Octoquilt!

[lydamorehouse]

Image: Octoquilt! A quilt with lots of octopuses interspersed with colored squares.

I am finally working though all of the leftover sea-themed fabric from Mason's quilt. (A quilt that I still need to finish actually QUILTING, but it is now fully pieced, at least.) Several weeks ago I posted a picture of the colors I was thinking about for this quilt on Facebook and did my usual, "Anyone I know need an octopus quilt?" and I got a shocking number of "Oh! Pick me!" The first person was Nisi Shawl--someone I didn't even realized followed me, though I have admired their work from a distance. So, this is Nisi's quilt.

I am in the process of finishing it. I got it all quilted last night (while finishing a weird donghua called Link Click on Crunchyroll and catching up on the final season of Star Trek: Discovery before my Paramount+ subscription runs out.)  Now I am having a small conundrum. I had planned to sew the edges over the back, but when I do that, I lose a whole octopus. No one wants to lose a whole octopus!  So now I'm trying to decide if I have enough odds and ends of the fabric swatches to build an edge the I can fold over the front.  I may try that?  I also have a coral reef motif fabric in very similar greens to the ones I used that I might just add as an edging. 

Anyway, you will see it again once it's all the way finished. 

The only other excitement around here is that Mason is building a retaining wall (of sorts for our hill). 


Image: Me showing off Mason's handiwork, while Mason stands around looking tired.

After finishing this, he and Shawn decided that it actually might need a couple of more rows, so there is a palate of bricks on my boulevard right now waiting for his return from his uncle Keven's.  Given that our across the street neighbor is having their house painted, the street was really congested this morning when the Home Depot people needed to get in. I would have them deliver in the alley, but 1) I doubt they could get out, once they got in (we have a very sharp, hard T-section at the end of our alley) and 2) we have no place for them to put them because our back is basically a berm and a tiny space next to the garage where our garbage can sits. 

Oh yeah. 

Other fun news. Someone stole our recycling bin. I am extra impressed because it's actually missing its wheels. So someone was really determined when they hauled that away.  I put in a call to the city, so hopefully we will get one soon. We are a big recycling family so it will pile up in the meantime. 

The only other thing is that I attended my friend Ember's funeral on Sunday. It wasn't the official funeral. That will be in her hometown of Ironton in Ohio, but there are a bunch of us who can't make the drive, so we organized (actually Mel, another friend of mine, organized) one for here. It was held at the Loft, which is where I met Ember. She was a student of mine over a decade ago. Mmm, well over a decade at this point. At any rate, that one probably deserves its own post.  The only other thing I will say about that is that Ember's death has me thinking about a lot of people with who I feel close enough to call friends, but yet aren't really ALL THAT close? This may be a Midwestern problem, but I have a large number of people in a kind of close inner ring that I absolutely adore, right? I know them well enough to have maybe been to their house a couple of times, enjoy going places with them, but like there's this weird distance--like, maybe we're just not quite close enough to actually have contact information saved on speed dial.  Someone I can direct message for a get together, but in an emergency couldn't call. Ember was in this class of people for me. I have some really fond, personal memories of her, but we drifted apart when she married and moved to Owatonna, Minnesota.  And, so, I don't know. 

Let's not lose touch, okay??

Comments

[profiterole_reads]

Beautiful quilt!

Link Click S2 keeps me on the edge of my seat.

[lydamorehouse]

That's what I just finished! Season 2!!

So, what's your take on it? I really liked the first season, in particular all of their adventures with time traveling through photos. I really thought they were setting up Cheng Xiaoshi (dark-haired one, if, like me, you are terrible at names) to be so upset over the screwed up attempt to capture the other jumper that he would mess up the past in a BIG WAY. Yet, most of this season seems to be them being surprisingly chill? Also, hell of a cliffhanger, eh? WHEN IS SEASON 3 COMING IT'S NOT SOON ENOUGH!!

[profiterole_reads]

I don't think S2 is finished yet? I'm at episode 8 on Crunchyroll. Is Crunchyroll late compared to China? That's entirely possible.

[lydamorehouse]

AH! I thought I had them all. That explains things. I now have to wait for it to drop, once a week. Got it!

[lydamorehouse]

And yes, I had just finished episode 8 as well.

[profiterole_reads]

But I agree that I expected things to go differently and this season so far offers more questions than answers.

[rachelmanija]

I love the quilt. And that's a great retaining wall.

[lydamorehouse]

Thank you on both accounts. I will pass on your praise to Mason.

[sabotabby]

I'm sure someone's said this already but...a quilt for Shawl! Ah seriously I love their work so that is cool, and the quilt is cool.

[lydamorehouse]

Believe it or not, you are the first!! And, right?? I was so surprised when they popped up in my feed, as it were!

[lcohen]

i have posted and thought a lot about friendships--about the types of friendships we form and what keeps people together as friends, as close friends, as friendly acquaintances--how we don't always know what we have. i had a lot more people step up to do things like offer to take me to doctor's appts after i was in the hospital, for example, than i thought i had, even though i know i would do the same, were i capable.

there are things that you can do only in a friendship of proximity but sometimes in losing the proximity, the friendship fades--if not, it becomes a friendship of longevity but that can feel like it faded because nothing causes you to pick up the phone or write the email, yet if you did, you would find the person there, ready to resume where you left off, still loving you as a friend.

which is to say, i am not sure it is a midwestern thing, even though i have always lived in the midwest. (well, people will argue about whether ohio is midwestern, but i think it is.)

that is a gorgeous quilt--i am sure nisi will love it!

[lydamorehouse]

Thank you, and thanks for your thoughts about friendships.

It really took, for me, the pandemic to be really aware of the "circles" of friendships that I engage in, because suddenly a HUGE section in the middle went missing. I work hard at friendships? (Although saying that reminds me that I left OUR email conversation "on read.") But, like the postcard project was started as a way to remind a bunch of people during the darkest parts of a pandemic that isn't over yet that I was thinking of them.

But, as you say, there's a natural ebb and flow to these things.

[lcohen]

whenever you feel so moved to continue our email conversation, if you do, or start a new one, i will be here, ready to resume where we left off, loving you as a friend.

[zhelana]

that quilt is so cute!

[lydamorehouse]

Thank you so much!

(And I solved my problem with the edges last night so I bet I'll have it done by the end of the week.)

[kore]

THAT QUILT

[lydamorehouse]

Thanks!!! I'm really proud of this one. The fabric is super adorable, though, so I mean that part is not me.

[leia_solo]

That quilt is very nice!

[lydamorehouse]

Thank you!!