Pulling At My "Heart"strings or Threads

I guess it all started with this heart.

That heart lead me down the road,

to hosting my

"Heart from the Heart" Swap.

I am still traveling that road and

I have joined a group that makes

and swaps hearts.

Yahoo groups has a group

for heart lovers like me!

Here is an excerpt from their

home page:

Hearts can be pieced and embellished

 in what ever is your favourite

 type of needlework, crazy patch,

 embroidery, beadwork, appliqué,

 ribbon, cross stitch. The choice is endless.

There is a link on my sidebar,

check them out,

 you may want to

join too!

Love to all,

Deb

Hearts and Hands For Sendai

I have begun the work on my

quilt block for the project

Hearts and Hands For Sendai.

There are guidelines for the

quilt blocks.  The most

important being, anyone

can submit a block.

Traditional Quilters (Aunt Sue)

and Crazy Quilters are welcome.

This link will take you to the

Crazy Quilters International

site, where all the details

can be found.

Let the fun now begin, on this

block...Embellishing!

I will now gather the beads,

buttons, threads and ribbons

that will be stitched to the

surface.

Love to all,

Deb

Thank You, Marianne!

Marianne had a giveaway!

I had a wonderful win!

So many wonderful things! 

Fabrics, beads and ribbon, I can use in my

Crazy Quilting! 

I have a few Distress Inks, but

none in these colors!

What wonderful Mixed Media ideas are

swirling in my mind looking at this

Tim Holtz smorgasbord!

Thank you again Marianne.  Check out her blog

she has a post today about why she blogs.

She mentions the fact not everyone

understands why we blog.

It is hard to understand when you are on

the outside looking in.  But, once you

have had blog friends pray for you or

a loved one.  Celebrate with you,

the birth of child. Email when they

have not head from you for a few

days.....then you get it.

Love to all,

Deb

What Can I Do To Help?

I think we have all asked that question

of ourselves at some point in time.

The news from Japan  is almost

like watching a science fiction movie.

But the sad truth is, there is no fiction

involved in these terrifying images.

In those news reports I have seen

 people calmly waiting in line for

food and water.

I have seen families working together

to restore their lives and homes.

I have seen no looting, 

or riots breaking out.

I am humbled by the sheer

tenacity of those faced with

such ovewhelming adversity.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In response to my initial question,

"What can I do?"

As a quilter and a stitcher

I have found a project that,

"I can do to help".

Here is an excerpt from the blog

http://crazyquiltinginternational.blogspot.com/.

This project will be dedicated to helping those affected by the earthquake tsunami disaster in Japan. Per Hideko Ishida's request, all quilts will become a part of an exhibit in Japan where money will be raised by viewing the quilts. Ultimately, these quilts may be auctioned and the proceeds given to a charity designated by Hideko Ishida, our Japanese CQ Sister! We will keep everyone informed as time progresses. This project is open to the quilting community at large! You may track details on the Crazy Quilting International blog, http://crazyquiltinginternational.blogspot.com or the ICQA Facebook page http://tinyurl.com/4h3x28a .

Guidelines are as follows:



Theme: Friendship and re-building of a country



Finished block size: 8 inches



Colors: Jewel Tones



Style: traditional or crazy quilt blocks will be accepted



For traditional quilt blocks, there are no pattern restrictions. The only requirements are the size and the colors. Finished size is to be 8 inches (20.32 cm). Please allow a half inch seam allowance. Colors are jewel tones. No restrictions to the type of fabric used.
 

For more information please,

click on this link

http://crazyquiltinginternational.blogspot.com/2011/03/hearts-and-hands-for-sendai.html

for the full details.

 

Love to all,

Deb

Lots of Catching Up To Do

I love this quote, I read on

Mo's Blog.

“Normal day, let me be

 aware of the treasure you are.

Let me learn from you,

love you, bless you

 before you depart.

Let me not pass you

 by in quest of some

 rare and perfect tomorrow.

Let me hold you

while I may,

 for it may not always be so.

One day I shall

 dig my nails into the earth,

 or bury my face in the pillow,

 or stretch myself taut,

or raise my hands to the sky

 and want, more than all the world,

 your return.”

~Mary Jean Iron 

~~~~~~~~~

As a matter of fact I loved that

quote so much I started following

Mo's Blog that day.

I mentioned the quote to a couple of

people and commented on how

we should be grateful for the

simplest of days.

Those days are our

greatest treasures.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

During February quite a bit

went on in my life and on

my blog.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hosted a heart swap.

I have posted most everyone's

heart except for

mine and 2 others.

Lynn sent this lovely heart,

I had to encourage Lynn to participate

in this swap.  Truth be told

Susan and I had to gang up

on her and send her fabric.

Lynn took our encouragement

(badgering) well and made this

wonderful heart.

~~~~~~~

Jillayne's heart is next,

Jillayne makes the lovliest things

 and her needlework is exquisite.

She truly creates from the heart.

I am always inspired when

I read her blog.

Don't you love the delicate

look of this heart and

all the stitching,

so understated

and beautiful.

Jillayne will be doing

 a tutorial

on a new flower

technique soon,

 so watch her blog.

This is the heart I

created for the swap.

I love the colors in it and had

the most fun stitching it.

I hope my swap partner

liked it as much as

I did hers.

Shirley C was my

swap partner.

How could I not choose

this heart, from the heart.

The yo-yo strip and

tatting were from both

her Grandmothers.

The scraf was her Mother's.

All these family treasures

she used to create this

heart.

I love it and hung it

in my sunroom.

The back of the heart is

beautiful too!

Shirley created this FSL

with her embroidery machine.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Still on the subject

of hearts, Connie sent me

this heart.

She sent it to me while my DH was

critically ill in the hospital.

He spent the better part of

the month of February

in ICU, on life support.

I kept the heart in my pocket

and thought of

my many blog friends

that were praying for us.

It was during this

frightening time

 that the quote I started

this post with,

rang so true to me.

DH is home and

regaining his strength.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Donna hosted a

Mug Mat Swap

during February.

If you read Donna's

blog you know she

is an A+ quilter, so

I knew I wanted to

be part of anything

she had going on.

Nancy was my partner

and this is the mug mat

she sent me.

Along with some

chocolates.....

wonder why there are no

pictures of the chocolates?

Stressful times call

for chocolates!

Stressed spelled

backwards is

Desserts!

Notice the bird fabric she used!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Update on Sophie,

a picture speaks

a thousand words...

Needless to say,

 she is doing well.

Still eating everything in sight.

Tried to eat my stitching

last night.  We were watching

American Idol and a bad note

(or sharp, as Randy would say)

stirred Sophie up, she chomped

my stitching with 2 needles hanging

from it! I quickly grabbed it

back and all is well....for now!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Next my butterfly for the

Butterfly Effect project.

The Holocaust Museum Houston

 is dedicated to

 educating people

 about the Holocaust,

 remembering the

 6 million Jews

 and other innocent victims

 and honoring

 the survivors' legacy.

 Using the lessons

 of the Holocaust

 and other genocides,

 we teach the dangers

 of hatred, prejudice and apathy. 

The butterflies are being created for an exhibit.

The Butterfly Project mandate

 is to remember the 1,500,000

 innocent children

 who perished

 as a result of the Holocaust

 by collecting 1.5 million

 handmade butterflies.

In Spring 2013,

 these butterflies

 will then become

 a break-taking

 exhibition to serve

 as a memory of this event.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now for some 

welcome sights.

Spring is on it's way. 

Thank you dear friends,

for all the support and love

you have shown me this past month.

Your emails and cards have

meant so much to me

 and my family.

To repeat the thought that started

this post.

In my words,

Be thankful for an ordianary day

for there will be days you will

wish were ordinary.

Love to all,

Deb