The Gift

I had been looking for someone to help me with a quilt rack I fell in love with. After searching I found the pattern on a woodworking site. I am handy with tools but unfortunately I didn't have the needed saws, etc. This is the rack I fell in love with.

Enter my handy neighbor. Terry is retired. He reminded me of my dad because he is always working around his home. He also has the neatest yard, removed a tree because he was tired of raking leaves every fall.

Anyway, here is the quilt rack Terry made for me. He did a wonderful job. It still needs to be stained and hung, but it looks great.

 

 As a thank you I quilted a small throw for him. I used a panel. Terry is very patriotic so I used an eagle panel and the colors red white and blue. The throw is made up of double hour glass blocks - which always look as though you are an expert quilter, and four-patch blocks for the border. Terry and his wife loved it - was surprised that I made it and immediately put it on the sofa.

We met Loralie Harris

My friend Carole and I wait impatiently every year for the annual quilt and craft show at the fair grounds. We have a number of crafts in common including embroidery. We love Loralie designs, I made a quilt from some of her designs ( it's posted in an older post), and have more fabric for more quilts. While browsing around the show discovered a whole booth with Loralie designs and fabrics - imagine our surprise when one of the women in the booth says, "I'm Loralie." She had not attended one of the shows in about ten years. She was very gracious and patient, sharing both information and time. We got some wonderful ideas, of course using her designs and purchased enough fabric and embroidery designs hopefully to last until next year - maybe she'll come back and see us!

One More . . .

For Parker -

I finished the latest baby quilt - my family took the "be fruitful and multiply" to heart. This one is for my husband's nephew & his wife. Parker Armelia was born in October. The blocks are small log cabins. I stitched them using a new strip method. Makes sewing them really quick. Anyway, hope her parents like it - I'm sure Parker won't care. The next quilt is for a little boy, which is fun - the last three babies have been girls.

Here's the label.

A Very Nice Gift

I have a lot on online friends from quilting, crafting, & embroidery groups. I am in contact with them so often and know so much about their lives, husbands, kids, etc. that it seems strange that we have never met in person.

Another one of my hobbies is striving for self-sufficiency. My goal is to downsize, use less; packaging, paper, power, everything. I would love to put solar panels on the house, but they cost WAY too much.

Anyway, I am collecting and learning to use appliances that use no electricity. Which is why I am so thrilled with this gift. It is an old Singer sewing machine, the motor has been removed. You operate it using a hand crank. Now I just have to keep practicing - it takes a bit of getting used to. Thank you to my online friend, Lisa.