Cathedral Window

Look at this gorgeousness that Nanci sent to me...I can't believe I actually won something! These are perfect for my Cathedral Window quilt....THANKS A MILLION - I love these beauties...this means the world to me! Nanci is one of those cool people that looks 30 years younger than she actually is...I promise I'm not exaggerating. Go check out her fabulous view from her cottage. :)


Here's the Cathedral Window quilt my mom started so many years ago...at least 50 and I'm determined to finish it sometime in the next 10 years....that's a goal, now isn't it! By the way...it will be the one year anniversary of the passing of my mom on Saturday....I miss her so much.


This photo speaks for itself....Jane and I are not speaking....I don't care if Carrie was sitting right next to me (she's awesome at applique), I would still mess this block up. If you want to see how things are really done in the Jane world...check out Yvette or Sarah.
Stick with the pros!

It's the most beautiful day in Atlanta today...hope yours is just as sunny!

From The Quilters Gallery Newsletter

I'm working on a my Eye Spy quilt and will have a post later this week....In the meantime, please enjoy some of these lovelies I've run across this week:

Most are from the Quilters Gallery Newsletter:

Check out this cute little Mini- Quilt Swap - You can go as small as 12 x 12 or as large as 24 x 24.


Quilter's Acronyms
* BOB = Beginner’s Only Block (swap)
* BOM = Block of the Month
* DSM = Domestic Sewing Machine
* DWR = Double Wedding Ring
* FART = Fabric Aquisition Road Trip
* FIU = Finish It Up
* FQ = Fat Quarter
* HST = Half-Square Triangle
* HSY = Haven’t Started Yet
* LAQ= Long Arm Quilter
* LQS = Local Quilt Shop
* MAQ = Mid-Arm Quilter
* OBW = One-Block More »
I'll add my favorite...WIP - Work in Progress


The Quilter's Alphabet
Accuracy...mood dependent.
Bleed...bless the fabric that doesn't.
Credit card...purrs in a quilt shop.
Distance...at which points look good.
Even...well, does it look even?
Fudge...adjustment terminology.
Golden...the moment it's finished!
Hug...wrap up in a quilt.
Iron...the great fabric disciplinarian!
Justify...can't cook! Quilting an heirloom.
Knot...size need not stop a truck.
Love...quilting is a labor of.
Marker...please, let it wash out.
Needle...feet always find it.
Ouch...related to one end of a pin.
Pucker...that rascally little puffy thing.
Quilt...a thing of beauty, a joy forever!
Rip...as ye sew, so shall ye.
Seam...straight is good.
Time...to quilt, grab more.
Underside...where all the work shows.
Victim...of quilt guilt (too many?).
What...a quilt (all pupose comment)!
Xamine...I'll say how close!
Y...only quilt on days ending in "y".
Zero...other things you'd rather do!

Have a "piece" ful day!
Enjoy

Eye Spy 01

I have a theory about Eye Spy quilts....and here it is....there are very few that I'm in love with.
Sounds like more of an opinion than a theory. Well...it goes like this...

I believe that to do one right, you need to gather fabrics until you're blue in the face or until you turn 90, which ever comes first.

Collect things you love like Paddington bear.

Even the Beatles. (but maybe not since it's a bright - what do you think?)

Then...put some thought into it...don't just slap those "jessies" together in rows, bind it and call it a quilt...put some LOVE into it, for goodness sake. That's the theory part.

Now...below....you will see what I mean by love: (notice the ribbon...it's from the Asheville, NC quilt show last year)


I'd love to talk to the woman who made this and know her thought process for:
1 - Criteria for collecting the fabrics - reds, blacks, tans then there are some that are wildcards
2 - Why this particular quilting pattern - I love it. Hand quilted, mind you.
And I'll go ahead and say....If I had the moolah...I'd have paid that $4,000 in a heart beat. It's worth every penny.


Look closely and see how some of the fabrics are vintageish, indianish, etc.
They don't seem to be tea dyed but they all work together like magic...
What's the secret???


I'm not sure but it makes for an extremely interesting Eye Spy quilt....
Any guesses on how this came about? I get the whole process of light and dark but the fabric collection and hand quilting....

there is a quilt genius among us some where.

Great News

The results of my Nuclear Stress Test were as good as it gets.
My heart pumped 75 % of the blood in my body which is the maximum a heart can pump at one time.
Maximum heart beat: 184 beats per minute; wow. At 45 years old, they only wanted it to go as high as 175. I'll admit...I was surprised at how long I could run up hill with 3 people watching my every move.

Hey, you guys, thanks for the blog land support...As I was running on the treadmill, with a radiologist injecting my veins with nuclear material...I was thinking about how nice it was to share this experience with folks who really care...that's you. It truly took the "bite" out of the whole scary experience.....and so I say.....thank you.

"you"....are....all about my heart.

Tea at the Ritz - Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection - Lipoprotein a

(See that little pale spot in the top artery...that's the "Squeeze - or Pinch")

Kind of a crazy long complicated name. The easiest way to explain it is to say an artery is like a straw being "pinched" and it's even harder to get your milkshake through the straw than it was before...This is my problem. The "lipoprotein a" is a marker for heart disease, and it may cause those arteries to collapse, pinch, squeeze or whatever they do.

Here's the scoop: I had chest pain last Tuesday and after a couple of minutes I got it stopped with Nitroglycerin and a chewed up aspirin....appetizing, I know....reminds me of tea at the Ritz.


This landed me at the doc's office on Wednesday and a Nuclear Stress Test on Friday. Just call me Cher (didn't she do a movie that had radiation type stuff in it? or was that Erin Brockovich? - tall and thin....it's all the same).

I think it all went really well and I couldn't feel better.

Oddly enough, my older brother (he's the oldest of our 5 siblings and I'm the youngest - 15 years older) is doing the same thing, with the same doctor, this same week....can you say GENETIC? I love (lol) this article....the first line is: "Spontaneous coronary artery dissection is a rare and generally fatal disease." So encouraging right off the bat...it's actually a very good article and the patient they followed is almost my same story, Life Flight (part 3).

Here's the funny part of all of this...My boyfriend in college is now a CARDIOLOGIST of all things ...in Atlanta. He's the one that made the original diagnosis (no, I didn't go see him) and my doc confirmed it as correct.
(Heavy sigh)...old boyfriends are the reason I don't do Facebook! In all seriousness, it was nice for My Hero and I to talk to someone who could put it all into everyday language.

God has a huge wonderful plan for me and so far it's been scary and wonderful at the same time. A gift and a growing experience. Not always secure with what tomorrow brings but peaceful nonetheless. It's just nice to know where I'm going when the time comes. :)

Quilt Festival 2009


How many is too many? I have two crazy quilts. This one is silks and velvets with a hot pink silk backing. I can only imagine that the gal that put this together had a little "get up and go" about her. It's pretty bold to use those hot oranges and pinks mixed with plaids and dots.

See the bird, ...they were fussy cutting even 100 years ago!




This is one of my favorite blocks...love that olive green stuck in there.


While I didn't actually make this quilt, it has such special meaning to me...My mother and I bought this in Highlands NC for the purpose of decorating my first apartment in 1988. I hope I'm not breaking the Quilt Festival Rules!

Hot pink silk on the backing...very forward! Can you imagine what her husband would have thought of her using such wild fabrics, or even the talk in the town about it. Scandalous!

What was going on as the construction and decorative stitching were taking place. I'm usually watching TV or hiding in my sewing cave. My guess... this was probably done in a fairly affluent home (due to the access and quantity of silks and velvets) with a fire going and a very tired dog at the foot. Did she use bright fabrics to push away the harshness of winter, to seek a reminder of easier days of spring. What ever it was...it took a lot of time, patience, planning, and a little piece of her heart.

This Will Make You Smile

This is truly an amazing story. Unless you've been under a rock, by now you've heard of her...Susan Boyle...on Britian's Got Talent. It doesn't matter if you're 70, or 17, into jazz or into rock, sick or well....this will make you smile, laugh and cry...it touches everyone, even Simon Cowell.
There was a moment...maybe even two, when he had true, genuine, kindness, surprise, wonder and even joy on his face.

Here is a woman, unemployed but looking for work, 47, never been married, never been kissed, lives with her cat - Peebles and is such a delight. In the space of 7 minutes you will be changed forever. Whatever got you down today, will be a thing of the past, whatever your greatest joy today, will be in second place. I'll say it again...it touches everyone. Just click.

Update on Paper Pots

This is just a sneak peak of my back porch.


Maters.


More maters. Even some heirloom beauties.

Quirky old watering cans but love those colors.


A beautiful blue sedimentary rock which I cannot identify...can you help?

Hope to get a visitor next year in this crazy old birdhouse!
Enjoy!

Whirlygig - Easter Style

Happy Good Friday to all! I'm trying out the whole Whirlygig pattern...I made these at an 8" block but definitely want the smaller size...maybe 4". I had visions of making a runner for the Easter Table.. but have fallen short....(such a picture of Easter, n'est pas?)


Fabric considerations.....more than likely it will have to wait until next year....(heavy sigh).

Easter Dinner
I'm doing an Easter meal for my 2 brothers and their families - 13 of us all together. My 2 sisters are in other cities and cannot make it. :( Maybe next year.
Hopefully I'll remember to take pictures of the table -

Here's what's on the menu:
Lamb and Mint Jelly
Roasted asparagus with gorgonzola cheese and pine nuts
20 Vegetable fresh salad
Creamed spinach
Mac & cheese made with orcchiette and 4 white cheeses
Green Jello fruit (sugar free) salad in a fancy mold
Whole wheat rolls

And for an appetizer...(salivate, salivate)
Anti-pasta plate with more things on it than I can count.
Roasted almonds
Spinach artichoke dip w/ cracked whole wheat crackers
(may change this to roasted red pepper hummus)


Notice anything funny about the menu....? It's pretty much South Beach. Any one a South Beach Diet gal out there?

Happy Easter to each and everyone of you...live it like it's your last!

Goodbye Jackie....

Last night I went to bed at 10:30 and couldn't go to sleep so I got up and send an e-mail to my SIL (her mom is Jackie) at 11:41.   Jackie had just passed away at 11:37. 

I love more than anything that she accepted Christ as her savior just 4 weeks ago.  Such a special lady.   Thank you,  for the gift of your sweet life.

Good-bye Jackie...

Niagra Falls - Study

#1
My husband works for the largest carpet manufacturer in the world and it's owned by one of the richest men in the world...Warren Buffet. Ever heard of him? I admire him on several levels.

This man could live any way he chooses but actually lives very frugally. When he bought the company, the secretary made BLT sandwiches...at her desk. The ingredients were all in a small fridge under her desk.

I've heard him once say..."the only difference between me and you is, I travel a little better and wear nicer clothes"...(something to that effect).

He still lives in his starter house....no joke. My guess...it's paid for. Drives a Buick.

#2
Now, having said all of that...My Hero travels a lot with his job...Yesterday....it was Niagra Falls...No he's not trying to carpet Niagra Falls, they were just passing through to Canada.



#3
He took this photo with his cell phone...Not bad. It's probably hard to take a bad photo of Niagra Falls no matter what you're using.




#4
I've doctored it up several ways.


#5
Which do you like the best? #1 is straight out of the camera....I think I like #2 the best.

One more question...does anyone live in the first house they bought when they got married?

Confession:
I love my Gingher scissors...they've been missing in action for the last week....I can't make myself sit down and muster through a project with a different pair of scissors. I'm not that mature yet!
Today is the day...I feeeeeel it, I'll find them today. Organization...probably not my strong suit!

Live it like it's your last!

Six Honest Things About Myself

I've been tagged by Linda @ Two Succulent Sisters to write 6 honest things about myself...oooo time for a little self examination here. Ok here goes:

1- Fine things....I really enjoy fine things in life...fine furniture, homes, art, well written novels, a classic movie, Victorian anything, even fine grammar, Beethoven, The Beatles, classical ballet, a great tennis match, Vivaldi's Four Seasons...you get the picture...This is my yukky side, selfish and greedy but gosh, that STUFF is fabulous.

That house above is our old home on Davis Islands in Tampa, FL....gosh, I loved that "thing".
This photo is before we renovated it....but it was pretty even before we touched it.


More than any of that I really appreciate fine manners....Here's the honest part...I can't always say I have fine manners but...I aspire to it!

One of my most favorite "fine things" is Big Butter Jesus....do you know him? My Hero travels a lot and actually pulled off the side of the road and took a picture of him....he's real...in more ways than one! BBJ is even better than the Obama Chia Pet.

2-Secretly...I wish I looked like Cindy Crawford....I'll bet there are times in her life when she wished she wasn't such a knock out...some how, she's suffering through it. (OK not really..I don't wish I looked like her but...hey)

3-I love the beach. ...health problems tend to give you a different perspective on things and ever since then, I've been so enamored with the beach and a great sunset....I could live on the feeling it gives you for ages!

4-I love old people....why...because I think they "get" it. There is so much wisdom rolling around in their brains and I they spend a lot of their time biting their tongue to keep from telling us how stupid we're being. Every 5 years, I do a poll of anyone 10 or more years older than I am and ask this question,

"What do you wish you knew when you were my age that you know now?"
This one thing has given me so much insight. Love those old folks!

5-On some level, I wish I were a better quilter, gave more attention to detail, tried to strive to do things more perfectly. I'm more about just getting it done and hoping it becomes a blessing to someone! I guess I'm sort of an Ethel Merman quilter.

6-And...honestly....I'm shocked everyday that I get to live the life that has been given to me...a husband and three children...and to be able to stay at home and raise them...truthfully,....I don't take it for granted. Very thankful.

Now for the tagging...please, you are not under any obligation to do this...only if it is something that would be enjoyable to you....hey, it gave me something to blog about today and.....I'd like to know a little bit more about you....Carrie, Teri, Kris, Rachel, Yvette, Mary and Robin.
Remember...no pressure, I truly mean that.

Have a sunny day!

A Bright Spot Revisited

Good news....remember Pencil in the Eye and A Bright Spot? Well, he got every other stitch in his eye out and is now left with 5 or 7 stitches...I never get the details quite right...good thing I'm not working for NASA.

Anyway, he is doing great and such a fun guy to be around...handsome, too if I may add!


Still no vision yet but the first surgery will be scheduled in a month or so. As he heals...so does my Bright Spot quilt.
Keep praying!

The Latest Groom

Here's my latest grooming efforts with Cici. She seems to be relieved of her winter coat and ready for Spring. Everything I've read about these Bichons says they need a rounded top and "disappearing" ears. That is, the ears are suppose to be invisible...part of the roundness of the top. I'm still working on my technique there. The chin is suppose to grow out more than I'm showing here but it's too much to maintain. She's not as dainty an eater as I had hoped.


Like I said...pretty happy and maybe even a little cocky about it!



She loves...loves...loves...a good grooming...this is what she looks like most of the time when I'm working on her....She's usually on her side asleep while I'm cutting away or buzzing with the clipper. Next...flip her over and do the other side.

Then...she goes and hides for a couple of hours so I never know if I've missed a spot until the next day.


....hey,,,by the way, if she hides, after a groom...does she enjoy it after all or....is she really modest!