Grousing about

Stitch carries the day!!

FYI, He likes Denise Schmidt too

I have finished 9 Tula blocks out of 100

I think I lean toward them because I can use some

of my favorite fabrics, but not use too much!!

Having my cake and eating it too.

Speaking of cake....I am totally out..

Block number 8

  

 Block number 9

I love the fussy cut Australian fabric with 

Denise Schmidt's Chicopee.

It is black, but not too stark and not too grey

Perfect.

Tonight was the night we started going thru Lynsey's clothes

to get rid of what was too small, getting ready for school.

She wears size 7/8.  We found Lynsey on the floor crying

because she did not want to part with her size 5 and 6

dearly beloved T-shirts etc.

I promised I would cut out the logos for a quilt some day

Some day far far far away.

Her father was here...He took over.

No, Lynsey, Yes, Lynsey.

He is a great father..

He cannot find a job with his history.

He is a car mechanic.

He could not get one of those new driver's licenses

because he does not have a bill to prove an address.

He is now living in a storage unit in a parking garage with a man

who is mentally ill...I cannot bear it.
He usually does not tell me these things..TBTG

He said other homeless cut up his tent..and it is no longer safe.

I told him that I would help him with a sober house, if he could find one.

He is afraid that they will not accept him on Methadone..
I know he will work it out...he is resilient.
.

I think I  need to win a financial lottery of some kind.

Or, maybe a mental health lottery.....for me...of course

Now, I see that the middle school is requiring a $100 calculator ...a Texas Instrument 84...The 82 he has had is not longer acceptable....Jeeze...where does the school get off...

I am not made of money. And I need someone to clear out my gutters before the new set of leaves fall.

The only "normal" member of my family, my daughter won a free week at a folk music camp

She won it by doing their advertising.

I was so proud...Until....

l heard it was 10 hour away from Portland, in the California town of Mendocino...

She drove alone through the winding roads in the fog through the mountains

and Redwoods.at night....to a B and B...then on to the camp.

She scared me in her rickety car...  She insists that the fires are in Mendocino county, not the town by the sea

It is all too much for this old grandma.

I just want to walk on a pier, or body surf in Santa Monica or ride a camel in India...all

that I used to do...I want to run in the wind, or roller skate..or hug my dear man.

Instead, a few glasses of Shiraz from a box  at Trader Joe's...gets me telling you all the business.

Hugs to my friends who listen to my story.....xo

The Midnight Tula blocks

Why I am doing these Tula blocks, I have no idea.

To do what with??  I have no idea.

But, I seem to be drawn to them.

I say....just one more.

Number 7

 Number 6

If I ever decide to run away from home...

I am moving in with Maria

Maria Shell's She Shed...

I was going to make something else, but I cannot find the fabric.
Once again, 11:47 is probably not the time...

Just Sayin'....

Memory Quilts

When I saw Betty's memory quilt online  yesterday, I thought

a post of memory quilts might be in order.

I am on a number of widow groups...all of us trying to get a grip on our loss.

Quilt by Betty Blais from the shirts of her husband

Looks like we have an Indian Hatchet here

An exciting quilt, with exceptional movement..

This quilt I made myself and one for my daughter from my husband's work shirts
It is batted with wool, and backed with owls..cuz he was a wise old owl.
This is the St Louis 16 patch
I have mixed fabric I love in with his shirts.

 Christine made this from her late husband's shirts.
A Disappearing Nine Patch

She is also working on his T-shirt quilt.

This quilt is one from my father's shirts.
He lived in Phoenix, Arizona...so all his shirts were cotton.
Mixed with muslin.. He died 20 years ago.
I see that I big-stitched this quilt with pearl cotton.
It is now on Dylan's bed...from his great-grandfather

There are many more choices out there in tutorials and on blogs.
They warm my heart.

A Whole Lot of Sewing Fun

Where to start???
Lecture and pineapple class with Anita Solomon
Stunning pineapple quilt made from Kona Coral and Kona Indigo
I loved the combination so much that I have to really
restrain myself from ordering it.!!!

follow her blog..here

From Anita's Class...Traditional Blocks Made Simple on Craftsy or ebook.
Yesterday's class was organized by Charlotte Modern Quilt Guild
and hosted by Project 658 Hope Restored

My pineapple blocks below..Hoping to add some Civil War fabric...hmmm
These are 10 1/2 inch blocks.

Going nuts trying to find Christmas fabric to take to
the workshop...I did not find what I wanted, BUT
When Evan pulled out the boxes of Christmas fabric,
I found this:  My long lost purple challenge which had slipped
onto the floor, behind the Christmas boxes..
I was so excited to find it, that I made a quick wonky picture
to post.

Remember, my Wednesday night group did a purple challenge
See Terri's finished top below.
Of course, I had to do some improv by cutting up
the squares.  I loved it, then I lost it..
Maybe tonight I can put another border on it.

Below:  Friendship treats from Terri..
A needle holder...a threader, a Christmas ornament hexie and
an adorable felted heart for pins.
It was Terri's birthday..she gave us goodie bags.xoxo

 The folded shoe above, unfolds into the needle holder
Isn't Terri clever!!!!

A birthday present gifted...as always..in a basket
from Nancy's Basket Gallery

Great fun yesterday...with a great teacher and great friends.
A big shout out to all who helped me...carry my things..
pick up what I dropped, etc etc. xoxo
Pain from the Cellulitis has put me back on a cane.
This extrovert was energized by being with quilting friends.
Today...is about resting and reading and sewing and
???organizing???

Hey, Margaret...Cotton Farmer...I have totally lost your email address.  I forgot what name I put it under in my contacts...soo can you email it to me again...pls..xo

Tula #5

Number 5

I am not sure that I will be making any more of these.
The pieces are too little.  I might make what I have into potholders.

Is it widow brain, or old age.?
Where did my wonderful mind go?

It was only an illusion, you say??

If my cellulitis lets me, I am going to Anita Solomon's workshop on Friday.

I have been fussing and fussing about having to buy the book.

It is out of print, but she has some expensive copies left.

The class itself was a reach for me.

Finally, I gave in..I went to get the Kindle edition for $9.99/

Amazon's message to me..You already bought that book in April????

Brain..dead...

Thanks to all my blogging friends who sent me emails to lift me up.

It has been 7 days and I am better,  but not fixed yet..

I am reminded that, I called the doctor

three days after my shoulder operation...complaining that I still hurt.

The nurse said to me....We said three months, not three days...#%!%^

My son is here helping.  He chopped up deck wood for the dump, made pancakes for his children for dinner..He put the children to bed, did the dishes, did the laundry, did the children's chores .Every day I am so grateful he is in the good shape he is in...just for today.

I told him that I frosted that cake and ate the whole thing.this weekend..breakfast, lunch and dinner.
His answer....that's OK, Mom...At your age you should do what  you want...
Just love my son.

The Epiphany and #4

Block number 4 of Tula Pink's 100 block book

Favorite  part...choosing the fun fabric

Midnight pondering...

When folks are sooo good to you..it is natural to want to give back.

It is impossible.  The only way is to pay it forward.

We receive and give support in such different ways.

We might think we are learning today..growing and improving.

Reality is that we never know but in retrospect.

I dig in my heels . I hate change...no use..

The river comes and sweeps us on.

It does not care what we want.

Life changes us anyway.

That is why I loved the book, The Poisonwood Bible.

Kingsolver is one of my favorite authors.

If you want to know my wisdom...just check in with me at midnight

after a bit of wine...I am sooo brilliant at this time..xo

Good night..

How Grandma got rid of Pearl

Just so you know, it was the devil to get rid of Pearl...but, Grandma is...
a bad-a...grandma now.
Instead of finishing up the old, I started the new
Below block number 3 from Tula's 100 block book.

Below number two

Below number 1

I am not used to working with such small pieces, these blocks are only six and a half inches.
I used some of my favorite fabric that I had been saving forever, it seems.

By reading outside in my garden underneath this tree.

Cellulitis leg up...and resting.

 By admiring the garden the children made with their daddy.

By  making a cake...shhhh  Do NOT tell anyone....

TBTG  That Pearl is history, for now....
And Grandma O'Quilts is getting better..
Mr. O'Quilts would be proud xo

Cheer up Grandma Day...Didn't you hear???

Using Tula Pink's Sampler book
Here is my block number one..

It took me forever to make it...All about fabric choices
making still another mess in my sewing room
I had become soo frustrated tonight, I decided to do something new.
I asked self...are you having fun...well yes.
Are you using favorite fabrics...well yes...
So what is the problem..?????  Right!!

.Grandma's acquaintance, Pearl came here again today.

I have told her and told her to stay away from me...

But, oh, no...she persists..and always at times when I am a bit on the weak side.

I did not order cellulitis...I ordered..youth like agility,
as I skipped into the sun with my dear man..

I am fighting Pearl..
I have told her that if she does not leave, I will punch her in the face..or

remind her that I live with three black belts..

She stays...

My son is here...He is saving me millions of dollars as he

cuts back trees, removes old posts, replaces rotten deck boards.

He renewed his driver's license that has been lost for three years, he got another social security card..also lost for 3 years...He applied for a few jobs.  Such a wonderful thing.

Lynsey told  me that at night when she is alone, she thanks God for Daddy being better

If I tell my son about Pearl bothering me, he will just say, as his daddy did before him:

Just go sew!!!!

Sitting here at the computer is Grandma O'Quilts and Poor Pitiful Pearl!!
Besides my poor leg...this quilt is the problem.
It has been here forever and I have vowed to finish it....
Finally I quilted it...almost finished, and bound it.
I have some more quilting to go...but I made some mistakes as I am not a good  free-motion machine quilter...Pearl wants me to toss it in the trash!!!  She says it is awful....

Better to just put it away and not pressure myself.
My daughter cheered me with this picture.
At the community garden they met a new friend, watering her garden
Her cat always comes with her..never leaves her purse.

Good  night on a good note!!

Chay please send me your email..I want to properly thank you for your note.
Someone has told me that tomorrow is a new fresh day.

Grandma O'Quilts Earns Another Notch in her Belt..

Now,  I know Bob Marley is not about zebras.. When I started in with the African fabric
I just could not leave the zebras out...Jamaican psychedelic perhaps

So needed calming...Bob Marley and potholders...you go Grandma!

Lynsey bossing Grandma around this morning...That leg is swollen..You need a doctor.
You should know that yourself, Grandma without me telling you.
As she got out of the car at camp, she wagged her finger...remember Grandma...what you have to do this morning...

Nine years old seems to be a powerful age..

Actually, my leg was hurting so  I dropped by Urgent Care on the way home.  The doc there took one look at me and asked me if I needed an ambulance because he was sending me to the hospital.
  Really.????, Muttering to self as I drove to the Emergency room

I sat in the Emergency room forever...(grateful for a good book)
Blood work (perfect)
Blood pressure (perfect)
Urine test (perfect)
Heart and lungs (perfect)
Sonogram (perfect)
He kept saying how delighted he was with my health.
(arthritis aside..)

Diagnosis...  a bad case of Cellulitis ..
A huge infection that has my right leg in pain., swollen, hot and red.

This is serious for me with both my knee and hip replacement on that side.
He debated admitting me at the hospital for the night, but,
decided, instead, to keep me there on a bed in the hospital hallway.
An hour or so on IV antibiotics.
Home with a huge 10 day supply of more and NO wine??
Just whine...of course.

No big walks...ha ha ...No problem there..
I will know in 3 or 4 days whether or not I am in the clear.., or have to go back to the hospital.
Spending six hours on a cot in the crowded ER hallway is an eye opener.
Walking outside on the way to my car, I felt elated to be alive.

One great big breath of gratitude..

Bob Marley, Everything's Gonna be Alright

No Woman, No Cry

Eye candy:

 From the Goodwill, Tuesdays of course with my 25% off,
I bought this skirt...Lynsey has instructed me to make her a scarf from it.
She says she is really short on scarves, she is 9 years old..
Stitch thinks  he enhances the picture...He is quite vain.

I have 10 of these blocks...divided 4 patch...I just hate making them.
What to do?  They sit here in my mess.

Adorable patches for children's quilts:

I love my fabric..sooo much...I need it too..

Because there is this:

I am discussing politics with my man and TED talks and Celtic spirituality. He is in his wheelchair...Months later, he is already in the hospital bed. I am talking with him on the alphabet board about the grandchildren and how I will care for them without him. How I will survive without him...the joys of our life together...He can no longer speak.We even manage a joke by way of the alphabet board. I point to the letter. His lungs are impaired which affects talking...I point to A, he blinks once if it is right, twice if it is wrong...We go along this way...A...are you afraid..no...C. Do you worry about the children...yes...and so on.

Later, I tell strangers that I might have PTSD due to watching my man deteriorate bit by bit from ALS. The strangers gasp.... Of course you do. They cannot imagine...I cannot imagine either.

He is in his hospital bed...he cannot go to the bathroom...he is in great distress. I cannot fix it for him. The suction machine, the breathing mask, the feeding tube. Then there he is in the Hoyer lift...the CNA works it so he can go outside to the fresh air...Of course all the apparatus must come too..I lean over to kiss him and my breast touches the controls of the 500 pound chair ...I almost run over my own foot. He withdraws. He is dying. He is preparing. I am hovering...desperate to figure out how to save him...He hates hovering. He says..Go sew. My machine is 10 feet away from his hospital bed...thru open French doors, we can see and hear each other. The sewing machine calms me. I think the hum of it calms him too. The caregiver said that his urine and fingers were changing color. I demand to know why she did not tell me....She insists that she did...I could not hear her...protected by denial...It has been three and a half years since his death. There is nothing I can do but carry on. I am waiting for his strength to surge within me so I can survive with the same bravery that he reflected...I want to be strong.
No Woman No Cry

My friends have their own lives as they should  They fit me in when they can.  I am grateful.
I am in a corn field maze.  I know there is a way out, but I cannot find it.
My recliner is wearing out from over use..I am always exhausted.
Grief will do that

Thank you Bev for sharing this with me.
xo

UFO and WIP and LIFE

Somethings do not lie.
The date, for example..
My 2012 London Olympics quilt.
Partially quilted..but pushed to the side

Luscious AMH fat quarters bought a few years back..
Starting something new?

 Stacks of unquilted tops

And my newly organized strips from the marvelous K and M team.
These are begging for a funky log cabin.
Sigh...What to do ....the poor disorganized soul here.

Getting my mind off it...here is a great idea ...
from Katyquilts...using ties in a quilt

Now, the life part....
Good Lord....from:Evan, age 13..earphones on...loudly singing rap love songs...OMG

Lynsey, age 9...OMG singing....
You need a tic tac
not just one, but the whole 6 pack....OMG

Lynsey had outgrown some swim suits..so I got a few in an online sale.
Of course, free shipping from Amazon.
She is nine and a half...I bought size 7/8 and still had to take in the bottoms by a half and inch.
This girl is tiny...but watch out...she is a black belt , you know.

My son came to visit...He has a job interview tomorrow.
He may not get it because of his history...but still it is so in the right direction.
He is  excited and nervous..He helped Dylan clean his room.
He does so much to help us around here...
I am  grateful.

TBTG  to K and M....I have cleaned and organized my sewing tables.
With their work in fixing and labeling my strips...they motivated me..
Stephanie is doing a happy dance.
I told her to take a good look at it...cuz once I start a new project....It will be so over.
I just cannot believe it, myself...I am so organizationally impaired.

I thought that Susan did a glorious job here on her blog.
Plus so interesting on the history of the Statue of Liberty.
Susan Branch Blog

Now that I have slept most of the day..and rested...
I planned to dye some old shirts of mine...
Here we go again...Where did I put the die??
Where is the galvanized bucket??
Do I have enough salt??

So grateful to have my daughter when the wave of despair of grief
attacks me out of nowhere...She always listens..
So grateful.xo

Grandma O'Quilts shares her day...

One of my forever WIPs or UFOs is a Swedish flag quilt.

I need more of the blue for my idea...cannot find it..

I might have to change my idea...That's OK...

On Hancocks of Paducah, I found.......Kona color card in fabric....sold by the yard for $12

I was so thrilled to get this in the mail today.

I am not sure if any of them really match...but it is fun anyway.

Today was a day of all days.
Kids driven to camp in the morning.
a two hour lunch out with a friend.
Picking up Dylan..age 8 early from camp.
for a four hour allergy testing session.
Poor kid...needles and pricks...etc.
Result is that he is critically allergic to bees, wasps, bumbles,
carpenter bees, yellow jackets..fire ants...etc...

Everyone must have an Epi-pen available at all times.
Dylan knows how to give it to himself..but probably will not want to.
Jeeze..every time he is bitten, the allergy gets worse.
Once he is back from his beach vacation with his cousins,
Dylan starts a desensitization process with 4 shots every week.
Dylan said that he is willing to do that because he is sick of the ambulance rides and the waiting for 3 hours in the ER.

Four hours of needles was a long time.
Any of us would deserve a treat after that...
Grandma included!!!

And so it goes...
My first inclination is to say that I got nothing done today.
That just would not be true..
I just did not sew....xo

Oh, What a Night...

A finish...quilted by Terri when I had my shoulder operation,

now, finally bound, snipped, labeled and washed.

This pattern is from. Lori Holt...Bee in my Bonnet

Such a fun tute.

I do not know why my pix are not clear...

Maybe inside at night??

A lovely visit from Priscilla the other night...look what the mountain women

did for me

The last time she was here, she took away with her a bucket full of my scraps.
She brought them back on Friday all ironed and sorted...
P and M have some kind of heart!!!
Here are some of her quilts:

Active cat of mine...Stitch...

A lovely day outside reading when my boy decided to give me a kiss.

9 pm
Reading when they were supposed to be in their own rooms sleeping.

 How they act when Grandma gets mad!!!

Then they got so wound up that I had to call Ms Stephanie.
Oh, Lordy what a mess..
Getting out the ice cream.
and the music!!!!
Keepin' it light....

Oh What a Night