Tagged

I seem to have been tagged by both Mary and Sherri at practically the same time. Somehow I've avoided these lists until now, but here's the deal:

1. Link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Post THE RULES on your blog. [I'm thinking not The Rules, since it's not 1996. —FD]
   
3. Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog.
4. Tag 7 people and link to them.
5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

So, seven weird or random facts? Let's see.

1. I had braces twice, once in second grade and again through high school. This was all part of my Orthodontic Master Plan—my teeth really were that wonky.
2. I started losing my hair before I got the braces off (the second time, that is). And due to the closeted nature of midwestern high school, that meant I never had a date with a full head of hair. But my teeth sure are straight! (Not entirely true. Would you believe my bottom teeth are still a little crooked?)
3. I get really cranky when I haven't eaten in a while. The Other knows all about this.
4. I know the Dewey Decimal system from memory. When I worked in a library, you could give me a topic and I'd tell you the number. I'm much rustier now, but I can usually narrow things down by at least the first two digits.
5. My bookshelves are heavily weighted towards 823 (English literature, which was my course at university) and increasingly 746.46 (quilting). And yes, they're in order. It annoys me to no end that appliqué falls indiscriminately with embroidery in 746.44. Why not just sort things the way I want? That, my friend, is a question for the shrink.
6. I'm a copyeditor (now freelance, formerly for a book publisher) but I can't stand it when people correct grammar in other people's speech.
7. Quilting is helping me get over my loathing of ironing, though I can't remember the last time I ironed an item of clothing. Freelancing has that advantage.

Given Mary's calculation of the number of people who could have been tagged, I think I'm going to have to be the guy who breaks the chain. Everybody's already been tagged! So that I don't prove Sherri right by being totally grumpy, I'll at least tag Scott from Blue Nickel Studios. I've been getting a kick out of chatting with him for the last couple weeks.

Stick a lunch in it, valentine

You've heard all the cynical anti-Valentine's arguments before, so suffice it to say that when I was in university I circulated a "Fuck Love" pamphlet of romance-gone-wrong poetry on St Val's. The Other is travelling for business today, so we can go out to dinner later without the wait, cost, and general stress of enforced sentiment. But I do like excuses to make stuff for people, so this is the lunch bag I've been promising for some time and gave to him just before he flew away. I adapted Tumbling Blocks's pattern so the seams would face in and used a thrifted vinyl tablecloth printed with Andy Warhol's Campbell's soup cans (the label gives the copyright to Campbell's, which supports my hypothesis that his art wouldn't be possible with today's infringement-frantic companies/lawyers).

So, grumpy old man tendencies aside, happy Valentine's Day, and my love to the Other!

March/April Quilter's Home and Under-Cover update

How is it we quilters always seem to get roped into volunteering for stuff? Check out my article on how to stop being a doormat in the March/April issue of Quilter's Home, hitting stands now.

To Elisa, who wrote in about my UFO article from the previous issue, you're welcome! I'm getting enough WIPs piling up that I may have a UFO stack of my own to contend with soon....

It looks like there was a good turnout at the Under-Cover opening at Greenjeans last week. The quilts in the show, including my Ransom Note No. 3, are all up to see, read about, and buy here. It's a bit odd to think of one of my quilts up on a wall across the country, but I'm chuffed!

Ransom Note No. 3 picked for Under-Cover exhibition

If you enjoyed No. 1 and No. 2 in my Ransom Note series of small quilts and happen to be in Brooklyn between February 7 and March 20, stop by Greenjeans to see Ransom Note No. 3. The Under-Cover exhibition also features 15 other quilts plus sculpture by Jane Kaufmann. I'm thrilled to be included, especially considering the caliber of quilts submitted (see them all here).

My walking foot had gone bust as I was quilting Ransom Note No. 2 for Youngest Brother—only the second time I'd used the foot—and the replacement foot arrived serendipitously the day before I had to ship No. 3 off to the gallery. When I told the woman at the sewing machine shop that I had to quilt a project that night to get it in the mail, her eyes bulged right out of her head, but fortunately a 10- by 12-inch quilt is feasibly machine-quilting in an evening.

The opening reception for the show is February 6, 6–8pm, but unfortunately it's a bit of a trek to New York. I'd love to see the work in person and talk to the other quilters—small quilts (these are under 14 inches square) can really encourage creative approaches, and it'd be fascinating to hear what other people did and where the ideas came from. Say hello to the quilts and the artists for me if you can make it! I'll be following along as they post pictures on the Greenjeans website.