Grandmama's Stories

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

BERRY SWEET AND FLOWERS TOO

SAY IT WITH FLOWERS

I hate to SAY IT...but I didn't sign up for this blog hop simply because I was not going to have time to make anything new. I don't know about you , but this time of year gets busy with all the end of year school programs, graduations, garden planting, etc... Now that I'm quilting for a few clients, my free sewing time is more restricted. I try to sew for my business during the week, and sew for myself on the week-ends but sometimes it doesn't work out quite that way.

However, You MUST go look at some of the lovely projects and new techniques these bloggers have to show you. In fact, I'm sharing a project from "Just Let Me Quilt" with my stitching group on Thursday. Check out the cute way to make 3-D Flowers for embellishing sewing projects! Easy Peasy!!

Anyway, in support of all the Say It With Flowers Bloggers, I'm going to share a baby quilt I made for a precious little girl using one of my favorite fabric lines, "Strawberry Fields" full of wonderful flowers and strawberries.

"BERRY SWEET"

AND

THE PRETTIEST FLOWER OF ALL

MY SWEET EMMA GRACE

2ND GRADE

AWARDED FOR STRAIGHT A'S

BLESSINGS

GMAMA JANE

GO VISIT

SAY IT WITH FLOWERS

BLOG HOP

SCHEDULE

2 EXTRA DAYS

May 27th

Patchouli Moon Studio

Thimblemouse and Spouse

May 28^th

Anolisl’s Kreative Seite

Jatajomi’s Stoff-nadel-fadenwelt

Gingini’s Crafts & Quilts

May 29^th

Life In The Scrapatch

May 30^th

The House On The Side Of The Hill

Ella & Nesta’s Little Room

CLF by Nailaa

Atelier De Handwerktuin

Life, Quilts, and A Cat Too

Marjorie’s Busy Corner

Celtic Thistle

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

Dreaming In Patchwork

Around The Homestead

May 31^st

Squawk That

How Art You?

A Little Bit of Lorene

Handmade By Mama

Blooming Where I Am Planted

June 3^rd

Hanging On By A Thread

Cindy’s Crafty Creations

Meadowbrook

June 4^th

Seaside Sewing

Kwilty Pleasures

CeLynn’s Sunflower Patch

Words & Stitches

Cherry’s Prairie Primitive

MooseStash Quilting

Bumbleberry Stitches

Just Keep Swimming

Quilter In The Closet

Les passions de cliodana

Timolily

Sew We Quilt

Sunday, May 19, 2013

COUNTRY ROADS

TAKE ME HOME

TO THE PLACE

I BELONG...

WEST VIRGINIA

You are looking at a young artist's watercolor rendering of my childhood home in the great state

WEST VIRGINIA.

Karen Watson was a Jr. in High School when she painted this picture. She and I reconnected after 38 yrs via Facebook and I asked if by chance she still had the watercolor of my home. She replied that she would look through her many files but doubted if the picture had survived 38 years of moving jobs and/or classrooms. Karen is an art teacher in Wisconsin.

Fast Forward...

2 yrs.

I get a message from Karen telling me that when she cleaned out her classroom closets, she came across the picture of my home! I received it in the mail that very week. Of course, being a very accomplished artist, Karen was a little reticent to send me the picture since the quality of the painting was not indicative of her current painting ability.

Pshaw...I just wanted My Picture!!!

Each year, the art classes from my former High School, under the tutelage of Ms. Montrosse,

sat on a sidewalk in front of my house and painted in whatever medium they desired. You see, my Daddy won Beautification awards for his Hybrid Tulips not to mention the plethora of other colorful annuals, perrenials, shrubbery, added to the landscaping. Combined with the angles of the 70 yr. old Victorian house, close proximity to the High School, and warm spring weather, it provided the perfect outdoor classroom for an advanced art class. I can remember walking home for lunch and having to step over and around bodies of artistic teen-agers.

My Dilemma

How to best preserve the painting?

Here is what I came up with after seeing the idea on PINTEREST

I used tracing paper to trace the outline of my home from the watercolor painting.

Here it is "in progress"
(forgive the spot on the awning, I'll take care of that when I wash)

I've used this same technique to preserve precious notes or letters my grandchildren have written to me.

I simply traced over the note and then embroidered on top. This is one of my most prized possessions as will be my childhood home once I'm finished. I work on it intermittently when I'm waiting for a Dr. appt., etc... I always get questions as to what I'm doing and it makes for nice conversation during a long wait.

Sorry for the long period between posts. This is garden planting season, grandchild programs/graduations, lunch dates, etc... I'm also quilting for clients so my posting as been slacking but I have lots of projects to share so I'll get back on my posting bandwagon. I love my blog and don't intend to stop anytime soon.

I love YOU, my followers. Leave a sweet comment to let me know you're still with me.

Blessings

Monday, May 6, 2013

I'M AFRAID

I'M AFRAID!
This is a No Picture blog.
I need to write this for ME, to vent, to put my fear in words, and hopefully, deal with my fear.
Indulge ME.

I have NEVER EVER been afraid to stay by myself in over 40 yrs. All those times when #1 husband was flying all over the country playing college football...I wasn't afraid. All those late night football practices...I wasn't afraid. All those football recruiting trips...I wasn't afraid. All those week long coach's clinics while home alone with 3 little ones...I wasn't afraid. All those week-end Fishing trips...I wasn't afraid. All those nights keeping loved ones in the hospital...I wasn't afraid.

Why then...am I suddenly afraid?

I think it may have something to do with the 2 Break-Ins in the last few years.... Especially the Robbery back in the fall. I am angry for having my security invaded and my sense of safety taken away. The thugs who stole our TV, guns, prescriptions, jewelery , etc...got STUFF to buy drugs...I got my freedom stolen!

So...

Last night, my 2 grandsons spent the night while #1 husband went on an overnight fishing trip. I'm angry at myself for allowing those thugs to steal my freedom. I want it back! Just when I think I'm over my fear, another incident such as happened this week will surface and I'm back to square 1.

Wednesday, I was home alone. I assumed our new entrance gate was closed. In my sewing room upstairs I hear an unusual sound like a motorcycle coming up my driveway. Knowing #1 was at football practice and the gate was closed, I ran to the front window to see no one BUT the gate open. I ran back to my sewing room window only to see a young man sitting on his motorcycle in my back yard looking around, surveying the place. I Immediately yanked the window up & asked him what he was doing. I got some garbled words about wanting to buy my husband's truck to needing work. I suggested he come back at 8 in the morning to talk to my husband (stupid response, I know) and that's when he asked to borrow $20 for gas. The hair stood up on the back of my neck and every red flag in my brain was waving, "Tell him to leave, Tell him to leave." MT (Motorcycle Thug) left but he took a little piece of my sense of security with him.

Thursday evening, #1 is at football practice. BTW, MT never showed up at 8:00...go figure. I'm home alone AGAIN, it's 7:00 p.m., gate is closed. all doors are locked, and all of a sudden I hear HUGE BANGING at my back door.
Yep, it's Motorcycle Thug!
But he's with Motorcycle Thug #2.
I don't open the door but MT #1 begins giving me some sob story about his brother having been in a super bad car accident and he had been at the hospital all night/day so that was supposed to explain him not showing up at 8:00 (Yeah, sure) I tell MT my husband has already hired someone, all the time my heart pounding out of my chest and praying, "Dear God, keep me safe."
Well, after sitting on their motorcycle for about 15 minutes, MT #1 & MT #2 drive off but not before casing out my husband's large building out back. I turn the dogs lose and my MT #1 & #2 race off into the night!

The next time Motorcycle Thug shows up at my door, I WILL meet him at the door with my loaded shotgun.
I know how to use it and I WILL USE it!

I'm AFRAID
BUT...
I'm not going to go down without a fight!

Thank you for allowing me time and a place to vent.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

QUILTS FOR BOSTON

WHAT A FABULOUS IDEA!!

I'M GOING TO MAKE A BLOCK UP AND HAVE IT MAILED OFF BY MONDAY

WOULD YOU LIKE TO HELP?

GO HERE

THIS LINK WILL GIVE YOU EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW.

BLUE, YELLOW, GRAY, & WHITE

It also gives a Flickr page for us to share the blocks we make.

Go...

Get to Quilting!!

Blessings

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Get Your Pom Poms On!!!

ARE YOU READY TO LAUGH?

CHECK OUT

THIS....

OH YES...YOU MAY LAUGH!

I DID NOT MAKE THIS BUT

POM POM FRIEND MADE IT FOR THE

"SHAKE YOUR POM POMS"

BLOG HOP

IF YOU WANT SOME GREAT IDEAS, INSPIRATIONS, AND LAUGHS,

GO TO THEARICA'S BLOG FOR THE DAILY SCHEDULE

OF BLOGS TO VISIT.

I'M JUST A SPECTATOR THIS TIME AROUND BUT I PROMISE, IT IS SO WORTH YOUR TIME TO VISIT EACH OF THESE LADIES AND SEE HOW EACH ONE INTERPRETED THE POM POM THEME.

I'VE BEEN THINKING......
ABOUT....... dipping my toes into the world of "quilting for others"
and
I actually have my first 2 clients
with a waiting list if you can believe that?????!!!!!

I've been asked to quilt for others the past 2-3 yrs and I've always declined thinking I wasn't good enough, or I wasn't fast enough, or I wouldn't have time for my own fun quilting, blah, blah, blah,....
HOWEVER...
Fabric is Expensive!
AND
I need a new sewing machine with a large throat area for machine quilting
SO......
I'm making a T-shirt quilt and a Throw quilt in the next 6 weeks.
Wish Me Luck!!

BLESSINGS

and

FARMHOUSE QUILTS

GMAMA JANE

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

SPRING QUILTING FEVER

QUILTING FEVER

CATHEDRAL WINDOW PINCUSHION

Isn't this simply yummy?

In my need to sew fever, I Googled and found this wonderful tutorial loaded with step by step pictures HERE at MODA BAKESHOP

I NEED Pictures in my tutorials...LOTS of PICTURES

This one has it all!

The Back of the Pincushion

You will LOVE LOVE LOVE this tutorial and pattern, PLUS if you GOOGLE, Cathedral Window Pin Cushion Images, you will get a whole Plethora of images of this little yummy pincushion! I made 3 more but gave them away as door prizes to members of my Sassy Sewers group....which by the way they LOVED!! Now I have to make more because everyone wants one...Geesh, do you think my sewing Galfriends may be a Teeny bit Spoiled!

Let's move on and see what else I've been up to:

A "HUGS" QUILT

A "HUGS" quilt is given to someone close to me who is battling cancer, another illness, or any challenge in their life where I wish I could simply give them a BIG HUG! I've shown this quilt i it's earlier stages and before I knew who was going to be the recipient.

THE JEREMIAH 29:11 HUGS QUILT

IS FOR ALY J., A BELOVED YOUNG WOMAN BATTLING BREAST CANCER.

You can see where I embroidered the Scripture verse in the white strips. This particular young lady was a member of my Sunday School classes all throughout Middle and High School and Jeremiah 29:11 was the class Scripture as well as my personal favorite for over 30 yrs.

The girls always called me "Ms. Jane" which is more of a southern term of respect toward a woman older than you and considered disrespectful by most to call her by her first name and too formal to call her Mrs. *Last Name"...it's a southern thing I suppose.

NOW...My FIRST attempt to make String Quilt Blocks strictly from my SCRAP BOX!

I used pages from my 2012 phone book to cut 6.5 and 8.0 size blocks

Oooo...This is FUN!!

I stayed up past midnight making String Quilt Blocks while switching the channel back and forth between FOX NEWS and CNN. I'm a News Junky and with the Horrible BombingTragedy in Boston last week, I've been sewing along with TV watching making sure I was there for every bit of Breaking News!

SEW...

That's a Tidbit of what I've been up to this past week.

Here in America, the Boston Bombing has been Front and Center on the Hearts and Minds of every American Citizen. My needle and thread, once again, has been my solace, my refuge in times of tragedy. Of course, I turn to God in prayer but it is He that has given me this gift, this wonderful *hobby* for lack of a better term to turn to when I need to settle my soul.

YOU UNDERSTAND

DON'T YOU??