Ohio Star Blocks for Pauline's Birthday

My friend Bec contacted me a few weeks ago.  She was arranging a special birthday surprise for our mutual friend Pauline (my quilting guru).  The surprise is a collection of patchwork squares using purple and green - squares Pauline can then join and quilt.  The idea was to have Pauline's quilting buddies contribute 2 squares each.

I was delighted to be asked - and so here's my contribution:

(unfortunately my camera doesn't always capture colours well....)

These are Ohio Star blocks.  I was pretty sure the odds are good I'd be the only one who'd do Ohio Stars.  Bec email'd me photos of some of the other blocks friends had contributed, and yup... I'm the only one who did that kind of block - GOOD!

Happy Birthday, Pauline!

An Update on Matilda (my longarm)

I posted last week that my longarm became damaged when I was doing some ruler work (the ruler flipped up under the needle as it was coming down).

Ouch!

Part of the needle sticking out of the casing - I can't get it out!

As much as I tried, I couldn't pull the broken needle top out of the casing.  I took the machine to Howard (the dealer I bought it from) and he hasn't been able to get it out, either.  Looks like the casing unit will have to be replaced.  Fortunately the quote Howard gave me to do the repair isn't too awful (I was certainly imagining much worse), so now we just have to wait until the part comes in (probably being shipped from the US).

 

Goodbye, Julie Gingras, my much-loved friend

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that my friend Julie posted a photo of her cat sprawled on the quilt that I made for her last year.  Today I learned from her sister that she passed away a couple of days ago.

A recent photo of Julie with "Nibbs" - one of her fur kids

Julie and I go back 55 years - all the way back to first grade.  That feels impossible to me, but it's true.  And so I sit here remembering her.  I'm feeling sad, of course, but the memories are warm and they comfort me.  I'm also comforted and inspired by the way she lived her life.  She savored every moment that she could, right up to the end.  Hers was a life well-lived.

And I'm especially touched at this moment, because when I went to Facebook to find a recent photo of her for this post, I found the one above - her with her dog, who is laying on the quilt I made for her.  There's a comment about the quilt posted by one of her friends... and she replied with this:

"Of course I had to bring my quilt with me! My friend Liz infused it with love and healing when she made it and the fur kids keep it topped off. No matter the dream, when I wake enough to feel the quilt, I am centered."

I can't even begin to express how I feel when I read those words.

So, Julie, I say "thank you" for the friendship, the joy, the love, and the secrets we shared.  You and I both know that death is not the end, and I hope to hear from you from time to time.

Oh, no... Longarm Problems

I've been going to town with my longarm rulers.  The more I work with them, the more I like them.

But now..

On Sunday I was working on my latest quilt and was using a ruler to help guide the stitching around some small, tight areas.  All was going well until my hand slipped and the ruler ended up under the needle just as it was coming down.

SNAP!

The needle broke into 3 pieces.  The top of it is stuck in the head (photo below).

I tried pulling with my fingers, then with pliers.  It won't budge.

Oh, dear... this is not good...

Once I realized I wasn't going to be able to extract it myself, I email'd Howard (the dealer who does maintenance on it) and asked what I should do.  I'm very concerned that I may have caused serious damage in the head, and this may not be an easy fix.