Happy New Year!

Happy new year!  Here's hoping for peace in our world!  A quote that I carry around with me is from my hometown pastor, from years ago - maybe over 40 years ago.  He said, you don't have to like everyone, but we do have to love everyone.  I believe that and strive for it in my life.

Here is my last finish for 2023:  Kay's Housetop, made totally from my stash (mostly Kaffe Fassett fabrics), including the backing and batting!  This is a Christmas gift for my BFF Kay (her name is Karen but I have called her Kay since the 7th grade), who is a master knitter, and lover of COLOR!  Her house is gorgeous, with walls painted in saturated colors, or covered with beautiful wallpapers, and lovely, colorful art everywhere.  

I did something very different for me - I hand-quilted it! I had sent it to my longarm quilter for quilting, but her machine was out of service for a while, so I decided to hand quilt it!  I was inspired to do so because of seeing Sujata Shah's gorgeous quilts, which she hand quilts.  I thoroughly enjoyed the process, was surprised how quickly I finished it (I did not heavily quilt it), and I plan to hand quilt more pieces in the future! I used a wool batting, which quilted like a dream. 

I shipped the quilt to my bestie, and she loves it!  I'm so glad that my quilter's machine was out of order, so I could discover the joy and relaxation of hand quilting!  I used a hoop, regular thread and a size 9 needle, and the entire 60" square quilt was finished in less than 3 weeks of my spare time.  

 

A perfect day!



We started our perfect day by walking by Lake Calhoun, in south Minneapolis.  How many cities have 9 lakes within the city limits?  Citizens of Minneapolis take full advantage - walking, jogging, swimming, sailing, paddleboating, we saw it all. Being there made me nostalgic, so many memories flooding back from when I used to live there.




Another beautiful lake is Lake of the Isles, so named because there are several islands in the lake, which you can enjoy as you canoe or kayak by.  So peaceful, you can hear the birds chirping, and it smells so green there. Hard to believe you are in a large city!




Sooo happy to visit with one of my mentors, my high school band director!  My bff, Karen (on the right), met us for dinner, and then we all headed over to northeast Minneapolis to see Faye Anne.  F.A. said that seeing us was a "shot in the arm".  I couldn't have said it better myself.  She's still her peppy, wonderful self.



Our next stop was to "visit" my mom and dad.  Don't be sad, they both lived long, productive, and wonderful lives.  Just wanted to stop by and pay our respects. 



And how wonderful to visit our special friends, Michele and Philippe.  They are originally from France, and Michele makes the kind of dinners you don't easily forget! Partially because of the cooking, but maybe more so because of their wonderful, interesting, and entertaining personalities. We knew them when I worked with Philippe in Chicago; they retired to Minneapolis to be near two of their three children - and to see their grandchildren, of course!   They visited them and fell in love with the vibrant, beautiful city that is Minneapolis.  (more nostalgia...)


Philippe was not feeling his best that day, with back problems, but that did not diminish his spark at the dinner table. Knowing them has added so much to our lives - it is special indeed to pay a visit on Philippe and Michele!