Here's my rugby player all dressed up for the dance...ok, FORMAL, it's called and I stand corrected many times. (old dog, new tricks..) I loved that he let me play with his tie and shirt options which was always a favorite past time of mine with my dad. He let me talk to him about important elements of a successful date like make eye contact, keep the conversation going....etc. His response was "mom, I've been at this living thing a while now..." but he smiled when he said it. Anyway, we all gathered at a friend's house for pre-formal photos...
Aren't they gorgeous!!!
Can't you just feel the sheer anticipation of something about to happen? Is there romance in the air or just perfume and cologne ...Perhaps it was this crazy photographer who HAD to get in the pool for the best group photo angle...
After they all drove off in we went to our second son's AFL game. The dads all stood around talking about the "wonder" of formals. Why do these events exist? Why do they want to spend all that money on suits and flowers? Isn't one year 12 formal enough...blah, blah, blah. I listened and then exclaimed, "The formals are for the moms!" This is the moment we get to enjoy. After hundreds of hours of cricket and rugby and athletics and the rest...this is our fantasy moment! It takes us back to the days of dancing at Homecoming and Fraternity weekends themed to Stairway to Heaven, and electric rollers, strapless bras...to dress shopping and makeup...to high heels and gorgeous clingy dresses and coming down the stairs to a boy in a light blue tuxedo... and maybe even a few stolen kisses...(that wouldn't be happening last night!!!) The dads stood there with their hands in the pockets shuffling their toes.
To prove my point of difference here were the moms snapping photos, laughing and bursting with pride.
Let's just hope they all had a lovely time...
Now, onto a different thrill. Design walls are my favorite theme these days. I have completely covered all the wall space in my sewing area with wadding for this purpose. By doing this I can slap up my work as it is made. It then allows me to step back from the intricate piecing to see how a quilt is progressing. What can look stunning in our hands may have a completely different effect from afar. In the photo below you can easily see that the seven blocks I have been painstakingly hand piecing are not coming together with a sense of a balance. They are beautiful on their own but the careful fabric choices and relationships aren't obvious from a far. This is not a tragedy but rather an opportunity to keep working to get it right. An element of designing (and living) is to believe it will all work out.
At this point I grabbed an element from another project we are working on that uses hexagons as sort of a log cabin block. What if these blocks get framed with something darker to bring out the contrast elements in each block?
I had purchased a large amount of this plaid fabric at the same time I got some of the fabrics in the blocks but wasn't sure what I'd ever do with it. It was just sitting there in the pile but somehow managed to jump out. It works perfectly to activate the contrast in each of the different blocks while adding unity at the same time. So, I surrounded all of them to this effect.
I like the way that's working now and will spend a bit of time at our Material Obsession retreat working on the next borders between the blocks.
To make a design wall all you need is wadding. We are now often recommending that you get your wadding as soon a your quilt starts to go together, particularly if you are working in a class where you need to transport your work. This can now be rolled up and taken anywhere and the bits will all stay in place. Super!
So if only we had design walls for everything in life. A little perspective from a distance could save us (me) a lot of stress. How timely is this thought as all our gorgeous bits of fabric, handy little tools and favorite t-shirts are packed up in anticipation. If I were to look closely at life at the moment there would be a million details that prohibited this re-TREAT. However, it occurred to me that all those little details are exactly why we are going...for a bit of perspective.
Can't wait to see everyone up there for laughs and projects. Have a great weekend. Kathy
wow... they grow up fast... yep formals are for the mum's... the sight of that son in a suit it reminds us of why we married there fathers thanks for the sharing happy happy day Margie
Posted by: Margie | Saturday, 15 September 2007 at 05:44 PM
Hi Kathy - thanks for the idea for the design wall - have been wanting to set one up for a while now - can you let me know what sort of batting are you using ? Does one work better than the other - cotton or synthetic ? Love reading this blog - I look at lots, but this is one of my regulars - I am a reader from Melbourne, and tried to visit your shop once, only to find that you were re-opening 2 days later after the Christmas break, never mind better luck next time !! Kind regards - Sharyn
Posted by: Sharyn | Monday, 17 September 2007 at 11:40 AM
I love the pattern on your design wall. What is the pattern called? And where can I get a copy? I like ice-creamy, dreamy shades and love it even without the plaid.
Posted by: Min | Tuesday, 18 September 2007 at 07:42 PM
I too love this pattern where can I buy it.
Posted by: betsy | Monday, 24 December 2007 at 03:35 AM
stunning... they act like an adult snappy... correct formals are for the mum's... the sight of that son in a suit it reminds us of why we married there fathers a debt of gratitude is in order regarding the imparting cheerful day Margie
Posted by: ipad 3 | Wednesday, 07 March 2012 at 11:56 PM