I'm the tall one in the middle of the back row with the flashing glare next to my head. I think we're a great looking bunch. Across the back row left to right, Janice, me, Ingrid and Jennifer. The short ones in the front are: Joyce, Linda, Sharon, Mary Ann, Susan and Beth. We have several other members who did not participate in the exchange. I think we span 22 years in age, but when you put us all together we're just girls. I love that.

These are the blocks I sewed for everyone in the group. You can see that each one is different - there were three Christmas quilts, two Americana, one had cats as a theme, and I also had two Americana for the missions quilt that aren't on this board. I've only been quilting for less than three years, so overall I was pleased with how they came out. They were sewn with enough love to make up for any seams that don't match perfectly.

These are the blocks I received from my girlfriends. I chose 30's reproduction fabric because I plan to take this quilt with me when I move away in a year or so, and wanted something that reeked of memories. I love that the fabrics are reminiscent of my grandmothers' aprons. This less than lovely photo of me is the only one of my blocks. Each of us will take the blocks we received and piece them together to make a wall hanging, or add a few more blocks to turn them into a bed quilt, starting in February, then we'll get together this summer at our annual hot dog/pool party at Joyce's to show what they turned out like.

Being a part of this group is a tremendous blessing. When you spend one afternoon a week with a group of women, you share an awful lot of tears and laughter. We truly love each other bumps and warts and all. The younger ones in the group listen to our menopausal woes; the older ones advise those still in the middle of raising teens. One of the women announced at the luncheon that she and her husband will be grandparents next July, raising the number of grandmothers in the group to 8. Our next outing is planned for late March, when we're headed to Lancaster, PA for a quilt show in Amish country. I can't wait for that!

And, finally, here's what I just finished knitting - a hat for six year old Caiden. Paired up with a new football for his Christmas present from Grammy and Papa.

Okay, back to my machine and needles - too many projects, too little time. Not to mention a tree to put up, popcorn balls and fudge to make, throw out the dead mums still on the front porch and drag out the old sled.......

Labels: Creative License, Girl Talk