New Post, Old News

My life...50 years of fabric collecting..

When I dragged self out of bed at noon today, I found a fraction of the 

fabric, from shelves in my sewing room, piled  on the dining room table.

Lynsey announced that she was helping me with my organizational skills.
She said that the truth was that people's sewing studios did not look like mine.
How does she know???..That girl!!!

As I started looking thru my stash on the table..
I felt the rise of excitement.
My heart started beating...new to me fabric..hidden for years.

Oh...I did not know I had this...or..this is wonderful!!!

So far, I have folded 5 pieces....I get distracted by color.

We ate dinner outside tonight.!!! We all know why!

Boo, last night in my son's room...reflecting the ghostly twilight zone we live in now.
Our dearest Halloween cat.  Our dearest Halloween life.

Speaking of orange...Oh, no..let's not speak of orange...hmmmmm
I have some beautiful fabric that I have collected throughout the years.
Why then, do I waste my time arranging scraggly  scraps, trying to make someone a
comfort quilt...trying to make beauty out of ugly?
As usual, this time of night is not the time for obsessing

It has been suggested to me...a total news freak...that instead of watching:
Al Jazeera, CNN, BBC, FOX, NBC. etc...24/7
Getting myself all irritated...

Instead, I should watch this:
John Krasinski Some Good News

Me thinks that my dear man was a complete saint to put up with me.
Sigh....
I have not left the house in 5 weeks.
Itching to go to Aldi.
My children say NO.

O'Stuff, Etc...

Tension abounds as I try to chill with this situation we all find ourselves in

What relaxes a person the best of all...the making of a rope bowl.!!

My son had asked for one this size.  I was focused on the right color, etc. when I forgot that it was Batiks that do not ravel...Large contrasting prints work best for rope bowls..

Fifteen minutes of calmness....ommmmm  He loves it...I loved making it.

I looked to order more rope as I have 4 other times....it is out of stock and may never come back.

Friends told me that all the sewing machines are sold out at Walmart.

The one online I was going to suggest to a friend...out of stock, no news when it might come back.

Lynsey said that when money was tight, her mom could not afford the fashionable Crustables..
She made a PBJ sandwich, used a glass and made them herself for her children.
I asked what happened to the crust....L said, Mommy had that for lunch.
That touched my heart.  Tonight Lynsey made them herself.

My dear Brother-in-law with the mask I made him...

Pink Sand Designs had this...20  yards of elastic and 50 wires for noses.
Mask making kit on sale for $19...I was desperate for elastic..so I got it.
Ugh...shipping was $8...It came today...

My state of mind has long gone along with the crazy state of the world.
If all the elastic I ordered that I have forgotten about comes....enough will be enough.
I hope no more scams. Pretty colored elastic...

The perspective article I read at the end of this day:
Ann Mashburn talks perspective
I hope to remember this.

Crazy O'Quilts' Family Carries On ...

Making of masks...:  14 on the good side; one all wrong.
Who gets crabby concentrating on the failure?????
Even Stitch cannot bear to look at it.

The accurate masks will be mailed to friends on Monday.

 O'Quilt news:
We have had no dishwasher for two weeks..it is old and rotten and not working.
For the past two days, we have had no hot water..
What we do have is:
A big back yard for the children, 5 sewing machines, several boxes of Trader Joe's Shiraz wine,
Chocolate, Enough food and certainly enough fabric..
And, each other...

Dylan does not do his homework.
He does his reading with his sister and he does his math because he likes math.
However: my guess is that he is not the only 10 year old skipping out on Science and Social Studies.
He does read every day...under great protest.

We are all learning new things.
Home school learning....Dylan pressure washing.

We have the O'Quilts' grands in combat gear...ready to fight.off whatever comes to us.
We have Lynsey telling her grandmother to calm down, breathe and be patient???????

Grandma was reading outside in the cold, getting  I admit, a bit irritable.
No hot water and very little elastic.
When....Wahoo...in the mailbox came elastic,that I did not remember ordering!!

My son drained the hot water heater and now we have hot water.
I am the luckiest person ever.
 I just love a good hug...not many people can give a good hug.
Isolated me...is grateful to have my grandchildren with me to hug on..

My son is making pancakes for dinner with the help of his children.

I am in my sewing room...a place of peace.

Mask sewists....

Check out this link:

Mask making kit on sale for 50 masks

I ordered one a few hours ago and it already has shipped.
Stay tuned.....

Love this u-tube song.

The Mask Maker

PS  Sorry I do not know how to adjust the font size.!!!

Now, we have a tornado warning...Jeeze Louize...
I am staying up to watch this...Wind and hail...OMG
I certainly  hope this leaves us all alone!!
Hope it does not blow away my new elastic!!!!!

Ending this post as I watch the news....is a picture of our O'Quilt's  family connection in Ireland.
Cousin Ann said it was a lovely day...thus she is sewing outside!!!!
In Ireland, she is sewing outside and in Charlotte, we are awaiting a tornado.

Tornados missed us...whew...
Crazy life!!!
Be safe!

The Ebb and the Flow

Place mat finished for Parkinson's friend living in care..

Below is the backing.  I so love finding the perfect fabric in my stash for a piece.

Today the children's principal did a Zoom visit with them.  At first Lynsey had
thought she was in trouble...Ha!!  Once we were all on, the dear principal saw our garden,
their sewing machines and pieces, the cat, etc. It was a great thrill.
Everyone misses school, friends, routines.

A neighbor brought us blackberries.
My son brought home vanilla ice cream.
Sounds yummy.
Grandma says to eat your stew first!!

Sometimes a person just needs to have some mindless sewing.
Pre-cut monkey squares on sale from Foust years ago...found under a mess
. Making 4 patches to relax.

When I was looking in the Patriotic box for an orphan block for the place mat
I found these disappearing nine patch blocks...
These are the perfect size for our VA outreach to hospice.

There is nothing that makes me happier than a gift that is handmade.
This is a lavender sachet made by Muggs.  She got the perfect Dala horse
fabric from Spoonflower and gifted it to me on my birthday last year.
.  It reminds me of my Swedish grandmother.

A few years back, my musical daughter made this adorable CD cover for music she recorded
of her own tin whistle playing. I love both the package and the CD.

Today was a lovely outside reading day.
More Zooming tonight with my IQ quilting group
Then:
Out of the blue, tonight....
The wicked wind of grief blew right through me..

If You Love me...Show me the Way..

Tell me you love me!!!
Not with roses.
Not with diamonds.
With:  elastic!! 1/4 or 1/8 inch..
Which is now...impossible to find.

All the way from Miami...gifted by Janet.
Thank you so much..xo

Blue Elephant Stitches  does a great job with scraps.
Now, I just need these baskets and this baker's rack
And friends to help me sort...
Another pair or two of hands to help me put blues and greens in one basket..
Reds and pinks, browns and blacks...You know.
Oh, I have some kids around here. hmmmm
I have the scraps, for sure...ha ha ha

 Tula Pink has art and organizational skills...

Tula Pink's Studio Tour
 I want my house to look like hers..
I am a Tula wannabee..
I remember Stephanie told me that if I put fabric in the kitchen, she would quit!

Tonight was fun...Thanks again to our clever Drenna...
We had a Zoom with our UFO group of 20 years...
Jean did a show and tell of this quilt she is quilting for her daughter.
Isn't it so lovely!

Tomorrow night will be a Zoom with our Wednesday night IQ group of 20  years.
I am so lucky.
Because extroverts just sew need other people...I am thinking of a fabric folding get together with a friend...a party of two.  With masks...of course and with hand sanitizers and 6 feet apart on my back porch...Is that taking a chance/???  I do not think so...Fabric calls...and it calls loudly.
Especially with cookies and tea!!!!!

This is my notebook cover.I made with..IKEA fabric...kinda tells the story...doesn't it!!

Tonight I made masks...thx to Janet.
It is past midnight...red wine and a place mat for a friend with Parkinsons.
I am just getting my mojo back at this fine hour.

Ok..now it is 1:30...I have the place mat ready to sew..
When a person is stuck in a Parkinsons body and in a facility
in these times, when they cannot have visitors...
Cheer and happy is the answer.

This makes me shudder..
How the C19 Virus spreads in a restaurant

A New Day of Learning

My wonderful son...spray basting a large quilt for me...

He says he could never be a quilter....We will see about that!

My heart...oh, my heart!!! He tells me, the quilter of 50 some years..

Don't touch it Mom...you will mess it up...

The Allen family gets masks...Evan too..

Grandma O'Quilts keeps her family tight.

I sent them in the mail xo
Lynsey learning how to safely use the big chopping knife.

Virtual school started this morning with Zoom meetings with their teachers.
 Lynsey started talking with me about wars, the holocaust, Mexican American War, etc.

 Wars and tough times, etc.
I told her that I was born after a war...
At that time, folks had to be creative with their meals because things were scarce...
Had she ever heard of Spam....Oh, yes , she always wanted to try it....

My mother used to make a Spam and egg dip for her get-to-gathers...
(that would have been 64 years ago, when I was 8)
Lynsey and I started in...... Five hard boiled eggs and 1 small can of spam grated together...chopped/grated onions and mayo added...Enjoy with Wheat Thins...

With my grandmother's grater,  we worked.
Everyone loved it, it is almost gone.

Then Lynsey asked me.....Was this the Civil War????
So much for homeschooling history lesson!!!!!

Doing now, what I do best!!!  And it is not history.....

Cutting fabric for friends and family masks...a few at a time, as it all is quite depressing.

I have done nothing today...nothing...no good sleep at night...cold outside..had to wear a jacket to read.  Grateful that my son got up for the early morning Zoom school.
I am trying to transfer as much parenting over to the children's parents as they are doing so very well.
I am learning that it is hard for me to stay out of the business...I am improving.
Going to watch the news...Guess I love to get all riled up.

A bit of sewing always  helps...Eamon and Lynsey are going to try a taco casserole recipe tonight.
She said that her aunt makes the best one...
So we googled it and they will try their own recipe tonight.

I am giving myself a pass for today's laziness.   Maybe I will be more productive later tonight

Great article below:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/avivahwittenbergcox/2020/04/13/what-do-countries-with-the-best-coronavirus-reponses-have-in-common-women-leaders/

Sunday Night Before School..and No One Cares, but Grandma

A grey day made brighter by snipping loose threads
on finished quilts....outside.

In my dreams I was going out to the Chinese restaurant for a lovely 2-3 hour lunch,

 with a friend or two.
Then I woke up...
Oh...My friends will not go out to a restaurant with me.
Oh, the restaurants are closed.
Oh, my family insists I stay home.
Oh!
Drenna has set up Zoom quilting meetings with two quilting groups of ours!!!
Suzette reminded me that the only place housework is before quilting...is in the dictionary.

I just knew it!!
Grateful for these smart friends!!

The old grandma with poor organizational skills gets going.
There are several ways that an adult with AD/HD can focus.
1. medication
2.  aerobic exercise
3. procrastination
4. getting furious
Virtual school is back in session tomorrow after spring break.
Agitation has been my friend the last few days..
Finally, I figured out why.. Homeschooling preparation that I had not done.
I could feel the fury building...and so..I got it together.
I searched my emails for teachers instructions that I had ignored.
I printed out class Zooming schedules on my pantry door.
I put a second copy of school instructions in folders.
I am giving myself a big shout out for sharing a spot in my sewing room
for school work...OMG
I mean, really....I could have a project in that slot!!
or..fabric...lovely fabric..


Spring is in full force here in Charlotte.
Time for my seasonal cacti to go back outside to live under the bench until October.
They have taken their summer vacation there for at least 7 years.

This pink climber was planted 21 years ago when we first bought this house.
Some years it blooms wonderfully...some, not at all.

Look what a little Coronavirus isolation does to UFOs!!!!
Amazing

CMQG Outreach Quilts Done

These are the last of the 5 quilts I am making for the CMQG December outreach for homeless children.  Nice to feel I have accomplished something.
Can you imagine having them done already in April????

These cat four patch blocks had been sitting around forever.
I paired them with my favorite batik....a green cat paw
I wanted to save it...I did not want to use it.
I keep hoping and hoping that there will be a trailer hitch on the hearse.
I used it anyway.
Here is number 4...outreach child's quilt.

The cute backing for the above.

The truth is evident...My dear Lynsey has OCD/ AD/HD like her father...
She begged to organize the food in the garage...She find this so much fun. When I came to take the picture..and she became annoyed...oh well...
Me, the disorganized one...just loves those qualities that I could never dream of having.

Looks like we will have enough bush beans for all summer.
My son just put in the cucumbers and squash.  Within 15 minutes they were being eaten by
small worms...OMG...did they work fast...and these plants are only an inch tall...Jeeze..

My daughter is having her first baby in July...A girl...a garden girl and
evidently a dog loving girl...I suggested the name Cora...or Rona... They were not amused..

There is nothing like a person who gives a good hug...
Oh, no...no hugs now...TBTG for my grands..

I am not allowed out of the house..
What kind of life is that??
I love a good 2-3 hour lunch out with a friend..
That is not happening either.

I think tomorrow I will be helping with doll clothes.
Lynsey's favorite American Girl doll, Carlos...needs summer pants.
And, Lynsey wants me to buy a baby carrier for him..
No No No...These times, my girl, call for a budget.
I just downloaded a free pattern for such...My guess is that that will
happen tomorrow when I get up, early afternoon. We do not buy, when we can make.
It is now one am.

Home schooling starts Monday...OMG...
Thank goodness the kids know how to access Zoom themselves.

My grands are amazing for ages 10 and 11.
I told them that inside I was really 42..
They thought that was a heck of a joke.
I told them that I did not like my fat belly.
They told me that no grandma should be skinny and that they love me just the way I am.
Love!!  A person just has to love love...

I have a large lap quilt that needs to be basted.
My son said he would do it.
He said he would do anything for me to be back in a good  mood.

I have not had a ponytail in 50 years...Who would have known...now would be the time.

My son has transplanted the yellow rose bush.
He has drilled holes in bins for the seedlings....
He has taught Dylan how to cut the grass.
He has done the dishes.

Still...still, his mother is in a very bad mood.
Introverts...check in with your extroverts.
We are not doing well.
xo

The O'Quilts Family Carries On..

My sac bag...DONE!!!
Crazy pattern I have had 15 years.
Stitch likes it too...xo

Made from Anna Marie Horner linen gifted to me.
Black and red cotton dots as lining.
It is very sturdy.
The batting, asked for as a stabilizer, makes the bag very heavy, even empty.

Home Schooling....life skills!!!

We had a discussion about the possibility of the summer veggies in the fields rotting
because no one could pick them and people could not go out to buy them.
How can the O'Quilts family take care of themselves?
Well...they planted veggies with their father.  Now, they are learning about mulching.
They gathered the pine needles from our yard.
Voila...free mulch!

This afternoon has been splendid.. Resting in the sun with a book.
 "stress free"....
Because of this rest, I have been able sew and finish.

I  have become the laziest grandma ever!!!!
My nights have become days and my days have become nights...to bed at 3 am ...up at noon....soon it will be to bed at 4 and up at one...What day is it?  Dark chocolate with nuts hidden from the children in my fabric stash...Same baggy clothes every day...hmm..
Even my Irises are confused.  These usually bloom around my mother's birthday in May.
This year, they started blooming in early April..Not to mention the "Christmas Cactus" that is really a "Thanksgiving Cactus" and blooms at Easter..

We have here, a poem of such great understanding that it takes my breath away each time I read it.

Thank you Carol for sharing it with me at this time.

you wonder
if it is worth
living your life
cracked
wide open,

whether
wearing your heart
on your sleeve
and
all your
hopes
carried in
unclenched
hands,
is ever safe,

where
all the world can
see, and
all the world can
say
what they feel
about the tender courage
that has taken
root
within you

It will not be easy
no
definitely not
there will be pain
it is a new birth
after all.

but, you must not
 curl
 inward

lift your head
unfurl your spirit
reach upward
live outward

you are the holy broken

the one holding the light

and if you show your scars,
people will come
and sit with you
and they will listen.

and this
is how we heal each other
by living gently
and walking vulnerably
unafraid of opinion
ready to wipe away
tears
and
fears
and
other darkness
with the light
shining
from
the cracks
in our bones
moved only by the spirit

so, yes--do it
live your life a white dove
on the battlefield

cracked
right
open

It will be ok

@Liezel Graham 2018
on being the holy broken.

Thank you....I too, now think it will be OK!

.

elete or h

The Air so Clear, after the Storm...

Last night I finished Ava's two sided mask.  She is my grand's little sister,

Ava just turned two..I loved making her mask.

This isolated extrovert (ME) wants to have lunch out with her friends.

Instead, she is making masks and hanging them outside on her Clematis for a picture!!

I am officially out of 1/8 and 1/4 inch elastic

Sad news here..

I have been scammed by Lone Wolf....I ordered 1/5 size elastic for mask making...It was promised Friday...Now I am told they lost it...When I went to Amazon...I see a long list of complaints that say the same thing...money not refunded, elastic not shipped, elastic lost..
.I cannot believe this...grrrr.
Who scams someone buying elastic????
Ugh..might have to switch to bias binding ties...but I do not like that.
Of course, I hate scams more.

A lovely 6 foot visit with a friend who just happened to have a tiny bit of elastic to share.
And, some wisdom to impart!!
Tonight a great Zoom with my Wednesday night quilters.(Thank you , Drenna)
A gunny sac bag UFO...ready to finish tomorrow...
Oh, heavenly day...a finish...wonderful!!

Dylan....dressed by his sister to play FBI agent..

Yesterday was Stitch's birthday.  He loves us and we love him.
NO celebration from us, however...as he ate the head off a baby bunny and waited by the colony to get another one...then, beside my bed, I found a dead mouse and a tiny dead baby snake...Stitch is now 4..Evidently not old enough to know better!!!

The news announced that peak virus 19 date in Charlotte is June 8.  June 8?? 

 Did they say, June 8??

Thank God, it is spring, going into summer!!

My fifth and last MQG flimsy...spray basted by my son!!
Tonight he made dinner, cleaned the kitchen, removed wads of dog hair from sink pipes,and played some internet stick game with his children till midnight.
We are all messed up..Eamon and I stay up to 2 or 3 in the morning...to have some peace while the children are sleeping...I get up at noon and start making the children do their chores..
They so love it when I sleep in...They do video games, play FBI, etc.
They know that quiet children make for happy grandmas.
It was still hard for me to use this batik cat paws fabric...but I did!!!

Cathy...Thank you for this awesome note on grief:

"Swim in the deep end and feel it all, and when you're tired of swimming, tread.  When you are tired of treading, float.  When you are tired of floating, get out, dry off and sit in the warm sun.  Let the sun warm your bones and know you love him deeply and you are loved back."

Pauline Michaud...Thank you for doing my work for me on meters, etc.  Give me your email so I can thank you properly.
Today was a really lovely day.