I think I hit every online sale I could find and the local quilt store twice last week.  I even made it to the 30% off sale at the local quilt shop.  It’s scary when it rings up $330 after the 30% off but it’s for an excellent cause.  I know I can cover the costs and do the work or God would not have led me to start this project.

Here are the fabrics I’ve found so far for the fire department quilts.  All 30 will be red, white and blue.    I have 3 cut out and 27 left to go.

After so many articles in the paper about police killed or attacked for no other reason than wearing a uniform and firefighters told to remove American flags from trucks, I decided we as a nation need to step up and remind police and firefighters that we believe in them and are there to support them as they do us.   A couple of weeks ago I dropped off several pizza to the local police department.  I’m sure they were appreciated but it does little to say thanks.    I put blue lives matter stickers on my car and our local jeep club has had a BBQ and convoy of jeep along the beach to bring awareness of the issue and serve lunch to officers.   In order to show my support I decided to also make a quilt for each of our Zephyrhills firefighters.  People keep saying wow that’s amazing.  But no, it really isn’t.  These are men and women that would run into a blazing house to save even my dog.   There aren’t many people that would do that.   Do you think even your best friend would run into your house on fire to get you?  We’d like to think so but  . . . . . .

Zephyrhills has 21 firefighters and 9 cadets in their program so as a community service project, I’ve decided to make each a quilt.   One local lady who doesn’t quilt has also offered to learn to make one so she can be a part of the project.   So, the age old question of how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop has been replaced with how long does it take to cut, sew, quilt and bind 30 quilts?   It will be expensive and it will be a lot of work but it’s nothing compared to what these men and women do every day.

After 3 offers from the bank I finally decided to look into refinancing my home.  The process seemed easy enough and I was quickly approved but I never imagines how nerve racking it was to have your home inspected or appraised.   I hired Allison’s husband to help get the yard in shape and spend 3 days scrubbing house from top to bottom.  Funny he came , asked what I had remodeled or replaced since I purchased, took some pictures and was gone in less than 25 minutes.   Now just wait and see if he gives me a high enough value.   Even though I clean every weekend it’s funny how nervous I was to have someone come in that wanted to look at all the little details.   I still have some things I’d like to do but I love my house and feel so blessed that it’s actually mine.

Just reposting this as it’s finally bound and delivered.  I made this for my pet sitter.  She comes every day while I’m at work and takes the pups out to play.    I hope she loved it.  She likes working in the yard and this just had that sunny feel to it.

 

I finally finished the quilt for my sofa and I’m not thrilled.  Because of the way the blocks are laid out it made it look extremely obvious where the center seams were joined.   The green and the paisley look really nice with the sofa but the photo makes the color look yellow.   Probably one of the few quilts I’ve finished I wasn’t too thrilled about.  Even though it doesn’t look like the colors don’t match in the picture, it does in person.

I’m so mad I had to add this on my blog whether it’s ever read or not.   Friday I was told I was a bigot because I said the phrase white privledge was racist.  Well it plain is.  I don’t care what color you’re talking about but defining someone or saying they got something because they are white is no different than saying they got it or deserve it because they are black.  I won’t be told I got where I am in life because I’m white.  I got where I am because I worked my ass off.

With a child at 17 and a 10th grade education I could have sat on my ass and taken a welfare check but I didn’t.   I was married for 8 years and worked all those years so we had the income to raise our child.  Did she need more than we were able to give her, probably.  Would she have been happier had we been able to afford more, probably.  But we did what we could without asking someone to pay for a child we choose to have.

When I got divorced at 26 I didn’t call the government and ask what programs I could get and where I could get money or free rent because I chose to have a child.  I did what everyone needs to do.  I got a job.  Then I got another one.  I worked 2 jobs and went back to night school and got a diploma.  Yeah it took me till I was 30 to get it.  Life isn’t easy and it was never meant to be a free ride.  I kept working 2 jobs and after 2 years of night classes got a degree as a certified vet tech and for the first time in my life I was able to work 1 job.   But I kept working on educating myself.  I went to admin seminars, working in a team seminars, classes in microsoft programs, quickbooks, etc. and eventually got a job for a tax and investment firm.  Again I still kept educating myself and 2 years ago earned a degree as a paralegal.   Sure it took a year or so but I did it as I could afford.  Never have I asked the government to feed my child or pay what it costs to raise her.  I lived on what I earned and $100 month in child support.

So, to be told I have what I have and am where I am because of white privledge is plain bullshit and damn insulting.   I got where I am and have what I have with family support and hard work.   This country needs to start looking at people just as people and not care what color they are.  To say someone deserves something because they are black is racist itself.  It tells people that someone black doesn’t have enough brains, determination, education, etc to earn it themselves.  I know the black men and women in our country fought and lost so many battles in the 50’s and 60’s to be given equal rights and they kept on fighting.  I also know a lot of whites that fought that battle right alongside of them but never felt what it was like to be treated as less based on your color.  The physical and emotional abuse was horrendous and our country should be ashamed of that heritage.  I watch our government right now and listen to the speeches and comments that are driving that wedge of color right back into America.  I have black neighbors and black friends and I guess I never look at what they do or have based on their color.   What if everyone in the country had to spend a year never referring to someone’s color?   Our government needs to work on promoting equality among races, sexual preference, etc. without using hate against white people to achieve it.   Hate is hate regardless of who it’s aimed at.

This coming Sunday (July 31) a couple of the jeep clubs are doing a Back the Blue event.  Hoping I can get to this one.  Delivering pizza to the local police office and then a convoy up to Citrus Parkway and a bbq for sale to raise funds for local police offices.   I was able to drop off pizza’s at the Zhills police station last week but would like to join this event also.   Got my t-shirt ready from the Tampa Jeep Krewe but I’m riding with the Blackwater club.

Just one of my kits I was sewing up for someone.  I didn’t learn any new techniques on this one but I did work out some ideas on color placement.   I am not overly fond of pastel fabrics as I like bold, stark colors.  Piecing this is was just so pastel that I added the black to the center pinwheels as it had the same blue roses.  I did NOT like the final piece once it was done.  I hoped by adding the same black to the outer edge it would pull that color into line with the others so I used it for the binding.  It did pull it together some what but I learned that pastel all by itself is ok sometimes as well.   Once in a while someone sees a quilt they just love or sparks a memory and they immediately love it.   Well one of Shannon’s friends immediately loved it so it will go live with Ms. Allison.

I don’t get a lot of time to do the actual quilting of my tops since I got the pups.  It requires I pay attention and trying to stop every 5 minutes and see what the mongrels are doing is tedious and ends up looking like bad quilting.   The cubes came out terrible.  I tried to do a stitch in the ditch and not only was it my first time trying that, you really can’t stitch a straight line on a long arm without doing ruler work or using a regular machine with a walking foot.   But it’s ok as this is one of the quilts I was doing to learn new techniques. It’s going to stay at my house so I can live with the fact it’s not perfect.   I learned a lot quilting it also.   It’s just stitched down the vertical rows then thru the top of every other set of cubes horizontally.   Simple but I learned about straight stitching on a long arm.

I hosted an adult coloring party for Shannon and her friends last week.  It’s great to see her socialize with the ladies outside of work.  I think they all had a good time.    There was certainly enough food.