It's the "in-between" that will get you.

When I started this blog, I thought ok, I'll keep friends and quilting fans up-to-date on whats going on the in the Rusty Crow World.......and everything in-between.  I didn't think the in-between would land on us like a falling star. 

2012.   The new year was to bring greatest change and joy to all of us.  My little quilt business is growing, my patterns are starting to be noticed, I have a couple of articles coming out this next year.  Mike is feeling better, the surgeries are just scars now, not the constant pain that had been his silent partner for so long. Our children, are doing well.  Brooke is building her clientele as a stylist, Jared is graduating from Pepperdine in April and anxious to find a job in the computing world.  But most exciting of all was that our oldest daughter, Brit was having a baby in January.

God must really keep himself amused when he reads our thoughts, our plans and all those things that we deem so important.  So when life rolls along and then over us, we get up sputtering, wondering what the hell just happened.

With all the glory and hope that a new life brings to us, the world and the smile that must be on God's face at the sight of that new baby, we are in such pain.  My heart is breaking away is little pieces and I don't think I can pick them up fast enough.  Brit is in the hospital with postpartum.  It came on slow, picking up steam each day until she couldn't take it anymore.

As parents, we are standing by hoping that the professionals will find the right medicines and therapy to help our daughter.  It is so early in this journey that I don't even know if we are on the right road.  I spent yesterday with that precious little girl, giving her all the kisses and hugs that her mom will give her one day soon I hope.

So here I am, in the in-between part of life that hurts.  We will know joy again, I have to believe.  The in-between part can't last forever.  

Ya-Ya-hood fast approaches

As a long-armer, I have often made fun of those quilters who came to me with emergency baby quilts.  The idea that you knew for 9 months that little bundle of joy was heading your way and nana didn't get on the ball and make that quilt until the baby was crowning made me laugh.

Well guess what!! Our oldest daughter, is having a baby and she called yesterday and said, "I'm one and a half centimeters dilated.  I can have Marley any minute".

I have a Wednesday night quilting class that has been meeting for years.  They are more support than students, and teach me more than they could ever learn from me.  Any hooey, we are catching up last night, first class of the new year, talking about the holidays.  I mention the call.  They all look at me, and ask, "So do you have a baby quilt done?"

No, but I have the fabric.  I had bought a bundle of fat quarters from the first sock monkey line Moda ever put out.  I have been saving it all this time.  One of my Friends, Patty brought this new magazine, Better Homes, Sew Scrappy Volume Two.  A quilt in there is called, "Peach Cobbler" by Pat Sloan.  Super cute and it looked FasT!!! 

So six quilters, 3 hours, beer and lemon sugar cookies and we had a baby top done.  I stippled the snot out of it the next day.  The Wonder Women from the night before had made green dots, so I was able sew on the binding and the hand work that night.  Below, I have included some photos of our work in progress and our finished product!

With love, support and quilter unity, my new, first ever granddaughter, Marley Isabella will have a darling Sock Monkey quilt from her Ya-Ya and friends.

I now know how there can be a Baby Quilt Emergency, lesson learned.