Quilts & Vines

Back To School Knitting

I had hoped to have Miss One's shrug all finished before the first day of school, but I still have a lot of ribbing left to do and with school starting on Wednesday, it's just not enough time for me to get it done.  I guess I thought that I could knit a size 10 just as quickly as I did the size 4.  (Why in the world would I think such a thing?)  Thankfully the weatherman is calling for temperatures in the 80's this week, so it's going to be too warm to wear a sweater anyway.  I'm not sure what the forecast is for next week, but I will surely have it finished before the first frosty morning!

Silent Sunday

New Smyrna Sunset

New Smyrna Sunset is my Priority: Alzheimer's Quilt for the month of August.  I made it to commemorate the the sunsets that my mother-in-law enjoyed from her winter home in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.  She has dozens of sunset photographs in her albums, but sadly Alzheimer's has taken away all of her memories of the sunsets and her beautiful beach home.  It's my hope that this quilt will bring us one step closer to a cure because beautiful memories should never be forgotten!

Several readers have asked how they can purchase my Priority: Alzheimer's Quilts.  If you click on the AAQI tab near the top of this page it will take you to a list of the quilts that I have donated to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative.  Click on each quilt title to see a photo of the quilt and it's status with the AAQI.  You can also go to 
www.alzquilts.org/quiltsforsale.html to see the list of all of the Priority: Alzheimer's Quilts that are for sale.

I Feel The Earth Move

It's no secret that I don't enjoy Pennsylvania winters and people often tell me that I should move to southern California where it is always sunny and 70 degrees. Now I know why I don't live in California...earthquakes are scarier than cold weather and snow storms! All is well here despite the earthquake and there isn't any damage...unless you count the grip marks that I left in the kitchen counter!

Teeny Tiny!

No, these teeny tiny blocks aren't part of my Dear Jane quilt, but they are just about the same size as a Dear Jane block!  These blocks are my contribution to the Mountain Laurel Quilt Guild's 2012 raffle quilt.  The pattern is Passing Fancy from Kim Diehl's book Simple Traditions.  I don't have any doubt that this will be an amazing quilt once it's finished, but I can honestly say that I'm glad that I don't have to make all 260 of these itty bitty blocks by myself!

Silent Sunday

Triangle Head Scarves

Remember the triangle head scarves of the 60's?  Apparently what was old is new again, because Miss One asked me the other day if I thought I could make one for her.  It only took one batik fat quarter and about 15 minutes of time to make "the coolest triangle head scarf ever"!  Even Ivy, the American Girl doll, got a scarf to match her outfit.  I wonder if  matching bell bottoms will be next on the request list?

Kindle Sleeve

Front

Back

Back in April I made a Kindle cover for my daughter-in-law.  The cover turned out really cute, but it was not without its flaws.  Not only was there a typo on the front cover, but it was also just a little too big.  My daughter-in-law didn't really think that either would be a problem, until last week when her Kindle slipped out of the cover and went crashing to the pavement!  Thankfully the Kindle didn't suffer any major damage, but it scared her enough to ask for a case that offered a little more protection.  My oldest granddaughter, Miss One, and I put our heads together and came up with a Kindle sleeve based on this Snap Tape Bag tutorial.  Miss One did the lettering on the front and back with fabric markers and I did the stitching.  I think we came up with a pretty cute sleeve that should keep the Kindle safe when it's not in use! 

Retail Therapy

My home therapy kit arrived from I Have a Notion and it's just what the doctor ordered...a Go!Baby fabric cutter, cutting mats, 3 1/2" tumbler die and a chisel die!  No doubt that this new set up will provide me with hours and hours of quilt therapy while taming my scrap pile at the same time.  I'm starting to feel better already and I haven't even started cutting yet!

Silent Sunday

Please Mr. Postman

What's a girl to do when quilt therapy isn't quite enough to take care of the problem?   Retail therapy at I Have A Notion!  If anyone needs me, I'll be at the end of the driveway waiting for the postman!

Therapy Continues

Lately it has felt like our family was being sucked into a black hole by Alzheimer's disease, but the past few days have been a little brighter.  My mother-in-law spent two weeks at the hospital in a geriatric behavioral health unit and did very well with the medication adjustments and specialized program that they offered.  During that time it became evident to us that my mother-in-law needed to be in a facility that had a better understanding of Alzheimer's disease than the nursing home where she has been staying.  Fortunately, we found a nursing home with a dedicated staff and program geared especially for Alzheimer's patients a little over an hour from our home.  The nurses assure us that she is adjusting to the move better than we are!  It's difficult getting used to the idea that we aren't able visit as often, but it's also reassuring to know that she is safe and happy in her new home.  I know we will eventually adjust to the new routine, but in the mean time I guess I will just have to continue with my therapy and make a few more Priority: Alzheimer's Quilts.      

One Down...

I finished the first shrug for the youngest of my four granddaughters!  One down and just one more to go!  One more to go?  I bet you're thinking that my math is a bit off, aren't you?  No, I can count just fine!  The lil' cowboy's mommy (and knitter extraordinaire) has graciously offered to help me with this project!  Hop over to Yarn and Tonka Trucks and have a look at the shrug she just finished for Miss Two!

For this shrug I used the Little Girl's Shrug pattern by Knitting Pure & Simple with Marble DK Yarn.  It's so soft and the best part is that it's 100% acrylic and machine washable, so if it ends up in the wash it won't shrink! 

Silent Sunday

Sisters Quilt Show 2011

Sweater Weather

It seems like summer just started and here it is August already!  Fall will be here before we know it and you know what that means...sweater weather!  I have never tried knitting a sweater before, but my friend, Dori, convinced me that if I could knit socks then I could certainly knit an easy Little Girl's Shrug, so I thought I would give it a try. Little did I know at the time that each of my four granddaughters would want one...I think I'm going to be busy knitting for awhile!

Missed Call

Saturday afternoon my husband and I traveled an hour from home to tour one of the two Alzheimer's units that are "in our area".  (With Alzheimer's at near epidemic proportions it seems like most nursing homes would be required offer specialized care for dementia patients, but that's a whole other post.)  We weren't nearly as impressed with with the nursing home as we hoped we would be and we are less than enthusiastic about the idea of moving my mother-in-law so far away from home, so we will continue on in our search.  We arrived home feeling disappointed that the Alzheimer's Unit didn't meet our expectations and talking about what we will do if the next nursing home isn't any better than the first when we noticed that answering machine was beeping.  When there is a message left on the answering machine hubby always says, "Somebody love us..." and this time he was right!  The message was from Ami Simms!  Yes, I said the AMI SIMMS, quilter, author, and the founder and executive director of the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative!  She called to thank me for my participation in the AAQI Quilt-a-Month Club and left an absolutely heart warming message.  I wish that I had been home to talk to her in person, but on the other hand, it's nice to have the sweet recorded message saved on my machine to listen to again when I'm feeling down and disappointed by this dreadful disease, because it sure brightened a pretty bad day on Saturday!

(Thank you for the call, Ami, and yes, I will be sending you more quilts!)