Suprise Visitor

Our no.1 granddaughter Sam called Thursday night asking would we like some visitors for the week-end. We both were beyond excited. The girls had been given the week-end off from Lacrosse practice.

Saturday morning started with a huge southern breakfast, home made biscuits, country ham,  bacon, eggs, hash browns and gravy. They had never seen gravy being made. They don't have that in Ma. and Ca.        For dinner we had buffalo burgers a first for them also.

They got to go downtown Saturday night for St Patrick's  and March Madness. Sunday morning another big breakfast, this time I made chocolate gravy. The next time they might bring the entire team. lol.

Courtney wanted to learn to knit, we found thread and needles, started her on a scarf with knit and purl stitch. I might have to go visit their college and teach her to bind off.

Sent them off with  lots of hugs and prayers for a safe trip back to SC. Granddaughter Samantha is on left. Isn't she beautiful?  A wonderful, blessed week-end.

Quilt Storage Closet

I have a closet in Mom's old room that is 42in by 14ft that I store my quilt and all the quilts from my Mom, Grandmothers and Aunts. I also have a lot of their vintage crochet tablecloths, bedspreads and afghans. I have about a hundred quilts in it. 

The closet was called the sewing closet on the original house plans. When we moved in Mom had this as her room when she was here. Guess it will always be called Mom's room. I miss her so much, but can go into this room and set in her chair, read her Bible, look at her things and remember her furious love for all of us.

Mom's sewing things

My Mom had a very unique system storing her fabric scraps and sewing supplies. She only bought fabric for what ever she was working on. One quilt at a time, she would piece and quilt until she finished it. She saved or shared with friends the scraps that were left.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    These tins were found under her sofas in den and living room, filled with sewing supplies and fabric scraps. The bakery must have gotten a deal on the tins. I have 15 and they are all the same design. Fifteen years of saved tins.

 Mom and Dad always bought a fruit cake at Christmas and the tins were what it came in. I could not let someone else have these so I bought them at the estate sale. They are still filled with the things Mom put in them.

Vintage Paper Piecing

As I was going through a box of my Mom's scrap fabrics today I came across 30 paper pieced blocks. They were pieced in the fifties. She used newspapers for her pattern and then sewed fabric scraps to the paper until the pattern was covered. She then trimmed the fabric to the paper pattern.

I

I had a dress out of the fabric with the triangles...........I also have some of the same blocks pieced that I did in the 50's when she, my Grandmother and Aunt were each piecing this pattern. I pieced my first quilt when I was 13 or 14 and they quilted it for me.

My Mother called this the Snowball quilt when it was set together with white or muslin centers. My Grandmother set hers together with yellow centers and she called it the Sunball quilt. I have the quilt that she did with the yellow centers.

See the advertisement at right Goodlettsville- At Solitude Farm apartment for rent. I was amazed when I saw this. I lived about a mile from this farm for 25 years. My youngest daughter's best friends family owns this. Small world.!!!!!!!!



See the paper in the bottom picture.......You could buy
a 1953 Mercury for $595.00.......A 1952 Ford for $425.00.......

       I guess I need to prowl around in my stuff and find my Snowball blocks and put them with Mom's. I would never piece them together, too much fun reading the paper on back.

        I treasure my Mom and Grandmother for teaching me hand work at an early age. We lived close to my Grandmother and Aunt. They were always at the house together, cooking, piecing, crocheting or whatever needed doing. They helped each other, it might be at our house one day, my Aunt's another day or my Grand parents home. When the men came home, we would all eat together before everyone went to their own home.  Great memories.

A Little Bit of This and A Little Bit of That

Seems like I have been doing a lot of little things this week, but I did finish piecing my 36 block quilt. I got the inspiration here Sew Mama Sew blog, I have been working on it as I piece other things. It was so easy to piece using the 2 in. blocks as leaders and enders.

It will get quilted as soon as I finish quilting the quilt that I have on my machine now. It is a Halloween quilt that I made using a pattern from Blackbird Designs.

I have so many things I want to do or make that I guess I will keep on doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that until I'm in that Heavenly place. I don't know I may still  be able to keep on doing what I've always loved, working with my hands.

Window quilts

I have Anderson bay windows at my kitchen sink, even with the double panes at times it still feels cold. I made small plain quilts for the windows in the log home we use to live in. I decided that's what I need here. They are simple, two pieces of fabric with batting inside. I layered all three pieces, sewed around leaving enough room to turn. I then turned, pressed and did a simple square stitching. I attached two pairs of sashes on each side of the window quilt. I can roll the quilt up and tie when I want to see out or it's warm.   You would be surprised how much cold air they keep out.  I can insert my hand between the quilt and window and feel the difference.

A Year of Letting Go

Brrrrrr......It was so cold this morning as I got ready for my walk, that I bundled up as if I was starting for the North Pole. The gloves were the first to go, then scarf, hat and after four miles the jacket was tied around me. Felt like I was doing a strip walk..........the shoes helped me walk faster.

I began to think how I tend to keep things I might need again and decided that this was going to be a year of letting go of some of my "stuff".   I gave daughter #2 a clock that had been my Mother's as she was getting ready to go back to NY.    I just took off wall and said would you like to have this? She took it and was gone before I could change my mind......She was out of here with it before I could take a picture......She knows her Mom very well, she was afraid I would change my mind.