Mother/Daughter Lone Star Quilt

From 1973 through 1974 my mother cut (with scissors, not a rotary blade) and sewed (by hand, not with her sewing machine) all these diamonds to make a Lone Star quilt to match my pink and red bedroom.  I was 12. 

Her original plan was to piece the large star, then applique it to a large piece of background fabric, but she couldn't figure out how to do it.  So she set the star aside.  A few years ago she found the star, and gave it to me so I could finish the quilt.  This March I pulled it out and got to work.  I decided to square out the star with aqua fabric instead of trying to applique such a large piece.  Then I found one of the original pink fabrics used and cut it to frame the star.  A second blue frame was added to make the quilt large enough for a queen-size bed.  I used a second aqua material as binding, and made the back from a material with a paisley pattern (I love paisley!) in reds, pinks, aquas, and blues. I hand-quilted with red cotton thread.

This quilt was forty years in the making and I'm so happy to have it, and thankful my mother can see the finished product of her hard work.

Spring quilting

This colorful , "busy" quilt top was given to me by my mother a few years ago.  I washed it, folded it up, put it in a closet and thought I'd finish it eventually.  Last month I pulled it out and had a really good look at it. 

First, I wondered who pieced it.  It was hand-pieced with black thread.  The black thread, the fabric designs, the fabric age, and the fact that I recognized the green fabric as belonging to my grandmother lead us to believe that she pieced this top.  Grandmother didn't do it while Mom was still living at home with her parents, and some of the fabric looks 60's - 70's - ish, so we think she probably did it in the 1970's. 

Then I ironed the top, found a sheet I liked from the thrift store, pinned top, cotton batting, and sheet together, and began quilting.  My local yarn store had a bright orange fabric that I liked so I used it to cut bias strips and make the binding.  It covers my king-size bed, but really would be perfect for a double bed. 

The only remaining task is to stitch a label telling who made it and when.

Bountiful boys

Lyle arrived on July 29 weighing a whopping 9lbs. 8oz.  I think at least 6 ounces can be attributed to his hair!  Liam and Lyle are both growing and changing, and we are all loving every minute we get to spend time with either of them. Baby duty couldn't get much better than this!

Baby blankets for Liam

Liam has grandmothers who knit, crochet, and quilt.  He is a well-blanketed baby.

Here he is on the quilt his Gmom, Penny, made for him.

Here he is on the quilt his great-grandmother, Linda, made for him.

And here he is on the blanket I crocheted for him.  Happy baby, thankful family.  God is good!

A growing baby boy

Liam arrived on June 5 and is growing and thriving.  His mama and daddy are learning and changing  (diapers, habits, their routines, etc.).  All is well and Liam's extended families are besotted with him!

When you get two knitters together...

...they knit.  Penny and I knit while we waited at the hospital for Liam to be born. 

She worked on a silk shawl, and I worked on a cotton dishcloth.  And before too much time had passed, we had the best little knit-together-by-God-in-his-mother's-womb grandson!

Waiting for Liam

Tom and Kate's son, Liam, has an official (doctor given) due date of May 30th.  Kate would be okay with him making his arrival anytime from today on.  His other grandmother, Penny, comes tomorrow and wants him to wait until Monday, so she's not tired from the trip and has at least one good night's worth of sleep under her belt. 

I'm ready, ready, READY to meet this new grandson!  A few minutes ago I finished stitching the binding to a quilt for him - a quilt my mother began for Tom when I was pregnant with him 26 years ago.  Mom cross-stitched the alphabet squares and pieced the cross-stitch squares and fabric squares together.  Then she got busy (a lot of grandchildren arrived in a few short years and she was - and is - a very hands-on involved grandmother - the very best!) and put the quilt aside and didn't finish it.  A few years ago she gave it to me to finish, and while I went ahead and put the batting and backing on, and quilted it, I waited until Kate was pregnant to figure out what to use for binding.  Last week I finally found a fabric that I liked, so I cut and sewed and ironed and pinned and stitched and today.... it is complete. 

So please come on, Liam!

A wedding

Sarah and Christian were wed on December 1, 2012.  The wedding was small (maybe 65 people, and most were family members of the bride and the groom).  Both ceremony and reception were held in a small antebellum home, and the bride's grandfather and the groom's grandfather performed the service.  It was a  joyous and lovely day.

Napa in November

Napa in November was very nice.  Steve and I went with two other couples and spent five days sightseeing and wine-tasting.  Definitely plan to go back and see more!

Hayley's quilt

Last fall Hayley asked me to make her a quilt.  She is coming (with the rest of her family) on Friday to spend the weekend and to go to an Auburn football game (that's the birthday gift she asked for).  I told her that no matter the outcome of the game, she'll have her quilt to take home with her.  Happy 12th Birthday, Hayley!

A week of cousins

For one blissful week we are enjoying all the grandchildren and most of our children at our house.  Meals together, swimming, boating, reading, playing, watching movies, sitting on the porch and talking and enjoying seeing even more relatives.  The full moon last night was beautiful, but going outside to the field to watch it rise and listening to the comments and what if's ( "What if we could build a ladder up to the moon and climb up and touch the moon..." ) from the granddaughters made it memorable.

(I think we must read Many Moons by James Thurber before the week is up!)

April activities

Get up in the morning. Watch baby. Hold baby. Feed baby. Put baby down for nap. Check older children's school work. Get lunch for baby and children. Put baby down for nap. Play with baby. Help baby's mom with homework. Get supper ready. Throw in a load of laundry. Feed family. Clean kitchen. Knit. Read. Go to sleep.

Repeat.

Not a bad April! And May brings an end to our schoolwork and the end of a semester and a short break for Joan and Bear.

Dauphin Island

On our next-to-last day in Mobile we decided to go to the beach. I'd never been to Dauphin Island and had heard many nice things about it, so we made the quick drive - and opted to take the three-mile-bridge route instead of the ferry - and spent the afternoon enjoying the sun, sand and water.

It was Bear's first visit to a beach and he loved it. Sam rode a few waves and we all enjoyed the warmth and the white "sugar" sand. Before heading back to Mobile, we explored the island a bit, and toured Fort Gaines.

Spring travel

Joan, Bear, Sam and I are in Mobile, AL for a few days. It's spring break for Joan, and she asked if we could go somewhere, so I selected Mobile as our destination. Fresh seafood, river and bay views, art, museums, shops, and the nearby towns of Daphne, Fairhope, and Foley give us plenty to enjoy. As an added bonus, trains rumble through across the street from our hotel and Bear finds them fascinating.

Sweetest little boy in the world

Here is Bear at six-months-plus. He is the joy of our lives and each day with him brings new delights!

Dressing up

A few days ago Joan dressed Marley up and took pictures. I wish this style of clothing would come back! The hat is of bird feathers, and the suit is of a nubby weave, made in Canada back in the '60's. The gloves are also '60's-era, while the beads are '80's and the shoes were bought a couple of years ago by one of her sisters.

Mustaches

For the past year Sarah has been fascinated by mustaches. She has a mustache necklace and a mustache ring (I think). When she saw the Incognito cowl that Joan made for Marley, she begged for one, too.

Bear is keeping Joan a little busy, so I decided to knit the cowl myself. It took just one evening, and I read and watched TV while knitting it. I used Cascade 220 Superwash, size 9 circular needles, and size 10 circular needles.

Stay warm, Sarah!

Because she asked so sweetly

Last weekend Glenn, Amy, and our granddaughters came for a visit. We had them for three days (and I forgot to take pictures, ugh!) and were so disappointed when they had to leave for home.

While playing, Hayley saw the quilt I made for Marley. She came to me and shyly and sweetly asked, "Grandma, will you please make me a quilt?" After supper that night, we went out to my yarn studio and she looked through my fabric and fabric remnants and selected colors and pieces she liked. Today I found a cotton with a design I liked a lot. It's called "Family Tree." I think it will be good as the quilt backing.

Baby Ripple Afghan

A few days before Bear was born, I started crocheting a Baby Ripple Afghan using the free pattern from Lion Brand's website. I used Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino yarn and a G hook, and I finished it up yesterday. It was fun to make, and I like the feel and look of it, but it's nothing without the sweet little baby boy it was made for!

So much baby, so little time...

They're home and he's now a week old. I didn't get to help Amy when our granddaughters were born, so helping Joan with Bear is a new experience for me - and one I'm thoroughly enjoying. My mother came and stayed with us for one to two weeks after each of our children were born, and she ran the house, took care of the children, and took care of me during that time. I appreciated it then, but I have a whole new and deeper appreciation of her great service to me and to my family now that I'm the go-to helper for Joan. And I'm grateful to God for work, for an opportunity to serve those I love.

There hasn't been much time for reading, knitting, quilting, etc., but these infant days are so fleeting that I'm not missing those past times - much.