Dreams

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:10

With social justice being so much a part of the conversation of ministry these days, I have wrestled with the feeling that all or most ministry should serve the disadvantaged.  I have come to see, though, that there are other issues of concern that people deal with--illness, injury, grief. Here is where my gift of quilting can be of service, and it is what I am passionate about doing.  

Beyond receiving a thank you note, my quilt group doesn't often hear about the impact our quilts make.  Every once in a while, though, we do, and that is what encourages me in this ministry.  With our quilts we can offer warmth, color, and prayers.  

As I have been doing the commissioned quilts, I have given this idea some thought and realized that there are three areas I would like to focus on in quilting.  First, our Tuesday quilts.  I love working with this group of ladies, and that says a lot, being the introvert that I am.  Secondly, I would love to be able to make quilts for something like the Linus project locally.  And thirdly, I would like to create wall art that we would display in our home for a while and then donate as fundraisers.  

Right now, once I finish some current obligations, I could manage two of the three, which would be the Tuesday quilts and the wall art.  Perhaps I can work in a few kid quilts along the way as well. 

What does this mean for doing commissioned quilts?  I am not yet sure.  While I enjoy quilting for people, I do know that I don't want this to be my focus.  And I have learned that dreams are not just for the young.  

Garden Party

Every quilt has a personality: bold, quiet, happy, soothing.  Often times quilts can also invoke a sense of place or event.  This quilt makes me think of a garden party--streamers floating in the breeze, cupcakes arrange on pretty platters, children playing on the lawn in the sunshine.  Definitely a happy quilt, this one.  

 The top was made by D (on the right).

A party in a garden is sure to include flowers, so that was the theme of the quilting.  Garden Party will go to a young woman recently diagnosed with cancer that D and her mom know.  May its warmth give her comfort as she goes through her treatments and may its happy colors and pattern cheer her heart.  

Haiku Happiness

I am not a poet (nor the daughter of a poet).  In fact, words can be a struggle for me, which is why I often need time to put my thoughts together.  There is a type of poetry I love, though, and that is haiku.  I love that it has a framework the words must fit in.  I love that it is a very short poem so words must be chosen carefully in order to have the impact the poet desires.  They are often playful, but can be very serious and beautiful.  As an expression of my appreciation for haiku, I decided to write a haiku in its honor:

Five, seven, five--form

Musings--beauty, joy, sorrow

Create word pictures. 

Spring Vacation

My hubby's work keeps him very busy, so when vacation times come around, it is always a treat for both of us.  Happily, we are both of a quiet nature.  If I had married a high adventure type of guy, I would be in real trouble. :-)  We also share the challenge of tummy issues, so travel is something we don't do very often.  So what do two quiet people do on vacation?

Hubs took opportunity before the summer heat sets in to do some things in the yard and garage that he can't get to on a regular weekend.  He also took some time to work on paperwork in preparation for meeting with a financial planner in the next few months.  Retirement is approaching and we want to be as prepared as possible.  I am so thankful that he is mindful of things both short term and long.  He also took care of a few small honey-do's.  Thank you, dear husband. :-)

I kept the housework to a minimum and didn't do any work on current quilting projects.  Instead I took some time to play around with a quilt design program I got a few weeks ago called EQ7 (Electric Quilt).  This program has been around a while, but they just recently released a version for Mac. Since it is built on a PC platform, I find it to be not as intuitive and a little more clunky than most Mac programs, but it will make drafting quilts so much easier and faster than pencil and graph paper.  

We also took time, as we do most vacations, to watch a movie together.  Our selection this time was Still Mine.  Growing older gives one an appreciation for the love stories of older characters.  This one was well done, and we both enjoyed it. 

On Thursday we hung out a bit at our local library. 

Friday night was guy's night as husband and sons took in a minor league baseball game.  I kicked back and watched a movie at home.  

On Saturday we headed out to the country for a family wedding.  With the recent rains, the countryside was nice and green, making for a lovely drive. The wedding was simple and the reception laid back, and we had opportunity to catch up with some of the family we hadn't seen in years.  There were even a couple of uninvited guests that stopped by.  

As we drove, we came through an area where there were some of the big wind turbines.  That is the first time I have actually seen them in person.  Though I am not a fan of wind energy, I did find the turbines rather fascinating in an alien sort of way.  Can't say they add much to the landscape, though.  

Sunday it was home again and back to the regular routine.  It was a great week, and we both look forward to his next vacation.

Too Cute!

Baby quilts: they are small, happy, and great fun to quilt.  One of my quilt ladies (D) is expecting a granddaughter in September and she asked if I would quilt a top she made for her.  The feature fabric has owls on it, so I named it Whoo, Whoo!  

 Pink sweetness

 Wavy crosshatch is so fun to do, and the I couldn't resist a little ivy in the edging.

 Isn't this fabric just adorable? I did a meander with circles to compliment the polka dotted fabric.

And a baby girl's quilt just has to have some hearts.

May this quilt get lots of lovin'.  

May Flowers

It wasn't April showers that brought me these flowers, but Mother's Day.  The carnation was from church, but the rest were from my son, D.  Thank you, D! :-)

 I have always loved irises.

 Bright yellow flowers are like little bursts of sunshine.

 Happy colors!

This carnation makes me think of a fiesta party dress.

To all who had opportunity to celebrate the day, Happy Mother's Day!

Seeking Simplicity: Fashion

The seasons have finally shifted from cold to warm (soon to be hot), so in bringing out the warm weather clothes, I did a bit of evaluating my dress style.  Thinking back, I realize that my style of fashion has generally been rather odd.  In high school, while all the other girls were wearing mini-skirts, I was wearing skirts to my ankles.  It took me a long time to embrace capris.  Platform shoes? No thanks.

As I have gotten older, though, my style has settled down into what I will call classic comfort. While I have firm admiration for a well put together outfit, it is not something I want to spend time on myself. Just give me a few basics in a few colors, and I am good.

So, what do I like to wear for the warm season?  

At home: yoga capris, t-shirts, and bare feet.  

Casual:  Capris or light weight pants, knit shirts, sandals (one pair of black and one pair of brown), and a light weight cardigan to fend off the air conditioning. (I do love cardigans!)

Dress:  Nice skirt or pants, nice knit top, nice sandals (two pair again-see above), and a shawl.  (Love those shawls, too!)

Accessories:  Earrings and necklaces that complement each other, but don't match exactly.  One small cross body purse and a tote.  Now I do find that totes call to me, but I try to resist their allure.  

My youngest majored in fashion design and really knows how to put together a nice outfit--classy, but up to date.  Hmmm, if she got that from my side at all, that gene must have skipped me.  

Keeping it simple…..