Archive | May 2014

Why do we make quilts….

Georgette’s Cookies

Last night was our Annual Tea Party at Evergreen Quilters. We have a wonderful potluck tea. We bring lovely tea sandwiches and wonderful sweets for dessert, above is a picture of some delicious cookies with an amazing quilt theme. They were so pretty I almost didn’t want to eat them. We wear beautiful, funny and outrageous hats and we have a wonderful evening.

We ask 3 of our members to display their quilts and tell us about their quilting journey. We have such talented quilters in our group it is wonderful.

As we were sipping our tea and eating our cucumber sandwiches, 3 of our Potholder quilts were being presented to 3 veterans in Arizona.

Veterans and their wives receiving their quilts

We have been making these quilts to present to Veterans to thank them for their service to our country. The veterans were overwhelmed by the quilts, they never expected to be given such a tribute. It is a wonderful feeling to know that we brightened someones day and that we were able to show how much we appreciate the service and sacrifice that they made for us and their country.

I will ask our membership to continue to make these quilts because it is so wonderful to be able to brighten someone’s day in a way that they don’t expect. I really believe that paying it forward is a wonderful way to share our talents. As quilters we love to create quilts and to be able to share that with such a deserving group of people makes me very happy.

We had a wonderful tea party and a great evening. This is why I love being part of a quilt guild. The ladies of Evergreen are always creating wonderful quilts, placemats and pillowcases to give to people who need them. It is one of the best things about our group. When there is a need we step forward to share our talents and fill the need.

Keep quilting….

Be Kind…

Faith

Great weekend….

May11

What a great weekend I had!!! First of all Spring has arrived and by Spring I mean warm weather without humidity. Happy Dance!

raffle quilt in progress

On Saturday a group of ladies from my quilt guild got together to assemble our Raffle quilt. It is such a good way to get a lot done in a short amount of time. It is also a great way for beginners to learn new the finer points of getting your quilt to lay flat. There is nothing worse than a wavy quilt. It is impossible to get it to lay flat and it is equally impossible to have it quilted.

Georgette, Carol and Terry

Denise, Jane, Iola and Judy

Here are a couple of shots of our group at work. We had a wonderful time and when we were done the hardest part of the quilt top was complete. I have a couple of borders to add but they are measured and ready to be sewn on. I will then applique some flowers around the edge to make it even prettier than it already is.

Of course Sunday was Mother’s Day – there was also a Marathon that was going right past our road. A dear friend from Albany who grew up with our son was in the area with some of his siblings to watch his wife run the Marathon. So while they waited for Avery to complete the run (she did very well but says she will never do it again), they came to our house for a little Brunch. We had homemade muffins and fruit salad.

George, Katherine, me, Tommy and George plus a little bit of Chucks finger. 😉

It was so beautiful that we decided to eat outside. I have not seen these wonderful young people is a long time and it was so wonderful to catch up with them and hear about the exciting lives that they are living.

The crew with Chuck.

I am so appreciative of the friendships that our children have developed over the years. They are friendships that will last for the rest of their lives. It is very easy for them to communicate with all of the new technology – one of the positives of the times.

After the kids left we went up to Portland and Chuck purchased me a wonderful a unexpected surprise Mother’s Day gift. It is a Ball Fresh Tech Canner. I will be able to can goodies from the garden without all the steam in the kitchen. I will post some pictures when I use it.

The day was completed with lunch sitting outside by the river at Run of the Mill restaurant. It is a microbrew pub and it is in an old textile mill in Saco – great lunch.

It was a sunny, warm day and I really enjoyed myself. I had great chats with my 2 darling kids and a nice conversation with my own mother. So overall it was a great weekend.

I hope yours was as well.

Be Kind…

Faith

Spring is trying so hard to get here….

May3

my view this morning

This was the view from the car window this morning on my way to the post office. How beautiful is that?!?

We spent part of Saturday trying to get some work done outside. It has been a very slow, cold spring here in the northeast this year. The trees are budding and the tulips are above ground but is has been a slow moving process.

I am always excited to start to get some thing into the ground. It is ok to plant lettuce, onions and peas this time of year. They do not mind the cooler temperatures. With that in mind Chuck and I decided it was time to get to work.

getting the garden ready

We like to use as much organic material in the vegetable garden as possible. We will, after all be eating the fruits of our labor. I am not quite so picky with the flowers as I am the veggies for obvious reasons. I will give the flowers a shot of Miracle Gro every now and then but never the veggies.

This is the product that we use and it has worked well in the past. It just give the garden a pick me up.

Many years ago we bought a little tiller – actually I think the technical terms is “speedy hoe”. It helps blend the compost into the garden a bit easier and more thoroughly than by hand.

Chuck hard at work

So my Lettuce, parsley and onions are in the ground. We got some rain on Saturday night so everything is watered in. Now we wait. Hopefully we will have a productive garden this summer and we will have wonderful fresh veggies for our salads.

Enjoy the sunshine.

Be kind…

Faith