Revisiting Memories---

Stepping into Mom’s house is like going back in time.

The first night, before the onslaught of the many ((They weren’t to arrive until July 5th in the evening)) Jason, Joy, Andrew, Rick and I stayed at moms. There are SO many of us that the small mountain top house can not contain us ALL – but the first night there was room.

Jason, Andrew and Rick stayed in the borrowed 5th wheel motor home in the driveway –on loan from a neighbor who offered it to provide more sleeping space for the multitudes!

I stayed in a downstairs bedroom – and when I walked in I was greeted by this quilt I had made mom circa 1990-something. The block pattern is called Mountain Thistle. I do not have a pattern for it. I may re-write it up at some point – but that’s way back burner right now. ((I only say this because I know there will be a slam-dunk of emails saying they have searched the website and can’t find the pattern for it and where is it. Not now. Not yet! Someday. :c) ))

I made this while living in Burley, Idaho – and I had my quilting frame set up in our bay window of the house so I could sit and hand quilt after kids left for school in the mornings. It took a LONG time to quilt! In fact, this is the last quilt that ever adorned that 3 rail frame….I learned that I do better on a sofa with a hoop in my lap. Being at the frame kept me in another room from family, and I prefer to be able to turn a hoop to quilt in multiple directions.

I searched the archives and found this pic of the quilting in progress:

Having that quilt in a frame sitting in the bay window area also caused some fading to happen to those lovely 1980s and 1990s fabrics ---OH WELL! You can’t keep a quilt safe from sunlight forever?

Even in the 1990s I was brave ---I quilted this whole quilt with navy thread. You can’t see it in the photos, but there are double lines of quilting echoing the squares in the paw areas, both in the burgundy and the navy.

There are other evidences of my early quilting years hanging around Mom’s house…some pieces have my early machine quilting on them ---and those quilts have been loved and used and loved and used and washed and dried and loved and used again – their fabrics fading to a very soft and gentle patina that only a well loved quilt can attain. It’s fun to see them after so many years ----most of them I had forgotten about! But they still are there visible every day in my mom’s house.

I also love the abundance of family photos all over the walls – some of my ancestors dating back to as early as photography was available. Humble people I never knew, yet their blood runs through my veins. Many many pics of all the grandchildren –and in this huge family, I find my place amongst them.

The “Younger” generation ((which means anyone younger than me, but older than 12)) are out on a white water rafting trip.

Feeding this multitude takes a lot of time and planning --- so I’m headed to the kitchen to help feed the army.

This afternoon my inlaws, my brother and sister in law, my nephew and his family all belonging to DH’s side of the family are on their way up to visit. Can’t wait to see them!

Needless to say --- not a stitch has been sewn since I left the airplane in Boise! And that’s perfectly fine with me.

Oh yeah, and before you think I am homeless without a place to sleep now:

We’ve overflowed into the cabin of a friend just down the road!

Joy, Andrew, Jason, my brother Mark, his son Spencer, and myself are bunking HERE! We only have one rule ---no one under 17 allowed ---us old folks aren’t used to dealing with so many young ones! LOL! My Sister Mary, her hubby Kelly and their 3 kids have taken over the 5th wheel – and the kids like “Camping” in Grandma’s driveway. Mom’s house is now wall to wall air mattresses as everyone else arrives and covers every available floor space ---Yes, this makes for a CLOSE knit family!