Lucy is back. Seb's riding instructor went to another stable for a couple of months (basically since Christmas). He's had a couple other instructors during the interval but none of them quite connected with Seb the way Lucy did. Well, we don't have to worry about that anymore. Yesterday, they decided he needed a different pony so we are saying goodbye to Manny and welcoming Penny. Also, Lucy and he have agreed a goal for his first riding competition in September. He's excited. I'm nervous!
Our neighbour, Jill (the woman who used to own our house), Abigail, and I went to the fabric store to get our fabric for doing our sashing and borders for the quilt blocks we did last year. Jill's got totally different colours (pinks/blues/purples) than I do (burgundy/greens,/yellows) and it was fun getting lost in the fabric store hunting down the perfect matches. Jill and I both agreed that getting lost in a fabric store is almost as much fun as getting lost in a library!
I forgot in my book group post last week to Congratulate Maria & Martin (and India) on the birth of their gorgeous little boy, Finlay. Marc & I made dinner for them and took it round to their place. Marc actually did all the cooking. He makes this most wicked Prawns in Coconut Milk served with Ginger, Turmeric & Coriander Rice. It's an excellent meal to drop round to the home of sleepless parents. India, the big sister, the coping well with her new role of big sisterhood.
I went out last night with some girl friends. It is amazing how circles of friendship get formed and grow and intertwine. Keeley, Kate, Melissa, Amy and I all met at our NCT (National Childbirth Trust) birthing classes when we were pregnant with our first children. We bonded in the strangeness of being taught to pretend to write our names in the snow peeing standing up (fully clothed, of course, but no less humiliating given we are women, not men and had only known each other for about 6 hours). Vanessa joined our group when we met her in our water aerobics class and the birthing classes put on at the local hospital, which Marc & I went to to make sure the NCT had "nut and berried" us to death. We just wanted more than one perspective....but that's another post. Vanessa is also a midwife. A very good midwife. I do believe she has actually delivered a couple of our babies. I, for one, know, for sure, I felt better having access to her infinite birthing wisdom. And Adrienne met Keeley and Amy at the NCT classes they took with their second child. Adrienne, Keeley and I all live on the same road. We find our circles of life interact often.
The girls met up at a Greek restaurant, Anatayla , in Windsor. The food was great. There was lots of wine. And the entertainment was impressive. The belly dancer only managed to get Adrienne to her feet and she gave it a good go! Later in the evening after copious bottles of wine had been consumed we did get up and dance in between the tables. I find the whole dancing in restaurants thing odd. In Colorado you can't dance in a place that doesn't have a cabaret license. Typically only nightclubs have cabaret licenses. Nobody cares here. Kate told me to imagine I was in a miniature nightclub. With no men. That's right, there were very few men in the restaurant. and the ones that were there, weren't dancing! We had loads of fun and the taxi driver got a kick out of the fact that he dropped 3 of us back along the same street. Thanks to Amy for getting us all organised and booking the restaurant.
In our drunken stupor a few plans were made (short, medium and long): all the girls are going to go see Melissa perform in The Full Monty in the Old Windsor Memorial Hall in June, Adrienne, Kelley and I agreed to run the Windsor 8K in September (so now is the time to start training again), all the girls are going on a short break skiing in February 2008. I think there was more but my head is a bit heavy and my memory is a foggy.
I'm feeling a bit worse for wear but what a fabulous evening! I loved the giggles and Keeley is an amazing dance partner!
Showing posts with label quilting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quilting. Show all posts
Sunday, 6 May 2007
Thursday, 26 April 2007
Lost Lessons
My mother is an amazing seamstress. As a young girl I have fond memories of watching her make me dresses. I have even fonder memories of watching her dress my 3 younger brothers in matching shirts which she made herself. I am sure they don't share my fondness for their moment of humiliation. But, in fact, they were amazing pieces of clothing. And her love for us shined through.
I never learned to sew. Well, a bit. My grandmother, Tressie - my mother's mother - was a professional seamstress. She sewed leather. She made me a full length purple leather pinafore with orange butterflies n it. this was the 1970s. It was the bomb. I loved it and I loved wearing it. She taught me lots of things like embroidering and a bit of sewing. So if I have to sew on a button, I can. I can hem a pair of trousers although don't look too closely. But I never learned the skill to her level of expertise.
I taught myself to cross stitch. I took a class to learn to quilt. I am teaching myself to knit. I can't crochet.
I can cook. My mother and Nanny taught me this. My mother gave me a sock darning lesson on this blog.
But are we teaching our daughters (and sons) these skills? When I first met Marc he couldn't sew on a button if his life depended on it. In the name of progress (and to some extent feminism), I feel we are going to lose these skills within the next generation. When I tell people I quilt, they look at me like I belong in an retirement home. I once saw a comment on a knitting blog that said women shouldn't be knitting. That it was cheaper and faster and better quality to just buy the sweater/socks/scarf in a shop. And isn't that what feminism was all about, freeing women from the slavery of knitting jumpers?
Uh, no! Feminism was about getting the right to vote, equal access to education and opportunity in employment as men. And getting paid the same money for the same work. Feminism is about owning the choices we make about what we can and cannot do with our bodies and living with the consequences. Feminism is about allowing men to be house husband without stigma and embarrassment. There's a lot of things that feminism is about. Not knitting isn't one of them.
I've also heard people say that homemade presents are just an excuse for not spending money. Well, maybe for some. But not many. As a matter of fact anyone who has done one will tell you that the supplies for making things yourself are often more expensive than just buying the finished product. And that's if you don't count the time spent. I can tell you time is money and my time is worth a lot. If I charged you for the scarf I'm making at my hourly wage, you'd have to remortgage the house.
No, these projects are about making something with your own hands and heart. Picking out the fabric/yarn/thread with your own sense of colours and style. And then spending time putting it together for someone you love. And, in the case of my quilting projects, bleeding on the fabric. And in the case of my knitting, cursing when I have to start over. And over. And over. And then giving it away.
When Sebastian and Abigail were born we received a couple of quilts which were hand made. And loads of other store bought blankets. The blankets are gone. They've served their purpose. The handmade quilts are still on their beds. Still being used. They get rotated around as laundry demands. And I am certain that they will one day be stowed away in a memory chest. But come a later date, they will be pulled out and looked upon lovingly in remembrance of the person who made it for them.
One of my most cherished Christmas decorations is a ceramic Santa Claus face. My mother-in-law painted it and gave it to our family for Sebastian's first Christmas. Every holiday season it hangs in prized position over our fireplace. Whenever I look at it I think of her. And how much she must love us to have spent so much time and care painting it and firing it.
We must teach our children these simple lessons. There are so many things to learn. So many things to be taught. Get busy. The next time you are tempted to get in the car and drive somewhere to buy something, consider the impact to the environment. And make something instead. And teach a child to make it with you. I will teach my children. Soon!
I never learned to sew. Well, a bit. My grandmother, Tressie - my mother's mother - was a professional seamstress. She sewed leather. She made me a full length purple leather pinafore with orange butterflies n it. this was the 1970s. It was the bomb. I loved it and I loved wearing it. She taught me lots of things like embroidering and a bit of sewing. So if I have to sew on a button, I can. I can hem a pair of trousers although don't look too closely. But I never learned the skill to her level of expertise.
I taught myself to cross stitch. I took a class to learn to quilt. I am teaching myself to knit. I can't crochet.
I can cook. My mother and Nanny taught me this. My mother gave me a sock darning lesson on this blog.
But are we teaching our daughters (and sons) these skills? When I first met Marc he couldn't sew on a button if his life depended on it. In the name of progress (and to some extent feminism), I feel we are going to lose these skills within the next generation. When I tell people I quilt, they look at me like I belong in an retirement home. I once saw a comment on a knitting blog that said women shouldn't be knitting. That it was cheaper and faster and better quality to just buy the sweater/socks/scarf in a shop. And isn't that what feminism was all about, freeing women from the slavery of knitting jumpers?
Uh, no! Feminism was about getting the right to vote, equal access to education and opportunity in employment as men. And getting paid the same money for the same work. Feminism is about owning the choices we make about what we can and cannot do with our bodies and living with the consequences. Feminism is about allowing men to be house husband without stigma and embarrassment. There's a lot of things that feminism is about. Not knitting isn't one of them.
I've also heard people say that homemade presents are just an excuse for not spending money. Well, maybe for some. But not many. As a matter of fact anyone who has done one will tell you that the supplies for making things yourself are often more expensive than just buying the finished product. And that's if you don't count the time spent. I can tell you time is money and my time is worth a lot. If I charged you for the scarf I'm making at my hourly wage, you'd have to remortgage the house.
No, these projects are about making something with your own hands and heart. Picking out the fabric/yarn/thread with your own sense of colours and style. And then spending time putting it together for someone you love. And, in the case of my quilting projects, bleeding on the fabric. And in the case of my knitting, cursing when I have to start over. And over. And over. And then giving it away.
When Sebastian and Abigail were born we received a couple of quilts which were hand made. And loads of other store bought blankets. The blankets are gone. They've served their purpose. The handmade quilts are still on their beds. Still being used. They get rotated around as laundry demands. And I am certain that they will one day be stowed away in a memory chest. But come a later date, they will be pulled out and looked upon lovingly in remembrance of the person who made it for them.
One of my most cherished Christmas decorations is a ceramic Santa Claus face. My mother-in-law painted it and gave it to our family for Sebastian's first Christmas. Every holiday season it hangs in prized position over our fireplace. Whenever I look at it I think of her. And how much she must love us to have spent so much time and care painting it and firing it.
We must teach our children these simple lessons. There are so many things to learn. So many things to be taught. Get busy. The next time you are tempted to get in the car and drive somewhere to buy something, consider the impact to the environment. And make something instead. And teach a child to make it with you. I will teach my children. Soon!
Wednesday, 21 March 2007
Block of the Month 2006
I have finally completed all the blocks for my 2006 quilt. Yes, I know it is March. I've been a bit busy.....This is going to be beautiful with the new sofa!
I have been doing this one with my neighbour, Jill. This is the first time she has ever quilted and I took her down the path of hand piecing. She used old nighties of her mothers which is really very sweet.
We must get the sashing and border fabric picked out and decide on a pattern for finishing.
And for all of you that have been asking to see a sample of my quilting......here it is!
Monday, 12 March 2007
A Hobby Too Far
I've got loads of hobbies, far too many hobbies for a woman with my schedule some might say. but I just can't help myself.
Reading: This is my first and foremost passion. I will read everything and anything. When I was little I wanted to be a librarian because I just thought I could read all day and never run out of reading material. Then I realised they don't make any money - ever a capitalist....or greedy. I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance when I was about 12. Not sure I understood it then (or now for that matter). The stacks of books either unread or half read or 3/4 read next to my side of the bed threaten to fall over every time I get up in the morning. I finish 2-3 books/month and it would be more if I didn't have to work. Blasted greed thing again!
Cooking: I read more cookbooks than I cook (an odd habit picked up from my grandmother). But I do love cooking. My husband has caught this disease and we both love to whip up a great meal, for friends, for family, for each other, for fun. In addition to my world famous Tuna Noodle Casserole (which is simply wicked - unless you are my son's mate, Jamie, who doesn't hold it in very high esteem) I make a wicked Chili con Carne which will sweat just about any cold right out of you. And baking.....desserts used to scare the daylights out of me. I took a pie making course last year (seriously) and loved it. I now feel comfortable doing pies, cookies, cakes! Marc makes the best creme brulee I've ever had! I love desserts.
Quilting: This was a hobby I picked up between having my 2 children. I lost a baby when Sebastian wasn't quite 2 years old and I felt the walls of my world crashing down around me. I would spend entire morning crying before going to work, days at the office hiding in the ladies room trying to stem the flow of tears, and evening sobbing uncontrollably on the sofa. Marc suggested I try quilting after seeing my admiration of his Aunt Mary's quilts. So I contacted Green Mountain Quilts near our home and signed up for a class. I was the youngest in the group of 4 women (by about 10 years - or more) and the class was dedicated to hand piecing which is very time intensive. I stopped crying and I've never looked back. I love quilting and always have one on the go, sitting on the side of the sofa, ready to be picked up when I get bored with whatever Marc is watching on the television (usually a program about airplanes crashing).
Blogging: Writing this blog helps me satisfy my deep seeded desire to be a writer. I used to keep journals. I kept a diary from the age of 10 until the day after my son was born. After that I struggled to fit it all in. Then I became the Newsletter Editor for the Thames Valley American Women's Club for about 18 months. But I was dependent on lots of other people doing their part. And it just simply took far too much time (more than I was willing to give). Then I started Blogging. This seems to meet my inner needs to write down everything and anything that happens to me and those around me. Strange dysfunction that! And I can fit it in around everything else I do. Not only does writing a blog count as a hobby but so does reading blogs. I love reading what others are doing and I have some favourites that I must visit everyday.
Gardening: OK, not so much gardening as vegetabling (I know that is not a word but....). I love growing my own vegetables. I love the experience it gives my children. They love watching the seeds they bury under the dirt break through. They love seeing the veg grow. They love eating the veg. It's a great way to get them eat their 5/day. It's a great way for them to appreciate that food is grown not just magically appears in a supermarket. I save money and I get a real sense of accomplishment when I can put something on the dinner table and know precisely where it came from. I do not like weeding the garden and wish it could water itself but the end result of a carefully nutured vegetable plot is well worth the investment.
Knitting: OK, not exactly a hobby yet insomuch as I don't know how to do it. I have all the stuff and I pull it out occasionally to try try again. I am a pitiful failure but I sure like trying.
Sailing: Marc was a sailor when I met him and one of the reasons I agreed to a second date was so that he could teach me how to sail. He did and I loved it from day one! Not bad for a girl from Colorado - a land locked state! It was one of the few things I've done in my life that allowed my brain to go blank and focus solely on the task at hand. I couldn't think about 100 things at once (like I normally do). If I did, we got wet. But if I focused and Marc focused we sailed rather well and we had loads of fun! We sailed Catamarans - Dart 18s - every weekend until we had children. It is not exactly a child friendly hobby. We know people who continued to sail post-children but they have family close by and dropped them off for the weekend which isn't exactly my idea of family life. So we gave up sailing....at least until the children got older. Now they are that much older and we have managed 1 sailing trip with the children which was great fun. More are planned for the future and I expect this hobby to rise to the top of the pile.
Running: Hard to believe by looking at me but I really love running. It allows me some quiet time to mentally take stock. I can run to music and really get the heart rate going or I can run to the thoughts in my head and well....really get the heart rate going. I just wish I had more time for this hobby. This hobby always ends up at the bottom of the pile because I have leave the house to do it and without on demand childcare, I find this extremely difficult.
What are your hobbies?
Reading: This is my first and foremost passion. I will read everything and anything. When I was little I wanted to be a librarian because I just thought I could read all day and never run out of reading material. Then I realised they don't make any money - ever a capitalist....or greedy. I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance when I was about 12. Not sure I understood it then (or now for that matter). The stacks of books either unread or half read or 3/4 read next to my side of the bed threaten to fall over every time I get up in the morning. I finish 2-3 books/month and it would be more if I didn't have to work. Blasted greed thing again!
Cooking: I read more cookbooks than I cook (an odd habit picked up from my grandmother). But I do love cooking. My husband has caught this disease and we both love to whip up a great meal, for friends, for family, for each other, for fun. In addition to my world famous Tuna Noodle Casserole (which is simply wicked - unless you are my son's mate, Jamie, who doesn't hold it in very high esteem) I make a wicked Chili con Carne which will sweat just about any cold right out of you. And baking.....desserts used to scare the daylights out of me. I took a pie making course last year (seriously) and loved it. I now feel comfortable doing pies, cookies, cakes! Marc makes the best creme brulee I've ever had! I love desserts.
Quilting: This was a hobby I picked up between having my 2 children. I lost a baby when Sebastian wasn't quite 2 years old and I felt the walls of my world crashing down around me. I would spend entire morning crying before going to work, days at the office hiding in the ladies room trying to stem the flow of tears, and evening sobbing uncontrollably on the sofa. Marc suggested I try quilting after seeing my admiration of his Aunt Mary's quilts. So I contacted Green Mountain Quilts near our home and signed up for a class. I was the youngest in the group of 4 women (by about 10 years - or more) and the class was dedicated to hand piecing which is very time intensive. I stopped crying and I've never looked back. I love quilting and always have one on the go, sitting on the side of the sofa, ready to be picked up when I get bored with whatever Marc is watching on the television (usually a program about airplanes crashing).
Blogging: Writing this blog helps me satisfy my deep seeded desire to be a writer. I used to keep journals. I kept a diary from the age of 10 until the day after my son was born. After that I struggled to fit it all in. Then I became the Newsletter Editor for the Thames Valley American Women's Club for about 18 months. But I was dependent on lots of other people doing their part. And it just simply took far too much time (more than I was willing to give). Then I started Blogging. This seems to meet my inner needs to write down everything and anything that happens to me and those around me. Strange dysfunction that! And I can fit it in around everything else I do. Not only does writing a blog count as a hobby but so does reading blogs. I love reading what others are doing and I have some favourites that I must visit everyday.
Gardening: OK, not so much gardening as vegetabling (I know that is not a word but....). I love growing my own vegetables. I love the experience it gives my children. They love watching the seeds they bury under the dirt break through. They love seeing the veg grow. They love eating the veg. It's a great way to get them eat their 5/day. It's a great way for them to appreciate that food is grown not just magically appears in a supermarket. I save money and I get a real sense of accomplishment when I can put something on the dinner table and know precisely where it came from. I do not like weeding the garden and wish it could water itself but the end result of a carefully nutured vegetable plot is well worth the investment.
Knitting: OK, not exactly a hobby yet insomuch as I don't know how to do it. I have all the stuff and I pull it out occasionally to try try again. I am a pitiful failure but I sure like trying.
Sailing: Marc was a sailor when I met him and one of the reasons I agreed to a second date was so that he could teach me how to sail. He did and I loved it from day one! Not bad for a girl from Colorado - a land locked state! It was one of the few things I've done in my life that allowed my brain to go blank and focus solely on the task at hand. I couldn't think about 100 things at once (like I normally do). If I did, we got wet. But if I focused and Marc focused we sailed rather well and we had loads of fun! We sailed Catamarans - Dart 18s - every weekend until we had children. It is not exactly a child friendly hobby. We know people who continued to sail post-children but they have family close by and dropped them off for the weekend which isn't exactly my idea of family life. So we gave up sailing....at least until the children got older. Now they are that much older and we have managed 1 sailing trip with the children which was great fun. More are planned for the future and I expect this hobby to rise to the top of the pile.
Running: Hard to believe by looking at me but I really love running. It allows me some quiet time to mentally take stock. I can run to music and really get the heart rate going or I can run to the thoughts in my head and well....really get the heart rate going. I just wish I had more time for this hobby. This hobby always ends up at the bottom of the pile because I have leave the house to do it and without on demand childcare, I find this extremely difficult.
What are your hobbies?
Tuesday, 12 December 2006
A blogger learns
So I am still getting the hang of this and despite having reviewed my post from yesterday several times I didn't notice that the pic of the quilt block didn't appear as planned. So I will try this again.
We are always on the lookout for good Mexican food in England which is a bit like always being on the lookout for water in the Sahara. I had been told by a few American women to try Pachanga in Marlow. So for Marc's birthday dinner off we went. The nachos were good. The beef fajitas weren't b
ad although they were very stingy on the salsa. Marc enjoyed his enchiladas. The menu was not very child friendly and there was not a separate children's menu. Seb and Abigail split a chicken and chips dish which they both seemed to enjoy. They were distracted, however, by the temptation (homemade chocolate birthday cake) that awaited them at home. This in no way shape or form compares to those lovely cake creations that my sister makes and I am well aware the writing looks like a 9 year old did it. I wish I could blame Sebastian but this is entirely my doing! I have it on good authority that it is "the best chocolate cake ever, Mummy."
Today, Abigail's childminder, Jackie, is ill so my little princess is home with me. It is also Sebastian's Christmas Play so get out the tissues. I have dutifully ensured that all the batteries to the various cameras are charged and the memory is cleared so I should not have the same crisis as I did at the the Christingle Service when my camera battery went dead at the first note of the first song.
Also, not only is this my first blog to write but for many of you this is the first blog you've read. It is kind of evolving into something like a journal I used to keep before I had my 2 children, 1 husband, 1 dog, 1 cat, 1 fish, 2 houses, etc..... Please don't forget to visit often as I update it every day (or have so far - not sure how this will play out once I go back to work and am no longer a lady of leisure!). Leave comments about what I write. Sebastian checks the comments when he gets home from school - keeps him reading!!! If you write a comment chances are I respond back so check the comment strings.....kinda like a written dialogue. I am enjoying this and hope you are at least half as much.
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