My latest quilt project is ongoing but will take some time. I am calling it Illuminatio right now because I have adapted some old illuminated manuscript designs to applique. I am not making it as dense with design as those handwritten  and hand painted treasures but it will have some fairly elaborate applique. I was intrigued by the work of the Irish monks who produced the Book of Kells which my husband and I saw in Dublin. Zena Thorpe has made a few very wonderful illuminated quilts but her tolerance for lots and lots of small pieces and lots and lots of detail is far greater than mine. Then there is her skill which exceeds mine as well. Her work is far more true to the classic but mine will include some of those classic elements. My colors are very bright and vibrant (surprise, surprise) as were the inks and paints the monks used but my background fabric is very bright where the monks' works were on parchment, sort of off white. I was fascinated to see that the ancient designs included what our family has always known as the family crest. My husband asked how the design made it from Japan to Ireland, or vice versa but I don't know that it did. Seems more likely that disparate people in many places simply had the same idea. I don't know of any trips between the two parts of the world in the time frame of the Book of Kells or even any other of the well-known manuscripts which were produced in the fairly long time frame before the printing press ended the need for that handwork. There is a very good book about some of the more famous works by Christopher de Hamel if you have any interest in finding out more or seeing the amazing and delightful drawings, not to mention the great calligraphy.

 Dear Unknown Who Stands With Texas,

It is so refreshing to have comments from someone who doesn't care about looking foolish. That is the whole point of freedom of speech.

Thank you for reading,

p

 New broom same as the old broom. Looks as though Speaker Johnson is hearing his master's voice in his head. After fussing and fighting and pointing fingers at each other over the southern border, Johnson says the border deal being worked out in the Senate will not pass the House. The reason is that Trump doesn't want any deal that gives any advantage to Biden. So the border deal is no longer a high priority at all. The hypocrisy and chicanery that this represents is stunning.

https://www.politico.com/matt-wuerker-cartoons-january-2024?slide=0

 What with all of the side trips to make quilted clothing, it took me longer than expected to finish this project, one that ended very far from where it began. I made the quilted bomber jacket for son #3 and then I made a lined, appliqued kimono jacket for his wife. She must not like it because I asked her to send a picture of her wearing the jacket but that was two weeks ago and I haven't gotten anything in response. Oh well, can't make everyone happy.

This quilt was going to be a four block but then life happened and it ended up one block on point with extensive quilting. The other issue besides the DIL was that despite being prewashed one of the red berry fabrics bled like a champ. I don't know what the chemical explanation is for red fabric turning against the sewer years after pre-wash. Just another, "Oh well," moment. Since this all happened in the middle of another bout of low grade nausea this simple block turned into a chore. This started as a Kim Diehl quilt but as usual I didn't like all of the original elements so I eliminated some and added others.

This is called Persephone because it made me think of the myth related to her and pomegranates.

 Between my age and my mood my work is not as precise as I would like. Another "Oh well" or perhaps there should be a change in spelling.

 Trump is on a tear through Iowa, making bizarre remarks and ridiculous promises. He told a group of frightened parents concerned about the Iowa school shooting that killed a sixth grader to "get over it". He said that the US Civil War could have been "negotiated" to reach a settlement that did not involve hundreds of thousand of lost lives without giving any hints or clues how one might negotiate with slave owners. He promised that if elected he would get rid of the ACA (Obamacare) without revealing any plans at all as to how he would make health insurance better, more affordable, more accessible. Of course at this point even Trumpettes whose reasoning skills need honing might know that those ACA promises are empty as a pocket since the same promises came from those same lips more than seven years ago with nothing at all behind them. Trump's lawyer, Alina Habba, told interviewers that Trump would easily succeed in his challenges to the Supreme Court because Brett Kavanaugh owed Trump everything in his life, a statement that should shock the conscience of all but clearly did not.

Basta!