Friday Felicities

Hello, friends! It's Friday and you know what that means - Friday Felicities!

My Felicity today is a big one. I achieved a big personal quilt-related goal this past week:

I finally (FINALLY!!) found the time and motivation to publish my Easy Going Modern pattern! It's available for purchase on Craftsy for $5 (USD). The instructions for the quilt top and back for three sizes of quilt are included.

The motivation for me to finally get this pattern done was making it one of my Q2 goals in the 2013 Finish-A-Long hosted by Leanne She Can Quilt. There is time to prepare your UFO/WIP list for Q3 so if you'd like to get in on the fun, just click on the button here and have a look at the details.

This weekend is a long one here in Canada as we celebrate Canada Day and I think Vancouver may luck out in the weather department. I hope you to too!

Friday Felicities

Whew! Well, that was a busy month and a bit! The good news is that I had the opportunity to apply and interview for a new role at work - a permanent position in the training & development area where I've been working for the past year. I have had the same job for the past 15 years so I didn't even have a resume or anything like that. The application and interview were a lot of work but I'm thrilled to say that I got the job! Hooray! Felicity #1!
And Felicity #2 is that I won the VMQG block lotto again. This is the third time I've won - what can I say? VMQG brings me luck. That doesn't extend to the actual lottery, though, unfortunately. But I will have a chance to play with a bunch of these wonderful blocks:

We put together sets of 3 hexagons in a black/white plus a solid bright - these were the three I contributed:

They're assembled using Jacquie Tallgrass Prairie Studio's tutorial for piecing hexagons by machine without marking. I'm looking forward to piecing my 34 sets of three hexies together!
And now it's your turn!

Friday Felicities

My felicity for today is the incredible outpouring of support my lovely guild - the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild - is getting for our To Boston With Love initiative. It's a "collaborative effort of makers to bring peace and love from far and wide." All the details can be found on the VMQG blog, and so far there are 30 (!) guilds who've pledged to send peace flags. And you don't have to belong to a guild to contribute - all the shipping information and details are on the blog. We'd really love it if you contributed too!

 

And the Boston MQG is also undertaking a project -  Quilts For Boston. All the details can be found on their blog here. Please consider contributing a block!

Friday Felicities

Oof! Lots of balls in the air these days, and I'm fumbling a bit. Kindly accept my apologies for the sporadic nature of Friday Felicities linkies!

My felicity today is that G has been trying her hand at making up jokes, mostly of the knock-knock variety. Absolutely none of them make sense ("Knock, knock! Who's there? Frog. Frog who? THE FROG HOPS IN THE POND HAHAHAHAHA"). Her track record changed this week, however. Are you ready? Here is her joke:

Why did everyone want to be friends with the toad?

Because he's toad-ally awesome!

Not bad, eh?

Friday Felicities

I didn't plan to, but I ended up taking a Spring Break hiatus from Friday Felicities! I was really busy with my staycation those two weeks. While G was in day camp, Kevin and I got a whole bunch of great stuff accomplished:

• we rearranged the furniture in our main living space, and now it feels so open and pleasant that I no longer want to stroke out with frustration when I'm in it;
• we culled our "stuff" and listed a whole bunch of it on Craig's List (are you local and in need of a really nice china cabinet, coffee table, mirrors or silverplated salt and pepper set with bonus salt cellar? email me!);
• we donated G's outgrown clothes and toys to the appropriate places;
• we organized G's room so that there is a place for everything (it's made a world of difference - she tidies up now!);
• we browsed at Home Depot in peace;
• we were able to have uninterrupted adult conversation lasting longer than 30 seconds - sometimes even over lunch with an Adult Beverage!

...all while little Miss G had her fill of activity and friend time. I suppose that is my Spring Break felicity. My felicity today is that I will have an opportunity to share my passion for quilting and sewing with some newbies. It's a secret project whose recipient sometimes reads here so I won't go into too many details. But we'll be using these fabrics

to make a version of Easy Going Modern (I *swear* a pattern is on its way). Have a wonderful weekend!

Friday Felicities

Last night I had the most lovely time delivering a trunk show to the Fraser Valley MQG. Because I give away the vast majority of my quilts, I didn't think I had enough to do a trunk show. WRONG! As it turns out, I had more than enough (I borrowed two from their current owners) and didn't have to break out the "virtual" trunk show (aka Powerpoint presentation with photos) I'd prepared!

The ladies were very gracious - laughed at my lame-o jokes and ooh and aahed at my quilts. That's my Felicity this week - I felt so very welcome and appreciated, and it was really nice to revisit some oldies but goodies as well as some newer work including my Madrona Road challenge quilt, for which I offer you an Instagram sneak peek only, because the full post is in the works:

Now, tell me - what was your felicity this week?

Friday Felicities

Happy weekend, all! Sadly, it's my least favourite weekend of the year: the one where we "spring back." Ugh. The whole "one less hour of sleep" thing and I don't get along very well. I seriously love my sleep.

Anyhoo, that's enough moaning from me. What's making Felicity happy today, you ask? What is Felicity's felicity?

I've begun exercising again. Not for weight loss (though I wouldn't mind if that were a side effect). For health. As a (technically) middle-aged woman and the mother of a young child, I feel it behooves me to take a bit better care of this body of mine. We live a healthy lifestyle, my little family and I, but what was missing from my routine was a commitment to exercise. I want to be a positive role model for my daughter in as many ways as I can and this area - of self-care of my physical health - was not where I wanted to be.

Screen shot of my 'Couch to 5K' free iPod/iPhone app

So I downloaded a free "Couch to 5K" app for my iPod touch and got out twice this week, even getting up early to run this morning. These apps are fabulous - a voice tells you when to walk and when to jog/run and when to cool down. It even turns down the volume of whatever music you're listening to (me, lately: Mumford & Sons) when it makes the little announcements!

And a bonus "felicity" - my thoughts on my full-day workshop with Sherri Lynn Wood are featured today on the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild's blog.

Friday Felicities

Aaaaand we're back after a QuiltCon hiatus!

What's making me happy today is my sweet little family. This week's example is what was on our front door when I arrived home from Austin at around 11:30 pm on Sunday.

A team effort! Kevin wrote the sign and G embellished. Each and every letter has a corresponding word written below, sometimes with a drawing. E for elf, O for orange (spelled phonetically as "oring"), M for moo and monkey ("mocky" is hanging by his arm from a tree branch). G informed me that "Daddy wrote the words and I added the quilt effect around the outside." What a perfect homecoming gift!

I'd love to hear about what is making you happy in your life this week!

Friday Felicities

Short but sweet today - what's making me happy is that I finally got my rear in gear (as they say) and set about getting myself some business cards!

Realizing that QuiltCon is just around the corner provided the push I needed to contact my graphic designer friend Steve (Abundant Sink Creative) and just do it already. He was so patient with me, and I'm grateful. I'm so happy with the finished product! Now I have calling cards for QuiltCon and something to include with swaps and giveaways and whatnot.

Biz cards front and back

And how about you? What's making you happy today? Do tell!

Friday Felicities

Happy Friday, everyone! For the first time, this weekend is a long weekend for us here in the province of British Columbia. We've joined Alberta, Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan and Ontario in having a statutory holiday Monday in February called Family Day. Whee!
I'm also really happy with this little make that you may have seen in my January roundup of projects.

I made this sweet little triple-zip pouch in the Triple Zip Along hosted by Debbie A Quilter's Table. There's still time to make one of these and add it to the Flickr group to be eligible for prizes!

Here's the back:

And the interior:

I had lots of fun using some precious Mendocino scraps for this project. I'll use my pouch in my purse, I think.

Friday Felicities

Today, what's making me very happy is that I took the plunge and got myself a new baby. No, I'm not pregnant. I got a new sewing machine! Meet Jojo, my new Janome Horizon 7700.

Jojo

Look at that giant harp! 11"+ of space to FMQ! I feel very fortunate to have found a local dealer who had some just-about-new machines available for a great price. Once I sell Bernie the Bernina (any local readers interested in a Bernina 145?), it should all work out very well.

How about you? What is making you happy this week?

Friday Felicities

Something that never fails to make me happy is overcoming a fear of trying something new. Behold these leggings I sewed up for G (Kwik Sew 3476).

That's not my felicity, even though I am really happy with them. Look closely at those leggings. Notice anything?

I overcame my fear of twin needles! As is the case with many fears, this one was firmly rooted in ignorance - I simply hadn't figured out how to use one, and I hadn't educated myself on the many uses of such a delightful little notion. A little googling and I'd rectified both situations (tutorial). Twin needles are fantastic for sewing knits because they create a straight seam that can stretch. Ta daaaaah! Happiness!

Friday Felicities

The sun is shining, I successfully delivered a talk to our company's senior executive yesterday, G slept through the night more nights than not this week, and I've got a joint Fraser Valley Modern Quilt Guild/Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild sew-in tomorrow. Life is good.

I have been meaning to do a wee giveaway as a thank you to you lovely readers - just because you're lovely. So here it is - a chance to win a copy of Quilting Modern by Jacquie Gering and Katie Pedersen.

Source: amazon.com via Pinterest

To enter, simply comment on this post. Kindly make sure I can contact you via email if Random.org selects your number. One comment per person, please.

You can get an extra entry if you link up to Friday Felicities this week. Just write a post, and link it up before Sunday January 20th at 11:59 pm (Pacific). The giveaway will close then as well.

International entries are welcome. Giveaway closed! Winner announced here.

Have a great weekend!

Friday Felicities

Hello! Happy Friday!

There's a couple of things that are making me happy today. First, these two quilties are heading to Austin in a short while:

Sea Glass on Sand (L) and Bohemian Confetti (R)

They'll be featured in the quilt show happening at QuiltCon! I'm completely thrilled and it's making me even more excited to be going.

My second felicity is that Debbie A Quilter's Table is hosting a Triple-Zip Along starting January 28th and the timing couldn't be better! I want to turn one into a purse for my niece. Have you been meaning to try her wonderful tutorial? Why don't you join in?

I hope you have a great weekend!

Friday Felicities

It's a new year! Happy 2013 to you all!

What's making me happy today is that I opened my mailbox to find an unexpected and beautiful gift from a friend.

The folio is lined with vinyl! It's awesome! And it contained two mix CDs, one mellow and one upbeat. The latter was out of the folio and in the CD player because a certain Miss G wanted a dance party. I love this so much and I so appreciate Kristie's thoughtfulness (while being simultaneously intimidated by her creative output - she's got 3 kids and works outside the home!!).

I'm so grateful for the friendships in my life. Whether they're in-person or within online communities makes absolutely zero difference; they're all very special to me.

Friday Felicities: Holiday Hiatus

Friday Felicities is taking a holiday hiatus this week, and we'll resume next Friday. Have a great weekend!

Friday Felicities

Happy Solstice! We'll get little bit more daylight each day from now til June - hurrah!

G is now on her Christmas break, and the school sent the kids off on holidays in grand old style with a Christmas concert, potluck party and a visit from Santa!

I didn't make all of the teacher gifts, but three of five received a handmade touch. We got gift cards for the liquor store (no booze at the grocery store for us Canadians!) for her two main teachers, and I used Katie There and Back's delightfully simple tutorial to make gift card holders:

I didn't have any snaps, so I used some adhesive velcro circles I had on hand.

For the lunch supervisor, I made a Michelle Patterns Grocery Bag using some great canvas I acquired at Home Depot - it's a paint dropcloth I found on clearance!

I need to re-ink my ink pad - that label is brutal

The bag is lined with some regular quilting cotton and I used some co-ordinating fabric for the handles. I'll make that pattern again - it's very easy.

So those are my Friday Felicities - holiday break and handmade gifts. What about you?

Friday Felicities

It's a busy time of year, isn't it?  Especially for those of us who are stitchy types, the urge/need/compulsion to make some or all or most of our gifts is very, very strong.

When it works and we can manage it, it's great. But when it doesn't, and we can't, it's really stressful.

So today, how about we pledge to take just one minute to stop, breathe, and appreciate ourselves and all the things we do? My felicity today is...me. Go ahead and take your own "me" break to remember how fantastic you are. You deserve it.

Friday Felicities

Hello, friends!

I'm very happy that today is my last day of full-day workshops - another next week but at least I have a breather before then!

My *actual* felicity for today is that my guild, VMQG, was featured on Vancouvermom.ca! Nice things said about us and there's a little blurb about me personally which is pretty cool too!

Here's to a great weekend (lucky girl that I am, I'm spending it at one of Krista's day retreats)!

Friday Felicities

Short and sweet today (just like me! HAHAHA) - my Friday Felicity is that I'm gearing up for a very busy week next week, delivering 4 more full-day training workshops that I've spent the last few weeks developing. It's "work" work, yes, but I feel very fortunate that not only am I employed and able to support my family, but I'm doing work that I am enjoying immensely. This break from my regular job has been rejuvenating, exhilarating and exciting. I'm feeling particularly grateful for that.

How about you? What's making you happy?