UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Wednesday I joined a new group. A Yahoo group called Crazy Quilting International. A bunch of ladies get together on the internet and share their love for crazy quilting.  While I have always admired crazy quilts, and have been doing floss embroidery since I was in Vacation Bible school in when I was in the second grade age group many moons ago, I had never really tried my hand at crazy quilting until I went to work at Hancocks fabric in Jan. 1997. There was several ladies there that loved to crazy quilt and there were books that HF sold on ribbon embroidery and crazy quilting. About that same time I joined crafters choice book club.  They had lots of books on crazy quilting and silk ribbon embroidery. I was totally hooked. About that same time I also found that I needed stronger and stronger glasses and different glasses to see different things at different distances. I bought bifocals (spent $200 on them) and still couldn't see anything period. Went back to my eyedr and he said probably the best thing was to buy over the counter glasses in different strengths for different projects. That worked. I have glasses for the computer (175's) and glasses for reading and sewing (275's). They cost $6.00 a pair at Dollar General stores and I probably have a dozen pair now scattered all over the house where I work and read.  This system works perfect for me.  I simply can't adjust to bifocals. Anyhoo, back to crazy quilting.  This group does show and tells, round robins, challenges and all sorts of things. That has led me go get out my unfinished projects.
Before my mother died in 2005 I spent all of my none working time with her which meant a lot of time just sitting across the room from her since she was house bound.  She hand quilted baby and lap quilts, almost as fast as I could get them put together and basted.  She could finish a baby quilt with lots of figures to be quilted in a couple of days.  She was the fastest neat quilter I have ever seen.  I would pin and baste 6-7 quilts on an off day and she would finish them for me to bind in 10 to 15 days.  Just sit in the den and watch FoxNew network, talk to Aunt Mary on the phone and quilt and quilt and quilt. So while she was quilting I was designing quilts and doing crazy quilting. And then I would go to work at Walmart for 6 hours (7-1:30), pick up groceries and fabric on my way out of WM and go home and sew. That was her life and my life. We didn't do anything else except go to the doctor or the hospital 3 or 4 times a year. Now I THINK I can finish the CQ pieces I was working on when she died. I put them up because of the memories associated with them and MAYBE now I can finish them.  Some times it has been hard to look at them. I made mother a vest with lots of needle work on it.  It was her favorite clothing to wear. When she died I took it apart (the back and the lining) and was going to resize it so I could wear it.  She didn't want to be buried with it. She said there was too much work on it to put away in the ground.  In 5 years I have finally managed to cut out the lining and back panel to fit me. Mother had a dowager's hump and I had made it to fit so it hung right plus I am larger than Mother was.

My mother and I both loved purple.  She loved cats. I like cats. There is a difference.  Anyway she and I loved fan patterns. I haven't sewed it up yet. I may add some stitchery just to make it my own.  

The initials I did here are the prettiest I have ever done.  This is one time I can say they came out perfect.

I have to get this finished so it can be worn.  I have too many things packed away never to be seen. Mother did too. I found lots of memory pieces hidden away in boxes and trunks that she never got to enjoy.  Toward the end she complained about that and told me not to do it too. To get my stuff out where I could enjoy it.  That is another New Year's resolution for 2011. I will have all my stuff unpacked either sitting out or sell it this year.  I have over a 100 teapots I have collected and most of them are still packed up from when I moved 5 years ago. I am too old to leave them packed up. It is now or never.  Teapots or crazy quilting. It either sees the light of day or some one else will get to look after them.
God bless each of you.
Mary