PURCHASING POWER THROUGH PAYPAL, etc

I am excited to announce that I have finally added PayPal to my website! Being fairly computer inept, I needed someone to give me encouragement and walk me through it. Once again Karen, our Sew Primitive gal, came to my rescue. I have already had a few orders, and it works like magic! Just click on a button and you can pay with a credit card and PayPal handles the details. Silly me, I thought it was going to be a big deal! NO BIG DEAL!

Also, if you click over to Karen's blog you can see a beautiful quilt that a customer at Little Quilts made with my Williamsburg Medallion pattern! By the way, Karen has designed some darling punch-needle patterns that she is selling on her website, Folkart Children And if you haven't seen her Primitive Children, you really must take a look. The girl has talent!

Last week my son came for a visit. He is living, working, and going to school in Provo, UT, and doesn't get out to the East Coast very often. It was great having him here. I know he was bored silly at least part of the time, but that is the price you have to pay when you are young and you go visit "old-timers". On Monday he and I drove to Jamestown to see the sights. We visited the museum there, which is quite wonderful. Also, there is a replica of a small Indian village. The first picture, above, shows us inside a hut with a big bear skin hanging on the wall behind us. There were many furs on the walls and sleeping cots. Very authentic!

The ship is a model of the Susan B. Constant, one of the three ships that sailed from England in 1607. They actually came ashore right down the road from where I live. When they found the James River (I am sure the Indians didn't call it that) they sailed up it and established a fort at what later became Jamestown. Both named after King James, of course.

We went on board the ship and walked around. Let me tell you it is so small! Those poor people were on board for four months!!! A year ago my friend, Joan, loaned me a really good book written by one of the descendants of a Jamestown family. The book is Dark Enough to see the Stars in a Jamestown Sky, by Connie Lapallo. I tired to order it from Amazon, but they didn't have it. I was so pleased to be able to find it in one of the gift shops up there. I had to have my own copy! The book tells the story of the women and children and how they survived (or didn't). Very interesting!

So that was my excitement for the week. Next post I promise something quilty. I have been sewing! Until then, have a happy, scrappy day!

THE APRON REVISITED

Here she is, my darling granddaughter, displaying her culinary expertise in her new apron. You have to admit that it looks cuter on her than on the hanger! Becky is a testament as to what can be accomplished in a college dormitory kitchen! We mostly call her Becky, but when she was about five years old she decided that she wanted to be called "Becksterama the Cool One", and that kind of stuck. Well, at least the "Beckster" part stuck. But you have to admit, she is a "Cool One"! You can tell she is shy, can't you? Ha!

While Mrs. Goodneedle and Cheryl at Polka Dots and Rick Rack, are enjoying the thrill of new grandbabies in their families, I have to admit that "old" grandbabies are quite awesome as well!

On another note, Lyn, at Welcome to Bluebird Quilts, is looking for a name for a lovely blue and white quilt that she made. She is asking for suggestions, and giving a prize to the winning name. Go visit her and be sure to scroll back and see this quilt as it progresses. The quilting on it is wonderful too!

My youngest son has been here visiting for the past few days, so more on that later!

Have a happy day!

SHADE YOUR EYES, I'M BRILLIANT

Who is this cute girl, you may be asking? Well, her name is Karen, from Short Story Long, and she blogs from Colorado. I don't know much about her, but I can tell you she likes RED, which gives us immediate common ground. Also, she just awarded me the Brilliante award that you now see glowing on my sidebar. So she is cute and has an apparent degree of discernment. She also has three little boys who are quite accident prone, as little boys are wont to be. I have heard that the emergency room at her local hospital has a daily appointment set for her family and once in a while she calls to say they won't be in that day. She is also a quilter, but frankly, when does a mother of three have the luxury of sitting down long enough for something like that? Go visit her and see what I mean!

So thank you Karen, for the very nice compliment of this award. I have so many brilliant blogger friends out there that I can't really chose, and I think if you read my blog you must be brilliant!

Now if I may, I feel the need to interject the fact that I have several Karens who are kind enough to leave me comments, and I am having a heck of a time determining who is who. Would it be too much to ask you to add an initial or part of your blog title to you name? Say maybe, "Primitive Karen", or "Short Karen", or "LC Karen", etc. Just a thought.

Have a happy day!

THE APRON HAS LANDED!

You may recall that my granddaughter is attending BYU in Provo, Utah. She is pictured here hard at work in the school library. Oh that girl!

Well, her long awaited apron finally arrived! She also needed silverware, pots and pans, etc. So Grandma packed a very heavy box. The post office wanted $35 bucks to mail it Priority, so I opted for the $20 road trip. She loves the apron, and I finally get to show it off on my blog. Such fun! This is apron #3 that I have made, and each one gets constructed better than the last. The first one I made according to package directions. The second one I faced the bib and shoulder strap, and top stitched the bias binding. For this one I added a little more ruffle, along with the other improvements. Also, I skipped the bias binding and added tiny rick-rack. Isn't it very 1940's?

If you missed the first two aprons, they are pictured HERE, in another post.

Have a happy day! ~Marcie

A LITTLE SPAM WITH YOUR BLOG?

Did anyone have a little SPAM problem yesterday? Yvonne, at Quilting Down the Stairs. e-mailed me first thing in the morning to alert me that my blog was not opening. Is that sweet or what? I opened my blog, and sure enough, it was frozen. I looked to Google Help, and they were already on it. Apparently it had to do with spam. It was all back in order very quickly. I thought that was pretty impressive. Kudos to the BLOGGER TEAM, wherever they are! (I know they are out there)! So on that note, Google has also presented us with a delightful assortment of SPAM recipes. Dig in, there is plenty to go around!

Coconut Beer Batter Spam with Raspberry Horse
Creamy Spam Broccoli Casserole
Cricket's Spam Quiche
Delicious and 'Good For You' SPAM Salad
Easy Spam Triangles
French Fry Spam Casserole
Gingered Spam Salad
Healthy Spam Peppers
Savory Spam Crescents
Spam A La King
Spam Ala Gary
Spam Ala Gary
Spam Breakfast Burritos
Spam Broccoli Pecan Salad
Spam Confetti Pasta
Spam Denver Biscuit Souffle
Spam Fajitas
Spam Hashbrown Bake
Spam Hashbrown Bake
Spam Hot And Spicy Stir-Fry
Spam Hot Vegetable Salad Sandwiches
Spam Imperial Tortilla Sandwiches
Spam Meal In A Bundle
Spam Primavera

Copyright ©1995-2000 SOAR. ©2001-2008 RecipeSource. All Rights Reserved.All trademarks are the property of their respective owners

HAPPY TO REPORT

You may recall my post regarding my quilts and patterns going to Hershey, PA for the Quilt Odyssey show. Well, today Jean from The Happy Sewing Room, in Hamburg, PA, called to say that my quilts were a great success and she sold out of Indian Paintbrush (pictured above).

The photo above shows Wintergreen, a small version of Table Scraps (little brown churn dash), Scrappy Patches, above right, and Pioneer Trail in the lower right. The red star is not one of mine, but I like it a lot! I only sent them two quilts, and the rest are samples that they made up, including one that you can't see. So hooray for The Happy Sewing Room! You might want to check out their website.

Thanks for stopping by! ~Marcie

PUTTERING WITH PATCHES

My friend Pat, who lives in North Bend, WA, recently sent me a box of R-W-B scraps that she knew I would love. Pat is responsible for teaching me to make quilts. I always had the urge, but never the opportunity, until I met Pat. That was in the early 1990's when we lived in Issaquah, WA. The above photo was taken of us at the APNQ (Association of Pacific Northwest Quilters) in front of a quilt that neither of us made. It was in August of 2000, and happened to be the day the moving truck was at my house, packing us to leave for Virginia, where we now live. No way was I going to miss that event just because a moving van was parked in front of my house! That was eight years ago, and we have only grown more lovely with age. (Don't ask me to prove that).

So this box has been sitting on the floor of my sewing room for a few months at this point. I didn't want to split it up and put it away, because any minute I knew I would dive into it and make a quilt. Last week I had to empty the box onto the floor because I needed the box to send things to my son that he left while he was here. So now visualize all these scraps in a pile on the floor of my already disastrous sewing room. It is like playing hopscotch getting across the floor on any given day.

I had finished three aprons, and now I needed to work on a quilt. I should be completing one of the many UFOs that are hovering about, but luckily my Dad called with the news that my nephew (and his wife, of course) just had another baby boy. Yea! I get to make a baby quilt! My eyes settled on the pile of scraps on the floor, and I decided to spread them out and take inventory. Imagine finding quite a few strips of red, white and blue! You must know by now that this is my favorite color combination. So here I am with lots of two inch strips. What to do, what to do? I started looking for ideas. One of my best resources is YOU out there in Blogland! I just happen to have a few photos of quilts that you have shared. I saw one made from 4-patches and these colors recently. "Oh yeah! That is perfect for my new nephew", says I. Since I already have the two inch strips, it was an obvious decision to make the 4-patches from two inch strips. So zip, zip, and zip, and I have red and white 4-patches all over the place. The next day I cut up a bunch of 3.5 inch squares of various blues, and began sewing these pieces into strips.

Today I finished sewing the rows together, and voila, a quilt is entering the world. This is what I love about quiltmaking: you take a pile of untamed matter (or scraps, as we like to call them) and create something totally new and wonderful! Borders are in the works, and then the quilt will finish at about 42 inches square.

For your viewing pleasure, I included a little picture of my cute granddaughter from a few years ago on the 4th of July.

In actuality, I have made this design before, and love it. But this coloration was inspired by a fellow blogger. I normally include the quilt makers name when I save a photo, and, for whatever reason, I neglected to do that with this quilt. If you happen to read my blog, and you think I may have seen a similar quilt on your blog, let me know and I will happily mail you one of my own delightful, and original patterns! (Disclaimer: if I get too many claims, you may have to send proof)!

Well, that turned out to be the long version of the history of a small quilt! Now I am off to the border!

TIME WARP

I finally got to work on a quilt today, but really don't have anything to show. I made a bunch of 4-patches and they are not too exciting yet. I can report that I finished my granddaughter's apron! Yea! It is so cute, and I hope that she loves it, but will reserve showing it here until she receives it so I won't spoil the impact of her seeing it for the first time.

So, I thought I would share a couple other things that might be of interest to someone out there, hopefully! Most of you probably have a quilt hanger in your home, of some type. This one is mine. She began life as a perfume model, standing on a counter in a department store. She carried a slinky scarf and a come hither look, urging people to the perfume counter to buy her product. It was sad, really, a beautiful young woman shamefully displaying her body in an effort to sell a product, when, what she really wanted was to be recognized for the person she was on the inside. When she first came to me I recognized her potential immediately! I offered her a vintage quilt, something I dearly love, and she was so thrilled that she tossed her arms in the air for joy! She has remained that way to this day. I have thought of making her a frock to wear, and still think it would be nice. Either way, she is unique and I am pleased to have her share my enthusiasm for vintage and other quilts. Every so often I hear her softly singing, "some day my prince will come". She may have placed an order at the Fat Quarter Shop, I don't know.


Speaking of vintage, I happened upon this darling dress in the back of the closet today. It was my mother's dress, probably worn in the 1940's, and made by my grandmother. It is a tiny coral checked fabric, trimmed with tiny blue rick rack and blue buttons. It actually is similar in style to the aprons that I have been making. I would love to have my granddaughter try this on. I bet it would fit her. We are so taken with everything retro today, but this is the real deal.

Please take note of the Prairie Paisley link on the side of my blog. I added a couple more links of late, and they are super-cute quilts. Let me know if you are making a quilt from the Prairie Paisley fabric or if you know someone who is. I love seeing them all!

Pushing toward the weekend again. Where does the time go? Anyone? Anyone?

SMILES to everyone! Remember, that is the longest word in the dictionary. There is a mile between the first and last letter. Now I am going to run and hide for a few more days to avoid getting pelted with rotten fruit!

~Marcie

QUILTS AND KISSES

When it comes to Kisses, do you first think "love" or "chocolate"? Probably a silly question, as we all seem to love chocolate! Well now think "love+chocolate+quilts" and that equation equals only one thing! The QUILT ODYSSEY in Hershey, PA! It begins this week, opening Thursday, July 24 -27. Unfortunately, I will not be there, but lots of my Patchalot Patterns will be, and also a few of my quilts! I am excited to have them attend this event, and wish I could be there also. I will be home with some of my other quilts and some of my own Hershey's!

So here is what I want to know: Are any of you, who read my blog, planning to attend this event? I would love to have someone take a picture or two of my quilts and patterns and e-mail them to me to post on my blog. They can be seen at the booth of The Happy Sewing Room at the show.

Have fun at the Quilt Odyssey show, and blow my quilts some kisses--but not chocolate ones please! Save those to eat!

~Marcie

I WOULD RATHER MAKE AN APRON THAN COOK IN ONE!

Just so you know that I have actually created something recently, here is what I made for two of my granddaughters while they were visiting. The intention was to make an apron for the granddaughter away at college who is becoming quite domestic. Yeah, I heard she made cup cakes! So my daughter and I went to Jo-Ann's and bought a pattern. She wanted something retro, and there are some cute patterns around. We decided on this cutie!

When Mary, on the left in the photo, saw the pattern, she wanted an apron too. So we went through my fabric and found fabric that she liked. As I was stitching away, Danielle, on the right, comes in and says she wants one too! So we went through my fabric and found something that she liked as well. As I was stitching away, Plumpkin came in and she wanted an apron too! We can't leave her out!

This is Plumpkin thinking, "Hmmm, I think I want an apron too"!

Well, I didn't get Plumpkin's done yet, and I actually need to make our college girl's apron first. So that is next on the agenda. So, as you can see, I have two more apron's to make before I can begin thinking QUILT again. But I am smiling! It is always nice when you can actually make something that makes kids happy these days!

~Marcie

WELCOME TO THE BEACH

Welcome to our house in Virginia Beach, VA! We are all "decked out" and ready for company! Of course we decorate with quilts around here and I happen to have a few red, white and blue ones that are perfect for our 4th of July celebration. This year we added the outdoor drapes to the west facing side of the deck to block out the sun at dinner time. I was resistant to putting drapes outside, but my husband thought it would be great and I finally agreed. Now let me tell you, I couldn't be happier! These are from the Pottery Barn catalogue and made for outdoor use. They are a sturdy synthetic and look similar to canvas. I am hooked! It makes all the difference to have them shade us while eating outdoors! You can't quite see the wicker furniture, but we had all the cushions recovered in denim, which happens to go very well with my quilts!

Additionally, we added beach cruiser bikes this year. As you can see, they were a big hit! Plumpkin, in the back seat, managed to get someone to take her for a ride every night. There is a path nearby that goes through many miles of Seashore State Park for walkers, runners and bikers. It is great and a nice alternative to the beach. Jack, Polly and Plumpkin pictured here.

These two have been best buddies since they were babies. My son's son, Kyle, and my daughter's daughter, Mary. Both are 16 years old. Most of the good pictures that we have were taken by Mary. She carries her camera everywhere and gets some great shots! This one I may have actually taken, but you never know because these days kids manage to snap lots of pictures of themselves with their out-stretched arm. If you have teenagers around you know what I mean. We combined photos from three cameras onto a disk, so that is why I don't know for certain who took the picture.

Plumpkin was amazed to see the little crabs that skitter all over the beach. It it amazing how quickly they bury themselves down a hole.

Jack decided to try it himself. Buried up to his neck, he may be having second thoughts after what Kyle found living close by. What is that pinching your toe Jack?

Kyle loves nature. In fact, he had to chase his cousins down the beach to show them the wonderful specimen that he found. I once ordered a soft shell crab sandwich at a local restaurant and this is what was on it, legs sticking out of the bun, with tomato, lettuce and mayo. I am not a native of this area, and it was kind of weird!

In closing, I have to share what is probably my favorite picture of the summer. My son, in the middle (duh!), is a crazy man, and always is goofing around. The kids love him for it, and so do I! His daughter Danielle, is on the left and googly-eyed Plumpkin on the right.

Did I mention how quiet it is around here? Everyone went back to their own homes in Minnesota and Arizona last week. It was wild and wonderful while they were here, but the quiet is a nice change too! More later...

Marcie

HOORAY FOR THE RED, WHITE AND BLUE

I love red, white and blue quilts! Over the years I have made a few. Recently I arranged three of them together on the deck railing for a photo shoot. How fun is that?!

I just added another member to the Prairie Paisley Club. Libby made an awesome quilt for her daughter who has just returned home from nine years in the Air Force. I am really surprised that I haven't heard from more of you out there making quilts from that beautiful line of fabric. Let me know If I can add you to the list, or if you come across another quilt blogger that has made something from Prairie Paisley, by Minick and Simpson, of Moda Fabrics. I know there are lots of gorgeous fabrics out there, but this one just struck a chord with me. I hope you have looked at the blogs that are listed. They are great!

My grandkids are still hamming it up, as you can see. The oldest one here loves to take pictures, so finally I will have a great selection to share. Here she is with with her little clone that I call Plumpkin.

On occasion we are treated to a rare performance of original dance, by Plumpkin, complete with costume. Let me tell you, this girl can dance and twirl to any music. But I must say that she prefers Barbie Musical CDs.

We are once again suffering from air conditioning woes in the zone that contains my sewing room, office and TV room. We had a mattress on the floor for two of the kids in the TV room, but it is so blasted hot that I took pity on them and moved the mattress to the foot of the bed in the master bedroom. I had to warn my husband not to step on anybody when he returned home last night from being out of town on business.

All in all, we are having a good time. They go down to the beach every day, and hopefully they will make memories for years to come. When I was a kid we went to Crystal Beach on Lake Erie (the Canadian side) every summer. It was such a treat!

I hope you are making some wonderful summer memories also, and tucking them away to bring out on a cold winter's day.

--Marcie

Addendum: Hooked commented about the RWB quilt quilts. All three are from Patchalot Patterns. (Stars & Garters, Christmas Kisses, Wintergreen-some color changes!) You can go there for ordering instructions if you wish. Thanks for asking!

THE GRANDCHILDREN HAVE ARRIVED

The reign of terror has begun!

After driving for two long days from Minnesota to Virginia, my daughter has arrived with three of her children. I wasn't sure when they were leaving, so when Plumpkin, age 3, called me on the phone I asked her if she was driving. "No", she says, "my mom is. I am sitting in the back in my carseat". Oh my gosh, she is so funny!

They haven't been to visit us for a couple of years, so we have been excited to have them come. Daughter and 16 year old granddaughter went shopping today for new swimming suits and came back with really cutes ones from Macy's. The 10 year old grandson sat glued to the TV all day. He doesn't get to watch much TV at home, so he is quite mesmerized with it. Three year old Plumpkin is another case entirely. She is so quick. Her little feet move as quickly as her little brain. We sat on the deck and read a couple books. That was very pleasant. The Poky Little Puppy nevers gets old! Have you noticed? I have been reading that story since I was a child, I am sure. Well, after that she decided it would be nice to have a tea party. We went to the garage and pulled out a box of little dishes and cups that haven't been used in many, many years. We went to the kitchen and she stood on the kitchen chair while we washed the dishes and dried them. I decided to take a quick bathroom break, and hear Plumpkin telling me through the door that she is going to break some eggs for our tea party. "No, No, No! Wait just a minute"! I hustled back to the kitchen and she is holding two large white eggs in her hands, telling me she is going to crack them now. I talked her into putting them back in the carton, and explained that they were very fragile. We took our little tea party out to the deck, complete with Diet Coke in our tea cups, and Rice Chexx on a tiny plate. She cautioned me to be careful because the little cups were "very fragile". I guess she decided that she liked that word, and has used it several times today. She also engaged me in a discussion of birds and eggs, and wondered if the bird families were sad that someone ate their eggs. "They sit on their eggs to keep them warm until they get patched". I keep trying to explain that the eggs get hatched and not patched, but so far she is sticking to her story.

I think it is safe to say that I will be quite busy for the next little while, and loving every minute of it!

--Marcie

THERE AIN'T NO CURE...

If you were a kid in the fifties or sixties you will remember "There Ain't No Cure for the Summertime Blues". You can read the lyrics to that song by clicking the link. For the rest of you babes, you may have heard it through the years. It's a really fun and catchy song! Well, here is my completed Prairie Paisley quilt that I named Summertime Blues. I just love it! Minick and Simpson did a great job with this line of fabric for Moda, and it seems that many of you have fallen in love with it along with me. I decided that it would be fun to link to other photos of quilts made from Prairie Paisley fabric. I have seen quilts at Kim's blog, and also Darlene's. So if you, or anyone you know, made a quilt with this fabric, please leave me a comment and I will link to you. I will put it on my side bar for a month or so. Can't wait to see what you have done! (Mar? Are you out there?)
By the way, my quilt has some stash fabric mixed in with the Priairie Paisley. The 4-patches and the reds are from my stash. They all play nice, don't you think?

You know how when you are on line and you see little promotional items? Well this one caught my eye and I had to go check it out. French Fry Spam Casserole Now doesn't that just sound too good to be true? I hope my granddaughter in college reads this. She is always looking for good recipes to make for guys. Reel him in with this one Honey!



P.S. On my sidebar I am linking to the blog pages that feature a Prairie Paisley Quilt. To view more of any blog listed click on "Search Blog" at the top of the blog and it will take you to the front page of each blog.

SWEET SAMPLER 'N STUFF

Well the heat has finally hit Virgina in a big way! I broke down and turned on the air conditioning, only to find out that one unit was totally devoid of freon. Luckily my repair man actually returned my call and came and fixed it. The problem was in my sewing room and office, so I would have had to call it something like, oh, "the sweat shop" or something original like that.

So I have been playing around and thought I would clean up my sewing space a bit, since it was nice and cool in there. What do I find but three little Tree quilts from last December. These were going to be gifts, but never got that far. (I did finish several of these!) Actually, one is for me because I ended up giving mine away. Darn cute, isn't it? I at least got all the loose ends sewn together and now they need a little quilting. This is smaller than the pattern on my website. I scaled it down so that the tree top is 3 inches. Many of you made one or more of these last year. If you are a new reader, this was my Christmas treat to everyone last year. The pattern is still available on my website for free, and Christmas fabric is flooding the shops-so what are you waiting for?

Cheryl at Polka Dots and Rick Rack has a photo of My Happy Place quilt at her site that her friend made. It is very cute and she made it for a good cause. Check out Cheryl's blog to read about it. I love that she used 30's prints in the quilt. They are always so cheerful!

I designed this quilt a couple years ago to hang above my sewing machine. So far that hasn't happened. It has been hanging at the LQS, What's Your Stitch 'N Stuff, since its creation, which, oddly enough, also happens to be my happy place! Plus, they sell all my patterns! That makes me very happy! The shop just recently started a blog called Heidi-Idy's Happenings 'N Stuff. I LOVE this shop! It is so in line with everything I do! Civil War, Primitive, plaids, wool, needle-punch--they have it all! And KITS, lots of KITS! Plus some kids fabric and brights, and minky for those who require it. If you come to visit Virginia Beach you need to check out this shop!

I mentioned last post that I was playing with wool. Well, here is the progress so far. I love wool applique and embroidery. This one is called Sweet Sampler, by Shawn Williams, and I got the pattern at the above mentioned shop! There is lots more to do on this, so come back again, but don't hold your breath. I am not known for my speed.

--Marcie

SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW

Blogging seems to have slowed down. Is it the time of year? School is ending, plants need tending, all the world is green. Time keeps going, skin is glowing, pass me the sunscreen.

You may not have been aware of my poetic tendencies. But on occasion it just bursts through!

This cute little guy is my grandson. Actually this was a few years ago. He is going to be 11 this summer. I don't know if I have shown this quilt before. I made it for Jack, as you can see. It is the Road to Oklahoma pattern by Debbie Caffrey. (Book: Open a Can of Worms)

The next quilt was made for my other grandson, who will soon be 17. They start out so cute, don't they? I love this pattern! It was in one of Nancy Martin's books several years ago. I haven't gotten much sewing done of late, so I thought I would pull a couple photos from the archives to share.

I finally have my two newest patterns printed and packaged, so if you find that you just have to have one or both of them, just go to my website to the link for ordering. Or, you can call the LQS here, What's Your Stitch N Stuff, (757-523-2711) and they help you. They are fully stocked!

It is heating up here in Virginia. I am very close to turning on the A/C. I am holding out for as long as I can. I want to cut back on fuel where ever possible!

Have a great weekend everyone! --Marcie

MONTERREY MEDALLION

I don't have anything new of my own to show, so I thought I would share a beautiful quilt made by my friend Marae who lives in Mesa, AZ. Marae is a long arm quilter and she does most of my quilts for me. Occasionally she even gets to make one for herself! She pieced and quilted this one. Marae's color choices are wonderful! The quilt is called Monterrey Medallion and was designed by Terry Atkinson. (Click on the link to see Terry's version at her website.) You know I love medallion quilts and I even have this book. I would love to make it for myself someday. Terry is a Minnesota quilter whose work I greatly admire. She creates clean and original designs and her directions are impeccable! As one who must write directions myself, I can't help but critique those written by others. I am always looking to learn a better way to create quilts and patterns. If you are a new quilter I would especially recommend Terry's designs. I bet there is not a quilt shop in America that doesn't carry them. I am a little more selective about to whom I sell my patterns. Ha ha ha ha ha ---hysterical laughter! If you have purchased my patterns I want to thank you and tell you that I admire your good taste!

So what am I working on now? Wool--I am playing with wool again. I will have a photo soon. I enjoy having something to stitch on in the evenings. It is getting hot here and we will be forced to turn on the AC, but will try and hold out until June 1st. I know it was over 80 degrees in the house today. I have to bear it for a while to convince myself that summer is here. After all, we wait all winter for it to return. I could do without the humidity though.

Tomorrow I think I will watch a flower bloom. It could be a long, quiet day. --Marcie

THE SOUND OF FREEDOM

Today is a good day for flag waving! I see the flags displayed on many homes in our neighborhood, and they line Shore Drive as well. Flags are posted on every corner of Shore Drive, near where I live, all year long. When there are troops coming home their buses go right down Shore Drive and the flags pay tribute to them. Many times the neighbors go out and stand on the corners waiting for the buses so they can wave to the soldiers and cheer for them.

I wanted to contribute something for Memorial Day to honor our veterans. The photo shows planes flying in formation over the JFK Aircraft Carrier. I found this photo online and I think it is a beauty! The JFK was actually decommissioned last year after serving her country since 1968.

Around here we see the planes quite often practicing maneuvers in the air above us. They are stationed at Naval Air Station Oceana. Believe me they are loud! Around here we call it "the sound of freedom". I have to confess, it does give me a thrill to see them, as well as a sense of pride in the young people who serve our country. Some of the quilters with whom I associate have husbands or sons serving in the Middle East. Some actually served in the military themselves. To all of those who have served--past and present, I salute you, and I add my prayers to the many grateful people in this land of ours that you will be watched over as you watch over us.

In gratitude. --Marcie