Re: Roll Call

Looking back in the Archives it seems to be at lease 2.1/2 years since we had a general Roll Call, so that newbies can see who we all are. I know when I first joined I found it really useful.

Here is mine - updated a bit - how time flies.

Retired to the Suffolk coast in England from Nottingham in 2001, so of advancing years!

Two big children, neither still at home. Richard 32 has lived with his girlfriend and her three children for 3 years so it seems pretty permanent. He works in computers (thank goodness!). Rachel is 36 and lives with her husband Tim, an airline pilot, in central England. DH Mike is into ornithology in a big way - birdwatches, rings birds for migration stats, does conservation work, so I am left to stitch! (and garden.

QI Inspector No 1 is Hodge who is a white cat with a grey tabby mask, hat, cloak and tail. He is assisted by 1 year old Mia (who is black and white and would rather be doing other things), and her brother Kiwi who shows great promise. Kiwi was supposed to be all black, hence his name the New Zealanders will understand. However, he is a bit of a clown so has developed a long very fluffy brownish fringe around his body, a big mane like a lion and an enormous tail. He has retained his pitch black face and legs though!

Have sewed for ever, lots of embroidery, but only started quilting when my sister died and left me her board, rotary cutter, lots of bits and pieces and small stash. She only had one or two bits unfinished but I thought I would learn to use the board and cutter so I could finish her things properly. However.... the stash has grown and so has the pile of UFOs - and I seldom embroider!

I will have a new photo session when I have finished the tops of the baby quilts I am currently doing for the children of two friends who are going to be Grannies in the summer. I am green with envy!

Chocolate - officially nil as I am dieting, but after my weigh-in this morning I have a small bar hidden in the fridge. A friend told me the best diet is to eat sensibly and slowly only when you are hungry, and to stop when you are full. I intend to be hungry this evening!

So .. open to everyone else!

Reply to
Sally Swindells
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Pretty much who I am and what I do is available on my personal website, so rather than type it all up again, it's

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My two children are grown - daughter, single, fitness nut, works for a wildlife tour group and son, married with three children. I'm retired and on my own with a strange kitty named Gray Soufflé.

Carole D. - Retired and loving it in the foothills of NW Georgia

My quilts, crafts, QIs, and more -

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Reply to
Carole-Retired and Loving It

OK, I'm also of advancing years, busier than ever, living in the Munich area (Germany). American with a German DH, 2 grown daughters. I love scrappy quilts and adapting floor mosaics. Roberta in D, Queen of the Scrap Heap

"Sally Swindells" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news: snipped-for-privacy@bt.com...

Reply to
Roberta Zollner

You're right, Sally! It has certainly been some time since our last roll call.

I'm a retired high school French teacher who began quilting over 20 years ago. DH and I lived in a small town in southern Arizona for many years until our two DDs and their families moved to this area. Since we were retired, we decided to follow them! We now have five grandchildren (DD#1: two boys, aged 8 and 6, and a girl born on Tuesday! DD#: two boys, aged 6 and almost 3).

In addition to quilting, I love to read and play around on my computer (a Mac, of course! ), and my twin sister (DT) and I video chat several times a week; she lives in France with her delightful DH and two sons, so it's the only way we can keep in regular touch.

I have only one QI at the moment, and elderly lab/chow mix who is the sweetest fellow on earth. He's the reason I don't have a second QI; he's just too old to cope with puppy antics at this point. I really want another cocker, though, and will get one someday.

My quilts are pictured on my web site, and chocolate is my downfall. :S

Reply to
Sandy

I'm a retired software engineer living in MedCity, USA (Rochester MN, home of the Mayo Clinic). I have been sewing for about 50 years andquilting off and on for nearly 35 years. I think I've tried sewing just about anything that can be sewn and have tried lots of different crafts and needlework. I'm pretty much a self-taught quilter, using books, lots of them from the public library. I've been married almost 40 years to a now-retired school counselor. We have 2 children; our son and his wife have 3 beautiful children; our 4th grandchild is due in about

10 days -- the first child of our daughter and her husband. No pets here; we both grew up on farms where animals belong outside :)

Julia in MN

Reply to
Julia in MN

oh go on then!

I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum age-wise, I'm 27, a lifelong sewer and handiwork person, but been quilting less than 2 years.

I have two littlies to occupy me, they are a boy, almost 4 and a girl almost

  1. I'm English by birth, married to a Scot, spent our early married life in Cambridge, England and currently live in Bellevue, WA, USA (not Western Austrailia!) - where we plan to be for 3-5 yrs, then no idea, maybe back to the UK, maybe not! I'm not sure how I'd cope with the restricted access to quilt shops!

Anne

Reply to
Anne Rogers

Seaside~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~uk

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I'm Male, 65, retired furniture maker/woodworker/remodeling contractor. I live with my wife of 35 years in Central Ohio. No kids, so we get to spend all the money on fabric. Yea! I ride bicycles for exercise and fun and quilt to satisfy the creative drive in my life. We are in the process of deciding whether we want to move to the desert southwest to escape the winters here. We will be heading out to New Mexico come July for a look see at a couple of our favorite places and make an evaluation. We have traveled quite a bit but the quilting bug has kept me close to the sewing machine this year. Other interests are Needlepoint, Guitar playing, Music and Reading. I consider myself very lucky, in that I have a wonderful wife who indulges and supports all my efforts and I try to do the same for her. Life and love is good.

John

Reply to
John

I must have missed the first post so I am piggybacking here: I'm Debi, I live in north central Florida with my hubby David, and five creatures of the furry persuasion. I am a radiology technician at the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine and spend my days taking radiographs, doing nuclear medicine and CT scans of whatever sorts of creatures they bring us, but mostly dogs and cats. Senior Quilt Inspector is Jamie, a 10 year old orange longhaired cat, named for the main character in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series. Next in line is Ernie, 3 years old and 22 toes strong. He knows how to 'sit pretty" and to wave and will do so just to get your attention. He is black and white and a total clown. Phoebe is the sweet little black kitty that my husband wanted so we could have a 'snuggle kitty' after our dear Sophie unexpectedly crossed the Rainbow Bridge. She was not so snuggly at first, being rambunctious and fiercely possessive of her tinsel cat ball. But she soon settled and now has to ninny (knead and suckle)on her pillow every night in bed with us. Emma is the shopping cart kitten whom I had every intention of finding a home for when I found her a couple of July's back. Blue-grey and white, she is the most petite and shy but is very sweet tempered. My DH decided we needed to keep her because he's more of a mush than I am about animals in general and cats in particular. The lone QI of canine ilk is Clifford, the Medium Red Dog. He lives to chase the tennis ball and be an attentive companion. He is The Best Dog in the Whole Wide World.

Reply to
Debi Matlack

I don't know if I'm of advancing years or just middle age, and looking forward to retirement as soon as possible (some days more than others!). I've been quilting for 27 years - took a class in 1980 and have been hooked ever since. My taste tends toward traditional, but I like to tweak it a little if I can! I machine piece, hand applique, and have been a hand quilter, but that is changing as I've discovered I like machine quilting and recently invested in a longarm.

We live in eastern Iowa in the same town where we grew up (but spent time in New Mexico and Arizona before settling here). I have no children, but do have three grandchildren (courtesy of two of DH's kids) and, yes, they all have a quilt, but are each due a new one soon. No QIs at present - I miss having one around, but it does give us the freedom to jump on the GoldWing and take off on the weekends without worrying about leaving a QI home alone.

Thanks, Sally, for suggesting another roll call - it's been a long time and it's good to get caught up with everyone again.

Reply to
Louise in Iowa

This is going to be a fascinating thread! There are so many interesting people in this group! I have marked the thread so I can learn more about all of you.

I'm in my 60s, married and divorced twice and no plans to try the experiment again. Much as I would like to put some of the blame on my exes, I suspect that I am just not good wife material. One DS, a free spirit living in Idaho, who is the light of my life. Of 12 siblings, one has passed away and I treasure the remaining 11.

One QI, a cat named 'Dorable Dora (and yes, she's named after one of Lazarus Long's wives) who is the sweetest and best-tempered cat I have ever met. My other QI Fat Eddie crossed the Rainbow Bridge a few years ago, and she was the exact opposite--a super-b___h but I loved her dearly and I miss her still. I should probably get a second QI but Dora is so happy being queen of the house that I hate to disrupt her life. I love dogs but currently do not have the time to devote to them; cats are a bit more independent. After I retire, though, there will be a dog in the house!

I got started quilting through the encouragement of a friend in 1997, and generally manage to make two to four quilts each year. Having developed carpal tunnel and tendonitis some thirty years ago, I had to give up drawing and painting (couldn't hold onto a brush any more) and was overjoyed to find an art form that allows me to play with color and create something beautiful. I can now draw a little again but use that only for quilt labels and occasional projects for the office. One of the reasons I love this group is the fact that both serious quilt artists and dilettantes like myself can mingle and exchange ideas.

Still working full time plus a bit (actually quite a bit of OT the past year or so), four years to go till retirement. I plan to get a long-arm setup in the near future, and hope to enhance my retirement with something I love to do and which will be useful to the quilting community. I was a housewife and a musician for too many years to have saved for retirement, so the added income will be a plus.

I moved to Tucson from Minnesota in 1993 with DH#2 for a couple of years, and again in 1998 and am still here. I love the Southwest! I live across the street from MSM who has been my best friend for many years. We live in a mobile home court (AKA old folks' trailer park, LOL) in a great neighborhood.

Arizona has been a great quilting location for me, as the LQSs are wonderful, the scenery is lovely, and the annual Quilt Show is a great inspiration. I hope someday to show a quilt there that will represent my Arizona experience.

Next?

Reply to
Carolyn McCarty

I'm Linda in PATCHogue, NY (rhymes with catch hog). I started quilting about 17 years ago - about the time my daughters no longer wanted me to make them frilly dresses.

I have two grown daughters. The eldest lives in Alexandria, VA. She is married and on her own with a career doing things with involving computers that is pretty much beyond my comprehension, except when she sends me website she's built and has me check the functions.

My younger daughter lives in La Plata, in southern Maryland. She is winding up her first year teaching Spanish and it's been pretty much an up and down year as she adjusts to adult life and some minor crises that seem to get blown out of proportion.

I've been married to my DH for almost 34 years. We are adjusting to being emptynesters. It is nice to decide on the spur of the moment that you want to do something or go somewhere.

I am a special education teacher in a lovely suburban elementary school. I am very proud of some of my kiddies who have been bugging me to start a quilt club and I finally did. I feel that I am truly passing onto these kids something that will stick with them. They were recently recognized in our regional newspaper.

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Linda PATCHogue, NY

Reply to
WitchyStitcher

I'm Larisa, better known as the "off kilter quilter". I am 34 and will be celebrating 1o years of marriage to my second (and last!) husband in August. Mom of 2 children - a 7yo boy (just turned 7 last week) and a 3.5yo girl (who is acting like a teenager already!!).

I started sewing with my parents when I was around 5 years old....clothing because we were on limited income (mother was a teacher and dad quit his regular job to start his own business) and I was a grwoing kiddo. I have been sewing clothing ever since. Started quilting in 2000 - not sure how many quilts I have actually made in the intervening years (made at least 40 for Soldiers Angels). I am currently in the middle of making a signature quilt for friends who are moving to a different area of the state and I in the planning stage of a summer wardrobe for my darling girl who is in her first HUGE growth spurt.

I have 3 QIs - 2 feline and 1 canine. QI #1 is Nugget, who is actually DHs cat. However, he seems to prefer sleeping in my sewing room - guess it the coolest place when the temps get too high for him. QI#2 is Shadow - he's my little fluffy guy who likes to snuggle up with me and particularly likes to sleep right next to me every night. The final QI is my darling girl Deanna, a supposed beagle-mix that we adopted from the shleter nearly 2 years ago. SHe is most definitely *MY* dog as she gets confused and scared when she can't find me.

um....anything I fogot??

Larisa

Reply to
larisavann

That was truly inspirational! Thanks, Linda, for sharing!

Reply to
Carolyn McCarty

We are Leslie & The Furbabies in MO. I'm 56 and married to my Hunky Mr. Collins for 2.5 years. I have two adult sons and four grandchildren on my side and his two daughters gave me two more grandsons.

The HairyButt Gang consists of my beautiful, precious, sweet Missy (12 y.o. Golden Retriever, who, very sadly, has terminal cancer). Our Simon is a 5 y.o. Golden/Chow who was an abused and starved dog and is so grateful for every bit of food and love we lavish on him... and he returns the love in full. He fancies himself as our fierce protector and vicious guard dog- but in truth he is very loving and gentle with our smallest grandchild. Daisy is a 3 y.o. gorgeous German Shepherd/Basenji mix who was running loose, covered in asphalt and starving. My friend and dog trainer took her in to place her in a forever home and I ended up with a sweet natured, gentle, shy new daughter who both barks like a GS and yodels like a Basenji. :-))) Hoover is my delight! He's a 1 y.o. Golden and the silliest, cuddliest, gentle "little" (HA! 80 pounds of bouncing puppy!) guy with the most amazing lavish soft coat that I love to stroke. He's my lap dog who crawls up in my recliner with me. We don't have the heart to tell him even my large economy sized lap is much too small for him! LOL And there's Buttercup- our sweet outdoor cat (I am allergic to cats- darnnit!) who is black and orange mottled. She's a great hunter who leaves lizard tails and mouse innards on the front porch for our approval. Yuck. All of our 'children' are surgically altered and I am a fiend for spaying and neutering.... and vocal about it.

I am disabled with rheumatoid arthritis (plus a few other medical woes), had a hip replacement four years ago and am having the same hip replaced again next week- ugh. Simon and Hoover both have hip dysplasia and they will most likely be having hip replacements soon. Amazing how these things run in families! LOL I sure can sympathize with them..... owie!

I fell into quilting quite by accident about 18 years ago altho I started making my own clothing at age 9 when mom wouldn't buy me some shorts I wanted. I got one of her patterns and an old sheet from the rag bag and made my own on her contrary sewing machine.... no, I am *not* ornery! I am a self-taught quilter with the help of books, magazines, television programs and some VERY good quilty friends. I started teaching quilting just 3 years after learning it myself and taught for 7 years before our one and only local fabric store closed up. Small towns.... (sigh)... and now WalMart is closing our fabric department, so my LQS is very un-local.... about 120 miles away. I will jump into any new technique with both feet... often without any idea of where I am going when I start. I am fascinated by art quilts, but make simple quick quilts for our beds. With the four HairyButts in the house our bed quilts get washed to death in a year or two. But that's okay. I just make another one! Because of my arthritis I don't do any hand sewing except for the bindings.

I am currently obsessing with finishing a quilt to take to the hospital with me. I am proud to say I finally got the nerve to drop my feeddogs and learn free motion quilting. I'm not very good at it- yet- but I *am* determined and I am thrilled with what I have been able to do so far. I'm excited to turn a bunch of lonely UFOs into machine quilted "masterpieces"... Well, we'll see about that, but at least now there is a strong possibility that I'll actually *finish* some quilts!

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO. "Sally Swindells" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@bt.com...

Reply to
Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

Wonderful idea Sally, I love these roll calls. It's great to refresh my memory of what everyone's life is about.

Well, I am 52 living in Alberta, Canada. Married for the 3rd time. Between us we count 16 children (8 boys, 8 girls) all but one are adults (he doesn't live with us)and at the moment 24 grandchildren ( 4 more on the way in

2007). The grands range in age from 15 down to the youngest born Easter weekend this year. None of the children or grandchildren currently live with us, but that could change at anytime. One DD just moved out last weekend!

Currently we have 2 QI's. An 8 yr old golden retriever named Marty and a 7 year old calico cat, named Kitty Kat. I think the cat loves the dog more than us :). We lost our 2nd golden retriever, Treasure a week and a half ago to cancer. I miss her everyday and even now the tears flow just writing this.

I have been sewing since I was small, making doll clothes from scraps. I knew when I was a teenager that "someday" I would make quilts, and carefully saved all the scraps from sewing projects for that "someday".

I love quilts, designing quilts, thinking and planning quilts, and actually seeing them come together. Hand quilting has always been an enjoyable relaxation. Since I married DH #3, I've found very little time for the actual peicing or quilting. With the addition of 7 more children and now all these grandchildren, as well as having started a business from home, time has become very precious. Quilting would be easier if I actually had a dedicated space, but since I either have to set up a table in the living room, or use the kitchen table, which also doubles as my office for the business (we rarely eat there) I just don't get to it.

I love this group. Even when I'm not posting, I am reading and some weeks it feels like my only connection to the outside world! Working at home can get very lonely at times. Sometimes I think it is addicting in the same way that an afternoon soap opera is. Only this one is inter-active! I know that I often rush to the computer when I get up to see if there is an update on a sick kitty, news of an expected baby, or the next installment of the BOM or mystery

Thanks to all of you that have offered prayers, thought positive thoughts, happy danced or have just allowed me to ramble.

Marilyn overwhelmed by the fullness of life, in Alberta, Canada

Reply to
Marigold

Great article, Linda! Good job! The kids look so pleased! chipper :)

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Reply to
Chipper

Well, let's see what I want to own up to. (Isn't this the place where I copy and paste a pic of a supermodel standing in front of a mansion and say it's me???) Anyway, the truth is that I'm a 53 yr. old SAHomeschoolingM. Oldest son is happily programming, and DD graduates from high school/1st year college this month in spite of me. (what can I say, she works hard :) DH is my most wonderful friend/loveofmylife. We can be found walking around the neighborhood holding forth on the subject of the evening most nights that the weather allows. Quilting and gardening are my hobbies and I love to read and listen to Bible teaching on the computer while I work around the house. Our two quilt inspectors are opposites. Willie is a grey longhair kitty-DD calls him 'Eglon'-if you want an explanation of that, you'll have to look in Judges 3:17. ;) OTOH, Tracy is a four pound tabby with a tail like an ostrich feather-oooh lala. Like our intrepid Leslie, and because of her, I have waded into machine quilting waters-so Leslie, you have to succeed because I'm flying right behind you! :D

I thoroughly enjoy the gals and guys in this quilting community-so many different personalities and points of view, and so very forthcoming with help, (and not a little humor)!! After my mother passed away in 2005, they were kind enough to send block shower cheer packets to my mailbox and our wonderful Terbear's 'yourpick swap' helped to get me re-started in quilting! (if you haven't tried it, I highly reccommend it!) I tend to be quiet, but I do appreciate this group, and rarely miss a day reading it! So be good, y'all!

chipper in NC

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Reply to
Chipper

I'm one of the other males on the group. 53 years young, married to a wonderful woman (a knitter and now never has to sew again she tells me) for the last 31 years with 2 kids (27 and 23). I ride my bicycle almost every day and fly kites and rc gliders when I can. I am a salesman so travel all through Ohio and western PA. I started sewing 12 years ago to make kites and began quilting just over 1 year ago, but most of my sewing right now are postcards (make 4-5 a week for different swaps) and purses and quilted bags for friends. I relax at night in my sewing room (my daughters old bedroom). Off to make another postcard so I can mail tomorrow.

Denny in Fort Wayne

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Sally Sw> Looking back in the Archives it seems to be at lease 2.1/2 years since

Reply to
Kiteflyer

Hi, I'm Denise in Southern New Hampshire. I've been quilting for about

4 years, married 37 years, 1 dog, 2 cats. I've been running my church's Food Pantry for 17 years.

We have one adult son who has been touring the country with the Renaissance Faires for two years and is currently working at the Georgia Renaissance Festival. His college degree is in Environmental Conservation but he really enjoys the lifestyle of camping for a month or two at a time in different states with the faires.

I have a dedicated quilting room and try to spend a few hours each week working on something. A friend just gave me 7 baby quilt kits purchased at Joanne's. She's a compulsive shopper and now doesn't want to finish them in time for our church fair, so I said I'd do it. I can whip one up in an afternoon.

I've never lived more than 10 miles from the hospital in which I was born, neither has my husband. Our 3 acres of land is a registered wildlife habitat. I love feeding the birds, squirrels, and other critters that roam around here.

Denise in NH (where it's 70 degrees, sunny, dry and breezy today)

Reply to
Denise in NH

I'm from Kingston Ontario in the summer and Zephyrhills Florida in the winter (DH took early retirement from the Cdn Air Force). I've been sewing since I was 8, ran a dressmaking/tailoring/custom drapery business for several years. Discovered quilting and haven't stopped since.

Reply to
Susan Torrens

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