Third Girl From the Right

Book Club

2012-01-25T15:11:00.001-05:00

The DJC book club is meeting at my place tonight, which is giving me an opportunity to do a few things I love:

Read "The Cookbook Collector" by Allegra Goodman

Style the Dining Room

Oo, what an ugly picture

Hang a welcoming wreath - I hope I won't offend this fairly secular group too much with my Dollarama heart

Set the timer on the coffee maker

Make a seasonal craft to place in the powder room or with the tea things. I just stuck a pin in each rose to hold my flower together instead of using hot glue. I might want to unravel them and reuse the strips. Do you recognize the fabrics from my two latest quilts?

In a few hours my guests will arrive and I'll have a chance to schmooze with my friends old and new.

In the mean time the laundry will get finished, the dog will get walked, the children will come home from school to eat, practice and do homework before heading out to circus training, and I will run around like a mad woman trying to make myself look like a woman of leisure who does nothing all day but wait for her guests to arrive.

Get it done and give it away!

2012-01-25T13:15:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it's more important to be finished than fabulous.

My new mantra when it comes to finishing UFOs (Unfinished Objects) is:

Get it Done and Give it Away

I've decided it's better for a quilt to be snuggling a sick child or brightening someone's wall than it is for it to be sitting partially finished in my UFO cupboard.

I've been in an organizing frenzy lately. Every craft material and tool I've collected over the years has been taken out, dusted off, sorted and put back where I can find it. It's given me a whole new lease on life, and it's made me realize how many abandoned projects I have that are just waiting to be finished and given a new home.

So far in 2012 I've finished the top that I blogged about the other day, and given away a lap quilt, a baby quilt and about 30 preemie quilts. You can see pics of most of them on my Flickr stream.

Yesterday I tackled a baby quilt that I had pieced and half quilted with stars and loops at least four years ago. The spot where I had given up was painfully obvious. There was evidence of skipped stitches, broken threads, broken needles and frustration written all over this poor little quilt. More importantly there are bright colours, vibrant patterns, warm batting and a soft, soft fleecy flannel backing. This quilt was calling out to be rescued, finished and given away.

"It's more important to be finished than fabulous" I kept saying to myself over and over again as I picked out the broken threads, completed one half finished star and then did some random curvy quilting over the rest of the blanket. I quickly cut off the excess batting with scissors, trimmed the backing with my rotary cutter, leaving 3/4" all the way around for a self binding, doubled folded it over the front as I stitched it in place (no hand sewing for this baby) and voila - another finished baby quilt.

My inner critic says: It's lumpy. It's bumpy. The sides are wavy. It uses two different quilting techniques. It is not up to my standard.

My daughter says: Please don't give it to charity, I want you to give it to our Daddy's cousins who are expecting a baby.

It seems she thinks my finished quilt is pretty fabulous after all.

I'd love to hear what you are working on. What is keeping you from finishing your UFOs? Are you ready to stop beating yourself up about trying to make something fabulous?

Please leave a link in the comments to your UFOs or FOs.

Quilting and Listening to Music on a Saturday Morning

2012-01-21T12:23:00.002-05:00

I'm so happy.

I've just finished turning a pile of scraps like this

into this beautiful quilt top:

The pink scraps came in a kit prepared by the charity quilting group of the York Heritage Quilters. I don't have backing or batting, and quilting is not my favorite part of the quilt making process. I'll hand the top and binding prepared from strips cut from the remaining scraps in to the guild and some generous quilter will finish it before it's donated to one of the charities the guild supports.

My husband is sitting comfortably surfing in the armchair in my studio.

Asher the Yorkie was running around playing with whatever tidbits he found on the floor and has now hopped up in my lap for a cuddle.

The Presentation of the Rose from Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier is playing on "This Is My Music", my favorite program on CBC radio.

The children are off enjoying a full day of circus practice. They'll come home for a quick violin lesson followed by dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory with their cousins.

Eyal and I are just about to head out for a walk and a wander on this gorgeously sunny and chilly day.

All's right with my world and I hope it's great in yours too.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend.

XOXO M

Attempting Felting

2012-01-19T17:43:00.001-05:00

Jumping in feet first I am copying poor Mary Elizabeth yet again. I think I may have mentioned that after seeing her beautiful felted basket at our November meeting I begged her to give us a workshop on how to make them. She very kindly agreed, has been working on instructions, scheduling times that we're all available, working methodically to help us succeed at our first attempt at felting.

Ya, that doesn't seem to really work for me. I am so sorry ME but I tend to just sort of jump in and see where my experimenting takes me.

Tuesday we had our January get together at Judy's. I arrived late and was just in time to overhear the tail end of ME's explanation of how she's going to move forward with us. When I got home I decided that this whole felting thing sounded like fun and I was ready to get started. Now. Rather than bug Mary Elizabeth for the instructions I commenced in typical fashion:

I ran in to the wool store, grabbed the nearest book with felting patterns, got a vague idea of how much wool I was going to need and started shopping.

When I got home I looked at this free online pattern by Alice Thelma and decided I wanted my bowl to be a bit bigger so I grabbed the largest circular double pointed needle I could find in my collection (6.5mm) and cast on about 100 stitches.

I think (hope) my bowl is just about deep enough and I'm ready to start decreasing. Time to look through my collection for double pointed needles. Isn't this an elegant way of storing all the needles my grandmother, my mother, and I have purchased over the years?

How old is this set of #14s and which one of us was crazy enough to knit with them?

Time to switch needles, go back to that online pattern for guidance and start casting off. Wish me luck!
My next project had better be a better storage system for those needles. Any suggestions?
Although, I think I'm pretty sure I purchased too much wool for this bowl so I'll still be able to do Mary Elizabeth's workshop with the rest of the group. Yeah, best of both worlds! I get to experiment now and learn the right way of doing this technique that is new to me in a little while.

Extending that holiday feeling

2012-01-06T09:49:00.001-05:00

Travel for work, for love, for family, for research, for fun has kept the Wolfes and our offspring apart over the holidays.

Many emails and phone calls helped us to find one magical evening when most of us could be together. We were missing one branch of the family that lives out of town, one recalcitrant twenty something and one nonagenarian who prefers to be at home to visitors.

Many kind aunts, uncles and cousins crowded into the family room to indulge the littles in a hilarious Game of Life.

Conversation, brisket, cauliflower and parsnip soup, wine, chocolate, laughter, hugs.

A photo op for Roy's granddaughters.

And one charming non-Wolfe (who later on would tweet about his tour of the kids' fort) to round out the guest list.

Shawn Micallef @shawnmicallef

Just spent 5 min getting a kids' tour of a Forest Hill kids' fort. I asked about a panic room. Told forts r "insecure" pic.twitter.com/yv6bFCCt

Hide photo

The guests were sent home with fresh baked Cranberry Walnut bread.

I hope that you too are getting a chance to make the holidays last.

More New Year's Memories

2012-01-01T00:53:00.001-05:00

See the hutch full of quilts in the mirror? The sign says let it snow. Now that we've had a dusting for the holidays I'm happy for it to melt and go away until next Christmas. Maybe I should put the sign away?

What I learned from this rousing game of Life:

1. All dinner parties should include an opportunity to play a board game.

2. Going to college really pays off.

3. Especially if you become a lawyer.

The big winner (not pictured, hint, hint) had almost double the cash of her next opponent by the end of the game. Just saying.

Winging Into the New Year

2012-01-01T00:38:00.001-05:00

The inspiration

Jude Hill's site is both inspirational and relaxing.

The project

The feather

The story

The future

As I sent my feather winging to Long Island I dreamt of how Jude would incorporate my feather and all the others she receives into a bigger project than any of us could achieve on our own.

As I look at the photo of my poor bedraggled feather I realize that the flight may have been too much for it and it may not survive the incorporation into a larger piece in its current form.

It may cease to exist as more than an idea and an image in the cloud.

So be it.

I aspire resolve choose to continue to weave the creative into the quotidian.

What is inspiring you to create? How do you share your creative process with other artists and with the world? What are your creative resolutions?

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T19:04:00.001-05:00

The table is set. The roast and the veggie quiche are in the oven.

It's time to welcome our guests and make some noise!

Best wishes to you and yours.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Chartreuse

2011-12-12T15:30:00.001-05:00

I was inspired by Daisy Yellow to make a Chartreuse Journal page. As you can see lots of other colours snuck in but it was still a really fun exercise. I cut up my son's expired health card to use on the page which got me thinking about health.

Holiday Decorating

2011-12-03T15:40:00.001-05:00

All this talk of getting ready for Christmas makes me realize it's time to start getting out all my white, blue and silver nicknacks. I put out vases of sparkly ornaments, blue and white quilts, tarnished silver trays and jugs, and sometimes even string some lights.

This morning I saw a lovely pinwheel on a blog I was visiting and started to wonder about a Star of David pinwheel. I didn't find a pattern I liked but I did find this beautiful ornament on Etsy. Being kind of crafty I figured I could probably make one myself (sorry bottlejunk).

After a very brief search I came across this excellent tutorial which I only now realize is on How About Orange?, one of my very favourite sites.

It will be no surprise to anyone familiar with my work that I cut some corners. I didn't print the template and I didn't use a craft knife. I figured out that Jessica's pattern transferred perfectly to my little sheets of blue and white origami paper. Using needle nosed scissor I was able to cut three sheets at a time, more or less freehand. I recommend using glue dots instead of double sided tape if you have them at hand. I put the glue dots on four flaps before constructing each point and my snowflake went together very quickly.

It's the only decoration I have up so far and it's looking very lonely. Time to get busy making more ornaments I guess.

I'd love to know if you decorate for a winter holiday other than Christmas.

Playing Favorites

2011-12-03T12:04:00.001-05:00

What are the songs that make you sing?

This month's GPP Street Team Art Journal challenge was to talk about the music on your play list, the songs that get you singing along in the car or the studio.

My answers are all buried in the journalling, along with more personal reflections on memory and what Playing Favorites means to me. Some of the many things I have trouble remembering are boxed to make them stand out. Musical notation including a staff, notes, rests and clefs are scrawled over the top of the journalling in a rainbow of colours.

Some of the music that came to mind was the Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Whitney Houston, and just about every Musical and Opera ever written. I'm just as likely to sing and hum along to symphonies and concertos as I am to the Messiah, Stevie Wonder and Bohemian Rhapsody.

Next month I have to challenge myself to work with ephemera and to change my colour palette.

Stealing Like An Artist

2011-11-30T11:35:00.001-05:00

First off I want to thank Austin Kleon for giving me and all Artists permission to Steal Like an Artist. If you haven't read his manifesto please do, and then come right back.

I am fortunate to have the charming, talented and prolific Mary Elizabeth Kinch (ME) in my small quilt group, affectionately known as the Squeegees.

Every time I see her I am inspired to try whatever handwork she has brought with her. On our most recent visit she promised to schedule a workshop to teach us how to make her felted work basket. She always has great pointers about needles, thimbles and anything else you could possibly want to know about handwork.

ME told us about a Sue Spargo hand embroidery workshop she had just taken. ME says "I am so indebted to her for what I have worked on that piece. I never would have produced it without her talent and inspiration. It was her kit for the workshop that I started with. Below is her blog link for lots of other "droolingly" wonderful examples of stitching delight!

The link to her webpage is: http://www.suespargo.com/

The link to her yummy blog is: http://suespargo.blogspot.com/"

ME was having so much fun playing with layering fabrics and embroidery stitches as we sat chatting around my kitchen table that I immediately started fantasizing about working on my own project.

ME was kind enough to send me a picture of her WIP. Isn't it gorgeous?

When I went to my workroom to start pulling fabrics I got sidetracked by an idea for a wallhanging for Eyal's birthday. It ended up incorporating some elements from ME's project: repetition, grid, layering, embellishment.

When I was ready to get back to ME's project I thought of the Jacobean inspired shapes, the layering of fabrics and colours, the touches of robin's egg blue, teal and turquoise. I returned to the stash of interior design fabrics Kate Zeidler gave me and started pulling fabrics, floss and beads.

Where ME hand turn appliquéd each piece of fabric I have attached them with a raw edge machine zigzag. I am teaching myself embroidery as I go along. Turning to Judith Baker Montano's Elegant Stitches for guidance. I'm having fun embellishing each design, choosing which pattern or colour to layer on top, deciding how I feel about each imperfection in execution. Sometimes I love the frayed edges and pull them out a little bit to enhance the look. In other places I snip off the extra bits, preferring a clean edge.

Eyal gave me the ultimate compliment when he saw me working on it for the first time "I hope that's for us. Please don't give it away". He also wants me to use the same idea and colour scheme for a large scale wallhanging.

ME warns me there's no 12 step program for recovering from this but I still thank her for introducing me to this new addiction!

Birthday Breakfast

2011-11-26T08:55:00.001-05:00

Sounds of the coffee grinding and percolating,

Family chattering while they wait

Smells of coffee, croissants

Tummy grumbling

Elbows on the table

The remains of last night's colourful cake weigh down the counter

Standing in Line at Costco

2011-11-25T16:51:00.001-05:00

The folds on the back of her shirt catch the light.
The strings dangle down her back, swaying as she works.
Head turning to and fro, jaws working the wad of gum, a quick smile lights up her face.

Thanks to @fiona_robyn and @asmallstone for the inspiration and encouragement to write a Small Stone.

Standing in Line at the Beer Store

2011-11-25T16:47:00.001-05:00

Pink red green silver
Holiday colours entice the happy shoppers to drink a toast
Bundle up the wine bottle
Bag the booze and printed mug
Every eye chooses their own reason to celebrate

Zentangle for Charity

2011-11-21T15:01:00.001-05:00

Weekly Zentangle Challenge #49

With this Zentangle tile I am dipping my toe into yet another online challenge and supporting The Red Thread Promise at the same time.

I love contributing to group projects and I'm looking forward to seeing the poster that will be made with all the tiles. To find out how to make your own tile and participate in this project click this button:

Only Connect

2011-11-17T11:43:00.001-05:00

Only connect! That was the whole of her sermon. Only connect the prose and the passion and both will be exalted, and human love will be seen at its height. Live in fragments no longer.
E.M. Forster

I've been playing with Social Networking for years now. I keep up with the lives of my friends and family on Facebook and find out what's happening in the world as it happens on Twitter. Updates from Artists, gardeners, yoginis and other interesting bloggers are delivered to my inbox daily, and I am approaching my 100th blog post here at thirdgirlfromtheright.blogspot.com.

Lately I've been spending more time on the internet. I check TrendSpottr.com regularly to stay absolutely current on all the trending topics. Last week I joined EmpireAvenue.com and my personal stock is soaring. Today I'm adding BlogLovin to my profile to make reading the blogs I love even easier. I'm also hoping that more people will add my blog to their reading list.

I couldn't possibly begin to catalogue everything I've learned online. I appreciate the articles people write on Wikipedia, on personal blogs and on news sites. I want to say Thank You to the Tweeters, and Facebookers and Bloggers who keep me informed and entertained. I also thank the commenters and ReTweeters who go out of their way to express interest and appreciation and to help spread the words, photos and videos that are being posted.

I feel very lucky to have only encountered the kind and loving on my journey through the cybersphere. I've heard of the horrible comments that people leave but in my experience people live by "If you can't say something nice don't say anything at all".

Social Networking gives us the opportunity to wed passion with prose as never before. The friendliness and support that I experience online enhance my real life relationships.

I'd love to connect with you and hear what you have to say about this or any of my other posts.

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Preparing to Play with Colouring My Fabric

2011-11-12T11:07:00.001-05:00

The one piece of my own printed fabric I've ever used graces the bottom of this Tzedakah Box

Being a process person I need to know the steps involved before I can get anything done. Maybe this is why I love taking classes. I excel at learning the steps as presented by the teacher and quickly working through them. What I may not excel at is continuing to develop the skill I learnt in class once I get home.

Take the class I took with Pam Woodward on colouring your fabric for example. I loved this class. I love the samples I made and have been loathe to use them in projects for fear of running out. I bought all the materials I thought I would need to keep playing with colour and pattern and texture on fabric once I got home. I labelled an old plastic bin "Fabric Dying Essentials", put all the stuff in the bin, shoved it in the cupboard and proceded to feel guilty about it.

I can feel guilty about just about anything at the drop of a hat. I felt guilty that I had: not used the skill I learnt in class, not used the materials I went out of my way to purchase, not used my creativity in this way that really spoke to me, and that I had hoarded the fabric samples I had made for fear of using them up.

Yesterday I had a most enjoyable afternoon at the YHQG Show. I visited with lots of quilting and fabric artist friends. I oohed and ahed over the quilts. I bid on lots of little quilts in the silent auction in support of SKETCH. Most importantly I plied Gunnel Hag with questions about colouring fabric with her Colour Vie (TM) Pigment System. I needed to be reminded about the process, and I needed to figure out what my roadblocks were and why I hadn't been doing it at home.As I spoke to Gunnel I realized/remembered that there are two thing holding me back. I don't have the nice sturdy straight pins that Pam used for our class and I don't have the soft board that you pin your fabric to before you print on it. Gunnel assured me that any pins will do. I'm a quilter, pins I have!! She also showed me how to make my own light and portable board.

I came home and made a board from this stuff I had saved for a rainy day: Piece of styrofoam left over from insulating the house, pieces of batting trimmed of of quilts before I put the binding on, square of cotton ripped from an old sheet, plain old straight pins. Now I'm ready to start playing with colouring my fabric at home. I can't wait!!!

I'd love to hear your comments. What's keeping you from getting on with it? What steps have you missed out that are keeping you from enjoying your artistic process?

Believe, Joy, Create

2011-11-08T14:02:00.001-05:00

I love a challenge. I see the challenges posted on blogs all over the web and think That's for me! Sometimes I even follow through. Like this on one:

I had a blast making the page and thinking through some of the words and colours that speak to me.

DrawWriteIdeaDanceSingMusicArtBakeJoyDesignPrideEffortLoveBelieve
Why do you create? What keeps you from making Art?

Planning a Staycation

2011-11-03T15:28:00.000-04:00

As the holidays approach my thoughts turn to how to celebrate them. We love creating traditions for our small family and creating memories that will last a life time. Usually our holidays revolve around our extended family. Our children are lucky to have loads of cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents to spend time with.

Every year Saba and Safta have a First Night of Chanukah party at their house where each family lights a menora and the children get loads of presents from everyone. Not this year. This year we'll have to wish each other a Happy Chanukah by Skype since the grandparents are studying in Tel Aviv for the year.

Every year my sister Judy and her family throw a huge latke party. A stream of hundreds of revelers crowd through her kitchen demanding more and more latkes from my nephew Daniel, the expert latke flipper. Not this year. This year we'll have to make our own latkes since Judy will be vacationing in New Zealand and Australia with my niece Rachael, who will finally be on her way home from her year down under.

Many years we've gone south with Eyal's brother and/or sister and their kids. Other years we have gone to local ski hills and skating rinks with them. Not this year. This year his sister will be in California celebrating the marriage of her husband's Little Brother, and Eyal's brother and his family will be vacationing on the beach in Florida.

I'm sure we'll still get to enjoy a holiday dinner with each of the local relatives before they hit the road, but for the most part we'll be on our own.

What to do?

Sometimes it's nice to have some quiet time at home. Here is a short list of some of what we'll be up to as we hunker down and Roll Up the Sidewalk:

Stay in PJs all day
Play lots of cards and boardgames
Jam on some of the dozen or so instruments we have lying around the house
Watch movies on Netflix and at our local theatre
Hope for cold weather and snow so we can go toboganning, skiing and skating and come home to make hot chocolate
We might even try to get rush seats to the Pantomime or the Nutcracker
Spend lots of time together in the kitchen cooking up some of our favorite comfort foods like Blondies and Roasted Root Vegetables

Those are just a few of my ideas. What do you think we should do to make memories and enjoy some quiet time together?

Waxing Poetic About Hairdryers

2011-11-02T12:04:00.004-04:00

My computer is in the sunny front window of my kitchen. I love to be able to look out at the kindergarteners coming home for lunch after a busy morning at school. Asher the Yorkie sleeps in my lap, waking up only occasionally to bark at a dog being walked by the house.

For the last while however my view has been marred by unsightly candle wax on the panes of glass. As I contemplated getting to work to clean away the wax and write a blog post about it I started trying to remember how long the wax had been there. Perhaps I had put a Chanukah Menorah in this window last year?

When I took out my box of Halloween decorations and wondered where I should put the candlesticks with the orange candles to beckon trick or treaters it all came back to me. Last year, or maybe even the year before, I put the candlesticks in the front window. The constant opening and closing of the front door as I handed out candy caused the candles to sputter, splattering the window with candle wax.

I know I should have cleaned it up when it happened. It would have taken far less time than I've spent worrying about how hard it's going to be and how long it's going to take. I'm finally ready to tackle this task so here we go:

Clear off the space in front of the window so you'll have lots of room to work. This will be a challenge for me to do because I'm trying to use the computer at the same time and it's right in front of the window. I'll just shift it to the side.
When I Googled "remove candle wax from glass window" I came up with two opposite approaches.The most recommended method is to let the wax harden and then scrape it off carefully with a fresh razor blade, box cutter or paint scraper. Washing the window with warm soapy water when you're finished. On the other hand you can get the wax really hot, wipe it off with a soft cloth or paper towel and then wash the window. Since I have two panes of glass to work with I will now attempt both methods.
Gather your supplies. I'll use an exacto knife for the left side, followed by windex and a soft cloth. For the right side I've grabbed a hairdryer to melt the wax, paper towel to try to soak up the melted wax, and the windex and cloth to finish up. Don't forget to lay out a dish towel to catch the wax scrapings.

Mummy's little helper

The results are in!

Scraping the window with the exacto knife was messy, time consuming and left an unacceptable amount of residue even after scrubbing with Windex.

Heating the wax with the hairdryer was quick, easy and 100% effective! In fact, it was so easy that I'll be putting the candles back in the window next Halloween and not worrying if they sputter!

In the Beginning. A very good place to start.

2011-10-27T14:39:00.000-04:00

Today I began working on a new design idea. The latest Pomegranate Guild of Judaic Textiles, Toronto challenge is to make a textile piece on the theme of one of the days of creation.

Being no biblical scholar my first step was to do a little research on the Seven Days of Creation and the imagery that other Artists have used to express the related themes. The first symbol that called to me was Light. For this project I associate light with the candles for Shabbat, Chanukah and Havdalah.

Now I'm not silly enough to try to make a fabric candle, but I have been wondering for a while what would be involved in using textiles in candlesticks. My two main concerns are stability and how to separate the flame from the fabric - separating the light from the darkness. Please do let me know if you think of a clever way to separate the fabric from the flame.

If I were to use the First Day of Creation as my inspiration I would be working with this text:

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. Genesis 1:1-5

The candlestick would represent the Darkness of Night, the formless void of the earth, separate from the light but offering support to the candle. Would the candlestick be very dark? Would it have the colours of Earth, Water and Wind rising up to meet the Light? The candle would represent the Hope, Warmth and Comfort of Day.

According to the Jewish calendar, not only Jewish holidays begin at nightfall, but every day does. With the lighting of the candle we begin a new day.

Light and Dark, Yin and Yang, the Universal Law of Duality.

If I'm making this for Shabbat I have to make two candlesticks which is a bit of a deal breaker. Cool! I just looked it up and Havdalah means separation. Things are falling into place. I'll make a candle holder for Havdalah, my favorite moment in the week.

If I were to use the Light of the Fourth Day of Creation as my inspiration I would be working with this text:

And God said, "Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth." And it was so. God made the two great lights - the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night - and the stars. God set them in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day. Genesis 1:14-19

I start to see how I would make two candlesticks. One would be for the day and one for the night but when I think about the Fourth day I start to get overwhelmed by the complexity of the imagery.

The images of Havdalah Candle Holders on Google seem to have a nice low centre of gravity. I'll have to find a way to weigh the holder down or give it a wide base. That gives me a scathingly brilliant idea. I could use a smaller version of my Magen David basket bowl design. This is starting to get exciting!

Havdalah candle holder in honor of the 1st Day of Creation it is!

Cleaning the Fridge the ADHD Way

2011-10-26T12:39:00.000-04:00

From that widget at the right you will see that I am process oriented. I like to think through the steps of my project as I go through them. I am also a little bit AADHD so I tend to jump from one step to another. Hence my dashing over to the computer to write a blog post about cleaning the refrigerator while I am cleaning the refrigerator. I figure that if I've got my steps in writing next time I can just follow the recipe, and maybe someone else will find my description useful.

Step 1: Empty and load the dishwasher. This will help to clear the counters and the sink and let you know if you have room left in the dishwasher to wash the containers you're going to clean out of the fridge. Run a load of dishes if necessary while you start the next step.

Step 2: Get out your sponges, soap, towels and any other cleaning products you like to use. Wash out the sink and fill it with warm soapy water if you like. I prefer to wash and rinse the shelves under running water but I try to be conscious of not letting the water run too long.

Step 3: Make a space on your counter large enough to hold everything you've collected in the fridge. If you're like me you'll put a tray on the counter to corral as many of the items as possible. Otherwise the task will expand to fill any available space.

Step 4: Take everything out of the fridge, and I mean everything that isn't nailed down including shelves and drawers. Keep track of where everything came from so you'll know how to put it together again when it's clean. Put the shelves and other pieces of the fridge into the sink and give them a good scrubbing. Don't forget to scrub out the inside of the fridge before you start putting everything back.

Step 5: Put the fridge back together as the pieces are cleaned and dried. This is when you'll be glad you kept track of where everything came from. Just remember it's your fridge. If the configuration doesn't work now is the time to make changes. I just realized as I put my fridge back together that I could put the drinks low enough for my kids to be able to get themselves some milk or OJ by making a taller shelf lower down in the fridge. It takes me a while but I get there.

Step 6: Go ahead and have a sip of your coffee but don't take a break yet. We still have to deal with all that other stuff that's out on the counter. By the way, I didn't follow my own advice at this point. I sat at the computer and let the dog sleep in my lap and wrote this blog post and tweeted from my @MitziZohar account:

I'm writing a blog post about cleaning and organizing the fridge, while surfing and tweeting, and cleaning and organizing the fridge. #ADHD

Step 7: Back to work.Now it's time for the 'fun' part. What have you got on the counter? Does it all belong in the fridge? Is there somewhere else you could store your nail polish?Check expiry dates. Open containers and do the sniff test. Look for mould and science experiments.Be ruthless about disposing of anything that's past its best before date, that your family doesn't eat anymore or condiments that you've been keeping around just in case.Empty out containers into your compost bin, green bin or garbage disposal and rinse them out or put them into the dishwasher or recycling bin.

Step 8: Sort like with like. Our daughter loves Israeli salad so I keep the cucumber, tomatoes, onions and parsley all together so she can make it for herself any time.

In our refrigerator the fruit and veggies go in the crisper and the cheese and meat go in the other drawer. How do you like to organize your refrigerator? Can you tell this is not my favorite step?

Step 9: Empty the old box of baking soda down the sink, recycle the old box and put a new one in the fridge. Mmmm, now the sink and fridge will both smell fresh.

Yikes! The box says to change it every 30 days. Is that how often I'm supposed to repeat this process? Is that how often you do it? I'm going to start by putting a reminder in my Yahoo calendar for once every three months. I'll let you know if that is too often or not often enough. What's your guess?

How long does this take? No way of knowing because I take so many breaks and do so many things at the same time.

A word to the wise: Take your time. Have fun with it. There are so many reasons to do a great job. For one thing, if your refrigerator is really really clean and organized you'll notice right away if something gets dirty or out of place and you'll fix it. You'll also notice when it's time to get more ketchup, and remember that you don't need yet another bottle of barbecue sauce, if you always keep them in the same place.

The longer your fridge can stay looking terrific the longer it will be until you have to start the process all over again.

Getting the Word Out

2011-10-18T11:14:00.000-04:00

Print PageA friend emailed me requesting tips on how too get the word out about her book. It was a timely question since I'm obsessed with Twitter and how to get the word out about Mark's company http://www.trendspottr.com right now.

This is part of the email I wrote in response:

- follow everyone you can find who has anything to do with the internet, marketing, parenting, education and any other interest you think coincides with the topic of your book
- follow lots of other successful authors to see how they are marketing themselves and their books, and follow the tactics that you feel comfortable with
- tweet regularly about how your book is doing, quotes from the book, how the book relates to what is happening in today's news and current events.
- link to how people can buy the book or comment on it- when someone follows you DM them to make sure they know about your book

Did I miss anything? What else would you do to get the word out about something you're passionate about?

Thinking Out Loud

2011-10-09T09:23:00.000-04:00

Print PageI have been enjoying watching the weeds struggle to takeover the asphalt strip between my sidewalk and the street. I dream of the day when the tenacious roots break the stone apart and I am able to pick up the pieces and throw them aside. I wonder "Should I strew wildflower seeds to help the process along? Should I surreptitiously drop spoonfuls of compost as I take my daily walk? Should I encourage (or discourage) my little dog to do his business on this arid strip?This morning I had the idea that with a little help from my neighbours we could beautify this strip of our city. I stopped and chatted with Tony as he planted his Fall Mums. He already had an established strip of grass when he moved into his house but thought my idea was a good one. One neighbour on board, twenty or so to go.Never having indulged in this kind of community activism I'm wondering what it will take to get the ball rolling. So far I have realized that I will need:- the city by-laws- someone knowledgeable about gardening- someone knowledgable about community organizationWhat else am I missing in may plan?

Missing

2011-04-08T22:24:00.001-04:00

Dearest Mitzi -

Why have you abandoned me? So many memories... shopping together, walks along Bloor street - it's almost spring, and we were going to see the cherry blossoms in High Park together, remember?

And yet, here I am, all alone at the Green Beanery.

Why, Mitzi? Why?

Forever yours,
Your purse.

Dearest Purse,

It's not you, it's me. I just needed less baggage in my life. But the prospect of cherry blossoms and long walks together compels me to race back to you, I will see you soon my dear. Wait for me at the counter at the Green Bean. I shall pick you up later this evening.

Missing you,

Mitzi

P.S. Thanks to the kind barista for being such a gentleman.

When I showed up at the Green Beanery I was delighted to discover that I knew my purse's Ghost Writer from Toronto School of Circus Arts. Thanks Mark!

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Journal Quilt #1

2011-04-08T13:50:00.000-04:00

Today I have been working with the idea of a Journal Quilt. I tore up some 12ish inch squares of the bedsheet I wanted to use up, taped one of the squares to my artist's clip board and started writing on it with a sepia Sharpie. As I journalled about anything and everything that passed through my mind I worried that if I turned this piece of fabric into an artwork people would be able to read and judge these private thoughts. I've always wondered what to do with those morning pages that Julia Cameron exhorts us to write in The Artist's Way. I hate throwing things out without at least trying to find a way to repurpose them, and I hate the idea of someone reading my train of thought jottings. I started to work on obscuring the words by adding layers of writing on top of each other. At the sewing machine I quilted lines through the writing, further obscuring it.

This piece will be donated to my nieces' annual lemon aid stand:

Jaime and Alexandra's 3rd Annual Lemonade and Recycled Art Show

Save the Date!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
1-3pm
Woburn Park
(come rain or come hailstorm)

It will be auctioned off as part of their family's annual fundraising initiative. The proceeds from this year's stand will go towards bringing the opportunity to make Art to at risk youth, and the theme my nieces and sister in law have chosen for the stand is making Art using recycled goods.

Is it finished? Does it need to be bound? Or shall I find some other way of hanging it? I'm even considering using clothespins to attach it to a line like a Buddhist prayer flag. I could let the wind blow my cares right off this little quilt and off into the universe.

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Time to Quilt

2011-04-05T15:18:00.000-04:00

I've finished the machine applique (using a zigzag and decorative thread to attach the motifs to the background fabric) and I've made the quilt sandwich (layering a top, a batting and a backing) and my little quilt is ready for quilting.

Let the terror begin. For some reason I have more or less completely given over the responsibility (and the pleasure) of this step to my professional quilting friends Deb and Sandy for the last few years. Too many broken needles, broken threads, jammed machines, (did I say broken needles?) and creative missteps have led me to mistrust my ability to do this most basic part of the quilting process. I mean, how can I in good conscience call myself a quilter if I don't 'quilt'?

When making something this small, and when making something with an Artistic inspiration, I guess I really don't have a choice but to quilt it myself.

Speaking of choice: How will I quilt it?

Will I echo or outline the flower and vase motifs? Make shadow tulips or continue the journalling with thread play?

It's time to set up the machine for quilting, do a little practising on a mini sandwich and let the playtime begin!

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Flowers, Process and Commitment

2011-03-30T14:20:00.001-04:00

I signed up for quilt guilds to meet people with similar interests and hopefully make a few friends upon my return to Toronto after years on the road, followed by years in the States and those mythical years at home with infants.

Quilters had a (sometimes well-earned) reputation for being inclusive and welcoming. The image of a number of women gathered round a quilting frame comes to mind. Well the guilds I joined were lovely, and I met lots and lots of really nice quilters and learned tons about quilting but I ran head first into my problem with commitment (which I'll get into later).

Through my membership in the York Heritage Quilt Guild I have had the great privilege to join the Squeegees. Squeegees stands for SQGs or Small Quilt Guild. These women have a sense of humour! They're also creative, kind, interesting, knowledgeable and welcoming. The group is also small enough that it involves almost no administration. Everything one could hope for in a quilt guild either large or small.

This little guild of less than a dozen women has been meeting monthly over delicious snacks in one another's homes for years, and I've been part of the group for three or so years now. The Squeegees have lost track of how long it is since they did a group project and there has been much talk about what the next project should be. After taking a look at Twelve by Twelve we were inspired to attempt our own 12 inch blocks on a theme.

Being the first week of Spring we were eager to tackle Flowers as our first challenge.

And now a terrible truth:

I get really enthusiastic.
My head explodes with ideas (which I don't write down).
I say "Let's do it now. Let's have a short deadline. This is going to be so much fun."

And then I forget about my commitment.

Completely.

Even if it was my idea.

I've started learning to say "No" to things I know I haven't been able to follow through on in the past, like being Board President, and then I feel guilty for not contributing enough to the volunteer run organizations to which I belong, and I quit. Then the phone starts to ring with friends saying "Please come back, we miss your enthusiasm."

Sorry guys, enthusiasm without effort is worthless.

And so I've started working on my Flower Block

I've ~~committed to~~ started by attempting to incorporate some of my latest interests into my design process.

Journalling is a habit I enjoy and am trying to incorporate into my daily practice.

I'm committed to using what I have on hand as much as possible for my projects, so rather than throw out an old bed sheet I've been holding onto it until I could use it.

I cut a square from the sheet, clipped it to a drawing board, grabbed a sepia Prismacolor fine line marker and jotted some words and sketches about flowers.

Next I opened a fabric drawer at random and pulled out a gorgeous faux marbled commercial cotton I've had hanging around for years. It may actually be one of the first fabrics I ever bought.

I cut random shapes out of the fabric and realized that they reminded me of the tulips I have wilting in a vase in my kitchen.

Back upstairs with the sketchbook. This time I drew on paper instead of cotton.

I've started auditioning fabrics right on my journalled background and I'm starting to get excited about this process.

The next question I need to ask myself is:

Why did I feel that I needed to run to the camera and the computer to document my process instead of just staying with the creative flow?

What I need to work on:

Honouring the feeling of excitement I get at a creative challenge, committing to the challenges that excite me, and following through to the bitter end.

Next steps:

Finish laying out the flowers, stems, and leaves and sew down the fabric elements. Figure out how to quilt it, because it's a quilt block, and I'm supposed to be a quilter (but that's for another blog post). Decide if there are any other embellishments to be added and how to bind it.

Happy First Birthday Asher

2011-03-24T15:18:00.000-04:00

For all the stress of having an only marginally housebroken Yorkie running our lives, I have to admit that he more than makes up for it with all the joy he brings.

To celebrate his birthday it was time for a nice haircut. Asher has only been to the groomer once and it was a disaster. The groomer was terrified of this little bundle of energy and I couldn't blame her. I vowed that I was going to learn how to do it myself. It would save me some time and money, save him the stress of going to the groomer, and give me the satisfaction of caring for him myself. Piece of cake, right? Unfortunately it is not as easy as I expected it would be. For one thing I've had a bit of a challenge finding pictures of exactly what a puppy cut looks like and advice on how to do it at home.

I'd been experimenting with trimming his coat for the last several months but he was beginning to look pretty unkempt. Today for the first time, he was able to calmly submit to letting me cut his hair, and I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. And one of the great things about having a little dog is that I can easily put him on the counter any time I want to give his cut a touch up.

I sure wish I had taken a before picture. He was a mess!

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The Singer's Quilting Bee

2011-03-21T11:07:00.000-04:00

My sister in law believes that if you make your desires known to the universe you will get what you need, and I figure it's worth a try, so here goes:

I want to sing! And I want you to sing with me. I have a vision of an informal group that gets together regularly to make music. We'll read through choral works, Bach cantatas, operas and whatever else strikes our fancy.

What do I need for this to work? Trained musicians, both men and women, who love to sight read and will make time to get together (preferably on a week day) in my home in midtown Toronto. Know anyone who might be interested?

I'm putting on a pot of coffee and keeping my fingers crossed.

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Finding the Parrots in Every Day Life

2011-03-20T13:42:00.000-04:00

My husband and I once went on a disastrous vacation. We didn't do the research, didn't set our expectations and ended up disappointed. Even though the weather was beautiful and we enjoyed each other's company the resort and its' location weren't what we were hoping for. There was no lush vegetation, and no sign of the bird sanctuary we had been promised by the travel brochure.

We found the humour in the situation and told ourselves that we were probably just a few steps from a tropical paradise. On the next street over there would be so many gorgeous birds that parrots would be landing on our shoulder. We would plan our vacation better the next time around. For now we just had to relax and enjoy our time together.

When we moved into our home we were able to sum up the years and years of dreaming about it and our deep satisfaction at finally finding our dream home by telling each other that we had found the parrots. Conversely, when something we had planned does not turn out to our satisfaction we commiserate with each other that we missed the parrots.

This image has come to have deep resonance in our lives. We've learnt that the parrots are there, if we could just find them. Sometimes we need to prepare a little better, to look a little bit longer, to trust our instincts. Most importantly it takes work. It takes work to find the parrots, and it takes work to make the best of a bad situation when you've just ended up on the wrong street.

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2011-03-16T11:36:00.000-04:00

Sometimes a book comes along that takes over my imagination and makes it even harder than usual for me to get any work done. A Discovery of Witches: A Novel is such a book. If you love libraries, scientists, academics and suspense, I can heartily recommend this gentle romance.

A Mystery Wrapped in An Enigma

2011-03-09T09:32:00.002-05:00

My morning just gets better and better. Yesterday morning I had the thrill of hearing the finale of Brahms Second Symphony as I drove to meet my running crew for our 6am run. I can only trust that the uninhibited way in which I turned up the volume, boogied, bellowed and conducted as I drove the last few blocks was not caught by any candid camera. The joy was compounded when I pulled up a youtube clip for the kids to enjoy when I got home.

When I hear this music I am not just overwhelmed by its sheer exuberance and the little surprises which Brahms seems to throw in every few bars. I am also taken back to my Grade 13 music appreciation class. We had the privilege of studying the score in detail with our teacher Mr. Lehman. It was my first real introduction to the pleasures of symphonic music, score study, and music analysis. A second memory is the delight that Tom Allen injected into his introduction of this music back when he had a morning show on the (what I would refer to as) dearly departed CBC. He envisioned classical music listening car and truck drivers across the country blaring on their horns at the moment late in the fourth movement of the symphony when the trombones finally get to play. Magical!

What could top that start to the day, you ask? This morning I returned from taking the kids to school to discover an unexpected package. Did I order this book from Lark Publishing? Far from impossible that I ordered it (and forgot about it) and it just now became available. It falls so precisely into my recent areas of interest: artistic collaboration and small scale Art quilts. Or could it be that Lark Crafts singled me out as a blogger who might be interested in their publication? Also not impossible.

At any rate I will now read and enjoy this lovely book and tell you all about it later. And wait to see what new happiness awaits me tomorrow morning.

Click this link to order it from Amazon at an amazing price. Twelve by Twelve: The International Art Quilt Challenge

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The Gift of An Experience

2011-02-20T14:50:00.001-05:00

For years now we've encouraged our family to give the kids an 'experience' instead of a toy or game when it comes to birthdays and holidays.

For their 10th birthday the twins were lucky enough to be taken to 'The Secret Garden' at The Royal Alex by their Aunt Sharon and their two young cousins. They loved it and are trying to persuade us to take them to an encore performance.

Today they were thrilled to put on their best clothes to attend 'Billy Elliot' at the Canon with their Saba and Safta. Emily has been keeping the secret from Zachary all week that they'll be watching the show from box seats!

We took them to see 'Billy Elliot' in the West End several years ago. Unfortunately, they were too young and too jet lagged to really enjoy it but they have retained vivid memories of the evening. I can't wait to hear their impressions of today's outing.

For past presents they've been taken to musicals, plays, African Lion Safari, restaurants, soccer games, movies and much more.

The experience is enriching for everyone involved. The kids get to spend quality time with relatives they usually only see as part of a group, and get to an event they might not have enjoyed otherwise, and the parents get to spend a little quality time without them. Win win for everyone.

I do sometimes wish somebody was offering me one of these life enriching 'experiences' a little more often.

Guess I'd better start dropping hints about what I'd like for my birthday.

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The Junkman's Granddaughter

2011-02-16T14:35:00.003-05:00

I told myself I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth. When people told me I was spoiled I would say that my parents weren't to blame, I spoil myself! My family's life in the nice home I grew up in started as the life of landlords of a rooming house. The big old house was divided into smaller apartments. I think my parents and my eldest brother just occupied what would eventually become our dining room. As the family's fortunes improved rooms stopped being available to boarders and were filled up by our growing family. We had taken over the whole house by the time I came along. All that was left of the boarders were my father's stories of the enormous German Shepherds (or were they St Bernards) who had shared the basement with some long ago tenant.

The luxurious nicknacks I was accustomed to having around the house were purchased at auction houses. My parents weren't presented with any family heirlooms and they didn't register for china when they got married. Still, they managed to accumulate beautiful silver and china, paintings and other treasures in their almost six decades together. My sister's piano was rescued from a fire and refurbished. Treasures that broke were mended by my dad by his seemingly inexhaustible supply of superglue. The cracked and threadbare were pressed into years of service.

The Pomegranate Guild challenged us to create an object to grace the dining table. We were required to incorporate some aspect of family history. How fortunate I am to have one of my mother's silver spoons, now tarnished and worn and coated in glue from some mysterious and long forgotten Mr. Fix It project of my dad's. As I thought about using it I decided it would make an ideal handle for a tea cosy, in honour of my granny who always made me the most delicious sweet milk tea. But a regular quilted tea cosy was too pedestrian for my purpose.

As I walked up the hill after a day of errands I realized with a shock that I had held onto the baby blanket that my grandmother had knitted for me. I had also held on to the anger and frustration that I felt about it having been shrunk in the wash after my mother gave it to my niece. "How could she have given away My Baby Blanket?" I had ranted. "How could anyone have been so careless as to shrink My Baby Blanket" I had raved.

Two and a half decades later I am delighted to think that my beloved niece was swaddled in the same blanket as I was. A blanket that was knit with love by her great grandmother in hopes that she was creating a family heirloom. I chuckle at the thought of whoever washed the poor thing and pulled it out of the dryer several sizes smaller than when it went in. I sure wouldn't have wanted to be the one to have to tell my mother in law what I'd done!

Now the spoon and the blanket will warm my tea. I will remember to hold all of these memories of family and home in my heart and remember that we all can use a little Tea and Sympathy.

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The K.I.S.S. electronics store.

2010-07-23T12:43:00.004-04:00

I have a dream. I dream of a store that sells nothing but electronics that the technologically uninclined (like me) can use. The tvs come with one remote. This handy devise turns the unit on and off, changes the channel and adjusts the volume, and that's it.

The televisions I sell will not be compatible with HD boxes, cable boxes, PVRs, wiis, Game Cubes, DVD players, Apple TV or anything else that requires a separate remote control.

There will be no buttons that you can push by accident that will take you away from the simple pleasure of watching your favorite mindless entertainment.

Until such a store exists, and until I can get my husband to buy a tv there, I will continue to have to call him away from his computer to turn on the set for me. I will continue to threaten to unplug all of his toys and put them on eBay, and I will continue to reap the benefits of having all those toys in the house. I do enjoy the ability to buy an HD copy of that episode of Glee I missed on Apple TV after all!

Background fabric for the online Quilt University Dena Crain ... on Twitpic

2010-06-22T13:50:00.000-04:00

Background fabric for the online Quilt University Dena Crain ... on Twitpic

1st Christmas Day on Duggan

2009-12-25T11:24:00.005-05:00

The children are playing Sims Agents on the Wii. Radio 2's Christmas Day programming is playing on the computers - just waiting for the Messiah to start. I would have played the Tafelmusik recording that we made back in the 90s when I sang with the Tafelmusik chamber choir but I seem to have given away all my copies before burning one to our computer. I will clearly have to rectify this situation. I hope I can still buy a copy through the Tafelmusik head office since I haven't been able to track one down online.

At some point we'll go out for a while to deliver a present to their new best friend Bronwyn and chocolate liqueurs to Grandad - my 92 year old father. When we come home it's time to cook since Amnon and Alisa are coming for an early dinner. Eyal is planning on making a bean and escarole soup and a cheese fondue. Alisa is an inspired baker and cook and it always raises our game when we cook for her. Walnut Cream Roll is one of the amazing desserts she makes for us for very special occasions. When I tried to encourage her to add my birthday to that short list she quite rightly reminded me about the old adage about fishing. Were I to learn to bake this cake for myself I could have it any old time I want it!

Today is the day that I will tackle a Walnut Cream Roll for the first time. This is the recipe I will use. It's a combination of the recipe my MIL uses which she dictated to me from an Israeli cookbook that I can't read and a recipe I found at cooks.com. It turns out that she's been substituting Hazelnuts for Walnuts. Yet another reason for me to make this recipe for myself since I'm mildly allergic to Hazelnuts!

5 eggs (separate yolks and whites) 3/4 c. sugar 1/4 c. flour 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. vanilla 1 1/2 c. walnuts (chopped fine) 1/2 pt. whipping cream

Beat whites, salt, vanilla until stiff peaks form. Add sugar gradually, then set aside. Beat yolks until they look a lemon color. Combine chopped nuts and flour. Fold yolks into whites then fold in flour and nut mixture.

Line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Spread mixture evenly and bake at 375 for 12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove wax paper from roll and spread on a cloth that is sprinkled liberally with powdered sugar and roll up while the roll is still warm. This must be done immediately because it has to be kept moist otherwise it will crack. After it has cooled, mix the whipping cream, spread on roll and re-roll and keep enough whipping cream for the top and sides of the roll. Decorate the top with chocolate shavings. Keep in refrigerator until served. Makes one roll. Serves 9.

Wish me luck!

Holiday Feast

2009-12-20T12:39:00.003-05:00

My brothers and sister and I grew up enjoying a "real Christmas dinner" served mid-afternoon just in time for us to take a break from playing with all our toys. Well into our adulthood we continued to gather together around a Christmas tree and a turkey to exchange presents and eat too much. As the years have gone by our Christmas traditions have fallen by the wayside. Chanukah and other Jewish celebrations have become more important to some of us, travel to visit distant relatives has become essential for others.

Yesterday my sister marked the "ninth" night of Chanukah with her annual Latke Flip. Dozens of friends and family crowded into her kitchen clamouring for latkes as her son Daniel stood at the stove frying them up hour after smokey hour.

Today the turkey I 'won' at Loblaws for spending $250 in one fell swoop is ready to go in the oven. Two stuffings have been prepared to bake beside it - the traditional stuffing (including sauteed turkey liver) and a vegetarian offering with toasted walnuts. A spicy broiled salmon will be available for those who aren't fans of turkey. My brother and sister and their families will be descending upon us in a few hours to help do it justice. I'm not going overboard on the side dishes because, as my husband and I always say, "nobody eats".

Yesterday I made the cranberry sauce. Usually we make jellied sauce over bartlett pears in honour of my Granny. This year I've switched to a whole cranberry recipe because I prefer it. I'm bracing for the chorus of disapproval.

Now it's time to start the mulled cranberry punch. I searched the internet for a recipe and this is what I've decided to try based on what I have in the house and the flavours that strike my fancy:

Cranberry-Raspberry cocktail
A touch of Red wine
cloves
cinnamon stick
tangerine

My nephew Daniel will bring the cuisinart and some more potatoes and the flipping of latkes will continue. My sister in law and I will lead the family in the singing of Christmas carols, the children will play the Chanukah songs they learned this year and we hope that Daniel will spend some time getting reacquainted with the piano after his months away at University.

On Friday my sister Judy and I were moved to tears by the Petit Fours and Buche de Noel at Patachou and the memories they brought us of our mother. Cranberry sauce for Granny, a buche for Mummy, latkes for Bubbe - we wonder what traditions our children's children will carry on in our memory forty years from now.

Happy Holidays however you celebrate them and whatever traditions you treasure.

The Best Laid Plans

2009-10-28T10:51:00.002-04:00

Okay, I admit it, the garage sale did not happen. Instead of doing something new I reverted to my usual modus operandi with one small twist. I gave stuff away to family and friends, sold a couple of big ticket items through craigslist and word of mouth, and I've started listing things on freecycle again.

Oh how I love freecycle. I figure that anyone who is willing to take the Subway, walk or ride their bike across to town to pick up one or two Piano Primers deserves them!

There have been two small disappointments on the road to decluttering. We have each discovered that our treasures are not as valuable on the open market as they are to us. In the children's case it is the problem of what to do with their stuffies. Some toys and books can be given to smaller cousins but the kids were really hoping to make a small fortune from selling their huge collection of stuffed animals. Why, you ask, do they need so much cash? Didn't their mother already blog about their generous allowance? The answer, of course, is that they need more money to buy more stuffies! Perhaps if you were eight years old you would understand.

In the case of the grownups of the household the problem has been what to do with the hundreds of classical, jazz, world and alternative cds (every song's a treasure) in our collection once they've been burnt to the hard drive. The answer, yet again, is give them to nieces, nephews and siblings. The after market for used cds is just not what it used to be. And why were we hoping to receive this windfall from selling our cds? To buy more music on iTunes of course! Plus ca change!

Giving Thanks and Giving Back Garage Sale Saturday October 10th

2009-09-26T09:31:00.004-04:00

As we prepare to move into our new home, and as we enter the season of Thanksgiving we realize that we are blessed by an overabundance of possessions. For a number of years our "Family Charity" has been the Therapeutic Clown Program at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, fondly referred to as Sick Kids. To quote Flylady we are going to Bless our home by getting rid of the things we don't need and Bless the Therapeutic Clowns by donating all the proceeds to their program.

Please consider digging through your closets and storerooms to help make this event a huge success. Contributions of furniture, pictures, books, cds, baked goods, toys, games, tchotchkes or anything else you'd like to get rid of will be welcomed at the old house until October 6th and at the new house starting October 7th.

Tell anyone you know who may be setting up a new home that we'll be selling lots of big ticket items: a dining room suite, couches, dressers, bookshelves, and hundreds of books and cds.

Come on out and see the new house and help support the Therapeutic Clowns.

See you on the 10th!

Celebrating Mishpochah

2009-09-11T09:30:00.004-04:00

I was so touched and proud to hear that my beloved Auntie Eleanor has been reading and enjoying my blog. When one sends these rambling thoughts out into the ether there is no knowing who (if anyone) will show up.

What a wonderful word mishpochah is. I love the fact that there are a dozen different spellings, just as there are dozens of different ways people can be connected to you to count as part of your mishpochah.

Yesterday I attended the funeral of my cousin's cousin's mother. My Dad's sister's SIL. A woman who proudly laughed back in 1982 that her BIL's, BIL's, BIL's BIL and her BIL's, BIL's BIL had both won the Nobel Prize! The sweetheart who threw a wedding shower for me and my husband at The Stream, her gorgeous country retreat. Who invited me to sing at fundraisers and encouraged me to be active in her children's theatre company The Golden Horseshoe Players and her pet charity for Israeli children Birthday Angels.

The funeral, interment and shiva were all models of grace and dignity. The honour and love that everyone feels for Sharon, Larry and their whole family was palpable.

My cousin Nomi asked me to tell her what I saw and heard. At the shul I saw a little boy quietly and respectfully comforting his Dad. At the cemetery I saw many of Max's descendants striding through the beautiful Holy Blossom Memorial Park in search of his stone before heading back to the fancy stretch limo for the drive back to the shiva house. At the shiva I saw a nephew perched on the arm of his bereft Uncle's chair for a long quiet chat in the midst of all the laughing, talking and reminiscing.

I bumped into an old friend who I didn't even know knew the Enkins. But he is 'like us', and like them. And he and all the other friends who were there are part of their mishpochah.

I heard story after story of Sharon Enkin's goodness, determination, generosity and encouragement.

I Must Be A Gemini

2009-08-26T05:29:00.002-04:00

My interests shift and change. Gardening got me through last summer,designing and making charity quilts and Judaica was my passion over the winter. And now I am obsessed by tables, couches and colour as we prepare to move to our new home. Our lifetime home. The house is beautiful and old with a rich history (fitting since one of the present owners is named Rich). I'm told that the house was originally built on spec for Lawren Harris I feel a responsibility to the house and to my family to make it lovely and welcoming.

A simple colour scheme, comfortable furniture, a hidy hole for each of us to do our thing. For the children it will be their bedrooms and a room in the basement. I won't call it a playroom because they are big 8 year olds and have gotten rid of most of their toys. Emily is even ready to give away her American Girl. I persuaded her to keep it for a while so she can have something to play with when her AG obsessed friends come over to play. The main amenity of their room will be a comfy couch to sit on while they wait for their (short) turn on the wii.

Eyal will have his study. I see glossy teal walls, antique furniture and a Persian rug. He sees a lighter palette. The drama unfolds.

My studio will be on the second floor. I have claimed a longish room on an E/W axis with windows on each end. Light will stream in throughout the day. A welcome change after my years spent in the basement. But what will I do in my studio? What will my new obsession be? Truthfully I feel a pull back to music.

Which leads me to another room entirely. The living room is going to be heavenly. A grand piano, beautiful sofa and chairs and French doors leading to the garden. The music studio may call me away from the crafting studio for the next while. That is after the "Extreme Makeover" has happened, of course.

I lie in bed making lists in my head - this carpet needs to be pulled up, these built ins have to come out and the walls need to be replastered (or is it drywalled?), wallpaper needs to come down in several rooms. Almost the whole house will be painted. OK, let's say the whole house for argument's sake.

But soon it will all be done and we will relax and be home. And then I will open myself up fo the new obsessions to begin.

Artists For Change

2009-06-17T14:55:00.003-04:00

I just joined Artists For Change a Kiva lending team.

You can go to Kiva's website and lend to someone across the globe who needs a loan for their business - like raising goats, selling vegetables at market or making bricks. Each loan has a picture of the entrepreneur, a description of their business and how they plan to use the loan so you know exactly how your money is being spent - and you get updates letting you know how the entrepreneur is going.

The best part is, when the entrepreneur pays back their loan you get your money back - and Kiva's loans are managed by microfinance institutions on the ground who have a lot of experience doing this, so you can trust that your money is being handled responsibly.

I just made a loan to an entrepreneur named SOPE MAME DIARRA THIOUNE II Group in Senegal. They still need another $400.00 to complete their loan request of $1,075.00 (you can loan as little as $25.00!). Help me get this entrepreneur off the ground by clicking on the link below to make a loan to SOPE MAME DIARRA THIOUNE II Group too:

http://www.kiva.org/app.php?page=businesses&action=about&id=115047

It's finally easy to actually do something about poverty - using Kiva I know exactly who my money is loaned to and what they're using it for. And most of all, I know that I'm helping them build a
sustainable business that will provide income to feed, clothe, house and educate their family long after my loan is paid back.

Join me in changing the world - one loan at a time.

Thanks!

---------------------------------------------------------
What others are saying about www.Kiva.org:

'Revolutionising how donors and lenders in the US are connecting with small entrepreneurs in developing countries.'
-- BBC

'If you've got 25 bucks, a PC and a PayPal account, you've now got the wherewithal to be an international financier.'
-- CNN Money

'Smaller investors can make loans of as little as $25 to specific individual entrepreneurs through a service launched last fall by Kiva.org.'
-- The Wall Street Journal

'An inexpensive feel-good investment opportunity...All loaned funds go directly to the applicants, and most loans are repaid in full.'
-- Entrepreneur Magazine

Better Late Than Never

2009-06-12T12:12:00.004-04:00

This gorgeous Anniversary card was made for me by my darling husband using a soon to be released My 3D Scenes template. I love the way he has used these images from our life together. They bring back happy memories and make me look forward to the years of happiness we have ahead of us.

You can use the arrow buttons at the bottom of the picture to scroll around this 3D greeting card. Click on the Stevie Wonder album cover and you will hear the first song from our wedding June 9th, 1996.

Thank You Yalli, I Love You!!

A Woman of Valour

2009-05-14T10:44:00.005-04:00

A difficult text. Don't analyze it. Just hear the love, the appreciation, the awe for what women accomplish. We can aspire to be everything that the words describe, and more. The postcards that I created with "A Woman of Valour" as my inspiration are almost ready to fly around the world. The creative effort has kept me rooted in my head for the last couple of months. It has been a time of dreaming and problem solving rather than my usual creative enterprise of sitting at my sewing machine for hour after hour.

First - fabric dye with sparkles sponged over a cut out of a woman's profile onto commercial cotton

Second - the fabric is pressed onto a 4 by 6 piece of Fast 2 Fuse (in some cases the base fabric is the portrait in many it is navy fabric with a crisscross Magen David pattern)

Third - on the cards with the Magen David fabric the portrait is machine appliqued

Fourth - a line of quilting to delineate the features

Fifth - remnants from cutting fat quarters are used to make the woman's hair

Sixth - fabric markers are used to enhance her features and to add symbols (Heart, Hamsa, Magen David) to some of the cards

Seventh - a white rectangle of fabric with these handwritten words is pressed to the back of each card :

Self Portrait as a Woman of Valour
Full of Beauty, Love and Imperfection.

Eighth - more fabric remnants are zigzagged around the edges to frame the card and hold the layers together

Ninth - make two more postcards because when I went to the address list I realized I was supposed to make fourteen of them!

As I worked on these cards I found myself relishing the flaws. The way the faces looked less and less real, threads dangling from the stitching and and from the fabric remnants. When I showed them to my family they saw some of them as masculine and had trouble seeing the face in some of them. I welcome this ambiguity.

From my Journal:

Self Portrait as a Woman of Valour

Each card is unique. Each has its own beauty and its own flaws, just as I do each time I look in the mirror. I am grateful to the author of this prayer and to our tradition which honours "women's work".

When I was in second year University a young man in my program felt empowered to classify the women he studied with as GW or not GW. I had the honour of being proclaimed not a GW - not a Good Woman. Sadly he was struck down by cancer before graduation so I never had the opportunity to speak to him as an adult about the injustice of his words.

With this series of postcards I am now reclaiming my place in the world as a GW "A Woman of Valour"!

A simple plan for controlling the "galloping gimmes"

2009-05-13T10:47:00.006-04:00

Give your children a weekly allowance equal to one dollar per year of age - my children get $8.00 a week. This allowance is not dependent on good behaviour or the completion of chores. It is to help them earn the value of money, the importance of budgeting and the satisfaction that comes from making a purchase with their own money. Explain to them that their allowance and any other money they may receive will be allocated for the following purposes:

10% will go to charity - the children put theirs in Tzedakah Boxes
30% will go in the bank - I've actually bumped that part up a bit. Our bank transfers $5.00 per child per week to their own accounts.
30% will go in their wallets for bubblegum and bouncy balls
30% will go in their piggy banks to save up for something special like a Hamster!

Introducing Stripes

I don't know who was prouder at the pet store, me or Emily!

In honour of a small stone and my cousin Nomi

2009-05-12T13:37:00.003-04:00

My garden is awake and ripe for enjoyment. The clematis vines are twining, the buds are forming on the strawberry plants, the furniture has found places to welcome and soothe us. The trees are leafing out to provide shade. Soon the vegetables will be planted and our garden will feed us food as well as beauty and relaxation.

A Difference of Opinion

2009-05-09T12:20:00.002-04:00

This morning in the Zohar household we are discussing rules. To be honest, when are rules not central to the Art of Parenting? What are the rules of engagement? Bedtime, hygiene, homework, meals, they're all governed by rules.

Today's point of contention is the Family Room coffee table. Remember when you put your feet on the table (not that any of us would ever do that) and your teacher asked, aghast, "Would you do that at home?"? Well in my house the answer is "Yes!". And my children would sit on the table and stand on the table even though they have been told since infancy that the household (and society's) "rule" is that we don't do any of those things.

My husband's position on this relatively minor infraction is "Lighten up Francis!" Mine is that we need to train our children that rules are never to be broken even if we don't understand the point.

Discuss.

The Yogini and the Pea

2009-05-07T11:52:00.002-04:00

Marlene always tells us not to let an errant prop touch us when we're doing a pose. "It'll drive you crazy" she says. I was painfully aware of this in my practice the other day. The slightest lump or bump in my own set up was unbearable. Let alone the excess props that kept creeping into my space.

Is this an idea that she put into my head or is there an essential truth here? I'm wondering if the visual and physical distractions of our day to day life could have a more profoundly disturbing effect on us than we give them credit for.

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to see that something is out of place in an almost empty space? When we empty our minds to meditate we notice the excess thoughts running around.

Simplify, simplify. Make sure your clothes are comfortable. Give your extra stuff away. Lorna's garage sale for the Ugandan Orphan's Fund is a great place to start.

The Best Deal in the City

2009-04-07T12:42:00.002-04:00

I'm so excited about the company that I've hired to do my planter and window boxes. This is the freebie that they planted and maintained throughout the winter to get me hooked. It worked!

Check out Pots and Plants (and tell them I sent you!).

The Compost Bin

2009-04-07T11:11:00.003-04:00

The compost bin is filling up nicely. Last year was our first year of composting and the mix didn't ever get really hot. I'm hoping to create a better mix this year. Almost all of our kitchen scraps and all the bits and pieces of last year's garden have gone in so far. We've already almost completely eliminated our need to take our green bin to the curb. The only thing that still goes in there is pet waste and any fatty or meat based scraps.

The bin is still empty enough that it's easy to turn. I wonder what to do when it gets practically immovable like last year's was. I'd hate to have to have two bins on the go, but not as much as I hate having to throw things out! I've been wondering what else we could put into the bin to save it from going to the curb. Let's start with the paper egg cartons from the five dozen eggs I'm making for the seders! It seems I could even put in all those teeny tiny fabric scraps from my quilting projects if I wasn't going to use them to stuff doggies beds. There are lots of great lists online of little know compostables. Here's one and here's another.

Happy Composting!

Eggs and Bunnies

2009-04-06T14:57:00.003-04:00

"Horticultural Design" on Bayview is one of my favourite florists, unfortunately they don't have a website to link to. I took a trip there today to pick up succulents to fill in the planter Alisa gave us for our Anniversary a number of years ago. While there I was inspired to buy some live moss to make a tabletop chachka terrarium garden. I don't know why Eyal gave me these bunny salt and pepper shakers but they look adorable in there. I added a couple of eggcups from the collection Judy started for me more than thirty-five years ago to fill out the display. I'm so glad to finally have a use for this cake plate! The people in my household who could use some extra calories (AKA the twins) won't eat cake, and the big people can do just fine without it!

On the mantle I placed a candle holder upside down over a Wedgewood plate from my mother's collection, another eggcup filled with some more moss, and a hand painted wooden egg.

On the piano I've placed a silver tray filled with the remnants of the eggcup collection. Sadly Eyal and I did not put enough effort into securing the custom made eggcup cabinet to the wall when we moved to Larchmont. It crashed to the floor breaking a large percentage of the eggcups soon after we hung it.

The owner of "Horticultural Design" says to put a little bit of rainwater on the moss when I don't see condensation on the dome. If the moss is going to thrive in there I'm going to have to think about changing up the display with the seasons. I'll have to find something red, white and blue to make a Canada Day/4th of July display and I'm looking forward to making a summer display with the western themed salt and pepper shakers that Rick and Kris brought us from Alberta.

Now that I've started decorating for Spring I'm going to have to find an excuse to invite people over. My house is too small to host a seder so we always go to my MIL for the first night and my sister for the second night. We usually head to my SIL's for a casual Easter brunch where the kids usually find something left for them by the Easter Bunny. Unfortunately Kris has to head out to Saskatchewan to look after her Mom for the next week or so. I hope Margaret is feeling better really soon!

I wonder if the Easter Bunny will know to hide a little something for the kids in our backyard this year if we invite my brother and a few others over for brunch on Sunday?

More Signs of Spring. And probably more information than you bargained for!

2009-04-02T14:16:00.003-04:00

Now that I'm in the mood to welcome Spring I thought I'd check out the deck off of our third floor to see what the raccoons had been up to. Our sleep is disturbed most nights by the sounds of them scuttling about above our heads. The wildlife company that we called in assures us that they have no access to our attic and that there really isn't much that we can do to deter them from traipsing over the raccoon highway every night on there way to some other poor soul's roof or attic.

But what about the feces on the doorstep and the daytime sleeping arrangements under the side table? Comfortable as it may seem we can no longer accommodate our friendly neighbourhood pests. Professional Wildlife Removal claims that raccoon repellents don't work. Trapping is only a temporary and expensive solution. Suggestions?

The Darling Buds of April

2009-04-01T16:19:00.007-04:00

No fooling! My garden has started to wake up. I'm loath to call what it just endured a nap. I wouldn't want to nap with three feet of snow on my head! Although I'm sure that that nice heavy blanket of snow was excellent insulation through the colder winter days. I always feel sorry for those first buds. I just know they are going to get frozen and thawed a bunch of times between now and that magical last frost day sometime towards the end of May.

My Aunt Ursula moved to a retirement complex in Hingham south of Boston last year. Even in June of her first season there her garden was spectacular! And she tells me she doesn't even get started in her garden until the end of May. How does she do it!!??

I've been struggling with this yard for six years now, and it's coming slowly, slowly. Part of the problem is that I've never really committed to being in this house for the long term (again I need to think what Ursula manages to accomplish in a couple of months).

It's so hard not to over do it in the garden this time of year. I think that's the true meaning of April Fool's Day! You think it's time to play in the garden, when it's really six weeks away still!!

I couldn't resist spending some time in the yard today though. I threw a bunch of stuff in the rolling compost bin I bought from Lee Valley Tools last year: the remains of last year's vegetable container garden, the kitchen scraps, some leaves. Tidied up miscellaneous balls and kids' toys that were scattered about the yard. And searched for the first signs of new life.

Welcome Spring!

When is tired not just tired?

2009-03-12T12:07:00.002-04:00

I had a lovely visit to the ER this morning. Note to self "9 am on a Thursday morning is an excellent time to visit the ER". I was in and out (with no diagnosis) by 10am. What it is not: contagious, life threatening, an allergic reaction. What it is: rashes, itching, swollen hands and feet, sore muscles and joints, tiredness, headaches, puffy face. So they've referred me to "Medicine" - I always find it hilarious when they tell you at the hospital that you need to be seen by Medicine. Isn't that why one goes to the hospital in the first place? While I wait for my appointment I'm encouraged to pop Tylenol and Benadryl for the symptoms and spend my spare time ruminating about what variation of autoimmune disease they're likely to test for. Hashimoto? Graves? Lupus? How fun is that!!

Tangential Thinking

2009-03-10T11:28:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I get surfing and it takes me in new and interesting directions. Sometimes I make decisions based on these impromptu wanderings. Weeks or months later and can't fathom what took me there. One of those decisions took me to membership in SAQA. I'm pretty sure I joined up because I wanted my blog to be part of the SAQA webring. Why? Can't remember!

So far this membership is a mixed blessing. I'm loving the Journal - but then I'm a Textile Art Journal/magazine junkie. I love the information and encouragement. The scary part is self-identifying as an artist or Artist. I had just come to terms with calling myself an artisan. I even write that on forms under occupation sometimes, instead of SAHM which I find charming and yet somehow derogatory.

Artist has scary connotations of talent and vision that I'm not usually ready to embrace. What is the difference between a quilter and an Art quilter? What is the difference between an Art quilter and an Artist?

All these questions will be moot if I spend too much time surfing and blogging instead of working in my studio!

A Weekend in the Life

2009-02-22T20:12:00.002-05:00

Emily is sitting cross legged on her bed writing a story. She is using the lap desk that Sharon gave her (how many years ago?). Zachary is in his bedroom reading his Geronimo Stilton library book. "Mam, I need your help." I go to his room to explain what 'taunting' means. I'm curled up against the headboard. Coley (my thirteen year old Black Lab) has his head on my thigh. "Mama, how do you spell "How". How do you spell "Here"". I can't wait to read her story. It's the second one she's written this weekend.

The children have had a tremendous weekend.

Writing Stories (Zach for school, Emily for fun)
Revising Schoolwork
Playing 'baby monsters' with all the stuffies, the American Girl bed and the AG tent under the piano
Dance class
Soccer Skills (if only we could persuade Emily to participate - she's a natural)
Hebrew School
Lunch at 'Jerusalem'
Visiting Grandad
Pink Panther II (Eyal and the kids all gave it a Zero. Zach said "There was no funniness!")
Practicing Piano
Watching t.v.
Playing on the wii
Playing with their cousins

How would they answer the question "What did you do this weekend?"?

I was absent for much of the weekend, although it didn't feel that way since I stage managed so much of the children's activities.

Yesterday I took an all day (at least a couple of hours too long) Yoga workshop with Andy Orr to learn how to develop a home practice. Today I did my practice as soon as I woke up (after a crazy 11 hours of sleep). Had a lovely breakfast with Eyal and Pain Perdu after dropping the kids at school, blogged, went to my Yoga enrichment class where we discussed the Yoga sutras of Patanjali, had lunch with Eyal and the kids and went to visit my Dad, and finally had a three hour rehearsal of "Four Strong Winds" before returning home to a couple fo hours of homework, practicing, making dinner and an extended bedtime. And this is supposed to be the weekend!

I told Eyal today that our life is perfect (except for all the clutter).

I've sung the Sh'ma to Zachary. I'm waiting for Emily to finish writing and then I'm going downstairs to watch the Oscars with Eyal.

Slumdog Millionaire Rocks OK!

Searching for a name.

2009-02-22T09:49:00.005-05:00

I'm pleased with this quilt so far. I'm pleased with the creative process. The way one idea led to another. the way it came together to honour the Bar Mitzvahs of Shlomo, and Simon, of our marriage and of my conversion to Judaism. It's being quilted by Sandy Lindal now. We spent an hour or so choosing and designing various patterns for the quilting of the concentric stars using the ideas of flames and flowing softness as our inspiration.

I had originally intended to make three of these quilts in a series. I would give one to Shlomo, one to Simon, and keep one for myself to enter in shows and to display for classes. Maybe I would make a fourth one to donate to my shul if they had a place they could display it. But as I worked, stitching triangle after triangle, I became too attached to this quilt. Zachary came downstairs a couple of times as I worked on it and asked if he could kiss it because he loves it so much! Emily would like to see it displayed on our dinner table but worries it might be damaged. I reassured her we could take it off before we set the table for dinner. All in all I'm not ready to part with it yet. I will take it to Kingston to offer as decoration for the hotel party room where Shlomo's Bar Mitzvah will be held if I have the binding sewn on in time. I'm intending to try to use a bright, bright turquoisy blue to be like the tips of flames. The quilt also got pretty big for a wall hanging, it's original intention. It's now 72 inches square (if it were square). Emily is very proud that it was her idea not to fill in the area between the points. I will add hanging triangles to each of the six points and buy thin, flat, light slats to keep it taught if I'm going to hang it on the wall. Simon and Shlomo will get smaller quilts made from some of the many extra triangles I cut.

But now I need a name. I was thinking of something in Yiddish since this first quilt would have been for our family's first native Yiddish speaker in at least a couple of generations. But then it started to be for Simon and for Eyal and my thirteenth wedding anniversary, and for the thirteenth anniversary of my conversion.

Suggestions so far are:

Heart of Judah
Yiddishe Kopf
Ah gute neshume
The Fire Within
My Path
The Rainbow Star
Magen Dovid
Mosaic of Love (or Fire)

Your suggestion here:

Thanks!! XOXO M

Jonesin' to Be a Late Bloomer

2009-02-18T11:09:00.002-05:00

I dreamed of a post that I wanted to make today complete with photograph and headline. The problem with dreams is that they are by their very nature ephemeral. Instead I will have to write about an article from the Globe and Mail that caught my eye this morning.

Scratching the "Jones" Itch by Jonathan Pontell puts into words the feeling I've always had about being born a little too late to be a boomer and a little too early to be a member of Generation X. I won't start complaining about the ways I have always felt just a little too young or a little to old. Suffice it to say that Pontell gives me permission to be an idealistic late bloomer and for that I am grateful!

For more on Generation Jones check out his website.

Celebrations, visitations and lamentations

2009-02-10T21:00:00.004-05:00

The fabulous 8th birthday is drawing to a close. The celebratory trip to NYC was a huge success - shopping for toys, visiting family, admiring the Art at MOMA and skating at Rockefeller Center were just a few of the highlights.

The party (that we said we weren't going to throw) was thrown and enjoyed by lots of family and a few friends. Wij the magician delighted and amazed everyone as we sat on quilts and cushions on the floor of my basement studio under Iyengar's beaming gaze.

The festivities continued today with visits to both schools. Emily's class was presenting their "Toy-seum" - a fabulous display of toys and games from the personal collections of the children in her Grade 2 class. I will return tomorrow to read "The Magic Toy Shop". It's her school's tradition to have a parent read a book to the class and then donate it to the library. We thought this book, which I have had since I was a kid, would be a perfect selection since they have been focusing on toys this year.

At Zachary's school he was able to share Clown cookies from Amazing Donuts - the nut free bakery - with his friends in honour of his birthday. His friend Jack's mom brought a gluten free treat for him so he would not be excluded from the celebrations. The times they are a changin'!

I dropped in on Zach's Music class to offer some Musical Theatre coaching for a song that they're preparing from Oliver! and then was given a tour of the Science Fair by a very excited Zachary. His project, with his good buddy Ben, was a Knex ferris wheel. They were very proud of the work they had put into it and were able to describe the potential, kinetic and momentum stages of energy that it displayed as the chairs went up and around.

After school they went to Yoga with Emily's best friend Calla, and then to dinner with their Zohar cousins for one last Birthday Hurrah! We whisked them home and threw them into bed a half hour past their bedtime after a discussion of the fact that bedtime will finally get to be moved later next year now that we're going to be sending them to school so much closer to home.

Spaking of changing schools, it has been a very sad day for me. I told the principal of Emily's school and the administrator of Zachary's school and many of our friends and family that we are moving them to our local public school next year. The decision was made particularly difficult by the wonderful learning demonstrated by both of their classes today.

Calla's Dad just called to let us know how sad his family is and to teasingly ask us to reconsider pulling the kids (or at least Emily) out of the private system next year. We believe that strong friendships will last and that this is the responsible decision for our family to make in this tough economic environment. But it doesn't mean I have to be happy about it.

A Perfectly Busy Winter Day

2009-01-25T16:10:00.002-05:00

I can hardly keep track of all the things we did today. Eyal had a lovely lie in while the kids went to Hebrew school and I indulged in a quietly solitary hour at Le Pain Quotidien.
I read the paper, ate organic oatmeal, drank organic coffee and chuckled softly to myself that the word 'organic' appeared in every menu item.

The kids were learning the Sh'ma today. Emily sang it for the whole class with a strong yet quiet pride. We sing it now as part of our bedtime routine and the children love it. If we ever forget to sing it with them they call us back to remind us.

I had to pick Emily up to go to a bowling birthday party, dashed into Cock-a-Doodle to pick up fabric for a Bar Mitzvah quilt idea I had (don't you love that relaxed, excited feeling you get when you have an idea on the hook?), ran home to quickly start playing with my fabric, picked up Zach, picked up Emily, went to Dufferin Grove to the temple skating party, ate lunch there at the lovely little "Zamboni Cafe", ran into Walmart, went to visit Granddad, and came home to relax for an hour before going to a Chinese New Years party at a friend's house.

Tired yet? I hope the kids can manage to stay relaxed and happy through the rest of this long but fun-filled day.

Seriously Easy Craft

2009-01-19T13:55:00.004-05:00

While blog surfing this morning (and into this afternoon, if I'm going to be completely honest) I got the idea to use craft punches and repetition to do a picture. Unfortunately I don't have the beautiful Martha Stewart butterfly punch that the blogger used for her picture and I've lost track of whose blog I found it on!!! The guilt is terrible.

These are the little frames I've made to decorate my sister's Gala Inauguration Breakfast Ball tomorrow morning. In other words a few friends and family gathered around the t.v. getting all weepy and generally mocking the proceedings in equal measures.

After the party Zachary can have them in his bedroom if he wants. I love the way they combine Canadian and American iconography.

Making a Jewish Museum

2009-01-18T08:35:00.005-05:00

The kids are learning about making a museum in Hebrew school. They were asked to bring their parents and a Jewish object that is important to them and their families to school this morning.

Thinking about what to bring with us has been a great opportunity to take a mental inventory of what we have and what emotional connection we have to the objects that we surround ourselves with. The first thing that came to mind is the Tallit we used as a Chuppah for our wedding. First of all, it would be nice if we actually knew where it was! I hope Eyal didn't use it at shul some time and then leave it behind, thinking that he had borrowed it!

I wanted to bring the gorgeous and meaningful Ketubah that Eyal and I made ourselves at the time of our wedding. Eyal felt that that was too personal, and he was not comfortable with the idea of it leaving the house.

He suggested that we bring one of my Star of David quilts, the one that Emily is using for her American dolls. We'll also bring Zach's Shofar since he's been playing it since he was four years old. Neither Eyal nor I can get any sound at all out of it. I wonder if he'll turn out to be a trumpet player!

It really makes me think about objects I've seen in the Jewish Museum in New York City. Many of the families whose treasures are on display never had a choice whether the objects were too personal. They never had a chance to tell us their own stories.

Special Delivery

2009-01-17T08:50:00.003-05:00

What a joy it was to deliver the first batch of quilts to the NICU yesterday. I know, I know, I said I was going to do it back in February but have you ever tried to park at a downtown hospital so you can just run in for a minute? Anyway, I had Eyal with me yesterday and we were able to find a meter right at the front door of Women's College Street (now known as Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre - now that's a mouthful), the hospital where I was born.

The doctors and nurses were thrilled to receive my gift of blankets for the newborns and took me in to see the gorgeous babies who would be getting this first bunch of quilts. The babies are so sweet all bundled up in their brightly covered receiving blankets, preemie hats and incubator covers. It looks like there are lots of busy volunteers making gifts for the babies to keep them warm and protected.

There are 42 NICU beds at Sunnybrook and Women's so I have my work cut out for me if I want to make quilts for all the babies who go through there! Any help would be very gratefully appreciated.

Rise Up My Love

2009-01-12T07:16:00.003-05:00

My song has made it to the shortlist of Obama's Play list over on CBC! You can help make sure that it gets onto the music sent to Obama in honour of his inauguration by heading over here to list B to cst your vote. Each person can vote once a day all week.

Thanks!!

Yoga People

2009-01-11T09:17:00.005-05:00

I must now learn how to add a photo from a website. Other people manage to highlight their favorite merchants all the time and I just haven't figured out how to do it. Please let me know if you know how.

At any rate, you must check out these yoga gingerbread people! They are beyond adorable and they look delicious too. Enjoy!!

Obama's Playlist

2009-01-07T16:44:00.002-05:00

Today I was finally inspired to suggest a piece for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's playlist of 49 pieces composed or performed by Canadians to send to Obama in honour of his inauguration. This is a copy of the email I sent:

"Healey Willan's "Rise Up My Love" piece is achingly beautiful. I fell in love with it when I first sang it in High School. I sing a snatch of it every year at our Passover seder table as we read the beautiful words of the Song of Songs. One of the highlights of my professional singing career was having the opportunity to meet the lovely and talented singer Kristine Anderson and introduce her to my brother. It was my honour to join a quartet of friends and family in singing this piece at their wedding. Imagining it being sung at my own funeral (an atypical choice, I'm sure) brings me solace. It is a heavenly piece that represents Canada's rich Choral tradition. And I don't doubt that Obama, as a deeply spiritual Christian who is clearly deeply in love with his wife probably appreciates the beautiful poetry of the Song of Songs."

I hope you'll give it a listen and let me know what you think!

David S. Avert Your Gaze

2009-01-06T13:10:00.002-05:00

Your quilt is ready and (almost) on its way. David is an old friend, colleague and travel buddy who was kind enough to sign up to be one of the first followers of this blog. He asked me to make a quilt that made me think of him. I answered that the best I could do was to think of him 'while' I made the quilt and maybe when he got it it would make him think of me! He accused me of taking the easy way out!

I used up scraps from my black and white challenge quilt and added some Christmas fabric I received at our Guild Christmas party.

So David Think of me
think of me fondly, when
you get your quilt
remember me
once in a while, please
promise me no guilt

We never said
our love for Mickey was
as unchanging as the sea
but please promise me,
that sometimes
you will think of me

Freecycle Fabric Windfall

2009-01-04T21:06:00.002-05:00

Debbie of Blankets for Canada was kind enough to drop off three bags of fabric when she picked up the scrapbooking magazines I was getting rid of. I also took the opportunity to pass on the red and white preemie hats I made a couple of years ago when I thought I was going to send them to Afghanistan. But that's another story. I hope the hats help to keep some sweet babies warm this winter and I hope Debbie finds the magazines inspirational.

Although I promised to make "snuggly uglies" with the fabric she dropped off I've been thinking that it would be a great idea to use some of the fabric to make morsbags to put the stuff that I give away on freecycle into. I haven't made any yet but the instructions for how to make them are terrific.

2009-01-04T20:14:00.003-05:00

I'm so pleased to be taking part in this blogger version of Pay It Forward! Here's the deal as far as I can tell: Caroline has committed to send me and two other players a handmade gift sometime in the next 365 days. I am now committed to send gifts to three players who will each in turn commit to make and send gifts to three more players within 365 days of signing up. Sound like fun? Leave me a comment, link to this post, add the Pay It Forward button to your blog, and sign up your three players. It's as simple as that.

Happy New Year

2009-01-04T08:49:00.002-05:00

The seasonal decorations have been put away. The treats are (mostly) eaten. The resolutions have been made. The children are (almost) ready to go back to school. Now what?

Tomorrow I will begin my Yoga training in earnest, in hopes that it will help me decide if I am going to start the three year Iyengar Yoga Teacher Training in September. I love to teach and I love yoga. What I don't love is school, science and memorization. I'm a little terrified of alll those Sanskrit terms, and all the anatomy. I even set myself the task of learning the Invocation to Patanjali to get my brain in shape over the holidays and I think I may have mastered line one! Hold on let me check... nope.

My problem with memorization presented huge challenges for me as a professional singer, as you can imagine. I was in awe of those singers who could be 'off book' after a couple of rehearsals, when I was still making memory errors in pieces I had sung for years. It makes me want to cry as I think about it. Unfortunately I've forgotten what I did with all the self-help "Learn to Remember Anything" books that I used to buy. What I found hilarious was that you were supposed to remember a bunch of mnemonic tricks to help you remember all the other stuff in your life better. As if somebody like me would be able to remember the tricks!

In an effort to be grateful and to look at the bright side of things I will admit that I learn concepts quickly and that I have good instincts when it comes to teaching. As my Mom would say "If I put my mind to it, I can do anything."

Jenny's Pink Quilt

2008-12-29T14:59:00.003-05:00

My first 'follower', Jenny of the terrific blog Jenny and the Princess Peonies requested that I use pink for her prize quilt. I just happened to have a little orphan block that was just waiting for inspiration. I had so much fun stitching this up this afternoon. I'm in love with those pink polka dots I found in my stash, and I can't wait to find another project to use them in. I've been mulling over the idea of doing something in a really fresh white, icicle blue and cherry pink colour combination. Yum.

Enjoy your quiltlet Jenny, and thanks for joining!

For information on the contest check out this post Follow This Blog.

2008-12-29T12:44:00.005-05:00

I hate throwing things out. I mean hate it! My poor husband has to live with his slightly less than organized pack rat. In that way our home could not be more different than the one he grew up in. I joke that his mother will throw out your dinner while you're still eating it. In fact I have a gorgeous silver plated water jug and tray that I rescued from the recycling bin at her house on two separate occasions!

One of my big accomplishments of the holidays was sorting and giving away three huge boxes of kids' books. One went to Freecycle, one went to younger cousins and one is earmarked for the libraries at the children's schools. Notice I said 'gave away' not 'threw out'.

I used to save all my scraps to donate to the Art departments at their schools. Unfortunately I think a lot of other Moms had the same idea and a plea went out for no more fabric! I then started shoving snippets into a pillow case with the intention of donating it to an animal shelter for a doggy bed.

Well today I came across this idea for making a Fabric Collage and I remembered yet again why I hold on to everything. I mean come on, check out this new fabric I made! Once I've quilted the heck out of it and cut it up into hearts and other motifs it's going to be perfect for Valentines.

As I was pressing my tiny snippets onto the fusible web I felt like an archaeologist of my own quilting history. Memories of the quilt I made for Ariel before she was born came flooding back as did the image of the gorgeous two year old she has grown into. Which reminds me, I really have to bug her Mum Yael for a picture.

I write this post with new resolve to be proud of how little garbage my studio produces and to continue finding creative ways to "Use It Up".

First Crafty New Year's Resolution

2008-12-26T11:03:00.002-05:00

Time to the tackle the next project on my to do list. I'm going to finish matting and framing a number of prints from the family archives. I need to make some decisions about how many pictures to display, and I need to make sure that everyone is represented. The real challenge is going to be finding a suitable wall (or walls) for displaying them.

This project counts as a real UFO. When we helped my parents move from their apartment into a long term care facility I was the one who collected many of the old family photographs. Back in 2004, around the time my mother died, I started going through the pictures and collecting frames and mattes. I first got the idea of what to do with them when I saw what a great job my old friend Kathy Allen had done with all her old family photos. She custom cut all the mattes herself and has them going up a winding staircase in her beautifully restored home. When I first started tackling this project I considered cutting the mattes myself like Kathy did but in the end I got some great deals at Dollar Stores and decided to mold my project to the frames I could easily buy.

Now that 2009 is approaching it is time to attack the next step of this project. I've more or less corralled the pictures, frames and mattes in one place and now I have to frame and hang all the pictures. I tried, without any luck, to find a great photo of a beautifully displayed collection of family photographs to illustrate this post.

Please send me a link if you find any great ideas for how I should hang them when I'm done. And if you've done this yourself I'd love to see a picture of your finished result.

First Night

2008-12-23T11:11:00.003-05:00

First night
Originally uploaded by mitzi129

This picture of my daughter Emily, my niece Rachael, and my SIL Kris was taken through the window by the brilliant Mary McIntyre.

I wish the blessing of light and love for you and yours, for all of us, throughout Hannukah and the whole year. Chag Sameach!!

Thank Heavens For "Dear Time"

2008-12-23T10:27:00.007-05:00

"Dear Time" or "Drop Everything and Read" is a wonderful concept that both of my children have learned this year in Grade 2. I insisted on Dear Time before Screen Time (the great name that my dear friend Adrian has given to t.v., computer and video game distractions) this morning. They each grabbed books that they received for Hannukah last night and headed under the piano with a cushion to read and relax. Emily was reading Happy Go Lucky and Zach read The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark. It may have only been for half an hour but it was heaven.

Photographic evidence that they really are fraternal twins, as if I need it. After getting them settled with their books I went back to the kitchen to clean up. I was struck by the sight of their almost (but not quite) identical breakfasts. They both had bagels, and even though neither one wants to finish a whole bagel I have to offer two of them because Emily likes poppy seed and Zachary will only eat plain. They both like hazelnut spreads but I have to have both Nutella and Brunette available because Emily likes hers with chocolate, Zachary likes his without. The same thing goes for their milk - one with chocolate, one without. You can probably guess by now who the chocoholic in the family is! But what really struck me as I looked at their plates, a detail that may not be visible in the photograph, is that they both left one bite of their half bagel in the lower right hand quadrant of their plate. Twins!

As for me, my breakfast was sheer Ambrosia. Another heavenly reference! My darling sister Judy makes my mother's (or is it from The Joy of Cooking?) liver pate recipe every year to share with her guests at her epic latke flipping party. I am always the lucky recipient of a special ramekin of my mother's that she fills with a portion just for me to take home! Unfortunately I have to return the ramekin when I've finished my pate, but I always know that I will get it back for a few days the next year. As I ate my exquisite breakfast I asked the kids to think about how they were going to remind each other of their family's love for each other when they grew up. I suggested that maybe they would each always have the other one's favorite hazelnut spread on hand, and maybe the right kind of bagel.

Once you've lost your temper where do you find it again?

2008-12-22T16:50:00.002-05:00

We have chosen to stay home to celebrate the holidays this year instead of heading South as we usually do. The weather is co-operating perfectly. It's cold and clear with lots and lots of snow. The children are old enough to look after themselves for much of the day. They drift from game to game, play on the wii for a while, listen to their iPods. They ask if they can play on the computer or watch t.v. or have some more wii time. The only thing that mars this happy portrait of domestic bliss is their mother's temper. "Eat more, eat at the table, eat something healthy, play something that doesn't require batteries or to be plugged in." All these requests seem perfectly reasonable to me and yet they often fall upon deaf ears.

The snow is starting again and tomorrow will be a ski day. I hope that by breaking the monotony of too many pajama days in a row we'll all start getting along better. Of course we'll just have different battles to fight once we're on the ski hill. There will be the complaints of I'm too cold, I'm too scared.

Why is there always so much resistance before the fun starts?

Oh ya, I remember, a body at rest tends to stay at rest. And a body with a nice warm house will resist being subjected to snow and cold and gravity. And worst of all, a body in possession of any type of computer game will long to play with it to the exclusion of all else. Just ask we about my addiction to Webkinz, Freecell and Bridge. But not while I'm playing because I won't hear you.

Getting a Head Start on the Eight Days of Hannukah

2008-12-21T08:57:00.005-05:00

The snow continues and so do pajama days. Yesterday we enjoyed a few runs on the toboggan hill and later today we'll go skiing at Uplands, the cute little hill where we all learnt to ski. It's a great place to start the season before we tackle the bigger hills of Collingwood.

Later this morning the boys will be headed to the basement to watch soccer on the big screen t.v.

And right now the kids are enjoying an early present. Yes, believe it or not, we gave in and gave Emily a Nano. She spends hours with Daddy choosing just the music and videos she wants to upload. I love it when she switches from headphones to earbuds so that Zachary can listen with her.

Speaking of music, I love listening to all the Christmas music on the radio. I sing along. Yesterday I asked the kids to challenge me by asking me to sing the third or fourth verse of any carol of their choosing. I spent years as a professional Victorian Caroler at parties and shopping malls and prided myself on never needing to look at my book. Zachary wants to know why there aren't as many Hannukah songs as there are Christmas songs. I tell him he'll have to be a composer when he grows up and write some songs. Come to think of it, there's no reason he shouldn't start writing songs now. In the meantime I'll leave you with this gem from Adam Sandler.

Happy Hannukah!!

Follow this blog!

2008-12-19T11:14:00.003-05:00

Oooo, I receive such kind emails complimenting me on my blog. Now why won't these friendly folk leave comments or decide to follow my little blog? I may have to go the prize route. Okay, that's it! I'm announcing a prize!

The first 'follower' will receive a special gift from me - a customized 18 inch quilt!

Okay, let's ramp things up a bit!

The first five followers will receive a quilt and the second five a fibre art thank you postcard.

Prize rules:

1. Join this blog as a follower and comment on posts.
2. Blog about Third Girl from the Right if you have a blog.
3. Consider donating your quilt to your local NICU or other worthy recipient, or making a donation to a charity of your choice.

And even if you feel that you're just not a follower, please leave me a comment to let me know you've been through and if anything has struck your fancy along the way.

By the way, today is a perfect day to start on all these little quilts. The whole family is home in our slippers and pajamas and the snow is flying!!

Just let me know what colours and design you want. You can check out my preemie flickr photo stream for some ideas.

XO M

It snowed!!!

2008-12-17T10:01:00.000-05:00

Fresh Mommy: Sunday Citar I discovered Fresh Mommy this morning and was particularly taken by this post. Enjoy!

Oh Happy Day!

2008-12-16T12:11:00.003-05:00

I have had so many wonderful distractions today from women in my life who have been such inspirations to me.

First I received a shout out from my cousin Nomi in Israel who wanted to let me know she had mentioned me in her blog.

1. I didn't know she had a blog. 2. Can you believe how similar our profile pictures are? We both like to represent ourselves to the world with a great big smile. (My picture was taken by 7 year old son Zachary and, even though Eyal and Emily want me to change it, I like it and it's going to stay for a while!) 3. What a coincidence that we are both blogging about the family name.

As you will be able to tell if you spend any time at all at her blog Nomi is a poet and joyous spirit who not only finds beauty in all she surveys but adds beauty to the lives of those who are lucky enough to encounter her.

Second I've had Eyal's iTunes blasting at me all day. So far I have had the pleasure of listening to Sephardic Romance, Adele who rocked the house and who I thought was Amy Winehouse, and the awesome Adrianne Pieczonka with whom I was lucky enough to be in Undergrad at University of Western Ontario. What a morning of music!!

And lastly I received this beautiful card from my amazingly talented SIL (sister in law) Jackie. This is a woman who plans ahead. She had all her handmade cards ready to go before leaving for a sabbatical year in Europe last September! I imagine it's the view from her cottage. I wonder if next year's card will be the view from her home away from home in Provence? Thank you for this perfect addition to my Holiday display.

Greetings to and from my far flung family at this holiday season. I miss you.

The Genesis of My Name

2008-12-15T12:46:00.002-05:00

Cathy Perlmutter of the fabulous Judaiquilt asked me about the 'Genesis' of my name. Well, in the beginning...

When my Zaidy, Wolf Wolbromski, came to Canada from Poland in the twenties (my 91 year old Dad, Roy/Uncle Izzy, Israel, would be able to tell you the exact date, but that's another story) he was encouraged to change his name to William Wolfe.

My parents named me Miriam but always called me by one of a series of nicknames, especially Bitsy. When I was starting preschool I encouraged my mother to come up with a name that was a little more mature than Bitsy and a little less intimidating than Miriam. Together we chose Mitzi. That's way more mature sounding, don't you think?

My in-laws, Alis Levy and Amnon Zilberboim, were still living in Israel when they decided to get married. Together they chose the name Zohar (Hebrew: זהר "Splendor, radiance") to celebrate the creation of their new family.

When Eyal asked me to marry him (Thank You sweetie) I chose to take his last name even though he kept assuring me I didn't have to. I think he finds having a wife with the same last name as his terribly old fashioned and anti-feminist.

Thank you Cathy. By encouraging me to tell the story of my name you've helped me to realize that what I've always thought of as a rather silly and fully made up name was actually created to honour a series of happy new beginnings.

XO Mitzi Wolfe Zohar

Waste Not Want Not

2008-12-11T16:44:00.003-05:00

In the spirit of waste not want not I have figured out a way to make two Chai quilts from two 10 inch cuts of contrasting fabric and one half yard of flannel! I was so determined to work this out that I had to include the selvage of one end in my calculations, but don't worry, the selvage won't make it into your finished quilt.

Instructions:

Press your contrasting fabrics open and layer them right sides up on your cutting table. Remove the selvage from one end, being careful to cut off as little of the fabric as possible. Cut the fabric down the middle making two layered five inch strips.

*Make a 2.5 inch cut including the selvage from one of your five inch strips.*
From this piece cut two 2.5 inch squares (Since you are layering your two fabrics you will have 4 contrasting 2.5 inch squares at this point). Cut eight 5 inch squares from the rest of this strip, fudging slightly if you do not have a full 40 inches to work with.

Cut one five inch square from the second strip. Cut the rest of the strip lengthwise down the middle to make two 2.5 inch strips. Cut two 18 inch pieces, two 14 inch pieces and four 2.5 inch squares from these strips.

Cut the half yard of flannel into two 18 inch squares.

You now have all the pieces needed to make two Chai Quilts - one 'positive' and one 'negative'.

Piece and layer your Chai Quilts in the same manner as on the instruction page, being careful to place the selvage edge of the 2.5 inch squares towards the outside of the block where it will be trimmed off before pressing. Unfortunately the measurements of the quilts will be 18 inches 'unfinished' but it's the thought that counts!

Let me know how this works for you.

When you post pictures you might want to add a picture of the minimal amount of fabric you have left over!

Star of David Quilt Instructions

2008-12-11T10:31:00.007-05:00

Materials needed to make this easy Jewish Preemie Quilt.

one fat quarter of light fabric
one fat quarter of medium fabric
one 18.5 inch square of flannel
sewing machine or hand sewing materials

from one fat quarter cut 9 5 inch squares
from the other fat quarter cut 2 18.5 inch by 3 inch strips, 2 14 by 3 inch strips, and 6 2.5 inch squares

Sew the 2.5 inch squares to one corner of four of the blocks, stitching on the diagonal. Sew two 2.5 inch blocks to kitty corners of one of the block. Trim and press these blocks to the darker fabric.

Piece your nine patch to make a Magen David and add the borders using a scant quarter inch seam. You've made an 18.5 inch block!

Layer the two 18.5 inch blocks right sides together and sew all around the edges with a quarter inch seam, leaving two or three inches for turning. Trim the corners, turn your pillowcase, turn the edges under where you left it open to turn, and sew another quarter inch seam all the way around the outside.

Minimal quilting is required. Just outline the star or stitch in the ditch around the border.

Congratulations! You've made an 18 inch preemie quilt. Mazel Tov! Now all you need to do is donate it to your nearest NICU!

Please let me know if you use this pattern and if you run into any difficulties. I'm new at this pattern writing game.

You can post pictures of your finished quilts at Flickr.

Thanks!!

Granny's Afghan

2008-12-10T16:22:00.002-05:00

I'm about to mark off one item on my to-do list! This quilt, which I've named "Granny's Afghan", was inspired by Kaffe Fassett's "Leafy Rosy" quilt. It is pieced and back from the quilter. The binding has been machine sewn onto the front and all that is left to do is to hand sew the binding to the back and add a label. Why is it that these last two steps can sometimes feel like they take the longest. Or, in the case of labels, just never get done!

This quilt reminds me so much of an afghan that my Granny knitted. I wonder who has it now, or if it just disintegrated from years of loving use? Isn't that the fate that we wish for so many of our quilts? Not the ones with the hundreds of hours of painstaking applique or the thousands of pieces. No, the scrap quilts that we imagine people cuddling under with a box of tissues and the t.v. controller!

I finished two more preemie quilts today. I'm up to ten or so, plenty enough to warrant a trip to the NICU. I called Mount Sinai to double check if they wanted donations and if I needed to wash the blankets first. The duty nurse told me to just bring them on down and thanks very much. I'll make another couple of them tomorrow and make a detour to the Hospital on my way to Emily's school on Friday, which is shaping up to be a busy day: dropping off quilts at the NICU, serving lunch at Emily's school, singing at a Hannukah party at Zachary's school, bringing a friend of Emily's home for a sleepover and making Friday night dinner for sixteen! I guess I won't be getting too much quilting done.

2008-12-08T10:50:00.003-05:00

SITsmas is causing way too much fun, way too much surfing to terrific sites and the craving of way too many terrific prizes like this one and this one. We're talking adorable baby leggings from Boogs Baby Booteek and an amazing Handmade Scrapbook Album from Jenny and the Princess Peonies.

Thank you to the girls at the Secret is in the Sauce for coming up with this great way to generate traffic and comments and to all the bloggers for creating such fun and informative sites. And now could you all please take a break so that I could get some work done? Or maybe post a comment or two on my blog on your way by?

More Jewish Holiday Bling

2008-12-08T09:47:00.002-05:00

This quilt is so quick and easy to make. Just sew contrasting 2.5 inch squares on the diagonal to two kitty corners of a 5 inch charm. Trim the points off of the sewn corners and press to the darker fabric. Repeat as many times as you want for the size quilt you want. Arrange the blocks so that the points form a Star of David if you want it to have a Jewish feel. Add a couple of pretty borders and quilt it with stars and spinning dreidels. Actually I make that part sound so easy, but I had Deb do it for me!

Oh and by the way, if you do the math you will realize that you can do this with any size square or charm. Just divide it in half! Sew two 3 inch squares on the diagonal to two kitty corners of a six inch charm. Get it?

Holiday Ornaments

2008-12-07T12:50:00.005-05:00

Growing up we celebrated all the Hallmark Holidays - Easter, Thanksgiving, Valentines Day, Birthdays, New Years and, of course, Christmas. We vaguely knew we were Jewish from the occasional trips to our relatives in Hamilton for Passover or Shabbat. We even lit Hannukah candles at their home once or twice. Even though we owned a menorah it was never lit and I only vaguely knew what it was for.

All of that changed when as an adult I decided to convert to Judaism and left behind the Christmas and Easter celebrations of my youth. I still attend other people's Christmas parties and Easter egg hunts with pleasure. My roots show when it comes to seasonal decorations though. I put blue lights on my back porch (just because I don't have a plug out front) and decorate the mantel in silver and blue.

A trip to Inspiration Ali inspired me to make some Holiday Ornaments of my own. I started by following her suggestion to go to this site to print a house template. Along the way I found myself visiting another of her suggested blogs - Scrappy Jessi where I got the idea for these cookie cutters.
Thanks girls for the inspiration for a fun way to spend a morning!

Scenecaster gets some fresh Voice Talent

2008-12-05T16:10:00.004-05:00

Well, I'm pleased to say that the family business finally put me to some good work today. Up until now the voice of Scenecaster has been beautifully provided by Farrah, one of the company's staff members. It was decided that for the voice over of the "Virtual Stores" promotion it would be better to use a "more mature" voice.

I had a blast hanging out in the offices this morning. I recorded a number of takes of each sentence into a laptop based recorder and then worked with Michael the creative director to try to get just the inflection he was after. I'm really impressed by how he has timed each sentence to correspond to the Scenecaster Virtual Stores movie.

A whole new career? Somehow I doubt it. But it's a total pleasure to be able to use my experience in acting, singing and news reading to help the company.

Keep It Clean

2008-12-04T16:50:00.004-05:00

I admit it, I'm addicted to ChickLit, preferably British. At the moment I'm enjoying Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella. In it our heroine suffers from amnesia after a series of accidents and has no recollection of the neat, organized, elegantly turned out woman that she has become in adulthood.

Somehow the description of her home and dressing room must have hit home. When I went to my basement studio this afternoon to get some work done on "Completely Dotty" I was overcome by the need to clean and organize my workspace. I spent at least half an hour scurrying about putting things away and throwing stuff out before allowing myself to give in and sit down at the sewing machine.

I've added a new goal to my list. And this one needs to be a permanent one (as I write this I just know I won't stick to it). Maybe I should say it's an early New Year's resolution. It is "Keep It Clean". I just know that if I stuck to the old chestnut "A place for everything and everything in its place" I'd be more productive. It's just that my constant fear is that "out of sight is out of mind". If I put projects away that I'm not working on maybe I won't be inspired to get them done. Hence the lengthy WIP/UFO list.

What to do?

What do yoga and quilting have in common?

2008-12-03T12:43:00.001-05:00

I've been meaning to write a post about this for the longest time. It's the thought that passes through my mind at least twice a week as I tear myself away from my sewing to "hit the mat".

This morning I was rushing to get the 'C' blocks for my Black, White and Blue "Completely Dotty" quilt done before running out to class. I was congratulating myself for the flexible approach I was taking to the paper piecing. After all the pattern does enjoin you to vary the angles and widths a bit. As it turned out I gave myself too much leeway and ended up with 15 or so ugly blocks! And then I had to leave.

At the beginning of yoga class there is an opportunity to get calmed and centred. It's a time to open yourself up to the work you are about to do and to empty your mind of the stresses you brought into class with you.

Within moments of taking the starting relaxation position this morning a clear voice in my head said "When you get home rip out what you fudged this morning and redo the blocks."

David Foster was quoted in the paper the other day "there's a saying people use all the time in the studio that I don't allow. 'It doesn't bother me.'" He strives for excellence every moment that he is in the studio, I can strive for excellence every moment I'm in my sewing studio.

My teacher Marlene Mawhinney tells us that her guru B.K.S. Iyengar is particularly tough on the students who show tremendous flexibility. Sometimes we can achieve the most in yoga by binding ourselves. By limiting the flexibility of our bodies we can gain perfect alignment.

By sewing a perfect scant quarter inch seam, by following a pattern correctly the first time, by limiting the opportunities I give myself to live with my mistakes maybe I can let my imagination take flight and make quilts I can be proud of.

My unconventional approach to making Dear Jane blocks.

2008-11-30T09:33:00.000-05:00

I have a feeling that I am going to end up making a Baby Jane with the fewest number of pieces in history! Through trial and error I have discovered that my favorite method of constructing these tiny blocks is reverse needle turn applique.

I have two ways of doing it depending on how much white there is in the block. If there is lots of white I trace the pattern directly onto my 5 inch square of white on white fabric using a blue water soluble pen. I then pin the WOW on top of a five inch charm in my chosen colour. I put lots of tiny applique pins through the parts of the block that are going to remain white. Using sharp pointed applique scissors I cut away the white from the coloured sections leaving a scant quarter inch to turn under and applique in place. When the block is finished I simply spray the block with a little bit of water to erase the pen marks.

For blocks that are mainly not background fabric I trace my pattern onto the dull side of freezer paper. Using my sharp pointed scissors I carefully cut away the paper over the white parts of the block. After the freezer paper pattern has been pressed onto the coloured charm I pin the two fabrics together through the parts that will not remain white. I cut the coloured fabric out of the holes left in the paper leaving my scant quarter inch to turn under.

The variety in stitching techniques is really pleasurable. Sometimes I have the hard paper to push my needle against. But then I have the feeling of crumpling paper in my hands as I work the block.

I imagine that these blocks have a crisper finished look that goes with the crispness of the paper. And sometimes I have just the softness of the fabric in my hands. The patterns on these blocks have fuzzier edges. Evidence of the give of the fabric without the freezer paper holding it in place.

I feel some guilt that my finished quilt will not have been pieced in the manner of Jane Stickle. I won't have cut and pieced thousands of tiny pieces into my blocks. But I will have spent the hundreds of hours, sitting quietly with my needle and thread as I stitch block after block.

Etsy Newbie

2008-11-28T10:54:00.000-05:00

The good news is I've made my first sale on Etsy. The bad news is I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing!

How much should I charge for my craft? How do I know how much to charge to ship things? What should I make to put in my store? This is a whole new part of the craft world that I know nothing about.

I've always known that I wouldn't want to have a booth at a place like the One of a Kind Show. My feeling is that to be successful there you need to make one small thing really well, and make it over and over, and over again. That is anathema to me. I like to try my hand at different things all the time. I play with different colours, patterns and fabrics. My focus shifts from fabric to paper to paint. I've been doing a lot of quilt-making lately but I can go for months doing nothing but make photo collages or cards.

This is why Etsy appeals to me. There seems to be more of an opportunity to put whatever extra work you have lying around in your store and see what sells.

But for how much? That is the question.

Any suggestions?

Pulling Fabrics

2008-11-26T11:33:00.000-05:00

I recently joined The Black and White Challenge Quilt blog. I've been looking for an inspiration (kick in the pants) to get me working through my black and white stash. I didn't even realize how well this group ties in with my guild's Spring challenge until I started pulling fabrics this morning.

Originally I was thinking of doing "Completely Dotty" in Black and White and Green/Turquoise/Blue. I was going to call it "Green Revolution". I got to thinking about how our world has changed completely over the last few years and how if we keep going 'green' we'll be able to keep our skies blue! That led me to trying to incorporate my guild challenge fabrics into my stack of fabrics. The theme for this year's Guild Challenge is "Like Night and Day" and we received three great fabrics in our packages: two black and whites and one blue, black and white fabric (Califon Mark Lapinski’s Home Collection # 3003, # 3005 and Mark Lapinski’s Krakow Collection 3014).
I'm so pleased to be using fabrics from Mark Lapinski's collection. I have got to figure out how to join his posse! In the photo the B/Ws have already been incorporated into the stash and the blue is the second one from the bottom.

Of course once I added these new fabrics to my pile my colour changed completely from green to blue. Now I need a new title lol! And maybe even a new design. Back to the old drawing board.

Quilting Rules

2008-11-22T10:17:00.000-05:00

I learned again, and let's hope for the last time, that you really do need to start in the middle and work outwards when you are quilting. I started out turning an orphan block into a preemie quilt. It got too big, and too pretty, so I thought I would make it into a wall hanging or table topper. Despite my recent frustrations I've been having some success with straight line quilting so I got to work on adding some stitching in the ditch and outline quilting. I started in the middle and everything was going beautifully. But then I got the great idea to stitch around the borders before completely finishing the quilting I was going to do in the middle. There was puckering, there was pooching, there was ripping out of stitches, there was the intention to just throw the whole thing on the floor for the dog to lie on...

But no, I will persevere. I will rip out what I have to and use this as a great opportunity to learn from my mistake and never make the same one again!

So what are the rules?

1. Always use a 1/4 inch seam.

2. Press to the dark fabric.

3. Quilt from the centre out.

4. Make the backing and batting about 4 inches bigger than the top on all sides.

5. Only use quilt shop quality 100% cotton.

6. To prewash or not to prewash?

I'd love to hear your comments. Are there any more hard and fast rules that I didn't mention? Do you ever break any of these rules to great success?

To Do Lists

2008-11-20T14:21:00.000-05:00

The great thing about having a To Do List is that even if you don't get the things on your list done you get other stuff done that you're doing in order to procrastinate from working on your To Do List. Are you with me?

I've made several more preemie quilts, created a Flickr Group for people to post photographs of their own preemie quilts, joined Etsy and listed my first quilt for sale.

The store room in the basement is getting cleaned out. I finally gave an old computer that we've been toting around for years to our handyman/computer repairman Rob Kelly. When we first stopped using it I couldn't just get rid of it because I was positive that there was stuff on there that we just couldn't part with. Rob has promised to shove anything that looks personal or important on to a disc to give to us. I'm thinking that some of our first emails that Eyal and I wrote to each other may turn up on that disc.

Now that I'm making preemie quilts I had an excuse to drop in on the 2nd Anniversary Sale at Cock-A-Doodle Quilts to stock up on flannel. I'm glad I didn't get too carried away because my discount balloon only had a 20% coupon in it.

I was thinking today that making preemie quilts is a great way to "stir the pot", or get the creative juices flowing. I'm getting such a kick out of making these tiny quilts. They are so light and soft, come together so quickly, are such a great way to use up blocks that I've had squirreled away for years, and are destined to be used by such innocent and deserving little people. What could be more fun?

I hate quilting!

2008-11-19T14:20:00.000-05:00

Oh, don't get me wrong. I love choosing fabrics, planning designs, cutting, piecing, binding, giving the quilts away, wrapping myself up in a quilt, just about every part of the process except Quilting! After all these years I just can't get the hang of moving the quilt smoothly through the machine without breaking threads. And needles. And thread again. Thank heavens there are wonderful women like Sandy, Deb and Karen to do my quilting for me!!

Can you tell I've had a frustrating afternoon?

But I've also had a wonderful afternoon re-purposing an orphan block as a real preemie quilt!

It is so easy and so satisfying!

1. Grab an extra block. Add co-ordinating borders to bring it to 18 inches square.

2. Layer it on a 20 inch square of flannel.

3. Do some really simple quilting (even I managed this step!).

4. Trim the quilted square to 19 square inches.

5. Turn the flannel edges half way to the quilt top and press.

6. Turn again and top stitch all the way, mitring your corners as you go.

Voila! A completed preemie quilt!

Preemie Quilts

2008-11-19T10:04:00.000-05:00

One of the great pleasures of making quilts is giving them away. I imagine the recipient all curled up on the couch watching t.v. or drinking a cup of tea. If I make wall hangings, table runners, postcards or basket/bowls I dream of these objects being appreciated and finding a place in someone's home and heart.

In the past I've made charity quilts with both of my guilds. Sometimes these quilts are given to people in need and sometimes they are given to groups to auction off in a fundraiser. With this type of gift I somehow feel removed from the act of giving the quilt since it is given by the guild to an organization for them to choose how to distribute.

I've been starting to make preemie and baby quilts. These quilts are quick and easy to make, don't take a lot of fabric and are a great way to try out new patterns or design your own. Sandy Lindal was kind enough to quilt my first one pro bono. I got it back from her last night and I have to say "Quilting really does make the quilt"! Thank you so much Sandy!

Unfortunately I started making my preemie quilts before looking at the terrific information available on the web. Now I know I need to use a flannel backing, no batting and use minimal quilting.

I'll take a few of them to a local hospital with a NICU. I feel a direct connection with any Mom who has to visit her newborn child in the NICU, having had my twins there for just five days after being born four weeks early. I remember a kind nurse telling me "Nothing hurts more than having your child in the NICU". But as I think about it I'm not sure I would have wanted someone to make my baby a quilt. I did not feel "needy". I had my friends and family looking after me and I was just focused on getting my babies home safe and sound.

No, I think it would be better to direct my gifts to a local shelter. With the cold winter coming and the downturn in the economy there are going to be far too many people in need of a warm hug and a warm blanket.

To Do List Update:

1.The first preemie quilt is finished - ready for a label and to be given away!

2. The Kaffe Fassett is at the quilter. I did not purchase one new piece of fabric or batting to make this quilt!! Even the back is pieced together from scraps I had on hand.

3. I purchased two metres of purple fabric on sale at Sew Sisters to back the Laurel Burch mermaid panel and kaleidoscope. Sandy is going to quilt it and get it back to me in time for me to work on it at the beading workshop with Pam Woodward in January.

And the projects I've added to my list:

1. Blue and white baby quilts like Benjamin's quilt to give away or sell on Etsy.

2. Choose a project to make with the gorgeous stack of about 100 lights, medium and darks I pulled from my stash.

3. More baby and preemie quilts in time for the Holidays.

Onward and upward!