Seminole Quilt

The Seminole Quilt for my nephew, half of it, not sewn together yet. 

It's a top now, and the binding is done, but company coming from Germany for a month, so may not get back to it until after that.   It's ok though, we live in Florida, and I don't think he'll be needing it.

New Project and Family Picture

I've done the Florida Gators, and helped with the Georgia Bulldogs.  Guess it's time for Florida State Seminoles.

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My handsome grandson and his mini me baby daughter.

A New Great-Grandbaby

Aurora, a wee bit of joy after the sadness.  She was born the 29th, she's healthy and beautiful.  Mommy is doing well, too.  Sorry, it's a blurry cell phone picture,

A little better picture, the next day.  Aurora, and her four year old cousin, Dominic.

Two of the three Gator bags made for my daughter, me, and a nurse at the Shand's Hospital pain management department, where my husband is a patient.

Some mindless crochet, which was what I needed.  It's about 80 by 50, and if my husband likes it, will be for him.

I bought 5 skeins of yarn, but both ends are using up pieces of yarn.  Now, I'm out of yarn except for some old scratchy yarn that I bought years ago.  This was made from "I love this yarn" from Hobby Lobby. Very soft, squishy stuff.

Sad Time

Hard time.  My brother, Vincent Howland, passed away April 7th, and lost his fight with cancer.   He never complained and tried not to be a bother, we are a stoical bunch, and it's our way.  We had someone with him all the time, and his local hospice, and he passed away in his own home, hopefully aware that he was surrounded with love.  His daughter and son were there, I had gone home the day before and was driving back ready to stay as long as necessary (he lived about  240 miles from me).   I got back about 10 minutes after he passed.
His life had good times and bad times.  He was married twice, to best friends, difficult, but each marriage produced a child, and he loved them dearly and was a single dad each time.  My parents were here to help a lot with his daughter, but he was pretty much on his own with his son.  Both mothers have also passed, and I hope that his children feel the love of our family, and the other sides of their families as well.  My niece is an established mother of 8, but his son is just graduating high school this year.
He was a U.S. Marine, and served in Vietnam.  He was a proud veteran.  After the marines he became an electrician and traveled a good bit at times, taking his crews to work on various jobs.  He liked the commercial jobs, didn't do much residential, although he was always quick to do a little job for family or friends.  The past few years he loved collecting tools and doing woodworking. He would take the ugliest old piece of raw wood and make something beautiful.  I have 3 of his tables and to me, they are works of art.
He believed in God, but wasn't affiliated with any religion, and he is being cremated, but Sunday we are having a memorial gathering and dinner at his home.   He will again be surrounded with love.  It is also his sons eighteenth birthday, and we will celebrate that as well with a cake in his honor.  I hope that even though the occasion is sad that he will know that he isn't alone in the world, we are all there for him.
 

Rainbow Scrap Challenges - Bits and Pieces

I haven't been keeping up with the RSC the past few months, illnesses of family members and such, but I have been using some of my RSC blocks from last year.  If you look, the top left block is one of my Kaleidoscope blocks, and the bottom middle is some of my 9 patches.  I needed some quilts quickly, so I used them along with my OKCMQG blocks also from last year.  

I needed a quilt for a niece, and again, I turned to the RSC and framed and sashed some of the 16 patches for a relatively quick quilt. 

And another quick quilt needed and again to the RSC.  This one was from the 2 1/2 inch strips that I had left from each color intending to do the Jelly Roll Race type quilt.  This one was done that way, but then I decided to make it into sort of a rail fence.   I needed 9 quilts in a short time, so I improvised.  I used these, also a coin style quilt that I had made the top as a spare man type quilt, then decided to use it for a tablecloth, so finished it and used it under plastic as a tablecloth for a few months.  Now, it has a label and is for a young boy.  I also used one of my Celtic Solstice quilts that weren't very successful, but hopefully the young lady that it's going to will like it.  She doesn't know that it was supposed to look differently than it turned out.  The coin and CS are here.   

Thankfully, I had the RSC to draw from and was able to complete the quilts I needed in the time frame that I was aiming for.

For more RSC quilts and blocks, ones that are actually from this year, visit Angela at 'soscrappy' here.     

Niece's Families Quilts Finished

My niece's quilts are finished and ready for delivery.  This is a last minute addition, my brother, who is ill, said that he would like a fleece cover, so of course he needed to have one.  This one is a little dark, but hope he likes it. 

The worst photographs ever, but these are for the two boys. 

For my niece.  These blocks were from last years Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  They were just 16 patches that I framed, and then sashed. 

For a niece.  This is the lavender and green version.  Below is for another niece, the pink version.

And for another niece.  It's very different from the others, but hope it suits her fancy.  She's the oldest, and a stepchild that I have never met, so no idea of her likes or dislikes.  The same for one of the boy quilts.  I can only hope that they will enjoy them. 

Aurora's Shower

A is for Aurora due in April.  Shower this Saturday.   The photo below is a pink and gray crib sized afghan, also for Aurora.    

Four Finishes

My barn quilt that I finished a few weeks ago and gave to my niece since she 'coveted' it.

My brother has brain cancer and is on hospice.  He requested that I make a quilt for his friend, so I made one for her and her two children.  This one is hers.

This is her back.

This is for her son.

And, this is his back.

And her daughters.

Her daughters back.  Not a masterpiece to be found, but hopefully they will like them, and I'm sure my brother will appreciate the effort.  He is on hospice, and I'm going back and forth.  I will be busy with everything going on, so probably won't be posting.

Fourth out of Four Flimsys

I made one of Michelle's car caddies from the tutorial she shared on Sew We Quilt.  I really like it, although I left off the decorative button.  Michelle has a really cool blog, she rescues sewing machines and cleans them, and shares some with "the Sewing Machine Project".  I have been coveting a singer 301, and looking at her blog just made me want one all over again.  I don't really need another machine, but......

The last flimsy is done for my gift of 6 quilts to my niece and her family.  Two are finished, and now I just have to make backs, cut batting, baste and quilt these four and embroider names on the backs.  A lot of hours left, and my goal is to finish by mid march.  This one is very much like the other one that I did using some of my RSC blocks.  This one is RSC blocks too, I just added frames and sashing and cornerstones.
I also finished my barn quilt.  Since my other niece said she coveted it, I decided she should have it, and I basted and quilted it in one long day.  She's supposed to be getting me pictures to share.

2 Flimsys

Last year I took part in the Flower Patch Quilt Along, and got all my flowers done, but recently I saw a niece that I hadn't made quilts for her entire family.  I made 3 quilts for her family, but I saw her this past week-end and offered to fill in the gaps.  The original quilt called for 17 flowers, and it made one quilt.  Since I have about 6 quilts to do, I decided to make one into two.  These are the result, with some obvious fillers. 

I need 3 girl quilts, 2 boy quilts, and maybe one more.   These two are for her daughters and I still need one for her fiance's daughter.  I have one quilt finished that I made for a boy quilt a year or so ago, and another top finished.  Those will take care of her son (my nephew) and her fiance's son.   This past week-end we went to a family bar-b-Que at my nephews and I gave my brother one of the Celtic Solstice quilts, he was 'not' overwhelmed, but it was mostly for warmth, and it does look better than the blanket that was on his bed.   I still have the other, and I'm thinking of giving it to my niece (I gave her a quilt a few years ago).  It has the Gator colors in it that were in the quilt that I recently made for her fiance, so it will blend.  That would just leave her fiance's daughter, and I'm thinking a simple quilt like maybe a strippie.
I'm working away, and will soon have a basting and quilting marathon.  I'll have 5 quilts to do, including my barn quilt.  I'm hoping to finish by mid march, my nieces are supposed to be coming for my granddaughter's baby shower, and I can give them then.  It'll save a good bit of shipping.