Why Is The Sky Blue?

I read a Facebook post this morning written by a woman whose 90 year old Mother was having difficulty with the idea of transitioning to a nursing home rather returning to her home, until she was wheeled into her room and saw waiting for her the two familiar quilts her daughter brought ahead of her, arranged on the bed and chair, and had waiting to welcome her arrival. 
No greater comfort could this woman have thoughtfully provided her Mother.  It touched my heart, and as a result, this is what poured forth...

You ask why we quilt...you may as well ask why the sky is blue...I can't answer that, but I've often searched for the perfect sky blue fabric.  You may as well ask why we breathe in and out...for some, maybe many, quilting could well be the answer.
We quilt for our sanity...we quilt to fulfill that urge to create...we quilt to fill emptiness..we quilt so that there will be something tangible left when we are no longer here...we quilt to tell our story...we quilt because it feels like "home"...we quilt for joy...for celebration and heartache...for life...for death...for comfort...we quilt to touch someone else's heart and to fill our own.

So here's what's been happening since I've been neglecting my blog...the neverending URI is pretty much gone, and I finally returned to work.  The annoying spring allergies remain.  Youngest daughter is in a new relationship and all sweet and twitterpated!  Youngest son is wedding planning.  Garden is finally getting started...lettuce, spinach, green onions and peas are now in.  Beans are next.  I'm another year older...they've killed off McDreamy...a beautiful new Princess was born...one of our BSU football standouts was drafted by the Dolphins and 52 year old Gary Stevens almost won another Kentucky Derby, post knee replacement surgery.  
I will not address the idiocy and violence that is occurring in this nation where we should be getting along peacefully and counting our freaking blessings!

These snowman stitcheries have been my "laying around getting well" project on days when I had some energy.  My apologies...you're getting mostly cell phone quality photos today...

 

Youngest daughters Butterfly quilt and shams are in the mail making their way to the quilter.

Again...sorry about the picture quality...I promise something better when it flies back home!

 

 

This is the wild pieced backing of leftovers and brights that I wanted to use up. You don't want to know how long I spent trimming, measuring and setting all this together, but it will be fun to crawl under and get peeks of when all is said and done.  The center flower basket panel was in a shop hop gift bag that I received a couple of years ago.  Yessiree, Use it up, Make due!

 

That now being off my plate...I have to get those challenge blocks from last summers quilt show put together in some fashion so that they all look like they are capable of coexisting! 

The Paisley is the common denominator aka challenge fabric. 

Here's my progress.  Right after this, I'm taking two of the contributed blocks apart and reassembling them so that I have pointy bits in the corners rather than cut off dog ears. 

I think there will be some embroidery and perhaps even some applique cover-ups added to some of the other blocks.

The owl and the churn dash blocks are mine. 

The "interesting" dusky tealish-aquaish paired with orange is not.
There's a lot of orange goin' on here, and some prints that are reading salmon orange in this fuzzy photo picture (first churndash) are actually raspberry pink in person. 

A more focused look at my little hooter, Owliver!

(His middle name is  Owloyicios)

The kitties will be joining Owly (for short) in a later row. 

Do you see both kitties?

 

Better get back at it to see what I can accomplish before I have to go back out into the work world tomorrow.

 

~Nancie Anne