Versatile Blogger Award!

 

Leslie from lesquilts gave me an award!

I wasn’t sure whether to be grouchy or happy.  I’ve been feeling grouchy about blogging lately for a number of reasons.  Firstly, I’m busy and don’t have much time to be creative in blogging or in sewing.  Secondly I’ve been reading a lot of blogs with responses to this post.  Although I think the post was written in fun it seems to have opened up lots of hurt with some bloggers.  I feel a bit like commenting on it, but on the other hand think it is best ignored.  But thirdly, some of my grouchiness with blogging comes from things I could complain about.  I’m not going to complain because someone’s feelings are bound to get hurt and I would feel bad.  Really the grouchiness is all mine.  People are just people. 

So on a happy note….I am secretly pleased to get the award.  I didn’t start blogging to get followers or have others acknowledge me.  I just like writing and taking photos, and I usually keep a journal.  This was just a way to keep a neat quilting journal.  But I am thrilled that I’ve met people and made friends in the blogging world and it is really touching that Leslie has given me this award.  THANK YOU LESLIE! 

So here’s the deal….It has been around the world a few times, but there are rules!  I pick 5 (or up to 15) other bloggers and give them the award.  Recipients, please read the rules.  Everyone, please check out the bloggers I have awarded!  I understand the purpose of the award is to introduce us to blogs we may not have seen.  All the ones I’ve listed have interesting thoughts and beautiful work.

The Versatile Blogger Award rules:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post

2. Tell 7 things about yourself that others might not know about you

3. Pass along the award to 15 newly discovered bloggers (I'm going with 5 )

4. Contact these bloggers to let them know they’ve received the award

And the winners are….

http://inmysewingroom.blogspot.com/

http://quiltingpines.blogspot.com/

http://crazydaisytime.blogspot.com/

http://quiltswissy.blogspot.com/

http://pattythequiltlady.blogspot.com/

And here are seven things about me you may or may not want to know

1. When DH and I were first married we lived in tents most of the time for about ten years….in the Yukon….in the winter…with two kids.

2. I am a social worker.  A burnt out social worker with vicarious trauma and maybe PTSD.  (Hence the grouchiness)  But I’m still a social worker.

3. I know a lot about my family`s heritage.  One interesting item: my great, great grandfather in my paternal lineage was an Austrian Jew who emigrated to England.

4. I run off and on.  I have completed one marathon – the Yukon Arctic Ultra, in February 2008, running on river ice. 

5. I love quietness.  When I am home alone I usually don`t play music, radio, television or movies.  I like to listen to the radio in my car though.

6.  I commute an hour each way to work.  Terrible for carbon output.

7. I`m not really a big fan of chocolate.  I like a bit of chocolate from time to time, but I`d take something in the butterscotch or caramel line over chocolate any day.

I’m off to my daughter’s birthday party.  Happy weekend to you.

Janet

Easter tide

 

Busy times this week.  Picked up my grandkids after work on Monday and Tuesday and hung out with them for a few hours until their dad got home.

Wednesday there was a local land use planning meeting – as I’m on the committee I had to attend….

Thursday DH, DD #2 and some friends and I went to hear Gwynne Dyer speak on climate change.  He is a vibrant speaker and has a lot to say to those of us who are amongst the privileged about what we need to change.  Read his book -  Climate Wars.

Yesterday, Good Friday, I made Ukrainian eggs with some friends.  I read that Ukrainian lore says that as long as these eggs are being made by someone the world will not end.  I’m not skilled at this but they still look nice.  I wonder what inspired this one????

Today we are off to my nephew’s new home for Easter dinner with the family, nephew and girlfriend, DD # 1, partner and two kids, DD # 2, and my cousin and his girlfriend.  I’m not sure if my niece will come or not.  I made this egg as a house warming gift.

Then tomorrow another Easter dinner with friends.  Monday is a day for catching up on chores and paperwork. 

I did get the mug rug finished finally.  Fortunately Beth was also late with mine so I don’t feel so bad about being almost a week behind with mine.   A little Kaffe Fassett, a little home dyed purple, little pinwheels, a little hand quilting and voila….

’m

And the back…

Happy Easter and/or Passover,

Janet

Friday Night Sew In report for April

I wasn’t feeling “on my game”, as they say, last night, but sewing helped to take my mind off my woes.  I accomplished a bit of fun.

Firstly I made a little addition to Sue Mobilia’s pin cushion top.  I mentioned that it wasn’t feeling quite done to me.  Well now it is, not DONE course, but done for this sewer.  It’s on now to Marina in Australia for the next addition.

And then, as I promised myself, I worked on some blocks for my colours quilt.  I made four blocks, two yellow and two green…

And here’s a photo of the total progress to date.

 

Silly me.  I just figured out (after I saw someone else do it) that I can add the link for all the Friday Night Sew In participants.  In case you want to go and take a look. 185 people signed up this month!

 http://handmadebyheidi.blogspot.com/2011/04/april-friday-night-sew-in-signups-are.html 

Janet

I’m swamped with swaps!

I have taken a vow not to sign up for any more swaps – for at least this week.  I enjoy participating in swaps; they expand my knowledge and techniques as I try out all kinds of things I would probably never do otherwise.  But I feel like I have done nothing for the last week but try and get things finished to meet deadlines.  These things felt manageable when I signed up for them, but suddenly they aren’t. 

To be fair I did spend a great deal of time on the weekend out walking with my dog in the sun and mud, and trying to get a fix on some birds.  On Friday and Saturday my yard and the little campground across the road from me were inundated with thousands of birds which were singing quite lustily.  They even drowned out the noise of the big wind.  They were up in the tops of the trees and were hard to see, but would flit from tree to tree.  I eventually decided they were Common Red Polls.  So awe-inspiring to hear so many birds sing at once.

With all my sewing I don’t feel like I finished that much.  Here’s the count.

1. Christmas block swap for Ann in Nova Scotia.  Only a sneak peek – and blurry too.

2. April hexies for the Inchy hexie swap.  These are travelling to Lorraine in England so I wanted to get them done early.  The last couple of things I’ve sent to England are taking FOREVER to get there.

3. The pin cushion round for Sue Mobilia.  This has to travel to Marina in Australia for the next round.  I’m not 100% happy with what I’ve done so far and may have to add a bit to it.

4. And then last night I finished my hot mat for the Hot Mat Swap.  This is going to an unnamed partner as it’s a secret swap.  I am really pleased with how this turned out.

The side view….

The top view….

And the back….

I used that green fabric especially for my friend Dahn, because she loves it so much   (She actually hates it, but I think it is perfect in this application)

I still have a mug rug to make and get in the mail by Friday.  Phew! 

And on a happy note (there is an upside to these swaps after all)  I received this lovely hexie for April from Linda in California. I just love the fussy cut petals which are all different.  Just like nature.

I’m off to work on a mug rug….

Janet

The big spring wind is here!

After the BIG wind we had last night, one of our neighbours phoned this morning to say he’d lost some shingles and to see if DH would be able to put a new roof on for him.  I had to tell him that DH is away until Monday night.  He’s gone with friends on his annual spring fishing trip.  Usually they go to Kathleen Lake but this year they’ve gone into Alaska, to a place recommended by the Alaskan member of the fishing party. 

That was yesterday.  Today it continues to be windy.  We used to have big winds like this fairly often, but it seems for about the last two years we haven’t had a lot of wind.  I guess it’s back.  Great for sailing

I’ve been cleaning up my sewing room this morning and remembered a couple of things that are on the “I forgot to blog about” list.  A few months ago I put out a request for yellow strips for my colours quilt.  Rosemarie, Julie and Leslie all responded to the call and I now have lots of yellow strips! 

I have been rifling through these strips and using little pieces of them here and there.  It is my plan to work on the colours quilt for the next Friday Night Sew In, which I think will be next Friday.  Thanks to these three generous ladies I will have more than enough yellows to finish that line of blocks.  Thanks!

Back in February Fiona sent me some luggage tags she had made (because she got a laugh out of my lack of memory).  I received them just in time to use one on my bag when I flew to Newfoundland.  So pretty!  Love the Australian fabrics.  Thanks Fiona!

Back in January Lara was cleaning out some of her UFOs and offered them in exchange for a donation toward flood relief in Australia.  I was lucky enough to win this collection of Figgy Pudding.

I haven`t decided what I`m going to do with it yet.  She said she meant to make hexies but purchased the wrong ruler – so she threw the ruler in, as well as a charm pack of Rouenneries by French General.  I`m really not sure what I`ll do with that – or actually I`ll probably use it when I have to make hexies for people who like those colours.  I think I have a swap partner coming up who loves that line.  Anyway thanks a bunch Lara!  And my donation was made, in Australia, via my sister.

I am happy to have caught up on these postings….I hate it when I forget to say thank-you….as I have been known to do (right Fiona!).  So if anyone thinks I`ve forgotten something I received from them, please let me know….

Time to brave the wind and take the dog for a walk.

Janet 

Spring is just around the corner

Someone sent me an e-mail with this title and an attached picture of a corner of a building with a big spring poking out from around the corner.  It was cute….unfortunately I couldn’t figure out how to copy it. 

I just figured out a way to add the picture....Sometimes I'm really computer savvy!

But I do have a picture of flowers to show.  These aren’t exactly spring flowers….my Christmas cactus has decided to bloom.

Looks like I need to do some spring cleaning!  Look at all the dust!  Or rather don’t look at all the dust!
I’ve been a bit delinquent on posting some lovely things that have come in the mail.
This is my March Block Swap Adventure block from Helen.  Isn’t it fabulous!  She sent me a few scraps to play with too.


Here is the block I sent her…I hope she has received it.  She wanted pale yellow and grey.  It turned out quite wild!

This is my March Christmas block swap received from Teena.  A lovely wonky star – and the first block I’ve received with any reds in it!

And the one I sent to her…

Teena also sent me a lovely dish towel with Melbourne scenes on it; unfortunately I don’t have a picture of it. 
I thought there was a lot more that I’d missed but I guess I have just been overwhelmed!
Janet

Brown Bag Quilt has occupied my week

I have been working on the brown bag quilt every spare minute this week.  I didn’t get it finished….no that would be a novelty for me.  I did get the top done though.  And I posted my photos on Flickr seven minutes before the closing time!  I can’t help it….I am just a slow poke quilter.  Anyway here are the fabrics I received from Les last fall…

And this is what I have done with them….

 

We were allowed to use any amount of fabric from our stash, and to purchase one new fabric.  I bought a fat quarter of the navy with flowers that it is in the corners of the yellow and blue round.  I needed something to finish the round and didn’t have anything in the right colour.

I had the central block and the blue Moda marble in my stash.  I have used everything Les sent me except for a small scrap of the white with flowers and an even smaller scrap of the blue watery fabric.  I’ll put those on the back.

DH had an inordinate amount of comments to make about this quilt.  He said I should stop after the yellow and blue round.  I said no it’s got to be bigger.  Then he said I should stop after the blue/blue check round.  He said it was busy enough.  But I wanted it to be bigger, so now it is asizzle. 

The lighthouse fabric was the challenge – each little square in one inch wide and twice that long. 

I might take those piano keys off and replace them with equal size strips of the Moda blue.  The piano keys would look good on the back I think.

Many people are showing photos of spring flowers on their blogs.  No flowers here yet, but this is the glorious weather we have at this time of year…

Fun in the sun, skiing on the lake….

I’ll have some photos of recent mail tomorrow.

Janet