It's a To-Do Thursday!

I love figures of speech, and there's a double entendre in my title for you. The first to-do meaning is a 'to-do' list:

This is a Linky Party hosted by Roseanne and Sue of Home Sewn By Us, and I thought I'd try to join in here and there throughout the year. I always have a to-do list for each week in my planner, so this is just an extra step.

The second to-do meaning is 'it's a big deal'.

I know everyone has surmised since my last post on my om coasters, but this is my official announcement post, and it's a big to-do: I was chosen to be an Island Batik Ambassador again for 2020! I'm very honoured; they cut the ambassadors down to half the numbers, so I'm also very proud to have been selected, but also I want to send accolades to Island Batik for being inclusive. So many fabric companies are 'US only' whether it's ambassadors, prizes or free shipping with x amount of dollars spent, but not so Island Batik. We have ambassadors from mainly the US, but also from Canada, the UK and Greece!

Project Quilting 11.1 Notably Numeric

I did it! I finally joined in. Each year for the past hmm, three or four, since my friend Pat wrote to me, asking if I'd heard of this, and saying she thought I should do it, I've meant to? Unfortunately, I just never have, though I've watched it each year.

Well, this year the stars lined up, I did a DrEAMi! (Dropped Everything And Made it!) and joined in.

This is the Sanskrit symbol for 'om', also known as 'aum'.  It is said to be the sound of The Universe, and that all living, organic beings, whether human, beast or plant, emit this beautiful hum. Isn't the coaster subtle? Although I'd not originally planned to do such subdued colours when I had the intention to make coasters for a yoga student or two of mine, it evolved for a reason.

Pink and Grey Placemats and Two Great Tips

With a few hours to spare, I've knocked off another item on my rather lengthy Q4FAL List. 2019 was definitely the year of the placemats, and 2020 so far has been fulfilling family quilty requests.

Dayna originally fell in love with the Opal Silk placemats I made for Brianne, asking for those colours. And then, in keeping with her Demando Dayna nickname bestowed upon her by my friend Rose of something rosemade, who has a Demando son, and recognized this quality in my daughter, Dayna said, "Well, I'd like the turquoise ones for my outside table, and I'd like four more for my inside table, but in pink instead of the turquoise." All right then! She opted for a soft pink and I like the look. In all honesty, I am most happy to oblige these quilty requests. The mending or altering requests, not so happy to oblige...

Project Review of 2019 and January OMG

I was updating my 'Quilts of 2019' tab today, and I realized I missed adding a project, as well as I had to enter the rest of the December ones. I thought hmm, I should make a collage of all of these projects I did, as it was a rather productive year! At the end of this post will also be my OMG post for January. Here is the first set of nine projects in more or less order of completion.

Wow, lots of bright and happy colours here! Four of the nine are my own designs too. 😊
Top row: Oh the Places You'll Go!; Moody Blues; Scrap Box
Middle: Burst of Spring; Sparkle On!; Cheerio!
Bottom: Postcard from Sweden cushion cover; Fern; Pasque Star
You can find a photo and a link to each of these posts in the Quilt Gallery tab up top and click on Quilts of 2019.

TBT #25 - Floral Stars

I hosted the Throwback Thursday Linky party for the past two years, but I am no longer doing it. However, I still have several pre-blogging quilts, so you will see them on the first Thursday, or thereabouts, of the month. This one has been on our bed for the month of December, and still is there. I've shown it before on the blog in Aha! Moment Tip #3: Stick it to Ya, where I discussed the value of using quilt basting spray. My blog was only a few months old then.

I had the lights on in the greenery on the stair rails for extra Christmassy effect. We had got a skift of snow two days ago when I took these, and you can see a bit left on the right side of the sidewalk. This is another Stack 'n Whack quilt (I was the queen back then in my guild, lol), made with fabric I bought at my then LQS, Lori's Country Cottage in Sherwood Park, Alberta.

Brady's Book Bag

I spent a wonderful first day of 2020 fulfilling a request from my grandson to make him a bag in which to put his library books. He goes to the public library on Wednesday nights to get out a book or a movie, but mainly to play chess with one of his buddies. I love it.

One of the five or was it six ideas I had for 3D Challenge for Island Batik in December was to make a bag or a makeup pouch, so when Brady asked me to do this, back at the end of November, I thought, aha!

My Best of 2019

As the final few hours of the last year, and the second decade of the 2000s winds down, I'm here drinking tea, and writing a blog post of reflection. 😁 I'm linking up with Cheryl's Meadow Mist Designs, Best of 2019 Linky Party. I wrote 126 posts this year, counting this one! This year instead of most views, most comments type of criteria, I simply picked some favourites from the year. It was hard, and

1. My favourite mini quilt this year is Moody Blues.

It's my own design. I thoroughly loved every bit of the process of making it. It is one of the quilts that will be hanging at the Kingsville Library in January. I was asked to be the featured artist once again!