A little work

Here is a sample of the quilting I have been doing at Beautiful Bee Quilting. I send my customers a "sneek peak" when their quilt is loaded and under way. I think they enjoy it. I don't have a long turn around time, usually less than a week, but in the future it might not be so quick and this will be a good way to keep them posted on the status. I have discovered it is not so easy to get good pictures of quilts. I am also spending a good deal of time trying to post the pictures everywhere. Should I put them on the web site, Facebook, twitter, pintrest, blog.... Right now I put them all on the web site and try to get them on Facebook. That takes enough time! So here they are...

An outdoorsy quilt for Pat S's son in law, quilted with fly fishing hooks. 

Dianne R's batik quilt, reminded me of water, so I used a circular pattern that made me think bubbles. 

Janice A's civil war reproduction block swap.
Custom quilted using about 5 different block patterns alternating and feathered triangles in the border triangles. 

Small border, pulled part of a pattern from the larger border. 

Block detail

Christy H's Jewel box king size quilt, started in the 80's :0) Custom quilted with cross hatching through the chains and block design at left. 

Rhonda S's friend's aunt's quilt, vintage maybe. Raspberry and floral, no sashings. I isolated the block and custom quilted with swirly design.

Another vintage quilt, hand embroidered
blocks. I free motioned following
the suggested quilting "dots" 

sashing

The business needs a mascot and I was inspired by Mary Lou Weidman during her workshop through our guild last fall to make a crazy cow quilt. (Click on her name to go to a recent blog post about some of the cow quilts). I think I have a name for her Bea (or Beatrice) the Bumble Cow. I am making wonky letters and borders then I will embellish with eyes and buttons and bee hives and other fun stuff. It's about 45 inches square right now and has been fun to create. 

The last 100 years

Grandma's Birthday Cake

Well, life has been crazy. Children behaving badly and we will leave it at that for now. Things have settled down for the moment, so I am back in blog-land.

Aunt Barbara and Grandma during the reading of the proclamation of
Dorothy Martin Day in Plantation, Florida

The big event of the past week is that I got to go to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to celebrate my Grandma Dorothy's 100th birthday. It was a wonderful time reconnecting with family I haven't seen in 25 years and some whose names I have heard my whole life but never met before. At 100 years old grandma is doing pretty good.  She lives in a nursing home but is not able to get around on her own. She looked pretty in a white suit with a beautiful orchid corsage. For more than two hours she reveled in the love and adoration of more than 50 people. Those in attendance included two of her children, step-children, three granddaughters and one of her great grandchildren (my Hunter). There were many friends and neighbors that also came to honor her. Many of us traveled from out of state. It was a great time for her and she thoroughly enjoyed herself.

When you have lived for 100 years you will get a note from the President of the United States and the first lady. That was a joy for grandma. The envelope got water on it and causing the ink to smudge, which only proved that the envelope was hand addressed in the most perfect calligraphy. In this day and age one would assume it was done on a computer, it was that perfect, but it was not. That makes it all the more special.

Me and dad, Jim McKenna

I have been thinking about all of the changes grandma has seen in her 100 years walking this earth. I googled it, of course. All of the famous people born the same year are no longer living, but included Richard Nixon, Paul "Bear" Bryant, Gerald Ford, Rosa Parks, Jimmy Hoffa, and Vince Lombardi. An interesting list. That was the year the Ford Company introduced the assembly line, the US government imposed the Income Tax, it was the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, the first crossword puzzle was published and Camel introduced the first packaged cigarettes. Just think about the things that have changed since then. Two world wars, super high definition flat screen televisions in every nook and cranny of society, cell phones with internet access, the internet, commercial air travel just to name a few. I also ponder the things that have not really changed that much. The stuff we use has changed, but the character of people has not really changed.

The girl cousins, Betty, Melissa, Mykie, Holly, Shebby
with Grandma. (She wanted to wear the hat)

Grandma has touched a lot of lives in her time here. I realized by spending time with my two girl cousins how different all three of our relationships are with her. She has shared a part of herself with each and every person in a different way. Mykie is her oldest grandchild and is about 12 years older than me. She grew up in Ohio, the daughter of the oldest daughter, my aunt Dawn. I am the youngest grandchild of grandma's youngest child. Holly is the middle child of the middle child, my aunt Barbara. Isn't that interesting? (There are also 5 grandsons that were not present.) As the oldest Mykie had a special connection with grandma, she even wanted to live with grandma when she was a teenager. I think she shared poems with Holly. I learned practical things from grandma, how to layer garbage bags to make it easier at trash time, to put a lid face up so germs don't get inside, and the use of homeopathic remedies instead of running to the doctor for every ailment, to name a few. Grandma also taught me to keep a Prayer Journal. I have not done such a good job the past few years of keeping it up, but am motivated to do so again. It is a great way to keep a record of who you have prayed for and when the prayers are answered.

Hunter collecting shells at John Lloyd Park beach

Hunter visits with Aunt Sharon and cousin Robby

Before leaving Sunday we were able to make a quick trip to the beach to collect some shells. We also got to visit with my sister in law and nephew for a short time before leaving. We just didn't have enough time.

How old is the oldest person you know and how have you been influenced by them?