Completely Incomplete

Lucinda and I finished all twenty
of our friendship quilt blocks.
(Laid out in order from left to right.  Her #1, then mine. So on and so forth).
I think we initially planned on doing one a week.
Or maybe even every couple days.

Well....
um...
yeah.

We are apparently both
extreme overachievers.
We ended up doing one a day.

I love them all.
It is hard to pick a favorite.

Every single block I made took me out of my comfort zone.
And I think my favorite of the ones Luc made
took her the farthest out of hers.

The purple.
The green.
The circles.
The planned imperfection.

This SCREAMS my style.
I heart it.

And then
there is this one:

Her #10.

The piece de resistance.
It matches so seamlessly with the #10 that I made it's almost uncanny.
She used every single print
in the fabric line.
And the pattern?
It's called "thrifty."

Supposedly, she is not a thrifty person.
Doesn't clip coupons.
Shop sales.
Look for a bargain.

And then there's me.
I refuse to pay full price for the nonessentials in life.
Clothes.
Shoes.
Handbags.

That stuff ALWAYS goes on sale.
I don't think I have paid full price for one item
in Elena or Stella's wardrobe.
Okay...
ONE. And I know exactly what one that was.

But I digress.
I also love the juxtaposition of this block being named "thrifty"
and the extreme expense of this particular line of fabric.

Now I am saddled with the monumental task
of choosing a fabric for the sashing.
Along with a backing and binding fabric.
What to do?

I'm debating between a nice linen fabric.
Or the same purple that is in my favorite block of Luc's
and the fabric that I made the applique Cooper birdie out of.

Maybe I'll veer totally off course and choose blue
as DRL suggests.

I think I need another bottle of Pinot to help me decide.

Cheers!
A

(Ps: Luc, this one's for you!)

Wednesday Wisdom

*Texas is hot. Too hot. I miss Minnesota.

*I sent the quilt in the above photo to my niece for her 1st birthday. In June. I'm nothing if not prompt.

*Oops...I haven't officially mailed it yet. Tomorrow, hopefully.

*I booked airfare to visit Luc in one month.  I have no words to describe how excited I am.

To meet her, finally. To actually hear her voice.

*Would you believe we text back and forth most days yet we have never actually spoken?

*She is missing Cooper lately. A lot. Do me a favor, wouldjya? Hop on over to her blog (click here) and leave her a comment. Give her some cyber love, peeps.  Or say a prayer, if that's more your flavor.

*I have finished the blocks for our friendship quilt.  So has she. Tomorrow should be a great mail day! 

*I attempted to make Elena another Oliver&S tank, and screwed it up royally. So, being the improvisational visionary that I am, I edited the pattern just a bit and made the tank into a dress for Stella. I'll snap a photo tomorrow.

*I can't stop taking fuzzy photos with my 50mm.  Seriously. I'm addicted.  And I am not afraid to admit it.  "Hi, I'm Athena, and I'm a bokeholic."

*Last night I stuck a glass of red wine in the fridge to cool it a bit, and I forgot it. Then I drank it...cold.  Pretty sure that's about as redneck as it gets, but I am equally certain that I really don't care.  It was gooooood! (Better once it warmed a bit...but still. G-o-o-D!)

*I am considering reading The Mists of Avalon.  I am hoping I can talk my dad into sending me his copy.  Dad?? You there??  Knock knock?  Wouldjya? Couldjya? Puhleeeeeze?!?!

*I wish all my books weren't in storage.  I have an equally strong desire to bust out my copy of Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand and re-read that monstrosity.  So loooooong but soooooo good.  

*Who is John Galt?

Cheers,

A

Blocks

Here are a few snapshots of some of the blocks 

I have sent Lucinda

for our quilt.

(Oops! How'd that photo get in there?!)

(You can't see much in this photo, 

at least not clearly

but I LoveLoveLOVE 

the bokeh I get with my new lens.)

*Did I mention I LOVE it?!*

I have all but one quilt block completed for our friendship quilt.

I can't blog the rest until Luc gets them.

This last one I made

tested my...

er

um

everything.

And it is quite possibly the single handed best thing

I have sewn

so far.

And it's got a lot of mistakes.

I can't wait to share it with you.

Cheers!

A

Botany

Today for lunch Elena had
a Lunchable.

I told her to sit at the table and eat her food
all up.

I then went into my office to get some work done.
When I came out, I saw this:

Not only did she make a turkey + ritz flower

but she bit into each processed turkey circle

just enough

to make a perfectly shaped

petal.

My girl's got skillZ.

Yeah, 

that's right.

With a capital Z.

And here

just for teasers

is a sneak peek of block #7 

that I will be sending to Luc once it's done.

(Have I mentioned I am OBSESSED with my new 50mm???!?!)

Cheers,

A

Summertime? Bummertime!

Note the temperature:

I am melting.

Or baking, slowly.

I can't decide.

I keep telling myself it'll all be worth it when it's 70 degrees here in December.

And then

it's 100 degrees at 8:00 at night,

and the mantra stops working.

It is so hot that I want snow.

Now.

Cheers,

A

Musings on A Mess.

Here are 18 reasons why I do not have a clean living room.

And probably never will

save the early early 

dear-god-who-gets-up-at-this-hour-and-why

wee hours of the morning.

1) The quilt I am currently working on. Due to it's white color, it cannot, will not, take residence on the floor.  Ever.  (I will likely need reminding of this at a later date.)
2) Pajamas purchased for Elena in the hope that she might actually go to sleep. Sometime. Preferably before I do.
3) My bag 'o stuff.  It also doubles as a purse, a thug defense mechanism, and a hiding place for travel-size vodka bottles.
4) Baby. Of the cute-as-heck variety.  Currently not for sale.
5) Toy that Elena left on the floor. Serves as obstacle for Baby to avoid whilst attempting forward propulsion.  Also doubles as impalement device if used correctly.
6) Toy box. Where most of the toys do not take residence, as they prefer the floor, the couch, under the ottoman, and in my direct path while walking, half-asleep, in the dark to fetch a drink of water (or travel-sized bottle of vodka.)
7) Stray sandal residing next to item of unknown origin.
8) MacBook. Device utilized for the systematic entrance of blog posts. Designed to provide insight into the world that is mine.  And that is crazy.
9) What I turn to when those bottles of vodka run out. Current varietal: Sauvignon Blanc.  Why it's half full is anyone's guess.  Really, it should be empty.
10) Framed photographs of Baby.  Slightly crooked.
11) Blatant advertisement for organizational guru and/or intern who wishes to seek out and destroy all things Clutter.  Pay: Nothing.  Benefits: Negative. Usable Experience: No usable.
12) Yoga mat.  Use of which has made my muscles very, very, extremely, I-can't-believe-you-did-that-to-me mad.
13)  DRL's jeans.
14) The chair in which Baby eats her food.  Not to be set on high surfaces (such as the table), or left unattended.
15) Butterfly scarf. Doubles as Elena's princess robe, Queen cape, and kangaroo pouch.
16) Sewing paraphernalia.  Necessitates exhibit 1.
17) Plastic toy about to be hurled across the room by Baby who is unaware of her coordination and strength.
18) See 17.

I promise that if you ever come over for dinner I will clean up.

I can't promise you won't step on a toy.
Or that the Baby won't be on the floor.

And I cannot, will not promise my office will be tidy.

I am a realist.

Cheers,
A