Sunday, August 25, 2013

Twin Sisters Quilt Block and Twin Sisters Mary Dell and Lydia Dale in Between Heaven and Texas by Marie Bostwick

Twin Sisters or Twin Sister Quilt Block

Do you love to quilt AND love to read?  I invite you to join the free, online Quilters' Book Club.  Each month we read a book, discuss it through comments on my blog posts, and then make a quilt block to represent that book.  Our book to read and discuss during August 2013 is Between Heaven and Texas by Marie Bostwick.  Today our focus is the relationship between fraternal twins Mary Dell and Lydia Dale.

If you'd like to make a quilt block to represent the twin sisters, here are two wonderful ones:

Twin Sisters Quilt Block (also called Twin Sister and Whirlwind Quilt Block)
Sister Star Quilt Block (also called Sister's Choice Quilt Block)

Sister Star or Sister's Choice Quilt Block

Mary Dell and her fraternal twin, Lydia Dale, were close as children. Though the sisters love each other and live in the same town, they have grown apart as they’ve grown older. What circumstances or attitudes brought that about? Have you experienced a similar situation with a sibling, family member, or friend? Were you able to resolve the problem? If so, how? Or, if you’re still feeling distant or estranged from someone with whom you were close in former days, what steps do you think you could take to heal this situation?

Mary Dell is a technically skilled quilter. But she doesn’t hit her true stride in quilting until she joins forces with Lydia Dale, who has the gift for choosing fabrics that her sibling lacks. Working together, the sisters are greater than the sum of their parts. Do you have a skill or talent that was magnified when you teamed up with a friend or family member? Did working together enhance your relationship as much as your talents? Tell the group about it.

Inquiring minds want to know!  By commenting on either or both questions, you are entering your name in a giveaway of a fabulous prize pack containing Wedding Ring, Endless Chain, Lover’s Knot (first three books of the Shenandoah Album Series) and Mountain Away, all by Emilie Richards - courtesy of Harlequin!

Heads Up:  Our September book is The Goodbye Quilt by Susan Wiggs.  You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post here. 
 

8 comments:

  1. As the children's ministry coordinator at my church, I have the joy of watching people work together to make things work that would have not been possible if only one person was going to do them. Community is a great thing for creativity.

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  2. I have not read this book yet. Waiting for it to come in. But, just finished "A Single Thread" and was so touched by that book and the relationship or lack of by Susan and Abigail.

    I had two sisters. One was murdered and the other is suffering through colon and liver cancer right now. When we lost our other sister, we got closer and realized how important we are to each other. We have a brother too and so did he. Forgiveness is very important in life. You don't have to forget, but should forgive when you can. We as most siblings fought with each other. We still love each other and are there for one another.

    I do have skills and talents that are magnified when teaming up with others. My husband, son and friends are my fabric pickers for me. LOL! My husband and son have a great eye for it. They also help me with layouts. I have friends that I sew with from time to time and we pull our strengths together and make some nice stuff. Love sewing with others.

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  3. I have 2 sisters left. My youngest sister & I didn't speak for several years. I can't even remember why we stopped speaking. Them my mom had a massive heart attack. We all had to band together, put our petty differences aside & help with mom. We worked at rebuilding our relationship & at first it was for moms sake, but then we realized we really liked each other! We always loved each other but didn't think we liked one another. Things changed!
    My husband picks out my accent fabric. I have no eye for it. We enjoy working together.

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  4. My husband and I have been a team for over 30 years. Every large endeavor that we've put our head, heart and hands to, has ended up larger than the sum of it's parts. Alone we just couldn't have ended up with the fantastic results we get when we pull together. It makes a truism from the phrase, "He's my other half."

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  5. Growing up, my twin and I were not close. He was the super student and good at whatever he tried. I was the left-handed non-learner and the baby sitter for my younger siblings. My relationship with my twin improved when I married his best friend. Moving half a world away, I had space to be myself without always being compared. This summer's family reunion gave me quality time with my younger brother and sisters. We are finding out how much we have in common, our tastes and values and the way we think and plan.
    I have always done things alone. I guess that tends to happen when living in a foreign country. Blogging has opened a window onto the world in a way I never imagined and I value the help and advice and support I get from my friends ... some whom I have never met in person.

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  6. I don't have a biological sister but do have women I think of as sisters because we're as close and have known each other for years. My husband and I are, as some say, "joined at the hip." He cuts and I sew. We'll celebrate our 52nd year anniversary in a few days.

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  7. For years I was a decorative painter with a friend who taught me so much and my skills grew further with her than I had been able to grow without the inspiration & encouragement she gave me. I believe friendships that include encouraging & inspiring each other become so much deeper. We moved to our current city & I began learning the quilt process but I have yet to find someone to mentor me & share in this new hobby.

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  8. Actually, my professional life was spent working directly with three other women (each at different times) to plan and facilitate professional development for teachers. Each of us brought different skills to the experience and I think that collaborating always brought our offerings to a higher level. Sometimes I think that others questioned the wisdom of us working together rather than separately but in the long run I think it paid off for employers.

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