I have no words to express how I feel these past few days. I lost one of the most important people in my life last week, my amazing, talented and extremely, loving sister Jill. I have been so busy since then that I haven’t had to process that I won’t see her or talk to her again. That she won’t be making so many people smile simply be calling them muffin or cupcake. I don’t think she ever met someone that they didn’t immediately like her.

Now that things have slowed down, I feel lost. I asked Jill about something once and she said sometimes all we can do is endure. It is the perfect word I am looking for to describe things at this point. I don’t feel like I’m living, I feel like I simply endure each day.

I will miss my usual text that came every couple of days saying “love you beautiful sister”. She was the one person when she said I love you, I knew she really did and she loved me for who and what I am without expecting me to change or even attempt to be perfect. She made me want to be a better person so she’d be proud to say that’s my sister.

I do smile when I wonder how special Jesus feels each time she calls him muffin. I love and miss you Jillybean.

If you follow my blog and are a prayer warrior, please add my sweet sister Jill and her hubby Mark to your prayer list. They both have Covid pneumonia and while Mark is getting better, Jill needs some heavy duty prayers. We are hoping she is well enough to come home soon where she can get some personalized care and some family love.

About 15 years ago a friend invited me to learn quilting with a group of ladies at our church, Landmark Baptist. They were all making theirs by hand. I finished about half of it and decided that just wasn’t for me. A few months later I attended a quilt show just as something to do on a Saturday. While I was there I saw a mariner’s compass quilt and a lone star quilt. At the time I remember thinking, if I could make something like that I would quilt.

I decided to see if I could teach myself to quilt with a sewing machine. This was way before online videos and classes. I ran across an online community board of quilters and met a lady in Kansas. She helped me via emails and I began quilting. She even encouraged me to learn to quilt them myself rather than tie them.

Since them I have tried to pass along her knowledge and teach other people to quilt. The first person I ever taught was my mom. 15+ years later I am still quilting, still teaching and finally made that mariners compass. I even found a pattern that incorporated that compass into my favorite bargello style quilts.

I had decided to keep this but a new student in my class is starting a series of eye surgeries this week and fell in love with it. I realized it will bring her a lot more joy than it will me. While I love making quilts, to me they are just fabric. I can make another. I am bound to do that lone star before the year is over.

I had this funky Tula Pink fabric called Homemade and wanted something unique out of it. I decided to try the 3 Dude’s pattern and added a Tula pink polka dot for the solid. And I will tell you, if funky is what I wanted, funky is what I got. It is certainly colorful and unique.

And, it is true everyone loves something different. This one will live with my dear friend Kenetha. She fell in love. She said it reminds her of the kaleidiscope things you looked thru as a child and turned it to make lots of colors. It certainly has lots of colors. I do love the crinkle look you get once you wash them. It gives quilts that awesome vintage look.