A gathering of days....

form a record of a journey. In this case, mine. Maybe it's because I'm a Libra, and things must be measured and balance. I look at the faces in this Christmas 1999 photo and shake my head, where do the days and weeks and years go? But I know that I have gathered them, and they are an endless stream of connected memories.Some with photos to share.
 This is grandson #3, Christopher. He's the little tyke on my knee wearing the red shirt and bib overalls in 1999. Here he is with his mom, now 12 yrs old. He's nearly as tall as I am. The next picture is a rare one. Partly because I haven't shared many pictures of myself.
 This was my birthday celebration in October, 2010 when I turned 70. Being a fat and sassy old Granny Finn, I'm reluctant to share pictures of me. I suppose we all are, about one thing or another. I'm holding my youngest grandson, A.J. who will be 2 in May. And DD#2 Jenny, sitting next to me, holding grandson Levi, who is turning 4 this month. Behind me left to right, DS#3, Justin, Grandson #2 Brady(16), DS#1 Matthew, (Brady's dad).In the middle back is my DD#1 Stephanie, her hubby Brian, and Son-In-Law John, married to Jenny. Obviously we are missing about 8 or 9 more grandsons and all 3 granddaughters and middle son John and his family. It was a surpise party on a beautiful October afternoon and it was wonderful to be with my kids.
 And one more picture memory floated to the surface tonight, as we slip into another weekend. This one on New Years Day 2011, when we gathered for our family Christmas celebration. This is Matthew's family. My oldest grandson Nick(18),Granny Finn, son Matt, his wife Sheri, and on the floor grandson Brady (16)and the youngest in their family, Tanner, age 12. It was a lovely cold sunny day and we had a wonderful time.
Family pictures that are complete, with all my kids, and their kids, have become nearly impossible. Partly because of distance, but also "circumstances". You know, the kind that has "the Courts" involved in them? Of my 5, 3 have "intact" families, and it's very hard on the two sons who don't. We do the best we can, enjoy who's there and hope for more next time.
For Christmas this year I received one special present in particular. Due to "circumstances" there was only ONE occasion that brought my 2 sisters, their children, my Dad and my family together. We planned a special Father's Day picnic in the town where he was living and managed to have everyone there. Lots of pictures were taken, but as it turns out, there was to be just ONE picture of my Dad with his 9 grandchildren. I don't think any of us realized it at the time. My oldest DD took the snapshot, had a 8 X 10 picture made, and framed for me. It sits up on top of the computer desk where I see it everytime I look up at the clock. I can't tell you how precious it is to see my Dad with the happy young faces of his grandchildren. I'm so glad that day didn't drift off into memory without a trace.

What worked for me....

Many of you know I was among the "missing" for several months this past summer. My struggle with inspiration,desire and love of quilt making was at an all time low. Took abit of pondering to figure out what and why. I don't claim to have all the answers, but I can tell you what finally worked for me. The following is part of a letter to wrote to a bogged down quilting friend recently."I had exactly the same feeling when I walked into my sewing room Angie. Overwhelmed...too much stuff begun, too many projects, too much mess. I shut the door and walked away. What I recently did was go in, select ONE project and bring it out to the dining room. I sorted it out,counted up needed blocks, etc. Then I put my sewing machine on the dining room table(or anywhere NOT in the sewing room) and sat down and worked on that chosen project. Only for awhile, not til it was done, etc, but for as long as the "OK" feeling lasted. then I put the project and the parts in a box and set it to one side.
The next day, I didn't sew, but I brought out another "begun" project, it's parts and sorted to see how many blocks were made and how many I still needed. I wrote down what I discovered, and pinned it to the pieces. If I felt inspired, I pulled the machine forward and sewed. If not, then I packed it up in a container or box and set it aside. And that's what finally gotten me sewing again. And... "if" you can accomplish a finish, like that simple Barbie quilt I showed, go for it. Any finish will do.
And maybe you have to be critical of the "beguns". In reality not all of them need to be finshed. They can be abandoned or donated, make someone else happy with them...LOL
The trick is to find the little part that will bring happiness to your heart and a smile to your face. Even a pillowcase is a great project, I have several waiting for me to choose them! Hugs, Finn
The picture is one of the "one at a time" projects I pulled out and worked on. Not to completion as more 2" strips are needed than I currently have. But progress was made and I feel optimistic about it.

Sunny Monday.....

and not too cold outside. It almost feels like we have a thin slice of Indian Summer. It's a season in the midwest, that falls after the first hard frost, and before the big freeze up. Usually it's warmer than this year, and usually it hits in early October. But hey, we'll take it whenever we get it and be happy it came *VBS* I haven't sewn, quilted or bound for over 2 weeks now, so I'll show you some of my "finds". These are part of my loot from the birthday shopping trip with Betsy. Only the yellow has been washed. I'm doing wash today, and I realize I hadn't done a pic of the new fabrics...so here are a couple. The yellow will probably be a background for a childs quilt. The dragons are for another dragon pillow case, the strips are for binding(only got a half yard) and the candy?? well...just because I like it *G*
 With these, the darker polka dot will be lattice and/or borders. The middle blue is part of the Happy Train line, and will be borders and binding. The small piece of blue is a 'just because I like it' piece, a quarter yd I think.
 And here's one of my treasures from last weeks thrifting with friends. I really like this guy...he's so happy. No wet mittons at my house anymore, but that's ok, I'll hang something else on the pegs.
 And this is my big find, the American girl doll, in good shape with a nice dress for just over $30-/ She is one of the earlier AG dolls, named Kirsten, from the Revolutionary War period. I have a couple more, purchased on Ebay, and one new on in the box. I bought them before I even had granddaughters...how about that??

What's new in the Valley???

Well, *this* for one thing *VBS* And now you are wondering what is "this"...right? And here's the answer *VBS* I had some CD's that matured in late May. Normally I either roll them into another term, or move them to a bank paying more percentage. Not much point in doing that this year. And then there is the reality of the unending need for "assistance" from my youngest DS. Several CDs have been cashed out on his behalf over the past couple of years. So I did a reality check on ME!!
 The conclusion I came to was if I didn't use some of my "house"(sold in 2002)money", it would all be gone, and not for me. I've been driving a perfectly(???)good 1995 Pontiac Grand Am. You've seen it in pictures of my house. I bought when my divorce was final in Oct/1996. It's been a super good little car. Good gas mileage, and has only needed minor repair over the years. But recently it has begun to show its age, and in the past few months that has speeded up. So I decide to see what was out there for a car that would bring me into the 21st century...LOL.
 I didn't really expect to come home with this one, a 2003 Pontiac Bonneville. It is, however, a one owner car and a non smoker. Driven locally, low mileage and has all the bells and whistles that cost soooo much when new. It drives and rides like a dream and finally...a working AC!!! The price was right, plus they gave me a $1,000. for my Grand Am. Now I don't have to figure out how to get rid of it *VBS*
Probably the best news in the Valley, to me at least, is that I was able to buy it outright and can honestly said "I own this car". I can also continue to claim that I am debt free *VBS*, and that sure feels good!

Summer sunshine...

sure sounds good right now.Thank you all for your good wishes, prayers and happy thoughts. Ebby talked and talked to get them all told to me. I'm sure they have helped, as my lungs are being more co-operative today. Still not at full strength, but getting there. I'll be back soon with something quilty, I hope *VBS* Hugs for all!

I know you've seen this before....

but a picture is worth a thousand words!A horrible, very bad, no good cold caught up with me and laid me low. And it was fast!! I began sneezing yesterday morning, by supper time I was fully congested, coughing like crazy and trying to stop my drippy nose *VBS*
Sleep came little to not at all, and I was up around 4 to see if I could sleep sitting up. No such luck...and that's a weird thing about me! Today seems to be more of the same. I'd love to sleep, but can't breathe laying down. I've sewn a few more 2.5" strips for another Strippy quilt, but even that is taxing. I'm headed back to my chair, my quilt and a hot beverage....hope all of you have missed this bug. Hugs, Finn

Things I have learned in 68 years.....

Not everything, of course, I won't live long enough to list it all! It's been a wet and wild day here again. Thunderstorms last evening and lots of rain and wind today...from the south, which is unusual. Ebby has spent more time on my lap since I came home on Tuesday than she has in the past 2 years. That is unusual also. It might just be she has finally realized I'm her person...LOLI've had some "down" time lately, the laying or sitting and waiting kind of "down" time. I got to thinking about life, in general. I'll share some of that with you, everyone needs a good laugh now and then.
I've learned: If I have a thing, an 'it', I can manage to 'lose' it. Often more than once.
And:If I set 'it' down somewhere, makes no difference where, I for sure won't remember where "where" is.
I've also learned that: I will eventually find the 'it", and probably just lose it again shortly. Makes no difference if it's the checkbook, my keys or a spool of thread. I never used to have that problem...hmmmm?
I've learned that: truth is the shortest route through almost everything, and if you are lucky or smart enough to know what your particular 'truth' is, you're ahead of the game.
I've learned that: everything has a place where it ends. The word "ends", which can be either a positive or a negative thing, means so many different things. Over the years I have a difficult time with 'endings' of all sorts. A special piece of fabric that you just don't want to see the last of it used. I've learned that 'that' particular feeling can change and you are actually glad to see the last of something used and gone! Who knew?
And I've learned there are so many ways to look at things. Kind of like the blind men and the elephant story. To one of them, feeling of the trunk, the elephant is like a snake while the one feeling of its legs, thinks an elephant is like a tree.
And that, along with looking, the words we use....good, better, best or ugly, bad, awful are subject to the view of the person speaking them. The word doesn't make the 'thing' what they call it. All of those words used to describe belong to the viewer.
Since I can't do bending over, until the stitches heal, I decided to dig into my UFOs and make a list. I did that a year or so ago, and posted it on Stashbusters, of which I am a member. I'll admit to having 60 UFOs in my care at that time. I wiped out 18 by July, and then lost interest. I've been re-visiting the remaining ones plus the new arrivals. I sat today and copied and cleaned up my list.
And I learned something about me....I'm not too happy about the number of things I have started. Some of them I am still enthused about, and then there are the ones I'd like to "lose", but of course, they NEVER disappear! The total count, and I seriously doubt this is ALL of them...is 51. On hangers, 21 flimies to be quilted. Only a couple have a backing hanging with them. I have 3 wall hangings, 1 table runner and a couple of pillow fronts. BUT....that still leaves 20+ UFOs that are in the block stage. None have enough blocks to sew together, so I must make additional blocks. I'm not including the 10 UFOs I've finished in the New Years Eve Challenge. That calls for a big "OH MY"! I think I'm determined to finish 'ALL' of them, or maybe just the 'ALL' that still make sense to me. Because I've learned: I can always change my mind *VBS* Re-purposing is a great word!!

Say "cheese".....

Happy 2008 Election Day! I hope everyone, who believes in storing nuts, gets out and votes. *VBS*I know I've been missing for a few days, and here's my explaination. I have had my eye surgery. I've kept it pretty much on the q.t. for some personal reasons. I was operated on about 11 a.m. yesterday and the worst is behind me. The surgery went well, and I sailed through with flying colors and a good blood pressure.
The bandages came off today and the dr. is pleased with the results. Me too!! Already I can see a big different in the clarity of the world around me. No more looking through wax paper. The color of things is amazingly bright and clear. And I could read road signs along the way to the dr.s this morning. Betsy kept laughing at me as I read signs outloud. I still have several weeks of healing before I can have glasses, but the time is going to be made easier by how much vision has already been restored. Thanks for all of your good throughts and prayers *VBS* Hugs for all, Finn

I am.....

 from week long hospital stays, from beaded bracelets that were pink or blue and contained beads that spelled out the baby's last name. From gleaming white, high ceiling hospital rooms with starched sheets and a lingering incense smell from the Chapel down the hall. I am from cloth diapers, belly bands and shirts that tied with little strings on the side, shirts will long sleeves worn by both summer and winter babies.
 I am from an era of baby contests, both beauty and 'look alike'. I am from a time and place of being a Junior Princess in a Baby Sandy 'look alike' contest. I am from so long ago that no memory of this exists anymore. I am from a 3 adults family, from being an only child for nearly 7 years.
 I am from hair worn in pigtails with ribbons,and little cotton dresses for all seasons,from scratchy wool sweaters and long brown or white stockings. I am from tangled garter belts with twisted shoulder straps to drive you crazy. I am from nickle photo booths in dime stores to capture memories. I am from corner grocery stores with squeaky wooden floors that slant and slope, from penny candy counters where a nickle went so very far. From regular business hours and closed on Sundays. From fresh butchers meat counters and nickle tablets and penny pencils. I am from 8 crayon colors in my box. I am from comic books and paper dolls.
 I am from first day of school pictures, from hanky pinned to your dress, and ribbons to match what you wore. I am from dusty, chalk filled blackboards and President Washington on the wall. I am from Pledge of Allegiance to our flag, and from "Duck and Cover" drills. From wooden school desks with pencil holder across the top. From recess on the playground and games of hopscotch and jacks. From swings on iron chains and merry-go-rounds. I am from ringing school bells on old red brick school buildings, and cinders on the playground. From elderly spinster teachers in dresses smelling faintly of perspiration and Mum antiperspirant, in it's white cream form. From sensible brown shoes that laced and tied and blue jeans that zipped on the side. From all that and so much more, in the years from 1940 through 1945.

Saturday Scraps....

I awoke this morning to snow on the grass. I know it's suppose to be "snow on the mountain", but I have no mountain. We are among the lucky ones, only enough to cover the grass, and it's already melted. The Dakotas are getting clobbered. As always I have scraps of my life to share today *VBS* The latest rug is finished. Granny Lyn asked about it last week. I finished up on Wednesday, and it went home that evening with DD#1. It will grace her newly painted porch, adding more color and charm to a lovely screen porch. She liked it very much *VBS*
 On the quilting front, this older top is getting another row added to one side and across the top this weekend. It's "do or die" time for this one! I'm putting in a DVD and doing a little sewing marathon...join me if you want *VBS* I've been working on the Orange Crush mystery in between finishing up older projects. Bonnie should be adding step #3 next week.
 Going to our "super spy" mode, lets see what else is in Finn's cottage Hmmm...looks like the back of the stove. Do you have an irrestible urge to put things on the back of the stove? I do. Yes, the tea kettle is green, as are the salt and pepper shakers. Did you notice last week....the toaster is also green?? *VBS* Wanna guess what color my cookware is???
 And let's be nosey...I love seeing what other people have in the 'frig *VBS* Here's Finn's...a kettle of chili was made last evening, and one container will be for lunch today. The others have already migrated to the freezer for future use. Yougurt, coffee, totillas, cottage cheese, milk, carrots....not too bad.

Tuesday Tidbits.....

a bit of this and a bit of that *VBS* I'm perking rather slowly this past week and weekend. My left eye has once again reared back and declared 'war'! And the battle rages on. I gave in and went to the opthomologist on Friday, quite sure it wasn't an infection, but concerned enough to merit the trip. A small amount of damage to the cornea, more eye drops and an ointment for my face, which looks 'parched'. It was an up and down weekend, meaning I napped frequently, as "closed" is a good place for that eye to be. I could see improvement by Sunday afternoon, and altho it's not back to normal, I'm coping better. I worked on binding in small 'stints'. This is the older flimsey that I'm "looking" at this week. It was made sometime last year(??)and is 58" square. An odd size I think, but Railroad Crossing is like that. Laid out on point usually results in a square quilt. I've decided to add an upper and lower border, probably piano keys to give it some length. Then I'll pin it, machine quilt it and call it DONE! Amen.
 Tuesday morning sun spotting was lovely *VBS* I love the rosy glow just before it breaks the horizon. I've had an eastern view frequently over the years, and much prefer it to looking west in the afternoon. We've had rain over the weekend, and the grass is taking on a slightly green look, no leafing out as yet tho.
 I've changed Ebby's food amount(just call her "Pickle Belly", and also when I give the food to her. Amazing how much MORE she is awake and underfoot when she's not food saturated!! And lately I've been thinking about how curious we all are about 'things'. Each other, the quilts, how you might decorate, and what it would be like to be a mouse in the corner, or a bird on your shoulder. *VBS* So here's a "Tuesday Tidbit" for you....
 A tiny peek into a corner of my kitchen *VBS* Very important corner, couldn't live without the coffee maker....how about you???

From tall pine country of northern WI.....

I make my quilt from scraps of flannel. To small to be use for anything else, they come to life in a quilt. From the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, I make the quilts that covered the beds of The Waltons. A deepening Depression challenges the nation. Scraps pulled from the bag reveal a families' history. Aprons, nightgowns, dresses and shirts...to be used in patchwork perfection. Simple, plain and the medium in which I choose to work. Crossing the prairies of the heartland.....
..I make the quilts of the westward settlers....advancing across the nation like a slow moving tide. Wagon wheel ruts worn as deep as wrinkles forming in the faces. No yardage to speak of, but bits and pieces and parts. A remembrance from a friend, a sister, another woman......a quilter. Daily life challenges me further... a small quilt becomes a burial shroud. A grave by the wagon trail. The sorrow, longing for home. Accepting the possibility of never seeing beloved family faces again....I finger the scraps in my bag, and plan another quilt in my head. Up and into mountain passes, the endless snow of higher elevations, the river
crossings, I form a new connection to family and the frail nature of life. And I piece on a quilt top...wondering "where will I baste this one?", "will I have time to quilt before winter?".....
The lingering while winter passes, an army fort, hating the life, put 'on hold' til spring, longing for a solid roof over my head, a hearth to call my own...I piece this top. A new baby on the way, again. Will I deliver safely? Will it live, grow up and sleep under this quilt I piece? And then spring, moving onward, heading west....the top almost completed...
In the doorway of a newly built log cabin, I stand and gaze across the grasslands, the rolling hills, towards the mountain off in the distance. Snow covered and so beautiful, a new home. New beds to cover with quilts, if I can. How many pieces still in the scrapbag? Time will tell. Will there be woman neighbor with whom to finger the scraps, I hope so. I have many more quilts to make. And since we can't see the future, thanks to God curving the earth so we can't see too far ahead, I do as I have always done. I do the best I can, where I am, with what I have. And that is what my quilts say about me, altho you may not be able to read that message.
I make the quilts of the log cabins, and the quilts of the farmhouse clotheslines. I make quilts from simple patterns, passed from quilter to quilter. I do not yearn for what I do not have. I have no desire for fame nor fortune nor recognition. That is not who am I. Those are not the quilts I choose to make. That will not change. With or without Robert Frost's 'woods'...."I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep." *VBS*
*****read Sweet Pea's blog that inspired me to write this about the quilts I make. What quilts do you choose to make?

A child of the forest.......always

and not the prairie. Parts of WI were prairie, at one time. And some of the long grass prairie still exists here, in land preserves.But the long grass prairies of Laura Ingalls Wilders life and stories are foreign to me. I understand the cool, darkened sun-dappled woods of my childhood. The wind blows there, but nothing like prairie wind. For me, the prairie is more of an 'idea' and state of mind, than an actual place. I love the word...prairie. It triggers some long distant memory fragment that I can't quite get hold of. I learned several years back that prairie is a french word, and means meadow...one of those strange bits of information that lingers.
Yesterday was a snowy, gray day...some wind, but more than that, it was a day my furnace decided to 'go stubborn' and resist firing to light the gas. The furnace man was called, and I had a nice long wait for his arrival. I pulled this book from my shelves, and sat down for a closer look *VBS*(*very big smile*)
It's a book of quilts inspired by Laura Ingalls Wilder and was written by a New York woman who moved to Walnut Grove, MN. For the most part the quilts are small one. I saw several that might tempt me to cut scraps for. That was until I saw this one. It's hard to explain how one quilt vs. another will reach out and grab you. This one was made by the author of the book and she calls it "Four in a Nine Patch".
This is the original quilt which inspired her. The antique version is fragile, and wouldn't hold up to actual bed use. She's done a great job of reproducing the quilt and I am planning to own one also *VBS*. It has grabbed my heart! Her directions are for 1.5" strips to make the 4 patches. I'm undecided about that. I may use 2" scraps instead.
And I was trying soooo hard NOT to get 'hooked' into a specific project until I had my scraps cut up....oh well!

Crayons, worn down to the nub....

scraps of paper tossed by the wind. Frost on the pumpkin, the haunting call of the geese flying south. More pieces from my scrapbag...and a mind that feels like a hurrican has blown through this week. BUT...Friday night traffic or not, here I am!!A day or two late, several dollars short, but I'm here *VBS*My Finn child, and her brown cotton stockings smiling you back into the 1940's **VBS**(Commercial message inserted here....Ebby's pathetic cries for 'just one more spoonful of the wet stuff Mama'....great pretender that she is, she thinks I don't know she JUST had that one spoonful and will answer her plea) Not gonna happen toots!
Anyway...back to the 40's...just a hop, skip and a jump! Waaaay back last week, or maybe the week before, I was tagged by several of you for the 7 weird things about me me-me...LOL. I could tell you that EVERYTHING about me is weird, but I'd be tellin'...so that won't happen. I've read back through comments but can't find who tagged me.If you are reading this, please tell me it was YOU *VBS* Thanks!
And rather than letting more time pass, I'm just going to lick my pencil and 'do it'.
You remember that pencil licking thing from grade school?? I wonder why we thought we should do that..? Maybe it would write darker or something?? That alone is pretty weird. So here goes, in no particular order....what can I tell you about me that is weird? And that I haven't told you already...LOL 1. I have a birthmark on my right arm, of the strawberry variety. My mom scrapped her right arm,while she was pregnant) from shoulder to elbow on an old trunk lid, and always believed she "marked me". Adults rarely notice it, but children always do and aak if it hurts. It doesn't *S*
2.My blue eyes are not the typical 'round' shape of eyes. They are egg shaped. That alone isn't weird, but mine are also two different sizes. It's the sort of thing you learn when you have cornea transplants.
3. I have to sleep on my stomach...not my side, nor my back. If I can't be on my tummy, I don't sleep...not much fun.(commercial insert: Ebby begging again).
4. This is hard...must be I've already confessed to all my weirdness. Vision problems of one sort or another have plagued me most of my life..and that isn't weird. But the kind of disorder I have is inheired and no one in my family has it but me. Do you suppose the milkman came calling??? THAT would be weird since I resemble my Dad so much...LOL.
5. I sort of like yams(especially raw) but really hate sweet potatoes.
6. I can swallow massive amount of pills without any difficult..freaks my kids out for sure.
7. I'm the one, of three girls in my family, who didn't drink or smoke. Not before and not in college. I've always wondered if maybe that's why I couldn't ever get pregnant? THAT would be pretty weird! But I'm not going back to find out.
7. I've never outgrown my love of crayons. I love, love, love the look of Crayola in the box, all new and shiney and nice sharp points. I love the smell of crayons. I've gotten quite independent about them, just ask my middle sister or my friend Jean. I MUST have pointed crayons. Once the most of the point is worm away I need a new box.
8. A continuation of #7...since I have so very few bad habits, I indulge myself with new crayons whenever I feel the need! I bet I have enough slightly used crayons to supple several school classrooms.
9. I don't like to shop. Period. I put on a happy face and pretend I am enjoying myself when Betsy wants a fabric fix. And I always find something to buy, but there is no real thrill involved for me anymore. I can't seem to feel any need of anything I don't already have. That is weird!
10.I find it weird that nearly all my weirdness isn't really all that weird.
There! Mission acomplished.
I will browse around blogland and see if I can find the rules that are also suppose to be appearing here......AND...as Gypsy Quilter says, this me-me has been floating around the blogs for a while now, so please consider yourself tagged if you want. Thanks God it's Friday, hugs for everyone *VBS*

Hopes, dreams and WIP Wednesday + 1

At last, I've finally managed to get the side to side webbing done on this double 4 patch. It comes out at 40" X 46" and I think I'll add red borders.Then it can be off to a child somewhere...*VBS* It felt really good to get that VIP out of my stash, as well as making use of the odds and ends of 2.5" squares already cut.
I've had a stack of these, 4.5" HST's laying around for years now. I finally decided to sew them into these long rows until I had the width needed for a donation quilt and call it good! But with all those 4 patches from mismatched pieces....
I wondered about doing this instead...what do you think?? A row of HST's and then a row of 4 patches? Right now the rows are 48" wide.
I came across another rubbermaid type with tons cut 2.5" squares, and I spent an hour this a.m. getting them sewn into 4 patches. I'm past 400 finished 4 patches now, and I think it's easily 3 quilts worth. The VIP double 4 patch above, another one similar to Gypsy Quilter's Kitchen Sink, and maybe some of them going into the triangles quilt top. The end is in site tho, surely there can't be many more than the 1600 I've sewn up. And by the way....I didn't need to cut any to have that many...LOL. I've sewn up the odd strips(then cut pairs)and all the odds and ends of squares. While I was at it, I sorted other strips into sizes, putting larger scraps to one side to cut up.
My hope for 2008 is to finally get on TOP of my scraps, and have them in a more manageable form.
My dream would be to get them all into use, but I doubt that will happen in 12 months. And,actually, I don't want them ALL gone, altho I'm tired of seeing the same fabrics over and over.
I've never been a quilter who starts a quilt and takes it all the way through unless it's a "planned" quilt with limited number of fabrics. And I intensely dislike making that "type" of quilt.
As a scrappy quilter, I might work on a log cabin(shown as last weeks WIP)until I've exhausted my selection of 1.5" strips. Then I set it aside until the strip bin is fuller again. Same with 9 patches, or most anything else I make. If I find I have a tub full of pastel 2.5" squares(which I do right now) I'll make a baby quilt...9 patches using muslin and the pastels.
It's not that I can't "pull" enough fabrics from stash to complete a certain quilt, but I dislike ironing the piece and cutting a couple of shapes from it. I'd rather wait til I have more scraps cut up *VBS* Maybe that doesn't make sense to you, but it works perfectly for me *VBS*
Right now my stash is waaaaaay ahead of me and I've gotta get with the program and do some serious stash busting!! That's ONE resolution....LOL, there are more.

P.S..........

I wanted to say "hi" to Gloria Smith, who has been reading and left such a nice comment. Please don't ever hesitate to leave a comment if you want to, or drop me an email. My addy is listed under 'view complete profile'. It always thrills me when someone who isn't a blogger leaves a comment because THEY CAN. I deliberately have removed the feature that stops anonymous comments. That's the only way some people can say "hi"..*VBS* Consider yourself welcome here Gloria, and all of the rest of you too.
And...I wanted to say thank you for all the lovely comments about my award...you make me blush. Same with the 'pride' thing. My parents weren't cruel, and maybe once they were "different", or kinder, but a lot of life happened to them very early in their marriage and when I was 15 months old. Coming up and out of the Depression years was a challenge financially. Add to that my maternal Grandmother coming to live with us.
My mom was 27, my Dad,31. She was destitute after the untimely death of my grandfather. She didn't drive nor work outside the home. My father took care of her. as part of our family. almost all the rest of her life. To have the family increase in size overnight was a cruel blow. He never said a word about it that I know of. That's the way it was with him...hardships all his life.
And I understand I wasn't an easy child. I was independent, unruly, unladylike, and a free spirit. I didn't like authority, altho I respected it. I usually argued about things, and I asked way too many questions. It's no wonder they lost interest in praising me, if they ever had any to begin with. My sister and I have talked about it, and she also doesn't remember being told she did a good job of things.
My only point in writing the post is to CLAIM my newly found pride in things I've accomplished...even a little thing like WTIL quilt tops..*VBS*
AND....that isn't all of my quilts. I have a regular photo album filled to overflowing with the ones I've remembered to take pictures of. That little journal is something "newly begun"...my pride in participating with Linda J's group. It's my very own special little book of accomplishment...*VBS*
And it has prompted me to begin a "scrapbook" of sorts, about my life and my stories. My talented DD#1 will be "teaching" me to scrapbook my project..*VBS* And I'm creating a Memories box. A place for the little things I've saved over the years that won't go into an album. And I'm going to make them pretty. Because I can..*VBS* And I'm proud of that.

Personal pride and predjustice....

and I'm definitely OLD enough to have opinions about both. As usual, this is what is on my mind today..it's taken most of the day to 'jell' into thoughts I can write down. I believe the human 'condition' almost REQUIRES us to 'tell our stories' to share our humanity in spoken, written, painted, sewn or dance form. I've probably missed something there, but you get the idea. Today I'm sharing a little project, recently begun. It's NOT a big deal.
A $1, spiral bound journal is on it's way to becoming an outward sign of a PRIDE that is new to me, a pride in what I 'do'....*VBS*
These are tops that I pieced for Wrap Them In Love, 'Bama Belle's group in particular. Linda J.is kind and is willing to take my tops and finish them for her groups donation projects. It allows me to continue piecing quilts. Physically I'm not able to complete as many quilts as I can piece tops for...sad truth. I had almost given up making anything new, and mostly played and dabbled in new ideas that never saw completion. Now they do, which delights me.
I'm aware how SMALL a deal this is, but it has taught me things I didn't know about myself. Until the project sharing with Linda J, I didn't know I didn't take pride in things I do. In my childrens accomplishments, yes, or those of my ex,but not in my own. Because they "don't count". I was only doing what needed doing, what I wanted to accomplish or what I had no choice but to take care of. Things I made were made with love, but DUTY is what rang out at the end. Satisfaction....but not pride. You'd have to wonder why??? First, you'd have to realize it was the norm for you to see it that way. So, why?? Family. And I think it might be that simple. I grew up without being told I was doing a good job, or that someone was proud of me. I was "checked on", but only to see if the job was complete. Teachers in the 40's and 50's(at least in my schools) were NOT big on praise, not encouraging comments. Nothing written on my report cards was ever terrible, but something prompted me to destroy ALL of them, and I had them a;; the way back to Kindergarten. "Sylvia doesn't live up to her potential", "Sylvia doesn't use her time productively", "Sylvia spends too much time looking out the window when she should be working".
It seems performance is all that mattered, not how hard you tried or if you did a good a job. And then I met and fell in love(?)with a guy whose family was totally lacking demonstrations of affection. They didn't hug, they didn't give birthday presents, they didn't thank each other. Life was duty. He and I were a bit like oil and water. Trust me, oil burns hotter *VBS*,water is flat,often stormy and is almost always deceptive.
Luckily by the time we adopted our first child, there wasn't a force on earth that could have kept me from saying I loved huou, or that she was doing a good job, or how clever she was in whatever task it was. It isn't just that children need reassurance that they are doing well, I believe ALL living things need do. Maybe the trees don't need it as much as the crews who clear away the snow, but are you sure??? I'm not.
In my late 40's, when so much was going wrong in my marriage and life, it dawned on me that I longed for someone to tell me "you're doing a great job", and even more, "my goodness but you're clever(or smart, or pretty, or something?). What was missing, was 'family', I think.
Years later. when my oldest DD said to me(one year at Christmas time) "Mom, how on earth did you do it all?", I was quite stunned by the question. I asked what did she mean? She meant 'taking care of home, 5 kids, my dad and being an administrator's wife....and making sure the kids had enough each Christmas to be happy'. Apparently just Christmas shopping for 5 kids(plus adults)had just become something she noticed...LOL Later, as I thought about her remark, I realized how much it meant to me,the maturity to see what "walking in my shoes" was like.
Anyway, as an Honorary Bama Belle, I was thrilled when Linda sent me pictures of the quilts made from my tops *VBS* I chose to make the little "book" of them, and I did so with PRIDE...each gets it's own page, and today....I added Winnie the Pooh stickers here and there. Just because I could and I wanted to...DIDN'T I DO GREAT????
Predjudice is another whole post I think....