I was laying in bed this AM* with Mikale draped over my right knee and Nikoli leaning against my pillow purring - and I purred a little myself thinking about the quilt we were all enjoying.
Yep, it's winter (such as it is) in Arizona and we've pulled out the Obnoxious Furry Quilt for the season.
Thanks, Mom. Love/Miss you.
*Disclaimer - this bonus thanks blog was generated based on the warm snuggly feelings from the cooler weather of about a week ago - when it was actually semi-cool in AZ. {sigh}
Showing posts with label Quilting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quilting. Show all posts
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
Tucson Quilt Show Apologies
Greetings.
Quickie post/confession.
On Sunday, I had tweeted out 6 pictures from the Tucson Quilters Guild 34th Annual Quilt Show and had indicated I would post more here on the subject. Alas, it was inappropriate for me to have tweeted those pictures or to post on this blog any of the quilt pictures I took.
The tweets have been deleted and you see before you an honest, but colorless blog post.
Here's the deal.
When I went to the Quilt Show on Friday, I did ask if I could take pictures and the kind hostesses readily answered "Yes".
However, I forgot to ask if I could post them on the blog/the Internet. (Yep, key plot point there...and I usually do ask about the blog option. {sigh})
On Sunday, whilst reviewing the Quilt Show outing with a favored friend (who had been unable to attend the quilt show with me), I made mention of my colorful tweets of the morning. My friend asked if the Quilt Guild would be alright with that sharing. Even as I answered that I'd asked about pictures being OK, I realized I hadn't asked about blogging or tweeting said pictures. (Thank you, Linda, for asking!!)
I checked the Quilt Show program and the Show Etiquette noted folks were welcome to take photographs for "personal use only, unless otherwise specified...".
Hmmmm. That didn't sound like a "go for it" endorsement to brighten up the blog with spiffy quilt pictures. So I e-mailed my questions to a couple of the Tucson Quilter's Guild contacts Sunday night.
Monday morning I received a very nice response AND an even nicer phone call from one of the Quilt Show Directors. (Yes, I'd fessed up and fully disclosed myself in the e-mail.)
The lack of pictures in this blog tells the tale and also indicates my support and personal feelings that we do need to protect the ideas and patterns of our fellow crafters.
The Quilt Show Director indicated they would consider modifying the photograph etiquette in the Program to clearly state that photographs should not be posted on Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, etc.
I think that is a grand idea.
So...please take my word for it, the quilts were spectacular (some photos are available on the Guild's website) and inspired me to go look a little longingly at my fabric stash. I'm more of a basic quilter and have mostly made baby blankets. A very little quilting from my stash was covered in this blog post.
Having been pointedly reminded of my fabric stash, I didn't buy much at the Quilt Show beyond two spiffy patterns from the Quilt for a Cause group. I was impressed with their patterns, their premise, and with the charming and lively Jain Barrett, who explained what their group was about and who had also designed one of the patterns I purchased ("Desert House"). (I also purchased "Scraphunters's Star2 by Evelyn George and Dorothy Lee.")
Thusly, this confession-blog serves as a reminder that we should always ask if we can share pictures on the Internet and offers even more proof that I can be a ditz on occasion.
Yes, I am very chagrined that I inappropriately tweeted quilt pics.
The good news is, I have VERY few Twitter followers (11) and, near as I can tell, the pictures were not re-tweeted. (Saved by anonymity!)
Quickie post/confession.
On Sunday, I had tweeted out 6 pictures from the Tucson Quilters Guild 34th Annual Quilt Show and had indicated I would post more here on the subject. Alas, it was inappropriate for me to have tweeted those pictures or to post on this blog any of the quilt pictures I took.
The tweets have been deleted and you see before you an honest, but colorless blog post.
Here's the deal.
When I went to the Quilt Show on Friday, I did ask if I could take pictures and the kind hostesses readily answered "Yes".
However, I forgot to ask if I could post them on the blog/the Internet. (Yep, key plot point there...and I usually do ask about the blog option. {sigh})
On Sunday, whilst reviewing the Quilt Show outing with a favored friend (who had been unable to attend the quilt show with me), I made mention of my colorful tweets of the morning. My friend asked if the Quilt Guild would be alright with that sharing. Even as I answered that I'd asked about pictures being OK, I realized I hadn't asked about blogging or tweeting said pictures. (Thank you, Linda, for asking!!)
I checked the Quilt Show program and the Show Etiquette noted folks were welcome to take photographs for "personal use only, unless otherwise specified...".
Hmmmm. That didn't sound like a "go for it" endorsement to brighten up the blog with spiffy quilt pictures. So I e-mailed my questions to a couple of the Tucson Quilter's Guild contacts Sunday night.
Monday morning I received a very nice response AND an even nicer phone call from one of the Quilt Show Directors. (Yes, I'd fessed up and fully disclosed myself in the e-mail.)
The lack of pictures in this blog tells the tale and also indicates my support and personal feelings that we do need to protect the ideas and patterns of our fellow crafters.
The Quilt Show Director indicated they would consider modifying the photograph etiquette in the Program to clearly state that photographs should not be posted on Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, etc.
I think that is a grand idea.
So...please take my word for it, the quilts were spectacular (some photos are available on the Guild's website) and inspired me to go look a little longingly at my fabric stash. I'm more of a basic quilter and have mostly made baby blankets. A very little quilting from my stash was covered in this blog post.
Having been pointedly reminded of my fabric stash, I didn't buy much at the Quilt Show beyond two spiffy patterns from the Quilt for a Cause group. I was impressed with their patterns, their premise, and with the charming and lively Jain Barrett, who explained what their group was about and who had also designed one of the patterns I purchased ("Desert House"). (I also purchased "Scraphunters's Star2 by Evelyn George and Dorothy Lee.")
Thusly, this confession-blog serves as a reminder that we should always ask if we can share pictures on the Internet and offers even more proof that I can be a ditz on occasion.
Yes, I am very chagrined that I inappropriately tweeted quilt pics.
The good news is, I have VERY few Twitter followers (11) and, near as I can tell, the pictures were not re-tweeted. (Saved by anonymity!)
Monday, November 15, 2010
The Obnoxious Furry Quilt
"Once upon a time, there was a young girl who was extremely responsible and reasonably bright.
But she was also profoundly naive and trusting. And she got married."
Yeah, that was me. I call it "The Training Marriage".
Whereby you learn that there realllllly are people like that in the world and you reallllllllly don't want to marry them.
I would say my taste in men has dramatically improved. The evidence being the "DH" (Dear Husband), referred to occasionally in this blog. Much mo'betta. Trust me.
I actually did get a few good things out of the Training Marriage/First Love.
My mother was a pretty amazing seamstress. She made most of her clothes for most of her life.
She could look at a dress and make a pattern.
She was very, very stylishly dressed in her younger, modeling days.
She was adept in a variety of crafts - Knitting, Crochet, Quilting, needlework...she could do pretty much anything.
I miss her. A lot.
Mom went through phases of colors. Blues, Yellows, Burgundy, Plum...her wardrobe would be augmented based upon her current color phase.
Yes, in the 70's and part of the 80's there was a fair amount of polyester involved in her sewing.
And there was...a brief fake fur phase. As I recall, there were a variety of jackets made from fake fur for several members of our family. (My blue/white one didn't achieve completion...which happens with crafting and growing children.)
So, after I had married the guy of which my parents did not approve (smart, weren't they?), but that they had accepted for my sake...she decided to make us a quilt for a Christmas present.
A Nine-Patch quilt.
Out of the scraps of fake fur.
I loved that she made me something. I loved that it was useful and well-crafted and warm.
I was not crazy about the colors. And I thought it was a bit... obnoxious.
And I am still not crazy about the colors and I still think the furry aspect is a bit obnoxious.
But - it is unique and I still love that I have something she made for me. And the DH and I use it every year.
This inscription always goes on my side of the bed - tucked under my chin in the winter-time.
And the cats - all of my cats - have loved it on sight/feel. It is irresistible to any feline.
I love that they love it and that they snuggle and purr and play and kneed on it.
"And they lived happily ever after..." certainly didn't apply to The Training Marriage.
And it doesn't always apply to the current marriage.
But there is laughter and purring on a pretty regular basis.
And there is also a well-loved, obnoxious, furry quilt that was a gift of love from my mother.
But she was also profoundly naive and trusting. And she got married."
Yeah, that was me. I call it "The Training Marriage".
Whereby you learn that there realllllly are people like that in the world and you reallllllllly don't want to marry them.
I would say my taste in men has dramatically improved. The evidence being the "DH" (Dear Husband), referred to occasionally in this blog. Much mo'betta. Trust me.
I actually did get a few good things out of the Training Marriage/First Love.
- I learned how to drive a standard transmission. It is my transmission of choice.
- I was introduced to the music of Styx. Probably still some of my favorite music. (No, I haven't kept up with them since their split with original member Dennis DeYoung. Tsk.)
- I got the hair stylist in the divorce. (Ok, this sounds much funnier when the stylist is introducing me to people chortling that I got him in the divorce.)
No, it wasn't part of the divorce decree, but the Ex has a tough time facing people... We'll leave it at that. - I got a couple of stellar recipes from my ex mother-in-law. Wicked-good tacos. Seriously - eat 'em until you've eaten too many "good".
- ....
- Um... ...well...that may be about it.
I did learn not to be sooooo trusting. I may have learned it a little too well.
Oddly enough, I'm still pretty gullible and trusting in some areas. Not so much in others.
- Ah - I also got a queen-sized quilt made by my mother.
My mother was a pretty amazing seamstress. She made most of her clothes for most of her life.
She could look at a dress and make a pattern.
She was very, very stylishly dressed in her younger, modeling days.
She was adept in a variety of crafts - Knitting, Crochet, Quilting, needlework...she could do pretty much anything.
I miss her. A lot.
Mom went through phases of colors. Blues, Yellows, Burgundy, Plum...her wardrobe would be augmented based upon her current color phase.
Yes, in the 70's and part of the 80's there was a fair amount of polyester involved in her sewing.
And there was...a brief fake fur phase. As I recall, there were a variety of jackets made from fake fur for several members of our family. (My blue/white one didn't achieve completion...which happens with crafting and growing children.)
So, after I had married the guy of which my parents did not approve (smart, weren't they?), but that they had accepted for my sake...she decided to make us a quilt for a Christmas present.
A Nine-Patch quilt.
Out of the scraps of fake fur.
I was not crazy about the colors. And I thought it was a bit... obnoxious.
And I am still not crazy about the colors and I still think the furry aspect is a bit obnoxious.
But - it is unique and I still love that I have something she made for me. And the DH and I use it every year.
This inscription always goes on my side of the bed - tucked under my chin in the winter-time.
I love that they love it and that they snuggle and purr and play and kneed on it.
And it doesn't always apply to the current marriage.
But there is laughter and purring on a pretty regular basis.
And there is also a well-loved, obnoxious, furry quilt that was a gift of love from my mother.
Monday, August 23, 2010
A Quilt Square for Jane
Happy sigh! The 2nd pass at making a quilt square to go in the quilt for an ailing, elderly friend of mine, Jane, went much mo'betta this time!!
Because Jane has always asked after my cats and because I am the Crazy Cat Lady of my crafting group (i.e. "the person with the most cats must be crazy"), I chose to put a cat on my quilt square to represent meself in Jane's quilt.
This is how paper piecing is supposed to go (Sorry - this is a rough outline, not meant to be a tutorial):
1.) Pattern:
2.) Plus fabric sewn on in the right order:
3.) Plus pieces joined in the right order:
5.) Minus the paper:
6.) Equals This :
7.) And I added a note to Jane :
Jane told us that her Dad taught her how to knit when she was a child.
Jane taught me how to "Tink". ("Tink" = "Knit" Spelled backwards).
Yes, she taught me how to un-knit. And I've never seen anyone else Tink this way - in a way that is easy to pull the stitches off without leaving a twist or having to finagle the stitch as you Tink to avoid the twist.
Sheer spiffiness.
She is one of the original members of our crafting klatch. She is a retired nurse, can kick butt/take names if need be, crafts for a wide variety of charities, and has an excellent sense of humor.
She showed us that moderation can help us craft for many years - even with arthritis (moderation and shifting to different crafts each day or even every few hours.).
She's recently moved away to live with her son and we miss her.
So - we're crafting a quilt to hug her for us.
Because Jane has always asked after my cats and because I am the Crazy Cat Lady of my crafting group (i.e. "the person with the most cats must be crazy"), I chose to put a cat on my quilt square to represent meself in Jane's quilt.
This is how paper piecing is supposed to go (Sorry - this is a rough outline, not meant to be a tutorial):
1.) Pattern:
 |
| From "Paper Pieced Cats and Dogs" by Shirley Liby |
2.) Plus fabric sewn on in the right order:
3.) Plus pieces joined in the right order:
4.) (Lika 'dis):
6.) Equals This :
 |
| (I am profoundly tickled at how well this turned out!) |
Jane taught me how to "Tink". ("Tink" = "Knit" Spelled backwards).
Yes, she taught me how to un-knit. And I've never seen anyone else Tink this way - in a way that is easy to pull the stitches off without leaving a twist or having to finagle the stitch as you Tink to avoid the twist.
Sheer spiffiness.
She is one of the original members of our crafting klatch. She is a retired nurse, can kick butt/take names if need be, crafts for a wide variety of charities, and has an excellent sense of humor.
She showed us that moderation can help us craft for many years - even with arthritis (moderation and shifting to different crafts each day or even every few hours.).
She's recently moved away to live with her son and we miss her.
So - we're crafting a quilt to hug her for us.
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