New Canadian

Welcome to our new Canadian! Nader finally got his Canadian citizenship on May 28, 2010. (I know I am late in posting this). Nader and I did not get to sit near to each other, so my limited photos turned out poorly. The photo above was taken after the ceremony.

The ceremony was held in a high school gym just 1 block away from our house on a Friday morning. The judge came from Victoria, but he used to live in Kamloops. I can't remember what his name was. He made an incredible speech about what it means to be Canadian. I was moved.

It was really neat to take part in the oath of citizenship. I have never made such a declaration, as I was born Canadian. It states:
I swear (or affirm) that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, Her Heirs and Successors, and that I will faithfully observe the laws of Canada and fulfill my duties as a Canadian citizen.

After saying the oath, each person becoming Canadian that day received their certificate of citizenship and shook hands with all the dignitaries. Then we ate cake.

Nader was so excited to apply for a passport that he did so right away, and got it within 3 weeks! Now he really wants to take a trip to the US, but that won't be for a little while yet. We have lots of other things planned for now!

If you ever have the chance to attend a citizenship ceremony, I highly recommend it. Its really neat to see people who have worked hard to become Canadians have their dreams fulfilled.

xo Nicole

Housewarming

I made this quilt for our friends, Dave and Kathryn. I had a set of scraps that I got at a great deal quite a long time ago and I decided to make something with them. They were pre-cut and I just randomly sewed them together without a plan. Once I had some chunks, I decided to do a little planning.

I came up with the layout above, but there was a tricky little hole in the middle. With some frustration I figured out how to fill it in. I bet you can't even find the spot! I'm pleased with how it turned out.

I quilted it with an all-over loopy stitch, similar to what I've done in the past, but with bigger loops. I think it has a nice texture to it. I used a dark blue Ikea sheet for the backing and a turquoise solid for the binding. I like how it ties it all together.

Our friends really like the quilt and tell me they use it regularly! Nothing makes me happier than that!

xo Nicole

Carmen's Birthday Quilt

Earlier this spring I decided to participate in a quilt along. I picked out these fabrics and started cutting. I got the solid yellow, a linen cotton blend when I was in Egypt last Christmas. The batiks came from my stash. I found the backing fabric at 50% off on a trip to Burnaby. I love the cherries!

I had the top ready to go in strips to sew into a top, but then we moved. It took some time to get things set up in our new place for sewing to resume.

I then was teaching a friend how to quilt, using the same pattern, so I was distracted. I had the quilt ready for binding for quite a long time and had to show Carmen in advance! I was too excited to hold off any longer.

Finally I bit the bullet and finished hand sewing the binding down (after it sat on the back of my couch for nearly a month)! I gave it to Carmen for her birthday (which was in March) in the beginning of June. She was so thrilled!

I love this quilt because its so cheery and it was really simple to make. If you ever want to learn how to quilt, let me know!

xo Nicole