Design Wall Monday - May 26, 2025

 Today is Memorial Day.  A day set aside to honor those who gave their lives in service to our country.  It used to be called Decoration Day and I remember going to the cemetery for a memorial service each year.  My father wore his Army uniform from WWII and was proud to be part of the memorial service.  I also remember the 21 gun salute and how loud the gunshots were.

Now, as I age, I do not go to the cemetery on Memorial Day, but I pray a prayer of thanks for all the brave ones who gave their lives for our country.  

The Flanders Field American Cemetery and Memorial is located in Belgium and has graves of Americans who died in WWI.  

This week I sewed more Log Cabin blocks and also embroidered another redwork snowman block for my Christmas quilt.  It was a very productive week.  How about you?  Please join our Design Wall Monday Linky Party below and let us know what you are  doing this week.

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Design Wall Monday - May 30, 2022

 Good Morning Quilters!  

Many countries celebrate their fallen soldiers on different days.  Today is Memorial Day in America, when we honor those who gave their lives fighting to protect our freedom.  This somber poem, In Flanders Field, reflects the tragedy of all wars:

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

    That mark our place; and in the sky

    The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

    Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

        In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

    The torch; be yours to hold it high.

    If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

        In Flanders fields.

"In Flanders Fields" is a war poem written during the First World War by Canadian soldier and  physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae.  McCrae wrote the poem in 1915 as a memorial to those who died in a World War I battle fought in a region of Belgium known as the Ypres Sailent. McCrae himself treated many of the soldiers injured in that battle and was particularly moved by the death of a close friend, Alexis Helmer.

Flag protocol for Memorial Day is that the American flag is to be flown at half-mast from sunrise until noon, and then raised to full height from noon until sunset.  This is to honor those who have died defending our country for the first half of the day, and in the second half of the day to honor those now living who defended our country.  In honor of the children killed in Texas the American flags have been at half-mast this past week.  Such a tragedy.  

Progress on my May Day doll quilt has been made.  One basket embroidered and six to go:

The 30 block May Day Basket quilt is completely on the design wall, with all embroidered blocks trimmed to the same size, and green side triangles and corner triangles up there too.  Whew!  Glad the block trimming is finished.  This week I will sew it together and decide on a border.

What are you planning on working on this coming week?  Did you make some progress last week?  I am looking forward to reading all of your blogs and looking at your pictures.  Thanks so much for joining The Design Wall Monday Linky Party. Please mention the party in your post and provide a link back here, so your readers can see the other posts that are part f Design Wall Monday.

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Design Wall Monday, May 31, 2021

Memorial Day in America is a day to honor those who have fought and died for our country.  When I was a child, it was called "Decoration Day" and we decorated the graves of soldier in the cemetery.  When I was 28 years old, it was changed to "Memorial Day" and was made a holiday on the last Monday of May each year.  One of my favorite Memorial Day pictures, which I've posted here before, is of a little girl helping her mother decorate soldier's graves:

This week has been a sad one for us as we had to put Mojo down.  Mojo, the rescue dog was only with us for five months, and we knew when we adopted him that he was an old dog.  This last week  was his final week (tumors of cancer).  While hubby was on his golfing trip, I spent most of my time with him, letting him sleep with me, and lay beside me wherever I was.  Last Wednesday, he was not able to walk and hadn't eaten anything for days, so it was time.    It is amazing how much we loved Mojo after only knowing him for five months.  He was a very wise old soul and we miss him a lot.  Penny Lane doesn't quite understand where "her" dog went.

Here are some pictures of Mojo, with Penny Lane in one of them:

I did finish one more May Day basket block, as May draws to a close.  This one is number 26, with four more to go.  A picture below shows my finished block:

Here is another older version of the same block, that was on my computer, and I don't know the source:

It looks like the older version has blue sashing.  I like them set on point, but I don't have further plans on how to finish this quilt.  It will come to me.  

What are you working on this week?  Please link up with the Design Wall Mondays Linkup Party below, and show us what you are making.  Thanks for participating.

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Design Wall Monday - May 27, 2019

Today is Memorial Day in America, and I am showing a redwork center of a crib quilt that I made a few years ago:

We are going to a Memorial Day parade this morning, and visit with hubby's two sisters.  

I have not been quilting this week, as it's been a busy week.  From the messages on the internet, I think it was a busy week for everyone.  I hope you had some time to sew.  I picked up my knitting needles, and knitted a dish cloth of cotton yarn, while I was waiting at the hospital with my sister (for a routine checkup on her fistula in her arm which is needed for dialysis).  Here is the dishcloth.  I used a free pattern from the internet.

Knitting is very soothing for me when I am waiting in a hospital.  Nancy's fistula checkup was scheduled for 9:00 AM, but didn't happen until 12:30.  Hospitals are places where waiting is the name of the game, right?  After the wait, her checkup went fine, and she is back at home safe and sound.

What have you been working on this week?

Design Wall Mondays is such a treat for me - I love to look at what you are working on.  Please put a link back to this particular blog post somewhere within your blog post if you are going to participate.  Thanks!

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