Our Joplin Quilt Guild

You may have noticed I removed my post about our Joplin Town & Country Quilt Guild and the loss of community quilt resources.  The response has been so touching and I thank those of you who contacted me.  Not surprisingly things are a bit confusing in the tornado's aftermath and after I posted I discovered that some of the items might have been stored elsewhere and saved.  It sounds as if we did lose all the community quilts made for this year but maybe not all the supplies to make more.  We'll know more in the days ahead.

So for now I ask that those of you who feel called to contribute to tornado relief consider donating to the Joplin Red Cross or any of the other organizations readily found online.  Here is a link to one list.

Quilters are such giving, caring people and I thank you once again for your concerns and prayers for Joplin.

Bless you all.

Memorial Day

On this Memorial Day...............

There is discipline in a soldier, you can see it when he walks. There is pride in a soldier, you can hear it when he talks. There is courage in a soldier, you can see it in his eyes. There is loyalty in a soldier, he will never compromise. A soldier isn't a title that any man can be, these special men and women are chosen to protect YOU and me.

Thinking of our close family members who have served and continue to serve this country.  And of ancestors who have fought from the Revolutionary War to the present. We are proud of them all!

Blocks in the last few days:

Inlay

Iris

Ivy League

Jigsaw

Row Six Finished

These blocks completed row six of Dutch Treat #3

Head Dress

Heart

Highway

Hurricane

Impala

This block has a really, really narrow place to applique. The finished piece is about 1/8" wide.

Here are the first six rows.  The first four are joined and the 5th and 6th are joined together at this point and just laying next to rows 1-4. That is why the sashing between 4 & 5 looks wider.

One more row and I'm half done with the blocks for this one.

Have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend.

Continued Prayers Needed

Not much sewing going on here.  The news from Joplin continues to be heartbreaking.  9 people have been rescured alive since Sunday.  But the death toll has risen to 125.  Hundreds are still unaccounted for and we can only pray that most of them have simply left town and not notified anyone.  I can't imagine the difficulty authorities are facing in trying to determine the safety of everyone amid growing pressure to do it fast!  This will not be a fast process.  Cleanup and rebuilding will take years.  An aerial view of the destruction can be seen here.

A friend had been shopping in JoAnn's

and at this Walmart

just 90 minutes before they were hit.  I'm still awaiting confirmation on the safety of fellow Joplin guild members.  At this point I know that at least two had homes destroyed. 

There are many ways to help and we will be contributing in several things over the next weeks and months.  Judy at Patchwork Times has organized this opportunity.

Most of all I covet your prayers for this community.  The pain is enormous.

Update

As the death toll from the Joplin tornado continues to rise  (currently 116) and people continue looking for missing relatives and friends, my heart is breaking for the massive loss that has occurred.  Today's weather forcast is for more violent weather in our area, and it's hard not to be frightened and worried. 

I've been glued to the TV set for the last two days, hoping to hear something positive, like the 7 people who were rescued alive yesterday.  There is still hope and I'm praying fervently that more will be found.

While I watch my hands are busy making more blocks.  How I wish that I was well enough to be able to volunteer in the rescue efforts.  Our granddaughter and her husband (she a police officer and he a fireman) were there the first night.  There will be a great ongoing need for donations of goods and money and I will have to take that avenue  to help.

Please continue to pray.

Garden

Gems

Geometry in Motion

Goldfish

Greeting Card

Harlequin

Joplin Video

Please Pray For Joplin

Yesterday when I posted the tornado sirens were going off here in Pittsburg.  We quickly ascertained that the worst of the storms were going to pass just south of us (the sirens go off when a tornado is spotted anywhere in the county).   This felt like pretty typical spring weather here in S.E. Kansas.  This is what the radar was showing.

We sat down to eat supper while listening to the news on TV and learned that a tornado had touched down in Joplin, MO, just 30 miles to the southeast of us.  While that was troubling, we expected to hear that a few trees were maybe toppled and some roofs damaged. 

The radar turned to this. You can see both Pittsburg and Joplin clearly.

What a shock as the news started to filter in.  Joplin took a direct hit with what may turn out to have been an F4 tornado that cut a swath through the center of town.  One of the two large hospitals was heavily damaged (St. Johns).

This is the same area.

There are pictures all over the web if you Google Joplin, MO tornado and many, if not all, of the major TV networks are covering the story.  The death toll is now up to 89 and climbing.  One of our granddaughters is a police officer and her husband is a fireman. They were both called out last night from their hometown of Neosho. 

Please pray for those affected by this storm and for those who are working so hard to find people still missing.

This morning another severe storm is building to the west of us. 

Weekend Blocks

Three Dutch Treat blocks done yesterday

Frets

Funny Face

Gaia

And this week's Civil War Block 21..Underground Railroad

Per Crispy's request here are the Civil War blocks to date ..not necessairly in the order they will end up.

Stormy weather again tonight. 

This Week's Blocks

Civil War Block 20--New England Block

1800 Sampler Quilt Block 20
Uneven Nine Patch on Point

1880's Sampler Block 19 Puzzle Block

Dutch Treat Flower Basket

Dutch Treat Flower Pot

Dutch Treat Flower Tag

Dutch Treat French Urn

Which completes row five

This will be the start of the second section when I begin quilting.  But here it is just laying beside the first four rows

I haven't quite kept the pace I wanted.  It's been six weeks since I started Dutch Treat #3 and I had hoped to do a row a week.  Still five rows isn't bad considering.

The sun is finally shining today.  Yesterday it rained most of the day and the sun didn't come out until it was nearly time for it to set.  Seemed like a good day for a pot of soup.

My version of Pasta E Figoli

And some yeast corn bread to go with it.

Today I made some banana cookies. 

 Not too bad but I think I'd rather have banana bread.