Three Sisters, Three Treasures, Three Quilts

     The Lord has blessed me with not one, but three, sisters. (two fabulous brothers too, but that's another story).  As I grow older I have come to appreciate them more and more. They are a special gift; and at times even life-savers.   If you are fortunate enough to have a sister in your life then you know exactly what I'm talking about.  Let me introduce you to mine.

Four sisters, four friends on a garden tour outing

    From left to right: there's Jean, then Nancy; and Janet;  I'm the one on the far right.  I'm also the oldest of the group. And as I often tell them...the most beautiful one of the bunch.  But don't call for a vote on that statement because I don't think you'll get any agreement.
    The four of us couldn't be more different or more close.

     Jean is our family upholsterer.  She started her own upholstery business many years ago while raising two girls.  That business has grown fantastically and now employs several people and has a reputation that has spread over several states.  Jean's very artistic.  She loves pond gardening, kayaking and traveling....oh yeah, and Neil Diamond too.

     Janet is our family farmer.  After retiring from a very successful career as a special education teacher, she and her husband bought eight acres and Janet took to farming like a duck to water.  "The farm", as it is referred to in the family, is the favorite gathering place for the holidays.  There's nothing better than Christmas at the farm with everyone in attendance.  Today her fields yield fruits, veggies and flowers that she sells at her farm stand.  And she has about 40 chickens.  The "girls" lay lots of eggs that are also sold at the stand.  Her farm stand is not only cute and creatively decorated, but very popular in the neighborhood.  But you better get there early because things sell out fast. Janet is creative and always adds special touches to everything she makes.  She gives 110% to all projects and all family members.

     Nancy is our family nurse.  She'll tell you she often hears from family members only when they have some kind of ailment.  There's WebMD and then there's Nurse Nancy.  She has had a very successful career in nursing.  She began with patient care and has moved into the administrative end of the profession.  When not working Nancy loves to cook. Her specialty is hors d'oeuvres.  What a chef. When the four of us get together we always make sure Nancy brings the hors d'oeuvres. they are a meal in themselves.  And she never makes the same thing twice (unless requested).  Besides cooking, Nancy loves to travel with her husband.  When it's vacation time they will always head to the southwest.  We may someday have Christmas in Arizona.        

    The closeness that the four of us have developed is thanks to my Mom.  She was the one who instilled in us the value and importance of family.  She did everything she could to encourage us to put family first.  Mom always told us that friends may come and go, but sisters are your best friends for life.  Boy was she right!!

     We weren't always close growing up because of the wide age span.  We always seemed to be in different life stages.  But as we became adults we decided to make a conscious effort to stay together despite the ages and despite the miles between us.  Every year (sometimes two or three times a year) we get together for "Sisters' Weekend".  Sometimes we meet at each other's houses and work on projects:

                        

Building a pond in Jean's garden 

Watching the landscape company build a pond in Karen's garden while waiting for Nancy's hors d'ouevres to arrive

    And sometimes we get all dressed up to go on a shopping spree; which always includes a few garden shops, antique shops, boutiques and.....lunch.

  

We've made a statement in a few little towns along the way.  

         And as the years have gone by we have begun to include Jean's two girls, our nieces; Pam and Kristen. We want to pass on to them their Grandmother's values.  

And pretty soon two more nieces will be joining us.  They are dressed the part and ready to go.

      And it is my prayer that all the "sisters" and "brothers" in my life know the treasure that has been given them.    

My three sisters with our two younger brothers, Bob and Walter

My nieces and nephew - Ally, Matt and Kathleen

My two granddaughters - Elise and Katherine

     For there is no greater friend than a sibling.    

        So many loved ones!!!  So many quilts!!!  The snowball is rolling!!!  

My First Real Quilt...Started and FINISHED!!!

     Little did I know, back in 2011, that I was starting myself down a quilting road that would snowball beyond belief.  Some would say snowball "out of control", but not me.  I loved my idea back then and I'm still loving it today.  It was back in 2011 that I decided to make quilts for other people.....people who I loved dearly.  People who had a special place in my heart.  I had already made rag quilts for some special people in my life.  But it was now time to branch out into full-blown quilts.  
     The plan began with my sister-in-law's oldest son, Sam.  I've known Sam all his life and watched him grow into a fine young man. He was my first nephew. Sam is kind to others, very intelligent, has an easy going personality and is an interesting person to just sit and chat with.  As a young boy growing up Sam always seemed to make wise choices in his life. And when he met Alex and chose to have her join the family, it was one of the wisest choices he ever made in my opinion.  Sam and Alex were meant for each other.

      So for their wedding present, I decided to make Sam and Alex a quilt.  I knew that whatever I did for Sam I would also do for his two brothers, but that was down the road.  For right now I needed to think about this quilt....the quilt I considered my first!!!
     I wanted to select a pattern that matched Sam's and Alex's interests.  They both loved the outdoors, and like the rest of the family, their hearts were in the Adirondacks.  So I decided to choose a design with a "woodsy" theme.  I found just such a pattern in a book called  Bears in the Woods by Eleanor Burns and published by Quilt in a Day Publications. This particular quilt was designed by Sue Bouchard. The overall look was perfect and the individual blocks seemed easy enough.  However it was not going to be a quilt I could do in a day!!
    I needed:      12 log cabin blocks
                        20 evergreen tree blocks
                        4 bear claw blocks
                        and enough flying geese strips to circle the perimeter of the quilt.
The finished quilt would measure 84" x 84".

     The trees were the biggest challenge. I had to re-do a few of those blocks until I got the hang of it.  They were done with an assortment of green fabric.  

      The log cabin blocks were pieced with a variety of medium and dark blues and an assortment of tone-on-tone whites.  The center was a rich dark red.  I had once read somewhere that a red center in a log cabin block was a symbol for hearth/heart of a home. How perfect for a young couple starting a home together. 

      The bear claws were my favorite blocks.  I had never done them before and was amazed with how well they turned out.  I think part of my satisfaction was because I loved the fabrics I chose.  I have used the black/gold print several times since.

      The flying geese blocks would encircle the quilt on all sides using the same blues from the log cabin blocks.  

      I experimented with the placement of the log cabin blocks as you can tell from the second and fourth pictures.  Each arrangement gave the quilt a different look.  I decided on the one I liked best and began to sew the blocks together.  For the backing fabric I selected a neutral color.  

      I sent the quilt off to the long arm quilter to be put together. For this task I hired Linda Bennett as my quilter.  I had seen her work in quilts displayed at the Lake Farm Park Quilt Show and liked the look of the quilts she had done. But putting my masterpiece in the hands of another person was a little scary.  Letting it out of my sight was taking a big risk as far as I was concerned.  When the quilt came back to me (beautifully quilted!) I bound it in the same rich red that was in the center of the log cabin and bear claw blocks. 

The final touch was to "sign" my quilt and present it to the bride and groom.  Over the years I have discovered that the best feeling in the world is presenting that finished project to someone you love.  It gives a whole new meaning to Acts 20:35 "it is more blessed to give than to receive".

     Before I wrapped my quilt for presenting I sat and stared at it for the longest time.  I amazed myself and was proud of myself.  I had started and finished my first quilt.  Wouldn't Aunt Tillie be proud of me.