A Race to the Finish!
Posted by lynnette on Monday, March 8th, 2010
A Race to the Finish
Do you remember that I am attempting five quilts as high school graduation quilts for five of Chelsea’s girlfriends? Girls I adore that have hung around our house, some since early grade school, or even babyhood? Well, my dear friend Cathy lit a fire when she told me in January that I’d have to have one done a month starting in February.
I started thinking about it and panicked! With Dave’s birthday a week or so ago, Tolo, a family birthday celebration coming up, spring break, a quilt show in Anacortes, Prom, Wholesale Market in Minneapolis – holy cow! I knew I was in T-R-O-U-B-L-E!!! So I started cranking them out and I’ve previously revealed two in past blogs. Well I am THRILLED to report that I’ve laid out my fifth and final quilt this weekend so it’s show and tell time. I cranked out #3, #4 and # 5 (five isn’t sewn together quite yet!) in the past week and a half! Simple quilts to be sure but I know they will be enjoyed by these fabulous young women in the years to come. Check them out below:
#3
#4
#5, needs to be put together but I'm close!
Our dear friend Carolyn came to the island and stayed with Laura this weekend. Somehow in my picture downloading, I lost the picture of the adorable coin purses she and Laura made. But look at Carolyn’s fabulous quilt shown below. It’s a Bunny Hill pattern made with Charm Packs. The colors are fresh and lively as was the company when I was over chatting it up with the two of them! The girls had a great stash of Rolo’s, tortilla chips and licorice to get them through any rough patches while sewing! They burned the midnight oil and the laughter was contagious. And what was Laura sewing? Why she is making a beautiful bedspread for her own bed and it’s gorgeous! When it’s done – and it will be awhile – I will delight in showing it to you – a hint though: it matches that Bermuda Blue she’s painted on the walls in her bedroom! Vavoom, it’s a punch of color!
Carolyn's Quilt
While Laura and Carolyn were busy sewing, I was busy working in the garden with Dave. We added two yards of topsoil all around, reorganized the gravel between my studio and the old red cabin, and planted a new Korean Dogwood that will bloom with pink flowers that become white as they mature. Sounds lovely!
Laura took this - Dave and I working, Jon also gardening and Laura and Jon's house in the background.
L
We have a storm brewing on the horizon though; I just went down to the studio and I see it’s raining. Washington is known for it's rain so I really can’t complain! We have had such an amazing winter of warmth; we really need more mountain snow and yes, rain too. Sigh.
Oh and speaking of good weather, look at the beautiful hanging flowers on Laura’s porch now! They are so fabulous and delicious smelling! Laura took this photo too!
Chelsea was visiting a friend in California over the weekend. She flew into Palm Springs and drove herself out to a horse show (the reason the friend is there), a good 40 minute drive in her friend’s Suburban - unfamiliar car in unfamiliar territory. I slept so poorly the night before she left because I was worried about that leg of her journey. I got about 2 hours of sleep. Dave was telling me he saw a report that worrying can take 16 years away from your life! Yikes! So I was telling Laura and Carolyn about this and Laura reminded me that every time we hit the road for a quilt event – she always drives by the way – I am worried if she’s not in the lane she needs to be in even if we are miles away from an exit. It’s always a joke between us! So she says she will REMIND me not to worry from now on! Then I found a quote this morning when drinking my coffee in the early a.m.:
Billings said, “There are many people who are always anticipating trouble, and in this way they manage to enjoy many sorrows that never really happen to them.” And he said, “Don’t take the bull by the horns, take him by the tail; then you can let go when you want to.”
Now I don’t really know who Billings is, he sounds like a character from the Wild West. However, he makes a good case, doesn’t he? And my dear friend Wendy, a 70 year old dynamo that can dance circles around me also has told me that when we worry about our loved ones, we do not trust them to manage their own lives.
So I will work on not worrying! Saying prayers, holding a touch stone in my pocket, journaling, and deep breaths are part of my new strategy. Wish this lifetime worrier luck! I want to add years, not take them away and I can do it!
In return, I wish you all a stress-free week, full of wondrous moments and creative joy! And I leave with you with this, a new picture of our dear pup, Jib, who is gradually losing his vision but is so dear in our hearts! He was watching the Oscars on T.V. with us last night!
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