Monthly Archives: January 2016

Abbreviations

Saturday is kind of a ‘wordy’ day for me as it’s the day that I tackle the cryptic crossword in the National Post. There are cryptic puzzles throughout the week, but I like the one constructed by Henry Rathvon and Emily Cox. Sometimes I can crack it in one sitting, usually I work at it throughout the week.

On the topic of words and language, I’ve been thinking about the abbreviations that have worked their way into my speech and writing. For example, in my sewing room right now I have two UFO’s, several WIP’s and I’m about to start some FMQ on one of the WIP’s! The UFO’s are UnFinished Objects. They differ from WIP’s (Works In Progress) in that they’re tucked away and haven’t seen action for several months. I really am working on the WIP’s. The FMQ,(Free Motion Quilting), will get me very close to finishing one of those projects. And, when I’m in need of supplies, I’ll check out my LQS, or Local Quilt Shop.

Abbreviations come into play in my sporty life too. Recently I signed up to race in the Ironman triathlon 70.3 race in Victoria in June. The distance is one-half of a full Ironman race, (140.6 miles), but instead of calling it a ‘half Ironman’, it is often referred to as a 70.3. Training has begun and that means it’s time to focus on my DPS, RPM and to throw in a weekly LSD run. DPS is Distance Per Stroke. Swimming is all about technique and greater DPS means fewer strokes, which equals less fatigue. RPM is for the bike and it is the number of Revolutions Per Minute the crank is turned. The LSD run has nothing to do with psychedelic drugs! Rather it’s a Long Slow Distance run, which is now 10 km, but will build to 20 km in the spring.

I love words and language. And right now I’m going to exchange today’s WIP for the cryptic crossword and a cold beer.

Bye for now.

Inspiration and Ideas are Everywhere

Pink Floyd Three Ways

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When I had made a few quilts, and decided that it was something that I’d like to carry on with, I mentioned to my two children that I’d love to make them each a quilt. It had to be something that they chose and, ideally, I hoped that they would participate in the making. That’s my practical side coming through – a quilt is a lot of work and I wanted to know that it would be loved and appreciated.

My son came up with an idea but was hesitant to share it with me, as he felt it was a tad complex. “Tell me,” I said, “how hard can it be?” Braden gave in and told me that he wanted a quilt that looked like the cover of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon album. This one:

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Not one to shy away from a challenge, I thought it would be fun to take this on. Together we drew, shopped, measured, cut and pieced. The black background is strips sewn together. They’re either 4″ or 6″ wide, (I can’t remember and the quilt isn’t here). We cut the background and inserted the white band and the rainbow. The centre triangle is black in the middle with graduated greys on the perimeter. It was made separately and then sewn on. We were super happy with the result.

Little did I know that the complex part of the quilt was yet to come. This had all been just a warm up exercise! Check out the photo of Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here album cover. This one:

Pink-floyd-cover-1

Yup, Braden wanted this on the flip side of his quilt. How did we do it? Slowly, thoughtfully and with a great deal of patience. Braden made a full size 6′ x 6′ drawing, which we divided into 4″ horizontal strips. Each strip was traced onto freezer paper, then numbered and colour-coded, so we’d know what pieces to join together. Here’s what one strip looks like:

We added 1/4″ for seam allowances and then stitched each horizontal row together. We pressed each seam as we went along and there were several instances of ‘unsewing/resewing’, especially with the small, curvy pieces. As each horizontal row was completed we added it to the one above, to make sure we were on track. Here’s a photo of the first few assembled rows:

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It was very fun to watch as it all came together. Braden added the jagged side edges and I think it makes a unique statement. Once the top was assembled we made appliqués of the two men and fused them to it. The appliqués were then stitched on using a satin stitch.

We cleaned up the loose threads, straightened the edges, layered it into a quilt sandwich and decided to carry on with the Pink Floyd theme and quilt it like the cover of The Wall, this one:

Braden had helped with all aspects of the design and construction of this project. But, by the time we got ready to quilt it, he had to move away for work. I got the quilting done and finished it off with a narrow black binding and a label.

What a sense of satisfaction! Sure, there are lots of things that I’d do differently, so as a learning experience it was invaluable. Best of all, it was a way to spend time with Braden; problem solving, sharing my craft with him and creating memories.

Click on any of the photos below to get enlarged views of the finished quilt.

: ‘A’ Side

: ‘B’ Side

: Label

The Girlfriend Quilt

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: Circa 1975

: 2015

I met Cheryl and Laura when our family moved to Victoria in 1969. We immediately became friends and have stayed best pals since then. Even though they live in Victoria and I’m in Vancouver we see each other often. Our husbands are close friends as well and we all get together for a couple of weekends each year.

Each summer the six of us gather at our home on Denman Island for a weekend. We often do a craft on those weekends. In 2014 I wanted to do a special project with the girls – a Girlfriend Quilt. The instructions were for each of us to purchase six fat quarters, (18″ x 22″ pre-cut fabric pieces). They could be anything that we liked, even if they didn’t go together, and could include one solid colour. No shopping together, and no sharing; this was to be a surprise.

I pre-cut the background strips, based on what the girls told me they’d like. When we were together we revealed our fabrics, cut them into 4 1/2″ squares and began to place them according to a pattern that I’d drawn up. This was the fun part because the ‘rules’ stipulated that we had to use at least one of all of the fabrics. Our tastes are very different. Cheryl loves muted tones. Laura loves bright and bold colours and I tend toward the unusual novelty pieces. It was hard to imagine how this variety of choices would look together.

Fast forward another month or so and the three quilts had been pieced, quilted and bound. I have to say that they surpassed my expectation. They look great and the girls love them. I have a vision of the three of us, in 30 years, sitting with our Girlfriend Quilts wrapped around our legs and laughing like we have for the past 46 years.

: Megan’s quilt

: Girlfriend Quilt – Laura

: Girlfriend Quilt – Cheryl

First Finish of 2016

A Grand Day

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Last night we had our final big meal of the holiday season – a beautiful standing rib roast with Yorkshire Puddings and all the trimmings. That meant today’s slate was free. I could do whatever I wanted, or I could choose to do nothing at all. The latter isn’t my style so I mixed it up a bit.

I went for a lovely run alongside the ocean, early enough that I saw only two cars. It was just 6km and maybe cancelled out 1/2 of a Yorkshire Pudding. I spent some time on the cryptic crossword and made good progress.

Then I hit my sewing room for an hour or two of stitching while our son hung a quilt rack on the wall. I’m working on a Postage Stamp Quilt, made entirely of 1 inch squares. The first 16 square inch block is now complete. It’s a perfect project to pick up whenever I feel like sewing, but don’t want to tackle something intricate or complicated.

Now it’s getting dark and it’s time to turn on the Christmas lights for the final time this season. Onwards to new adventures in 2016.