Meeting a Saint

 This is not a story I tell frequently, or at all first off because it was embarrassing and deeply personal, second because no one would believe me, or at least not many people would believe me. so here it goes...

I got up early one mid 80's morning to go to work downtown, still wearing the cloths I was partying in the night before. To say I was hungover would be kind, I was probably still drunk and the way I was feeling I wouldn't wish on anyone. This is not the remarkable bit, this was an all too familiar Monday morning.

I caught my bus paid my fair, wobbled down the isle, collapsed in the seat and proceeded to vomit on the shoes of the passenger I had sat next to. I was mortified. There are some things you never want to be responsible for on a Chicago city bus, strange discolorations and not so strange smells are only a few and here I'd managed both, on some strangers new shoes. To my resounding horror I was about to do so again.

Now whilst every other passenger in the seats, before and aft of us immediately moved as far away as they could, She put a gentile hand on my back and said "Oh honey, that's ok, let it all out" I couldn't believe it! I started to cry quietly "but your shoes! I so sorry, I ruined them, please I can pay for them"  "Don't be silly, everyone is entitled to a bad day" she replied "they're just shoes, are you alright honey?" and in that moment leaning over her knee looking at my mess, I realized who's shoes I had just defiled, and the enormity of it was painfully awful. It was the kind of awful you feel when you know you have disappointed your grandma in front of the entire family.

And there she was, on a CTA bus rubbing my back, like I was her's and this was just an unfortunate thing that happened.

As I raised my head and looked into those blue eye's, did you know how blue they are? Like good denim.  All through my stumbling apologies she was just so kind and understanding, she wiped my mouth because of course she had kleenex in her purse, and dabbed my eyes whilst telling me it was alright she had lots of other shoes, I needn't worry about it. Then she got up and floated off the bus like the fairy-godmother she was. I watched her take off her shoes and toss them in a bin then disappear barefoot into the Hilton.

I scrambled off at the next stop and had to walk several blocks back to work, having missed my stop. I went into a McDonalds to wash off the shame and do my face, which had melted off. My god I looked a mess! I may not have the best luck in the world, but the luck I do have seems to pop up when I need it to, in small very strange ways. Of all the people who could be on a CTA bus at 9am I wasn't expecting, Dolly Parton, and really who would? 

Now You see why I don't tell this story to just anyone. So why am I telling it now, you ask? I tell it to illustrate just what kind of angel Dolly was in real life, because honestly you can't get more real life than that! Though I wish I could have met her under less embarrassing circumstances maybe even told her how much her music meant to me, but I would have to say the absolute kindness she showed me when she not only didn't have to but would have been justified in at least walking away in disgust, was all Dolly. 

Dolly Parton was a bright shining example to us all on how you should live a life through generosity, understanding one another and above all being kind to each other. I have never forgotten that lesson. 

What are you doing?

I have been busy.

It just looks like I've done nothing much, as usual.

I find if I make a list of everything I have done, it's quite a lot actually and I have every reason to be tired so stop beating yourself up, would you please? Thank you.  One must take ones inner nag to task some days.

This last month has been a bit of a whirlwind 

There was a baby shower to sew for in June. Did I take any pictures of it or the layette I sewed, no.

I've sewn for 3 new babies so far this year, they do seem to come in clumps don't they?

I had set aside sewing OBP quilts until I could get caught up on that.

Though I did start on a project for next years Quilt show boutique, because why not?

Then a few urgent family issues and because of that the baby we are anticipating will be gracing us early, August instead of September.                                                                                                                     Only 2 weeks early instead of the 6 we were afraid for, so over all good!

But with all the running around very little of my own fun stuff, other than cleaning up from and finishing off of all the other stuff.

Though I also got 4 customer Quilts to do last week and have finished all but one. 

That one needs ruler work throughout and will take a week or two to finish.

And I still need to finish the trim on the Tumbling blocks CQ the quilt show is June 8th next year.

Not to mention my daughter and her baby, I will be busy there for a while.

Appliqué in the front party at the back

These lovely ladies are Sandy and Patty my friends,

from my Sew day at the grange, 

They are modeling the In the Garden Appliqué Quilt so I can get a better picture of it

I'm thinking of Giving this one to my Grandson

And Here are my trouble children, the Pink and Blue birds Crazy Quilts

The 14" Squares were sewn by a guild member and I can see why she gave up on them!
She used some double knit fabric, that was probably from old clothing and whilst its not so bad, (unless you have to wear it!) for that,

The maroon, dark green and yellow interspersed with quilting cotton makes for a wonky square.

 it's a disaster in a crazy quilt! as it stretches 4 ways from Sunday

Double knit squirms more than a three year old trying to avoid a bath!

 more than velvet, almost more than velvet sewn to satin! 

and honestly doesn't look half good IMHO 

But I persevered and got it more or less square But that cut it down to 10.5"squares

To make them cuteish I found some old bird panels, we will probably see the smaller blocks from those again

I finished the pink one off with stripey 14.5" blocks from the pile to make them both roughly 47x60

These two make 15 Orphan Block quilts from the pile. 


 

OBP a few more flimsies

 Ok so i changed my mind on this one.  

 Again,

But the 12.5 inch blocks were too big and too dark, so I yelled "PIVOT!"

and these 6.5" blocks magically appeared.

It's all sewn together now, so there is no going back

This Ocean Waves quilt came to me as separate 12.5" blocks

All she needed was some borders to embiggerate

not everything needs to be a death struggle

{Keep telling yourself that sweetie}

Who said that?

Then there is this lovely lady made of the pile of 9.5" blocks

She's a sweetie and went together with no trouble at all!

I wish they would all be that simple.

Looking at you 12.5" black strips!

Orphan block jam

So here we are again, In the throws of another orphan block storm session                                                                                                                         and the question of, what do I do with all these blocks?                                                                                                                                                        In some instances I just put em together and be done with them.                                                                                                                                         Like these scrappy squares, which came to me in 9x9 blocks.          

They aren't all going to be beautiful Like the brown brick wall quilt          in the last post,                                                                                           and they aren't all going to be difficult to figure out either,                                                                                                                                               Like This around the world quilt of half square triangles,                               which was just a pile of 4.5" HST's when it appeared in the pile.                                                                                                                                         I just sewed them together and added a border                                                                                                                                                                        No real thought just sew and be done.

                                                                                                                           Now these 12.5 inch have been moving around my design board                                                                                                                                        for a week and I still don't like it.                                                                                                                                                                                             It's OK,                                                                                                            I could do it                                                                                                                                                                                                                              But I don't LIKE it.                                                                                                                                                                                                                       So I decided to use more of the 6.5"strip blocks, of which I have about a bazillion,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

to surround the 2- 17" Churn dash blocks at the bottom of the pile                  but I had to cut them down to 6"squares to make them fit,                          no loss we have 400,                                                                                        I am not even joking we will be seeing a lot of these babies!                                                                                                                                                And in order to look at what I was doing on the design board                        I had to move the 12.5" blocks over and                                                           Happy accident! The darker of the 12.5" blocks looked good alongside the Churn dash blocks with their strip borders, Woo!                                                                                                                                                                    I just need to make the border a little longer and add some, A(?) border between the 12.5" blocks and that one is done too!                  

Orphan Block Party

 Here is where I ended up with the first orphan in the pile

The piano keys helped to calm the chaos of the strip blocks

She is now 43x 63" and ready for quilting

on to our next candidate  the brown star "brick wall"

It came this way, with out the leaves

I found those later. I think I will make more 

and add another row to the bottom

< and maybe another of these to add to the Bottom

They don't all have to be any more complicated than that.

Then there will be two roughly 50x60 to quilt

But they do need backs

Here it is all done, I added more leaves 

and another row of 9 patch blocks

Time to garden.

The damask rose is blooming 

as is the clematis and the old yellow rose in the yard

This dragon quilt was donated whole with the

 flappy bits undone so I'll miter those

 somebody will love it

so this makes 6 donation quilts for the guild!

Going to an Orphan Block Party

I have this Growing Pile of orphan Blocks that I and my friends, 

Because a pile this big has help,

have contributed to over the last 3-4 months

I have made 3 quilts from this pile and it's not getting any smaller

so It's time for drastic measures

it's time to pick a block size and quilt everything in that section

Then see whats left over 

I did a gypsy quilt and I have more than plenty to do more but 

I want to eat down the pile first

Because I have a another trick up my sleeve 

to knock down the pile where,

I started with the biggest block in the pile 

I also had 6 Dresden plate blocks and these 9 patches 

that sort of matched, kinda sorta

I also have this Ginormous bag of 6.5" strip blocks

We will be seeing a lot of these babies

so now we have a 43" square I need to make it x60

so 10" of what?

I tried random blocks but they looked terrible, Hmmmm

whadoido?