A Few Happy Photos.......

As I'm sure you can tell, my "creativity" has been derailed this month, but I thought I would share a few of the great photos that Jim and Linda are sending us from Colorado Springs where they are distributing the "canyon fire" quilts to those affected by the wildfire blazes.

It makes me happy to know that someone else has some warmth and friendship to count on, even in the midst of their personal trials.  These connections run deep and are comforting right now.

Even though our quilting business has languished, Guy took the time to finish two Quilts of Valor that were here, and we sent them off, too, last week.  Doing for others is part of the healing.

Have a wonderful week.....enjoy the last of these summer days!

Kathy

Quilts Arrived in Colorado!

I just thought I would let you know, despite the turmoil that has existed here in the last two weeks, my dear friend Jane swept all the quilts I had collected off the bed, and mailed them to my friend, Jim, in Colorado Springs.

He will be distributing them to his neighbors and friends who lost their homes in the Waldo Canyon fire.  It is satisfying to do for others, and I thought I would include a few pictures so you can see the wide variety we were able to mail:

All told, we collected and mailed 21 quilts; many thanks go to my good friends and quilting buddies:  Jane Moll, Josephine Millett, Janet Stultz, Christine Ratliff, Deanne Moore Quill, Carol Rogers and Wanda Shoemaker.  Quilters have huge hearts.......

Maybe I'll get back to my studio this week; I've got an urge to go pet some fabric.

Thanks to all of you for your outpourings of support over the last few weeks.  It always helps,   Kathy

Life does seem a little unfair....

To all my blogging friends.....my beautiful son, Patrick, died early yesterday morning.  My heart is hurting, my granddaughters are grieving, and I am coping with the loss of a friend....we had a wonderful relationship.  He was ill for quite some time, and when he ended up with a perforated ulcer, septic shock, and renal failure, he had no resources left to fight.

I cry sometimes, when I think about my losses; otherwise I am focused on doing what I need to do to be strong for the rest of my family, and for his children. I am working to be the strong mother that he always believed I was.  He was so funny....he always thought I knew the answer to everything.  He would call and say, "Mom, what do you think about the economic situation, and why is the stock market failing?"  He was totally aural.....and not very focused on analytics........give him an answer, and he would believe it until something else piqued his interest.

We cooked together, for a long time.  He was bound and determined to surpass my culinary library with his own.  He was a true chef.....came to visit, trashed my kitchen, and was totally surprised when there was no dishwashing staff to clean it up!  But he loved my garden, loved sharing culinary surprises with me, and loved to call and tell me about some incredible meal, or some incredible chef that he had discovered.  He was my entree into the culinary world that I longed for.  He was a great mentor to young chefs.....he recruited people for his restaurant from the Culinary Institute of America where he trained, and he imbued them with the same love and respect for food that he learned there....it was his "army" training, and he was a better man for the discipline he learned there.

Please hug your children tonight.  You just never know when they might leave you.  Patrick was 38, he was beloved by all his friends, and his co-workers. He delighted in his daughters, and had no restraint in his love for them.  His brother was with him almost every day in the hospital.....thank you Jon for being there for him at the end....

He was funny, stubborn, bright, and infuriating.  He lived life to the utmost......he gave his stepfather fits for 27 years......Guy wonders who on earth will argue with him about the best football team, Michael Jordan, John Elway, or the latest hot shot to hit the basketball courts.  We will both miss him.

Thanks for listening....have a good week, and I will be back.  Just not for a while....

Miss you Patty......you were everything a mother could want, and then some....

Kathy

What's Important in Life....

I haven't published anything since the 4th of July.  I have been somewhat consumed by family issues.  My son has been very ill and has been occupying a great deal of my time.  I did get all the quilts ready to send to Colorado (20 of them....yeah!!!))

My plan was to get them photographed by my daughter-in-law while she was here this weekend, and send a copy to each recipient to let them know about the love that was being sent their way from friends in the Shenandoah Valley.  That happened!  The photos were taken.

But Sunday night, I got a phone call.  My granddaughter told me my son was very sick.  I chose to travel 90 miles to check it out.  I waited 12 hours, watching him, and then decided to call the rescue squad.  He is now in the ICU, recovering from abdominal surgery, with sepsis, and kidney failure.  My priorities are quite clear.  I have been, and will be with him, until he recovers from this awfulness that has beset him.

My quilting is a panacea and a gift.  Tomorrow I will take in my Dazzling Dresden blocks to applique while I wait in the ICU.  My family is the heart of my creativity, and when they hurt, I hurt.  I will get the quilts packed for Colorado, soon.  My heart is there, their need is great, but their comfort will be longstanding, once they get their delivery.  I need not hurry.

Please pray for my son and his girls....I will be sewing and stitching and thinking about my friends tomorrow.

 

Thanks, yours in quilting,

Love, Kathy

A Quick Fourth of July Project!

It's been a somewhat non-productive week, what with power outages, friends needing a place to stay, and various appointments.  But I got out some of my red, white and blue scraps, and decided to make some placemats for our Fourth of July table.

These went together really quickly:

The basic layout is as follows:

1 6-1/2 inch square (the blue background with stars)
3 2-1/2 inch strips (red and white) cut to 12-1/2 inches
4 2-1/2 inch strips (red and white) cut to 18-1/2 inches

1 backing 14 1/2 by 18 1/2; same for batting.

I just sewed around the edge, leaving a 5-inch opening, turned, and straight-stitched 1/4-inch around the perimeter.

Have a safe and Happy Fourth tomorrow.  I'm linking up with Connie at Quilting by the River for her Linky Party Tuesday.  Go check out what other folks are working on.

Kathy

Asking for Help....

I don't usually utilize this forum to talk about personal things.  But tonight, I have a request.  My husband and I had an office in Colorado Springs for over 15 years.  I still have friends there.  Many of them, and those in their community, have been affected by the wildfire that burned over 350 homes.

Do you have a spare quilt to send me to help the families displaced by this event?  It is something that I care deeply about; I care about hurricanes, and tsunamis, but I know people who are affected by this.  I am always happy to help out with cancer quilts, hospice quilts, quilts for the Quilts of Valor program, but I KNOW Colorado Springs.  I spent 15 years traveling there several times a year.  It is such a beautiful town; it always filled me with joy to see the "frontier" in person.....blue skies, great air, a wonderful "small town" atmosphere in a great space.

If you could help, please let me know via a comment.  I am looking for children's quilts and "comfort quilts" 45 x 60 in size, if possible.

Thanks for listening to me; my heart hurts for entire communities shut down by the effects of this fire.  Maybe I'm getting off my duff and doing something for a small community, but it makes me feel good to do something where I actually know people who will benefit from it.

Just leave me a comment if you have something to contribute and I will send you an appropriate address.  Guy and I will quilt any tops you send us and send them on to Colorado.  Thanks so much for listening.

Kathy

Where has a week gone?

It has been a terrible week for quilting/sewing progress.  We did get to the Shenandoah Valley Quilters Guild show in Bridgewater, VA, this weekend, and saw some lovely quilts, many by good friends of mine.

I did get one small project accomplished, on a day when I felt like sewing, and not fighting fabric, cutting, organizing, or cleaning:

Remember my Salt Air charms?  Well, I had a lot of four-patches and strips of solids left, so I made a nice summer table runner:

Guy quilted it, and it needs a binding.  Maybe that will happen this morning.  It's beautiful here today.....60 degrees and low humidity.  I think that's gonna change later this week, though.

Have a wonderful day....I'm hooking up with Connie at Quilting by the River for Linky Party Tuesday.....go visit and see what everyone else is working on. 

Kathy