I've been planning to make a quilt for the goddaughter for, oh, 7 months now. I got most of the stuff a few months ago, like in April, and cut some pieces sometime after that. Yesterday, I finally started sewing some of them together. It's going to be a roman stripe pattern. It's an Amish pattern of pinwheels made of half striped triangles, half solid. I've made this pattern a couple of times before. The stripes are made of five different solid fabrics, and the solid is traditionally black or navy. The pattern is from Quick Quilts to Make in a Weekend. It's all strip-pieced, and the pieces are fairly large. The finished size is about 5 feet square, which is great for a lap quilt. I was actually thinking of making one for myself in shades of blue, eventually. The stripes for the current one are three different shades of purple, hot pink, and baby pink, with navy blue as the solid. The narrow border (a traditional feature of Amish quilts that I quite like) is a medium lavender, and the same fabric as the middle stripe. The outer border is more of the navy. I don't know if I have enough of the navy fabric to do the back in all navy, too. I was going to get a little bit of a patterned fabric, and insert that as a medallion on the back. Or, I may go back to Hobby Lobby and get another yard of navy blue Kona cotton, one of the two.
I'm piecing the quilt by machine, but I'm going to quilt it by hand, and I'm going to do more hand quilting than I have ever done before. I'm going to quilt diagonal lines through all of the pinwheel squares, and I want to find a quilting template to make a pattern in the border. I'm kind of thinking flowers. The batting I got is a needled cotton batting, and it has to be quilted every 4 inches.
I started looking at other Amish patterns online, and I found another one I want to make at some point. It's a pattern of squares, in an almost starburst design. It's basically concentric diamonds of alternating colors radiating out from a central square. The one I saw had a narrow border, a really wide, probably 12-inch outer border with contrasting corner squares. I think that's going to be the next quilt I make.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
Coming Out
No, I'm not gay. I'm a heretic. This is kind of a project of sorts. It's research. I've been researching several early Christian heresies for years. Some of them have kind of gone mainstream, thanks to the DaVinci Code. Given that I live in a fairly conservative part of the world, this may come back to bite me, but I feel compelled to write about it.
I am still a Christian. I practice as an Episcopalian, but I am a Gnostic Christian. For one thing, I believe that Mary Magdalene was a very important figure in early Christianity, that she was a teacher and apostle in her own right. I also believe that she was Jesus's wife. Yes, the DaVinci Code is somewhat based on truth, but he got a lot of things wrong. For one thing, Leonardo DaVinci was connected with a different heresy, he was a follower of John the Baptist. There was a different sect that believed that John the Baptist was the true Messiah. Allegedly, their rituals included spitting on crucifixes, calling Jesus a false priest, among other things, and reverence for a skull called Baphomet. These are also among the charges levied against the Knights Templar when the order was, um, disbanded in the fourteenth century. If you're looking for hidden Magdalene symbolism in art, look at Botticelli's fresco "Primavera." Mary Magdalene is usually depicted with a red veil, as is the central figure in the painting.
For another thing, I don't think the idea that there are descendants of the Grail bloodline still living is as important as the idea that Jesus was just as human as he was divine. Conventional Christianity has promoted divinity over humanity, and I think the human, family man side of Jesus deserves just as much respect.
I'm not sure why this came up now. I'm just finishing my second reading of the first two books of a trilogy by Kathleen McGowan, The Expected One, and I'm just finishing The Book of Love. I'm not sure why I felt compelled to read them again. I'm sure it will make sense in time. Those books speak to me in a way that I don't quite understand. They're fiction, but a lot of it just seems right to me. Some of it is verifiable from outside sources, from some of the Gnostic gospels in the Nag Hammadi Library, and books like Holy Blood, Holy Grail, but the rest of it, the parts that come from the oral tradition of the Languedoc (southern France), they seem right, too. I think some things are just right, proof or not. There's also the fact that the Church led a crusade against these people in the thirteenth century. If it wasn't important, wasn't a threat, why did they care so much?
I am still a Christian. I practice as an Episcopalian, but I am a Gnostic Christian. For one thing, I believe that Mary Magdalene was a very important figure in early Christianity, that she was a teacher and apostle in her own right. I also believe that she was Jesus's wife. Yes, the DaVinci Code is somewhat based on truth, but he got a lot of things wrong. For one thing, Leonardo DaVinci was connected with a different heresy, he was a follower of John the Baptist. There was a different sect that believed that John the Baptist was the true Messiah. Allegedly, their rituals included spitting on crucifixes, calling Jesus a false priest, among other things, and reverence for a skull called Baphomet. These are also among the charges levied against the Knights Templar when the order was, um, disbanded in the fourteenth century. If you're looking for hidden Magdalene symbolism in art, look at Botticelli's fresco "Primavera." Mary Magdalene is usually depicted with a red veil, as is the central figure in the painting.
For another thing, I don't think the idea that there are descendants of the Grail bloodline still living is as important as the idea that Jesus was just as human as he was divine. Conventional Christianity has promoted divinity over humanity, and I think the human, family man side of Jesus deserves just as much respect.
I'm not sure why this came up now. I'm just finishing my second reading of the first two books of a trilogy by Kathleen McGowan, The Expected One, and I'm just finishing The Book of Love. I'm not sure why I felt compelled to read them again. I'm sure it will make sense in time. Those books speak to me in a way that I don't quite understand. They're fiction, but a lot of it just seems right to me. Some of it is verifiable from outside sources, from some of the Gnostic gospels in the Nag Hammadi Library, and books like Holy Blood, Holy Grail, but the rest of it, the parts that come from the oral tradition of the Languedoc (southern France), they seem right, too. I think some things are just right, proof or not. There's also the fact that the Church led a crusade against these people in the thirteenth century. If it wasn't important, wasn't a threat, why did they care so much?
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Yeah, it's petty, but it bugs me.
The Barony's hosted three events since last fall, Crown List in November, Gleann Abhann Live Weapons in June, and now Barbarian Brawl, hosted by the Canton of Southtower, which is still technically part of the Barony. Reading the Yahoo groups, aside from the announcement of new heirs, the first two events barely merited threads after the fact. The third one, though, can't be praised enough. It was held at a site with barely any parking, and no air-conditioning at all, but oh, the site was so wonderful, the weather was so nice, the feast was so great, blah, blah, blah.
This bothers me because for the previous two events, which may have had minor issues, but went off without major incident, a lot of people worked really hard and got little or no thanks for it. At Crown, I got the message that because it was a kingdom event, we shouldn't expect thanks, we should be grateful for the opportunity to be treated like dirt by people whose only significance comes from made-up titles. I have never been treated more rudely by anyone in the Society than I was by a Royal Peer (who was thanked by name), whom I was trying to help. Really, would it have been too much trouble to get the names of the autocrats, at least, and thank them by name? My husband, I think, deserved that little bit of respect.
Live Weapons had serious issues, I won't deny that. Still, there were good things out of that event. The feast was awesome, but nobody has said that. There has been nothing but complaining.
Don't get me wrong, the Southtower put on a great event. The feast was good, although not authentic either to a period, or to a culture, and I really think it should be one or the other. Either make it all period, all period-ish and Italian, screw period and all-Italian, or break it up into a remove for each (hopefully related) culture. The feast was really a hodge-podge. It was good food, but this follows two feasts that were mostly, if not completely, documentably period and culturally authentic, and involved a good bit of research, but were not worth mentioning. Not to mention, there were some basic food-safety guidelines, like posting the entire ingredient list for each menu item in advance, that were not followed this last time.
As I said, it's petty, and it shouldn't bother me, but it does. The Yahoo groups are, essentially, on the record. It's in writing, out there for everyone to see, and Google-able indefinitely. I wish that people would take the time to point out more positive things, to be more encouraging. Yes, Southtower is a new group, they just hosted their first event, they need positive feedback and encouragement. Crown was my first solo feast, I could have used some of that, too. I notice that a lot of the experienced people aren't usually the ones who get public thanks after the event, and I think that's wrong. The people I know who do service don't do it because they want accolades, they do it because they want to make things happen for people. However, if they don't feel that their work is appreciated, they aren't going to keep doing it. Yeah, I admit it, it bothers me because more fuss is being made over someone else than was made over me. It shouldn't bother me, but it does, and if I can't complain about it on my own blog, where can I?
This bothers me because for the previous two events, which may have had minor issues, but went off without major incident, a lot of people worked really hard and got little or no thanks for it. At Crown, I got the message that because it was a kingdom event, we shouldn't expect thanks, we should be grateful for the opportunity to be treated like dirt by people whose only significance comes from made-up titles. I have never been treated more rudely by anyone in the Society than I was by a Royal Peer (who was thanked by name), whom I was trying to help. Really, would it have been too much trouble to get the names of the autocrats, at least, and thank them by name? My husband, I think, deserved that little bit of respect.
Live Weapons had serious issues, I won't deny that. Still, there were good things out of that event. The feast was awesome, but nobody has said that. There has been nothing but complaining.
Don't get me wrong, the Southtower put on a great event. The feast was good, although not authentic either to a period, or to a culture, and I really think it should be one or the other. Either make it all period, all period-ish and Italian, screw period and all-Italian, or break it up into a remove for each (hopefully related) culture. The feast was really a hodge-podge. It was good food, but this follows two feasts that were mostly, if not completely, documentably period and culturally authentic, and involved a good bit of research, but were not worth mentioning. Not to mention, there were some basic food-safety guidelines, like posting the entire ingredient list for each menu item in advance, that were not followed this last time.
As I said, it's petty, and it shouldn't bother me, but it does. The Yahoo groups are, essentially, on the record. It's in writing, out there for everyone to see, and Google-able indefinitely. I wish that people would take the time to point out more positive things, to be more encouraging. Yes, Southtower is a new group, they just hosted their first event, they need positive feedback and encouragement. Crown was my first solo feast, I could have used some of that, too. I notice that a lot of the experienced people aren't usually the ones who get public thanks after the event, and I think that's wrong. The people I know who do service don't do it because they want accolades, they do it because they want to make things happen for people. However, if they don't feel that their work is appreciated, they aren't going to keep doing it. Yeah, I admit it, it bothers me because more fuss is being made over someone else than was made over me. It shouldn't bother me, but it does, and if I can't complain about it on my own blog, where can I?
Monday, July 27, 2009
The house ate my life!
I know, I've gone a long time without posting. The house pretty much ate the first two weeks of July, and I've been playing catch-up ever since. We spent a solid week (after spending the week between my last post and the 4th of July recovering) spackling and skim-coating and sanding the walls. I'm pretty good at the plastering, but the sanding completely sucks, all the way around. I painted the master bath a light purple on Friday, and then my family descended en masse on Saturday, and Dad, Alec, and Brad worked on replacing the subfloor (and, it turned, out, the toilet), while Mom and Jess helped us paint. Leif spent most of the day helping, too, and we actually got everything done. The hall was supposed to be a pale gray-ish green, but on the wall, it's more of a pale blue. Totally not the color it was supposed to be, but it's nice. The pink bathroom is a denim-y blue, that really tones the pink down. The library is "Belgian waffle," and it really does look like pancake batter. The dropcloths have been removed, and the shelves are in place, and Neale has started putting books on them.
So, we got the house taken care of, but then I had to catch up on the projects I had been wanting to do, but the house got in the way of, and now I'm mostly caught up. I made a summer caftan that I can wear without a kamis, because propriety be damned, when it's hot, I want one layer. I entered my first a&s competition, which has been a goal of mine for a while, but I will save this weekend for another post.
Right now, I am sore from a morning in the dentist's chair, and I think I've put off solid food about as long as I can. On the plus side, my teeth look great, and the worst part of replacing my bridgework is over. Yea!
So, we got the house taken care of, but then I had to catch up on the projects I had been wanting to do, but the house got in the way of, and now I'm mostly caught up. I made a summer caftan that I can wear without a kamis, because propriety be damned, when it's hot, I want one layer. I entered my first a&s competition, which has been a goal of mine for a while, but I will save this weekend for another post.
Right now, I am sore from a morning in the dentist's chair, and I think I've put off solid food about as long as I can. On the plus side, my teeth look great, and the worst part of replacing my bridgework is over. Yea!
Sunday, June 28, 2009
The wallpaper is gone in all but 3 rooms! Of course, the hall, library, and both bathrooms look pretty ugly now, but looking out into the hall, I'd say the bare primer, with patches of something else showing where the paper pulled the primer off is an improvement.
Originally, it was just going to be the hall and the library. The library was easy, we just pulled it off. The paper was this really thick vinyl stuff, with a canvas-like backing that just peeled off the wall in sheets. We didn't even have to use the steamer. Then, Mom and Dad decided we should do the bathrooms. The pink bathroom, I don't think was quite worth it, because they put the paper up over bare sheetrock, and it was hell getting it off. I think we should have just peeled off the top layer, and left the paper backing, I don't think it was ever going to come off. It was a good thing we did the master bath, though. For one thing, the paper was on top of older paper, which, although hideously ugly, was the same kind as the library paper, and the whole thing just came right off. The more important thing, though, was that I noticed that the floor dipped right beside the toilet. I pulled back the carpet, and the tile underneath was all loose. There didn't appear to be any kind of mastic under it, and the subfloor was rotted. To the point that the toilet could have eventually fallen through the floor. Lovely, no?
The awesome thing is, Dad can fix it. He and Mom are coming back, probably in two weeks. He said it'll take a new wax ring for the toilet, probably some new bolts, a piece of wood, and whatever we want to put on the floor. He also wants to get thinner plywood, like 1/2" instead of 3/4", and put concrete board on top of it, so even if the toilet leaks again, it won't damage the subfloor. This is a lot sooner than we'd planned on re-doing the bathroom floor, but better now than later, when it would involved having to hire contractors and plumbers, possibly after one of us sat down on the toilet and ended up in a hole. Besides, we can totally do the whole thing with one box of peel-and-stick vinyl tile, and if we come to a place where the ceramic tile is actually still attached, I might get to use a sledgehammer.
The upside
Originally, it was just going to be the hall and the library. The library was easy, we just pulled it off. The paper was this really thick vinyl stuff, with a canvas-like backing that just peeled off the wall in sheets. We didn't even have to use the steamer. Then, Mom and Dad decided we should do the bathrooms. The pink bathroom, I don't think was quite worth it, because they put the paper up over bare sheetrock, and it was hell getting it off. I think we should have just peeled off the top layer, and left the paper backing, I don't think it was ever going to come off. It was a good thing we did the master bath, though. For one thing, the paper was on top of older paper, which, although hideously ugly, was the same kind as the library paper, and the whole thing just came right off. The more important thing, though, was that I noticed that the floor dipped right beside the toilet. I pulled back the carpet, and the tile underneath was all loose. There didn't appear to be any kind of mastic under it, and the subfloor was rotted. To the point that the toilet could have eventually fallen through the floor. Lovely, no?
The awesome thing is, Dad can fix it. He and Mom are coming back, probably in two weeks. He said it'll take a new wax ring for the toilet, probably some new bolts, a piece of wood, and whatever we want to put on the floor. He also wants to get thinner plywood, like 1/2" instead of 3/4", and put concrete board on top of it, so even if the toilet leaks again, it won't damage the subfloor. This is a lot sooner than we'd planned on re-doing the bathroom floor, but better now than later, when it would involved having to hire contractors and plumbers, possibly after one of us sat down on the toilet and ended up in a hole. Besides, we can totally do the whole thing with one box of peel-and-stick vinyl tile, and if we come to a place where the ceramic tile is actually still attached, I might get to use a sledgehammer.
The upside
Friday, June 19, 2009
Just to get it off my chest....
If your infant is not sleeping through the night, they ARE NOT OLD ENOUGH TO SLEEP IN A CABIN AT AN EVENT. Unless, of course you get a private cabin or have the consent of all the other people staying in the cabin. I'm not saying don't bring your child, even your baby, but wait until they're sleeping through the night at least most of the time. Do not be so inconsiderate as to bring a child who will scream in the night and wake people up to a cabin full of people who want to get a good night's sleep. Tent or stay off site!
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