#23- The Drunkard's Path (this name cracks me up): There are all kinds of layouts, but I decided to try the one that formed a circle in the center.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Blocks a Plenty
I finished the month of curves in Skill Builder- and I found it mostly enjoyable. ;)
#23- The Drunkard's Path (this name cracks me up): There are all kinds of layouts, but I decided to try the one that formed a circle in the center.
#24- Curved 9 Patch: I love the finished look of this patch and think a whole quilt of them would be fun, but cutting the pieces out was a little stressful to me. I feel like there's more room for error, but I guess it was fine, because my block ended up the way it was supposed to - I just need to lighten up a bit I think and enjoy different ways of doing things.
And last, but not least- January's Blogger BOM: Sands of Time
I had a fun weekend in terms of blocks :) I'm linking up to BOMs Away.
#23- The Drunkard's Path (this name cracks me up): There are all kinds of layouts, but I decided to try the one that formed a circle in the center.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
The Tree of Life
Activity Days was a lot of fun this past week. January's theme has been all about loving the scriptures. The girls came prepared to share their favorite story about faith from the scriptures and then we had them "experience" Lehi's Dream. Want to experience it with them? Hold on tight to the Iron Rod, because here we go!
Rod of Iron (a jump rope in this case)
(1 Nephi 15) "What meaneth the rod of iron which our father saw, that led to the tree? And I said unto them that it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction." (1 Nephi 15:23-24)
The girls had to stay on the "straight and narrow path" (or in this case, the line of tape leading to their unknown destination)
Mist of Darkness (in their case - using a blindfold in a dark room)
"And it came to pass that there arose a mist of darkness; yea, even an exceedingly great mist of darkness, insomuch that they who had commenced in the path did lose their way, that they wandered off and were lost." (1 Nephi 8:23)
One by one the girls were led into the dark room and had to listen for Glindy's directions (the Spirit) to help them find the rod of iron again. It wasn't easy though, because the other girls could choose to be "hecklers" in the great and spacious building on the other side of the filthy waters........
River of Filthy Water
"What meaneth the river of water which our father saw? And I said unto them that the water which my father saw was filthiness; and so much was his mind swallowed up in other things that he beheld not the filthiness of the water. 28 And I said unto them that it was an awful gulf, which separated the wicked from the tree of life, and also from the saints of God." (1 Nephi 15:26-27)
Great and Spacious Building
"And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the other side of the river of water, a great and spacious building; and it stood as it were in the air, high above the earth. And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit." (1 Nephi 8:26-27)
"But, to be short in writing, behold, he saw other multitudes pressing forward; and they came and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree." (1 Nephi 8:30)
Back on the path they go– moving forward to the Tree of Life (eh, my little Christmas tree)!
Tree of Life
(1 Nephi 11) 8 "And it came to pass that the Spirit said unto me: Look! And I looked and beheld a tree; and it was like unto the tree which my father had seen; and the beauty thereof was far beyond, yea, exceeding of all beauty; and the whiteness thereof did exceed the whiteness of the driven snow."
"And it came to pass after I had seen the tree, I said unto the Spirit: I behold thou hast shown unto me the tree which is precious above all. And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw? And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things." (1 Nephi 11:8-9, 21-22)
Fruit of the Tree of Life
"And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy. And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen." (1 Nephi 8:10-11)
I dipped strawberries into white chocolate for the fruit, and yes, they were most desirable!
It was a blast making the scriptures come alive for the girls, and I know they really enjoyed it. All 8 of them completed the challenge to read their scriptures everyday for 2 weeks, and I was so proud of them! Stay tuned to see their promised reward......
(1 Nephi 15) "What meaneth the rod of iron which our father saw, that led to the tree? And I said unto them that it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction." (1 Nephi 15:23-24)
The girls had to stay on the "straight and narrow path" (or in this case, the line of tape leading to their unknown destination)
Mist of Darkness (in their case - using a blindfold in a dark room)
"And it came to pass that there arose a mist of darkness; yea, even an exceedingly great mist of darkness, insomuch that they who had commenced in the path did lose their way, that they wandered off and were lost." (1 Nephi 8:23)
One by one the girls were led into the dark room and had to listen for Glindy's directions (the Spirit) to help them find the rod of iron again. It wasn't easy though, because the other girls could choose to be "hecklers" in the great and spacious building on the other side of the filthy waters........
River of Filthy Water
"What meaneth the river of water which our father saw? And I said unto them that the water which my father saw was filthiness; and so much was his mind swallowed up in other things that he beheld not the filthiness of the water. 28 And I said unto them that it was an awful gulf, which separated the wicked from the tree of life, and also from the saints of God." (1 Nephi 15:26-27)
Great and Spacious Building
"And I also cast my eyes round about, and beheld, on the other side of the river of water, a great and spacious building; and it stood as it were in the air, high above the earth. And it was filled with people, both old and young, both male and female; and their manner of dress was exceedingly fine; and they were in the attitude of mocking and pointing their fingers towards those who had come at and were partaking of the fruit." (1 Nephi 8:26-27)
"But, to be short in writing, behold, he saw other multitudes pressing forward; and they came and caught hold of the end of the rod of iron; and they did press their way forward, continually holding fast to the rod of iron, until they came forth and fell down and partook of the fruit of the tree." (1 Nephi 8:30)
Back on the path they go– moving forward to the Tree of Life (eh, my little Christmas tree)!
Tree of Life
(1 Nephi 11) 8 "And it came to pass that the Spirit said unto me: Look! And I looked and beheld a tree; and it was like unto the tree which my father had seen; and the beauty thereof was far beyond, yea, exceeding of all beauty; and the whiteness thereof did exceed the whiteness of the driven snow."
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| I used snow tinsel to make the tree look "white." |
"And it came to pass after I had seen the tree, I said unto the Spirit: I behold thou hast shown unto me the tree which is precious above all. And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw? And I answered him, saying: Yea, it is the love of God, which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore, it is the most desirable above all things." (1 Nephi 11:8-9, 21-22)
Fruit of the Tree of Life
"And it came to pass that I beheld a tree, whose fruit was desirable to make one happy. And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted. Yea, and I beheld that the fruit thereof was white, to exceed all the whiteness that I had ever seen." (1 Nephi 8:10-11)
I dipped strawberries into white chocolate for the fruit, and yes, they were most desirable!
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Interview #4
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh was originally our top choice for residency until our last minute switch to Ohio State, so I was curious how Joel would feel about it the second time around. I thought he would probably really like it, but I wasn't completely prepared for how much he loved it.
Initial Thoughts:
Pros: I asked Joel the pros and he said, "Everything." I think that about sums it up. Here's the breakdown: Excellent facilities, great support staff, a growing BMT (Bone Marrow Transplant) program with a new nationally renowned transplanter as the BMT chief, a great group of fellows that Joel would get along with really well, and there's a designated Director of Research Education to guide through the process of starting research. There's a well-funded and very reputable Sickle Cell Director. Pittsburgh is a nice city. It's closer to both families (in fact, it cuts the time to Thompson Grandparent's home in half!)
Cons: Traffic is nasty in Pittsburgh, housing isn't the greatest compared to some of the other places he's interviewing, and 3 hours from the temple. I also have to say that having to deal with the Steelers and Steelers fans is not at the top of my "favorite things" list.
Bottom Line: It hurts my heart a little to say it (sorry, Columbus), but it's the clear early front runner.
Our current rankings:
1. Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
2. Nationwide Children's (Columbus)
3. Rainbow Babies (Cleveland)
4. Cincinnati Children's Hospital
Pittsburgh was originally our top choice for residency until our last minute switch to Ohio State, so I was curious how Joel would feel about it the second time around. I thought he would probably really like it, but I wasn't completely prepared for how much he loved it.
Initial Thoughts:
Pros: I asked Joel the pros and he said, "Everything." I think that about sums it up. Here's the breakdown: Excellent facilities, great support staff, a growing BMT (Bone Marrow Transplant) program with a new nationally renowned transplanter as the BMT chief, a great group of fellows that Joel would get along with really well, and there's a designated Director of Research Education to guide through the process of starting research. There's a well-funded and very reputable Sickle Cell Director. Pittsburgh is a nice city. It's closer to both families (in fact, it cuts the time to Thompson Grandparent's home in half!)
Cons: Traffic is nasty in Pittsburgh, housing isn't the greatest compared to some of the other places he's interviewing, and 3 hours from the temple. I also have to say that having to deal with the Steelers and Steelers fans is not at the top of my "favorite things" list.
Bottom Line: It hurts my heart a little to say it (sorry, Columbus), but it's the clear early front runner.
Our current rankings:
1. Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh
2. Nationwide Children's (Columbus)
3. Rainbow Babies (Cleveland)
4. Cincinnati Children's Hospital
Monday, January 23, 2012
Interview #3
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Pros: It's an amazing program (definitely in the top tier of schools and probably the "best" program that Joel will interview at). It really was an honor just to be asked for an interview at Cincinnati. You can make great professional connections with such a well known program, and he would see things he probably wouldn't be able to see at most places, including a lot of bone marrow transplants. Cincinnati is a family friendly city very similar to Columbus. Over all, he would get great training at Cincinnati.
Cons: With a renowned program also comes a certain level of intensity and more rigorous schedule. The fellows seemed like they were surviving not thriving during their first year- if that makes sense. He wasn't sure that his personality fit with the other fellows either. The program's also extremely research driven and that's not Joel's cup of tea. It adds another 2 hours to both drives to grandparents, and would be 2 hours from the temple.
Bottom Line: It's an extremely good program, but it doesn't feel like a good match for Joel.
Our current rankings:
1. Nationwide Children's (Columbus)
2. Rainbow Babies (Cleveland)
3. Cincinnati Children's Hospital
Saturday, January 21, 2012
First Sew-In Fun
This was my first Friday Sew-In and I'm already a fan. When the kiddos finally went down for a nap - I made a fun treat in anticipation of my evening. You can't go wrong with carbs and sewing- am I right?! :) Lately I've been seeing all of these crazy, delicious recipes on Pinterest, and so I decided to try one of them: Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread. Um ya, it's delish!
The crispy cinnamon sugar crust is particularly delightful (in case you were wondering).
Ok, ok - onto the sewing.....
I'm so excited to tell you that I got to work on 2 big projects:
1- I got quite a bit of the top stitching done on Little Man's quilt. I had to rethink my plan, because the sheer size of the quilt was a little too hard to maneuver for what I had been originally planning to do, but I'm making good progress on it now. I'm a little over half way finished with quilting it.
2- I finished my first quilt of the year (one that has been hanging over my head basically since my daughter was born back in April). I hand stitched the binding in record time yesterday. Wahoo! My hubby didn't believe me at first when I said I was done.
The bad weather continues outside, so these pictures will have to make do for now. Here's the front and the back of the Ladybug quilt:
I was asked by a couple of people where to find the pattern of this quilt and I actually made it up. It's basically made up of 2 blocks: a four patch and an 8" Broken Pinwheel (done in 2 different sets of fabrics).
The reason the 4 patch is difficult to see in the overall quilt, is because in one of my Broken Pinwheels I chose the same red fabric that is in the 4 patch, so it almost looks like a house when the two patches are sewn together. I can give more details if anyone needs them, but that's the basic gist of the quilt top pattern.
I'm so excited I got so much done, and that I was able to participate for the first time. You can go see what everyone else was doing during Friday Night Sew-In. I'm curious to see all the projects.
I'm so excited to tell you that I got to work on 2 big projects:
1- I got quite a bit of the top stitching done on Little Man's quilt. I had to rethink my plan, because the sheer size of the quilt was a little too hard to maneuver for what I had been originally planning to do, but I'm making good progress on it now. I'm a little over half way finished with quilting it.
2- I finished my first quilt of the year (one that has been hanging over my head basically since my daughter was born back in April). I hand stitched the binding in record time yesterday. Wahoo! My hubby didn't believe me at first when I said I was done.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Interview Season
So, yesterday kicked off a four week period of lots of traveling and fellowship interviews for my hubby. I've had a number of people ask me to explain the whole "match" process, so if you already know this skip to the second half of the post. :)
In the medical world residency and fellowship locations are usually determined by the Match. Each specialty (Surgery, Family Medicine, OB Gyn, etc) has different levels of availability and competitiveness, but I'll tell you what it looks like for my husband - he's a Pediatric resident and he's applying for a Hematology/Oncology Fellowship (children's blood & cancer)
Step 1- he sent in his official electronic application and applied to 10 programs (done in November)
Step 2- if the program likes what they see they can offer him an interview at the hospital
Step 3- you usually want to interview at about 75% of the applied for programs, so Joel was hoping to interview at 6-8 places. He was lucky enough that all 10 asked for an interview, so he can be a little more picky and choosy about which places to interview.
Step 4- he travels to these 6-8 places for an all-day interview (you typically meet the other fellows, get a tour of the facilities, interview with quite a few of the staff, and finally the head of the Program)
Step 5- Once he's done with all of this interviews, he ranks the programs in order of which program he'd like to go to #1- being his first choice, #2 being his second choice, etc.
Step 6- The programs also rank all of their interviewee candidates in order of who they'd like to fill their fellowship openings
Step 7- Some magical computer out there puts Joel's (and every other fellowship candidates') rankings and the fellowship program rankings together, and after some crazy math and a little bit of voodoo, it matches each candidate and fellowship program with their highest possible ranking.
Joel was really blessed and matched with his first choice for residency, but we saw people that matched pretty low on their list or didn't match at all and had to scramble for any residency openings, so it can be a little nerve wracking. In Joel's year of medical school, there were a number of Plastic Surgery hopefuls that didn't match and had to scramble for something besides plastics, because it was such a competitive year for it.
Step 8- Joel will get an email on May 2nd telling him where he will be completing his fellowship. It's a done deal - you go where they tell you and hopefully you match well. (And then we wait a year, because the matching is a full year ahead of when he finishes residency). His fellowship will begin July 2013.
Is this making sense? Any questions?
Yesterday was Joel's 2nd Interview (we're still on Step 3):
Initial Thoughts:
Normally we list pros and cons of each program after the interview, but this one is a little different. Prior to Joel's interview yesterday, if you had asked either of us where we wanted to go for fellowship we would of told you - hands down - we wanted to stay at Nationwide Children's. We love it here in Columbus - we bought a house, have great friends, love the area, and Joel has loved his residency here. He loves the facilities, the doctors and nurses, the other fellows and residents - it's also a very good Hem/Onc program. We honestly really wanted to stay.
Then enters in interview day yesterday - to say it was underwhelming would be an understatement. The fellowship coordinator completely messed up the entire schedule for the day (she pulled the wrong person's schedule - it wasn't Joel's), so he sat around a lot, missed a very important interview, showed up early to a lot of interviews - all because of this lady's disorganization. He said that if he didn't personally know that the program was great from his own time here that this interview experience would have put the program at the bottom of his list. Then the final kicker was his interview with the program director. Typically a program director recruits pretty heavily to try to sell the program to the potential fellows, but Joel said it almost felt like he was trying to get Joel to consider other programs. The director made him feel like maybe they didn't want him in the program (which is odd, because earlier in the year he had told Joel he planned on recruiting him rigorously when the time came). The whole thing felt a bit off. He came home dejected and depressed.
He and I were both really sad, because we really wanted to stay. In fact, I think I had mentally always thought of us as staying here for 6 years - not 3. Joel later found out that the program director had been really ill during his interview and went home puking. Crazy. The poor guy was probably just trying not to upchuck on Joel. Joel also talked to one of his friends who is a current fellow at Nationwide, and his friend told him she had a similar interview. The director's not necessarily saying he doesn't want Joel to come to Ohio State, but he cares about him as an individual, so he wants Joel to be sure that this is the program that's best for him. So it's possible that he really does have a chance at matching here, but we just don't know.
Bottom Line: We're both at a loss what to think. We both still really would love to stay here, but this experience has also shifted our way of thinking. We will now be more active in the pursuit of keeping all our options open - including being truly open to the possibility of going somewhere else for fellowship. Let's just say we'll be making this decision with some serious amount of prayer. We'll see how the other interviews go. His next interview is tomorrow.
Our current rankings:
1. Nationwide Children's (Columbus)
2. Rainbow Babies (Cleveland)
In the medical world residency and fellowship locations are usually determined by the Match. Each specialty (Surgery, Family Medicine, OB Gyn, etc) has different levels of availability and competitiveness, but I'll tell you what it looks like for my husband - he's a Pediatric resident and he's applying for a Hematology/Oncology Fellowship (children's blood & cancer)
Step 1- he sent in his official electronic application and applied to 10 programs (done in November)
Step 2- if the program likes what they see they can offer him an interview at the hospital
Step 3- you usually want to interview at about 75% of the applied for programs, so Joel was hoping to interview at 6-8 places. He was lucky enough that all 10 asked for an interview, so he can be a little more picky and choosy about which places to interview.
Step 4- he travels to these 6-8 places for an all-day interview (you typically meet the other fellows, get a tour of the facilities, interview with quite a few of the staff, and finally the head of the Program)
Step 5- Once he's done with all of this interviews, he ranks the programs in order of which program he'd like to go to #1- being his first choice, #2 being his second choice, etc.
Step 6- The programs also rank all of their interviewee candidates in order of who they'd like to fill their fellowship openings
Step 7- Some magical computer out there puts Joel's (and every other fellowship candidates') rankings and the fellowship program rankings together, and after some crazy math and a little bit of voodoo, it matches each candidate and fellowship program with their highest possible ranking.
Joel was really blessed and matched with his first choice for residency, but we saw people that matched pretty low on their list or didn't match at all and had to scramble for any residency openings, so it can be a little nerve wracking. In Joel's year of medical school, there were a number of Plastic Surgery hopefuls that didn't match and had to scramble for something besides plastics, because it was such a competitive year for it.
Step 8- Joel will get an email on May 2nd telling him where he will be completing his fellowship. It's a done deal - you go where they tell you and hopefully you match well. (And then we wait a year, because the matching is a full year ahead of when he finishes residency). His fellowship will begin July 2013.
Is this making sense? Any questions?
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| source |
Ohio State (Nationwide Children's Hospital)
Initial Thoughts:
Normally we list pros and cons of each program after the interview, but this one is a little different. Prior to Joel's interview yesterday, if you had asked either of us where we wanted to go for fellowship we would of told you - hands down - we wanted to stay at Nationwide Children's. We love it here in Columbus - we bought a house, have great friends, love the area, and Joel has loved his residency here. He loves the facilities, the doctors and nurses, the other fellows and residents - it's also a very good Hem/Onc program. We honestly really wanted to stay.
Then enters in interview day yesterday - to say it was underwhelming would be an understatement. The fellowship coordinator completely messed up the entire schedule for the day (she pulled the wrong person's schedule - it wasn't Joel's), so he sat around a lot, missed a very important interview, showed up early to a lot of interviews - all because of this lady's disorganization. He said that if he didn't personally know that the program was great from his own time here that this interview experience would have put the program at the bottom of his list. Then the final kicker was his interview with the program director. Typically a program director recruits pretty heavily to try to sell the program to the potential fellows, but Joel said it almost felt like he was trying to get Joel to consider other programs. The director made him feel like maybe they didn't want him in the program (which is odd, because earlier in the year he had told Joel he planned on recruiting him rigorously when the time came). The whole thing felt a bit off. He came home dejected and depressed.
He and I were both really sad, because we really wanted to stay. In fact, I think I had mentally always thought of us as staying here for 6 years - not 3. Joel later found out that the program director had been really ill during his interview and went home puking. Crazy. The poor guy was probably just trying not to upchuck on Joel. Joel also talked to one of his friends who is a current fellow at Nationwide, and his friend told him she had a similar interview. The director's not necessarily saying he doesn't want Joel to come to Ohio State, but he cares about him as an individual, so he wants Joel to be sure that this is the program that's best for him. So it's possible that he really does have a chance at matching here, but we just don't know.
Bottom Line: We're both at a loss what to think. We both still really would love to stay here, but this experience has also shifted our way of thinking. We will now be more active in the pursuit of keeping all our options open - including being truly open to the possibility of going somewhere else for fellowship. Let's just say we'll be making this decision with some serious amount of prayer. We'll see how the other interviews go. His next interview is tomorrow.
Our current rankings:
1. Nationwide Children's (Columbus)
2. Rainbow Babies (Cleveland)
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Mid-Month WIP
Usually the month of January drags for me, but not this year. I can't believe it's half way gone. That's probably because things have been busy around here. Quilting has been no exception - I'm so happy with the progress I made this week (and yet there's still so much more to do - why is that always the case?)
Alrighty then- here's the low down:
1- Skill Builder: I got Block #22 done, but I still have this week's block to do.
2- Lady Bug quilt: I FINALLY top stitched this quilt. Phew! (blogged about here) So nice to not have that hanging over my head anymore. I need to get fabric for the border, so binding it is on hold for now.
3- Nathan Quilt: I finished up the quilt back last night. I'm happy with how it turned out..... (it's a little skeewompus in the picture, but you get the idea)
The quilt is now layered and pinned in place for quilting.
4- Scrappy Baby Quilt: I've "made" 3 window blocks so far. Here are two of them-
Other projects:
BOM - up to date
Christmas Blocks - no progress
Halloweer Wall Hanging - no progress
Stats for the Week:
New projects - 0
Completed projects - 0 (but I'm making progress, right?!)
WIP- 7
I'm participating in Sew-In Friday this Friday, so I'm hoping to knock out a lot of projects this weekend - fingers crossed.
Check out what everyone is up to this week over at Freshly Pieced.
Alrighty then- here's the low down:
1- Skill Builder: I got Block #22 done, but I still have this week's block to do.
2- Lady Bug quilt: I FINALLY top stitched this quilt. Phew! (blogged about here) So nice to not have that hanging over my head anymore. I need to get fabric for the border, so binding it is on hold for now.
3- Nathan Quilt: I finished up the quilt back last night. I'm happy with how it turned out..... (it's a little skeewompus in the picture, but you get the idea)
4- Scrappy Baby Quilt: I've "made" 3 window blocks so far. Here are two of them-
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| (This block is actually smaller than the one above it - you'll see it when I actually get them all together) |
Other projects:
BOM - up to date
Christmas Blocks - no progress
Halloweer Wall Hanging - no progress
Stats for the Week:
New projects - 0
Completed projects - 0 (but I'm making progress, right?!)
WIP- 7
I'm participating in Sew-In Friday this Friday, so I'm hoping to knock out a lot of projects this weekend - fingers crossed.
Check out what everyone is up to this week over at Freshly Pieced.
Monday, January 16, 2012
One Week: One Thing.....eh, Two Things
I participated in the One Thing: One Week Challenge over at Amy's Creative Side, and I'm happy to report that I accomplished what I said I would and even snuck in a second thing.
My big goal was to finally get around to top stitching the lady bug quilt. The quilt top is already bright and busy, so I wanted the quilting to be pretty minimalistic.
I kept the thread red, so that it would blend in, and I did half of the diagonal lines stitch in the ditch and half of them as a quilted zig-zag. I alternated every other line just to amuse myself.
Here's a view of the quilting from the back and then the top of the quilt:
It's hard to see on the front (which is what I wanted). The stitch in the ditch goes straight through the center of the pinwheels.
Besides top stitching the quilt I also completed Skill Builder Block #22- Flowering Snowball: It's my first go at curves, and I can tell they're going to take a lot of practice to get exactly right, but I think they're kind of fun.
My big goal was to finally get around to top stitching the lady bug quilt. The quilt top is already bright and busy, so I wanted the quilting to be pretty minimalistic.
I kept the thread red, so that it would blend in, and I did half of the diagonal lines stitch in the ditch and half of them as a quilted zig-zag. I alternated every other line just to amuse myself.
Here's a view of the quilting from the back and then the top of the quilt:
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Cello Love
Have you heard of The Piano Guys? I have recently fallen in love with their music. Jon Schmidt was a pretty popular piano soloist about 10 years ago. I remember during my student teaching all the kids in choir just loving him and wanting to learn how to play the piano because of him. Well, he teamed up with an amazing cellist and I can't get enough of their music.
I also happen to love Alex Boye (former British boy band singer- tee hee), so this song made my day:
Have I mentioned that cello is one of my absolute favorite instruments? I'm wondering how much bribing I'm going to have to do to get one of my kids to play it? Ya- listen to this:
This one is for my husband- it's from our favorite musical of all time - Les Miserables (just beautiful)
This is for the Star Wars junkie or those of you that love a good, nerdy parody. All I'm going to say is that Darth Vader with an accordion is just awesome!
I could seriously post all 30 of their videos, but the last one I'll show you is a 9 cello version of the hymn Nearer My God to Thee. This is one of my favorite hymns and is on the short list of songs I would like to arrange for a cappella voices. I love the harmonies he uses.
I also happen to love Alex Boye (former British boy band singer- tee hee), so this song made my day:
Friday, January 13, 2012
Poisonwood Bible
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"The Poisonwood Bible is a story told by the wife and four daughters of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it—from garden seeds to Scripture—is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family's tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in postcolonial Africa.
The novel is set against one of the most dramatic political chronicles of the twentieth century: the Congo's fight for independence from Belgium, the murder of its first elected prime minister, the CIA coup to install his replacement, and the insidious progress of a world economic order that robs the fledgling African nation of its autonomy. Against this backdrop, Orleanna Price reconstructs the story of her evangelist husband's part in the Western assault on Africa, a tale indelibly darkened by her own losses and unanswerable questions about her own culpability. Also narrating the story, by turns, are her four daughters—the self-centered, teenaged Rachel; shrewd adolescent twins Leah and Adah; and Ruth May, a prescient five-year-old. These sharply observant girls, who arrive in the Congo with racial preconceptions forged in 1950s Georgia, will be marked in surprisingly different ways by their father's intractable mission, and by Africa itself. Ultimately each must strike her own separate path to salvation. Their passionately intertwined stories become a compelling exploration of moral risk and personal responsibility."
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It took a little bit to get into the book and get a feel for where it was going, but about a quarter of the way through this book I got sucked in. I loved seeing present Congo through the eyes of each of the daughters while getting a past perspective from the mother. The imagery was amazing. I felt like I was in Africa while reading this book. Even though the characters are fictional I really felt like they were real. There was a lot of fun foreshadowing that still somehow managed to take me by surprise.
The story of the family was fascinating, but I was very interested in the "historical" aspects of the book. I was disturbed by how much of a role the United States had in furthering the misery of Congo and later, Angola's people, and I've been thinking a lot about our foreign policy because of it.
I started to get a little impatient at the end, because each section would skip ahead a decade at a time, so it was a little hard getting your bearings for how old all of the characters were at any given section. I felt as though the section after the family's departure from the village should have been its own book.
Over all, if you have any interest in Africa you will probably really love this book. It was a very good book, and I'm glad that I took the time to read it.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Almost there.....
I got another block done for Skill Builder, so that's three done this week and only one more until I'm completely caught up (until another one comes out on Friday). I confess the applique was not as bad as I thought it would be. I think a block here or there wouldn't be bad, but I would never do an entire quilt this way.
I used the "cheating-turn" method using dryer sheets for the applique. My only complaint is that the dryer sheet stretches a little easier than using other material, and when you iron it down, the dryer sheet pokes out a little on the edges. This wouldn't be a big deal if your background is white, but it's a little more noticeable with the black background. (You can see a lot of it on the stems and the lower right flower).
I will say though that this is definitely the best smelling block I've ever made. :)
Meanwhile, I couldn't help myself - I started another quilt this week. I got the glare from my husband when he got home from work. He wants me to finish my UFOs before I start more, but well, sorry! Tee hee.
I've been following both Scrap-Alongs and really wanted to take advantage of these to use my scraps. I have a friend that's having a baby boy in March, so I thought I would tackle my baby boy scraps first. I didn't realize I had so many!
I decided to "make" my own fabric using scraps for the inner blocks to this quilt. This is what I have so far for the first block. I need it to be a 9.5" square, so I have a couple of more inches to add to it, but so far I'm happy with it. I'm having a lot of fun randomly putting fabrics together. I don't know why but it feels a little liberating that it doesn't have to be exact.
I also got the quilt top of my son's quilt done this week, so I have been a productive little lady (blogged about here).
Other projects:
Blogger's BOM- up to date
Ladybug quilt - no progress, but my goal is to top stitch it this weekend! Si se puede! (Yes, I can!)
Stats for the Week:
New projects - 1
Completed projects - 0 (Sorry, honey!)
WIP- 6
Check out what everyone is up to this week over at Freshly Pieced.
I was a little nervous at first about trying to transfer the pattern onto my fabric since it was black, but it ended up being just fine. It's been bright and sunny around here lately.
Using a chalk pencil was perfect for tracing this block. I first used the chalk for the circles block and thought it was a little messy, but it has grown on me now that I have a hang on how it works, and I love that it wipes off without having to wash it.
I will say though that this is definitely the best smelling block I've ever made. :)
Meanwhile, I couldn't help myself - I started another quilt this week. I got the glare from my husband when he got home from work. He wants me to finish my UFOs before I start more, but well, sorry! Tee hee.
I've been following both Scrap-Alongs and really wanted to take advantage of these to use my scraps. I have a friend that's having a baby boy in March, so I thought I would tackle my baby boy scraps first. I didn't realize I had so many!
Other projects:
Blogger's BOM- up to date
Ladybug quilt - no progress, but my goal is to top stitch it this weekend! Si se puede! (Yes, I can!)
Stats for the Week:
New projects - 1
Completed projects - 0 (Sorry, honey!)
WIP- 6
Check out what everyone is up to this week over at Freshly Pieced.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Applique Pergatory
December's blocks for Skill Builder were all about Applique, and boy have they put me through the ringer. I'm so glad I'm doing this quilt along, because it has given me a lot of confidence to break away from my safety net and try so many new things. I've always wanted to know how to applique and now I do and I realized that for the most part it's just not my thing.
Block #19- Orange Windows:
The only applique I had done before was raw edge applique, but I didn't use the Heat n' Bond with it, so this was new to me. I don't mind this kind of applique, but it's time consuming.
Block #20- Circles:
This block just about did me in - each circle is done by a different technique: Needle-turn (I confess the only turning going on was with my fingers, but I suppose practice would make that better), using freezer paper (both left in and taken out), Cheater Turn Needle Applique, and Gathered Circles.
I was having all kinds of issues - you'll notice here that I accidentally hand-stitched the corner of the block on to the back of the circle - bleh. Luckily, it was on the edge of the fabric, so I could cut it out without much issue. I did a bunch of other silly things (my husband says he can tell how frustrated I am by the amount of talking back to the fabric I do), and yes, I was very verbal.
I'm grateful for this experiment, because it taught me that I DO NOT like hand applique at all. I have to say though that it gives me a whole new level of appreciation and respect for those of you that hand stitch things - wow! I don't have the patience for it. Of all the methods I enjoyed the Cheater Turn Needle Applique the most, because it was the easiest and the quickest. I don't want to know what that says about me. :)
So, 2 applique blocks down and 1 more to go. Sigh. This last one looks like the hardest one, so there's a little amount of dread going on in my heart right now- I'm not going to lie. I can do it though - right?! I promised myself I would do every block no matter what, so wish me luck!
Block #19- Orange Windows:
Block #20- Circles:
I'm grateful for this experiment, because it taught me that I DO NOT like hand applique at all. I have to say though that it gives me a whole new level of appreciation and respect for those of you that hand stitch things - wow! I don't have the patience for it. Of all the methods I enjoyed the Cheater Turn Needle Applique the most, because it was the easiest and the quickest. I don't want to know what that says about me. :)
So, 2 applique blocks down and 1 more to go. Sigh. This last one looks like the hardest one, so there's a little amount of dread going on in my heart right now- I'm not going to lie. I can do it though - right?! I promised myself I would do every block no matter what, so wish me luck!
Friday, January 6, 2012
Winnings
This was my first time participating in the Giveaway at Sew Mama Sew in December. I was lucky enough to win two things!! I'm still waiting for one of them (it was mailed from Serbia - how cool is that?!), but here's the fabric that I won from Between Quilts. Yea! Now I just have to figure out what project I want to use it on.
During the Christmas Block Sew Along I also won some buttons for this block that I made:
I knew I had won some buttons, but I had no idea until they got here that they came from South Africa! That makes them even cooler in my book! I love the texture of the ridges on each of the flowered buttons. I'm going to save these for something special.
I knew I had won some buttons, but I had no idea until they got here that they came from South Africa! That makes them even cooler in my book! I love the texture of the ridges on each of the flowered buttons. I'm going to save these for something special.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Reading Benefits
If you knew my husband growing up you would know that he avoided reading like the plague when he was young. It didn't interest him, because it wasn't entertaining enough for him. He wasn't formally diagnosed with ADD until he was 21. It took so long to diagnose him, because the doctor's thought he was fine, because he had such good grades. He was so irritatingly smart that he could compensate for his lack of attention and still do really well in school.
Anyway, he's recently been on a reading kick - it's like he's trying to make up for all of those years that I was reading books, so that he can say he's caught up. ;) Anyway, since he really wants to read in the evenings he's been encouraging me to quilt. Sweet! I don't need to be asked twice. I'm not usually this quick to wip up a huge quilt top, but I finished up Nathan's quilt top for his bed today.
It's yucky outside, so my poor husband had to play Vanna for pictures of the quilt- we just couldn't get it to lay flat, but you get the idea. I'm happy with how it turned out. I've got some ideas for the back, but we'll see. I want to get some of my Skill Builder Blocks done before I work on the back.
A little reading side note: One of Joel's goals this year is to read more scholarly articles. Two days ago he was reading an article about Scabies (gross, I know), and today he came home saying he was grateful that he had read that article, because he had to diagnose someone with Scabies today at clinic. Crazy! Good thing he likes reading now. :)
Anyway, he's recently been on a reading kick - it's like he's trying to make up for all of those years that I was reading books, so that he can say he's caught up. ;) Anyway, since he really wants to read in the evenings he's been encouraging me to quilt. Sweet! I don't need to be asked twice. I'm not usually this quick to wip up a huge quilt top, but I finished up Nathan's quilt top for his bed today.
A little reading side note: One of Joel's goals this year is to read more scholarly articles. Two days ago he was reading an article about Scabies (gross, I know), and today he came home saying he was grateful that he had read that article, because he had to diagnose someone with Scabies today at clinic. Crazy! Good thing he likes reading now. :)
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