Friday, June 21, 2013

Processing and Plans

I've been feeling somewhat scattered this week, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.  Sometimes when you've got ideas fluttering around, you just have to let them wander where they will.  Eventually, they will come together in formation, or at least that is the hope.

Let's talk about Pinterest.  Talk about a blessing and a curse!  Curse the time suckage and resultant guilt.


But bless all the wonderful things to see, explore, marvel/dream/laugh about, and pin!  In the short span of a couple weeks, I already have more inspiration than I'll need for a long time to come.

What I really probably need is a Pin-tervention—or at least a Pin-terruption.  I want to believe I just made those words up, but I bet if I went looking on Pinterest, there would probably be pin proof otherwise.

The upshot of it all is that I am inspired to try something based on a quilt I saw and repinned to my Vintage Quilts board.

It's currently for sale on ebay (and wow, cha-ching!).  I just love it.  It's apparently based on an old pattern called Flying Swallows.  I stared and stared at it until I about went cross-eyed trying to wrap my head around how it was made. 

Then, via the wonder of Pinterest, a free pattern sheet for making it appeared and the mystery was solved.  Man, I love the internet.

The pattern is for English Paper Piecing, which I have not done before.  All of you who have made hexies and whatnot over the past few years have been there, done that, but I stayed off the tracks while that train rolled on by, so this will be new territory for me.  As it happens, I have a little vacation coming up and have been thinking about taking along some hand sewing.  This may be it.

Then again, I know me.  I know how short the wick is on my patience and how easily I can burn through my level of interest.  An alternative would be to machine piece the block, and here is where I thank Google for providing a solution and instructions for doing just that.  Here is another variation and some history on the block itself.  I like that version too.

So I have options, is what I'm saying.  Plans and options.  It's a good start.

* * * * *
We made a good start 30 years ago this week, when Norm and I piled into his red Triumph TR7 and drove to the county courthouse to get hitched.

We didn't remember to take a camera, so all our wedding photos in the courthouse are courtesy of a Polaroid borrowed from a sheriff's detective.  You need "something borrowed" for your wedding, right?

Afterwards, we stopped by the law office where I was working at the time, and one of the ladies there had a camera.  I like that Norm is smiling here.  He's generally not an overly smiley guy.  I guess marrying my awesomeness must have put him over the moon (*cough*cough*choke*).  ;)

And here it is three decades later already.  Wow, time flies!

* * * * *
One other happy note. I helped my sister pack for a move this week (that's not the happy part, yet).  We were boxing up the kitchen dishes when she opened a cupboard and took out a set of Pyrex bowls and held them out in my direction.  "Do you want these?"

Like she really had to ask!


10 comments:

Karen said...

Ok, first of all..hello!? How I love that pattern! So amazing! Please make it. Second of all 30!?! Years? WOW! A young bride you most assuredly were and I don't know if I like his smile as much as your devilish grin. I also cannot remember the last time I saw a TR7 which surprises me as I have realized Wisconsin is the place were old cars in bad shape go :). Congratulations on 30 years!

Elizabeth said...

Yay! Wedding photos! Paulette, you are so beautiful, as much so now as you were then! Congratulations on a huge achievement!

Yay for new Pyrex! And I absolutely LOVED your clever Pinterest sPIN-offs.

That vintage quilt is so amazing. I'm glad you found different options for piecing it. If decide to go the English Paper Piecing route, let mew know and I'll send you a link to a good tutorial. It is for hexies, but I'm sure it would work for the diamonds as well. You don't baste the fabric to the paper, so paper removal is easier, and there is no unpicking of the basting stitches after it is all put together.

Also, I'm going to print out the photo of The Avengers, frame it and hang it up in my little sewing area. Talk about motivation. Robert Downey Jr. is even more swoony now than he was 30(!) years ago when he was a member of The Brat Pack. So glad he got his act together (there's a pun in there somewhere).

Fun post! Thanks for a smile.

xo -E

Lorna McMahon said...

What a great post, Paulette... You had me grinning along enjoying your Pinterest banter complete with those cute little puns. Then we get to see that lovely old quilt and hear about the process you went through in attempting to make yourself one. (I agree that machine piecing is the way to go!) And then you got us all happy by sharing your new of 30 years of marriage. Congrats! And thanks for sharing it all...

sophie said...

I have always loved the Flying Swallows block. You could definitely foundation piece it. In Carol Doak's book, 50 Fabulous Paper Pieced Stars, several of her blocks seem to be variations on this one.

Happy coincidence! My future ex-husband and I owned a red Tr-7. What a fun little car.

MomWaldsPlace said...

So much in one post inspiration, addiction, love, and more addiction. Wow, I almost need a cigarette.

Shay said...

Im really into vintage quilts at the moment...as you can probably see I spent some of last night pinning them on darn time sucking Pinterest ! Love the one you're planning to make.

Congratulations both of you on 30 years of marriage. That's really something.

Carole May said...

Hi Paulette-I really enjoyed this post. Pinterest overwhelms with creative ideas. I doubt I will have time to make 1/2 projects I have in mind! Yet I'm bookmarking & drawing little notes to myself.
Oh well, you never know-Carole

Vicki @ DottyJane said...

Pyrex from sister...awesome!
30th anniversary...double awesome!! Congratulations!

Very pretty quilt block and the vintage quilt is beautiful!

That darn Pinterest. Blessing and curse all in one pretty package:)

Michelle said...

CONGRATS! You two look so cute in tat picture. :)

Kevin the Quilter said...

Happy Anniversary! That quilt is really cool, and I can't wait to see what you do with it, no matter how short your wick is! LOL