Lest We Forget

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead.

Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders Fields.

- John McCrae

Barb's Ginger Jar

I couldn't believe it when I saw it either. But, Barb told me herself, so it must be true.

She's giving away one of her gorgeous Ginger Jar quilts!

I don't know how she can part with this beauty, but if it happens to come my way, I'm not going to say no!

Barb is celebrating her niece, Jennifer's, new blog and online store Inch Worm Fabrics. If you want to enter the giveaway, go on over to visit Barb at Bejewelled Quilts by Barb . Good luck!

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Green Fairy Giveaway!

Head over to...

Because you could win...

Judi at Green Fairy Quilts is giving away her very last kit of "Morning Bloom". Beautiful!

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projects on the go

It's November... and I finally got my October block finished for Bunny Hill's A Tisket A Tasket BOM. I have been working on November's block, too. It's all put together and ready to be stitched so (hopefully) I should be able to show it to you later this week.


I got a little behind with Sandi's Seasons of the Heart BOM blocks. Here's September's:

And October's: (I need to get rid of the quilting marker lines on this one... oops)

I started a new knitting project, with a pattern from this post. It's knit on circular needles, which is a brand new technique for me. I've already got it all twisted, but since it's a scarf and not a sweater or a hat, I think it will be okay. It's just for me, anyway - not a Christmas gift. When I get a bit more progress made on it, I'll show you how it's going.

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And finally... A giveaway! Barbara of Pinelands Patches and Beadscapes is celebrating her one-year blogiversary with a wonderful giveaway.

I just love those beaded snowflakes!

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The weekend is drawing to a close. As usual, I didn't get half of what I'd planned finished. I did some (lots of) marking yesterday and some knitting last night. I went to the gym this morning, then to the fabric store (which was unbelievably busy because there was a members' only sale going on). This afternoon, I cleaned a bit, changed the bedsheets, and put together the BOMs. Now it's supper time. I still have marking and planning to do for tomorrow, so I'll be busy this evening.

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Sunday night is my least-favourite time of the week. I'm most definitely a Friday afternoon girl!

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Sketchy Stitchy Applique

I just figured out where I got the 'scribble stitch' bird applique from that I used on my bird Candle Cosy. It came from Anita at Bloomin' Workshop. I knew it was someone I liked! Anita's blog was one of the first ones I started visiting regularly (when I discovered blogs - until last fall I didn't even know what a 'blog' was!).

If you want to visit Anita's wonderful post/tutorial on sketchy stitch applique, click here. Her ideas are so cute.

Gotta give credit where it's due!

p.s. My Candle Cosy was also featured on One Pretty Thing.
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Me, on Friday...

Outside my window... It is very dark. Since we turned the clocks back, it gets dark so early. I'm ready to go to bed by 7:00 pm

I am thinking... that I should get off the computer and go and watch a movie with Mr. P. I can knit while I'm watching.

I am thankful for... the safe return home of Mr. P and the OnlyChild. I missed them both (even though the OnlyChild and I have already had an argument. sigh.)

I am wearing... Lululemon capris, my Paris t-shirt, and a black cardigan... with my booties from Nonna. I changed as soon as I got home from work.

I am remembering... my trip to Baltimore and Washington, DC last December. I was looking at the pictures the other night.

I am reading... Mercy Among the Children by David Adams Richards. He's a New Brunswick writer and a woman I knew was friends with him. His work is real and raw.

On my mind... Romeo Dallaire. He was the commander of the UN forces during the genocide in Rwanda. I (and 12 of my students) went to a presentation by him this afternoon.

From the learning rooms... still working on my masters course; still not really enjoying it. I signed up for another course next semester and I am already questioning that decision.

Noticing that... my sewing room is (as usual) in need of a good cleaning and clearing out. How the junk accumulates in here!

Pondering these words... to paraphrase the character Sydney Henderson from Mercy Among the Children: Any harm you do to others is also an injustice to yourself.

From the kitchen... As I was working on my course tonight, Mr. P came up with a bacon-and-tomato bagel for me. How sweet!

Around the house... did a bit of cleaning last night because I know tomorrow will be dedicated to finishing all the marking I didn't get done this week.

One of my favorite things... a nice, hot cup of tea after a long day!

From my picture journal...


In front of the Capitol Building in Washington, DC, December 2008.

From The Simple Woman's Daybook.
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Candle Cosy Tutorial

Do your candles get cold? What kind of ridiculous question is that, you may be wondering. But perhaps your candle needs a cosy, if not to keep it warm then to dress it up.

I got the idea for candle cosies last Christmas. I was shopping one day and saw some of these made out of felt - they were selling for $8.99. Ha! I wasn't paying for one when I knew I could make it myself!

Would you like to learn how to make one of these cosies? It's a quick and easy project - and it is lots of fun. Keep reading.


Materials:
Jar Candle (I bought mine at Michael's - on sale this week!)
fabric for background - approximately 7" x 14"
fabric for binding - 2 strips of 2" x 14" and 2 strips of 2" x 4"
strip of batting - approximately 3.5" x 14"
scraps for embellishment
thread to match fabric and embellishments
2 small buttons

Step 1:
Measure the circumference of your jar candle - this one was 12.75".

Step 2:

Measure the height of your jar candle - that's 3.5" for this candle.

Step 3:

Cut fabric strips for background. I cut 2 pieces the circumference + 1.5" x the height - 0.25". I figured out this formula through the trial and error method and it seems to work.
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Step 4:
Cut your batting the same size.
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Step 5:
Now you will decorate one of your fabric strips. I used a Christmas tree design (inspired by Linda Lum DeBono) but you can do whatever suits your fancy.
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Step 6:
Before you sew, sandwich the three layers together like a quilt and pin/baste. I just used straight pins since this is a tiny project, but you can use spray baste or safety pins.
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Step 7:
Applique and quilt as desired. Here I stitched around the edge of the tree then used free-motion quilting to stitch a design on the tree. I also used a meandering stitch on the white background.
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Step 8:

Now for the binding. Fold your 2" strips in half and press. You are going to sew these on just like a quilt binding, using a scant 1/4" seam allowance. Trim off any extra.
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Step 9:

Then fold to the back, press, pin, and hand-stitch down.
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See, isn't it cute? Just like a mini quilt! I almost want to stop and just hang it on the wall like this. But I won't...
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Step 10:
For closures, I made two buttonholes. I had the candle 'try on' its new clothes to see where to place the buttons. Then I sewed the buttons to the other end of the cosy.
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And you're done! Have your candle model its new cosy...
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Check the back to make sure it fits well.
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Here's another idea.

I wish I could remember where I got this idea. I remember that I emailed the person who posted the instructions and showed her what I did with the 'scribble stitch'. I checked through my emails but I can't find it. So... if it's you, please let me know!

And if you're not into applique, you can use a really pretty piece of fabric and fancy thread. I didn't even put binding on this one.

On the right is a patchwork version of the candle cosy made to match a table quilt. I embellished it with a snowman button - another idea!

I hope this all makes sense. If you have questions, let me know and I'll do my best to help.

If you make one of these cosies, I'd love to see it!

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