Moon Day

I'm trying to use my reading glasses less these days, so we'll blame any typos on that. I find that I'm using them too much lately. I sit down at the computer and put my glasses on. I sit down at the sewing machine and put my glasses on. I go to work and I have a pair in my pocket that I use. I've never worn glasses in my life, but I started using reading glasses two years ago when I began to quilt. The more I use them, the more I seem to need them.

And if I don't wear them, it's easier to overlook the problem stitching in my projects! NOT. Anyone can see those mistakes a mile away. I'm still un-stitching a couple of pieces I did before Christmas. All I have to do is look at a mistake and think: Do I want to give that away as a gift? And out come the stitches.

I shudder when I think of the first few pieces I finished and sent off. I did a lot of re-stitching on those as well, but ... Why can't we all be perfect from the moment we start?

Yes, I started out in a scrappy frame of mind. I made this little wall hanging to the left for a dear relative - there are three friendship stars, three hearts and three angels and man! did I spend a lot of time redoing stitches! I also found out that it was a bad idea to mix cottons with wools, flannelette and other synthetics. At this point, I was still buying my fabric from the local thrift store. I still buy some of it there, but I've learned to take only the cotton (and sometimes the wool) and leave the rest alone. That silvery stuff frayed like the devil and moved all over the place as I was stitching it.

This nice little batch of Ohio Stars never got finished. And it never will be. Can you guess why? My points were all wonderful. I sewed and re-sewed to get them all just right. Squared all my blocks and laid them out. Made a big star for the centre... But it didn't hit me until I went to sew it together that as soon as I did that, I'd lose all my points. Cripes! About all these babies are good for now is as an example of what not to do.

I probably did this one just after the Ohio Stars. Can you tell, I love stars? My points are mostly all there, but I didn't do a very good job with the background. I was aiming for a nice gentle shading from dark to light. And my stitch in the ditch is not even close to being in the "ditch". I have to say, though, that I kind of like it. It looks not too bad sitting on the back of the couch with a cat perched there to look out the window. I like the colours in the stars. I used old denim jeans for the background. I'll probably finish it some day.

Most of us would say that we have a favourite colour, but it doesn't really stop there. I love green, but there are some shades of it that I detest. I loathe pink, but I have to admit that it goes nicely with other fabrics in some instances. My appreciation for colour has increased since I began quilting, as my appreciation that not everyone likes the same combinations. We all use colour differently. As an astrologer, I try to use an individual's chart to determine what sort of colours they might prefer. At this point, though, it's all hit and miss. Our Sun sign is just one of several "planets" in a chart, but if it's all we have to go by, we'll end up with a very general "Leo likes gold" or "Aquarius likes blue" which may not be the case at all with some individuals. So what is it? Is it the Moon sign which governs our unconscious likes and dislikes? Or our Ascendant which describes how we would like others to see us? Maybe the sign our Venus falls under, which might best describe our taste in aesthetics.

I found a quote attributed to Laurel Burch on a blog today. I can't verify its authenticity, but I hope it is hers. She said:

"Spirit speaks in many colors . . .
Today I am teal.
Tomorrow I am purple.
I listen to the colors dancing within me . .
Sometimes I am every color all at once . . .
A RAINBOW spirit."
- Laurel Burch

Laurel was a Capricorn with a Moon in Sagittarius and a Cancer Ascendant. If you are familiar with her fabric designs, her trademark was bright colours (Cancer) and also earth tones (Capricorn), horses (Sagittarius), cats (three planets in the Sixth House - us Sixth House types seems to have a thing for those critters) and a certain spirituality and freedom that comes with Sagittarius and also Pisces, which made up her Midheaven. Not just one thing, but many.

A while back I found a good article on the subject that you might be interested in - The Astrology of Colours by David McCann http://www.skyscript.co.uk/colour.html

Yummm, leftover casserole for lunch today. Mashed potato and refried black bean, with a package of "Just Like Veggie Ground" (looks like hamburger, but isn't), other undetermined mashed vegetables - maybe carrots or squash (I mashed the potatoes and vegetables together a while back for some other dish and froze what was left), an egg, half a cup of bread crumbs, some diced onions and a bit of shredded cheddar. Vegans can omit the egg and use soy cheddar cheese instead of the real thing. Scooped it into a couple of loaf pans and baked it at 350 for an hour. I like it.

Taken just one year and a couple of days ago - my wierdos from another planet. They looked so sweet when they were kittens! What happened? At this moment, they're telling me in no uncertain terms that it's time for THEIR lunch!

Until next time,