Bits and Pieces

Plugging away a bit at a time on the Serendipity. Things appear to be spinning out of control and looking to explode! I hope that by the time there are eight or nine blocks here, along with all the attending background noise, this will look a bit better organized than it does here.



The big blocks and the baby ones are sewn; some of the surrounding triangles are being auditioned. Um... That yellow is zoomy enough isn't it? Actually, it's even zoomier than the camera conveys. Well, I had to pick a color and go with it. Might as well be a bright one. I'm pretty pleased with the look of the black and white check thrown into the mix. It recedes a bit and lets the kaleidoscopes do their thing.

I have some of the layered repeats left. I may need to discard some of the already made kaleidoscopes, cut more strips, and make new ones. Some of the kaleidoscopes, especially the small ones, have too much color and pattern. The most effective ones have a lot of negative space in them.

Here's another block-to-be, laid out and ready to be sewn. As you can see, some of the cartoony elements are showing but I've decided that's OK. With these colors and fabrics, I don't think there's any danger of this being mistaken for a children's quilt. Well, maybe sort of a Tim Burton children's quilt...

Dog interlude:

And after much vigilance and numerous trips outside with Lucy, we made it through one whole day with no puddles on the floor. OK. I know my mind is going mushy but this is feeling like a Major Accomplishment.

Here's Lucy and I on our noontime romp--I rush home and feed her and then we run all over the yard for about half an hour. The neighbors must be enjoying the show.



Book interlude:

I just finished Mark Haddon's A Spot of Bother.

Really enjoyed it. Haddon's first novel was The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time, which has been highly recommended to me but which I haven't gotten around to reading yet. A Spot of Bother is the tale of a middle aged gentleman politely going insane while his life lies in tatters--his wife is having an affair, his daughter is about to embark on marriage #2 with an unsuitable man, and his son is struggling with his sexual orientation. A full plate. And our poor hero really doesn't handle it all terribly well.

Haddon does mental disarray very well.

The weekend is here! I'm going to be hitting an antique mall with a friend. Lately I've been thinking a lot about vintage Pyrex. I actually own some vintage Pyrex which was new when I received it as a wedding gift--but I've got the funkier colors on my mind...