The Same But Different 1-6

 When I started working in Quilter's Paradise quilt store in 2005, I became familiar with fabric by Anna Maria Horner. By the time I began working there, her second line, Chocolate Lollipop, hit the shop and I was hooked. I  loved her lush florals and bold colors. I began collecting. And collecting. And collecting. 

But like the paint-by-number bird fabric, I was never quite sure what to do with it. In 2024, we started contemplating downsizing and I knew it was time to use it up. My friend, Diane Stanley, posted a photo of a quilt she had made with AMH fabric with a simple hourglass block. Bingo!

2024 was a year when I decided to not only make quilts to use up fabric, but to make them for specific people in my life. We have six nieces on Mark's side, so I thought it would be fun to make a quilt for each of them using this fabric--they would be the same, and also slightly different from each other. Hence, the name.

And the backs--I was able to use a lot of fabric!

Darby did simple but beautiful quilting on each one.

When we were in Duluth, MN, in August 2024, I had one of the quilts along and photographed it at our hotel. 

I finally got around to mailing them in January of 2025, and wrote a little note to each of the nieces, explaining the project.

Rose sent me this photo of the quilt on her bed.

This was a project that warmed my heart and I can't think of better use of this beautiful fabric.

WIP Wednesday, 4/22/25

 

Did I mention that I was taking flute lessons? I had my first real lesson today. After my first introductory lesson a couple of weeks ago, where I was very discouraged about not being able to get any sound out of the flute, I practiced with just the head and was finally able to make a note fairly consistently. Thank goodness for YouTube. I watched a couple of videos before my lesson today to review how to put the flute together and get it aligned properly, as well as finger placement. One thing I have going for me is that I played piano for years and can read music. It will be a slow process, I'm sure, but I'm determined to prove to myself that I'm not too old to learn something new.

I finished the quilt top based on the bathroom tile at our air terminal. Originally I had named the quilt FYI (Fresno Yosemite International), but changed it to Flight 1080, for the number of pieces in the quilt top. I'm happier with that name.

Mark's brother, Pete, was here for a week, learning the ropes of fused glass. He picked up the process quickly and made this magnificent piece of fused glass.

We had such a great time. When he wasn't cutting glass, he and I explored independent coffee shops that I had always wanted to try. Mark had purchased tickets to Six back in fall for a Sunday matinee performance. He felt bad leaving Pete at home alone while we went to the show (and honestly, Mark is not the biggest fan of musicals anyway), so in the end, Pete and I went. Our tickets were for the upper balcony, but as we started to walk up the steps, he happened to say hi to one of the ushers, who then asked if we would like to upgrade to orchestra seats for free. Um, yes! We ended up in the center of Row S, really excellent seats. It was a great musical--highly recommended.

We were also able to get together for a family dinner at our house while he was here. And then I totally forgot to take a photo. So we drove over to Aaron and Christa's long enough to take this.

The same day Pete flew back to Idaho, we got to spend the afternoon and evening with Jessie, Timothy and sweet baby Nozomi. She is absolutely gorgeous. And because they visit Disneyland all the time, and I'm slowly handing out quilts, this was the perfect family to gift my Day at Disneyland quilt.

We celebrated Easter on Palm Sunday, as Gabe was going to be in Portland with Stacie for Easter weekend. But then Levi went to Utah with his friend Mason and Mason's dad for a golfing extravaganza, five golf courses!

Palm Sunday was lovely and we were happy to be together even though Charlotte and Levi were elsewhere.

We had our traditional dinner of crepes made by Mark, and of course the kids still like the Easter egg hunt. It was a fun and relaxing day.

I finished this beautiful puzzle.

And started a new quilt.

So, lots of works in progress. 

Quilt Auction Weekend

 A week ago was the West Coast Mennonite Relief Sale, that weekend here in Fresno where a lot of quilts, and other items, are donated and auctioned for Third World Relief. The sale this year brought in about $179,000, down from previous years, due in large part, I think, to uncertainty about the economy.

About every other year, I make a quilt for donation that is larger, with more intricate detail. This year it was Great Plains Star, a pattern by Plains and Pine.

Other than the background fabric and backing, all the fabric came from my stash. The center radiant star was made of individually cut diamonds. It was a lot of extra work but the impact was well worth it. It was beautifully quilted by my friend, Helene.

Each year, three quilts are hung to be viewed in their entirety (the rest are draped over large sawhorses until they are up for auction). I was thrilled that Great Plains Star was one of those chosen.

Knowing that prices were likely be lower this year, I told Mark I would be happy if it sold for $1,800-$2,000, and I was happy when it sold for $2,000.

Because I'm destashing not only fabric but quilts, I donated quite a few others as well. Gradient was purchased by friends, Jordan and Gia, which made me very happy. It's always fun when you find out where your quilts end up.

A few others were auctioned:

Some were on the pre-priced table:

The total of my donations for 2025 was $4,230, all going to a much-needed cause.