Year End Thoughts

This weekend marks the second turning of the year -- when in the respective hemispheres -- north and south -- change places for the second time in twelve months, and here up north, our daylight hours begin to increase, while those down south of the Equator begin to decrease.  

In the depths of winter here, we're moving toward light, the spring and the summer.  In the waning days of summer, our Australian friends (for example) are moving toward days of shorter light, into autumn and on to winter.

I'm someone who loves the light -- metaphorically and in reality. These short days are hard for me...even as I treasure the cloke of quiet, candle-light reflection that starts my days, especially now.  

As I write, I'm watching the sun set --  it's 4:07 p.m. Mountain Time -- and I'm preparing to light the candles for this 6th night of Hanukkah, in keeping with my late husband's traditions.  Remembering, too, that Jesus was born into a Jewish family, i smile to think he and his parents -- and siblings, eventually, for there were many -- might have also lit lamps, using precious oil, to mark that miracle wrought in days of old.

But I won't get into that here. Suffice to say that as this year draws to a close, and the new year hovers in the wings...

I want to wish you all blessings, strength, resilience, creativity and courage for 2026.

Makers need to make -- because making keeps us whole, sane, sensible, reflective and strong in the face of the whirlwind around us.

I'm in for another year. Will you join me, Gentle Readers?

First, I am continuing with my Keep It Out Of the Landfill Project, which means I'm continuing to make quilts (throw-sized) to give away.  I've now finished the 2025 BOM (Block of the Month) from Sheri at A Quilting Life.  I've decided that given its size, it's likely that I won't add a border -- even a narrow one -- but rather will sandwich, quilt and bind "as is" -- at 54" (or so) by 72" (or so).  I tried to arrange the blocks so that the distribution of the focus colours -- blue, red, green and gold -- would be fairly evenily distributed. This was a challenge, given the 'directional' nature of some of the blocks.

This project accomplished two things for me: first, creating a new piece with the log cabin block as its inspiration; and second, using up almost all of the last of a line of Thimbleberries fabrics that I've had in my "stash" for well over 20 years!

With that top finished, I've moved into one of my favourite annual projects: Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville Mystery.  This year the title is "Lupines and Laughter", inspired by her recent trip to Iceland.  I love lupines and have lots of them in my flower beds and wildflower "meadow", so I was immediately "IN" for this project!

Bonnie's quilts are always big, so once again I'm reducing mine by 25% which this year, means taking it from an expected 80" square to 60" square. Although I can quilt a top this size on my domestic machine, I still might have it long-armed because Bonnie's scrappy style makes for many pieces, and many seams.  Making it smaller than called-for simply means there's a better chance I'll use only fabrics from my stash for the top -- and maybe even for the backing -- and only have to pay for batting and (probably) quilting.

I've finished all the units I need from Clue #1, and the first set of three for Clue #2:

As this weekend's forecast is for bitterly cold temps, I think I'll stay cozy indoors and finish Clue #2!

In my last post, I was in the throes of making Christmas gifts.  The two stitched ones have been delivered to their recipients, and I finished the socks for that young man in my family:

I also remembered -- at last! -- to take a photo of the gloves I knit for my son:

Thick and serviceable -- from a pattern used to make them for soldiers in WWII!

And I've tucked gift cards into the socks and gloves, just for fun. 😁

I took my box of Warm Things -- a couple of hats, a couple pair of socks, a shawlette and the child-sized mittens I showed in my last post -- to the church to be distributed, and while I was at it, gave our pastor a pair of long-cuffed fingerless mittens, because her hands are always cold.  She was thrilled, and put them on immediately.

I have to thank my cyber-friend, Kate, of the "Arts and Socks" blog, as this is her pattern -- and they turned out beautifully! For those interested, it's "Lawn Bowling Mitts", free on Ravelry. I used the last of the yarn that I'd also used for the child-sized mittens: Schoeller & Stahl's Limbo Mexiko Color, colour-way #2594.

Now that the Warm Things box is empty, I've begun a new item for the next go 'round: the Sylph Cowl.  It's named after a particular yarn, which I don't have, but I've found two stash yarns -- knitting them together -- that seem to be working.  Because it's knit flat, it'll take some time, but it's a broken rib pattern -- interesting enough to keep from being boring, but simple enough to be meditative and relaxing too. Too early for a photo...so stay tuned!

I've also picked up a couple of sweaters I started last winter, in hopes of finishing at least one of them before the winter's over.  

As for stitching, I've put "A Quilter's Dream" away until our next 'date', in February, but here's what it looked like when I took it up at the start of November:

And here's what it looked like at the end of November:

Fabric: 40-count "Porcelain"
Floss: 'Pippy' and 'Greater
Porpoise' -- all from Roxy Floss Co.

I've moved well into the next section of the pattern!

To follow on from that focus, I first stitched another little Modern Folk Embroidery pattern, "Cranky Owl", which seemed to suit my mood from time to time as the daylight hours grew shorter.  And yes! I even Fully Finished it in a wee embroidery hoop.  It now hangs in my sewing studio, and makes me smile whenever I see it:

Fabric: 40-count "Wren" from 
Picture This Plus
Floss: "Gomez" from Roxy Floss Co.

Having finished my last Sunday Stitch, "Hope" from Carolyn Manning Designs (see my last post), I started a new one: "A Thousand Hills" from Plum Street.  This is an older pattern (2017) but I was inspired to acquire it when I saw it worked by Carol Whitchurch ("Saltbox Stitcher" on YouTube).  It's substantial, but it's going to be beautiful!  It's early days yet, so I've no photo to show you, but I can say this: I'm loving the stitching thus far.

I'm working it on a piece of 'mystery' fabric, estimated at 40-count, using a combination of DMC and hand-dyed flosses, one strand over two fabric threads.

For a 'regular' stitch, to mark the official start of Winter, I've taken up a tiny piece entitled "Wintertime", designed by Cathy Jean at The Victoria Sampler.  It's one of her "Bitty Buttons" patterns, and is absolutely delightful!

I'm working it on a scrap of 28-count linen using DMC and the occasional over-dyed floss, using 2 strands over 2 fabric threads.  It'll finish at about 4" square so I'll probably turn it into a pillow.

And speaking of pillows, I have another Fully Finished Object to show you that's...well...sort of a pillow.  It's the biscornu I mentioned in my last post. It's only the second one I've ever made, and I had to put on my Big Girl Pants to stop procrastinating and "Just DO It"!

Here's the view from the top:

And here's the view from the under-side:

The pattern is "Flanders Fields Biscornu" from Heartstring Samplery, and it was given me by a friend for my birthday in 2024.  I worked it on 36-count "Grey" from Weeks Dye Works, using mostly the called-for flosses, 1 strand over 2 fabric threads. 

And is there still one Fully Finished Object that bears mentioning? Why, yes!  

Again, in my last post I talked about having one more Hinzeit kit to finish: "Coffee" -- complete with charms.  I really didn't want to turn it into a pillow and doubted I could find a frame to fit, so what to do? I wanted to give it to neighbours for Christmas.

Inspiration struck!  Coffee, as we all know, Gentle Readers, has become very expensive.  It's now up there in the "suitable as a gift for neighbours" or a "hostess gift" and the like.  So...I bought a package of dark roast coffee and made a 'sleeve' for it!

Measuring around the package, I trimmed the excess even-weave of the stitch, and attached borders and backing in a dark coffee-coloured print.  I top-stitched the lot, and added snaps:

I then wrapped it around the package of coffee and snapped it closed. Here's the back view:

And here's the front:

I put it in a gift bag with a card and left it at their door yesterday while they were out!  Truth be told, I don't care whether or not they can fit this 'sleeve' around any other coffee container.  It's served my purpose and was a fun project to do, so I'm leaving it at that! 😊

With all my Christmas/holiday cards written and mailed, and all the 'away' parcels delivered, I'm left with only a bit of gift-wrapping for my family, who'll be here Christmas Day (weather permitting) -- and with a wee bit of grocery shopping for the casual buffet of nibbles I'm offering this year. No big meal, because my son and his family will have one later that evening, and my daughter will likely dine with friends that night, both back home in Edmonton.  Keeping it simple, guarding against the Antics of Young Cats, I'll have only my nativity scene out on display, and forego the tree for yet another year.

The best part of Christmas for me is the candlelight service on the Eve, and the gathering with my children on the Day.

Meanwhile, I'll link you to Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday, where this week she's trying to stay on top of her 'To Do' list.  

I hope that however you celebrate this year, which has been a tough year for so many of us in this ol' world, that your "list" is short, and that you and yours are safe, well, and able to...

Patterns from Hands On Design,
stitched by me.

Blessings to you all, Gentle Readers, as we close out 2025 and open a new door to 2026.  Until then...a bientot!

It's October...and I'm Still Here!

 

Hello, Gentle Readers! Thank you for being patient with me.  I still have days when I wake up thinking, "WTF?!" but most of the time now, I'm less tired, less stressed.  It was good to take some time away from some of my social media.

You'll probably chuckle at this, though: my "social media" consists of e-mails, blog posts, YouTube videos and Facebook groups -- most of those, private, requiring membership and the answers to a series of questions to determine one's level of genuine interest.  I focus on creative pages (the groups supporting cross-stitch; quilting; hooking rugs -- including for the wall; spinning and knitting.  

Then there's a couple of groups that are political -- but locally (as in my province and the country as a whole).  And that's it.

I'm a big YouTube fan and my list of 'subscriptions' is centred on cross-stitch (aka "flosstube") and knitting, with a bit of quilting and rug-hooking thrown in.  Good for the soul!  

I do admit to enjoying some news and politics but since my time off, I've been curating these items closely. Working outdoors -- prepping for Winter (yep!) as well as working in the studio has also been a big help in dissipating angst.  So...let's see what I've been up to, shall we?

In rug-hooking, the four pieces I showed in my last post have been trimmed, bound, blocked and taken to be framed at "my" gallery/frame shop -- Curiosity Art & Framing in Red Deer, Alberta.  The Gallery has a booth at an up-coming Women's Show in Red Deer, and some of my other work will be there -- October 17 and 18. I expect to be there too -- either helping behind the scenes with set-up or take-down, and/or doing a short artist's talk.  Not sure yet -- but I'm looking forward to it.

My newest piece is a wintry one, in answer to a Call for Entry from the Lacombe Performing Arts Centre.  Sorry...won't be sharing more info until it's framed and my response to the Call is accepted 😊...or not 😞  Stay tuned!

In knitting...well...there have been stops and starts.  My son wants a pair of real gloves -- that is, ones with fingers -- for Xmas.  I made a start.  I got past the cuff and palm onto the fingers of the first one and...they were huge!  So I've frogged that one and started over with a new pattern and fewer stitches.  I'm now working on the thumb gusset; life is good. I know...if you're not a knitter, you're already yawning. 😉

Also in knitting (!) my "sock mojo" has been sorely lacking, but I managed to finish a shawl for "One-skein September" (inspired by Karen of 'Recreational Knitting' podcast on YouTube).  I chose the "Get Set and Go!" pattern from Jem Arrowsmith on Ravelry.  

The pattern is great -- but what had me wondering was my yarn choice: a from-stash skein of "Uneek" fingering from Urth in colourway #3010.  It looked beautiful in the skein and even lovely in the small photo of it knit up (at left above).  Even when I laid it out for blocking, I was uncertain -- but now that it's dry and I've been wearing it, well, let's just say I'm chuffed!  It blocked beautifully and the colours blossomed into a coordinated collection instead of a weird mess!  

Photo taken while being blocked
on an old pale green towel

I've returned to 'give-away' knitting with yet another pair of child-sized mittens from my favourite Tin Can Knits pattern -- The World's Simplest Mittens -- using some more stash self-patterning yarn, and have only the thumbs to do to finish them off.  And my car knitting -- aka my "waiting at the train crossing" knitting?  I've started a simple toque for me, using my own handspun -- a sort-of DK weight marl...

I'm doing a 2x2 ribbing for the brim and then will knit solidly until I get to where I want to decrease stitches for the top.  This lively marled-and-striped colour-way would obliterate any sort of cable or texture pattern; it needs to show itself off! LOL!

In the quilting department, now that I've finished the Celtic Knot Behemoth (my name, not the actual name!) and it's been given to the happy recipients, what's next?

Well...piecing, of course -- it soothes the soul (as I may have said before!)  I'm assembling two things with my scraps -- string blocks (on recycled phone book paper) and crumb blocks.  I'm also working on a "Four Patch Fun" quilt (Bonnie Hunter's "Leaders and Enders" project for this year). For this, I'm using whatever neutrals I can find that work, plus left-over fabric from the Celtic Knot Behemoth.  I made up one block, just to see how it would turn out, and am delighted with it, so have prepped units for several more.  Given the size of the components I'm using, the blocks finish larger than those in the pattern -- 8" square.  I'll need 56 of them (7 blocks wide by 8 long) to make a decent throw for giving away -- and only hope I can find enough lights/neutrals that are suitable!

And...it wouldn't be October without another block for the Block of the Month (BOM) from A Quilting Life. Here it is laid out with its friends on my bedroom floor (bottom left)...

And here's its solo shot:

If you've been following along, you'll know that I've focused on using up a twenty+ year old stash of Thimbleberries fabrics, and have now pretty much exhausted the selection of lights/neutrals, so I'm scrounging from other parts of my stash.  No matter!  I seem to be able to find something that works every time.  I think this is a testament to the talent of that group of designers -- their use of colour, their choice of prints, their knowledge of how colours go together to make a cohesive whole, even decades after the fabric's been discontinued.

Nowadays fabric lines take months to design, but are brought to birth quickly and within months are discontinued.  This seems to be a waste of talent and design time but if the design -- including print and colour selection -- is well done, it can outlive its "fad" or "trend" stage and become timeless.  For me, these Thimbleberries fabrics from 2005 and earlier have that quality.

Let's see...what's next?  Cross stitch!  In September I focused on samplers, and made great headway on my focus piece, "Memories of the Past" from Hands Across the Sea designs.

Here's where I'd left it in September 2024:

And here's where I left it at the end of September this year:

I'm absolutely in love with this piece, but it's large, and I've quite a way to go yet!

Near the end of September I stumbled on a reference to a new-to-me pattern from SewBe Stitchery (Etsy).  I am careful about which patterns I purchase; they have to speak to me in their design and/or in their text, and this one did.  I bought it and I stitched it -- finishing it about a week ago.  It's on a scrap of 40-count unlabelled fabric, using 1 strand of Soie 100.3, colour #648 (bought a good 20 years ago), over 2 fabric threads.  I'll probably make it into a pillow.

Alcott was (and is) one of my favourite authors, and I have the series: Little Women, Little Men, Eight Cousins and Jo's Boys. I identified with 'Jo' as a reader, a lover of russet apples, and a thinker, and I identified with Meg as a maker -- talented with a needle for knitting and/or stitching.  I admired Jo's independent spirit so even though I was never a "tomboy", I was (and still am) an independent thinker.  

My senior high English Comp teacher was sure I'd become a lawyer, but no.  That said, my father's interest in politics and debate seem to have come down to me, which might explain my keen interest in politics, human rights etc.  This attitude has also enabled me to survive my marriage to a man, a man I loved and cared for, for over a decade until his illness (Type 1 Diabetes) took his life -- and all the while I was also caring for my aging mother, aunt and godmother, and raising, with my husband's help, two kids...

I am a Determined Woman

What's next in stitching? Xmas gifts, of course!  I have at least three 'smalls' I want to finish, all from Hinzeit designs, in kits I've owned for years: "Stitching","Knitting" and "Coffee".  The first two are for friends who do those things, and the last is for my neighbours who love coffee. I've finished the 'skeleton' of "Stitching, but have yet to add the charms (yes; it was a pattern/charms kit -- I added floss and fabric)...so stay tuned for more! (NOTE: I'm not sure where you can get these patterns any more. 123 Stitch has some, but not all of them. Sorry.)

Let me see...rug-hooked art, knitting, quilting, stitching...that's about it from my end at the moment.  

"What about spinning?!" you might be asking. Well...yeah.  I took a fantastic, intense 3-hour (well...almost 4 hours as it went over-time) class at the Prairie Fibre Festival in Lacombe in mid-September...and learned a lot -- but haven't touched my wheel since.  That said, I'm culling my fibre stash (slowly) with a plan to spin up only those fibres I really want to spin up. I have a wet-felting friend to whom I'll be giving fibres she might be more interested in than I am. By next spring, I'll know more what I want to use, and what I don't. I like to spin outside in the summer, so there probably won't be more action in this area for several months now.  I'll be busy rug-hooking at the frame, knitting, piecing quilt tops and working on my cross-stitch.  All of those are cozy activities for the rainy/snowy months to come.

No matter.  All bring colour, calm and rhythm into my world -- my tiny corner that, no matter what, continues to be bombarded with political noise and fearful threats from far beyond my sweet Canadian borders.

Fabric, fibre and floss are just what I need to keep me calmer and kinder just now.

And for those skills, I am thankful.

Yes, it's Thanksgiving Weekend in Canada.

And I am grateful. Thankful. Blessed...

- for the work of my hands and the opportunities to share my art;

- for my children, my son's partner and her son, my sister, my cousins; 

- for my dear friends, near and far, and for good neighbours;

- for the hope of living into my eighties;

- for enough to live on and give some away; and

- for YOU, Gentle Readers, who follow and read and put up with whatever I throw at you.

For all of these, I am truly thankful.

Yes, we do turkey, cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes with gravy.

No Pilgrims, though.  Our Thanksgiving is more...well...like this:

Here's to all for whom and for which we are truly grateful... a bientot...

Linking to dear Nina-Marie's "Off the Wall Friday"... Have a great weekend wherever you are and whatever you're doing.  And for Canadian followers: Happy Thanksgiving! 🩷

Gifts

What do you include as gifts in your life?  I have many!

• My children;
• My sister;
• My friends;
• My quiet, pretty rural hamlet;
• My cozy little house;
• My memories of special people, special times;
• My present-day internet connections;
• My stashes...and TIME in which to use them...

I've been thinking about gifts this past week as I've been making a couple to take to family and friends on my up-coming visit to Montreal et environs.  I am so blessed at this stage in my life to have full use of my hands, and the ability to make art!  

In my last post I gave you a peek at a small piece I was making for one of my cousins.  Yesterday I picked it up from the framer's...

Glenelm, QC  (c) 2019
6" W x 6" L
Hand-dyed poly-cotton and silk, commercial cotton;
fused applique, machine quilting, thread painting

I also managed to get off my duff and finish the "twin" -- matted, this time.  Said cousin and her parents will have to discuss which version they want!  😉

Glenelm, QC (c) 2019
7" W x 5" L, matted to 10" x 8"

They're wrapped and ready to pack, along with this throw I knit over the winter, for the friend with whom I'm staying -- and who's graciously driving me around while I'm there!

Shown here being blocked...
Star Afghan - Knitter's Magazine, Summer 2008
Designer: Sandra Daignault, Calgary, AB
Yarn: James Brett Marble DK, colour # MT 12

I was given a few more gifts this week, too.  My son celebrated 34 years on the planet.  My daughter visited with a Mother's Day package of rich Columbian coffee beans, roasted by a Columbian roaster resident in Edmonton, and a gift card to my favourite bookstore.  And not one but TWO (!) skeins of fabulous Manos del Uruguay yarn, brought back for me by her friend L, who bought them in Uruguay on a business trip a few months ago!

Weight: fingering
75% Merino wool
25% Nylon
Colour-way: "Manglar"
Created by Fatima at Dragon, Uruguay

I envision a good-sized shawl...or maybe two shawlettes... or a shawl and some mittens and a hat...

A bell is not a bell till you ring it.

A song is not a song till you sing it.

Love in your heart wasn't put there to stay;

love isn't love till you give it away.

-- Oscar Hammerstein II

Mr. H. was right.  That's why there are gifts -- to be given, and to be received, used, appreciated, shared.  And love is the greatest gift of all.

Thank you, Gentle Readers, for the gift of your reading, your thoughts and comments.  I leave you now with a link to Nina Marie's "Off the Wall Friday", where this week she writes of the gifts of a wonderful holiday, new scenery, new acquaintances and new learning opportunities.

Have a great week!

SJSA

Yes, as I mentioned last week, I'm "Back at It" in the Sewdio, and enjoying the variety immensely.

While ideas for a 'Scottish Landscape' series fill my head, I've been working on prior commitments and gifts.

One of the gifts is (yet another) hedgehog...which I presented today to my friend J, on the occasion of her 87th birthday...

Ain't he (or she) cute?

Another is a set of pillow shams for a client to give as a gift.  For now, let's just say that the pattern has been drafted (a traditional quilt block as the focus) but it's complex enough that I may do a mock-up in miscellaneous fabric before I dip into the fabrics for which the client's paid!

And then there is a Very Special Project.

By this, I'm referring to a series of fabric blocks that have been created by students at the Social Justice Sewing Academy (SJSA), publicized on the SAQA Blog a couple of months ago.  Young people are being encouraged to engage in discourse and activities to support civil justice...and a number of them are involved in creating these blocks that will become art quilts.  Volunteers were needed to add embroidery to the prepared blocks. 

I learned to embroider around age 11, just a few years after I learned to knit.  I love it almost as much, and use these skills frequently in my art work.  I even took a Certificate in Contemporary Hand Stitch from Gail Harker in La Conner, WA,  a decade ago.  AND  I have a huge healthy stash of embroidery floss with which to work.

It only made sense that I would volunteer with this project!

But...I was going away for most of September.  Could it wait till I got back?  Of course!

So...a week ago a package arrived in the mail...from the U.K.  I have no idea why that happened, as SJSA is based in the U.S., but there you are.  In the package were seven (count 'em!) large (15" square) blocks, each with images applied to them...with some sort of glue....and with a 30-day turn-around time!!  I managed to get that changed to six weeks, thank you -- and set to work.  Here's some of that Work in Progress...

A's Block (1)

A's Block (2)

A's Block (3)

U's Block (1)

U's Block (2)

Each block comes with the first name of the artist, a short statement about the work, and if desired by the artists, any special requests.  Above you can see that in U's block, there are grey clouds that have been applied in the sky, opposite the image of the sun.  I put those clouds in, as this is one of her requests, as was the red stripes on each flag in the photos.

I am being very careful to work on one piece at a time so that I can absorb what each artist is saying in his/her work...and plan my stitching accordingly.  While I have complete freedom to select the colours and type of stitches I make on each piece, I am trying to use materials and stitches that will enhance quietly the work and thought behind them.

I know that I have probably never experienced any of the challenges that these young artists have faced in their short lives...so this has given me a glimpse at their personal journeys and a great admiration for their courage, as well as gratitude for those who work with them to bring to our consciousness important issues, while providing a means of creative therapy that comes from the expression of ideas, thoughts, experiences and feelings through the realm of art.

I thank the organizers of this project at SJSA, and hope that my modest contribution will be of use and benefit.

To find out more about SJSA, or to take part in this work, click HERE...

Linking to Nina Marie's Off the Wall Friday, where this week she's been talking about picking a colour palette.  (Note that in the SJSA pieces above, there is a distinct palette selected to convey the message of the work.  As I'm not sure these young artists have been especially taught this concept, I'm proposing that some of our colour selections are intuitive -- they "just make sense"...But a little knowledge can work even more artistic magic, don't you think?)

Process to Production

Prologue: I've been thinking about this post for several days.  I wrote a bit, saved it as a draft, and thought some more.  I originally titled it, "To Market, to Market"...but as you can see, I've changed that. What follows is an up-dated version of the original...

For the past few weeks I've been spending a great deal of time -- or so it seems to me -- doing something that makes me and many -- if not all -- of my artist colleagues queasy.

That something?  "Shameless self-promotion" -- also known as "marketing".

It's tough doing it even if one is an extrovert, and I'm not; rather, I'm somewhere on the introvert spectrum: capable of speaking and singing in public, capable of "schmoozing" at an art opening, capable of enjoying a retreat or conference with friends, capable of enjoying time with family...but requiring a day or two or three in solitude thereafter simply to recharge my batteries.

So going out into the community with posters and postcards to advertise the forthcoming opening of my first installation is pretty tiring.  Blessedly Maureen, the person at the City who is coordinating the event, has no trouble with such things, and is doing a stellar job for me in Lacombe and Red Deer and beyond...leaving me with far less of it to do than I expected -- much to my relief.

But Maureen's not my art agent (grin).  I don't have one of those.  So...when I discovered a new gallery in Sylvan Lake -- a town about an hour from here -- on a visit in late August...I had to speak up, to engage the gallery owner in a chat about my work, to arrange to show it to her...and then to prepare it for exhibit there.

Though still on a consignment basis, for the first time my work will be hanging in a gallery that features predominately paintings.  There is work in other media there -- glass, sculpture, metal -- and fine craft such as pottery and jewellry -- but mostly paintings.  Mostly what people in this part of the world think of when they hear the word "art".  I am thrilled at the prospect of being shown on the same walls...and hoping that will give people a different way to define 'art'.

This means that this week I was attaching wires to the backs of my pieces mounted on stretched canvas...

And writing up a 'descriptive inventory' that included the sort of things I generally put on a label on the back of my quilts: materials and techniques.

I couldn't help but notice that my materials list was much more than "acrylic on canvas" or "water colour on canvas" or "mixed media".   Hmmmm.

The pieces have now been delivered, and the consignment agreement signed, with an official start date of September 24.  Once Denise, the gallery owner, figures out how many she has room for, and hangs them, I'll go and pick up the rest.    Then...we shall see.

Meanwhile, I continue to work on assembling MOB for hanging (a month from today!) , as well as my latest piece for the 15 x 15 Group...

Sneak Peek at a Detail...

And several projects for gifts; first, for the two new babies in my life....

Christmas Stocking Under Construction

Soon to be a "Blankie"

A terrible "selfie" of me in a cloche recently finished, a commission...

When did my neck get old?!

There's another hat (commission) on the needles as we speak, and plans are underway for the Annual Christmas Boxer Shorts, as well as a variety of knitted gifts for friends and family...

What am I doing sitting here typing?!  Time for breakfast and the sewdio!

P.S. I'm linking late into Nina-Marie's Off the Wall Friday.  Thanks for reading!

The Gift of a Day...and a Day of Gifts

Yesterday I woke to snow and blowing snow, with drifting on the highways.  There was no way I was going to be able to get into Lacombe for my "usual Monday".  I made a phone call or two and then settled in to enjoy it.

Since finishing my 15 x 15 piece for the "Rhythms" theme, I've begun work on a couple of large projects, both of which I can't say much about at present -- but they began yesterday in the sewdio.

The first is going to use a significant portion of my stash of muted fabrics, many from Japan.  The design source is Susan Briscoe's Japanese Taupe Quilts, which I bought a few years ago at a local quilt show.  I've had this project in mind ever since and have finally settled down to design it...even setting aside a special sketchbook.

Initial Lay-out

Fabrics for Pieced Block

Two blocks on the design wall
- will measure 9" finished

Given the size of the piece and the finished size of the blocks, I mulled it over some more, and late last evening came up with a larger lay-out.  The blocks with the crosses are from the pattern I've already made.  There will be more blocks and central motif, rather like a medallion.

By late morning the snow had stopped, and the sun was out, but the roads were still a mess.  I got in a shovelling work out and then went to the Post Office, where I found these awaiting me:

I'd ordered them in early December -- one as the result of a blog post I'd read (can't remember which, now) and the other, because Interweave was offering it on sale at an incredible discount -- enough to make the postage worth it.

The Art of the Needle by Jan Beaney is one I've longed to collect; I bought it second-hand through Amazon.ca, and it arrived slowly but in remarkably good condition.  India Flint's Eco Colour was the Interweave offer, at a price so low I thought I was going to receive an 'e-book' but no -- I actually have a hard copy in my hands.  The temptation to throw all other work out the window and curl up with these is strong, but I'm resisting...for now.

The greatest gift yesterday, though, was the memory of my daughter's birthday, thirty-three years before.

Self Portrait of my daughter...some time in 2013

I look at her, and what she's done in those 33 years, and I marvel.  A gift, indeed.

It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas!


No -- no snow yet!  But I'm starting to ramp up my knitting for Christmas gifts.  The first project is actually a request/commission of a sort, from the parents of little Kade Benjamin L., for a stocking.  I did one for his sister a few years back, and now it's his turn.  I've decided to go Scandinavian this time, so am making the "Holiday Stocking" from IK Gifts 2006 (Kade's sister got "Snowman at Midnight" from the same issue).

This is two-handed Fair Isle in the round, which makes it much easier than the argyle kilt hose I'm working on (!) but, per usual, the first few rows are always a challenge.   There are 9 rows of a checkered pattern, though, which will give me a good base.  In order to include Kade's name on the stocking, I'm thinking of either making a longer red section below the cuff, so I can knit it in.  This would add a couple of inches to it's overall 20" length, but hey -- more room for Santa's goodies then, eh?  :-)