Sad days at Wazoo

Last Wednesday, at 3:30AM, my Mother passed away. Tim and I are in Texas with the family, making plans for the memorial service and getting my Dad straightened away and ready for life on his own.
Mom was 92 years old, and had a full, exciting life. She was without a doubt, the most intelligent person I have ever know. When my friend's moms were home making cookies and vacuuming, my mother was building a successful career as a Registered Medical Records Administrator. She oversaw the records department at a big hospital in Madison, Wisconsin until she retired.
Mom loved sports and played baseball as a kid and loved  watching the Cubs all her life. She played tennis, and was an award winning golfer. She would ride her bicycle around Lake Monona in Madison, and supported her children's sporting efforts, too.
Mom wasn't an out-front person at home, rather deferring to my Dad in the daily grind. She quietly ran a tight ship, cooking, cleaning, gardening, knitting and crocheting, and reading voraciously, all while working full time outside the home. She went camping, even though I don't think it was her favorite pastime, and made all the rough places we set up tents seem like home. She attended all my sporting, choir,and orchestra events, and then went to all the events of my own children. Mom made a cooler of snacks and drinks for team members and was always there to make the day more fun.
She is my example of what a great mother should be, and I try to live up to her example , but fall short in so many ways.
I will miss her, but will have my memories to sustain me through this sad time in my life.

My Grandma, my mother and my aunt in Wisconsin. My Mom is the tall, slim, beautiful lady on the right.

making cookies with the twins

potluck supper with my niece in the hall

visiting her cousin in the family hometown in France

with my son and his wife in Texas

with just a few of the quilts she made for school children
with my sister 

Mom loved dogs, and was always petting or holding one of the family pets

with my Dad in Wisconsin

acting silly with me in Texas

Seeing my girls off at the Harlingen airport

having a moment with Amy in her kitchen

Making progress

The memory quilts are coming along nicely, and I have almost finished two of the tops. I was doing the outer borders today, but had quite a few interruptions and didn't finish.

The one on the right has side borders on

Here it is, closer

It seems I always have several irons in the fire, and today was no exception. One of my customers needs this quilt by Friday, so it took precedence and was finished today.

A wonderful quilt by a beginner!

Panto: Curlz

Another customer brought this sweet log cabin her Grandmother made that has had a lot of loving over the years! My job is to restore it to a usable quilt. This is gonna be fun!

The quilt Grandma made

well worn

the fabrics are intact, but the seams are gone

Mr Wazoo had a good day outside, just doing what he always does...digging, planting and getting dirty. Both of us enjoyed our work today.

I need to go to bed!! But first...

It is very late, and I should be sleeping and dreaming of the fabulous quilts I have to work on, but I am still up! Today, I finished the binding on the Grandma quilt, loaded the next quilting project, did the laundry, gave Molly a bath, and made 300 blocks for the memory quilt project. Of course, I also did the mundane things...cooking, washing dishes, walking the dog...that stuff.

All done!

300 rail fence blocks. Tomorrow, the other blocks!

Doesn't look like 100...but it is!

Next quilt

Tim did yard work all day, and got all the remaining plants into the back rock garden. He spread the mulch and then put out some grass seed  where the rock guys tore up the yard. Then, it rained like a monsoon!! Thankfully, the drains and ditches he put in worked beautifully and the dirt stayed put. What a guy!

Well, that's about it. I have to pick up my quilts from the art center in Blue Ridge tomorrow, so that means we get to go for a ride in the country. Yippee!

A lovely evening in the Georgia mountains

Just my cute chicken planter on the porch table

Humming along

The last couple of days have been arduous for me. I have been cutting up the shirts and pants for the three memory quilts, and it seemed I would never reach the end! Bonnie Hunter makes it look like it will be easy...it isn't! Kills the cutting hand and arm.
By the end of the first day, I had the shirts and jeans deconstructed.

day1

I cut all day on day two and still had a pile of shirts left to do.

Day 2 and I still have that pile of shirts in the background...

Today, I finished cutting!! Yippee! The block sewing will start tomorrow.

All done cutting. I hope I have enough for three quilts...

Mr Wazoo has done his duty in the studio, too. He quilted all day yesterday and did a large project today before being excused to go outside and do some mowing. He loves to mow.

table runner

pretty Chinese coin quilt

Panto: Come Dance With Me

I love this quilt. Cute, fresh bird fabrics

Panto: Alfresco

I'm almost at the end of another quilt project for a customer. It seems Grandma made this top from old shirts, feedsacks, tea towels and a tablecloth. Nobody quilted it and it sat  for a long time becoming dirty and stinky. Enter Grandson, who is getting married and wanted the top made into a quilt for his new home. Mom washed the top and brought it to me to finish as a surprise wedding gift. It isn't pretty by most standards, but it is precious to him. I started by fixing the holes and open seams, giving it a good press with Best Press and steam, then added the border and backing, quilted it and put on the binding. I wish I had taken a 'before' picture because it looks 100% better now! Bridegroom will be thrilled. Quilting always makes me happy. I am very happy tonight!

Grandma quilt

It was a pretty big quilt

Panto: Small Splat

Soft checked backing

Not drowning yet...

Wow! The last couple of days have been busy here at Wazoo! Quilters are finding us and we are all too happy to help them out. You already know about the two antique quilts I am restoring and finishing. The binding is done on the Irish chain and I am now replacing the worn pieces by hand.

Hand work for the nightly TV time.

Today, I got an order for three memory quilts to be made from a man's shirts. I love this kind of project because the quilts will be keepsakes for the family forever. Plus, the shirts are pretty! That helps. I will 'de-bone' them tonight a la Bonnie Hunter.

Two bags of shirts and pants for memory quilts

Another customer came today with a commission for a wedding quilt in the lone star pattern. She had a comforter she wanted the quilt to look like, and I am happy to see it has big pieces and wide borders. She likes the calming effect the minimal design has.

This is the comforter she brought as the inspiration.

The new quilt will be in blues, sage green and some tanish gold. The background will be a dark cream color. She gave me some snippets of fabric she really would like me to try to find or come close to, so the hunt is on!
Meanwhile, I finished the HUGE quilt with the nearly impossible pantograph. Mr Wazoo and I have decided to retire this panto. Thank goodness! My right arm is really in pain. I was able to do two rows at a time and then take a rest. Killer panto!! Turned out great, so I guess it was worth the struggle.

Big (104x113) quilt finished and ready to go home

To get the idea just how big that is, here is the view from the back of the table.

I think the designer drew every leaf known to man, Panto: Falling leaves

The quilting doesn't show well on the back

Mr Wazoo quilted today, too, finishing up a quilt from yesterday and starting on another. He did get a few minutes of yard time until the sky darkened and it poured rain."Good for the grass!", he exclaimed.

MrW's finish

Panto: Swirl and Twirl

After work (ha ha ha) I fused the last block for my applique quilt. Where the pieces are loose, they will have things from the border or the next block overlapping.

Lizard block

Blocks ready to sew together. Borders next!!

I have one more binding to do on a charity quilt, and then they will all be ready to give away. Between my sister and me,  we finished 11 charity quilts this month!

Ready for hand sewing

Life couldn't be better! Spicy black bean burgers on the menu for supper. Yum.