Closer to Closure
Back in March of 2013 I posted in the “sewing projects” portion of my blog this entry:
The original work of Grandma Laura
My Grandmother: Laura Wendlandt
“Here I am working with my Grandmother Laura Wendlandt’s (my father’s mother) handiwork from the mid 1960’s. This work of butterflies was done on grandma’s treadle sewing machine. The stitches are so small and tight. In today’s world and with today’s sewing machines when we are finished with a seam we do a back stitch to secure the tread from unraveling. In the blocks of pink butterflies the black thread is hand knotted on the back side to prevent them from becoming undone. All of the pink fabrics have been turned under so no raw material can show. I cannot imagine the hours her arthritic fingers spent securing the fabric and then sewing around each pattern. I have not quite decided how to work with it, but I do know that all of her handiwork will not be in vain. Sometime in the future there will be an update of a portion of these blocks. Just don’t hold your breath.”
Colors Were Chosen
Now as the fall of 2013 is right here at my doorstep I can let you know the breath no longer needs to be held and mostly it was my own. I left the butterflies lie on my work table and every day since March determined that they would not go back into the cedar chest. When I went downstairs they would beckon me as if to ask me to please make them useful. I thought about every color I could think of and decided on nothing. What to do with so much pink? Not knowing where the finished quilt would end up I wanted to keep as many options open as possible. I felt the butterflies should be surrounded by as much color as they would be if they were flying free. The first task was to totally cut all of Grandma’s blocks apart. Initially I thought it was a total of 82 but as I cut and stacked, lo and behold I had 99. I did have to cut them apart as the stitches were too tiny, and too many for my arthritic fingers to undo all that had been sewn.
Colors to Surround the Butterflies
I did have one night when sleep would not come as I ruminated. I wanted to lay this 50 plus year project to bed, making sure to give Grandma Laura’s work the accolades it deserved. For several days I pulled fabric out of my stashes and laid them next to the blocks to see what tripped my trigger. Putting down four different prints and picking up three of them as it just didn’t seem to be the right fit. It was harder than I had ever envisioned. Once the work table was full of chosen selected fabric I promised myself “no more second guesses.” From that point on it was cutting the fabric and setting nine blocks aside to make a larger block from the nine blocks.
The Prepared Quilt Top
August 23rd, 2013: It was time for a photo shoot on the north wall of the garage. There was just no way of getting around it. I needed proof via a photo that we were gaining on Grandma Laura’s butterflies. I have an appointment at the Old Alley Quilt Shop in Sherburn, Minnesota, to have the top joined to batting and backing and quilted with Sharon’s long arm sewing machine. Hand stitching/quilting a king sized project is just not in my capabilities. The sad news is that Sharon is booked up until December. That will work as I have waited all these years to put some closure on this project, so a few more months can’t hurt. I just can’t express how happy and relieved I feel that Grandma’s Butterflies have been released from storage and will fly for many years giving someone comfort as they snuggle under them. The king sized quilt used 81 of the 99 blocks. The remaining 18 blocks have been used in two smaller wall hangings with which to surprise someone when they least expect it to have a reminder of this grand lady.
As I had posted on August 25th, I desperately needed to give the sewing room a clean up. Thread, scraps, lint and a couple of forgotten empty coffee cups needed to have some TLC. It looks so nice and clean down there I need to just step back and enjoy the view before the next project, aka: mayhem, takes over.
competitions at the fair that would be preformed in front of an audience. The preparation included having all the ingredients measured out beforehand. From the words “Time begins now,” all the steps needed to be done in sequence. I had practiced over and over at home to make sure I kept the mixing area tidy and didn’t forget any of the ingredients and executed the steps with ease and grace. The judges sat right in the front row and had their check lists and the outcome was not known until the bread or pie were out of the oven and had been tasted. It was a great challenge for self confidence. Who knew that in time to come as a county assessor I would draw from that ability time after time to be in front of a group to state clearly the information I would present.
than Dr. Oz says I should be drinking I do wonder if I am missing the boat and maybe should be doing more for my part in the whole scheme of things. Then I turn back into the mode of being an assessor and insist that I give myself more facts. Do more where? The community has multiple options for volunteer work and I have sat back and observed the playing field here in St. James. Nothing really trips my trigger.
The most wonderful thing at the end of the day is when my computer tells me that I have an email from family. Oh, so priceless!
that Ken’s wife Sarah really likes. Sarah has terminal brain cancer and I am needed to make Sarah’s plants healthier. Oh how I wish I had the power to make her healthier. My small part will bring a smile to Sarah when I bring the pots back to her. Let’s see, where in the potting shed is that bag of Miracle Grow potting soil?
All of the preparation for the Reverse Shoulder Replacement that took place on April 25th was totally worth it. 
In the seven weeks since I have been amazed almost on a daily basis. Twenty four hours after awaking from the actual surgery Dennis and I were on our way home to St. James and everything I had organized for the both of us back home gave me a sense of quietness. The instructions before being discharged where very simple: “Wear the sling as close to 24/7 as possible and wiggle your fingers as often as possible.” I kidded the surgeon if he had put a bit of Super Glue onto the ends of the screws. He went on to tell Dennis and I that the screws were in fact hollow so they would fill in with my very own tissue to truly become a part of me. Wow! I left the hospital in one of Dennis’ large button shirts with the left arm safely kept tucked into the inside. Once home, for the first several days I was either in the recovery chair (wooden chair made of 2 x 4’s), pacing the floor or lying flat on my back in bed.
After the first three weeks I could move the left elbow and below as long as the arm stayed close to the body in the sling. I soon got needles threaded and tackled a few dishtowels. I am not saying it went slick or quick but where was I going? I soon reacquainted myself with hand quilting and thoroughly enjoyed it.
