a quick update

Hello...

At long last I'm coming aboard and catching up.

My name is Anita Maher-Lewis. I live in Ames, IA. Some of you know that as you've mailed me blocks and are patiently waiting for me to send them back! I'm working on them, I promise. :)

I apologize for being absent for so long. I could tell you that I've been buried under 3 feet of snow that is just now starting to melt...which would be the truth. However it just has been a hard three months. My father died suddenly late last year and then my mom got really sick. Probably as a result of being so sick, she had a couple of small strokes (TIAs). She is doing better now. But unfortunately they both live(d) in Phoenix (with separate partners) so dealing with all of this has been very strenuous and stressful as you can imagine. I'm coming up for air now and so grateful that spring is around the corner.

Thank you for your patience and I'm excited to be here.

That was so fun!

Thanks, Jennifer, for letting us be part of your family project. I had great fun this afternoon creating something with the photos and your wonderful fabrics. I hope you (and your step grandma) are pleased with the results!

Butterfly or no?

What a fantastic idea!  I couldn't wait to get started on Jennifer's blocks with the photos.  Unlike me, once I saw the photos and the fabrics I knew exactly where I wanted to go.  Two blocks done.  Just like that.

As I started to pack up the scraps to send back, the butterflies on one of the fabrics caught my eye.   What do you think?    Butterfly or no?

Jennifer's Blocks

I am sending back Jennifer's blocks. I loved working with this soft, light fabric. It made me think of spring as the snow melts outside my window. (We still have piles as much as 5 feet tall from where they cleared the parking lot.)

Anyway... here is Lorraine' and Grandpa's House block

And Gigi and her son, Cody's block.

Thank you for letting us catch a glimpse of your family, Jennifer!



Peace, Katie

Fabric's Here!

I got Jennifer's fabric today. Have printed out a few of the links you sent....will play with it when I have my next day off:)

Susan

Jennifer's Fabric

Jennifer's fabric arrived and I am so excited to get started. What a wonderful idea to use photos to make a photo quilt. I love it!

I have to think a bit about what I am going to do, but so much fun! Thank you for sharing!

March fabric coming your way!

I hit the post office at lunch time today (and apparently so did everyone else, without their packages ready to go - ugh!) and mailed off the packages with the fabric for March.

In the packets, I promised to post links to a couple different tutorials for inspiration and I might add a few more. I have to track down the different things I've seen - some are in my ideas folder at work, my ideas folder at home and some I just saw and though "that's cool" and didn't save anywhere.

• I am open to ANYTHING you want to create with what I sent you. These are just a few ideas!
• http://www.cluckclucksew.com/2009/07/marys-wedding-quilt.html
• http://www.ohfransson.com/oh_fransson/2009/06/how-to-make-scrappy-hedgerow-blocks.html
• http://tallgrassprairiestudio.blogspot.com/2009/01/my-heart-is-filled-with-joy.html - I am thinking about making one of these to be the center block of the quilt but it would be cool if you could incorporate this
• http://beeimaginative.blogspot.com/ - some of the blocks for John are examples of what I mentioned about quiet space. I saw a better example in someone's bee blocks but I cannot remember where. I love what some the members of {Bee} Imaginative are creating.
• http://www.ohfransson.com/oh_fransson/2010/02/have-you-joined-a-quilting-bee.html I think this is what I remembered seeing for the "quiet space" if you scroll down to the gray & yellow blocks for Suzanne
• Or log cabin-ish blocks, wonky or not.

(It turned out to be a good month for me to not sew much - mom & dad come to town Sunday for a Spring Training game, the hubs and I head to LA next Friday for my friend Asma's wedding, and my 80's-themed 30th birthday party is on the 27th. Whew, I'm kind of tired just thinking about it! I am annoyed though, my machine decided to take a break from working last night and is headed to the doctor today for repairs. I was working on my Quilts for Kids quilt and all the sudden the feed dogs just stopped working. But I have my stats final tonight and then do not start my next class for a week and a half so I was going to work on some UFO's, two quilts for the Quilts for Kids project and P.S. I Quilt's Pinwheel Sampler. *sigh)