Storm at Sea and Crosstown Quilt Guild Meetings

On October 22nd, David Sirota presented a workshop at the Crosstown Quilters Guild in Weymouth. The subject was his "No More Tears Paper Piecing" version of the Storm at Sea quilt pattern. I can attest that there were no tears as he led us through his "easy" paper piecing method. David is a wonderful instructor.

At today's meeting, Jeanne Y. showed her completed piece.

I also showed mine. I was very happy with my choice of a deep blue batik with purple, fuchsia, and green swirls which created a sense of movement.

The show and tell section of the meeting was as always great fun. Joyce D. made this flag quilt to donate to Anne M.'s efforts. Anne collects quilts and pillowcases to be given to the children of soldiers being deployed. Back to Joyce . . . Joyce made not one, but two flag quilts for this very good cause. 

After our business meeting, show and tell, and refreshments, it was time for our speaker, Elizabeth Sylvan. Let me just say, WOW! WOW! and another WOW! What amazing quilts she showed us. As seen on the easel, she created an amazing landscape from fabric pieces right before our eyes. She took us step by step through her process, and it was fascinating. Be sure to visit her website to see her schedule and some of her work in her galleries.  Her presentation captivated everyone in attendance.

A Speed Bump on the Road of Life

The other day I was doing some errands at The Launch in the Hingham Shipyard when this scene caught my eye.

At today's meeting of the Crosstown Quilters our speaker was David Sirota from Manchester, NH, whose hilarious talk was entitled "What Makes a Quilter Tick." Laughter filled the hall as he is one very funny guy. He mentioned that besides teaching at guilds locally, he is an instructor at the Mancuso World Quilt Shows which are held around the country. If you ever get the chance, sign up for one of his classes. We hope to have him come back to our guild some time in the future to teach a class.

I was deeply touched by words of support and encouragement and by the many warm hugs I received from members. Why? Well, I had informed the members in an email last week that I have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Since I am president of this guild, I felt that the member should know why I will be missing a few meetings, and I knew that I would be added to some prayer lists. 

This is my second time dealing with breast cancer; the last time was eleven years ago.  At that time, I had a mastectomy and chemotherapy. On this Thursday morning, I will be having another mastectomy. This time, the cancer was found very early, so God willing, this surgery will preclude the need for any additional treatment. . . that is my hope.

So, may I take this opportunity to ask, are you up to date on your mammograms??? No excuses. If the answer is "no," please call and make an appointment today. Early detection can make all the difference. And one more thing, I know that I will be fine, but I sure wouldn't mind if you sent some positive energy, good wishes, and a few prayers my way. :-)