Another relaxing day at home!

It is a blustery day today as Winnie the Pooh would say to his friends. But it is a great day to spend time with the kids playing games, learnign to tie shoes, learning letters and watching a relaxing movie on the television.

I am blessed to have my computer set up next to a living room window where I can see any time the weather changes and today it has changed from calm, to blustery, from blue to gray and sunny to no sun. For June, it is just a cold day!

I have wanted today to quilt, but just can't seem to get into it, (which is unusual for me). I have so many quilts to make with the midwest storms hitting and so many others to finish. I just need to get something accomplished today, but it is a blustery day and to quote what Rabbit would say..'Oh, bother.'

Quilts for flood victims...

I am appealing to anyone who reads my blog and knows how much I still care about the police dispatchers across the United States to help me help those families that have been enduring the terrible flooding across the midwest.

We need to help them! We cannot sit around and assume the Red Cross or FEMA will help and I can tell you first hand with experiencing a disaster this past December, that you had better not be counting on FEMA, because they have to be the most useless unneccessary department in our federal government.

I at first believed that they were just extremely overwhelmed when Katrina hit, but after trying to get their assistance after our own was damaged during the horrible 'Hurricane like,' storm Grays Harbor got hit with in December 2007, I found them to be nothing more than useless.

They will not help you one iota if you have homeowners insurance, they won't help you with food, they don't help with insurance deductibles as they say they will and they surely do not help with seeing to it that the insurance companies do what need to be done. So, if you are waiting for FEMA to help disaster victims, all they are is one large information gathering black hold that needs to be dissolved.

But, this post is not about FEMA, so let me get off my high horse and back on terra firma here.
I need help getting quilts out to the police dispatchers and their families in need and what I need most at this time is batting. Please, crib size to king size, you can purchase it at WalMart for less than $5 for the smaller and less than $10 for the larger.

I have also the need for another sewing machine and am looking for someone to donate a sewing machine that does numerouse stitch types like the Brothers do or an embroidery machine. Please, do not contact me about junk. I need to keep quilts going and my sewing machine is getting tired after cranking out more than 75 quilts over the last 3 years and I don't want to let people down.

I have posted on here before asking for assistance and I did get some last time, so here goes again....WISH LIST

1- Batting
2- Janome/Brother or Husqvarna sewing machine
3- Quilt Frame (one that expands)
4- Rotary cutters and large Rotary Mat
5- Non-Slip mat for sewing pedal

I want to be able to say we as a team did this, we as Americans contributed to helping these hard working people out, lets not say 'we almost helped them.' Lets not say, 'I almost sent her the things she needed, but I knew someone else would.' 'I almost contacted her, but I knew hundreds of others would do so.'

I am legit here people, I do what I say I will do and I have the pictures and letters and cards to prove it. I am one person, working alone, but together with your help, we can become a team!
Contact me at: rannyjeanshaven@yahoo.com that is Ranny Jeans Haven.

I will be back soon!

I know, I have had people asking why I am not posting at this time. Please, have patience, I am working on several quilts at once and this is a big load to carry. I have one for the homeless, a crazy quilt for a police dispatcher, 1 for my granddaughter, 1 for the fair and one to sell.

Quilting as anyone knows is a long slow process!

A Quilt in The Making

Have you ever wondered how a quilter puts together her/his quilts? What happens in the process? What does the first pieces look like? Well, I am going to answer your questions with the following pictures and hopefully it will encourage you to buy some fabrics (or contact me for some) for your first scrap quilt.

The picture on the top are triangle scraps. I took at square and cut it in half diagonally and then I sew two together and I remade the square. The middle picture is the quilt top that consists of the triangle pieces and the pieces on the bottom, small 2 1/2" squares I sew together to make a nine patch. This is just my kitchen table that I work at, so it takes me some time. Lunch, clean off the sewing stuff. After naps and lunch, pull it back out again. Put it away for dinner.

If hubby is home, I can't use it at all because wherever you look in our home, there are signs that a quilter lives here. Healing boards to be used with rotary cutters, rotary cutters, scissors in all sizes, fabric, thread, binding, batting, I have no special room to sew in, so it gets scattered from the dining room to the closet, to the living room tables, it is sooooooooooooo embarrassing!

You can see my sewing machine, it is a Brother and about 4 years old. I had to buy it after 22 years of having a wonderful Singer that finally the motor just burnt out. I am praying that this machine will last me as long because I use it all of the time.

Next to it, you can see what is known as the Sidewinder, a wonderful invention that allows me to rewind bobbins without having to use my sewing machine and it stores bobbins as well, so if you are like me and have 3 wound bobbins for the beginning of my projects, I highly suggest this item and it cost just under $40.

I hope you have enjoyed a peek into my dining room and seeing how quilts form.

By the way, this quilt is being made for homeless teens in my area. I am adding a special water proof lining with the batting in the hopes I can help to keep them drier and much warmer.

May God Bless all who come here!

A Quilters Poem

A Quilter

A quilter brings us comfort
on the chilliest of nights.
With unseen hands she tucks us in
and softly dims the lights.

What many others throw away,
she knows that she can use.
She brings together every square,
Arranging varied hues.

With simple needle & mere thread,
and batts without a form,
She sews each piece with tender love
To keep us snug and warm.

The Lord has helped her understand
the value of things old,
She swaddles us in memories
Each precious to behold.
Author unknown

**This poem is dedicated to all quilters everywhere!

For Your Viewing Pleasure

The quilted items pictured here are ones that I made for a friend for Christmas. It was made with Debbie Mumm fabrics that were actually an apron and I turned them into a bell, a quilt and a pot holder wall decoration. You really must know my friend loves Christmas and probably still has her Christmas stuff up as I write this.

Top Left shows the set together. Top middle shows the mitt and you can see the machine quilting that I did to it. Top Right is the bell. Bottom Left is the quilt and Bottom middle shows the up close detail on the fabric.

I not only make quilts for those in need, I do make quilts for memories and if you want something a bit unique, you can Email me and perhaps we can work it out.

Enjoy the pictures!

Still Looking...

I am still looking for a benevolent donor that wants to buy a home and put my family into it. I have one picked out, I just know by the time we sell our home and wind up with zip we won't be able to buy it. I am watching it though because the price has dropped to $154K and I know we could offer much less.

So, New Years Eve found me in bed by 2200 hours. What boring lives we live, but what else would we have done?

Finished a quilt today for my old pastors grandson. God has blessed that family with Baby Max who was born prematurely, but continues with each day to get stronger and should be home soon. Our prayers are with this family every day!

It is sooooo cold outside, I just wish it would snow and get on with it, then I could probably take a snow day to goof around. LOL!

Tomorrow is the first day back to school, I can't wait to see all the kids and hear their stories.

God Bless!