Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!!!

I bought this Chinese Tree Peony for a Mother's Day gift for my mom several years ago. It has always bloomed for Mother's Day......... except last year........my first Mother's Day without her. I was so worried that it wouldn't bloom again, but this year it is beautiful. Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Here's a closeup of the bloom........they are huge!!

Off to the Quilter...........

Here are two quilts that I am taking to the longarm quilter tomorrow. This will be my first time taking quilts to someone else to quilt. I will post pictures of them when I get them back......I hope I can take them outside so that the pictures are better.

The first quilt is a Marti Michell Block of the Month, entitled Hidden Stars.

The second quilt is an Atkinson Designs pattern, Tic Tac Mo. I enlarged the pattern by adding more block to make it full sized. I used Thimbleberries fabrics for the blocks. My mom picked out the fabric for the background setting triangles and the borders.

Bereavement Bears

I am including some pictures of Bereavement Bears I have been making. During my mother's illness, we were fortunate enough to have the services of Mountain Hospice. They were wonderful, caring individuals, who did the work of angels-----this year I received a letter asking for volunteers. I really wasn't ready for in-home volunteering and called to let them know that. As I spoke with the Volunteer Coordinator, Tia, I found different ways that I could help out....... and the one I decided on was making Bereavement Bears.

They had wanted to start this program earlier, but had no volunteers who could sew.......well here I am! The idea is simple, after a patient passes, hospice offers to have a bereavement bear made from a special piece of the patient's clothing for the family to remember their loved one. I hope in a small way, I can help these families with the grief they are feeling.

So, if you have some time, check out your local hospice agency and ask if you can donate your talents to help them out!

West Virginia Race for the Cure

Well, 3 miles later here we are at the Charleston WV Capitol Building.

Left to Right, Sandi, Angie and me!

It was a great day and over $120,000 was raised for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation!

The event had even painted Pink Ribbons along the course which ran up and down a section of Kanawha Boulevard.



After some Retail Therapy, we came back to Elkins, WV and I caught up with my cousin, Chelsey P for her prom. Here she is in her dress, getting ready to go in for dinner before the Prom.

Too Many Quilts, Sew Little Time.......

Well, I am back.........taking a moment out from the busy week to check in. I have been doing everything BUT QUILTING!!! My cousin's daughter Chelsey P is getting ready to go to her Junior High School Prom and I have been altering/adjusting her prom gown. I will post a picture when I am finished. She will look beautiful!

This week is a busy week as well........with work, a college class and a dinner meeting on Monday, a swimming class, on Tuesday, Wednesday holds a couple of baseball games (another cousin, Mike P.) and maybe a t-ball game (yet another cousin, Hannah P.), Thursday is the local quilt guild meeting, and Friday I am going to our state Capitol in Charleston, WV for the 2008 Susan G. Komen West Virginia Race for the Cure on Saturday morning.

I participated in this walk last year in memory of my mom, Brenda Riffle. I walk to honor her memory and the fight she waged, in hopes that someday soon we can find an end to Breast Cancer. I am attaching a few pictures from last year's race and will post more next weekend.

Spring...........

Well, today is a beautiful day. Saturday (April 5th) was the warmest yet.......I actually got a bit too much sun attending a cousin's baseball game in the afternoon and turned a bright shade of red. Oh well......next time I will remember to take sunscreen. Sunday and Monday were cold and dreary, I think winter's last hurrah before Spring finally stays for good.

This is a picture of the Magnolia tree in my front yard.......it is a special treat when it blooms..........as I live so far north the frost usually gets the blooms. Not only is it pretty, it smells good, too!!!

I am working on my challenge project for my local quilt guild, The Log Cabin Quilters Guild. The requirement was to make something inspired by a literary work, favorite poem, etc. My small wall hanging is a stained glass pattern from a local quilter, Fran K, entitled "West Virginia Mountains". I did four patterns, one for each of the seasons, and my inspiration is from the Bible verse Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

To every thing there is a season,

and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;

a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;

a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to get, and a time to lose;

a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to rend, and a time to sew;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;

a time of war, and a time of peace.

New Wallhanging for Spring

I finally finished sewing on the sleve on this wallhanging so that it can go up in my office. I started it way back in the 90's.........It is a Country Threads pattern and my favorite flower (tulips)! I think it looks spring-y!