February Notecard Party and Spring Thoughts...

It's time again for Vee's Notecard Party. I missed it last month, so didn't want to miss out again.. these monthly memes are fun and I've met so many nice people by participating. SO here goes...
I've said it more than once.. (but here I go again) I'm sick and tired of winter!! It's never been my favourite season, but this year it seems to be extra long and tiresome. Enough already! I have not felt one bit inspired to go out and take photos this winter, in fact, I've been "hibernating" even more than I usually do.. So I've decided for this month's Notecard Party, I'm going to pretend I live somewhere warm.... somewhere where you can look out the window and see green.  And flowers. And gardens. And SPRING!!! So here are my choices for some "spring-y" notecards. I hope all my blogging friends who are also tired of this seemingly never-ending winter and its snowstorms will enjoy this little breath of spring and color.... (I haven't yet looked at what the other participants have done this time around, but I'm wondering if others, especially those in the northern realms, are thinking the same way I am ...Surely I'm not the only one feeling tired of winter).

And the Boxtop...

I hope these colorful images will cheer you on a cold winter's day (as we receive yet more snow overnight...arrgghhhhh)  Be sure and drop by Vee's blog to see more lovely Notecard Party entries...

Peace,
Linda

No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow.  ~ Proverb

Grow Your Blog Giveaway Winner!

The Grow Your Blog event was to officially end yesterday and Vicki asked everyone to announce their winners today. I received 70 comments and gained a number of new followers - a warm welcome to you all!  And of course I found a good number of wonderful new blogs to follow myself. What fun! Thanks to all who visited, and special thanks to all who took the time to leave a comment. Huge Thanks go to Vicki of Two Bags Full once again for putting this all together... the list of participating blogs will be there on Vicki's blog so you can always go there to browse the list and find some interesting new blogs if you are so inclined...

Okay, back to the Giveaway. I asked the hubby to choose a number between 1 and 70 and he chose 58. The 58th comment was left by Kathy H who said "Your blog is filled with wonderful projects and photography too. Looking forward to reading your posts."

Congrats Kathy! I have emailed you and will wait 48 hours for your reply. If I don't hear from you, I'll choose another winner. Your Santa will be on his way in Monday's mail.


Peace,
Linda

Luck is when opportunity knocks and you answer.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to all my peeps! To all my followers, old and new, my faithful readers and those who just drop by occasionally, I'm sending you some love on this St. Valentines Day. I hope everyone is safe and warm and "feeling the love" today. We are in the midst of another nasty storm, with two more coming right behind it, for Sunday and Tuesday apparently.. Will this winter never end?

Peace and Love,
Linda

"If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love." ~ Maya Angelou

Another Book Finish

If you are looking for my Grow Your Blog post, you will find it here.

It seems I have lost my blogging Mojo for a bit. We have had several stressful situations going on here, and blogging has taken a backseat. What can I say? "Life happens"... We have just lost a very dear friend to cancer; she has been in hospital for a month and passed away yesterday. Other things going on too which I won't go into, but just felt I needed to give you an idea why I haven't been "here" much the last few weeks.

That being said, here's a short book review of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt  which I finished a few weeks ago. It was the perfect book for the plane to and from Florida, short and sweet, and didn't require deep concentration! This is Beth Hoffman's debut novel which has appeared on several bestseller lists including that of the New York Times. It is the story of  twelve year old Cecilia (CeeCee) who is trying her best to cope with her mother's descent into mental illness in a small Ohio town. She is embarrassed by her mother's strange behaviors and manner of dressing and since her father has pretty much abandoned them both, has no one to turn to other than an elderly neighbour. After her mother's sudden and tragic death, her father ships her off to live with her Great Aunt Tootie in Savanna Georgia. What follows is a bittersweet tale, sad yet funny at the same time. CeeCee learns to love Great Aunt Tootie and her black cook Oletta, as well as a number of "eccentric" (bordering on "wacky") neighbours. She is wrapped in the loving arms of these women who nurture her and show her that life does indeed have promise and hope. The characters are rich, strong, and unforgettable! The descriptions of southern Savannah are well done and so easy to visualize. Sprinkled throughout the book are quotable quotes and words of wisdom. Here are two of my favourites: "It's what we believe about ourselves that determines how others see us."  and "I felt the flutter of a page turn deep within me as a chapter in my Life Book came to a close." If you have enjoyed "Southern stories" like The Help or The Secret Life of Bees, you will enjoy this book too. And it will stay with you for a while... 

Peace,
Linda

If life didn't get in the way, I would read all day...

More Quilt Beauty

 If you are dropping by for the Grow Your Blog party, please click here for that post.

It's now February (!!) and I can hardly believe I haven't posted anything in over a week! It's time I got back here, isn't it? First of all I'd like to extend a warm welcome to all my new followers.
The Grow Your Blog party has brought lots of new visitors to Stitch Lines and I am so happy so many have stopped by and left a comment! Some have chosen to "follow" which is great too- I will look forward to "hearing" from you all regularly! The "Party" continues for another 11 days and of course the list will be there on Vicki's blog long after that, so if you are looking to find some interesting new blogs to read, and new friends to meet, check it out. You don't have to be a blogger to enjoy "the tour"... There are nearly 600 blogs participating, so you have lots of choices! I've been slowly working my way through the list and not surprisingly I have added many to the list that I'm following....
With this blog party and several other things going on that are demanding  a lot of our attention and time, last week was a busy one for me. I taught two classes as well, Beginner's Machine Quilting on Thursday and a Totebag class on Saturday. Thanks ladies, for all the fun! It's always rewarding to introduce people to new skills and see their confidence grow. I'll be putting together my demo "components" into a new bag for the shop owner. I got started on that today.
Our weather has been a little kinder the last week or so, with temps not as brutally cold and not much snowfall this past week but I guess we have another storm coming for midweek. At least we're now into February which is a shorter month. Regardless of what the groundhog's prediction was yesterday, I'm taking the positive attitude of  "We ONLY have six more weeks of winter..." lol  Let's hope...
I do have an amaryllis starting to put up a new shoot- yippee! They are such fun to watch grow. And it will be a surprise as I have no idea what color this one is.
So - are you interested in some more photos from the World Quilt Show in southern Florida? It seems like so long ago now... sigh... Here are some more of my favourites from the World Competition, in no particular order...

Morris Dance by Catherine Millar of Castle Cary, UK     72" x 103"

"I was inspired by the wall tiles of William Morris and others in the Art and Crafts movement. Halfway through making this quilt, I slipped on wet grass and broke my right wrist. I am truly grateful to the many friends who cut out the shapes from my designs so that I could applique using only my left hand to guide the work through the machine. Perhaps a better title for the quilt would be "Occupational Therapy". Original Design. Machine Pieced, Machine Appliqued, Machine Quilted."









Blue Mist by Andrea Ashwell of Westbury UK  66" x 89"

"The inspiration came from traditional North Country quilts in the United Kingdom. This is my own design. I wanted to have a free flowing border for this quilt. It is handquilted on a handwoven Oakshot cotton with a variegated thread for the feathers and a gray thread for the background. Original Design, Machine Pieced, Hand Quilted."











Dual Image Jacobean by Dilys Fronks of Mold Flintshire, UK   60" x 77"

"These two wallhangings from one cut-out illustrate positive (applique) and negative (reverse applique) techniques. This original pattern in the Jacobean style is enhanced with machine stitches and free motion stitches.Original Design, Machine Appliqued, Machine Quilted."  These two pieces were stunning.












Illuminating Blue by Judith Barker of Aberystwyth, UK    36" x 39"

"This quilt was inspired by illuminated manuscripts from the Middle Ages. These hand-written books are rich with tendrils, leaves and flourishes, and I wanted to capture this exuberance in my quilt. The simple border blocks echo the architecture of the time and the asymmetrical layout reflects the layout of a page. Cotton, silk and polyester; mostly machine sewn.  Original Design, Machine Pieced, Machine Appliqued, Machine Quilted."   I  loved this one... and not just because it was blue...







Don't Go by  Laura Kemshall of Wolverhampton UK   52" x 71"

"This quilt is part of a series that explores the notions of protection, love, loyalty and loss. For me, the swallow is a symbol of all that is fragile and precious. Techniques involved in the creation of the quilt: painting, print and free motion quilting.  Original Design, Machine Quilted."

Winter Solstice by Sandra Grusd of Eastbourne, UK   52" x 52"

"This piece was inspired by the glorious colors observed during the lunar eclipse which coincided with the winter solstice of 2010. It is one of a series of quilts using a cross motif. The work was machine pieced using hand dyed cotton fabrics and machine quilted.   Original Design, Machine Pieced, Machine Quilted."

Dotty Roo by Denise Griffiths of Shellharbour, Australia  53" x 70"

"Australian wildflowers are so beautiful it is hard not to be inspired by them. I have tried to work out a way to construct each flower differently but to still be in harmony with each other, while at the same time being thrown onto a more contemporary spotted background. I used applique, fusing, free motion embroidery and quilting, hand stitching, painting, and shrinking fabric (hand dyed and commercial fabric.)  Original Design, Machine Pieced, Machine Appliqued, Machine Quilted."









Naturally Crazy by Linda Steele of Park Orchards Victoria, Australia    67" x 67"

"Hand embroidered and machine quilted on my domestic machine. My crazy quilt depicts the flora and fauna of 12 countries with Australia featured in the centre. Original Design, Hand Appliqued, Machine Quilted."









For some (crazy!) reason, I missed getting a photo of this entire quilt, but I know you'll enjoy seeing these closeups so you can appreciate the work...




That's all for now.. still more to come.

Peace,
Linda

"The details are not the details. They make the design."
~ Charles Eames

Grow Your Blog and Giveaway

I have joined the Grow Your Blog! event, organized by Vicki at Two Bags Full. Hundreds of bloggers are joining in on the fun of finding new blogs and meeting new blogging friends. Whether you are visiting because of this event or not, I hope you'll take a few minutes to look around here, and perhaps even choose to follow me.

For all my new visitors, let me introduce myself. I'm Linda Hubbard, and I live on the east coast of Canada in a  beautiful small city.  I'm a Mom (two young adults) with an "empty nest", and a retired teacher. My blogging adventure  began in 2009, as a way for me to share my hobbies and photography with my friends and followers. I would never have thought then that I'd still be here five years and over 800 posts later! I guess one of the reasons I am still here is that I have met so many wonderful friends through blogging, and learned so much from them. And I can't wait to meet more bloggers through this party! Thanks Vicki, for hosting Grow Your Blog!




I am a quilter and a stitcher, loving them both equally. I'm always trying to find more hours in the day for both!! I teach quilting classes at a local shop and for Guilds around my province.  I enjoy piecing quilts (appliqué is just not my thing) with scrap quilts a particular favourite. Below are a couple of my favs. You can see more of my quilts by clicking on My Quilts under "Looking for Something?" on my sidebar. You'll even find a few tutorials there.

"Blue Northwind". Generous twin bed size.

"Talkin' Turkey". Designed by Bonnie Hunter. I've used well over 100 different reds.

I also enjoy making miniature quilts, this one below is not quite 10" square! I love the challenge of working small... (I know, I know, many think I'm crazy...) Actually "crazy quilting" is another one of my loves!! You can see more of my miniature quilts and crazy quilt projects in the Galleries on my sidebar.

"F8" Miniature.  (Photographers will understand...)  Design by George Siciliano

Detail shot of Crazy Quilting

Gardening is another of my passions. Our growing season here in Atlantic Canada is fairly short, but I enjoy the seasons and spend the cold snowy winter dreaming of next year's garden! Below are a few blooms from my perennial gardens. (Have you already figured out I love blue?) I love nature and it is my favourite "subject" to photograph. You can see more of my nature photography by clicking on the Nature or Wildflowers labels on my sidebar.

 

I am an avid reader, and a serious amateur photographer. There's nothing better than holding a good book or a camera in your hands .. well, unless it's a good piece of dark chocolate!! I love sharing book reviews and my tried and true recipes on my blog too, chocolate and otherwise. I also enjoy good quotes and try to end every post with an appropriate quote. Travel is a passion I wish I could pursue more frequently than I do. My most recent "big" trip was to Prague in the Czech Republic this past July; again check my labels on the sidebar if you'd like to read those posts and see that beautiful city.

I hope you've enjoyed visiting Stitch Lines and I always appreciate comments. (After all, if you don't leave a comment, how will I get to know you?) If you'd like to leave a comment below on this post, I'll enter your name in my Giveaway, which will be drawn on Feb. 15th. If you are not a blogger, be sure to leave your email in the comment so I can reach you if you are the lucky winner. I'm offering one of my stitched and beaded Santa ornaments - your choice! They average  4" - 4.5" tall, the designs are by Mill Hill.  The Giveaway is open to all, and I will mail to anywhere in the world.

Be sure and drop by the Grow Your Blog party to check out lots of other wonderful blogs. Have fun!!
Edit: Feb. 17th - Even though the Giveaway is now over, if you are a new visitor to my site, I'd still appreciate you leaving a comment to say Hi and tell me where you're visiting from. 

Peace,
Linda

"A man practices the art of adventure when he breaks the chain of routine and renews his life through reading new books, traveling to new places, making new friends, taking up new hobbies and adopting new viewpoints."  ~Wilfred Peterson            

Another cold morning...

It's another very cold morning here and the frost is heavy on the window of our garage side door. Much as I hate the cold weather, I do enjoy the frost patterns.... hope you'll enjoy these too...  Happy Winter! Brrrrr....

Peace,
Linda

"It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam. This crisp winter air is full of it." ~ John Burroughs, Winter Sunshine

The World's Best....

Are you ready today to see some of the 2013 World Quilt Competition? This is the 17th year for this competition and which travels, "on tour". This outstanding collection of quilts highlights the skills of quilters from Canada, the USA, the UK, Australia, Germany, Israel, Japan, New Zealand and South Africa. There were over 150 quilts in this show and believe me, every one was worth a lengthy look. There was a "Best of Country" chosen for each country, a viewer's choice, as well as 1st, 2nd and 3rd places plus Honourable Mentions for both Innovative and Traditional categories, and Best Use of Color, Best Hand Workmanship and Best Machine Workmanship. And of course- there was one overall winner - Best of the World! Can you IMAGINE getting a ribbon that declared your quilt "Best in the World"??!!! Of course I cannot share every quilt with you but the following are a few of my favourites, in no particular order.

Let's start right off with "Best of World", shall we...Why not? Venetian Menagerie (60" x 66") by Melissa Sobotka of Richardson Texas was breathtaking. From a distance it looked like a five foot photo. Up close, it was just as incredible!
























"Inspired by a photo I took of a display window in Venice . The dramatic still life was a menagerie of masks, art and oddities. Raw edge fused appliqué constructed from cotton batiks and enhanced with Tsunkineko Inks. Old master art is transferred with computer printing.
Original Design. Machine Quilted."     There is nothing more I can say other than it was stunning.... Here are a few close-up shots

The Best Machine Workmanship award (Traditional category) went to Flourish (39" x 39") by Kay Bell of  Hawick, Scottish Borders, UK.
(Sorry about the shadow across the right side, it was unavoidable)

 "For me, quilts are all about the quilting so I've always been drawn to wholecloths. Flourish is a quilt of my own design, first drawn on paper and transferred to the fabric which is lavender silk dupioni. The quilting is free motion, hand guided on my longarm as an exercise using one colored fabric and one colored thread. There is nothing but the fabric and thread, the play of light and shadow create the drama and definition. Original Design. Long Arm Quilted." Beautiful. Simply beautiful.

The Basket Makers of Axoum, Ethiopia (51" x 74") by Meri Henriques Vahl of Soquel, California won Best of Country for the USA. Again, a simply stunning quilt.

"Artisans in Northern Ethiopia create brilliantly colored baskets in an amazing variety of sizes and shapes. Using a fabric collage technique with tulle overlay and free motion quilting, I selected batiks and bright Guatemalan fabrics to bring the scene to life. Faces are drawn with Caran d'ache watercolor pencils and permanent ink markers. The border includes traditionally pieced African fabrics and is hand beaded. Original Design. Machine Pieced. Machine Quilted." This quilt also received an Honourable Mention for the Innovative category. Well deserved on both counts.

Let's Go Party! (77" x 78") by Keiko Ike of Kochi-city, Japan won Best of Country for Japan. It was such a happy quilt, you couldn't help but smile when you viewed it.

"I tried to express circles with narrow lines. While I was cutting the colorful fabric, it inspired the colorful dresses in the party. A lot of colorful fabric made this quilt fun! Original Design. Machine Pieced. Machine Appliquéd. Machine Quilted." The workmanship was exceptional.

On Green Pond (62" x 64") by Judith Wilson of Wheathampstead UK, Honourable Mention in Traditional category, was one of my absolute favourites, perhaps because the colors were so rich and beautiful (and they ARE my favourite colors too), not to mention the exceptional piecing and appliqué.

"A jelly roll of colorful batiks was the starting point for a foundation-pieced "pond" of off-center pineapple blocks. By careful selection of the fabric shades, the circles of the pond ripples appeared. Leftover pieces were used, plus others from my stash, to machine appliqué a border of amusing birds on branches. Machine quilted with branches and leaves.
Original Design. Machine Pieced. Machine Appliquéd. Machine Quilted."

As you can see, I really liked those birdy borders!

And just because I love Log Cabins and the color blue, I'm going to end with this one for now. Classic and Cool (39" x 36") by Caroline Wilkinson of London, UK . Beautiful. Classic. Crisp. I want it!!

This post is getting long, so I'm going to end here for tonight. I will share more photos from this show with you. I had camera troubles the second day of the show and at the end of the day could not get all that days' photos from my memory card. Thank goodness though, my local camera shop has been able to retrieve them. I still have to go through them and edit... Stay tuned for more to come...

Piece!
Linda

"It is not sufficient to see and to know the beauty of a work. We must feel and be affected by it." ~ Voltaire 

Another Amaaaazing Show...

Another exhibit at the Florida World Quilt Show which I thoroughly enjoyed was that by SAQA - that's Studio Arts Quilt Associates. Titled "Color of Emotions", the works were designed to convey a sense of emotion or feeling expressed by the artists.

Mr. Grim (40" x 31") by Holly Dominie is a commissioned portrait of international performer Jan Damm. She "used black, white and red commercial fabrics to "paint" depth, drama and soulful emotion. Red evokes Jan's passion for his craft; black, a sense of mystery and showmanship, and yes, his sad alter ego; and white, illumination from Jan's audience thrilled by his juggling high atop planks divided by roller bollers."










 This piece blew me away! I could not imagine using these prints so successfully as Ms. Dominie has done, to create a portrait. I wonder how many times she placed each little piece, moved it, switched it for another... Wow. Double Wow.
























Lost Moon #4 - Remembering Winter by Elizabeth Sylvan.

"Winter, beautiful and stark, reveals both the bones of the landscape and our inner moods. This piece is an attempt to delight the eye, quiet the mind, and capture that moment of solitude when the viewer feels connected to the natural world. The fallen moon is lying at the base of a tree, and if you look closely you can see the round hole it has left in the sky."  She has used cotton, lace, silk, brocade, tulle, organza and recycled silver foil.









Sunrise, Sunset by Melody Randol used cotton and silks, hand-dyed, painted, silk screened and/or discharged.
"Something magical occurs when water and sunlight converge. We are drawn to their union as surely as bees are drawn to nectar. When the eyes are allowed to stay, the body stills, the mind quiets and the soul takes a long deep drink." She is right- there is something magical about a sunset reflected on water... Look at how well she has captured the light on the water (lower left of quilt).

Roberta Baker's Magnolias with White Birds was another that really drew my eye. The design reminded me somewhat of Valerie Hearder's work.
 "I truly believe that vibrations (i.e. the way that colors work on an energetic level) have healing qualities, and my passion is to use light and color for this purpose. This piece is composed of warm, radiant colors to embody harmony and tranquility."














Birch Grove by Ann Loveless was so realistic one felt you could walk right into that birch grove.
"My emotions are always lifted when I walk through a Northern Michigan birch tree grove in autumn. The crisp blue sky contrasts with the warm gold leaves, and tones of reds and oranges spill from hardwood trees still punctuated with a few vibrant greens."

Squared Illusion 6 (44" x 34") was an amazing piece by Gloria Hansen.
"While making this piece, I went through the hot excitement of the idea to the cold reality of working through the various difficulties in getting the concept to creation. If those emotions were colors, mine ran the full gamut." I loved this piece and wish I could have purchased it, sadly it was not for sale. (Not that I could have afforded it...) It was beautifully machine quilted.










 



So what do you think? Aren't these quilts amazing?

We were asked to vote for our favourite quilt, for the Viewer's Choice ribbon. One vote. ONE quilt. HOW would one ever choose, with so many incredible works of art?? I have only shown you pieces from three shows- there were 19 shows/exhibits in total!!! You haven't even seen the quilts in the WORLD Show yet!!! I think I'll take you there tomorrow. Wanna come along?


Piece!
Linda

"Art is one of the sources through which the soul expresses itself and inspires others. But to express art thoroughly, one must have the inner emotions opened thoroughly." ~ Meher Baba