Hexagons and Yoyos

When Mom, Linda Branock, died, I pretty much quit quilting. She had helped me get started on this, so now, almost 4 years after she died, I am working on the quilt she wanted to see me finish.

I have it laid out, and I am working to applique the blue hexagons onto the brown and lavender frame strips. I sit on the floor to stitch it. Yep, it is killing my body, but I don't want to lift it and have the edges to shift. I used spray baste (and pins), but you never know. 

It took me a minute to figure if I wanted the brown or the green frame (you can just see it at the sides of the blue hexagons), but I think the brown looks really good. Both the brown and green are from Mom's Lilac Hill collection of fabrics. (http://www.unitednotions.com/fcc_lilac_hill.pdf)

That was a lovely line of prints. (*sigh*)

 This is a close up of the hexagons (they still have their papers in). I was considering a faded text fabric, but when I put it on the design wall, it looked wrong. Maybe I'll use it in the borders. I have not decided about border fabric, but I laid some portions out (first photo) to see what might go.

AND here is the yoyo shawl I am calling finished. It has 966 yoyos. Don't ask how long it took me; all I can say is "years."

 Holler at me....I don't know if anyone still reads blogs. I do sometimes!

Quilts from Mom

As I promised, pictures of the quilts Mom (Linda Brannock) made and I brought back to Atlanta with me. I uploaded them as a batch, so I will explain them in the order they are and not try to rearrange them.

 This is a kitty quilt for my kitty-loving son, Andy. 

 It has bright yellow kitties on the back. I'll have to ask her who this coin-stacks type quit is for. The fabrics are lovely. (You can click on the photo to get a larger version of it.)

 This log cabin is detail from the photo below it. There are stars and trees too. The background is string pieced, but Mom says she did not do the string piecing on a foundation.

 Mom has a great sense of the use of color, and she has really gone bonkers on this one. You (I) cannot stop looking at it.

 The turtle quilt below is destined for my wild child, Adam, once he settles his life down. Right now he is at a music festival somewhere in the US, but I would have to consult Facebook to get an idea where. Mom has made this quilt before too, and you can see it here (the original turtle quilt), but you have to scroll way down in the post to see it. Wait a minute; I will have to call Mom. This may be the original.

 Now we come to the quilt I believe was made especially for me. I love these colors and could live in an entirely aubergine home. I slept under it before I packed it in my suitcase.

 Detail of the quilting and fabrics.

 Mom did two bow tie quilts, and I don't know why I have only one photographed.

 My son, Eron the paramedic, requested a red, white, and black quilt (it's a firefighter thing). And this quilt is especially great. The colors are totally outside Mom's realm of use, but it is a wonderful quilt.

 This is my other favorite favorite of all my favorites.

Bright and cheerful; what I am striving for in my life.

This week was especially challenging for me. I had a dream the other night that I tried to catch AC as he was falling out of bed, and he turned to ashes in the blanket. I am taking sedatives to help me sleep, since I have been spending too much time crying (on the way to work, and the way back).

Then I found the autopsy results were in my mailbox when I got home yesterday. That helped me relive the whole hospital experience as the medical examiner advises we engage the services of a malpractice attorney.

I am so tired. Today is Thimbles, so I am off (after another doctor appointment) to sew with friends. I love that my kitties keep me company here at home. Stroking their soft fur helps calm me.
Karmen

Food at Mom and Dad's

I love going home for a visit.

It will be 50 years, next summer, they have been in this house. I started first grade that fall (1964).

Now I go back a couple of times a year. I timed it right this year. Dad's tomatoes were ripe and ready to eat.

I ate my weight in tomato sandwiches. Mom had never had one, and she was surprised she didn't miss the lettuce and bacon. We put a thick slice of peeled ripe tomato between two skinny slices of white bread each smoothed with a bit of mayonaise; don't try to slip any damn Miracle Whip in there. See? Easy and delicious. No bacon needed.

Dad made pizza one night, salmon the next.

Dad ended up making two cherry pies while I was there. I was on a diet. A cherry pie diet. 

  I am very sorry I don't have a photo of the grilled okra. Dad impaled individual okra on bamboo skewers, brushed them with clarified butter and grilled them until roasty. Man, oh, man, okra heaven.

 Bird houses are everywhere you look in the garden. When Mom and I walked out back to the studio, we were stalked by a very angry wren.

 She was scolding us and flitting from place to place. We never figured out where her nest was (although I did find a nest, she didn't ever go near it).

 She can certainly take her pick of bird houses.

Next week I will post photos of the quilts Mom sent back to Atlanta with me.

Karmen

What snake quilt?

On occasion, when we are chatting about quilts, Mom will ask me if I know what happened to Adam's Snake Quilt. She will remind me it is one of the favorite quilts she ever made, and it is on the back of her book Miss Jump's Favorites (click the link and you can see more projects from the book on the Homespun Peddler's website).

 It is an amazing quilt. 

I have always been reluctant to ask Adam what became of the quilt, so I would remind Mom that Adam has moved numerous times in Atlanta and in Nashville, and that he even left my Stearns & Foster mattress at one of the addresses. I really had no idea what became of her quilt. 

Adam and Mary Elizabeth are in the process of moving back into Atlanta, so after they left with a load of household goods yesterday I started cleaning up.

I was getting some fresh linens out of the hall closet when I spied some crazy fabric up on the top shelf.

Well I'll be darned!

 Adam has kept the quilt quite safe all these years. It is wonderful to know he loves it and it is safe.  

I can hardly wait for Mom to read my blog today. 

Colors for next Millie block

While I was listening for the school closure list last night, I cut out the pieces for my next Millie block. Mom had sent me more purples, so I made full use of them. The shiny piece under the cut-out flower pieces is the upholstery vinyl (or quilter's vinyl) used to set the pieces in place. Of course you have to slide them under the plastic template! I was just laying them out to see what they'd look like. I had to move the whole thing so I could use my cutting table this morning. When I tried to moved it, I spilled it all over the floor. I couldn't find some of the pieces; they had fallen in the trash can! I found a sheet of glass previously used in a picture frame, so I reassembled the design, and moved it into the dining room table with the help of the glass.

I hadn't read the instructions for preparation for my Thursday workshop thoroughly. We need to bring pre-quilted cotton with cotton batting and backing to make the overnight bag. I already had pre-quilted fabric I wanted to use, but I don't know the fabric content, so it is good we have a snow day off from school so I can create my pre-quilted cotton for the bag.