I thought maybe you would enjoy seeing beautiful Michigan in the winter! The past two weeks have brought two trips to the suburbs of Detroit to share my story with fellow MS patients. Both times we had rain and snow. It was actually colder in Kansas at the time. With all the things on the list to do before Christmas, it has been a very busy time. I find I am choosing to cut back on all the decorating I do for Christmas. I must admit I tend to overdo it. Yes, there were a few years that I put up two trees. I love the greenery, the tree, the lights, the wrapping paper...you get the idea. At the moment, however, I am loving the time more.
This is a picture of my daughter-in-law Cara, myself and my mom, Minnie. We traveled to Omaha, Nebraska for Cara's baby shower on Thanksgiving weekend. Baby Boy Welch is due in mid-January and we can't wait! I keep hearing that grandchildren are wonderful and I want to find out for myself!
Now we can look at the latest quilts!
This quilt is a good one because it can work for a boy or girl. You may not be able to tell unless you scroll in on the picture but the alternating squares are actually white with flags on it. Very patriotic!
The backing is a great stripe that adds to the "Americana" look.
This quilt started out as leftover blocks from a quilt that my sister and I made. I gave her the leftovers and this is what she came up with. It's a great example of making do with what you have. Not all quilts have to be symmetrical.
The backing was a coordinating stripe that I just happened to have!
Continuing the theme of using what you have, Sandy found 3 orphan blocks in my stash. The dog, the star and the nine patch were some blocks donated to us. Sandy took them, added some fun touches and we ended up with an awesome quilt. I love the black dot blocks with the red X's. For some reason they remind me of Pixie Sticks.
Not only did Sandy come up with a fun quilt top, she pieced the backing with leftovers and quilted this for us. It ended up being one of my favorites.
Judith pieced this "Little Engine That Could" quilt. The layout is very striking with the center star.
Karen took the top, added some railroad themed backing and quilted it.
Karen spends most of her time quilting tops for us, but every once in awhile she will surprise us with a quilt that she has pieced and quilted. This is a fun surprise from her. I love the color combinations.
The backing showcases all kinds of animals.
This is a very bright quilt!! The lime green print was bright but then we added purple sashing and an orange border. I haven't checked but it is so bright it may glow in the dark!
Shannon used one of my favorite fabrics for the backing and added her special quilting.
This quilt started as a panel. I gave it to Deb, she cut it apart and added sashing. The crazy ladies with their cats will appeal to a teenager I think.
Sandy added a soft blue backing and quilted hearts on the quilt.
It won't be long until December is over and we are ready to begin a new year. We still have a couple of weeks left. We'll have more great quilts to see and we'll take a look at our numbers for 2011. I think everyone will be surprised at what a few women--some obsessed, some crazy, and some just plain fun can do when they decide to. I want to add that they are also very generous and kind hearted. I think you can tell that. We all have very busy lives but they find the extra time to give just a little more to help make this possible.
