Thanks Mom

Mom is a word that is not yet apart of my personal description.  I do have a wonderful mother that has been a great mentor for me.  Plus many friends that have shown me how to be a great mom with the next generation.

A few months ago I was asked to make three special Mother’s Day quilts for a friend.  Her mom passed almost six years ago and she wanted to do something to celebrate her mother.  Her sisters had created a quilt block a few years ago that is on a traveling quilt currently.  This was my inspiration.

Into my fabric stash I went.  Amazingly, I had enough fabric to create three quilt tops except for the backs and sashing.  I have wonderful sewists in the Indianapolis Modern Quilt Guild that offered to help me with the embroidery that I had envisioned for the quilt. Here is what I started with.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The design/layout of the quilt was changed a couple of times.  I had one block in mind and started cutting squares per the instructions and it was becoming difficult to match up three fabrics for each block that would be different.  So instead I changed to a block that showcases just two fabrics.

Upon delivery of the first quilt I learned the story of how the quilts came to be from my friend.  She mentioned her sisters have had a really hard time since their mother has passed.  She has a hard time but has tried to make Mother’s Day something positive, by volunteering, donations, and/or something else that didn’t let her dwell that she was missing her mom.  I am blessed to still have my 97 year old grandma and my ** year old mom, I don’t know what I would do without them.  She wanted the quilts so her sisters could have the blocks to remember their mom.  I was very pleased to help her bring this to life.

Her sister’s quilt were made the exact same way with the green sashing.  For hers I wanted it to be different especially after why she told me she wanted the quilts.  I added in the cream sashing and and extra worry spot to the back.  I think I may start adding these tags onto the back of quilts that I’m working on.  Something fun and different.

quilt #3 on the design wall

 

pinned and ready for the machine.

The quilts were a big hit.  So glad I could help someone have positive memories for Mother’s Day.

 

Thank You Gma

I spent some time with my gma this weekend.  This the woman that has basically made me the woman that I am today.  Plus she allowed me to just be myself as a kid.  I got to pretend, play dress up (she had a great dancing wardrobe), sew, and run around outside.  Overall, it was a pretty awesome childhood.

My coworker and I were talking this week about who taught us to sew.  I told her the story of sitting at the sewing machine saying my ABC’s & 123’s as a kid.  Good think I didn’t injure myself.  There was also a good chance I was rocking back in the kitchen chair too, a BIG NO-NO. 

My gma is 96, my mom was an oops when my she was 45.  I have uncles that are close to age of my dad’s parents.  She is very traditional and a sweet loving woman.  I had the hardest time understanding with I wasn’t a “GREAT” grandkid when all the other kids were my age. 

Unfortunately at 96 memories fade, the body isn’t what it used to be, the mind doesn’t put it all together.  Up until about August 2009 she was sharp, just physically slowed down.  Someone asked me the other day how she was and this was my response:

“My gma is not the woman that everyone once knew.  She is not strong, stubborn, and free willed anymore.  She is now a frail old woman.”

I can say that because I have watched her become that and it is not what she wants.  That’s not the way I remember her.  I remember her as the woman that let me be creative and express myself.  Guide me through life to become a great woman.  Give me life lessons that only she could. 

It’s harder to go see her know.  I used to really look forward to it.  Now it just breaks my heart.  Here is a photo of her at my wedding.  She sometimes doesn’t know she was there.  But she LOVES anything I create her and will talk about it for weeks. 

Bad smiles from the Bride and Groom, but our faces hurt by this point.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.  Call a loved one and tell them how much they mean to you.  I’m looking forward to the next time I can give my gma a hug.  My generation tends to forget about the very important people in their lives and focuses instead on themselves a bit too much.