As for making quilts, I'm not doing much at the moment. I finished the top for a memory quilt for my sister-in-law using my brother's shirts. I made a some crazy-patch heart blocks from Jim's shirts, machine appliqued them down to a neutral background square and set them in rows using sashes and cornerstones. It's a quilt for her king size bed, 100" square, with ten inch blocks, and 2 inch sashing and cornerstones, six blocks across and down.
I think it turned out pretty nice, actually. I was very afraid at first that it would be ugly, but I really like the fabric I chose for the sashing and cornerstones. I used a neutral background fabric with tiny white hearts that I like a lot. Jim was an outdoorsman, so I chose fabric with leaves for the borders, sashing and cornerstones.
So, that's one memory quilt down and three to go! I'm making lap-sized quilts for my two nieces and nephew. I joined the Heartstrings group on Yahoo groups because I enjoy doing string quilts with my scraps and like making charity quilts. As a bonus, the site had some links where I found lots of string quilt patterns. Yesterday I used one of those patterns and made a few blocks. I think it's going to be much easier than the crazy patch hearts and will go together faster. Maybe it won't take me two more years to get these three done. Please, God, let me get them done -- SOON!
It's been two years since Jim died and it's way past time to get these quilts finished. It has been very hard working on them. I break down a lot just looking at the shirts and remembering my brother. He shouldn't be dead. He was too alive and full of life. He died of pancreatic cancer and I found out that it can run in families. My father also died of pancreatic cancer when he was only 59. Jim was in his early 60's and had just retired and was planning to move to Arkansas to be near his kids and grandkids. I'm 61 and hopefully in reasonably good health - as far as I know. But who knows? Right? My other older brother found out at his regular yearly checkup that he has prostate cancer. Before that, he had no symptoms whatsoever. And my sister just finished treatment for breast cancer. Her husband is now undergoing treatment for brain cancer. Did I mention that a cousin died of breast cancer many years ago, another aunt had breast cancer, but was cured and doing well, another aunt survived colon cancer and a cousin has had several bouts with prostate and bladder cancer. Seems like too much cancer for one family, IMO.
Well, on to brighter topics. I finished an adorable quilt top for the newest great-nephew on my hubby's side of the family and now need to back it with fleece, put on the binding and get it to the new mom. I found a cute book of baby quilt patterns and made the Goldilocks and the Three Bears quilt. It turned out really cute. I'll take a picture to post now that the camera's been recharged and I have a site to post pictures to. I'm also very slow getting this one done, but at least the baby's only a couple of months old and I should have it finished before he graduates! Maybe doing this blog will help keep me focused? Maybe.
As for mysteries, I've finished three good ones and hope to write about them soon.
