APPLIQUE PAINTBOX-I LOVE APPLIQUE

IN WHICH PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE ON THE DREADED SWEET SURRENDER!

Above are the 6 remaining diamonds for SS-completed as you can see!  I almost packed the whole thing away as it feels so un-sympatico to me right now.  But I persevered and have begun the assembling process.  

This process is also fraught with potential disasters as each piece is sewn on the diagonal and, given my piecing skills, is likely to end up a some bizarre trapezoid.  I have given this some thought over the last several months and decided on using a foundation piecing method.  ie:

This method was working pretty but things got out of kilter very quickly.You can see the appliqued diamonds are placed higher than the pieced triangles.  Also, though you cannot see it in the photo, the edge of the last appliqued diamond rests against the drawn line so there is no seam allowance.  AAAARRRGGHH!  Back to the drawing board.

My next idea:  since I have nice template the exact size without seams of the triangles, I am going to draw a pattern with seam allowances for each diamond, carefully pin the diamond to the pattern piece, and stitch at 1/4 inch.  This should prevent stretching on the bias and size up nicely.  Who knows???  We will find out-more next week.

ON TO OTHER THINGS!

Below is a photo of our yellow lab, Rommy.  You can see his relationship to the squirrels-they are not exactly terrified of him.

Here they are sharing the downfall of sunflower seeds from the bird feeder.  

I visited a quilt museum a while back.  We are within driving range of several good ones: Paducah, Des Moines, Lincoln NE, Omaha, and The Poos in Kansas city.  I got to chatting with the management of one the quilt museum we visited about the importance of National Endowment of the Arts funding for quilt museums.  The NEA provides the majority of the funding and now Congress is talking seriously about completely ending the funding for the NEA.  This generally means these museums will close.  Our taxes and our government at work does so much and many good things that we don't even notice until they are gone.  Please write your congressman about this funding before quilt museums disappear.

I had a busy with business week-a visit to KC for stuff and a visit to the eye surgeon.  I have developed cataracts and will have lens replacement in a few weeks.  I asked the Dr exactly what a cataract was and he described as clouding and distortion of the lens.  I asked him if cataracts result in vision which is like looking thru old glass and he said that was a good analogy.  One's vision becomes is as if one is looking out this window.

This is a different process from lasix which improves vision by shaving the cornea.  UHG!

And Now....

Your moment of Zen

Isn't this the crosswalk you always wanted?  Turns a mundane walk across the road into a high wire, twisty foot bridge over a school of fishes.  Are they piranhas?  Maybe it is a clear jungle stream below and it might be nice to fall thru the foot pieces and swim with the fish below.

This urban art is the work of Canadian Peter Gibson who also did the painting below.  I believe these two are in Montreal.

This one Peter created in sympathy with refugees in holding pens in different parts of the world.  You can really see the imagination, scale, and detail in this photo.  

So long and happy quilting!

I am linking up with:

Slow Stitching Sunday, Bambi's Blog,

Patchwork Times,  Em's Scrapbag,

Esther's Wow, Let's Bee Social,

Free Motion by the River, Whoop Whoop,

and Off the Wall Friday.           

PS-don't forget the GBBW on Feb 17!