The Meeting

I attended a Prayers & Squares meeting at Richmond Hill Baptist Church, Boonville, NC, yesterday and had a very good time. Stupid me forgot to take my camera. Somehow, I don't think it would have been polite to take photos at a church I am not a member of, so guess it worked out for the best. I am so glad that I gave them the fabric I would never use. A lot of it was already in use by them!! Some of the ladies were cutting fabric, some where making the "quilt sandwich", one had brought her sewing machine, and some were tying knots. Someone had already hemmed the quilts, and they were "fit to be tied", so to speak! A group of ladies (recipients) came in at 11:30am and there was a Dedication Ceremony, and then we all sat down to lunch. The lunch was prepared by the Church custodian, who is one of the quilters named Lot, she is originally from Tiawan. I could tell that she is a real asset to the Church!! After lunch, they resumed working on whatever they were working on before, but I was so tired that I went home for a nap, totally exhaused (from watching them). Many thanks to the members of this group for their hospitality and I enjoyed my visit a lot!

Prayers & Squares

In my quest to find a new home for some of my fabric that I will never use, I found the Prayers & Squares chapter at Richmond Hill Baptist Church in Boonville, NC. I have given them eight boxes of fabric and have met two of the church members. I hope to go to a meeting this coming week, Lord willing. I am very impressed with this project, and hope to help them out by making some small quilt tops for them in the future. I have been working on Prayer Shawls for several years now, and I think that the quilt project would help me to use up even more fabric. Now that the walmarts no longer sell fabric in this area, and we have to drive 35-50 miles each way to buy a yard of fabric, I am happy to help this group out. To maybe find a group in your area, go to www.prayerquilt.org

Yellow Brick Road

I finally took a photo of the Yellow Brick Road quilt top. I bought the pattern on the internet in '01 or '02, and just never made it. Then I misplaced the pattern (typical for me these days). While sorting out fabric last week to give away to a church group for Prayers & Squares quilts, I found the pattern. So far I have gotten eight boxes of fabric cleared out and out of the way. Wow! This was an easy quilt to do and it only took me a couple of days to make it. I am glad to get the top done, and look forward to quilting it. Now that I have all that fabric out of the way, it will be easier to get into my studio, and maybe I won't feel like everything is about to fall on me!! As always, click to make the photo bigger (it looks better that way), and the quilt top is a twin size, according to the directions.

Grace

Grace went to the Vet today and got checked for FIV and leukemia. It is Negative!! Praise God!! We are so relieved that she didn't get the virus from Ace. Grace is a real sweetheart, and what we all call a "helper cat". Always willing to lend a helping paw! We are so thankful this evening. Many thanks for those who expressed concern and prayed with us for her health. God is Good!!

Spinning fancy yarn!

I recently finished spinning this "fancy" yarn. It is 8oz. of dyed coopworth wool & a strand of gold sewing/quilting thread. You can click on the photo to take a closer look, if you want. I am rather pleased with the way it turned out. I bought the coopworth from Leslie of Greenberry House, Meadows of Dan, VA when I was at the sheep shearing day at Tazwell, VA in April. I try to spin a little every evening, when the work for the day is done and I can listen to a classical music program on NPR called "Performance Today". Sometimes I listen to Celtic music or some of the Japanese CD's my daughter sent me when she was living in Japan.

My daughter's other cat, named Grace, will be tested for FIV & leukemia today. We are praying that she did not catch anything from poor Ace. A progress report...I am almost through piecing the Yellow Brick Road blocks (bought the pattern in 2002). Photo when finished.

Lonely sock

Just a few minutes ago, I finished a sock! Well, it's only one sock, but I will start the second one this morning, after a finish a few routine tasks. No SSS here (second sock syndrome)!! The yarn is Happy Feet by Plymouth, and the pattern is written for the yarn, it is called Mock Cable. I have used the pattern before, but it really stands out with this thicker yarn. Socks are a good summer project, as you don't have to have your project draped all over you. I've been knitting socks since 1998, but figure I won't ever be able to use up my stash of sock yarn. I've never been brave enough to try a crochet sock, although I have seen some interesting ones. Maybe someday.

Yesterday, I gave away about six large boxes of quilting fabric to a local church that makes Prayers for Squares projects. I was asked if I want to come to a meeting, but I declined. I had advertised on Yahoo's Freecycle group. I wish this group well with their projects, and am glad that I could help. Giving stuff away (for a good cause) feels good, everyone should try it! In the process, I found a quilt pattern that I had been looking for for a couple of years!! It is called "Yellow Brick Road", by Atkinson Designs, I think. I have already picked out the fabric I want to use (18 fat quarters)! The fabric I gave away will not be missed at all!!

Photo of a photo

My daughter gave me a couple of photos of Ace today and I wanted to try to post this one. It turned out sepia tone, but the real photo is a beautiful one. Just wanted to pay tribute to a wonderful cat one last time. He is missed so much.

Prayers for Ace/Update

Ace, my daughter's cat, has been a very sick fellow. He was FIV for three & a half years, now he is full-blown "Aids". She has had him back & forth to different Vets for the past three weeks, but nothing has helped much. He just won't eat. He is a very beautiful and loving cat, and it breaks my heart to see him so sick. Please pray for Ace, and also for my daughter, as she is not ready to let him go.

UPDATE: Ace passed away yesterday July 9th, in the morning. He will be greatly missed.

Sock Monkey

All last week my son was home on "vacation" between semesters, that is, when the students aren't there, instructors don't have to be either. He decided to move stuff from one (leaky) storage building to another. That is when he found Sock Monkey. Later that day, Sock Monkey was being attacked by some carpenter bees in the new location, so my son brought him inside the house. He has been inside ever since. My daughter saw him and said "he's evil". (She also thinks that clowns are evil, go figure!) Truthfully, I have always felt a little uncomfortable around him, but he does deserve better than the bees!! He was made for me many years ago by a dear friend named Sheila, in Ohio. I've lost touch with her now, and I think I will give Sock Monkey a place of honor in the house. I found a free pattern on the internet for a sock monkey knitted out of sock yarn. Maybe I'll make him a friend (or maybe not). It is at www.thepatternbox.com if anyone is interested. Knit on!

"Safe House" quilt

Some people think that a Log Cabin Quilt with a black center dates back to the Civil War. At first, I had heard that a Log Cabin with black centers meant that you are a bad housekeeper! Some believe that it meant "safe house" for runaway slaves, some are of the opinion that this theory doesn't hold water. The Log Cabin is one of my favorite quilt patterns and I keep a large plastic container full of 2 inch strips. Whenever a fabric is too small to use for other things, I cut into 2 inch strips. They are so useful for other patterns, too! I think I have mentioned before that I was born in central Ohio, and that my Grandpa Atterholt (during this time of the summer) used to tell me about how his family was part of the Underground Railroad. He was born just a couple of years after the war ended. It all makes sense to me, as the family was Brethren, and the Brethren were active during the war, helping runaway slaves get to freedom. I don't really care about the arguments in the quilt world. I just know that I'd like to believe the stories about the "signal quilts", and that somehow quilting played a roll in helping people to be free.