It has been practically raining non-stop in Quito (actually, along quite a bit of the Sierra – our Andes mountain range) for the last week. The two main highways from the mountains to the coast are impassable: a whole section of one was washed away, and the second one has suffered several landslides over the last couple of days. Read More
By the Fireside
On Timeless Friendship
BJ, Beej, BeJota, Bobby John… all different ways of calling a well-loved, longtime friend. We met in 1980 (at the same time I met my best friend Jim). For the next couple of years, he was one of my closest friends. No, more than that… he was my little broie. Read More
Mariangela and Sweet Valentines
I really, really like teaching. Especially beginner quilters. They come in excited and a little awed, thinking that quilting is a difficult art. And in a matter of minutes they are sewing and creating. They get even more excited… and hooked. Read More
A matter of priorities
Fridays my daughter Jamie doesn’t have class at the university. She often still goes down to work/study in the library. But when she doesn’t… it’s “girls’ day” and she’s all mine! Read More
A little bit of this, a little bit of that…
Once again, I have to admit I’m not a very consistent blogger. Granted, in the big scheme of life my little corner of the world might seem pretty tame and to some perhaps not much to write about. In my book, however, each day brings new learning and growth and so much to do I tend to get distracted. So I forget to blog. Oh, well, that’s just me. Read More
Tying a Quilt
The prayer quilt we were working on has been finished. Besides the three of us who worked on assembling it, others participating in tying it and, with each tie, in raising prayers for the life of this special child. Even one of my sons, which was very moving for me. And my mom. And my daughter. Read More
Prayer Quilt Top
Along with my two other friends we got together for a couple of hours yesterday. We finished putting our 4-patch blocks together and then joined all the blocks to make the quilt top. It’s an interesting experience to work practically in silence, where at any other time we would probably be chattering away. Read More
Petunia’s Case
You know how it goes… You make plans and set goals, as I did for today. And then the interruptions come. Sigh. Oh, well. I was at least able to finish Petunia’s case, just as Jamie walked in the door from school this afternoon. So we tried it on and it fit perfectly! Read More
Sewing Plans for the Day
It is dark, cold, and rainy in Quito today. That makes it a perfect day to stay indoors and do some sewing! Read More
A Prayer Quilt
Two of my quilting friends and I will be getting together this week to work on a special quilt for a little girl in deep need. This probably happens to you, too: quilting seems to invite us to meditate and pray. What is different for me this time is doing it as a group, and not as a denominational or religious act, but as a spiritual practice. Read More
Hibiscus
Inspired, I kept on sewing last evening… and was able to finish putting my Hibiscus top together. If I say so myself, it is quite lovely. Now it will have to sit for a couple of days, waiting for inspiration to come to me as to how to quilt it! (-: Read More
January angel blocks finished
Thank goodness for a Thursday and with that a meeting of my sewing circle. Thanks to this “sacred” time set aside to sew and enjoy friendships, I was able to assemble my last angel block from the January installment of the Heavenly Angels project. Read More
Oh, happy day!
Some days things work out perfectly… just as planned. Well, not really. At least not in my world. No matter how much I plan, I don’t always get everything done that I wanted or intended to do. So I’ve decided if I get most of it done – or at least the part that seems important to me – it’s worth celebrating. Read More