Follow-up of Diane’s quilt

I had posted before that I made a quilt for a patient who lived at the same facility that my mother did.  The patient’s name is Diane.  I went to visit my mom today in hopes of seeing Diane’s daughter there.  She often would come on a Sunday with her dog and visit patients and her mother.  The timing was just right, the daughter was visiting my mom when I walked into my mother’s room.  With the help of the daughter, I gave the quilt to Diane, I held it up so that she could see it and you could see it in her eyes that she liked it.  Her daughter took off the blanket that Diane had over her and put the quilt over her.

This is always a humbling experience for me, I always feel a bit awkward and grateful.  Awkward because I feel a lack of social graces, as if suddenly I have been striped of what little I felt I had.  And grateful, because I always feel it’s an honor to do this for them; to be able to be a part of it to me is huge!

I don’t know who I will make a quilt for next, but I am sure that in time it will pop out at me one day when I walk by a patient, or something like that.  I never lack projects, so in the mean time, I will have plenty to do.

Have a great week everyone!

Thinking outside the box!

Today, I was trying to come up with a menu for the next several days so that I can make a grocery list.  I often feel like I hit a brick wall and can’t come up with any ideas of what to make for suppers.  Already feeling like I made this and made that and tired of it all, I think; I need to think outside the box.  Come up with some fresh ideas that are “good” and I am getting nowhere.  Having done inventory a few weeks ago of our freezer, I have some idea of what’s in it to help shorten the grocery list.  Okay, two meals taken care of, now what?  Ugh!  Nothing!  After a days worth of nothing, no ideas , I finally manage to make a menu.  But I still feel like I am not thinking outside the box, no new or great ideas.

I often feel that way about my projects, it’s all old stuff, nothing new or what I feel is “creative” enough.  Wanting to do more but not knowing what I want to do.  I felt that way when doing the sketchbook, I was hoping that I would be inspired and think outside the box and come up with something great.  That didn’t happen.

But then I think, what’s wrong with continuing on with what I do and is my dissatisfaction with my creative abilities because I compare myself to others?  So I came to the conclusion that thinking outside the box is good, it helps challenge me to do more.  But also I need to be content with what I do well already.  It doesn’t always need to be something great, as long as I strive for doing it well.

Conclusion?  Thinking outside the box is good, but don’t let it consume you.

Diane’s Quilt . . . done!

Before I get into the fact that I finally finished the quilt, I want to tell you about my sewing machine.  I really, really, really like my ‘Brother’ embroidery~sewing machine.  My husband gave it to me for Christmas the year before last and since I had never had or sewn on a machine that could be programed or with advanced features; it was immediate extreme ‘like’ at first sight!  I had always had a very basic sewing machine up until this one, so it’s been a whole new world of sewing options that have opened up to me; which I have yet to tap into.

Okay, now about the quilt.  I thought I would have this done way before now but it’s all about the timing.  I had seen the woman who this quilt is for parked next to the nurses station in the wing where my mother lives in the nursing/rehab facility.  I didn’t know her name and had no idea who she was or what her illness was.  But a few weeks ago, I found out her name so I could embroider it on the quilt and my mother said, “oh! that’s the mother of the woman who comes with her dog all the time and visit’s me”.  Finally there is a connection, connections are good; they add to the story.  And for some reason, it made a difference to me, I became more excited about working on it with anticipation in giving it to the daughter to give to her mother.  Since Diane doesn’t know me, it could be upsetting, so going through the daughter seems like the wise thing to do.

I know Diane will be unable to respond to the gift, her disease won’t let her, but my hope is that it will touch the heart of the daughter, that she will know that God has not forgotten her mother.  And that’s what it’s about, letting people know, one quilt at a time that God loves them and hasn’t forgotten them even in  a nursing/rehab facility.

I have already started mentally planning the next quilt, I don’t have anyone yet assigned to it, but I am sure in time it will.  I can also cross off one more item on my “to-do” list!

Have a great weekend everyone!  ♥

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Today is Valentine’s Day, my husband and I don’t really celebrate it.  Once in awhile we may give each other a card but that’s about it.  There is a reason behind why we don’t celebrate and this is it.  When we were first married and broke, we usually had a choice of celebrating then or waiting three and a half weeks until our anniversary.  Our anniversary always won and it became a tradition.  This year, my husband bought me the deluxe version of Scrabble that I had been wanting for Valentine’s Day; but we didn’t do cards.  We did help our granddaughter with her Valentine cards for her class at school.  And I guess, that will be it for our celebrating today.  And we do have plans for our anniversary which like I said, is in three and a half weeks.

I do remember my first Valentine’s Day with my husband before we were married; he gave me a plant of yellow mums.  It’s funny the things one remembers about memories; I don’t remember the rest of the day, just the mums.  He may have gotten me candy as well, but I don’t remember and I have no idea what I got him.  But that was 39 years ago and whether or not we celebrate Valentine’s Day has not affected our marriage and yes, we are still happy!

♥

Working on the Quilt for Diane

On my “to-do” list is to finish the quilt; the quilt is for a patient Diane who lives in the nursing/rehab facility where my mother lives.  I started this quilt for her about a year ago and because of several things happening in the lives of family members, I put it down.  Making quilts for patients that God lays on my heart is my ministry.  Grant it, this is only my second quilt, but when I am done with this one my hope is to start another one soon after for another patient.  When I made the first quilt, I didn’t know what to say to the man for whom I had made it for.  But soon, I had the words to share with him and this is what I had said; “God’s love is like a warm blanket on a cold winter’s night.”  It stuck with me and that is what I will embroider on the quilts I give.  I believe that God wanted this man to know that he hadn’t forgotten him and still loved him.  About a year later the man died and asked to be buried with the quilt.

I realize that not everyone who reads this post believes the way I do.  That’s okay, I am just sharing how it is for me.  And this is what keeps me going.

I will post the picture of the quilt when I am finished.

My “To-Do” List continued . . .

Yesterday I was able to cross off another project from my “to-do” list; make four aprons.  I already posted one apron I made for my sister to give as a gift and yesterday I completed matching aprons for my son and his daughter; as you can see my son likes camouflage prints.  They will be making cookies together today; at least that’s the plan.

I have two more projects to complete before I can move on to the scrapbooking and future projects.  The two items left have been needing their completion for almost a year now, so the sooner the better.  Even though my “to-do” list is self imposed, doesn’t make the projects any less important.  In fact the two remaining ones are the most important; finish the Christmas banner and a “sew-as-you-go” quilt, both are part of a bigger picture.  More on that later.

So, come Monday, I will start up on the quilt and hopefully get it done quickly and move on.  I will post again once I have it finished and a picture to show of it’s completion.  In the mean time, have a great rest of the weekend.

Go Patriots!  🙂