Happy Leap Year Day!

 

Happy Thursday and happy Leap Year Day!

Leap Year antique postcards make me laugh.  But...did you know that the tradition of a woman proposing to a man originated in Ireland?  Most sources state that St. Brigid of Kildare complained to St. Patrick that men were taking too long to propose to women.  So St. Patrick decreed that women could propose on leap year day.  

Soon the tradition spread to other areas and if a man declined the woman's proposal, the man would have to pay a penalty like give her a pair of gloves (or 12 pairs of gloves), a silk gown, etc.

One source suggested that the gloves were symbolic because they could hide the lady's ringless hands.  😮

There were even some laws in Europe that dictated penalties for a man refusing a woman's proposal.  I read that this tradition (later law) originated again with the Irish.  St. Brigid proposed to St. Patrick and he--possibly too busy casting out snakes--declined her proposal and gave her a silk gown.

Now how much this is true is debatable.  One Irish newspaper pointed out that St. Brigid was only 9 or 10 when St. Patrick died.

In some countries, this day is referred to as Bachelor's Day or Ladies Privilege.

Would you ever proposed to a man?  I know I learned my lesson asking a man out on a date in the 1970s when we women were feeling more liberated.  The man turned out to be my first husband.  I didn't do that again.  😂

Have a wonderful and safe day!

End of Embroidery Month

 

Hello friends!

Well I've been meaning to post something about National Embroidery Month (February) but I kept forgetting.  So before it is gone, here are some of my favorite pieces:

And some of my pieces:

Have a safe and happy day!

Tuesday's This and That: February 27, 2024

 

Good morning and how are you today?

In about 10 days we change the clocks and spring forward.  As usual, my body is already preparing for spring.  I'm falling asleep at 9 p.m. and waking before 6 a.m.  Later in the season, once daybreak occurs at 5 or 5:30, I'll be up with the light then.  I read that this desire to be up in the morning means I'm a "lark".

Although we are familiar with the concept of a night owl, a lark is an early bird morning person according to Wikipedia.  Are you a lark or an owl?

Now some of you may have not heard of this word:

But technically none of us are really what this words means one who stays up late or doesn't sleep at all.  Usually it refers to a party animal and most quilters I know do not conform to that definition.  Or do you?

***

This week's resolution:

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Spring is surely coming and Lucky saw his first baseball game (on tv) on Sunday.  He was intrigued with the Philly Phanatic and then curled up on my lap and fell asleep.  However he does look cute sporting his baseball jersey!

Have a safe and happy day!

Fairy Tale Day

 

Greetings and Salutations!

I was looking for inspiration for this morning's post and found it is National Tell a Fairy Tale Day!

I'm not sure what my fairy tale would involve but I'm sure there would be some kind of journey involved...

And hard labor (at least for a child):

Of course there would be a dog or two:

And some kind of heroic kindness, perhaps with a magical inanimate object...like a wishing ball:

And of course everyone would live happily ever after!

What would your fairy tale be like?

Have a safe and happy day!

Flower Friday: February 23, 2024

 

Good morning!

Can you feel the spring creeping in?

I'm dreaming of zinnias...lots of them for the next season and the good part is the flowers are always available as plants as seeds.  I have no idea why I am gravitating towards this flower but at least I'm hankering for an easy flower.  What are you in the mood for this coming spring?

There (as of Thursday) still a lot of snow on the ground here but I did find some weeds...that are unfortunately flowering already.   Fairly soon I'll be working out there and pulling what weeds I can.

I'm not sure what wing flowers are...but I found this interesting quilt pattern for the blooms:

The closest thing I could find was "bluewing flowers" or Torenia.

We can purchase this plant as an annual in our region.  I'm just wondering do you have any idea what a wing plant is?

Have a safe and happy weekend!

Some Finishes

 

Good morning and how are you today?

I have a few finishes I can share!

My Lagotto Romagnolo quilt is already mailed and hopefully will arrive at Jeannette's soon.  You recall, she made Lucky his red coat and it has come in hand very much this winter!

Lizzie always does a wonderful job with the quilting and I was excited to get this one finished.

I also finished the Phillies quilts:

I have just enough Phillies scraps to make a small wall hanging for us and I need to get on soon.

The split four patch is also completed and I'm going to take that over to Jenny's soon.  It's a Tummy Time quilt for baby Nora.

My guild is doing another "Better Done than Perfect Challenge" again this year.  I love UFO challenges and though I got a lot done last year, I still have UFOs in the sewing room.  

This year I have 14 projects on my list but many of them are quilt tops at this point.  Hopefully I will get them done and get them passed on to whoever...

Wishing you a safe and happy day!

Work Rhythm

 

Hello and happy Tuesday!

We were supposed to get a light snow on Friday night which turned out to be 7-12 inches (depending on what part of the valley you were in).  Late Saturday we got squall warnings across our phones but none occurred in our neighborhood.  Still it is February 20 and I can feel March coming!

I spent the weekend caregiving and working on my shoo fly blocks.  The blocks have become a bit of an obsession at this point.  I started out using 1930s reproduction scraps.  But sometimes a block is so much fun to make and you develop a rhythm.  

I love when that happens and soon I was opening the suitcase full of actual 1930s-1950s scraps and going to town.  

It's the idea of the rhythm that is so appealing.  One article I read defined it as "the ability to work without feeling overwhelmed or stressed."  

Hand quilting used to provide me with that kind of peacefulness but I can't do that anymore.  So it's wonderful to find tranquility when making a block.  It's a simple block, one I haven't made in decades (I think the last time I did these blocks was with my Nana).  

There was a time I felt like I should do more challenging blocks or make some kind of artistic statement.  But the beauty in getting older is dismissing those kinds of feelings and embracing what makes one happy.

Shoo Fly blocks make me happy.  Is there a project that makes you happy these days?

Have a safe and happy day!

President's Day: 2024

 

Happy President's Day!

Did you know that Washington was actually born on February 11?  But in 1752, Britain and all the colonies discarded the Julian Calendar that had been used and switched to the Gregorian Calendar which made George's birthday February 22.

Block featured in one of my redwork quilts.

I also like the Mountain Mist Cherry Ripe quilt this time of year.  Even if George didn't chop down the cherry tree, I still connotate cherries with him.

The original Mountain Mist pattern shows a more elaborate center but I think I prefer this simpler version.  The original pattern is being sold again at a variety of places.

One of my favorite Washington inspired quilts is one made by Carrie Hall and is featured here.  The quilt is an adaptation of two patterns, one by Lydia  Le Baron Walker (who created the United Hearts pattern I featured on Valentine's Day) and used other aspects of a Ladies Art Company Catalog pattern.  More information about the pattern can be found here on Brackman's blog.

Wishing you a wonderful and safe day!