Is blogging dead? And...a new quilting project

Ah....it's been a few days! I am determined not to let my blog fall by the wayside...again.

I have been getting a few things done though, so that's feeling pretty good.

After a few posts and comments on facebook, I suppose I have to accept that it's possible that the personal blog is dead. Sigh.

I hope that's not true but I fear it might be. I go to all kinds of blogs when I am searching for information - I love some them! I never really noticed if they were something that was sponsored, or had a lot of followers...I just know that there is a wealth of information out there and my hope is that maybe someday one of my posts will be of use to someone.

At any rate, I find this is a good place to share what I have been working on and thus retain it for my own benefit. I'm not really a journal-keeping type of person, although I have tried in the past.  Just not really my thing...although I love seeing other people's journals!

Anyway...on to what I have been working on...

My mom and I have been working on making little quilted things for MONTHS now. She loves to hand quilt. She has macular degeneration and so we all know that she will not be able to do this forever, but until that day comes, I am making every effort to provide her with little projects to work on. Some months ago we decided we wanted to try making a proper quilt - you know - for a bed or something! Revolutionary!!!

Only one problem....

I had never pieced anything much, and because of my mom's eyesight she wanted to be able to quilt using no hoop or frame of any kind. She's had great success doing this with our small projects. And I can tell you that I wish I had known about spray basting MONTHS ago!!! I just bought some and lo and behold she LIKES it!! woot!

BUT...

There is NO WAY that she is going to be able to quilt a big quilt using no hoop or frame. So...

I put on my Trouble_Shooting Hat (I wear this a lot).

After much thought and research on the internet (for all it's faults, I love the internet!!) we have decided to try doing this quilt in sections. So I will piece, mark and make small quilt sandwiches (probably around 18") and she will quilt them and then I will put them together. I found some terrible quality youtube videos of Georgia Bonesteel's method for doing this and I think that will be the method we go with.  I am going to continue to do research and we are currently working on samples to make sure that she can do that size with no hoop etc. (it's possible we can go bigger, which would be great!) and then we are going to do some samples where I actually try to put them together....

We'll see how it goes.

I spend a lot of my time trying to make my mom's life a little easier and more pleasant by figuring out projects for her to work on. I ALWAYS have to keep in mind her vision issues. I always have to think to myself, 'will she be able to see this? is the fabric too dark/light/patterned? are the marks dark enough? Too dark?' and so on... Macular degeneration is not like being far sighted or near sighted. It's completely different. and hard to understand. I do the best I can, based on her descriptions... It's a tough one and my hope is that someday there will be a cure...

I promise to post pictures as I go - because...who knows who might benefit from my screw-ups?!?!

Now, a picture or two for your enjoyment:

this is a little quilted thing I made for my mom's table - in celebration of us finishing the most TEDIOUS embroidery project EVER. Really!

this was a tablecloth we put together some years ago (yes, years!) and it was so annoying to do, that we kept putting it away and would get it out on occasion and then put it away again.  It was SO GRUBBY from being handled for...I don't even know how long...5 years?

But while I was cleaning my studio she got it out and was determined to finish it. And she did! Well, I did a little bit of work on it, and I certainly helped by threading needle after needle for her, but really it was 90% her! Iput the little binding edge on there after it was done.

I wanted to make a complete vignette - a lovely table setting for her - I had to go several places to find the right flowers and we already had the vase...

but...TADA!!!!

OK - that's enough for now... I should go back and check this for typos but am too excited to share! maybe later!