Tuesday, December 30, 2014

New Years day before? Give, donate, NOW! MOST IMPORTANT DO SOMETHING PERSONAL FOR SOMEONE OU CARE ABOUT

It is the night before New Years
and I am writing of promising deeds
to diet, to sleep, to donate to others needs?
Yes! to all, and to all a good night
but not the night where we decide our ongoing, always ongoing, fight...
to do for ourselves, to starve and exercise or just do what is right
Give, give give give, just do
But to who
I choose the ones who are close, the ones you see, and you
must decide but just do.

I went to NYC this weekend and saw many in need,  the homeless sleeping in Central Park in the area commemorating John Lennon, my favorite artist, in Strawberry Fields, a quiet zone of contemplation with my son, Lucas, and daughter in law, Nadine, and grand children Elexis, who turned 9 that day and this was her first wish for her birthday and grandson, Nolan, all sat and listened while a homeless person sang, Strawberry Fields" forever...... to the crowd and all were moved.  We can't solve the problem but we can add some help to our local area.

I took my youngest grand daughter shopping for a Christmas dress and as we were leaving the store a Salvation Army Volunteer was ringing the bell.  I gave her some money and at 5, she was thrilled to have real cash in her hand, until l I asked her if she had wonderful parents, a great Memere, me!  and a nice home and toys to play with?  Her big eyes grew larger, pooled with uncertainty and I asked,  we should give to others who do not.  Scared as she was of the volunteer,  she placed the clutched money into the jar.  As we were leaving she looked back, as the volunteer kept ringing, and, I realized that donating, and giving, should go on all year.
So I ask all all of us, not just you. but me too, to try to give always, every month, overytime you realize someone just needs the money, the time, our precious time, that is so needed, give the fabric, the tools, the WHAT that is needed.
If we don't help ourselves and our family, those all around us, who will?
So not everyone in need needs money from us.  Some just need a nice thought.  So sometimes, just sometimes, buy someone a coffee, in line behind you, maybe, maybe, buy someones's purchases behind you, smile at the the person next to you or say have a great day to the next person you meet.  If you were  that person who  receives such a personal gift, would your day be merry, would you smile, would you think, that maybe, maybe, that was the greatest gift of all, the unexpected, the surprise, the one that made you smile and be grateful, the one that said, pass it along, maybe, maybe.......................
Happy New Year
Jessica
the Selvedge Queen

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO AT THIS TIME IS TO GIVE TIME, yourself..... TO SOMEONE, anyone, WHO HAS BEEN WAITING  FOR SOMETHING TO GET FINISHED, TO SOMETHING THAT SOMEONE ESLE WANTS BECAUSE,  MONEY IS EASY TO GIVE SOMETIMES, BUT TIME = ETERNITY!
Please give the time to someone you love because we have been waiting for "pretty soon now"forever!

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Happy Holiday Eve!

Happy Holidays to all and to all a great night and hope all projects have come to an end!  I finished all I started and then some at 8:45 PM.  An early night compared to other years!  I made a Grinch vest out of a recycled flying cupids vest I made 10 years ago because I never wore it, ugly as  anything you can imagine.  I made this as President of Material Girls Quilt Guild of Central Mass for our Grinch party!  Everyone entered the spirit of the Grinch who learns the real meaning of Christmas.  One, not found in  packages, presents but in your heart!  it was a great times!

Have you been sewing.......

Twas the night before Christmas and all thrue the sewing room
Not a rodent was stirring, not under the vacant moon
I, in my fuzzy leopard PJ's with thread all attached
wondered, did I finish, is it done, does it match???
When, what does my wandering mind focus on?
I am done,  have I finished, please, tell me husband Don?
The  8 stockings, 18 pillowcases, to wrap presents for us and our guild
the 2 ties for Nolan, I am finished until
he asks for another, Aliens, the theme
and I think, can I make it without making a scene?
I do, then the American doll dresses, 3,  that  to buy cost so much
I decide, how!, can they cost so much?
Until I spend a  morning, mourning my time
that it took me to create them, I hear the bells chime!
So I embroidered 4 bags, 12 monogrammed shirts for all ages,
my husband, the Don, wrapped presents for all and now these pages
are about what is done, finished, completed did I complete?
the 2 stockings for grandson Mason and grand god niece Katelyn? I'm beat!
the 18 pillowcases to wrap all the presents I made
I want the holidays to be merry and there's still another day!
but the best things I created are 6 awesome Dragons
for 5 and 1.50 grandchildren, I love and well I just love Dragons!
I created a Christening dress out of my sisters 40 year old wedding one
and lo and behold a new Princess has begun
I made 2 bags for folding concert tables for a friend
in the middle of a crisis of how to finish all and then
another friend asked for me to decapitate a dog,
off a holiday stocking, and replace it by by decapitating a stuffed Snoopy, and attaching his head to the stocking, and to my Blog
I must finish, but I used the decapitated head of the dog
for my Grinch deconstructed vest, as his dog Maxxxx, I remade it and  I lite up the room
as good cheer and fun times and the spirit of holidays, Boom!!
I realized that Christmas is a wonderful time to get rid of fabric from my fabric room
Sew merry holiday to all
New Years, be great, for all and have a ball!

I will just be sleeping!
love ya! Jessica

ps: as I write my almost 1 year old grand son is running!
and his cousin, whatever she/he is is coming.......I made grandson Mason be a model b for God niece Katelyn's Christening dress out of sister 49 year old wedding dress!  Then I I made 2 bags that created self wrap so, use all your fabric and wrap!  No paper, please.....



















I cut up all my Grinch Tshirts that , of course, did not fit!

Merry holiday to all and to all spend the rest of your holidays followings the sale! oh sh.t!
I forgot, PEACE, Love, Life, I admit
is so much better than all of the above........


Sunday, October 26, 2014

Speaking engagements

Bad blogger catching up!

I like to write and create but lately all I seem to do is organize, not a regular item on my dance card, yet, for some reason I need to finally do some of the things I put off.
I joined the Material Girls Quilt Guild in 2002 and proceeded to do every Strip Robin, Challenge, Friendship blocks, Log Cabin Swap, make a portrait of yourself, work on issues, and petals for years. Some I have actually finished! Some are still UFO's but I made of binder of all the project sheets and or patterns and then spent 3 days and 3 packages of ink to print the pictures. I actually found the sheets for most and the quilts or UFO's for them too!
1st quilt, hand appliquéd and quilted 2003, never again....
Next 3 petal quilts although I have made 5!
Assorted strip and round robins, almost all of them competed but 1!
Oops! 2 more were completed but not on this blog.
Assorted Friendship blocks, BOM, Challenges, special events quilts too.
The only UFO's left are the Friendships blocks of my face and hands! I know I like to have images of myself, like a Egyptain Kings!
The one Strip Robin left is a 5 panel one that is simple to finish, why haven't I done that?
I also have Crazy Quilt swap blocks from 3 years that will go together with some antique ones I bought at an auction.
I have a set of blocks from another Friendship block that look like stain glass windows and are paper pieced. I thought I would make every block in the book to make a large quilt but I am rethinking that!
I started a King size quilt for son and daughter in law that needs to get done sooner than most of the rest of these thing but I also found 4 quilts all sandwiched and ready to quilt, maybe those should just get done. What do you think?


You will have to figure out which picture goes with which type of project!

I thought my UFO's would have been more but I guess I do finish most things.

I did create 4 costumes for my grand children! and go pumpkin picking and graduated from PT after my 2 nd knee replacement and I am ready to go!



Just some eye candy to view!




Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Summer's End

Well, where did it go, this summer! I was too busy traveling to just stop and really smell the flowers!

Getting ready for my second Knee replacement surgery and winding up paperwork, packing, again, and getting ready to attend my first 2014-2015 Material Girls Quilt Guild Board meeting as its new President. A job I have done before but we have so many new members it will be a different experience! Love those unexpected, unplanned things that occur in our lives and make us all aware that we need each other to get things accomplished!

I will be attending the next new England Quilt Museum, meet the Teachers Program day on September 19, 2014, with my dazzle dazzle cane, that my oldest grand daughter and her mom picked out for me! This is one of the best events they started a few years ago because as a past program chair it is very hard to pick a speakers your guild will enjoy without ever seeing or hearing their lecture. Plus you get to see the current exhibit at the museum as well!

Still have not been very creative but i do have some ideas on my next Selvedge Queen vest and the jewelry to match! Always have to have the accessories in hand!



Tuesday, July 29, 2014

Life on vacation!!

Life on vacation!

My summer has been one wonderful vacation! June to July my husband and I went on a Baltic Cruise.










It was great to leave as all it did was rain for weeks! My 60th birthday, which was already celebrated at Memorial Day really happened while I was sipping a huge glass of Danish beer in Copenhagen at Tivoli Gardens! Awesome flowers, amusements and perfect weather!! After 3 days we boarded our Azamara cruise for Germany, Poland, Estonia, St. Petersburg, Helsinki and Stockholm where we spent 2 extra days sightseeing!!



We returned and I went to NYC with some of my family for 3 days, where my grandchildren 8 and 6 wanted to go to Central Park to see John Lennon's Strawberry Fields quiet Memorial where we sang, with a crowd, Imagine. Off to see Natural History Museum, our favorite, and then to I went to see the musical, Kinky Boots. Another great awesome vacation.



Came home and went to Ogunquit, Me with my sisters and family, perfect weather week, beach was invigorating! Water, frigid!

To Loon Mtns, NH with entire family for a few days and finally relaxing in Boothbay Harbor, Me with friends to chill out from all the fun and get ready for 2nd knee replacement!

On the quilting side, my motivation has not been there and nothing but dust collecting in my sewing room. I do have some Selvedge Queen talks in the Fall and Spring and I hope that jump starts my creativity. Hard to be diligent and sit down and sew when the water and sun calls out to visit...