Tag Archives: books

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The complete quilt

Mom taught me how to sew when I was in second grade. One of my first projects was a t-shirt. Another project was a big stuffed whale. Mom had to help me with the zipper…the mouth had zipper lips to open and close it. I was delighted when she made the mistake of sewing the zipper in backwards (the zipper pull was towards the inside of the mouth). My part of the sewing was perfect…the biggest error was Mom’s.

What Mom didn’t teach me was how to finish a project in a timely manner. She has very little interest in finishing one project before starting another. This has been very freeing to me. Perhaps a little too freeing. I have no idea how many started, but unfinished projects I even have.

In the fall of 2011, a book caught my eye. It is Scandinavian Needlecraft and includes great embroidery designs, mostly on wool. The book wasn’t in our library system at the time, so I tried Scandinavian Stitches instead. Author Kajsa Wikman has lots of great designs in it, including soft baskets and stuffed fabric birds. I loved one of the baby quilts in the book, but I wasn’t about to make a quilt just to hang on the wall. It occurred to me that Jessie was having a baby in December and the quilt has lots of blue in it (a color that she might not see enough of these days). A winter theme, lots of blue, and a December baby…a perfect combination.

I dug through my stash and found the perfect colors for the sky. I needed a little more variety and was happy to find a great match at the local thrift store. A couple of small pieces were added for variety and everything was ready to go. The cutting and sewing began at Mom’s house on Thanksgiving weekend. The top went together quite quickly.

Fox peeking out from the snow

The hand quilting took longer. It turned out to be the perfect project for me. I quilted at the hospital while Grandpa Neil was there. I quilted at Grandma Siggie’s while we spent time together. I quilted at the nursing home while Grandpa Neil was there. I quilted with friends while taking time for myself. Some of the stars are less than perfect. Some stars have more than five points. Maybe Ivy and Clara will look for them when they need a quiet project.

Stars in the sky

Since I’ve never finished a quilting project, this was my first attempt at cutting the binding on a bias. I thought about it for quite a while, folded the fabric, and cut. Was I ever surprised to find the zig-zag that it made. Hindsight was much clearer than foresight.

First try at binding

It was a happy day when I got the bias tape cut, ironed, and rolled. The binding finally was domesticated.

Spool of binding

It was time for the label. Jenny made one for the quilt, but it wasn’t quite what I had in mind. A friend told me about her label making process: spray adhesive on a sheet of printer paper; apply an oversize piece of fabric on it; cut the fabric to the size of the paper; feed the paper/fabric into the inkjet printer; print with the desired text; and set with a hot iron. Since I hope this quilt will withstand lots of washing, I decided to make the label more permanent by embroidering on top of the ink.

The fine print

It then seemed to take forever to finish the label and sew it onto the quilt. I had put off putting the binding on so that I could sew the label only on to the back of the quilt. I did everything just right for this process until the last moment, a moment of excitement, when I sewed the label through the entire thickness of the quilt. It was fortunate that the bobbin thread was white and nothing puckered in the process! I wasn’t about to tear it out at this point.

The completed quilt

The completed quilt

The finished quilt was ready to give to Jane on March 24, when we celebrated Grandma Elma’s 93rd birthday. Jane and I met for the first time. It was a good day for many reasons, a small one was that this project was completed!

And now for something completely different…

George made a very good supper of squash and nettle lasagna tonight. That’s right…stinging nettles turned into a yummy supper.

Everything is good with lots of cheese

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Childhood book

Grandma and I have shared many stories from her youth within the last few months. Grandma moved with her family from Milwaukee to Colby to Abbotsford. With one of the moves, Great Grandma must have culled the family book collection. Grandma wished that the book Poems Teachers Ask For had been kept because she enjoyed it so much.

I went in search of a copy of of the book for Grandma and found Poems Teachers Ask For Book II. I’m not sure if Grandma will recognize the poetry in it or not. Based on my favorite poems in the book, I will like your poetry better if your name is Henry. The number of poems written in dialect (Irish accent, southern drawl, etc) in the book surprised me. I almost immediately skip over these, which is probably a loss for me.

Loss and Gain
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
(1807-1882)

When I compare
What I have lost with what I have gained,
What I have missed with what attained,
Little room do I find for pride.

I am aware
How many days have been idly spent;
How like an arrow the good intent
Has fallen short or been turned aside.

But who shall dare
To measure loss and gain in this wise?
Defeat may be victory in disguise;
The lowest ebb is the turn of the tide.

If All the Skies
by Henry Van Dyke
(1852 – 1933)

If all the skies were sunshine,
Our faces would be fain
To feel once more upon them
The cooling splash of rain.

If all the world were music,
Our hearts would often long
For one sweet strain of silence,
To break the endless song.

If life were always merry,
Our souls would seek relief,
And rest from weary laughter
In the quiet arms of grief.

The Height of the Ridiculous
by Oliver Wendell Holmes
(1809-1894)

I wrote some lines once on a time
In wondrous merry mood,
And thought, as usual, men would say
They were exceeding good.
They were so queer, so very queer,
I laughed as I would die;
Albeit, in the general way,
A sober man am I.

I called my servant, and he came;
How kind it was of him
To mind a slender man like me,
He of the mighty limb.

“These to the printer,” I exclaimed,
And, in my humorous way,
I added, (as a trifling jest,)
“There’ll be the devil to pay.”

He took the paper, and I watched,
And saw him peep within;
At the first line he read, his face
Was all upon the grin.

He read the next; the grin grew broad,
And shot from ear to ear;
He read the third; a chuckling noise
I now began to hear.

The fourth; he broke into a roar;
The fifth; his waistband split;
The sixth; he burst five buttons off,
And tumbled in a fit.

Ten days and nights, with sleepless eye,
I watched that wretched man,
And since, I never dare to write
As funny as I can.
 

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Looking back at India

Here are some of my old notes, written on September 13, 2009:

I used Lonley Planet (c. 2007) recommendations for movies to see about India and then continued to explore others. They are either in English or have English subtitles.
Earth, Water, and Fire, a trilogy directed by Deepa Mehta. These are very good films, but not necessarily happy ones.
Gandhi directed by Richard Attenborough
Mr & Mrs Iyer, directed by Aparna Sen
Monsoon Wedding, directed by Mira Nair; see also her acclaimed earlier film Salaam Bombay!
Lagaan directed by Ashutosh Gowariker  I watched the beginning and end, napped in the middle.
Story of India with Michael Wood.Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations Collection 2 Disc 2: Rajasthan, Kolkata/Mumbai – these cities are north of where I’ll visit, but nice to get a feel for India in general. Rick Steves is a little to vanilla for me at times, but Anthony Bourdain is a little too snarky for me at times. Handheld camera and fast shots make me a little sea sick.
The Namesake directed by Mira Nair.
Swades directed by Ashutosh GowarikerMeenaxi: Tale of 3 Cities” directed by M.F. Husain – I gave up on this because the story line didn’t capture my attention and a scratch made the DVD difficult to play.
The Mahabharata directed by Peter Brook. I’ve been intimidated by “The Mahabharata” because it is 5 hrs and 25 minutes long.
India: Kingdom of the Tiger directed by Bruce Neibaur

From  August 31, 2009:

Books about India that I’ve read or listened to:

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
Slumdog Millionaire by Vikas Swarup

February 27, 2012

I’ve read quite a bit more about India since my original notes and added them to LibraryThing. I’m currently reading India Becoming, listening to Last Man in Tower, and working on an India scrapbook (finally!) that all have me thinking about India again.

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Thinking Finland

There are times when I like to focus my reading, listening, and watching on a theme. Right now it is Finland, land of many ancestors.

Books

Riding with Reindeer Bicycling can be done in bad weather, in areas with so few people that you converse with any animal or object.

The Princess Mouse: A Tale of Finland Love the one you’re with, with great illustrations.

The Year of the Hare The reserved Finns are too much for me. I shall befriend a hare.

Culture Shock! Finland Finns are reserved. Who knew. I found the Culture Shock! India book very helpful and am currently reading the Finland guide.

The Winter War It’s been a while since I read this, but it has helped form my image of Finland.

Louhi, Witch of North Farm Louhi, the Witch of North Farm, partakes in the activities of daily life in Finland. She makes blueberry soup. She looks at the boats. She knits. However, she isn’t in the mood for everyday activities. She wants to do something Witch-Witch-Witchety. Louhi goes out looking for trouble…and finds it!

Living in Finland Just browsed this one.

Music

Finlandia Too many changes in volume for my old car. I was constantly adjusting the volume. I’ve gotten a newer car to try again.

Films

Ultimate Scandinavia I didn’t even know that river boarding was a sport. Now I want to try it!

Mother of Mine A child, WWII, Finland and Sweden.

The Man Without a Past

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale Reindeer, Santa Claus, mining, elves, and a child hero in a dark comedy. Very funny for those with a tough skin.

Aki Kaurisaki’s Leningrad Cowboys

Language

Finnish…In 60 Minutes “…the listener can commit it to memory.” I daresay that the editor of this blub should consider the difference between can and may.

Do you have any suggestions for me?

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Birthing is hard…

“Folks, I’m telling you, birthing is hard and dying is mean- so get yourself a little loving in between.” ― Langston Hughes

I’ve been spending more time than usual with my grandma at her home while grandpa is in the nursing home.

Grandma asked me what day it was today. I said “I hate to tell you, but it is Friday the 13th. We will have to watch our p’s and q’s.” She asked me about the origin of that phrase and I launched into a description of typesetting and so forth. Grandma said “When I think of peas, I think of little green dots.” That was followed by her tracing p’s and q’s on the table with her finger, then conducting with her fingers in the air to the music on the turntable. She was content and happy, which is good for both of us.

I don’t reread books very often, only because there are so many I haven’t read at all yet. I just finished rereading To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, which I haven’t read since high school. I need to watch the film, since it is so highly rated and is said to follow the book well.

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Upcycled

Worn out and patched jeans

At the end

I try to purchase most of my clothing at thrift stores and spend way too much time looking for just the right piece. Function and appeal are top decision makers, but there are a few brands that I love. My Carhartt jeans are one of my favorites. I wore and patched my first pair until they were so thin that I would need to line them with patches to continue wearing them. The next step was to take them to my friend Jerry who makes custom rag rugs. He had questions for me…should the jeans be matched with cool or warm colors? what size of rug would I like? I’ve seen enough of Jerry’s rugs to know that he would come up with something wonderful. He did!

Jerry holding rug he made from jeans

Jerry and the jeans rug

The jeans were woven with an old gray work shirt and striped green sheet. Jerry even un-patched the jeans and used the belt loops to make the rug, which is way beyond the  work I expected him to do! Jerry asked me where I planned to use my rug. I don’t know…I just loved my jeans so much that I didn’t want to get rid of them!

It's all in the detail

A few other things that deserve mention:

Robbie, Charlie, and I went to our first donkey basketball game featuring students, teachers, and firefighters. Charlie couldn’t miss the opportunity for a silly smile.

Close-up photo of Charlie with a silly expression

Charlie smiles

How to spell that word that describes something that is marked with or having stripes? Is it striped or stripped? I use the Google “define” tool often when writing. To use it, go to a Google search box and type define: word followed by the enter key. You will get a definition followed by links to associated websites.

Yoga class is held on Wednesdays and I almost always look forward to it. During the cool months class is held in a building that once was an Odd Fellows hall. Steep and narrow stairs lead from Main Street onto the second floor of the building. The room has wood floors, a high ceiling covered with stamped steel sheets, and marquee lights around the edge of the ceiling. It was hard for me to photograph. It is a wonderful space, despite the peeling paint, dead light bulbs, and after-market wiring.

Lights on ceiling in yoga room

Ambiance

Book hangover material: Marcelo in the Real World. The New York Times review of it in LibraryThing is a good one. If you read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and enjoyed it, you will probably like Marcelo. Both books are coming of age stories narrated by a character with high functioning autism.

Over Thanksgiving weekend, my cousin Jessie was a good sport and let me decorate her pregnant belly with henna. She’s a great sport because I’m slow and not-so-artful. We talked about a professional henna stylist who decorated my arms in India and how fast she was. Here’s a video clip of it that I uploaded to YouTube.