Amelia Comes For a Visit

Meet Amelia, an exotic shorthair that my daughter Leah adopted at the Humane Society. Being a cat person, I think Amelia is just the sweetest thing. She's inquisitive but polite, and I swear to you that when you ask her to do something, she totally understands what you want. If she feels like it, she'll cooperate--move off your quilts, come say hello, let you pet her. If she doesn't, she will hop over to a comfy chair and dare you to ask again.

Because Leah was having major repair work done to her apartment, Amelia needed a place to stay where she wouldn't be in the way or freak out over loud noises. We didn't want to take her up to our house at the farm because Amelia is shy and we were concerned that the "cat politics" there might be too much for her--especially since our Edward is a little brat. We didn't want him beating up on her or calling her names because her face looks a little "pushed in." Being an exotic shorthair, Amelia is a cross between a Persian and an American Shorthair. She is very dainty and has a gentle personality. Edward, on the other hand, is a spoiled rotten gray tabby who thinks he's the omnipotent ruler of anywhere he happens to be.

So while the old heating system was torn out and a new heating and air conditioning system was installed, Amelia stayed in the back office of the shop. Within no time, she was "helping" me. If I was working at the computer, Amelia wanted to play with the mouse. If I was sorting quilts, Amelia wanted to take a nap. If I talked on the telephone, Amelia wanted to join the conversation. And because she's so darned cute, all of us had to stop and play with her. This proved to be quite distracting when there's a lot of work to be done!

Here's a photo of Amelia attempting to process the mail order. Her version of processing is to sit on the orders. Amelia and Leah are both back home now. If it ever quits raining here in Oregon, I know they're both going to love that new air conditioning unit.

Block of the Month Club 1/2 Price Special!

Joining a Block of the Month Club is a fun, creative way to try new skills or practice old ones. You can use them to make an entire quilt one block at a time, or for quick wall hangings, pillows, or gifts for family and friends.

The best part of joining a Block of the Month Club from Grandma's Attic is that we get to visit you one a month right at your mailbox! The postman brings you the package; and you get to open it up and see all the goodies you just got from Grandma--a Block of the Month Kit, the Grandma Gazette, and a Free Quilt Pattern. Fun, fun, and more fun! And because we know our customers enjoy working on our Block of the Month programs, we've decided to offer a Summer Special. Purchase any one of our other Block of the Month programs and you can also receive Nifty Novelties or Flirty '30s at the special rate of Half Price!

Who would know that these two quilts are made from exactly the same blocks using different fabric colorways and settings? Nifty Novelties uses bright, bold colors in a double sashing of blue and green. Flirty '30s is made from 1930s-style reproduction fabrics with lavender and yellow borders. Both of these quilts are easy to make and look gorgeous when completed.

Each month of our 12 month program, you receive rotary cutting instructions, plus the fabric you need to complete a 12" quilt block. After you've collected all 12 blocks, we send the Finishing Kit consisting of the sashing, posts, and border fabrics. The finished quilts measure approximately 57" x 72".

You get to decide which of these quilts you want to make at Half Price! As an added bonus, if you can't decide which one of these quilts you like the best, you can always sign up for two other Block of the Month Clubs and get them both!

Like the rest of our Block of the Month Clubs, you can start or stop at any time. Take a look at what we have to offer. Your clubs can be in your mailbox before you know it!

What I Got for Mother's Day

Traditionally, on Mother's Day, a mom can expect her older children to show up with flowers, and cards, and maybe even get taken out to lunch or dinner. And while the kids really did do all those lovely things for me for this Mother's Day, they also made the mistake of asking me what I would like to have.

Silly kids! They should have known I would come up with something that would require them to do just a wee bit more than purchase flowers, and cards, and take me to dinner. What I asked for (and received) was a remodel of parts of the quilt shop! And to take it even a step farther, I asked Amber and her children to help us out. Stephen helped out too.

It was total chaos at first! I wanted peg board hung up on a wall that was solid concrete. (Don't bore me with the details--I just wanted it done!) I also thought it would be nice to add a wall over near the books and blenders--something that would show off our patterns a little better. By that evening, the pegboard and walls were in place; the furniture had been rearranged; and the fabric was ready to be moved back into place.

Autumn painted pegboard and cupboards and a little bit of the back of one leg. Seana and Leah hauled fabric around until we got it put back "just right." Michael, Melissa, Kyle and Jeremy showed up to help out too. Amber sorted, and stacked, and lifted, and climbed up on the ladder. And then she climbed back on it again when I changed my mind.

I spent most of Monday making everything look pretty again. Kyle has promised to take some photos so we can add them to the blog next time. But for now, if you can possibly make it in, you should come and see what all we managed to accomplish in two short days.

I love the way the shop turned out. It's brighter and more open, and generally more "user-friendly." One thing is for sure. Next year, no one will ask me what I want for Mother's Day. I'll go back to receiving flowers, and cards, and dinner out, and I will love that too!

Grandma's Quilt Club

We had a lot of fun at Grandma's Quilt Club this past weekend, even if that joke I told was kind of "lame!" The Bobby Sox Sisters is our theme. The year was 1955, and Jenny Jello was having a bit of a break-down. It's a totally fun club. If you haven't joined it yet, it can be as close your own mailbox. Just click the link above to get started. We also heard stories from class attendees about their experiences with the TV show Queen for a Day. One lady in class had actually been a contestant on the show. She said she didn't win but she was the "runner-up." Her grand prize was a giant carton of cigarettes! If you can remember when they advertised cigarettes on TV, then you're probably close in age to Grandma!

Here's a picture of one of my favorite class members. Gladys is 97 years old and still sewing quilts. See? You really will get all those quilts made from your stash. You just have to stay healthy!

And here's that silly joke I told: A woman brought a very limp duck to a veterinary surgeon. As she laid her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird's chest. After a moment or two, the vet shook his head and sadly said, "I'm sorry, but your pet duck, Cuddles, has passed away."

"How can you be so sure?" she protested. "I mean, you haven't done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something."

The vet rolled his eyes, turned around and left the room. He returned a few minutes later with a black Labrador Retriever. As the duck's owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table and sniffed the duck from top to bottom. He then looked up at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head.

The vet patted the dog on the head and took it out of the room. A few minutes later he returned with a cat. The cat jumped on the table and also delicately sniffed the bird from head to foot. The cat sat back on its haunches, shook its head, meowed softly, and then strolled out of the room. The vet looked at the woman again and said, "I'm sorry, but as I said, this is most definitely, 100% certifiably, a dead duck."

The vet then turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys, and produced a bill which he handed to the owner. The duck's owner, still in shock, looked at the bill. "$150!" she cried. "$150 just to tell me that my duck is dead?"

The vet shrugged. "I'm sorry," he said. "If you had just taken my word for it, the bill would have been $20. But with the Lab Report and the Cat Scan, it's now $150."