Quilt? Check!

It has been quite a while since my original 'before 25' post and I have finally accomplished some of my goals.

This weekend, I went to visit my Aunt Donna down near London to trade her quilting skills for my internet prowess. In exchange for her help in finishing my quilt, I gave her a lesson in the facebook. Let me tell you a little bit about this quilt.

When I was fifteen, I took some sewing lessons at the local quilting shop. I learned all the basics and went on to create some pillow shams, a tote bag, a few pairs of pyjama pants, mittens, scarves and a denim dress (that didn't really turn out the way I had pictured). For my next project, I decided to conquer quilting. Did I choose to make a nice, small throw quilt or a flannelette baby rag quilt? No. Obviously not. I guess I thought my sewing skills were pretty hot, because I decided to make a queen-size log 'rail fence' quilt. It was a pretty intense experience. First, I had to slice all of the fabric into little rectangles with this cutter thing that is like a pizza cutter, but much sharper. Then, I pieced the rectangles into squares and then into long rows. I eventually sewed all the rows together and added a wide border. This took me months and months. Towards the end, I was slicing some more fabric with that pizza cutter thing and… I slipped. I sliced off the tip of my left index finger. Needless to say, progress on my quilt went pretty slowly after that. I did manage to sandwich some filling between my quilt top and whatever you call the back piece. I even pinned it all together with these little bent safety pins which are especially for pinning quilt tops to whatever you call the back piece. But that was it. That was how my quilt sat, rolled up in my closet for the past nine years. I just couldn't let it sit there any longer.

So Aunt Donna got me set up on her machine and I finished the quilting bit. Then, she helped me figure out how to turn the edges under and finish them off. In all, it only took me about six-eight hours. And it looks great… looking at these pictures, you may be thinking 'Wow! Sarah is such and incredibly talented quilter, I must get her to make one for me!' Well, I'm gonna just let you believe that. I'll keep all the wobbly stitches to myself as I cozy up under the extra layer on my bed.

I have also checked off a few of my other goals. I joined the Christmas Cantata choir at my parents' church! (We're singing on Sunday Dec 11 at the morning service, if you want to come see!) I've started going to yoga at one of the local studios too! (And pretty soon, I will have completed all my teacher's college applications!)

I haven't really read much more of Samuel, so I want to get on that! It's those darn 'Game of Thrones' books! I've read the first two now, and they just suck up all my reading time. I can't put them down!!!

This Post is Late… Before 25 Tuesday!

Hey there! Happy Thanksgiving! How wonderful was the weather this weekend? I headed up to Almonte, Ontario, the birthplace of basketball, to enjoy a traditional turkey dinner with the Patterson clan. My family ate Thanksgiving dinner outside in the sunshine, sipping cold beers and smiling at our reflections in eachothers' sunglasses. I am thankful for so much in my life and my family is definitely near the top of the list!

In the past couple of weeks, I have made some progress towards accomplishing some of my 'Before I Turn 25' goals.

Earlier this week, I received some information from the OUIT, allowing me to log-in and complete my application for teachers college. I've started to fill it out, but I probably wont fully submit it until closer to the due date so I can add on some of the volunteer and work experience I will have by December.

Also, I went out to check out a local chamber choir. I think it might be fun, and I really want to get back into choir singing and they sing a wide variety of music. But… the music is pretty challenging. I'll definitely need to practice at home on my own!

I am going to be doing some volunteering at a local elementary school as well. I will be helping out in a Senior Kindergarten/Grade 1 class— I had my first day this week. Although trying to supervise nineteen 5 and 6-year-olds was a little bit stressful, as they constantly attempted to pull my attention in different directions, I had fun! I helped them sound out words while playing a board game and I made playdough cookies. I am looking forward to next week!

My job has been a bit hectic, so far. It's good, just hectic. I haven't settled into the roll yet… and some things aren't quite working out as I have planned, so I will be making quite a few changes for next month's calendar. As everything in life, this job is definitely a learning experience. I am enjoying it— unlike some other learning experiences I've had in recent years!

I will leave you tonight with some excellent music. I may have mentioned 'Watch Listen Tell' in a past post, but just in case I didn't, please check out this link. Watch Listen Tell records up and coming artists as they perform acoustic renditions of their singles in outdoor locations around North London. Unsurprisingly, I discovered their recordings while YouTubing my favourite English band, Stornoway. Some artists they have featured include Liam Bailey,  Dry the River, and Newfoundland's own Hey Rosetta! Oh yeah, OKGo's WTL is amazing, too!

My new favourite discovery is a band from London called 'Golden Silvers'. They. Are. Ace. If you every hear that they are touring in North America, PLEASE let me know. Enjoy!