Read in Time for Discussion Group

Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The most fascinating thing about this book was the narrative structure: Stegner the author, Lyman Ward the narrator searching out his grandmother’s history, and the grandmother telling some of her parts. These three layers accomplish much. They allow Stegner to “have it both ways.” For example he can comment on Grandmother’s being of the local color era and thus have more description than a 20th Century writer otherwise might have when he is “quoting” her. He can have a Victorian reticence in talking about sex while critiquing it in the 20th century narrative.

Such a strategy always has me wondering at the start whose story it really is, the narrator’s or the subjects, in this case, Lyman Ward’s or Susan Burling Ward’s. And that question is not answered till very late in the novel, and I’ll say no more or it would be a spoiler.

Important though the description was, there were times when it got to be too much and the book bogged down. But before I put it aside, the pace would pick up again and with it my interest.

Lyman Ward is in a wheel chair. Stegner slips into some ablist assumptions about disability, emphasizing being trapped in the chair instead of emphasizing it as a mobility device. But he avoids making disability, adjusting to it, accepting it the main conflict of the novel. He does not do so well on the gender/class differences. Susan’s criticisms of her working class husband show some stereotypical views of controlling woman, snobby woman, woman as the civilizing influence. On the other hand, Stegner allows her to break stereotype by doing art and writing for pay and at times supporting the family. And Stegner puts to rest the stereotype of the self made western individualist, showing how much they were indebted to and owned by Eastern money.

In the beginning there was an interesting commentary on time and change; I expected more to be made of it throughout the novel than was (or maybe I just missed it–a rereading would tell). But this statement is worth quoting: “Before I can say I am, I was.” (p. 3)

View all my reviews

I distract so easily…

So I thought I’d have two finished by the end of the week. Nope. I read. I shopped. I visited. I knitted, then unknitted when the fit wasn’t right. And next Tuesday is book discussion group, so I need to read some more. And blogging instead of sewing seems a good reason–umm excuse–to procrastinate a bit. But meanwhile I did figure out what to do with the three left over blocks. What do you do when you have three and need four? Cut one in half, attach it to an oversized triangle, and end  up with two blocks the same size as the other 6 1/2 inch blocks.

You won’t have any trouble finding the block I cut in half to make it into two and the kinda, sorta matching, unmatched fabric . Here is the earlier version if you want to compare. The style is growing more primitive in honor of the make-do tradition.

Have you made any quilt tops where you had to make do? Do tell about them.

I also found time to dive into my stash for border fabrics.  The new organization is still working. I am sure one reason I am quilting more this year than last is that I can find something when I need it.

“Made Fabric” and Charity Top

Here is another starter from the deep past. It was part of the Multiple-of-Three challenge that brought me about three groupings of blocks. These were unified by the cute blue bug print, and they played better together than with others. At present it is 24 x 36 and needs to be 40 x 60. I have three more blocks–can’t make a row, nor can I do cornerstones for a border, but I will do SOMETHING.

I think if I plan a pieced border for this quilt I can use the pieces as leaders and enders while I continue on the “made fabric” for the architecture quilt challenge. Meanwhile, I have started with these “crumbs”:

     I spent much of yesterday afternoon starting to assemble them. In spite of having faithfully read “Fifteen Minutes of Play” blog, I’ve never sat down to sew these small pieces for 15 minutes because I’d not sorted the crumbs. Finally that sorting is finished.

For fun I timed the first fifteen minutes. Two small pieces is all I had completed.

I kept on sewing,  and after I laid out what I had so far,  I decided it would be wise to confirm the exact shape I’d be using and to make the background so I’d see exactly what would be next to what. “Random” isn’t really in my vocabulary.

Prints give me great difficulty when I am considering value. These are all “light” but certainly not the same. And since the values are not the same, I’ll have to be careful where I place the whiter pieces and the darker. I could rip out the outliers, but I think they will add interest. Looking at these, you’d never guess that my first plan was all solids. I had very few light solids, and light is the value I wanted. “Adapt” is in my vocabulary.

 

 

 

 

 

Quilty Reading

Color Harmony for Quilts: A Quiltmaker’s Guide to Exploring Color by Bill Kerr

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a good book for quilters (and I suppose other crafters who deal with color) who want to get beyond discussions of the color wheel, complementary colors, related colors, and split complementary…etc. A multitude of quilts are shown with artist statement and author analysis, then a few at the end with only the artist statement. Would make for a good teaching tool to use the end as exercises to see how much from the first section could be applied.

I appreciated the premise that instead of looking for predefined color combinations, we should look at what a color combination accomplishes and judge by how that furthers the idea of the quilt. (While I can appreciate all the authors’ points about the big idea, I find it hard to create that way. Worth pursuing.) I am not convinced that color alone established the mood they ascribed to a quilt (and I am not sure they would claim it does either, though sometimes it sounded that way). Two in particular (Cosmopolitan and Ethereal) needed shapes in addition to color.

They do use a color wheel to show the range of hue and value in the quilts they discuss. And especially helpful is the graph showing proportions of colors along with the swatches of the colors to show how proportion affects the look. Another helpful feature is showing the color palette on a different traditional quilt design and varying it by adding and subtracting hues and values and discussing the changed effects. I would have appreciated if they had kept the design more constant in this part so that I could register more the color changes, though I assume they were trying to show each color change to its best effect.

And finally they suggest exercises to become more conscious of color, exercises for individuals and groups. Some of the exercises could be interesting guild meeting programs (with a little adaptation)

View all my reviews

What next?

After finishing a top with a pieced border (three posts back) and sorting my “crumbs,” I’m pondering my next project. First the crumbs.

About a third through the project

“Crumbs” as in “gather up the crumbs.” Sunshine online guild (link to the right) got me started long ago. Everyone claimed it was a mindless relaxing thing to make up 3-inch or 6-inch blocks from them. They turned out some very nice blocks being random or sorting by brights or pastels, sometimes by color.  Then they created some cute settings for them.  Mine didn’t turn out so good, so I thought I’d try sorting by color.  I didn’t have enough to coordinate, so I set them aside. We won’t say how many years ago that was.  Now “crumbs” have some new names: “improvised fabric” and “made fabric” to name a couple. And I am working on the architecture challenge which requires some “made fabric” somewhere. That provided the motivation for the big sorting project.

I have a photo and a plan, so now there is nothing to stop me from starting to sew. I even have time after I browse Design Wall Monday.

Need for a Homeless Bill of Rights

Another feature of the Rose Parade: It is the one day a year that “camping” in the streets is allowed. The link is to a plea against criminalizing homelessness.

Portland Annual Rose Parade

It is Rose Parade weekend.  Since I don’t like standing to watch parades (and sitting is too expensive), I was glad to learn that some of the floats are on display today and tomorrow for a close up look.  All the decorations have to be organic.  “Solid” surfaces are created with things like seeds, grains, rice–natural color and dyed.  Themes were “Celebrate Oregon,” “Celebrate Culture,” and “Celebrate Service.” On many floats, “celebrate” was presented as “party.”

Reeses  Fine Food wants to make your party easy with their potato salad–see it in the alligator’s hand? Title of float is “Find your Party Animal.”

Here is a close up of the scales.

The culture theme was well represented.

This one marks the 25th anniversary of the Portland-Kaohsiung Sister City Association. The dragon boat replica in the top front reminds of the races held at Waterfront Park–I was too late for them this year. Maybe next year.

Vietnamese Community Float

I take photos of descriptions to help me remember details; unfortunately, I made too much of a shadow on the picture to be able to read the rest. So I don’t have any more of the exact names of floats.

See the lamp post?  Here are the real ones it copied.

These lamp posts decorate all of Old Town. I think the background bridge is the Hawthorne Bridge. (Sorry, I haven’t learned my bridges yet.) I took the photo for the architecture detail for a quilt class at Sisters. I am to bring photos of line design. The lamp was a lucky extra.

PGE is the local electric company. I think I have the number right–30 % of our energy is from renewable sources. Love the icon for wind up front. The water drop is hiding behind the sun.

And a close up of the roses:

I am sure I got a better view of the floats this way, though I did miss the bands and other groups. It was a great way to spend a sunny afternoon.