New Year's Eve

First of of all - Happy 2010! I am wishing you health, happiness, peace and contentment in the upcoming new year and all that follow, plus wishing you many happy hours spent in our shared passion of quilting. May your bobbin always be full, your needle sharp and your projects fall together effortlessly. Enjoy every minute spent with fabric and thread, girl friends! And I include in my wishes any of my family or other non-quilters reading my blog.

Resolutions - I don't think I am going to bother making any as I usually don't carry through. I probably should resolve to not start anything until I finish some of the things already in the works. Oh me, Oh my! Here is an example---I have always thought about doing hexagons - and they are fun and beautiful but they take a long time to make. I love these and do enjoy the process but at my age I think I will do something else that is a little faster. I envision doing enough to make a pretty addition to a totebag or tablerunner and not a grandmother's flower garden quilt!

Just wanted to show you what I picked up at Material Mart yesterday for $7.00. In a plastic bag, there are a lot of two and a half inch strips of the neutral fabric and a nice pile of quarter yard pieces of the same fabric plus another small print. I think this will be a great little pile of fabric that goes with lots of things. (Click to enlarge)

With hugs, Carol.

Ain't They Sweet?

When I was putting things away (the bedroom where I sew looked like a hurricane went through) I found a manilla envelope with all kinds of little goodies in it that I must have set aside for something. It had some darling pictures of the girls, some letters and notes they had written, and other little bits of memorabilia that grandmas save! There were quite a few pictures - no time sequence - mainly just really cute ones of the girls that I had set aside. I just now scanned this one of Norah and Molly sometime in the late 80's when they all came back to Illinois from Michigan to visit grandma and grandpa for Christmas. I am pretty sure it was before Hannah was born. Anyway, they both had new haircuts and are as cute as can be! I just could not resist posting this picture! (Click to enlarge)

Fashion Friday - A Day Late

This is what a lovely young teacher in Portland, Oregon, wore for the first time on Christmas Day - which I had almost forgotten was Fashion Friday! Doug gave Molly a ring Christmas morning - how romantic is that? I was with Sherry, Barclay and Hannah opening gifts when Molly called. In a few minutes - she was on the speaker phone - she said he had given her the ring. Lots of wonderful, loud reaction to the news - some tears - what a lovely moment. Doug is welcomed by all of us with open arms. This Christmas was a little hard for Sherry and Barclay with both older girls not here. However, she knew they were both in happy places and that is so very true. Molly sent us this picture by e-mail.

I am so lazy today - but that usually happens the day after Christmas. Hope you all had a great day.

Merry Christmas from Funoldhag

A sweet Christmas picture of my three granddaughters in about 1994 - all looking cute in their bangs. How the time has flown by - in a little more than a month, Hannah will turn 21. They have been such a joy in my life and in their grandfather's life also. Merry Christmas to all my friends out there in the land of blogs. And best wishes for a happy 2010. Take care and God bless. (Click to enlarge)

Something's Missing

Several weeks ago, I ordered a big - really big - ribbon tied group of fat quarters from Hancock of Paducah. It has been here for a few days now and I have not untied the bow to see what all is inside. However, I like what I see.

As I have said before, when it comes to quilting I do not just have one area that is my main interest. I work more with some types of fabric sometimes - but love it all. Lately, I have been drawn to Civil War prints. Now isn't that a great stack of fabric?

And Christmas, I love Christmas, but the last couple of weeks before the actual day are pretty hectic even when you are an old lady and don't do all the things you used to do. This year I have been sidelined a bit with a cold and have done lots of lazing around and spinning my wheels. However, I am feeling much better and certainly can't complain as I have been so blessed with good health. I did get my cards out and packages off that needed to be sent. I still have a little shopping to do and there is still plenty of time for that. I will be with Sherry, Barclay and Hannah Christmas Eve and with them at Deb and Steve's (their bffs - great people!!) so I will being making a red cake (that is my specialty) as my contribution to dinner. Therefore, I do not have a lot of cooking to do.

So what is missing? I haven't been sewing! That will all change after the Christmas celebration. I will just relax, get done what I need to do and enjoy this lovely season! The Civil War prints (and all the other fabric down in the basement) will be there waiting to be cut and sewn. (Click to enlarge)

Hannah's Gingerbread House

During the Christmas season of 1996, I went with Hannah and Sherry to Hannah's school where everyone was making gingerbread houses. My contribution was to make royal icing for the mortar to hold the houses together. Had never made it and it was surprisingly easy to do. The houses were made from kits. Here is Hannah's house amidst the building scraps and she is painstakingly putting the M & M's on her roof. I imagine quite a bit of the material that went into the cute little structures was taste tested before it was applied.

What a lovely little house! Mom and daughter are both looking very proud of their creation. What a "sweet" memory! (Click to enlarge)

The Mystery Quilt

A few days back, I posted a picture of this quilt and could not figure out where the block was and how it went together. Several of you left comments and sent e-mails. Today there was an e-mail from Pokey with this link to a blog which explains a lot -

http://floribunda.blogspot.com/2009/12/y-not.html

It seems to be that this would be a very time consuming, though gorgeous quilt, with lots and lots of "y" seams to contend with. As pretty as I think it is, I don't think I will be trying to make it. I do thank everyone who took an interest in this. Maybe some one will decide to give it a try.