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No, I didn't say "FAT Jan!" I said "FLAT Jan!" "F - L - A - T," as in "Flat Stanley". If you haven't ever heard of "Flat Stanley," he's this little "flat" guy that school children make and send off to travel all around the World! He visits family and friends and comes back to them filled w/all sorts of experiences to tell about :) Soooooo, without any further ado, here's "Flat Jan!"
Isn't she hysterical! She makes me LOL!!!!! Sooooooo, why in Heaven's name did I make her??? Well, here's her story :) A group of my quilting buddies are heading to Lake Logan located in the beautiful mountains of NC in 2 weeks ... 16 of 'em to be exact w/2 hubbies and one other local gal, bringing the number up to 19. They'll spend 3 glorious nights and 4 glorious days stitching and laughing together.My friend Debbie, is leader of the "Lake Logan Pack;" and she came up with the great idea that all of us other quilting buddies who can't attend should send themselves in "flat form," so they can enjoy some of the fun in a "flat sorta way!" Sooooooo, that's why I created this silly little thing :) She's leaving Davie today and heading up to Cocoa Beach, FL, so she can travel with my friend, Mary! I figured us FL gals needed to stick together :) The "Flat Gals" will come in all shapes and sizes and I can't wait to see them all together! My friend, Fran, from PA sent hers to my friend, Carolany, in AL; and her "flat self" traveled with a wardrobe! Such creativity :) This next picture will give you a better idea of the size of my "flat self :)" Oooops, a bit blurry! Sorry!
Such a fun little something to lighten the burdens of the day; so as her sign says ... "Lake Logan Here I Come!""Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)
And that "gone and done it again" I'm referring to is "another new project!" I'm afraid it's a sickness and I might need to seek professional help!!!!! I simply can't help myself tho, and all the blame goes to my friend Mary! She started a "Grandmother's Flower Garden" quilt; and her blocks were soooo pretty, that I just had to start one myself!
Not your normal "Grandmother's Flower Garden," that's for sure cuz I was in "scrap happy" mode, sooooo I pulled out my 4 drawers of itsy bitsy pieces of fabric left over from this and that and started snipping. If the leftover is at least 2 inches, it gets put into the drawer! I don't even have a clue where I will go to from here, but I am so excited about all the possibilities :) And talk about a good "couch potato project!" Absolutely the best!Did you know that the "Grandmother's Flower Garden" was the most popular pattern after 1925, and that many women who never made another quilt in their life finished one of these! I find that very interesting, and I certainly understand it cuz I am having fun! On to "Block #2" after work :)"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)
"She" being my friend, Eileen; and "it" being this "red, white and blue block!"
Eileen is a wonderful, talented lady with a kind, loving and generous soul. The majority of her time in her sewing room is spent making quilts for our soldiers ... for both "Quilts of Valor" and a new venture of gifting quilts to the families of those men and women who have died defending this great Nation we live in. She also devotes time to creating quilts for a local Hospice Facility ... her generosity is what I believe we could use a bit more of in this world we live in today ... it's living a life the way God intended it to be lived!God Bless you Eileen ... and God Bless all the families you create beautiful quilts for. This block will be on it's way to you :)"The LORD bless you and keep you." (Numbers 6:24)
He doesn't have a name yet, but I am sooooooooo in love with this little guy :) The moment I saw him in the Fons and Porter Magazine,
I knew he had to be mine! I opted not to put the words "Boo" on him like the pattern called for cuz I don't like being scared ... also opted for "no spiders" cuz I don't like them either, so our little punkin is just plain Jane! Ohhhhhhhh, perhaps that'll be his name, which would change "him to a her!" I don't think that'll work cuz that could possibly make him all sorts of things, so back to the drawing board on the name :)
He's made from lots of little pieces of this and that from my stash :) He's also made with fusible appliqué, which I don't do that often ... actually, this is only my second time ever! I enjoyed the change and remembered very quickly how much I enjoy doing the blanket stitch :) I also enjoyed using my "appliqué pressing sheet" for the first time after buying it several years ago ... that is one great product! No, Jan, it's not yours sweetie! I promise :) Hers vanished off the face of the Earth a while back ... it just fell down into that black hole where all the missing socks go! 
Doesn't he make you smile :) He kinda makes all the problems of the world go away for a few minutes ... he's a good thing!"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." (Ephesians 5:1-2)
When the sun goes down in the evening, come rain or come shine, 365 days a year, this is what you'll see here in Davie .............
Hundreds of 'em ... Egrets to be exact, the majority of which are white w/a few black ones thrown in.
I don't normally see them during the summer months cuz it stays light for so much longer; but I was at work late last night cuz it's been one of those "helluva weeks at Sea," so they were all sitting there on their spot when I drove by last night.These guys lined up on the bank are waiting for a free spot on the tree! For some reason, they don't like the top part of the tree ... just all those lower branches.
All this "roosting," together with lots of other "nature type stuff" takes place here .........
I don't think they need to worry about me "swimming" cuz I don't "swim where Gators swim!" I also don't have any desire to feed or entice the Gators ... unless they are those slimy Florida Gators, you know the football team, who TN happens to be playing tomorrow in the Swamp, so basically, they certainly didn't need to put this sign up for yours truly!
They were still flying in from who knows where when Molly and I were pulling out. Yeap, never ceases to amaze me, even after all these years!
"If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. " (Psalm 139:11-12)
Due to working full time and caring for my sick honey, I will admit that those "ta da" days are few and far between; but they are ever so grand no matter how long they take to get here :) I have always had mixed feelings about finishing a project tho ... I'm obviously very excited! You know, the "jump up and down" kind of excited; but then again, I get a bit melancholy at the same time, especially when the finished something will be leaving Davie. My friend, Jan, and I were talking about this just the other day; and she feels the same, so I'm thinking there might be other Quilter's out there who experience similar feelings.Anyway, without any further debut, here it is ... the Chenille Daisy.
I'm now wishing that I had set that daisy just a bit higher. I wasn't taking the borders in to consideration when it got placed; but all in all, I'm satisfied. I also wish the picture was a bit brighter, but I'm afraid it's been raining buckets down here in Davie for what seems to be weeks now, so not much sunshine flowing into the sewing room these days.Here's a close up of the "queeelting." It's been washed, cuz I love that "worn" look, so it doesn't show up too well. I did plain stippling in the borders and swirly q's in the strips.
It hasn't left Davie just yet cuz it still needs a label, so I get to remain in the "excitement mode" for a bit longer :)"Be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul." (Joshua 22:5)
......... of "Signed, Sealed and Delivered with Love!" Remember the 31 wonderful ladies who made the gorgeous sampler for me in memory of our Daughter, Micki??? Well, those same ladies made this beauty in memory of Micki for Mr. Gene; and they named it "Tennessee Hugs."
He simply could not believe that they had made him his very own quilt; and he sat there for quite some time studying every square inch of it. Actually, I didn't think he was ever gonna stop looking at it ... ya see, I was ready for him to put it down and start looking at mine (LOL). They chose the "Tennessee Block" cuz the great State of Tennessee, a/k/a "God's Country" is where we are originally from and is where Micki was buried just below her Papaw Bud in a beautiful Cemetery in Powell, TN. 
I just adore the way that dark blue thread looks on that gorgeous yellow fabric and I am in love with the way they did the binding. It's all pulled towards the back, which gives it a really nice, clean, crisp edge :) All the girls really wanted Gene to use the quilt, but he would much rather sit back and admire it! He's a big guy and he's always been hard on vehicles, shoes, recliners and quilts; and there's no way 'jose that he would do anything to mess up this work of art that was made and delivered with so much love :) I like to think that Micki was able to peak down from Heaven and has seen this beautiful creation that was made for her Daddy in her memory :)
We will remain eternally grateful for all the love and sympathy that went into these quilts :) Oh and there's one more to show you, so I'll be back soon :)
"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty." (Psalm 91:1)
"Quilters" commemorate all the joyful occasions in life with quilts ... it's just what we do! You've got the birth of a new bundle of joy, the joining of two people in holy matrimony, the successes of a graduate and the blessings of a landmark Anniversary or Birthday ... the list goes on and on and on; and we all hope that the quilt becomes a treasured possession to our loved ones.There's also the solemn occasions in life ... the death of a loved one ... their memory living on in bits and pieces of fabric sewn together with love and with sympathy, which is exactly what Gene and I received 3 months after our Daughter, Michelle (Micki) passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on April 28th, 2007, at precisely 4:45 p.m. Micki bravely battled Crohn's Disease for 23 long years, the last 10 being the worse; and she handled it all with an amazing amount of grace, dignity and an abundance of faith. When she died that Saturday afternoon just a little over 28 months ago, we were devastated, shocked and heart broken. She was terribly ill at the time, but we had no idea that she would be leaving us so soon; and were in total disbelief when a blood clot went to her lungs. The three months following her death are still somewhat of a total blur, during which time 31 of the most amazing women you'd ever want to meet ... 31 woman who reside all throughout this glorious Country we live in were busy putting together 3 absolutely gorgeous quilts in loving memory of our Daughter. These quilts touched our hearts more than they could possibly ever know ... as strange as it sounds, it represented a turning point in our grief ... we still grieve today and always will; however, when we received the beautiful work of these special ladies, our hearts softened and we were able to see more clearly ... to see that God's timing for Micki was perfect. He knew she had had enough and that it was time to bring her Home. We finally knew in our hearts that she was where she was supposed to be ... in Heaven, where sickness and suffering is not allowed ... where only happy times and happy thoughts exist. We finally realized the abundance of the blessing that God chose to give her; and although the pain is still significant today, our hearts are at peace; and her memory will live on always ... in the very depth of our souls, in the members of our family and yes ... in all the bits and pieces of fabric in this beautiful quilt.
Today I share with you the first of the 3 quilts that these wonderful ladies presented us with, which is the one they made for me ... an absolutely gorgeous "Sampler."
If you enlarge the photo above, you'll see that this adorable block is embroidered with "Sweet Memories of Micki." The rest of the photos are close up shots of all the gorgeous blocks ... aren't they awesome!!!!!!!!
Gene and I will be forever grateful to the love that was given us in this quilt and it will warm our hearts all the days of our lives. God Bless all 31 of the wonderful women who played such a loving part in the creation of this masterpiece :)"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living." (Psalm 27:13)
