Prizes, Prizes, Prizes!!!

Today, the Positivity QAL comes to an end with the announcement of the winners. 

Thanks to the unexpected generosity  of our sponsors - Art Gallery Fabrics, Benartex and Island Batik, we had enough prizes for everyone who completed a Positivity Quilt.

Here are the winners:

Mari, Lisa T, Katie May, Roseanne, Sue Hoover, Danielle, Cynthia, Sylvia, and Wendy F.

Emails have been sent to all winners. While I wait for your addresses, I am stuffing goodies in padded envelopes. So excited!!!

Sunday Update - Prizes have been sent to Katie May, Roseanne, Sylvia and Sue. Mari and Lisa have received their prizes. I drove north to meet with Mari and Lisa. Totally worth it!!!

Congratulations to all of you and thank you so much for making this QAL a success.

Thank you, Bernie. You are my partner in crime.

Thank you Mari. You keep me sane.

Ladies that Lunch - Lisa (hand only) and Mari

Hello Lisa. You are my new quilty friend. What else do I call you if you begin with cute fabrics and end with peach tart?  

From Lisa, for me!!!

Peach Tart +Vanilla Ice cream = Taste of Summer

We happily ate with vanilla ice-cream :-) A perfect way to celebrate summer and the end of a successful QAL.

In other news, Angela has announced the color for September and I just might complete my blocks before the end of the month. Here are my fabrics - at least a start.

Rainbow Scrap Challenge - September is Bright Blue

Island Batik has announced the Tool Talk Challenge and Blog Hop. Check the IB blog for the complete schedule and fabulous giveaways.  

I have completed the flimsy and will begin quilting soon. I am working with Honeycomb collection, an absolutely yummy collection designed by Kathy Engle for Jackie Kunkel of Canton Village Quiltworks, coming to a fabric store near you in September.

Gorgeous Fabrics!!!

Work in Progress

I will post on September 14. Will there be a giveaway of my own? Hmmm... only one way to find out :-)

Sharing with all my favorite linky parties. See full list on the sidebar. 

Hope your long weekend is just as peachy and sweet.  

What did I miss?

Hello quiltmakers,

I am back from my trip to India. Mom's surgery went well and she is on the road to recovery. I appreciate your kind thoughts and warm wishes. 

Although my visit wasn't a vacation and I stayed home (near the A/C) due to the heat, my friends (Ruby and Savita) visited me. I felt spoiled with spicy food and sweet mangoes. 

Happy to see you :-)

Veggie Delight (Don't ask me the English name)

Vanilla icecream with fresh mangoes

The Indian street food that I loved would most certainly kill me now. So Meetu recreated it for me at home. Pizzas in India are tiny but loaded with tandoori flavors. 

Street Food, made at home :-)

Regular Phone, Tiny Pizza

My drive home

As much I enjoyed spending time with mom and being there for her, I am thrilled to return home. When I left on May 1, I was still smarting from the all the anti-LGBTQ legislations attacking already marginalized groups.  As soon as I landed in India, I heard the terrible news about the Supreme Court's stance on reproductive rights. While most of the world progresses, America slides into the dark ages. 

According to the current (conservative leaning) Supreme Court, reproductive rights are not included in the Constitution and therefore should be left up to the individual states.  Although this argument may seem simple and straightforward, it sets a chilling precedent. Do you know what else is NOT included in the Constitution? The right to privacy and therefore by extension the right to contraception, the right to same sex marriage and the right to interracial marriage.  Imagine a scenario where my marriage to Paul is deemed illegal.

"Undoing Roe v. Wade and eliminating the right to abortion access opens up the door to dismantling other rights that have previously been protected under that implied right to privacy. That can include the right to same-sex marriage and interracial marriage..." Jean Bae, visiting associate professor of public health policy and management at NYU School of Global Public Health.

Of course, these Supreme Court justices would assure us that this (overturning) is limited to Roe v. Wade but then these are the same people who said (in their confirmation hearings) that Roe v. Wade is the law of the land and that they respect the laws of the land. Their partisan slips are showing. I do not trust them.

If a Positivity QAL was a good idea in 2021, it is an absolute must in 2022. 

Positivity QAL begins May 29, 2022

Our reproductive rights are on the chopping block. America refuses to acknowledge her racist past and the growing threat of white supremacy threatens our communities, or peace and our sanity, while the Supreme Court has washed its hands of most responsibility. 

So we will do what we have always done - sew and quilt, support and vote, protest and march. With renewed fervor!!!

There is much to do after a long trip - unpacking, laundry, groceries etc.  But I am ignoring all those pesky tasks and working frantically to set up the Positivity 2022 Quilt Along. Bernie is spearheading the effort to get sponsors and prizes, while I write the tutorial and calculate fabric requirements.

To avoid confusion, I will take down the posts from last year's QAL, with one exception.  I will compile the 2021 block tutorials, layout options and fabric requirements into a PDF and make it available separately. 

Coming soon - Positivity QAL 2022 - Sponsors and Prizes and Positivity QAL 2022 - Complete Schedule.

In the mean time, please read this article https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/17/opinions/buffalo-shooting-letter-to-white-male-teens-magee/index.html

Also gathering my green scraps for the RSC color for May is Bright Green. 

May is Green!

I will be sharing with all my favorite linky parties, including Angela's RSC Linky.

The Positivity QAL - Finished Flimsy Linky Party

This blogpost is late but I have a very good reason for it...a very cute and furry reason :-)

Louie - our new fur baby

Meet Louie. We brought him home yesterday afternoon.  Louie's rescue dad is moving and could not take him along. We were only too happy to adopt him. The car ride was not fun for him and the thunderstorms did not help. He has been exploring his new environment and is a little skittish. We are getting to know him as he gets to know us. 

Why yes, I live with two handsome males

______________________________________________________________________

Of course, the main purpose of this blogpost is to show off my completed flimsy for the Positivity QAL. Here it is. 

I have come up with a name for the finished quilt, but I will save that for the completed quilt linky party scheduled for August 22, 2021. 

Do make sure you add the link to your blog/Instagram at Bernie's Linky Party. There are several prizes open to all participants in the US and abroad. If you don’t have a blog, please send an email to Bernie, with a picture of your flimsy so it can count as an entry to win!! Linky is open till July 24 and the winners will be picked on July 25, 2021.

Speaking of Positivity, I had made several Plus Blocks to demonstrate how to pick fabrics, the importance of contrast, and the 10-foot rule. I had set these aside for a baby quilt at some later date.

But when Joy mentioned that she was collecting blocks to make a community Positivity flimsy, I quickly mailed them to her. Look what she did with them.

____________________________________________________________

July is dark blue, said Angela.  Here are my dark blue/navy blocks.  

Monkey Rules

Wild & Festive

Navy Blue Blocks

I later noticed that brown and black blocks belong in July as well.  I picked out the brown and black fabrics but the blocks are not completed at this time.

Lovely Browns

Black is Beautiful

Sharing with Angela's Linky Party. That leaves orange and turquoise. I wonder what color is August?

______________________________________________________________

A huge THANKS to all of you who visited my Etsy shop, liked it and favorited it. I am very happy with the response to the Novella Wall Hanging/Table Runner pattern. I am working on a couple of new patterns and will be adding them in the next few months.

______________________________________________________________

Connecting Threads has been having a sale and I bought some wide backings.  

Wide Backings from Connecting Threads

I love love love this wide backing fabric from Connecting Threads. It is charcoal gray (on the right side) but if I so choose I can use the wrong side for a subtle light gray. That is terrific.  

I love this fabric!!!

Everything is 25% off but the Cyber Sale ends today. 

_________________________________________________________

In other news, we have received the second set of boxes from Island Batik and other industry partners. I will be sharing the Unboxing Video on July 22, 2021.

At this time, I am furiously working on the Island Batik August Challenge (Try a Tool). The Blog Hop begins on August 10 and my post is scheduled for August 11, 2021. 

Sneak Peek of the Island Batik August Challenge

Lots to do and finish.  I'd love to know what is keeping you busy. I will be linking with all my favorite linky parties. See full list on the sidebar.

It is hot and humid and horrible. Please stay cool (unless you live in Australia or New Zealand) and hydrate.

This blogpost contains affiliate links.

Purple, Positivity and Pain

The Purple blocks for June RSC 2021 are complete. YIPPEE!!! Here they are:

Reddish Purple

Bluish Purple

True-ish Purple

Since I had purple on  my mind, I saw purple everywhere and lots of it. Here are a few glimpses.

Hydrangeas

Allium something - Ornamental Onion 

Purple and Hairy Leaves!!!

I saw a Purple Wall!!!

In Berlin, MD

Noticed this sign on vacation in Berlin, MD

A purple butterfly!!!

Pansies :-) 

O Beautiful - Don't know thy name

One purple shell on the pathway to The Inn Berlin

Do you like Dark?

Or Light

Here are the secondary blocks, using the triangle leftovers from the snowballed squares in the Sisters Choice Blocks. 

Secondary Blocks

19 done and 11 to go.

I am sure they will make an adorable baby quilt :-) Linking with Angela's Linky Party.

___________________________________________________________________

I chose red, white and blue for my Mercyful Quilt.

The Reds 

The Blues (for the border)

24 Border Blocks

In process - Red Blocks with snowballs

Although I have completed the flimsy, I will share it later in the QAL in the July 18 Linky Party. 

OK, fine. Here is a peek :-)

__________________________________________________________________

And lastly the pain. The pain of rejection.

Curated Quilts had announced the Polygon Mini Challenge using the colors Navy, Rust, Olive Green, Almond, Ash and Cream. Square not to exceed 16" and any technique.

I dived in - utterly and completely. I made not one but four minis. Each distinctly different, using a different technique.  Well, see for yourself.

1. Wedge Issues - So many polygons!!!

Improv Pieced, 15" Square

2. Happy Hour - Post Covid get-together with girl friends!!!

Raw Edge Appliqué, 14" Square

3. Segmented - In our echo chambers, we remain divided.

Quilt as You Go, 14.5" Square

4. Zahra - Imagining a trip to Morocco

Paper Pieced, 14" Square

Each one was rejected. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE.

I was deeply disappointed... It was impossible not to be when I had poured myself into the challenge.  

I know I must be detached from the outcome. I know that I must focus only on the effort and not fixate upon the rewards, Hindu scriptures tell me. But I am a work in progress and not there yet.

All my darlings - Love you so much!!!

Someone had the soul-crushing task of rejecting these lovelies.  I feel very sorry for them.

_______________________________________________________________________

Then Paul and I went on a mini vacation and I could not dwell upon the pain any more. Here are a few glimpses from our weekend. We stayed at The Inn Berlin. I cannot recommend this place enough.  Maya's Eggs Benedict can really make the world seem a better place. 

Eggs Benedict by Maya Tomasello, The Inn Berlin

And it is impossible to be sad when the sea breeze is whipping your hair into a frenzy.  

Chincoteague Boat Tour

Pelicans posed for us :-)

We watched the birds and horses up close. We even saw a few dolphins but they were too quick and could not be captured in an image.  The white horse in the picture below was just being lazy. He got up later. 

Horses gathered together for a photo

We went to a Water Park in Ocean City. Initial hesitation turned into glee and laughter as we experienced different rides and myriad ways of landing/splashing/thrashing into the water. 

Splash Mountain in Ocean City

Happy and Exhausted

The day ended with some yummy seafood.

Bacon Wrapped Scallops

We visited the Windmill Creek Winery.  The Mariner's House is beautifully maintained and the visitors are free to visit, take a glass of wine and sit anywhere inside or outside under the mulberry trees (which were laden with fruit at this time) and there was a tree swing. Yes, a TREE SWING!!!.

Well-maintained Mariner's House

Stepping back in time

I enjoyed several minutes on the tree-swing which brought back childhood memories and I was happy as can be :-)  

I am a kid...

Goofiness at Windmill Creek Winery

Picture Perfect - I am All Yours

This was out first post Covid vaccination and it was divine!!!

_______________________________________________________________________

In other news (and there is plenty of it) I have received the second box of Island Batik goodies. The video is coming on July 22, 2021.  I have completed the July challenge for Island Batik and that post is coming next. Novella, the Table Runner is going to be a pattern. Sarah, Jolee, Katrin, Maya, and Yvonne have graciously agreed to test my pattern. Thank you ladies. You are awesome!!!

I am sure I am forgetting something...

Oh yes. Feedburner is going away. To ensure that you don't miss any of my posts, please follow me on Bloglovin.  Sometime later in July I will have a giveaway (Details Coming).  Extra chances if you follow me on Bloglovin and Instagram. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts, be they purple, painful or positivity-laden.  Reading your comments gives me a feeling similar to the sea breeze in my hair :-)  I will be sharing with all my favorite linky parties. See full list on the sidebar.