Monday today. I guess we all figured that out by now.
I'm about to have my afternoon cup of coffee, while I muse about my weekend.
First of all, I wonder about technology, and how a person has to develop new neural pathways in order to keep track of one's "devices". (You might want to skip this next part if you are easily bored.)
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| mouth-watering! |
Each of the "devices" are able to do so many things, but then you have to remember what you have done where. For example. I have taken photos using my camera, my ipod touch, and on occasion, Richard's iphone. I'm pretty good at remembering to transfer the photos from my camera to my computer, where I can edit them and then upload them onto my blog. However, I sometimes go to upload a photo, but I can't find it in my pictures files. Then I remember that I took the photo with my ipod, so I have to go find it and connect it and transfer those photos too. Sounds easy, doesn't it? but in reality it all takes a bit of time.
oh yes, and now that I have an ipad, it has it's own stack of pictures. Oh, and I've also recently started to use Pinterest, which has it's boards full of photos as well! So really, there are pictures all over the place! And I haven't even tried using Flickr or any of those other photo stream places. One has to develop some sort of strategy to deal with all the different methods of storage and retrieval. It is very different than how we used to have only a stack, or album, of real developed photos and an envelope of negatives. Oh, and maybe a scrapbook or cuttings file where we put pages cut out of magazines.
And photos/pictures are only one facet of using an electronic device. My poor brain has to remember a lot of new information. It is a wondrous thing to have such a capable arsenal of equipment at one's disposal.
Okay. that's out of the way now.
The photos that I inserted above were taken at a nice bakery/coffee spot called "Back in the Day Bakery", on Bull street, near Victory Drive.
It is a nice place to have a break, and on Friday afternoon we stopped in there on our way home. I had been thinking about coconut cream pie for some days, and so when I saw that piece on the shelf...!!!
It was amazing. Very much worth the calories.
They have a nice 1950's retro decor going on in there, plus a few pastel colored doily garlands!
Now on to quilting:
I was able to complete the quilt I showed you last week that I had pieced in November.
It has no name. but since I am back to taking photos of quilts lying on the ground, they again have that tapered appearance. Trust me when i tell you that it is really square.
The dark fabrics were mostly some oriental style prints. I started by piecing a large number of half square triangle units that were light and dark, and then playing with the placement as you would use light and dark log cabin blocks. I decided on this arrangement because I liked the prominent square design being emphasized. That meant that it was sewn into diagonal rows. However, I first had to make a lot of dark/dark units and then I sewed the units into some larger chunks before sewing the whole top together.
For the backing, I used a nice pop of turquoise to add some surprise! I had purchased it for another quilt, but ended up not using it. I really like the pattern on it. I quilted the quilt with a few straight lines, and tried to venture past my usual meandering filler pattern in the darker areas. I tried some leafy parts, and some flowers. While it may not be that great, I am pleased that I tried to nudge myself out of my comfort zone.
Last night I basted this one: the x and pluses quilt.
I had worked away at sewing the little plus signs last week, until finally I had enough to go around the whole thing.
I sort of liked the little stacks of plus signs:
It made me wonder whether a block made from them might be nice....
So I drew it out with my EQ6 program,, and then wondered about alternate colorings..
this makes a sort of woven effect. You could get another new block by simplifying the piecing of it.
But, back to my real quilt!
I finished the top off with a final little strip of white and grey, and then got it basted last night.
This morning I began to quilt it, with my usual ritual of some in the ditch quilting at strategic intervals so that I can remove the pins. This also gives me some time to think more about how to do the more overall quilting. I also stitch around the edge,
so that I can remove the extra batting and backing fabric. ( I do this so that it can't accidentally fold under where I can quilt over it, having to un-pick it later.)
Now, I will need to think a bit about what to do next.
I hope you are having a good start to the week!
