Talkin Tuesday

Tonight's chat is being sponsored by my friend Shawna at 1 Choice 4 Quilting!

Have you joined us yet over on twitter? It' really is a great time, and a great opportunity to learn, ask questions and meet all sorts of quilters!
Most people find it easiest to follow along using tweetchat. It will add the hashtag (#talknt) to your tweets for you. And you can control the speed of the refresh, which is great for when things get going.

Tonight we're giving away fabric bundles in bella solids! And with less then 100 people chatting you're chances are great! To win you sign in on the Talkin Tuesday blog, and during the chat I will draw names from there. You have to be "present" to win.

Come join us!

London Modern Quilt Guild!

There's a meeting tonight at 6:30pm at the Talbot Center, conference room.
It's the second meeting of the London Modern Quilt Guild and I'm so excited! I really am loving the idea of getting together with women who share my passion for fabrics!
If you're coming bring along something you consider modern. We're going to try and get an idea of who thinks what is modern.

It is so fun as a group we try to decide who and what we want to be as far as a guild.

I finished the 1 Choice 4 Quilting Jelly Race!

I managed to finish the Jelly Race quilt top in a bit over an hour, and that includes "cautions" for kiddo needing drinks, and an accident requiring mom-aid.
As a treat I'm going to shop some of the Bella Solids over at 1 Choice 4 Quilting. Pretty sure I can come up with $50 worth of the new colours to get the 10% off. heheheh ssssshhhh don't tell Shane.

This top is the perfect size to make one of my quilted wraps with so that's probably going to be what I do with it.
I used Moda's Hoot Hoot by MoMo for those who will ask. :)

I have MORE sewing to show later! I've been doing tons of sewing this week, all simpler quick projects just to get me back at my machine. Everyone's support has meant so much to me and I can't tell you how much it has helped. HUGS to you all. Thank you.

Sew together with 1 Choice 4 Quilting

Shawna over at 1 Choice 4 Quilting is doing a "race" jelly roll quilt along tomorrow! She's posted the prep work tonight!
I have no idea what the final quilt will be but it looks like fun while Shane watches the races.
Shawn is also having a giveaway, like always!, plus 10% off $50 orders with code memorial.

Candian Quilters Association Show

I managed to get to the CQA's quilt show and merchant mall up at the University today. It was AMAZING.
I had tons of fun going through, though it would have been way more fun with friends, but oh well.

You're not allowed to take pictures of the juried show quilts, you buy a booklet or dvd for $10. But I did take pictures of the merchant mall.

I was pretty good and only bough thread. Lots of thread.

Yeah told you. Lots. Ok most is those huge honkin spools of dark grey and soft white but there's a lot on those!
It's all Aurifil and I even got the amazing Bari J's 4651! I adore that I can have thread named after such an awesome designer and person. It's the verigated in the front.
I really do love Aurifil. It has almost no lint. It glides through my machine, which is finiky, and really I would use it any time on any project.
  These 12 spool sets are on for only $85. A good deal if you can do it.

Don't try it unless you're willing and able to switch. It is a bit pricey but it is worth it. They even make a wool, which is very linty, but gorgeous!

Since I was in a thread mood I loved taking all these pictures of the thread displays! All that colour makes me seriously happy.

Wonderfil is another great thread. It's a Canadian company, though the thread is manufactured in China. The thread is similar to Aurifil in it's low lint and is a very nice thread. Definitely worth a try. Also is slightly less expensive.
All those colours...so much goodness. Beautiful, I wish I could have them all!

I was warned by one of the merchants to make sure I didn't get any pictures of quilts hanging in the booths, apparently some designers are suing. Seems kind of odd if all you're doing is showing a picture, especially if you mention the name of the pattern but oh well.

 It's Bari's book!

Can't get much more Canadian then this quilt! Love how she diplomatically did the player in Team Canada colours.

And the quilting.

More yumminess.

There were more booths but I didn't get a chance to ask for permission for pictures so didn't take any.

I did get to the invitational show but those will have to wait. Ditto for the Quilts of the Netherlands Show out in Ailsa Craig.

If you have a chance you need to check out these shows! They both go until May 28th.

Quilt Shows in SW Ontario!

This is an awesome month to be a quilter in Southwest Ontario! There is the Quilts of the Netherlands show in Ailsa Craig until the end of the week and this weekend is the Canadian Quilters Association annual juried show here in London!
You know where I'm going to be!

Heather Stewart has a quick review of the Quilts of the Netherlands show on her blog, and I will be checking it out before the 28th for sure!

The CQA show is up at the University of Western Ontario starting May 25th, today, and I am so there! There is also going to be a merchant mall!
You can read about it in the local paper.

Hodgepodge Of things, very little quilting

  I owe a lot of people an apology. I've been so behind in everything I don't even know anymore who I'm late for!
I have mug rugs to send out, patterns that need printing, others that need writing and emails that need responding.

 I've received many emails over the time I've had my blog from people who also suffer from chronic pain conditions. Often they tell me I'm inspirational to them because even with the pain I manage to complete a lot of projects, take care of Little Bit and generally enjoy life.
Most of the time these emails make me feel really good. I mean who doesn't like knowing they give people some hope or inspiration to live their lives as much as they can?

But I feel I need to be honest.
Lately however I haven't been doing so well.
In fact I've been floored for the last several months. Between the chronic pain, a headache I've had since January and other chronic issues I've done very little, and in fact not done half of what I'd committed myself to.
And this has led me to feel somewhat depressed and anxious.

I'm trying to move myself through this with several techniques I've learned over the years, the first being trying to give myself permission to feel what I feel.

The second is to accept I have limitations and to rebalance my life so that those limitations are stretched but not ignored.
 I will accept that taking care of my daughter is good enough, she is loved and she knows it. This is a success even if I can't work or keep my house spotless.

Part of my problem is I get frozen, almost paralysed when I feel this way. No matter how much I talk or yell at myself I simply cannot do somethings. There is no choice in it. I can't force it. I hate this weakness and it is the worse part of the cycle for me because it furthers my feelings of depression and anxiety and low self worth.
Eventually I will break out of the cycle and it will be a surprise to me. One day I simply will be able to move again. I will be able to force the motivation and things will happen again. I don't know when it will come, I don't know how to make it happen sooner then later. But I do know it will happen and I hold on to that fact to get me through.

I also admit to feeling some jealousy of my fellow bloggers and am really trying to put that behind me and just be happy for the opportunities they have.
Things just aren't right yet for me to have those opportunities. Hopefully that will change but if not I will be thankful for all of the awesome things I have been able to do. And if no one asks me to join in their patterns, giveaways, blog alongs etc I will accept that.
But somedays it can be hard. I know I have talent. But maybe not the patience or the personality. We'll let time decide that.
For now I will be happy to see others fly high and get their dreams.

So why have I told you all of this? Mostly because I felt it in me and needed to put it down. Once I start writing I felt I should share. Maybe knowing that it isn't always easy but that you can get through it, even if it comes back, will be helpful to someone.
I also think I just need to feel I've given myself a voice. I've felt voiceless, ignored or unwanted far too much in my life. That is something I can change. I can give myself a voice, even if no one listens, because the only thing in life I can control is me.

And now I'm going to go sew. Because even if I get only one seam done it will be something.

Little Bit's First Communion

I just remembered I haven't posted about Little Bit's First Communion! She received the Sacrement a few weeks ago.
For those who don't know First Communion is when a person received Eucharist for the first time, often done at age 7-8, so grade 2.

Our new parish doesn't have the entire class, she goes to a Catholic school, do their sacrements all at once, but spread out over several weeks. This is way nicer because it means Mass isn't super long because of the number of kiddos.

Little Bit picked out her dress herself and was so proud of it! She looks gorgeous and I can't believe how grown up she is getting! What happened to my baby??

LOL she looks so tiny compared to Shane and I but my little girl is really growing up!

Shawna's doing it again!

That crazy Shawna over at 1 Choice 4 Quilting is having a crazy huge giveaway on her blog! Go check it out to win all sorts of prizes and fabric!!

Bloggers' Spring Quilt Festival 2011

This is my third time participating in the Bloggers' Quilt Festival and I love visiting and seeing everyone quilts, and even more reading the stories attached to the quilts.

For me so much of quilting is about storytelling, everything from why you choose the fabrics and pattern to the process of making it to the person it goes to, is interesting and fun.
Some stories are short and not particularly significant, others touch your heart, but they are all interesting and speak about the quilt and the quiltmaker.

This quilt falls more into the short category. I made this quilt for a pattern, the fabrics provided by the manufacturer. I'm absolutely in love with basicgrey's Max & Whisker's for Moda. It is such a crazy fun line. Perfect for a boy or a girl and not overly cutesy.
However the quilt didn't come along well, the original pattern wasn't working out and I put it aside.
One of the things if you know me is that you know I can have confidence issues, and lots of health ones as well.
Something I have been trying to do is work through and above those. And that means scaring myself by pushing through when things aren't going well.

In one of my moments of resolution I picked up the fabric again and started working and re-imagining the quilt design. It came easily, used up an entire charm pack and jelly roll! Here is Snowball Fight!

The pattern is still waiting to go to the printer, a small issue with bar codes, but other then that it is ready and I'm thrilled with it.
Some friends are using it for the block instructions to make a charity quilt for the tornado ravaged South, and even the beginners have been able to follow the instructions and that is so satisfying for me as a writer.

As to where it's going, well that's still undecided.

So thanks for stopping by and reading my ramblings! Enjoy the festival!

Layer Cake Winner!

Thank you to all who entered! I loved reading your choices for a layer cake, a really diverse group!

The winner of the layer cake from 1 Choice 4 Quilting according to Random Number Generator is....

Congrats to my fellow Canadian and blogger Flo @ Butterfly Quilting!

I'd hoped to hit the 400 followers mark so I could give away 4 charm packs too but unfortunately that didn't happen. But because Shawna is so awesome she said I could still give away 2 charm packs!

So Karin and I am Just One Mom are getting a charm pack in their choice!

Email me at caraquilts @gmail.com to claim your prize, and let me know the line you want.

Keep your eyes out for another giveaway in the near future from 1 Choice 4 Quilting!

And for those of you on twitter, tomorrow night's Talkin Tuesday (#talknt) is being sponsored by 1 Choice 4 Quilting so you can imagine what we have for prizes!

Layer Cake Giveaway!

Shawna over at 1 Choice 4 Quilting is sponsoring a giveaway here on my blog!
I really just adore Shawna, she is a fun, sweet woman who is so generous with her time, knowledge, and anything else she has to offer.
We've been friends since before she opened her online shop, having met through Talkin Tuesday.

But you want to know about the giveaway!

The winner gets a Layer Cake of her/his choice from 1 Choice 4 Quilting!!

All you have to do to be entered is go over to 1 Choice 4 Quilting and look at what layer cakes are in stock. Come back and let me know which one you would like to win!
And don't worry, if more lines are added during the course of the giveaway I will check with the winner to make sure that is still the line they want.

The only catch is you have to remember to come back and check if you won, I'm not a fan of having to chase after someone who only visited my site to enter a giveaway, so I'm not going to do it.

I will draw on May 9th and the winner will have until May 16th to contact me. If no one does then I will redraw.