Monthly Archive for July 2011



back to the designing wall

posted by pam on Fri 29 Jul 2011 in Projects

I had been postponing cutting up five ab fab fabrics from the same line I recently got for no real reason at all. The old “I want to do it right” excuse. Come on! Just cut it up! How bad could it be? And if it’s really not right, then make an apron or a bag. I said to myself. So I did. Not sure the title yet but the quilt is evolving rather pleasantly.


first try at a layout


At first I thought I wanted large chunks showing of two specific fabrics in the line. I happen to LOVE the dark aqua blue fabric with the faux pumpkin plants on it. That is my favorite fabric of all the ones in the quilt. So naturally I made two blocks with it as the star. And the warm brick background fabric with the soft ivory dogwood design, I thought also should be a star.

I was wrong. The three blocks with large chunks of uninterrupted fabric really overwhelmed the rest of the quilt. So I started to fool around with them. And somehow I wound up with only 9 blocks. Or I thought I wound up with only nine. Didn’t really make sense to me–I hadn’t cut up THAT many blocks. But hey. Nine seemed to work. Even though I had initially thought the quilt had to be at least 12 blocks in size.


second layout


Although the nine block layout looked okay, I then found two more blocks I somehow had misplaced earlier. (Drives me nuts when I do this.) So the quilt now had 11 blocks and was getting closer to a more respectful size. I mean, you have to respect the fabric and what it needs. And this fabric really needs a larger quilt than nine blocks.

So I pieced together another block (and I do mean pieced) and started playing with the layout.I also decided I needed to window-pane the individual blocks because each really has an integrity that could be lost if I just pieced them directly abutting each other. So I also tried out four fabrics for the window-paneing.



third try at a layout


This program cuts off the photos somewhat but I think it shows how I began moving things around. I waited overnight to see if the  layout to the right worked, but this morning, it just didn’t. If at first….



fourth or fifth or sixth attempt???


I kept being dissatisfied with how the block that has a large red flower violated by two aqua strips was getting too much attention.

After taking lots of pix of my various permutations of layouts, I finally found one that I think has good balance and variety. I hope.

I like it. It’s a departure for me stylistically because it is the first quilt I’ve made that will have only six different fabrics in it. Normally I have A LOT more. The other quilt I’m currently working on has 108 and counting. This was an ulp! moment for me when I realized I wanted to make this quilt with ONLY this amount of variety. But still, I like it. So far. Now I need a title for it.


final layout before window-paneing








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Church Ladies

posted by pam on Fri 15 Jul 2011 in observations

So last Sunday I was minding my own business, standing next to the food table during Fellowship, when a woman who considers herself to be very important, let’s call her Sally, came dashing up to me. Since she has never once spoken to me in the 2 and 1/2 years I’ve been coming to church, I was a tad surprised but determined to be pleasant. I have always assumed she was afraid that being gay was contagious because she has always really hustled to get away from Lauren and me. And I mean, literally runs the other way when it looked like she might have to have some sort of interaction with us.

I had just taken a bite of a blondie, of course, because that’s when things always happen.

“Hi Pam, I’m Sally,” says she.

“Hi Sally, I know. How are you?” I mumble through blondie crumbs.

“I’m fine. You look nice today. Everything you’re wearing matches,” she says in obvious surprise. Now I realize I am a lesbian but that does not preclude my knowing what colors go with what and trying to look at least as if some thought went into my attire for church.

I think I manage to say “Umm Humm,” as opposed to saying, “What do you mean, you homophobic bitch, being a lesbian doesn’t mean I can’t dress myself. It’s not just gay men who know how to throw an outfit together.” But I refrain from saying that.

“This is business,” she says, as though I were about to embark on telling her my inner most dark and creepy lesbian thoughts. ”Business?” I say with the feeling I am not keeping up with this discussion at all.

“Yes, can you swap Sundays with me for the lay readings?” she says in one breath. ”Sure,” I say “but I can still do the one I’m scheduled for in August. You don’t have to do that.”  This is me being mischievous, because I can tell she LOVES reading the Bible at the rest of us and really craves her time in the pulpit.

“No, we’ll swap. I’ll tell (our minister) and you tell (his assistant),” she says. And turns to go. And then, from the depth of her being, where good manners still exist, although it is killing her, I can tell, she says “Thankyou.” And is gone. I decide to give the rest of the blondie to Lauren because my appetite is not what it was a few moments earlier.


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