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Dear Ami - Our hearts are with you during this time of incredible saddness. You have fought a brave journey and have made us all aware of the painful process you have had to endure.

The following blog is from Ami's personal site - Friends may share with the family here

 

Her Name Was Beebe

I have been losing my mom, bit by bit, for at least the last seven years, whenever it was that Alzheimer’s first began its dirty work. I lost the rest of her this afternoon as I stroked her hair and told her how much I loved her. Jennie and I said good-bye as she took her last breaths, hopeful that she heard our voices, felt our caresses, and knew in her heart, if not in her mind, how much she was loved, what a good mother and grandmother she was, and how many lives she touched with her gentle spirit. We told her that she would live in our hearts forever, and she will.

Beebe clung to life longer than any of us expected, surprising two sets of hospice carers over the last 27 days as we kept vigil, first at the Alzheimer’s facility where she had lived for almost three years and at the hospice care center where she died. (Beebe’s obituary.)

I have made Beebe’s struggle with Alzheimer’s a public one. Sharing it has helped me deal with the grief and frustration of losing her over the years. It was also the only way I could think of to fight back. Connecting with others who walk along the same path has given me strength. Knowing that our journey has helped others cope has kept me going. Reading the comments you have written over the last month especially have given me comfort.

My job as personal advocate for Beebe is now over. The part of my brain that had to keep track of her safety and well-being, the minutia of caregiving, can now be filled with other pursuits. Although I will continue to fight Alzheimer’s in her memory, it is time now for me to reconstruct that memory, to focus on the woman who was my mother, not just on the woman who had Alzheimer’s and needed my care. 

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"Red Orchids" by Sue Garman

Congratulations!  You are at the end of a twelve month floral applique journey.  You should be very proud of yourself.  TQS hopes that you have enjoyed and learned while working on this quilt project.  This month you will be assembling the blocks, adding the sashing and border strips.  And, as always, Sue Garman is there to guide you along the way with clear and concise directions.  Enjoy! 

To download the December pattern click here.

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Thank you again to the DAR for allowing us to show a sample of the quilts.  If you are in Washington D.C., be sure to visit the museum.  Their website is fun and has virtual tours of some of the rooms that are fully decorated from the period.

Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Museum
Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Museum
c/o DAR Library or DAR Museum
1776 D St., NW
Washington, DC 20006-5392
Phone: 202-572-0563
Website: www.dar.org/museum

 

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TQS wants to thank Lynn Forney Young, State Regent of Texas for the Daughters of the American Revolution, for showing TQS around and explaining some of the Quilts.  This was the first exhibition in the United States outside of Washington, D.C.

Congratulations to the Texas Society for making this all happen. http://www.texasdar.org/

The quilts were lowly lit to preserve them, so we did the best our low level cameras would allow.

Later today will be a quilt by the wife of Francis Scott Key the composer of the United States National Anthem "Star Spangled Banner".

We know that to our worldwide viewers  the 1800's barely qualify as antique, but for quilts it is very old.

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Need a fast and handmade gift for someone this season? Check out these coasters on my personal site - alexandersonquilts.com. Simply print the pattern out and trace on to white fabric and stitch. In a couple of hours you will have the perfect hostess gift for that person who has EVERYTHING!1510_pattern_joy_thumb.gif