DrEAMi #70

Well typing that number, 70, gave me a bit of a pause. Wow. So I looked back to see just when I started this linky party where we celebrate everything squirrel and shiny and distracting...

January 28, 2017

Six years ago! Somehow it seems longer than that. Not only was it the first DrEAMi, but apparently it was the first time I hosted a linkup! Here is a graphic I used in that post that I just love.

The DrEAMi I talked about in that first post was none other than my house pattern, (see sidebar) which became a cushion cover. If you want to take a little peek back at that post, click here.

Gratitude #72

As I write this, I am grateful for my snug house. It is blowing and raining something fierce, and has been nasty almost all day. We had freezing rain and then tiny snow pellets, then more freezing rain mixed with regular rain. The trees looked like something out of Frozen, encased in ice. The power has been flickering and a fire engine made its way down the lane behind us, lights flashing but no sirens. We think maybe a tree or a large branch fell on a power line. Again, I ask myself, why when they upgrade the power poles, which they have been doing over the past several years, do they not just use that money for the new poles, and bury the damn lines. It's not like it's hard digging here; it's sand. We used to be an ocean bed.

Yay for hardy, early spring flowers, like winter aconite that has been blooming for a week now. I am also grateful for the snowdrops I spied at the beginning of this week. They really give a person's spirits a lift.

PQ 14.4 A Novel Project

The past week's challenge was to make a quilt inspired by a book. Those of you who are regular followers know that I am an avid and a lifelong reader; I was an English as well as French teacher as well for 30 years. So it was too hard to choose one book; like Trish I could ream off 50 favourites, some of those favourites read within the past year, like The Dictionary of Lost Words, or Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow, or The Golem and the Jinni finished just three days ago. So I based my project on a series, the Outlander books, though as you'll see, it's really so much more than these beloved books by Diana Gabaldon, every one of which I have, including The Outlandish Companion!

The Calanais Standing Stones are in the Outer Hebrides on the Isle of Lewis. My mini is based on a photograph from Historic Environment Scotland. Calanais Standing Stones is another very informative site with more photos of these magical 5000-year-old stones.

SAHRR Round 3

This week's directive for the round was hourglass blocks. I like making them: make two HSTs, put them back together with opposite values touching, sew either side of the diagonal once again, cut apart, press and voilà! two QSTs aka hourglass blocks. Once again, however, I just didn't know how to incorporate them around my quilt. I first thought of doing them tipsy, to keep on with the whimsical theme, by adding half of a rectangle to either side. Somehow it didn't gel. So I did my RSC homework instead and let my back-brain stew. I'm not sure what inspired me to come up with a double-fade: fade in size and value, that is, but by Saturday afternoon (finally - three days of sewing, okay and real life too, later) I had it together.

Rainbow Scraps Challenge Progress

It's going to be one of those years. By that I mean, a year where unplanned projects keep insisting they get attention. I started out with one RSC project, and as of about a week or so ago, I find myself with three. I am keeping up with each one in a timely manner. So far.

This is the first one, from Quick Quilts magazine. Last month I made four in dark and bright blue. I’m planning to have 30 blocks set 5 x 6 for a 50” x 60” quilt. It will be a donation quilt. Some months will have three blocks, some will have four in the colour of the month. 

SAHRR Round 2 and PHD Update

So far this year, every one of the three Project Quilting challenges have been a snap, as in I know exactly what I'm going to do, and I actually stick to it, and they are all done in time. Not so with the Stay At Home Round Robin! It has been a challenge, but in a good way giving my brain some robust exercise, both in the creativity as well as the calculations departments. However, as of Saturday night, her is my round 2 complete. 

I actually did take a couple of in-progress photos so you can see how I arrived here. Thanks to Gail of QuiltingGail, for hosting this as well as the PHD programme.

Project Quilting 14.3 54-40 or Fight

I liked this third challenge, and, true to form this year (so weird), I knew right away that I would make the block fairly large, maybe even just one giant one, to make a baby quilt. I've called it 'Las Flores' thanks to the name of the green floral.

Thanks to Trish @quiltchicken for dreaming up the challenges, and to Kim of kimlapacek.com for hosting and organizing etc. This has been such a good jumpstart to my creativity each year!