DrEAMi #60

Welcome to the February edition of Drop Everything and Make it! I hope you've managed to chase a squirrel or two to brighten your days. I don't know about everyone but February seems to be going on forEVER. January and February are the winter months for us here in Kingsville, Ontario, and I just need them to be over already. It doesn't help that such horrible things have been going on again (or still) or new horrible things like the invasion of Ukraine. I am heartsick, as I'm sure my readers are, at the sad state of affairs in the world. We have gone from all being in this together, and lifting each other up just two years ago, to mistrusting each other and even resorting to heinous unfathomable acts. So, we resort to quilting. It lifts our spirits, helps us feel like we are doing something, anything, to brighten our day or someone else's, and quite literally brightens our sewing spaces with splashes of colour.

Courtesy of TapRoot

Playing with material, aka fabric, saves my sanity more than ever.

Gratitude #61

It's time for me to reflect over the past month about things for which I am grateful. I will be linking up at LeeAnna's blog, Not Afraid of Color, where you can find others who post their 'likes'.

1a. I thought would start with some of the recent additions to my sewing room. When Dayna was finally, after more than two years, able to come and visit us, she brought a few items with her that had been sent to me care of her. One was my thank you from Sarah of Confessions of a Fabric Addict for participating again in Hands2Help.

Do I like both of these packs! I can see two charm pouches being made with these cute mini charms! It's a pleasure to participate in Sarah's comfort quilt drive, and I will be again this year, with Mari of The Academic Quilter as the host. I will be sharing a quick and easy make for a comfort quilt, as well as donating at least three.

Project Quilting Update

In truth, I had totally forgotten about Kim of Persimon Dreams PQ 13.4 this past week, because of a few things. One was focusing on my Postcard from Sweden next third of the quilt (check). The other was the ongoing Grifter Convoy or kukluxkonvoy that, for the record, had absolutely nothing to do with mandates, but more to do with overthrowing our entire government, far right hatred, and conspiracy theories galore. A third was that figure skating also figured into my sewing time, as I cannot 'watch' TV and sew at the same time; something suffers.

Here, on a much happier, creative note, is my PQ 13.4 challenge, Mining for Diamonds.

That was about as still a photo as I could get in the crazy wind! The sunshine was just so good to show off these beautiful colours.

 

I made this from my still plentiful stash of gorgeous Island Batik fabrics. They are so very generous with their supply of beautiful fabrics for their ambassadors.

Postcard from Sweden QAL Step 3

And here we are at Step 3. I've sure been enjoying seeing the beautiful quilts in various stages from HST squares to entire flimsies on Instagram! If you want a feast of bright colours for your eyes, check out #postcardfromswedenqal2022

For today you are to have the first five rows sewn together. And? I have a little surprise for you today!

TGIFF: Positive Flow Tote Bag

Welcome to TGIFF - the linkup where we celebrate our finished quilt projects! Please honour the spirit of this linkup and only post finishes, thank you! If you would like to host TGIFF, the signup sheet and details can be found here.

Recently I made two tote bags as commissioned Christmas presents. Well, one of those who requested a bag for her BFF asked me a couple of weeks ago if I would make another one similar to it but for herself. Not a problem! I was in the process of making the heart quilt, Millie, so once that was done and sent off in the mail, I got started on the bag.

This one has the same main fabric A and B, but different fabrics for the plus blocks and front band than the one I made for S's friend.

Millie

This adorable pixellated heart quilt has arrived at its destination in Alberta, so I can share it now. Three quilts are connected in this post, all through sadness, but with hope, love and joy as well.

In December Dayna asked me if I would make a baby quilt for her BFF, the one for whom I made Grace. She was going to Alberta the third week of January and wanted to take the quilt with her then. I ran a few heart quilt ideas by her, because it had to be a heart quilt again because her BFF loves them. She immediately fell in love with the pixellated heart I made for my friend and former Yin teacher, Gillian who had just been diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. That quilt is what brought my friend Helen of @helenmidgetgem together, but that's another story, which you can read about in the Gillian post, Friends of the Heart, if you so desire.

Gratitude #60

Welcome to my first Gratitude post for 2022. I write these once a month, paying attention all month long, making notes, taking photos along the way of things for which I am grateful. I link up at LeeAnna's blog Not Afraid of Color, where you can read several other blog postss from various parts of the Internet who post their likes and loves.

1. First of all I am so grateful that I finally, after two long years, got to hug my youngest daughter. Although FaceTime is wonderful, and I appreciate it so very much, it's not the same. We had a wonderful 2.5 days visit. Thus, I did not get this posted on the final Thursday of January. The bestest of reasons why.

This guy also had a wonderful 2.5 days with 'his' Dayna. Although he hadn't seen her for two years, he remembered her, and it was clearly as if she'd come back from the dead. He scream/yipe-cried in a most heartbreaking crazy-endearing way, and it was as if he was trying to get inside her because leaning, sitting, pressing, jumping on, and kissing just wasn't enough. The stuffed cow was actually a present from her for Xena, but he claimed it, along with his bird which was from Dayna. Xena didn't care. She doesn't get stuffies.