Quilting Gallery's Giving Thanks Blog Hop Party

Well...it's been awhile hasn't it?

I am still here but to be honest, this little slice of blogland hasn't been high on my priority list this year.  While 2013 has been a year of challenges, I'm still trying to work my way back and  couldn't think of any better way to try to come back than with a "Giving Thanks" blog hop being hosted by Michele at Quilting Gallery.

I have plenty to be thankful for including wonderful family and friends. The professionals in the medical field, and in the palliative care field I've dealt with this year have touched my heart and soul more than I can ever express.

My wonderful husband made a dedicated work area for me as a birthday gift, but I'm afraid I've lacked the focus or energy to do much sewing or quilting this year. I'm hopeful that 2014 will be a better year.

My finished projects this year are far and few between, but I did manage to finish a QAYG Noodlehead 241 tote for myself (working in very short spurts LOL)

 and a Made by Rae Geranium dress for a very special little girl.

And that's all I have to show from the past 11 months.

I have a half yard of Kona Solid to give away as a thanks for reading my blog. To enter, follow me on Pinterest (you'll find lots of tutorials for just about anything you could ever want to make!) and leave me a comment letting me know you are following me. (I'll be checking LOL). Sorry, but this giveaway is for Canadian residents only this time.  Giveaway open until 11:59 PM Sunday (November 24).   ETA--Giveaway now closed. Thanks for stopping by.

Mary

April Shower's Blog Hop

Save the best for last eh?  Welcome to my stop on the April Showers Blog Hop. I want to thank Erin of Sewing Mummy for all her hard work on this hop,,along with everything else she does. And let us not forget the         irrepressible Madame Samm over at Sew We Quilt! 

(Did you see her mug rugs? Awesome, as usual!) 

   Spring in my neck of the woods (good heavens, my Canadian is showing today!) means             C O L O U R ! ! ! after months of grey, grey and more grey. Those who don't experience winter think snow is a lovely white blanket, and everything is pristine, peaceful and pure. 
    
     Trust me,,,that snow is white when it falls, but before long,,the skies turn grey,,the fallen snow takes on a grey tint from sand laid by the municipalities to keep the roads passable and just from day to day life. There were far too many days in a row here this year where the sky, the roads (from salt being spread to control icy roads) and the snow were all the same colour of grey. And winter went on, and on and on around here. We had snow in our yard from last week's storm up until yesterday. I hope it's done for this year!

     Spring here also means bugs and butterflies and birds! We're so glad to see the colours of all of them showing up again, I can't tell you.

 


    When it came time to make my mug rug, I couldn't think of anything better to show my love of spring more than my treasured Kokka Echino Nico!
Bugs, and butterflies, and bees and birds! I've had this fabric stashed for a while now waiting for the right project,,and this is one of them!  

   I did a simple QAYG technique, and decided not to bind my mug rug, but rather to top-stitch it. I thought there was enough going on with the Echino without a binding adding to the busy-ness! What do you think?

   Now I'll be able to look at one of my favourite fabrics everyday,,,at least until someone asks me "ooo Will you make one for me too?"

I hope you'll visit the rest of my fellow blog hoppers on this, the final day of the April Showers Blog Hop.
  

Merry Gay @ Merry Gay in Stitches

Mary @ Sew Maybe I Can

Joanne @ Everyone Deserves a Quilt

Linda @ Buzzing and Bumbling

Mary @ NeedledMom

Sherry @ Peanuts Patchwork

Fredrika @ Feltfree på Åsly

Shauna @ Welcome to Shauna's World

Sharon @ Dancing thru Threads

Madame Samm @ !Sew WE Quilt! Thanks for stopping by! Thanks again Erin. Thanks again Mdm Samm! Mary

Google Reader goes the way of all my favourite Google apps

I'm sure you've all heard by now, that Google Reader will disappear as of July 1st, 2013. (Canada Day to me!)
  I'd like to encourage all my followers to migrate over to bloglovin'.  (There's a button right over there →  !  
  My big secret---bloglovin' is my favourite blog reader,,and has been since I discovered it. I have always found Google Reader messy and hard to find what I want to read when I want to read it.
  Bloglovin' is where I read my favourite blogs. (A lot of you will be surprised to know that's where I read your  blogs!
  Some of you have been popping up in my email with notifications you've already migrated over,,,and I thank you very much.
  For the rest of you,,check it out. There's a very simple button to push to migrate all the blogs you read over to bloglovin'. Easy peasy! It's very user friendly, and beyond simple to categorize your blogs the way you want to.
  Hope everyone enjoyed World Wide Quilting Day--I didn't sew a stitch. Life got in the way unfortunately,,,but I have great plans for tomorrow. 
   Have a super day everyone,,I'm on my way back,,,feeling better almost everyday.

Mary 

Standing with Angels

My brother Andy's journey ended on February 9, 2013. May he rest in peace. The amazing Anders Osborne in the video above sums it up better than I ever could.

We are numb, tired, and healing.  I'm trying to sew,,mostly unsuccessfully. But soon.  I'll be back.

Stomp on Cancer like it stole your wallet

      Please take a moment & watch this video done my friend Lynne Knowlton of 
Design the Life You Want to Live 

      And if you want to laugh till you cry,,,check out her treehouse post here 

     Check out her blog while you're there,,,Lynne will blow your mind! She is an incredibly talented woman with a heart & soul as big as the great outdoors (and we have lots of great outdoors up here in Canada!) Her DIY posts are terrific; her Cancer Sux series says it better than I ever could,,and Lynne is just all around one great gal.

Thanks
Mary

Popping in for a quick hello

   Just a quick hello--I'm still here, and dropping by with a quick hello. Not much sewing going on here. 
   We admitted my brother into hospice care last week, so I'm in & out,,mostly out; sitting with him.
    Hope everyone is well and getting lots of sewing time in--I'll sew vicariously through you all until I can sit in front of my machine again.
    For those of you sharing this stupid weather system with me,,bundle up & keep warm.

Mary

The Bag

Pictures of the bag,,,as promised.
  Please take special note of the pocket fail! I'm still laughing at myself.  I guess that's what I get for sewing at 2AM!

   The funniest part was not noticing for 2 days,,,until my daughter in law was marvelling at my ability to make pockets (trust me,,she's easy to impress when it comes to sewing LOLOL). I reached into the pocket to show her,,only to realize I'd sewn the velcro through the pocket,,,as well as to the front of the bag.

   At least I didn't sew it to the Echino!  (Isn't it gorgeous?)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

  Wishing you all the very best 2013 has to offer! May the year be filled with peace and love,,,,and lots of sewing time!
   I stayed in New Year's Eve and sewed myself a new bag to carry all the paperwork I need to carry with us for my brother's oncology appointments. Well,,I started it NYE,,,finished it New Year's night. Totally used my stash,,,including another piece of my incredible vintage fabric gifted to me by my mother-in-law. This fabric is one of my favourites and was used for a zipper pocket. I'm glad this zipper is finally in a project,,,I've tried to put it in 3 different projects, and each one has ended with the zipper torn back out! May it stay put where it is, and I never try to use it again!
   I started to upload my pictures, and my camera battery died,,,so maybe tomorrow,,,depending on when we get back from radiation therapy.
   Just a quick haha before I sign off,,,this is my life these days (Last count was 64 cm of snow--that's 25 1/2 inches or over 2 feet--and another snow storm coming on Thursday! Have I mentioned I hate winter?

Courtesy of Stitchin Heaven's newsletter.