DrEAMi #58

Welcome to DrEAMi for November. What kind of squirrels have you been chasing? We've set up a few bird feeders for the winter and consequently we've been on actual squirrel patrol...to the point where MacGyver had to go online to see what kind of squirrel baffles he could create to foil these smart critters who sit and totally decimate the bird seed.

A simple piece of furnace vent ducting has done the trick, though he had to fashion a third one since they were LAUNCHING themselves from the lilacs and Jimson weed plants onto the green house-style feeder.

So, you can see that both humans in this house have been chasing squirrels, as it were...

Plus Playtime Plus Quilt

Yep, that title is correct. I'm putting it down to another menopausal brain fart, but I have it in some places as Plus Playtime, and in others as Playtime Plus! In the QAL and and in my Google docs pattern doc it is Plus Playtime, but for some reason on Instagram I started the hashtag playtimeplusquilt, so therein lies my own confusion. Whatever. This quilt, a commissioned one, is done!

A veritable rainbow of dancing plus blocks!

Gratitude #58

First off, Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends. As we know, or if you don't you're about to, practising gratitude daily makes you a better person. It grounds you. It heals you. It lifts your spirits. It makes you appreciative for the gifts and blessings you have. It leads to a more positivite attitude. Here are my likes for the month. If you'd like to read more of these kind of posts, and write your own and link up, head over to LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color.

1. I love my YouTube playlists.

When I sew, I listen to music 99% of the time, so I love my playlists, along with CBC Music and the music on my iPhone. The majority of my music there is what I've heard on CBC, such a well-rounded music station: classical, new and classic rock, blues, R&B, Indigenous, World, and more.

2. I love battery operated candles.

A votive size looks so good in my beach glass holder! Great book beneath it too btw.

I have three kinds: those with a on/off switch, those that get turned on with a little remote, and those that have a built-in timer, 4 or 8 hours. I use them all daily.

94Quilt Finished

I acknowledge that I am living on unceded territory of Anishinaabeg (Source: Canadian Encyclopedia) on the shore of erielhonan, (Iroquoian word meaning 'long tail') now called Lake Erie.

Wow, it's been a while since I posted. I've thought about writing an update post a couple of times, but just never did. I do have a finish, a quilt I worked on from July 1 to October 2, making one double flying geese block a day while I read the 94 Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action. Not only did I read a Call each day, but I also went to the Beyond 94 website that CBC created, and followed most of their further reading, links to articles, TV shows, other sites and organizations, and literature. I watched We Were Children, the CBC documentary, riveting, heartbreaking, a must-watch for every Canadian, no every Turtle Island dweller, so that means Americans and Mexicans, who are also descended from Europeans.

This is the resulting quilt.

Charm Squares Makeup Pouch and a Flimsy

I'm pretty pleased with myself because not only do I have a finish for Friday, but I also have a quilt top together and all four of my goals for this Q2 of #wipsbegone2021 complete with lots of time to spare!

I've made several of these over the years, most recently three to sell in my Etsy shop, SandraJaneQuilts. I sold the aqua one in short order. In early September I had one of those days when you just feel like going off-topic and playing a bit, I grabbed what was left of a Gooseberry by Bonnie and Camille mini charm pack, and made the two sides. I'd used half of it in a little pouch I made for my friend Tish. And there it sat. Why?

Surprise! A New Tea Cosy That Fits!

Last year my daughter Brianne had an idea for me to make to sell in my Etsy shop, SandraJaneQuilts: tea cosies with funny 'tea' sayings, as in, "I've got tea!" and "Spill the tea!" The double-entendre is on 'tea', which is modern slang for juicy gossip. I made three. One I sent to her, and two got listed. One sold. And the one I sent to Brianne?

Didn't fit.

Gack! The tea cosy I made I based on one I've had for decades that fits both my teapots, which are, apparently, not as wide as Brianne's.

I had planned to make her a new one, but, as they say the best-laid plans...

9-Patch Rainbow

It feels wonderful to have my second of three Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilts done and ready to gift. The first one, an H2H quilt, Delia, is here, and the third, Bowtie Strings, should be a flimsy within less than two weeks, as it is on my #WIPSbegone2021 list for this quarter. This one reminds me of a QR code, especially the black 9-patch in the centre.

This is another quilt from the book Nine-Patch Revolution by Jenifer Dick and Angela Walters. It's an excellent book; last year I made 9-Patch Spectrum, which actually got finished quilting earlier this year.