Mothers Memory Quilt and Matching Shams

Memory Quilts are so meaningful. Loss is difficult. It takes time to let go, move on with life without the person you love. This daughter had some of her mother's clothing items so we took those and made this precious quilt. 

This particular block was a sweatshirt with a zipper. I took the zipper out and stitched up the piece of fabric in order to keep all the cardinals intact. You could hardly tell.

We needed an extra block when she thought she only had 15 pieces of clothing, so I had this embroidery block made for her quilt. Its perfect. 

When she gathered all the clothing, she had two extra items so I combined them into blocks so that all pieces were represented in the quilt.

I also made three shams to match the quilt, two for her own daughters for free. She was another customer that was so supportive during this summer. She would write and check in on my husband, pray for us. Its awesome when customers become friends. She left wonderful feedback on my ETSY shop despite the delay in receiving her quilt.

google.com/+JennWellsandSunshineOfAutumnQuilts

Memory Tshirt Quilts

Three quilts for a customer who lost her husband. It was such an honor to make these for her.

She wanted to have an extra quilt so she requested the backs of Tshirts and sweatshirts with a blue fabric for the border. It turned out really pretty. I used a patterned fabric for this one since the shirts were all plain.

She chose two tone on tone blues for the other two quilts. then I took that matching fabric and used it for the binding of the opposite quilt.

She loved them so much and gave an excellent review on my ETSY page. 

google.com/+JennWellsandSunshineOfAutumnQuilts

Tackle It Tuesday - Late

Zekaryah got this shirt from a friend. When he was in the school play they put material on the back of it to hold his mic. I couldn't seem to remove it. He was pretty devastated.

I decided right then that it would be a great front for a pillow sham/case. I get requests all the time for them and it is an item I have added to my ETSY shop. Today I took the front and then some flannel for a quilt I made for my husband for our anniversary and made him a travel pillow for track. He loves to sleep on the bus, it helps him with not having seizures while he is away. He just needed something small so its only about 14 inches but he will love it.

I had made one out of my husbands shirt a while ago, just to see how I wanted to make them. My daughter has claimed it. She loves the feel of the shirt and loves the idea that she can have it as a pillow on her bed. I can see why these are so popular.

google.com/+JennWellsandSunshineOfAutumnQuilts

Caring Memory Quilts

I made this customer 7 quilts earlier in the Christmas season and she requested 4 more because she loved them so much

These have brown flannel on three of the 4 quilts because I couldn't order the exact cream from the other 7

I have some clothing left to make a larger quilt. All of the quilts contained 60 shirts, 40 in the first batch, a few leftover pieces from the first batch then 20 additional shirts in the last 4.

She wrote after Christmas to tell me how much everyone loved the quilts

I can't wait to see what the very last order will look like.

google.com/+JennWellsandSunshineOfAutumnQuilts

The Passing of Rufus

Rufus came into our family through our dog Porter, who was a birthday gift from Paul to me back in 2004.

Porter would have her first set of pups and we kept one and named him Boudreaux. Boudreaux was born in 2006 and he was a great dog. He was the biggest dog we had ever owned and thought he was a poodle when he climbed into your lap. We would move to our current house and find that Boudreaux and Porter would have a set of pups.

Rufus was born on September 5, 2007. He was adorable. He looked just like his mama. There was no question that we were keeping this pup.

Mekenzei and him would soon become the best of friends. You could rarely separate them. I loved having the company during the day when the kids were at school. He was super easy to train and was soon an inside dog, no questions asked.

We would soon loose Porter, the mama because she would protect Mekenzei, when a lady we befriended, entered our house, a little under the influence, and she was attacked. We chose to put her down because this was the second time she had bit someone and they were considering her  a danger to others. Mekenzei sure took that hard.

Sharon K Nelson Unger

My mother was born on Sept 16 1957 she passed away Saturday July 17, 2010..just shy of her 53rd birthday..She leaves behind her mother, sister and brother, loving husband, 2 daughters, a son and 8 grandchildren.
If there was one thing I could say about her is that she was a woman of great faith. She like me strived to be a Proverbs 31 woman. She like me did not always rise to the task but she always kept moving forward. She tried very hard to Rejoice in the Lord no matter the obstacle ahead of her.. Often times that obstacle was her health, but it also included us kids and the choices in life we were making.
She was born in Ogden, Utah. She had me at the age of 17 and boy was that a struggle since I came just a little too early. She said I always was trying to move to quickly through life..which is probably true. I would then be followed by my sister Tiffiny and my brother Lee. We all grew up in California in a little house that we loved and made our home. She tried nursing when I was little. Soon after she became a registered nurse she got ill and we nearly lost her. She would battle most of her life with an immune problem in her blood. She would do many things with us kids like girl scouts, help us in school, band, choir whatever our hearts desired.
She would walk away from her faith for a brief period of time. She returned fully to Christ at the end of my 6th grade year after attending a Christmas program and seeing that the church I was attending was not anywhere close to what she believed as a Christian.
We began attending a Lutheran Church ran by Pastor Timothy Dost and his wife Nannette. There she served on the board for Sunday School, became the church secretary and even helped with the daycare that they would eventually have. She continued to be very supportive of my scouting helping me to earn my Silver Award and then also helping me to become confirmed.
I admit life was not always easy in the teen years but she always reminded me of my faith. How important that was no matter what I was going through. She once again became ill, this time with blood clots in her legs, I am thankful to say that the Lord was not ready for her..
We would move on to another Lutheran church and once again she participated in any aspect that she could. She would see us all off from High School and into the world over the next few years.
Her duty as wife would become difficult just after the birth of my first child when she had to surrender her whole being to my dad's side as he fought his battle with Leukemia. It was a tough fight but the Lord once again was not ready for either of them and he would go into remission.
They moved from their home to the mountains in Running Springs, California.This was a wonderful thing as a few years later while working in a secretary position for the county in the sheriffs department she would wake up one morning and fall down the stairs in their home. She injured her back. When going to the doctor they would find that she had disk degenerative disease as well as rheumatoid arthritis..later that would turn into many things such as fibromyalgia and diabetes. She battled her illnesses and continued to persevere even though most days she was in constant pain and discomfort. Her faith was something she continued to hold on to.
I know she continued to pray for healing over her body as did many of us for her. She would help me through the death of my mother in law Joyce. I had cared for her fully and was there in the final hours and that duty was more than my body could take emotionally, spiritually and physically. I would find myself returning home and leaving my marriage and family. I am thankful for her constant patience with me as I read the bible from cover to cover, prayed and healed. We took a vacation to Santa Barbara so that it would help me heal. I would find myself back to who I was and recharged so that come a few months later I was able to return to my job as wife and mother to my family. I will be ever grateful to both of my parents for this. My dad for allowing me to talk through my emotions and my mom for her constant support with the word of God..I know how much she prayed for me during this time, as I did for her the last couple of years.
I am blessed to have had a good example of a strong christian woman. She fought depression with a mighty blade. She enjoyed music and writing poetry. She came to be very secluded to her home and last summer I introduced her to facebook. This allowed for her to connect with the world she could no longer go out into. It allowed for her to get support from other fellow Christian's that were also online. She enjoyed playing many games on the site and we were able to connect nearly every day. The last year of my moms life was a tough one. She was tired of being sick and emotionally and physically drained. She gave of herself to others always trying to encourage them in their times of needs. Most of all she prayed for all.
I am grateful to the Lord for our last week together. I was moved to make a beautiful bag for her that she never got to hold. In talking with my dad I have come to know how special that was for her, she showed him the pictures I posted in aw of beautiful work. I know those are images she was able to have in her final hours.
We were not able to be together in her last hours since I live so far away but I am thankful for cell phones. She was strong enough just a few days prior to passing to have an hour conversation with me. We talked about so many things and both got closure on a great deal. I was praying that if the Lord felt it was her time that she go quickly. I know that she was ready. Ready to be rid of this body that held her in the merk and mire of life. She was ready to be with her Lord and Savior, to enjoy the health and beauty of his kingdom.
I praise the lord for the strength he fully gave me to be able to let her go over the phone. I know that she needed that release. I am thankful for her example of that with the death of my mother in law because I may not have realized the importance of that step otherwise. She will be deeply missed but I am ever so grateful to the Lord for taking her early since it was not his decision to fully heal her on this earth. I hope from this moment forth I can continue to be the Proverbs 31 woman that she helped me to become. That I can continue with my quilting business and know how proud of me that she was in her final days. She was a constant support this past year as I went in with all my might into my business so that I could stay home with my children and do the Lord's Will. I thank the Lord for the gifts and talents he has given me as I finish creating a masterpiece that my mom will be proud to be buried with.
May she forever rest in Peace..and Rejoice in His Holy Name..
Amen

What Am I Learning

This week I have been learning that emotions are not always easy to deal with, not always easy to understand, and not always easy to explain. Emotions have been high in the family this week. I worked on a quilt for my daughter which ended up not being such a good idea. See we lost "Nana", whom she was very close to back in 2005. Nana was just one of those Proverb 31 women we all aspire to be. One of a kind. Truly just a beacon of light. She never crossed someones path without impacting their day, even the check out person at Walmart was impacted. Always smiled, told you - you were loved by God. We took care of her from the time my daughter was 3 I guess until she was in 1st grade- around Christmas Time. So to Mekenzei Nana was really the world. We also had a dog for that same time period that was given to us by my birth father and his wife. Surprisingly (not really to my husband and I), Nana and the dog passed within months of each other.

Well this quilt that I was making with love sparked emotion in my daughter that I did not expect. See when she was little I had saved this box of clothing of Nana's to make several quilts with. Unfortunately things don't always go as planned so when my husbands family was going through things they just junked it all. My daughter still wants her quilt. LOL

I have had three grandfathers pass since then, one very recent and I was able to get some clothes from two of them. One I have some shirts from, the other a couple pairs of pants. My one grandmother even gave me two items that were hers, so that she won't have to worry later. I thought that was a great idea. For me it was a great way to deal with the death and I am learning that my little 10 year old is the same way.

She wants something tangible. Too often we forget when we are going through old things when someone passes on that our children might want something to. We tend to think of ourselves as adults first. I know that is what happened in our family. There were too many grandchildren on my husbands side and they just were not thought of, it was seen as a hassle.

I am praying for a solution, I am praying that I find a way to comfort my daughter through her very real emotions. Death is never easy, and even though we can preach that we will see them again, that they are in a better place, and that our children understand that, sometimes the physical part of our heart still feels a little sad.

I did have an idea late last week to do a memory quilt- using colors for heart disease, Alzheimer's, Ovarian and Cervical Cancer etc... Those all run in my family. I have had my husband mom and two grandfathers pass from Alzheimer's, my husbands mom also had a small touch of heart disease at the end, my two grandfathers were plagued with it for a lot of their adult lives. My grandmother has battled several cancers. I thought of all the quilts donated in peoples names for Initiatives and that we could make one in memory of all of them, living and past. So maybe God already knew this would arise and this is the solution. It would be very easy to involve the kids in the making of the quilt, maybe by cutting fabric- choosing some in the right colors etc.

Healing is hard that is the lesson I have really learned this week. It takes work- it doesn't just happen and everyone deals with things differently. While I can speak many bible verses to her, somehow right now that is not enough, so my answer is Prayer and possibly this quilt.

So what have you been learning this week?

What Am I Learning Friday

Wow this week just seems to have dragged on and flew by all in the same moment. I have been so out of it. Been out of it with my Blog, just not even wanting to write, that is unusual for me. I have been drained- so tired not just physically but emotionally and spiritually too. I missed church being out of town his past weekend and boy can I tell. I love music worship time, it just energizes my soul. I have had so much to do- dishes, wash, normal kids stuff like homework. Even babysat my friends child for her on Thursday- that was an all day event and worked Mon and Wed mornings caring for Anne. I just did not find the strength to write. I wanted to just stay in bed and hibernate. I have tried praying and searching for this hole in my being to just be filled back up.

I am not quite sure what is bothering me, I think I have learned this week that I just need to be able to allow myself to grief. How funny does that sound? You would think being an adult I would realize that. What I realized was I am fighting it. I want to think I should be able to get back into the swing of things. I flew back into Texas on Sunday. Completely drained from all the events of my trip. Got to bed late that Sunday night, got up on time Monday to go to work and was so exhausted I came home and took a nap. I even slept in late, nearly until noon Tue, went to work Wed and came home and wanted to do nothing again. Then watched a little toddler all Thur and was down again today. Just amazing! I have gotten little things done so I don't want to say I am depressed just not my normal self just yet.

Partially stress over all the unsettled work- wash that is done and not put away, dishes that even though I clean seem to reappear to be washed again so quickly and kids that are learning division in school and are completely lost. Of course they started last week and I was not here so I missed their important week and now we are onto harder aspects. I learned that things take time. It reminded me of a very important scripture, also a book I have, that maybe I should re-read.

As for the bible part- you probably could guess what I will share since I mentioned the word Time, and it is one of the most famous chapters in the bible, songs even written after it, books written about it, sermons, debates, lectures in college...

Ecclesiastes 3

A Time for Everything

1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
9 What does the worker gain from his toil?

10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men.

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.

13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God.

14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.
15 Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.
16 And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment—wickedness was there, in the place of justice—wickedness was there.
17 I thought in my heart, "God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed."
18 I also thought, "As for men, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals.

19 Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath ; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless.

20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.

21 Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?"
22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?

So I thought that maybe it is my time to grief this week, maybe I shouldn't fret and be too hard on myself that I have four quilt orders that are not done, yet the deadline approaches. Maybe just maybe the heart is just as important as our physical self. I have a secret pal who just suggested that I do something for me, maybe a small project etc and maybe that will help me feel a little better, while I had the same thought, it seemed like Godly wisdom coming from this secret person I do not know yet. So as this weekend approaches I want to take Time to spend with my family. My son turned 11 this today and we are celebrating him all weekend. We have some odd traditions in my family, but I figure we will cook, play games and celebrate life and each other, letting my grief lay aside and turning the time for something new. All I know is it is wonderful that we all still have more Time. For that I give much Praise and Thanksgiving to God!

My Grandpa Kale

I tried to upload photos tonight, but I only have them in PDF format and Blogger doesn't accept that so....here is all I can do- write Life can be unexpected even when we know a possibility exists. I was at the school tonight for Movie Night, preparing everything for the guests to arrive when my cell phone rings. I immediately said, "those kids better not already be fighting." That was my thought. Then I looked at the phone it had my dad in Utah's name on it, my stomach dropped. You know when you know you need to take a call but you feel like if you don't then you can avoid what will happen. Well that is how I felt. He said hello then started pretty quick in that Grandpa Kale was slipping away, he was resting quietly and that he could put me on speakerphone if I would like to say anything before he died. I was not given the opportunity with two other grandfathers that have passed in the last couple of years, but even with the opportunity in hand all I could say was that I knew he knew he loved me, and I loved him. I could not do it. Maybe I knew I didn't have to. Oddly enough I have not seen him since my other grandfather in Utah passed away in 2007. We had just moved into this house- had not finished yet when I got that call. Then last year I lost my grandfather in California, a huge shock as he was fine, went for a walk and fell and then my family got the call, who then called me. At first we talked about flight arrangements. I knew we didn't have the money for it. My dad immediately assured me if I wanted to go that he would take care of it. I declined because I felt guilty for having him pay for that. After thinking a couple of hours I decided that I really did want to be there, and that is what family is for, to help in time of need. I also thought of what he was going through to, and how I would like to be there for him and his loss. What made me think even more is the only time I see family lately is at funerals. How is it that life comes to that. It made me appreciate that I still have my kids at home, I still get to love on them and spend time with them. I thought I would feel great loss, yet I feel great comfort. It makes me so thankful to know that I just started my new Blog this week. I think of all the verses I have read, the verses I have Blogged about, I had no idea God was preparing me for today all week long. The tears do come, the pain is there, it is natural and I know that. Yet I could not help but think of scripture after scripture in my mind. How wonderful to have that. To know that Kale is with God, that he is no longer in pain. He was so ready to go last time I saw him. He felt he had lived a good life. He felt that he had the best woman on earth that he fell in love with and got to spend his whole life with. He was thankful to have such good kids, grand kids and great grand kids. He felt that his life could not be any better. He had no regrets. I would say that the only thing left was to see our Heavenly Father and start his life there. He of course did not want to leave his beloved June, the woman that is everything in his world. Their love just astounds me. I have never ever seen love like theirs, never. They are like dove, there is no doubt in my mind. I would have loved to have seen them just both go in their sleep together, so that they did not have to spend any time apart. IF that makes any sense at all. Anyway I wanted to pay tribute to my grandfather tonight, wanted to share my story and hope that you remember to tell the person you love that you love them, how much they mean to you, all that jazz. You never know what tomorrow brings. Also that you should live life to your fullest, so that you like my Grandpa Kale, have no regrets. This is my Favorite Verse of all verses- one not often told Romans 14:8 If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
Romans 6:23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Jude 1:21Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. My husbands favorite verse
Psalm 23:4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live" (John 11:25).
Psalm 23:1 A psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: 2 a time to be born and a time to die,. . .
Matthew 5:4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Philippians 1:21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.