Sunday Sundry 2-12-12

Cheap Sunglasses
I saw these at a thrift store yesterday.  They have "stitching" around the frames and down the bows. They fit my face and are a classic shape, so for a quarter, how could I refuse?  I could not.

My dear friends Kathy and Marie came over for breakfast yesterday, and we watched the movie The Help together.  The movie was very good.  My friends had both read the book, which, it turned out, was a good thing when I needed them to clarify something, though I had first told them to "shut up" when they started discussing how the movie differed from the book less than a minute into the film.  Sorry gals.  Why they put up with me, I do not know.

I realized recently that we three have been friends for 30 years this year.  We met when we all worked for the same law firm back in the day.  Our old boss passed away last week, which had me reminiscing on this fact.  He was one of those people who seemed larger than life, both literally and figuratively.  He ended up doing a stint in the clink for some shenanigans and was disbarred.  Yes, those were some strange times.  I will say one thing, though; he knew how to pick quality people for employees.  I believe he was a good judge of character, despite any shortcomings in his own.  May he rest in peace.

Thrift Spotting
So we're in line at the cash register at the thrift store yesterday when I suddenly spotted something 10 feet away that I hadn't noticed before that moment.  It was a funky green shallow bowl with a scalloped edge.  My vintage pottery radar was activated and I asked Norm if he would please go flip it over and tell me what it was.  

"Red Wing," he reported. 

Suffice it to say, that was a quick sale.

I trusted my gut on a plate too, which was all by its lonesome on a shelf.  I was immediately drawn to its mid-century aesthetics, the clean black-on-white design.

I don't know anything about the maker, but I bought it just because I liked it.  Made by Kyoto Fine China, the pattern is Mercury, according to the stamp on the back.  Named after the space program, I wonder?

I tried drawing the design on paper last night, like a quilting design.  My drawing skills leave a lot to be desired, but I think if I traced it, I could quilt it.  Wouldn't that be cool?

(Says she who has been procrastinating and freaking out a bit at the prospect of practicing free-motion feathers, this month's FMQ Challenge...)

The Day the Internet Died...and the Sewing Machine Hummed to Life
My internet and phone connections were hit-and-miss last week, and on Thursday they went down altogether.  While I waited for the cable company to fix the problem, and since I couldn't work while offline, I sewed.

I worked on another string Dresden for a quilt, which is my String Thing-Along project. I also finally got around to doing an introductory post over on the String Thing-Along blog.

I am loving how each of these string rings will be different, depending on what scraps are used.  I'm also noticing that if I throw in one bold graphic print per ring, it adds just a little extra something-something.  On the one above, it's the red/black print that overall forms a five-point star.  On the one I laid out last night, it's in blue (no pics of that one yet).

It appears that I am in need of a catnap this afternoon.  Lots of yawning going on right now.  Hope you finish out the weekend in a good way, and have a bright week ahead!