The constellation Triangulum Where Stars Are Being Born

My quiltlet, Stellar, made for the challenge quilt on Around the World in 20 Quilts Blog Group was inspired by this information and photo found on line: Emission nebula NGC 604 lies in a spiral arm of galaxy M33, 2.7 million light-years away in the constellation Triangulum. This is a site where stars are being born. Though such nebulae are common in galaxies, this one is particularly large, nearly 1,500 light-years across. At the heart of NGC 604 are over 200 hot stars, much more massive than our Sun (15 to 60 solar masses). They heat the gaseous walls of the nebula making the gas fluoresce. Their light also highlights the nebula's three-dimensional shape, like a lantern in a cavern. The image was taken on January 17, 1995 with Hubble's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. CREDIT: Hubble Space Telescope, photo PR96-27B SOURCE: http://grin.hq.nasa.gov/BROWSE/gallaxies_3.html COPYRIGHT: This photo is not copyright. How Close did I come to creating this constellation? I enjoyed making this small quiltlet using Angelina fibers which I hand felted using a four needle hand punch I bought last summer. This was my first time felting using it and the fibers. The black background fabric is fleece. I free motion top stitched and hand embroidered french knots. I sewed on tiny red beads and some larger circular flat beads that I picked up at the bead store for the adjoining stars. The binding is a black satin ribbon. It is within the challenge size of A4. Stellar by Lynn To see the other 19 entries go to my side bar My Other Blogs and then to Around the World in Twenty Quilts. You will be glad you did.

Being Gratful a Day Later And Sad for the World

The TV blares in the next room with news out of India...terrorists have murdered 180 at least, more injured...a young Chabad rabbi and his Israeli wife among the dead at that Jewish Center. Their two year old escaped with his nanny...now an American tells how he escaped the bombs and terrorists at a popular hotel...and I am grateful for having had yesterday with my family...sitting at a peaceful Thanksgiving dinner with my beautiful daughter, her husband, their friends, my brother, my husband and my two little grandchildren age four...How can these two opposite pictures be happening simultaneously in the world? Why do some need to murder for what? Why? and now we must be on guard even here...

Let me share my yesterday with you as seeing these photos helps me feel grounded

and re in touch with the love in my life.

What I wish for you every where!

DH/Grandpa and grand daughter playing hide and and seek at the park early in the day. Family at dinner from left: grandson, SIL, friend, DH, brother, friend, daughter

Grand children waiting for dessert to be served. SIL made that apple pie from the apples from his tree in the back yard. (that's my quilt hanging on the wall, now theirs) ;-)

A very happy grandma and her two youngest grandchildren

Praying for Peace in the World

Happy Thanksgiving To All My Blog Friends

Happy Thanksgiving

There I am taking a big bite from the turkey leg at about age five years old!

Around the table is my cousin Barb in the high chair, me, my dad, my brother,

grandpa and grandma, mom, her youngest sister Miriam, uncle Sandy, aunt Jane (mom's middle sister), and my cousin Neil. I guess Uncle Harry took the photo. My two youngest cousins not yet born. Miriam and Harry are turning 90 in January and May 09; my brother is next in line at age 73 in Dec. Then me, and so on. The other elders in this photo are all deceased.

Thanksgiving was always a much looked forward to holiday in my childhood.

I loved traveling over hill and dale to grandmother's house, later aunts home, later dinner at one aunts and dessert at the other as children begot children and the grandchildren became so numerous there was no longer room for all of us in one home.

Now we are spread out even further...Baby Barb cousin lives in Colorado with her three grown children and four grandchildren; Cousin Neil still in CA with his parents, three grown children and his three grand children; Another cousin Judy lives in CA with husband and her daughter; Her brother in Canada, his daughter in CA...My kids in CA and Oregon with 2 grandchildren each.

So tomorrow it's our turn to enjoy the table with my daughter, SIL, 2 youngest grand kids, my brother and a few friends of daughters.

A time to count our blessings carrying on a family tradition of five generations.

I become very nostalgic remembering all the family gatherings of yesteryear...

and look forward to tomorrow with a quiet sense of peace and gladness.

I pray for peace in our world while listening to news from the TV

in the next room telling me of 90 killed and 140 injured in a

terrorist attack in India.

British and Americans were targeted.

Praying for peace

and wishing all

a

safe, and happy

holiday season

wherever you are living now.

Cris in Oregon Contributes To Erika's World

Cris, Artist in Oregon, like Erika did, puts out food for birds and squirrels each day. I asked her if she'd let me use some of her wonderful photographs of birds and squirrels to add to the quilt. They really bring life to the world depicted in the quilt as Erika knew it. See the squirrel running away under the tree and the blue jay eating on the ground? The couple in the top left corner is Erika and her husband, and father of her two children taken in 1950. There is another squirrel romping in fall leaves in this bottom right corner. And a dove eating under the birdhouse...

This bird hangs on a feeder off to the left side of the tree.

And here you can see some of the binding pinned in place. I did sew it all on last night.

The binding utilizes many of the green fabrics from the quilt, a few new ones including blues

to blend with the blue walls in Karen's den.

Babysitting Is The Joy Of My Life

My daughter called yesterday to ask if I'd mind coming down to babysit since she was calling last minute. Mind? When do you need me? I'm on my way! Such a question. I can't get there fast enough. My grand daughter informed me that this little alcove off the dining room is their "art studio".

So here we sat to make "mixed media" collages with stickers, foam sticker-ons and fabric scraps.Some of the foam cut outs made great toe nail polish!

She is nothing if not inventive! I was happy to find our joint collaborative art work on the wall in their bedroom. A quilted art hanging of her drawing.

We played baseball, cut out paper dolls, ate dinner together,

read tons of books, and finally fell into bed. She's asleep,

And he's on his way under his crocheted by grandma, Lion Blanket!

Li'a Tov...Good night sweethearts!

Grandma loves you more than life itself!

And to think we get to all be together again in just four days

for a Happy Thanksgiving!

;-)

Erika's World Continues To Grow

Here are the many different threads and embellishments (ribbons, butterflies) I'm using on this art quilt. This corner (upper right side) shows the musical family. You can see Erika playing the piano, something she has done since childhood. Here she is playing at her nursing home last summer. The fabric with the words and music notes I got the other day at the thrift store. The song is a Quaker song called Simple Gifts. I will post the words at the end of these photos. Bottom left is Erika and her grandson. He is a very talented actor, singer, dancer, who is currently in his senior year at the University of Minnesota studying drama. Far right is Erika and her son, my DH, who is also a talented singer and guitar player. So you can bet when we are together a lot of music flows in this family. (Remember to click on photos to see more details, enlargements).

This photo was taken when we visited last summer. I love how they are looking at each other.

This panel is young Erika with her son and daughter as children; then with son, daughter and grandson, grown; and Erika before she married.

Our nephew hanging from the tree was taken from a photo of him hanging from a child's jungle gym at the park last summer. He's a huge guy, sweet and lots of fun. He and I play a card game I taught him called "Spite and Malice" and we are VERY competitive!

We've been playing it since he was a little guy.

Here's the rough draft still needing some things sewn on, more top quilting

and cutting down to size before binding and hanging sleeve will be sewn on.

At the bottom I've added the German ribbon I found thrifting a while back.

You can just make out the hearts and little couples there. Erika was born in Berlin, Germany.

She met her husband at the very end of WWII there. You read about this when I made my

1940's quilt which featured her and her husband and my Uncle and Aunt from the same era as war brides and grooms, soldiers, etc.

***************************************************

I Googled the song on the printed fabric” ‘Tis the gift to be simple, ‘Tis the gift to be free.

“It’s from a song called Simple Gifts written by

Shaker Elder Joseph Brackett, Jr. in 1848. It was first published in The Gift to be Simple: Shaker Rituals and Songs. Simple Gifts was a work song sung by the United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing (more commonly called the Shakers, an offshoot of the Quakers). The words are these:

‘Tis the gift to be simple, ‘Tis the gift to be free, 'Tis the gift to come down where you ought to be, And when we find ourselves in the place just right, It will be in the valley of love and delight. Refrain: When true simplicity is gained, To bow and to bend we Shan’t be ashamed. To turn, turn will be our delight, “Til by turning, turning we come round right. ‘Tis the gift to be loved and that love to return, ‘Tis the gift to be taught and a richer gift to learn, And when we expect of others what we try to live each day, Then we’ll all live together and we’ll all learn to say, Refrain: ‘Tis the gift to have friends and a true friend to be, ‘Tis the gift to think of others not to only think of “me”, And when we hear what others really think and really feel, Then we’ll all live together with a love that is real. Refrain:

sukipoet made me do it!

I guess the power of suggestion in blog land is strong (for me anyway). SukiPoet posted about buying pomegranates the other day and today I had a draw to pull into Costco. I must have had a few dollars burning a hole in my pocket. I came out having tasted the pomegranate juice, and picking up a bottle, then picking up a crate of ten beautiful poms. (along with fresh dried apricots, fresh peels garlic, a whole pineapple and a crate of yams! Tis the season! When I was in the store a little old couple stopped me seeing my crate of poms and told me that they had just bought their first ever pomegranates and asked me how I opened and ate them. I gave a detailed explanations which follows here in case you've never done this yourself: First I cut the top or crown off... then I separate the outer skin after cutting into it around about four times...

Then while running water over the pieces I remove the red seeds from the white pulp. If I did it with out water running my hands and sink would be all red from the juice.

I bagged up the seeds from two poms and will eat them plain and on plain yogurt.

Aren't they beautiful?

Thanks Suki for sending me to the store.

These by the way were $1 each.

I got 10.

Yesterdays thrift store was raffling off a quilt, had the main body of the store set up with sewing machines and a trunk full of fabric neatly washed, folded and tagged, jars of buttons, embellishments, and books. I could not resist! I bought a wonderful hard bound book for $1 called "A Name On the Quilt A story of Remembrance" written by Jeannine Atkins Illustrated by Tad Hills. It's about the AIDS quilt and written for a child to understand. Very beautifully done. Am sure my grand kids will like it without yet understanding death or AIDS. But will relate to the quilt that the whole family is creating together. I grabbed this little glass jar of metal buttons. Some seem to be from foreign countries (to me) and will get my magnifying glass out later to read the language they are in... Then I poured through the trunk of fabrics and hauled home a huge bag full including cottons, flannels, prints, felt, blanket material (the orange bundle); batting...and also found some thin pink delicate yarn, and a bag of string/twine some braided. All of which I was sure could be used on some creation someday.

And last night I did a little more work on Erika's World. The sunflower got yellow petals and green leaves, the frame got brown ribbon around two sides...The rest of the ribbon frames other squares on the piece. I actually bought this ribbon in MN last summer at a marvelous quilt shop there run by the woman, Susan Stein, who does art quilts. I'm starting to add in more photographs today.

That's me and Erika/ma, not yet sewn down here at the bottom taken last summer.

Downtown Holiday Jacket and Pant GIVEAWAY!!!!

Downtown Holiday Jacket and Pant GIVEAWAY!!!! this delightful artist makes children's clothing and then GIVES THEM AWAY!!!! I signed up for a giveaway chance for my four year old grand daughter, who would look divine in the outfit on this blog. Go see. And if you have small kids you will find this blog amazingly wonderful.

Commissioned Watercolor Portrait GIVEAWAY!!!!

Commissioned Watercolor Portrait GIVEAWAY!!!! This next amazing giveaway was found on the blog mentioned above it. This artist paints lovely portraits of children from photos, and she too is offering to give one away. Go see!

And It's NOT Even My Birthday!

It is NOT even my birthday.

When my kids were little I used to have UNBirthday parties for them sometimes. Remember Winnie the Pooh, having UnBirthdays? I think that is where I got the idea. Well gifts have been flowing into my home and heart these past weeks... First that wonderful bag from Jan's give away, then the surprise from LadyBug (Monique) of the beautiful appliqued Morning Glories and now again, just yesterday mail brought something from far away in the Netherlands from my friend there Corryna. Two ATCs, one postcard sized and one business card sized. How do people do such beautiful art in such small spaces???? Look at these! And THANK YOU CORRYNA these really really touched my heart. Again, unexpected gifts that please me no end.

Imagine this the purple is painted with blackberries!

********************************** Are you okay with my showing my work in progress? Not done but coming along?

Last night I planted a garden under the bird house, and many flowers and a huge sunflower grew. Well I'm not at all surprised as the sun had come out. Now I've got to decide what kind of seeds the sunflower will have and how to make some birds flying around in there.

Yesterday Suki Poet suggested I give this to my MIL, Erika, first

and let Karen, her daughter, have it later as an inheritance gift. I really liked that idea

so it will be my gift to both of them and hopefully Erika's room has a wall with enough

space to hold this huge thing. I do agree that Erika would enjoy it and it will surely

brighten that room!

Erika's World Coming To Life

Some details being added to this new art quilt project, which I am calling for now "Erika's World". Erika is my MIL and she loves nature, feeding birds and squirrels, which I'm sure she misses now living in the nursing home. This project is for her daughter, who asked for something to hang in her den (which used to be her mom's bedroom). The tight stitches around the cardinal, a favorite of Erika's makes the bird really pop out of this frame. The thread used is blue to indicate sky. The colors are much brighter in real life!

It's hard to see but all the leaves are outlined in green or rust threads which also make them stand out more.

Swirls over wavy lines make the tree stand out more too.

A rough draft of an added photo on batik fabric and metallic netting...still more to do on this piece, but it's a hint of what's to come. Yesterday Karen said Erika asked for a photo of her late (long ago divorced) husband, as she 'could not remember what he looked like'. Her dementia is getting worse.

Her world must be shrinking...she used to write me nearly every week, and me her, but

she doesn't write anymore...When I think about it I send her photos of the grand kids and us, or make her something...she likes that...She used to write details of her days on a calendar and read history, and send us news clippings from the New York Times. She loved Garrison Keillor. Now she has a white board on her wall and her daughter writes reminders of when she'll be there next and the days date. She had been watering the flowers in front of the nursing home using a bucket of water she'd get herself from inside. But since falling and breaking her hip she no longer has the freedom to roam.

I wonder what she does now?

A Most Fantastic Gift and a Meme To Do One Word Answers Only

Last July I saw these words posted on Ladybug's blog, Living in The Light I find http://thelightifind.blogspot.com/, :....to boost my spirits and remind myself of all the many gifts I have in this world I want to follow in the steps of my dear friend Sister Kathryn and give gifts in honor of my birthday...Anyone who would like a little fabric gift-card holder just let me know and I'll send one to you! (if you have a theme or an idea of what you would like to be on it, let me know and I'll see if I have some fabric that might work)...." and I not at all shy of asking signed up to receive a gift! Well truth be told I completely forgot about it. And yesterday in the mail I received this beautiful gift. I cannot tell you how surprised and thrilled I was/am to be the very very proud owner of a quilted, appliqued wall hanging by Ms. Lady Bug! It is so exquisitely done, each detail flawlessly stitched, truly Ms. Lady Bug I could not do a satin stitch as fine as yours to save my life! And the top stitching and binding, not to mention the use of glittery threads and tiny beads, well it all comes together to make a piece fit for a Queen! And that is how I feel looking at this beautiful gift of morning glories. I just happen to be a gardener who planted morning glories in my front yard several years ago and they drop their seeds and return year after year after year. So my front yard is in abundance right now of purple morning glories just like the ones on this awesome art piece! How perfect is that? Thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart! What an incrediable gift! I feel so blessed today! It will have a place of honor among the other art I have from my friends in blogland in my bedroom where I will see it before I go to sleep each night and first thing when I awake in the morning. You will be in my dreams!

I wish my camera could do the threads more justice. The center threads on these flowers with tiny beads are glittery and pick up the light so well. They sparkle!

Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you so very much

from the bottom of my heart!

****************************************************

And this is a Meme from Sylvain's blog last night: Meme with one word only answers from Sylvain. Join in the fun! You do it now on your blog! 1. Where is your cell phone? There 2. Where is your significant other? Living room 3. Your hair color? Blondish 4. Your mother? Dead 5. Your father? Dead 6. Your favorite thing? Grandkids 7. Your dream last night? Thieved 8. Your dream/goal? Longevity 9. The room you’re in? Kitchen 10. Your hobby? Art 11. Your fear? Mice 12. Where do you want to be in six years? Alive 13. Where were you last night? Home 14. What you’re not? Rich$ 15. One of your wish list items? Embellisher 16. Where you grew up? California 17. The last thing you did? Quilted 18. What are you wearing? Clothes 19. Your T.V.? On 20. Your pet? Cat 21. Your computer? Necessity 22. Your mood? Fatigued 23. Missing someone? Grandkids 24. Your car? Broken 25. Something you’re not wearing? Hat 26. Favorite store? Thrift 27. Your Summer? Traveled 28. Love someone? Many 29. Your favorite color? Green 30. When is the last time you laughed? Evening 31. Last time you cried? Morning