Pittsburgh Turnaround

We all have things that we are really good at - some are more useful than others. In my job, I photograph houses and use map quest to find my way to lots of different locations. Most of the time, it works out OK, but I do tend to get turned around a lot. I go north when I should go south, east when I should go west, and turn left when I should go right. Since I started this job, I have become a master at the 3 point turn in my van. You may see this as a not very useful skill, but on the streets of Pittsburgh, which can be very small, or hilly or woodsie at times, making a 3 point turn in a small space is a great asset. Of course, that doesn't help my sense of direction. The other day, I was in Beaver Falls, and in my hurry to get home, ended up taking the Turnpike West instead of East. I ended up in Youngstown, wasted 1.5 hours on the road, and had to spend 1.00 to get into Ohio , and 3.00 to get back in PA. It was one of those days I was really glad I was by myself in the car as I kept calling myself all sorts of names. Then I finally decided to just laugh at myself and make a note to always visit the ladies room BEFORE I get on the road - just in case - I do this again!

I finished the quilt for my friend and quilted it with ocean waves. She was very happy with it. I have mixed feelings about machine quilting. I love my Hinterberg machine. I love that I can finish a quilt in a few hours, instead of months or years. But I'm impatient. I have trouble stitching slowly and that makes my stitches larger than I like. I miss the heirloom quality of hand quilting. I miss being able to say that I hand stitched and hand-quilted this quilt. I actually miss hand piecing. I marvel sometimes that Jinny Beyer still hand pieces all her quilts. Some of them are very intricate.

I'm looking forward to our trip to Iceland. I heard that there's a famous quilter who hand dyes her fabric over there in Iceland. I hope I get a chance to check it out. Also, when we're in Boston we may take a drive to Kittery, Maine, where Daryl Hall just happened to buy a historic home there called Bray House. I try to connect all parts of my life to Hall and Oates in some way. Why not my trip? I can't believe how hard it is to pack with all these airline restrictions. That makes me more nervous than anything else. It's my Catholic school upbringing. I'm terrified of getting in trouble at the airport. I think I have everything packed the right way. My priorities are my camera equipment and my coat!

Since we are leaving Saturday morning, this will be my last post until we get back on the 20th. I'm not taking a computer with me so can't post while we're away. I'll be celebrating my birthday in Iceland this year.

I plan on having a great time. Don't miss me too much and have a great time while I'm gone.

mjs 10.10.08 1:22 am

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Random Thoughts

I haven't heard anything from the Creative Director yet at Quiltmaker. I'd be surprised if she could explain that cathedral window quilt block to me with the different colors that I mentioned before. (p. 28 of Spring 2008 issue of Quiltmaker's all time favorites).

I sent our local newspaper a photo of the Patriotic Patchwork quilt, and apparently they are going to print it this week, so maybe our raffle will get a little movement. I presented the idea of this quilt to our group to help me get rid of the red, white and blue fabric I had on hand, because I'm not really into those colors too much for a quilt. Ironically, I've ended up with a ton of r,w, and b leftover. Also, in case you got the mistaken impression I did that quilt myself, I didn't. I did quilt it on my Hinterberg machine, but had much help from 5 or 6 other women to put it together. I like the multicolor binding - I think it sets it off nicely.

I've been spending a lot of time watching the election coverage this week and not quilting. I was truly inspired by Barak Obama's speech on Friday night. I was impressed with the emotion in people's eyes as they watched him talk. The same tears were in my own. Hope is a powerful thing.

Today, the talk has changed to the Alaska VP candidate. Please pardon me if I say that I think it absurd to be talking about any one's 1982 basketball career and nickname as a resume to be Vice-President.

I'm going to combine my reading and quilting today. A friend of mine listens to audio books when she quilts so I thought I'd try that today. I did get one Alan Alda book that looked interesting in addition to a few romances.

My husband and I are going on a trip next week to Stone Harbor, NJ. I'm looking forward to trying out the new camera while we're there on some scenic spots. My current camera is 6mp and the new one is 12mp. My computer screen doesn't have the resolution to effectively view the photos. I wish someone had mentioned that before I bought it. (sigh).

It's a beautiful day, so I'm going to take advantage of the sunlight (my sewing room has skylights) and go sew!!

MJS

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