Patchwork Placemats

[sew].

I have always had patchwork placemats on the sewing to-do list. Because they are just a slightly larger version of a mugrug. Which you all know I love.

However, I find most placemats a tad too large, especially for a family of seven eating at a round table. We need to squish in a bit.

These were a happy accident, actually. I made a strip-pieced quilt as a Christmas gift, using all low-volume 2 1/2" strips, but added in some pops of colour from a rainbow charm pack.  Except then I didn't like the pops of rainbow colour in the quilt, so I abandoned that darn rainbow endeavour in favour of some pops of Cotton & Steel. Sorry, no pics of the quilt but it did turn out fabulous because Cotton & Steel totally rocks.  Moving on ... 

I was left with a chunk of piecework, so ... 

Enter placemats. 

OK, so I might not have chosen the light colours to get stained up at suppertime but they are washable after all. They wash soooo well. And pretty, right? Besides, they don't have to be just for putting your dishes on. My computer sits on one of these placemats, its like a landing pad.

Gotta say. Placemats are an excellent way to practice different machine quilting patterns. You're working with just a small piece, so it quilts up quickly.  I used a cheater binding to make it extra fast.    

I really like the straight-line quilting of the above placemat. Very modern-looking. The quilt I made was all straight-line quilted - it takes a ton of time but the results are worth it.

The quilting in the placemat below is a variation of pebbles. It was fun to play with.

And its hard to go wrong with good old squiggly lines. 

What are your go-to preferences for free-motion? I must admit I remember when stipple quilting was all the rage. But there are so many more options.

I really like this book, recommended by a friend of my sister's, as a reference for free-motion patterns. Check it out here: Free Motion Quilting with Angela Walters.

So there you have it, quilty-sewy friends. Patchwork placemats. Happy Monday!!

Running into Midlife

run?

So, my very first and only goal when I started running again last summer, was not to quit.

Hello! Oh dear readers. Its been a while, hasn't it? Yes it has and I'm really sorry about that. I'm blogging right now but honestly, I have no idea how often I'll pop in here. I've learned that priorities shift and change and while I truly want to keep an online journal, I'm not sure how realistic that is. 

But here it goes anyway. Again.

I've taken up running for the second time in my life and I have two words to say:  life-changing.

I don't know why, but I suspect the reason is that its a part of my life I can control in a very positive way as I move through my forties. Last year, age 44, was the very very very worst year of my life for reasons I'm going to keep close to my heart, but reasons which are probably pretty normal for my age. Not so this year however. Turning 45 last September has brought a lot of joy! New doors opening! Stepping out of safe comfort zones! Fully living life instead of watching from the bleachers! Becoming more confident in my decisions in how I do life and parenting and homeschooling and sewing and all of it. Oh ya, baby.

Last weekend, I ran my first race in over ten years, a 15K, which is just over 9 miles. Tom and Dawson ran the race also, met me as I crossed the finish line, showered me with Gatorade and took pictures of me holding a well-deserved medal.

Gatorade never tasted so good, people. Dang.

Getting ready to run!

We did it!!!

So proud of my medal!

And to top off the day, my sister and I went to the Phoenix Quilt show, also known as happily purchasing a lot of fabric despite the tanking Canadian dollar.  It was hands-down one of the stinking best weekends of my very life.

I'd like to chronicle this journey. If you've ever read any of my blog, you'll know that over a year ago, I wrote about doing the 28-Day Prevention magazine challenge to transform my physical fitness. Kate was three years old and it was the right time for me to get my physical activity level back. Still, with toddlers under foot, you can't just easily leave the house for a couple of hours to hang out at the gym, and often just leaving the house at all isn't possible. After researching about the benefits of even 10 minutes of cardiovascular activity, my strategy was to wear my runners at all times in the house, and to sneak 10 minutes running on the treadmill twice a day. Because 10 minutes? Its doable, so doable, and the kids will not die.

I also began doing the Insanity workout with my son but it was really ridiculously Insane so I just kind of fiddled with it here and there. Still, it was something. 

By spring when the weather got better, I began to be able to get out for a walk, usually about 3 miles. It really clears my head. And by late summer, that turned into running. I still have no idea why, I just remember doing my walk that day as a walk/run. After all, my treadmill work had always been running, so why not run outside? By early September, it all just turned into running. I didn't use a program, I just ran till I couldn't and then I walked. 

I started to feel sooooo good. Like, happy hormones coarsing through my veins. Happy, exhausted, victorious, I-can-do-it hormones after every struggling run. I felt so strong and healthy.

Then I read the book Marathon Woman, by Kathy Switzer. I tell you, I love that book. I mean, I don't agree with all her life choices and the running came at a price for her but the book itself? Fascinating. Motivating. Inspiring. She suggested setting a goal to run consistently for 12 weeks. Which would put me into winter. Yech, winter. Oh well, I was at the very least, motivated to continue after all the sweat I had put into it so far, sooooo ...

I soon became a regular customer and runner at our local Running Room. I kind of became obsessed with all things running. They got me hooked up with all the tech gear to keep me running through the winter. I joined their running group on the mid-week (free for anyone) evening runs. Remember how I'm an introvert? Ya, so joining a running group was a huge risk for me, but I kept going and found the group so supportive, so encouraging, and so very friendly!! 

The runs were exhilarating. 

And apparently inspiring, because my husband and son started to run. Well, Tom has always been a runner ever since we met, but his current running was on the treadmill at his work gym. Folks, treadmills have a place but it is nothing like propelling your body forward on a path in the great outdoors. So, Tom and I began to do longer runs together on the weekend, and I think its going to be a new thing we can do together as a couple.  It kind of makes me giggle every time we head out together. So much fun!! 

I have learned that I love cold-weather running, although we have had an incredibly mild winter here in Calgary so far. Its what I love about living in the foothills, you can get frigid temperatures one day but the next day a chinook will roll in and the sun will shine and its awesome. But I am not afraid of and I actually prefer to run outside in minus 18 than be on a dreadmill watching the miles slowwwwwly tick by and no breeze to keep me cool, no scenery to distract me. That is sheer torture.

So there you go, friends. I've turned a new leaf, cemented a new habit, added a new hobby to my lovely full life. And I want to take you all with me!! Any runners out there? Any runners-in-the-making? I will just say this: DO IT. Get active and change your life. Start small but don't quit. Make the decision and tell someone to keep you accountable. 

Join me in my next race. Please?

Love you all, dear readers. Thanks for hanging out with me, I'm off for a run.

xo

live.faith.homeschool.[sew].

live.

So, I've had a nice break from blogging, since January in fact. In the past few months several friends and family have asked about it, and my short answer is that January is generally a dismal month and I needed to focus on homeschooling and just get through. Then, I began to question the value of a blog in my life. It does become its own living and breathing entity, in a way, and one more thing to keep on top of. Yet, it is rewarding to keep an online journal, to look back and remember and reflect. 

Mom says she and Dad look forward to my posts because she loves to see pictures of the kids and also enjoys the sewing posts. When you live far away, its nice to feel a part of the life of your grandchildren; a blog is a medium to connect. I began blogging as a way to document our journey for my own family, while being an encouragement in the areas of homeschooling, living your faith, and pursuing your hobbies.  I really, really want it to be that. 

So I begin again. Though likely not as frequent posting as before. Come along anyway?


faith.

We've been watching several DVDs of the lives of different saints.  This was our latest and can be found here.   It's a little bit scary and not for the younger viewing audience; there are portrayals of St.Pio being tempted by the devil and its intense. But some interesting facts about St. Pio? He could tell you your sins before you even confessed them. He spent 18 hours a day in the confessional and had throngs of people lining up waiting to see him. He was tireless. He founded a hospital for the relief of the suffering, which stands today and remains an important centre for medical research and patient care.  Most notably though, are the miracles, which I leave for you to discover yourself. The movie is worth a watch.

homeschool.

We are having a super-great year! Our year is loosely planned and I hope to share some of the highlights with you. I say loosely since  I've found that, for me, an extremely detailed and highly structured plan is not worth all the effort it takes. I've given away entire summers of my life making detailed plans, in 15-minute increments, with specific pages of specific books to read for each specific subject and you get the idea.  Highly highly structured and the content completely planned by moi. But we always diverge from the plan (shocking!). Something better and more interesting always springs up for us, or on the contrary one of my kids end up hating a particular aspect of the plan. Instead, I love the freedom to run, to follow tangents of interest, to see an opportunity to inspire my child and let a talent or gift reveal itself.  

So these days, I loosely plan the bones and overall structure of our year, but not the minutia.  I plan reading lists and resources; I have a general idea of the topics I want us to explore either as a family or for a particular child, and gather materials to have on hand.  I also take a good hard look at what our fall rhythm is going to look like and see which pockets of time will work best for family learning time and individual studies.

Then I sit back and say to my husband, "How the heck am I going to fit it all in??" Its a question I often ponder over a good glass of red. Or white. Or rose. But usually red.

I do find it all a push and pull. I'm in the headspace of high school and preschool and elementary school all at the same time.  Its challenging and I know you homeschoolers relate! For us, the key is to keep in mind the big picture: its not about the content or curriculum, not really. Its not about filling a bucket (my child) with facts and minutia. That is not why we homeschool. Rather, its about filling a heart with ideas, dreams, inspiration, love and compassion. Its about filling a child with the confidence to accomplish whatever goals are set out, and the skills necessary to push ahead. Its about the journey and relationships, fostering true love of learning, living our faith, character development, and exposure to great literature and great ideas no matter how young or how old. Yeah, that.


[sew].

Friends. I've got big plans that will probably never get done but oh how I love having those plans. Over the past few months I've dabbled in sewing bags and zip-pouches and wristlets, a few things for the girls,  and a couple of skirts for me. I'm hoping to share with you a really interesting wrap skirt from one of the Japanese patterns books - the books which I have a love-hate relationship with but continue to pour over just the same. So look for that.

The other exciting news is that my friend and I are going to have a little Christmas sale of our sewing treasures. Kind of like an open house. We both absolutely love to sew and are having fun making and creating. Sure, we are busy mommas and people ask us where we find the time but quite frankly, a person makes time for what is important to them. This is important to us. It is helping us to push our sewing skills, set goals and see them through. And on that note, we are heading out of town soon for a long weekend on a sewing retreat! The word excitement doesn't quite cut it. Ha!

Jane Market Bag - shabby style

Christmas Table Runner - quilted and ready to bind

Michelle Patterns Grocery Bag - love these!! Fast and easy sew!!

Oliver and S Class Picnic blouse- she loves the owls!

   Well dear homeschoolers and sewing partners-in-crime, that's a wrap for today! Thanks for stopping by and I sure hope to be back soon.

xoxo

Giant Hexie Quilt Love

[sew and snuggle].

I have giant hexie quilt fever. 

Its almost an exact replica of my last Blueberry Park-inspired hexie quilt, the one that got away, but with more low-volumes in it and a touch of cream with the teal/gray combo. And of course the pop of cherry-rosie-pinky-make-me-feel-happy red. Which really does make me feel happy.

Hello Anna Maria Horner backing. I still love you. That's why I scooped up yards and yards of you and your cousin in red. She's next on the chopping block. Quilt backology is an art unto itself I am finding ...

Just add lots and lots of children and you've got a recipe for warm snuggles in the winter. 

And maybe a book for the quiet times? This week I've been captivated by God's Smuggler, my New Year's attempt to have an inspirational spiritual classic on the go most of the time. Oh, I love this book!! You could read this aloud to your kids, I think, at least there is nothing so far that is not appropriate. There are two things I love about this book: first, reading about the countless incidents where God works incredible miracles and how Brother Andrew responds. Second, this was a bit of a personal wake-up. Andrew describes his time at the Evangelization Center headquarters, and how they all get up very early to have quiet time with God, pray, read Scripture, and so on. Hey, I've read about people like this many many times, and I have friends like this who are disciplined and get up early (as in, before the kiddos wake up), to have a Holy Hour with the Lord. I've always thought how good that sounds. Yet I've considered myself *exempt* in a way, because my kids get up early enough as it is, I often stay up late to recharge my own batteries in the peaceful quiet, so as a result I fit in my "prayer" time whenever and however I can during the day. Its never a quiet time with God except of course for night prayer. Reading this excerpt however, it just struck me. If they are getting up early to centre their day on Christ, well gosh, why on earth can't I? I mean, I love the Lord, passionately, just like them. It made me think maybe I'm not so exempt. They have no special gene that makes the getting up easier. 

So it all has made me rethink very carefully what I'm called to do right now. I'm not naturally a morning person but once I'm up, its all good. I wonder if I could sustain this kind of habit. I don't have a lot of confidence in myself to do this. The spirit is willing but the flesh is just so weak, and the snooze button is well-used. 

Lets just say, it all struck me and stood out for me. So I'm contemplating. Contemplating is a very good start I think.

Linking up to Elizabeth's needle and thREAD. Go and check it out, always lots of fun over there.

Giant Hexie Quilt - Done and Gone

[sew].

Sewing till all hours of the night before you leave to Grandma's house for Christmas is fruitful. For my sister. Who ended up with this gift I like to call "Friday Night on the Farm in Saskatchewan in the Middle of Winter when your Husband is Away." Its a hexie quilt, a collection of romantic comedies on DVD, and a bottle of Baileys. 

Am I right?

I removed the borders.  I originally added them to make the quilt bigger since my first run didn't seem big enough for even a lap quilt. But, I didn't want to go through the work of ripping out half-hexies along the bottom and adding a couple of rows. All those zig-zags and pivoting made me a little dizzy. So, borders it was.

While the borders were ok (better in real life compared to photos posted), they just weren't doing it for me and I decided to lengthen the quilt the proper way. Late in the game considering I only had a few hours, but oh well!!

I did some simple quilting, as suggested in Karen's Giant Hexie Quilt pattern, outlining the hexies about an inch away from the edge. My word, it is VERY exciting seeing a quilt come out of its first wash and dry after being quilted and bound. The quilt rumples up and gets really cozy I tell you.

By far the best surprise for me was the backing because I fell in love with it. I had some of this Anna Maria Horner Night Garden in my stash - and saw that it was going to work colour-wise. But wow, when its quilted up? Wow. Let's just say I've ordered a LOT of it in this colorway (and in the pink because that looked delicious also) because its really rather stunning when quilted.  And exotic-looking. I like stunning and exotic looking, so I might just become more of an AMH fan. At any rate, I had just over a yard of it, so I had to creatively piece it with my Outfoxed Circles to come up with a full backing. 

I really loved making this quilt and loved giving it away, especially to my sister who totally appreciates this sort of thing! The hardest part was committing to fabric choices on the front, and to be clear I pretty much imitated Karen's gray/teal/yellow combination, throwing in a pop of red. I think it works ....

Happy New Year everyone xoxo. Hope to talk a lot more sewing with you very very soon :).

Edited to link up with Elizabeth at needle and thREAD.   And on that note, I suppose I forgot to mention what I'm reading ... I've got a few things on the go as usual, but one that has me glued to my handy dandy kindle is A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS and Dangerous Days at Sea by Rich Phillips.  Because I went to see the movie Captain Phillips the other night and it was amazing. The book is equally so.

Ok and that's really all for now my dear friends!!