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Thursday, November 22, 2012

I Am Thankful

I am thankful for my God
I am thankful for His grace
I am thankful for His gifts
         I am thankful for His mercy
 
I am thankful for my family
     I am thankful for their love
     I am thankful for their talents
     I am thankful for their presence.


I am thankful for you.
     I am thankful for your support
     I am thankful for your brilliance
     I am thankful for your sharing



Today I give thanks. Thank you all.

Monday, November 19, 2012

Modern Mini Mystery Round Robin Quilt

A few months ago, when I entered the quilt world online, I came across Michele Kuhn's blog, Quilts From My Crayon Box, when she was looking for participants in her Modern Mini Mystery Round Robin. I didn't know much about modern, but I do love a good mystery, so I decided to join in.

Now, 6 months later, we have all finished the monthly send around and most of us have received our quilt tops or will soon receive them.  I'm still not sure what was so modern about it, but it was pretty interesting.

I started my modern mini mystery journey with this as my center block.





For the first month of my add on, I added a pieced border to this block.
Next came this bright, breezy block.
I did others, but I guess I forgot to take their pictures. But here is another one, where I tried to bring the center colors back into the border.
Then the last one I had to work on was this.
And last, here is a photo of my quilt top which is on its way to me.
I'm looking forward to seeing it first hand.
If you want a great sightseeing tour, take a trip to the following pages and look at all the other quilt tops that transpired over the summer. And thanks Michele, this was fun!

Melinda - Tilda's Twisted Life


Deonn - Quiltscapes
Wendy - Why-Not-Kwilt
Bea - Beaquilter
Pippa - Pippa's Patch
Madame Samm - Sew We Quilt (hasn't received her quilt back home yet, hopefully in Monday's mail)
Annie - Annie's Musings

Celine - Espritpatch
Leslie - Les Quilts
Margaret - hasn't received her block back yet, will be posted on my blog when it arrives
Tiffany - Pink Sweet Treats






A Quilt Raffle!


A good friend with extraordinary artistic talent recently donated this quilt  to raise awareness of BDD, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, and to generate funds for desperately needed research. Friends of Zurn Perry had a son who suffered from this neurological disorder that ultimately ended his life last year at age 24.



This is a beautiful quilt of a cityscape using all Marcis Derse fabrics. Please take an opportunity to buy raffle tickets to win this quilt for yourself!


http://spillingenergy.blogspot.com/2012/11/quilt-raffle.html

What You Can Do
1. Donate by purchasing a raffle ticket HERE .
2. Please share this site on your blog:   http://walkingwithnathaniel.org/
3. Consider an email blast encouraging all of your friends and family to donate just $5.00
4. Post a link on your Facebook :)

The winner of the quilt will be drawn on December 18th, 2012 and will be notified by email.
100% of the proceeds will go to BDD awareness and research administered by the International OCD Foundation in Boston, MA !

Sunday, November 11, 2012

A Busy Month Already


It seems lately I haven't been posting much, but it certainly doesn't mean I haven't been sewing. I finished this week 2 more blocks that are overdue, but happily are now ready to be mailed tomorrow.

The first is an appliqued block I made for Meg for the Block Swap Adventure, I named it Hurricane Sandy.



This one is the center block for the Quilt U Be Mine mystery quilt I entered. This one is so late, I may have to send it priority mail. 3 other quilters will add onto this quilt, and I should have it back in time for Valentine's day. I'm interested to see how it will turn out.


I have a couple more blocks left to do, then, back to the tree quilt.

Sunday, November 4, 2012

What a Long, Long Week it Was. . .

First off, I want to tell those affected by Hurricane Sandy, I pray for you each day. I pray for your health and your sanity as you navigate the endless rounds of paperwork and bureaucracy you face to restore your lives to a new normal. I ache for you who have lost loved ones, family pets and prized possessions during the storm. In my solar plexus I feel pain when I view the photographs of the streets I used to walk on. I spent so many summers as a child on the Jersey Shores. So much so, it felt really strange the day I moved to Florida many years ago and had to start using the word "beach" so that the natives knew what I meant. 

  And for my friends and former neighbors in Hudson County NJ and Manhattan, stay strong.  Stay NY strong. Stay in your face Jersey strong.  You will triumph.




 It felt so strange to have power when all around us lost theirs.  Where we live just outside of Philadelphia, the trees came tumbling down like dominoes. Streets were closed and homes were cut off with live wires blocking the paths. If anyone wants to know what hurricane sounds like, it sounds like a long, long train barreling full speed down the tracks which for some reason are located right outside your window. Last week's storm, this sound lasted from Monday afternoon to early Tuesday morning.

I have lived in Florida for many years and have been through several hurricanes while there, but rarely for more than 4 or 5 hours Sandy lingered like an unwelcome guest who refused to leave.


Meanwhile I kept myself occupied with handwork  set aside just in case the power blew. I spent last week working on the Autumn 2012 project, assembling blocks made from beautifully hand dyed fabrics and laces from such talented artists such as Tatyana, Masha, and Tihonciuc. I loved opening these envelopes from Europe and see tumbling out rich autumn colors, and beautiful cards.  As I stitched these together, I noticed that my breathing slowed as my mind drifted away from the present ugliness outside and moved closer to the rich colors and pure beauty I was honored to use. Pure, primal therapy. Thank you ladies, I truly needed this project to clear my mind.This week I will be sending these back to you for the final step, which will be to embellish with embroidery and hidden treasures.




I had a September block swap project with Meg of North Carolina, where I was asked to provide any pattern I wish with green batik on white background. Well Meg, I've never been this late before, but I took the opportunity to use your swap block to alleviate some storm stress. I have titled this block, "Hurricane Sandy". I will be done soon and will be glad to mail this block and all the worries it signifies out of my state.