I was supposed to be quilting from home today as I have no massage clients scheduled....but...I wanted to play! And yes, the border is still NOT done on the blue quilt, but I have plans to take that with me to hilton head over thanksgiving...
Today I wanted to do something quick and fun! So...I dug in my "pieces-parts"...little string pieced trimmings, etc. And there were a few blocks I had crumb pieced..left from a little crumb quilt top that I had made. The blocks were 3.5". Very cute size for using up little stuff.
I also found they are a good size to have stashed back for coming up with a quick project! How many of you have books you love...be it a cook book, a favorite novel, a quilt book, a hymn book...an anything book? Make a cover for it using your leftovers!
Some may think this is corny, and too "martha stewart" ish....but I had a couple beat up books I wanted to make covers for. One was a small paperback with inspirational thoughts for the day, 365 days a year...and I really like it. It was worn and dirty and looking pretty bad though, so this was a good candidate...and another book became the second guinea pig.
I had fun doing these, they were easy...and FAST! I added ribbon book marks sewn into the seam at the center.....I didn't even bother to quilt them!
A little bit of what's going on here:
Music has always been such an important part of my life and I can really feel the holiday spirit (especially through the Christmas season) when I am singing in a choir.
When we lived in Idaho I sang with the Boise Master Chorale. And went to NYC and sang Brahm's Requiem in Carnegie hall. I loved singing with the Boise philharmonic orchestra and the Manhattan Philharmonic orchestra. I also sang with the Treasure Valley Chorale in Eastern Oregon, and the Twin Falls Chorale when we lived in Burley. Since moving to TX, and then to SC....I stopped singing. Life took over. But I missed it.
I love the traditional classic music, like Handel's Messiah. I could get lost in that music. I know a lot of people don't like it, but I do.
Last week I auditioned for the Cathedral Chorale in Columbia, and I made it! Tonight is my first rehearsal, and we are working on a Requiem by Maurice Durufle...all in latin. It is SO beautiful. It feels good to have a place to sing again. Since we left Idaho, I turned that side of my soul off because there was not a place for me to really sing.
Jason is doing well here, and it is wonderful to have him HOME. He has doing some checking for jobs. He was working at Olive Garden in Mankato,MN and has been to the Olive Garden here to talk to them about transferring. They want him! He just needs a couple of phone calls to take place between the two places for references...and hopefully he will have a job in the next day or so. It is great for them because he is already trained.
It's been good for Jeff and Jason to spend some time together too. This past weekend was Dave's company picnic....it was at the ZOO! What a fun place to have a company picnic. We ate burgers and hotdogs and all the fixins, and got to walk around and see all the animals. We had a great time. I'm sure Jeff would NOT have come with us unless Jason was along,and since he was...we all had a very enjoyable time.
I have joined a knitting group that meets on wednesday evenings, and I go to that right before I go to choir practice. I'm still working on that afghan that I started last Christmas when we were at the cabin in the Smokies. I hope to finish it..and then perhaps I'll start bringing a hand work quilting project. Just fun to sit with the ladies and talk and sew. I'm bringing the books and their new covers to see if I can get anyone interested ;c)
Bonnie
21 comments:
I love to see you playing hookey!! The covers are so great !!!
The covers are wonderful! Isn't it great to work on something that doesn't require a deadline or something your suppose-to-be working on?!
Sounds like you are super busy! Congrats on the choir - I would like to find a place to sing here in Finland. It's been a long time. I love the book covers, too!
Oh Bonnie! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE those book covers. Why do your crumb projects always look better than mine? :)
Oh how great is that about the choir! congrats on that!
And how great is that for Jason and Olive Garden - mmmm!!!!
Thanks for the idea Bonnie! Now I know how to use those languishing leftover 3" paper pieced blocks. /paula the_quilter at yahoo dot com
Bonnie - I so love Handel's Messiah - it is just my absolute all time favourite piece of music - I'm so glad you've found your way back into singing again - there's nothing like a full blown SING!!! to clear out your cobwebs and make you feel good - guess it must be the deep breaths getting all that extra oxygen into your system - ENJOY!!!!!!
Great idea with the book covers - and think how pretty they'll look sitting on a piano at Christmas...
Love the book covers too. How is your son's job going?
Both my boys were here a couple weeks ago when my oldest son got married. There's only 18 months between them so they're pretty close but haven't been able to spend much time together recently. Chris is moving back in January after we move to Minneapolis and I feel better knowing they'll be close enough to visit each other more frequently.
I'm also hoping to find a knitting group once I move. I've been branching out lately and knitting hats and dog sweaters.
Wonderful to hear from you Bonnie, I'm so pleased that things are going well at home. I love love love those book covers, you always have the very best ideas!
*hugs*
Tazzie
:-)
My Dad was the organist at Church and from a very young age I was singing in Latin...I love the sound and the feel of it! Glad to hear you found a niche!
Love the crumb piecing! I may try one for my beat-up address book...
Siobhan
I swear you have more hours in your day than the rest of us!! I'm glad family stuff is going well and that you've found your singing voice again. The book covers are a fab idea - I love doing fun little projects every now and then. And you're not alone in liking the classics - I sang Mozart's requiem mass in a choir with an orchestra once and I loved it. That was back in the dark ages in England though.
Awesome that you found someplace to sing Bonnie, and I love the book covers. Just when is that book coming out?????
I sing in a choir, too, almost solely latin. For christmas we perform Mozart, the "Sparrow-mess", with an orchestra. Don´t know if the name is right translated - sorry. I´m happy to meet a singing- and quilting sister in the blogs.
So happy for you making the Cathedral Chorale!!! Your life is so full...and you've got so much to share with others. You're very generous, Bonnie.
Love your journal covers. The one with the star wrapping around to the backside is really clever!
Geeze, can't believe how much you get done. Good luck with the Latin and congrats on making the choir. Your crumbs, as always, look wonderful.
Great book covers. I have a few special books that are really ratty looking from use. I need to make some covers for mine too.
Congrats on finding a place to sing. I used to really enjoy it too and haven't done any singing in many years now. Well except along with the radio or in the shower that is.
Hello Bonnie!
I can so relate to the singing part. Before I became a professional musician I sang in several choirs. We did among others The Passion of St. Matthew and Missa di Gloria. It is a fantistic feeling to stand together with lots of other singers and be like one voice for the audience. It's amazing :-)
Nice bookcovers.
Inga
Your book covers are just beautiful, as usual. What a great way to use up some of those ophan blocks. You come up with some of the greatest ideas.
Glad to hear that you are enjoying you time with having both "boys" at home. And congrats on the singing.
Bonnie, you have inspired me! Years ago, when I was just learning to piece and pattern, I made quilted book covers as gifts, I had totally forgotten I still had one stashed away! I am so glad I visited your site, today...I needed a quick gift for someone. You are the undeniable quilting goddess of online blogs and an inspiring role model for all of us to yearn to do and be more! Thank you, so very, very much!
Book covers are great, Bonnie.
Glad you "found your voice" again. I haven't ever sung with a choir, but didn't realize how much I sing with the radio in the car and at home until I had to have some surgery on my vocal chords about 18 years ago. I had laryngitis, but just had to keep plodding along on my job (which included reading lengthy legal descriptions aloud to proofread them). I developed soft polyps on my vocal chords and had them removed with a lazer. They were benign, but for a short period, I couldn't speak, and a longer period, I couldn't sing. I was driving to St. Louis for a Retreat, and since I couldn't sing, I whistled as I drove. It was about a 4 hour drive, and by the time I reached my destination, my jaws hurt from whistling!
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