This will always be the most special quilt I have made as it’s in memory of my beautiful, amazing sister Jill. I used this making fabrics from her stash and mine and it was one we were going to work on together. I will be sending this to Jill’s friend Victoria, who is the hospital chaplin and was able to spend her last few hours with Jill. I hope it reminds her of the fond memories of time with Jill.

It was also the first quilt I got to display and photograph using this awesome quilt rack Claudia’s husband Jose made for me. I absolutely love it and it makes taking pictures so much easier. I covered the clips along the top to keep them clean and it’s painted with gloss paint so it easily wipes off if it gets dirty on the deck.

Well since no one will be living in the guest suite for some time, I decided it wouldn’t hurt if I used one wall and some shelves. I have the small design board in my quilt room but I put a bigger one one the guest room wall. It’s funny how expensive those fabric design walls are and you can do the same thing with a $20 flannel backed tablecloth and some command strips. Here it is already in use.

I was also able to move all my pre-cut quilt kits to the shelves in there and have a little more space in my quilt room.

I still love making quilts that mix octagons and 4 patch poseys. They come out so unique and so pretty. Here is one I finished last week. It’s using Robert Kaufman’s line called Alexandra and a ombre sashing with small gold flecks. I gifted it to my friend Marie’s grandson Jesse.

I have always been more than willing to help people any time I can. I told myself last time a friend moved in and abused the situation I would never do that again. 18 months ago when my daughter’s co-worker asked to stay in my guest room a while, I should have stuck to that decision.

I hate to say it, but never let anyone but family move into your home. She was supposed to stay 8 months and that became 18 months. 18 months of cooking every meal for someone, helping them with whatever they needed, paying for food, providing a clean, safe place to live and that person just spits on you. I don’t have it in me to do again.

When she moved she left my guest room filthy, nasty and just plain gross. A shower covered in hair dye stains, mildewed tiles and grout. The sink and floor tiles stained with hair dye and I won’t even talk about the filth of the toilet. I can’t imagine any kind of decent woman that would use that bathroom on a daily basis as nasty as it was. I have seen men not clean bathrooms but none like the filth this woman left behind. She took bed sheets and pillows that look like that hadn’t been washed in months, rolled them up and stuffed them behind the headboard of the bed. The room size rug looked like it hadn’t been so much as vacuumed since she moved in. I have to ask myself, does someone like that have no self respect or simple bathing habits? Friends said well it isn’t her home so she doesn’t care, but she had to live in that filth daily and who does that?

But I have learned my lesson and it was that you can’t help dishonest, evil people. She lived in my home, ate the food I bought and paid for and I find out now she was cheating me and using me to steal from her employer. She’d tell me she paid the bills when my boys went to the vet with her and to just repay her, Turns out she was stealing the money and just putting it in her own pocket. Never again will I open my home to someone not family and the world has her to thank you that.

Thanks to my son in laws help and a huge chuck out of my budget, it is finally all cleaned except replacing the bathroom sink stained with hair dye and regrouting the floor. That has to wait till I pay off all the items we had to replace. Everything went in the trash except the drapes and mattress. It looks livable again.

I know I have shown you the pin cushions Claudia makes but without a doubt, this is my favorite. Well honestly, they are all my favorite. This is a tea cup that belonged to my grandmother. Claudia turned in into a pincushion for me and I absolutely adore it. Shannon will have it after me. It will always be cherished.

I am still amazed how much progress my friend Claudia has made in such a short period of time. Every time I am around her I am reminded so much of my sister Jill. They both have such a giving spirit and so much natural talent. Here are 2 she finished and I think she did an absolutely amazing job of both. I’m very proud of how well she is coming along in her quilting. She will surpass me very quickly and I think that’s the sign of a good teacher.

2022 is apparently a slow year for quilting. I took a step back and am working on some that take a little longer but I have wanted to get better at. I’ve also been quilting a few tops for the friends in my local quilt group. Here are 2 I finished in 2022.

The first has no name it’s just blocks made using crazy curve templates and some Tula pink fabrics. I am not crazy how it came out but my friend Kenetha absolutely loved it so I sold it to her.

The second is a one block wonder using a fabric line called Cosmo. I was surprised how much I liked it once it was done. Kenetha’s husband really wanted this one so it’s living and her house also. Now if I can finish her flamingo quilt.

I look here and I’m stunned I haven’t written anything since March but then I realize I rarely do anything note worthy. LOL. So how about some pictures on my boys.