A table, a quilt and a cold

It was inevitable. I caught my yearly Fall Cold. I don't know why it is, but the change in season never fails to lead to a sinus cold for me. Anyway, I was lucky to be off Friday and today, and I'm grateful for that because it makes being sick so much worse when you're in public. I'm also lucky I have a very nice guy as a boyfriend, who gets me things like ice cream and orange juice whenever he goes out (thanks, turkey buns). I Got to work finishing the binding on my quilt. I decided to make it myself this time, which I liked doing. However, I'm still not sure I have the hang of this mitered corner business. O well, imperfections add character, right?









The embroidered insects were a lot of fun. Those are ants at the very bottom, and although you can't see him there, I added a chubby one too. My personal fav' is the fly in red thread, he's so subdued. This quilt went quickly, but was an emotional roller coaster of sorts. I don't know how many times I decided I really disliked it, and then changed my mind again that I did like it. I'm still not completely certain how I feel; I think I like some aspects of it but maybe not how they all fit together as a whole. Maybe the brown is too dark compared to everything else...I do like how the stitching looks, and the homespun cotton...maybe I need to put it away for a while and move on.

In other news, I decided to build us a table. We had been looking for a while but were disappointed with what's out there (so many look cheap but are ridiculously expensive), and as patience is not a virtue of mine, well, I thought I might as well try to do it myself. There's a list of "issues" related to its stability (one leg is on a 15-20 degree angle), and some parts are not so pretty (like underneath where I tried to fix the legs by adding nail after screw after screw). Also, this is supposed to be a walnut stain. I thought walnut was quite dark, and this is very gold. It really doesn't fit well with our living room (you may be asking "why didn't you go get another stain?" well, as I said patience is not something I have a lot of and I wanted it done). I guess I was thinking it would get darker with more coats, or that this colour would look alright. I do like it though, because I like anything that isn't mdf board or plywood, so I'll be putting it in my studio. Now the hunt is on to find something else to put in its place so that I can have my fall Arrangement of Gourds Display that I've been waiting years to set up. For so long I've wanted a focal point, one seen from the entryway, for seasonal/special things. Ah, life is hard.







I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the crisp air and pretty leaves falling.

Second quilt and Marvin

The Mushroom Quilt is almost done, thanks to a Saturday night sewing party at my house! Actually, it was just me, Marvin, some Feist and some Matthew Good. Chris went out for the evening, so I stayed up and worked on the embroidery and quilting. Around 11 I decided to make apple crisp, and by the time it was done I was ready to take a break and watch one of my geeky ghost shows. I'll have some photos of the finished piece by the end of the week I hope.

I really don't have any other news, so I thought I'd tell a little bit about Marvin (also answers to Shmarvin, Blarvin and Parblin), who you may have noticed helping me out in the studio. He likes to help out. Especially when it involves laying on things, to make sure they're suitably comfortable you know. We adopted Marvin about five years ago, and he has become a well-loved friend. We both hope he's one of those cats who live to be twenty.









The above is a weaving I made in my second year of art school. I thought I would really enjoy weaving since I like to knit and sew (and my grandmother was a weaver), and so I took an introductory class. I hated it! I really disliked the entire process. Luckily I had a great instructor who was very patient with me and eager to make the course as enjoyable for me as possible; when I told her I was having difficulty focusing, and not feeling inspired, she gave me a tapestry loom and told me to "paint" a picture with yarn. This was the perfect solution for me since I have a strong connection with painting and drawing. At the time, Marvin was sick, and so he was on my mind. I decided to use linen. It obviously isn't perfect, but it reminds me of Marvin, and of a good teacher.

Make mushroom while the sun shines

I've been trying to get a photo of these guys for a while. Every morning I hear them go about their routine:
"Everything still okay?"
"yeeesssss, everything's okay".
"Everything still okay?"
"yup, still okay".
"Still okay??"
"yeah, no sign of humans as of yet"
"Okay."
"Still okay??"

This cawing back and forth early in the morning seems to irritate people, but I find it really fascinating. I'm pretty sure that there is one always in a high spot keeping guard, while the other(s) look for goodies in the dumpster. I think they're keeping communication with each other during the process, working together to avoid danger. Actually, I've heard accounts of a Guard crow reacting very loudly when a human approached the area where his companion searched for food, and then the companion reacting to this and fleeing.

Finally this morning they were still long enough for me to get a few shots. Maybe I'm just a nerd, but that made my morning. I'll have to find a name for these guys.



I started a quilt today and got most of the top done. I left home to get fabric with a general idea of what I wanted (not a good idea for me, usually end up spending too much) and I came back with colours that are a bit different than my usual picks. This is going to be my Mushroom Quilt, so it will have mushrooms appliqued to the top.



I was actually pretty happy with how it was going, until Chris came home and pointed out how "penis-like" one of my mushrooms is. So of course all I can see now is a big brown penis when I look at my quilt. There's nothing wrong with penises of course, but I don't want them on my quilt. O well, penis or mushroom, it's there to stay.

What a room can hold

This is the other side of my space-- about half of our living room, behind the couch-- where I paint. I've always appreciated a well-loved, well-used space, and I've always felt the need to create "spots". Until recently I assumed it had to do with genetics, as my mum always loved to decorate; however, I think it really has to do with comfort and with the essence of home. When things get tense in life, I find myself dealing with the anxiety by recalling home and knowing that at the end of the day, no matter what, there is home. I've had more time on my hands lately than I've had for years, only working part time and out of school. Consequently I've had that pestering feeling in the back of my brain that says "you should be doing more!". I've immersed myself in my space, and tried to do as much creatively as possible.

Unfortunately I'm no photographer, and these awful little snapshots are all I have left of the bird paintings I recently took to the gallery. They are the beginning of a stream of small paintings focused on organic, "fauna and flora" sort of subject matter. I've started some mushrooms that will be even simpler in nature. I find mushrooms beautiful in their diversity and colour. I hope though, that others share my view, and don't find these paintings boring.

Flannel, who'd a thunk?

It's a chilly Monday morning here, really starting to feel like fall. This is absolutely my favourite time of year. The colours, the clean smell in the air, pumkins and gourds, coziness and long evenings, sweaters, hot stews and soups...I could go on. I think it's partly that we're getting close to winter and Christmastime, but not quite there yet, not quite close enough to see the end of Christmastime (just after Christmas is one of my least favourite times) and the truth of the long winter ahead.

In the spirit of autumn I decided to try embroidering a squirrel onto a tote. You may be thinking "but squirrels aren't just around in the fall," and you're right, but see it started with acorns, and then acorns led to squirrels. Anyway, the tote pattern is from Bend The Rules Sewing I'm satisfied with this bag. Finally, a bag that is not floppy! Amy uses white flannel as an interfacing, and wow, it's works perfectly--still soft, but no flop.

A more feathery kitchen

I was able to finish the bird mobile I mentioned earlier, and although I had made it to spruce up the living room, decided to hang it in the kitchen. I think they belong there actually, now that I see them bobbing in their splotch of sunlight. These guys were easy and fun to make, and really you could do any creature you wanted. I basically drew my bird on paper and cut out various felt colours, then made wings out of patterned scraps, filled them with polyfill and added their feathers and faces. The embroidery was the most enjoyable part. I only recently became interested in embroidery, and I'm really looking forward to learning more about it. So far I'm just making things up (as you can see, I sometimes get a little carried away with the whole "why not!" factor).









I have a tote bag to show you soon too (with a squirrel on it, yay!), another project from Amy Karol's book. You know, I really dig her book. I like how loose she is with the instructions. This may sound like a problem at first but I actually find it liberating. I have books with tons of instruction and I still make mistakes with those, and I spend way more time trying to decipher what I'm supposed to do before I do it. That stresses me out!

I hope you are having a good weekend, whoever and wherever you are.

I like my in-laws

Chris's mum and dad were able to come for a visit today, and it was really great to see them. They're so warm and kind and easy to talk to; I have to say I'm very lucky when it comes to the in-laws. Marvin really seemed to like having them over too, and spent a good deal of time licking Darlene's pant leg. We realized later she had some gum in her pocket, and so it all made sense, he has a thing for minty gum.


They don't have high speed internet so I can post this,




And my special find of the day...


Actually I had been coveting this little tape measure for almost a year. It's from Lee Valley. I guess it just didn't seem like something I should spend money on, even though it wasn't really expensive. Anyway, he's mine now and I love him.

Shared Knowledge

Have you ever taken on a challenge or a task that was new to you, and found yourself feeling strangely confident about maneuvering your way through it? Have you ever been in a situation you knew on a logical level was dangerous, and yet felt completely calm and in control?

A few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to catch a radio segment entitled Shared Knowledge. In this essay, Paddy Miller describes the theory that knowledge can be "stored" and accumulated from one generation to the next. She shares her personal experiences with Shared Knowledge, and also gives as an example the story of the Monarch butterfly, which I found particularly remarkable.

Upon hearing Ms. Miller talk about Shared Knowledge, I immediately thought of "women's work". Quilting, embroidery, knitting, mending, all involve a certain kind of manual dexterity, and yet we flow through the motions often thinking about something else all together, taken up by the rhythm. I know I've put down a knitting project for months, and then picked it up almost expecting that my hands would know what to do on their own-- and I've been surprised to find that they do. I've always loved making things, and certainly I am the crafty, artsy type. However, more and more I find myself almost overcome by a need to make things, and often it occurs to me that my grandmother and her mother before her, would have been forced to make these things. My family came to Canada from France, very poor, in the 1700s; their days were spent making things, a life, out of nothing. Sometimes wonder if it's just "in me", and in a sense how could it not be?

If you'd like to listen to or read this essay, it's available on the CBC website, here There are numerous essays, all inspiring, all airing as part of This I Believe

A Quilt

Yes, those are little carrots!!

I used the lap quilt pattern from Amy Karol's book Bend the Rules Sewing It was so surprisingly easy! The funny thing is, I have two or three books just on quilting, and although I've made some of the smaller quilted projects from them, the thought of taking on an actual quilt seemed a bit overwhelming. I think the small size of this lap quilt made it seem much more doable for me. It's plenty big enough to snuggle up with, or to spread out on the floor to sit on while looking through books and that sort of thing. I love the instant shot of coziness it gives to the room, too. And no, I haven't finished the binding...I started a felt bird mobile, inspired by something I saw in a Japanese magazine. Those Japanese, I wonder where they get their amazing (and simple!) ideas.

Two Friends Just Hangin Out

It's a rainy fall day here in Halifax (our favourite kind of day), and I'm happy because that means I have an excuse to stay inside and finish the binding on my quilt...and maybe start another project. I'm not the best at staying on track, and I usually have the most difficulty when it comes to those very last finishing details--like handsewing the last side of binding onto my quilt.

I've been browsing craft blogs a lot lately, and I'm astounded with the talent and creativity out there. Although I do love to paint (painting was my focus at school) I've been doing quite a bit of sewing this summer. My favourite things to make are items for our home. Hence the two stuffed kitties hangin out, made with wool and scraps. The pattern is Denise Schmidt's, and so easy I instantly wanted to make one for every room. My partner, Chris is a bit of a minimalist though, so I have to keep it under control. I'm more of the eclectic type myself, and I love whimsical and cozy and personal.





I'm hoping that this blog will good practice for photo taking-- as you can see I desperately need it! It seems there is never enough light, but then if I add the flash my subject looks as though it's being interrogated in some dingy police station. Alas, I might just have to take a few lessons...

I want to mention that the lovely pattern you see on the edges of the page is from Squifinger http://www.squidfingers.com/patterns/ There are many more pretty ones there to use for blog and such.

Watcha gonna write about Ma?

I don't know, Son. I don't know. Isn't that the way? Maybe it's the pressure of having a fresh new blog, and wanting so much for it to be about something Important...I can't think of anything to write.

Instead I think I'll show you my sewing space and my cat (the "son" mentioned above). At the end of the day, it's the little things that really matter, like a chubby, snuggly cat who loves you no matter what, and a little space to sit and be creative.

photo credit: Marie Read