Wordless Wednesday - Cutting Corners

Mending Monday

You all know I have a soft spot for orphan quilts, right? Perhaps not the prettiest, definitely not the much sought after antiques - though sometimes vintage, those wonky first attempts, those gifts given that were perhaps not to the taste of the giftee, or those that have been well used and loved, yet still ended up orphaned on the racks at the local thrift.

The other day I needed a little pick-me-up and wandered into my local thrift store, my girl needed some new blue jeans and I needed to wander amongst the cluttered shelves for a look-see.  There on the rack of dodgy flannelette sheets was just such an orphan quilt. A plaid 9 patch number, "Well hello funny face!" said I. I noted it's hundreds of loose threads, it's random corner of floral patches, and the occasional open seam.

Of course none of these things deterred me, in fact they only served to endear me even more.  And so into my basket went the orphan quilt and then it came home with me.  It has gone through a good washing and a close inspection.  No matter the iffy nature of any quilt one finds at the local thrift, I know all too well how much work goes into each and every one.

So today is mending day, and as I clip loose threads and mend ripped seams, I think about the making of this quirky little quilt.  Sometimes I make up a story about the person whose hands toiled to craft it, a story about the quilt's life.  The quilts I find may not be the prettiest or the most well made, but I love them all the same.

Oh, and those blue jeans need hemming and maybe a bluebird or two and some butterflies.  I'd better get to it!

Happy Monday!

Think Spring

As the dark clouds gather overhead with the promise of rain for days, I am thinking Spring.  The Daphne bush outside my bedroom window is laden with dark pink buds and I look forward to the heady perfume they will give once the flowers bloom.  Tulips are popping up in the neighborhood, the magic of Crocus Pokus are carpeting the roots of old trees and little green shoots are making their way up through the soil.

As soon as this rain clears up I have big plans for getting dirt under my fingernails and getting the garden ready for planting time.  Of course it could still be awhile, but it's nice to dream.

Is it looking like Spring in your neck of the woods?  Are you someplace getting ready for an entirely different season?

Pocket full of Posies - Fabric Wall Vases Pattern from my book Simple Sewing with Lola Nova. Signed copies available in my etsy shop.

Hello Monday

Hello! I am so thrilled to be posting over on Red Nose Day Dolls today. So please head on over to see the secret project I've been working on for a very good cause. Also be sure to look around at all the other wonderful makes that will be auctioned off for Comic Relief.

Have a great day!

Stripey Hearts

I have been tres busy working on a little secret project that I hope to reveal at the end of this week. That means that I haven't been working on any 'day of hearts' business, oh dear me!

So I took a look back in time to a project that makes a fine last minute Valentine, or anytime project really, and that my friends would be a garland of stripey hearts!

Simply follow my tutorial on making Happy Stripey Ornaments HERE, only instead of sewing your strips of fabric to a sheet of paper, sew them onto a square/sheet of felt. Then out of that you would cut out heart shapes, as many as you please. Finish by sewing around the outer edge of the heart and attaching a loop of ribbon or yarn to the top of the heart in the process. Then string your hearts into a pretty garland of love! Easy peasy no?

And oh so pretty!

Hello Monday and Thank You

Hello friends! I thought today would be the perfect day to send you a little love note. Part early Valentine and a heaping helping of Thank You!

I want to thank all of my lovely readers, new and old. You make my shiny place here sparkle even more. Thank you to all the new followers. Thank you for all of the wonderful comments you take the time to leave, I read every one and so appreciate your kind words and your saying "Hello".

I have been taking some time away from my computer of late, I think we all need to do that from time to time, but I'm feeling refreshed and ready to jump back in. Perhaps it is the arrival of the Lunar New Year, new beginnings and all. I am so looking forward to the coming days! And you my friends, are a big part of that.

So thank you from the bottom of my heart, your'e simply the best!

xo

Oh Joyful Day!

It is amazing what a little sunshine can do for your soul! This weekend we were gifted with two beautiful days, what a nice way to start the month. So what is a mama to do with such a gift? Throw caution to the wind, pull on some puddle jumpers, fill a backpack with water and snacks, tumble into the car and head to the country with my girl.

Alright, so not way out into the country, but only a 20 minute drive (both of us singing along to pop songs on the radio with great enthusiasm the whole way) to Sauvies Island. I was thinking Nature Walk, I was hoping for Whooping Cranes, but whatever the day might hold in store was fine by me as long as we got out there, out into the sunshine!

Though many of our "go to" wildlife areas were closed for the season, we were not deterred, the drive was beautiful and we were on an adventure! We stopped to view the geese, searching for the all white snow goose. However, we did not linger long for we were feeling a bit too silly and some of those bird watchers take the watching of birds very seriously indeed and tend to frown upon general silliness.

We ended up down by the river for a walk where we chatted with local fisher folk and played in the sand. Pony Girl found the perfect stick companion right at the beginning. We discussed it's merits as a possible fishing pole, alas we had no hooks and granola bar makes less than ideal bait.

The trees were still wintering, skeletal against the bright sky, the air was fresh and warm, the water sparkled and we chased our shadows across the sand.

We walked and talked and examined moss and tree bark. We saw cranes and herons and hawks and bunnies. We wrote our names in the sand with hearts and smiley faces. Then Pony Girl took over the camera and captured some fine photos!

And then we got really, really hungry! We walked back to the car, stomped our puddle jumpers free of extra mud and sand, threw "Sticky" the stick in the back of the car as it had been such a fine and useful friend on our adventures that Pony Girl insisted on bringing him home. And back we went over two bridges...

...ate a tasty lunch and agreed that we deserved to splurge on a strawberry milkshake!

Oh joyful day!