Woohoo!

Totally not quilt related.

With utter joy at the success of the Games and just a little sadness that it's all over, I had to share the most recent Arkison family portrait.

And yes, that is rapini and kale in the girls' bouquets. And binding strips making up the ribbon on their medals.

A Toast

This past year I've been asked the same question a few times: if you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be? Without hesitation, my answer is my father-in-law. I would do anything to have him meet The Monster and Smilosaurus and enjoy a raucous dinner where he would surely win the nightly roaring contest.

On this day, six years ago, he passed away. We, his family, miss him everyday. And this morning, I will raise a cup of tea to him. He made anyone feel at home, even if you spilled red wine on his pastel couch and carpet within ten minutes of meeting him. He even had the dad gene that allows a man to have a pre-dinner nap in the midst of kitchen chaos and grandkids climbing on him. He laughed every day and made the rest of us laugh too, even if it was at his taste in sneakers or his appreciation of a good deal. Doug was a man who treasured a good meal and cherished good company. He valued his friends and held his family close.

To Doug.

Workshop in Progress - February 24

It seems that all of us elves are quiet this week. It must be Olympic fever!

We'll all be back next week with workshop posts, right? I do believe that we all benefit from even sharing our process as we create, even if we don't invite comments or have questions. I encourage you all to keep open to the Workshop experience.

Coming Along Nicely

This is what that pile of circles is turning into. I have 5 panels planned, some with 7 circles like this one, some with 5. In the end the quilt will finish close to twin sized, much larger than I anticipated. With the abundance of TV viewing and drive time I've managed to finish 3 panels in the past week. Barring any more emergencies in our lives, I should be able to show you a finished top next week.

For a split second I debated hand piecing the entire thing.  That is, sewing the panels together by hand. Then I realized I would be doing that on principle. There is nothing wrong with the principle, but it isn't one I absolutely am bound by. Besides, I'm supposed to be exercising my knees. Using a foot pedal counts, right?

Thank-you for all your well-wishes. There is a slim chance I won't need surgery. But for now it isn't even an option. I have what are known as stiff knees. In other words, despite the extent of my injuries I should have far more mobility in my knees. So, I am a strict exercise and physio regimen for the next month. After that I should hopefully be able to lose the crutches and the big brace. Already I am feeling better and actually picked up Smilosaurus this week.  Now, that's a milestone!

And it means I can prep the rest of my circles without much trouble.

Texas Sunshine

I once smuggled a 10 pound bag of grapefruits on a trip from Brownsville, Texas to Halifax, Nova Scotia. Actually, I'm not sure smuggled is the right word considering that there is no easy way to tuck in grapefruits around your body. I could have gone for the fake pregnancy, but that would have been one lumpy baby. In the end I got through customs without any trouble. The officer probably smelled the citrus on the university student (I also had key limes) and was just relieved it wasn't pot.

How could I not bring them back with me? I'd just spent a week with my mom in Texas. She was living and working there courtesy of the 1990s health care cuts in Alberta. I spent Reading Week there, soaking up some sun, food, mom love, and absorbing the mystery of South Texas culture. Seriously, that is an odd place. Full of Winter Texans on golf and shopping trips, Mexicans coming across the border to have American babies, and every manner of poverty and riches on the same street.

I'd happily eaten grapefruits growing up in cold Canada, a winter staple in our house. But something about buying them from a roadside stand, still warm from the sun ,elevated them to smuggle-worthy status.

Sadly, we aren't in Texas this February. But with the quality of organic produce available in some stores, and the morning light streaming through the white dining room curtains I can fool myself into believing that this half circle of sunshine is actually still warm from the Texas sun. Sort of.

Besides, the fact that my mom used to live in Texas makes it local, right? How about the direct flight between here and Houston? Oh whatever. It's Canada in the winter and if I want a grapefruit I'm going to eat it.

Actually, we usually go through about 3 in the morning because the girls insist on climbing up next to me and sharing the segments as I cut them out of the fruit. I don't mind sharing. And one day I'll take them South to pick the fruit themselves, once my mom moves back. But I'm keeping them away from the crazy people who talk about buying handguns while they tan their feet.

Some More Circle Inspiration

The circle quilt is coming along. I have about 10 of my 29 circles appliqued on. And I love how it is turning out. I've got a drive ahead this weekend as we travel for a surgery consult, so I should have lots of progress to report on next week. In the meantime, I thought I would share some other circle inspiration.

Sandra Saunders produced Grandma's Hands Quilt. This is an amazing quilt - combining a family album concept, hand prints, and glorious circles. make sure you click through to her Flickr stream for a process pictures and a tutorial on how to do those reverse applique hands.

Red Thread Adoption Quilt is a simple, yet extraordinary quilt. This is so for the story behind the piece, but also in the construction and fabric choices. Using the 6 minute circle it includes outlines in dark fabric, as opposed to just circles. And even some low volume spots like the project I have going on.

For a simple, modern quilt that makes circles the focus check out Sun and Moon. So often circles are bright and bold. This is still bold, but there is a softness to this quilt I adore. And check out that quilting!

One of my favourite Flickr finds has been this Turquoise Circles quilt by Peppermint Pinwheels. It might be the scrappy nature of the circles, the red binding, or that gorgeous turquoise, but it all works for me.

This one isn't finished, yet, but I can't get it out of my head.  The colours, the story, the pieced circles, they are all good. Jacquie is showing another winner, in my books.

So many circles, so little time.

Taste Adventure - Pistachios

We went nut-free for such a long time in this house because The Monster was at high risk for allergies. With the risks behind us we've welcomed the gradual return to a nutty life. I still remember the first peanut butter cookies we made together and their crumbly, sweet taste. Now, without thinking about it we're back to adding toasted hazelnuts to roasted veggies, walnut oil in salad dressings, and eating classic out of hands nuts like cashews and pistachios.

A few weeks back we were helping our neighbours plan a kitchen reno.  The girls ran around, chasing the cat, banging on the piano, and scoping out some 1970s toys Poppa and Grandma B have lying around. Then it got eerily quiet. If you've got kids, or even been around them for 20 minutes you know that too quiet usually means trouble.

A quick search found the two girls huddled, not over a beaten cat or something breakable being used in a creative way, but around a container of pistachios. The Monster easily figured out how to get the meat out the shells and a little pile had already appeared. Smilosaurus was frantically begging her sister to shell more and more for her grabby little hands. Happy that nothing was being destroyed we let them be and tried to figure out just how our neighbours could fit an island in their kitchen.

Fast forward a few weeks to me packing snacks for an outing to the zoo. Remembering the girls' love of pistachios I threw some together with a handful of dried cranberries. And when we stopped for a warm-up and treat they promptly picked out all the cranberries and refused to touch the pistachios. Okay, so we need more exposure to establish a pistachio habit, fair enough. Or, so I thought.

The other day Hubby is picking up groceries and upon his return he declares that he bought a treat for the girls. As a mom, I kind of cringed, knowing that they'd already had a fair amount of sweets that day. But it wasn't red licorice or fruit gums that he pulled out, it was a container of pistachios, in their shells. And the sheer excitement of the girls' faces as they gathered around the coffee table superceded even the performance of the aerialists at the Olympics.

So, in the nut adventures in this household, apparently shells rule. 

Workshop in Progress - February 17

A fun week in the Workshop! I don't have much to report other than my latest circles. We're Olympics crazy in this house - you should see the Monster attempting figure skating on the living room carpet and the two of them cheer for Canada - so I'm sharing this photo.  This was after they painted their own bobsleigh. So, not much sewing in our house, but it looks like a lot of you have been busy.

Oh that Bargello! Have you seen Elle's yet? She poses a very interesting question about binding today. What's your vote on her binding?

Katie finished a lovely quilt over at Katie's Korner. But she is stuck on the backing. I am a firm believer that the backs are just as important as the front.  You need to love them too. Do you have any suggestions for her?

Another Katie, at Katie's Salt Marsh Path is working on really neat batik project. She's struggling with some colours in the quilt and ways to change it up before she gets to borders. Can you help her out, she has a few questions on the table?

I have a feeling I will be sewing vicariously with What KT Made Next and her modern Baby Jane. You've helped her pick fabrics, check out what she chose and her first block!

I'm looking forward to another week of creating and challenges from all of you!

Back to Circles

It might be the inspiration from the Olympic rings in the winter snow. Or I was just looking for a bigger hand project than the previous two.

I've spent the last week prepping some circles for a new project. I've picked 29 different fabrics, cut out 29 freezer paper circles, ironed, and almost finished the basting stitch (by hand) on all of them. And so far I only had to stand for the ironing.  Today I will do the same to press down my gathers and get the circles ready for hand applique.

All 29 circles will be appliqued on a plain white background. I know, me and a white background?! But I got it in my head to make a low volume quilt inspired by Malka Dubrawsky. Somehow it seems appropriate in these low volume, but slightly sunnier days of February.

In case you were wondering, I'm still doing handwork because my knees aren't getting any better. In fact, I found out last week that surgery is inevitable. We're just waiting to find out when that will be. Cross your fingers that it is sooner rather than later.  

Chocolate And Friendship Day

We've never been huge Valentine's Day fans in this house.  Well, that's not 100% true.  I adored Valentine's Day when I was single and wistfully dreaming of a lover to buy me flowers and spoil me with treats. But when I met my husband and the reality of a relationship and my man's opinion of V-Day hit me I realized that I would be lucky if he even remembered the day. I also realized that I am damn lucky to have him, every day of the year.

After a hellish month, however, I'm looking for any small amount of comfort and love. Today that came in the form of a quiet afternoon writing and visiting with a friend while we sipped garam masala hot cocoa and she gave me a reflexology treatment. It was simply so nice to be spoiled. And to enjoy some company with my friend.

I'd been waiting to try this hot cocoa until she came to visit. Although she is originally a farm girl with a Metis background, she has surrounded herself with East Indian friends and boyfriends. I knew she would appreciate the spice of this cocoa better than Hubby.  I was right. It was rich and warming, with hints of spice and the Indian coast. It doesn't seem like the flavours should go well together, but if you think of Mexican hot chocolate with its chili heat, this isn't far off. But there is something exotic about it and so comforting.

Sitting with her this afternoon I felt my spirits lift, old friends have the power to do that. So does chocolate and a foot rub, but not as well as friends can do it. If only I could ask her to move in, or at least to this city.

I made this with the Garam Masala mix from Silk Road Spice Merchants, ground in my brand new grinder. Keep in mind that you will want a fine grind with this.

Garam Masala Hot Cocoa

Adapted from Arvinda's recipe

1 cup milk

1 tbsp cocoa

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp fresh ground Garam Masala

1. Heat milk.

2. Combine cocoa, brown sugar, and garam masala in a small bowl. Stir in a few tablespoons of milk until you have a runny paste. Whisk cocoa paste into milk. Serve hot.

Thanks to Mary Luz Mejia for sending this recipe my way.

What Does Modern Quilting Mean to Me?

Over at The Modern Quilt Guild this week they've had a series of posts from some significant bloggers in the the modern quilt movement. I've rather enjoyed the conversation, so I decided instead of just commenting on all the posts, I would create my own post. So, what does modern quilting mean to me?

Central to modern quilting, I believe, is the idea of Freedom. Unlike traditional quilting which can feel very restrictive in both construction and design, modern quilting is about freedom. Freedom to throw tradition out the window or tweak it with fabrics, layouts, and improvisation. Freedom to try something new in colours or construction. Freedom to do what you want without fear of the quilt police knocking down your door.

Improvisation is also central to modern quilting.  This doesn't just mean the wonky log cabin. Improvisation is about starting a quilt and seeing where it goes, without a detailed plan. Maybe you could also talk about process here.  When I was asking you about The Whys of quilting, process was something that was central to me at the end of that discussion. I think modern quilting stresses the process as much as the final product (regardless of your technique) and improvisation is central to many a modern quilter.

Even when a modern quilter is using calm colours or simple designs, The end result is always something quite bold.  It might the fabrics themselves, or the final design, but when I think of modern quilts, subtlety does not come to mind.

I know that there are many traditional quilters out there under the age of 40. And there are modern quilters out there over the age of 50. But when I think of modern quilting I tend to think of youth. Perhaps it is because there is an energy to the work and the movement? It might be because most (but not all) of the bloggers I've encountered are closer to my age than my mom's age? But that youthful enthusiasm and energy has, I think, a powerful influence on the quilting world as a whole.

It would be remiss to not mention the role of technology in modern quilting. I don't just mean the design software. Blogs, virtual quilting bees, Flickr, and Etsy are all having a powerful influence on quilting. Have you heard of Web 2.0, where we the readers are also the content providers and help determine the present of the internet? Well, technology has allowed us to have Quilting 2.0 as well. Not only are we connecting and working together in a way that wasn't possible beyond the traditional guild, we are also working with each other projects, lending opinions through workshops and our blogs, and generating a never ending cycle of inspiration.

Finally, I want to highlight, that for me, it is important not to throw out the baby with the bath water. That is, there is a lot in traditional quilting that shouldn't be thrown away just because we like a modern aesthetic. This includes basic technique - we still want a quality piece at the end, not just one that looks good in a small on-line picture.  It also includes colour theory and design basics. We're modern and it is up to us to push the boundaries a little. Like modern architecture though, the building still has to stand on its own.

In a somewhat contradictory twist to this conversation I will be attending my first guild meeting tomorrow, a traditional guild. I'm quite excited about it, and it seems that this guild has some modern tendencies and vibrant members. With The Modern Quilt Guild springing up across North Amercia, maybe one day there will be a Calgary chapter?

Workshop in Progress - February 10

We have some new additions to the Workshop group this week. Make sure you keep an eye on Katie's Salt Marsh Path and Cindy at Around the Block Designs. They will also be participating in our weekly round-up of the creative process.


If you've been following along you've seen Elle's work on those turquoise, green, and block blocks for an interesting wall hanging. Well, she may have found her answers, check it out. And in her frenzy of creativity she has a question for you regarding a bargello. Thoughts?


There has been no creating on my end since I finished my pillow. Sigh. The machine is in the shop for a little tune-up. And sadly my knees aren't getting much better. But the ideas are churning and one of these days I'll be ready to hit the ground running!

Announcing Simple Bites

With a heck of a lot of excitement and as much fanfare as we can get through Twitter, Facebook, and blogs, I am happy to announce the launch of Simple Bites. part of the Simple Living Media Network Simple Bites is under the care and inspiration of Aimee from Under the High Chair. And I am proud to be among the regular contributors to this site about Real Food for the Family Table.

My company includes Lynn from Cookie Baker Lynn, Cheri from Kitchen Simplicity, Elizabeth at Guilty Kitchen, Shaina from Food For My Family, and Shannon at Nourishing Days. We come from across the world, in both urban and rural settings, and with children of all ages - from babes to grandbabes.

As contributors to Simple Bites I hope we can all share our daily successes, and struggles, with putting good food on the table for our families. You aren't going to find a lot of boxes in our kitchens and if you look close we probably all have a fair amount of dirt under our fingernails. But our families are nourished, inspired by, and even entertained by our efforts in the kitchen, garden, and farm. We hope you will be as well.

Make sure to check out Simple Bites today, there is a fantastic giveaway! I can't make any promises on your chances of winning, but if I can give our editor a nudge then I only ask for a bit of vanilla in return!

A Pillow

My latest little hand project is complete. A week in my chair and this sweet pillow is now propping up my knees and their ice packs.

Made with a little fusible applique, outlined with a simple black running stitch. The background was actually a sarong that someone gave me a long time ago. I hand quilted the whole thing, and backed it with some Amy Butler Full Moon Dots in Tangerine.

The inspiration for the project came directly from Marisa at Creative Thursday. Really, the inspiration was two fold.  One, she is such a positive spirit, even in the face of struggles and challenges. When I took her e-course she commented that she is generally a happy person and that she refuses to apologize for that. Good for her. And eye-opening for me. I've been accused of being negative (cynical?) by some pretty important people to me. But one can easily choose to be happy and live happy. It is still a challenge for me, but it is working.

Besides, if I let all the crap that happens to us get me down I would never get out of bed in the morning!

The second point of inspiration was the composition of the piece.  Marisa makes the sweetest paintings, sculpture, and books. Make sure you take a look through her Etsy site. It is guaranteed to make you happy. While I would never want to copy her work, I'd like to think that this pillow is truly an 'inspired by' piece. It doesn't hurt that it simply makes me happy to look at it.

(And immediately after filling it and putting it on the couch the Monster curled up next to it for an impromptu nap. Now that makes me happy.)

Life in Perspective - Blog Aid:Haiti

There are moments in life when the notion of perspective isn't just something you get, it is something that comes right up and smacks you on the face like that scene in Airplane. There I was whining and moaning about my crap knees, the next thing I know EMS is at the house because Smilosaurus choked on some granola and it just won't come out.

This was the granola that I asked my mother-in-law, Susan, make for me while I sat with ice on my knees. The granola that needed to be photographed for inclusion in the Blog Aid: Haiti cookbook. And two days later my little one was happily eating handfuls of the Chai-Spice Granola with Pistachios when a little bit went down the wrong way.  She wasn't in grave danger, but she was definitely having a bit of trouble. But Hubby was at his own physio appointment (with the car seats) and the nanny and I were left with the girls and no car to go anywhere.  Not that I could drive.

Thankfully a good coughing fit just as the ambulance drove up and she was back to her normal roles -Death Wish and Howler Monkey.

Later that afternoon I submitted my recipes for inclusion in the stunning cookbook she was putting together. One of my mentors and friends, Julie Van Rosendaal sent out an email three weeks back.  She was motivated to take action in response to the earthquake in Haiti. So she asked some fellow writers and bloggers to contribute to a cookbook project.  She led the charge on the newest version of the community cookbook.  Blog Aid: Haiti is a collection of recipes from 27 writers around the interwebs.  The recipes range from my own Chai-Spiced Granola with Pistachios (only available in the book) to the ultimate Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie, from Blueberry Galette to Bulgogi, and from Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream to Concord Grape Sorbet.  

All Recipes, photographs, design, and editing were freely given.  The artwork gracing the cover is by the lovely artist Beth Snyder. And the publishing houses, West Canadian and Blurb.com are matching the proceeds realized.  So that triples your donation when you purchase a book. Buy before February 12 in Canada and all donations will also be matched by the federal government. So in addition to a very leveraged donation you will also get a rather stunning cookbook.

All proceeds will go directly to The Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders to help with relief efforts in Haiti. The last few weeks we've used our Canadian medical system quite a bit and I am extremely thankful for the care we get and the low/no cost of it all. Doing a project like Blog Aid:Haiti just highlights how damn lucky we are here, and how important it is to support those that don't have that sort of access. That sound? That's perspective slapping me across the face.

Back to the book. Did I mention that each recipe has a photograph? And that contributions are coming from folks like The Gluten Free Girl and Chef, Seven Spoons, Tartelette, Under the High Chair, andChristie's Corner? Seriously, stunning is an understatement.

The book is available for US $25 in softcover and US$50 in hardcover.  You can buy it here, or click on the button there in the sidebar.  It is available on a print on demand system, so you should get it about 8 days after ordering.

For more information on the book, the project, and all the contributors, visit the official Blog Aid website.

And from now on, we're sticking to granola in yoghurt, perhaps with a bit of pomegranate syrup drizzled on top.

Blog Aid: Haiti

I'm not sure how many of you know this, but I have a second blog and a second creative outlet in writing. The focus for most of my freelance writing is food writing. As a result of this passion I've developed a lovely and generous network of food writers.

One of my mentors and friends, Julie Van Rosendaal sent out an email 3 weeks back.  She was motivated to take action in response to the earthquake in Haiti. So she asked some fellow writers and bloggers to contribute to a cookbook project.  In just three weeks she led the charge on the newest version of the community cookbook.  Blog Aid: Haiti is a collection of recipes from over 25 writers around the interwebs.  The recipes range from my own Chai-Spiced Granola with Pistachios (only available in the book) to the ultimate Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie, from Blueberry Galette to Bulgogi, and from Vietnamese Coffee Ice Cream to Concord Grape Sorbet.  

All Recipes, photographs, design, and editing were freely given.  The artwork gracing the cover is by the lovely artist Beth Snyder. All proceeds will go directly to The Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders to help with relief efforts in Haiti. And the publishing houses, West Canadian and Blurb are matching the proceeds realized.  So that triples your donation when you purchase a book.  Buy before February 12 in Canada and all donations will also be matched by the federal government. So in addition to a very leveraged donation you will also get a rather stunning cookbook.

Did I mention that each recipe has a photograph? And that contributions are coming from folks like The Gluten Free Girl and Chef, Seven Spoons, Tartelette, Under the High Chair, and Christie's Corner? Seriously, stunning is an understatement.

The book is available for US $25 in softcover and US$50 in hardcover.  You can buy it here, or click on the button there in the sidebar.  It is available on a print on demand system, so you should get it about 8 days after ordering.

For more information on the book, the project, and all the contributors, visit the official Blog Aid website.

Workshop in Progress - February 3

It's time for another Workshop update. What do we have going on today? There isn't much to report from my studio, other than my machine going in for some love. It finally occurred to me to take it now, since I can't use it anyway. Let's check on the rest of the group.

Cristin is now working on Side B of her special baby quilt. Visit Sew This is My Life and take a look. What do you think?

Over at Pickle Dish Lesly is contemplating block designs for bee participation. She is using that lovely Anna Maria Horner Voile. How can she show it off the best?

How would you go about choosing fabrics for a scrappy blocks? That's the question asked at Nichole in Real Life. She has a neat project on the go, make sure to check it out.

An ongoing project over at Elle in Da Coop has her puzzled. And if you know Elle she has her hands in a million different pots at once. Maybe we can help her finish off this project.

The ongoing colour saga at What KT Made Next might be over. What do you think?

One last thing. Many of us who receive comments are often met with a noreply-comment@blogger.com response. That means we can't get back to you, even if it is just to say thanks. If you feel like you've been ignored lately after leaving comments, make sure you check your settings. If you are on Blogger, check out this post and make sure you have your settings the way you want them to be.

Tuesday Quiz

Do you know what all these people have in common?

Blue Jean Gourmet

Celiac Teen 

Chef Michael Smith 

Christie's Corner 

Dana McCauley 

Dinner with Julie 

Emily Richards Cooks 

Everybody Likes Sandwiches 

Food for my Family 

Food in Jars

Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef 

Healthy. Delicious. 

Kitchen Scraps 

Lottie and Doof 

My Baking Addiction

Recipe Girl 

Savory Sweet Life 

Seven Spoons 

Sweet Amandine 

Tartelette 

Tea & Cookies 

The Pink Peppercorn 

The Traveler's Lunchbox 

Tongue-n-Cheeky 

Under the High Chair

Weelicious 

Coming soon, very soon...

Movements

This is an old quilt. By no means is it antique, it's only 11 years old. And it was only the third quilt I ever made. Previously I'd made one baby quilt and a wall-hanging for my mom. That's it.

Eleven years ago I was a grad student, done with classes but working on my thesis. A few months in to the year I started to get sick. Nothing major, but a general ickiness. A couple of trips to the doctor, test upon test, and phone calls to my brother in California revealed nothing. My brother, the doctor, however, didn't like what he was hearing so he finally sent me to the hospital. A visit with a surgeon, a CAT scan, and a lot of laxatives later I was much better. Nothing like a random virus and lots of stress to inspire creativity out of illness.

While wallowing in my fever I read an inspiring book: Hidden in Plain View. This historical account of quilts in the Underground Railroad was fascinating to me. It still is. I am blown away that so many people were willing to risk their lives and livelihoods to help escaping slaves. I am in awe of the work it took and the secret codes of the quilts to help those running. So, rather than continue to wallow in my own minor illness I started sewing.

This is a simple Hourglass or Bow Tie pattern. In the Underground Railroad Quilt Code this pattern signified to the runaway slaves that they needed to travel in disguise, often upgrading their look to an apparent higher status. I can't say why I chose this pattern, but it was a good one to just start with. Like most of my sewing now, it was project that just started for the sake of starting. It filled my time and my imagination with the stories of escaping slaves.

Obviously my propensity to overquilt started with this quilt. I did a grid all over the quilt, at about 1 inch intervals. And because I thought that would be too boring, but I had no concept of free-motion quilting I decided to teach myself how to hand quilt and did a floral repeat on a few spots on the top.

On the border I outlined that accent piece and then did some curves, after the fact. To be honest, nothing about the quilting is very good. Really though, who cares? This quilt was and still is just for me.  I love that it has a personal history for me, I love that is acknowledges a part of the history of quilts, and I love what it shows me about my own quilting development.

I'm sharing this quilt now for a couple of reasons. One, it really does show a progression of my skills. Two, I have to laugh because when I made this quilt I remember thinking that I couldn't see how I would ever make a quilt that didn't have white background. And now I totally rebel against that! Three, this was actually the only time I hand quilted until these last few weeks. Yikes!

Finally, being laid up these past few weeks I actually finished a book on the nightstand. The Book of Negroes is a novel with a stunning heroine. It follows the life of Aminata Diallo, captured in Africa and brought to America. Really, it is a haunting story.  (In the US the book is known by the title Someone Knows My Name.) 

The book itself has inspired another quilt in me, I'm just waiting for the indigo and osnaburg I ordered to show up. Stay tuned.