The Quilt Files, Episode 17

After all that writing I did in November, I wasn't sure I was going to finish my latest quilt project in time for Christmas, but I checked out a few DVDs from the library and spent a couple TV episodes a day to finish piecing and quilting this twin-size for my little nephew. He's just turned three and almost ready for a big boy bed, and I thought this pattern with lots of different shapes would help make the move more appealing. You can't see from the overall pattern, but there are twelve different fabrics in this pattern, and I chose differing shades of green, turquoise, and teal—all in batiks, of course. When I was done I thought it was so striking it was a shame I would have to give it up. (There are only so many beds in my house. Sigh.) However, you'll see that there are sashings between the rows of patchwork squares, and those sashings are unbroken pieces that are almost two yards wide. So the pattern called for at least two yards of all of those fabrics, even if they were only used for the 4.5-inch-wide piece of sashing ... which means I had scraps of two yards by almost 40 inches for those fabrics. I used a lot of the scrap for the backing of the quilt, but the rest is now in my stash ... lovely, lovely stash.

This quilt also marked a first for me: the first time I tried old-fashioned, finished applique, the kind with hemmed sides. I've done plenty of appliqued patterns with unfinished sides; you leave the edges rough, and use a satin stitch to cover the edges and keep them from fraying. It's a little easier, and creates a nice stained-glass-window effect, but wasn't really suited for this pattern. So I cut out all those circles and half-circles with an extra quarter inch to be turned underneath, and finally broke out the little miniature iron I bought several years ago just for this purpose. You can't just turn under the edges, however; you need to baste them so that they lie flat and don't move when you stitch them to the underlying fabric. It's a bit labor intensive, but easy enough to do while you're sitting and watching TV. I really like the way they turned out.

I also got to have a lot of fun with the quilting of this piece. Since it was a twin size, it was very manageable to do by machine (it took me less than a week), and the instructions were kind enough to suggest various patterns to quilt on different squares. Big circles, little circles, zig zags, crosses ... it was fun trying different patterns on each row. I was almost sorry when I was finished, but maybe I'll try it again sometime ... maybe in pinks? The good thing is, I've finished a whole quilt so I'm officially allowed to go buy more fabric. I know some babies are on the way, so it's time for a new pattern and some new fabrics. Viking Sewing, here I come!

Photo of the Week--12/21/09

You know what? There aren't any pigeons in Tunisia, either. At least not out near the Sahara Desert. What you can sometimes find, or what we found in 2000, was an abandoned set from Star Wars I: The Phantom Menace. Tunisia has stood in for Tatooine since the original Star Wars (no numeral or subtitle, remember those days?) back in 1977. George Lucas left this set here after filming TPM; it wasn't because he planned on reusing it (at least I don't think so, from the state it was in), but because he knew it would provide extra tourist revenue for the locals. We were certainly excited to visit Anakin's neighborhood, climb inside the buildings and see their hollow, undecorated interiors, and take pictures. Here Boy is with a fellow Star Wars fanatic outside Watto's shop, walking around and trying to identify the buildings.

Yes, we know we're nerds.

I must be forgetting something...

... like, didn't I already write a blog entry this week? I didn't? Why does it feel like I have? Could it be I was thinking about what to write (Word Nerd Q, my favorite apocalyptic fiction, my oppressed left hand) and actually forgot to do the writing part?

I can't imagine how I overlooked it. Over the past week I've baked three cakes and one batch of cookies, quilted a twin-size quilt, played in a concert and practiced for another gig, wrapped presents, written the annual holiday letter (and addressed and stuffed 60 copies into envelopes), attended three parties, and hosted one of my own—all in addition to my usual duties teaching class, working at the shelter, and writing reference book entries. I'm sure I managed to fit a blog entry in there somewhere. Didn't I?

I didn't? I guess this craziness will have to do, then.

Photo of the Week--12/14/09

You can't see the pigeons here on the Charles Bridge in Prague, but believe me, they were there, even on a cold day in January. This was one of those last-minute trips; Boy had a long weekend off from school, so we looked for some place with a lot of indoor attractions that would suit a brief trip. Prague fit the bill, and we had a wonderful visit. Because we were there in low season, the tourist sites were uncrowded, and we were astonished how far the city had become a tourist haven in just over a decade since the Velvet Revolution overthrew Communist rule. (It seemed like every third building was now a money exchange or tourist shop.) Of course, the city's attractions were fascinating, and when we spotted some pigeons on this very famous bridge, Boy took off in pursuit, gargoyles and bystanders notwithstanding.

I've been Grinched!

And the Grinch didn't steal Christmas, he stole my heat! Now, I know it's supposed to be cold in Michigan in December. Even though this recent cold spell of temps in the teens (and wind chills in single digits) came on suddenly, I'm a native Michigander! I laugh at Southerners when they freak out at half an inch of snow! I snicker at Floridians shivering in 40-degree temps! Single digits is nothing!

I saw a lot of pissing and moaning on Facebook yesterday about all the cold and was getting ready to say, "Hey people! Don't be wimps! I dare you to think of the positive things about the cold weather!" I could think of plenty of positive things, of course: my cats become snugglier when it's cold; the garbage with old cat litter doesn't smell; I don't have to do any gardening, or hear neighbors mow their lawn at 8 am on a weekend morning.

That was just off the top of my head, and I'm sure I could think of more ... if my brain hadn't suddenly started freezing. Last night, although I had two quilts and two cats on top of me, I woke up in the middle of the night and noticed my feet were cold. Lately our furnace has been acting up a little, switching off unexpectedly, but we've always been able to restart it. Today? Not so much. I went to type "think positive," but my house is only 55 degrees, so my fingers wouldn't work. Instead, I say, Bah humbug! Go away, cold, and let me get some work done!

Luckily the heating guy is here and will hopefully uncover the problem and fix it soon ... if not, I'll be reduced to a shivering pile of blankets in front of the gas fireplace.

Janespotting: Sense and Sensibility and Silliness

Now that I've left my Remedial Lit project behind with summer, and managed to survive a busy busy fall filled with football games and marching band and NaNoWriMo and multiple assignments, it's time to get back to exploring Jane Austen and her myriad imitators. After all, how better to curl up and block out the cold, dark winter than with Jane and a cup of tea?

I was going to move onto Northanger Abbey, which is a favorite Austen novel and her funniest, imho, but when this book came into my library, I felt obligated to read it. After all, I found Pride and Prejudice and Zombies a quite entertaining mashup, as strange as it sounds. Zombies have always been a great metaphor for social stagnation, which would make them appropriate to mix with a novel about women who are often forced to choose between love and security. So could Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters (by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters) provide a similarly scintillating scenario?

As you might deduce from my excruciatingly excellent example of alliteration, the answer is: not particularly. Now, I could see mashing up Persuasion with sea monsters, as the leading hero is a naval captain and the main characters make a visit to the seaside resort of Lyme, but although Sense and Sensibility takes place in Devonshire, it's not really situated on the coast. So it felt to me like the only reason to add "Sea Monsters" was for the alliteration. Turning Colonel Brandon into a fellow cursed not only by a broken heart but by a sea witch (hence the facial tentacles) is weird, not revealing. Changing the sisters' trip to London to a visit to "Sub Station Beta," an undersea colony headed for disaster? Distracting, not enhancing. Putting Barton Cottage on an island that's really located atop a Lovecraftian leviathan? Just plain strange. The whole thing was quite silly, really, and I finished it just to finish it.

I suppose the publisher thought that after the success of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (not only was it a bestseller, it's been optioned for a movie), they could cobble together any Austen novel and any monster, but in this case they ignored what made P&P&Z so much fun: it was still mainly Austen's words, around 85%. The story was just tweaked here and there, enough to amuse but not confuse. S&S&SM goes way over the top, adding too many new things and changing the characters from their essential natures. You change things too much and it's no longer a parody, just a weird pastiche that's neither familiar nor amusing. I would have preferred mixing S&S with vampires—the novel's themes of letting emotions run away with you would seem to be perfect for it—but it turns out there are already a couple of Darcy as vampire novels out there. [rolls eyes] (I'm really going to have to run out of "sequels" before I get to those...) So enough with the weirdness! Next week I'm heading back to original Austen and Northanger Abbey.

Photo of the Week--12/7/09

No pigeons in this photo ... because they are definitely not native to Finnish Lapland. However, there were plenty of reindeer on this trip, which we took a couple weeks before Christmas 1999. It was actually only a couple days before the winter solstice, and at a latitude above 68°N (and yes, that is above the Arctic Cirlce) it was dark for most of the day. This photo was taken not long after lunch, when it was very dusky out. It was a very atmospheric trip—lots of snow hanging on evergreen branches, in addition to the crepuscular light—topped off with a visit to Santa's cabin in the snow. I can't imagine why Boy was so hesitant to say hello to this reindeer; it looks so friendly, doesn't it? More awesome, in his mind, was the ambulance that took his mom away after a tobogganing accident, and the cart with the flashing light we got to ride through the airport. Ten years later, and I'm still terrified to go near a sled.