1 and 1/2 inch strips of goodness!

Any time I have to be creative these days seems to spent either in front of my longarm, or, with a pair of knitting needles in my hands. I am merely a competent knitter, leaving the really creative knitting to my sister, Joanne. I have a couple of standard sock and mitt patterns that I use repeatedly (my sock pattern is so worn, I have packing tape on one side to hold it all together and no, I can’t knit from memory..). 

I have completed quilting another quilt before my kids get home for a Christmas break. This top was made by another local quilting friend and she is actually the woman who gave me my first quilting classes. When we first moved to NB, I left behind a solid group of friends in our little community in Goose Bay, Labrador and I was anxious about keeping busy and making some new connections. My husband’s job took him away long hours (which was slightly ironic because we had moved here so we would have more time to spend together as a family..) and I was kind of house bound with two little ones only 17 months apart. So, I signed up for a quilting class through the local community college and a swimming class at the Y. The swimming was all I needed it to be, but the quilting class didn’t get enough participants for it to be a go. When I asked, the college wouldn’t give out the instructors contact info but they would have her call me (a strange privacy issue in a city of 130,000 where her name is synonymous with quilting).

Well, she did call me and for three glorious hours we chatted and made connections and I found a new friend. While we chatted, my two darling toddlers mopped the kitchen and hallway floors and helped themselves to a cheerio snack! Remember, twenty years ago phones were on cords and my range of motion was about 10 feet in any direction..I could see the chaos occurring but knew the mess would be worth the time it took to tidy up. As a result of that call, she decided to give a class at home and so began my foray into the world of quilting.

Her lovely top is the result of a challenge to use up an extensive collection of 1.5 inch strips given to her.

I used Lava, a variegated thread on the top, a navy thread on the back and stitched some evolving clamshells over the entire surface.

I really enjoy being on that side of my machine and watching the design as it grows.

I am not sure who will be receiving this lovely quilt, but I know they will enjoy the calm, yet scrappy feel this quilt has.

The Needle and Thread Network will be taking a short holiday break, so I am joining them today..

Ah, I just got word she loves it so much, she is keeping it!! Great news!

Baking up some solutions

Today was an unexpected day at home. I don’t know about you, but I seem to have an incredible number of ideas bouncing around in my head before I am awake. This morning I decided to let them all go, go, go and just take the day as it came, without jumping into any one project. I think I needed to do that for myself.

I love baked goods. And I love them fresh and warm. But, I am fussy about my baked goods. If I am going to eat calories, I want them to be worth it. So, first up was whipping up a batch of my Mom’s banana muffins. I added some raisins and dried cranberries and then some chocolate chips to a few as well, to keep my hubby happy.

Muffins have long been a favorite in our family and we have made our fair share of them over the years. I calculated once that I made 40 dozen in one basketball season because I always showed up to the game with a snack for the kids. Eventually even the referees and coaches were digging in as well! When my daughter was born in Goose Bay, Labrador my Mom baked 14 dozen different kinds and made up a beautiful basket for the mid-wives who had assisted in my labor and delivery. That was hilarious because she went door to door borrowing muffin tins in order to bake them all in one day! The house smelled amazing!! Another time I made 3 different kinds for my husband when he was travelling to Newfoundland for a two week work trip. He forgot to tell the boys I made “healthy” muffins as they stuffed themselves, and I guess some of them weren’t used to all that bran. Opps.

I realize I could keep on telling muffin stories, but perhaps it is only me that is amused and entertained. Suffice now to say, this batch is delicious and was a happy way to start my day!

It was a rainy day in our part of New Brunswick but the sun shone just long enough for a walk and some photos. Our yard is bursting with the welcome greens of spring and I love taking photos of fresh growth.

My saucer magnolia is slowly filling with colour although most of the blooms are at the top of the tree where I can’t reach without a very high ladder. This one should be bursting with color soon.

For eight years this tree was covered with the healthiest green leaves, but absolutely no blooms! Finally two years ago there were 7! Last year it was full of beautiful soft pink flowers! Good thing, because we were thinking that maybe it wasn’t a magnolia tree at all!

I love how the maple leaves unfurl from within. When they first appear, they hang like bent hands wrapped around each other and gradually increase in strength and stand on their own.

Our side yard is full of fiddlehead ferns. They are so amazing to watch unfurl!

I could - actually I do - take a LOT of photos of these ferns every year.

In-between these activities, I did make some headway on other projects. I had come to a standstill on one and by letting it go for the day and focusing on anything but it, I suddenly realized how to complete the next step! Of course, the solution seems so obvious now, but for some reason I just wasn’t reaching back into my skills and resources to seek it out. Turns out an old sign writing technique was just what I needed for my most recent fabric project. And that is  just what I will work on tomorrow. After I eat a muffin, of course!