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.

I know my sister Jill is home with our Lord, and I know the pains she dealt with daily are gone, but I miss her terribly. Some days so much it hurts just to think about her.

I decided last weekend, while cleaning the house, that I needed to bring out some things that Jill and I both loved and use them in the living room instead of out of sight in a back bedroom so that’s what I did.

An old friend gave me this thread box several years ago and I debating giving it away and Jill convinced me to keep it because it was so pretty. She was right it really is whether it has thread it it or not. I moved it to the living room last weekend so I can see it more often.

I debated for a week if I should bid on this antique Martha Washington sewing table, Jill reminded me sometimes you just have to do it if you love it so of course I bought it. We had planned to decoupage it with fabrics until I picked it up and it was in mint condition. This weekend I hope to move it to the front room where I can enjoy it more than put away in a back bedroom.

And while cleaning, I came across another Jill memory. She, Mark and I went to visit our aunt and toured a blown glass factory that had such pretty pieces. Our aunt said pick something we liked. Going in separate directions we met back at the register and everyone had a good laugh. We stood there both holding the exact same bowl. Every time I see that bowl I remember how much I loved her and how funny it was.

I know I already had a post about a young woman Claudia that joined my quilt group and that I am so thrilled to be able to call my friend. She has such a natural talent for creating things and making quilts that it amazes me. She reminds me in so many ways of my sister Jill. It’s hard to see the things she has done and is doing and remember she didn’t even sew 6 or 7 months ago. I’d say she took to it like a fish to water but I think she is beyond that as well.

I’ve already shown you the amazing pin cushions she made me that look like dress maker dummies but she also made me one that is stunning. It looks like a lotus flower. Just beautiful.

Her quilts are exact, well defined color wise and so neatly pieced it stuns me. I remember talking to my sister about the ladies finishing things so quickly and she said teach them a bargello. That will take a while. So I gave Claudia just the basics and started her on a bargello with some fabrics we had on hand, and figured next time we met I’d show her how to assemble it. Well to say I’m shocked in an understatement. I got a picture from her a week later with it finished and she did an amazing job.

Here are pictures of her pin cushion and bargello. She just finished a hat pin cushion I need to ask if I can share. It’s freaking awesome.

It has been a really long time since I struggled to make a quilt but the latest one has been a challenge.

Jill and I picked out some fabrics for a quilt I wanted to make and after making 3 blocks, I hated it. You know me, my first thought was trash it, but Jill said bring it up and she’d finish it. Unfortunately she never got to finish it, so I brought it home with a plan.

Her friend Victoria is the hospital Chaplin and stayed with Jill through her last few hours. I wanted to make her something to remember Jill by and to thank her. I would have given anything to be there so I really wanted to say thank you. I finally thought what better way than a quilt that Jill and I planned together. Jill had mentioned she enjoyed quilts so I thought it would be perfect. And how much better is it the block pattern is called God’s Eye?

It took me a few months before I was mentally ready to work on it. I took it out and put it away several times. I was finally determined to finish it and a couple of weekends ago pulled it out again. I have to say, I honestly think the devil rallied hard for this quilt not to be made. It seemed an up hill struggle every time I worked on it. I realized I had not cut enough pieces for all 12 blocks and didn’t have any more of the fabrics. I reached out to a Facebook group for that fabric designer and several ladies sent me enough to finish each block. Should have been a piece of cake after that.

After that, every block I put together had mistakes and had to be ripped out. Every time I sat down the sewing machine acted up, ran out of thread, a piece was missing. You name it. I felt the devil was weighing me down every time I wanted to work on it. Through some prayer and encouragement from friends, I am finally making headway and I have to say the more blocks I make, the more I like them. Here are some of the ones I have finished.

The young woman Claudia, in my local quilt group still amazes me. Not only has she picked up quilting with what is obviously a natural talent, but she is making the most amazing pin cushions.

First we had the beautiful mannequin pin cushions I shared with you in a prior post, then last week she gifted me one of these. I wish you could see them in person, they are absolutely adorable. She is so eager to learn new things and I can’t wait to see what all this very talented lady will create over the next few years.

I can’t believe I finally finished a quilt of my own. I started this last year and finally got motivated enough to quilt and bind it. This was one I wasn’t sure would ever be finished as I couldn’t get a look I liked.

It started out planned with this pattern and using Tula Pink coordinates called Lineworks with the goal of a black and while quilt. About 3 blocks in I hated it, I decided after a few days thought to add in some Tula dots and stripes and still hated it so it got tossed in a box. I woke up one morning and there was the box and I wondered about adding black. So was born this quilt.

I rarely work without a pattern but here it is. My friend Kenetha fell in love with it so it will go to its new home tomorrow.