I haven’t blogged for many years now. I’ve lurked, read and left comments on other’s blogs, but left mine to collect virtual mothballs. However, in the interests of participating in a QAL, I thought it time to resurrect my blog.
I named the blog after my Grandmother, Syd. She was an amazing woman who knew how to make a little go a long way, and had an amazing impact on my life. She raised three kids by herself in the days before welfare assistance, and knew how to do everything from gardening, home repairs, wood work to car maintenance. She was a parent to me during my university years, when I came to the "Big Smoke" from our isolated rural property. She was smart, acerbic, ruled by routines, generous and yet careful of every penny spent. She taught me that whatever happens, you pick yourself up and just keep going. These days we call it resilience.
I’m needing to practice that resilience at the moment.
We have changed regions this year so I could live closer to my remaining parent. It's a much smaller place, a few shops, a couple of supermarkets. I thought it would be fine until it came time to buy Christmas presents. Boy did I miss living close to a shopping mall then.
Mum has a love of lighting fires (not a pyromaniac I assure you), and my Sister definitely won the "Best Christmas Present" award this year by letting Mum light this fire on her farm. Living in town now, she's not allowed to light fires at home anymore. She finds this quite difficult after a lifetime of lighting spontaneous bonfires to get rid of things she later decided she should have kept, like beds, chairs and suitcases. So far my quilts have escaped the fires.....
So, creative challenges for 2024 to increase my resilience by sparking joy? Not set in stone, but I may do a BOM for the first time. I'm just a little averse to group activities, but Jen Kingwell is doing The Quilt Show 2024 BOM, and the temptation to join in is very great indeed.
Isn't she a thing of beauty? I'm a Jen Kingwell fangirl, unashamedly. I have made quite a few of her quilts, some multiple times, and two are currently on my bed.
I have also admired the work of Audrey from Quilty Folk for a long time and have wished that I could take a class from her. Her new QAL is my opportunity to learn more and see if a spontaneous and appliqué based quilting style is something that I can embrace for myself. If you want to check it out, follow the link below to the QAL.
https://quiltyfolk.blogspot.com/p/bramble-blooms-qal-posts.html
I have also bought a Lap App, so I can sit in a comfy chair, and do more slow stitch. There is something very therapeutic about stabbing fabric with tiny needles, repetitively. The new book from Fleur Woods, a Kiwi artist, will guide me on this journey.
Otherwise, I have a couple of WIP's to finish.....neither of which is doing anything for me. They might go in the naughty corner for a while.
Well, that's it for now. I have disabled comments on this blog, as I found replying to the comments one of the things that contributed to me stopping blogging. As an introvert who is already pretty overloaded with social commitments, I just want a place to come and write and record. Something to look back on at the end of the year, to see if the year did in fact pass in the blink of an eye, or if I paused sufficiently along the way to take note, and create.
Plus, the internet has grown to be a place not necessarily known for its positive interactions. So, I'm just avoiding the fuss.
See you next time, and here's to a pleasant memory.
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| Silica Rapids Walkway, Tongariro National Park. First person on the walkway after a fall of snow, a lifetime ago... |
