Goodbye Sweet Nicole

Today, I learned my sweet cousin Nicole passed away. She lived in the Baltimore area and was 36 years old. My heart is heavy. Nicole leaves behind her brother John and a family that is in shock and still grieving over the loss of 2 other family members this year. I am grateful and I thank God that I was able to spend time with Nicole in February when we gathered together as a family to say goodbye to Aunt Irene. The last time I saw Nicole, she had lost a lot of weight and I remember teasing her about wearing baggy clothes and maybe she should buy a new wardrobe to show off her new figure. She laughed but didn't say much. My brother remembers her not talking too much about herself and another cousin remembers her being tired during her visit... When it was time for her to leave, we hugged, kissed and promised to stay in touch...I will miss you sweet Nicole. 

Goodbye sweet Nicole. Rest in Peace.

July Guild Meeting

Lola Jenkins! Two words that made me happy I attended the July guild meeting. Our speaker this month was the vivacious and energetic Lola Jenkins from Oklahoma City. Lola shared her life's journey from millionaire CPA to losing both parents a husband and nearly her own life, to being nursed back to health and losing all CPA knowledge to becoming an award winning quiltmaker. Her stories were filled with humor as she touched on subjects all quilters are familiar with - from buying a second hand sewing machine and not knowing how to use it to recycling thrift store finds into quilt fabrics to faking mitered corners and why the glue stick is one of her favorite tools. She shared that if she had listened to what she calls a 'bubble buster', she never would have entered the Oklahoma State Fair and won first or second place in all thirteen quilt categories in the same year. Lola is not shy and has probably never met a stranger. Her big personality has taken her from interviews with Alex Anderson to an international quilt class with Craftsy. If Lola is ever in your area, her story will keep you entertained.

First quilt

Sharpie markers

Sharpie markers

Silhouette series - Ray Charles

Silhouette series - Nat King Cole

Half square triangles

Mitered corners - real and fake

Portrait of Miles Davis

Bob Marley hair is textured using yarns and fibers

Lots of thread sketching and use of color

Silhouette series

Colored pencils

All I asked was to take a picture in front of her work and she gave me this