Workshop in Progress - February 10

We have some new additions to the Workshop group this week. Make sure you keep an eye on Katie's Salt Marsh Path and Cindy at Around the Block Designs. They will also be participating in our weekly round-up of the creative process.


If you've been following along you've seen Elle's work on those turquoise, green, and block blocks for an interesting wall hanging. Well, she may have found her answers, check it out. And in her frenzy of creativity she has a question for you regarding a bargello. Thoughts?


There has been no creating on my end since I finished my pillow. Sigh. The machine is in the shop for a little tune-up. And sadly my knees aren't getting much better. But the ideas are churning and one of these days I'll be ready to hit the ground running!

Announcing Simple Bites

With a heck of a lot of excitement and as much fanfare as we can get through Twitter, Facebook, and blogs, I am happy to announce the launch of Simple Bites. part of the Simple Living Media Network Simple Bites is under the care and inspiration of Aimee from Under the High Chair. And I am proud to be among the regular contributors to this site about Real Food for the Family Table.

My company includes Lynn from Cookie Baker Lynn, Cheri from Kitchen Simplicity, Elizabeth at Guilty Kitchen, Shaina from Food For My Family, and Shannon at Nourishing Days. We come from across the world, in both urban and rural settings, and with children of all ages - from babes to grandbabes.

As contributors to Simple Bites I hope we can all share our daily successes, and struggles, with putting good food on the table for our families. You aren't going to find a lot of boxes in our kitchens and if you look close we probably all have a fair amount of dirt under our fingernails. But our families are nourished, inspired by, and even entertained by our efforts in the kitchen, garden, and farm. We hope you will be as well.

Make sure to check out Simple Bites today, there is a fantastic giveaway! I can't make any promises on your chances of winning, but if I can give our editor a nudge then I only ask for a bit of vanilla in return!

A Pillow

My latest little hand project is complete. A week in my chair and this sweet pillow is now propping up my knees and their ice packs.

Made with a little fusible applique, outlined with a simple black running stitch. The background was actually a sarong that someone gave me a long time ago. I hand quilted the whole thing, and backed it with some Amy Butler Full Moon Dots in Tangerine.

The inspiration for the project came directly from Marisa at Creative Thursday. Really, the inspiration was two fold.  One, she is such a positive spirit, even in the face of struggles and challenges. When I took her e-course she commented that she is generally a happy person and that she refuses to apologize for that. Good for her. And eye-opening for me. I've been accused of being negative (cynical?) by some pretty important people to me. But one can easily choose to be happy and live happy. It is still a challenge for me, but it is working.

Besides, if I let all the crap that happens to us get me down I would never get out of bed in the morning!

The second point of inspiration was the composition of the piece.  Marisa makes the sweetest paintings, sculpture, and books. Make sure you take a look through her Etsy site. It is guaranteed to make you happy. While I would never want to copy her work, I'd like to think that this pillow is truly an 'inspired by' piece. It doesn't hurt that it simply makes me happy to look at it.

(And immediately after filling it and putting it on the couch the Monster curled up next to it for an impromptu nap. Now that makes me happy.)

Life in Perspective - Blog Aid:Haiti


There are moments in life when the notion of perspective isn't just something you get, it is something that comes right up and smacks you on the face like that scene in Airplane. There I was whining and moaning about my crap knees, the next thing I know EMS is at the house because Smilosaurus choked on some granola and it just won't come out.

This was the granola that I asked my mother-in-law, Susan, make for me while I sat with ice on my knees. The granola that needed to be photographed for inclusion in the Blog Aid: Haiti cookbook. And two days later my little one was happily eating handfuls of the Chai-Spice Granola with Pistachios when a little bit went down the wrong way.  She wasn't in grave danger, but she was definitely having a bit of trouble. But Hubby was at his own physio appointment (with the car seats) and the nanny and I were left with the girls and no car to go anywhere.  Not that I could drive.

Thankfully a good coughing fit just as the ambulance drove up and she was back to her normal roles -Death Wish and Howler Monkey.

Later that afternoon I submitted my recipes for inclusion in the stunning cookbook she was putting together. One of my mentors and friends, Julie Van Rosendaal sent out an email three weeks back.  She was motivated to take action in response to the earthquake in Haiti. So she asked some fellow writers and bloggers to contribute to a cookbook project.  She led the charge on the newest version of the community cookbook.  Blog Aid: Haiti is a collection of recipes from 27 writers around the interwebs.  The recipes range from my own Chai-Spiced Granola with Pistachios (only available in the book) to the ultimate Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie, from Blueberry Galette to Bulgogi, and from Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream to Concord Grape Sorbet.  

All Recipes, photographs, design, and editing were freely given.  The artwork gracing the cover is by the lovely artist Beth Snyder. And the publishing houses, West Canadian and Blurb.com are matching the proceeds realized.  So that triples your donation when you purchase a book. Buy before February 12 in Canada and all donations will also be matched by the federal government. So in addition to a very leveraged donation you will also get a rather stunning cookbook.

All proceeds will go directly to The Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders to help with relief efforts in Haiti. The last few weeks we've used our Canadian medical system quite a bit and I am extremely thankful for the care we get and the low/no cost of it all. Doing a project like Blog Aid:Haiti just highlights how damn lucky we are here, and how important it is to support those that don't have that sort of access. That sound? That's perspective slapping me across the face.

Back to the book. Did I mention that each recipe has a photograph? And that contributions are coming from folks like The Gluten Free Girl and Chef, Seven Spoons, Tartelette, Under the High Chair, andChristie's Corner? Seriously, stunning is an understatement.

The book is available for US $25 in softcover and US$50 in hardcover.  You can buy it here, or click on the button there in the sidebar.  It is available on a print on demand system, so you should get it about 8 days after ordering.

For more information on the book, the project, and all the contributors, visit the official Blog Aid website.

And from now on, we're sticking to granola in yoghurt, perhaps with a bit of pomegranate syrup drizzled on top.

Blog Aid: Haiti

I'm not sure how many of you know this, but I have a second blog and a second creative outlet in writing. The focus for most of my freelance writing is food writing. As a result of this passion I've developed a lovely and generous network of food writers.

One of my mentors and friends, Julie Van Rosendaal sent out an email 3 weeks back.  She was motivated to take action in response to the earthquake in Haiti. So she asked some fellow writers and bloggers to contribute to a cookbook project.  In just three weeks she led the charge on the newest version of the community cookbook.  Blog Aid: Haiti is a collection of recipes from over 25 writers around the interwebs.  The recipes range from my own Chai-Spiced Granola with Pistachios (only available in the book) to the ultimate Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie, from Blueberry Galette to Bulgogi, and from Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream to Concord Grape Sorbet.  

All Recipes, photographs, design, and editing were freely given.  The artwork gracing the cover is by the lovely artist Beth Snyder. All proceeds will go directly to The Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders to help with relief efforts in Haiti. And the publishing houses, West Canadian and Blurb are matching the proceeds realized.  So that triples your donation when you purchase a book.  Buy before February 12 in Canada and all donations will also be matched by the federal government. So in addition to a very leveraged donation you will also get a rather stunning cookbook.

Did I mention that each recipe has a photograph? And that contributions are coming from folks like The Gluten Free Girl and Chef, Seven Spoons, Tartelette, Under the High Chair, and Christie's Corner? Seriously, stunning is an understatement.

The book is available for US $25 in softcover and US$50 in hardcover.  You can buy it here, or click on the button there in the sidebar.  It is available on a print on demand system, so you should get it about 8 days after ordering.

For more information on the book, the project, and all the contributors, visit the official Blog Aid website.

Workshop in Progress - February 3

It's time for another Workshop update. What do we have going on today? There isn't much to report from my studio, other than my machine going in for some love. It finally occurred to me to take it now, since I can't use it anyway. Let's check on the rest of the group.

Cristin is now working on Side B of her special baby quilt. Visit Sew This is My Life and take a look. What do you think?

Over at Pickle Dish Lesly is contemplating block designs for bee participation. She is using that lovely Anna Maria Horner Voile. How can she show it off the best?

How would you go about choosing fabrics for a scrappy blocks? That's the question asked at Nichole in Real Life. She has a neat project on the go, make sure to check it out.

An ongoing project over at Elle in Da Coop has her puzzled. And if you know Elle she has her hands in a million different pots at once. Maybe we can help her finish off this project.

The ongoing colour saga at What KT Made Next might be over. What do you think?

One last thing. Many of us who receive comments are often met with a noreply-comment@blogger.com response. That means we can't get back to you, even if it is just to say thanks. If you feel like you've been ignored lately after leaving comments, make sure you check your settings. If you are on Blogger, check out this post and make sure you have your settings the way you want them to be.

Tuesday Quiz

Movements


This is an old quilt. By no means is it antique, it's only 11 years old. And it was only the third quilt I ever made. Previously I'd made one baby quilt and a wall-hanging for my mom. That's it.

Eleven years ago I was a grad student, done with classes but working on my thesis. A few months in to the year I started to get sick. Nothing major, but a general ickiness. A couple of trips to the doctor, test upon test, and phone calls to my brother in California revealed nothing. My brother, the doctor, however, didn't like what he was hearing so he finally sent me to the hospital. A visit with a surgeon, a CAT scan, and a lot of laxatives later I was much better. Nothing like a random virus and lots of stress to inspire creativity out of illness.

While wallowing in my fever I read an inspiring book: Hidden in Plain View. This historical account of quilts in the Underground Railroad was fascinating to me. It still is. I am blown away that so many people were willing to risk their lives and livelihoods to help escaping slaves. I am in awe of the work it took and the secret codes of the quilts to help those running. So, rather than continue to wallow in my own minor illness I started sewing.

This is a simple Hourglass or Bow Tie pattern. In the Underground Railroad Quilt Code this pattern signified to the runaway slaves that they needed to travel in disguise, often upgrading their look to an apparent higher status. I can't say why I chose this pattern, but it was a good one to just start with. Like most of my sewing now, it was project that just started for the sake of starting. It filled my time and my imagination with the stories of escaping slaves.

Obviously my propensity to overquilt started with this quilt. I did a grid all over the quilt, at about 1 inch intervals. And because I thought that would be too boring, but I had no concept of free-motion quilting I decided to teach myself how to hand quilt and did a floral repeat on a few spots on the top.

On the border I outlined that accent piece and then did some curves, after the fact. To be honest, nothing about the quilting is very good. Really though, who cares? This quilt was and still is just for me.  I love that it has a personal history for me, I love that is acknowledges a part of the history of quilts, and I love what it shows me about my own quilting development.

I'm sharing this quilt now for a couple of reasons. One, it really does show a progression of my skills. Two, I have to laugh because when I made this quilt I remember thinking that I couldn't see how I would ever make a quilt that didn't have white background. And now I totally rebel against that! Three, this was actually the only time I hand quilted until these last few weeks. Yikes!

Finally, being laid up these past few weeks I actually finished a book on the nightstand. The Book of Negroes is a novel with a stunning heroine. It follows the life of Aminata Diallo, captured in Africa and brought to America. Really, it is a haunting story.  (In the US the book is known by the title Someone Knows My Name.) 

The book itself has inspired another quilt in me, I'm just waiting for the indigo and osnaburg I ordered to show up. Stay tuned.

The Whys

Since the creative production here isn't all that high, I've been thinking a lot about creative production. For me, that means writing and quilting. Over the course of a few conversations with a good friend we've asked each other about style, why we quilt, and what we think of when we talk about quilting.

Today I am going to address the last question.  It's kind of a word association game. 
When you think of quilting, what words come to mind?

For me, quilting means:

Creativity
Uniqueness
Comfort
Colour
How
Those were my first instinct words, what are yours?

My Days and Nights

Like a starving man with irrational and obsessive fantasies about food, I'm losing my mind and killing myself over recipes I can't cook. I'm even dreaming about food and famous foodies.

The other night I went to Pangaea, a restaurant I've only ever heard about through fellow writer, Dana McCauley.  Her husband, Martin Kouprie, owns the place. Now I've never met either of these people in person, but I had a very elaborate dream where Martin took me on a tour of the place and gave me a cooking lesson. So now I am obsessed with trying something we experimented with in the dream - hot chocolate ice cream. We made ice milk, then poured over a cocoa sauce. Cocoa sauce? Not chocolate sauce? It was a dream after all.

Then last night I had a fantastic dream with Matt Armendariz. Nothing either of our husbands have to worry about, so stop right there. If Matt ever opens the bar I dreamt about he will be a very popular man.  Well, popular with everyone but my dad. Inexplicably my grumpy old dad came with me to the movie screening at Matt's bar. The rest of the crowd, full of old friends from university and what my unconscious can only guess are a mess of Matt's friends, enjoyed candy, chocolate, and pastry made by Matt. I can't tell you what movie we watched, but I can still taste the butter and flake of Matt's perfect pastry.

And I thought it was bad spending my days reading magazines and blogs, torturing myself with food I cannot make until I can stand for more than 5 minutes unassisted. Now my nights are haunted by crazy good food and better company that the ladies on The View.

Workshop in Progress - Jan 27

It's time for Workshop in Progress. I've got a few questions myself about a project, but I want to highlight a few of the other projects out there where the creators are asking for your input. Check out the links and see what you can lend to the creative process. Remember, keep your comments constructive and polite.

Tackling a Dear Jane quilt is a brave and slightly crazy venture. What KT Made Next is getting set to start one of these traditional quilts, with a modern twist.  She is looking for some colour and layout input before she starts. She is also the second person I've seen who uses Excel to work on layouts.  I love this idea!

Making your own baby's quilt is one of the most difficult projects I can think of. Cristin at Sew This is my Life is expecting her first baby and has made a great start on her own baby quilt. She is looking for some quilting advice and any name suggestions (for the quilt), can you help her out?

Beth at Love Laugh Quilt is working on a fantastic, modern basket quilt. She has a couple of different options. I love the idea of combining all the stripes and baskets together, personally, but what do you think?

Over at Blueberry Gabs Jody is looking for some input on the jump to Etsy. She has some gorgeous handknit hats that certainly tempt me.

Jenny from Puddle Jumping Designs and On the Creative Path has quite the challenge facing her with the redecoration of her kids' room. So many crafty and creative possibilities.  What can you recommend to her? Visit her at Puddle Jumping today to help her out.

This is an older post, but another good one for the Workshop.  Jacquie at Tallgrass Prairie Studio is always working on an armful of projects.  On this one she isn't totally happy with the layout. Any suggestions for her?

Okay, my turn. I'm still doing nothing but handwork these days. My lovely nanny helped me get this project started yesterday while the girls were napping. I've fused on the shapes and done some outline stitching in black thread, to mimic a line drawing effect, a la Syko. 

Those orange and yellow circles are balloons.  Well, they will look like balloons once I sew/embroider strings from the little creature's hand to the balloons.  That's where I'm stuck. I'm not entirely sure what to do, as I am not an embroidery person. I don't think I want to use floss though because I don't want the strings to pop out more than the balloons or creature. Or is that just silly? So, stitch and colour recommendations? 

I will be handquilting in the background and turning this whole thing into a pillow. Piping or no piping, that will be a decision for another day.

Thanks for participating in the Workshop today!

When Hubby is in Charge of Cooking

My mom just left after a weekend of cooking, giggles, and laundry. She came down to help us after I blew out both my knees skiing last weekend. Hubby still isn't fully healed after his broken collarbone so taking care of the three of us girls is a bit much on top of working as well. So mom came down, fixed us up with some great dinners, and put some soup and pyrohy in the freezer.

But before she came down Hubby spent the week cooking.  One night I walked him through a leftover change-up, we enjoyed some meals from the freezer and from friends, and one night Hubby made wiener wraps. Hot dogs, plastic cheese, and the packaged dough in a can. He was in heaven, the girls loved them, and even I ate two. But I did eat most of the carrot sticks I convinced Hubby to prepare. I can't wait to cook again.

A Little Handwork

Ugh, I have spent far too much time sitting on my ass for the last 10 days. Obviously it isn't my choice. But I have to make the most of it, right? After a near choking episode with Smilosaurus that involved EMS, only a few days after I blew out my knees so many of our friends and family asked us how Hubby and I handle all the setbacks (bad luck) life hands us. Well, if we got down after every single bad thing we honestly would never get out of bed. And trust me, we both have those kids of days.

After a couple of days wallowing in my pain my fingers started to itch and my brain started to hurt for a lack of creativity. Making up stories to tell the girls only gets me so far. So I picked up some fabric and started to sew.

Hmm, it's hard to just start sewing by hand than it is by rotary cutter and machine. That whole improv thing isn't as easy when you are working with a tiny hand needle, scissors, and your butt in a chair. I've decided that I am not cut out for hand sewing. Embroidery, maybe. Applique, when appropriate. Hand quilting, definitely. But piecing by hand, hopefully never again.

This is just a little quilt. My mom, in town to lend a hand, watched this come together and asked if it would be a block.  That might be a better use for it, but I did finish it as a mini quilt. I started with embroidery, trimmed the white, added the strip of black and white, and finished the front with the last strip of white.  To be honest. I'd planned to make it bigger, but I grew rather bored of the hand piecing. So I basted it, did a little crooked hand quilting (please don't look too close), and added a bit more embroidery.

It isn't terribly pretty, nor is the quality of work that great, but it will have an honoured spot in time behind the gong that sits above our bed. Yes, we have a gong in our bedroom. Our life is often a gong show, so why not? And this quilt is just another reminder of that.

Quilt Canada Update

We are just 4 months away from Quilt Canada! That does seem like a long time yet, but for us on the Local Organizing Committee it seems like it is just around the corner. Being laid up and all I thought I would remind my readers about this fantastic event.  Just a little stumping for us hard working gals.

Did you know that Mark Lipinski will be speaking TWICE at our event.  This gregarious fellow is guaranteed to bring out some laughs and a little blushing to the audience.  But he will also bring some quilts and fantastic insights to the audience.

I might be a little biased, but I am really looking forward to the Professional Development conference. Okay, so that is the portion I am organizing. It will be a good chance for us to pick the brains of a variety of quilting professionals on finding balance, getting into the business, and keeping creativity alive.  We have some fantastic speakers lined up in local shop owners, company reps, long-armers, business coaches, artists, and more artists.

Of course, at the center of Quilt Canada 2010 is the National Juried Show and the workshops. Please visit the main site to see the list of workshops.  The topics range from composition, machine quilting, art quilts, sashiko, embellishments, landscapes, collages, and so many more. There really is something for every kind of quilter. Visit the Quilt Canada 2010 website for the class list, as well a full list of events and accommodation information. 

Oh, and one of the exciting bits of news is that you can now buy day passes if you can only swing one class or day off of work. Add that to an admission to the National Juried Show and Merchant Mall and you have a fantastic day out!

To stay on top of all our Quilt Canada 2010 news and developments you can become a Fan on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Relaunching the Workshop in Progress

The new year is a perfect time to tackle projects that got pushed aside in the hectic holiday season. For me, that means bringing back the Workshop in Progress.

Workshop in Progress is about encouraging those of us with an on-line presence to open up and share the details, challenges, and a ha moments of our creative process.  This can include everything from the struggle to pick just the right binding, to sharing tips on space set-up. The whole point is that we are being open about the process and not holding on to our work so tight until that last stitch goes in the binding. Use the resources and opinions of those around who share your creative passion. Many of the participants have said how useful the process has been for them, both in receiving comments and providing them.

Every Wednesday will now be Workshop Wednesday.  Not only will I share some more of my projects (once I can sew again) but I will also do a weekly round-up of posts out there.  If you are posting something particularly to get opinion, please send me an email in case I miss the post. I will do my best to catch the posts, but I'm only a working mom with two blogs and may miss some.

As for the above picture, well, it's hard to post without a picture.  This was a fun moment with Smilosaurus, all captured with dots. And thank-you for all your kind words with my injury. I'm still killing time on the couch and I have indeed started a hand project.

Kijiji Rocks!

Or how The Okanagan Food and Wine Writers' Workshop got Charmian Christie a new stove.

Back in September we had a private tour of the Mission Hill Winery kitchen.  Matt Batey, the executive chef, was out guide in a market tour as part of the agenda of the OFWWW. Aside from picking up our pears and touring the gardens we spent a lot of time standing around their custom built sove.

For more than a few years Hubby and I have been engaged in a fantasy renovation of our kitchen. Unfortunately for me, a new kitchen is far behind windows, a new roof, and a finished basement on the reno list. But in my fantasy world I have an induction cooktop in an eat-in kitchen. So as soon as I saw the gleaming equipment in the Mission Jill kitchen I knew I'd found a small piece of kitchen heaven. Hubby, being an equipment nerd, was suddenly interested in my former abstract concept of an induction cooktop.

Guys being guys and having already bonded over a love for powerful cars, Matt was pleased to demonstrate  to Hubby just how cool induction is - near instant hot and cold with quick temperature responsiveness in addition to safety and cool pots.  Drape Brad Pitt on top of the stove and all my fantasies come true.

A few days later I was prepping for my first BT experience, with a focus on the pears that Matt shared with us. While my cheesecake baked I left the plastic crate of pears on top of the stove. It should be clear that I don't have an induction stove.  Just a plain, old electric range courtesy of an 80s reno on a 50s kitchen. I completely forgot about the vent that comes from the top of the stove.  Eventually, part of the plastic crate melted to the front burner of my stove like a nasty, burnt caramel.

Rather than drive around town looking for a replacement burner for a stove I was close to sledgehammering on many an occasion, Hubby suggested we investigate the possibility of a slide-in induction. Damn, I'd successfully converted the guy and he already had abs! My fantasy come to life.

It all came to a screeching halt at the price tag of $8000, on sale.

My alternate suggestion was to buy a basic electric stove - regardless, it was going to be superior to what we had - and use it until the kitchen reno came to fruition.  At that point we could sell it on Kijiji. Hubby's brilliant idea was to go straight to the web ourselves. Two days and $150 later we had a three year old range, as opposed to a 30 year old one.  Oh the options - cookies that didn't burn, properly cooked roasts, and self cleaning!

How did this get Charmian a new stove? A few weeks back she posted about her broken oven and the long wait for a reno to buy a new one. I shared our story with her and for less than she paid for her ice cream maker she too has a new to her oven.

And what was the first meal I made in my new oven? Well, we had a proliferation of Okanagan tomatoes, so we slow roasted them.

While I consider slow roasted tomatoes akin to candy, right now I could sure use the cupcakes Charmian made in my honour. I'm currently laid up, literally, with two wrecked knees from a ski accident.  A freakish, lame ski accident.  Oh, how cupcakes would make my day better.  Then again, scotch, ice cream, and chocolate would also do that.

Sigh

Doesn't that look fantastic? It was the lovely view from our room on the weekend. Hubby and I had a romantic weekend planned, sans kids. A day of skiing, some spa time, a book, a few extravagant meals, and sleeping in. I mentioned that the kids weren't with us, right?

We arrived at Lake Louise, rented our skis, bought our lift tickets, and took a warm-up run. On our second run I had a freakish, lame but spectacular wipeout. It's hard to fully describe, but suffice it to say that it involved my ski edge getting caught on something invisible, the splits, a face plant, and some somersaults. Then it involved a trip to the ER, X-Rays, a knee brace or two, crutches, and lots of ice.

Needless to say, with a handful of torn ligaments, one of which will likely require surgery, there won't be much quilting going on in the coming weeks. There isn't even that much walking going on.

Colour Everywhere



It's the depths of winter here.  Okay, it should be, but we are having a warm break and thaw.  I refuse to get too comfortable, because I know winter is going to return with a harsh slap in the face any day now. With the colour blocks I'm working on I find myself returning to and finding new, colour-focused posts and pictures. I thought I would share another round of inspirational links with you.

For one of the most comprehensive free posts explaining the basics of colour and how it can be used to best effect for us quilters I love this colour tutorial from Elizabeth at Oh Fransson. 

What colour are you? I loved this recent post from Victoria where she asked her readers what colour they think they are. I actually had to stop and think about it. My first thoughts go to red because that is, without a doubt, my favourite colour. But if you look at my stash I have more greens and blues that any other fabric. When it comes down to it though orange is the colour I first go to and the one I surround myself with. I am an orange.

If you dye your own fabric you probably have a good understanding of colour and the colour wheel. Even if you don't dye then it still helps to have a detailed understanding of colour theory. In this post you can get into some of the nitty gritty details of different colour theories. It's perfect for colour geeks like me.

Color Mastery author Maria Peagler has a great slidecast tutorial on creating a colour wheel from your own stash.  She is worth listening to as she has some great ideas on personalizing it for your own stash and taste. And since finding this post I feel the need to burn the credit card on her book and this one too. Did I mention that I was a colour geek?

Now, what about some real-life inspiration? I've come across many version of colour wheel quilts, coin quilts in rainbow shades, and so many perfect examples of different fabric combinations. You can always do your own browsing through Flickr. Here are some of my favourites.

Spot On by Red Pepper Quilts
Palette is not a quilt, per se, but a photo collage by jakerome
Color Swirls by jgmehlin

Hubby and I are off for a weekend of ski and spa.  I'm sure I'll come back with tonnes of white and grey inspiration after all this colour talk.

Soup Kind of Days


Nothing particularly bad has happened in our little house lately - unless you count completely forgetting to give my mother-in-law her Christmas present. Thankfully she's forgiven us and we've promised her a CSA membership. And just in time because she offered us a weekend sans kids for skiing and relaxing as our Christmas present. Hubby and I are escaping to Banff this weekend while Grandma and her girls have some serious bonding time.

Sadly, she won't be serving soup. Well, she can grab some but good luck trying to get the girls to eat it. No Borscht, no Chicken Noodle, not even Mama's Tomato Soup. I have no idea what their issue is with soup. From 9 months on they've insisted on feeding themselves and even The Monster hasn't mastered her knife or spoon skills. That might be it, but heaven forbid you try to feed them!

Soup is my go-to meal for a bad day, for providing a meal to a sad friend or new mom, for bread day from Aviv, and for the days that I feel fat or cold. Maybe because toddlers and preschoolers don't have days like those that's why they don't like soup.

Tomato, Bacon, and Blue Soup
Makes 7-8 cups

4 slices bacon (not maple flavoured)
1 small onion
1 garlic clove
2 28 ounce cans whole tomatoes (preferably San Marzano)
2 cups water or stock
1 bay leaf
3 ounces blue cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream or whole milk

1. Chop bacon cross-wise. Saute in pan on medium-high heat until just starting to crisp up. Remove 2 tablespoons cooked bacon and reserve for garnish. Pour off almost all the grease left in the pan.
2. While bacon is cooking finely chop onion and garlic. When bacon is cooked add the onion and garlic to the pan. Saute until the onions are soft.
3. Add tomatoes with liquid. Stir in water or stock and bay leaf. Turn heat down to medium and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
4. Puree with an immersion blender, food processor, or in a blender. Be careful when blending hot liquids.
5. Stir in blue cheese and cream/milk. Season well.
6. Garnish with reserved bacon and crumbled blue cheese, if desired.

Quilt Along Week 7 - All Done

I'm done! For a while I was calling this quilt Pinstripes, but after finishing it and seeing that it doesn't match my original concept I am simply calling it Gratitude II. When I say it doesn't match my original concept, I mean that it is busier than expected and has less of the subtlety that my Pinstripe suit inspiration.  I still like it and I know it will be quite cosy in our eventual finished basement.

The back is a simple mix of three of my favourite yellows. Arcadia, a Denyse Schmidt Katie Jump Rope, and this fantastic yellow and grey leaf pattern whose name escapes me. I'm going to get a label on there eventually, using the scraps from the front strips to frame it.  I promise I'll share it when I do complete it.

The binding was an Amy Butler Midwest Modern.  I used a few of her prints on the front, so I knew that the binding would be perfect.  It was nice to use such a soft print to finish it off. I didn't want to use a blue print, as would be expected, because I thought they were standing out quite a bit already.
 
Finally, the quilting. Particularly because the top ended up rather busy, whatever I did for quilting was just going to get lost.  So I went with the loopy quilting found here instead of stippling.  And honestly, why wouldn't you?  Loopy is so much easier than stippling. It's fast and perfectly contrasts the angles of the design.

Thank-you so much for your support in this Quilt Along. I'll admit, I'd hoped more of you would participate after such a good response to Gratitude.  Then again, there was the little break life brought our family. And when I did re-start this?  Just before Christmas?  Not my smartest move. But I am so pleased with the results I've seen from those of you that have participated.

Over on Flickr, baileygirl_5 posted her fabric choices and the beginning of her strip sets. I love where she is going with this, using darks as her background and lights as her accents.  Nice twist!

Elle in Da Coop is an old quilting friend and she was inspired to tackle another project on her always growing list.  Look what picking similar colours to mine can do when you make the background pieces just a little more subdued. Browse around her December posts to see what she also did on the back and with all the leftover pieces. Fantastic!

And while there are a few more that have picked fabric or cut fabric, here is another set of blocks that have been started.  Diane at Life Scraps used a few of the same fabrics which I used, but with a totally different effect.

If you come back to this at some point in the future, be sure to let me know, I would love to see what you create. Thanks for Quilting Along with me!