Design Wall Monday

Happy Day After Mother's Day!

This beautiful little thing celebrated her first "Mother's Day" with her mom at Nana's house yesterday. It was a very special day. We had gotten Jeffrey home from the hospital on Saturday so it was wonderful to have him with us even though he couldn't make the outside photo shoot. My parents were there with us also. So we had lots of Moms. It was a special time. My girls made a delicious breakfast of pancakes, bagels, eggs and bacon. Then Kristy stayed home with Jeff while the rest of us, including Miss Ella dressed in her pretty pink and red Strawberry outfit, went to church.

Now for a bit of Mother's Day Trivia....Did you know that Mother's Day started in 1914? It was spearheaded by an Appalachian woman (another Mtn Mama) from West Virginia. Her name was Anna Jarvis and she lived in a small town in the Northern West Virginia mountains named Grafton. As a P.A. student in the mid 70's I used to drive by the church which now has a sign outside designating it as the "Mother's Day Chapel" on my way to take call at the then Grafton City Hospital. That was back when every town had their own hospital. A long time ago for me....but beautiful memories. I hope your Mother's Day held many beautiful memories for you!!

DESIGN WALL MONDAY...May 14, 2012

It was a busy week with Jeff in the hospital but I did get time to work on some more of Bonnie Hunter's "Holy Toledo" blocks. I am making this quilt because my oldest daughter, Jenny mother to Miss Ella, was born in Toledo in 1983. We lived there for one year while her daddy was an Intern at Parkview Hospital. I am such a sap for sentiment that I just had to make this quilt for Jeff. His favorite quilt is the one I made him in 1999 when he went through his first round of chemo. I have made him others but it remains the "old standby".  It was scrappy and made from flannel shirting fabrics.  I hope he loves this quilt just as much.

More blocks for "Holy Toledo" in progress. I love to have "piles" of stuff all over when I am sewing. Makes me feel productive!!

I just recently found Bonnie Hunter and I am just thrilled with her approach to quilting, patchwork designs, and above all else her "recycling", reuse, and re-purpose" theme. For about two months I have restructured my scraps into bins, bought thrift store shirts and "de-boned" them, and read all three of her books as well as her daily blog. What a WOMAN!!! My new hero!! It has been so fun to follow her during this very trying time with Jeff's health.

Saturday while hitting yards sales with my daughter looking for furniture for her new apt I found a beautiful Singer Sewing Machine Model 401A circa 1958. The best part is she runs like a top and cost me $10.00. Oh BABY!! Just like Bonnie I too am saving the landfills from these glorious machines. My mother, 84 years old, still makes hand braided rugs. She uses 7 strips of "recycled" fabric and braids them together. It takes a very heavy duty machine to sew these strips together so we are hoping that our "NEW" Singer will do the trick.

Mother "Ella" made this rug for me for Mother's Day. I had just had the carpet removed in my master closet and my dog was very sad. He like laying in there during the day. So now he has a new rug to nap on.

Isn't it beautiful? She does such a great job. I can't get my braids to lay flat like hers. Mine curl so I have never made a rug by myself. I help her sew the rings together with fishing line.

Back to the Model 401A Singer machine....I want to name her just like Bonnie does. Actually I want to be Bonnie when I grow up...HaHa!!! But since I seem to always play a supporting role in my own life I have chosen the name ...ETHEL. It was the 50's when Lucy and Ethel were making all those wonderful episodes of

"I Love Lucy" together and the 50's is when Model 401A was made. Ethel was Lucy supporting actress and friend so ETHEL is the name of our new machine.

Welcome to the Family.....ETHEL!!! You and I are going to do GREAT things together!!

Happy Trails,

Mtn Mama