Hands2Help Linky Party

It's the first day to link up your comfort quilts with Hands2Help .  

Be sure to check out all of the beautiful quilts at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

that will be donated to

Happy Chemo and Quilts Beyond Borders.

It is linky party that lasts all week...

I will be sending Emily 2 quilty hugs for Happy Chemo.

...quilt #1 is called 'In Full Bloom'

...quilt #2 is called 'Playing on the Grass and in the Dirt'

You can find more details at Em's Scrapbag blog.  

Emily is helping cancer patients of all ages going through chemo treatments.

Her goal is to give 1500 quilts to Happy Chemo.

Wrapped in a quilt is like giving each cancer patient a...quilty hug.

Emily shared a lovely thank you note from a cancer patient 

who received a Happy Chemo quilt.

You can read about it in Emily's post "Happy Mail Day".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I first heard about Happy Chemo I knew I wanted to help.

Most of you may not know this about me as I don't

usually share much about my family life on my blog.

but...I'll share this...it's why I chose to make the quilts for Happy Chemo.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Before I started quilting,

 my sister and son both received the 'C' word from their Drs.

It was tough couple of years for me...

my sister received her diagnosis in May 1998...just a few weeks after our Dad passed.

After a couple of surgeries, chemo and radiation,

...it was March 1999 when my sister finished her treatments.

Our son was diagnosed a few months later...in October.  

Chemo drugs are administered differently depending on the type of cancer.

Our son had an IV drip for 4 or 5 hours every morning for 5 days

 then off the drugs for 2 weeks

then back on the IV for 5 days.  

He did this for 4 months. 

Shortly after my son's first treatment...

 I found him in my sewing room with his girlfriend and now our DDIL

cutting up large squares of brightly colored fleece.

They made a fleece quilt...and it turned out pretty darn good.

He was in his final year of University...

and with a wonderful circle of friends and understanding professors 

he graduated along with his class.

I shed a bucket of tears at graduation.

I confess...I've used a tissue or two today too.

Luv you guys...both are cancer survivors.

Thank you Sarah for hosting this challenge.  

Your hard work and dedication is greatly appreciated.

I hope to participate again next year.

Happy stitching

Look what I found in my draft file....

...it's never to late to share something

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Earlier this summer I sent 2 quilts to Margaret's Hope Chest

...this princess one

and this 'quilt as you go' one

as part of the 100 Quilts for Kids Campaign.

What great timing to find this draft...as the Linky Party ends on October 15.

I'll post this and join the Linky Party.

There is still time to win my giveaway.

Giveaway closes at midnight October 13....that is tonight.

Happy stitching

Ironing Board............

......a few days ago I was reading a few blogs

and trust me I'm way behind in reading and writing.......

 Madam Samm at Sew I Quilt was posting about making an ironing board

.......well I just have to share a few pictures of mine.......I luv it.  

I bought it in a small town in Ontario many years ago.....

....it is great for pressing quilt blocks....do you like it???????

I went to Quilt Market in Salt Lake City and brought back lots for Cori to look at. She will be adding lots of patterns in her shop and also adding lots of new fabrics.....check out her Coming Soon section at Crazy Quilt Girl Shop. She has some Free Spirit fabrics coming and she is also adding a number of fabric lines from yet another fabric manufacturer.

My pictures from Quilt Market are not good but I'm hoping to post about it next week........I've got family,  visiting from Canada till Monday.....the grandpeeps do keep me busy......DGD1 has a dance competition here in Michigan.......3 dances and I can't wait to see her dance tomorrow morning and again on Sunday.

......and next weekend DSister and DBIL are coming for a visit......planning on doing some overdue sewing.  Have a great weekend everyone and I'm hoping to get to posting a little more regular soon.  

hugs

He's the best.....

....yes he is....and 45 years later he still surprises me.......
makes me feel special.....happy and loved....

....look what was waiting for me when I came home from quilting last night.....

he is a keeper.....

and now a little something quilt related....

a quilting friend is moving to Colorado in September and 

our quilt group is making her a 30's signature quilt....here are my 2 blocks

I also stitched 5 star blocks for the 'Just One Star' program....
Moda was asking for 1800 quilters to stitch just one star block and
they would make 100 quilts for the 'Quilts of Valor' program....
I hope they got a lot of blocks.
I was focusing on getting them in the mail and I forgot to take pictures.
My friend Cori has the 'Quilts of Valor' quilt kit in stock in her shop.
Click HERE if you would like to order a kit. 
The star blocks were easy fast to make.

Cori still has some Sherbet Pips yardage and a few charm packs left.....

....and lots of new pre cuts for Christmas are in stock or will be listed soon...
.....go over for a visit and check out her shop.


I'm off to bed. Nightie Night

hugs

Summer's End

With summer almost over I'm going to try to get back into a routine.    I've put on about 10 pounds this summer so I'm definitely going to take them off and a few more.  I've joined a weight loss challenge again and will be exercising more and eating less.  The eating less will be the hard part.  Wish me luck.  I'm also going to try to complete some of my quilting UFO's and to blog more.  It has been a busy summer with out-of-town guests.  Just today my  DGS went back to Canada after spending a week with us.  He is a very busy 5 year old.  It was non stop chatter and wanting my attention and that was OK............the house is very very quiet right now.  We didn't make it to LTW's farm but we did spend Friday at the Toledo Zoo.  It was a perfect day.



On Monday DGS went to the gym with me.  They have a few set times during the week that they offer child care so Moms and Nanas can work out.  This past week, he also did some sewing,

 

we went to the water park,  did some shopping.........Target is his favorite store.......and no he didn't get everything he asked for..... he played soccer and went bike riding with his  Bompa.  In all it was a good week.  This year was the first time I had all three grandkids stay with us for a week........of course they had their own week just could not do all three at once.  It is definitely a lot more exhausting having them 24/7 at age 60+ than at 30+.   It was one on one with Nana and Bompa.  All three weeks there were trying times but hopefully cherished memories and we can do it again next year.

I've not been very lucky ....... but I will keep trying .......that is......... to win an Accuquilt GO Cutter.  There seems to be a lot of Accuquilt giveaways lately.  Lots of lucky winners.  Congratulations to Paulette at The Painted Quilt as she just won some dies.  Check out her blog it is wonderful.  She blogged about Amanda's giveaway at The Quilted Fish.  Amanda has a brand new studio........it's gorgeous and she having a giveaway to celebrate.

There is an Accuquilt giveaway at I'm Just A Guy Who Quilts.  Check out Ryan's blog.  The giveaway ends tonight, Sunday September 5.  You may be the lucky winner.  Good Luck everyone.

Hugs

Lesson # 2 - inserting pictures

This is a picture of my DGD2 at the farm.  She is feeding Sunny the goat.  The goats suck sooooo hard she is holding the bottle for dear life. Now I have to remember how to do another picture and TAP has gone to get herself a rum and diet coke. 

It is hot in here.  I'm sure it is because I've turned off the AC.  It was to be cooler today.  Maybe it is all the concentration. 

Here goes picture #2 and TAP has returned.  Hallelujah!!!!!!!!I did pretty good but tomorrow will be another story.  This is DGD1 collecting eggs.  She collected 10 eggs.  She was sooooo excited.

These eggs were laid clean.  No chicken poo.  I was waiting for DGD1 to freak out but no freaking. They were all clean eggs.  Next day she wanted pancakes for breakfast so I added a fresh egg.......yum and she wanted pancakes the next day too.  It had to have been the egg.
  

Check back again tomorrow as I will attempt to insert a picture solo.  Tomorrow TAP is heading to Grand Rapids to meet AmandaJean from Crazy Mom Quilts.  Lucky girl. 

If I don't forget everything I learned tonight I'll have something exciting to share with you tomorrow.

till tomorrow.
Pauline

Plans Changed

I'm back but haven't had a second lesson yet soooooooo there are still no pictures.  Not sure if I remember how to do this.

Last week was busy.   On Fri. July 16th my granddaughter, Leah, arrived from Canada to spend a week with us.  She is 7 almost 8 and growing up too fast.  We shopped, we sewed, we shopped again, we did our nails, she played with our neighbours daughter, we went to the water park.........shopped again, went to the movies, we went to LTW's farm.......she loved it.  Thank you LTW and Becky , you are awesome.  Our original plans were to take her back to Canada on the 23rd .............. she wanted to stay until Sunday.  My DH has meetings in Toronto this week and wasn't sure how long they would last......he said it could be Wed., Thurs. even Friday before they wrap up.  So at the last minute I decided to stay home as I had to finish binding a king size quilt by Wednesday.  I still have to sew down the hanging sleeve.  It will be hanging at the GAAQG quilt show at the end of the month.  It is a raffle quilt to be drawn in November.  So it was only DH who took Leah back to Canada, he spent the night at our DS2 and DDIL's and continued to Toronto Monday morning. 

I'm hoping to get a few quilting projects and some cleaning done while DH is in Toronto.  I called my friend Pam (TAP) around 4 pm on Sunday to tell her my plans had changed and I didn't go to Canada.  She said  "I'm going back to the farm after I drop DH and DD1 off at home.   I'll pick you up.  We can play."  She had been at the farm Saturday and again on Sunday quilting her first quilt on LTW's Statler.   It was around 5 o'clock the red Mustang convertible........with the top down pulls in the driveway.  Remember the movie Thelma and Louise, well, in the car is Thelma and in jumps Louise (an older Thelma and Louise from the original movie).  With the engine reeving, we are off to play on the Statler.  TAP ........aka Thelma.........says we'll get LTW to take our picture when we get to the farm.  Well.... we forgot and it was dark.......10:15 pm when we left for home so there is no picture.  I watched TAP work the Statler........it is an amazing machine and she did a fabulous job quilting .  She has pictures.  After watching Pam quilt for a while I finished binding her 2nd chenille quilt and then I started cutting tumbling blocks with LTW's Accuquilt.  That too is a cool toy.  The tumbling blocks were for LTW's parents to piece.  It was a fun time and it always is with TAP.

Don't give up on me yet.  Still haven't got the blogging knack.  TAP says it will get better. 

Hugs
Pauline