Rollin' Right Along

 Several years ago, author, speaker and podcaster Gretchen Rubin opined, "The days are long but the years are short."  She was right then, and that thought still rings true -- at least for many of us.  When I was in my teens, my mother told me, "After [age] 21, time simply disappears."  She was right, too.

Outside observers -- at least in the culture in which I live -- would look at all that I've been experiencing in the last six or seven weeks and comment, "You've been busy!"  And I suppose that's one way to look at it.

I've decided, however, that I'm going to drop the word "busy" from my vocabulary.  "Busy" and it's close relative, "productive", have nearly undone me as I've gotten older -- and particularly since I entered my 8th decade last fall.

Instead, I've decided to define what occupies my time as -- quite simply -- living.  Some days the pace is faster; some days there are several other people involved.  Other days...not so much.  Each day has a flavour and tenor of its own.  

I've discovered that looking at my life in this fashion keeps me from dwelling in the past, keeps me from wallowing in self-pity and regret, and brings me much more peace and contentment.  It might even help me have live longer -- and heaven knows, my stash(es) need that to happen!

Enough philosophizing! What have you been up to, girl?!

Lots!  

When I last posted, I was in the middle of the first in-person Lacome Encore! Art Show and Sale since 2019.  It was a terrific weekend.  I loved telling others about my work -- and did my best to grin and bear it when someone referred to it as a "nice little hobby".  There will always be folks who just don't 'get it'! I sold enough to buy a bit of art from other artists there, and went home exhausted but happy.

Less than two weeks later, I was on a plane to Toronto for the 2023 SAQA Conference -- again, the first in person since 2019, and the first in perosn conference held outside the US.  It was another whirlwind -- meeting up with old friends, making new ones, taking in the excellent speakers and visiting both the Textile Museum of Canada and the "Colour with a 'U'" SAQA Canada exhibit at the Campbell House Museum -- both within walking distance of our hotel downtown.

I do confess, it's been a very long time since I've seen that much pavement all in one place! 😉😆

I won't overload you with photos, but here are a few.  This first trio were part of the Textile Museum exhibit, "Refuse", created by artist Padina Bondar.  I was completely fascinated with this work, the textures and the sculptural nature of it took my breath away.

Knitted lace -- from recycled black
garbage bags.
Artist: Padina Bondar

Material samples - 2019-2021
Artist: Padina Bondar

Cosmic Waste Dress (2021)
Artist: Padina Bondar

After the Textile Museum, my friend Bethany and others all trooped over to Campbell House Museum to see "Colour with a 'U'" -- an all Canadian SAQA member exhibit that was created originally to open at the Toronto conference -- when it was supposed to be held, in 2020.  Since then, it was in lock-down for a while and then, as venues opened up, it toured parts of Canada.  Alas, it made it no farther west that Saskatchewan, so I wasn't able to see it out here.  That's why it was so good to be able to be in TO to see it at last -- in this, its final venue before being retired.  

It's up till June 5 if you haven't seen it yet and are able to get to TO to do so!  And if you simply can't get there...here's a video slideshow of the full exhibit, from the SAQA website. 😊

I did get a few photos, but it was a very busy and somewhat crowded venue at the time.  Here are a few favourites:

Three Artists -- Three Amigas! 

Left to right above: my friend and intrepid room-mate at the conference, artist Bethany Garner; our friend and artist of reknown, Mary Pal (watch for her episode this weekend on The Quilt Show with Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson!); and me.  

Behind us: celebrated author and Canadian icon, Margaret Atwood, done in Mary's unique style with cheescloth, fabric and thread.

Typically Canadian, here are a few examples from this diverse exhibit:

36 Million Stories: The Fabric of US (2019)
Artist: Linda Finley, Bear Cove, Nova Scotia

Green to Make My Heart Sing (2019)
Susan Selby, Navin, Manitoba

Cold Magic (2020)
Janet Harper, Vancouver, B.C.

Rue de Buade #2 - 2014
Heather Dubreuil, Hudson, Quebec

The Urgent Colours of a Summer Garden - 2019
Wilma Brock, Surrey, B.C.

 

The Here and Elsewhere Bee - 2017
Andrea Tsang Jackson, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Through My Eyes - 2019
Michele Craigen, Weyburn, Saskatchewan

As to speakers, the highlights for me were Dorothy Caldwell -- the keynote speaker first thing Friday morning; Lindsay Olson, one of the 'break-out' speakers on Friday afternoon; Lorraine Roy -- the keynote speaker first thing Saturday morning; and my friend, Susan Lenz -- the keynote on Sunday morning.  All the speakers provided inspiration and food for thought, but these four stood out for me.

After the conference ended early Sunday afternoon, I was driven out to Don Mills, and spent a very hectic day and a half with my old university friend, Karen, her husband Brad and their family.  It was their daughter's birthday on Monday, so the family -- said daughter, her hubby, their two little ones; her older brother and his wife and two little ones -- all gathered at K&B's home on Sunday evening for dinner and celebration.  It was a swirl of activity, noise, good food, conversation, excitement, Lego, dogs etc....and then at 8 p.m., it was all over, and the three of us left -- K, B and me -- had a quiet drink and went to bed! Monday, Karen and I had lunch with a friend of hers; then K napped while I stitched and Brad worked in his upstairs office.

Tuesday a.m. found me on a full flight home -- and I was glad to be on my own again to process all of the activity of the last week.

What made this easier was that I could channel energy in to yard work.  The weather had warmed up and there was plenty to do.  

Now all is planted, and when it's not too smokey -- due to a record number of wild fires in the northwest part of the province as well as in BC -- I can sit outside and stitch, while I listen to the bees humming in the blossoms of my ornamental fruit trees.

I've been able to trim some deadwood, and have added more wildflower seed to my meadow garden beds, in addition to planting fresh annuals in my decorative planters.

The outdoor studio is open for "business" -- but I can't burn the deadwood (yet) due to the province-wide fire ban.  I certainly don't want to tempt Fate by even trying!

Instead, Miss Pookie and I sit and stitch, and watch Flosstubes on my laptop! 

The other Outdoor Adventure (of sorts) that will be happening around here in the next week or so is the replacement of the shingles on the roof of both my house and my garage.  The existing ones are twenty years old or more, and are curling badly (especially on the garage), so it's time.  The packets were delivered on Wednesday afternoon, and await installation, depending on the schedule of the crews (there are 6 crews working for this company) and the weather:

Shingle packages on the garage

Shingle packages on the house

It will be a blessing to have this done!

Before the smoke hit in earnest, and before the roofers run their truck over my 'meadow', I managed yesterday to harvest some of my dandelion crop, for the first batch of jelly this year:

I managed to cull 6 cups of petals from the first picking.

Here's Batch #1 from the first 3 cups of 
dandelion "tea"

Here's Batch #2 from the next 3 cups of
dandelion "tea" - the 'remnant' on the right
will be eaten first!

I got 6 cups of 'tea' from the 6 cups of petals, but as I was boiling jars and lids in my largest pot, I could make only 3 cups of 'tea' into jam/jelly at the same time.  The first batch was made last evening (May 19) and the second, early this morning (May 20).  I let the second boil more aggressively so it was finished more quickly and is a darker colour and more jelly than jam -- but still delicious!

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On the stitching front, I've been marking "Maynia" this year with a selection of five WIPs, each of which I've been working on for five days at one go.

My first one was "Here Be Dragons" from Modern Folk Embroidery -- and I've made terrific progress!

The second piece is one I started in on the plane flying out to Toront; it's for a friend's birthday next month.  In the five-day focus period set aside for this one, I got very close to a finish.  It's the second in the "Kitchen Counter" series from Hands On Design, and is called "Take Whisks".  (Yes, my friend loves to bake!)

The third in the 5 x 5 project was the "Summer" Bird from a trio of "Loose Feathers" from Black Bird Designs.  I'd started it almost a year ago, when my friend Annette lent me the patterns for all three.  Last evening, I came up with a Friday Finish!

As I reported to fellow-stitchers on a couple of FB groups, it's not perfect.  I've no idea where I erred in the spacing but I've decided to leave it alone -- I rather like it this way!  I used a 32-count Antique White Belfast linen from Zweigart, and most of the called-for DMC cotton floss, substituting colours to transform the bird from a brown one to a red-winged blackbird, as we see lots of them in these parts in the summer.  

The "Autumn" bird is designed to butt up right next to the right border of this one, and that's fine as I have enough fabric for all three of them to be in one piece.  I'm not going to change up the colours of the wee brown bird in that one, though, as it rather suits the autumn theme, and looks like a sparrow, which are ubiquitous all year 'round here.

Next up is my work on the Spanish sampler, "Bernarda Bellon" from The Wishing Thorn but I'm taking 3 days off to start a piece in honour of the "May Long" weekend, which is this weekend in Canada.  It's really the Victoria Day weekend, remembering Queen Victoria, but in these parts it's often called simply "May Long".  

For the occasion, I've dug out the first in a trio by Just Nan, called "Barnabee's Quest".  I've had these patterns -- and the accompanying beads and charms -- for years.  It was released in 2001 (!) and can probably be found only on the secondary market now.   As bees are "in vogue" and very much need to be supported nowadays, I thought this would be a great way to celebrate the weekend Canadians look at as the start of summer -- even if our schools don't let out until the end of June.  

I'm going to do each piece on its own, on three small scraps of fabric -- two of which are the same fabric and one of which is a bit of an oddball, but should work just fine.  They're roughly 32 count or finer, so each will be quite tiny; I'll probably make them into a set of little pillows.

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And then there's quilting.  I've returned to work on more scrap quilts.  With the wildfires causing so many evacuations and lost homes, I am hoping to get a few tops done so that they'll be ready to quilt and send off if or when they're needed.

In the week after I got home from the conference, I finished my "Triple Treat"-- a Bonnie Hunter pattern -- in browns.  It's a throw size, made that way by wide side borders.  It used up all the bits and bobs of fabrics in the colour theme, so I couldn't really make it any larger!  I've got a stack of purples, reds and pinks set aside to make a second one in those colours.

Meanwhile, I've started a batch of "Butter Churn" blocks -- based on Bonnie's pattern from her "Addicted to Scraps" column in the March/April 2023 issue of Quiltmaker Magazine.  I was determined to get a pattern that would use up my collection of "bricks" and 3" or 3 1/2" squares that I'd cut and packaged from Bonnie's Scrap User's System -- and this one fills the bill.  Here are some of the blocks on my design wall.  Each one will finish at 6" in the quilt, so you can see I have some distance to go before I have enough for a throw-sized quilt -- or even a lap-sized one! 

But never fear; I have plenty of scraps that will work!

And speaking of quilting, last weekend my friend C and I went to the first Central Alberta Quilters' Guild Show since 2019.  What a treat!  It was in the new hall at Westerner Park in Red Deer -- and it was huge!  There was lots to see and lots of great vendors, but the best part was the surprise and delight of meeting up with quilters I'd not seen in years.  It was Old Home Week at its best!

Here were a few of the pieces that caught my eye:

"Fabric Scissors Only"
Maker: Karen Yetter
The 'Tamarack' jacket pattern, 
with personal modifications!

"No Beard, No Way"
Maker: Thelma Mellafont
Pattern from "Fabriculous"

"Ewe Are Loved"
Maker: Diane Andrews
Pattern: One Sisters Designs

One of a trio from Patti Morris, this one was a collaboration.
"Festival of Trees Quilt"
Makers: Care Group, Central AB Quilters
Designers: French Braid (background) by Karen Montgomery,
Applique (foreground) by Patti Morris

There was a section devoted to the "150 Canadian Women" quilts -- mostly red and white -- made to honour 150 Canadian women in our history, inspired by Canada's 150th anniversary as a confederation (2017).  This one was my favourite:

And last but not least, this one got my vote for "Viewer's Choice".  I loved the use of colour and the placement of the fabrics.  The border is particularly appropriate and striking.  I just loved everything about this quilt!

"Luminaria"
Maker: Elizabeth Russell
Design/Pattern: taken from 
Quilters' Colors Club by Christine E. Barnes

As if we weren't already worn out from all the quilty goodness, this year the quilt show coincided with "Fibre Potpourri", a quilting retreat up at Red Deer Polytechnic, hosted (in turn) by the Calgary Guild of Needle & Fibre Arts or the Edmonton Needlework Guild.  And yes, of course there were vendors!   So C. and I drove up to the campus and checked it out.  First, one of the vendors -- and a teacher at the event -- was a long-time friend of C's, so there were hugs all 'round. She was selling off out-of-print magazines, patterns and kits at deep discounts.  I got a Lizzie Kate for my collection, plus a Winter 2004 issue of  Sampler & Antique Needlework magazine.  C stocked up on many more!

The next booth was the purview of my former silk ribbon embroidery teacher and a dear friend, Betty Caskey of Olds, AB.  More hugs, and more yummies to see!  And then there was a new vendor to both of us -- Embroidery Marketplace.  Gold!  We both got fabric and threads.  

Here's my collection of goodies:

The 'white' fabric is really a print -- 32-count 'Vintage Smoky White' Belfast linen from Zweigart.  The 'green' one looks more grey in some lights -- and it's a hand-dyed piece: 32-count 'Valor' from Picture This Plus.  The 'fancy' flosses were three that I have nearly run out of and thought would be good to have on hand for future projects.  And then...one can't have too many tapestry needles in one's favourite sizes (mine are 24 and 26).

And that, Gentle Readers, is what's been feeding the fires of my heart and soul since my last post.  Every day brings something to do, to learn, to delight in -- whether indoors or out -- and as long as I have the work of my hands, my mind rests more easily, my sleep is deeper, and my tendencies to ruminate, over-think, and/or relive the past in grief and pain are kept at bay.

I like myself better this way, and I hope you will too.

Now, as I usually do, I'm closing with a link to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday, and a wish to you for safe, contented, creative days until we meet again.  A bientot!

Action on All Fronts!

 Here we are with only a week left in March!  

I know spring is supposed to be here but it's taking its time arriving in central Alberta.  There's still lots of hard-crust snow, melting only around the edges, and there's lots of ice on sidewalks in areas that don't get enough sun.

While there are buds on my lilacs (well, at least on the one I can see without clambering through snow pack), there are certainly no other flora attempting to peek out of the ground!  There are, however, more birds around too -- cedar wax-wings, pileated woodpeckers, a crow or two and maybe even some nuthatches have been spotted.  I'm not a birder, so except for the obvious calls (magpie, crow, chickadee), I really can't tell who's who -- but I love to listen to them call to each other and carry on their conversations:  "Hey! Hi!  Howarya?  How was your trip back?  Interested in shacking up this year?"  You know; that sort of thing! 😉

I've even managed to sit outside in the sunshine for 1/2 to 3/4 of an hour on a couple of afternoons this past week -- with knitting in hand -- just to enjoy the sunny atmosphere.

Given that the Art in the Park 2022 exhibit launched in Revelstoke a couple of weeks ago, I've turned my attention to preparint for the Encore! Lacombe Art Show and Sale, which takes place April 14-15.  I've given an interview to the Lacombe Express (though I've yet to see it in print) and I'm meeting with the current coordinator of the show on Tuesday for a video taping that will be published on Facebook etc.  Ack!  I've never done that before, but will try my best to appear confident and interesting.  I'll be taking some small pieces with me as illustrations of my work.

I've also managed to take one last small piece to my framer, and she is working hard to frame it and to mount two other rather 'experimental' pieces in time for the show.  I'll go back in early April to pick them up, plus others from the Gallery that I'll exhibit (and hope to sell!) there. 

Speaking of the Gallery, d'you see that rather large QR code in the left margin?  If you have some sort of gizmo that can scan it or whatever, I'm told it takes you to my artist's page at Curiosity Art & Framing.  I posted it on my 3F page on FB and a friend said it worked, so if you try it from this blog, please let me know if it worked for you or not.  

Most of the new work I've been doing is "soft", meaning it's not mounted on canvas and framed.  This past week I struggled to give birth to a new piece that I'd been carrying in my heart and mind for several months.  Here's the story:

I love to walk on the roads around the hamlet in which I live.  For decades, there was a large field at the edge of town -- only a couple of blocks north of me -- owned by a farmer named Jim.  On the southwest edge of the field, bordering 50th Avenue (the main street, paved) was a laneway.  Part-way north, it curved west, but there was also a path that continued north a bit farther before it turned west into a small wood -- trees on either side, wildflowers, and the occasional critter could be seen wandering about (skunk, deer, birds nesting).  It was pleasant to walk through, but only from spring through snowfall.  This made it a particular treat, because you could only enjoy it for a few months at a time.

Well, Jim's gotten older, like the rest of us, and has no children -- so in the last year or so he sold the field.  I didn't realize this until my first walk in the spring of 2022.  I walked up the laneway and kept going up the path to where it was supposed to turn into the woods. 

Instead of this: 

April 2021

I saw this...

May 2022

I started to cry.  Inquiries confirmed my suspicions: Jim had sold his field to a big crop producer who didn't want the north bank of trees to interfere with its ability to grow as much crop as possible.

That said, over last summer, the jumble of ploughed-over trees remained (they're there to this day), and I don't know what was planted -- maybe green manure.  It certainly wasn't canola, but it was cut down in late summer.  Heaven knows what will appear this year.  

But it lead me to make a piece.  

I've not made a 'proper' landscape since before Covid.  I really can't do it any more -- but I wanted to honour the death of this small, beloved wood.  So I tried.  I made this:

Background sandwiched for quilting

Quilting completed; thread painting of "ghost trees"

Close-up of trees

But it didn't look right. On waking one morning a few days ago, I knew what I had to do.

I did this:

Requiem for a Small Wood: A Diptych
(c) 2023
Commercial and hand-dyed fabrics.
Fused applique, collage. 
Machine quilted, thread painted;
 accented by Sharpie marker.

It's not my best-ever landscape, to be sure, but it says what I wanted it to say.  I've faced it, attached sleeves, and will hang it in the show -- but I've not put a price on it for sale.  Who can put a price on a destroyed woodland habitat?

I'm supposed to give the City a piece for its permanent collection.  I was going to give this, based on a location driving east from Lacombe to my home:

It's Still About the Sky (2015)

But maybe...just maybe...'Requiem' might be more important.

What do you think?

Meanwhile, I've been getting other 'soft' pieces ready to hang -- sewing on hanging sleeves. I've got 3 left to do.  Then comes "The Cutting of the Dowels" -- cutting dowels to fit, and inserting eye hooks in the ends of the dowels for hanging.  I picked up a good selection of dowels at the hardware store last week, and will ensure that I prepare them in time -- in case I need a couple more!

In the "utilitarian front" -- i.e., comfort quilts, cross stitch and knitting -- I continue to soothe my soul with assorted projects.

My "Triple Treat" units are up to 57 -- with 7 more to go to make 64, all on the 'browns and golds' theme.  It takes 4 units to make a full block, so 64 will make 16 blocks, 12 1/2" square (unfinished).

I've added a few more blocks to my postage stamp quilt block collection, and am working on another crumb block or two.

I've also decided that after a decade (or two!) of waiting, it's time for me to use a glorious piece of yardage for a "One Block Wonder" quilt.  I have the fabric, the instruction book and the 60-degree angle ruler...so stay tuned!  I'll be using the book by Maxine Rosenthal from 2006.  See?  I told you it was from over a decade ago!

In cross-stitch, I'm focused on three pieces, one of which is a new start.  The "start" is a small piece designed by Jeannette Douglas, which I began on March 21 as an homage to spring:

Design: "Chubby Bird"
Designer: Jeannette Douglas
Fabric: DMC 28-count 'toile a broder' linen,
coffee-dipped to produce a creamy colour
Threads: mix of called-for fancy floss and DMC 
-- all from stash

The other two pieces are on-going -- and one I can't show you because it's a gift for someone who reads this blog.

I have, however, made progress with "Here Be Dragons" -- for my son's June birthday.  I've finished the wide borders on the top half!

Design: "Here Be Dragons"
Designer: Modern Folk Embroidery
Fabric: 28-count white Lugana
Thread: "Gomez" hand-dyed cotton from Roxy Floss Co.

I'm hankering to start the central design, but conscience says I should finish the lower half of the wide border.  Thoughts?

Aside from these three, I've my Sunday Stitch -- "Keziah Campell" and...well...others...but these are the priority for now.

As to knitting, I've finished the first pair commissioned by my friend:

Pattern: "Simplicity"
Designer: Janel Laidman
Yarn: Gathering Yarn One-Shot Wool/Nylon Fingering

And I'm well away on the first sock of the second pair she wants.  I've finished the leg, turned the heel and I'm making my way down the foot:

Pattern: "Simplicity"
Designer: Janel Laidman
Yarn: Patons "Stretch" in the "Licorice" colour-way

And I finished that second dish cloth, and started a third -- in a solid colour, a lovely burgundy.  Soon my linen closet won't know what hit it!

And so it goes. 

These tasks -- plus walks in the sunshine each day -- are what's keeping me sane as I wait for Spring to really arrive.

As usual, I'm going to leave you with a link to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday.  This week she's been Spring Cleaning her studio.  Me?  Not ready yet!  But as the racks that hold the baskets that hold my fabric will have to be available for my booth at the up-coming Lacombe Art Show & Sale...well...Spring Cleaning will happen soon enough!

Take care, gentle readers, and may your spring (or autumn for readers south of the Equator) bring you many blessings!

Till next time...

The Art of Utility and the Utility of Art

 It seems I can't manage to post more often than every two-to-three weeks these days; I'd rather be making!  And so it's been since I last wrote for you, Gentle Readers.  Life remains good, though there are days when the Sorrowful Demons try to nibble at the edges of my equilibrium, and sometimes succeed.  Often a walk or a session with my online Essentrics Classical Stretch class will break the ennui, and I feel more like myself again.

On the Art Front, "Art in the Park" opened yesterday in Revelstoke, B.C.  It's at the Revelstoke Visual Arts Centre, and will be there through April 2.  Earlier this week I received a series of photos from Meghan Porath, the Director at the Centre, showing how they'd hung my pieces -- from the ceiling!!  This took me quite by surprise and gave me a real thrill:

(L) to (R) suspended in the centre:
"Rails & Ruins", "Pretty Poison", "Meadow Impressions"
and "Fallen Log"

Because of the perspective in the photo, the "Meadow" piece looks a great deal smaller than it is -- but that's only because it's hung farther back!  Similarly, "Pretty Poison" appears larger, but that's just the angle at which it's hung.  The pillars under each piece carry my labels about each one in turn, plus the front one has my Artist's Statement about my Residency Experience (I think!)

Once my pieces were shipped to B.C., I turned my attention to what needs to be done to prepare for the first in-person Encore! Lacombe Art Show & Sale since 2019.  I've submitted all my info to the coordinator, Christina, including an outline of my Artist's Talk, which will take place at 2 p.m. on each afternoon of the show -- April 14 and 15.  I've examined my pieces, finished making hanging sleeves for the newer ones, and now have some hand-sewing on those to do.  I also will need a few dowels for hanging and will pick those up at the hardware store in the next couple of weeks, along with some more eye hooks.  

Yesterday I had a phone interview with Mark Weber of the Lacombe Express weekly newspaper; I expect the article will come out next week.  One of the first questions he asked me was why I make art (a common question, as y'all probably know!)  My main reason is this: it gets me out of my head!  

That is, it helps me express myself: what's on my mind and in my heart.  It could be through a landscape piece; it could be through an abstract one.  I don't make a great many political or social statements in my work, but sometimes the message is hidden, as it is in "Back to the Garden" from 2013, which was inspired by lyrics from Joni Mitchell's song, "Woodstock": 

Back to the Garden (c) 2013
15" x 15"
Hand-dyed whole cloth, machine quilted,
hand embroidered and beaded

One of my newer pieces (made in 2020 during the COVID pandemic shut-down) is "Order Out of Chaos (or Chaos Can Be Colourful)": 

Order Out of Chaos (aka Chaos
Can be Beautiful) (c) 2020-2021
Assorted commercial and self-dyed
cottons, machine pieced and quilted

This one will be at the Lacombe Show next month, along with some others that aren't statement-oriented.

And I've an idea floating around in my brain right now that may present as a landscape, but still make a statement.  These ideas often take a very long time to come out into the world, so stay tuned!

In addition, of course, I'm still working on comfort quilts.  The "Keep it Out of the Landfill Project" continues apace!

Some weeks ago now I used up all but the few charm squares I own by putting them into a crib quilt:

Pattern: "Chandelier"
a PDF from Vanessa Goertzen

I've had the pattern for a while -- I'm pretty sure it's a freebie, but it was originally published in Ms. Goertzen's book Charm School: 18 Quilts from 5" Squares.  The version I made is considerably smaller than the suggested 60" x 60" size; it's 37" by 57" and that's largely due to the borders!  I had 4" squares, and only a certain number of them went together well enough to produce anything.  In the end, I discovered that, given the horizontal layout of my design wall, I'd laid the blocks out so the "chandlier drops" look more like crystals hanging from an old-fashioned lamp (maybe something from Tiffany) than long droplets hanging from a ceiling-mounted chandelier! Ah well; whatever baby ends up with it won't mind, I'm sure! 😆

In my last post I mentioned that I'd started Bonnie Hunter's "Triple Treat" to use up my 1 1/2" squares and other scraps.  Each block is a 6 1/2" unit, and you need four units to make a full quilt block (12" finished).  I now have over 40 units made -- but there are more to come, as 40 units makes only 10 blocks, and that's not going to get me a throw-sized quilt.

I've laid finished units out on a recycled Styrofoam tray, with the dominant (dark) corners stacked according to their print.  

More often than not there are neutral squared from corner to corner in the centre, but not always.  I went through all the 1 1/2" squares I had, and have cut more from bits and bobs, along with the squares and rectangles needed for the "L"-shaped corner sections.  I decided as I went along, that these all have to have contrasting corners in browns, so that there will be some unity.  On another tray, I've started to collect a different palette -- reds/blues/purples with white or off-white as neutrals.  

And still the scraps keep piling up!  I have bags of "bricks" in light and darker fabrics, 1 1/2" x 2 1/2", using Bonnie's Scrap User's System, and have been longing to find a way to use such small pieces.  Enter Bonnie to save the day!  I found a "Butter Churn" block she's designed in the current (!) March/April issue of "Quiltmaker" magazine.  Ta-DA!  That one will be come a leader-ender project for "Triple Treat", which I used as a leader-ender-project while working on "Rhododendron Trail"...and so it goes!

At the same time, I've returned to assembling units for a postage stamp top which I think I want to make in sections to fit windows as curtains, in the style of Kate Jackson of the Last Homely House, to whit:

I've measured the windows that I want to cover, and well recognize that I've a long way to go before I get there..."many miles before I sleep", as Robert Frost said long ago.

No matter.  It's an easy project, fun to do, and eventually the blocks will add up into larger pieces.  And yes -- keep the fabric out of the landfill -- at least for now!

It seems to be all about "stash-busting" this year in the Knitting World too.  Certainly, I've been very aware of it, and feeling a bit guilty that my knitting mojo has been a bit low.  The baby socks, of course, have gone to their destination -- and now I've been commissioned by a good friend to make her 2 pair of socks, just like ones I made for her a decade ago that are finally wearing out.  I started the first pair about 3 weeks ago and am well down the foot of the second sock.  Here's what the first looks like, made from yarn in stash in a colour that my friend happens to favour:

Pattern: "Simplicity"
Designer: Janel Laidman
Yarn: a "One Shot" from Gathering Yarn,
superwash wool and nylon.

The second pair will be in Paton's North America's "Cotton Stretch Socks" so they can be worn even in warmer weather, if desired.

And inspired by a newly-arranged casual MAL (Make-Along) set up by Selma of the Little Big Knits Podcast -- under the title of "Scrappy Stashy MAL" on Ravelry (and also on Instagram, I think, but I never go there!), I'm dipping back into my other knitting WIPs that fit the bill -- like the hats I've been making, and the Sock Knitter's Sweater...and now, after far too long despairing of my sad and sorry dishcloth collection, I've dug out the cotton yarn in my stash and am making a new batch of Grandma Black's Dishcloths!  The only modification I'm making to the pattern is to knit to 49 stitches before I decrease, as I like my cloths a bit larger than suggested in the pattern.  I work on these when I'm in bed, reading (with an audio book or a book on my bookstand), as they are mindless and soothing projects!

And yes, there is still stitching!  I've taken to working on a red sampler on Thursdays -- in the manner of Sarah from Sarah's Stitch Spot flosstube -- and so am closing in on a finish with my "Ruth Gibb" sampler, started almost a year ago on Mother's Day, to honour my mother Ruth and her mother, Margaret Gibb.

My Sunday Stitch is now the "Keziah Campbell" sampler that my friends Mary D. and Sha gave me for my birthday last year.  I'm still on the border, but I'm almost finished with it.  It's on 40-count linen, so a bit slower going than other counts.  It's a Scottish-style sampler, and I'm going to personalize it -- i.e., use initials from my family -- when I finally get to the alphabets and motifs!

I've finished a Lizzie Kate design for a friend who's having a birthday soon -- but I need to fully finish it...

And I'm making good progress on the "Dragons" piece for my son's June birthday:

Pattern: "Here Be Dragons"
Designer: Modern Folk Embroidery
Fabric: 28-count white Lugana from stash
Floss: "Gomez" from Roxy Floss Co.

Since that photo was taken earlier this week, I've finished that top wide border and begun to go down the side -- about 3" of that done now.

And on that note...it's time to return to any and all of the above -- before the day gets away from me completely!

It's been snowing lightly all day thus far, and it's forecast to continue on and off through tomorrow, so I've got no excuse to waste the wonderful indoor hours I've been given.  It's time to return to colour and creativity in the Art of Utility...practicing the Utility that is Art.

I'll leave you -- as I regularly do! -- with a link to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday.  This week she's talking about 'bad sewing habits'.  Do you have any?  I know I do, but I'm not ready to 'fess up just yet! LOL! 😆

Have a great weekend -- safe, dry, cozy, cool, with those you love, doing what you love.

'Til next time...XXXOOO