Another Weekend Rolls Around

What a difference a day makes.  Yesterday it was a beautiful, bright sunny day.  Today it is very dull, overcast and raining.  Apparently it is the calm before the coming storm.  Our summer is pretty much over but it was a good one. Soon I hope to have some good Fall photos to share.

As I mentioned the other day, the transition to Fall is always a very busy time here and this year is no exception.  I didn't do much quilting for the last week as I'm feeling too tired.  Instead I concentrated on rest, reading and enjoying connecting with friends.

Yesterday I combined a bit of food shopping with coffee schmoozing.  I hadn't planned on shopping but there were some good deals on beef.  That doesn't seem to happen very often these days so I bought some steaks and a roast to divide into several meal portions.

I was also able to get together with a dear old friend who is a year older than my mother.  Though my friend is now completely white haired, she is still as vibrant and joyful as ever. I don't get to see her very often.  She and her husband have always led a very busy life with a lot of travel so I am lucky to catch her from time to time.  I have to say though that she makes much more of an effort to stay in touch than a lot of people do these days so that is very commendable given her busy lifestyle.  It was nice to catch up and perhaps we'll get together again after her next trip to eastern Canada.

I also finished reading this book which I've been looking forward to reading for some time.  

It didn't take too long but I read it a bit slowly.  I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I put it on hold at the library. I purchased another book on the Dead Sea Scrolls by the same author who is a scholar at a Canadian university.  I first heard him being interviewed on a Christian television program one day and found him very interesting.  So I immediately began searching out some of his books.

This particular book intrigued me because of the preponderance of sensational claims being made these days about Jesus of Nazareth. This book promised a glimpse into the life during the time of Jesus.  More than that it promised to be based on scholarly research and evidence, not just claims based on conjecture.

I learned about what Nazareth was like; whether Jesus could have been a cynic; whether synagogues were around in Jesus day; whether people were literate in Jesus' day and whether Jesus himself was able to read and write; and burial practices and whether Jesus was buried. There were also a few appendices which provided more information on what Jesus might have looked like and whether Jesus' tomb has actually been discovered.  Last, but not least, the book concluded with a reading list for people interested in scholarly works based on archaeological findings, and with an extensive list of the source materials which formed the basis for the conclusions in the book.

This book is quite short.  If you are interested in Biblical stories and their relationship to archeological findings, I highly recommend you add this book to your reading list.

Well, it is also Friday today.  Whenever the weekend rolls around, I find myself thinking about my sponsored children and what I should write to them or send to them.  I have sponsored children in 3 African countries and today I was prompted to write to my sponsored kids who live in Zambia.  I've written them twice already and so far they don't seem to have received either of my letters.  It is a bit frustrating but certainly isn't their fault.  Anyone familiar with the postal system in developing countries knows that sometimes the mail doesn't get to the intended recipients.  I do hope the children receive these latest letters.  I can only imagine how exciting it will be to receive letters from across the globe!  I too will be excited to receive their letters some day.

My sponsored child in Ethiopia is now finished with his program and is on his own. I will no longer have any contact with him. The Compassion office sent me a notice that I could write to him one more time and that they would make sure my letter got to him.  They also sent me a new child in Ethiopia to whom I could write.  The new child is only three years old.  I've never written to anyone that young before so it will be a bit of a challenge.  It will be fun to watch him grow over the years of our correspondence.

Today is also when I participate in the weekly Skywatch Friday meme,so I leave you with a few sky photos.

The first photo is of the last moments of a sunset I saw while on a recent evening walk.  Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me and my camera phone doesn't take great distance photos.  While I fiddled to figure out how to zoom in (I still don't know how), the sun had almost fully set.  The colour of the sky was much better than  my camera phone was able to capture.  I'm sorry for that.  I'm glad I was able to enjoy it even if I wasn't able to capture it for you.

I like this next evening photo because the sky is bright enough that you can see all the electric wires overhead.  These are the wires that conduct the electricity on which some of our city buses still run though all the new buses are diesel operated.

Last but not least, I am sharing a photo of my container garden.  The gardening season is pretty much over here so this red pop of colour brings me some cheer. Look at all the rain drops on the petals!

Skywatch Friday

Peace

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

Matthew 5:9

Would that there be peace in the world so that the killing of innocent people like in Pakistan and Kenya can be ended. 

The World Day of Peace (September 21) has passed.

But each of us can still all do our part for peace in this world; through prayer, through awareness, through understanding one another and supporting one another.

Shalom

Some of the Things I Love

 “When I get a little money, I buy books. If any is left, I buy food and clothes.” 

~ Erasmus

I'm still feeling tired and sneezy this week from the cold I'm fighting.  Even so I've spent a  lot of time doing things I love as I recover.  Working on the two quilts as Christmas gifts saw me not only cutting, sewing and ironing but also running errands to purchase fabric and new blades for my rotary cutter.
I also modified two t-shirts into camis for my mother as I can't find any to fit her that don't have spaghetti straps.

When I needed or wanted a break from sewing and quilting, I spent some time on my other favourite hobbies, reading and catching up with friends.

Newest second hand book acquisitions this week cost a  grand total $3 (Canadian) and include:

~ Tower of the King's Daughter (Outremer #1) by Chaz Brenchley. I'm not sure about reading this one as I found out it is actually the 2nd book in a series.












~ Bel Canto by Ann Patchett









 

~ Almanac of the Dead, a Novel by Leslie Marmon Silko











The next book was borrowed from the library after reading about it at my blogger friend ClairZ.  The book is set in Kenya, land of my heart, and is about a woman who starts a mobile library in northern Kenya.  The books are transported on the back of a camel!

I also ordered a book from Amazon (total cost $7. and change included shipping costs) after reading about it on my blogger friend Martine's blog over at the Happy Sparrow. 

This book is an exploration of how women can live in beauty and grace, joy and peace in the midst of difficult circumstances. Real life stories are interwoven with biblical insights.








Last, but  not least, I put this book, Jesus and His World, on hold at the library and will be picking it up very soon. It's been on my "to read" list for awhile now.

I joined a for a fabulous movie called "The Sapphires", based on the true story of 4 Australian Aborigine women who form a singing group and travel to Vietnam to entertain the American troops during the Vietnam War.  It was a delightful, very funny and poignant story. All the proceeds went to a good cause in support of a local organization which helps young women develop self-esteem.

With the coming of the Fall season I've also been spending a lot of time working on my calendar and trying to make sure I have time for all the things I want to do. This always means making concerted efforts to get together with friends for coffee and a good natter.  I look forward to catching up with some friends this week. I'm also making plans to join a new Bible study group. I don't know if it will work out yet but I'm trying. September is always a busy and fruitful time though it can seem a bit frantic at times.  Next thing you know, Thanksgiving will be here. In Canada we celebrate Thanksgiving in October.

Today (Sunday) it is pouring rain in Vancouver.  I'm relaxing and reading one of my new books.  If I get up some energy, I will continue working on my mother's quilt.  I hope your week was also filled with hobbies that you enjoy.

Joining up with Our World Tuesday this week.

Have a great Tuesday!

The first one of the Fall 2013 season.

Work-in-Progress

 “People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
~ Abraham Lincoln

My nephew's quilt is nearing completion

and that makes me happy.

This is a snuggle size quilt for one person.

I would like to make more time to work with my hands.

I find it relaxing.  But as I do it so seldom, I tend to do it to excess 

as I don't know when I might do it again.

I still have to quilt it and I haven't decided whether to do it by hand or by machine. 

I will only do a "light" quilting job so that the finished effect is more or less, reversible.  

This throw has has a nice loft making it extra cosy.

I'm joining up with  I Heart Macro for this post.

BREAKING NEWS:  In sad news, there was a terrorist attack on innocent citizens at an upscale mall in Nairobi, Kenya yesterday. See more here.  Please pray for the government and security to get the perpetrators and bring security for their citizenry and tourists.

Height of Summer Heat

I'm already missing summer, lol. This day in July was one of the hottest days of the summer months in Vancouver. I took several shots into the direction of the sun. I was trying to capture the shimmer on the water.

I'm joining up with Skywatch Friday this week. Why don't you have a look at the various skies from all around the world.

Red & Brown and Stitched With Love

A quilt is something you make to keep someone you love ... WARM!

Quilting Quote ~ The Stitching Cow

Hello friends,

Since I posted about the quilt I am making for mom here, I've had a lot of wonderful suggestions about colour choices for borders. I wish I could try them all because I know they would all look wonderful. In the end I selected a brown inner border and a red outer border. I'm glad that some of you also suggested this combination of colours.

I also did some on line research looking for more of the sunflower fabric but I didn't have any success.  While I did find the fabric it was in a different colour way.  I even called the out-of-town quilt shop where I purchased the fabric in fat quarters to see if they had any pieces left.  They did not.

So I went out and bought the brown and red fabrics for the borders yesterday. I spent some time cutting the pieces and sewing them to the quilt top.

Here is a lengthwise view of the end result ready for quilting.

I've also been busy at work making my nephew's quilt. It proved to be a bit more difficult because I am recycle a small down quilt of his to use as batting for the new quilt.  I purchased the down quilt for him when he was a teen and I wanted to use it as a way of incorporating some memories for him.  I also wanted to use several fabrics from his grandmother's fabric stash which I inherited and some fabrics which I bought new.  This way, the quilt would have more meaning for him.

It was quite the sight in my home last night. I cut the quilt on one side and had down fluff pieces flying all over the place.  I really didn't believe there was down in the quilt but there was!  I got smart and sewed two seams on the opposite side before cutting down the middle of the seams.  This was a perfect solution and no more down fluff floating around.

I also made a black border for my nephew's quilt last night.  Working with dark fabrics in low light is not a good idea especially when you need to distinguish the front and back sides of the fabric.  I managed but it made a simple job take that much more time.

I got a good start on the quilts now so I can be ready well in time for Christmas. I hope to also cut out a few more quilts that have been waiting in the wings for awhile.

Does anyone have a good Ott-lite or craft light to recommend?  I'm looking for a floor lamp that will cast light that looks like daylight so I can see what I'm doing especially over the winter months.  So far I haven't found a good one at a good price. I've read a lot of reviews on different models but can't find a good one yet.  If anyone has a good lamp to recommend, please do let me know the make and model and perhaps I can purchase one on line.

I have some comments and a question unrelated to quilts for all of you bloggers.  

I like to visit my followers and will often click on the icon in the followers widget.  This doesn't always work.  For google + bloggers it takes me back to your google page.  Sometimes I can find your blog and other times I can't.  It depends on what else you've been sharing.

If you are a blogger (not on google  +), and I click your profile icon, it might take me to a page showing me the blogs you are following (if you've shared that information) but you will be amazed how often your own blog is not linked to your profile.

It makes it rather hard to find your blog if I haven't yet had a chance to add your blog to Bloglovin'.

I'm wondering if anyone knows why a blogger's profile doesn't link back to a blogger's blog?

I'm guessing it's because a blogger hasn't added their blog address to their profile (under General settings for your blog).

It would sure help me to find you if you did!

Have a good few days.

I'm going to an Australian movie based on a true story about four young Aborigine women.  The  movie is called "The Sapphires" and I'm looking forward to seeing it.  It came out last year year but I didn't get a chance to see it then.
Here is a trailer if you are interested. 

A Sunny Project

 One yard of fabric, like one cookie, is never enough!

Quilting quote from Stitching Cow

Hello friends,

I wrote here about my next project. I've decided that quilt will be for my nephew.  I'll make it in the same style as I made one for my mother (see here).  It will be a bit larger for snuggling on the sofa while watching television.

In the meantime I've selected this bright sunflower fabric from my stash for my mother's quilt. It will be larger than the other two I've made her so she can use it this winter as a cover up on her bed.

I wanted something bright and sunny for her and something that would blend with the colours of the standard quilts provided by the residence.

I purchased all of fat quarters over the past year and a half or so at different places. I really love the sunflower print and have been looking for more on line to no avail.

I cut out many of the squares and came up with the layout above.  Far too small.  So I have to add a few rows of coordinating fabric to make the quilt larger.  I purchased the sunflower fabric out of town and it's doubtful I can find more of  it.  I looked on line for it but whatever is available is in the wrong colour.

I've  already had one compliment on this work in progress.  I am hoping it will be a hit with my mother. I think this will be her Christmas present so I have a bit of time to finish it.

Here is the finished quilt top (sorry for the poor lighting).  I just need to trim up the edges a bit. I laid it on my bed to get an idea of appropriate length and width and to see how much "hang" there is.  The very top row which you "just see" in the photo, is exactly like the bottom row in the photo (which you cannot see).

The bottom row which you cannot see is the same as the top row (which is cut off in the photo).


I hope to find some coordinating border fabric soon. I'm thinking of two colours to frame the center and make it pop. Once I frame the quilt top it will be plenty large enough for mom's bed. Now I will get back to making my nephew's quilt top before finding batting and backing material for both quilts.

Dear reader, I'd like your help. 

Let me know what colours you would recommend for a) the inner border and b) the outer border. 

I'm thinking of brown as the inner border to pick up the colour in the center of the sunflowers, and red on the outside edge.  White might be nice too but that would get too dirty. I'm thinking there is too much orange but perhaps that would also work on the outside edge. 

I'd like your thoughts or other colour suggestions.

This is my world today for Our World Tuesday.