Friday, December 7, 2018

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig

Hello Everyone,
 
I've been on the road for the past week teaching and visiting with family.  I'm home now and knee deep in Christmas preparations.  The following pictures are just a small snapshot of the creativity that I saw on my travels.
 
I'm working backwards through my week.  First up are pictures from my Sew'n Wild Oaks girls last Monday and Tuesday.  This is going to be the cutest Christmas ornament you've ever seen!
 



Vicky has been working hard on my Spoken For design.



Barbara is completely finished with my Cute as a Button design. She made this out of her scraps.



Irene brought in her finished, and gorgeous Country Sunshine quilt.


Meg's Country Sunshine is in an entirely different colorway.  All of the components are placed on the block layout sheet which I include in each pattern.


Pat is completely finished with a Crabapple Hill design.  She also machine quilted this quilt on her domestic machine.


Lynnette is making my Homemade Holiday table runner.


Paula has a pile of Y-squares for Country Sampler.


Gail has a pile of flying geese and Y-squares for her Zinnie's Choice quilt.





Next are photos from my Country Sampler class. I love the combination of colors and fabrics.







 Then there were finished blocks from Row-Mancing Alaska. This block is called Aurora.




I started off my travels teaching Scrappy Leaves.  We always begin with a layout sheet.


The girls organized their leaf background fabrics first.


You can see that the sun is going to be radiating through the trees from light to dark.




 
That is just a small sample of the beautiful projects that I witnessed over the past weeks.  I feel that I'm constantly surrounded in beauty.  Not only are the projects beautiful......so are the creators.
 
After being gone for a week, I came home to a Post Office box full of envelopes with donations for my Paradise fundraiser.  I processed checks for most of Thursday!  To date, quilters around the globe have donated over $9,000!!!!  All of the monies collected are going directly to help the people of Paradise.  You have been instrumental in putting smiles on many faces.
 
Monday I will be meeting with three members of the Paradise Guild.  They had between 120-130 members.  100 of them lost everything.  We are going to brainstorm how best to meet the needs of the quilting community in Paradise.  My contact told me the members have been scattered to the winds.  They are trying to locate everyone and evaluate their needs.  Many of the quilters are ready to pick up a needle and create something.  I keep thinking how I would feel if I'd lost the ability to quilt and create. 
 
The members who live in Chico are trying to get everyone together to celebrate a sense of community with the quilters from the Annie's Star guild in Chico.  The bonding of quilters will be essential in the healing process. 
 
I wish you could see me open envelopes, read the personal letters, while wiping the tears away.  Mr. Joe thinks I'm a basket case....which I am during my "mail time".  Your generosity is the most amazing thing I have ever witnessed.  This is the season of giving, and you've come through like champions.  I am forever grateful.
 
Soon,
Lynn

 

8 comments:

  1. Morning Lynn, there are some beautiful projects in the works. You've brought tears to my eyes this morning with the Paradise donations you are collecting. this is such an amazing and thoughtful project to help those that lost everything. Thank you for doing this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your comment. I'm in a constant state of "water works" flowing down my cheeks. Take care,

      Delete
    2. I have no idea why the posting shows unknown. The screen had my name when I posted it. Thanks again...

      Delete
  2. What an awesome response to your raffle! What a wonderful thing to know it will be helping someone. I'm glad you are meeting with some from the Paradise guild. I'd love an update of the best way to help.
    I put together an already prepped wool/felt hand project kit that I'm thinking of sending to HoneyRun Quilts for someone who would like to do a little handwork.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'll update my blog next week about my meeting with the Paradise Guild. There are so many who need so much. It is daunting for them to know where to begin. Take care.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I can, in only a limited way, understand the sense of loss of your childhood home, and the homes of your friends, and the community. We moved a lot in a rural community when I was a child and only one of those houses remains, the others have individually been lost to time or house-fire. What happened with Paradise is beyond comprehension. I first learned of it that morning when a friend posted to Facebook that she and her elderly parents had evacuated and were down around Sacramento and safe. At first, she believed her home was gone, but has since learned it was "just damaged" - extent unknown. A cousin-in-laws nephew is one of the firefighters; his girlfriend lost her home. There's a long road ahead for all the folks who've been affected; bless you for your heart to help others, even in your own loss.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lee,
      Thank you for commenting. I'm still having trouble grasping the enormous loss of the community. I feel lucky that I have, and my children have, wonderful memories of going to Grandma's cottage in the woods. My heart aches on a daily basis for those who lost everything. This fundraiser is helping me deal with loss.....not just my loss.....but the loss for so many. Take care.

      Delete
  5. You are such a thoughtful and caring person Lynn, so happy that your outreach to other quilters has been a success! Love the pictures of the projects - such a talented group of quilters!

    ReplyDelete