It all started when...

The weather has turned mild here in Alberta(unlike some of my friends living in Manitoba and Ontario where the mercury has dropped quite low).
Still, we have mounds of snow that has needed to be dealt with, in one way or another- We had our roof shoveled off on Saturday as it was causing some problems for us in the house. Hopefully it will be better now that the roof is cleared but it is a challenge to get rid of the ice build up.
Bruce found some lovely pink and white carnations to grace the table. Nothing like flowers to add color and life to the house.


On Saturday, I decided to get going on some quilt projects - I pulled out this Tesselating Pinwheels and counted out the block pieces that were already cut. I discovered that I had not cut enough of the black background to make a bedside quilt(a large twin) so I went upstairs to dig around for the black fabric. I was pleased to find another piece of the background. A little while later I had enough cut to make the blocks required.


Here are a few of the blocks made up - the colors are much richer than the photos show- I can't seem to get the light quite right for taking inside photos.You can also see the bag of block pieces waiting to be put together.


While I was upstairs looking for black, I pulled out some fabric to make some new baby clover leaf shaped wraps.

I cut three - all will have the green minkee inside them and different outside fabrics- the sock monkey, the Yellow Golden books and the Raggedy Anne and Andy fabric. I will put batting between the layers and quilt them on the machine and then bind them with bias made binding from the matching cotton fabrics.

Some friends and family members are having babies this spring so I need to get the baby quilts made soon.



My intentions were good but then I got distracted by some blog reading here: Naomi of Nome's bragalong blog posted this You tube link of Suzanne McNeill making this very cool block. ( I learned something new today- I figured out how to embed a You tube piece in my blog_ Wahoo!) Do visit Naomi's blog to check out her beautiful version of Suzanne's 10 minute block


After viewing the tutorial - I had to try it- so after a few tries of getting everything to be in the right direction( sometimes the seam ripper is one's best friend) I made these blocks. They are just test blocks out of charm squares. I still need to press them and I think I will fold them back like Suzanne suggests and make the cathedral window edges.They really are quite fast if you get them oriented correctly.Suzanne had some really nice ideas on the You tube tutorial.
I love the look of curved piecing- Perhaps this is the pattern for my sunflowers with dark black centers and sunflower fabrics.. Hmmmmm...


It was interesting to see the difference between the blocks that were all one color and the printed ones.

There are so many things to consider when you are choosing a quilt pattern.. Do you make your own? Use a commercial one and follow it exactly? Start with a pattern and change it to fit your ideas ? Do you add you own borders?


I sent off the parcels from my last giveaway and got word that one has already arrived. It is always nice to know that the post had safely delivered them to the new owners.

There are some interesting giveaways going on in blogland just now. Do go and check them out if you have the time:
Lila of Lila Tueller Designs is having a very nice giveaway- just because- She is giving away a layer cake and a fat quarter bundle of Riley Blake designs. She does beautiful fabrics and patterns - do go and visit her.
Linda from Stray Stitches is celebrating 400 followers. She is sharing some lovely fabrics - She is one generous lady and I know you will enjoy reading her posts.
There is also a blog hop going on that is being hosted by Moda bake shop and Stash books. Stash books is publishing a book with some Moda bake shop patterns in it. Each of the posts on the blog hop has a nice recipe to share. There is a chance to win a book and the grand prize of some great Moda fabrics. You need to enter all the designer's posts in order to be eligible for the grand prize.
If you have not heard of Moda Bake shop, you may enjoy checking out their blog to find some new patterns as well as gathering some great recipes.

January has been a difficult month for some of my blogging friends. My hope is that their loads are lessened. My thoughts are with those who are struggling with the floods in Australia ,and others, who are dealing with family illness. May the new month bring brighter days and new beginnings.

Until next time,
Be well - Warmest regards,
Anna

Going back....

Do you have a favorite pattern that you use when you quilt? There are a few giveaways going on in blogland and sometimes the blogger will pose a question.
One of the giveaways that I entered tonight, asked me if I had a favorite pattern.
I guess I am a traditionalist at heart- I love patterns like Lone Star, Log Cabin and Double Wedding Ring- the designs are simple designs with lots of color. The quilt in the photograph was made a number of years ago(rising 10 years) and it belonged to my inlaws. I believe it is a Double Irish Chain and, even though we have taken a number of photos of it, the colors just do not come out correctly on the computer or photograph. The red is a rich cranberry/ burgundy red and gold and green are quite luscious in person. However, I like to post at least one quilt this post. Here is one to kick out the Festive Season.
My spouse and I share a great love of flowers. Bruce found some lovely peach colored roses with alstroemeria. They are such a pretty flower and last quite awhile- They certainly brighten a winter's day.
Winter arrived last week with a bang. The first seriously cold day was on the 22nd which also just happened to be my birthday. It is not unusual to have snow on my birthday, but one hopes not to get hit with a real cold spell at the beginning. This one lasted for only a couple of days,thank goodness! Too many cold days in a row can make for some serious cases of cabin fever in kindergarten.
Since I last wrote - all the most important writing has been completed at school. I have met with my families and we now are preparing for the annual Christmas concert. The children are getting excited for the upcoming arrival of Santa.

You already know that I love creating and making things with my hands.One of my other interests is family history or genealogy. When I was about 16, I began to research my father's family. Like a disease spreading, other family members got hooked into looking at things from the past. M This weekend Bruce and I went to visit my folks in Red Deer(it is about a two hour drive).My mother has developed a serious bug and collected information from 8 different lines that radiate out from my grandparents. Imagine my pleasure when my mother handed me a pamphlet from the local museum, with a photograph of my grandfather's family. The photo was taken in 1912 when my grandfather was 2. He is the little boy in the doorway dressed in white. (I think you could click on the photos and make them larger.)The curator, Michael, was someone with whom I went to school. He gave a lecture Sunday afternoon which we were invited to attend. It was a wonderful hour spent learning more about the settlement of the area and some of the trials,tribulations and challenges that the families experienced when they arrived in this New land.

This dapper fellow holding the violin was my mother's great uncle John. The photographs were all taken on glass negatives and have been well preserved.
Here is my mother Dolores(the fair haired one) and her cousin Lavila taken on either side of the family photo. Lavila's father was born a year later than this photograph.
My great grandparents were Swedish and came around the turn of the 20th century. Like others, my great grandfather came ahead and his wife followed awhile later. Their journey was long and arduous. They came to land that was not yet developed and worked hard to establish a new life. The exhibit is called "Nya Bachen" which refers to "New Land".

Here is a photo of my mom and I with the family photograph.

This past weekend was quite hectic- my friend Val and I went to a local bead show of hand made beads.(I hope to show you them in a different post). There were some really lovely ones and,of course,I bought some to use to make Christmas gifts. Bruce and I left to spend the rest of the weekend with my folks.
Some family friends of my parents came in to have " American Thanksgiving Dinner" on Saturday evening. They are transplanted Americans. We had a pleasant evening and enjoyed chicken dinner with all the trimmings.

Sunday was even busier- In the morning, Mom and I made gingerbread playdough for my students. I have some gingerbread cookie dough chilling in the fridge compliments of my mother. One evening this week, I will roll out the dough and make gingerbread cookies for my school kids. After lunch, we went off to the museum and returned to watch the Grey Cup (our national football championship). Some family members were disappointed because our Western team - the Saskatchewan Roughriders lost to the Montreal Alouettes.
Our journey home from Red Deer was later than usual as the road was covered in ground fog for the first half of the trip. It felt good to fall into bed on Sunday night.

If you are still with me, I want to share a few giveaways that are happening in Blogland.
Rebecca is having a lovely giveaway of some gorgeous fat quarters.
Elaine is having a birthday giveaway- She is a big fan of civil war fabrics and has lovely blog - do go and check out her blog.
Charlie is celebrating having 500 followers. He along with the Fat Quarter Shop, are having a nice giveaway with a 50 dollar gift certificate and a baby quilt that Charlie has created. He is giving away the fabrics to make a chenille baby blanket.
Oz Jane has a very nice giveaway going on just now. She often shares her adventures with Moggie the cat and life in the land down under.
Heather of "Trends and Traditions" is part of a group of designers who are hosting a blog hop with 17 other designers for the first 7 days of December. It is The Henry Glass Parade with a free project and a mystery word to collect. At the end you could be the winner of some great prizes. Do check it out from Heather's post.
December is soon here. May you enjoy some wonderful family times during this hectic season.
Until next time, I hope you spend some happy time creating.
Warmest regards,
Anna

Time to Contemplate....

Some days I am struck by how much can happen in one day- sometimes it is a series of a little things and other times there are major events.

The world has been watching the miracle that has happened in Chili- What a wonderful thing that they were able to keep those miners alive and have brought them back to the earth's surface. I wondered how did those men hang onto hope and the belief that they would some day feel the sunlight and the hugs of loved ones.

Today I am feeling a bit reflective about the fragility of life. I have some friends and family who are dealing with loss and serious illness. I wish that I could find words of comfort that could ease their grief and loss- life can be cruel.

When we were in the mountains of Jasper in the summer, my spouse took this photo of me. We were awestruck by the beauty of Mount Edith Cavell. The Canadian Rockies are truly majestic. You can drive up the mountain of hairpin turns and stop to view the vistas. The mountains are a wonderful place to pause and reflect.. It was very soothing to stop and contemplate the beauty of the surroundings. Do you have a place where you can go and enjoy a reflective pause?

For six weeks this fall, I am participating in a book study group that is reading a book about using philosophy to help children develop critical thinking skills. It is an interesting study and asks questions like "are children philosophers?"
How do we help children continue to ponder questions that do not have right or wrong answers?
How do we help fuel childrens' natural curiosity?

I can tell my life has been busy because I have not been able to spend time writing or reading in blogland. There has been a wonderful blog festival fall into fall that is over tomorrow. If you hurry, you might be able to check out some of the wonderful blogs and sign up for some terrific giveaways.

Here in Canada, we celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving this past weekend.

My husband was away visiting his elderly mother. I made this texture quilt for her a couple of years ago. She has Alzheimer's and is well cared for in a seniors home. She recently had her 88th birthday. Ami Simms is the founder of the Alzheimer Art Quilts Initiative that has raised money for Alzheimer's Research. There is a powerful book and show called "Forgetting by the Piece". Do check out her website.


Last weekend, our son Kevin, his girlfriend Roseanne, and I went to visit my parents and enjoyed a scrumptious Thanksgiving dinner and all the trimmings with 15 family members. Nearly two weeks ago, one of our nieces, had a new baby girl,W. who is beautiful.
New babies need quilts don't you think? I made a quilted baby wrap for her, which I unfortunately, neglected to photograph- Perhaps one of my family members will send me a photo to post.

While Bruce was away visiting his mother I did attend the Kaffe Fassett evening. This link takes you to his home page.

I loved seeing some of Kaffe quilts and needlework and enjoyed hearing him talk about his process. There was certainly lots of beautiful forms of needlework and patchwork to enjoy. I asked him if there ever could be too much color and his reply was a succinct "No". He graciously signed my books and I went home inspired by all those rich colors.

I also had the opportunity to meet with good friends for dinner a couple of times last week. We enjoyed some delicious meals and delightful conversation.

The week passed very quickly- it was the first week that I had lived in our house by myself, as our son has been living away from home since last spring( well we still have our cat and dog).

In the meantime, I have been very busy at school gathering information for fall assessments and reports. I sometimes forget how busy fall can be.

A lovely lady named Marc sent me some wonderful Aunt Martha embroidery transfers. She was cleaning out her sewing area and wanted to give them away. I was the fortunate recipient of them. My mom did many beautiful embroidery pieces so the transfers bring back many wonderful memories. Thank you so much Marcia. They are really lovely.

Thanks to all of you who left such nice comments last time. My lost tooth did not cause me any grief- I am really fortunate-

Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks - Today I am particularly grateful for all that I have... and taking a bit of time to contemplate life's rich gifts. I will return when I can- perhaps with a little more quilt content..
Warmest regards,
Anna

Life is a trip .....

This trip around the world pattern is from Bonnie K Hunter. Bonnie is a wonderful quilter who has a number of free patterns on her website. She also has written two books and is currently working on another one. Do check out her website.. My version of her trip around the world is at the top of the list to be quilted. I hope to get it quilted this weekend. Pedal to the metal...

June is a month that flies by when you are a teacher- at least here in Western Canada. This is the last month of school for my kindergarten students. To say that this particular year end is full, is an understatement. My teaching partner and I had been teaching in the gym for the past eight weeks while they gave our classrooms a face lift ( perhaps it should have been me that they gave one too as well LOL) Together we had 48 students in the gym. It was a busy happening place every day. On Monday we moved back to our own classrooms. We are now busy trying to sort our way through the sea of boxes and unpacking the materials into new cupboards and a new floor space. One thing that you learn is how much stuff you collect over the years- some of it good and other items that is a multiple that you will never ever use up!!! In between the sorting, we are still trying to teach our students- School finishes on June 29.. This past weekend I finished writing report cards( still need to edit) and got started on some other paperwork.... You got to love June :)

The last couple of weeks since I posted have been filled with some social things too. My son's girlfriend Rose, had a birthday so we went out to dinner to celebrate..
We also took a trip to the Art Gallery to have a last look at La Petite Danser. It was a terrific exhibition and we are looking forward to seeing the new one that is coming in the summer that has Looney Tunes cartoons as well as MC Escher. My husband is a big fan of Escher - His perspective drawings are fascinating - pictures that use tessellations or optical illusions that have no beginning and no end.

I have often thought about making a tessellation quilt- Jinny Beyer has a wonderful book about them that I have borrowed a number of times from our local public library. Do you have a list of quilts that you think about making? One of the things I find about the blogs, is that there are so many wonderful quilters making amazing quilts out there. My list keeps growing with new techniques and patterns- now if I could just put that inspiration into creating some new quilts! Summer time is coming very soon...

Thanks to all of you who visited during the Virtual Blogging festival. I received so many lovely comments on my bargello quilt- It really is a fun technique and there are some stunning bargello designs out there. I have only worked my way through about half of the quilts but I know that Amy leaves the link open so you can still visit the quilt show long after the posting of new quilts stops. Just click on the button on the top right hand side of my blog.
Amy is giving away one of those Go cutters with three die cutters - They look pretty amazing and a few of my blogging friends have been blogging about them. Go and visit Amy's blog - you might just win the cutter..

Now I will finish with a few other giveaways that are out there just now:
Michele is a new quilt blog to me and it is always fun to discover a new blog.
Melinda has the most beautiful hand made necklace she is giving away- As well she is has some other lovely things that she is parting with..I really enjoy seeing all her use of vintage items combined with some new things. Go quickly she soon will draw her name..
Jane is having a week long giveaway with new items every day- There are some lovely fabrics to admire and perhaps win- Take a chance and stop by..
Christine of Once upon a quilt is giving away a quilt top she bought off Ebay.. She is celebrating 200 followers what a nice accomplishment Christine- She has a lovely blog and etsy shop..
Riel is a fellow Canadian with a fun and fancy giveaway

and last but not least my friend Rosa is giving away some Chunkettes.. Rosa makes me laugh- she has the greatest sayings.. She and husband Gilbert have just bought a longarm quilting machine- She is from Eastern Canada- from the province in New Brunswick
Go and Check out the Chunkettes...

Until next time, happy creating..
Regards,
Anna

A Mom is....

I love you Mom - I have been blessed with a Mother, who has always been there for me when life has gotten difficult or when I was celebrating the special and ordinary events in my life. I know that I can count on her to listen and, even to parent me in middle age. Our standing joke is that she will tell me that its time for bed when the clock is getting late and we are talking on the phone. I can say " Yes Mom" and grin". This photo was taken of us about 5 years ago. She recently celebrated a birthday and my family went home to visit just before her and my dad's birthday. I wish her a very special Mother's Day. I am looking forward to talking to her some time today to wish her a lovely day. I will try not to make it too close to my bed time :D
On Friday, it was our annual Mother's Day Tea. My school children made flowers for their moms/grandmas to present to them at home. All week we practised songs, made cards and wrapping paper and finished painting our flowers. We sang 5 songs for our Moms.I had the kids do a survey- my kid's moms ranged in age from 11 to 65...five year olds do not have a clear idea how old we are..VBG
We had most of our moms come to join us for the tea so the gym( our current classroom) was pretty full with our students and their families.(My teaching partner and I had about 3/4 of our families represented). As always, our educational assistants helped to make the tea a grand success- they made sure the tea pots and food trays were full. Our special assistants gave the children without any family members present, an opportunity to give tea to someone special. We are very fortunate to have such wonderful caring support for our students. One rose was given to each parent as they left the tea. We sent home a flower with each of the students whose families were not able to come celebrate with us. Friday was a very busy day because we went on a field trip to a local school to hear Sandi and Lee Paley sing with the kids in the morning. We were a group of tired ladies at Friday's end.

I promised you a before and after photo of my new hairdo. This is a photo taken a few days before- I was mighty windblown( which doesn't help) but it was getting pretty raggedy looking. The pets are not very happy looking either LOL

And here is the updated haircut- sleek and shaped and not too floofie looking. I am not sure why I didn't put my specs on- I wear them all the times these days as I can not read much of anything without them.(I do have more than green shirts in my closet) just have been wearing lots of green this spring. Perhaps I am hoping that spring has finally arrived- last week we had a snowstorm and needed to pull out the dreaded shovel. It has melted again and things are really beginning to green up- Hurrah!
Bruce and I visited the Art Gallery this week to attend a lecture about Yousef Karsh. His black and white photographs are so rich with light. He was an Armenian immigrant who moved to Canada when he was 16. He lived a long life( 1908-2002), mostly in the city of Ottawa and took photos of over 15,000 people many of them celebrities. This beautiful book called "Regarding Heroes" was written by David Travis. He was a former curator of photography of the Art Institute of Chicago and was the speaker at the lecture we attended. His book was a Mother's Day gift from my loving spouse. My favorite page in the book has Martin Luther King on the left and Nelson Mandela on the right page.

Yesterday while I was out, I visited a local quilt store to check out there clearance section. They had some lovely fabrics that included a beautiful piece of paisley that I added to the stash. Our son Kevin and his girlfriend, Roseanne, took me out to Mother's Day dinner in the evening. We stopped for dessert at a local ice cream place called Marble Slab to have waffle cones. My choice was raspberry cheesecake ice cream - total decadence.

Later today we are off to the Winspear auditorium to partake in a special event where some classic Chopin will be played and nice food served. It should be a very nice evening. All in all, I am one fortunate lady.

There are a few giveaways going on in blogland:
a honey run quilters giveaway Do you like jelly rolls and charm squares? Do you have a favorite line of fabric? Go leave a comment for her to enter.
Inch Worm Fabrics is having a great giveaway of a Lonestar book by Jan Krentz . She has a great blog and very nice store - do go and have a look around.Mother's day giveaway. Be sure to go to the Mother's day link first in order to enter for the great book. I am sure you will enjoy your visit.

Angela at Fenland Textile Studio gave me a very nice compliment and chose me as one of her beautiful bloggers. There are many wonderful blogs out there so I am very touched, she would choose me. There are so many bloggers that I could pass it on to, that I can not choose a handful. Pick any of the blogs on my blog list and you will find someone special to read. Do stop by Angela's blog -she has been sick with pleurisy and will enjoy having you leave a comment.

My original idea for today's post, was to write about my four great grandmothers. They were amazing ladies who were immigrants at the turn of the 20th century. That is a post for another time.

For some of you, Mother's Day may not be a happy day. You may have lost your mother or your child recently and feel great sadness. May you find yourself buoyed by the warmth of caring loved ones today.

I have been blessed with a loving Mother and Mother in Law. My mother in law now lives in a nursing home where she is well cared for- she has Alzheimer's. I miss her friendship, her love of the arts and her thoughtful ways. She was a nice painter, a fabulous bread maker and a kind and caring friend to me. She raised 5 wonderful children who miss her presence in their lives.

Motherhood, to me, is about the nurturing of loved ones- that may be your biological mother or someone who has provided you with the care and feeding of your physical or emotional spirit. Our family circles are richer for those who give us sustenance and support. Thank you to all who share their loving gifts with others.

Until next time,
Be well,
Warmest regards,
Anna

My grandfather Henry's Century....

March 14 is a day that I often pause to reflect and remember my grandfather Henry. He would have been a 100 today. My grandfather Henry Helge Alexis Linneberg was a farmer who told me wonderful stories. He was born to immigrant parents who came from Sweden in 1907(his father) and his mother(1908). Their trip to Canada was long and arduous. My great grandmother arrived on a boat with her two children. Her berth was the size of a large chair. Frida then rode on a train that took 3 weeks across Canada. Her journey did not end there. The final leg was to ride in a wagon to the farm. It took another day and a half to arrive on the homestead where my grandfather was born. There was not much more than brush,forest and hills as far as the eye could see. My great grandmother Frida did not speak English. Her nearest neighbour lived about a mile down the road. When Nils, her husband died 6 years later, they had only 6 acres cleared. In Sweden, Frida had always worried about Nils dying in the mines,he worked as a fire boss in Malmberget in Northern Sweden. Life was not easy as an immigrant widow on the prairies. Frida never returned to Sweden. She became a widow at age 38 and raised her 4 children to adulthood by herself. My grandfather was 6 when his father Nils died. This large aerial photo is of my grandparents farm taken in the early 70's. Their farm was adjacent to the original homestead. My grandparents lived on that property from 1936 until 2003.For almost 100 years, my mother's family had roots in that Alberta farming community.

My grandfather Henry was a dapper looking guy. Here he is with my gorgeous grandmother Grace on their wedding day. Henry was a man of many talents- he played a saxophone and a violin. He had a deep baritone voice and some of my first memories of him, are related to music and mealtimes. Henry would say the blessing and we would have a beautiful meal prepared from the food he and my grandmother had raised on the farm. After the meal was over, he would often stop to sing a song or tell a story. If there were small children he would bounce them on his knee and sing" Jimmy Crack Corn". I loved his stories and asked him to write them down in a small journal I gave him.
Over his lifetime, my grandfather worked many jobs as well as farmed. He often spent the winter away from my grandmother so that they would survive on the farm. He sold Watkins and drove a dairy truck during the second world war. In the later years, he went down to work in a cement plant near Banff. For 18 years, Henry spent winters away working on the boilers to help provide for his family. There are many bundles of letters from his time away, that reflect the deep feelings he had for my grandmother and how much he missed being with her and his family.
Henry wrote many letters to Grace over the years. Here is one of his notes that he wrote called "My Gracie."
" My Gracie
How fortunate I have been in choosing a wife. For over 50 years we have enjoyed life together. I look back even before we were married-
George(Grace's brother) and I were working at the mill- You(Grace) came out to get some wood and I received that million dollar smile that has won so many people into our friendship and lives. It has flashed across the room at me countless times and never failed to give me that old familiar thrill that has colored our lives each and every day throughout the years that have never been marred by discord or disagreement." by Henry written around their 50th wedding anniversary


One of the things that I think about when I think of my grandparents - besides their unwavering devotion to one another, was their value of family and family times. Many of my memories of childhood surround the times I spent with them on the family farm. I remember going to bring in the cows and berry picking in the fields in the surrounding area( saskatoons, wild strawberries, raspberries). I can close my eyes and smell the smells of the milk separator and the hay in the fields. I can taste the berries and cream and my grandmother's delicious chicken. There was always music in the house and we all sang the old country songs or the current musicals. The last sounds I heard each day were usually the voices of my grandparents talking and laughing with one another in their bed which was on the other side of a thin wall that separated our bedrooms in their old house. I remember that sound being like a comforting blanket that soothed me on my way to dreamland.

When I stayed with them we would go to town. Sometimes we stopped to get a soft ice cream cone. One of my grandpa's favorite food combinations was cantaloupe and vanilla ice cream. He loved raisin pie- my mother would often bake it when my grandparents came to visit. My grandmother kept humbugs, hard red berry candies and bridge mixture in the candy bowl. Henry was a patient man- As a child, I had a good imagination. There was a tree playhouse on the farm and I would often visit the dump area to bring back the Old Avon bottles, spice containers and other miscellaneous refuse to play store or house with- It didn't matter to Grandpa whether it was stuff that he had just taken to be destroyed or thought he had disposed off. He happily let me play and make my concoctions in spite of the extra work that I created for him.

My grandfather loved books- he was a serious thinker and there were many books in their home. While he had only a one room schoolhouse education, he continued to love to learn throughout his lifetime. Henry was an avid reader and was very fond of stories about Nature- books like "The Yearling". Grandpa had a dry sense of humor and a great deep laugh. I think at another time, he would have enjoyed being a philosopher. Henry was well known and trusted in his community- many people would come to seek his opinion and council. They knew their stories were safe with him- He was a good listener and a reflective thinker. My grand dad and my husband enjoyed many discussions about the sport of baseball.

As an adult,some of our later discussions revolved around all the changes that had occurred in my grandfather's life time. From horse and wagon to airplanes in less than 50 years. In 1982,my grandparents went to Sweden- he discovered he still could communicate in Swedish even though he had not spoken it since his mother died in 1953. It was an event filled journey meeting cousins and seeing places that his parents left nearly 70 years before.

I don't like to think about the time of his passing. He died in 1988 six weeks after our son was born. He was nearly 78. We have a few pictures of him holding Kevin. His large hands cradling my small baby. They still make me sad.

I have often wondered what he would think now of all the technological changes - the marvels of the internet and how small the world has become. He lived in a simpler time where people traded services and helped each other bring in their crops. Being a farmer often meant being a jack of all trades. He knew how to fix the machinery and what to do when an animal was giving birth. The image that I have when I think of my grandfather is of a man dressed in farm clothes; it always includes a brim hat and cowboy boots. Being a farmer was the essence of grandpa's being and the way I remember him best!

This game of Authors is one that I played as a child on my grandparent's farm. The original set was kept in a buffet in the living room in their house. I would often go and check it out long after I stopped playing it.
A very dear friend found a copy of it on ebay for me as a birthday gift. It is one of my most treasured possessions.
In other news, this lovely pair of earrings came to me from Mel in Singapore. Aren't they beautiful? They were a prize I won in one of the OWOH giveaways. Thank you so much Mel- I have the perfect outfit to wear with them.

Some great books have arrived in my mailbox the last few months from Connecting Threads and Amazon. There are some terrific patterns waiting to be made- I am not sure which one to begin with but I can feel the need to quilt again. Perhaps I am like the bear- waking up from a long quilting sleep. I also got some batting during their sale for some very good prices.

Before I close I want to leave you with some giveaways to checkout:
Banghaisge is having a quilt giveaway. It is a wonderful piece with such interesting fabrics and design- You will need to scroll down to around March 5 post to find it.
Bearbits is giving away the sweetest spring bear- if you love teddy bears do visit her blog- I love her stories too. The bears are often having some adventures. You will find a bear button on the right side of her post.
Tanglefrost has a fabulous post about the concept of worthiness and is giving away a fantastic handmade orchid necklace. I really enjoyed reading her post - I am sure you will too.
Diane of Turn left at pigs is also having a giveaway. Don't you just love the name of her blog.
There are so fabulous blogs for you to visit if you have the time.

Report cards are done and spring is coming... Change is on the horizon.. More about that next time.

Warmest regards,
Anna

And the work begins....

Progress- Waa Hoo! I have made some slow and steady work towards completing this quilt- On Sunday, I was able to get this Wonky Rail Ties all quilted. I am very pleased with the results- even though it is a large king sized quilt, I managed to quilt it all in one fell swoop. It is a great feeling to have it quilted and was wonderful to get in the groove and have it quilt up so quickly. Don't you love it, when you get on a real roll and everything works up perfectly. I used about 15 bobbins of thread to meander it. I hope to trim it this weekend and get some binding made up for it.

Life in September revolves around the routines of school and getting back into the rhythm of being a working person.

At school, we had our annual corn roast for our families yesterday and it was nice to meet some of the families I had not met before and get re-acquainted with others. The corn was sweet Taber corn and delicious to eat.

It was nice to meet with some quilting friends and begin our class on Monday night.
Some of the others were making two new patterns, "Endless Stars" and a scrap quilt that can be found in the recent "Fast Quilts" magazine.
However, I have decided to work on a quilt called "The Hollow Cubes". This quilt will keep me busy for many months. I started this quilt about 5 years ago. I have many many triangles cut, and the quilt resembles a large group of flags- they now need to get joined together to form half hexagons. It is a Challenging pattern and I have had a great deal of difficulty getting my head around the design. It is the primary reason that it has remained a UFO.
In general, I have few projects that remain UFO's. Over a year, I may have as many as half a dozen quilts on the go, but I like to finish all of them up before beginning more projects. I have been stymied by this pattern so far.. Hope springs eternal so maybe this time I will finally figure it out. The fabrics are beautiful batiks - I would really like to see it completed.

My mailbox continues to have some pleasant surprises for me. I received a wonderful package from Heather Mulder Peterson It is a 4 Moda Charm Packs and a whole series of patterns of Heather's designs that use charm packs. They are scrumptious looking and it will be hard to choose which of Heather's designs to make first.

Thank you so much Heather for the wonderful gift- it is a real treasure trove that I will enjoy exploring and creating with your lovely materials.

My friend Rosa send me gifties from her surprise giveaway. She sent me some lovely " I SPY" squares and a coffee card from a Canadian company called Tim Horton's. Tim's is famous across Canada. Rosa you are a real gem- Thanks so much for your lovely thoughtful gestures.

The gumtree designers are a fantastic group of Australian women who are having some giveaways. Do check them out - They are all wonderfully creative and do such beautiful work...

Caroline of the Contented Quilter is having two giveaways. I hope that you will use the link and check out her lovely blog.

Gypsy Lulu is a new blog to me but she also is having a nice giveaway for you to check out -- especially if you love jewellery(which I do) I love baubles of all descriptions and probably would make a good magpie bird(though I am not mean like they can be, to other animals.)

And if you are interested in making something with Jellyrolls,well, you may want to check out Sarah at the Missouri table blog who is having a jelly roll giveaway this week- I have never used a jelly roll but I am sure one can make something beautiful with them.

Many of you enjoyed the antics of "GOTO" the Squirrel. He continues to entertain one and all at the observatory on the weekends. Our weather has been unseasonably warm so he is going to have more time to collect those nuts to "squirrel away" his bare necessities for winter. LOL

Time to cut out paper doll shapes for a school project for my students where they show me "How many people live in their house".. My students and I are getting to know one another by singing and dancing and reading our favorite stories. Each day is full of interesting things - I love looking at the world through my kindergarten children's eyes-hopeful, honest and often humorous... Today one of them was looking for a shortcut across our room- not sure he found one, but he went looking anyway..There is always something to make us laugh...

Happy fall to one and all...

Regards,

Anna

Would you slash it... or can this quilt be saved??

I have been playing with a few ideas as to how to improve this red and green quilt-
Some ways that have come to mind are to take it apart in places and add some leaf fabric in the main body( sorry, I have no new photos to add today) or just add the leaf outside border and then applique some leaves across the body of the quilt.( I did look at Christmas fabric for it but I only have one alternative that I didn't like as well as the leaf fabric.)

Then a blog friend Robyn from Daisy Quilt suggested another alternative- I could slash it..(Click on Robyn's name and you will find out more about slashing quilts)

Now I am not sure I have it in me to slash one of my quilts, but I am considering it... It is certainly out of my comfort zone but not an impossible alternative... Hmmmmmmm

My wonky tiles quilt has grown into its king sized form- it has gone from 48 to 99 blocks and now has the borders on it( I may add one more two inch border yet) and then the top will be finished.

I went and got backing for the "Wonky Tiles" other day- You need a lot of fabric for the back (about 9 meters). I don't usually buy 9 meters of fabric and our local Fabricland(sort of like Joanne's)had a 50% off sale so I found what I was looking for backing. I will be spray basting it one day later this week once I get the borders on a couple of other quilts so that I can do it all at once.

And now for some blogs who are hosting Giveaways:

Vicki at Feline and Fibre Art is having a 100 giveaway post. She has posed some interesting questions to think about - One of the things I love about Vicki's blog is her cats - She has an orange cat just like we do. What is it about Cats and quilts? They sure do love them!!!

Rosa is a new blogger to me but she is having an interesting giveaway too... I will be visiting her blog again.

Julie is celebrating her 500th post and giving away some patterns. Go and check them out. I have been reading her blog for quite a long time and enjoy her quotes and posts. I hope she will write many more blog posts.

gran is a wonderful needlewoman who enjoys cooking and embroider. Gran has a terrific giveaway and has only recently started her website. She will draw a name in the middle of the week so you need to go there quickly. She is one talented lady...

I am sure that there are other giveaways out there - there seems to be a great number of them going on just now. Some people are clearing their collections of patterns and fabric or offering up some special things that have collected for a giveaway. Many are celebrating blogspot milestones. They are all a talented group of quilters who are sharing their love of quilting with others. Thank you for your generosity and passion ladies- it inspires us all.

The August challenge goes on- I have the borders chosen for the Winding Ways quilt and will look for ones for the The trip around the World and then there is the Slasher Quilt LOL.. Maybe I could turn it into a Halloween Quilt LOL

Hope you all are making progress on your August finishes..

Our mail brings some interesting things these days. I received a lovely package from my blog friend Michelle who had hosted a giveaway. It is a wonderful wallhanging kit that has some applique in it. I will try and make it up to show you all. Do go and visit her blog- She is lovely lady who is expecting a baby soon. She lives in my neighboring province- home of the Cyprus Hills.

Speaking of Cyprus Hills, my spouse returns this evening and the time is rushing towards fall- soon I will switch from quilting to teaching my little children. My kindergarteners will be excited and full of wonderful ideas and they will change the rhythm of my life from quiet to hectic and busy but we will have lots of fun together singing and learning new things ... Such is the ebb and flow of life as a primary teacher...

Until next time- Happy Quilting,

Warmest Regards,
Anna

A Trip..and many Blogs to visit...

This "Trip Around the World" quilt has flown to is new home in Newfoundland. Newfoundland is a day's airplane travel(over 4000 miles) from where I call home. I live in Western Canada in a large city called Edmonton. Our metro area's population is approximately one million people.Edmonton is a beautiful city with a large green belt area that surrounds the river that flows through the heart of the city. I attended university here and have continued to live here since I completed my teaching degree. My husband grew up in Newfoundland, which is an island that is on the eastern seaboard of Canada. It is fondly known as "The Rock" and is a beautiful place with craggy rock cliffs and surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. Pictured here, is my sister in law M. She and her husband,T., have a lovely place on the eastern shores of Newfoundland that overlooks the Atlantic where this quilt will now reside. It is my most recently completed project.I hope that they find the quilt a pleasant way to wrap themselves up while having a nap.

First There are some great giveaways here in blogland with wonderful prizes that one can enter..Please go and check them out at:
Judi at Green Fairy Quilts is offering a very nice giveaway. She and her husband Clint have a charity to help people in Romania.
Ryan is having a very nice birthday giveaway- go and help Ryan celebrate his birthday and quilting.
My friendMicki at Irish Muse is celebrating her 10,000 hit by having a giveaway of some lovely Irish things. I have enjoyed reading Micki`s blog. She is a transplanted American and enjoys sharing her life with Joe and their very fine dogs. She often has wonderful photos of Ireland and makes many wonderful quilts and embroidery pieces.

When summertime comes, I have more time to explore some of my favorite blogs. I have found many wonderful bloggers from all over the globe that I have come to think of as friends. On the right side of my blog is a long blog list- all of them are well worth a visit. However sometimes one has limited time to explore such a lengthy list, so I thought I would share about two dozen with you. It was hard to choose but these are some of the blogs I read regularly.. Go and visit and you will see why they inspire me, make me laugh and enrich my life by reading their stories.

To begin,Kim makes me laugh regularly-she is a prolific quilter who creates her own designs and writes with real pizazz.. She is working on a very fun quilt right now that I am thinking about making with star fabrics.

Nicole was asked by another quilter her ideas about about the prewashing of fabrics and ways of storing fabric and quilts.It was a great topic and Nicole received about 60 comments on the topic. Nicole posts regularly so you will have to go back a few days to check it out.

If you are looking for a funny tale then Jace is your man. He is a wonderful woodworker too!

Gran "Shirley" has just started a new website and she is wonderful Knotty-Embroidery lady. Right now she has a giveaway.

Corey
had a most interesting antique object that she asked her readers to identify. Go and check it out and see if you can guess what it is...

Shirley is from the land down under and shares her life as a teacher in Queensland.

I am sure you will appreciate Meggie's tales of her life in Australia.She shares her stories about her GOM and family. There are always lovely photos and a musical piece to listen to..

If Color is your thing, you definitely need to check out Wanda's blog Exuberant Color. Her blog is rich with gorgeous fabrics and flowers from her garden.

Susan shares her life with Vann in the Yellow House in Alabama. She is wonderful quilter and an avid reader. I really enjoy checking out her current booklist.

Nancy is from Philadelphia - her current piece is about her reflections about blogging and well worth a look.

Mrs.Goodneedle often has a piece on Tuesdays that encourages readers to reflect about their thoughts and experiences with quilting. Life is indeed Good, Mrs.GoodNeedle...

Gene enjoys exploring with different mediums- he paints, creates with clay and makes colorful quilts and is a recent addition to my blog roll.

A fellow Western Canadian Joyce shares her explorations with clay and fabric. She is creating some lovely innovative pieces.

Until recently Tonya lived in Paris. She loves using words in her quilts and is an expert making free form lettering.

If you enjoy cooking as well as quilting, then you will want to visit Judy
at Patchwork Times. She is a master quilter who loves to cook. Judy also raises chickens.

I think scrap quilts are fabulous and Bonnie Hunter has created numerous free patterns on her website using scraps. She has recently written a book called "Scraps and Shirttales"that shows quilters how to make quilts using scraps and recycled fabrics.

There are terrific quilts being made all over this globe. There is a special lady named Tanya who shares her stories about quilting and life in Japan. I have especially enjoyed her pieces that share traditions and the cultural ways of Japan.

One of my favorite bloggers is Michele who hails from Oregon. She is generous with her time to help others create quilts. On her blog,she has provided links for free patterns.I have appreciated her many reflective pieces about life.
Pam hails from California and is a fairly new blogger who has a great sense of fun and a generous heart. She has a fine recipe for a pot of Cowboy beans too!

Sometimes life can be quite an adventure and Sharon at Red Geranium Cottage has certainly been on one lately. She and "Hunka" her husband, Dennis, have recently moved across country from California to the Midwest. She is back living close to her family and is loving it..

Eileen is a terrific lady who both hand and machine quilts. She lives in Western Maryland and reminds me my grandmother- thoughtful, devoted to her family and a great lover of the natural world. I enjoy each and every one of my visits with her- I know you will too.

Last but not least is my friend from Vancouver Pam who I had the good fortune to meet in person last summer. We visited some quilt stores and had a great time having lunch together. At that time, I was still a lurker-

Just over 50 posts later - I am still writing - who would have believed it....I was sure I would run out of things to say quite a long time ago but Here I am and, I am having lots of fun, getting know bloggers and quilters from many different places.


On the homefront, I have cleaned up my sewing area and rearranged my fabric boxes. I also checked out star patterns and finally found one that I will use to make a star quilt. I looked in the scrap box and the yardage and found a nice collection of star fabrics for the quilt.

My good fortune continued this week, where I won a giveaway from Rachaele at park avenue sweatshop. Thank you so much for choosing my name. I am one lucky lady.

I am looking forward to getting a new hairdo and going to see " The Lion King" this week.
How about you, what things are you looking forward to doing this week?

Warmest regards,

Anna

Fabric Choices.... Do you use your scraps to make Quilts?

When I first started quilting I decided that I might like to make a quilt for each one of our siblings. My husband and I each have three siblings with spouses/partners. Since 2001, I have made each pair at least one quilt and in some cases they now have a second quilt. Each quilt is quite different, like each of our siblings. This quilt belongs to my youngest brother Shaun. I made it completely from my stash. The pattern was called "Roman Squares" that is a Rail Tie that is set on point. It was from a little book called "Classic Quilts in a Day" by Fran Roen. I used scraps from my scrap box and when I look at his quilt, I remember many other quilts where I used some of those fabrics. This quilt has a real traditional look and feel to it. My friend Michele has an interesting post about making quilts from "Everything but the kitchen sink". There is much talk about caring for the environment and being aware of our carbon footprint in our society.

I have made a few scrap quilts over the last dozen years of quilting. Some have been made from scraps given to me by other quilters, and others have had strips from yardage in my stash. On the odd occasion, I have taken apart pieces of clothing to use as fabric in my quilts.

My curious mind wonders what others think about making scrap quilts? Do you enjoy making scrap quilts? Where do you get your fabrics? Have you built a stash of fabric? Do you create your own designs using traditional patterns or use someone else's patterns?

If you are looking for a good source of patterns do checkout Bonnie Hunter's blog She has a large number of wonderful patterns for scrap quilters that are free on her website. Bonnie has also written a book called "Scraps and Shirttails" that I just received in the mail this week. It has a number of lovely patterns but the one I like the best is called "Virginia Bound".

I am a huge fan of using lots of color in my quilts, so scrap quilts are very appealing to me. I started collecting fabrics when I began quilting a dozen years ago and I have amassed quite a collection of fabrics. I go to my stash first, when I am making a new quilt and these days I can usually make the quilt from the stash without buying anything for it. I also have been given fabric from friends( both quilters and non quilters)to add to my collection. And of course there are my shopping adventures for fabric(I sometimes call it my retail therapy VBG).. All in all, I have many choices when it comes to creating quilts. I am not living up to the frugality of my forebearers, but I am building my own retirement fabric fund :O)

There are a couple of blogs that are having some giveaways that you may want to check out. Pat is having a very nice giveaway. She is a pattern designer and writes a very fun blog.
The people at yellowbirdart are also hosting a giveaway. These fine ladies have both have just come back from Quilt Market. I appreciated the way these ladies share their zest and passion for quilting.

The last blog I want to recommend is Quilter on a budget I was fascinated by her post about a solar system quilt that was made in 1876. This quilter was a lecturer about astronomy and made the quilt to provide her audience some visuals about the solar system. It was considered an acceptable hobby for a woman in the late 1800's..

I want to thank all of you who commented last week - I really appreciated all your ideas about the things that challenge you in quilting, and ways that you get your Mojo moving. I did get two Trip around the World quilts cut out ( large Twin size) and sewn together in one direction. I am making them with a strip quilting technique so I hope that they will go together fairly quickly.

I really enjoyed our Victoria Day Weekend Holiday last week. I had a surprise visit from my sister,Denise. We went out for a nice dinner with her and her daughter on Monday evening. I also got in some good quilting time too. I hope my American friends have a terrific Memorial Day holiday this weekend.

This upcoming week holds some nice social events with my spouse. We are off to see an Imax show about Vincent van Gogh on Wednesday evening, the opening of local Art Gallery's new exhibit on Friday night and a Volunteer appreciation evening on Saturday. In between times, I will be writing some report cards .. Life is good..

Warmest regards,
Anna