Monday, December 27, 2010

A Blessed Christmas

Posted by Strlady at 6:24 PM 4 comments
I don't know if I mentioned this but I'm not very big on surprises. Not at all. They make me feel out of the loop as if there has been some plotting and talking behind my back (which there is), but this year, I'll take this surprise ANY day.


You see that young couple between my parents and me. That is my daughter and my future son in law that showed up at my door on Christmas eve. I thought this would be my first Xmas without her and she had plotted with my sisters for months to surprise me. I still feel the sting in the back of my eyes just remembering the first glimpse of them.

Besides my daughter, son in law, and parents... my home was full for the holidays


From left to right.. Brenda (my sister) and her son GenePaul, Jessica (my younger sister), Harvey (my brother), Me, Nyshma and Ryan. In front, the patriarchs of the Family, My Mom and Dad. We had not been this complete in over 8 years so it was quite a blessing. Missing was my niece, Sydle which we hope will join the next reunion in September, for my daughter's wedding.


The house was decorated by my talented sister, Brenda who knows exactly where to put each ornament so that it will shine to it's brightest potential and although she shared the cold she picked up on the plane with me, she did make sure that I had pretty sights and sounds around the house to bring me comfort.


There was some doodling around by my brother, who might not know how to quilt but can hold his own in the artistic arena.


Lots of Goofing around with our unofficial Puertorican white boy, Michael (he insists he is really a Miguelito) who pretends he is part of the clan and we let him, because he knows how to add a great flare to any gathering.

Overall an outstanding Christmas with a crew that knows what love is all about.
On the topic of surprises.. I just want to say, although I loved this one... Give the Gift of Anticipation next time!! LOL!

I hope all your Christmases have been as blessed as mine!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Jane Austen and Remakes

Posted by Strlady at 10:51 AM 4 comments
Jane Austen does it for me. No questions, no tip toeing around it. She just does it for me.
This time of year I pull out my Pride and Prejudice DVD and glom it. I tend to prefer the Colin Firth / Jennifer Ehle version, as does the rest of humanity, but I have been watching the Matthew Macfadyen / Kiera Knightly version these last couple of years since it's alot easier to suck someone into watching a 2 hour movie vs a 5 hour series...

Last Christmas I was giving new material. I got this:


I loved the Hugh Grant / Emma Thompson version but after seeing this one on PBS I could not believe I found a superior version. Hattie Morahan owns the role of Elinor Dashwood. there is so much open emotion revealed by all of the characters that I will never watch the Hollywood version again.

Talking about remakes, I'll be watching this one next:


I own the CiarĂ¡n Hinds / Amanda Root version but after watching once I couldn't really figure out what the big deal was. I could not really relate or sympathize with the heroine. BBC remade it at the same time as the Sense and Sensibility one. I loved it. Sally Hawkins made me feel for Anne Elliot and Rupert Penry-Jones allowed me to see Capt Wentworth as a man really hurt by Miss Elliot's betrayal. If you feel for the characters the Happy Ever After is so much sweeter.

Now, on to a matter left unattended for too long...


The unfinished Pinwheel project is headed off to Mary at the Quilt Hollow.
Looking forward to seeing what you make of it.

Monday, December 6, 2010

A UFO vs a WIP?

Posted by Strlady at 5:30 AM 6 comments
What makes a UFO? Is it the project that has been sitting around for more than 6 months? or is it more the project that you put away knowing that it has stopped inspiring you?

I vote for the later. I wrap up the year with three WIPs but I was determined that I would not end it with any UFOs. But I admit that with just a few weeks for years end, I have one. This is a project that has stopped 'doing it' for me. It's a project I started quite revved up about but just dwindled to nothing.It's a project I know I will never finish.

Earlier this year Rachel Griffin from p.s. i quilt, had a Pinwheel quilt-along and many wonderful quilts were born out of the quilt-along. But, alas, not mine.


I honestly think this project was doomed from the get go since I was not in love with the fabric. I wanted to make it with Sanae's Freebird line but my daughter chose that line to make hers (which never flourished either) and I went ahead and picked up Blackbird Designs Garden Party.


I actually followed along until the very last two blocks. One was not something I liked so I decided to substitute it and then Rachel took a break of her own and I lost my rhythm. When she popped back and said, chose your own pinwheel for the last block... I had moved on. Summer was super busy and I never looked at this project again.

Following in my "No UFOs" in 2010, I am going to do something with it... I'm giving it away. Don't want it, Won't finish it. And it's not hanging around!!

So... let me know if you want it. I have 12 blocks completed. You can see them in this post: Pinwheel sampler. They are all the right size (no wonkiness to them) and the rest of the layer cake with the scraps are all part of the bundle. You take it all. One thing that is missing is the background fabric. Here is what really clued me in that the project was a UFO: I used the background on another project!

It's a solid background and although the original solid was a P&B textile solid, I believe you can find a match in the moda solids or the kona solids by Kaufman. Since there are a few blocks left to make (I believe 4) you could probably scatter the mixed backgrounds among the existing blocks and it could pass. If you want to look for the solid, I have a few swatches in the scraps that might help match it.

Anyway, cleaning out my craft room in preparation for my holiday guests proved to be a treasure trove of interesting finds (old fabric collections, old quilts, etc.) but this one was a thorn in my side and I refuse to put it away!!

Leave me a comment letting me know you want it, and if I get more than one person interested, I'll do the Random number thing on Friday.

Have a great week!!

 

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