February 2012 – Page 2 – Artquiltmaker Blog

FOTY 2011 Update

I was going to say “HOORAY!!! I finished the FOTY 2011 top!”, jump up and down and encourage us all to dance together.

But.

No dice. I starting ripping out the border on Monday, because it screamed at me. The diamond black and white didn’t work. Two people that I asked didn’t even notice, but I can’t even look at the top without my eyes going straight to that black and white border. And that means I have to rip.

Still, I spent all day Sunday sewing and that is a bonus. It was such a pleasure to spend time with my sewing machine listening to audiobooks (yes, I finished one book and started another). Still, the pleasure did not create a great border.

If fabric were wider than 42″the quilt top would have looked like the photo right. In this photo, you can’t see the way the fabric was printed off grain or the way my joins did not line up properly when I tried to make the borders longer. The border didn’t work for *me* and the sooner I faced that reality the sooner I could really get to finishing the top.

I got to this place, because I couldn’t find the fabric I originally wanted to use and I was too lazy to shift stacks of fabric around to find it.

Laziness is my downfall and I deserve what I get. In fairness, I did move some fabric AND I may have used all of the fabric I was considering, but I did not look all of the blacks to make sure.

I retrieved some other fabrics and found the stars. Right now it is my favorite. I’ll see how I feel and how the joins look later in the week. I am so glad to have some time this week to work on this project in little bits.

26 Projects Update

I got a bug in my ear to update this list. I don’t think I have made much progress, but I wanted you to know that it is still on my mind.

Here is the list, again, still in no particular order. This time I have some annotations and I am crossing things off that are well in hand:

~~Stars for San Bruno #2~~: Finished! YAY!
~~Stars for San Bruno #3~~: Ready to be taken to the quilter. I am thinking of trying another quilter. Needs quilting, backing and binding.
~~Pavers~~. Finished! YAY!
~~Food Quilt~~: needs quilting, backing and binding.
Jelly Roll Race: I decided I would cut this up into diamonds, put a border around each diamond and sew the diamonds back together again. I don’t know what the ultimate purpose will be, but I am pleased with that idea.
Original Bullseye: needs border, backing, quilting and binding. Went rummaging through my fabric closet to find this top, because I was fired up to put the border on. I couldn’t find it. It is lost. I know it is in there somewhere. I am also working on my border idea and have definitely decided not to put that particular border on this quilt, if I ever find it, but I am glad I am doing the test.
Corner Store: foundations cut; blocks not made
Spin Wheel: really not started, but supplies gathered.
Infinity blocks: I know where they are.
A-B-C (A-Z) BAMQG Challenge – I am actually not sure if this should be considered a WIP, because I don’t really have enough blocks with which to make anything yet. I am making good progress. This month I need to make K and L blocks.
Aqua-Red Sampler – steady progress has stopped and the class more than the quilt is really weighing on my mind. As far as I know Frances has still not finished her Dresden Plate. I really don’t know what am I going to do with her? The next class was going to be fusible machine applique’, but I haven’t gotten past cutting out the templates. Perhaps I should skip to machine piecing curves?
The Tarts Come to Tea: I haven’t quilted on this since April 2011. I need to work on the quilting. I was making good progress and then got sidetracked.
~~Kissy Fish~~: Finished! Yay!
FOTY 2011: piecing nearly complete.
Flowering Snowballs: I decided not to abandon this project, partially because I am so far along and partially because I need a hand project. I made the templates I need for the border blocks and am ready to start cutting fabric for the borders.
Garden
Flower Garden
Moon and Stars: need to finish handquilting. This quilt is not interesting.
Pointillist Palette #4
See: needs satin stitching.
Self Portrait
Spiderweb
Under the Sea: class project; like the design, but not the colors much.
~~Pineapple~~: Abandoned; will remake blocks at a later time with more care.
Flower Sugar Hexagon: sewed more hexagons together. Sewing Y seams is a bit of a chore, so I get tired of doing it after awhile.
Young Man’s t-shirt quilt: have cut up the t-shirts and am in the process of applying fusible.

Here is new categorization:

Well in Hand or Complete:

~~Stars for San Bruno #2~~: Finished! YAY!
~~Stars for San Bruno #3~~: Ready to be taken to the quilter. Needs quilting, backing and binding.
~~Pavers~~. Finished! YAY!
~~Food Quilt~~: needs quilting, backing and binding.
~~Kissy Fish~~: Finished! Yay!
~~Pineapple~~: Abandoned; will remake blocks at a later time with more care.

Have a Plan:

Flower Sugar Hexagon
Young Man’s t-shirt quilt: have cut up the t-shirts and am in the process of applying fusible.
Pointillist Palette #4
See: needs satin stitching.
Original Bullseye: needs border, backing, quilting and binding
FOTY 2011: piecing nearly complete.
Pointillist Palette #4

Hunting & Gathering Stage:

Corner Store: foundations cut; blocks not made
Spin Wheel: really not started, but supplies gathered.

Steady Progress:

Not a Clue or I Have Lost Momentum:

The Tarts Come to Tea: I haven’t quilted on this since April. I need to work on the quilting. I was making good progress and then got sidetracked. I think I do have a clue; am just not inspired.
Garden
Flower Garden
Moon and Stars: need to finish handquilting. This quilt is not interesting.
Self Portrait
Spiderweb – I know I want to put a self bordering border on this quilt, but just can’t seem to get it done. I think I may need to make two quilts, because I have way more blocks than I need for a bed sized quilt.
Under the Sea: class project; like the design, but not the colors much.

Abandoned:

Pineapple

I am going to remove the finished items from the list for the next update. I will still call it 26 projects, but I want to see the list shrink and that seems like a good way to do it.

Book Review: Creative Quilting with Beads

Creative Quilting with Beads: 20+ Projects with Dimension, Sparkle & Shine by Valerie Van Arsdale Shrader

Beads must be in vogue, because I received this book from Lark Crafts yesterday. I was immediately drawn to the pomegranate on the front cover. The beads on that piece are perfect.”

The book has 24 pages of “The Basics”, which includes everything from Beads (pg.8) to Hanging an Art Quilt (pg.24). The book follows The Basics up with Projects, a gallery and templates. There are also bios of the designers and (YAY!!!) an index.

The introduction includes a line, which I think is a good reminder for working with beads on quilts “…the many ways beads can work with their fabric background, either as part of a pattern on as a dramatic focal point (pg.6).” In Kissy Fish, I used the beads to enhance the overall design while the fish was the focal point. Both thoughts are represented in this book.

“The Basics” talks about beads including the purchasing of beads and a reminder to the reader that anything with a hole in it can become a bead. “Creating with Beads (pg. 10-11) talks about supplies the maker will need to work when using beads including beading needles. The chart of different types of beads from A Bounty of Bead + Wire Earrings would not be out of place in this section.

The following 10 or so pages gives the reader the rudiments of quiltmaking. There is a section on pressing, which I don’t remember seeing in other books. “A portable padded pressing board is helpful when pressing partially completed quilts with the beaded side down. The padded board will cushion the beads to help you avoid dimples and other imprints on the quilt (pg.15),” which is good to know. Free motion quilting, fusible applique’ and hand techniques are all covered. There is also a small section on embroidery stitches.

This book is a compilation of various designers’ work, which means that there is a lot of variety in the projects. The projects are laid out in the Quilting Arts magazine style. There is only a small paragraph or sentence about the inspiration or reason for the work and then the materials needed and instructions start. I would have liked to have seen more thoughts from the artist.

I really couldn’t pick a favorite project as several of them were appealing. By The Sea by Kathy Daniels (pg. 26), the first project in the book was appealing for its line of white sashiko like stitches and machine quilting. Jewels of Our Past by Larkin Van Horn (pg. 68-71) also had interesting machine quilting, but I also like the blue dots for their varied repetition. The pomegranate book cover by Sarah Ann Smith (pg. 98-101) is quite special. The machine quilting is very effective and the pomegranates, as I mentioned, sparkle. The group of projects also included an apron, magnets, a handbag and a purse.

The gallery gives the reader an idea of the style of the various artists and provides inspiration. I wish the photos had been larger in that section.

View all my reviews

Book Review: A Bounty of Bead + Wire Earrings

A Bounty of Bead & Wire Earrings: 50 Fun, Fast Jewelry Projects by Nathalie Mornu

This is a book I received from Lark Crafts as a review copy back in December. It took me a little while to get to this title due to the holidays, illness and travel. As I have said, I am not a jewelry maker, but I found some interesting things to inspire me in this book and am glad I finally was able to review it.

First, there are lots of great photos. There are photos of the projects, inspiration photos, such as the various “Earrings Around the World” photos, clear photos of tools and processes as well as large images of each project. The photos really make this book.

The other element that I like about this book is from the “charts and graphs” department. I haven’t ever seen a book that includes a chart detailing the size of holes (figure 1, pg. 8). Not only does the chart show what an 18mm hole looks like, but the chart includes a 2″ ruler alongside the equivalent ruler in millimeters, thus showing that an 18mm hole is approximately 3/4″. There is also a key to wire gauges (pg.139), which I thought would be helpful to designers.

Throughout the book are “Designer Tips”, which cover such aspects as “do not ream crystals. They shatter easily” (pg.9). Good to know and a perfect way to communicate that information.

While I have said I am not a jewelry maker, I do buy an use beads on my quilts, including the recent Kissy Fish. Thus the pages called “Bead Types and Shapes” (pg.10-11) were of great interest to me. There is a bead type called West African Lost Wax. Who knew? There are also rice, Roccoco, Chinese cinnabar, domed, donut and Cupolini. All of these sound very interesting. The pictures next to each of the names and description ensure that the reader knows what the author means. If this type of chart is not prevalent in jewelry books, then it would be worth buying this book for the chart. Nathalie Mornu talks about wire, tools, safety and techniques with the same clarity and knowledge.

If you like projects, then this book has lovely projects. My favorite is called Florentine Lace (pg.91), because of the filigree the maker creates. I was hard pressed to choose, though, because I also liked Spellbound (pg. 114) and the shape of Rain (pg.107) as well.

I think jewelry makers would get something out of this book. Buy at your bookstore or check it out at your local library.

View all my reviews

Creative Prompt #143: Melody

Please post the direct URL (link) where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. I would really like to keep all the artwork together and provide a way for others to see your work and/or your blog, and how your work relates to the other responses.

The Creative Prompt Project, also, has a Flickr group, which you can join to post your responses. Are you already a member? I created that spot so those of you without blogs and websites would have a place to post your responses. Please join and look at all of the great artwork that people have posted.

I have been working on Rhythm for the design series this week, so the word ‘melody’ jumped out at me.

Melody Johnson

Definition: A melody (from Greek ??????? – mel?idía, “singing, chanting”),^[1] also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of pitch and rhythm, while, more figuratively, the term has occasionally been extended to include successions of other musical elements such as tone color. It may be considered the foreground to the background accompaniment. A line or part need not be a foreground melody.

Melodies often consist of one or more musical phrases or motifs, and are usually repeated throughout a song or piece in various forms. Melodies may also be described by their melodic motion or the pitches or the intervals between pitches (predominantly conjunct or disjunct or with further restrictions), pitch range, tension and release, continuity and coherence, cadence, and shape.

Melody Thomas Scott (Young and the Restless)

Melody Quinceanera dressses

Baby Lock: Melody

Kate Spade’s Cafe Melody dress

Quote: “Every soul is a melody which needs renewing.” Stephanie Mallarme

Melody Ranch Picture Studio: where famous westerns were made such as, The Lone Ranger, Wyatt Earp, Gunsmoke, Hopalong Cassidy, Annie Oakley, Rin Tin Tin, The Cisco Kid, and most recently Deadwood, Tall Tails, Last Man Standing, and Magnificent Seven.

Historic Melody Inn Tavern of Indianapolis

winter melody

Quote: “Asking the author of historical novels to teach you about history is like expecting the composer of a melody to provide answers about radio transmission. ” Lion Feuchtwanger

FOTY 2011 Update

I made really good headway on FOTY 2011 over the weekend. If I had not gone to BAMQG, I would have finished the top, but socialization is a good thing. 😉

The photo on the left shows where I left it on Sunday night when my family finally managed to drag me away from the sewing machine. I start the piece by laying out the patches in the bottom left hand corner. I, first, concentrate on arranging the pieces in that area and move towards the upper right hand corner. The patches, before sewing, take up enough space to cover the entire design wall. As I sew, I move the sections (chunks) away from that beginning corner towards the upper right. It helps me know how much I have left to sew.

It turns out that I had a fair amount of unsewing to do. When I started, I just sewed one triangle to another without really thinking of how I was going to put the chunks together. As you can see in the light blue section, I now have all of the chunks angling to the left. To get them to line up, I had to rip some pairs out and sew those patches to other pieces.

I also needed to rip out and recut the smaller triangles. I am not sure what happened, but when I sewed the three prints and one background triangles together, they were at least a 1/2″ too big. I tried to work with them that way, but, in the end, I ripped them out and recut them, then sewed them back together. I have a few more to do in the last couple of rows, but am almost done. I am much happier with them now.

I may finish the top this weekend, but we will see. DH and I have to try and fix our printer and I have an event on Saturday to attend. I hope to have a bit of time to sew.

Various & Sundry 2012 #2

I listened to four audiobooks by the same author in December while I was off. Then, I listened to them again in January while on the train, while doing the dishes, while sewing, while doing boring tasks at work, at lunch, at the quilt retreat in a room full of other people; in short everywhere. I really like the characters in this series. They are murder mysteries and I don’t know if they are well written. I think they are well written. The author uses words like winsome and doesn’t actually repeat herself when conveying past happenings in subsequent books.

So now, I am back, I think. I am tempted to start them again, but I am trying to control myself. I need to participate on FB and Twitter and talk to my family, get back to the Design series with Sandy, and generally be a person who participates in life. It is winter and that is my version of hibernation.

CQFA Retreat Update

Julie wrote her blog post about the CQFA Retreat, which corrected a few things I said wrong in MY blog post about the Retreat and her work. She has a good view of the back and side of me, if you want to see what the back and side of me look like. It is also a good view of my 3 drinks, my flowers, my mess. That is how I work: organized chaos.

Patterns

A friend asked me about a pattern for a binder cover and before I could wrap my head around the question and answer it, she found one that looks like it would be quite sturdy for even the heaviest binder.

I have been fascinated with casseroles recently. Though this has been a relatively warm winter, my body craves hot, thick and saucy foods and soups. Listening to A Prairie Home Companion doesn’t help. I saw a variety of casserole carrying covers in Minnesota, but the one I really liked was a kit with uninspiring fabrics. I came across a casserole carrying cover tutorial, which I shared with my Minnesota hostess. She is thinking of making a shower gift including the casserole cover as well as an apron, hotpads, oven mitt and trivets. I thought that was a clever idea.

I have had a messenger bag fetish lately. Laurie Wisburn of Tufted Tweets fame led me via Twitter to this very practical messenger bag pattern. I haven’t made it, but it looks very good – plenty of pockets, good size and adjustable.

If you are crazy about Block of the Month projects, check out this list of many, many BOMs. They are organized by technique. Darla of the Scientific Quilter podcast passed this tidbit along. City Quilter has a few BOMs available as well. Love the Amish look!

I like that the author showed a variety of house quilts made from the same pattern. It really shows how to inject creativity into a pattern.

Gigi’s Thimble has a great star pattern that I thought would work well with the BAMQG 16 patch blocks we are making for charity. Don’t get me wrong! I love those 16 patch blocks. I have already made the four packs into blocks and am working on a block from my own scraps. Gigi’s block reminded me of the 16 patch and I thought it would be a good way to make the quilt slightly larger, if necessary. The post includes a tutorial.

Designers

Moda has a new designer who started with an Etsy shop for papercrafts. Read about Jenn Ski on the Moda Newsletter blog.

Here is an interview with Cynthia Mann, owner, designer, proprietress of the FabricWorm and Birch Fabrics. Remember the great visit TFQ and I had with her?

I received some really nice comments when I posted my Swoon blocks to the Swoon-a-long Flickr group. I saw a really nice Swoon quilt after that. Individually, I am not that fond of the fabrics, but I really like the combination. I do not subscribe to the “buy ugly fabric, because it will make the pretty fabrics look better” line of thought, however, I think that the khaki (not ugly, BTW, just not to my taste) really makes the other colors shine.

Creativity

I saw a blog post (thanks, Amy of Creative Mom Podcast!!!) about documenting a day in your life. I like the idea, but my life is not as pretty as the photo in the blog post. Still, I like the idea. It would be good for a scrapbook page as well. What do you think?

Are you doing the Creative Prompt? DO IT! I need some friends who participate! Thanks.

Are morning routines a creativity killer? Annie Murphy thinks so and talks about why in this article. Apparently not being allowed to be groggy and unfocused for a little while prevents those inspired ideas from having a chance to manifest. Murphy also talks about commuting damaging our brain cells. I blame corporate America. The solution: lie in bed a few minutes longer, stand in the shower a few minutes longer and watch YouTube videos while drinking your coffee. “Laughing babies and a double latte: now that’s a way to start the day.”

What is your morning routine? Does it involve any creative endeavor? I write in my journal. It isn’t quite stream of consciousness, but close. I try and do a brain dump so my mind is clear when I get to work and any non-work related thoughts are memorialized on papers, so I can get back to them later. I also want any work worries safely sheltered on the journal pages rather than in my mind. Doodles are sometimes included.

Quilt World News

The catalog is out for the International Quilt Festival in Houston. Send me tweets if you make it. I am not going this year, but someday.

There is a quilt podcast meetup at the Mid-Atlantic Show this year. Pam of Hip to be a Square, Sandy of Quilting…for the Rest of Us, the fabulous Frances of The Off Kilter Quilt and many others will be there. I am actually tempted to hop a plane and go. If I were only so rich! I hope someone bring their microphone and does some podcasting from that meetup.

Swooning Along

I couldn’t resist Camille Roskelley‘s Swoon block. I tried, I really did. There is a Swoon-a-long going on Flickr, organized by Imagingermonkey. I kept hearing about it and finally gave in.

The original blocks are 24″. I didn’t want to make blocks that large. I resized the pattern down to 16″. Thank you, EQ7. The size is actually good for me. The patches are reasonably sized. I can make 2 blocks from the half yard fabrics I have selected.

This block is similar to Rolling Star and Star of Bethlehem, according to EQ7.

I didn’t have a lot of time to work on the block, but it was on my design wall so I kept thinking about it. I decided to make more than one block and just see what evolved.

I think these blocks have 90 pieces if made the way I cut it the first time. It was easier, because I used the Triangle Technique for all of the triangle squares (half square triangles). The sewing is probably the same with that technique, but I don’t have to handle as many pieces.

Friday, I had some time. Good thing, because I was about to lose my mind. I just sewed on and off while I listened to an audiobook in between errands and other obligations. I finished the first block and, then, finished a second! One thing I realized was how hard it is to match up the pieces of actual fabric with my block picture.

I printed out a life size version of the block so I could use it to measure the half square triangles. I wanted to use my triangle technique and various speed cutting rulers. EQ does not calculate for specialized cutting techniques. I thought the life sized version would help. It does, actually.

My two finished blocks look similar, because I cut some of the half square triangles wrong. See above on the life sized version.

They weren’t failures, but I couldn’t use them in the first block, thus the second. I am going to try some of the other fabrics next time. You probably knew that. 😉 I do plan to use other fabrics. I think I may have enough to mix these 3 in with other fabrics, so there is some continuity.

I have a group of fabrics that will be sherbety and fun. I bought them during the summer. This will be a good project for them.

I also think I will try different ways of putting the blocks together. In Block #1, I made all half square triangles (using my Triangle Technique). On the next one, I will make Flying Geese instead of half square triangles. That will give me the opportunity to try out Deb Tucker’s Flying Geese ruler, which has been sitting on my desk for months!

I decided I would try cutting a big square for the top center portion (see the pink polka dots on Block #1). On Block #2, I used the technique where you sew a square diagonally across the corner to another square on Block 2. This cut down on a few pieces. With 90-93 pieces, the fewer seams the better. It will be a good exercise to try and figure out the best way to make these blocks.

Fun Swoon blocks:

Imagingermonkey Block
Little Bluebell post and block

Search for swoon quilt block and you will see a wide variety of wonderful renditions of the Swoon block.

BAMQG February Meeting

The Bay Area Modern Meeting was yesterday and fun as usual. There is much talk of the upcoming retreat and also of the recent Sew Day. 46 people, the most EVER!, attended the meeting and the group had its first ever speaker. Lots of firsts.

A-B-C (A-Z) Challenge

We displayed our A-B-C Challenge blocks. Mine are Jewel Box and Indian.

There are about 7-8 participants. Diana just joined by doing one block and Jennifer joined, doing a-J (minus I). I really like this challenge. It is great that I have a reason to make a block every month (not that I really need an excuse).

Angela brought two Hawaiian blocks (far left). I love it that she is doing these blocks in Hawaiian fabrics. Most people don’t use Hawaiian fabrics as regular fabrics for regular blocks.

Michelle is doing her blue and white blocks (also far left). We are getting so far along in the project that not all of us were able to put up all of our blocks and Michelle was one of them. It occurred to me that she might have the hardest job of all since not all possible blocks are suitable for two colors.

Kathleen’s blocks are still the black, white and red ones. She is doing a good job choosing how much print to put into each block.

Jennifer is using the Lazy Girl ruler for her blocks (middle with all the points). She has just started the challenge and is catching up.

My blocks are on the top right. Lynette’s are the grey and green on the bottom right. I like the way Lynnette’s blocks have an on point sort of look. Many of them have half square triangles in the corners. She made a Glacier Bay block as well and it is really great to see how different it looks from mine. She uses fussy cutting in her blocks and the technique in Glacier Bay is particularly effective.

Speaker

Joy-Lily brought books, Carefree Quilts, and quilts to her talk. The quilts she brought were all from her book, so we didn’t get a sense of the evolution of her work. She organized the talk to coincide with sections of the book, which was a good idea, especially if one had the book and could follow along. A clever portion of the book is that if you make all the blocks you end up with an extra block from each of the projects with which you can make a sampler quilt. Joy-Lily had someone else make the sampler quilt and the maker did a great job. I really like the colors.

All the quilts from the book are all kind of wonky. Joy-Lily doesn’t think that people can do perfect matching seams and has written her book to that end.

The Leaf quilts are very inspired and I think that that block is one of my favorites from the book.

Sewing Time
Adrianne was a madwoman (in a good way!) on getting us to our sewing time. We were done with show and tell at 3:05 and everyone started moving tables, setting up machines and working away. I sat with Chris and TFQ and worked on the border test I have been wanting to do for a long time. Chris and TFQ were both working on hand projects. TFQ is handquilting a lovely quilt (which I forgot to photograph) with Perl cotton. Chris is working on an art piece where she is couching down some threads that have, what look like, little flowers on them. Again, I was so wrapped in my own project that I didn’t take a photo. Perhaps she will post to her blog.

I wish I had gotten a photo of the little sewing pod in the middle of the room. Ruth, Adrianne, Kathleen and bunches of other people were set up there. Such a buzz of activity! It was wonderful.

Charity Quiltmaking

Deborah and Jennifer collected bunches of more fabric and quilts and other necessities for the charity quilts the group is making for the NICU at Stanford. I can’t be too upset about the lack of a Cal connection, because it feels good to be helping children and their families in need. I posted the 16 patch blocks I made yesterday. The selection of fabric packets wasn’t stellar, but I retrieved 4 more batches of fabric, but I also spoke to Jennifer about the background. She said any white is fine. I have some white-on-whites that I will use with some of my scraps to make my own blocks. I gave them most of the Pineapple blocks that were the wrong size, so I can, now, cross that off the 26 Projects list.

I realized that one reason I enjoy working on this project with the BAMQG people is that Deborah and Jennifer are so kind and serene about the whole endeavor. I am not sure if those are the right words, but I know that they express genuine gratitude with donations and they do not harangue or guilt people into participating. They are also really well organized and the 16 patch block they selected, as I am sure I have said before is a stroke of genius. I have never felt like I am really contributing to a charity project as I do with this one. I also feel like it is fun. All in all a very good experience.

Jennifer and Deborah have a goal of 24 quilts in mind for this year, but they think they will surpass that. They already have 6 quilts, including one that I donated, the Crazy Quilt Test. I meant to send it to Japan after the earthquake, but somehow it never made it.

Creative Prompt #142: Gift

I could resist celebrating just a bit more.

Definition: A gift or a present is the transfer of something without the expectation of receiving something in return. Although gift-giving might involve an expectation of reciprocity, a gift is meant to be free. In many human societies, the act of mutually exchanging money, goods, etc. may contribute to social cohesion. Economists have elaborated the economics of gift-giving into the notion of a gift economy. By extension the term gift can refer to anything that makes the other happier or less sad, especially as a favor, including forgiveness and kindness.

gift basket

Present

“I think, at a child’s birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift should be curiosity.” Eleanor Roosevelt

Birthday gift

gift bag

Christmas gift

“We’ve got this gift of love, but love is like a precious plant. You can’t just accept it and leave it in the cupboard or just think it’s going to get on by itself. You’ve got to keep watering it. You’ve got to really look after it and nurture it.” – John Lennon

gift wrapping

gift tax

gift registry

Give the Gift of Music – iTunes ad

gift card

“Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.” -Buddha

gift box

“Joy in looking and comprehending is nature’s most beautiful gift.” – Albert Einstein