Going on a Lion Hunt

Did I mention that I am home for a bit? I lied. I have been away for a few days, went away last weekend and then again next week end and again the following weekend for team training.
Team training you ask? Yes. Team training. What for?

Well, I am going to Africa this summer. Yup. Africa . . . Rwanda specifically.
I have already decided which BTCT block I will be prepping to take along. It's no secret that I have been on many short term mission trips and specifically to India where I love to go to encourage women. I was invited to join this team going from two different churches. There will be ten of us. I will not be the oldest on the team.

Did you know that there are 100 babies born each day in this part of Rwanda? It is a small land locked country in central East Africa. There was a dreadful genocide that happened there in 1994, the same year my daughter turned 16 on  a summer mission trip to Ghana. That was also in Africa.

The purpose of this trip will be to build relationships. We will be modelling how to do a Vacation Bible School program. This should be interesting. I get terrified by other peoples little kids. Not my own. I love spending time with my little girl and little boy grandchildren. After all, I have known each of them since they were still wet at birth.

In a small country where nearly a million people killed each other, many children were left without parents to raise them and give them an example of how to do things. These children have grown up and are having children of their own. My specific role will be to model the unique perspective of a loving grandparent.

We will be going on a one day safari to one of the wildlife preserves. I plan to stay in the vehicle for that day. Well, so will everyone else. Those are the rules. I have been doing research about Rwanda and Africa in general. I love how I can see over the edge of Victoria Falls (well maybe not love) from Google Earth on my big screen desktop  computer. But that is not in Rwanda. Nor is the source of the Nile River. And Lake Victoria is almost twice the size of Rwanda. Really.

The count down is on. We leave in 70 days.

Blessings,
Chris

Serendipity: Another 17 ufos in 2017

Now that I am home for bit, I am trying to get to the local pool to do some waterfit exercises.  I can do all the jumping, jogging and giggling I want with salt water up to my armpits. I usually choose a spot near the wall closest to the exit. I leave a bit early to get under one of the showers before the crowd exits. There are 3 showers and usually about 40 women. What can I say . . . I don't like crowds and with my back, I have trouble standing in line waiting my turn.  And 30 minutes usually leaves me feeling like jelly.

Anyway, as I started to say, I stand near the wall closest to the instructor, the crowd behind me, I have a perfect view of the tiling surrounding the pool. It is 2 shades of brown and cream coloured, one inch tiles set totally random. It gives me ideas. The tiles in the shower are mostly white with 2 shades of medium green, 2 shades of medium blues and 2 shades of medium purples. The colours are rather sparse at the top, near the ceiling but have a few more as they go towards the floor. In the passage leading to the change room, the tiles are totally random in blues and greens and purples and cream. Did I say totally random? Each time I am doing my jogging or jumping jacks, I stare at the wall. It is really inspiring. I have thought about taking this idea to use as a border for my Serendipity Quilt.

It is the justtakes2 quilt that I discovered Dec 30, 2011, just 2 days before the first on line QAL I ever joined. I haven't completed it yet. I was using it as a reward each week as I completed assignments for the masters degree I was working on at the time.

 I graduated that spring and got stuck on a couple of tough blocks.

 I have ideas like using one of my GO dies that cuts 1 1/2 inch strips  to cut many coloured and white strips and sew them together randomly for the borders. I figure I would need at least 3-4000, maybe more, maybe a lot less.

I am making each of the 100 blocks in different Jinny Beyer pallet colours.

I will keep going to waterfit and I will probably keep thinking about borders that have totally random one inch squares.

Blessings,
Chris

linking with:
quilters monday linkup.
needle and thread network . 
 http://estheraliu.blogspot.ca/ . 

17-ufosin-2017.

needle and thread Thursday.

confessions of a fabric addict.

let's bee social.

sunday slow stitching

 midweek-makers.

moving it forward mondays.

Antique Wedding Sampler

Last month I was following a rabbit trail on quaker quilt history 

from  the barbara brackman blog 

about an antique quilt towards the end of the post. 

 Di Ford Hall from Australia reproduced many of the blocks from this quilt in her

Antique Wedding Sampler. Now this quilt fascinates me.

I fell in love with it when I saw blocks showing up on various blogs.

So it was no surprise that I impulsively jumped in 

and ordered the blocks of the month

from Homestead Hearth when they were available 2 years ago.

This will definitely be the most expensive quilt I will ever make.

 I paid almost as much in shipping as for each of the block kits and the exchange on the dollar.

Each block will cost me about $17 Canadian.

That's each 12 inch block.

Carole from wheels on the warrandyte bus  has made two of them.

She showed me her blocks in progress when I met her in Australia two years ago.

 I was just starting my first block.

Then I started a couple more. I chose some easy needle turn applique.

Why do I have problems finishing them???

I have all 25 kits in colours someone else chose.

The colours are wonderful.

Many I would not have thought to include.

 And none of them are in my fabric cupboard.



There is much applique on these blocks but there is also going to be much hand piecing

 and hand piecing and I are not good friends right now.

What is hindering me besides swollen arthritic hands that struggle with hand piecing?

Possibly if I stopped eating so much sugar that would  help. 

 No. It would definitely help.

This quilt is on my  17-ufos-in-2017 list.

Why did I put it so far down on the list?

Nothing stopping me from putting it at the top which would now about be #7. 

It could be my  OMG for May .

Completing one block not the whole thing.

Now I need to be

pulling out the box and sorting through the 25 neatly packaged kits.

 Wait, several are already started. So Choosing one to complete.

 Or choosing one to start. Or not.
So yes. It will be my one monthly goal for May.
To pull it out, pat the fabrics and complete one of the already started blocks. 

Blessings,
Chris

linking with
quiltsmyway.
needle and thread network .
 http://estheraliu.blogspot.ca/.

17-ufosin-2017. 

omg-one-monthly-goal. 

needle and thread thursday

confessions of a fabric addict.

let's bee social.

sunday slow stitching.

midweek-makers.

moving it forward Mondays.

wips-be-gone-.

OMG Finish for April

 And one more BTCT block is complete.

This was my omg-one-monthly-goal. 

 for April.



Today I made up 4 yellow perfect circles for the centers of my imperfect flowers.

This will have to do for slow sunday stitching . 

I started stitching on this block in November on my way to Shipshewana in the back seat of the van. Got 8 leaves done.

Then I took it to Poland with me and did the rest of the leaves and buds.

I did not have enough bias strips to do the whole wreath

so made some more when I got home.



 I am off to babysit little boy grandchildren for 5 days

then my Quilting at the Farm friends will be coming on Sat.

I haven't seen them for a couple of months.

I have 2 BTCT blocks to take along for some slow stitching.

Blessings,

Chris



linking with

needle and thread network  
 http://estheraliu.blogspot.ca/  

17-ufosin-2017 

omg-one-monthly-goal 

needle and thread thursday

confessions of a fabric addict

let's bee social 

sew fresh quilts 

sunday slow stitching

 midweek-makers

moving it forward mondays

wips-be-gone-almost

Completed Quilts So Far in 2017

I was busy earlier this winter and spring completing five quilts that I took to Poland with me to give to my cousins as gifts. I made the right choice for colours. They were completely surprised and delightfully pleased.

This first one was made about 20 years ago but I misplaced the fabric for the backing and finally found it, pieced it together and sandwiched the quilt a few  years ago. I simply quilted curves diagonally starting with the corners. Robert and Krystyna love it.

This was one of the $10 quilts I had made blocks for several years ago. I bought a variety of blue and brown civil war reproduction fabrics in anticipation of completing. Ella loved it.

I had a different plan for this cousin, but my Sweet Farmer, in his great wisdom, said to quilt this one for Beata instead. I love this quilt. I used a variety of solid fabrics for crazy patch blocks and machine embroidered as many different designs as I could using variegated threads. I used the walking foot to straight stitch around the borders and sashing. Then, I made ties using some black perle cotton I found in one of the stuff drawers. The backing is a wide tan flannelette.

I have shown many pictures of this one since I started it in Shipshewana last November. Upon receiving it, Anya commented that she loved that it was a modern quilt. I had to chuckle since it is based on an antique quilt owned by Linda Collins. I started it at a workshop in Shipshewana. I believe there are 3248 pieces in this quilt. But who is counting?

Now this is the first quilt I thought about making when I had the idea more than a year ago to take quilts for my cousin  in Poland. This modern quilt was going to be perfect for a house that was decorated in basic black and white with zebra curtains and a touch of red. It is perfect - on their bed. Andrje and Ewa redid the living room with blues and yellows.

Here I used a variegated black and white thread and did large curves though each of the intersections. I like how the variegations look. I used a wide flannel backing.

 I think I deserve to start a brand new quilt. But I don't have time till May. Sigh.

Blessings,
Chris

linking with omg-one-monthly-goal
mid week makers
Moving it Forward Mondays
Let's Bee Social
Needle and Thread Thursday
needle and thread network
whoop-whoop

 

Context is Everything

today I got a pedicure

my toes certainly are bright

 but in a different setting

 they really are a sight

I think Ava will approve

because her heart is full of love

blessings, 

Chris

April Goals

How do we choose which project to start next? I have been busy this past month completing several quilts and thoughts of starting at least five new quilts  have been dancing through my head. I could not give in to them because I was on a mission to complete quilts.  I had to use the Bernina since the Brother machine messed up  and then I broke the acrylic darning foot from the Bernina. Fortunately, I had a metal one that I used to finish the free motion quilting for my 17-ufosin-2017 challenge. This month I will be working on beyond-the-cherry-trees-album-quilt. I am packing my bags to go to Poland to visit my family for Easter. She is not well. At 91 that is no surprise. I am taking 9 year old Ava with me. I plan to take some hand applique with me and at least one text book.

I have the entire pattern packet for the Caswell quilt from sentimental stitches in a box with fabrics and shirting  backgrounds waiting.

I also have all ten months of Susan Smith's stonefields-quilt-block-of-the-month that I bought when I was in Australia two years ago.  I have an old collection of fabrics and various backgrounds ready in a project box waiting until I get back from Poland. These have been pre-washed because they were so wrinkly from sitting in a few boxes for years.

After I get home I am going to babysit the little boy grand children for four days and doubt I will get much stitching done. But who knows, I won't get any done if I do not prep some blocks and take them along,  

I see so many interesting patterns and projects  in blogland and am tempted by many of them. I have at least 80 blogs on my blog list. Most post weekly, some monthly. And some days when I am avoiding doing any real work I will wander off on rabbit trails and see what else is out there to see. I follow lots of blogs that are doing some of the same projects I am doing so I can get encouraged. But right now it seems that they are over whelming me with so many options.

I started talking about how we choose which quilt to make next. I am drooling over  the  150+Canadian+Women weekly quilt-a-long.

And I have  been collecting the patterns while they are free to make this tribute to Canadian women as we celebrate our 150 birthday as a nation. I have fabric. I bought some of the Northcott collection at Lens Mill Store when everything with red in it was 25% off. I like sales. I spend more than $200 on fabric that day. And I already had some in my cupboard with the Canadian national anthem and some with maple leaves. It is going to be a spectacular quilt. I am only 57 blocks behind. But I have a plan. I will pull out the GO cutter and some dies with one inch and one and a half inch options and blitz them.  They are all pieced with none appliqued. I like applique, but have enough of that in project boxes.

How do I choose which quilt to make next? I usually jump in impulsively and blitz it for a while. Starting quilts is so much fun, but I have tasted what it is like to complete not one but 4 quilts this past month. I could put off starting anything new for a whole month and complete another one or two. Maybe. But I have a plane to catch  Friday and  . . .  the power just went off . . .

It was off for a couple of hours so we went to bed really early since it was dark and very quiet. Eventually we heard the furnace come on so knew the power was back on. I have a family wedding to go to today and it is overcast and gloomy this morning, but the sun is supposed to come out this afternoon.

I do not have to worry about what I will start next since I do not have time this week which will be filled with appointments like dentist, massage, chiropractor and the little boy grandchildren are coming for a sleepover just before we leave. But I do have to decide what my omg-one-monthly-goal  will be for April. I will try to complete one, just one BTCT block. 

The RSC colour this month is multicolour. Since I am doing this challenge with my Bright Jane  and there are no multi colour fabrics I plan to make more aqua blocks since I prepped a whole bunch that did not get made in Feb. 

Come back at the end of the month to see how I did.

(I just received news that my 91 year old aunt passed away last  night so we go in sadness)

Blessings, 

Chris

 linking up with needle and thread network  
 http://estheraliu.blogspot.ca/  

17-ufosin-2017 

omg-one-monthly-goal 

needle and thread thursday

confessions of a fabric addict

let's bee social 

sew fresh quilts  

rainbow scrap challenge

sunday slow stitching

 midweek-makers

moving it forward mondays