Peace and Plenty

"The desire for world peace is nearly universal but peace within oneself, the world, home, job, school, neighbourhood, family, and country is elusive and often short-lived. When peace is achieved, it is time to celebrate with a grateful heart. Whenever our needs are met, we have plenty, and another reason to rejoice."

Grateful Heart Sampler

"The Grandmother's Fan is a reminder to be grateful for family, and it represents family roots. Quilts passed through generations become precious keepsakes. If you learned to quilt from a family member, continue that tradition. If you are the first, inspire and teach the next generation. Label your quilts and let them tell your story."

I changed my mind about the fabrics I was going to use for this quilt. I couldn't help myself - - I stumbled on a sale today....FQs for $1.34! I restrained myself, and only bought fourty-one.

Today, Itty Bitty observed first hand that I don't understand the word "no". See, his Ontario Health Card expired a few weeks ago (he turned 16 in Sept, so the province wants his photo on his Health Card now). We drove over to London, and waited in a snaking line-up only to be told that we didn't have acceptable documentation.

The gov't employee gave us a 10 minute speech on how the province was ripped off by people stealing free health care, and not that we weren't entitled to it, we sure as heck had to PROVE we were entitled to it. Then he observed that we OBVIOUSLY weren't paying attention to the explicit instructions mailed to us, and that he would give us a phone number to call.

Now, bear in mind, I've driven 40 minutes, and paid a huge sum to park in a garage across the road. The darn Health Card was expired because the two of attend school full time, and can't get to the office during business hours.

ME (to inflexible gatekeeper): ...um...when are you going on your coffee break??

I explained that I HAD called the 1-800 number, and that the gov't employee on the phone said we would have to make some sort of report, because we were aware that we didn't have ENOUGH documentation, but that his health card would be renewed, he replied that it was up to the individual official to use their own discretion to determine if he/she would issue a renewal or not, and that the employee on the phone gave us incorrect information.

I told him it was senseless to call again, because OBVIOUSLY the people who answer the phones are less than stellar employees, and haphazardly spew out false information, and to just hand us over to another person, because we were seeing someone else.....today.....thank you.

We moved on to another gov't type, and she happily allowed us to renew his card, based solely on the documentation we had with us.

On our way out of the office, I stopped at the first guy's desk, gave him a big ole toothy grin, and two thumbs up (very Borat-like "niiiiiiiice!"). Mamma don't take "no" for an answer.

Things I'm Musing About...

I bought a chunk of this Lake House fabric at the Marsh Store, when I visited on Sunday for their post-Christmas sale. I knew I had seen this fabric in a magazine project recently, and thought at the time that if I ever saw the fabric I would buy it. The pattern repeat is about 24", and in that single repeat is 27 different teacups. Very pretty.

Santa put this special issue of McCalls Quilting in my stocking this year, and one of the projects that has really caught my eye is a sampler called "A Grateful Heart" by Lynn Lister

"We should always have a grateful heart and remember and appreciate all of the good that is in our lives....Each block is symbolic of something important to all of us that kindles happy feelings within." Lynn Lister

McCall's reckons this pattern is suitable for a "Confident Beginner"...and Santa also gave me a nice collection of FQs from Moda's Louisa line by Terry Thompson

so I may just have to work away at this.

The cutting and piecing for each block is presented individually, so the quilt takes up 22 pages in the issue. I think I'll enjoy sharpening my piecing skills with these traditional blocks.

Just a few days left

WHAT?!?!?!

Yep, it's true. Just five more days of holidays left, then back to school!

Yesterday, I spent the day with a group of ladies who gather weekly to craft together, including my mother and one of my sisters. I'm often invited, but this is the first time I've been available to attend. I was the only quilter - - most of them were scrapbookers (who are just quilters in denial, right?)

I finished the last ten of my blocks for the Black & White quilt. I'll be rearranging the blocks before the final assembly, so that the blackest and the whitest are positioned in such a way that will highlight the secondary, and tertiary patterns formed by the blocks.

Unfortunately, what I wanted to work on was the blanket stitching on the ME jelly roll quilt I started on Christmas Day. But somewhere between home and the site of the crafting day, I LOST MY FOOT! Yes, the presser foot for blanket stitching fell off my machine, so that little job is going to have to wait until I find the foot in a snowbank somewhere, or I replace it....or talk someone else into finishing it! ;)

I could use some opinions...

No, I'm not wondering how to get Gibby to quit chewing on people's feet. He has so few vices, a litte toe nibbling should be allowed.

Such a nice kitty-kitty!

No, I've been working on another quilt top - (which I started about 24 hours ago!) - which is a near copy of THIS QUILT from Natalia Bonner's blog site Piece N Quilt. Take a look at the left hand column of her blog - - lots of inspiring tutorials to be found. "I'm Blushing" is featured on the Moda Bake Shop website, and definitely among my list of to-do quilts, except I think I will use Gypsy Rose rather than Blush.

So, I'm on to the applique part. I've got the flower parts in place, but I don't know whether to blind stitch the down, or use a blanket stitch - - maybe a chocolate brown thread, rather than traditional black? - - what do you think???

By the way, I used a Mary Engelbreit's Baskets of Flowers jelly roll. The applique flowers look soooooo M.E. -- and I used a 2.5" circle for the flower centres rather than 3" centres Natalia used in hers, and centred them, to make them even more M.E. like.

no...seriously...holidays ROCK!

I've made 14 of these Black & Bright blocks, but no more Black & White (even though one snuck into this photo!

Yeah...holidays ROCK!

I'm really enjoying doing NOTHING! I'm making "puttering around" an art. Let's see...what did I do today....um.... Sewed, finished reading Julie & Julia, went to the library and borrowed about a dozen quilting books to flip through, baked banana bread with Itty Bitty, and this afternoon, I watched "Inglourious Basterds".

Gotta tell you....I'm NOT a Tarantino fan. Blood, guts, and gore is not among the things I enjoy. This is definitely NOT family friendly. But it was SUCH a good story, and Brad Pitt was fantastic as Lt. Aldo Raine.

Inglourious Basterds begins in German-occupied France, where Shoshanna Dreyfus (Mélanie Laurent) witnesses the execution of her family at the hand of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz). Shosanna narrowly escapes and flees to Paris, where she forges a new identity as the owner and operator of a cinema.

Elsewhere in Europe, Lieutenant Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) organizes a group of Jewish soldiers to engage in targeted acts of retribution. Known to their enemy as "The Basterds," Raine's squad joins German actress and undercover agent Bridget Von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger) on a mission to take down the leaders of The Third Reich. Fates converge under a cinema marquee, where Shosanna is poised to carry out a revenge plan of her own.

The ultimate scene is ...oh...I can't even tell you...

My name is Shosanna Dreyfus

and THIS is the face of Jewish vengeance!