Christmas Fabrics Project

I wandered through about a dozen of my quilt books, I surfed through blogs online, and a turned more pages than I could count until I finally came across this pattern, in Leisure Arts book, Encyclopedia of Classic Quilt Patterns.

I made a test block, it turned out so well, I should have used the background fabric I wanted in the first place. So here is my project with the Moda 5" squares. This pattern and the instructions are ideal for these squares. The 'mountain' is the 5" square cut once across diagonally, the spikes are 2 1/4" squares cut once on the diagonal. The background is (I think) 7 7/8 cut once across diagonally.

I will show you in a few days, some of the blocks set together. I have all day today and all day tomorrow to play as I wish -- I am making pie and bread, and this christmas quilt and listening to music louder than I should -- T-Rex, the new Serena Ryder, Songcatcher (an eternal favourite) and will probably throw in either Harry Connick, or maybe some christmas carols from Dino Martin, or Nat King Cole...

It's time to say...

My Mom passed away, it would have been her 80th birthday yesterday. She had been in the process of decline for about 10 years due to a form of Altzheimer's disease and had suffered with rheumetoid arthritis for about 30 years. I cannot say I am sad. I was on my way to visit her, about a 4 hour drive away, when she passed away. I did not know until I had arrived.

She did things that she was able to through her life, she was unusual in that she took some joy in remembering slights and would spend a goodly amount of time, looking for revenge, but she was as good of a person that she could be. She had faults like any one of us, and she had some wonderful attibutes that she was well known for. She was thrifty all her life, and she was creative. She could make just about anything that she put her mind to, from sewing to building things, doing upholstery to make old furniture new, to raising chickens and growing a 1/2 acre garden, to being an amazing cook. She was an amazing hostess and took pride in presenting a meal or afternoon tea, for friends and family. She was fun and funny, but at the same time could say a sharp word and then laugh at you when you showed that it hurt. She was a great teacher and expected her children to grow up and fly away, she felt that it was her job to get us out into the cruel world and be as tough as we could be. Sometimes it was very hard to be my Mother's daughter, but most of the time, I was glad she was who she was.