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Friday, March 29, 2013

LOVe to Peggy

I grew up with two sisters, Julie (older by 11.5 months) and Tracy (younger by 11.5 months).  However, I've always known, if "always" is defined at age nine, that I had another sister, an older sister, who had been placed for adoption at birth.

The Hayes Girls 1968 or 1969.  Tracy, Cindy, Julie.
Not that I was told details at age nine as to why she didn't live with us.  Not that any details about where she was, or who she was, or who adopted her were available in 1972 when my Mom told me about Peggy, my other sister.  Mom told me her name - Peggy Sue - but that was all she knew.  Or maybe that was all she figured I needed to know.  Because I was nine.

Sometime in my adult life, maybe around 2002 or 2003, Mom & Peggy, connected.  In turn, Peggy & I corresponded, briefly, but as Peggy said, "she wasn't ready for all of us".  It wasn't really until Facebook and several years later that she and I began getting to know each other.

Fast forward to late September/early October 2010.  A weekend wedding in Vegas.  Mom flew from DC; we flew from FL to meet Peggy and her fiance  Richard, my niece Tracy, and Peggy's brother, Doug, and his family.

Peggy & Richard - Vows.

I can't say we did a lot of catching up.  I can't say we even began to fill in gaps.  I can say we learned that family is important, regardless of how, or when it comes about.  Because a family is about love.  

Mom, Peggy, Richard, me, Doug.

My February project from our ECMQG sew day.  The pattern, from KelbySews can be found here.  I knew right away I wanted to make something for Peggy. I brought my blue and brown batik scraps which, from previous Facebook conversations, I already knew she loved.
i

I believe the solid is Kona.  Maybe oatmeal?  I know I had it in my stash for another project that is still a WIP.  The quilting in each letter echoes the pieced shapes, or in the case of the L, the wavy patterned fabric.  Let me tell you how easy that was to do!

Above and below are my favorite organic wavy lines.  I figured they were appropriate for this, and for Peggy, as love is very much like water - it ebbs and flows; it comes in waves; it can be deep or shallow.  But like water, we can't live without it.


Naturally, I pieced the back with a strip of the scraps.  I really like how the quilting lines, especially the blue, show against the solid.  Still need to label it and send it on it's journey.

Love you Peggy.  


Thursday, March 7, 2013

Motivated

As I've mentioned previously, I'm really good about starting projects.  Terrible about finishing them.  






Example:  These piles of 2.5" strips.  Halloween fabrics and coordinating others collected over MANY years.  Some from JoAnn's.  Some from Hancock's.  Some from Walmart.  Some good ones from A&E.  

I cut them because I was inspired by this:


Riel's Scrappy Strippy Halloween Quilt was simple.  It was colorful.  It was bright.  It used Halloween fabrics.  It was EARLY October 2011.  Sure, I could do this.  Sure, it would be finished by Halloween.  No problem.

However, my quilting world is never that neat or quick.  Those strips have lingered. 


I keep meaning to get back to them, but something else always catches my attention.

I rifled through them numerous times this past September and October when I was making Trick-or-Eek! bags. 



I pulled some of them out for our guild's, ECMQG, 1 year anniversary scrap swap challenge.  Leslie made me a fantastic table runner!



I pulled from them again two weeks ago when I was creating this little presentation bag for the mini-quilt I entered in a quilt show.


Heck, they were my go to fabrics when I pieced those mini-quilts, Fright Night, for L, and Monste-Madness for Jean.

  
So they're being used.  Just not as I originally thought.

However, I am trying to get back to that original inspiration.  See? (Ok, I need to rotate that picture.)  

  
A little bit each week.  And maybe, just maybe, I'll have a large, bright, scrappy, strippy Halloween quilt this year.

We'll see.  


Wednesday, March 6, 2013

C is for Chevrons and a Cat

Sunday, as much as I wanted to sew with some of the new fabric I received for my birthday, and with the tiny bit I purchased at the quilt show Friday,  I realized the fabric bomb that had exploded all over the living room and a good portion of the bedroom, needed to be organized.  I also intended to make a list of WIPs.  I'm really good about starting things.  Terrible about finishing them.  

Check in the box for cleaned up better organized.   No check for the WIP list.  No check for playing with new fabric.

BUT, I did pull out a 2+ year old WIP (random width WOF batik strips sewn, well, randomly) and began working it into something else.  

This.  Chevrons.  HST chevrons.  Imperfect HST chevrons, even with lots of starch and PRECISE (no-that's-not-really-my-thing) measuring and cutting.  


My plan is for a small-ish car quilt.  Because I live with someone, who, on road trips, keeps the air conditioner frigid.  Did I mention that same a/c is usually on high too?  And smaller is better, because whenever we travel, we're packed to the gills.

So that's my plan.  Not sure if I eliminated a WIP, but it feels good to work with my batiks again. 

And that is Bella who decided to take a stroll over to her food bowl.  Just as I pressed the shutter button.  LOVE her.