friday favourites

Friday Favourite - Hoarfrost




It's snowing again here. And by again I need to point out that we've had snow on the ground since before Halloween. I clearly remember leaving a thunderstorm in Houston at Quilt Market and returning to a storm here. Winter is long. That's why you have to take the pleasure where you find, embrace the beauty too. Whether it be...

... a perfectly shovelled walk (yes, there is such a thing).
... snow angels.
... any time spent in the mountains.
... the fields of straw covered in snow against a blue sky.
... skating on the outdoor ice.
... buildings snow forts and mazes in parks.
... snowball fights.
... the quiet that envelopes the world when the snow falls.
... hoarfrost.

Oh, hoarfrost. I revel in hoarfrost in the winter like I do a good thunderstorm in the summer. Weather is going to happen so let it give you a thrill!

Sometimes you go to bed knowing it will happen. It is cool, but not warm and you can feel humidity in the air. Sometimes it is a Christmas morning surprise when you wake up and the world is white. Not the ground and the tops of the trees only, everything is white. And it is magical and pretty and you can't help but twitterpate.

For those of us who like to take pictures you wish the sun would come out a bit so the light makes the world even more magical. But that is a terminal wish because the sun causes all those fragile crystals coating the world to melt and drift away. So go for a walk, sit in the window with tea, or look through the branches and the beauty.

Friday Favourites - Douglas the Monsternaut


I cannot tell a lie. I am generally opposed to stuffies. Softies, stuffed animals, teddy bears, whatever you want to call them. I refuse to buy them for my own kids and you will never see me getting them as a gift for someone. To clarify, I am not opposed to the idea of them, or the making of them. But as a mother to three kids I am opposed to the idea of them in my house. And the thing I dread most when a new baby made their appearance in our place was not the sleepless nights or colic, it was the new crop of stuffies people felt the need to bring over.

It would be one thing if they had one special stuffie, like The Evil Genius and her Tiger. But we all know that it is impossible to predict what item will become the special thing, the IT. Tiger was a random hand off from family of friends who had it for some reason and will never have kids. Now that thing is loved on in ways that make you not want to touch it. There is not special person behind it, no outpouring of love. No, those are all in the stuffies that live in a box, never seeing the light of day.

That guy up there is Douglas. He is the first of three stuffies we've ever purchased for our children. Just writing that I am in shock that we bought that many. For the record, two were purchased by Hubby.

Douglas came to us when we were on our last trip before The Evil Genius was born. The Monster was at home with Grandma. Some adult only shopping can be dangerous when you are hormonal and you've never really left the kid before. But how could you resist that face? And then we found out his name was Douglas, which was my FIL's name. And he's Canadian. And well, he's damn cute.

I'm happy to say he is a loved one. Not every night in bed kind of loved, but loved for couch cuddles and make believe. He's sitting in my sewing room right now because his little antenna needs some attention. The Monster just came in here for a morning cuddle and instead of me she went straight for Douglas. It may just take a bit longer for Mama to fix him because I kind of like his company.

Douglas and many more awesome creatures are available from Monster Factory. Just in case you are lacking in stuffies.

Friday Favourites - Northern Exposure Sweatshirt


Let's just say that I graduated high school a long time ago. Back when Northern Exposure was about the most awesome TV show on the planet, followed closely by Twin Peaks. I have no idea where I found this sweatshirt back then, but I am so glad I did.

And yes, I still wear it. The flannel shirt too (It's even older - it was the early 90s, after all).

I have two seasons of the show on DVD and I wish I had them all (but with the original music). And iTunes doesn't have it, argh. If I had it then I could cozy up in my flannel and sweatshirt, cook up a moose meatloaf, and settle in for a long winter's watch. Or could someone at least record all of Chris' soliloquies and release it as a podcast?

Santa?

Friday Favourite - Spirals




This past summer I took the kids to the M.C. Escher exhibit at the Glenbow Museum. Cool enough for them, but they were more interested in the glowing rocks in the Minerals room and the crafts they always have in the ARC Discovery Room. And when we discovered that one of the activities was these Spiral Draws from Klutz I could hardly blame them.

A kissing cousin to the original Spirograph, this drawing toy pretty much means hours of fun. Seriously, we can all sit and create and colour for a long time. It brings back so many childhood joys for me, and is creating them in the girls.


And just look what they did with them at the Museum! You totally change the look when you selectively colour. I so love this. And then there is the bigger installation. Volunteers took each image drawn and coloured, cut them out, and were pasting them together.

Must try this in fabric...




Oh, and another note. M.C. Escher? Absolutely, insanely, incredible. My only experience with Escher was the posters every 18 year old boy put on his dorm wall in my university. But to see the original prints, woodcuts, and linocuts in person was phenomenal. I had no idea that most of the work was actually a woodcut or lithograph. Completely impressive.

Friday Favourite - Molasses Butter



There are a ridiculous number of happy moments and miniature squeals of glee in my head on repeat since my latest trip to Nova Scotia. They keep me happy. One moment, one memory that I've acted on nearly daily since then is the molasses butter.

Never heard of it? Neither had I. Pictou Lodge served up little bowls of molasses butter with their biscuits instead of your average, boring bread basket. And it was awesome.

So awesome that I accosted the Chef Thomas one morning on his way into work and begged for some at my breakfast in an hour and he kindly obliged me. So awesome that I've made it three times in the 10 days I've been home. So awesome that it takes all your power to not eat it straight from the bowl with a shiny spoon.

I have no idea how they made it, but here is what I've been doing.

Molasses Butter

1/2 cup salted butter (unsalted if you prefer, but I like it better with salted)
1-2 TBSP Blackstrap molasses (use fancy if that is what you have, but you will probably want more molasses then)

Whip the butter. Add the molasses. Whip until evenly incorporated.

So far our favourite way is indeed on biscuits. But I can tell you that it tastes just fine on a muffin or some fresh bread. And, in case you were wondering, it makes a wicked grilled cheese sandwich. Substitute for regular butter on the outside of your sandwich. The edges caramelize and the molasses bring a depth of unreal flavour to the table.

Friday Favourite - Maud Lewis


Cleaning up my studio this week I found a card I framed years ago and hung when my writing desk was jammed in a closet. The smile on my face was instantaneous and the sigh that passed my lips more than audible. I found my picture of Maud Lewis.

Maud Lewis was a Nova Scotia artist. Her style is much copied and the whole lot generally called Nova Scotia folk art. The diminutive woman, crippled from childhood polio, lived in abject poverty but appears to have found incredible joy in painting. And for decades now that joy passes to nearly every single person who sees her tiny paintings.

Her paintings depict rural Nova Scotia life. Snippets and details captured in saturated colours on tiny canvasses, boards, cookie sheets, and more. They glow with life. Click here for a snippet of her work (I don't have permission to share the images.)

For me, there is phenomenal inspiration from this woman. Her house sits in the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. It is about the size of my sewing room. The entire house is the size of my sewing room. Covered in her paintings with nearly every surface accentuated by colour. It is nothing short of a happy place. I can only imagine what it was like when her energy truly filled the place. It is the perspective of joy in such a place, in such poverty, that smacks me on the face when I need it. (It truly was serendipity that I found the photo this week.)

One day, when I am rich I will get my hands on one of her tiny paintings. I will put it on a large white wall so I can sit and stare at it all day long. And it will make me think of my alternate soul in Nova Scotia, an inspiring woman, and the perspective I constantly need slapped across my cheek.

Friday Favourite - The Kwik Klip


My least favourite part of quiltmaking is basting quilts. It really is the reason quilt tops languish in my closet. I think I'm slow at it, that's part of the problem. And now, with our TV in the basement, I can't rope Hubby into helping me anymore! I baste on the living room floor. When the TV was up here he had no choice - watch me get in his way or get on the ground and help me. Now he runs away to the TV as soon as he sees me pull out the masking tape and pins.

Loving me is not enough, the only reason he was willing to help me is that he was allowed to use the tool involved. Men and tools, right? Man oh man, he can wield a Kwik Klip like the boss.

Honestly, if it wasn't for a Kwik Klip none of my quilts would get basted. I am a pin baster, and I use a lot of pins. (I didn't think it was a lot, but then I saw people commenting on an IG photo of someone else's basted quilt. So many pins! Wow, you sure use a lot of pins! And there I was thinking that it looked totally normal. But I don't get puckers with my quilting. Happy for that trade off.) So the Kwik Klip makes very short work of closing all those pins. And it saves both what is there of my nails and my fingertips.

You simply hold the tool in your dominant hand, lift up the straight part of the pin, and clip it into place. Done. I've heard of people using an old teaspoon to the same effect. That, however, is not as fancy as the tool. And seriously, if a tool is what it takes to get your man to help you with the basting then a tool is what you should get.

I'm sharing this post as part of National Sewing Month, brought to you by The Sewing Loft. Check out a month long list of sewers sharing their favourite tools.




Friday Favourites: The Social Tote by Carolyn Friedlander



The Social Tote from Carolyn Friedlander is an awesome project. End of story.

You know me and small projects. We get along as well as clothing and zippers and the neighbour that thankfully moved out this summer. But Carolyn gave me this pattern after seeing them in person at Market. They really are pretty cool. And handy. And not difficult to make at all.

What I really love about this pattern is the inspiration behind it and the rest of Carolyn's Slow Sewing Studio line. In her words:

The projects in this group give us an opportunity to slow down and to enjoy the process as much as the result. Not only a back-to-basics program, this is also a program to strengthen our skills and our relationships with each other.

 These projects are things we can take with us and enjoy with others. We'll bring them to our guild meetings, on trips, or wherever our busy lives take us. They require no chargers, adapters, or electricity and will allow us to press pause on the realities of everyday life and enjoy what we are making.

It was that inspiration that pushed me to make this little tote. The pattern is a collaboration with Anna at Noodlehead. It is detailed and well written. As I'm not much of a pattern follower, when I do follow one it must make sense and move methodically through the steps. This one does. And if we ignore that I completely missed the fact I was supposed to interface all the fabric for the inside of the tote and the handles I followed the pattern exactly. There is a pin cushion in the pattern too, but I'm waiting for the pet store near me to have crushed walnut shells in stock again.

Already the tote has found a purpose in sorting and holding bits for my latest project, a baby quilt. I'm pretty sure another tote is on the agenda precisely for my ongoing hand sewing project. This is just what I need. And you too, I bet.



(In coincidental news, Carolyn reviewed my book this week. Totally unsolicited by me. And I think she captured it beautifully.)

Friday Favourite: Le Tour

(image from The Guardian)

Confession: I still watch The Tour De France and I still love it.

Yes, I know about all the doping and the disgrace of many of the sports' stars. Yes, I know that nearly every rider plays that same game. But I can't help myself. I get sucked in by those helicopter images, the frenzy of the crowds on the mountain stages, the banter between Paul Sherwen and Phil Liggeett, Bobke, and sheer strain on the cyclists. Doping or not, those guys are still working their muscular butts off.

I can also remember what quilts I was working on every year during Le Tour. Which ones I basted while we watched, which ones were under debate as the mountain stages loomed. Talk about memory by association!


So, every year, come July, my Hubby and I settle in for 21 nights to watch Le Tour. It's usually hot out so we drink beer and chat throughout the 3 or so hours we watch. It is about the only TV we agree on. And in July we probably talk about life more than at any other point in the year, because we are sitting together. I love it all.

Friday Favourite: Easy Thread Sewing Needles


With a million threads to bury on that beast of a quilt I pulled out these needles. They were part of some swag in the Denyse Schmidt Improv class from QuiltCon and they originally come from Purl Soho. I put them aside after trying them for binding. (Not a good use there - it cut the thread sometimes and was thick for getting through the small edge of the binding.) But I find them absolutely perfect for burying threads.

I must admit, I never used to bury my threads. I just stitched once or twice where I started then cut flush. Frankly, I was lazy. But the finished look was nowhere near as neat. So now I spend the evening burying threads and am much happier with the finished results. I do tend to wait until I'm done all the quilting so it can add up to a fair amount of work, but I find it easier and it doesn't break with my machine quilting rhythm.

I do exactly the same technique as Amanda. And these easy thread needles are perfect for it. They save you trying to thread two threads into the eye of the needle, and having sit awkwardly in order to use your eye, at eye height, to thread what are likely to be short threads attached to a heavy quilt.


Oh, and in case you were wondering about the intensity of that quilting, here is my thread. Can you see it? That's 1000 meters of thread per spool! I used one whole spool and then some.


Friday Favourite - The Monster


If it wasn't for the arrival of this amazing creature seven years ago I wouldn't be here at all. I mean, literally here in this space on the internet. That's because her arrival in my life forced me to see who I really was. In order to be the best mother, the best potential role model for the tiny creature placed in my arms after months of stress, I needed to be true to myself. That meant embracing my creative side and putting them out into the world. If it wasn't for her arrival I would never have started writing again, I never would have met all of you, I never would have been honestly happy with myself.

Besides all that, she has the best giggle in the entire world, she is empathetic beyond her years, her brain works in the most awesomely logical way, her contemplative nature fights with her energy daily, her fashion sense is to be admired but not necessarily copied, and she loves people in a way that has no boundaries.

Friday Favourite - Coral


Somewhere between pink and orange lies the color coral. Sometimes bright, reminiscent of the dream coral of the ocean. Sometimes soft and not quite peachy. Whatever you do, don't call it salmon.

I'm on a coral kick lately - picking, gathering, and hoarding my new love. From light to dark, soft to bright, coral makes my heart sing. Dreams of swimming in the sunshine of the sea carry forward. Blooms that capture the central part of the sun's rays. Or just the tempting blush of a smile.

Coral.

(Don't be surprised if you see some coral added to these blocks.)

Friday Favourite - Lotta Jansdotter Cake Stand


Behold the cake stand. Take note that it is empty. Very empty. It should not be empty. Yesterday was my birthday and there was no cake. I am about to go rectify that situation by baking my own cake. In the meantime, however, I can admire my favourite cake stand. So much Lotta Jansdotter goodness from Fishs Eddy. It almost makes up for no cake. Almost.


(Lest you think I am embroiled in a hug of self-pity, just know that I really just like cake. A lot.)

Friday Favourite - Great British Sewing Bee


When you've got three kids you are very good at multitasking. You are also very good of milking every single second of any free time you've got. So when I was blessed with a unexpected afternoon off (school, playdate, long nap) I decided to sew and watch The Great British Sewing Bee. And it was awesome, all of it.

I worked on these blocks. And made it through 2 episodes. After the kids went to bed I watched the other two episodes. I was tired the next day, but so motivated. I started looking at dress and shirt patterns for myself. I want to sew clothes now. I've never wanted to sew clothes for myself. I hate sewing clothes and I don't know that much. But this show made it seem so interesting. And oddly, doable. I won't be making an evening gown, but I think I could tackle a simple dress.

The show is a reality show, let's be clear. But the Brits do these competition shows differently. The drama isn't there in the competition, just honesty from the contestants. And the judges are actually kind and not caricatures. If I was a man I would lust after the suits Patrick wears.

The best part? You can see all the episodes on you-tube for free!


Deborah over at Whipstitch is getting ready to launch an e-course on dresses. This might be perfect timing for me as I definitely need someone to walk me through this. I envision my pincushion and good tailor's scissors are going to get quite the workout.


Friday Favourite - Granite Balloon Animals from Paul Slipper and Nadine Stefan


Balloon Animals made of granite. I almost feel like I don't need to say anything else.

A series of animals all made to look like classic balloon animals - dogs, swans, horses and the like - are part of a public art installation on the Thunder Bay Waterfront. And how cool is it that kids were part of the decision making process on picking the final installation?

The installation is called Naturally Inflated and is by Paul Slipper and Nadine Stefan. I could have stared at these things for hours (except for the creepy guy that launched into a tirade about the waterfront development and kept getting too close). But I can't get them out of my head. Best public sculptures ever.

Hubby is also obsessed now and we're wondering if we'll ever have the budget to commission one of these for our yard...

Friday Favourite - Blueberry Park Wash Bag



Sitting in a hotel room this morning. I've worked out already, done a bit a work, and am packing up for two full days of teaching at the Superior Quilt Show. Needless to say, I am feeling quite productive! It's amazing how that is when there are no diapers to change, lunches to pack, or walks to school. But then there are no morning reading sessions, nekkid butts to pinch, and walks to school.

Small consolation on this trip is my new wash bag/toiletries bag from Blueberry Park. I've been following Karen, the artist, on Instagram and drooling over her screen prints. I adore the designs she uses. Then she was selling scrap bags... And well, to make the shipping totally worthwhile I added this bag to the order. It only made sense.

With a lot of travelling this year for teaching and the like it was time to upgrade from my standard black drugstore version of the toiletries bag. This one makes packing so much easier! Fits all my stuff - hair, teeth, skin, and my one tube of mascara - and is pretty to boot!

Karen has had a rough past week or so with the passing of her father. Send hugs, if you can.

Friday Favourite - The Family

Seems rather silly, after the week the world is having, to post something about a favourite tool or gadget or pretty thing. I know we all need those things and they are a welcome distraction.

I also know that many of us create in times of stress and distress. We take comfort in our pretty things in progress and made. They give us hugs right back when we embrace their beauty, their imperfections. They are the shoulder when no other shoulder is available for the cry. They are the moments in time where peace - even when there was a struggle to make it - is readily available.

After last week and this one, both ups and downs I am sharing my ultimate  favourite thing today. My family. These 4 people make me smile more than anyone else can, while also infuriating me more than anyone else can. And I wouldn't trade them for the world. So, I'm holding them close.


We are likely to be found under a quilt. Send popcorn and scotch.

Friday Favourite: Dido's Salsa


My Dad was world famous for his salsa. Well, locally famous. As in, all of our family and friends would beg for jars of his usually just the right amount of spicy and a bit smoky salsa. In a family such as ours it is no surprise that the recipe for pyrohy dough is a treasured possession. We'd be bad Ukrainians without it. But the salsa is what we all were afraid would get lost when he died.

As the end was becoming abundantly clear in my father's lung cancer we all gathered at my parent's house. I sat and spoke to my Dad about his salsa. We started with the first recipe, the first batch he ever made. He told me where he got his tomatoes and peppers. I photographed each ingredient as it was chopped so we would always know just how fine or chunky it should be. I photographed my Dad as he  stirred, sipped, and stammered through making salsa.



A week later he was admitted to the hospital and 6 weeks later he died.

Two weeks ago my Mom and I gathered to make a batch of salsa, only the second time we've done it since his death. Somehow it's fallen to me to be the guardian of the recipe. I don't mind at all. We do a good job with it, but of course it isn't the same. It lacks the smokiness - maybe that infiltrated from him and his nasty smoking habit. And I chopped things a bit finer this time because I wasn't paying as much attention. I could hear his criticism in my head as I stirred the peppers into the tomatoes. But we came out with jars and jars of salsa that we still call Dido's Salsa. I still top my scrambled eggs with it, my daughter fills her tortilla with it, it sits beside a plate of nachos when friends come over and they ask where we got it. It will always be Dido's Salsa, even when I chop the onions too fine.



Today is the 2nd anniversary of his death. The 4 am phone call from my brother. The sobs of my Mom as I woke her, the stupid red car stuck in a giant puddle on the way to the hospital, making tea while I called the funeral home, telling the girls in the midst of a date, the washing machine repairman who came and had no clue what had happened. It's all so vivid. Perhaps even more so this year as last year I was focused on the new baby.

My Dad was a man with many faults and our relationship was far, far, from perfect or even good. But he had a story and a heart in there somewhere. And damn, he made fine salsa.

Friday Favourites: Kate Inglis


There was a day, a few years ago that I came across this beautiful blog. Full of honesty and light and pain and creativity. Captivation at first blush. Fast forward a few years later and that loverly lady is in my house, threatening to steal my baby and chasing my girls with screams of zombie underpants. And I was totally okay with that because she was also taking pictures for my book. Ethereal and beautiful pictures of the projects, of kids, of my family. I can forgive almost anything for her beauty.

Kate Inglis is a writer, photographer, Mama, teacher, and more. She is a quiet, reflective soul who has a different set of eyes in her head for seeing the world. We love her first novel, The Dread Crew, in this house. I love her boys and all their energy. When we get together we can get lost in tangents about whiners who claim they have no inspiration to creative expression to Lego to old windows. Then there is the work.

I was, and still am, blown away by the work done for A Month of Sundays. Seriously folks, the photos are incredible. For a sneak peek head over to her blog.


The 5 days Kate and I spent together photographing the book were INTENSE. In between downloads and nursing sessions and breaks for cookies and lunch that my Mom made us we lived those projects. We drank wine at the the end of the day to just take a moment to breathe. Kate made friends with all my friends. I don't think I could convince her to leave her lovely home on the East Coast, but I'm thankful that she has family here and a potential excuse to visit beyond me kidnapping her.