Upcoming Reunion

So a childhood friend recently proposed a reunion between us and two other ladies from the old neighbourhood. She managed to contact everyone via Facebook. Well, several, and I mean several emails later it's all set! Whoohoo! I am sooooo looking forward to the weekend when we will get together at a resort north of here. I'm hoping the Fall colours will still be brilliant as it will be a long drive. I decided to celebrate our reunion by making the ladies (all of whom are non quilters) mug rugs. I used up the last remnants of my favourite cupcake fabric and even found some cookie fabric for the backings! Hope the ladies like them :)
A couple of the ladies I haven't seen/heard from since high school, and one not since public school (?), so  I've been pondering what will we talk about besides the usual how's your family? Frequently, when trying to get re-acquainted one asks what they are reading or watching on TV. Personally, I tend to watch PBS and TVO. I'm soooo sick of commercials and the preponderance of hapless girls/women in rape/snuff  dramas. Maybe it's the feminist in me, or maybe I just don't think 27 episodes a week of CSI Special Victims Unit are sending a good message! I thought it was just me and my politicized perspective until I read this article: TV Noir: the Saddest Cliche in the World from the Baffler. (Yes, I found the article through my favourite website Arts & Letters Daily).  Now her article also brings up the issue of child abuse, also way too frequently depicted (think about it ....). So others think our media have simply run out of plot lines! Other than refashioning (read sexualizing) childhood "fairy"tales or being truly creative they rely on that old stereotype of the helpless woman being victimized. I'll stick to home renovation/decorating or nature shows while stitching, thank you very much!

Coincidences

 I used to work with a gentleman who delighted in celebrating coincidences. Walter Z is retired now (hi Walter!) but his enthusiasm and zest for life still pervades my everyday, and I now notice coincidences much more than I used to.  So the other day on the way to work I was listening to a CBC story about France trying to ban Toddler & Tiara type pageants. Later that day it seems the story reached the rest of mainstream media. As the Washington Post says, No Honey Boo Boos in France: Parliament moves to ban kiddie pageants and the New York Times French Senate Approves Ban on Pageants for Young Girls. YEAH France! My Arts & Letters Daily website led me to a good article from Pacific Standard " Just Say 'Non" to Child Beauty Pagaents."  Now I don't usually get too political on this blog, but after the Miley Cyrus insanity and the silly Quebec's Charter of Values we needed something which makes sense from the french ....
Sorry for this week's rant ... but now for my second coincidence, while still on Arts & Letters Daily I wondered onto Smithsonian.com to this article "The History and Psychology of Clowns being Scary". The mater sent me a cute video joke relating to clowns. It's about Halloween magic, but be patient, there is a clown. Here it is:

http://biggeekdad.com/2012/02/ipad-halloween-magic/#.UIlXLlNK94E.gmail

Ok, for my last coincidental happening this past week. Well, maybe not an actual coincidence, more like my great luck! I have been admiring this rather expensive line of Christmas fabric in the local fabric store. Grey and White with some red. My niece LOVES most things grey ... So this week they had one of their frequent 50% off sale, so, yes I was weak and indulged

Aren't they gorgeous? I "hope" to make a spiral Christmas runner from these lovelies. I say "hope" because I just realized that my niece's due date is earlier than I thought so I need to get a move on especially since I hand quilt! Here are the final fabrics choices for the Owl quilt. I have been totally enjoying my liberated quilting of Felines and Flutterbies, but sadly, this quilt will have to, once again go into the UFO bin while I work on Owls. Here's my progress so far for F&F:

TTFN

Comments

 So recently a quilt friend on FB wondered what she was doing wrong, no one was commenting on her blog. Hey, welcome to the club. I'm a fairly regular blogger and, with the exception of one kind follower, rarely receive comments, publishable ones anyway. For some strange reason people, including me, prefer to be browsers, lurkers, silent readers. Just because there are no comments doesn't  mean there are no readers. I realized this long ago whenever I meet up with a specific woman from the guild. She's a lovely lady and always tells me how much she enjoys my blog - but she has never never never left a comment!  Nice as it is to hear her compliment (?) I agree with my quilt/FB friend, it would be nicer to have some comments.

 So last week I actually managed to take in a movie - Hannah Arendt. Interesting.  Not being a political scientist I was unaware of her famous phrase "Banality of Evil", but now I know and have some context. Here's a book review I found from my favourite website Arts & Letters Daily: "Arendt's Affair" from the Tablet. Arendt seems to be popping up everywhere recently, or am I just noticing now that I know her name.  Whatever, interesting woman to read/see about.
TTFN

They're Back ...

So, it's September and they're back. University students that is ... and this week's headlines are the usual litany of silly things Frosh/university students get up to, and the ridiculous shocked and dismayed  reaction from the overpaid University uppity ups (aka administration) who once again reveal how totally out-of-touch they are :(. Yes, it is very sad that this generation (are they still called millennial?) think binge drinking and all out sex (underage and non consensual) is the "hot" thing , but can you blame them - just look at their influences - it's everywhere in the media. Gulp, wow, do I sound old?? You betcha! Ok, I'm off my soapbox for now ....
Today is sunny YEAH, I got quite a bit of sewing done yesterday, and I'm planning a movie this aft (Hannah Arendt), so the day is shaping up rather nicely. Here's my progress so far:

2 new "Fall" wall hangings, one bound in brown the other in red. Not sure which one I prefer, but I gave the mater the brown one as it smaller and would fit on her front door better.

I actually managed to complete my liberated quilting on two more blocks of my Felines and Flutterbies. Not sure how well you can see the quilting in these pics, but trust me, each block took a week as they are densely quilted. Still mulling over what to do in the lattice strips. So far I have outline quilted any vines/leaves/roses. Other than that I haven't decided yet, Any suggestions?? Here's the project so far

Next week will be interesting (aka hard to get through) and will require lots of patience. Luckily I won't have to drive to guild night YEAH, it's my driving partner's turn :)
TTFN

Happy Labour Day!

I've been busy as a Bee (sorry - I couldn't resist that one...). Since it's Labour day weekend I thought I'd show you the fruits of my labours! I finished off the Busbee Bee wall hanging and it's already on the mater's front door! I'm rather proud of this one, my mitered corners are perfect, and I did use the Organza which worked out OK. I even did quite a bit of machine quilting (not my forte).
What else am I working on this weekend? Well, remember this panel?

Here's what I created from it!
I plan to machine quilt both of these, not that I'm any good at machine quilting, but that I need to practice practice practice!! Least that's what they tell me.
I have 1/2 the panel yet and need to think up another project to use it up. I've used up all the border fabric so  whatever I come up with will be less leafy. Any ideas?
 I need to get started on the Owls quilt for my niece, and am still working on my cats quilt after almost 3 weeks of no activity. I just couldn't think of how to quilt it. Without any particular decision I started quilting again. I'm doing "liberated quilting" and I really like it! What do you think ?

TTFN,