A Little Handwork

Ugh, I have spent far too much time sitting on my ass for the last 10 days. Obviously it isn't my choice. But I have to make the most of it, right? After a near choking episode with Smilosaurus that involved EMS, only a few days after I blew out my knees so many of our friends and family asked us how Hubby and I handle all the setbacks (bad luck) life hands us. Well, if we got down after every single bad thing we honestly would never get out of bed. And trust me, we both have those kids of days.

After a couple of days wallowing in my pain my fingers started to itch and my brain started to hurt for a lack of creativity. Making up stories to tell the girls only gets me so far. So I picked up some fabric and started to sew.

Hmm, it's hard to just start sewing by hand than it is by rotary cutter and machine. That whole improv thing isn't as easy when you are working with a tiny hand needle, scissors, and your butt in a chair. I've decided that I am not cut out for hand sewing. Embroidery, maybe. Applique, when appropriate. Hand quilting, definitely. But piecing by hand, hopefully never again.

This is just a little quilt. My mom, in town to lend a hand, watched this come together and asked if it would be a block.  That might be a better use for it, but I did finish it as a mini quilt. I started with embroidery, trimmed the white, added the strip of black and white, and finished the front with the last strip of white.  To be honest. I'd planned to make it bigger, but I grew rather bored of the hand piecing. So I basted it, did a little crooked hand quilting (please don't look too close), and added a bit more embroidery.

It isn't terribly pretty, nor is the quality of work that great, but it will have an honoured spot in time behind the gong that sits above our bed. Yes, we have a gong in our bedroom. Our life is often a gong show, so why not? And this quilt is just another reminder of that.

Quilt Canada Update

We are just 4 months away from Quilt Canada! That does seem like a long time yet, but for us on the Local Organizing Committee it seems like it is just around the corner. Being laid up and all I thought I would remind my readers about this fantastic event.  Just a little stumping for us hard working gals.

Did you know that Mark Lipinski will be speaking TWICE at our event.  This gregarious fellow is guaranteed to bring out some laughs and a little blushing to the audience.  But he will also bring some quilts and fantastic insights to the audience.

I might be a little biased, but I am really looking forward to the Professional Development conference. Okay, so that is the portion I am organizing. It will be a good chance for us to pick the brains of a variety of quilting professionals on finding balance, getting into the business, and keeping creativity alive.  We have some fantastic speakers lined up in local shop owners, company reps, long-armers, business coaches, artists, and more artists.

Of course, at the center of Quilt Canada 2010 is the National Juried Show and the workshops. Please visit the main site to see the list of workshops.  The topics range from composition, machine quilting, art quilts, sashiko, embellishments, landscapes, collages, and so many more. There really is something for every kind of quilter. Visit the Quilt Canada 2010 website for the class list, as well a full list of events and accommodation information. 

Oh, and one of the exciting bits of news is that you can now buy day passes if you can only swing one class or day off of work. Add that to an admission to the National Juried Show and Merchant Mall and you have a fantastic day out!

To stay on top of all our Quilt Canada 2010 news and developments you can become a Fan on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

Relaunching the Workshop in Progress

The new year is a perfect time to tackle projects that got pushed aside in the hectic holiday season. For me, that means bringing back the Workshop in Progress.

Workshop in Progress is about encouraging those of us with an on-line presence to open up and share the details, challenges, and a ha moments of our creative process.  This can include everything from the struggle to pick just the right binding, to sharing tips on space set-up. The whole point is that we are being open about the process and not holding on to our work so tight until that last stitch goes in the binding. Use the resources and opinions of those around who share your creative passion. Many of the participants have said how useful the process has been for them, both in receiving comments and providing them.

Every Wednesday will now be Workshop Wednesday.  Not only will I share some more of my projects (once I can sew again) but I will also do a weekly round-up of posts out there.  If you are posting something particularly to get opinion, please send me an email in case I miss the post. I will do my best to catch the posts, but I'm only a working mom with two blogs and may miss some.

As for the above picture, well, it's hard to post without a picture.  This was a fun moment with Smilosaurus, all captured with dots. And thank-you for all your kind words with my injury. I'm still killing time on the couch and I have indeed started a hand project.

Kijiji Rocks!

Or how The Okanagan Food and Wine Writers' Workshop got Charmian Christie a new stove.

Back in September we had a private tour of the Mission Hill Winery kitchen.  Matt Batey, the executive chef, was out guide in a market tour as part of the agenda of the OFWWW. Aside from picking up our pears and touring the gardens we spent a lot of time standing around their custom built sove.

For more than a few years Hubby and I have been engaged in a fantasy renovation of our kitchen. Unfortunately for me, a new kitchen is far behind windows, a new roof, and a finished basement on the reno list. But in my fantasy world I have an induction cooktop in an eat-in kitchen. So as soon as I saw the gleaming equipment in the Mission Jill kitchen I knew I'd found a small piece of kitchen heaven. Hubby, being an equipment nerd, was suddenly interested in my former abstract concept of an induction cooktop.

Guys being guys and having already bonded over a love for powerful cars, Matt was pleased to demonstrate  to Hubby just how cool induction is - near instant hot and cold with quick temperature responsiveness in addition to safety and cool pots.  Drape Brad Pitt on top of the stove and all my fantasies come true.

A few days later I was prepping for my first BT experience, with a focus on the pears that Matt shared with us. While my cheesecake baked I left the plastic crate of pears on top of the stove. It should be clear that I don't have an induction stove.  Just a plain, old electric range courtesy of an 80s reno on a 50s kitchen. I completely forgot about the vent that comes from the top of the stove.  Eventually, part of the plastic crate melted to the front burner of my stove like a nasty, burnt caramel.

Rather than drive around town looking for a replacement burner for a stove I was close to sledgehammering on many an occasion, Hubby suggested we investigate the possibility of a slide-in induction. Damn, I'd successfully converted the guy and he already had abs! My fantasy come to life.

It all came to a screeching halt at the price tag of $8000, on sale.

My alternate suggestion was to buy a basic electric stove - regardless, it was going to be superior to what we had - and use it until the kitchen reno came to fruition.  At that point we could sell it on Kijiji. Hubby's brilliant idea was to go straight to the web ourselves. Two days and $150 later we had a three year old range, as opposed to a 30 year old one.  Oh the options - cookies that didn't burn, properly cooked roasts, and self cleaning!

How did this get Charmian a new stove? A few weeks back she posted about her broken oven and the long wait for a reno to buy a new one. I shared our story with her and for less than she paid for her ice cream maker she too has a new to her oven.

And what was the first meal I made in my new oven? Well, we had a proliferation of Okanagan tomatoes, so we slow roasted them.

While I consider slow roasted tomatoes akin to candy, right now I could sure use the cupcakes Charmian made in my honour. I'm currently laid up, literally, with two wrecked knees from a ski accident.  A freakish, lame ski accident.  Oh, how cupcakes would make my day better.  Then again, scotch, ice cream, and chocolate would also do that.