Kiftsgate Rose

 About 10 years ago I planted a Kiftsgate rose in a bed under our douglas firs. I had seen one growing in Sultan by the middle school and decided we had the perfect conditions. My hope was that it would grow up through the trees and it has.

The flowers are very simple 5 petal roses with yellow centers and they don't smell like much.

And their thorns have mangled plenty of my shirts. But I still love them. Originally I strung a line of jute up to the lower branches, but now they have found their pathway and will reach the top someday.

Vocal Ensemble

 One of my friends posted this picture from high school on her facebook page the other day. Our group was called Vocal Ensemble. Those blue sequined tops were very shiny, maybe to distract from our singing. San Pasqual High School wasn't known for its musical ability. Or sports, really. I'm on the far left, squinting into the sun.

Dena Prestininzi in the middle was really the only great singer among us. Eric Sevy, the blondest of us all, is currently an associate professor of chemistry at BYU. When I looked up his faculty listing, I noticed he was wearing a bow tie in his picture. That's how I remember him.

Dena and I at the 1987 Music Awards banquet. Good times.

Marnie's High School Graduation

 Our last high school graduate has walked! Marnie graduated from Stanwood High School with her classmates yesterday. We enjoyed having Grandma and Grandpa Willard here with us. We were also prepared with lots of cushions and quilts to keep us comfortable in the stands.

Chuckles does not understand what is being celebrated.

Grandpa and Jim enjoying some time together after the celebration.

Monroe Cemetery Visit

 Since Grandma and Grandpa are visiting for Marnie's graduation, it was a good opportunity to visit Grandpa's parents' graves in Monroe. It is on the way to the cabin. Once we visited and accidentally left Frazier there. It was a long 10 minute drive back. 

When George Howard Calvin Willard was born on 22 November 1914, in Peoria, Illinois his father, James Howard Willard, was 29 and his mother, Georgiana Davis, was 27. He married Lillian Faye Harman on 6 June 1935, in Salt Lake City, Utah. They were the parents of 1 son and 1 daughter. He died on 8 September 1981 in Everett, Washington at the age of 66, and was buried in Odd Fellows Cemetery, Monroe, Washington.

When Lillian Faye Harman was born on 10 February 1915, in Garfield, Salt Lake County, Utah, her father, Charles Royal Harman, was 25 and her mother, Clara Lillian Simmons, was 22. She married George Howard Calvin Willard on 6 June 1935 in Salt Lake City, Utah. They were the parents of 1 son and 1 daughter. They built a cabin in Baring, Washington, next door to Dick and Dorothy Frazier. In retirement they ran a restaurant off of Highway 2 in Sultan. After Howard died, Faye lived with her daughter in Tumwater. She died on 14 January 1997, in Olympia at the age of 81, and was buried in Odd Fellows Cemetery in Monroe, Snohomish County, Washington.

Big Wedding

 Kathy Doughty's book Adding Layers has a huge wedding ring quilt pattern that looked like fun. I have never made a full double wedding ring quilt, although I contributed a few blocks to a wedding quilt.

In order to construct this quilt, you sew the arcs by machine, then applique the entire ring on a background fabric.

Making the arcs was my favorite part of the construction. I didn't have too much trouble finding different fabrics that all went nicely together.

Tula Pink Freefall was perfect for a background. It has dots that work for making sure the ring is square, but it also has a silky finish. It is fabric intended for backing quilts, but works for the front, too.

Navajo Star

 When I saw the book Trade Winds by Amy Butler's husband, I was impressed by the Navajo quilt on the cover. I decided to make it with a coarse weave called osnaburg. If texture is what you're after, osnaburg delivers. 

Since Paul served his mission in Phoenix and on the Navajo reservation, he loves all things with dramatic lines.

I wouldn't recommend the pattern because it requires you to applique the center two squares on top. It was nearly impossible to make those exactly square with the quilt and with each other.

I entered this in Sisters and it sold there. When I find a similar kind of pattern, I will try again. Here's the back.

Hanging out with Jim

 We love to have Jim come over to visit. He's not very fast, so I can outrun him. And there really isn't a place to go where the stinging nettle won't stop him.