Rose Moon

Strawberry Moon, also know as the Rose Moon

June 1st

Summer will be here soon. Not looking forward to anther summer of drought in California. New water restrictions take effect today. Many of us native Californians have lived thru two droughts and using water wisely has become a way of life. With new restrictions we will be required to reduce consumption by 32%. Michael and I are trying to figure out how we can cut our usage even more than we already do and have decided we will have to let parts of the garden go unwatered, the front lawn will be the first to go. 

Another concern is our fire season. Again, as a native Californian I have lived thru a few close calls. In the 90s in Paradise was a close call and again in 2007 was evacuated from my home, drove to my friend Sally's home only to be evacuated there as a fire in Tahoe raged across Angora Ridge to Fallen Leaf Lake and came very close to Tahoe Keys along the South Shore. Many friends lost their homes, thankfully no lives. 

I am getting back on track with my longarming. It felt good to get some quilting done last week on two quilts that were promised as graduation gifts. The first was a Sunbonnet Sue quilt that I started before Mom's decline. It has a wonderful story and was a bit of therapy to finish for a young lady to remember her grandmother. The quilt is a group project made for her using her grandmother's 1930's fabrics. Both quilts have been picked up and I have pix on my camera that I will share on a new post. Actually I think there may be some that I took with the quilt in progress...

Yep, found this one with the border started along with a few more quilts for Claudia, Pam and Sandy that were finished but not posted here on the blog. There was so much to do for Mom, it became a 24/7, more that I expected. I am happy I was able to it, it's always been my goal to be here for her when the time came. Now it's time to try and move forward. I am happy to be a quilter because it is very much therapy with the added bonus of meeting and knowing other quilters that support each other. When Lesa and Debbie came to pick up the Sunbonnet Sue quilt, they brought a beautiful card and flowers. Who could ask for more?! Bear hugs and many many thanks!

Enjoy the day... "We will be known forever by the tracks we leave."
Native American Proverb

Jo 

    

A Very Special Thank You

Lexies, thank you from the very bottom of my heart and to all the Prayer Warriors for sending out prayers for my Mom. Finding some peace now knowing Mom is in a safe place. I spent this week reflecting on her life, looking thru photos. Here is a post with Mom's story about her early life in Holland on my personal blog with a few old photos. Mom in 2011 taken at my guild's quilt show. (Not one of my quilts however a beautiful Lone Star!) 

Mom never did any quilting but she was an accomplished needle artist and seamstress. She and my Oma taught me cross stitch, knitting and crochet altho, cross stitch was what I loved and did the most. Mom taught me how to sew cloths. Later, I got in trouble making some pretty weird outfits in high school, getting sent home on more than one occasion :-/ Like that was a problem! :0)

Mom in Holland, knitting, shortly before she came to America

I wish the last 8 years she spent with me she could have done some quilting altho she enjoyed watching me on the longarm. I think that she would have loved it. Dementia prevented her from doing or remembering that she had done beautiful needle work and didn't even recognize pieces she had made. Dementia is a terrible disease and was difficult to watch, especially at the end and how it took her life. Thank goodness for Hospice, Michael, family, friends and special Prayer Warriors. You helped me get thru a very difficult time. Thank you. Bear hugs, Jo

Answered Prayers

Thank you all for your prayers for my Mom as they have been answered. Mom left this world and the body that caused her so much confusion and pain. She has a new caregiver now in the arms of the Lord along with many members of her family and friends that made the journey before her. Thank you for extending love and prayers for Michael and I as well.

 Crystal and Mom hanging out in my quilting studio

I miss them both so very much

Mom years ago

she would come down to my studio and help pull pins

out of the leaders on my first longarm

Michael took these last year on Thanksgiving Day

I am missing my Mom
 and am comforted with the thought

she is in a better place

Tot Ziens Mom
Thank you all again, bear hugs, Jo

Prayer Warriors

Michael and I are requesting prayers for my Mom. Placed here with us along with Hospice care nine days ago Mom has declined rapidly in the last 48 hours. Not able to communicate any longer we miss her voice and smile. Please join us with thoughts and prayers that Mom begins her journey from this life soon and is granted a peaceful passage to what lies beyond. Jo

Flower Moon

May 1st

Flowers are abundant in my garden :0)

So nice to see color and shiny new leaves

Update on Mom and Michael... both doing much better! Thank you for all your kind thoughts, words and prayers. Mom is getting over the cold and eating better again. Cuts are healing despite her pulling off the Steri Strips the hospital applied by the first night. Happy I had some new ones on hand and kept them replaced daily.

Michael is much better, not looking as gray/green! Tests indicate possible stones and a Gall Bladder attack. So nice to have him back up and feeling better as in not so grumpy! I am back at longarming and made good progress the last two days. Yesterday the 2nd Merry Snowmen was finished. Yea! Definitely a fun quilt to work on and getting in some hand guided quilting feels really good. 

Enjoy your Friday and the weekend

Take the time to make some stitches!

Tot Ziens, Jo 

A quilt for Claudia, Mom and turn around

First, this is a quilt made by one (I have several!) of my best customers, Claudia

I considering myself VERY fortunate to have such wonderful customers... it's amazing!!! Love my job because I get to see and quilt so many different quilts

Semi custom quilting with a border/corner design from Anne Bright named Pearl Feathers

The center field is an e2e, also designed by Anne named Seaweed framed with SID.

Great design with wonderful even coverage and flow.

Wool batting and three threads, Signature and Omni,
two in shades of gray and a dark burgundy for the inner border.

 The backing... paisley print, what's not to love! Great fabrics!!!

I love to see quilters use good quality fabrics for backs.

It adds so much to a quilt.

The rest of my blog post is about my mom (NQR) and my turn around time

Helena, my mother is amazing. Born in the Netherlands, survivor of the German occupation of Holland. Came to America following WWII and marriage to my dad in the late 1940s. They became citizens and started a new life. Fast forward... we moved Mom here to Northern California with us following the death of her husband, my father. She was already in the advanced stages of dementia. So not easy! That was eight years ago and it's still so not easy. I had to set up a Conservatorship thru the court of California simply for the 'right' to take care of my mother. The cost has been incredible with annual hearings and accountings. It's insane! Advice... make sure YOU and your family have directives and a Trust you are comfortable with in place.

Friday morning Mom fell. She cut her face, we believe from her glasses. She was taken to the ER, despite a POLST. Cuts taped and unnecessary tests revealing... again, nothing. She is 99 and there is nothing 'medically' wrong with her... except dementia, which you can die of, but care is not covered by insurance because it's not deemed medical. Frustrating! Other than low O2 sats and a cough, she was released. I took her back to her care facility, went home for a shower, picked up a RX for her cough and spent the rest of the afternoon with her and listened to the rattle as she breathed. If anything takes her, this may be it... and it would be OK. It is heartbreaking. While I was with Mom, Michael went to Immediate Care because there is something going on with him. The PA could not figure out what after a few tests. Michael just called me, waiting in line for a blood draw, glad to find a lab that was open. It's a bit much and I am not getting any quilting accomplished.

Brings the subject back to quilts, turn around time and custom hand guided quilting. Custom quilting is tricky, especially estimating time. For the time being, I am not accepting new quilt work orders for custom hand guided quilting.

Presently my turn around is October going into November with any one of these digitized design options: e2e, e2e with a border/corner set or my custom e2e where I am able to change the repeat pattern or line up a design to a quilt top block pattern. Straight set, alternated or set on point, the patterns are set up on each block, linked and then run like an e2e. To change a repeat, I am able to take them apart, flip, mirror, alternate and then link them back together and run the new pattern that is created like an e2e. I've gotten really good at it on the Innova with Auto Pilot. BTW, my Innova, I have decided to name Helena, for my mother and my Auto Pilot system, will remain Hal because that computer does, on some days, really have a mind of it's own!

Many of my customers are happy with digitized designs and they really do look good! Maybe not as organic as hand guided because the stitching is... perfect... because it's digitized. Some people love it, some... not so much. That's OK.

Again, and I can't say this too many times, thank you to my customers. I appreciate each and every one of you so very much. I know that I have lost a few existing and many new customers recently due to my present turn around time and please know this does not set well with me. I wish so many things but reality is what it is and no amount of wishing will make it different. I will always do my best. Thank you for your understanding. Have a wonderful weekend. Take some stitches! for...

"We will be known forever by the tracks we leave."
Native American Proverb

Tot ziens, Jo