A Challenge!

I was still thinking about this question when I went to bed last night (see previous post). And I came up with a quilt for Wolverine... I imagine it to be a scrappy patchwork made up of flannels, plaids, even some corduroy, in browns. Definitely well worn, even has holes from where his claws have gone through it!

Which brings me to the challenge...Quilt Pixie even beat me to it with her comment to my last post!...Apply the quilting question to characters from any of your favourite books, tv shows or movies! What kind of quilt would Starbuck make from Battlestar Gallactica? and so on. It's a fun exercise in imagination, applying your knowledge of quilts to other scenarios! Try it!

What quilt story would a Super Hero tell?

Tonya sent me an email with a link to this blog Black Threads. Kyra E Hicks is a quilter and author. Kyra asks the question What quilt story would a Super Hero tell and do Super Heroes quilt? Of course I had to weigh in with my 2 cents (see my comment to her post), but then I really started to think about it. What quilt story would they tell? Would it be the Batman story of the death of Robin, would you use pieces of their costumes, in crazy quilts or patches with their symbols on them? Would you use Superman's cape as the backing for the quilt? would the quilting citizens of the marvel universe join together to make tribute quilts after the fallout of Civil War like the quilts made in the wake of 9-11? Perhaps some well meaning therapist has the Joker thread up a crazy quilt in Arkham Asylum? Would Mary Jane take up quilting in her later years, while Peter Parker is out saving the world? or perhaps she would take it up to make a crib quilt when they have their first spider-baby? Aunt May, Martha Kent wouldn't they quilters? OK, OK I am being a bit of a comic nerd!

But how about the wonky superhero blocks I was making earlier. If I had a child I can imagine myself pointing out the different blocks and telling a little story about each superhero..."Do you know why Batman uses the bat as his symbol?" I would start out and then proceed to tell a little story of the origin of Batman, and of course the child would roll his eyes and say "Mom, I've heard that one before, tell me the one about the Punisher! Does he have lots of guns?" Ha! Kids say the darndest things!

Please check out Kyra's blog and website. I really enjoyed both, she posts a lot about Civil War quilts and the Underground Railway. In her kids lit blog she posts about books for kids.

Greetings!

Merry Christmas all! This was the email card I sent out this year. Usually I like to send a photo of the cats, but they haven't been behaving christmasy lately.

Christmas was great as usual this year! Ate too much as usual, but it was all so good! My parents upgraded their camera for Christmas, so I inherited their Sony Cybershot, 4.1 megapixel to replace my Olympus 1.3 megapixel. woo hoo! Stay tuned for higher resolution photos! Hubby got me this quilt book (photo taken with new camera!):


It was quite the surprise. I keep a list of books I want to keep an eye out for near my computer and he swiped it without me knowing. He couldn't find any of the books here, so he got my in-laws to look for them in the states. B&N didn't have any in stock and wouldn't mail it to Canada, so they arranged to have it sent to a friend in the states and picked it up later. Oh so much covert shopping going on! Didn't suspect a thing! I am looking forward to trying out the exercises in this book!

More Postcard Swap

Here are my latest postcards that I received from the LFQG postcard swap. The blue Let it Snow one, has loose snowflakes trapped under a layer of tulle. When you shake it, it snows! How cool is that?!

Below are my October postcards I received. I didn't participate in November's swap. Basically, you drop off your postcards into the box at the guild meeting. Then for every one you drop off, you receive one (that is not your own) back in the real mail. I like to drop off 2 at a time! Beats getting bills in the mail!

Suske's Beauty Tips

"It's all about grooming and my secret is to take a shower everyday!"

My cat Suske is not afraid of water. She loves it! Whenever you take a shower, she likes to jump inside with you and sit there. She won't go in by herself and let the full force of the shower hit her, but if you are in there and blocking it a bit she will stay until you are finished. She also likes to lick the water dripping off your fingers! Crazy girl!

Christmas postcards

These are my 2 fabric postcards for the guild postcard swap. The santa card is from a block I never used. I just added boots to finish the block and then put on eyes and a moustasche. It was also the first time I used TimTex. I usually just use whatever I have on hand, interfacing, some batting whatever, so my postcards are pretty floppy. I am surprised that I like how the TimTex turned out. One lady I know uses the interfacing that you use in curtains and that turns out nice, too, not as puffy as the TimTex.

Here's a photo of my Batman tea cozy. Tonya (Lazy Gal) and I were discussing Batman fabrics so this photo is for her. I can't survive a day at work without a pot of tea!

Santa Collection

Tonya asked me to post some photos of my Santa collection. I started out collecting old fashioned Santas before moving on to pop culture Santas. I liked old fashioned Santas so much I made my first tree skirt with appliqued Santas. This was made before I was really into quilting. Then it took me a year to cross stitch 4 santas and make them into a quilted wall hanging. Then I made a cross stitch santa bell pull, which bled red when I washed it. I now put Jack as Santa as my tree topper (it rests in a coffin box). I also started a post card collection and I keep any Santa cards in a Santa tin. I hang up the 2 hats to indicate that Mr and Ms. Claus live here. I'm not really into collectors plates but I have Alex Ross' Superman carrying Lois Lane with Christmas hat and Batman as a Christmas present with the Joker and Harley Quinn.


I've always collected Simpsons stuff, but I particularly like the Christmas stuff. I've got a Homer and Bart as Santas string of lights as well as Homer heads. I also try when I can, to pick up the Carlton Cards' Simpsons decorations, but I really wish people would give them to me for Christmas instead. I have Homer stepping on the cat with sound effects (heh,heh), Homer squeezing into the chimney and Homer and the kids on a sleigh. Most of these decorations end up on my store Christmas tree. Again I use Jack as a tree topper, this version is the Gold Millenium Jack placing the star on top. And this year we have a life size Jack in pajamas to put with our store tree. Other decorations include Homer as a nutcracker, and I have 2 Coca Cola Santa piggy banks and for awhile I was collecting icicle Santa decorations.



Whew! that really is quite tacky! It doesn't look as bad in real life.

On the quilty side of things, I made up some gift bags with Tonya's free-pieced letters and I think they look marvelous!

New Profile Photo

For those of us who were first to take Tonya's Lazy Gal Class, we decided to send Tonya our names to her as a thank you and on Friday we revealed our blocks to her. Above is mine and I will be using it as my new profile photo. I am sad to see my Spike block go, but I will bring it back as a header for my blog eventually. (Once I figure out how to change my header and I make "quiltasdesired" as a block as well..If anyone has this template and knows how to do it, let me know...I've been hesitant to change my template to the new easier version, because I've been happy with this one, so far...I just want to personalize the header)

I don't have much other quilty things to reveal, it's getting crazy at work, and I spent Saturday Christmas shopping and Sunday, Dad and I put together my new cupboard for my sewing room. Then we decided to see if we could make some headway on the eaves troughs. I didn't get to clean them out before it snowed because the leaves were so late in dropping. Then the snow froze the leaves into the troughs and the downspouts were getting all backed up. When finally the snow was gone it was too windy to go up on the ladder. Well, yesterday it snowed again, but today it was raining. It was enough to allow a bit of melting and I was up on the ladder shoveling out logs of frozen leaves and ice out of the troughs! Absolutely miserable work, but it's all done! Just in time too, because tomorrow we are expecting 20-30 cm of snow, that's 8-12 inches for you Yanks. I am glad I don't drive to work, I expect the roads to be pretty terrible tomorrow!

PS. Thanks Dad!I couldn't have done it without you!

UFO Madness!

I've been busy...what else is new? We've been getting 3 times the amount in deliveries as we stock for Christmas! I come home so tired! Friday our furnace at home went on the fritz! ugh, apparently it needs a new motor...the furnace is only 9 years old! The part won't be in until today (Monday)! So I have been living like a refugee from the war! Lots of quilts, sweaters and space heaters! My parents always the optimists, tell me "Now you know what it was like when we were kids in Holland!" My dad says they would leave the window open a bit "because it was healthier" and when they woke up the water in the basin would be frozen and they would use the water from their hot water bottles to wash up with! Yes Dad I am grateful for the what I have, although I wish I had heat!

I did get to spend Saturday at the UFO day with some of the guild and managed to complete the top for my Dutch Mini quilt (July 21st post) I was making. I am glad it is done! Please put mini paper piecing down as "Once is enough"!




Here is Christine at our very organized and tidy work station!

First Snow

Yesterday:

Today:

sigh.
wasn't ready, never ready.
leaves aren't even raked yet.
brrr.

I'm in!

It's true! I'm in for Gwen Marston's Beaver Island retreat in Michigan next year! This is a picture of the postcard she sent as a confirmation! Way cool! I'm going with my quilting buddy Christine!!!! woohoo!


Took out Kaffe Fassett's Passionate Patchwork from the library and there was a neat idea of an unquilted top used a blind in the window. Just last week I saw Hedgehog's post of her quilt hanging in front of the window and it inspired me to make this:


Also, I finished my Sakura wall hanging:


Also, got my bingo card made for the guild (Fons and Porter, September/October 2006):



Sometimes it feels great to get the little things done!

Lest We Forget

A friend of mine wrote this for Remembrance Day:


FIVE MILES TO PASSENDALE


LET NONE SLEEP TONIGHT WE`VE GOT A WAR TO FIGHT
CAME THE EARLY REVEILLE HORN
WITH DRIED MUD ON MY FACE IN THAT FRONTLINE PLACE
AND A DUTY AS SURE AS I`M BORN
THE PRICE WAS QUITE HIGH FOR A HILL SO NIGH
THAT CURRY WAS FROZEN TO THE CORE
BUT HAIG SAID PUSH NORTH WITH YOUR CANADIAN FORCE
ALL FIFTEEN THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED AND NINETY FOUR

WHEN DOES LIFE BECOME AN OBLIGATION
WHEN MEN DIE TO SAVE OUR NECKS AND NATION
DO YOU FEEL IT BEARING DOWN UPON US ALL
THOSE OF US WHOM LIVE AFTER THEIR FALL

WE WERE THE 3RD AND 4TH CANADIAN DIVISION
WHO WERE THE FINAL SACRIFICING MISSION
TO PULL OUR GUNS BACK OUT OF THE MUD
OR BE SUCKED INTO A GRAVE OF DIRT AND BLOOD
EIGHTY PERCENT IS TOO HIGH WAS THE GENERAL`S CRY
THESE MEN ARE DESPERATE TO FIND COVER
HOWEVER THE MESSAGE CAME THROUGH
AND ALL THOSE CANADIANS WE KNEW
BECAME THE KEEPERS OF OUR BROTHER

A REPRIEVE OF COURSE FROM THE OPPOSING FORCE
ALLOWED THIRTY MINUETS TO REMOVE THE DEAD
BUT WE ALL KNEW THAT WHEN FINALLY THROUGH
THEIR SIGHTS WOULD BE BACK UPON OUR HEAD
TO RESTART THE WAR AND NOT KNOWING WHAT FOR
WAS A MOMENT THAT PERPLEXED US ALL
YET THE COMMAND CAME DOWN AND AGAIN WE FOUND
OURSELVES HAD BEEN TAKEN TO THE WALL

IT WAS A SENSELESS PARADE AND A FALSE FACADE
THAT THIS HILL NEEDED TO BE TAKEN
OF COURSE WE ALL KNEW THAT THE GENERAL`S VIEW
WOULD BE OF HUBRIS, PRIDE AND HIS BACON
SO WE DID OUR JOB IN THAT NOVEMBER FOG
TO PLEASE THE COURTS AND ALL THAT TALE
AND WE DID WHAT WAS DONE, IN THE END WE HAD WON
THE LAST OF FIVE MILES TO PASSENDALE

WHEN DOES A LIFE`S REGRET BECOME OUR DEBT
FOR ALL THOSE WHOM WE`VE NEVER KNOWN
WHO PAVED THE WAY SO THAT WE COULD SAY
THANKS FOR MY LIFE, MY LIMB AND MY HOME

JOE RENAUD

Downtown Sinking Fast!

I got an unexpected day off work today. Apparently at 5 in the morning a water main broke in downtown London, causing the power to go out to the downtown. This is the photo of the city trying to clean up the large sinkhole that appeared in the street afterwards!



The street lights were all out on my way to work and police were starting to direct traffic at major intersections. There was no power at my store, but I had to wait for our Wednesday comic shipment to arrive. My employee arrived and said the bus routes were a mess downtown as well as 20 minutes behind schedule. Hubby arrived around noon. The comics arrived and we did our best unpacking, counting and putting them aside for the regulars. By 1PM we still had no power so we called it quits and took a walk around downtown to see the chaos. If you want more photos they are on the store blog.

There is news video footage here and Free Press here.

As of 7PM there was still no power to downtown.

Sigh, tomorrow is going to be a busy day..... if we have power.

I have been very busy, and haven't been able to post. First, a Halloween photo. Pirates jogging by my house came to say hello. They had just completed their 10k run through Springbank Park. Participants were encouraged to dress up! Father and son make a great team!


Finally Echt Hollands is done and back in my possession! I sent it out to Sue Chinn of Huntsville to be machine quilted. And what a wonderful job she's done!



A detail from the back with the label I made:



Thanks Sue!!


On Saturday, our guild had a room booked so we could work on UFO's. Here is a very flattering photo of myself basting my Robyn Pandolph piece:

We were in a church basement and it rained most of the day but every once in awhile sun would shine through that window. I liked the way it shone on my quilt.

Here comes the Rooster!

I've been saving this post for awhile. I live within walking distance to my downtown, basically in the heart of the city. I walk to work every day and I love it! I cross a bridge at the end of the street, walk through the park and then I am downtown.

One day, at around 9AM on my way to work, I swear I heard a rooster crowing, down by the river! Imagine a rooster in the city! It's a wonder to us city folk! I paused to see if I could catch a glimpse of this bird, peering over the railing, squinting at the trees along the banks of the river. I couldn't see anything, but a cyclist along the path sure did a double take when he heard it. He too stopped to see if he could find the rooster!

For a few weeks, from my house, I could hear him crowing in the morning around 7AM. Remember how unseasonably warm it was the last few weeks of September, all our windows were open; I could hear him in the distance.

I mentioned this story to a friend who works at the local paper, and they did this story on it. But they could not find anyone who actually saw the rooster. That made me determined to find it. One early morning me and my digital camera were down by the park looking for him. I found him sitting in a tree! I took photos, but alas, they did not turn out. My camera has no zoom and it is only a 1.3 megapixel. It was also a little too dark. I went later in the afternoon and found him, very close to the same location, wandering about on the ground and managed these 'big foot' like photos:

And in case you can't find him here is the photo cropped:

I submitted my photos to the local paper and they called and said they were going to do a story, taking the "big foot" angle, but I am sure some real news took precedence. Quite a number of times I went to the same spot to check on the rooster and he was always there. I told my neighbours that I have seen the elusive rooster and I can show you where, I would take them them the next morning to show them!

Well of course, you can guess what happened. He wasn't there anymore! And we haven't heard or seen him since! I did see Animal Care and Control hanging about, so I suspect they rounded him up. I heard from someone, that the person who let the rooster go at the river was on the local radio station confessing his sins. All part of a prank apparently, someone put some chickens in his apartment as a joke, and he didn't know what to do with them so he let them go at the river. True or false? I don't know, now just part of the legend!

Well, my quilting buddies, I have been doodling roosters all the time. I am seeing roosters everywhere. In craft stores, and at the Russian Quilt show in Ailsa Craig, there were at least 3 rooster wallhangings! As Gwen Marston says, in her book, Collaborative Quilting, "When in doubt, make a chicken quilt". I am not sure I need or have the energy for a whole quilt dedicated to my rooster, but I did make a couple of fabric postcards, one for my neighbours and one for myself.


And for the finale here is Alice in Chains:

Superhero Blocks continued....

I came up with this great Spider-man block. I thought this block would be really hard with the legs, but when I was sketching it out first, I realized that I could make one block and cut it into pieces to create the legs!


OK, my Superman block, needs work!


I improved my Green Lantern block by adding the green around it:

The menagerie, or Superhero headquarters, so far:


Also managed a couple more fabric postcards for this month's guild swap. The top one is "The Butler did it Again" and the bottom is "Autumn Trails". I am really going out on the embellishments with that one (read sarcasm) I used some gold thread and did some french knots! Embellishments go outside my 'comfort zone'!

Happy Thanksgiving, Canada!

Mmmmmm! Mom's butternut squash soup! Yummy! It was a good meal, a great winter meal for 30 degrees Celcius! We've been having a bit of a heat wave here in Southwestern Ontario! We sat out on the patio, the A/C has been on, it's crazy, wondering when the cold snap will hit!


I added borders to Black Cats Staring. I've gone thread shopping. I have been using up my embroidery thread, but I thought I would experiment with perle cotton. I don't think I will get it done in time for Halloween. I may hang it up in the front window any way, I'll see how it looks first.

Been experimenting with free pieced super hero blocks. Here is Green Lantern:

The Punisher:


Batman:


The Hubby didn't like the Batman one, it's not pointy enough, I'll keep experimenting!

Sunny and warm!

I went for a drive in the country with my parents. We have had such wonderful weather lately. Sunny and warm. Above pumpkins for sale at the Lucan (oops sorry it is Birr not Lucan) General Store at the side of the highway.




Don't you just love the wings on that goose!


I also spent some time on my front porch handquilting an abandoned project. I was inspired by a photo of a japanese garden, black bamboo and the cherry blossom fabric I had. I had wanted to try some reverse applique. It didn't quite have the visual impact I had in mind and I left it hanging on my design wall ( I think the circle was too small and the background fabric too overpowering.) I was going to call this piece Sakura and make 3 more seasonal wall hangings...

But I just got a book out of the library called "Quilt & Embellish in One Step!" by Linda Potter. It contained some Sashiko inspired stitches and I thought I could use them on this piece! Now the stitches very quietly makes the circle more pronounced. I am using just regular embroidery floss, 2 colours pink and green. I've echoed the centre of the blossoms in the centre of my circle. I am much more happy about this piece.


I also finished my little triangle hand piecing. I made 2 of them. I just have to put binding on the second one. I sewed myself into a bit of a corner using 1/8 inch seams. I thought it would be more secure if I used the machine to attach the binding with a 1/8 inch seam. It's quite wonky but it was fun. I got a feel for how it might have been without a sewing machine.

This is a cat block I came up with when doodling. I want to put some button eyes on it.