I’ve mentioned my friend Mary Ellen from Little Quilts – she was partners with Alice and Sylvia. Sylvia passed away within the past year or so and Mary Ellen organized a quilting project for her friends. She collected Sylvia’s stash and divided it up among 20 quilting friends and asked them to make something in Sylvia’s honor. Soon there will be a show at the local library for a viewing of all the quilts. Isn’t this a wonderful idea? I wanted to pass it on to all of you who might be in this situation some time.
It’s too windy here to step out of the house much less work outside! Such miserable weather and when will it be nice? The wind today was cold, too. I see that Farmer Tim started working ground today so the planting season begins.
I’m looking through more $5.00 patterns to make up and show you. Remember last year how popular Uncle Sam was? If you’re interested, start now so you’ll have time to hang him up before Memorial Day, Flag Day and Fourth of July.
Reader projects:
I love the reader quilts today! Any idea what the pattern name is for the second quilt? It looks easy and I love the clean look of it! Hope your weather decides to get decent soon! It has been in the 80’s this week here and humid.
It’s called Craftman Revisited. This one isn’t mine, but I made one just like it for my daughter when she went to college. It is easy—I actually drafted my own pattern for my daughter’s.
Windy & unseasonably cool here also. Cleanup continues, sometimes I think is never ending. Return to town for few days then back to ranch midweek. Weather permitting demolition to be next week. Don’t know if have the heart to watch, but feel I need to.
Nikki, I think I missed a prior comment regarding your ranch. Was it damaged by a tornado?
Yes, every building a total loss, including house. On building left standing is deer cabin that not one nail was by a professional.. go figure. Was an EF4…vortex cut right through ranch.
Nikki in TX – how’s it going? Debris getting hauled away? Are Chad and Heidi there to help you? How is Ms. Maci?
Nikki, Thank you for responding to my question. My first thought is: I hope you were not injured. This is devastating to hearing and my heart goes out to you. Is there anything I and the quilting community can do to help you out? . . . .any home item/sewing room items we can send your way?
I love the quilts today! The first one especially speaks to me. It has a vintage feel, probably because of the blanket stitch, which I love.
I hope the wind dies down. 🥰
Hi Mary, love the animal cards at end of blog!l twisted my right knee today, so feel like a peg leg pirate!Glad to see lots of comments lately, nice to know what everyone is doing! Keep stitching everyone, best wishes from Sandy
Love the pink, green and black quilt! Windy and cold here too in PA. Doesn’t feel like the end of April though the trees in bloom are beautiful. Trying to find something good in every day.
We are here for you Pattie so never feel alone in all you are going through. This is your community of comfort and friends to help you adjust to days ahead.
Pattie W – that’s a great attitude to have – I should do that, too.
Cold here also. Have had freeze warnings the last two nights. Need to mow today, I only trim, husband does the rest. Have put out two solar lights, trying to pretend it is spring! Reader quilts are very nice. Take care Mary.
Such a heartwarming note to us all beginning with the tribute to a friend and cofounder, Sylvia of Little Quilts, to the warmth of a kitty , the beauty of your readers creating such nice pieces to share to the picture at the end of pets of how I wish our world was. Powerful way to begin my day. Sure wish I could see the display of quilts made to honor their friend and hear the stories behind what they made.
Kathy in NY – maybe I should ask Mary Ellen to take pictures for me?
Yes Yes Mary. I hope Mary Ellen could share some photos. Looks like she has some other admirers here too of her adorable quilts.
So I got a good one to tell you Mary. We just headed out to take a ride to one of the Finger Lakes while it’s nice blue skies and the dashboard read low tire pressure on a tire as we were driving. So we stopped at two gas stations to add some. One had quarters jammed in it so didn’t work anyways If we had tried to put $2 worth of quarters in it. (That was after we had a chuckle over how expensive air is now). We go to the next gas station and it only took credit cards to use 5 minutes of air. Needless to say we came back home for free air and think it’s a sign we didn’t need a ride anyways today. And his gauge showed he has all the air in it needed so it’s some battery sensor going in the tires so another new tangled thing to learn.
Oh for cryin out loud! You can’t even go for a drive – easily!!!!
Hi Mary,
Cold and windy every day, so I’ve stayed in the house for what seems like forever. Every few days we get a glimpse of sunshine.
I have a couple of the Little Quilts books, and they are my favorites. Several years ago I went to their shop in Marietta, GA, but none of the authors were there that day. Mary Ellen is doing a nice thing in Sylvia’s memory.
Love the butterfly quilt in today’s show, I’m always a sucker for pink.
It’s been very cold & windy here all week, hard to do any outside work. Nice quilt show today Mary!
I loved the cartoon of loving others the way our pets love us. Wouldn’t that be wonderful.
We have had frost warning the last two nights which is weird for Baltimore. Stay warm and well
I have purchased glasses like those but didn’t realize they were reproductions! I purchased the reproductions at Target and Amazon.
I loved Little Quilts and have several that I made many years ago. I love the project that’s going on to honor Sylvia! Your Uncle Sam and Harvey quilts are similar in that they are quick to complete and small—Harvey just went back in the closet and Uncle Sam will soon take his place by my front door!
We had wind again yesterday, too. Not good dog walking weather in my estimation! I did get the girls out, but shorter walks than usual. Skyler and I went out again in the evening when the wind finally died down.
That is a great tribute to Sylvia. Remembering our friends thru quilts is such a fine gesture. Quilts, unlike statues, plaques, monuments, are always warm.
After a lady in our group passed, we are in the process of making quilts, from her stash, for her grandchildren.
The picture of the goose is grand, I love it.
We are having some mighty fine weather…..warm, slight breeze, birds everywhere chirping. I’m sure it will change, but I take it in when we have spring. Loretta spends most all day on the deck “watching for something to move”. And all night kicking, growling and snoring! She makes me laugh.
Have a wonderful day, everyone.
It has been a HORRIBLY windy month here in Texas and I’m seriously tired of it! In fact, a couple of nights ago, the weatherman said this has been the windiest April since records have been kept. UGH!! And lots of those days, they’ve been 30+ mph which will nearly blow your hair off! LOL Hoping for a calm, peaceful May.
Sherrill – Texas, too? I thought maybe it was just the Midwest / I’ve said several times that my hair actually hurts from being blown in the wind. I am so sick of this wind! Makes me very crabby
Thank you, Mary, for your thoughts and pictures. Always makes my day!!!! Well, you mentioned the Little Quilts ladies and I have the Little Quilts All through the House. I can’t part with it as I am trying to do but it is one of my favorites. Diane has the right idea–the sunny spot; it is so rare these days. And, the smiling lady with her rug, nice to see them surface every once in a while! Enjoy this day everybody. Mother’s Day is coming up.
Tell the girls to try Joanne’s and Home Goods and Marshalls…I’m pretty sure I saw some similar glasses in one of those stores! Hope it warms up a bit for ya…we’ve had all kinds of weather here on the Hood Canal too!
Mary,
Love the pictures as always! The Butterfly 🦋 quilt is fantastic!
Sprinkling some here. Was 30o earlier!
Hope your wind calms down!
The two Canadian Honkers didn’t show up this morning! Guess three mornings were all they needed here on the pond! Second year they’ve visited. Probably joined the huge flock down in Salmon?
Nice idea about sharing a quilting friend’s stash after her passing n having close friends make memory projects.
Love the story about Sylvia– I too, have some Little Quilts books and still love them.
The Butterfly quilt is adorable, I love the colors. And I agree with Jeanie S. it does look
vintage which gives it such charm. I also love the picture of Dianne. If I were a cat,
that’s where I’d be. Cats are the connoisseurs of comfort I think. 😉
Sharing your fabric stash after death sounds like a win-win. A quilt instructor I had passed away unexpectedly and her friends did a similar thing and then they donated the finished quilts.
I keep hoping the wind will slow down, but not for several days I think. My husband is turkey hunting, but it is too windy for them to venture anywhere. We just had seven deer on our newly greened up lawn. That was until Blaze stuck his head out of the kennel and scared them all away with his barking. I thought they might come right up to our porch, but he scared them off before they got that close. I took their picture, think they are mostly last year’s fawns.
I will be working on placemats for our meals on wheels program while watching tonight’s NFL draft. Don’t have a clue about who the Green Bay Packers might select in the first round.
I love the Little Quilts fabric and books. I remember Sylvia helping me by showing a better rotary cutting method that I still use. Although, since my husband died of cancer in 2020, I haven’t done any quilting.
Mary G – could we inspire you to get back to quilting? It’s a great way to pass the time and could be a comfort to you – starting is the hardest part for me but once I get going, it’s hard to stop. Just get a charm pack and sew squares together- it makes a sweet little quilt!
Mary, one of your comments tickled me into a great big laugh! “Oh, for crying out loud!” you wrote and that I heard many times from my grandmother as I grew up! Thank you for the warm memory that brought me.
The butterfly quilt is fantastic!
Marylou – seems I say that a lot in exasperation ! Haha!!