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There are some wonderful lines coming soon to my shop and I wanted to point you in their direction:
***Heather Ross' Far Far Away III is just adorable.
***Have you seen what Tula Pink has been up to?
***Bonnie and Camille have done it again with Ruby.
***Lizzy House always has something great up her sleeve! It's a "sneak peep"!
That's it for today. I just wanted to share some upcoming goodness with you all. :)
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Happy Friday, friends!
Today's questions is this: What great book have you read recently?
Sometimes I feel it's a bit unfair for me to pick these questions all the time, because I always pick something that is on my mind--and that makes it easy for me!
I just finished The Help and I loved it--LOVED it! The main characters were wonderful and I was sad when the book ended. The story takes place in the early 60's during the civil rights movement in Jackson, Mississippi. The main characters some together to collect stories about the black maids who work in white households. This was a very courageous thing to do at this time and I found myself wondering which character I would be in this book. I like to think I would have been one of the ladies who went against social norms and tried to change things. If you haven't read this book, you need to!
How about you? What great book have you read recently?
Have a great day!
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I am a lover of fruit.
Personally, I find it so much tastier than veggies. Raspberries, canteloupe and peaches will always catch my eye before carrots or spinach.
Now don't get me wrong, I do love a good salad. Lately I have been eating sugar snap peas like crazy. Add them to a salad with some spinach, tomatoes and a bit of roast beef (for protein, of course!) and you will create something yummy and good for you.
Fruit, however, needs no protein to chase it down. Or salad dressing.
Just the fruit is all I need. At this point I am anxious for watermelon to show up in the grocery store. Good watermelon, that is. I bought one a couple of weeks ago and it tasted like, well, nothing. I want a sweet, juicy one.
I can't wait for summer fruit! Can you?
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I am so happy to welcome Jennifer from That Girl, That Quilt to my blog today! Through blogging I have gotten to know her as a sweet, kind, creative quilter who inspires me regularly. Todays' post is called Minding Your P{oints} & Q{uilts} and I must say I LOVE that title. So creative!
I will hand things over to Jennifer now:
I'm so happy to be here today! When Randi asked me to guest blog I was super excited because I love to write almost as much as I love to quilt. And then I read that she wanted me to share a little more about quilting manners {gulp}. Now I'm not one to shy away from my own opinions but do remember that they are just that... my opinions.
When I blogged about the exclusivity that happens within quilting groups a month ago, I received twice as many emails than comments about the subject. Many were supportive emails but many more were heartbreaking personal experiences that quilters have had when attempting to share, gift and even donate their work. With each story I grew more and more sad for those who love a craft but then that love is damaged by others who take it upon themselves to police a hobby.
Now I'm passionate about quilting but I am even more passionate about including anyone who wants to quilt. We are all different and we all have different strengths and weaknesses. We ALL have weaknesses. So when I hear someone worried about participating in a swap or a quilting bee because they aren't sure if their work is up to standard, I have to wonder just who is setting this standard.
The simple answer is that we are.
How is that, you ask? It's the little things... churning out "perfect" quilt after "perfect" quilt on a blog... taking pictures that show the most flattering aspects of a quilt... discussing colors that are "in" versus those that are "out". No big deal, right?
But then we digress into picking apart a style. Modern vs. traditional... wonky vs. straight... Civil War reproductions vs. modern solids... hand quilting vs. machine quilting... dumbing down quilting. Can you see where I'm going? Yeah... and it's still probably no big deal until it gets personal.
Personal as in being flip about receiving a bee block that isn't "quality"...
Personal as in being ungrateful about a swap you received...
Personal as in being picky about quilts being donated to charity...
Personal as in terming someone's hard work as "dumbed down"...
All of these things happen and it's terribly sad. Especially when it happens to a newer quilter {or any quilter for that matter} and it destroys their passion for the art of quilting because they are too afraid to branch out again.
There is just no room for exclusivity or outright meanness when it comes to quilting. Why should there be an "in crowd", a group of superstar bloggers, a charity group that is better than another, an exclusive swap group? Yes, each group has their right to exist but that doesn't make it right. Can you imagine that there are actually quilters intimidated when participating in a swap? It happens. Or afraid to sign up for a bee? That happens too.
Now is every swap item or bee block perfect? Nope. Is every quilt you see blogged about without flaw? Do we fall in love with every quilt we look at? Nope and nope. But sometimes we forget who made the items.
A busy mom with little ones underfoot... a working mom with limited time between her job, family and friends... a mom up half the night with a sick kid... someone frazzled and weary that uses quilting as a therapeutic escape from their everyday stresses. These are the kind of people who make quilts.
So before we judge, we would be wise to remember that there is a feeling person standing behind their work hoping that it's good enough to withstand the critique of a guild, a blogger, or a fellow quilter.
And don't you remember when you were a beginner? I sure do and it wasn't pretty! But I would have never improved if I hadn't tried new things and failed. I also would have never improved if I hadn't had some encouragement along the way. My very first quilt along was here with Randi. And guess who taught me how to free motion quilt? Randi. :)
It's bloggers like her that make me proud to be a part of such a vibrant community of crafters. And if you have happened to run into a quilting meanie; try not to let it get to you too much. We can never be all things to all people even when it comes to a hobby. So keep doing your thing that makes you happy, associate yourself with kind quilters who will help you grow, and don't succumb to the pressure to be anything that you are not.
Thanks for having me here to share today, Randi!
Jennifer :)
Thank you, Jennifer, for sharing your thoughts here on my blog!
And, as always, please leave comments for Jennifer here in this post.
***Since this month's guest post is late I will be skipping May's post. The next guest post will be in June.
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A baby quilt!
I am so glad to have something finished!
My in-progress pile is huge, but many items are close to being finished. As soon as I finish this pile I will probably start another one! I just can't help it! In fact I have a new bag pattern sitting right next to me and all I need to do is pick fabric before I start cutting. And so the stack grows...
This quilt was fun to make and I love the combination of fabric. So pink and girly! I used fabric from the Hullaballo collection by Urban Chiks. There are two other colorways and I have quilts in the works with those too. Of course, the only thing stopping me is the lack of a sewing machine. Hello Kitty can't machine-quilt, as far as I know. I am afraid to expect that much from a child's machine. I would hate for her to end up with smoke coming out of her or something like that. Aubry would probably dislike it too!
The baby quilt now abiding in my shop.
Have a lovely day!
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The lovely Cherry Fizz is in stock! This collection would be great for all kinds of crafty projects: quilts, aprons, baby goods, home decor items, etc. These prints truly put a smile on my face!
A friend and I have been sewing up some fun for my handmade shop and it's finally all posted. Hope you like it!
Have a lovely weekend!
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Happy Friday! I hope you are all looking forward to a wonderful weekend! I am ready for a break since this week has been spent trying to get back in gear after our vacation. Am I the only one who needs a vacation from her vacations? :)
Today's questions is about Peeps Easter Candy: thumbs up or thumbs down.
These are quite the controvertial candy! The likers and the dislikers are divided into two camps, and I have never met anyone neutral about these sweets! I guess taking sides in this argument is like picking a political party. Once you are in, you stay there!
For me? I give an enthusiastic thumbs down to these goodies. I seriously can't stand Peeps. Soft Marshmallow Fluff covered with crunchy yellow sugar doesn't float my boat! At all!
Now give me a handful of Sour Patch Jelly Beans or Whoppers Robin's Eggs and we are in business!
What about you? Are you a Peeps fan? Or are Peeps on your Easter no-no list?
Have a lovely Friday!
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This one is almost finished! Only the binding needs to be stitched on. Well, threads need to be cut too, but it's so close!
Next week will bring a finished photo, I am sure of it!
Here are some great links I have come across this week:
***Check out Don't Call Me Betsy's Mini Bookshelf Quilt Tutorial! Perfect for booklovers!
***Fresh Lemons is sharing some adorable wall art downloads for sew-ers, quilters and crafters.
***Knitties Bitties has some great spring tutorial links on her blog.
***Just in time for Easter, Two More Seconds has posted a little boy tie round-up. So cute!
***The Help has been made into a movie! I am in the middle of the book right now and i. love. it. Such strength and character in the women in the story. Can't wait to see the movie. Hope they stay true to the story!
Have a lovely day!
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If I ignore the fact that my sewing machine is broken, I am so excited to have this new Denyse Schmidt goodness in my fabric stash. If I can't ignore it, I am a little bit frustrated by these lovelies!
The day before we left for California I saw stacks of this line popping up on blogs and I knew I had to get some, but Joann's is almost one hour away and there was no way I could get there. My sweet hubs happened to be in that same town for work, so I asked him to stop in and buy me some.
Armed with the text that I sent him describing the collection, he managed to find someone to locate the bolts at Joann's. He called at one point and asked me if it was important enough to have them find the bolts in the back, and I said "of course". He seemed a little bummed at that point. In a while he called to tell me that there were only 20 prints in stock---did I want those ones? "Yes, of course!" I asked if the cute pink polka dots were in the stack and I was informed that the question was too embarrasing to answer at that point. He was apparently in a bit of a crowd at the cutting table surrounded by a bunch of fabric-hungry ladies, and commenting on polka dots seemed unmanly, to say that least.
Thank goodness for a sweet hubby who runs fabric errands for me!
Now all I need is a sewing machine.
Aubry's Hello Kitty machine will be put to use to complete some projects that have been going on for a while. Pretty soon I am actually going to have some finished goodies to show you. Seems like a while since I have posted anything that's not in progress.
Also on hand are these super cute pom-poms. Don't know what they will become, but they sure are fun to look at, aren't they?
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For the last week my hubs and I have been in California to attend his grandma's funeral. I skirted the issue when I mentioned taking a blog break, but I don't like broadcasting that we will be away from our house for a period of time. Feels like a no-no, you know?
The memorial service for Grandma Ruth was lovely. So many sweet words were said about her. She was a lovely lady who touched the lives of the people around her. I found out she was a "Rosie the Riverter" during WWII (how come I never knew that!) and I am so impressed with that! All I ever saw was the sweetest grandma with a white bun in her hair and a cardigan to keep her warm. I wish I had asked her more questions about her life when she was alive. It's sad how it's easy to assume that grandparents are, well, just grandparents. As if they were never individuals with hopes and dreams and amazing lives. I need to ask more questions, for sure!
We got to spend some time our daughter Danika and her husband Luke at their home in 29 Palms. It was quite fun to see them in their own place, being husband and wife, living their own life. In the past we have only seen them going back and forth between our house and his parents house, trying their best to be a couple with no real home to call their own. Marriage has been a blessing for those two and I look forward to seeing them grow as a family. Also, they will be moving back to Colorado in August so that Danika can attend Vet School and Luke can get his degree. Do I need to mention that I am over-the-moon about them being close again?
Meet my sister:
She is probably going to kill me if she sees this picture posted, but I love it! She is on the left and I am on the right. We didn't live together for a lot of our childhood because our parents divorced, so our relationship has been as adults. I just love her like crazy. She is such an intelligent, creative girl, and I wish wish wish she lived closer. I am sure we would have a blast!
Returning home I found a mountain of laundry that needs to be dealt with. Why is it that we always wear twice as many clothes on vacation than we do at home? Who knows? All I know is that my own house feels wonderful. Just perfect.
Have a lovely day!
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