WWJD

You may have heard that acronym, or seen it.  What does it stand for? Well in my case, not, as you would think, the usual:  What Would Jesus Do? to indicate doing the right thing, the loving, compassionate thing....
Oh but wait! There's love.  There's compassion.  There's the right thing.

Singer 15-91 the morning after purchase

What Would Julie Do?!

Freefall Link Up #4

Wow!  It's here!  Have you managed to get all 20 of your blocks done?  Now's the time to show them off! I have one to show you that is destined to become a cushion cover.

I see Miss Bella was parking her butt on it...maybe she's dropping hints/furballs to claim it for her own!

Puh-LEEZE remember my tip that I've mentioned more than once that if you cannot wait and have to sew your top together, you avoid that place in the layout, and in my Freefall quilt, though not in my Windfall quilt, where I have 3 leaf points pointing together.  Yikes, it was too many seams there, nasty.  So tip them alternate ways than mine! Be free! Be less seamy, lol.

OMG for May

I haven't done a One Monthly Goal in forever, so I am working one in this month, finally!  I need to get this flimsy quilted:

and bound and ready to take to the Sexual Assault Centre in Windsor as one of my Hands2Help quilts.  That is my main goal!

I also need to finish this barely-started flimsy and get it quilted up:

I'm hoping for a third one which will have white as the background and stripes in a different layout.  Then my two quilts, one red background one white, will have a bit of a Canadian theme since I plan to donate these two to Syrian refugees.  Windsor has quite a few, since we have quite a few opportunities for work for them down here as well as a cheaper cost of living.

Wish me luck!

Linking up with (sneaking under the wire!)
Elm Street Quilts

 and
Confessions of a Fabric Addict for H2H (see button on sidebar)

Sunday Stretch for Sewists #19 - Shoelace

"Two of the best poses for us in the West are Shoelace and Swan." My first Yin teacher, Gillian, who spoke in a soft South African accent, always used to tell us this.  At first I did not like either of them.  My body did not like either of them.  Now?  They are still intense, but oh boy, do I love how they massage deep into my hip sockets.

Quilty things first, though: look what shoe rack hack (see what I did there?!) I did the other day that is pretty sweet!

Note the 'in colour order' from top to bottom 😉

I had gone on a bit of a hunt for some solids to use in a second Hands2Help quilt... No luck yet, because the loft is more chaos of a different kind than ever as MacGyver started to get the longarm set back up.  My cutting table kind of collapsed (not as well-made as IKEA) when he went to shuffle it aside, and well, I won't type the string of fancy words and phrases that flowed out of his mouth...  Enter cutting/pressing table design number 2, thought up by me!  I have lived with it and worked with it all week, and I'm liking it, but for the very difficult access to the loft storage under the roof and behind it.  Still, MacGyver has a plan to fix that issue.  Now that I know this works fine, he will finish setting up the longarm and I can get some quilts quilted!

Shoelace

This will make you sit on the floor, which is always a good thing, trust me.  Have a chair handy to help you get down and back up again if need be.  Shoelace is going to give you a great outer rotation in the hip joints, adduction in the inner thighs as you stack your knees atop one another, as well as give you a good tug on the outside of your hip joints.

Note that if there is any kind of knee pain, do Eye of the Needle instead.

To come into Shoelace, sit your sit bones on the edge of a folded up quilt. If you suffer from sciatica, elevating the hips so the knees are below the hips will help avoid aggravating the condition.  Elevating your hips also helps give your pelvis a forward tilt; we tend to have backward tilting pelvis in the West since we do not live on the floor, but sit in chairs.

Sit with your legs in front of you, and take your right foot and knee into your hands, maybe rocking the leg back and forth a little just to feel the movement inside your hip joint.   Then bring the right knee over the left, just like you were sitting in a chair crossing your knees, but your lower limb is going to rest on its side, foot also on its side.

IF this puts too much strain on your left (straight) back of the knee, slide your hands palms down, beneath it to  lift it a bit, which will take the pressure off it.  You could even slide another quilt under it if you like.  If it's okay for your back, lean forward, rounding, or not; a flat back is fine and will protect your low back if you should not be rounding forward.  If you do round, you will feel a nice decompression in the low back.  Leaning forward adds compression to your hip joints, which are already nice and juicy with the outer rotation and adduction happening!

If there is a large gap between your knees, use a block there on which to rest your right knee.

You don't have to lean forward much in the beginning.

If your knees are healthy, and your hips a bit more flexible, you might like to match the bottom leg to the top one.  Lean back and see if you can fold in the bottom leg in, still keeping the knees on top of one another.

Again, use a block between them in the beginning if they are fairly far apart; we want our quads soft and squishy and relaxed so the tugging feeling and tension is all in the hips.  Note where my feet are, forwards, not tucked in close to my hips.  In the beginning they may want to be closer to your hips, but as you practise this pose, and it doesn't feel as intense (and this may take months or years), then start to move your feet away from your hips.

You can fold forward as much as you like over the 3-5 minutes you hold this, breathing slowly and steadily maybe to a count of 4 or 5, letting gravity do the work.

A tip from both Sarah Powers and Bernie Clark is to gently push into your hands even as you fold forward, so the weight stays off your knees and back in your hips.  Your work is to relax and breathe and allow the tug/tension to go deep into your connective tissues.

To come up, inhale and straighten slowly back up, head last if it was dangling.  Undo your leg or legs, set the foot soles down, lean back on your hands and take a couple more breaths enjoying the 'spearmint' feeling as the blood rushes into the compressed areas, both nourishing the tissues, and removing toxins.  You might like to do a few windshield wiper movements, side to side to put some motion into the hip joints.  Remember to do the other leg!  Man I love the iPhone's timer feature so I can take these pics even when MacGyver is MacGyvering away inside! 😊

Also remember to take advantage of Craftsy's weekend classes special (affiliate links here) where all classes are under $20US aka $26.87CA.  I've taken advantage of these deals more than once!  You can check out my reviews of two of Angela Walters' classes here (I may own every single one), her Feathers one and Machine Quilting: Small Changes Big Variety, and I highly recommend her Dot to Dot one,  and Christina Cameli's Wild Quilting.  I still haven't found the time to finish Natalia Bonner's class Free-Motion Motifs for Classic Blocks, and review it in its own dedicated post, but so far it's just terrific and I highly recommend it.

Okay, now to write up a quick post for OMG for May, and set up the link up party for showing off all 20 of your Freefall blocks!  That party will open Monday, May 8 and run all week.

Linking up
Confessions of a Fabric Addict for

because I am happy that I made myself write up this post, even though it is a week late!  I feel so strongly about taking care of our bodies, specifically our hips and spines as we spend so much time hunched over our machines, cutting mats and pressing tables.  H2H linkup is today--sadly I have no more progress than a bit more work on the scrappy blocks I showed on Instagram earlier this week:

Although I didn't find my solids, I did find this lovely rich red that has languished for years, and it makes me happy thinking it will go to a Syrian refugee family in this bright and happy quilt!

Minestrone

Seems rather odd to share a terrific soup recipe in the lovely Spring but there are days where the lovely Spring weather still has a bite in the wind and it feels like a soup day.  Such was the case here during the first few days of April, and again of late.  This is one some very dear friends in Alberta shared with us, both in edible and recipe form.😋

Italian Vegetarian Minestrone Soup

2T olive oil
2 c shredded carrots
1 large finely chopped red onion
2 c sliced zucchini
1 c sliced mushrooms (I subbed cauliflower)
3 c fresh spinach (stems removed)
2.5 c shredded cabbage (red or green)
1 - 28 oz can diced tomatoes (not drained)
1 - 19 oz can chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
1 - 19 oz can red kidney beans (or your choice of beans, rinsed and drained)
1 c uncooked noodles (such as small shell noodles)
10 c vegetable broth
2 T brown sugar
2 T balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp pepper
dash of salt

In a large soup or stockpot, sauté onion and carrots in olive oil over medium heat until onions are soft but not brown (5 min).  Add remaining ingredients except for chickpeas and beans.  Bring to boil and simmer covered over medium-low heat for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Add chickpeas and beans and simmer 10 more minutes uncovered.  Serve with a garnish of Italian cheese.  This soup freezes well. (It makes a LOT!)
Add cooked Italian sausage or chicken if desired.


Speaking of dear friends, I had the opportunity to meet up with Cindy of Stitchin at Home this past week!  I am so very thankful for flexible people; she said yep, to the approximate time and day and location...

The Canadians who are reading this know in a heartbeat that this is Tim Horton's!  It worked for us! 😉  Too bad this location hasn't had the facelift they are all getting to a more 'sit and visit, coffee house' vibe much like Second Cup or Starbucks.  It didn't matter though: we could've been standing on the side of the road for our meeting place; we'd have still loved every minute of being together in person.  Julie, Tish and Beth were with us in iMessage and spirit too! Sadly the wifi, as it is in a lot of public places, was pretty pathetic, so we couldn't FaceTime as planned. This will be the first of several get-togethers, we know it.
I spied several of these

as we worked our way back south along highway 3 that hugs Lake Erie coastline.  We went up on the 401, a major highway, aka interstate, aka motorway, so you don't see much but other vehicles.  This, now, is much more scenic:

I was waving madly to Julie 'just' on the other side of Lake Erie, lol. Doesn't it look like the ocean? It's 92 km/57 miles in width.

I am still not feeling very successful in the finding time to sew department.  I'm a creature of habit, routine, order (not obsessive order but still) and it is quite not that way as you know in my life this past while.  I'd hoped to be entirely caught up with the 150 Canadian Women QAL, but I am not, so here are the only three little blocks I've got to show in about two weeks.  As always, these women's stories absolutely amaze me.

Clockwise from bottom left: 67-Molly Kool: she waited 3 years(!) to get permission to take the coastal master's certificate (women weren't allowed) and became captain of her father's ship. Note the ship, the lighthouse, and the anchor in the tone-on-tone I used for 3 of the 4 centre 1" squares. 68-Leone Norwood Farrell: biochemist in 1933, quite an accomplishment in itself because of her gender, but developed 'The Toronto Technique' which enabled mass production of Salk's polio vaccine.  69-Frances Oldham Kelsey: scientist, earned her PhD in pharmacology in 1938 from the University of Chicago where she taught for the next 20+ years, 1960 began her career with the FDA. Her first assignment? Testing a pill for morning sickness, which she feared could be harmful to the fetus. Despite pressure from the drug companies (some things never change) she refused to approve it, thus ensuring not one thalidomide-deformed child was born in the USA.

I loved the Moda Marbles soft pink so much in Molly's block that I used it again in Leone's, and then found the softer-yet pink floral in my scraps, which I believe is a bit from a skirt of my sister Wendy's. I was able to used several small pieces for the ivory background of that block too.  These three blocks were intense!  All are based on a 36-patch grid, so 36 @ 1" finished squares!  Here's a tip for Molly's block, which is the one on the lower left. Instead of making 32 HSTs that finish at 1", make flying geese units the no-waste way (see tutorial here) using these measurements:
For the pink 'goose' or 'peak' part of the unit, cut a square 3 1/4"
For the 'wings' aka side triangles, cut four squares 1 7/8"

Those five squares will yield you four flying geese.  Yeah yeah you have to do a partial seam to sew them around the 1.5" squares, but it's simple.  Here's how:

The top part of the photo shows the first seam, sewing not quite half of the flying geese unit to the centre square. The lower part of the photo shows the second seam, sewing the pink flying geese unit to the left side of that unit.

The top part of this photo shows the red flying geese unit sewn to the bottom of the unit from step 2, and the lower part of the photo shows you how to line up the final pink flying geese unit to sew onto the fourth side.
You will have

this!  The lower part shows you what it looks like after sewing the fourth side.  All you have to do is fold down the top red flying geese unit, matching the seam with the side of the pink flying geese unit, and finish that partial seam from the first step! It's a bit tight because these are tiny units but the top section of the photo shows you what you end up with!  Four less seams and no wasted fabric from the connector corners method.

You're welcome!

Wouldn't the centre of the last block make a beautiful block in and of itself? Might have to try it in perhaps double the size...

Those are cherubs in the four corners, a nod to the babies she saved from being deformed

Soft pink!

Spied this gorgeous girl a week ago on a very early morning walk. The photo, of course, does not do her justice. These pale pink magnolias are pretty much finished now, but the deep pink ones are still in their finery for the most part, and the yellow ones should be out soon! I can't wait to get one for our new house.

NOT done is Craftsy with their class sales.  Beginning tomorrow, May 4, all classes yes ALL of 'em, are on for less than $20! Might be a good idea to snag one you've had on your wishlist, just sayin'.  I am an affiliate, so yes, I do get a small compensation if you click through and buy using my links!  Thank YOU!  It goes right back to Craftsy usually LOL, or, in the case of my latest purchase, to Connecting Threads (do I have some deals to tell you about...and yes I finally got my approval to be an affiliate with them, but my show 'n tell is from pre-affiliation, so plain pure unadulterated passion for fabric you will be shown...stay tuned. :-)  OMG and such good and welcome news from them I will share for my Canuck readers!

Linking up
Sew Fresh Quilts
Quilt Fabrication

And uh, yes, if you were looking for Sunday Stretch on April 30, it wasn't there.  I forgot.  😖 I hope to have one for you tomorrow(?!)  I will try my best!🙏

Freefall Quilt Along Step 4

There are three different styles of leaves that float on half-background, half-shadow leaf fabric.  Of course, you could choose to make all six the same; just know that you might have to cut more of either the background or shadow leaf fabric.

H1 Leaves
The first ones I've labelled H1.  Half and half (background and shadow leaf) is where the H comes from.  We will make two of these.

Note:  To avoid confusion between leaf fabric and shadow leaf fabric, I will refer to the shadow leaf fabric as green, which my big shadow leaf is.

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!