I am known as Leslie & The Furbabies in MO. I'm 57 y.o. (female with a
'unisex' name!), on disability for severe arthritis and currently separated
from my hubby- we are trying to be friends but that's a very up and down
thing..... :-/ I still haven't forgiven him for getting me smoking again
when I'd been smoke-free for thirteen years. I'm gonna try quitting again-
real soon- as soon as my crazy life settles down a bit. I *hope* it settles
down a bit.....

My darling Missy girl is in the very last stage of terminal cancer and my
heart is truly breaking. She's been my love, constant companion and best
friend for 13 years- a beautiful big, and big-hearted, Golden Retriever.
Simon is 6 y.o. a Golden/Chow cross- He's big and muscular and Pat on her
hill thinks he looks ferocious but he's a darling snuggle bug. When I first
adopted Simon, every night when I laid down in bed he'd flop on top of me
and roll! I discussed it with my dog trainer and she decided he was so
passionately in love with me that he wanted to have his scent all over
himself! Daisy is a sweet, shy German Shepherd/Basenji (4 y.o.) cross who
both yodels and barks! She's like a mountain goat- she can walk the narrow
back of my sofa and will pace back and forth up there if she's worried about
something- she's very sensitive to my moods. Hoover is a darling, laid
back, very handsome Golden- 2 y.o.- and is my devoted snuggle bug lap dog
baby. He's ready to step into the hole in my heart when Missy has to leave
me. My kitty Buttercup was found dead last week, so I am without feline
companionship right now. All my darling HairyButt Gang are rescues and I am
a *fiend* for surgical altering to prevent unwanted litters!

I fell into quilting kicking and screaming! Back in 1988 I lived in a very
small Ozark community (having just moved here from Flagstaff, AZ) and the
volunteer fire dept. was making a raffle quilt. I said that I would donate
money instead- that I did NOT know how to quilt and did NOT want to learn-
altho I'd been self-taught sewing since I was about 7 y.o. They begged,
pleaded and then insisted I make a block. It was an embroidery called
Chicken Scratch which looks like lace on gingham. I made a block and turned
it in. Then they insisted that I hand quilt it. No! I'll donate money
instead. Nope, they 'made' me quilt it. I ended up embroidering and
hand-quilting two blocks for the raffle quilt. That was the beginning of my
quilting adventure and I'm still at it!

I fell into teaching quilting almost the same way. I was in a local fabric
store (not a quilt shop) and grumbled that they'd run out of 'my' fabric and
how was I going to finish my quilt. The lady helping me happened to be the
store owner and she asked me if I'd teach some quilting classes. No! I
don't teach and I don't want to start! Well, I taught there for almost 8
years until the store closed. I tried teaching at my home, but we lived way
out in the country and it didn't work out.

I went in my sewing machine store this past Sat. and got talked in to
teaching some classes there. So, after a ten year break it looks like I'm
going to be teaching again. I'm pretty good friends with them- I always
strongly suggested my students get their sm cleaned and serviced before
their class. Many, many of them ended up buying a new machine at some point
during their class! Since I have severe arthritis (and several other
ickies) I do strictly machine work, altho I do teach hand work, and I trade
my sm every three years. My dealer gives three years free servicing with
each machine I buy, so that seems like a good time to trade! I am currently
quilting on a Janome 6600- which I LOVE!- and own a Janome Jem, a 1950
Singer 15-91 and a Singer model 66 red eye treadle from 1932.

I am fascinated with artsy-fartsy type quilts and am going to try really
hard to develop my skills in that direction. I make bed quilts for my bed,
but with all those big hairy dogs sleeping with me, the quilts require a lot
of laundering. They wear out in a couple of years, so I make simple quick
pieced bed quilts. I have given away nearly every quilt I've made- my two
very precious Hug Quilts from the members of RCTQ are my treasures and they
are with me for the long haul and kept carefully and safely from my doggies!
I hand-dye a lot of fabric and my thread and fabric stashes are humongous!

Some of the best friends I've ever had are here at rctq and I'm so grateful
for the 13 years I've been here- all I've learned, all I've shared and all
we've been thru together with happy dances and prayers and recipes and
debates/opinions and ......

Oops! Guess I went a bit overboard here... LOL

Leslie, Missy & The Furbabies in MO.


"Sally Swindells" wrote in message
...
As Cornwoman wrote 'Now I want to
know more about each of you! Please tell!!

and we seem to have a flurry of new posters, is it time for a general
Roll Call, so that newbies can see who we all are.

So here is mine:

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


Two big children, neither still at home. Richard 33 has lived with his
girlfriend and her three children for 5 years so it seems pretty
permanent. He works in computers (thank goodness!). Rachel is 37 and
lives with her husband Tim, an airline pilot, in central England. She has
her own Personal Training business, but I think she has given up having a
beautifully slim and fit mother!

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 2 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
grows a long very fluffy brownish coat for winter, with a big
mane like a lion and an enormous tail. He retains his pitch black
face and legs though! In the summer he is black and short haired and looks
considerably smaller.


Have sewed for ever, lots of embroidery, but only started quilting about 6
years ago 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 things
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've just had a sort out of my Webshots, so its fairly up to date. At the
moment I am concentrating on the 'Singing the Blues' and have spent the
evening appliqueing leaves - lots and lots of leaves!


Chocolate - officially nil as I am dieting, but ........ (Personal Trainer
is too far away to see!).


So .. open to everyone else!


--
Sally at the Seaside~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~uk
http://community.webshots.com/user/sallyswin