It's My Prerogative, so I AM Doing the A to Z Blogging Challenge

I know that last week I said I wouldn't.

But it's a woman prerogative to change her mind, and so I have.

Last week, I didn't have the material to inspire me, nor the stamina to sustain the challenge. But I think I've found the former, which encourages the latter.

Count me in for the  April A to Z Blogging Challenge 2014.  It's simple but not easy:  blog every day in April except for Sundays.  That's 26 days, corresponding nicely with the number of letters in the alphabet.

So, what changed? What inspired me? What's my theme ?

My daddy's words.

Specifically, his words written in his own hand, into a blank book called A Father's Legacy: Your life Story in Your Own Words.  I gave it to him on Christmas Day, 1999, and requested it back as a gift on Christmas Day, 2000. He lovingly complied.

I should not call it a blank book, because it didn't even start completely blank; at the top of each page is a pre-printed question and then a page of blank lines for him to write his answer. An interview of sorts, mainly eliciting autobiographical information, but also a gratifying dose of fatherly counsel and insights sprinkled throughout.

My father is now 79 years old. He is my hero, the first man I ever loved, someone I'd give my last breath for. I cherish him and always have. He is a man of integrity, gentleness, wisdom, humor, common sense, fidelity, compassion, gratitude, honor, courage, and love.  He is intelligent, articulate, inquisitive, creative, and persistent.

I've always thought of him as "Jesus with skin on."  My mother calls him "the incarnation of Jesus' love" to her.

I'd say a man like that deserves to be read.  And reread.  Hence, I will be bringing to the April A to Z blog challenge...

Daddy's Words.

I might throw in a few of his poems here and there, too. His poems make me smile. I think they'll make you smile, too.

Not Feeling my Writing Mojo

Maybe it's busyness. I have a part-time job now that I love. It requires finding books, puppets, games, and other fun learning resources at the library and online.

Maybe it's that my love of quilting has risen from passion to obsession.

Maybe it's that my comment box is usually on the empty side, and that makes me feel that my posts are a waste of time.

Whatever "it" is, I wonder if my writing mojo is buried beneath the cold, hard, snow-laden earth with last fall's acorns.

In previous years, I've wanted to participate in the A to Z Blogging Challenge for April.  Not so this year. I can't think of a theme to guide my posts, sustain my motivation, or compel my hand to complete the fragments in my mind six days a week for a whole month. This year, that 'challenge' sounds draining, not inspiring to the writer in me.

A toddler does not learn to walk and talk at the same time; the brain handles one thing at a time for maximum efficiency.  For now, it would seem, this talker is doing more "walking" in her life.  She is reading blogs, to be sure, but her own blog may be quieter in the days ahead.

Evolution of the C Block

A kind quilter online asked other quilters in one of my chat rooms if I'd like to participate in making a quilt for a certain woman named Carolyn.  Of course I would, since the requirements were easy:  one 12.5 inch block in earth tones, preferably batiks.  I knew I wanted greens and golds to predominate.

The multi-color batik is from the stash I bought from the widower I've mentioned here a few times. (He sold all of his late wife's quilting stuff, and I bought a small portion of it, with the promise to bless others with it, as she would have done.)

In the back of my mind, I entertained the idea of doing applique' .  But I was afraid. Why? Because it's still new to me, and because Carolyn is an outstanding quilter herself.  I felt a bit like Julie cooking for Julia.

I think this block went through more "wardrobe changes" than an adolescent girl.  I can't believe how long it took to decide on the center part. The outside came together fairly easily.

Here were all the ones that didn't make the cut: 

Not enough difference in scale:

Purple print was too dark:

The colors of the Asian lion print were perfect, but his expression was freaking me out.  What was I thinking when I bought it? 

Nope. 

Is this Christmas in March?

The brown just looked like diarrhea to me.

Even with better lighting.

                                                       Can you see two birds or just three flowers?

I'm liking the flowers, though. 

Heck, no. 

So, back to the flowers. I decided to cut them out and applique them on. 

I fell in love with Heat 'n Bond Lite (purple packaging).  It made the fusing

very easy. Then, after practicing my machine applique on 

a piece of scrap, I got brave and did it "for real" on this block.

The final product? 

Here she is. 

I'm no longer afraid of applique'.  I'm still far from good at it, but it doesn't scare me anymore.

I hope Carolyn likes my block.

Pinterest Party

Welcome to my first Pinterest Party! If you would like to join, please leave a comment and we'll follow you to your blog. I apologize in advance for not knowing or figuring out how to do Mr. Linky.  (I just got hired for a job two days ago and I start tomorrow, so I've been busy preparing.)

Here's a smattering of things I've made from January through the present.

The inspiration quilt was a play mat from McCall's Quilting, a pattern called "Matchy Matchy."  I knew instantly that I wanted to make a variation on the idea. My version has only 36 squares, two of each print, 6 inches each (finished), and with fewer colors.  But it is meant for my niece's little brain to be stimulated by the patterns.  I can't wait to deliver it later this week.

I haven't named this quilt yet. Can you give some suggestions?

 This is the backing:

In January I  joined a small quilting board chat challenge with the theme "Black and White and Red All Over."  We could make anything we wanted, but it had to be in those colors and had to be for ourselves.

I wanted a large pincushion so that I didn't have to think so much about aiming my pins.  I also wanted something very solid. I stuffed this one with shreds and scraps of fabrics that I keep when cutting.

This is my "Ouch" pincushion, courtesy of Pinterest.   I combined these fabrics, added the letters (free-handed)...

and came up with this.  It's far from perfect, but it does the job and makes me smile.

Thanks, "Pin"terest!

In February, I sewed up 28 little fabric bags for my daughter (the teacher)'s first grade class. I put a Hershey's Kiss in each one and tied them with ribbon I had. I gave them to the 26 kids, the teacher, and her co-worker. They were a big hit.

And for a St. Patrick's Day bake sale at my son's school, I made rainbow cookies with M&M's by using this recipe from one of my Pinterest "pins."  The blogger gives the secret to making an ultra-soft, chewy cookie.  My son said they sold out. I asked, "Why, because they were colorful?" And he said, "No, because they were good! I told everyone how soft they were!" 

Your turn! Please leave a comment and your link (if you are playing along). I'll be sure to visit your blog. Thanks for stopping by.