Not Much

It seems that a new project has squirreled it's way into my sewing room.

Are you familiar with that squirrel reference from the delightful movie, "Up"? Dug, the dog, is distracted by a squirrel.)

Melissa @mtweedel posted a quilt picture on Instagram - a wall hanging of house blocks made from all solids. After thinking, "Squirrel!" I thought, "What a good way to use up solid scraps!"

I used EQ8 software to come up with a similar block, and I've started cutting and piecing.

And cutting. It's a messy business to cut scraps and small pieces of fabric into usable dimensions.

One of my 2020 goals is to make large quilts. First of all, they'll keep me occupied longer, and second, I will be able to more easily give them away because they're useable. It will take 182 houses to make this a large quilt. I'm in!

Friday morning we woke to realize that a Cape Canaveral launch was imminent. Boeing was sending up Starliner - an unmanned rocket. We rushed outside to see this at about 6:40 am. 

Here are the contrails after separation. At first we thought the rocket was falling toward earth, but then realized that the flight path simply followed the earth's curvature. We later learned that within a half hour, the Starliner failed its mission, burning more fuel than anticipated, and therefore unable to meet its Sunday rendezvous with the International Space Station. Still, it was quite a sight to behold, albeit expensive

Red Thread Studio, here in Florida, is having a contest to win an all-expenses paid (except from your house to the airport) trip to Florida to take a class with Rachael Daisy from Australia. I'm sharing it here so all my friends have a chance to enter. I'd love it if you won!
Two audiobook finishes: "This Is How It Always Is" by Laurie Frankel, wasn't a favorite. In all fairness, the topic - how to raise a male child who wants to wear dresses and behave like a girl - is relevant by today's cultural standards, but I found it disconcerting. Still, I stuck it out to learn how parents Rosie and Penn handled this son - the youngest of their five boys. Four year-old Claude becomes Poppy,  and the family moves from Madison, Wisconsin to Seattle, Washington, keeping the secret. Moments of revelation happen when Poppy is ten years old and must begin to choose who she/he will become. I've since learned this is the author's own story. I certainly respect any parent who must travel this road less traveled. Linda's score: 2.8/5.0


"Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine" is a delightful read by Gail Honeyman. Told from Eleanor's (first person) perspective, I smiled and giggled about her insights and perspectives from the viewpoint of a 30 year-old who grew up in a challenging and unusual environment - who, due to the influence of a psychotic mother and life in numerous foster homes, never quite learned how to interact with others, or understand social clichés that most of us intuit. She led an extremely sad life, but with encouragement from a counselor learns before it's too late, how to live a satisfying, fulfilled life. Linda's score: 4.4/5.0




I don't have anything Christmas-y to share, as we'll be at home for Christmas, and family is far way. We'll spend our days quietly, worship, and enjoy the mild weather. It's nice to have the sliding doors open to the screened-in lanai. Linda