Long time, no post!

Hello

It has been quite awhile since we've posted here but we're still around, we've just been busy posting on our personal blogs.  Hope you'll look in on us there, stop to say "Hello" and see what we have all been up to with our sewing, quilting, baking, knitting, gardening, crafting, thrifting, reading, homelearning, white shirt watching, etc.  If you'd like to find us you can follow these links to...



Katherine at Sew Me Something Good

Samantha at Shamrock Wishes

Heather at A Handmade Life

Jacqueline at Hello Beautiful Life

Whatever happened to Shaun Cassidy??

Whatever happened to Shaun Cassidy, you ask?

Well apparently he grew a mustache, got braces, big bags under his eyes and loads of blue freckles.

I found this the other day rolled up into some of my old artwork. We are in the process of moving and finding all kinds of...erm, treasures tucked away in nooks and crannies. This must have adorned my bedroom wall some 30 years ago. Did I do this? Did my boys? W's guess is that Uncle D (my big brother) did it many years ago to torment me. He is quite likely right. ;-0

Just had to share in case the poster might bring back any fond memories for someone else.

No guests for Easter dinner?

Here's the good thing about not having any guests for Easter dinner.You each get 1/4 of the plum pie. ;-)

Quilt completed

After approximately 7 months, my shirts of Hawaii inspired quilt is finished.

The binding, a simple yellow fabric after much thought, was completed last week and a day later the quilt disappeared.  It was later found in my sons room as he seems to have claimed it as his own (leaving me once more without a get-cozy movie watching blanket).  I guess I'll have to keep sewing quilts...

Cleaning up the yard took up all of my weekend, so I haven't put any more work onto my Spring quilt.  I was hoping to finish it quicker, but there is only so much time in a day and well, I'm a woman of many passions and most of them cannot be done at the same time.  I could cut out some interests from my life, but where is the fun in that?  So I will work at my steady pace and know that if my Spring quilt isn't completed this Spring, it most likely will be next Spring.  Let's hope ;-)

And thank you for all the positive feedback on my Spring quilt!  Although initially wary of the collection of bright fabrics chosen by my son, I really love the way it's all coming together. :-)

I should have been...

I was gifted with a few hours of precious alone time today.  I should have been cleaning up.  Or knitting the difficult sock pattern I've been working on.  Or baking.  Or even finishing up the binding on this quilt that is so close to done I can taste it.  (Wow.  I started that quilt a loooong time ago.  I'm almost embarrassed that it's taken me this long to finish it.)

Instead of doing any or all of the above, I chose to piece together some of the blocks for my latest quilt top.

It's hard to get a good photo of it all...
but you can see it's quite intricate (for me) and I had to be very organized in my planning.  I've spent a good part of March putting these blocks together (on top of the cooking and the cleaning and the welding) and I couldn't resist sewing part of it up to see how it looks.  Plus, the cat kept walking across them, wrinkling and messing them up.  I couldn't have that.  I still have about 1/3 or so more quilt blocks to make, so I shall cross my fingers that I have enough fabric to finish off my pattern and keep plugging away at it.

WSS warning

There I was innocently sitting down the other night to watch an episode of North and South, purely for my own educational improvement in certain areas of historical importance (wink, wink), when what should appear before my eyes but a White Shirt. A fine white shirt! Well...what's a WSS sufferer to do? Surely I couldn't turn it off, after all, we are in the middle of studies on the Industrial Revolution. As a mom to homelearning boys I consider it my duty to know all manner of Industrial Revolution type things...such as the inner workings of cotton mills, the class system of mill towns, what handsome young mill owners are wearing, etc. (turns out that they are wearing white shirts, who knew?) This particular mill owner could give Mr.Darcy a run for his money in the "best scowl" category...if there ever were such a category. (and oh how I wish there were) ;-) So...it turns out, that in the interest of thorough research, the only thing to do is to watch All Four Episodes of North and South in one sitting...and to stay up quite late to do so. That way, I can watch it all over again before it is due back at the library. You see what a dedicated mom to homelearners I am? :-)

The Future of Food and Seedy Saturday

We watched this film a few weeks ago and I keep thinking about it. We already grow most of our veg from heirloom seeds and we also save a lot of our own seeds but after watching this I feel compelled to do more...grow more, save more, share more, do more and talk more.

I want to be sure that more people know what is going on with our food and I want people to see how easy (and enjoyable) it is to grow more of our own. I want to share more seeds and encourage more excitement about growing, preserving and, most of all, eating fresh homegrown vegetables.

This film is full of lots of information on genetically-modified seeds, corporate control and seed patents. It also contains some information about some simple things that we can do - support local agriculture, save seeds, grow your own, etc. The second disc has some special features including an interview with Michael Pollan and a short film called How to Save Seeds from Vegetables by Underwood Gardens.

Just in case you want to get yourself some interesting seed varieties to get started for this year.


Seedy Saturday

Certified organic seeds, plants, many rare and heirloom varieties, especially tomatoes. There will also be music, food, planting kits, artwork, honey, lavender, speakers and more. Kelowna's Seedy Saturday will be at the Rutland Centennial Hall 180 Rutland Road North) again this year from 10:00am to 3:00pm. Remember to bring your saved seed to the seed swap table ~ a chance to perpetuate those family treasures, and acquire some new ones! Admission is by donation at the door to the Central Okanagan Community Gardens.

Many communities have Seedy Saturdays coming up in the next few weeks. They are a great place to meet people, find out more about gardening and get some great seeds or plants.