February 14, 2016 ~ A Barn and a Late Art Journal Happy Valentine’s Day

Even the barn has a little red on it for Valentine’s Day

This barn is linked with Tom’s Barn Collective.

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“True love stories never have endings.”

~Richard Back

Some of my art journal entries this Valentine’s Day. 

#30 ~ I’m Already Thinking Valentine’s Day

“If God had intended us to follow recipes,

He wouldn’t have given us grandmothers.”

~Linda Henley

Each year my son, Gene, Patti, and Eloise come here for my birthday on the 7th of February. Then we go out to Douthat State Park for fun, games, eating, and hiking. We have gone for so many years that this year we decided just stay here at the homeplace...so they are not coming until the next weekend...the one of Valentine’s Day. That’s when Eloise has a 3-day weekend. That’s a GOOD thing for Baga. The “tragedy" of this is I (Baga) will not get to help her make her Valentine’s Day cards for her classmates. We have done this together ever since she started school, so since she won’t be here I have had to make my own for her. 

This picture is linked with Weekend in Black and White.

Eloise’s Valentine is linked with Dezinaworld15 Cheeky Challenge for week 3 and Lunagirl Creative Challenge for January which is “babies or children”.. The Cheeky Challenge was for us to come up with a piece that represented something “romantic”,  and since I love children so much I decided to make a Valentine with a little boy and girl in it. The background frame and the hearts are from Goggle stock images, the texture is Cottoncandy which I think is Kim Klaassen’s but am not sure, and the little heart banner at the top is one I made for my dear friend, Weezie a while back. Even if Eloise was not going to be here to make her Valentine’s, I decided to make one of my own for the Cheeky Challenge and to send to her. 

My Weekend Quilting Projects

 Back in 2007 I made this child’s Pinwheel Quilt from a pattern I found on the Moda site (http://www.modabakeshop.com/2009/03/pinwheel-baby-quilt.html) using the Snipets fabrics. Well, when I went to my precious dermatologist at UVA last week, I learned she was going to be moving to NYC and that she had had a little girl since I saw her last year. I knew immediately what I had to do. I remembered this quilt and decided to make one with smaller 6” pinwheel squares. I started on it this afternoon and have competed 4 squares...from the stash! I did have to run to my quilting shop to get some good off-white for triangles and strips, but I guess that’s still staying true to my resolution to stick to the stash except for needed backing, binding, and emergencies.  All my whites were prints, and they looked horrible.

Sorry my photos are so crummy. Terrible lighting in the house at this time of the day.

I am using all of my 30’s baby fabrics plus others I can find. Am still looking thru my buckets, but here are some I have pulled. Hope to get at least another 4 squares done tonight.

I posted this runner on Wednesday, but I have now made a small “heart” templet which I am going to hand quilt on the white strips. This is my Slow Sunday Stitching for the weekend. It’s the kind of handwork I love to do. It is so soothing and downright FUN!

 These are some of the felt and fabric stuffed hearts I’m making for friends again

 this year.

I am linking up with Sew Darn Crafty at Karen’s Sew Many Ways and Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy’s Quilts. Be sure to check them out. They are both filled with wonderful pieces and inspiration.

WIP ~ Valentine’s Day Runner

 Here are the 4 blocks before assembling the runner.

I AM NOT REALLY CRAZY. JUST WANTED TO SHARE THE NEW SNOW WE GOT LAST NIGHT.
WE WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE COLD TEMPS BUT NO SNOW!!!

 I have finished putting the runner together and hand quilting along the major seams and around the hearts. Only a bit of the embroidery is finished, but I will continue with it each day. I’ve button hole stitched the hearts and embroidered down the centers.

I backed the runner with the cutest tiny vintage gingham print from Cottonwood Quilt Shop in Charlottesville, VA. It is a Civil War red. I am not buying new fabric unless I need backing. Am sticking to my resolution to use up as much of my stash as I can this year.

It fits my table so well, BUT the hearts really should have been turned two to the left and two to the right like some a Christmas tree runner I saw online. That way they wouldn’t have ended up all facing in one side directions. Since this was my first, and I was making it up as I went, I'm happy with the outcome. It washed and the hand quilting puffed up perfectly.

This post is linked with WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced. Just click on the “WIP Wednesday” and you will see how many fab things are under construction this week.

Memories of Valentine's Day 2013

Traditional Nursery Rhyme

"Ladybug, ladybug" is chanted by children when a ladybug insect lands on their person. If he ladybug does not fly away of its own accord the child would gently blow it away chanting - "Ladybug, ladybug fly away home". This insect is found every summer in the gardens of Britain - the most common colour is red with black spots, less common are the yellow variety, In Britain ladybugs are referred to as "ladybirds".

Farmer's knew of the Ladybird's value in reducing the level of pests in their crops and it was traditional for them to cry out the rhyme before they burnt their fields following harvests (thus reduced the level of insects and pests). 

The English word ladybird is a derivative of the Catholic term "Our Lady". The tradition of calling this rhyme was believed to have been used as a seemingly innocent warning cry to Catholic (recusants) who refused to attend Protestant services as required by the Act of Conformity (1559 & 1662). The law forbade priests to say Mass and forbade communicants to attend it. Consequently Mass was held secretly in the open fields. Laymen were subject to jail and heavy fines and priests to execution. Many priests were executed by the terrible death of being burnt alive at the stake or, even worse, being hung, drawn and quartered. The most famous English recusants were Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot Conspirators. 

It is possible that the word Ladybird was exchanged for Ladybug, in the American version of the nursery rhyme, due to the word association with Firebug meaning an arsonist or pyromaniac. There has been some speculation that this Nursery Rhyme originates from the time of the Great Fire of London in 1666. 

Thank you, Rita, for my precious ladybug dip bowl and little knife.