Messages come from unexpected places:  I see Hearts...

Looking up while out for an afternoon walk with my grandson.  I looked up and this is the picture I took...My Grandson said this a message from his Daddy in heaven, and I like that. 

This is a photo from the second playground we walked to.  A good evening spent with a Grandson "priceless".  

Happy piecing, happy sewing,

Sheila. 

Getting ready for fall

 Sew, I have been doing a little sewing lately.  Samples for the shop, and seeing other employee's shop samples help motivated me, and for that I feel grateful and accomplished.  

Halloween Perfect Ten

So this isn't a totally finished quilt top.  The 6 inch boarder is going to be done with a fabric I have had in my stash for several years.  But kits are made with a different boarder and can be found at Spring Water Designs https://www.springwaterdesigns.com  This is my second quilt using this pattern.  

#BLM 2020 for my Niece

Back of #BLM 2020

I used wool batting for the first time in this quilt and absolutely love it!  I hope my dear niece who is fighting breast cancer feels the love and hugs I stitched into it.  

And then just for fun, even though Halloween might be cancelled this year due to Covid I made my adorable youngest grandson a Halloween basket and some cute bats and a black cat.  

Bats and Cat

Trick or Treat! 

Hope he likes them as much as Nan does...

Happy piecing, happy sewing,

Sheila (AKA Nan)  

Keep my family safe...

Everyday is a new day.  Mask making, label making, binding, sewing blocks, quilting quilts, and did I say mask making?  Working at the shop, shopping at a grocery store, shopping on line.  Washing hands, cleaning high touch area's.  Getting family together, at a distance. No hugging, no kissing, no physical contact.  F*** Coronavirus,  our new normal is something we are learning.  Masks must be worn, distance my be kept, hands must be washed...  Family is family.  Celebrations happened...Praying that God will keep my family safe.

Birthday Celebration's for my first born Son.

Daughter's/Mother's and our Grandson's 

Everyday I pray, please God, keep my family safe.

We are doing what "they" tell us is "right".  Keep my family safe.  One day at a time.  Keep my family safe...

Peace, and Love...

Happy sewing, happy piecing,
Sheila, aka Quilting Nan.

New Normal

What day is it?

Memorial Day

Memorial Day 2020!  Normally on Memorial Day there is food, and drink's, family, friends all gathering together.  This year?  Not so much of any of those things happened this year.  Instead, we took a four mile walk with our pound puppy, and I clicked pic's of wild flower's growing along the path.

Three, Two, One, Yellow, Purple, Red

We were going to drive down to DD1's house, but thought even with some states having eased restrictions it was going to be busy traffic on Memorial Day weekend.  Considering she lives so close to the beach.  So we went down this past weekend instead.

We left for NC on Friday May 29th, and came home yesterday June 1st.  It was a great weekend with the Grandson's, and our beautiful daughter.  And of course our pound puppy Remy came along.  She and Mac are family too.

Even the dogs had a great time

Relaxing after a busy morning 

DD1 has a "Daddy do list" for her father that he is happy to check off each finish, and there's always more added so we will be back.  No sewing happened this weekend, but I'm ok with that.  

Happy piecing, happy sewing,

Sheila aka Nan

  

A call for masks

Yesterday I went back to work at Spring Water Designs quilt shop https://www.springwaterdesigns.com I haven't worked since March 15, 2020.  The store is only open for Web orders to be mailed or local customers can do curbside pickup if they choose. It might open for customers Tuesday May 26th. It felt good to be back cutting fabric (not my own fabric).

But before going back since March 15th I have walked a lot of miles with my pound puppy Remy, and my quarantine partner, cut and sewed lots of face masks, and caps.  And even made a shop sample table runner, and placemats.

Baby Turtles on the pond

Walker's walking

Azaleas in the neighborhood

Shop table runner and 2 placemats

Caps for a Hero Medical worker

The county I live in is still under a stay at home order until May 29th.  I'm ok with that, sewing and piecing one day at a time.   

Sheila 

A road trip and a temporary label

Sew since I finished the first T-Shirt quilt made from my Son-In-Laws T-Shirts it was time for a road trip.  Dear daughter #1 also has some jobs around the house that handy man Dad is glad to help. So pack up the truck and here we come.

Last past of the longarm quilting

He likes it, and wonders how I put those pictures on his quilt.

Me and Grandson #2 

A temporary label on the back of the quilt since of all things to go wrong I spelled my name wrong!  Haha!  It was late Friday night the night before we were to hit the road, when I was working on the label, and a shop sample (both in the hoops of my embroidery machines).  This label was the second one I did, I didn't like the font I used on the first one.  I will go home and redo this label with my name spelled right, and I will have it finished when I bring Grandson #1 his T-Shirt quilt.

Embroidered label with my name spelled wrong!

Several friends suggested I use a sharpie to add the "l".  This is way to an important label for a sharpie "l".

Sew until then, happy piecing, happy sewing,

Sheila

My first rental at Spring Water Designs

This lap quilt top was pieced in (2009-2010 I think?) so I thought it would be a good top to practice quilting on.  Here it is on the Long Arm last row, I should have taken a picture when I first loaded it.  I rented the HQ Amara20 at https://www.springwaterdesigns.com/hq-rentals.htm what an awesome way to get quilt's into the finished pile.

My 1st ever Long Arm quilting

Binding is done.

Binding and close up of swirly meander.

First finish of 2020.

First finish of 2020.

Happy piecing, happy sewing,

Sheila

Stretching my Scrappy Creative Muscles

12/17/2019:  https://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com Cynthia over at Quilting is more fun than housework "Oh Scrap" asked the question are you stretching your scrappy creative muscles?

January 30th, 2020: My creative muscles have been placed on hold,,, I started the above blog post back in December, but since then, life as I once knew it has been replaced with "Life after Chad" my Son in Law...There was a tragic accident, and my Son in Law has been taken away from my beautiful daughter, my Grandsons, and our family.  For now I am with my daughter and my Grandson's helping unpack, and paint their newly bought home.  I am also cutting up Chad's T-Shirts, Chad was a "T-Shirt with funny sayings on them kinda guy". He was a good hearted, fun loving man, and my heart is broken.. I'm going to cut the shirts up and make quilts!  What else would you do with T-Shirts?  So far I have cut 70 T-Shirts, this does not include his cotton, button down dress shirts which are hanging in the closet.

Until next time,
Happy piecing, happy sewing,

Sheila