flag day

 

in our family, this was dad's birthday first--he would have been 99 this year--but always a day to reflect on our freedoms and the birth of our republic.  i wrote this poem for a DAR contest--it didn't win but i still thought it was a good poem that conveyed my patriotism.

OUR FLAG

Flying high above the pavement, waving in the breeze,
a flag that tells a story--can I hear it again please?
Of souls resolved, united, courageous, brave and true,
to defeat a foreign tyrant, to free themselves....and you.
They came with tools and muskets, leaving farm and home behind.
They marched and bled and died, all patriots, allies in kind.
The cause seemed lost at times, but perseverance never waned.
And in the end victorious, independence finally gained.

But how to show the country, the victory won but long?
Dame Betsy Ross' needle, with skill and resolution strong, 
sewed a flag to wave most proudly, to remind and fly on high.
With stripes of red and white, and white stars on a deep blue sky.
The stars for thirteen states, now united together as one,
a symbol of the republic now that the fighting was done.
The nation grew and stars increased for each new added state.
The flag steadfastly flown thru conflicts, wars and debate.

But dissention for our flag emerged in recent days, 
forgetting its true meaning, not a symbol of individual ways, 
but of a nation born in struggle by those who knew no fear.
My wish for every American is to hold our flag so dear.
Don't kneel or turn your back when it flies from poles or domes.
Revere this hallowed symbol, of our United States, our home.
So when you see our flag at ballpark, business or door,
your hand to heart or salute for the bravest who've gone before.

(c) grace thorne 2024

long may she wave!

 

tuesday stuff....

before jumping into to-do list, a quick post....still car-less....continuing PT exercises at home but difficult to get the heart rate workout i need...did a mish mash of stitching stuff...

pulled some stash fabric for a small baby quilt, the new project at the senior center...just enough of this fairy dust print for a 36x36 top.

putting away some selvedges and came across these two blocks made by lila, my ex's grandmother---the hazards of pawing thru containers...decided to put them together in a small piece...the setting triangles already cut, will quilt and finish off with the wee print binding on the left.  calling it 'remembering lila' altho i never met her, only heard the stories about her--she was the sewist and made many crazy quilts.  i was lucky to receive a box of her fabrics and some orphan blocks.  i made this from some...

this was lila, age 9, taken at a photo studio in provincetown which is actually still there...and here is my daughter high school photo...

uncanny eh?  and then early this morning--another fractured sleeping night--picked this up working toward a finish....

ended up tearful as i made some of these and gifted to my mom, she loved handmade things...BUT a few of my tears disintegrated the design paper, so had to put down.  should be done soon.   also kept up with my dargate basket-a-day, now only 79 to applique plus laundry, cooking etc.  

grief struggle goes on accentuated by being confined too much of the time.  plenty of sewing but even that gets ho-hum sometimes.  at least we've a break from the disgusting heat for one brief day.  off to tackle to do list!

friday report

another week nearly gone and settling into a sort of routine sans vehicle...not happy about it but there it is.  on the sewing front, miss sunny up and running again with a new belt...

purring along as usual....love this machine....keeps me close to my beloved mom...and may blues sewing continues with a scrappy project that needs to move along....

it's a pattern by amanda jean nyberg i've used before, a great scrap buster.  for this one i've pulled all my blue batiks.  pattern calls for 36 blocks but may end up with 30, depending on how long the blues hold out.

for a wee color detour, sewed up this summery runner that'll be gifted to dear daughter...long ago she spied the lobsters and asked for a runner....fast forward to now and it's a flimsy, soon to be machine quilted, bound and gifted.  time gallops along and i am trying not to leave things undone.  

we always knew dear brother was way ahead of the pack, and here he is circa 1962 with a prototype cell phone!  somebody contact the patent office!!!

and last but most important, my belmont baby, dear daughter, is celebrating another birthday saturday and again on race day!  i've told her many times how i delayed my hospital run until the horse race was over!  here she is at her first birthday...still adorable and so very precious!

keep cool and quilt on!

june's chookshed challenge

it was the shed's birthday this weekend with a gathering of some faithful at the down under headquarters.  i was able to join in and catch up with fearless leader and others to ooh and ahh over a variety of world-wide projects.  

without further delay, here is the june challenge from my list...

10.  tidy the stash shelves...a one-day project that will go a long way to assessing what's on hand and corral wanderers

so here's what it looked like in january....and, confession here, couldn't wait until the challenge to create order out of this chaos. pieces were flung everywhere and finding something i knew was there nearly impossible.  it's in my bedroom and was the annoying first view every morning when awakening.  

isn't that better?  and yes that is the wall you see behind....so stashbusting is in full force here at happy village....plus i sleep a lot better too.  

more inspiration....someone brought in a stack of mags yesterday and saw this....

new issue of Ameican Quilter, a quilt by kimberly einmo with roos!   the down under peeps loved it and so do i, well the roos anyway.   little gray cells percolating thinking about yes, a new project with these adorable  creatures....chooky says they are cute until they run into your car...not unlike the maine moose i'll wager.  

it's my turn as reigning queen of the stashbusters so this has come my way for an all-too-brief week....

actually it's a blingy badge of failure for not having a UFO finish when my name hit the top of the participant's list...just couldn't be helped this time around but long hot summer ahead so not for long.   off to tackle the weekend to do list!

chookshed challenge may wrap

despite significant detours in may, managed to meet the chookshed challenge of using some blue stash and here it is...

for lack of a better title it's blue lotus...the sides will get evened off and it'll be hand quilted and bound.  it's hand pieced too....thinking waterfall maybe?  

and hoped to move the dargate basket project forward as well...this is the design wall today....

there are a few more finished not yet up on the wall, but it's because the wall is too small.  and the self-challenge to finish one every day?  nope, not today....

actually got 4 done....then counted up what's left and there are 88, one for each piano key or just a smidgen under the days in june/july/august...means top to assemble in september?  that makes me pretty happy....

measured tops for scrappy DWR and the solids bow ties, so hoping can squeeze $$ out of the budget for backs and one batt to get them basted this summer as well. 

word is out that deana has pulled challenge project #10 for june....that would be tidying the stash shelves...tune in tomorrow to see what needs to be done.  *** finished cutting blocks for the blue album and happy that 4 small pieces got used up as in not going back on shelves.  along with finishing the baskets, hoping to make a dent in the UFO list as i'm woefully behind.   time to make that summer list i guess.

and juvenile delinq-cats has gone to its new home...have been promised it'll be well received.  that always makes a quilter happy.   still struggling, though, to get out of bed and go forward each morning.  

throwback thursday

decluttering?  no doubt surprises will emerge, like this....

long ago in a galaxy far, far away (massaschusetts) i belonged to a quilt group in plymouth called cranberry quilters.  ever year they had a nice small show at the carver library.  one year there was a mini challenge.  this was my entry--amish of course--hand quilted, 10" square.  i was a newbie quilter of 3-4 years at most, but realized then and there my chunky fingers were not designed for tiny quilts.  

in the on-a-roll department, 2 days and 2 baskets done...washing machine cycle takes the exact time to finish one...and it does help that was gifted a delightful project bag--with handle no less--for portability.  a flimsy before 2025?  in my dreams for sure...

header photo shows cemetery where mom's ashes will be taken.  she had the yellow flowering bush planted just behind the stone of her parents' grave.  we went nearly every year to check on it, to revisit the area and reminisce.  the first couple of years it didn't do well as apple tree branches blocked full sun, which it required.  the caretaker cut back the branches and the bush flourished, which made mom very happy.  anxious to see how it is this year.  soon all three--grace, dewey and carolyn--together again to rest in its cheerful presence.  

oops...i slipped

not going to start another project....said no quilter ever!  fondling my liberty fabrics and auditioned for a background and found these 2 pieces, probably each FQ size...

just right to highlight the delish libertys!  these were gifted to me---thank you so much mystery peep!  tucked all the parts away in the liberty bag for now.  

did some sewing, more album/chimney sweep blocks.  i am going to need 63 in all, only 30 more to make, so more blocks and backgrounds need to be prepped.  

first up, laundry....basket overflowing...than back to the blues!

quiet holiday weekend

 

isn't that the truth?  as our nation looks forward to voting, preservation of the freedoms so valiantly and sacrificially won should be uppermost in voters' minds.  it's the very least we owe them.  let us remain, "one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."  

Just a few in my family....

Charles F. Thorne Jr., WWII at Utah Beach, July 1944

Joseph F. Thorne, Civil War, 17th Maine Regiment, at Appomattox Lee's surrender

Calmon White Jr, WWI, injured in explosion on USS Trenton; WWII off coast of Normandy rescuing the living and documenting casualties on D-Day

Ansel White, WWI, mustard gas exposure with permanent health issues

Lt Joel Whitney, Revolutionary War, Battle of Margaretta

many more served honorably and faithfully....I salute them all

muggies are here

humid holiday weekend and the to-do list is made and ready.....a/c on already

on the sewing front, it's still s'mores...plodding along with the quilting, sometimes so difficult these days to sit and relax, only momentary escapes from the overwhelming sadness that suffocates me...

naval academy graduation yesterday and blue angels in town...too many clouds to see them here--i'm only 10 miles away.  avoid annapolis when there are big crowds because like many old cities, parking is nonexistent even on ordinary days.

more blue album blocks assembled.  must calculate how many more are needed for bed size.  

blue lotus piecing by hand has begun.  if my  mojo gets fueled, might have a flimsy before may is gone, thus completing my may chookshed challenge project.  

mingled with quilty peeps at senior center yesterday, plus some exercise time as well.  they were happy with my wheelchair quilts, sent off to be quilted and then i'll bind them.  have a healthy plaids stash and plan to make at least two more.  

an unhappy twist, one of my tire rims had to be replaced...the tire was new but kept losing air and went flat.  off to mechanic...had just put on new tires, wipers, oil change, and now the rim, but still needs pricey repair.  still trying to decide if i should let it go, but putting off big decisions while still mired in grief.  God is good all time and praying clear direction evident soon.

may marches on

finally a good day with sunshine late in day after dreary, gray start...low 80s and sunny tomorrow....just perfect!  today was ideal for advancing various projects.  

the 2nd wheelchair top is done....the charm squares were a long ago senior center donation and found them in a drawer, realizing they were perfect for this project.  all gone now!

some basting got done....

more quilting on s'mores...should definitely be a june finish...

another UFO unearthed and basted...can i get this one done in june as well?  stay tuned...

picked this puzzle up at the senior center...should keep me occupied a while...

dear daughter ferried me to grocery and got some fresh flounder and fresh shrimp, so a couple of seafood meals for a change.  doing some at-home exercises, nowhere near the level i get at the gym but better than none...so i really AM a reformed couch potato!

and it really works!  shopping the stash and not buying really does reduce the piles on the shelf.  noticed this morning when re-shelving some pieces i'd been working with...a great way to start a monday!