Sloppy, Sloppy Slobs

I live very close to a popular walking, biking, hiking spot. Some of the paths are paved and some are sort of groomed  but not paved. Hundreds of people and dogs go up and down the canyon every single day. Every single day I pick up other people's trash. There are numerous cans along the trail including a couple that are for recycling but it seems that most people are too lazy to carry their own trash or dog waste to the appropriate receptacle. I have never seen anyone leave the mess but I watch as other walkers pass by without making any attempt to clean up after their slob neighbors.

De Novo (Updated With Photo)

My friend's daughter sent photos of her new house in San Francisco and a red and green quilt just won't do no matter what room it ends up in. Although I don't think she picked the colors since she hasn't really had time to do any painting, the house is very small, and painted in blue, white, and grey. Even with small oriental carpets on the floor, a red and green quilt will stick out like a sore thumb. Good thing is that a few years ago I layered and quilted an antique quilt top from about the 1880's that is primarily blue, white, black and brown, with some reds in the middle. It is simply 3 inch squares, no design to speak of, with the reds concentrated in the center. The fabric is in excellent condition especially given the age of the top so I am not worried about it surviving. She keeps dust covers on her beds and couches because of the dog as well. The other good news is that the quilt is complete. That gives me an excuse to continue sewing my new project. I have finished one of the blocks and it looks even better than I thought it would. Sewing all the ins and outs on the feathers means I have to keep a wooden toothpick at the ready. Of all the tricks I know for applique, that one is the best no matter what.

Here is block one of the large four block center--

 I promised myself I wouldn't buy new fabric for this, except for the backing, so all of these are from my stash. I plan to do some fancy quilting in the plain corners and have a coordinating border.  Now you can see why the toothpicks come in handy.

Yet Another Change

After wallowing in ideas, fabric, books, etc. I started my new project for my friend's daughter. I was going to make a Wheel of Fortune quilt but just couldn't bear the idea of sitting at my sewing machine for that long so I decided on a red and green four block quilt (super old-fashioned in all dimensions) that combines a Princess Feather with a Christmas Cactus. I have so much old fabric that making old-fashioned quilts to get rid of some of my stash just makes sense. I like it and can't say I care particularly if she likes it. It will be a nice project.

Lizard Nebula Completed

Well you  can tell that I drew this out entirely freehand since it is lopsided but other than that I think it turned out reasonably well. It's still not my style but I am trying to expand my repertoire, probably to no avail since one must still enjoy what one does.

The Problem With German Cars III

I had to take my car down to the dealer today. The warning light for a locked steering wheel kept coming on, meaning that the ignition would not work. Luckily this happened when the car was parked and off anyway rather than driving down the freeway (which it could have been), but it was still a total pain in the neck. Please understand that the car was always parked on a flat surface, not outside on a hill, sometimes in my garage, and sometimes at the grocery store or the gym so there wasn't any reason for the wheel to lock. Anyway, this was not the first time this had happened so I more or less knew what was up, but when I took it in this morning the technician told me that BMW had learned that this was a safety hazard (no kidding) and had changed the design. Well now my car is getting its third steering column in 42,000 miles because BMW screwed up originally. I am already planning to purchase a new car but this is getting ridiculous since I have to make sure that everything works before I sell it or trade it in.

Fine German engineering is an advertising slogan not a fact of life.

Misgivings

Amazon has been sending me solicitations to buy the new book from the American Museum of Folk Art--Red and White Quilts, Infinite Variety. I saw that particular show a few years ago and I was underwhelmed. I also had serious issues with the last book that Elizabeth Vogel Warren and the museum produced. It had lovely pictures but the didactic text was lacking in what I think of as essential information such as the dimensions of the quilt, the type of fabric used, possible name of maker,  the possible location of its manufacture, etc. Besides those quibbles, I already own two books, the original comprehensive volume, "Glorious American Quilts",  and the Masterworks volume from the museum that was so disappointing, so  the quilts in the new book must be included. Certainly the ones I viewed at the red and white exhibit are all in the books I already have.I doubt this new book is worth its hefty price tag.You'd be better advised to look for a used copy of "Glorious American Quilts" although it isn't even the quilt collection book I like best. That would be last year's book about the Williamsburg Collection, Four Centuries of Quilts.

So Many Projects

 I have been steadily quilting the Lizard Nebula and have nearly completed the center appliqued section. I don't expect the outside portion to take that long since I will simply be doing echo quilting. As usual my brain is boiling with ideas but as usual some other projects are intruding. My California friend, the one who just visited in May, has a daughter who just purchased her first house. This is the same young (well young to me) woman to whom I gave the blue and white Melon Slice quilt a couple of years ago. I liked the quilt well enough but this time I just want to pick the fabrics myself. I plan to make a Wheel of Fortune quilt with reds, yellows, blues, and greens--very, very traditional but also simple enough to be modern. Just like the first quilt, which truth be told was the third quilt I made this young woman, it needs to be sturdy and washable since she has a dog that gets on the furniture. He is quite old but she will surely replace him with another dog when the inevitable happens.

Then this morning I met the wife of the man to whom I gave the Trinity quilt. She wanted to meet me in person to give me a big bag of home made caramels and to ask me if she could commission me to make an Amish style quilt. I don't like to work on commission for any number of reasons but I do like Amish style quilts and hand quilting is my favorite part of the process so I told her we could talk after I finished the lizards and the wheels.

I had lunch with the young lady who is a rising junior at Harvard  and asked her if she wanted a quilt for graduation and if so what style, colors, flowers, etc. When she said that graduation was still two years away, I pointed out that hand made quilts take quite a bit of time and that it was part of a queue that I had mentally arranged. She told me that one of her roommates had made a quilt as part of a Folklore and Mythology class simultaneous to her trying to pass Organic Chemistry. It doesn't surprise me that her roommate's project was so artsy and hands on since my husband spent a great deal of time learning silk screening and making plaster shapes with balloons when he was at Harvard. I certainly understand why my young friend felt an imbalance though.

But the quilt I have in my head that is sort of my own project, based on Ted Storm's work, is the one I am most looking forward to working on. Lots of handwork, lots of quilting, lots of flowers and lots of colors. So 3.5 quilts in my immediate future or less than immediate future and all but one going to good homes. I still won't make a dent in my fabric stash.

Lizard Nebula Exploding (With Picture)

I finished the crazy top and layered it today. Luckily my son does like this one (of course he liked the last one as well) and it is only about 50 inches square so makes a reasonable wall hanging. Here it is on the ground basted and ready to quilt. Although this design is adapted from the work of an artist who lives in Hawaii, it reminds me of an aboriginal painting I purchased in Sydney when I was there.

On a completely different topic, Old Trinity Schoolhouse is moving from Virginia to Ohio. I know they won't have a physical location any more but I do think that they will continue an online presence. In the meantime the fabric, the patterns, the books, etc. are all 50% off. These are a somewhat limited range of fabrics but all are very high quality and at 50% off they run about $5.00 a yard, a very good deal. I have no financial ties or personal ties but I have been pleased with their service.