Beyond The Cherry Trees Fabric

I figure that if I am going to spend the next 2 years or so hand appliqueing then hand quilting Beyond The Cherry Trees, then I better find a lot of green that I can live with. And so I did.

 I found Hobby Lobby for the first time and remembered to take along a couple of coupons and bought 11 yards of Kona Snow for the background. These are some of the colours that I will be using. A bit of French General. A bit of Primitive Gatherings. That solid green looks a bit bright beside all the rest.
Now to decide if I should prewash all the fabrics. 

And just to make sure I have enough, I bought the rest of the bolt of the green. About 12 yards. This will be more than enough to reproduce this green and white antique quilt that hung in Mary's Quilt Shop if I should forget all the work I have to do and impulsively make it.

 

In the meantime, Dear Jane is coming along nicely toward the finish line.

Blessings,
Chris

Antique Quilt

I visited Mary's Quilt Shop in Bedford Pennsylvania this past weekend and saw this gorgeous President's Wreath Quilt. I think it was made around 1860. The 3 colours here are all solids and quite bright for being 154 years old. There are 9 of these blocks on a white ground. This shop is owned by the Mary Koval who travels the world showing her antique quilts and designs reproduction fabrics for Windham from her collection of quilts and antique fabrics. I did buy a fat quarter of each of the orange, green and red.

President'sWreath

The orange flower centers are reverse appliqued. Everything is done with white thread. Why have I spent so much buying coloured thread over the years?

Reverse appliqued flower centers

There is a simple curved stem around the border with buds and leaves and corner flowers. Now what really got my attention once I was allowed to touch the thing, is the binding treatment. The quilt is layered  over a very thin batting, maybe flannel I am told. Take a look at that binding. It is turned over from the back, turned under a mere 1/8th inch and stitched down and still holding after all these years.

Border

 There is a lot of hand quilting on it including circles along the border. I wish . . . sigh . . .

Circles quilted on border

Blessings
Chris

CCCQ # 20

This past weekend my husband and I went to Bedford Pennsylvania for the annual Blue Halter Sale where we were selling 4 of our Guernsey cows. During the youth auction after the banquet Fri night, I was sitting at the back of the room with a portable light stitching on this block which I finished the next day at the cattle auction. One of the ladies sitting with us asked about the block and when I told her the story, she says, "I am from Chester County! My Family has lived there since the 1790s." Now she is trying to see if she can find any connection with the Criswell/Smith families. So, I gave her my blog info and we shall see. Most interesting is that Sharon posted maps the other day from Chester County 1850s.

CCCQ # 20

While in Bedford I took time to look up Mary's Quilt Shop, which was a few blocks from the cattle sale and I got to look at and photograph a couple of antique quilts as well as purchase the rest of the bolt of a poison green  with black dots. Then went to Hobby Lobby for the first time ever on the way home and bought Fons and Porter's marking chalk pencils and 11 yards of Kona Snow for the background for my soon to be started Beyond The Cherry Trees Quilt. I am a happy girl. I found everything on my list.

And Dear Jane is not neglected and alone now. I have discovered this indescribable rush inside as I am connecting coloured triangles to pieced and appliqued triangles. No one told me it would feel this way once I got to the outside border. Quilters need to know . . . there is this magical ecstacy (almost as good as ch . . . no . . . better than chocolate) after the stress and drudgery of multi-pieced 4 1/2 inch squares.
I . must . go . and . tell . the .whole . world ! !

Blessings,
Chris 

Denine

Introduction

It was a strange day all around.   

   It was very windy but not too cold. 

     A Sunday.  
       Sunday April 1st, 1979.

The phone call came before breakfast.
    I was still in bed..

Denine was having trouble breathing.
    They would send her to the hospital.
      The ambulance siren wailed in the background 
         over the phone. 
           This was for real!                                                                                                                                                     

Before Church that morning, I asked the minister to pray for her. 

    And when he prayed, something inside me broke.   

      The feelings welled up.   

         This was serious!

I wanted to go to the hospital to see her.   

    We had forgotten to license our pickup.

        So I had to ask my mother-in-law to take me into Hamilton.   

           She was going anyway with a neighbour. 

              They were glad to help.   

                 Would an hour be long enough?

I spent just one hour at the Medical Centre.   

    What could I do anyway?

Denine was different this time.   

    She didn’t cry when she saw me.   

       She seemed glad to have me come.  

           She smiled and relaxed a bit as I cuddled her the best I could.   

               There were tubes everywhere and she was in an oxygen tent.  

                   I was unable to pick her up so I just rubbed her back

                      and smoothed her hair 

                         and told her how much I loved her.        

How many times in those 5 years had I gone to see her in a hospital?  

        St. Joseph’s.  

          The General. 

             McMaster.  

               Chedoke.  

                 Toronto Sick Children’s.

What were the reasons?   

          Tests.  

              Flu.     

                  Pneumonia.   

                      More tests.  

                          Emergency treatment for dehydration.  

                              Surgery on her legs.  

                                  Double pneumonia.   

                                      Plastic surgery.  

                                          X-rays.  

                                             High fevers.

How many high fevers had she run?  

     Did they ever find the cause?   

         I don’t believe they did. 

How many doctors had we seen?   

       Therapists. 

          Nurses.

             Lab technicians.

How many hours had we spent waiting?    

        Waiting to see doctors.   

          Waiting for the medication to start working.   

            Waiting for the fever to go down.   

              Waiting for the crying to stop.   

                Waiting for other people to drive when I could not.   

Then waiting with a two year old boy running around, 

     climbing all over me and everything else, 

        demanding a drink, 

           trips to the bathroom.

Then I was pregnant again and my back hurt so much.  

How I hated to wait.   

      Maybe hate is too nice a word for what I felt.   

Those inconsiderate people!!!   

     Didn’t they know I had an appointment for 11 a.m.   

        And now it’s 12:35!

Where was my husband in those days?   
        At home farming, 
               14 hours a day, 
                  7 days a week, 
                      365 days a year.

                         In those first eight years of our marriage 

                            we went on vacation once.

And yet God never left our side.   

     He was always there when I needed Him.  

         How many times did I cry out to Him in those days of sickness?   

               In those nights of fever.   

                    In those hours of waiting.  

He was always right there but I didn’t know 

    Until after I had stopped fighting.   

         Until after I had accepted.

God had chosen me — ME —.  

     He had chosen me.       

Out of all the mothers I know.   

     He had chosen me to be the mother of a very special child.   

         A profoundly handicapped child.  

 Denine.

 This is our story.

DJ Triangles, Raking Lawn and Rare Find

These are the triangles I have for the top row. Only 3 more to complete it.

1840's Farm House

In the meantime it has turned very warm outside and yard cleanup is the first thing. I have been raking the yard and cleaning off the flowerbeds around our 1840's farm house for 42 years now. Last Fall I dug up some not-yet-frozen spots to plant spring bulbs. Well, when I was raking in front of that lower window I found a coin. It is 1 3/8 inch wide.
It is made of copper and on one side it says   One Penny Token
1842. Wonder what I should do with it since we no longer use pennies in Canada.

 One Penny 1842

Denine

I have really been encouraged since posting my brief story about my first born daughter Denine who was born profoundly handicapped and died at the tender age of 5 some 35 years ago. One of the things I did to bring closure to my pain was to write her story and mine. This brought the most incredible healing and peace to my heart. At one time I thought I would publish this as a book, but got rejected by the publisher I submitted it to. It has taken me another 27 years to get up the courage to finally do it. The beauty of blogging is, I am the publisher and have freedom to publish my own work. 

Denine was born on a Thursday, so I will post a chapter on Thursday. My prayer is that God will bring healing to yet another heart as He has to mine.

Blessings,
Chris

Dear Jane Top Row

I completed the corner units for the top row and now my goal this week is to complete the rest of the top row triangles.

Top Row Progress

I have 5 completed and prepped 2 for applique last night after the girls left. The newest quilter in the group has competed her first top and we stretched it out ready for hand quilting. While she was practicing her stitches, I showed another how to do some embroidery stitches for her first quilt a Sunbonnet Sue made from a block she had that her great grandmother had  made many years ago. I will post pictures when it is completed. We photocopied the original block to get the pattern.  Now that completing Dear Jane is the main focus of my quilting time, I am happy with how quickly I am progressing, in spite of so many redos.

Its Good Friday and we are having lunch at our son's for my husband's birthday and Easter dinner there on Sunday. We get to spend several days this week with our little girl grand babies.
Here    is  link to the Easter version of Canadian Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah . This is the real reason we celebrate Easter. Jesus Christ crucified, buried and resurrected for the sins of all mankind. Hallelujah!

Blessings
Chris