Belated Merry Christmas and a Happy Happy New Year to Everyone!!!
My home computer died shortly after my last post, was kindly resurrected, only to greet me with the blue screen of death a few days later. My sister kept insisting "just go buy a laptop with plenty of speed and one you like!" Oh dear me! After a few weeks, I had the kindest friend lead me threw the maze of choosing a new laptop and I settled on a Toshiba Satellite. I couldn't be more tickled-pink-and-purple...or as my daughter says, "it rocks all my socks off"!
So I've been a little busy on countless things. I knitted 4 dishcloths as gifts to my office co-workers. I baked pumpkin bread for my Team Members. I finished knitting a triangular scarf from blue-faced leicester variegated yarn for myself - love-love-love this wool yarn! I'm not sure how to finish the edges or block it, so those pictures are on hold. I finished a stunning bargello wall hanging...now in the hands of my Quilter for a future winter class (pictures to come in a few days). I'm hoping for several students because it is deceptively easy with spectacular results! My youngest daughter took pictures for me and I'm anxious to share them with you ...stay tuned for exciting pictures.
I completed three more Patriot in Petticoats blocks and I'm enjoying them more with each block. Enjoy these pictures...
Block #9 - Anna Marie Lane was a Nurse, wounded in the Battle of Germantown, Pennsylvania. Her work was so appreciated that she received a large pension until her death in 1819.
Block #10 Lydia Darragh - she was a daring spy who outwitted the British and help secure a victory for the Pennsylvania Militia
Block #11 - Elizabeth Freeman - born a slave and called "Mumbet". She heard a public reading of the Declaration of Independence and boldly sued her cruel owner for her freedom and won. She became a paid servant in her attorney's household and was buried in the Sedgwick family plot in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
I continue to be inspired by the courage of each of these women and proud to make each block! Our family took a day trip to Shipshewanna, Indiana and I was standing in the fabric section of Yoder's Store. All of a sudden it dawned on me I was standing in front of the entire collection of Patriot's in Petticoats fabric. I called my girls over to see the fabric and started calling out the different fabric's I had used. The three of us grew in our excitement to see the familiar fabrics. My husband walked over to see the commotion and two clerks just grinned - this must be a common spectacle. The pattern's were on a tall turn-style to our right. I found the first pattern showing the entire quilt and shoved it in front of him, "this is what I have been working on since August..this is the quilt I'm slowly creating as a tribute to my Mom and Grandmother!" He slowly smiled as he started to recognize a few of the blocks I had showed him. "This will be so impressive...when do you think you will finish it?" he asked. I told him my goal is late February, but no later than end of March. I have 4 more blocks to complete, the center medallion block, the log-cabin inner chain, piecing the entire quilt, adding the inside ribbon border and lastly the triple outside borders. What a wonder to see all the fabrics on bolts instead of little pieces in each folder!!
I know what I'm working on tomorrow! I hope I'm not interrupted with call's from work because I intend to complete block number12 and maybe even number13.
Now that my new laptop is humming along, I should have more regular posts :)
Thank you for your patience and for stopping by!
Elaine
The Chipper Piecemaker
