The Empty Chair, Part 5: The Accident

Last Friday after work, my daughter left Lincoln with her two little dogs and headed back to Plattsmouth for the weekend. The last meeting of her day had run late, so the sky was darkening by the time she  got on the road. The evening was cold and windy with more snow predicted during the night and into Saturday. It only made sense to go right away and beat the storm.

I sat down to finish writing the pattern for my newest mug rug, a sweet mother giraffe with her new calf. I designed it for Mother's Day and for giraffe lovers like my daughter. I looked up from my typing to check the clock several times. I expected my daughter to call when she arrived home.

Mandy's call came at 7:15. When I saw her name on my phone, I thought she'd made good time, but the instant I heard her voice, I knew something was terribly wrong. 

"Mom, I'm okay, but..." My heart lurched, and I tried to catch my breath. "..but, I've been in an accident." The police arrived just then, so I had to wait for her to call back and tell me more.

I tried to focus on "I'm okay", until she called a few minutes later. A friend and her husband had driven out right away, and the pups were in the truck with them. She said she was truly fine, and the tow truck and ambulance had also arrived. I didn't learn all the details until she got home an hour later.

She had been only a few miles from town, when she came over a hill and into a swirling wall of white snow. Although no new snow was falling, gusty winds were carrying Thursday's snow from the hilltop across the highway. Heavily packed snow and ice covered that stretch of road, and the visibility was zero. She was going slowly, but the snow blinded her, and the car skidded into a spin. She had almost gained control, and was trying to get her bearings, when she was hit by another car coming behind her over the same rise. Her car slid off the road, and down the embankment. If it hadn't landed in a snowdrift, the car and everyone in it would have tumbled into the ravine below.

Miraculously, aside form some bruising from the seat belt and the airbag, she was uninjured and the buckled-in pups hadn't been hurt at all.

On Saturday, a friend took Mandy to the lot where her car had been towed. She knew the car had been totaled, but she was surprised to see that both the front and the back were badly damaged. She only recalled one impact. The had evidently been hit from the front, sending it back into a spin, and then the back of it collided again with the other vehicle.  

Mandy bagged up the items that had been left behind, and put everything into her friend's car. Before leaving, she decided to take one more look. Just to make sure nothing was forgotten.

And that's when she found it. Tucked in a corner of the pocket in the door on the driver's side was a small medallion in its plastic sleeve. Her father had given it to her the spring before he passed away. He had told her to keep it in her wallet for good fortune. 

So she did. She placed it safely in her wallet. But when she got home that night, her wallet was still inside her purse.

I don't think I believe in guardian angels, but the events of the past year have sometimes made me wonder.  Someone or something seems to be looking out for us. Each event has seemed to connect back to my husband in some way. Her father hated that car, and he scolded her for buying it. He told her the car was unsafe. It was too lightweight, had too many miles on it, and it didn't have the four-wheel drive essential for winter driving in Nebraska.

Mandy and pups got a ride back to Lincoln yesterday, and I was able to see for myself that she really is okay. She's off right now, buying a car. This time she's taking her father's advice. This one will newer and heavier, and it will come with four wheel drive and a backup camera.

The two pups are tucked in next to me on the couch at the moment. I'm looking at my mug rug picturing the mother and baby giraffe, and, once again, I'm counting my blessings. Mother's Day came early this year.

"Newborn" Click here:

Blotting Out Winter With Rainbows

 

Click here for pattern:  Rainbow Bows

It all started with a sale on fabrics. Right after Christmas, I happened upon a package of sixteen fat eights in bright, rainbow colored, polka dots at half price. How could I pass that up? The baby box containing items I'm making for future great-grands is far from overflowing.

While cold winter took hold and the snow fell constantly, I played with warm, summer colors. I dreamed of warm days, soft rain, and lovely rainbows. The rainbow colored fabrics turned into a quick and easy rainbow quilt made with large and small bow tie blocks. I kept the theme going in the border of alternating colored and white squares - rainbows everywhere to contrast with the gray skies and white snow outside my window.

Too much snow!

I almost never use polyester batting in my quilts. It's too lightweight to drape nicely or to hold it's shape as a table runner or a wall hanging, but when it comes to quilts for babies, polyester is my first choice. It's warm, it's soft, and it is lightweight. A baby quilt like this is light enough for a toddler to drag everywhere. It can be tossed into the washer and dryer with other laundry, too.  This isn't the kind of quilt  you might display on a wall. it's meant to be used and loved.

Minimal stitch-in-ditch quilting was perfect this time.  Simple, straight lines with a walking foot are fast, well suited to the batting, and the quilt remained soft and fluffy.

Quite a bit of fabric was leftover, so I improvised the back of the quilt to use up the extra.

I also made a coordinated slip on pillow cover There is no zipper this time, so the entire project was both fun and easy.


Dreaming of spring.

Wishing you a lovely end to winter. 

The Empty Chair, Part 4: A Year Gone By

This week marks a full year since my dear man has been gone. So many things have changed. I still miss him every day, but I'm gradually adjusting. I think the hardest part has been the silence. I've been running the television or playing the radio all day long, just for background noise.

Life has changed in so many ways, but this next year will be one of happier adjustments. Something is in the works.  I always knew I'd married a stubborn man, and there are moments that leave me wondering. 

I mentioned in an earlier blog that Fred was adamant that I not live alone. My grandchildren moved next door in March. Everything fell together so suddenly after his passing, that I questioned if Fred had a hand in it all. I've so enjoyed having those sweet, young people so close by. It's been wonderful, but not exactly what Fred wanted. In those last weeks, he insisted that I should live in the same house with one of our children.  He worried that I'd fall, or get sick, and no one would be here to help me. He had the same concerns for our daughter, who has been living on her own for several years. Fred thought we should be together under one roof. There was just one problem. Mandy has been living over an hour's drive from me and working in Omaha.

Then, just before Christmas, a position in Lincoln suddenly opened up. Mandy applied, and job was hers. Her transfer took effect last week, and she'll be moving back to Lincoln as soon as her house sells. It will go on the market in March when winter begins to bow out. In the meanwhile, Mandy is staying with me during the week, and going home on weekends. While she's working, I have the company of her two little dogs, Watson and Willow. They are delightful, and my house isn't quiet unless they're sleeping. Puppies during the day, a daughter in the evenings. What could be better?

After the sale of her house, Mandy will find a house in Lincoln. She says that her dad won't let her rest until she finds something with enough space for both of us and the pups. She also won't settle for anything that doesn't have well lighted studio space where she can paint and I can sew.

This is all quite exciting. I'm truly looking forward to the coming year.

Nap time for Watson and Willow

Change is inevitable, so I wish all of us a year filled with love, happiness, and only those changes that bring joy.

Changes in the Crafty Pattern Marketplace

 

Craftsy is in the process of merging with Blueprint, the sister company that has been affiliated with Craftsy for the last couple of years. While this is occurring, there has been more than a bit of turmoil in the pattern marketplace.

I don't really know many details, but I'll share what I do know.

How Designers Are Affected:

The marketplace really did need changes. It had grown way too large, and Craftsy had no control over the quality or originality of the patterns that were sold. The company has started out with a mass culling of both patterns and designers. I was one of the fortunate designers to remain on the website, although my patterns have been trimmed from 132 to 31. I'm not sure what criteria were used in making these choices.

Designers have been told that Blueprint will allow new patterns to be published later this year. At some point, they will also be open to new designers and some of those who were not retained. When the website is ready to welcome designers back, they will have more control over which patterns will be published. Whenever that happens, I will let everyone know.

How Craftsy Pattern Customers Are Affected:

Any pattern you have purchased should still be available in your pattern library, so nothing purchased should be lost. You may need to be patient about downloading for awhile as this part of the website is still incomplete. All of the patterns that have been kept on the website are available for purchase and download, too.

Any patterns left in your cart or your wish list from those that have been removed will not be available for purchase.

Locate Patterns on Etsy

Last summer I opened an Etsy shop for my patterns. I didn't know what Craftsy was up to, but previous changes at Craftsy had affected my sales, and I needed a second venue for my designs. You may love many of Craftsy's other independent designers. Many of them also have Etsy shops and Facebook pages.

Etsy functions in ways both similar to and different from Craftsy. My patterns are available as PDFs and can be downloaded instantly much like on Craftsy. Visitors can make my shop one of their favorites, favorite individual patterns or add patterns to their carts.  If you favorite the shop, you can more easily follow the addition of new patterns as they are published.

Not all of my patterns are on Etsy right now. I've been uploading one or a few at a time, but I will gradually add more. If you can't find a pattern you want from my Craftsy store, please contact me. I'll add the requests to my Etsy shop as quickly as I can.

You can contact me at these locations:
Etsy
Facebook
Email: klee2strings@gmail.com