Sunday, January 31, 2010

Bits


Since we had our first swimming lessons of the winter, it is inevitable that one of my two lovely children is sick (swimming pools being the origin of all disease, as far as I am concerned). On a "lots to get done" weekend, of course. But that's the way it goes, don't you think.

And who needs sleep anyhow.

In the interest of saving time, I thought a list of things done would be a quick way to update.

Here we go.

  1. Forgot tote bag on CTrain. Contained 1 set of quilting bee blocks for one swap and 102 siggy blocks for siggy block swap.
  2. Redid both lost sets. Problems with trying to redo Bee blocks because I didn't have any more of the fabric but think problem is solved-ish.
  3. Thanks to redo of siggy blocks, I now have a gazillion 2.5" triangle square block thingys (see above for photographic evidence of thingys). I will put them to good use somehow.
  4. Finished Melissa's practice block for Modern Tradition Bee. Loved the challenge. Am going to make my practice blocks into pillows - upcycle or whatever they call it these days.
  5. Finished Heidi's churn dash practice Bee block (another pillow).
  6. Spent far too much money in Out of Hand on Friday (my local quilt shop). Think I am "this close" to getting Deirdre to start a modern quilt group and/or beginner quilting with modern fabric class.
  7. Think I am going to become a yoga instructor. Next Fall.
  8. How random was #7? Probably as random as me thinking about becoming a yoga instructor.
  9. Last but not least ... Sent a whole bunch of hip Olympic wear to the Nielsen Family. And to C Jane. Have never met these people but read their blogs and just got it in my head that I should send something along. Let's hope they don't think I am some stalkerific nut bar or something.
Okay, now to finish those blocks for reals.

Talk soon.

L xo

PS - My best friend/sister's brother is going through a hard time right now. He is very ill. If you could just send a thought of wellness out into the universe, it would be more than appreciated. xo

PPS - I came up with the best idea EVER for my Beatnik Bee. Like EVER. Just wait. You'll see.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Is There Such Thing As Too Much Fabric

Let me set the scene for you. Happily married couple carpooling home. A quick stop at the mailboxes. Chivalrous husband gets out to get mail (far too cold for the delicate countenance of sweet, gorgeous wife). Husband re-enters car with 4 packages all of which hold copious amounts of fabric. The conversation goes something like this ...

Him: I can't believe it. More fabric. They* are going to start thinking you are running a business or something.

Her: Like a grow op?

Him: Not so much.

L xo

(*No idea who "they" are)


Friday, January 22, 2010

Wonky


I had this great post all set to go in my head and then my day happened. Instead of blogging in the quiet of my home, after about 6 hours of running around (chicken/no head) and with only about 30 minutes to myself, I am at a great cafe (Phil&Sebastian) with a woman at the next table waxing poetic about herself and 2010 and honesty and her true self and filling oneself with the authentic and, and, and ... Can you tell I am having trouble concentrating? I swear I am doing my best not to listen ...

Anyhow, with 29 minutes left until I pick up the babes from school, I wanted to at least cross posting my first wonky block off my list. This one is for Melissa and our Modern Quilting Bee . I really liked doing this block. Melissa sent some of my favourite fabrics and it was so nice to work with them. Wonky goes against my type A personality and I think that is fabulous. Because that is exactly what I was hoping for by joining these bees ... learning new things, trying things I wouldn't normally have chosen and all that jazz (which reminds me I have to go pick up Fame from Blockbuster to keep me company while I sew tonight).

I think these bees and I are going to get along fine. A churn dash, a pinwheel and some half square triangles and January's blocks will be done.

Okay, I can't take it anymore. Can't take the chatter from the self actualization table. Forgive my sarcasm. Will regain patience at my hot yoga class this afternoon.

Happy happy Friday.

L xo

Monday, January 18, 2010

Fabric Love - Monday


Fabric Love - Monday
Originally uploaded by lnwcohen
And this is only a small part of what came in the mail. We'll just keep this as our little secret. Okay?

Talk soon,

L xo

Sunday, January 17, 2010

The B Word


I spent a little time Friday whipping these two blocks up for Dana from Old Red Barn Co. Dana is putting together quilts for a Breast Cancer charity (the Susan G Komen 3 Day Walk, to be precise). The block on the left is sort of hommage to Dana - it was her quilt along that really got me hooked and was the first "real" quilt I made. The second block (in desperate need of an iron) was just done to be different from the first.

I absolutely love the colours of these blocks. They remind me of Valentine's Day which is just around the corner. I love me some love especially dressed up in pink, red and white.

My favourite colours, all happy for love and a little something to help out others, a pretty good way to spend a Friday night, wouldn't you say.

L xo

PS - The B stands for boobs and blocks, in case that wasn't clear.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Too Easy Peasy?

Yesterday, thanks in part to a small tumble on the ski hill by one of my chickpeas, I spent the day at home dividing my time nursing a small swollen knee and finishing up by fabric packets for the Modern Tradition Quilt bee.

Today, because I had an extra couple of minutes at lunch, I went on Flickr just to see what other Quilting Bees were doing with their blocks ...

Going on to Flickr might not have been a smart idea because, wow, are there some fancy dancy blocks out there, or what? Like all complicated and intricate and all that and a bag of chips.

And my block is just a plain jane log cabin block. Not even a wonky log cabin block. Not so fancy. Not so complicated either. I got to thinking that maybe it wasn't complicated enough.

It's not that I don't like my choice of a log cabin block. I do. And I love my choice of fabrics. They are all happy go lucky, make your day kind of fabrics. And there are lots of them. Everybody gets a selection of 12 different 4" by 18" or 22" fabrics - I think there are almost 40 all together. The whole quilt will be colour, colour, colour, which I love, love, love.

But rather than over think the whole thing, I am just going to go with it. The fabric is cut and the envelopes labelled already anyhow. It will be like getting a little envelope of sunshine (and February is a short month anyhow so maybe easy is better, who knows).

I'll let you know how it goes.

L xo

PS - I know that no matter what, this quilt is going to be gorgeous. It can't not be.

PPS - Guidelines for the blocks are on the Modern Tradition blog.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Bees - The Sequel




So Bee Season is in full swing. Fabrics have been sent out, received and blocks have been made. Except by me. Because I haven't received any fabric. Which has nothing to do with the lovely ladies sending the fabric and everything to do with my new arch nemesis, Canada Post.

Canada Post and I have had our share of problems lately. It all stems from the fact that Canada Post delivers my fabric purchases mainly on the days when my husband picks up the mail (it doesn't come to our door but rather a "super mailbox" in our neighbourhood - kind of like a central location where everyone picks their mail up). Now I get that I bear some of the responsibility for the whole fabric purchase thing but really, some assistance in keeping my dirty little secret, my little dirty secret, would be appreciated. Greatly. The request has so far fallen on deaf ears.

But not one to miss an opportunity, I have decide to take lemons (otherwise known as the tardiness of Canada Post) and make lemonade. You see, February is my month for the Modern Tradition Quilting Bee. The Bee is all about making traditional blocks out of modern fabric. And since I can't make the blocks for my fellow bee-ers (see rant re: Canada Post above), I have decided to get my packages ready for February.

Deciding what to do has been hard. Super hard. Harder than I thought. And I really thought it would be easy. Probably should be. Anyhow, I digress ...

For my blocks, I have decided to go with the good old log cabin. It isn't a block I have done before but I really like the idea of straight lines with all sorts of gorgeous fabrics. So now I have pulled fabric, as you can see, and I'll start putting things together and getting it all ready to send out soon (envelopes are already labelled and ready to go).

See, lemons ... lemonade.

L xo

PS - It is my wonderful Dad's birthday today. Happy Birthday to the best dad there ever has been and will ever be. I love you.

Monday, January 4, 2010

Dearest Blog


I know that we have only been on 3 dates so far, and if you take a page out of the book "He' s Just Not That Into You", you are probably thinking that, well, I am just not that into you. But I am. I swear. December just seemed to get away from me. I can't even tell you how.

Do you really want a laundry list of reasons (okay, let's be honest, excuses) for my lack of commitment so far or a promise from me to do better in 2010? Let's not call it a resolution because we both know that its a label for failure, isn't it? More of an honest effort to get to know each other better.

I know I can follow through. Picture me as the little engine that could. You see, I have a brand spanking new Mac Book Pro so now I don't have to fight with the children for computer time (yes, I pretty much go to bed when they do which doesn't allow for night time blogging). Also, as you can see from the above picture, I am finished-ish with the sewing space. Just a couple of shelves and a beautiful chandelier and c'est tout fini. And all my quilting bees are starting up (of course, I have yet to receive my fabric thanks to Canada Post) so I will have both more time and lots more to show you.

So how about we start over-ish. I'll post more and redeem myself and you can then stand back in awe of my commitment to blogging and my witty, sparkling, and addictive posts.

Sound like a deal?

L xo

PS - In the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit I have never read "He's Just Not That Into You". I did see the movie. It was sort of offensive. The only redeeming thing about it was Bradley Cooper ... We can talk more about him some other time.

PPS - If it makes you feel any better, my dearest blog, I haven't even finished binding one of the children's quilts, and it was meant to be a Christmas present. So, in the worst mom move ever, one child got a quilt and one is still waiting. See, I haven't just been ignoring you ...
 
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