In Memory of My Dad

I have been out of the loop for so long that I wonder if anyone remembers me? If you will recall, my Dad moved into our home in Arizona the beginning of October. We were blessed to have him here for three months. He had his problems with oxygen and breathing, moving about, and so forth. He always maintained his positive attitude and his sense of humor. He passed away very quickly on January 3. He kept us laughing til the end. That morning he said to me, "Do you think it is worth it to get another haircut?" I looked into his sparkling clear blue eyes and we both laughed. Who knew that he would be gone that evening? 

Because of my faith I know that when my father reached the final rung in his ladder of life, he kicked off that weary old body and stepped into eternity to join our mother Louise, and other loved ones.This is what takes the sting out of death. While we mourn his loss, we find joy in our faith in eternal life and eternal families. I feel like Dad is kicking up his heels to be rid of his failing body. It's funny, but no matter how old he was, I always saw youth in his eyes. That spark of who he really is was always shining through. We all loved him for that and for the love he gave us as family and as individuals. He made it his business to stay close to his friends and to each family member, including his great-great-grandsons who were here recently.

This photo is from Dad's 90th birthday last February, 2013. That's me on top, Granddaughter Becky, my daughter Polly, and Micah and Grey, Dad's great-great-grandsons. Five generations! Becky wrote a lovely post about Dad that expresses who he was and how much he loved us.

Dad's full name was Wallace James Winspear, Jim to his friends. He was born in Buffalo, New York in February 1923. He left behind five children, 23 grandchildren, 37 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. 

We are so blessed to have had him in our lives and for the love and example he has given us. We cherish our memories and hope we can reflect his attributes in our lives. 

Until we meet again dear Dad!


 "Maybe I should talk about my future, but I don't know what will happen there. 
Actually, that is pretty exciting -trying to figure out what will happen in the future. What is it like? What do we do? How will we eat, love, move, breathe?  On one hand I can't wait to get there. On the other, I don't want to leave the ones I love here. So, I guess it's all the hands of our Heavenly Father and he's done a pretty good job of me so far. My life has had a lot of really good stuff happen so we'll see what the future brings. 
As for you, you have your whole life still stretched out in front of you and that sounds pretty exciting to me too."
Excerpt from a letter from Grampa Jim to Becky

Lincoln's Promise

 My life has taken a dramatic shift and therefore so has my attention to blogging, quiltmaking, etc. Here is the deal. My 90 year old dad became quite ill in September and my siblings and I felt he should not be living alone any longer. The most logical solution was for him to move in with me and my husband in our Arizona home. So I flew to Arizona earlier than I intended, and my brother came from Minnesota with his two sons and they moved Dad and his belongings into my house. Dad's health has greatly improved, I am happy to say. His strength has increased and so has his desire to get back behind the wheel. That is our only bone of contention. Aside from that, things are going well. He is hooked on Netflix and watches lots of TV, and I am attending to his needs. I am happy I can be here to help him. Don't expect lots of new patterns from me however. That department has taken a back seat to Dad. Life changes, doesn't it? 

Before I came back to AZ I had the pleasure of designing a quilt with some fabric that Marcus sent me. The fabric is from a new line by Pam Buda of Prairie Women's Sewing Circle fame. Her quilts are wonderful and so is her fabric. I have had the pleasure of getting to know Pam as we email back and forth. Her new fabric line is called American Gothic and if you follow the link you can take a look at it. It is all wonderful little black and cream prints. I combined just a small amount of red with those beautiful prints and came up with this design that I call Lincoln's Promise. Somehow all the black prints made me think of Abraham Lincoln as he was always seen in his black suit and tall black hat. Lincoln has been called Honest Abe for his reputation of honesty. A promise made was a promise kept. Here is a man to whom all politicians refer, but few actually emulate.  So here is my small tribute to a great American President. May he long be remembered and cherished as one of our greatest!


 

 

 By the way, if you are going to Quilt Market in Houston the quilt above will be hanging in the Marcus Fabrics booth, and the quilt below will be hanging in the American Patchwork and Quilting booth.

I hope you have seen this quilt in the Dec. 2013 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting. I had lots of fun making this quilt and yes, it took a while! But this is what I love, playing with little pieces of colorful scraps and seeing what comes of it. I love traditional designs, and I have fun making them a little unique to give them my signature. 
 “Used with permission from American Patchwork & Quilting® magazine. ©2013 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

 

I have to show this additional quilt as well. It is designed by Pam Buda and is made from the American Gothic fabric line. It is just gorgeous! Check it out at Homespun Quilts, Pam's website. I just noticed that Fat Quarter Shop has it kitted, if you are interested. 

On a totally different vein, I HAVE A NEW GRANDDAUGHTER!   

 

 Her name is Olivia Ann Patch, 7 lbs. 7 oz.

Isn't she the sweetest? I am now blessed with 9 grandchildren. Three boys and six potential quilters! Plus Micah and Grey--my great-grands! 

All is well with the Patch family! Thanks for stopping by!

Lifetime Achievement Award goes to my dad!

I have been gone so long from my blog that I feel like I am quietly slinking back and pretending that I have been here all along. I feel like I have been, as I keep thinking that I need to write about one thing or another. Those of you who are kind enough to keep up with me may recall that I have been in Arizona since before Christmas. I delayed coming back to Virginia because my Dad was about to celebrate his 90th birthday and we were planning a big party. Two weeks before his party he suffered a stroke. It was not a really bad stroke, but bad enough that it jarred us from our reluctance to admit that he was really that old. He has been, for the most part, very healthy and active. The stroke did slow him down, but by the time his party rolled around he was doing very well, thankfully. He is not up to speed on his former energy level, or his reflexes, or his memory for that matter. But he still does very well. We are so grateful for his good health and his wonderful attitude about life. My brother presented him with a Lifetime Achievement Award! Isn't that neat?

 My Dad, Jim Winspear, surrounded by grandchildren and greats!

His party was amazing! Family came from all over the country to celebrate with him. We paid him tribute in words and in song and dance. It was so much fun. I wrote more about it HERE on my family blog.

 This is my darling granddaughter Becky (mother of the twins). She is wearing a dress that my grandmother made for my mother when mom was about 16 years old, I am guessing. This is such a darling cotton dress and looks so cute on Becky. So it was made by Becky's great-grandmother! What a treasure!

I have hardly sewed a stitch this year. I am in desperate withdrawal. I worked on a couple small things in January, but left them in AZ. 
I am doing crazy things, like trying to start the microwave with my ATM code, and things like that. I still recognize the improbability of that, but let's face it, I am spacy in the morning. Later that afternoon we went to the Social Security office to apply for benefits. Do you think there may be a connection? I'd like to warn you young 'uns that the years between 45 and 65 go quickly and do not end up with pretty results! But you can find happiness at every stage of life and for that I am grateful. My dad is the best example!

My Funny Dad

 Happy Birthday to my Dad! He celebrated his 89th birthday yesterday. Or as he says it, "I'm in my 90th year"!

 This photo was taken by my nephew Brock while Dad was in Minnesota last year.

It can be difficult to get a good photo of my Dad because he still likes to make goofy faces for the camera. Dad is a ham! Dad still likes to travel. He plans to fly to Florida soon to go deep sea fishing with one of his grandsons. He has always loved fishing and sports of all kinds. You wouldn't believe that one person could have so many funny stories about GOLF!

 Recently in Arizona we were all sitting outside visiting and my Dad mentioned that he was kind of chilly. Grandson Kyle went into the house and brought him back a Spiderman jacket that Dad promptly put on and zipped up over his face. Can you see the black Spidey eyes? He makes us laugh!

Dad lives in an apartment complex for (old) retired people. He said he didn't like living with all those old people, but he got used to it when he discovered it was easy to catch up to women with walkers. He still drives his car and likes to go on dates. Last week he took a friend who is in her nineties to see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir perform in Phoenix. Her daughter drove them and picked them up, which I thought was very nice, but it also made me laugh because of all the times he drove me and picked me up when I was a kid. Things change, don't they?

We are so lucky to have our Dad around and in such good health. He is a kid at heart with a very generous spirit. He is always optimistic, energetic, enthusiastic and affectionate.  We sure love him!

CAT AND GRANDMA MOUSIE

My computer has been giving me fits and I feel like I have been ousted from the game of blogging! Oh, I know, we all have our woes when it comes to our computer. So this may be boring for you, but just picture me trying to post on my blog from a black screen. OK, it is not quite that bad at the moment, but because that is what it has been doing of late, I hurried and edited and posted my photos just in case it tries to outwit me at my own game. The thing is, my screen does not want to cooperate, so editing is my own personal joke. Does it, or does it not look better? I have to publish, and then look at my blog on my husband's computer to see for sure. He doesn't like me using his laptop for fear that I will wreck it. Who me? So I must innocently wait until he takes a little nap and then snag it. So who am I playing cat and mouse with, my computer, or my husband? Both, actually!

So let's get to the good stuff! I no longer have to contain myself, the secret is out! My son and his wife are expecting a baby boy! This news has had me spending hours at the computer, when it allows me, working on quilt designs in EQ6 for my new grandson, who is due to make his appearance in December. I have come up with many ideas, and then settled on one that I really like. I felt the need to design a quilt just for this welcome little child! And I still have some Prairie Paisley fabric that I managed to reserve in my stash, waiting for just the right project. Yay! This is it!

Here are a couple pictures to make you curious. I think it will be cute! More a little boy quilt than a baby quilt, actually. I may have to get Goldilock's approval on this quilt for Little Boy Blue. I like the way she thinks!
My dad was here to visit this past week. He lives in Arizona, but he came here from Minnesota. He spent a month there with each of my two brothers and their families, and had fun visiting friends, etc. This time he decided that he needed a cell phone, so my brother helped him get one. He hasn't quite figured out how to work it. A lady friend of his asked him to attend a wedding with her at this big basilica in Minneapolis. In the middle of the ceremony -- you guessed it! His cell phone went off. Well, he didn't know how to turn it off, so he just opened it and closed it and put it back in his pocket. Then it rang again! I know he was totally embarrassed. Some lady sitting behind him was able to turn it off for him. He is 86 years old, so we cut him some slack.

We enjoyed having him spend some time here. We walked down to the beach a couple times, and ate fish at several different restaurants. But mostly he sat on the deck and read books. He knows we always have tons to choose from and I think he finished the last three Harlan Coben books, our favorite author. He is now back in Arizona. We encouraged him to stay longer, but he said, "I don't want to miss Arizona in August"! What a crack up! His outlook and attitude is something we all need to aspire to!

Wherever you are, I hope you are enjoying August as well!

I LOVE BROWN QUILTS

Look at this darling picture of my mother! And to surprise you further, this is not my work, it is Susan's quilt in progress! Susan has so many blogs going that I never know where to find her. You may know her as Susan from Desert Sky Quilting. She began this quilt a while back and requested a photo of my mother when she was in her early 20's. Susan reads my Dad's blog and got a kick out of some of his stories. She particularly liked the one about a piano, and The Girl Next Door. Those are posted on Dad's old blog, which we are no longer able to access, so he has a new blog, The AZ Penguin 2, which he has been posting on more recently. Lots of good stuff on his old blog though, in case anyone cares to read it. If it happens to be a rainy day where you are, this can keep you busy for a while! For sure check out Susan's blog, Crazy Quilting for Fun, and see this cool project she has going. Really nice work Susan!

Recently I mentioned that my little brown quilts look nice with fall decor, so I took a couple pics to give you a glimpse. I actually placed the wrong photo in here, because I stuck some fall leaves (ala Michael's) behind the birds nest in the churndash picture, so it has more of a fall flavor now. Those cool pears on the penny rug are not real, but they sure look it. I love brown quilts.

I am really enjoying the fall season around here in Virginia. We don't get the brilliant colors, like you get in the north, but is isn't freezing and snowing here either! So I buy my fall color at Michael's. They have awesome stuff there and often it is half off, or you can get a coupon.

That said, let me ask if any of you are interested in a small Christmas quilt pattern again this year? I don't mean to rush the season, but it doesn't hurt to start preparing little gifts that you like to make. I have a small quilt finished, and will be sharing the pattern soon! Come back and check it out!

Addendum: Joan at Keeping You in Stitches liked that hexagon taple topper so well that she whipped one up last night! Can you believe it? She has been showing lots of fall decor on her blog. go take a look if you haven't been there.

WHAT IS OLD IS NEW AGAIN!

Most of you know the Beckster by now--my 19 year old granddaughter who is now beginning her sophomore year at BYU. Her parents just moved to Missoula, MT, so Becky went to see them in their new home. While there she asked her mom if she could take the quilt on little sister's bed back to college with her. Her mom said, "NO, but you can take your own quilt". Becky didn't even remember what it looked like!


Well, here is the story: I made this quilt for her in 1993. Becky put on a big smile, as the photo shows, but later her mom apologetically told me that Becky didn't want to use the quilt. Really, I didn't mind. I told her to put it away and someday she might want it. When Becky went off to college I did not make her a quilt. I figured that if the day came when she wanted a quilt she would tell me. Turns out that when her mom got the quilt out that I had made years ago, Becky loved it! Well heck, it IS just like new! A happy ending for everyone!


You know I love scrappy quilts and when I first got into quiltmaking I learned this wonderful technique that Sally Schneider developed, that she calls Mary's Triangles. Becky's quilt was made using that method. I have taught it in many classes and, for me, it never grows old. It has a ton of variations. This is what the block looks like. Can you find it in the quilt?



Other family news is that my father finally decided to write on his blog again. Last time he wrote on it was in March 08! Well, since that time Google has gotten serious about having a Google account in order to have a blog. We could not get into that blog for anything. So I opened a Google account for him and a new blog! He has already written two posts. I know a few of you out there have enjoyed his stories, so if you want to read his blog, it has been updated. Also, I have created a link to it on my sidebar down below the Babes in Blogland, that will show when he updates it.
Give him a thrill and leave a comment!


Have a happy scrappy day!

SUMMERTIME BLUES

Finally I am reporting in from Arizona! I thought I would spend more time on the computer, but it has been busy here. My brother and his wife came from Minnesota for a few days and we have lots of relatives to visit here, including my dad. Last time I was here I mentioned the cool Mexican tiles at my favorite restaurant, Tia Rosa's. I took a couple pictures of them, and of my dear old dad sitting in front of them. Does he look happy or crazy? Well, maybe a little of each. That's what I love about him--he is happy AND crazy! He is doing very well now after having blood sugar and oxygen problems earlier in the year. He turned 85 in February. Now that the weather is so nice here-in the 90's, he goes to the pool every day and swims, does water aerobics and then worships the sun for a while. He LOVES the sun! So he is all tan and healthy looking. How do you like that jazzy shirt he is wearing? He brought me three new pair of pants to hem for him. A pair of gray, a pair of canary yellow, and a pair of persimmon. Nothing shy about my dad! Have I mentioned that I adore him?

A while back I showed pictures of this quilt in progress. The primary fabrics are from the Prairie Paisley line by Minick and Simpson, from MODA. I finally completed the quilt top and took it over to my wonderful quilter who happens to reside here in Mesa. I dropped off two others as well that she will have completed for me before I go home. Pictures of those will be forthcoming. Meanwhile, this quilt is made from the Patchalot Pattern's Wintergreen design. I have dubbed it Summertime Blues. I will show it again once it is quilted, but couldn't resist posting a photo of it draped across the bushes in my son's front yard.

My aunt loaned me a wonderful little book called The Quilters, by Patricia Cooper and Norma Bradley Allen. It has been around for years, but is new to me. I loved it! It is a compilation of interviews with quilters. The introduction says this: "This book is about a group of women who make quilts in Texas and New Mexico. They are our ancestors. We sought them out because we were interested in their art. We bought quilts from them, sold quilts for them, and in the process became so impressed with their wisdom and strength as individuals that we wanted to record what we could of their lives. Through them we came to know our grandmothers and mothers, and finally to know ourselves. Through long conversations, visits, shared work, we got a sense of our history we had not before experienced." This book is a little treasure, and a tribute to those women who have gone before us and whose work and art we carry forward. I love connecting with our roots! I bet you will love it too!

Bye for now! --Marcie

QUILTS AND QUESADIAS

Hey, I did it! I figured out how to load photos to my son's computer. He has an Apple, so it is different than my PC. The photo shows the afore mentioned Scrappy Trips from Bonnie's Quiltville site. I have about 10 blocks made, and they are so addicting, which suits me just fine with my OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder, in case you are the rare quilter that doesn't have it). This photo shows 4 blocks sewn together. Isn't it cool? Your eyes just race all over the lines and colors. This will be a great quilt for stash busting! Thanks Bonnie!

I went to lunch today with my Dad and my sister for my birthday. Well, that was our excuse, but we would have gone anyway! We went to a Mexican restaurant that I love! It is so darling inside and out! It was built a couple years ago and is in an old Mexico adobe style, with a courtyard in the front and lots of pots of flowers, etc. Inside the walls are Mexican colored picture tiles part way up the walls. I sat in our booth wishing I had my camera, because several of those painted tiles would have been beautiful quilt blocks. I almost always order the Glazed Shrimp Quesadia. It is the best! I never get enough good Mexican food! Love it!

Thanks so much to all who stopped by with good wishes. I even heard from some that I haven't met before. You all are the best! It's sad that I have to beg, but look at the great results I got! VBG!!!

STRING DOLL QUILTS

I had to jump on the band wagon with these little string doll quilts. Lucy's method is on my sidebar with her tutorial. I didn't realize quite how small hers really is. Mine is probably twice the size of Lucy's and Dawn's. Of course, now I want to make a smaller one! Love that cheddar!

Dawn made the two little quilts pictured below. I swiped her photo. I tried to find it on her blog and link to it, but I couldn't find her blog entry for it. She is off to Quilt Camp, so she will never find out. (Cause blogs are so private-Ha!) Dawn used cheddar in hers, as did Lucy. Suddenly my CW fabrics are starting to look a little blah. I am in trouble if that happens because that is all I ever buy. But just look at how that cheddar color perks up a quilt! When I first started quilting I only bought mauve and blue. I guess we do change, thankfully!

Addendum: Because I never found Dawn's post on this, I forgot that Lucy actually made the little 4-patch quilt and she and Dawn traded! Guess they were the original doll quilt traders!

I added a new tutorial to my sidebar list. Wendy did a really nice one on applique using starch. It is a great method! I have actually used it myself with great results. Check out her blog, Snippets of a Quilter!

If you have read about my family on my blog you remember that I mentioned that we are a nutty group. Not just one of us, but pretty much all of us. I was talking to my Dad the other day and he mentioned going out to eat with my aunt and uncle. He said they were talking about his funeral again. My Dad is never shy about bringing it up. He has made it very clear to all of us that he wants to be cremated and then have his ashes buried with my Mom. My aunt was questioning him about what would become of his ashes. She didn't know the plan. Her husband said that they put the ashes in trays. She was still puzzled by this, and my uncle said, "you've heard of ash trays?"

And with that, I will wrap it up for today!

A NEW HOUSE

I have been a bad blogger. I can't keep up with the posting and the reading of other blogs. I want to, I just seem to be swamped. So if I haven't visited you for a while, it is not from lack of interest, it is lack of time. That and the heat. Our AC went out in this zone of the house, the zone where I sew and where my computer is. It is 100 degrees outside and about 90 degrees in here. I took my sewing machine upstairs to the dining room. We have coolness up there! I have been getting some sewing done, so I am pleased about that! OK, OK, pictures to come!


This is what a starter home looked like in 1950.
I posted this picture on my Dad's blog to go along with a story he was telling. It is a snapshot of our first house in a suburb of Buffalo, New York. I grew up in this house. NOBODY had air conditioning back then!

When I was 4 years old, back in 1950, my family moved from a one bedroom apartment to this newly constructed house in a newly constructed neighborhood. America was rebounding after WWII and my Dad got a GI loan to buy a new house. The house had two small bedrooms on the main floor, along with a bathroom, kitchen, and living room. There was a full basement with a washing machine. Mom hung all our clothes outside on a clothesline. The second floor was unfinished. My Dad finished the upstairs and made two big bedrooms with a small bathroom in the center. He had to raise the roof in the back of the house to do that. He also added a garage on the side, and a vestibule on the front. This was done over several years. My Mom always had ideas and my Dad fulfilled her every dream. She had him knock a hole in the wall between the kitchen and the living room so there was a big window pass-through. Then bar stools were added to the LR side. This really helped open up those two small rooms. See where the front door is in the photo? Mom had Dad knock a hole in the wall next to that door that went into the bedroom. That gave two entries into the room that became the dining room. Our little house changed dramatically over the years.

My Mom was quite a gardener. She and my Dad created a wonderful yard for us to play in. The picture is of my sister and me playing dolls. I was quite a tom boy, so this didn't happen too often. I would have rather been playing baseball in the street with the boys. I would like the photo better if we were sitting on a quilt, but I am pretty sure that it was an army blanket. Everyone had spare army blankets in those days. Sturdy wool things they were too.
That little willow tree started out as a branch from a tree in my grandmother's yard. It grew to be enormous. I went back there to visit a few years ago and one of our neighbors still lived in the house next door. He was cursing that tree for all the branches it lost in every rain storm. We loved it though, as kids. We could climb it and hide in the low hanging branches. Back in those days, when it was hot, people spent as much time outside as they could. Inside was not cooler. Dad put in a patio and got a grill and he cooked outside almost every night. (I wonder if he remembers it that way?) My Dad made the best hamburgers!

MY HAPPY PLACE

Remember those 9-patches I was making a while back? Well they finally turned into something! Look, a quilt top! I have been planning to make this quilt for the longest time. I saw it in a Quilt It magazine that featured Nine-Patch Favorites. There is no date on the magazine, but I found an ad in it for a 2003 quilt show. So there you go--it takes me a while to do things! I am very pleased to finally have this UFO done to the point where it can be quilted. There are actually several other 9-patch quilts in that book that I would love to make. But not quite yet. I have patterns to create and instructions to write that I have put off for far too long. One thing at a time...at least I am seeing some progress.

I happened to see My Happy Place quilt while cruising through photos the other day, so I popped it onto my sidebar. I thought it would brighten up the place. It is a pattern I designed about a year ago that incorporated a few orphan blocks that I had. Finn has everyone all psyched on orphan block quilts, and it is so much fun to see what people are creating. You have probably seen her new blog, http://orphantrainsfromfinn.blogspot.com/ but if you haven't been there, you need to check it out. Fun stuff!

Last week I mentioned that my Dad was coming to visit, but that is not going to happen now. He became ill a week ago and went into the hospital in Minnesota and ended up with three stints going into his heart. He feels much better now. They have him on oxygen, and he decided that it was too much of a pain to try and come here and have to transfer planes, etc. I agree, especially in light of the problems that can develop while trying to catch a plane, etc. It seems like everyone is having trouble with the airlines these days. So hopefully he will be able to come here in the fall. I am just glad he is feeling better! In the meantime, my daughter, who lives in Atlanta, is coming for a week! She arrives tomorrow, and I am excited about that. I know she hopes to make a baby quilt for her friend while she is here. Lets see what we come up with! For now, I am headed to bed to read for a while. I am half way through Harvesting the Heart, by Jody Picault. She writes good stuff!

PATRIOTIC MONTH

July is really Patriotic Month, isn't it? So I just thought I would post this funny photo of my dad. It is an old and damaged photo, but still worth keeping. This was in about 1944 and my dad was a Navy pilot, and goofing around as usual. He may not have been instrumental in winning the war, but you could count on him for keeping up the morale of the troops. My dad really hasn't changed a bit. Oh he is older, but he still behaves the same way. Where ever my dad is, there is a party going on, and he is the entertainment! Everyone loves my dad, including me!

Aside from his sense of humor and his ability to entertain, he also is the man to turn to if you are looking for advice and need someone to talk to that has a common sense outlook. You wouldn't think the two qualities would go hand in hand, but in my dad they do.

My dad is full of stories and jokes. He likes to make people laugh, and he is the biggest softy in the world. He tears up over sweet stories, and fond farewells. In fact, if he is reading this now he has probably got tears running down his face.

Dad moved to Arizona last fall and at 84 he has adjusted amazingly well. This summer he is visiting in Minnesota for a few weeks, then he will be coming to stay here for a couple weeks. While he is here I will not be at the computer as much as I am now. I know he will be using it to e-mail old friends and write on his blog. He loves to write about the experiences he has had in his lifetime and so I convinced him that a blog was the perfect place to share those things with his family and friends. He writes his story and then I try to find a picture to post with it.
This second photo was taken last Christmas. I am sure you recognize my granddaughter by now, also in the picture. That was her Christmas morning outfit. Kids are nuts. Oh well, enough jabbering. I just wanted to share that cute picture of my dear dad!



***Addendum: If you want to visit my dad's blog he is at http://theazpenguin.blogspot.com