Spring Wraps it's Arms Around Us

View out my studio window

As spring wraps it's arms around us and we have other things to take care of and do, many find less and less time to work on quilts. On the other hand other people have time off work and that IS the time to quilt. 

Then we face the trouble of what quilt to make, and for whom. Do we make one for ourselves, for a family member, for sale, or to donate? If we have time we make them all. But that takes a while. 

Easy patterns and smaller quilts take less time to make and often are the ones we make and donate. 
Larger and more complicated ones we make for special people in our lives, or even for ourselves. 

As quilters we always have our to do list, our UFO collections and the WIP quilts and projects. And just when we think we are caught up.....we.... well, we find another pattern we like; we find more fabric we like; we have someone ask us to make them a quilt; we have another reason to make one to donate; or we simply are so hooked that we 'need' to quilt any and all the time. 

As we welcome spring with the warmer temps and extra chores and activities, we are also faced head on with the storms that it has already brought to our country. And as busy as we are, we find time to help out where and when we can. Our sewing machines sew up quilts to donate, we send up prayers, and we find time we didn't know we had to help others that are in need. 

There is something special about a quilt. A warm quilt to wrap up in when life gets hard to deal with. A quilt that is full of memories helps out when a loved one is lost. A personal size quilt for a child helps to encourage them by realizing even strangers care about them. Quilts have and continue to touch lives in many ways. As quilters we are honored to be able to share our talents by creating these works of art that we share with so many.

Let us do what we can to help out others as well as spoiling our families and friends. May we all find time during this season to keep quilting. 

Til next time -- keep those needles stitching. 

Phyllis

HAPPY EASTER

Flowers and Butterflies - pic taken by my sister.

Happy Easter to all of my readers. 

Today we celebrate. Some celebrate with just the Easter bunny and Easter egg hunts and candy for the kids. Others celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Some celebrate with a combination of all and include family time and a good meal which often is a family traditional meal.  The Easter egg hunts also are family traditions. 

As time goes on often the family traditions change, some end, others are added.  As a child I remember every Easter my Dad would give a Tulip plant to my Mother and her Mother and his Mother.  It was a special tradition of his. Then one year when I was about 16 (maybe younger) he gave me my own Tulip plant! I felt extra special that year. And for the next few years while I was still at home before I married and moved away, he continued to include me in those he gave Tulips to for Easter. 

I miss my Mom and Dad. Many years have gone by since they have each passed away. But each day I think of them and even more so on these special days. Days that were family days. Days of tradition that over time have changed, or ended.  

Many, many years later on Easter a friend brought me an  Easter tulip plant. I cried. He didn't know the reason for the tears, he didn't know my story of the Easter Tulips. And I never told him.  Some traditions, once they are just a memory, a sweet memory, stay a sweet memory for me. Because it just wouldn't be the same otherwise. 

So as you go about your day, may you be blessed with traditions - those that are sweet memories, those that continue on, and those that you may have just started with your family. 

Happy Easter from the family at Quilter's Pantry

    

Twelve/Twelve/Twelve - 12/12/12

Welcome to 12

I'm a lady of numbers, just ask my husband. He is amazed at what I remember when it comes to dates. 

I even remember some classmates birthdays before they are posted on Facebook. 
I know were I was when I heard that Kennedy was shot, when the first man walked on the moon, when 911 happened.  
  
Of course I'm going to write about today being 12/12/12

12 days of Chritmas
12th of never
12 hours in a half day
12 eggs in a dozen
and today the 12th day of the 12th month of the year 2012.   It is the last time a date will have triple double numbers. Until 12/12/2112. LOL 

    So what are you doing today that's special? Will you remember it by the end of next year? 

Today - I finished and shipped out a quilt for my one customer, Ali, who is making three quilts with the help of several people across the country for the Hurricane Sandy Relief. 

Sandy Relief Quilt 1

I am getting ready to finish a small order for Kindle cases for customers for Christmas gifts. 

Kindle Case

Kindle Case

Then I'm going to work on gifts for my family. 
Then I may take time out to breath! LOL 

Wishing you all a great and memorable day! 

 Til next time - 
Keep those needles stitching, but take time to enjoy the day and all that it has to offer. 

Phyllis  



   
   

FAMILY MEMORIES

We go through the year from special day to special day. We check our work schedules. We plan family events. We look ahead to what's coming up in the next week, next month. We write appointments on our calendars, in our phones, in our minds - which ever works for us to keep track of all that we have going on in our lives. 

At this time of year life gets real busy. We just got through Halloween and elections (here in the US) and now we look forward to Thanksgiving and then Christmas.  Sadly we spend more time thinking about Christmas than we do Thanksgiving. I say 'sadly' because we usually are thinking about the gifts, and what to get for whom and what we want for Christmas. 

We check the sale ads. The Black Friday ads that have been out for a few weeks already fill our email boxes. We hear about all the sales on the TV.  We plan our shopping day for Black Friday to get up as early as we can to get the best deal. And this year you don't have to get up early!  Just stay up all day and night. Some sales are starting at 8PM Thursday night (Walmart).  What ever happened to one holiday at a time? What ever happened to breathing? Now instead of planning Thanksgiving dinner with family and relaxing for a day of football or just family sitting around napping, eating, eating more.....we sleep, eat and now shop.  It's not even just 'another day'. It's become the official shopping day for Christmas.

Let us stop and rest our minds. Let us spend time remembering what we are thankful for this month. Many are posting on facebook each day the things they are thankful for. We are thankful for family, friends, jobs. We are thankful for our talents, our hobbies, our time that we have to enjoy the blessings we are granted. We all write and talk about the things we are thankful for, and like those who come to the end of their lives it is the little things, the family times that mean the most to us. 

With that in mind it does bring me to quilting. Quilts play a part in the lives of so many. Start a conversation about quilts and chances are the person will have a story about a quilt in their life. Whether it was made by their mother, grandmother or another relative most of us have been touched by a quilt.  They bring warmth both literally as we wrap up under one, or in the warmth of memories of our childhood. 
For me it was helping my mother make one when I was 10. I remember how my father loved it because it was heavy. While it is a bit stained and warn I still have the quilt. I also have the memories of the fabrics that went into it (all from scraps of fabrics that Mom had made our clothes from). 

This year, think about the memories you have of family, growing up and quilts. Let's make memories for our families. If you don't have the time to make a quilt this year remember many quilters, including myself, have quilts for sale. A label can be made to go with the quilt to add the memory whether you made it or bought it for them. 

I will leave you for now with those memories starting to overtake your thoughts. Memories both past and the ones you'd like to make for others. 

Have a great day and.....
Til next time --- -keep those needles stitching. 

Phyllis  
 
  

 

THE PATHWAY AHEAD

Today is the last day of October. Many will celebrate Halloween, dress up, go trick or treating, and eat too much candy. To all of you - stay warm and safe. 

Today, for me, it is a day of memories and reflections as well as a day to look further down the path to what the rest of the year may have to offer. 

Today would have been my grandmother's birthday. We all called her 'Granny', which is why I am called 'Granny' by my grand children.  She played a special part in my life. I looked up to her. I admired her. I loved her. I still miss her.  

Yes, there were a couple of times I recall her making me upset, but most of the time it was fun to be around her.  She lived in New England (and we lived in PA) until I was about 14 or 15. Then her and Gramps build a house right across the road from us. 
She was always busy, always going places. And Christmas at her house was the best. Family gathered for gifts and dinner, to sit by the fireplace, and to eat some more. She was known for her Granny Cookies (and I'll make some again this year). Even having the recipe published in the local paper. 

Yes, I miss my Granny. I would have loved to have her live forever. (She'd be 114 today! ) And I wish she would have lived long enough to meet all of her great grand children. But she passed on when my daughter was only a few months old.

I reflect today on those family memories and wonder what your family memories are? Many of you can remember quilts being in your life. And that is part of why you make quilts now. Many will remember family traditions that you still honor today. Others may not have fond memories of family growing up. 

So many families don't live near each other any more and it is hard to make a close net connection with daily, weekly or even monthly contact. That makes it hard to form a lot of memory forming days or events. 

As quilters we have a special way to make a memory for family members as well as friends. We make quilts. Quilts of all sizes are given away. We spend hours picking out the perfect pattern, perfect fabrics, perfect colors they may like. We spend hours cutting, sewing, seam ripping, re sewing, and quilting these treasures. We then give them away.  How many put a label on their quilt? And what do you write on that label?  Let's think ahead when we make our quilts and write more than just our name and date on the label.  
Write the name of the person you are giving it to. Add why you are giving it, such as birthday, Christmas, wedding etc. Write how you are related to that person. Add the name of the quilt, the quilt pattern. And any other information you can think to add. That way years from now others will know how extra special your quilt is. 

With less than 2 months to go before Christmas may we all remember to take time to relax and enjoy family and friends as well as stay busy at our machines or with the needle and thread.  Let part of the memories we make for others be that we spent time with them, doing things with them. As I remember doing things with my Granny, more than what she gave me. (although I remember some of those gifts also, and it was the little things I remember.)  

Til next time - keep those needles stitching. 

Phyllis