Paying to Play

It seems that copyrights and the lawyers have once more upset the giant internet quilt guild. Because of the stuff I've been reading on various blogs, I've given up on Pinterest. I never really understood what the appeal was anyway. Unless, of course, you are someone with a product you want to push. Using it as a sort of file cabinet or bulletin board to save stuff that you like is sort of a waste of time. I already snag pictures and bookmark websites all the time, I don't need another social sharing venue to spend endless hours of wasted time. Then there is the new threat of copyright infringement rearing it's ugly head. I figured it would show up eventually. There are plenty of people out in the quilt world that are perfectly happy to share their ideas freely so I don't need to rile any of the capitalists that think they are entitled to a cut of the action when they tweek a 85 year old block design. Mind you, I make every effort to always give credit to quilters that inspire me. You would think that the free publicity given to pattern designers and quilt related products on Pinterest would be appreciated by the folks with commercial enterprises. But I am wary, so I have opted out of participating.

For some folks, it's all about the money to be made. But plenty of talented quilters not only design patterns and fabrics for financial gain but they offer lots of free stuff, too. We all know who these generous people are, people like Bonnie Hunter and Judy Laquidara and Marcie Patch just to name a few. Even quilt stores offer free patterns online like Temecula Quilt Co. I will make every effort to support the designers and shops that foster the spirit of quilters through time, sharing and encouraging the craft.

One very generous quilter is Lynn who has gone to a lot of effort to post detailed instructions to make the darling quilt she calls Extravagant Welcome.  Today, while the snow came down steadily outside, I tried to design a little geisha girl to join the other little people for this quilt.

I'm not entirely satisfied with her. I really wanted to use that background fabric but her face & hands don't show up very well. I may have to dig in the stash some more and come up with either a new background or new body parts. Either way, I guarantee you this is my own original design and it is totally free to one and all should anyone want to use the idea. I promise I won't sue.

It's A Small World........

Now I'll have that tune running in my head all day, dagnabbit.

My small world is all about this cute quilt on Lynn's blog. She even has given us all the directions to make one of our own. I'm having so much fun designing my little people. The first batch are little guys from Bali, or it could be someplace in Africa. I've completed 10 more. This time little girls in pink dresses.

Next I'm thinking about some little girls in hula skirts. Or maybe some geisha girls.

Hubby and I are heading to the coast for a few days to soak up the salt air in Avila Bay.

I love this view. The weather prediction is for rain so I'm taking my sewing machine along just in case we are stuck inside.

Does This Happen to You?

Sorry I haven't posted in forever but I've been just a tad distracted. I really had great intentions of finishing a lot of UFOs this year but I keep getting sidetracked. One project that I thought I had under control is the hand quilting on Second Hand Clothes.

 I got it all layered and basted awaiting the winter. I had visions of myself sitting on the couch doing hand stitching while staying cozy through the cold months. So far our winter has been so mild that I haven't felt the need to huddle under a quilt stitching away like I did in winters past. So Second Hand Clothes sits in a heap suffering neglect.

Then there were those forgotten parts I discovered in a baggie. In my on-going efforts to clean up all the unfinished projects I used those parts to make this top.

 It occurred to me that I needed a present for the upcoming wedding of my nephew. So I got this quilt top basted and started quilting it in a simple grid on my trusty old Bernie. But a plain grid is pretty boring work. And hefting that queen sized quilt around on my dining table where I do my machine quilting  wrecks havoc on my shoulders. So I take frequent breaks. This leads me to spend time surfing quilting blogs. Which is where I discovered this blog. I'm always on the lookout for new ways to use string and crumb blocks. I was intrigued by the spiderweb quilt. It has turned into a much more involved project than I anticipated.

 Then there is my monthly small quilts class. The project this month was little spools. I got 4 done during class. When I got home, instead of continuing to quilt on Second Hand Clothes or on the Wedding Present or the Spiderweb project, I made 16 more spools to complete this little quilt.

Then there's the project I took along on my winter escape. I completed all the blocks and even got a back all pieced.

As I cut pieces to make the backing, I cut 3 more rows for my Water Glasses top.

I call it Water Glasses rather than Tumbler because the template I made turned out to be larger than I intended so the tumblers are big, more like water glasses. And I haven't even told you about the round robin I joined that Julie organized. I've worked on two really challenging borders  that I can't show you because it's all a big secret until the big reveal when they are all done. But you can read about our progress here.

Today, instead of working on any of the other projects I should be trying to finish, I got distracted on these adorable Little People.

I've joined a swap that Nancy put together to make a quilt like this one. Oh my gosh are these addicting. I couldn't tear myself away to work on the Wedding Present or Second Hand Clothes or even put a few more stitches in the little Pink Lemonade quilt from Lori's last quilt along which I should have finished weeks ago.

So, does this happen to other quilters? My distraction level seems to be elevated lately. It could be Spring fever, I suppose. Although, I certainly can't say I've been motivated to do any heavy duty cleaning.

Books, Movies & TV

I am still handicapped with non picture posts while using my handy dandy little Kindle Fire gadget. So far I am finding it a perfectly suitable substitute over more costly alternatives. I have been able to check my email, check on my friends at Facebook, and keep up reading all the new blog news. I have even watched a few episodes of Downtown Abbey at Netflix & PBS. Sometimes it doesn't stream very well since the WIFi isn't the best in this area but it's free so I really can't complain. I watched a new to me BBC series called Land Girls while I sewed today. I recommend it to anyone who is a fan of British TV. Most kindle owners use it for reading. And I've been reading quite a lot, too. I tackled the Hunger Games series since a friend recommended them. They are an interesting take on a future world with a sort of cross between the Roman gladiator entertainment & the sacrificial virgin to save society from collapsing into chaos deal. Not really my cup of tea but I'll admit I read it all just to find out how it ends. I've given up on the free kindle books. After reading a couple of them it I realized why they are free. You definitely get what you might expect from a book that is free. A really well written book is Room but I'll warn you it is painful to read. Something a little lighter but also enjoyable is The School of Essential Ingredients. I'm not all that wrapped up in Downtown Abby either. I loved the first season but it has gotten a bit too soap opera-ish at this point. Two really excellent British period productions to seek out on Netflix are The Duchess, based on a true historical figure, and The Duchess of Duke Street. Regular American network TV is so mediocre in comparison. In my opinion. Your mileage may vary.

A Time And A Place

A blogger whose blog I follow posted today that she was offended at a political post she saw on Facebook. She feels that political opinions are inappropriate among friends. I respect her opinion but do not agree. It is fine with me if she chooses to ignore those whose political views are not the same as hers but I believe that in order to make informed choices I am much better equipped if I expose myself to all the sources available rather than just limit myself to those who say what I like to hear. This particular blogger has very pronounced opinions on a variety of subjects and has gotten her share of inevitable nasty comments as a result. Her reply, as it should be, has always been "screw you, it's my blog. If you don't like it, don't read it." Hear, hear!! In that spirit I submit the following political statement: I am appalled that in the 21st century, women are once again having to fight against the extremist right-wing in the United States of America for the right to obtain and use birth control. In this time and place no "employer" of any polical or religious persuasion should be allowed to deny me or any adult that, especially if that employer is receiving my tax dollars to help pay for my health care insurance. PERIOD.