Jan’s daughter invited the Tuesday quilter’s over to the house today.
Originally uploaded by Q_uilted T_hrifted
She wanted each of us to pick out some of her things. Her cherished items are kept by her daughter. She had tagged the items she was keeping or had moved them to rooms with closed doors. There would be items at the end of the day that would go to good will. All eleven of us from the Tuesday quilt group went to the funeral. There were over 56 of her quilts over the back of the pews. They were all completed quilts. This was just some of the quilts at her house. There are 3 times that many and more that have been given to family and friends over the years. It was a beautiful service and well attended. I took photos with my cell phone but I need to get a USB cord to download them to my computer.
I think all of us except two were there this morning. Jan’s daughter had tagged everything she wanted to keep and asked us to take everything else. She encouraged us to take as much as possible because the rest was going to be donated. The first thing I chose was the candle stick holders and this tied quilt.
I love this little mini quilt. I chose it because I just started a Tied Quilt Flickr group and this will be an absolutely perfect addition to the pool.
I have loom sticks that go with these candle stick holders. These have been on Jan’s fireplace mantel in front of her favorite Amish portrait. The portrait had a yellow tag on it. We all hoped it would. Jan treasured that picture.
I left the other small quilts there for others to choose from. When I walked around again an hour later there were still some small quilts there so I chose another.
You won’t be surprised to know it is a sunflower quilt. I have it already up in my diningroom.
I did get a few pillows that will go well with some that I have collected over the years.
The quilt below these pillows is the Bulls Eye pattern. It is my quilt but there are many blocks of Jan’s and the other quilters in this quilt. It was one of our group projects one year.
We each made 12 blocks at least 10 times and then exchanged with each other. We ended up each having the same blocks in each of our quilts.
Everyone finished their’s off a little differently. Most of the other quilters sent their quilts off to a professional machine quilter to finish. Mine is still in the top stage in hopes I will find my quilting foot for my Bernina and get it done!
We all had so many country color tones in our stash I don’t think any of us had to buy fabric to do this project. It actually is a great project to use all your uglies because once it is all together it looks absolutely spectacular!
I just love these vintage pillows. I will photo the ones I have collected over the years and post at a later time.
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This little butterfly pillow is the size of my hand. What I like so much about it is that the back side is quilted as well as the front. This is how I think all quilted pillows should be.
I have 3 butterfly quilt tops I have collected over the years. I also have a number of vintage butterfly blocks and pot holders I have purchased from antique stores and thrift stores. Jan always had her pillows in large baskets in her livingroom. It made the room so cozy.
The largest item I have is an antique ironing board and iron. I told Jan’t daughter that if she ever wanted anything back I would have it there in a heartbeat.
The chair is mine but don’t they look just absolutely perfect together!!!
The lever on the iron seperates the handle from the base.
I don’t know how long Jan has had it or where she got it. Her daughter said was back in the corner of the basement and had quilts draped over it. The first thing it did when I got home was start shooting some photos of quilts over the ironing board.
I walked into the bathroom in the basement and no one had taken any of the items.
My main bathroom has been cement board unpainted around the bathtub for 5 1/2 years. Really. It is a sad thing. We got stuck because we can’t afford to purchase tile and I am not certain how to finish the edge between the tub and the cementboard. Of course we don’t use the shower but I do use the tub. Maybe now we will finish it off.
These items will look wonderful in a finished bathroom!
Sometimes I just can’t figure this computer stuff out!
Jan is the second quilter from our group to die of breast cancer. The founding member of our group Wendy died a number of years ago. I received a quilted Angel from Wendy one year for Christmas. Now I will have an Angel from Jan as well. They have both been Angels in my life. It is a comforting thought to know they are now guiding me from heaven. Believe me I need all the guidance I can get.
Who knows sometimes why some things call out to us. This little jug did.
It has a cover and I think this week I will write down ways to be good to myself on little slips of paper and put them inside. Every once in a while a reminder to be good to myself is important.
- Go for a nice long walk
- ride my bicycle
- write and draw in my journal
- get some hugs from my boys
- take some quiet time and sew….sew to classical music
- look at my favorites on Flickr!
- candles lit during a meal
- take time to work in the flower beds…moving the soil around
- plan a trip somewhere …like my trip to Costa Rica…so wonderful
When I got home the boys were hungry so it was APPLE PANCAKE time.
I used Jan’s glasses for the milk. They are nice and thick. I think if they fell to the ground they would not break. Just the kind of glasses I need with a house full of boys!
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It’s been a day of reflection. The sun is shining but it has been a bit chilly all day.
My dad made me a wooden Uncle Sam. During the next few days I want to photograph items I have that coordinate with items of Jan’s. I always loved meeting at her house. I would say to myself how easily I could move right in and be totally comfortable. Our souls were very similar. It is no wonder life brought us together. Isn’t it interesting when you ponder on why certain people have come into our lives. Jan showed me tenderness, caring, sharing, humor. She loved shopping on QVC. She would make so many jokes about her purchases or “almost” purchases. For all I know some of these items may have come from QVC.
I collect blue glass and dishware. I like the way blue glass looks when the sun shines through it.
Some of the perennials in my flower bed came from Jan a few years ago when she remodeled her gardens.
The grapevines were not from Jan. They just show new spring growth. It is a good time of year for reflection. There is newness all around us. Jan’s daughter is thinking about selling her house and moving into the family home. She had to let go of some things in order to combine the treasures she and her family truly loved with those that are in her home as well. She will be combining the two homes together and making the family home now her own. It is a lot to think about so soon after the loss of so many. Her Dad died on May 8th 2007. Just two years ago and her brother died shortly before that. We had losses like that in our family too. My mom lost her mother in Sept of 1983 and my brother died in May of 84. My mom’s dad died a week later and one of her best friends and coworkers died just after that. It was a lot of loss to deal with. My children lost their grandmother from breast cancer April 1995 and then their aunt Sharon from colon cancer 4 years later and their uncle from a blood clot that went to his lungs a year after that. They’ve been gone for some time. Mr Quilted Thrifted talks about how much his brother has missed not seeing his two daughters grow up. It makes the heart heavy at time. We celebrate most the time. We have to go on. It just is nice to honor those who have gone before us.
I was able to take some great photos today. I spent the entire day chatting with my children, cooking meals, and of course took my sewing machine outside to sew on the back deck a little and didn’t get to it… because I can’t find my rotary cutter! I am always searching for something.
I talked to my best friend I think six times today. She was shopping…buying plants…trimming her roses….uploading her own photos…. and talking to me!
That’s what best friends are for! You can see her photo on my Flickr site. She’s the one that looks like my sister!
That’s what everyone says…. even we say it!
If Jan’s daughter ever sees this post I want you to know I will cherish these items for the rest of my life. If you ever want anything back it’s yours. Your Mom is such a big part of each of us in the Tuesday quilting group. We will never forget her. And as Pastor said during her service., “Jan was easy to love”. She has been an inspiration for each of us. A role model. A friend.
I took this with me to the park yesterday to finish sewing just 4 inches on the binding. Of course it got damp and by the time I got home some of the red bled on the second from the top row of stripes. I tried washing it out with dish soap but to no avail. If anyone has any suggestions on how to un-bleed a few blocks.
This is after we returned from the field trip. The children still had two hours before the end of the day and I didn’t know how they could physically make it to the end. Luckily the last hour was a music concert in the gym by the Kindergarden. My son then wanted to go to Adventure club afterwards! So of course I said sure ….. and headed to the thrift store for a couple hours. Found some treasures and will share in the next post.
This photo shows the front and back on the quilt. It seems like the quilter did not intend on putting a backing over the embroidery stitches.
This stripe fabric is so great!
I do like this pink block quite a bit!
He had his work cut out for him keeping the quilt from flying into the lake. He also had a chance to ham it up a little bit. That’s my boys!
I think this photo show a good shot of how the 3 patches were sewn together as light/medium/dark. It took some work to not get too many really bright lights next to each other. I also didn’t want the darks on the bottom row to blend in with each other. This is a good example of when to look through a red piece of glass to see the color value.
A moose block dedicated to my sister-in-law. She likes to collect moose items!
The golden star fabric and the dots below it are a favorite!
This fabric with the plants has great movement.
I was a little concerned about the fish fabric with the fish batik squares but it works.
I just can’t lose with the golden tones. They are my overall favorite!
I have my 30 year class reunion this summer. The school is just a little over 40 years old. Tomorrow is the senior athletic banquet so the booster club wanted to contact me before the banquet because they will be announcing it at that time.
In this 