Me, Quilts, and Barrett Jackson

I must discount the possibility of a show since I have nothing worth showing. (Claude Monet)

I've been fighting my way through the red and white piece, but got it mostly done so I could send in the preliminary jpg. The thing is, right before I took the picture, I had some new thoughts. I started ripping away at a background piece and decided it needed to be free-hanging from the surface and that means it must be lined so if it flaps a bit it will be 'finished' on the underside. This is gonna mean some fiddly work. In the meantime I was consumed with how to hang it. The edges are not square oweing to the vintage quilt I set the whole thing on- one side is decidedly longer than the other even though it is composed of geometric triangles and squares. It's also a bit wider at the top than the bottom and no amount of initial stretching seemed to help so I decided that since it has survived all these years as a trapezoid that it will stay a trapezoid! SOOoooo, some compromises are underway to 'make it work'. And on we go.

My Big Thought that I keep chanting over and over like a mantra is this:

IT IS WHAT IT IS It is what it is It IS what it IS

And I have to stop trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Additionally, I am revamping the hanging system. The top of the quilt is about 48" wide and whenever I pin it up on the design wall flat and square, I don't like it. What I do like is a slight gather across the top so it hangs like a drape, and it works that there are four points that it likes to be hung from. So, I am devising a system with snaps on the top of the quilt, and their counterparts on the rod, which will be hung in the traditional way. If the snaps don't work, then I will put tabs on the back for little 'sleeves' and make markings on the stick where the tabs have to be placed- not as easy to understand as a bunch of snaps. I'd use velcro but I am not as convinced in it's strength as I am the heavy duty snaps. Anyway, that is today's challenge, like I need a new challenge. For once, why can't it all just be easy for cryin-out-loud? Inventing the wheel (again and again!) is tough.

And so I checked the horror-of-the-day just now, looks like I am on the right path:

There really isn't any need to worry about what you must do today, for you are best off just being spontaneous. Although you can quickly become distracted by your friends, forget about entertaining everyone else for now. For once, just follow the course of least resistance, and let the magic of the day take you wherever it does.

Yesterday I took the day off and we went to the Barrett Jackson car auction down at the fairgrounds in West Palm. I was shocked at the size of this venture, only having seen it on tv for years. There were several building and innumerable tents full of the most beautiful old cars imaginable. We didn't register for bidding, just walked around for a couple of hours admiring the restorations and beautiful old machines

We stayed for an hour or so of the actual auction, just like it's on tv, and we were shocked at the low prices on some beautiful classics rolling through. I had to be careful that my cellphone held up high wasn't mistaken as a bid.

On display were several cars on their sides so you could see the bottoms. Also, in the auction, the car rolls over a camera as it enters the stage and the image is projected of what's on the bottom. Guess this is the only chance to see the bottoms unless you are hit by one and stuck under it. Not a pretty thought.
We also had out picture taken at the Bridgestone booth where we signed on to win free tires. At the rate we go through them, we could use a few spares. If you go to the link you can see all the photos they took that day and I'm in there, wearing my goggles and displaying a few chins I didn't know I had. I have 2 copies of the picture, will send them to the kids for a laugh.

A man is sitting at home on the veranda with his wife and he says, "I love you."

She asks, "Is that you or the beer talking?"

He replies, "It's me......................... talking to the beer."