Working Toward a Finish

Invaded...no respect!!

Instead of a finish, I am doing a little bit here and there

I used the Accuquilt...and cut 5 inch pieces for my political quilt.

A huge step in the right direction...not working on it now, but pleased the parts are cut.

Into a labeled baggie for now....repeat...labeled baggie.

AND...very pleased I used the cutter....which I never do.

Part of my decision to work on parts instead of wholes...brings this old top to light.

I am naming it, "The Bazaar", because it reminds me of my travels to Morocco.
 The color values here are off,  The border is subdued to calm the brightness.
The backing will be an orange which will self-bind the quilt.

 A pause now..for finishing the third library book on hand.

I tried to eat healthy...then I saw the Oreos...Jeeze Louize..

At least if I fall, I will bounce!!
Tonight I was going to eat fruit and salad, when my son brought home pizza.
The only reason, I even think of this...is that the hernia surgeon may not be too happy with me.
Appointment is in March.

Instead of  finding the lost bag bottom, I have just cut another one.

My first flimsy for donation...the border is on.
With the children gone to their mothers for three days, I considered myself on vacation.
Stayed in my nightie all day...Told myself...You deserve it, Grandma O'Quilts.
When the children sew, they use my machine.
 So I put their machines in their bags.
  If they want to use them, they can take them out onto the dining room table.
Instead, I put my Accuquilt Go in that space.  Maybe, if it is out, I will use it more.

And so it goes...tomorrow is back to school for the children ,
and back to the pool for me.

Grandmother O'Quilts Gets a Grip

Just in case you thought I was hopeless!!!!

I found my instructions for my Meadowland Quilt-along,

So with peace and quiet, I have put them all together....Hmmm

Last night's progress.

Stimulated by a 3 hour lunch out,

I got to work when I got home...Every little bit counts, me thinks.

Lunch was just what I needed, but really both of us sat there all that time...and my blouse was inside out!!!!..Sigh...Age must be upon both of us xoxo

All this, just as I had bragged on how smart I used to be.

Clearly "used to is over"!!!

Sherri Lynn Wood improv class

I found the above piece which I do not like...I just bet Stitch and Boo would like it in a basket.

We had some wild storms yesterday, power off at both schools, with leaky roofs and trees down,

so it was no surprise that school was cancelled.

Tornadoes were confirmed on both sides of me. Family and friends tried to warn me,

but my phone was off and I was asleep.  Lucky, lucky me!

I have never ever lived where tornadoes hit within a mile of my house...

Guess I have been a hurricane woman (Miami). or a dust storm girl (Phoenix).

So off the children went with their mother...on this surprise 3 day weekend.

I am so so so relaxed!!!!

This is such a peaceful  lovely day..Talk about climate change.: Thursday we had 4 confirmed tornadoes touch down....and now it is snowing...big fat beautiful flakes...nothing sticking..but it is so calming as is Mrs. O'Quilts, ..... reading, sewing and relaxing all by herself....in silence..hummmm

Charlotte Modern Quilt Guild had an outreach last year for 600 placemats for

Meals on Wheels.  We made 700. This year we will make small quilts and small backpacks for the homeless children associated with Meals on Wheels...

We also have a table at meetings where we bring quilty items we no longer want.
 Other quilters

give the guild a donation to take what they desire.
 I did just that with these blocks.

Now, I am making them up for the donation.

Interesting posts:

Show Me Something Purple

Adorable Vintage Fabric Doll Quilt

The Queen of Frustration

Easing my soul on a crabby day, is the lovely necklace that Terri made for me.
Next up...happy is...My son reading John Henry to Lynsey...a bit of folklore as part of
Black History month.  A favorite here, because my father's name was John Henry Washington Newton Burt. He joined the Air Force at 17 from Alabama... staying on forever more.

Today was a day of storms.  I got a call from a neighbor who was in the hallway with her staff at work...The weather, she said.  Of course, I had nodded off in my recliner with a boring book.
I missed the worst part.  Both of the children's schools lost power, tornado warnings...heavy rain...trees down.and old Grandma O'Quilt snores away, oblivious!!!

Once the family was all home safe and sound, I found myself in a funk/???  Really??
No reason why..but somehow, I felt I needed to start on a political quilt.
Choosing the fabrics.

Pulling fabric here to start when I thought...maybe the Accu-Quilt cutter would help me.
I could not find the dies, I had just re-located them for efficiency...Grrrrr
My son found them in a new basket under a mess.

Next, I fussed with another row of fabric for my chair cover project.

While doing that, my eyes happened on these vintage 40's blocks from a friend of
my dear Aunt Billie in Arizona.  Everyone way gone, the blocks a reminder of fun times.
Somehow, I had a-fixed them...with Wonder-Under...Maybe I should figure this project out now???

No, I should look for the cut lining bottom of this bag and for the lanyard clip
That has been lost for a few weeks...

And so went tonight until everyone in this household remembered how  lucky they
were that my sewing room has two doors on it.
Two doors that shut.
I tried to breathe...and asked self what calms me???
Maybe I should make a rope bowl.
God help me...I am going to just finish the book.

Just so you know that I know, I have been given gifts I am grateful for.
Now...God, if I come back on earth...I would really really appreciate some organizational skills.
And maybe to be able to sing on key. xoxo

Rita's Quilt

She inhaled a pin while sewing....OMG

Tomorrow morning I have a 504 meeting at the high school.
Next week, a 504 meeting at the elementary school.

Let There Be Light....Please

The no car, two week stress has ended...
My son got his new to him car and I am getting a new to me van.
That does not mean that this was easy.  While my son was off buying his car, he had my car with him.
Of course, that was the time when Duke power cut off..leaving me...3 children, 2 cats and one dog in the cold and in the dark, hungry without a car.
And certainly a very crabby grandmother.

The children argued about who was going to light the candles...
We played Old Maid.
 I tried not to lose my balance and fall down.
 The darlings wanted to take their flashlights and play hide and seek, but old grandma was toooooo stressed out for that. The power was only off for 6 hours, but it so seemed to me to be 600000 hours.

Today, was a whole new day. I went to my brilliant therapist,
My mother and I went to lunch...rather I did..and thought of my mother,
Went to Aldi for food shopping .... and finished a book.
The..day ending with friends at Wednesday night quilting.

Just so you know that today is February 5.  It is winter...
All the cherry trees are confused.
That's OK....I am confused too and seeing a pretty tree is downright lovely.
My latest project:  Sewing my savored cloth, from around the world to this chair cover..
in order to make it my own...
Like my friend Meg said, My man and I together...
His chair no one will let go of and my funky cover that makes it pretty OK

I am attaching it to the store bought cover and quilting it like this:

I am readying this piece of the dress for the chair.

On the back, I find quite the improv work...Guess in Guatemala, they
use all the fabric that they have on hand...without worry..if the corners match.
I know who told me that perfection is over-rated...I agree!!

Remember, I have had these fabrics/dresses for over 40 years.
If you do not use it, you lose it...or so they say............

Every single person in my house is asleep...How sweet it is.
Starting another book...
As I relax...unusual for me...sad thoughts come by...like
I have no Valentine...

I am thinking about how to celebrate life by giving to others on
April 14, the 5 year anniversary of my man's death.
The key thought is to do something nice for someone else..
I am looking forward to this.
Fixing that thought with a glass of vino tinto and cuddling in with my next book.

Saying NO to watching the news...Good Grandma!!

Lazy Lazy Sunday, etc etc...

Every good southern garden has a bottle tree to ward off the evil spirits.

My son cleaned and re-arranged ours

Below...reading in the sun..a remarkable thing to do in February!!!

My treat from Marshall's yesterday!!!! 

Lynsey insists that in big families, hard boiled eggs are

 always in the fridge so kids can help themselves...

(She learned this from her U-Tube families)

She said that we are a big family now..

She insisted that we needed this for our new egg plan.

Tonight's life lesson:  How to make perfect hard boiled eggs..

I made them repeat after me...I might tape instructions to the wall.

OMG...even my son, we will see how this goes..

It was only lesson one, to be repeated often until everyone can do it.

Put eggs in a pan of  cold water.

Bring them to a boil.

Cover them and take them off the burner.

Leave them covered for 30....perfect HBEs.

Soon everyone in Grandma's house will be able to make a hard boiled egg and 

make bobbins for the sewing machines...YES!!!!!!

 The recliner cover from Zulilly.

Stay tuned to my remake of it..

Brainstorming the patchwork for the chair cover...

For some reason yesterday was a no- do day.

I took Lynsey for her sewing lesson.

We stopped by Marshall's to return something...
at which time she reminded me that her birthday was in two weeks.

I told her she could look for sales..and she did...Good girl..!!!

Then I came home for my daily old lady nap.

My doctor seems to think that I have no energy due to my circumstances...hmmmm.

I do love my doctor...all 37 years of her!!

Half way through a thought provoking book

Today, I was once again lazy.
Evan filled out his class requests for next year tenth grade.
Lynsey and Dylan rode their bikes.
I read and did the grandma thing...making corn chowder for dinner.
Lucky us when tomorrow is yet another day!!
Especially a sunny one.

A Long Way from Home

Lost and found....The skirt I bought for my daughter 30 years ago when my man and I worked counseling positions on the Miccosukee Indian reservation in Florida

 A Guatemalan dress

More Guatemala pieces

Hand stitched vintage Molas from Panama

Smaller Molas

Pieces from India

I know that somewhere, I also have cloth from Mexico and Istanbul.
Good thing I lost the parts to my bag...or I never would have found these things.
Really, maybe they should all have been in one place.
And...more of the non-stop, everlasting purple Rail Fence challenge.
I already have two pieces started with this.

A child's apron my grandmother made in Swedish colors.

I might put this into my WIP Swedish flag quilt.

It looks like tomorrow is February...so I will not have any more finishes for January

Instead more things to start and another dishevelment.

UGH..now my sewing room is an awful terrible no-good mess again..
Next time around,  I hope God gives me two gifts...organizational skills and music.
I just read still another article on saving everything....lets use it up ...so now more ideas besides the chair....Unfortunately, now I need an extension on my house to store my treasures..
Remember, my latest lesson...no trailer hitch on the hearse!!!!

So Not a Potholder Post

When Eamon came out the other night with "potholders" from the garage.

This is what he was talking about: 3 UFO's left by my daughter.

Some were together and some I put together.

Spiderweb block..maybe a beginning to a medallion quilt?

Hour glass...almost all ready, guess Em tired of it....

AMH disappearing nine patch...I put the blocks together..

Thursday night Dylan and I spent alone...Sewing time.

He learned to make bobbins!!!! Here he is picking out colors.

A fast learner...and he loved it..When can we make more, Grandma????

ANYTIME dear Dylan....anytime.. He turns 10 in a few weeks...I want him to know sewing before he gets older...His brother stopped sewing in 7th grade.

In one sitting...Thank you Dylan

Wednesday night work by Carol

Wednesday night show and tell by Kathylynn

Marie's monkey quilt.

Here it is again...Granddaddy's beloved chair.

I tried to get rid of it, but oh, no...Now it has been moved right into the living room.

Grandma!!!!  You cannot get rid of Granddaddy's chair....!!!!

In looking for one thing...eg the last parts for my linen bag...

I found clothes of mine from Guatemala...Let me tell you my hippie days and my movie star days are way over!!! Yet, I have kept these for like 40 years...I bought a chair cover for $15 on Zulily. Now, I am going to cover that cover with my Guatemala fabric, patchwork style...Lets see how that goes...

Again...while looking for X ..here comes Y.

I found a rustic fat quarter pack or two from an estate sale...maybe 2 years ago.

Lunch today with good friends at The New Zealand Cafe...an interesting sushi/ tempura place.

Of course I needed to be picked up because :

I HAVE NO CAR!!!!!!!!!

Tomorrow I get the car...taking Lynsey to sewing class and then errands with the girl.

Her birthday is coming up soon.  She has asked for exercise clothes?????

Exercise is quite foreign to this grandma...but, OK

Girls don't wear dresses any more Grandma, and I want to run track.

Fifth grade and almost 11.

PS  Stitch and Boo would like to share the news:

The O'Quilt family has mice.

Who is excited now????

Stay tuned.