Island Batik Update

I hope you've been as wowed as I have with the bags on display last week! I have to say that the quality of the instructions, accompanying videos, techniques and bag parts is outstanding. I am steadily, albeit slowly, working away on mine.

This made me super-excited last night. Don't worry; the flap is not crooked, no clue why it appears that way. I was looking for the little dooma-hickey you use to pop out your SIM card, and came across the little wooden Handsewn tag that I believe I received from Sew Me A Song in with an order a while back. Or it could have been in with a Pile o' Fabric order... In any event, I knew immediately I'd put it on the flap!

I am working with a few pieces from the Nouveau Soul line, a line I just love. All the fabrics we are using are from the Spring 2020 collections, which are going to be available very soon in your LQS.

All right let's take a look at this week's lineup.

Thoughtful Tuesday: Musings on Rocks

Wait, you thought this was a blog about quilting? Well, mainly so, but from time to time I muse on other topics. However, this is the first musing I've done on rocks. Rocks is a noun and a verb. This feels like school!

Rocks as a verb indicates that something is fantastic. The Island Batik blog hop that started this week and runs through September 29 rocks! There are, as usual, lots of giveaways, so be sure to visit the bloggers as well as Island Batik. The schedule for this week is at the end of this post.

Something can rock one's world, like this pandemic. 

And then there are rocks, the noun.

I've shown you these, and many others on Instagram, before. They've given me joy over the past several months of walking in my neighbourhood. They given me pause as well.

Summer Stars

Last summer I participated in a QAL called Sweet Star QAL. It was a sort of DrEAMi, in that I started in almost at the halfway point, and I had no business taking on another project, but it sort of consumed me, as those squirrels do. The best part was that I finally had found a pattern for my Blueberry Park stack of fat quarters that I'd bought a few years ago at Craftsy (who are back, which I'm sure you know, and as Craftsy, and it's "watch whatever you want for the next 45 days" event to celebrate their return). We made four blocks a week, and I had such fun combining various fabrics to make the blocks. I love the blues and greens with a bit of yellow and gold thrown in. Once the top was done, I behaved and got myself back on track with deadlines and commitments.

Couldn't you just snuggle up with a good book in that oasis? Well maybe not; it was rather hot and humid! Still, it evokes the idea, and one could sit on top of the quilt there and read...  Our Sweet Autumn clematis is absolutely stunning and its heavenly scent pervades that entire area, reminds me of jasmine in Florida in looks and scent. It cascades down either side of the fence. There's another small one, but we think it hasn't gotten enough sun since the cannas, mandevilla vine, barberry and elephant ears have filled in all around and above it. Note for next year!

OMG Cream and White Scraps Box

 Remember the DrEAMi! I had, well two, that I wrote about on Saturday? Well, those scrap improv panels that consumed me grew up into another scraps sorting box. This was in reality my OMG, either a cream and white or a pink box this month. So it wasn't a true DrEAMi, because it was planned, whereas a true DrEAMi just sneaks up on you, unawares, and grabs you by your easily-distracted mind, and off you go, ignoring all other must-do's while time seems to stand still.

I quilted this one with floppy feathers, and I found a piece of scrap batting upon which I was able to place four of the five sides in a line. I've never quilted something on my longarm without a backing, but I gave this one a whirl and it worked out great. In no time I had them done, even writing white and some synomyms on the panels. The front there has 'opal' and 'pearl' on it.

DrEAMi! #43

 

Welcome to DrEAMi! #43 where we celebrate those Drop Everything And Make it! moments. This meme of perfection for those squirrel projects is off Carol's of Quilt Schmilt blog. It describes my yesterday and this morning to a T. I actually had a squirrel interrupt a squirrel and one was my OMG but it started acting like a DrEAMi yesterday...

I Like/Love with some Thoughtful Thursday Added

Welcome to another I Like/Love post. Once again, I am adding in some of my thoughtful work.

1. I've finished a couple more very important books:  The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King and Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese. Both of these are excellent, thought-provoking, soul-shaking/searching, and should be required reading for all North Americans.  I'm currently reading White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo on audio, and Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden. I think my next read needs to be a light one, maybe another Flavia one. I see, thanks to emails from Chapters/Indigo (love them) that Thomas King's newest book is out, Indians on Vacation. I enjoyed reading the transcript of his interview with Shelagh Rogers from CBC in the back of The Inconvenient Indian.

2. Laura (@lolly2430) sent me this article. I forgot to put it on last month's post. As she said, it is heartbreaking, and I think it's a tragedy.

For Black Scientists, the Sorrow is Also Personal. 

3. I like this article on CBC's site that tells of an anonymous person in Toronto who has been putting up plaques that give the whole history of well-known, 'respected' families. Read the article.

And earlier this evening, a story was on our local Windsor CBC news of our Museum Windsor curator now including the whole history of the Baby (I learned it is not pronounced as you'd assume, but bah-bee) family who were slave owners. Here is the article. (Okay what is going on...since Tuesday's post, they've change the insert URL popup and I can no longer test the link?) She's researching the life histories of the enslaved people, which makes me think of The Book of Lost Friends.

To Do Tuesday

Two in a row for To Do Tuesday, think that is a record. I wasn't going to write one since I published a post yesterday, which you should check out (see link in #1), because oh, I love the latest quilt, but I am pleased because every item on the list was completed! I even took A Positive Spin out for a road trip to a local winery, which some of you may have already seen on Instagram because I literally sat and posted it right then and there.

So let's get right to it, down to brass tacks as they say, (hmm, wonder what the origin of that saying is; must look it up as I have erased some from my usage because of their nasty origins).

1. Finish the quilt for Island Batik✅ A Positive Spin is done and blogged

2. Write up a TGIFF post✅ TGIFF - Makeup Bag

3. Make one or two makeup bags for my Etsy shop✅ See listing here

4. List my new beach glass bowls in my Etsy shop✅ See listing here