DrEAMi! Linky #4

It's the end of the first month of the second quarter; are you staying on track with your goals and gotta-do's?  My real life has taken over my sewing life, and would you believe it, but I haven't even had a moment to allow a DrEAMi! to take over.  I think that's a first for me.  If you are reading about DrEAMi! for the first time, here is the post that explains all, but basically it is where you are distracted by a beautiful "squirrel" quilt project that just consumes your every thought and you have to go directly to jail, er, your sewing room, do not pass Go, kind of thing, and drop whatever obligations are on your sewing list and make this thing and make it now.

It's not for lack of seeing squirrels, oh no.  I've bookmarked several, one of which I even drew out, as a Hands2Help quilt.  Go here if you are interested in finding out more about Sarah's, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, 7th annual charity project.

No, I guess the only squirrels that have come my way have been of the house or of the sewing machine kind, and with that little tidbit of suspense thrown, like a squirrel, at you, I will leave you to link up your distractions for this month!

Freefall Link Up #3

I can't believe we are in the last week of April! Time is just galloping along.  Sewing is a struggle for me these past few weeks as you know, what with moving, and the chaos that ensues as we settle in, which we continue to do; we are so enjoying making this adorable little house our own, organized to a T.  IKEA has been being assembled, and we are loving it!  MacGyver also put together a couple of my cabinets I had in my beloved sewing room in Alberta (not IKEA, so they didn't break down and reassemble as nicely, he tells me) and so I now have a cutting/pressing table with some storage underneath.

All right, rephrase that: we now have a cutting/pressing/perching table with some storage, cat shenanigans/playing places underneath.

Red & White For Days

It feels like it.  I didn't realize until I typed the title, and these first few lines, that I'd be posting this on St. George's Day.  Heh? you say... Do you know St. Patrick?  Of course! Patron saint of Ireland.  His colour?  Green, duh! Well, St. George is the patron saint of England, the very same guy who slew the dragon (not slayed; I looked it up and that would indicate St. George was amused by it.  Which he could have been I supposed.  Before he slew it.  Or maybe the dragon slayed himself with St. George, as a cat does with a mouse, and then St. George retaliated.  In any event, St. George survived.  The dragon, sadly, did not.)  St. George's colour? Red, of course!

Here are the next three sets of blocks for 150 Canadian Women QAL at Next Step Quilt Designs, with a couple of tips in case you haven't made these yet, or for future reference.

58 - Leonora Howard King: first Canadian doctor in China, where she opened the first Chinese hospital for women and children, awarded the Imperial Chinese Order of the Imperial Dragon, the first woman to achieve such an honour; 59 - Jean Lumb: Chinese name Wong Toy Jin, at age 17, she opened her own (prosperous) fruit store in Toronto, spokesperson to PM Diefenbaker wrt Chinese concerns regarding immigration, led a successful campaign to preserve Toronto's Chinatown, 60 - Laura Goodman Salverson: Icelandic immigrant, a writer, first editor of  "Icelandic Canadian" magazine, a pioneer author of immigrant literature

Catching Up

I've fallen a bit behind in my 150 Canadian Women QAL, at Next Step Quilt Designs, but I'm catching back up.

55-Adelaide Hunter Hoodless, helped organize Canada's first YWCA conference, which resonates with me, since one of my first part-time jobs was teaching swimming at the YMCA; she was also instrumental in getting Home Economics included as part of the school curriculum; 56-Helen MacMurchy, a doctor, her belief in preserving the White Race through the use of eugenics have me more than a bit upset; she did a lot for women's issues, yet this is clouded by her actions that led to the wrongful sterilization of many immigrants; therefore I think the light and dark of the chevrons is a good depiction of the positive and negative sides of this woman; 57-Gabrielle Roy, French Canadian author, teacher; I studied "La Petite Poule d'Eau" in university, which is why I chose the chicken coop-like fabric for the HSTs. She wrote about immigrants, the poor and underprivileged and was fluent in both English and French.

Freefall Quilt Along Step 3 Construction of 6 Leaf Blocks

In this step we will be creating the leaves that float on the background fabric, as well as the shadow leaf point.  There are six leaves that float on the background.  

Gather your leaf pieces that are going to float on the background that you set aside from Cutting Step 1, along with the background pieces.  You will still have several pieces left after this week's work; we will use them in Step 4.  Just as in Step 2, you will have one 2 3/4" X 3 3/4" rectangle left over; do not cut this into side triangles yet.  

Freefall Link Up #2

Hope Spring is springing up everywhere in your corner of the northern hemisphere! Daffodils are blooming all over: they are in the lawns, under trees, along ditches, really quite glorious, not just in flowerbeds as they do in Alberta. My mum used to describe this custom in England, which we thought was rather odd, since no one does this in Alberta, but then I saw them exactly as she'd described, all over France.  Golden showers of Forsythia I spot as well, must get one if there isn't one here at the new place... Nope haven't even had time to inspect the wares of the garden of the family who lived here all but 5 of its 70 years.

So I hope you have had time to sew up the first 8 leaf blocks.  I have been remiss in my Instagram surfing, so I apologize if I haven't commented and liked your photo if you've posted there.  As long as you tag me, mmmquilts, I should find you, and remember to hashtag freefallqal I will find you.

There are some gorgeous fabric pulls out there!  I've got almost all my fabric home now, but no, it is not out of all the totes; I haven't even unpacked the Florida sewing stuff yet, sniff.  Hopefully soon I can start my second Freefall quilt.

Step 3 will be out on Monday, April 17, and this link up will remain open through Sunday evening.

I Like/Love #2

Ten Things
1. I really do love Craftsy.  Yes, I'm an affiliate, but I wouldn't promote anything I didn't buy, or really like myself.  I love Angela Walters, no secret there, and her latest video is once again, terrific.  This time she's paper-piecing! And it's her own design.  Here's the video:

I've already downloaded the pattern for Angela's quilt!  I already purchased some Boundless batiks, and can't wait to work with them....I think I know where they may be, hmm...

Freefall Quilt Along Step 2 Construction of 8 Leaf Blocks

Welcome back!  We are ready to sew, right?  This week we are making the eight leaf blocks that float on the shadow leaf block.  Does that sound confusing or what?  Not to worry, this first step is easy-peasy.  You need your Ziploc baggie of leaf pieces that float on the Shadow Leaf and your stack of pieces that you cut in Step 1 for the Shadow Leaf.  Here's what we are making:

My Shadow Leaf is green and these are the eight prints I am floating on it.

DrEAMi! Linky #3 Llamas and Laundry

Welcome to the third linky party for those Drop Everything And Make It! moments.  What's got you dropping your current project and running for your stash?

For me this past month, it involved llamas and laundry.  Yup you read that right.