Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall

I think I've finally gotten myself into the habit of making sure I mirror the patterns for the blocks which require it. Pinwheel blocks (at least in the DJ software) are notorious for spinning the wrong way when paper pieced as set in the software's default setting. I now try to check the "mirror" option even if the block doesn't require it because it does no harm to the "normal" blocks.

This is "M-9 Fan Dance" an intermediate paper-pieced block. The pieces aren't that small, but I think the reason it's labeled as intermediate is because of the fairly large number of seams to be matched. Otherwise, it's fairly easy.

Musical Break

This is Cathy Miller, the Singing Quilter. Our guild was fortunate to have her perform for us in person in 2007. What a treat.

Just click the arrow on the video above -- the first 10 seconds are a bit messed up, but it clears up quickly.

Enjoy!

Weekend Coffee Break

At this month's meeting of my guild's DJ group, I "won" this great mug. My thanks to my quilting friend Dori who picked this up while seeing Jane Stickle's original quilt at the Bennington Museum just a couple of weeks ago. I'm envious that Dori got to see the quilt in person...maybe someday she'll organize a group trip up there (hint, hint, Dori...I know you're reading...) This mug is from Needles, the local fabric shop in Wellsboro. The owners, Katie and Mary, are great people to know and are always very supportive of our guild's activities. Thank you's go to them for always having a smile when a customer comes in (even if we don't always buy something).
This is my afternoon tea mug. It reminds me of the old sewing machine that I inherited from my maternal grandmother (mentioned in this post). My grandmother, like many Russians, loved her tea.
This is another favorite coffee mug of mine...I bought it while attending the 2007 Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. That was an unforgettable trip.
And lastly, this is one of my travel coffee mugs...also bought in Sisters.

Honor... (Warning...Politics Involved)

I need to keep busy sewing in order to keep my mind off of the fact that our country still has people who see nothing wrong with saying things like the following -- (taken from a transcript of some comments made about Senator Obama by some of those attending a Governor Palin rally on Oct 12, 2008 in rural Ohio) :

"I'm afraid if he wins, the black [sic] will take over. He's not a Christian! This is a Christian nation! What is our country gonna end up like?"

"When you got a Negro running for president, you need a first stringer. He's definitely a second stringer."

"He seems like a sheep - or a wolf in sheep's clothing to be honest with you. And I believe Palin - she's filled with the Holy Spirit, and I believe she's gonna bring honesty and integrity to the White House."

"He's related to a known terrorist, for one."

"He is friends with a terrorist of this country!"

"He must support terrorists! You know, uh, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck. And that to me is Obama."

"Just the whole, Muslim thing, and everything, and everybody's still kinda - a lot of people have forgotten about 9/11, but... I dunno, it's just kinda... a little unnerving."

"Obama and his wife, I'm concerned that they could be anti-white. That he might hide that."

I cannot believe that I am hearing this in 2008 in the USA at a sanctioned event of one of our VP candidates! It's not being said in the middle of the night in the deep South of the 1950s by some in white robes and masks while burning crosses, but by Americans attending an official political rally in the 21st century! And they don't mind being videotaped while they say it! And it angers me that the candidates don't come right out and explain to their supporters that these kinds of comments and beliefs do not do our country any good.

How the heck do I explain this to my 16-year-old son?

So, in order to remind myself that there are still some honorable people in this country, (on both sides of the political divide, I might add), I made "K-9 Scout's Honor", a beginner-level paper-pieced block.

Rainy Day Blues

Yesterday was a glorious fall day here in north-central PA, but I spent most of the day indoors with several of my quilting friends working on charity quilts. The house where we sew, however, lets us enjoy the sunshine and sew at the same time. Showers have arrived today, so the colors in the photo seem appropriate. By the end of the day, we had finished several tops that will be turned into finished Project Linus quilts in memory of a young local toddler who passed away recently and whose mother coordinates the local county Project Linus program. The picture shows 3 of the tops ready to go with batting and backing to volunteers from our guild who will quilt and bind them.

The Disease Is Spreading

I have quite a few other projects that I really should be working on, but the DJ blocks keep calling my name. This is starting to become a disease -- I think it's spreading from next door...my neighbor is also a member of the Laurel Janes and she will probably be the first of our group to be a Dear Jane Goddess. Her work is amazing.

So, in order to control my disease, I made "A-4 Courtney's Stethoscope", another intermediate-level paper-pieced block.

No Snow Yet

Although this is "L-2 Stephanie's Snowflake", it certainly didn't feel like snow when I was working on it. I think the temperature was in the low 70s yesterday and today is supposed to be warm as well. The fall colors in this part of Pennsylvania are especially brilliant this year due to the great weather we've had -- bright sunny days with cool nights. We do need some more rain, so I hope we'll get it once the leaves come down.

If you look closely, you'll see that I sewed the outside triangle sections in the wrong order -- that's why the strips are a tad too short in the center of all four edges. That will easily be taken care of once I sew the block to the sashing.

The software labeled this as an advanced-level block, but I didn't think it was too hard. So far I think I've finished 7 of the 26 advanced-level center blocks. I suspect a good number of the rest are applique blocks...bummer.
P.S. I want to thank quilt designer Patrick Lose for leaving a comment on yesterday's post. It's nice to see that designers are interested in how quilters use their patterns.