A Contemplative Life

  Trees on our property that won't bow to the wishes of the stars. Photo by my husband. The Big Dipper and the rest of the stars near it will have moved further westward in the sky. That was the first thing I considered when I peered out the living room window this morning, noting how far westward that constellation has veered. Just a couple of months ago, it was much further eastward, yet I can still see it, twinkling over the treeline as though it told the Redwoods to get out of the way. Deep breath taken; that's not the only thing to consider, but maybe it's better to start this post with musings about natural phenomena than, well.... Politics isn't even the way to describe the state of America's electoral process. And honestly, I won't delve deeply into what might occur, in that actually in a week all that will definitely happen is advertising won't feature this or that candidate or proposition. In one week, that will have ended. What comes next is.... N...

Last night I worked on a Red Sky at Night block. Small pieces are a little futzy, as well as making sure the perimeter shapes are correctly basted so I don't find myself removing stitches when pressing it flat. One of the differences with this kind of EPP, that will be incorporated into a machine-pieced quilt, is seam allowances can't remain tucked around papers, or shapes once papers are removed. Plenty to consider as many minutes turn into accumulated hand-sewing. I was pondering other things last night, amid the Golden State Warriors/LA Lakers game that caught my husband's attention. We're grateful for the near-return of basketball, as another lengthy season winds down; the election will have occurred in three weeks, and I am SO READY for that, although I don't anticipate a winner announced immediately. I miss the British manner of elections, where the Prime Minister simply calls for one, and within weeks it's DONE. This summer kind of felt that way when Kam...

  Fashioning a mitered corner for the Sunflower Quilt. I'm almost finished with the Sunflower Quilt, pleased to also be nearly done with one for my husband, in the I can make the binding, attach it, then add to the hand-quilting, then take out the safety pins way. The latter project is still far from landing in the washer, then spread out on my other half's half of the bed, but it's been much longer under construction, and I can't wait to have all my regular safety pins to use! Not that I have a quilt top in need of basting, merely the sense of not being in the hole when it comes to quilts, ahem. Yet that's not exactly what today's entry concerns, although simple quilt tops lend themselves to piling up, why I'm in this spot in the first place. However, let me return to easy but intricate before this post loses focus. Hand-quilting once the binding is wholly attached. Um.... Hmmmm.... I started this draft last night while sitting under the Sunflower Quilt, s...

  Edging the perimeter is a slow process, but very rewarding in the overall sense of almost being done! Literally less than a week ago I mentally decided if I didn't get my Cornflower quilt done until late summer, I'd be happy. As long as I had it in time for autumn, woo hoo. One more of the edging process because the fabrics are so pretty, lol. Two days ago I finished the hand-quilting. I hadn't planned on it, but late in the afternoon I sat down to stitch and whoop there it ended. I hauled it upstairs, because it required perimeter stitching, a binding made, then attached, but wow, suddenly one great big task was over. Meanwhile I had started machine quilting a new comforter for my husband, and assumed the Cornflower quilt would wait patiently for its turn at the machine. Perimeter sewing DONE! Yesterday slipped away with no machine sewing whatsoever. I've been reading the last book in the Alvin's Farm series and spent most of my free time with that, sincerely en...

Looking at this again, I may overhaul the entire thing. Lol. Isn't that often the way, in quilts or novels; the end appears on the horizon, a joyful swell of anticipation and relief that said project is ALMOST DONE. Almost is a word fraught with uncertainty, because until something IS DONE, it's not finished. This is what I thought days ago after completing the forty-second block of my quilt. Number forty-three is nearly wrapped up, and here's its little tale. I had laid out the blocks, as pictured above, but one was missing. Literally moments before snapping that shot I had four spots left and four blocks in my hand. Then suddenly one had slipped away! Frantically we looked around, and for twenty minutes I was convinced another block would need to be stitched. Fortunately I had eight extra squares, an idea for the inner petals, and the assuredness something appropriate would turn up for the center octagon. Picking up all forty-one blocks, I stacked them in order of rows, d...