Monthly Archives: February 2011

Pansy Finishes

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This post is dedicated to Linda who listens to everything I say and remembers all of it–even all the little boring details! When we were chatting on line tonight, Linda asked if I had posted a picture of my pansy table runner yet. I replied that I hadn’t. I mentioned that I was behind on so many of my posts. Linda suggested I talk about the pansy series of projects that I finished, and the connection to pansies in my family. So Linda, here it goes! *VBG*

Back in May 2008, my aunt, my mother, and I took a girls’ only road trip to Oregon to visit a part of the country that we had a family connection to–somewhere my mother had visited previously with her father. See the post here:

http://silverthimblequilting.blogspot.com/2008/06/girls-road-trip-fabs-meet-for-first.html

and here:

http://silverthimblequilting.blogspot.com/2008/06/girls-road-trip-part-two.html

We did some fabric shopping at Joann’s in Roseburg, Oregon. I fell in love with a fabric collection by Debbie Mumm that featured pansies. Pansies are a flower that links the women in my family. Pansies were a favorite flower of my grandmother, my aunt, my mother, and myself. My grandmother painted pansy pictures for each of us and I always think first of my grandmother when I see pansies.

I recently finished four projects from the pansy fabrics.

The first piece was a table topper that was gifted to my aunt for Christmas this past year.
The second piece in the pansy series was a Disappearing Nine Patch that was gifted to my Mother this past Christmas.
The final two pieces in the series were a lap quilt and table runner for myself.

I am so finished with winter and I am so ready for spring. Rather than put the table runner away until the weather improves and spring actually arrives, I decided to put it out now. It may not be spring outside, but I can make it feel a little like spring inside.

The road trip I mentioned above was where I first met two of the FABs in person–Cher and Pam. So in honor of this meeting, the backing fabric for all of these pieces is purple. After all, purple IS the FAB colour!
These four pieces bring together a lot of symbolism–pansies for the women in my family and the two FAB sisters I met in Oregon that have become such an important part of my extended family, purple to celebrate all five of the FABs which includes those that live in WI and AL, and a wonderful memory of a girls only road trip.

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This is today’s finish–my reward project. After finishing the Snowman Courthouse Steps flimsy (see Jan 23’s post), I decided I had earned a reward.

I have been looking at patterns on Quilt Woman.com’s site for some time and this morning I ordered 5 of their downloadable patterns. Within 27 minutes of receiving my order, the patterns were in my e-mail inbox. Yes, you have to print them out on your own printer, but you don’t have to pay for international shipping and you don’t have to wait for weeks for the post office to deliver them to your snailmail mailbox.

This quilt pattern is called Trophy Case and was designed by Barb Sackel. The Valentine fabric featured in this wall quilt was purchased during my first visit to Fabric Depot in May 2008 when I was in Portland, OR. Since this pattern suits a print that you don’t want to cut into small pieces and we are in the month of February, a Valentine project seemed in order. I was able to shop my stash for all the go-withs which made it even better. I went from ordering the pattern to finishing the flimsy within one day without leaving the house!

Year of the Cat

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Today may be Chinese New Year’s and it may be the beginning of the Year of the Rabbit according to the Chinese Zodiac, but in this house, it is definitely the Year of the Cat!

This is Joey. We adopted Joey from a local farm as a 6 month old kitten in 2004. Joey is such an integral part of this household that I can’t imagine what it was like before he joined our family.

Joey is never far away and inserts himself in all activities that take place in this house.

As I sit enjoying my cup of coffee in the wee early hours of the morning, before the sun rises, watching Joey asleep on the back of the couch, I think how lucky I am to have Joey.

2011 The Year of the Cat (YOC) is a Canada-wide initiative orchestrated by Care for Cats whose mission is to encourage individuals to appreciate the feline species and increase more responsible pet ownership which in turn will decrease the daily euthanasia of adoptable cats.

http://www.careforcats.ca/year_of_the_cat/2011_year_of_the_cat.html

If one of these furry creatures is not yet a part of your household, I encourage you to visit your local animal shelter/SPCA and consider adopting a homeless cat/kitten. I assure you that this will be a life-changing event.