To Grandmother's House We Go...

I've got a story to tell that I'm hoping you all can relate to a little bit...because life happens and sometimes life stinks.  But don't worry - there are quilty pictures to share as well, so its not all doom and gloom.

My grandmother  - who fought and won the battle with breast cancer over 15 years ago - is now fighting with something new.  A different kind of cancer has reared its ugly head and it is far more devastating and there are less choices being offered.  It doesn't look great.

After hearing that we didn't know how much time - months or less than a year - she might have left with us, my mind immediately went to fabric.  She's not across the country from me, but it is a considerable drive, so popping in for frequent visits has never been realistic and I wasn't sure when I would be able to see her next.  I didn't want to run the risk of starting a brand new project and not know if it would reach her in time, so I was looking at what quilts I had in my house.  There were only two choices, and really only one option - my Paintbox quilt.

I love this quilt - it is the very first project that I made with only myself in mind and I loved every step of its creation.  I really think that this is project that encouraged me to join a guild in the first place and also to feel like the modern movement of quilting was where I really fit in.

Here's where I share with you the ugly part of my thoughts - I did not want to give this quilt up.  These were selfish and ugly thoughts that came from a good place of being proud of what I had created and the hope that I would pass it along to my girls and have them love it as much as I did.  Even though I knew it was the right thing to do, I fought it.  The part of my brain that excels at creating excuses and justifications went into overdrive.

And because it was so difficult to part with, I knew it was the perfect present to send to her.  It was so hard to part with because it was so closely connected to me and what better gift could I give her if I couldn't be there in person?  Because I wasn't sure when I'd be able to make the trip, I sent it along with my mother on her first trip up north after the diagnosis.  I heard almost immediately from her (and then later from my grandmother) that it was love at first sight.

When I was able to make the trip up about a month later, I got to see that she put it on the couch where she relaxes when she's feeling good.  I couldn't get over how perfectly it looked there and I knew that I was right in ignoring my most selfish reasonings (like I needed another reason to know this).  Nothing else would have belonged quite as well in her world.

Love is the reason that we make all of our quilty creations and is the reason why I'm so grateful that I gave away mine.  Hug all your loved ones a little more tightly this season and - if you can - drape them in some fabric.

Off the Grid and Into Kindergarten...

It's been over a week since my last post and I haven't even been keeping current with all the latest quilty happenings via Bloglovin, which qualifies as me being off the grid around here.  I've definitely been avoiding my sewing machine since I wrapped up that marathon session of cuddle quilts.  Not that I don't have anything that I need to work on, mind you.  I've got the September bee block to get started for the ScrapBeeLicious circle, 3 months - ugh - of my Sister's Ten BOM to catch up on, and that Amis Rangoon commissioned quilt hanging over my head.  But I'm all sewed out at the moment and life has me a little focused on a new routine in our house this week.

Our oldest started full-day kindergarten this past Tuesday and I was alternately thrilled and terrified.  I was really excited to be down to one kiddo during the day (some precious one on one time with little sis is rare around here) and that older sis would be out on her own learning more independence and new skills in school.  But she's always been a bit shy and nervous in nature and anything new gives her a good amount of anxiety.  I've had visions for the past two years of a child clinging to my leg and unwilling to even set foot in the school without sobbing and throwing a fit.  We haven't had the best experiences with occasional daycare and she hates to even have me out of sight for long periods of time, so believe me, these weren't impossible scenarios for me to imagine.

As I expected, we did have a good evening of constant worry about school the night before as well as a half hour of crying and begging me not to send her to school the morning of the first day.  But we have a fantastic teacher who saw her panic when it was time to line up and file into class and asked her if she could hold hands and help her lead the line.  She agreed and with a few looks back at me as she walked away, marched right into school and out of my hands.  I snuggled little sis a little closer to me, went back out to the car and cried like I swore I never would.

We still have spells of nerves every morning so far, but every afternoon pick up is filled with smiles and excited talk about her "fabulous" day.  So long story short, I'm in a sewing slump while I get adjusted to lots more commuting time, a new work schedule, and the excited and nonstop chattering and play of little sis on her own.  But bear with me - I'm sure that I'll be back on the machine with more to share soon.  What do you guys do to get back into a gear after a sewing dry spell?

Summer Time...

Instead of my usual views from behind the sewing machine and my desk, I'm enjoying views that are more like this...

and this...

Sorry if there're some radio silence this week, but we're doing a little family relaxing at the lake.  The sewing machine and a few projects came up too, naturally.

Be back soon with lots to share (I hope!).  Wishing you some summer relaxing too!

Sewing Slacker...

I don't know if you can tell from this photo, but Ron Swanson is giving me the stink eye because I'm a total slacker.  Apparently when Traceyjay decided to stop her "Just Three" link ups where you can list your three goals for the month, I decided to stop holding myself accountable for keeping up with stuff.  Granted, life has interrupted in a major way over the past couple weeks that involved some major heavy metal damage...

My husband was in the middle of a car sandwich on the highway that actually didn't look too, too bad...until you got it into the body shop and saw the damage from underneath.  Ugh.  But the good news is that no one in the 6 car pile-up was seriously hurt and things are just starting to get back to normal for us.  Plus we got to giggle these lines back and forth endlessly to cheer ourselves up...

"You wanna get hit? Because I know a guy!  Super gentle - minor scrapes and bruises, major dollars and cents."


Ah, the joys of Jean Ralphio.

I did manage to get in a little bit of sewing by completing my X's and O's mini, but my Gen X Block of the Month completely fell off my radar.  I might just put it off a couple more days and do the blocks for May and June after the new block is posted this Friday.  But I also did make a slew of clutches for teacher gifts and finally attend a BMQG sew-in, so it wasn't a completely inactive month over here!

Plus I still need to finish my custom quilt due in August (at the latest!!) and some quilt tops for Quilts for Boston now that the block deadline has passed.  I've got a really good plan going for the packets of blocks I have - really I do!  It just requires a little bit of fabric shopping for some background fill in.  Good thing a friend and I are trekking up to Marden's tomorrow!  I'll be sharing my finds (plus a little Echino goodness - squee!) on Wednesday.