pieced onto fusible fleece and pencil quilted it.  It is my meditation to put myself outside of life's messiness.

A bit of leftover batik made the back so happy.  The color above in the piece is much paler than in reality.. So much fun to play with fabric.  Now if only my Monroe family would start sewing a few things, I would feel more joy.  They have 3 sewing machines out there!!  I know making things is just a matter of starting.

In old age we have to decide where our money works best for us.  My children know there is no inheritance....but they also know I can take care of myself and they can be free..   I no longer buy fabric, but I do hire a friend to clean my apartment once a week....That is a wonderful treat for me.

Hmmm, as for no longer buying fabric...I am indeed tempted....especially by the new Anna Marie Horner pieces.

I am taking the shot to lose weight for more upcoming surgeries....The only thing it is doing is making me crave jelly beans and Necco wafers...instead of real food.

And, so it goes...Every day a challenge and a joy...Gratitude as I sit on my  beautiful porch reading a book...