Santa's Polka...

PROJECT PARADE DAY 3...

Beep, beep back the truck up....WHERE did this DAY go?  The sun is already setting in my little corner of the world and I've JUST sat down to the computer for the first time.  I think I've been doing Santa's Polka all day long!  Or maybe it was a jig.  Whichever.  All I know is that time is speeding toward the weekend and I don't feel like I've crossed ONE thing off my list!  

Ever feel that way?

Hopefully you've already READ all the blogs on the hop already today!  But just in case you haven't, here are the blogs to visit today.  OH!  And if, by chance, you're more organized than MOI, and have MADE any of the fun projects so far this week, PLEASE upload them to our flickr page, we'd LOVE to see!

Today, there's...

Jill Finley of Jillily Studio

Then visit....

Jacquelynne Steves, The Noble Wife

And that's it for today!  Just TWO blogs to visit.  Not bad.  

Over the Thanksgiving break I got a fun text that was a blast from the past.  It was from a girl, Maddy, who I taught flute to not so many years ago.  Her family and mine met through my daughter's Irish Dance class.

   

I can't believe how UNBELIEVABLY SMALL they used to be!

Here's Maddy on the left, and my daughter Sienna on the right.  This was a newspaper clipping.  The girls were preparing for a performance at the Renaissance Faire.

Some of the awards Sienna has won throughout her journey through Irish dance.

And YES...they ARE wigs!  You can catch a teeeeny tiny glimpse of my daughter...third row, left side, in the back!  (I think the wig was bigger than her face....)

Anyway.  Back to the text.  Aside from teaching the girls to play the flute and pennywhistle (after all, we had that Irish in common!), one summer I decided to teach a bunch of 10-11 year olds how to quilt.  Call me crazy!  I'm pretty sure my daughter was the ONLY one to finish hers.  Maddy had made a good start, but her blocks were eventually bundled away.  In June, she graduated from High School and as a graduation gift, her Grandmother finished the quilt for her!

Maddy's text was a picture of the finished quilt....

Her Grandmother had finished hand quilting it!

This is a close up of Maddy's block, made when she was 11.

But one of the MOST special things about this quilt is the fabric on the back.  I haven't seen Maddy and her family for quite some time.  The girls stopped dancing when they reached High School, they were both too involved at school to continue.  They each went to different schools as well, and with our busy lives, there were not many opportunities to get together.  

In May, when Maddy's mom went to buy the fabric for the backing, she walked into our local quilt shop and fell in love with what she thought was a PERFECT fit.  It wasn't until she took it to the cutting table and saw the name on the selvedge that she found out it was MINE!  From our Whimsyland line.  Well, my dear friend, she started to cry happy tears on the spot as she tried to explain to the woman cutting her fabric the connection we had, and how special it was that she'd been drawn to THAT particular fabric to back the quilt of her daughter's, whom I had taught.

Serendipity, or what?

I was SO touched when Maddy told me the story.  I told her that each time she wraps that wonderful quilt around her it'll be like a hug from her ol' teacher.

Don't you LOVE a quilt with a story???

Okay...off to finish the rest of my day.  That little daughter of mine is now a Junior in High School and it's opening night for her performance in "The Wizard of Oz"!  I get to hang out back stage and help with hair, make-up and emergencies.  Oh what FUN!

STAY TUNED TOMORROW, 'CUZ GUESS WHAT?

IT'S OUR DAY!  WOOHOO!

And we MAY have a few surprises in store....