Open Sails

I’ve done a lot of paper pieced blocks, as any of my quilting friends will tell you. I love the laser accuracy they afford. It’s a great method if you don’t want to be limited to 90 and 45 degree angles. But I’ve never done English paper piecing until now. I didn’t even intend to learn it this year. I sort of signed up by accident. When I realized what I’d done it was too late to back out. So I picked up my supplies and asked the quilt shop ladies if they had any pointers. My favorite answer: “You should watch British television while stitching.” I think I can manage that. I have almost every episode of Downton Abbey on DVD. If I run out of that, there’s always The Forsyte Saga (2002), Wives and Daughters (1999), North and South (2004), Sense and Sensibility (2008), and Casanova (2005). I might learn to like English paper piecing after all.

Turning Stars

“The bible should be accepted for what it is- a divine message of inspiration and hope to struggling humanity.”

“The purpose of living is to grow in wisdom and goodness, and this growth is possible only because God gives man freedom to choose.”

“When one contemplates how different our understanding of religion must be from the Creator's omniscience, one realizes that nothing but growth, reinterpretation and generally widening horizons is appropriate in fields of religion. If we interpret the world precisely as the Prophet Joseph did, we are entirely unworthy of his tremendous precedent-breaking example. The Church, from its top-most councils to the man on the street, is at its best when it is undergoing thoughtful change. 'Fundamental Principles' are never well enough understood by mortal man that they can't be said better.” – from Mormon Scientist: The Life and Faith of Henry Eyring

On the Road

Many people never take the trouble to write (much less publish) their own memoirs. Still fewer live long enough to produce a sequel. Candice Bergen’s first autobiography, "Knock Wood," is more than three decades old. The follow-up, A Fine Romance, is due on the shelves April 7. The second book covers her 15-year marriage to director Louis Malle and her remarriage to Marshall Rose, former chairman of the New York Public Library. I may read this one, but only because she also discusses her weight. "I’m fat," Bergen declares, "Let me just come right out and say it. In the past 15 years I’ve put on 30 pounds. At a recent dinner party I shared bread and olive oil, followed by chocolate ice cream with my husband. A woman near me looked at me, appalled, and I thought, 'I don’t care.' Women over 50 must choose between preserving either their face or their butts. I choose the former."

Missouri Puzzle

Ryan and Jourdan Spencer began their relationship inauspiciously, with a blind date. But they’re still together today, raising three children. The New Jersey couple was watching old home movies a few years back when they discovered the blind date wasn’t the first time their paths had crossed. The movie was taken by Jourdan’s dad during a 1988 trip to a local water park. In it, Jourdan’s mom is watching for her ten-year-old daughter’s turn on a water slide when thirteen-year-old Ryan, a complete stranger at the time, strolls right in front of the camera. The Spencers thought the original video had been lost during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. They recently converted several old VHS tapes to CDs. They didn’t realize the water park video was among them until they viewed it at a family birthday party. The world isn’t as big as it seems," Jourdan says, "I believe everything happens for a reason. Obviously we were supposed to meet again.”

Meandering

This tiny quilt is from a pattern by Kim Diehl and a kit with her Vintage Farmhouse collection for Henry Glass Fabrics. At least it started out that way. I loved the photo of the quilt until I got the pattern home and realized what I thought were six square-in-a-squares (in the center) and ten flying geese (on the edges) were really 48 half-square-triangles. Who needs all that extra work, not to mention wasted fabric and added bulk in the finished product? So I redesigned the quilt to be more like what I thought I saw in the first place. I didn’t really make 192 one inch (finished) squares, either. I pulled 48 two-patch blocks out of my scrap bag and trimmed them each down to 2 1/2”. I now have a finished 18x24" quilt which might grace my table this Sunday. I also have a LOT of leftover Vintage Farmhouse prints. I wonder what they’ll become.

Wheel of Fortune

One of the challenges of rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina involved the task of tracing property titles.  The community’s rich history spans centuries and homes have been passed from generation to generation. A New Orleans lawyer seeking an FHA loan for a client was told the loan would be granted if he could prove title to the property being offered as collateral.  The lawyer tracked the title back to 1803 and sent this information to the FHA. Their reply: “Before final approval, it will be necessary to clear the property’s title from 1803 to its origin." The lawyer’s response: “I was unaware any educated person would not know Louisiana was purchased from France in 1803. France acquired it by Right of Conquest from Spain. Queen Isabella of Spain secured the blessing of Pope Alexander VI before funding Columbus’ expedition. The Pope is an emissary of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created this world, including New Orleans.”