What I Value



Fresh new flannel ready for my machine.
I dearly hope I have met the sewing quality standard
to be allowed to sew more!

A couple of weeks ago I was made aware of a group of women that meet at a church near me who put together baby layettes to send to other countries.  I phoned and asked if I could contribute from home and the resounding answer was 'YES'!  The package was dropped off at the church info desk a week ago Sunday and after working all week I set my Saturday aside to do something other than make a bit of an income.  More satisfying than you know.  I was given six little kimono shirts already cut and waiting to be stitched together.  As my machine worked its way around the edges, stitiching each little shirt together I realized that somewhere in this big world, some day in the near future, there will be a small, breathing, warm, heart-beating body that this shirt will be wrapped around like a hug freeing a mommy & daddy to save their pennies for other important things.  Although I've always had enough above and beyond taking care of my needs to give financially, this is what Jesus does for me, He gives me sweet tasks and slays me with affection and a sense of value in the process. He lets me join in! I'm so grateful to Dorothy who said 'YES' to me.  Now I just have to wait and see if I have met the sewing standard so I can be trusted with more!   One can never be too sure.

Year verse

Do you have a verse that speaks into your spirit at the beginning of the year?  Kind of moves in and finds a chair?

It came when I was digging around looking for something else.  You know, a verse you come to that chooses to tickle a curiosity which keeps you coming back to scratch.  This is often how I know it's the one!

Writing it for memory here.

Deut 33:12 "The beloved of the Lord dwells in safety.  The High God surrounds her all day long and dwells between her shoulders." 

My friend Gayle explains that last part this way

"Perhaps God "dwelling" between our shoulders means that is He lives in our backbone- the very structure that holds us together, that carries the weight of the burden of our flesh." 

 

Now you know one of the reasons she is a cherished friend. She's a thinker.

If I Could...

'Not by Bread Alone’ at the N.Y.U. Skirball Center
 

If I could travel to NY on a whim or better yet, Tel Aviv, I'd like to go and see this which is playing right now.  Just part of a wish list is all.

All of the cast members in “Not By Bread Alone,” conceived and directed by Adina Tal, are both deaf and blind to varying degrees, some from birth. And the show is never stronger than when they depict, through language signed and spoken (there are English supertitles), the sensory content of their lives, in which touching and being touched assume paramount importance.

 

New Years?

Left side of counter

Right side of counter

So... on the cusp of eating healthy again my kitchen counter looks a bit schizophrenic.  Actually it kept on variations of this for over a week.  I must admit that both areas are colouricious! and a perfect accompaniment for the HBO series marathon my Swht and I indulged in.   (Christmas Day was a Season One marathon seeing as our family Christmas was Dec 08.  Oye... so early!)  Christmas celebrations being completed waaay before everyone else meant that I enjoyed the rest of the pre-Christmas Day season so much more.  Who knew??!!!   And our Christmas marathon?  such a success that we stayed in our lounge wear all New Years as well and polished off whatever dared to linger on the counter.

The mystery

The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
the one-of-a-kind glory,
like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
true from start to finish.

John 1:14

The Plunge

So... I've joined this amazing group! The Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild. Oh my gosh! I LOVE it when there are people in my world that set a high bar for excellence. It inspires and challenges me and this is exactly what these people are doing. I've been attending for over a year and each time I come back from one of their meetings my brain is about to explode with ideas, challenges, and potential.

Just to be sure my person didn't feel short changed I made them
two cushions.  One for the wrist and one for the machine

Each month they throw out a challenge for anyone who wants to participate.  I’ve always been chicken in regard to these because I am not quite sure if I have a satisfactory standard of skillmanship.  I have quilted, but only for my family and if there are mismatched corners, they don’t care because it’s a gift from me and a treasure for both of us.  H’anyway, last month I thought it might just be time to jump in with a do or die leap.  Really now, if it’s not acceptable, I can work at getting better but I hate to disappoint the recipient.  This challenge was pretty open so I thought it might be a good one to start on.  It was to make a pin cushion of our choice out of any fabric and bring it to the next meeting to put in a large pin cushion swap. The cushions would be exchanged with other quilters from participating cities who have done the same.  Isn’t this brilliant!?  So... being a bit nervous about my actual quilting skills I made up my own little image, put it on transfer paper, cut out a shape with a backing, sewed the seams together, stuffed it and viola!  (When in doubt, go overboard! So my person gets two!)  So my version of a not so quilted pin cushion for a Quilt Guild Challenge and I went to the meeting with a little bit of a ball in my tummy.  But wanting so much to overcome my apprehension, I took a deep breath and followed through.

When in doubt - go overboard! See, they are interchangeable.
The one is winking to be cute and on a bad day, she's letting
one know... "you can do it!"  I need this kind of encouragement
and maybe someone else does too.

 

The president and founder of the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild, Holly Broadland is an amazing young woman who always states, “It doesn’t matter what level you are at.  Everyone is welcome.”  Do you know how empowering this is?  She’s marvelous.  You can follow her on her blog  Holly’s Red Bike. Last month she was interviewed by Tina Anson of Canadian Living Craft Blog.  Check it out!  You just might find my little contribution nestled among some amazing quilted pin cushions.  Gosh, I’m feeling a tad warm and fuzzy, like someone just said I belong.  So darn excited now that I’ve taken The Plunge!  Tomorrow is the next meeting and I'm participating in the new challenge.  Yikes!

Eastside Culture Crawl

Oh my gosh... I try to make it to one day of the Eastside Culture Crawl every three or four years and this year I was invited to join two well-school women in the world of art and literature.  Well read and with strong ideas of art and things new, not to say movies as well.  I was thrilled because I was the fly on the wall.  My favourite trek for the ECC is the home studios of which we landed in a couple and then headed to William Clark Studios that is floor upon floor of studios often two or three artists in one space.  What I love about this Crawl is that you get to see the artist AND a rare chance to see in their work space and art.  Here were some of my faves.

Jill Pilon - Mixed Media Artist
Jill had a real nice modern touch.  Would go great in any high end minimalist setting.  Loved it!  She was super too.  After posing without her glasses we asked her to put them on. They suit her so nicely.

Jill Pilon - She had a piano in her studio as well!

Famous Empty Sky - Mixed Media, Drawing, Printing, Collage, Photography, Painting
FES was great telling us various stages of a well developed process that is all her own. You certainly can tell that she has worked at perfecting this method.

We not only talked with Famous ES, we also were delighted to meet her daughter and granddaughter
Everyone fully vested in her venture and of course, delving in their own mediums.  Such a treat.

Afuwa - Printmaking, Painting

 

We loved hearing Afuwa's point of view.  Unique, honest, complex.  We probably could have brought a good bottle of wine and spent a chunk of time with her just hearing her point of view.  An amazing treat!

Afuwa - we were invited to decode the binary on the plexiglas screen.
This was one of my expert companion's favourites! 
Can you see the code?

Colin Johnson - sculpture

 

Colin was so fun to talk with.  He had been working on this through the night to complete.  After my co-crawl walker teased and cajoled information out of him, we saw the rest of his work.  Absolutely delightful.

 

Colin Johnson - the centre doors hide a liquor cabinet with mirrors and another secret storage to the right.

 



Colin makes wooden puppets and a whole lot of other neat stuff

There were more but either my pix didn't turn out or I could not find their links.  Darn!

This type of  'Crawling' works up an appetite so off to Havana on Commercial with my art buddies.

Yes... here they are talking about books, book clubs, and a little later they announced that they were going to their 'church' in the morning.  The Vancouver Sun Sunday Film Series.  aka Breakfast and a movie

They are all over the culture of Vancouver.  So fun!  Such a great day!  Lucky me.

THE VANCOUVER SUN SUNDAY FILM SERIESpresents
SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK 10am Sunday Nov 18
at The Park Theatre



Join us for a
free breakfast at 9:30am.
Guest speaker
Katherine Monk
Post media film critic.