Let's talk about doing one's civic duty

Hubs is finishing up his stint at the police academy here in VA. Depsite having been in law enforcement his whole life, VA doesn't recognize any other state's academy if there has been a gap in service.  Therefore, hubs has been back at school.

As part of the cadet training, the school runs what htey call scenarios. Role-played scenes where the cadets can learn to clear a room, issue a noise ordinance summons, etc. I've been talked into volunteering for a couple of these but the most entertaining one, by far, was the one last Friday.  Hubs roped my brother into helping and in turn, my brother roped his two friends into it.  I participated, too.

I was the chaperone.

Yep, I chaperoned my brother and his two friends while they got plastered, at the insistence of the police.  This started at 1pm and finished at 9pm. There was liquor and no beer.  The drinks were mixed, by the police, to be disproportianetly full of the liquor than the soda mixer. 

Why you ask? So the cadets could learn to administer field sobriety tests.  Yes, folks, now you know the secret. The police get people drunk so they can learn how to test them for how drunk they are.

The boys started the night like this.

(this is my brother)

An hour after starting, they started the testing (this was about 3-4 drinks within the hour and high octane).

As time went on, they looked like this.

(Sorry about that finger... couldn't edit it out from my phone. And he's the mild-mannered one!)

Lastly, this one made this man's day. There weren't enough civilian cars to use so they pulled up the cruisers to use. No driving, just have the drunks sit in the front and then get out as the cadets ran the scenario. However, this guy, he played and turned on the crusiers lights. He felt so pleased with himself for doing it despite "Ma" (that would be me as the chaperone) telling him not to. 

The moral of this story? If you have always thought civic duty to be tedious, you might want to think again.

Have a good day, ya'll!

Cheers!
Beck

Favorite Things Friday - The Hubs

So I was looking through all my posts and realized I wrote about Hubs hunting at once before when I was bragging on his hunting skills but for all the FTF's I've written, I have not mentioned him.  That just seemed like I should maybe let you know he rates above the music, quilt shows, coffee mugs, and Dirty Little Secrets.

So here's the thing... HUBS RATES over it all. He's a good man. We've been together 10 years now, married 6 and while we've certainly had our ups and downs, we are prevailing.  This year, most recently, we hit a rough patch.  It resulting in an extremely real conversation but one which just had to be had. Both of us have determined to do better, show each other our love and appreciation more. To stop taking the other for granted so much, you know?

Hubs has come out of retirement and is now finishing up his time at the police academy to start his new job as a deputy sheriff.  The irony is, he's been  law enforcement/military his whole life. It's a long few months but he's going to graduate top of his class and I'm very proud of him for working hard at doing his best through it all.

Hubs makes me happy, he's my home, and I'm lucky to have him. I love you, hubs.

To check out other FTFs, click on my side bar link.

Cheers!
Beck

Double Wedding Ring Finish

Another finish!  A big finish! A cathartic finish!

This double wedding ring quilt (DWR) started out as an extremely ambitious gift for my girlfriend for her wedding.  The problem? I was brand new to quilting, no idea what I was doing and thought tackling curves would require the same level of concentration/skill as straight piecing.

Yes, funny… go ahead and laugh, I’ll wait.

Still waiting…

Done? Good, back to my story.  So years ago I visit and she’s got a 1930s home they were fixing up and while doing so, keeping its original lines and architectural feel.  A quilt with reproduction prints (Aunt Grace) was in order. The DWR specifically b/c of the occasion. I know it would blend her home and bedroom beiges and tans and greens (her concession to the new husband) beautifully while giving her some color (what I know she craves).  For the background, I used a muslin bought at JoAnn’s b/c I wanted to keep in the same theme of repro.  –sigh- I didn’t think much about fabric weave and bought a pretty thin muslin.

I have a few posts in my history regarding this DWR, talking about my frustration in trying to piece it correctly, trying a Curve Master Foot (which at the time helped but didn’t solve my problem. (Here, here, here, and here) Today, however, with more practice, it’s AN AWESOME TOOL for curve piecing!), and the overall method I settled on. 

I slowly pieced it all together for this king sized monster and then, the top sat. How the heck was I going to quilt this? I had been eyeing a mid-arm machine and frame and decided now was the time to get it.  I bought Mr. Sumo and Ms. Midge and then, of course, was not going to attempt this DWR until I practiced real quilting. 

Life interferes, we have a couple temporary moves, much of my sewing/quilting projects and supplies are in storage for a couple years. I pull them out and find water stains on the quilt top.  But thanks to the quilting community, advise was asked and provided.  Quilt it anyway, you said, then when you wash it, put a color catcher in with the wash and it worked.

However, as I started quilting it, 2 things happened. Hubs really began loving this quilt and I began thinking it wasn’t good enough to send to my friend. Knowing what I know now about fabrics, how I personally have improved in my own sewing and quilting and the uncertainty around whether that stain would come out while I was quilting. I decided, finally, to keep the quilt for hubs and I. We didn’t have a bed quilt and summer was coming.  This gave me a little more comfort to practice different quilting ideas (I have one small side of the quilt where I have several different quilting motifs that I’ve tried out and not bothered to unstitch knowing it was going on our bed.) It also let me enjoy quilting it a little more.

I am glad, all those years ago, I did give my friend a wedding present or I’d be scrambling to find something new now.  Still, I feel I do want to make her and her husband a quilt, and I have plenty of repro fabric already cut for a DWR. Maybe one day, with better background fabric. J

I put this baby on our bed to surprise hubs that we were keeping it and my baby girl decided she had to mark it.  I caught it right away and no mattress damage or actual quilt damage once cleaned but you could have defined me as a red-faced, steam coming out my ears, livid when she did that.  The final shot of where it resides now for the summer (it’s a thin quilt).  

Cheers!

Beck

I need Blogger help, please

For those of you familiar with Blogger, can you help me with the picture in my title?  I want to post quilt pics there and occasionally change them out but as you can see from the current picture, I have formatting issues.

I want the picture to run the width of the title "bar" and to be shorter in height. I've tried editing the picture on my desktop and rotating it. I save it, etc. but when I drop it back into the field in Blogger Layout, it rotates it back and leaves it at this size.

I'm not familiar with html so I wouldn't know how to change it that way unless you can give me very detailed instructions.

Anyone have any ideas/work arounds to help me get what I'd like to see?

Thank you!
Beck

Northern VA & nearby residents - a bus trip

For any of you in the general area of Northern VA, the Stafford Piecemakers Guild is hosting a bus trip to Lancaster, PA on Saturday, May 19.

Last year, they stopped at Intercourse, PA with antique shops, craft shops, a small quilt museum and a couple quilt stores and even better, in Lancaster County they stop at Burkholder's Fabric. A store in the Amish community and with the best fabrics.   I believe it's the same itinerary this year.  I've been on a spending hiatus in anticipation of this trip... :-)

QUESTIONS?
POC: Pat Burroughs
Open to everyone 18yr or older, $45 non-members, Checks payable to: Stafford Piecemakers Quilt Guild
staffordpiecemakers@gmail.com 

I went last year for the first time and while not a member of the guild, it is open to non-members again this year. They would like to fill the bus and only need 11 more people.  I am arranging to go today, in all liklihood and would love to see some (ahem, Barb!) of you along.

Just calling out to you, Barb. I know I've been a silent friend and thought I'd publically acknowledge that with my heartfelt apologies for being so distant. Work overtook life for quite some time there and then hubs and I had some things to work through (more on that on Favorite Things Friday, though).

Anyway, here's the information and contacts. I do hope we can fill the bus and go. I had such fun last year and I didn't know anyone except the person who invited me.  It's well worth the day... if you need a place to stay overnight instead of driving back to your home (hmm, Susan? or AmyLou? can kids go to in-laws?hehe), my home is open to you.

Cheers!
Beck