idea for Mike's quilt

Dave made a quilt so Mike's got to have one too.  He asks me about it quite often, overlooking the important detail that Dave (more or less!!) made his own. Mike's not inclined to sewing, but is waiting for his quilt because Mom DID say he could have one too.

I think I'll do an actual pattern for his! I've got to to add some interest, because I hate the fabrics he picked!  But the pattern's got to be about as simple as it can get.

I'm gonna do the center patches 2", and see how large those squares come out, then cut the plain fabric squares the same size. Adding sashing between makes it fancier and easier. I can do this :-)

Very rough approximation of the tone of the fabrics chosen by Mikey, which, as I said, are NOT exactly inspirational to me. I don't like any of 'em very much, but I don't mind the sleigh one at top left because I like the whole snowy woods theme, or the lower right because it's got a little bit of a Germanic vibe to it. But I sure don't like 'em all together!

The Finished Stairs

Doesn't it look like church stairs?  I don't know of any businesses who cover their stairs with berber and definitely no other homes!  So for the first few days, every time I walked up these stairs it felt like going up church stairs.  I guess that’s a good thought!  As close to church as I'm able to get right now. 

The berber isn't nearly as ugly as I thought it would be.  It actually came out quite elegant-looking. 

And it's very soft and thick, which is the whole point.  I hate carpeting and wouldn't have it anywhere else in my house, the stuff's NASTY!  Only on the stairs, for the cushioning of little noggins when they tumble down.  I got the thickest berber and heaviest carpet padding available.  On such a small job there's not much difference in the price of materials   🙂

How To Not Sell a Cutting Mat on eBay

Before I bought that big Gingher mat, I looked around ebay.
I found one auction for a "very old" Fiskars mat which interested me enough to write the seller:

Perchance is this SO very old that it was made in Finland instead of Taiwan?

The seller replied... only to confirm whether I had really wanted to ask that question.

Hello and Good Morning,
Well, I just don’t know. It wasn’t a piece of info that I thought was pertinent to it's sale. Do you require this information? If so, I will unpackage the item and find out for you. I purchased this second hand a couple of years ago, so I do not know.

I said:

What, am I supposed to swear to buy it or something? I'm just SHOPPING here. Somebody asking you a question means they are interested. Yes, if it says "made in Finland" on it I will most likely want it.

Doesn't that seem like a big enough hint?  Don't you see money burning a hole in someone's pocket?

The seller replied:

Hello again,
I am sorry, I wasn't trying to be a smart a-- or something. I was just trying to get educated as to the meaning of where it was made. Please don’t take offense. Maybe I didn’t say it right.
I will get the mat down and check out where it was made. Can you inform me as to the differences?
Best Regards,

Um.

Does this lady not want to sell her item?  There were no other bids.
I notice she had to "get it down" in the second email rather than "unwrap" like the first-- the only continuous theme is the massive inconvenience I'm causing her.
Maybe she thinks I'll be so impatient that I'll bid anyway?

I ordered the Gingher.
Sometimes communication is just not happening, and it seems like any further words would be wasted.  Anyway blogging's more fun  :-) 

Bird Baths

Yes, I said they could go out and play in the rain if they wanted to.  Washington children can't be stuck indoors for six months out of the year, after all!

But... in the puddles?  ...with chickens.  Ooooookay.

Sometimes it's GOOD to be old  :-)

The Happy Place Tonight

My old cutting mat was twenty years old and showing it.  It was getting warped in the middle, and using it was like trying to cut on a hill!  On a whim, I asked DH to pick a new one up for me on his way home.  He brought a Fiskars 24×36 mat, and I received it with delight and left it in the sewing room all evening while I was busy making dinner.  By the time I got to really look at it, it had stunk up the whole room!  It smelled soooo bad! 

It went back to the store. 

Then I shopped online, and found a great deal on a Gingher mat that was half off, and thus only $5 more than the Fiskars one.  It's a CADILLAC of mats, made of poly instead of PVC, so there's no bad smell. 
So nice to have!  I'm really happy. 
Now even my cheapo rotary cutter seems slick and efficient!  Being so HUGE, there's less folding and repositioning, and that makes cutting jobs go faster!

Pillowcases

Bought new fabric /$4.50 yard, couldn't resist.  One yard of each, to make three pillowcases for daughters.

Next question, which for which?  I assume the horses for Karen.  Kitties for Victoria– but Andrea's not into birds, and Karen is.  Andrea likes horses.  Hm.  I'll let them decide!  I only get the fun part:  making!

Robin Hood 2010

My two cents.
The first chapter irritated me in so many different ways. I thought I was going to hate the whole thing. I hate it when they mess with classic stories. I've read all the different Robin Hood versions and a couple scholarly works too.
But after the first scene it started to grow on me. What-if alternate scenarios can be fun! Mostly we just like to watch Russell Crowe slashing a sword around enough to make excuses for the rest. Moar battle scenes!!

I enjoyed the whole movie because of the props, scenery, clothing and weapons which were all intensely 13c cool, and kept my eyeballs very much entertained. I wanted everything I saw.  Fur!  Leather!  Draped layers!

THIS is what I liked enough to make a blog post about. This crown just tickled me completely with its snazzy old gold excellence.  This is what a king's crown should look like. 

Not the king! Eww. That's way not what a king should look like. Let's lose the loser and coronate Russell Crowe.