Thursday, April 30, 2020

I Like/Love #40

Welcome to my 40th post of I Like/Love. I link up with many other grateful peeps at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color.

1. I like my new logo!
 It took me long enough, but I finally spent a few hours on Looka, formerly Logojoy, and got 'er done.



2. I like this backing I wasn't able to show in my finish post for Centred since it isn't an Island Batik fabric, but it is a batik, and it shows the sun salutations. Perfect for a take-to-yoga small quilt.




3. I love the fact that so many people are being so generous. I loved having the opportunity to practise Ashtanga for free on two Fridays in April with David Robson and his wife Jelena.


4. I love this photo my cousin Jennie in England sent me a while ago.
I sent her this quilt, Twinkle Sprinkles, that I made as a quilty hug of comfort after the tragic loss of her husband this past September. I love seeing my quilts in use.

5. I like the English show, 'Escape to the Country' on DABL. Apparently it's one of England's best-loved shows. These are from 2014; the views are stunning and I want to go back so badly.

6. I like Cindy and I like Blue Dawn. That might make you sit up and take notice! Remember this quilt?
Smooches 2 is going to my boss's daughter who is an RN. I washed it in cold, with a colour catcher. Had three quilts in at once, the first Smooches along with it, and Storm at Sea. Pulled them out, checked Storm at Sea, all good, threw them in the dryer for 10 minutes. I like to do that, and then lay them flat to finish drying. When I pulled them out and went to lie Smooches 2 flat, I had a fit. This had happened:
I used several different creams, tans and pinkish tan, like the wheat fabric between the purple and burgundy hearts. That brilliant red heart fabric, which I'd bought for my 150 Canadian Women quilt (and which I will be paranoid to wash now) had run AND I had already put it in the dryer...bad. Very bad. I googled. Didn't look like much hope. I diluted bleach and dabbed at it to little avail. Then I phoned a friend. Well, texted. Cindy of Stitchin' at Home had made a comment on my Instagram post of the quilt, and so I texted her, wailing about what had happened, and did she have any ideas. Well, she certainly did! Something similar had happened to her a little while ago and she said soak the quilt in Blue Dawn (which I'd squirrelled away a year ago, just an inch or so left in a bottle, and my husband thought I was nuts, but I knew it was good for getting stuff out. Little did I know how it would be my saviour...). Cindy said to soak it in Blue Dawn and warm water for at least an hour. I soaked that part, watching nervously in case more ran, but it didn't. So I set the timer for more than an hour. Came back and I was blown away. It had all gone. I sent it through the wash once more, with another colour catcher, and this is the result:
Yahoo! The quilt hung on our fence yesterday as a tribute and show of appreciation to all our health care workers.

7. I like digital books, and audio books. This month I read Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens and finished The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, one I'd had on hold before we went to Cuba, and had to return as I was only able to have it for two weeks. Both are very good. I'm nearly finished listening to Speaking from Among the Bones, another Flavia de Luce novel by Alan Bradley. I'm also reading a hard copy I"ve had in my personal library forever, The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks. I read all his Magic Kingdom of Landover books which are excellent, even taught the first one to my grade 9 English kids, and I read his Running with the Demon trilogy, also very very good, a strong female character in those.

8. I love spring flowers. I love Forsythia. I'd never seen it before (it doesn't grow in Alberta) when we first lived here in Essex County in the 80s, and there was one on our front lawn. It's an early spring flowering bush, just brilliant. This is Wednesday, a glorious sunny day, and that's Lake Erie you can see straight ahead. I'm on the path that cuts between the two halves of our loop.
I love my azalea, happier than ever this year. She is seven or eight years old now.


I love magnolias. This white one is a neighbours' tree, first to bloom of the magnolias here.

Light pink is next. Here is ours:

9. I love my cat, Bella. She is such a character, and loves being a part of my quilting life. Sometimes she is funny:
lounging, actually on two occasions now, on/in the bag of scraps that will be stuffing for cat mats. Guess she's testing it out. Don't worry, she has two cat mats of her own plus a cosy basket with a crocheted afghan in it, none of which she uses. Well from time to time...
She can be annoying as all get-out:

Perching on the machine...

'Helping' me follow a pattern...


10. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching live talent shows over the past week or so on our local CBC channel, or streaming live on CBC Gem. 'Nova Scotia Remembers' was heartbreaking, heartfelt, so emotional, but good too, to see and hear homegrown talent. I had the privilege of seeing the two below in concert, Dave Gunning and J.P. Cormier a few years ago at our Kingsville Folk Fest.

Last Sunday Canada put together a show to benefit and honour essential workers but also to raise money for the Food Bank. Truly amazing talent from one coast to the other, and even some expats, like Mike Myers and others. I've also had the privilege of seeing Jann Arden twice in concert, and Sarah MacLachlan once.


I also thoroughly enjoyed the benefit for the WHO. I find it captivating and exhilarating seeing huge stars play a tune, each from their respective homes. Here are the Rolling Stones, ha! This was totally unplanned, but yep, I've had the privilege of seeing them in concert too!
Just incredible, the talent those nights. I love the connection around the globe and across our country.

11. And finally, I love looking at my cutting/pressing table from this angle:
Oh, there's more blue. And there's a shelf of purple. And another of Kona. Part of my Happiness Vault, a phrase I've borrowed from Tracie of Riceford Streams, who got it from...I forget! Tracie will tell me in the comments I know.


22 comments:

  1. For your 150 Canadian Women quilt - do a soak in Dawn and hot water before you wash it. That will get the excess dye out without allowing it to mess up the rest of the quilt.
    Full instructions here https://www.colorwaysbyvicki.com/save-my-bleeding-quilt.html#/

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    1. Thank you so much for this reference. I will be using it on a Low Volume quilt with bright colors that were not prewashed.

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  2. I am so glad that Cindy had such great advice and that the Blue Dawn got it all out!!

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  3. Ooh,"happiness vault!" Love that! I love forsythia, too - unfortunately didn't get to see ours because we had extreme low temps 2 weeks ago when everything was just about ready to bloom. Your photo is so pretty! So glad the Dawn soak worked on your Smooches quilt! I am really appreciating ebooks right now, too! Have a great day, Sandra!

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  4. I've used the blue Dawn soak to rescue 3 kids quilts which had dye bleeds (and it wasn't only from red fabrics). It really works, but sometimes takes longer than an hour of soaking. Like the new logo. Our forsythia has lasted for weeks due to the unfortunately cold, wet spring we've been having. I guess that's the bright side of the rotten weather, the flowers lasted longer, even the daffodils, although a few of those got bent over the the repeated wet snow for days on end. Rain today and windy again. Those shelves under you cutting table are fantastic.
    Pat

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  5. I like the new logo! Those talent shows were exceptional and well done! Glad the dawn worked.

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  6. Bella is so beautiful, isn't it great that she wants to keep so close to you while you are sewing!

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  7. Yay for Blue Dawn saving the day, I mean, quilt! I need to try that on a vintage log cabin runner I have that ran. Hmm. The new logo is fab! Love it!

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  8. I'm so glad you were able to fix the bleeding issue! And your logo looks great :)

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  9. Hi Sandra! WHAT?!!! A new logo! It reminds me a bit of Centred . . . and that is quite fitting, no?! I goes with so many other areas of your life, like yoga making you feel centred, etc. I don't need to spell it out - but I do love it. AMAZING about the Dawn. I have a huge bottle of Dawn - picked up as a refill at Sam's . . . wish I could fill your bottle for you. Flowering shrubs - adore them. You can have azalea and for 8 years? I think I'm in zone 5 . . . same latitude approximately as you. I would if I could try them as well. Hmm. And your happiness vault?! I love that expression and very apropos that it's from Tracie. {{Hugs}} Stay safe and healthy. ~smile~ Roseanne

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  10. Your cat is so wuzzy! Oh, that bleeding quilt! I'm so glad you could fix it. I love when I hear my quilts are used - I like making useful things. Huzzah for spring blooms - my favorite are the dogwood trees - but they're not for a while, yet.

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  11. So glad that you fixed your quilt. How nice to get a picture of your quilt being used by your cousin. Great pics of flowers. The new logo is awesome, and love the back of your quilt. LOL Bella sit testing the filler.

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  12. Blue dawn to the rescue - phew! I tried it on a pair of pants - didn't do it. Purple was the culprit - which reminds me they won't really be able to be worn this summer. UGH. Anyway, love your new logo - so awesome....hooray for you!

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  13. Forsythia and magnolias are two of my spring favorites, too! I loved that Rolling Stones number with Charlie air-drumming to himself, made me smile all the way through and I've re-watched it many times. Love your new logo!!!

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  14. The logo looks awesome! Pretty flowers and fabric table too. :)

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  15. I love the new logo! It's very 'you' :) I switched to only using blue Dawn for my dishes a few years ago, precisely so I'm sure to always have it on hand, lol. I find it also works for removing sweat stains from shirts - wet the shirt and scrub the Dawn into the stain, rinse well and then throw it in with the rest of the laundry. Your flower pictures are lovely as always.

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    1. Oh, and Sword of Shannara was the first grown-up fantasy book I ever read, back in grade 7. I remember going to my parents one night because I was bored and Dad suggested it to me. I loved it and I've been reading fantasy ever since :)

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  16. Congrats on the new logo. It's great.

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  17. Great post! Thank you for sharing all that you love with us!

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  18. I know there are many people suffering right now and certainly I've had my down days, but overall I am finding good things in so many places now and that makes my heart feel good. Love all the spring plant pictures!! We are a little behind here in the woods of New Hampshire. Mostly I love your new logo. Was it difficult to do? Level of techie talent required?

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