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I finished the baby clothes memory quilt and it has gone to its new home. I really enjoyed working on it and I appreciate my client trusting me to use my creative license..... and I am so happy that she loved it. I had two backing fabrics that I liked; it was a hard decision but I went with the blue.
I had it up on my design wall for a few weeks and I found it so pleasing to look at. I am now missing it...oh well, on to the next project. I named this quilt Beginnings:
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Being married to a seed nut (which is different than a Brazil nut) has many advantages. We had a summer filled with wonderful vegetables. But we also have many beautiful flowers growing, most of which Craig has grown from saved seed. Wherever we go it seems like he is collecting seed pods, cuttings,or leaves. Some seeds are forgotten in coat pockets or the glove compartment for a few months, but they always eventually get found and planted, even though we aren't sure what they are. The latest (and somewhat unwanted) example was the overly enthusiastic Cardinal Climber - it attempted to take over a whole corner of our backyard flower garden, and even ended up at the top of our Dogwood tree! (That one came from the garden at Robin's Nest B&B in Mount Holly).
Some of our more interesting finds are these beautiful Hibiscus, the foliage of which look suspiciously like an illegal substance. We found the yellow (Sunset Hibiscus) and red (Coccinea, or Texas Star) varieties in the Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh a few summers ago. The white variety (White Texas Star) was a gift from a fellow tomato lover exchanged while at Monticello last fall. Next year Craig will grow a rare pink one found while kayaking on Falls Lake this summer (and for which Craig risked tipping over to get the seed pods). Fall is in the air, and we are going to miss our fruits, veggies and flowers of the summer. But we have plenty of seeds and discoveries for next year's gardens. Take a look at these beauties. My favorite Pilates/stretch instructor mentioned that her daughter's Girl Scout troop is working on their Silver Award. The girls have decided to make Beads of Courage Bead Bags for young cancer patients at Duke Children's Hospital and the Pediatric Hematology Oncology Units at UNC Hospitals. It is a great project - the cancer patients get beads each time they visit for a treatment, blood work, or doctor appointment and they keep their beads in the home-made colorful bags.
The girls needed donations of fabric, thread, ribbon and pins....who better to donate to a good cause than quilters! I am proud to say that my quilting bee, "The Threads of Friendship" donated yards of fabric as well as sewing supplies and 30 completed Bead Bags (shown below). Thank You to a great group of women!! This is a wonderful opportunity to teach girls to sew while they also are learning about the trials of kids dealing with cancer. The girls are hoping to make over 50 bags by the end of September and they will continue to make them throughout the year. Way to Go Raleigh Girl Scout troop 883!!! Also, check out Diane Moore's blog and website Striving For More, she brought Beads of Courage to the Triangle after her daughter's courageous fight with cancer. I don't know what there is about cats and quilters, but every quilt studio needs a cat or two. Sammy is now discovering the joys of my sewing room...he is fascinated with all of my gadgets, especially my bobbins. I now have to put all the dangers away, and there are quite a few in my sewing room. It is like having a toddler around.
I have been busy finishing up my Primitive Gatherings "Folk Album" wool quilt. It has been a pleasure working on this for the past 3 years (no - really, I am not kidding). I love hand-appliqueing with wool, especially these beautiful hand-dyed wools. I decided that because all of the applique was done by hand, it deserved to finished off with hand-quilting. It was worth all the work - it really is beautiful. I have also finished machine quilting a Carolina Lily quilt for Tamah, which came our really nice. Last but not least here are some updated pics of Kip and Sam, who are having the best time together. I just can't say enough about Safe Haven for Cats in Raleigh. As a wonderful non-profit, no kill shelter, it is no wonder they are always full! The cats are well cared for by the small staff and wonderful volunteers. Our Sam had all his shots and was neutered before we adopted him. He is also clearly well adjusted and socialized.
One of the first things I did when we brought Sam home was to make he and Kip a new collar (I didn't want Kip to feel left out). This led me to the idea of making cat collars and donating the proceeds to Safe Haven. So when I get my ETSY site up and running again, I will be offering them. Here are a few pics of Kip, Sam and collars: |
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