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.
Since the sun is shining outside for the first time in nearly a week I decided to use yellow tones for my type today. The sun is shining even though up the road about 30 miles they had fresh snow today. The temp won't even get above 32F (right now at the NWS office at the Shelby County airport 4 miles from my home it is 29F). Since it is almost 3pm I don't think it will make it to 32F. I am tired of worrying about the weather, I am ready to do some thing else.
I have been reading a lot lately. Christine Feehan had a new book come out right after Christmas and of course I was first in line for it. That lady has not written anything I didn't enjoy. I have never liked vampire stuff (still don't) but she has a series of books about vampire hunters (her 'Dark" series) that I have just loved. The lady creates characters that seem real and you would want to meet and get to know. Her books follow the lives of the characters and overlap into the next book (although each book will and does stand alone) so you don't have that feeling of wondering what happened AFTER the end of the book. I really like that style of writing. It's kind of like finding out if Scarlett really did get Rhett back in 'Gone with the Wind' and not having to wait 50 years to see. Anyway, 'Ruthless Game' (the latest in the Ghostwalker series) was top notch mile a second action that I read almost in one sitting. I fell asleep about 30 pages from the end. Needless to say I finished it the next morning before I even made the coffee. If you like high adventure, romantic hunks, and leading ladies that DON'T faint until kissed by the hero, then I recommend Christine Feehan's books. You can start with any series she writes and enjoy them all.
I guess you can tell I am suffering from cabin fever when I start giving book reviews and advising about authors, but it has been that kind of a week. I have also been doing some crazy quilting too. And cooking.
So from here the frozen Southland (the low tonight is supposed to be around 10F) ~ God please Bless us and please keep the heat going.
Mary
