Playing Footsie

Celebrate a Finish

Once upon a time in India, very long ago a young wife (newly married) went out on a date with her new husband.
(Of course, they did not call it a date - just going to a restaurant for dinner. )

Basted

Additionally basting with pins

She had a twinkle in her eyes and a spring in her step, because these alone moments with her husband were few and far in between.
(They lived with his parents.)

Binding

Done  - Ready to wash

She was playful.
(He was not.)

Sunny Day

She thought this was so romantic.
(He was nonchalant.)

Ooh the texture!

She wanted to make the most of this occasion.
(Alas!)

51" by 68" - Picnic time

After they placed their order and before the food came, the playful young wife, slipped her right foot out of her sandal, to play footsie with her husband.

Ready to cuddle

Gingerly, she extended her foot, her toe touched his ankle.  She closed her eyes. His head shot up.
As she traced a line on his calf with her toe, he pulled back.

What a Hoot!

She had not expected this. Her eyes fluttered open.

June OMG Finished

Don't do that, he admonished. Don't you know that touching your husband with your feet is disrespectful?

Charm Squares Repurposed

She never attempted to play footsie with him again. The year was 1995 and that young wife was me.
The marriage ended in divorce.

Labelled

Fast forward to 2004. I was now a grad student at FSU and dating an older American man. It was complicated.  He was recently separated, emotionally unavailable and we saw each other just a couple of times in a month, when he did not have his kids.

Binding pops!!!

We would sometimes go to a movie. Sometimes we would go out to eat at a restaurant. And although he never really acknowledged me as his girlfriend, this was definitely a date.

Rolled Finish

The best part - I could play footsie from the beginning to the end of the meal!!!

Navy & Aqua work so well!

He was bemused but never pulled away.  I am sure he must have wondered - what is her obsession with footsie?

Showing off my label

Here is a quilt where the Chinese Coins are playing footsie with the Rail Fence Block.

Selfie :-)

I made this quilt top in November of last year to get out of my funk.

Zig Zag Stitch

I had shared my disappointment about the recent election and my fears for the future with Mari.  She was supportive and understanding as she heard me pour my heart out.

Am I naked behind the quilt?

Mari then told me - Go sew something colorful. I followed her advice, dove into my fabric stash and found several charm squares, languishing in boxes and longing to become something. This quilt is the result of that endeavor - Playing Footsie.

Could be?

This marks the achievement of my June OMG.
Nine quilts in 6 months. What do you think?

With my Quilt Model

You look so happy, Mari commented on my Instagram picture.
It is the weekend, the weather is perfect, Paul is home and most importantly - I can play footsie all day long!!!

How was your weekend? Did you complete your OMG? I'd love to hear from you.

Quilt Show and Bragging Rights

I had such a fabulous weekend that I am still reliving the experience through pictures.

Paper Doll Mini Quilt

Mari drove from Delaware so that we could go the Quilt Show together.  She brought me fabric (scraps I requested) and my own paper doll wall hanging.

Juicy Scraps

We ate lunch. Her generous compliments on my culinary skills made me blush and she ended up with leftovers :-) That is a win-win situation.

My Twitter Feed on display at the 44th Quilters Unlimited Show

At the show, I posed with my quilt and beamed with delight  every time I heard appreciation for my work.

Beaming

There was no dearth of eye candy at the quilt show.
We lingered, took pictures and discussed techniques and patterns. Here are a few of my picks.

Happy Fish by Barbara Delaney

These fish are just the kind of blocks that make me happy.

Farm Girl Vintage by Kelley Davis

These vintage blocks are super adorable. Bet there is never a dull moment in making these blocks.

Hand Pieced by Jeanne Culbert

Jeanne is in my Quilt Guild and I am overawed by her patience to put together this beast of a quilt  -all hand pieced!!!

Blue Ridge Beauty by Jennifer McKinney

And here is Jennifer's scrappy beauty. This is her second Blue Ridge Beauty. She made one as a wedding present for her niece. 

The House that Kaffe Built by Denise Racz

I noticed that most houses have yellow windows depicting that the family is in, and a few have black windows, showing that the occupants are out.  Love such attention to detail.

Daryl's Seascape by Madaline Stutes

Meticulously paper-pieced fish make this quilt a favorite.

The Nana & Kyra Quilt by Nancy Fallone

When Nancy's  18-month old granddaughter Kyra saw her piecing, she was fascinated. Every visit, she would pick two squares and hand them to her nana to sew them together, resulting in this quilt.

Mari joined me in chai and samosas after the show. Our discussion of fabrics, patterns and tutorials nicely rounded out my day. So exhausted but very happy.

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May I brag a little? Or a lot?

On Sunday, Janet Marney of Quilters Unlimited of Northern Virginia called me to ask for my permission to use My Twitter Feed as the group photo of their Facebook page.
I asked her if she could hold the phone for a minute...while I did a happy dance and finished running around in circles around my coffee table.
Then we both laughed.
Here is the link - https://www.facebook.com/groups/304623407466/

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If May was crazy busy, June offers little respite.  As a result I have fallen behind on my Honey Pot Bee blocks. Must finish those in June.

Fabric Squares for the June Block

Me: How is that for June OMG?
Inner Voice: Small but doable.
Me: Well, then let's complicate it a bit.
Inner Voice: No don't
Me: Why not?
Inner Voice: Because you also have to write the BOM tutorial for the Birds block
(I am the Block of the Month Coordinator for my Guild this year and I have been ASKED to provide the Birds block tutorial)
Me: Huh, and I cannot do both?
Inner Voice: You also have to MAKE the Bird blocks for the BOM.

Fabric pick for the Bird Block

Me: YIKES!!!
Inner Voice: Like I said.
Me: No, you will not discourage ME. If I do not achieve my goals that is one thing but to NOT EVEN TRY - that is UNACCEPTABLE!!!

Yes, sometimes Paul is asleep (or out) and the conversation must go on.

For my June OMG, I have a flimsy that is screaming to be quilted and I will get it done. Here is the backing and binding. No, I am not showing the front till it is finished.

Backing & Binding

Three goals for June
1. Finish a quilt
2. Make Bird blocks and write the BOM tutorial.
3. Get up to speed on the Honey Pot Bee blocks.

I will be linking with Elm Street Quilts for the June OMG.

Here is the fabric I ordered from Connecting Threads. At 40% off, I am pretty pleased with it :-)

Joel Dewberry Fabrics 

So, how have you been and what are your June goals.  I will be linking with all my favorite linky parties and as usual I'd love to hear from you.

This blogpost contains affiliate links.

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 Quilts, Janine 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.