Monday, December 20, 2021

Long Arm Machine Quilting in 2021!

This is the first quilt top I quilted after we got the quilting machine in January.  
This is the nap quilt I made for Hope Brown's high school graduation.  
This is Danette's quilt in the quilting machine.  I made it while I was in quarantine with Covid early in May.  Thank the Lord I wasn't very sick, I just had to stay home anyway, so it gave me time to make her queen size wedding quilt.

This is her quilt on Emily's bed after it was all done.  She had picked out all the fabrics from my stash.

I used more leftover squares from 2020's Covid quilting spree to make Josiah a blanket.  I quilted his with random hearts and quilted his name "Josiah Nathaniel Peter Albertson" in the top border and 
"Lots of love from Grandma A" on the bottom border.  I wrote it on the quilt before quilting, as you can see in this picture.  Then I knew where to quilt when I got started with the quilting.

I quilted three table runners in 2021.  The Spring one is probably the first thing I quilted on the quilting machine.  It was totally practicing!  I found I couldn't see where I was going or where I had been with white thread on much of the white background, so I drew the random pattern in to know where to go.  I have special pens with ink that disappears when you iron it.

The watermelon one I did for Summer, and made six placemats to match.  I quilted a much tighter meandering pattern on these two runners and placemats so that they lay very flat.  I don't quilt that tightly on quilts, because they need to feel fluffier than placemats.
The Fall runner I pieced with leftover strips from Danette's quilt borders and added in the fall leaves fabric I bought in Amish country when I got to go to a Women of Worth conference in September.

After 52 years of my parents living in Joplin, Missouri, this summer they moved to Columbia, Missouri.  My sisters helped them sort and pack.  Marlene found a box with 16 inch quilt squares that had been packed away since 1960!  These blocks were made by Grandma Smith and the names embroidered on the blocks were people Mother and Daddy had known and been associated with in Kansas City when they were in college in the 50s.  They moved away in 1960 to Nevada, Missouri to start their first pastorate.  One block had 1960 embroidered by the person's name.  Marlene sent the box to me in Kentucky.  When I had time to look through the box, I got the idea of putting the blocks together into a quilt and giving it to Mother for Christmas.  This was a surprise to her.  Usually I show her the projects I am working on when we videochat, but I kept this one a secret.  
This is in our quilting area of the basement after I finished the quilting and binding.

Rowen and I were privileged to go to Columbia to see Mother and Daddy and all my siblings December 10-12, and I took the quilt to Mother.  She was very surprised to see these blocks she had nearly forgotten about and remember things about the people embroidered on there.  Many of them are already gone to heaven.  Aunt Velma Hinds, Daddy's aunt, was the Dean of Women when they were in college.  She is still living at 111!  Her name is on one of the squares.

I am always anxious to make another quilt project, but working fulltime does give me only limited time for this hobby.  I joined several Facebook quilting groups that I follow and dream about what I should make next.

 

Tuesday, December 7, 2021

(Mostly) Sunday guests throughout 2021

January 31st, we had Danette Teed, and Mike, Regina, and Brooklyn Yancey over for Sunday dinner.  We knew the Yanceys in Colorado.  They moved to Cincinnati in January and starting in March, Mike took the position of Director of Development at GBS and is Janet's boss.
February 7, Danette Teed, Brittney Ewald, and Rebecca Bennett
February 12, we babysat the Harms' and Stroud's kids
February 18, movie night with GBS girls:  McD Wantaki, Victoria Dupte, Anna Winter, Danette, Dasha Sobie
February 21, Danette and all Rebecca's family, the Bennetts
February 28, Mike and Brooklyn Yancey, Lonnie and Leta Witt, Rick and Mary Tallman, Rebecca and Danette
March 7, Rebecca, Danette, Lori Yoder, Moriah Yoder, Audrey Yoder.  Audrey is Janet's student helper at GBS. Moriah and Audrey are sisters, and Lori is a good friend, though not kin.
Emily's 23rd birthday, celebrated a little early on March 14 with Danette, Brittany Stamper, The Stroud family (Wilson, Marshall, Pastor Andy, Ellisyn, Sherilyn, and Karilee) and Sister Regina.  Pastor Darrell was sick that day and didn't get to come.

Easter Sunday, April 4, Rebecca and Danette, Marvin and Joyce Cooper, Retha Elger

Retha and Janet

Retha, Janet, Emily, and Rebecca

On April 11, we had the Redmond family:  Byron and Amy, Owen, Felicity, and Griffin.  We apparently forgot to take a picture at the table.

Elizabeth was home and this is a picture from suppertime.

On April 16, our Colorado friends from Wyoming visited us:  Mathew, Nicole, Phoebe and Ethan Hinkle.  What fun it was to see them again!

We had to play Mathew's game "Interstate," a game of vacationing across the country while having multiple interruptions!

April 18 Danette, Gaby and Abi Montero

April 25, Rebecca, Danette, and the Soderna family:  Jim, Alanna, Mary, Grace, and Susan

April 29, Joanna came to visit us!

May 16, Brittney, Rebecca, and Danette.  This was after two weeks of Rowen and I missing church because of having Covid.  Thankfully it was not too bad and I got to make Danette's quilt during it.
June 13, we had Tim Sedlacek, Jonathan and Jeffrey Brewer over for dinner. (No picture)

Father's Day June 20, Jason and Karen came over!

June 27, newlyweds Jimmy and Danette, and the Harms family:  Korin, Stewart, Steve, Daniel, Stephen, Emmalee, and Annabelle

July 3, the Wilson family: Pam, Tim, Aiden, Maddie, Emma, Noah, Eliana, Sophia, and Levi

July 4, Jimmy and Danette

July 30, our sweet neighbors, Wendell and Cheryl Kegley.
August 1, Bill Lee and his granddaughter Loralei Biswell from Kansas. (Bill's a friend from Miami, OK in Janet's growing up years) and Lonnie and Leta Witt.

Bill took this picture of us at church.
Jimmy and Danette came over on August 8, no picture.

August 11, a fun spontaneous evening with Hope, Dr. Cara, and Dr. Matt Brown from Colorado on their way to Asbury, KY for Hope to start college!

Janet's 60th birthday party on August 14:  Elizabeth, Tim and Brenda, Charissa, Felix and Piper, Jason and Karen, Danette and Jimmy, and Ron and Becky Profitt celebrated with us.

Ice cream cake!

August 29, Brittney Ewald, Brittany Stamper, Katie Young, Janaye Byers, Autumn Stevens
Katie was Emily's CFA co-worker, Brittany is friend from church, and the rest are GBS girls.

We had the Stamper family over after church that night.  Elizabeth was home just for the evening and part of Monday.  Katie, Kara, Jacob, David, Kelly, Joshua, Kelsey, and Klarissa
Joanna Johnston spent Labor Day weekend with us.  On September 5, Marvin and Joyce Cooper were also with us.
Joanna and Emily
September 26, Elizabeth's 28th birthday.  So privileged to have Jeffrey and Lesa visiting us!

We had Jeff and Lesa, Emily McKay, Autumn Stevens, and Elizabeth.
Emily McKay and Autumn knew each other already and they were glad to see each other.
October 5, Dessi visited us for 10 days.  We enjoyed having her with us and we shared her with others she wanted to visit in the area.
October 10, Emily was gone with the choir, but we had Dessi, Rebecca, Jimmy, and Danette for dinner.

October 17, Sister Rachael Hill, Lonnie and Leta Witt.

October 24, Pastor Darrell and Regina, Wilson, Marshall, Pastor Andy, Ellisyn, Sherilyn, and Karilee were our guests for Pastor Appreciation.

Shawn and Nancy DeOrnellis visited us on October 31 and ate Sunday dinner with us.  They live in Seattle, but Janet knew Shawn in KC.
November 7, Jimmy and Danette, Nikita Black, Emily and Caleb King

Our Burning Bush was so pretty that day!

November 14, we had Rebecca, Kristy her sister, Brittney Ewald.  We forgot the picture!
November 21, we had Anthony Paulus, Chandler Witter, Jenna Walter, Brittney Ewald, and Lonnie and Leta Witt, and we forgot the picture!
Janaye Byers stayed with us all of Thanksgiving Break.  She and Emily practiced their SWSE Christmas music.


Thanksgiving Day:  Maunica Gera, Marvin and Joyce Cooper, Janaye Byers, Elizabeth
Later, Jonathan and Jeffrey Brewer came over too, but we missed getting their picture.

Emily, Elizabeth, and Mounica.  Mounica is a GBS student from India.  She didn't know if she would like American Thanksgiving food, but she said she loved everything!

On November 28, we had Jimmy's mom, brother Danny, and sister Perl, Jimmy, Danette, and Janaye with us.
December 5, Janaye, Jenna Walter, and Autumn Stevens.
Jenna has been over for Sunday another time when we forgot to get a picture, and she also stayed the night with us and Emily took her to the airport for Thanksgiving. 
Christmastime we plan to have people over, but that will be another post for another time!