Diamond Fields Quilt

Last October, over a year ago, we visited Merideth and her crew in Markham, and Mer and I shopped in her favorite fabric/quilt store. I spotted this pattern on display and just HAD to duplicate it.  It is the first quilt I have made in a long time that didn't have a destination in mind before I started it. Much like most of my paintings, I just wanted to do it.  It measures 50 X 60.

nodp

I started this blog over 11 years ago with the intention of encouraging me to paint daily and then ultimately market the results. I had a huge desire to commit to improving my art, and that discipline of painting daily was a proven way to reach that goal. It evolved into an occasional social commentary, a sharing of our farm and a way to communicate with my family.  My mother loved the blogs, especially those that included reports on the cows, horses or chickens. I also quoted a Bible verse that somehow seemed appropriate for that day's report.
Sadly, my mother passed away this past June, after complications from diverticulitis. However, I still find myself thinking about writing to her in this blog and being impatient to hear what she thought of the day's commentary. She ALWAYS gave her opinion, and it was usually favorable. She was my biggest fan and rarely wasted any time before telling everyone she met about her artist daughter.
I can thank her for bringing me back to quilting.
The year before Momma died was spent on doctor visits, hospital stays and recovery at her house, home health visits and a routine of me encouraging her to eat and keep moving...with her continuing reassurance that she was fine. Not wanting to be a "burden" she became quite good at concealing her growing weakness and deterioration. She was determined to stay in her home and I promised I would do everything in my power to keep her there.
I stayed at her house frequently. I could not paint there, BUT I COULD SEW! So I set up my sewing machine snd sew I did - over 10 quilts and sampler quilts - which delighted her.
Just like painting, there are as many varied techniques and designs and materials associated with quilting and I am exploring many of them.
This little quilt is  a result of "string piecing" using a 10" paper template and a variety of scraps from other projects. And again I have free-style machine quilted it on my sewing machine. I know Momma would approve.

Nodp

Tilt-a-whirl - "Of Mice and Men"

I am having the absolute BEST time dyeing fabrics and trying out new techniques and patterns. Surfing images that other quilters have posted is a great way to get inspiration. I never use a pattern although I frequently doodle on graft paper with colored pencils. Often, however, the final product looks nothing like the original drawing...rather like life, I suspect.

"The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men 

          Gang aft agley.."  nodp

from "to a Mouse" by Robert Burns

Quilting - back to the Sewing Machine

Wow. I cannot believe it's been over a year since I last posted on my blog. Time has certainly flown, and for those of you who have been concerned, let me put your kind hearts at rest. I am fine; my kids are fine; my GRANDKIDS (all 3 of them!) are WONDERFUL, and my sweet hubby is, too. 
However, one of the reasons for my lack of time to paint and post here, has joined my Daddy in Heaven. My sweet Momma, the head of the Debbie Grayson Lincoln Fan Club, passed away this past June.
You may remember that she fought and won her battle with colon and lung cancer 4 years ago. However, diverticulitis reared its ugly head and ultimately took her out. I was with her when she breathed her last and joined my Daddy. She leaves a huge hole in my heart that will never be filled, only covered up.
My Momma was one of the main reasons I kept up with this blog - she so enjoyed reading what we were up to  -  farm activities as well as my painting.
So, you may ask, "What HAVE you been doing" and I will tell you.
While I was caring for Momma in Dallas, I had my sewing machine with me. Setting up my paintings were just way to messy, but I decided to return to one of my other creative loves: QUILTING! It didn't require as much space, I could work at night after putting Momma to bed, and it was something she enjoyed watching me do.
I plan to return to painting, but for now, I thought I would devote some blogs to the quilts I have put together this past year.  This is one of the first I assembled using traditional methods and is hand quilted...I have since been learning to free style machine quilt as well as dye my own fabrics.
Stay tuned!

Nodp