Crazy Quilt Academy

            I’m really pumped.  Let’s talk about spaghetti sauce and buttons.  Huh?  What do spaghetti sauce and buttons have to do with each other?  Absolutely nothing, but as you get to know me through this blog, you will discover this is how my mind works. 

            One of my biggest pet peeves about using shank buttons on crazy quilts is the instability of the button.  If you are going to hang the crazy quilt on the wall, the button tilts unless you support it some way.  I’ve tried several different methods to prevent “button tilt” on crazy quilts but I’m very pleased with myself because I dreamed of an idea while on the plane the other day.

            In my dream, a giant shank button danced on long, chorus-girl legs as a long piece of luscious, white lace wound itself about the button’s middle.  The lace tightened around the shank till it resembled a ballerina’s tutu.   GGGrin!  Well now, you say . . . I guess with dreams like that, it explains Kate’s weird sense of humor, but hey…that’s what makes us interesting as individuals. 

            So my idea is . . . what IF I was to cut a small piece of lace which has a flat edge on one side.  (Use six inches minimum.  Eight inches would make a fuller “tutu” or circle when you get done)   Sew the ends together.  Gather the flat edge up fairly tight so it becomes a rosette but leave a small hole in the center of the circle.   Nestle the shank button in the middle of the hole and the gathered lace will help support the edges of the button. 

            I sure wish I was at home so I could experiment and show you pictures.  Ah well, just thought I’d share my wild plane ride-driven crazy quilted dream.

P.S.  I bet you thought I’d forget to tell you about the spaghetti sauce lessons, didn’t you?  It tasted wonderful.  My meatballs, mwah!  (she kisses her finger tips)  I always wondered how they made such uniformly-sized, handmade meatballs.  It’s all in the wrist action.  GGGrin!

What is it about being at 31,000 feet that brings out the writing muse in me?  Bordem . . .bordam . . . boardem?  Where is spell check when you need it most? Oh wait!  Boredom!  (I wrote this by hand and am now transcribing it word for word.)

 

I just woke up from a lovely, “crick-in-the neck” airplane nap with visions of sugarplums dancing in my head.  (insert sound of tape rewinding here)

 

What?  Who am I kidding?  Visions of lace and buttons and beads galore lined up in my dreams like the Rockettes doing a fabulous “high-kick” Broadway show-stopping finale.  Thoughts of this made me grin just as the flight attendant walked by.

 

Speaking of flight attendants . . . (I know I was just talking about lace and buttons, but I have a short attention span.)

 

OOooh, LOOK!  Something shiny.)  Uhm…back to flight attendants.  I noticed something unusual about this gentleman during the three hour flight.  He exuded an absolute air of “joy” in his work during the entire flight.  This man loved his job and it showed.

 

His amazing attitude towards everyone on the flight made me stop him to give him a compliment which astounded the guy.  It amazed him that anyone would take the time to comment on what he considers his “every-day behavior”.   I’m just saying it never hurts to spread a little joy when you see someone going “above and beyond the call of duty” in their job.

 

I do this all the time, even when ordering products over the phone.  Many times I’ve asked to speak with the “outstanding” service representative’s supervisor so I can give a compliment.   It only takes a few minutes and causes such joy for the person who helped me.

 

Anyway, this is getting too long, so I’ll have to tell you about my vision of lace and buttons later.  I’m just about to get a lesson in how to make “real Italian spaghetti sauce” from scratch.  Sorry, but right now cooking lessons supersede any thoughts of crazy quilting.

 

P.S.  The flight attendant was so happy with his compliment, he brought me a lunch snack package as a gift.  I didn’t do it for the free food, but hey, what I’m saying is, sharing a compliment never hurts.