Quilts of South Africa, World Quilt Competition

As I have already said, more than once, the entire experience at the World Quilt Show in January (West Palm Beach, FL) was an awesome one. The quilts in the 18 consecutive shows, in addition to the World Quilt Competition, were just absolutely incredible. The skill and workmanship, the talent, the design, the color, the originality - all I can say is WOW! My photos just do not do them justice, as is often the case. It is near impossible to pick favourites as they all were so impressive, but I have tried to show you some highlights - what I considered the Best of the Best! So here are a few more "bests" - from South Africa. Once again, the info card precedes the quilt.

Note - this quilt, Scenic Spendour, won "Best of Country" for South Africa.

Wouldn't you agree? These quilt are inspirational....    What is inspiring you today?

Peace,
Linda

"The moment of inspiration can come from memory, or language, or the imagination, or experience - anything that makes an impression forcibly enough for language to form." ~ Carol Ann Duffy

Canada takes Hockey GOLD!!!

It's a great day! The sun is shining, the temps are supposed to get up to plus 3, and Canada has won the Gold medal hockey game!! Plus we have two hours of  Downton Abbey tonight. Woohooo!!  It doesn't get any better. I was up a little earlier than normal this morning for the 8a.m. game start and when I opened my blind and saw that golden sun shining across the snow, I took it as a good sign... Way to go Canada! Once again, both our Men's and Women's teams have shown the world that HOCKEY IS OUR GAME!!!
So I've been sitting here on the couch in front of CBC television, wearing my pj's and my red Olympic mitts and cheering on "my boys". Ollie seemed confident that Canada would take the gold so he's been catching a few winks. What a puss!
I'll be back a little later with more World Quilt Show photos from South Africa... Y'all come back!

Peace,
Linda

"The key is not the will to win.  Everybody has that. It is the will to prepare to win that is important."~ Bobby Knight

"We all play for Canada!"

More Quilts from the 2014 World Quilt Show

Well as you can see, I didn't get this post done yesterday as planned... I got too wrapped up in the Olympics shenanigans, and  a new Miniature I'm working on. (You'll see it soon.)  But it's high time I finished up with the (Florida) World Quilt Show photos.. the days are flying by and that trip seems so long ago now. I had a bit of camera trouble - thought I had lost one entire day's worth of Show photos. I couldn't retrieve them from my memory card, so I took it in to my camera shop when I got home and they, thankfully, could retrieve them and put them on a disc for me, bless their little hearts. I guess the fall in Prague perhaps did more damage to my camera than I thought. I guess I'm going to have to get a pro to look at it further... (Wouldn't( it be just awful if I had to buy  a new camera..??  heehee)  So, let's get going on the last group of  photos from the World Quilt Competition 2014 in West Palm Beach, FL. In random order.... This group is from Japan. (Note: I've had some troubles tonight with my photo editing program which has slowed me down considerably... (good thing you can't hear some of the bad words I've been muttering) So to save some time and get this post up before I turn into a pumpkin, I'm going to give you the info for each quilt with the actual card. The info will precede each quilt.)

These quilts were all awesome. Some required considerable study....  I'll continue tomorrow with my favs from South Africa. Until then...

Peace,
Linda

"The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. " ~ Steve Jobs

Gold Rush! Go Canada!!

Well I'm sitting at my sewing machine today but my eyes are on the tv more than my sewing... The men's semi final hockey game is on - Canada vs USA - need  I say more? No score yet after first period. Come on guys! Put one up on the board. Or two or three... Both teams are working so hard...
I'm working on a  new miniature. Probably not the best choice for today.... I should be sewing carefully, slowly, paying great attention to accuracy...hmmm, might have to re-think this... I should be working on something "mindless" as my mind is on what's happening in Sochi right now...
We've seen a bit of a Gold Rush in the last 24 hours.. Gold in Women's Curling. Gold in Women's Hockey. Gold this morning in Men's Curling. Gold and Silver this morning in Women's Ski Cross.... GO CANADA!!
Gotta go- second period has started.. I hope to post again later today with more photos from the World Quilt Show in Florida.. and I have a finished totebag to show you too...

Peace,
Linda

"Each of us has a fire in our hearts for something. It's our goal in life to find it and keep it lit." ~ Mary Lou Retton, Gold medalist, 1984 Summer Olympics

Go Canada!

Are you watching the Olympics? How about that curling game this morning?!! Canada's women's team, led by Skip Jennifer Jones has put on quite the show, going into this gold medal game undefeated. A perfect Olympic run! A record! They play so well under pressure.. a team to be proud of. Well done Jennifer Jones, Kaitlyn Lawes,  Jill Officer and Dawn McEwen!!!
Now we can turn our attention to hockey, with the hopes of more gold there... Today the Women play for gold and tomorrow our Men's team plays the USA in the semis... Woohoo! GO CANADA!
How do you like the Olympic banners? Obviously the influence of quilting is alive and well. Love that colorful patchwork design.. just sayin'....
Gotta go grab some lunch before the hockey game starts....
Catch ya later...

Peace,
Linda

“Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.” -- Wilma Rudolph, U.S. gold medalist in track and field

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