Saturday, May 3, 2014

Memories of Quilts and Quilting

 
‘When you sleep under a quilt you sleep under a blanket of Love.
 
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My mother grew up in a large city where she lived until her marriage.  She was seven when her father died.At sixteen she went to work to help her mother support the family. A sister and two of her brothers were older, she had two younger brothers who were twins.
Shortly after her twenty-first birthday she married and moved with her husband to a very small town in Southern Illinois.  In this small town the ladies of the church gathered to quilt on Thursday afternoons. Usually quilts were pinned into wooden frames, which were pieces of wood with an edge of cloth tacked on.  Onto this cloth the quilt was pinned: lining, cotton, then the quilt.  As the quilters would quilt and could no longer reach to stitch, the clamp that held the wooden ends together were removed and the quilt would be rolled and re-clamped.  This was done from both sides of the quilt. At that time, the 1930’s and 40’s, most quilts were double bed size. The cost of the quilting was figured by the amount of thread used.  The used spools were put into a container and then counted when the quilt was finished.  Occasionally they would have ‘all day’ quilting and the ladies would bring their lunch with them, also their younger children.  The children would play in the school basement and sometimes slide on the wooden floor under the quilts.  Some received a splinter from that wooden floor.

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Mother was not a quilter when she arrived in this small town and she told us of being criticized about the size of her stitches, if too large she would be required to remove them.  Needless to say, after awhile her stitches were perfect and even.  She pieced many quilts from fabric left over from sewing her four daughter’s wardrobes.  We would look at the nine patch quilt or any pattern quilt and remember whose dress that was and what style or whether it had been a favorite.

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The quilting patterns were made of cardboard and some were quite elaborate.  Straight lines were made by using the yardstick.  I still have a few of her quilting patterns.  Most of the quilts she pieced after she and dad had retired.  He would cut the pattern out of cardboard and he would also help cut the fabric.  When finished Mom would do hand quilt them in a small round frame which she held in her lap or sometimes she placed it on a stand. She pieced quilts and quilted until the evening before she left us.
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  I visited her one July evening and when I was leaving she asked if I would take the quilt she was working on and check to see if she had missed any areas and then bind the quilt. Another finished quilt…..the next morning getting ready for breakfast she was called to her final rest.
 
Years later I read a saying that reminds me of those days.
“We made quilts to keep us warm and beautiful because we faced so much hardship.” 
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Saturday, July 13, 2013

Stories by Gramma R......The Tree with a Face

 
 
 
The little red geranium looked up and saw the mighty tree.  The giant tree said
"Do not be afraid of my large size.  I will protect you from the bright sun and you
in turn will protect my roots and keep them moist.  How nice it will be to become
friends and we can help each other."

Stories by Gramma R...What does a butterfly see......

 
 

What does a Butterfly see?

Monday, September 3, 2012

Sayings and notes

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By dwr

I can lie down and sleep in peace, because you alone, Lord, enable me to live without fear. Psalm 4.8

The Child that doesn’t listen is a child that isn’t heard.(unknown)

May you always have love to share and friends that care.

To LOVE is a glimpse of Heaven (play write-Karen Sunde)

“We make a living by what we get, But we make a life by what we give.” Winston Churchill

“The best things in life are nearest: Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you. Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life’s plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life.” Robert Louis Stevenson
                                                                               
For the ear tests words as the mouth tastes food. Job 34.3

You wrapped yourself in a cloud through which no prayer could pass. Lamentations 3.44

The past is useful only for what it brings to the present. It’s not helpful if it keeps you there.

Enlightenment is not a process of learning, it is a process of unlearning.

Teach our children: Tend carefully the garden of their minds.

“We must be the change we want to see in the world.” Gandhi

“I must be willing to give up what I am in order to become what I will be.” Einstein

Don’t die with your music still in you.

“Dark as my path may seem to others, I carry a magic light in my heart. Faith illuminates the way. Although doubts lurk in the shadow, I walk unafraid toward the Enchanted Wood where the foliage is always green; where joy abides; and where life and death are one in the presence of the Lord. Helen Keller

Our lives are an open book to be read by those around us. Some folks wear their halos much too tight.

  Sorrow looks back, worry looks around, and faith looks up.

  A skeptic is a person who when he sees the handwriting on the wall, claims it’s a forgery.

The mighty oak tree was once a little nut that held it’s ground.

You’ll notice that a turtle only makes progress when it sticks out its neck.

  Peace is a choice. A choice we make every day of how we will act and react to our circumstances and the world around us. It is the willingness to first and always seek understanding, to continually nurture and be secure in our own compassion, and to purposefully use our God-given intelligence and humanity to move toward that which we desire most-Love and Acceptance. We have the power to change the world. Let’s make that choice and direct the change for peace.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Genesis 31:49 Go thou thy way and I go mine, Apart, yet not afar; Only a thin veil hangs between The pathways where we are. And God keep watch ‘tween thee and me, This is my prayer; He looks thy way, He looketh mine, And keeps us near. I sigh sometimes to see thy face, But since this cannot be, I leave thee to the care of Him Who cares for thee and me.

\        Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. -Abraham Lincoln, U.S. president (1809-1865)

The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears. -John Vance Cheney, poet (1848-1922)

A house is no home unless it contains food and fire for the mind as well as the body. -Sarah Margaret Fuller, author (1810-1850)

The best effect of fine persons is felt after we have left their presence.-Ralph Waldo Emerson, writer and philosopher (1803-1882)

When John Adam son Thomas wrote, expressing an interest in public life, Adams felt he was answering for generations of their line: Public business, my son, must always be done by somebody. It will be done by somebody or other. If wise men decline it, others will not; if honest men refuse it, others will not. A young man should weigh well his plans. Integrity should be preserved in all events, as essential to his happiness, through every stage of his existence. His first maxim then should be to place his honor out of reach of all men. In order to do this he must make it a rule never to become dependent on public employments for subsistence. Let him have a trade, a profession, a farm, a shop, something where he can honestly live, and then he may engage in public affairs, if invited, upon independent principles. My advice to my children is to maintain an independent character. (from ‘John Adams’ by David McCullough)

Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads. Henry David Thoreau

                                                                                                                                                     "If you're alone, I'll be your shadow. If you want to cry, I'll be your shoulder. If you want a hug, I'll be your pillow. If you need to be happy, I'll be your smile... But anytime you need a friend, I'll just be me." When it comes down to it, friends, family, loved ones and acquaintances who make you feel more alive, happier, and more optimistic are some of the most important treasures in life. All the money and power you can imagine are not likely to be as satisfying as good conversation, trust, dependability and laughter. Today take a moment to think about the special people in your life, and ways you can keep those relationships strong. Make it a priority to spend some time each week with at least one of them - whether by phone, e-mail, in person, or through a letter. Human connectedness is a powerful healer, one we should all share in.

***************** The past is useful only for what it brings to the present. It’s not helpful if it keeps you there.

The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm.

Some marriages are made in heaven, but they ALL have to be maintained on earth.

                                                                                                                        Our life is like a tapestry of intricate design With lovely patterns taking shape As colors intertwine, Some of the threads we weave ourselves By things we choose to do-- Sometimes a loving Father’s touch Adds a special hue. And though tomorrow’s pattern Is not for us to see-- We can trust His perfect hand Through all eternity.

Live the gifts and talents within you. Then you are successful.

"Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate. " Dr. Albert Schweitzer

I wondered why somebody didn’t do something, And then I remembered I was somebody.                                                                                 

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Are We Aware of Things 'BENEATH OUR FEET?'























As I walk along--my eyes looking down to see the beauty of the earth beneath my feet. What wonders there are found.

Walking the beach we see foot prints in the sand then along comes the tide that washes away those footprints. It leaves lovely patterns or just smooth sand and shells.

Walkways through the woods with leaves across our path that lead us to little streams of water where there are rocks and pebbles of all shapes and colors.

Park paths with unusual patterns in the concrete walks, bricks laid in interesting patterns,unusual grates so excess water may drain. Some are works of art.

We continue across blades of grass, areas of white clover, little blue flowers, dandelions, pine cones,seeds,pods from trees and bushes and if we look close we
see a lizard or a grasshopper checking things out.

I look up and see the blue sky above and there is another story of nature and the beauty of the clouds and sky that changes every minute.

'Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads'. Henry David Thoreau


Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Our Visit to Fort Barrancas

After leaving the Information Center to Fort Barrancas we walk up to the Fort. It is a steep climb for me. The lookout at the top of the hill has

a beautiful view of the water and the beach.

Fort Barrancas

The old Spanish fort Bateria de San Antonio was a masonry water battery at the foot of the bluff in front of Fort Barrancas.

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In view is the canon that shot across the water to Fort Pickens. The canon ball was suppose to skip across the water.

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The next photo shows the dry moat that surrounds the fort called the killing grounds. From the windows they could see anyone approaching to assault.On entering the ditch they would suffer heavy casualties. Muskets and canons would fire through the windows. The draw bridge is also visible. It could be raised to prevent a surprise attack, which helped to save Lt. Slemmer’s men in 1861.

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2010-10-16 031 From the inside of the Fort you could go thru this dark steep tunnel to the old Spanish fort Bateria de San Antonio. I did not attempt to go there. Too dark for me.

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The flag and the canon shown on the bluff.

This Fort was under several different flags.

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Fort Barrancas

Historic Fort Barrancas was constructed around

1839-1844. One of four forts built to protect the Pensacola Navy Yard. It sits on a bluff overlooking Pensacola Bay.