Enough for today

 I put these pieces together when I first started to quilt, a few months ago. I soon got interested in complex techniques, which of course I´ve not yet mastered, and this quilt was kept unfinished, on a shelf, for quite a while. Until today. It´s now complete and that´s it.

I had assigned myself another task for the day but I felt I had had enough of sewing. This way, I stuck to an old shabby mirror the pieces I had for an appliqué.

I decided it deserves to be displayed. At least for a while. 

I was happy to be able to hang it on a wall in my studio. I love recycled stuff.
It goes with the pale green couch beneath and, of course, the lap quilt will go back to the shelf where it belongs. 

"In order to keep progressing we must learn, commit and do - learn, commit and do and learn, commit and do." 

Stephen R. Covey is said to have said so. 

Quilters know it by learning,

 commiting themselves,

 and doing 

on and on and on... 

During Carnaval and the Olympic games...

...I haven´t done much. Just a little progress in stiching while watching Carnaval but not the Olympic skating contests. It´s so amazing what those people do on skates I can´t take my eyes out of the tv set. It seems to me they´ve gone far beyond the frontier of the Impossible Dream. 

I´d been ordered 6 placemats using a black and white cow pattern + a bit of red.  I´ve got them done and delivered.  Pleased to know they were appeciated and are being used.

I must get some other works finished. Challenging ones, I should say, although I´ve suggested them myself in a moment of insane presumption.

This afternoon I´ll be taking care of some little things I need for the house. New pillow covers to start with.  I´ll get them done quickly, I hope, IF I can get my eyes away from the tv set. Skating contest isn´t over yet, you know!

What is your idea about Brazilian Carnaval?

Yes, it writes Carnaval, and its unique.Can´t be translated. Can 

hardly be explained. 

Must be enjoyed.

If you think the main points of the biggest popular party in the world are naked women and easy sex of any kind, you´re wrong. 

This distorted idea has been disseminated by the midia and tourism agencies. Of course they are true - anywhere, any time, all over the world - and Carnaval in Rio is not an exception.

Maybe that´s why tourists from abroad become so surprised and fascinated with the party itself. 

Martinho da Vila, a reknown Brazilian samba composer, a proeminent member of Vila Isabel Samba School, calls attention to the many artists involved in the show in the lyrics of one of his songs, literally translated bellow by my friend 

Google Translate. 

"... Glory to those who work year round in joint effort.
 They are sculptors, painters,
 embroiderers, carpenters, glaziers, seamstresses,
 costume designers, designers and craftsmen
 People committed to building illusion
And we all have dreams..."

Each Samba School has an hour and a few minutes to show their year round work in a parade that takes place at Sambódromo, a boulevard specially built for this purpose. 

Martinho´s lyrics goes on :
"...One may be king, a pirate or a gardener
 For everything is over on Wednesday...
 At the crack of dawn the hills are colored
 Costumes worn on the avenue
 Become curtains, flags...
 reasons for living..."

 Each Samba School chooses a theme for the parade. My favourite theme last night was carried on by Imperatriz Leopoldinense Samba School (7th video in the link bellow), celebrating Faith itself and the freedom of creed in our country.
 In this country christians, jewish, budists, muslims, and other people freely practice their religion and live in harmony.
Here the best moments of yesterday night show.
 Must go!
 Tonight´s show is about to get started!

Thunderstorm

A most terrifying thunderstorm took place in Curitiba, Southen Brazil, last evening. I couldn´t take a picture because it all looked grey from my window. Couldn´t see anything. Just lots of noise telling everyone the climate is changing - to the worse. I closed the windows and grabbed the dog, frightened to death. Poor Lua!  

The energy suplly station that feeds the section of town where I live had some kind of problem and 1700 homes have not had energy suppy for the last 14 hours. Not in my place, fortunatelly. We´ve had just a couple of hours before energy supply was restablished, but it was a nuisance, you bet. 

No light, no computer, no home phone, no sewing machine, no microwave, no tv, no radio, no elevator ... just candles and a lots of time to meditate. Middle age sort of thing and I´m not prepared for that! 

I´ve got this picture from the local newspaper online( www.gazetadopovo.com.br), sent by a reader (Luiz C Ceniz) this morning, showing the effects in front of his house and on somebody´s car. 

Many other trees must have come down, fires started, roofs ruined. 

Fortunatelly, no victims, so it seems. 

I worried about my daughter who had gone out joining a pre Carnaval street event. I´d figured she wouldn´t hear  the mobile phone ring with so much noise around her. Called her anyway. No answer. Just hoped everything was fine with her. She got home late, very excited, telling me it was great fun and the rain wash was wonderful. That´s better! Mothers don´t ever learn!

OK. Just to say I didn´t get weekend homework done!

Sorry!

Let´s get them done

I´ve got a pile of on-going projects waiting for me to figure out how I´ll get them finished . Most of the times I lack the necessary ability to get my ambitious projects accomplished the way I would like to see them. Anyway, I decided to get some of them finished by this Sunday. This is also answers  Tamera´s challenging question.

I got this one finished first thing in the morning and I´m not going back to it, although maybe I should.

Another pin cushion. Filled and ready to work.

Now the tricky ones (in this initial stage of my quilting journey):

Ok, now! Back to work so I keep my word and get them done before midnight!

A little bit of sewing ...

... and lots of virtual visiting these days. 

My other home shows more of my recent virtual busy life. I want to sew but can´t do both at the same time and time runs fast. We all know it.

I suppose quilters / crafters / artists in general have unfinished works. Lots of, in fact. It comes along with the wish of experimenting new projects and ideas before having finished the one at hand. The bundle of unfinished works may be as high as one´s creativity. I´m not sure this statement is true but it´s worth giving it a try when people around you start complaining or challenging you to to get done with this.

I´ve been producing small "anti slaming doors devices". Don´t know how to name them properly in English. I call them door pillows at home. Useful in homes where windows are kept open (a habit in most Brazilian homes), when it´s windy outside, particularlly in homes where there are children, pets, patients and you don´t want the door to stay neither open nor closed. Or you just don´t want to hear slaming doors.

As you can see I´ve got a few in various stages  of production.

The first one I´ve made is tied to the kitchen door and helps me from opening and closing it for the dog to come in or go out. It keeps the door unclosed but allows me to listening to the tv without bothering the rest of the family when I´m cooking by myself.

I´m in the mood for cats these days, working on A Cat Lives Here series of wall hangers and pillows I´ll make sure to show you within a short time. The only picture taken is this one below. This one got started a long time ago.

This apparently calm feline has given me ideas. I´ve got quite a few ambitious projects in mind for the series coming soon in this same channel...

Happy sewing, quilting, drawing, painting, knitting, crocheting... whatever! Let´s go on!