Tuesday, March 7, 2017

Small Changes - Big Difference

When I finished the Birds Quilt, I had a lot of little scraps. What can I do with these itty bitty triangles?

I made HSTs which I made into a mug rug. Small scraps led to a cute mug rug.





Very happy with it but let's admit it - it was just another squirrel distracting me from the projects at hand.





What happens when you set yourself free to chase butterflies and squirrels?
You will end up with a lot of UFOs.

I know this because 2017 was going to be my year of living dangerously - no plans, no goals. Total Freedom. Well, that total freedom of chasing small squirrels and little distractions has resulted in seven flimsies. And this is just March!
YIKES!!!

Let's rein in the freedom and bring some order into this chaotic craziness.
My goal is to finish two quilts. Here is one - basted and ready to go. I even made the binding to match! Linking with March OMG at Elm Street Quilts.


And if I can complete two quilts and file the taxes in March, that will be a cause for celebration - which brings me to St. Patrick's Day.

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St. Patrick's Day is the upcoming party day for a lot of people.
In my first year in the US, when I was a student at FSU, I learned about St. Patrick's Day.
A relatively unknown student came up to me and very gently pinched my arm. I was slightly taken aback - I hardly knew the guy.

I was told - wear green on March 17 (unless you want to be pinched). Every year. Noted.
There are parades. Not interested.
There are parties. Not for me.
Some people drink green beer. I am completely turned off now.

Every year since then I have made it a point to wear green on March 17.
And do nothing else differently.


But if there is a special sale - I am listening.
Are you?

Connecting Threads (affiliate link) has an ongoing sale for all things green. Yes, green thread and green fabric are on sale.
I know it is silly. When does blue go on sale?
Nevertheless, I perused the sale and narrowed down two items - wide backing at an unbelievable price of $8.36/yard.


I have used this wide backing on the Tropic Frolic Quilt and I am pretty pleased with it.



And that wide backing at that price is surely something to toast!

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There is nothing like a dose of reality to end the hangover. While I obsess over sale items, fabric choices, and binding widths, someone is getting killed just for their faith or the color of their skin.

The hate, anger, and prejudice led to the shooting.  The widespread outpouring of support and love that followed the horrific incident has reaffirmed my faith in humanity. Once again - small changes make a big difference. The GoFundme campaign raised over four times the target amount in just a few days. A lot of contributors were of Indian origin. Many were not. Several made anonymous donations.

This is not the first hate crime and it certainly won't be the last. Feelings of helplessness abound.
But there is something I can do.  I can donate towards worthy causes. I can make a quilt block and show my support for kindness, tolerance and inclusivity.

A House full of Love

In Canada, Montreal Modern Quilt Guild is making quilts to send to the families of the victims of the Quebec City Mosque shooting. I chose to participate.

House with Blessings

Please check out posts by Lisa at Sunlight in Winter QuiltsJanine at Quilts from the Little House, and Sandra at Musings of a Menopausal Melon- mmm quilts who also participated in the effort.

My blocks for the MMQG

Just like small scraps gathered together can make a quilt, so also small acts of kindness can make a more loving and kinder world. This is my belief.

As always, I'd love to hear from you.

26 comments:

  1. You are so right! I have made "paying back" a big part of my life for a few years now. Off to see what I can contribute:)) GB

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  2. thank you for expressing what a lot of us feel. I give back to my community with quilts when I can because that's the only way I can contribute. I admire your "blessings in the house" block!
    mary in AZ

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  3. Quite a poignant post, Preeti. You have the gift of expressing yourself eloquently. Coupled with your talents and skills with the sewing machine, it makes a big impression. Well said, well done. Same goes for your sweet little mugrug! It's adorable! Good luck accomplishing your March Goal! XO

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  4. If that mug rug was a squirrel, it ended up being a very cute one! And you know I echo your thoughts on acceptance and inclusivity. Hate never drives out hate, only love can do that.

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  5. Your squrirrel was worth chasing, Pretti! Nice house blocks too!

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  6. Your donation blocks turned out beautifully. It's so hard to fathom how these things happen, hopefully your contribution will help with the healing. Good luck on your OMG this month.

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  7. Love your donation blocks. Thanks for linking up with Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal and good luck on your project.

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  8. Ah, but squirrels help the creative juices flow! You end up with such fun flimsies :)

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  9. Your mug rug is super cute. I'll admit that I don't usually keep scraps that small. And I agree that small acts of kindness can make a big difference. Your house blocks are darling.

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  10. Darn squirrels! I've got a ton of them in my house right now. Love what you did with your leftovers - thanks for sharing them!

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  11. They were seriously small triangles, but you made them worth saving with a lovely mug rug. Quilters are the most wonderful group of people for giving back, here's wishing you lots of good Karma, you deserve it.

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  12. What a great post. It started with the beautiful little mug rug made of the bird scraps and ended with blocks for Montreal. You've lifted my spirits for sure.

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  13. I love how you weave, ha! like the warp and the weft of fabric, your stories with your quilts--and sneak in good deals of course too ;-) Thanks for the shout-outs and I love how many squirrels you have chased, and probably will chase yet, this year! Love that we both (mwah!) have a similar mug rug from rainbow HSTs.

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  14. So many things happening here... I've been saving those little triangles too, like how you are using yours. The house of love and blessing blocks are lovely and moving (feeling the love).

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  15. Love the little triangles! So tiny! Our world is full of so much love with a little hate that always brings us back to reality. I cannot pretend to understand any of it, but thankfully there are people like you who stand up to it and try to make the world a better place!

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  16. Lovely creations! Greetings from Greece!

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  17. I started out reading this giggling at your squirrelishness this year (those adorable little triangle snippets!) and in awe of that great deal on those gorgeous backing fabrics. And then chagrined at the state of our world. Quilting it back together just makes so much sense, doesn't it? I do hope our stitches will hold and bring peace, comfort and beauty.

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  18. Great post Preeti. I enjoyed reading it and I echo many of the sentiments in the comments. Stay and sew strong!

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  19. I love your triangle mug rug, especially the way you laid out the triangles with a longer strip in between. Makes me want to go raid my leftover triangle basket and see what I can make! Your houses are very special, and so full of emotion. We all experience those feelings of helplessness; I'm always glad that there are ways we quilters can give back to our communities.

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  20. But Preeti, squirrels are so much fun! (Maybe not real ones, those bite and scratch.) But quilty squirrels...those are definitely worth some time.

    What a resourseful way to use up your adorable triangles. I'm so proud to call you a friend. You are always thinking of the world outside your door, which helps me to remember that the news stories are only too real for those who are affected. It's easy to turn off the news and "forget" that people are in those stories; both of which I do when it gets too depressing. Thanks for being one of the people who help me to remember the human side of those stories that hurt the soul when we know about them and for reminding me how my own little works of service and giving helps to make the world brighter for those I can help.

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  21. Thank you for helping. I am in Montreal and live in the part of Town called little Lebanon.....For me those people have the face of my neighbors and it really affected me. Sadly, it didn't opened the eyes of most of us about the ingrained Racism in the Quebec society.

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  22. This year has already been a big year of giving for me too. I refuse to let hate win and have been giving as much as I can - both through quilting and financially. Thanks for sharing your lovely projects and sentiment with Oh Scrap!

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  23. Guess whose house blocks are now on a Sunday Quilt Inspiration at Fleur de Lis Quilts. You know it had to be! Here's some really fun news: I added your house blocks to my "quilt, blocks" board and decided to test the link. Girl, the same birdie flimsy appears possibly 100 times! It's very popular. Plus, there are many, many other Sew Preeti Quilts. Congratulations, you're Pinterest popular!

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  24. I love your scrappy mug rug - and I happen to have a ton of squares ready to go! Thank you! And congratulations on your success! Visiting from Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt!

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  25. You have been busy. Those darn squirrels get me all the time. LOL

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  26. I get distracted all the time, and I usually say something like "Look! A Squirrel!"
    Good for you using all those tiny pieces. I don't have that kind of patience.

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