Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Of Triangles and seed catalogues

Today was quite productive. I cleaned the sewing room and I finished 3 more rows on Triangle Island, for a grand total of 5 rows. Of course as I'm sewing I got an idea for layout that's completely different, but we'll have to see what I decide to do once I've got all 20 rows finished.

Monday's mail brought an unexpected surprise -- the brand new Seed Savers catalogue! Woo-hoo! So yours truly has already got a list ready of what I want to order, but I have to sit on it until December when the Southern Exposure Seed Exchange's catalogue comes. I mean, what if they have something that Seed Savers doesn't, and I run out of garden room? Which is entirely possible in my garden. Seed starting is only 2, 2-1/2 months away.

With Thanksgiving tomorrow, it's good to remember to be thankful -- and I'm thankful that there is a Spring coming, D.V. In these days as our country is taken over by political correctness and the Constititution is despised, it's good to be thankful and to think about the little things in life. You know, those good things like treadle sewing machines, quilted petticoats and long johns (you know, Michigan winters), and gardens. Well, and I have the best husband in the whole world. I might have tagged him on at the end, but he's no second thought. I'd have a miserable life without him.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I leave you with this thought from Abraham Lincoln from his Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1863:

"No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.
It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and voice by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union. "

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Triangle Island

Yes, I know it's been awhile since I posted, but, well, let's just say you haven't missed much. Frost killed my seed beans, the boys have been in full swing, etc., and I've gotten myself into another project. Yes, I'm still working on Christmas presents, but I needed the side trip to Triangle Island.

See, our Benevolent Despot at Treadle On did a "Rectangle Island" mystery quilt back in Feb-March. Since it was a blast with appearances by the Evil Twin (not the one that looks like Tom Selleck, the other one) and clues to hunt down on the site, when "Triangle Island" was proposed, I jumped right on ship. I needed something to think about besides the holidays coming up, our first round with Grandma gone. Little did I know I was going to get marooned on the Isle and the cruise company would go bankrupt. Full story here: http://www.treadleon.net/quiltshop/triangleisland/triangleisland.html


To make a long story short, I finished Row 1 tonight. Well, OK, there's that little matter of squaring the row up, which I can't do until the Corner is open on Monday and I get fabric. It's as done as it will be until then, so here's what it looks like:

I don't think it looks too bad, but the true test will be what happens when I join the rows........

For those of you wondering, I obsessed over the color placement until I listened to Mr. C. and did the olde "52 card pick up in a paper bag". My only rule is that no color repeats next to each other.

And so I'm off to work on Row 2......... assuming I can find a plug for my boom box so I can jam to Nickelback (there you go, now I'm dated.....)