Monday, February 14, 2011

Church Dinners and Diamonds

Monday night! You know what THAT usually means...an evening at my 94 year old mother's home. Time for the weekly ritual of vacuuming, bathroom scrubbing, and filling of the three bird feeders. Tonight also included threading of the needle on the sewing machine. Being totally blind in one eye and mostly blind from macular degeneration in the other eye - threading the Bernina needle is impossible for her to do. She is a woman with a mission and needs that machine in working order!

Every spring and fall church dinner she appliques a simple fruit or vegetable to ten flour sack kitchen towels. She has done this for YEARS! The church's spring dinner is approaching fast and she has one towel left to complete! In addition to the applique - each towel is machine embroidered with 'Sacred Heart Church' - just in case a dishonest church dinner volunteer would think about taking one of the drying clothes home with them. It will be ever so easy for the towel police to identify the stolen sack cloth! Also the parish priest gets his own towel - his name embroidered and a special applique. This year his towel sports an appliqued blue ribbon with a #1 embroidered in the medallion of the ribbon.

When I made the trip to the farm implement store to purchase the towels I bought an extra package for me. She handed me my bundle and I said, "What? The church people get fancy towels and you expect your own daughter to use plain unadorned sack towels? You just get busy and decorate mine too. It'll keep you out of the street gangs and away from the bars!" In response I got the expected response of, "Well NANCY!"

When I was over there tonight she already had the fruits, veggies, and one giraffe, iron-on appliqued on to MY towels. Once she completes the zig-zagging of the final church towel she will finish up mine. Ahhh...great memories and great TOWELS!

detail

Bloomin' Diamonds
~Base card  - Papertrey Ink Kraft
~Layer of DCWV The Pocket Full of Posies
~Layer of fabric eyelet trim (transfer of crap from my mother's house)
~Free digital image from Just Some Lines colored with Copics, highlighted with Stickles Diamond, tallest flowers dotted with rhinestones, bottom of cardstock smudged with lime green ink, top of white cardstock smudged with blue ink
~Prima flowers embellishments with sparkle metal brads, tips of flowers dotted with Stickles Diamond
Challenges
Aly's Sunday Challenge - Bling
I Did It - Bling
Bunny Zoe Crafts - Spring
Craft Your Passion - Use Pink
Alphabet - O is for Orange
Mami - flower

Thanks for clicking by.
All good wishes,
Nancy in Iowa

11 comments:

  1. Great card! So cheerful and such fun colors!
    You've just got to post a picture of the towels your mom is doing! How wonderful to be that talented and so full of energy at her age!
    Lynn

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  2. Beautiful card, reminds me that the better weather will be with us soon.. Thank you for joining us at Alphabet Challenge this week.

    Hugs
    Tamara

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  3. So beautifully bright cheery card.The trim and gems finish it perfectly.Thanks for joining us at Craft Your Passion :D
    Lisa x

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  4. Very pretty and I love all your quotes and quibs on your sidebar.
    I have become a follower and hope you will stop by my blog and follow too.
    Ann from Iowa (Other side of the state from you)
    ScrappinAnn@gmail.com
    annlenth.blogspot.com

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  5. This is lovely! I love the flower borders!
    Thanks so much for joining us at IDIC this week xx

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  6. Beautiful card thanks for joining us at Alphabet challenge this week.

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  7. I love that paper - I have a sheet left but I'm saving it lol, and fab image - love the way you've highlighted it

    Thanks for joining us this week at Alphabet Challenge Blog, hope to see you again

    Hel xox

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  8. oh Wow this is lovely, Nancy. I am so glad to see that you were able to use the digi and it is so versatile.

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  9. what a nice card !!!! I love the colors. thank you for joining us on craftyourpassion'challenge blog.
    Good luck !

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  10. gorgeous card, so bright and cheerful. thanks for joining us at craftyourpassion this week. Patsi (GDT) x

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  11. Post writing is also a fun, if you be acquainted with afterward you can write otherwise it is complicated to write.
    Here is my blog :: mac baren

    ReplyDelete

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