Quilting - an ongoing tale

As 2011 fades out, I thought I should provide this blog with an update on quilting progress. Over the Christmas break I have been essay writing and quilting. I have now reached the one third mark!!! :) The fabric is beginning to soften and look all lovely and crinkly. I'm really happy with how its looking and PGCE and NQT year allowing, perhaps I will have finished the quilting and binding by next year... ever hopeful!

Happy New Year!!!

Pigeon English

Pigeon English is Stephen Kelman's first novel and is something I bought when waiting for a train. Little did I think that I would complete it in 3 days!!! I struggled to put it down (but did as the PGCE work has to take precedence!!!). It is the story of Harri, a 10 year old boy who has recently arrived in London from Ghana. Based loosely on the tragic story of Damilola Taylor, Pigeon English provides an insight into the pressures faced by young children to show their allegiance to a particular neighborhood gang in order to fit in. A very good, although quick read, and thought provoking novel written in a very similar style to A Curious Incident of a Dog at Nighttime.

Frankenstein

A post that is quite appropriate for Halloween, but is also going to make me sound like a liar. I finished Mary Shelly's Frankenstein yesterday whilst waiting for a train connection to take me back to London. Reading Frankenstein has been my first foray into the world of e-books, and I have downloaded an app onto my mobile, which I then use to read books. I have to admit that I am somewhat old fashioned and appreciate the feel of paper books, and the sense of being able to see your progression through a book as you examine where your bookmark is in the overall thickness of the book, and also the sense of achievement and satisfaction that you feel as you close the cover having read the last page. I've been dipping in and out of this novel (I struggle to call it a book, only because I was reading it electronically) on bus and train journeys, whilst standing in never ending queues etc. over the past 4 months or so. Fortunately it is the type of novel that does not particularly require a period of prolonged attention, and the story is so famous that I don't need to give a summary here. In fact, I was surprised to realise that I had never read it before! As the PGCE year progresses, I may have a couple more titles to add to this blog, as I will be commuting for over 2 hours each day, and a little light relief in the form of reading may be required!!!

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

My intention when I started reading this novel, was to be able to finish it before or soon after the film was released. For some reason preparation for my PGCE course, and the first month of study took over, so my normally fairly speedy turn around in reading novels was slowed down, and to be honest, I don't really think I've got the time to watch the film anyway!!!

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is one novel in John Le Carre's Smiley Series. Smiley is a former spy who is given some information which indicates that there is a mole high up within the secret services who is sending information to the Russians. Set in the Cold War era, the novel explores the lives of several spies, and follows Smiley's investigations into the identity of the mole. Far from being a brazen and action filled James Bond-esque novel, Le Carre's novel is a slower, more thought provoking and psychological read that explores the contradictions and contrasts in the relationships of men and women who lie for their living. It is a novel that examines friendships, trust and betrayal on a number of different levels; merging the boundaries of professional and personal lives.

Quilting, quilting, quilting...

The quilting has begun, and if the embroidery on the back of the quilt is to remain truthful and honest, then I need to get this done by the end of the year... Ha ha! Not going to be happening I fear!!! Certainly not on my PGCE year. At the moment I'm in week 2, and it is intense! A lot of information is being fed our way in rapid quick fire style, but it's great to be a student again, and to be learning so much. Very exciting times!

For the quilting, I'm mainly just doodling with thread in vaguely circular or leafy patterns. It's taking a long time, but looking really good. Unfortunately you can barely see it in my photograph, but I'm sure at some point I'll need to provide another update, which will involve a better photograph.

One GIANT sandwich

This is a quick picture that I took with my mobile as I lay the whole quilt top out on the floor and sandwiched the top to the wadding and quilt back. A big job that involved a lot of furniture re-arranging and all of my living room being covered in fabric for a little while. The backing is a plain sheet, that has one row of squares sewn together with a little bit of embroidery on one of them with my name and the dates that this quilt was sewn in. This gives me a deadline of finishing in 2011. ... The hand quilting has begun, and it could be a while before this is finished.

The New York Trilogy

This novel confused me. Paul Auster originally wrote 3 stories, and they have been put together in this novel. All 3 stories are a variation on the typical detective or crime novel, and I was expecting there to be obvious links between each one (there are some links but they are tenuous). Each novella involves a person having to observe another, looking out for a potential crime which may or may not occur. By observing the other person in a voyeuristic way, the main character immerses themselves in the lives of the observed, sometimes forgetting who they are themselves. The three stories are set in different times in New York, which is why some of the links that are in the book (similar names) etc are purely coincidence. A detective called Quinn in the 1960s is unlikely to be the same person in the 1980s... The 'crime' itself never particularly occurs in all 3 of the novels, which is why this book has become a modern classic, as the reader becomes completely immersed in the story and expectation that something is going to happen, only to end the story with no particular conclusion to the criminal aspect of the story.

I enjoyed reading this novel, but I do think that I enjoyed reading 3 individual stories rather than a full novel. The fact that it was put into one full novel is what I found confusing. Normally there would be one particular tie from one story to the next or a clear connector through each story, perhaps similar to the novels of David Mitchell, but that didn't really happen in this one. I think that the novel as a whole may need a second reading in order to get the most out of it; I'm pretty sure that I've missed something! However, life is getting hectic, so that isn't going to happen... PGCE starts in 2 weeks time... so reading for pleasure will be a bit of a luxury.

An update and a diversion

Update first... I have now not been working for the last two weeks and have had a lovely week off spending time with family and friends. I've also got tonnes of reading to do for my course, so I've been trying to get my head around doing that. But I'm loving it!

As for the quilt update, the quilt top is now all sewn together and I am a few hours away from completing the back of the quilt. I decided to leave the back of the quilt quite plain, and so am using a king-sized flat sheet and am putting one line of constant colourful squares at the bottom. When I finished the quilt top I checked the size of it against my bed and also against the wadding that I've already bought, and the decision was to not do a border around the edge but to add in a thicker edging. I'm sure there are some technical words to describe the process, but I think it will make sense when you see the final product... whenever that will be!

And for the diversion:
I saw this amazing quilt in the Blackett bedroom in Wallington Hall (National Trust). Unfortunately nothing is really known about it, or at least the guide and the room information couldn't give me much to go on. The stitching and the fabric strips are tiny, and can't be more than 1cm wide.
The guide estimated that it must be over 100 years old, and would have been part of the furniture left to the National Trust by the Trevelyn family who originally owned the house.

A 9-patch Update - 11 rows

Apologies for the poor quality pictures. This evening I finished the 11th line of the quilt, and had to stand on the arm of my arm chair to try and get all of this in. It's big!!! Very big!!! Only one more line to go and then I have a completed quilt top - well that depends on whether I want to add a border... looking at the size it is at the moment, I'm thinking it might not be necessary!

The Misfits

The Misfits by Arthur Miller is an interesting quick read, and follows the lives of (as the title suggests) 3 misfits. A stunning divorcee, and two cowboys who live on the edge of society trying to avoid the waged job. The book follows their emering and complicated relationships, their dependancy on each other, and yet their inability to relate to and trust each other. The story has a melancholy that threads throughout the story. What I found really interesting however, is the style of writing. Arthur Miller wrote this as a type of screen play. It is almost like being in the director's mind, or behind the camera as you read the novel. Scenes are described in detail, almost setting up the shot for the props people, costumers, lighting etc. Ofcourse this was made into the film, as can be seen by the cover photograph. Apparently it was the last film made by Clarke Gable and Marilyn Monroe before their deaths. If I can find a copy of it somewhere, it will be interesting to see how similar the viewing experience is to the experience of reading the novel,

Lady Chatterley's Lover

Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence - a book that was originally banned from being sold. It's hard to imagine in this day and age that a book would be banned for its sexual content. This is the story of Lady Chatterley who though married to landed gentry, has a saucy love affair with the games keeper. What I found unusual about this book is that it is written by a male but from the point of view of the female character. This is a novel that explores sensuality and sexual desire, and I'm not sure whether it was the sensual content that made it so controversial in its day, or whether it was the exploration of a female's sexual desire. It was an interesting read, especially given its forbidden past - but I suppose as I was reading it with modern eyes I didn't find it as controversial as I thought I might have done.

Baby Quilt for Baby H

Another completed baby quilt under my belt. This was made in 3 evenings using the sewing machine.
Again, we don't know the sex of the baby, so I tried to make this as gender neutral as possible, so lots of green, red and the white squares tie it all together.
I didn't quilt the fabric in its entirety but quilted little squares. This was gifted to the baby's mum a day before she left on maternity leave. Little baby due in 3 weeks and I hope he/she enjoys using this!

Arthur and George

Another book that I read on holiday. This is a historical fiction novel that follows the lives of Arthur Conan Doyle, famous author of the Sherlock Holmes series and his dabble into real-life detective work following the case of George Edjali. George is a solicitor in Birmingham, born to an Indian father and Scottish mother. Following multiple animal mutilations in and around his neighbourhood and a spate of vicious anonymous letters, George finds himself in the middle of a police investigation that eventually finds him guilty and lands him with a prison sentence for 7 years hard labour based on very thin circumstantial evidence. This case captured the nations' imagination, including the attention of Arthur Conan Doyle, who picks up the case and campaigns for the clearing of George's name.

I found this novel to be an interesting read, from the viewpoint that this was the first case that lead to the introduction of an appeal process. Some of the scenes seemed to be carefully thought out and put together, based on the research done on newspapers, personal letters etc, but some of the linking scenes written to link the lives of George and Arther seemed to me to be strained. A particularly interesting side of the novel was when the author touched on the prejudices surrounding the mixed-race George, and George's own reluctance to think that his racial background had any baring on the case. Another very interesting aspect was the exploration of Arthur's interest in spiritualism, a very fashionable hobby or passtime for the rich at the time, and touched upon throughout the novel. All in all, this was an interesting read, but probably not a novel that I would necessarily pick up again.

Ghostwritten

Something has to be said for reading an author's works in chronological order according to when they were written. Having already read Cloud Atlas, I picked up a second hand copy of Ghostwritten to read on my holiday. Ghostwritten is written in a similar style to Cloud Atlas (or should that be the other way round?) in that the novel is several stories that flow in and out of each other. In each new section there will be at least one link to a previous story, whether this be the main character literally bumping into a character from another story, reading about another character in a newspaper article etc. What made it confusing for me is that characters that appear in Cloud Atlas appear in Ghostwritten; for me it was like hearing the mention of an old friend in passing, but ofcourse had I read the books in chronological order, I wouldn't have realised the link. But then again, maybe I wouldn't have picked it out if I had read Cloud Atlas second, as the characters in question are far from major characters in Ghostwritten. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, but would have to point out that the links made throughout this book are not as subtle as the thread that flows through Cloud Atlas. My favourite section was the one that followed the story of the ghost or spirit which transmigrated from person to person. What an interesting idea, and possibly a premise for a longer book!

Regeneration

Regeneration is a very interesting book, which explores the some of the effects of war on soldiers. Pat Barker uses a mixture of fact and fiction, focusing on the lives of several soldiers, particularly Siegfried Sassoon and Billy Prior, the book explores some of the psychological effects of warfare. The soldiers are based in Craiglockhart War Hospital, and receiving treatment from army psychiatrist William Rivers. There is not very much that I can say about this book without giving away essential information on the plot. However, it's very cleverly written and it was sometimes hard to distinguish fact from fiction. At the end of the copy that I read the author's notes contained a helpful list of the facts that the book was based on. I would recommend not reading this until the end of the novel, to retain the flow and language of the book. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, despite not really enjoying war novels, and struggled to put it down.

Cranford

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell was recently made into a TV costume drama - this passed me by completely, although I know several people who were really taken with the TV drama. Perhaps this was a good thing, as it would have annoyed me to read the book with the voice of Judy Dench or Maggie Smith or whoever else plays in my head. Cranford was a quaint story of some old English ladies who live in the quiet town or village of Cranford. Nothing much of excitement seems to visit the town, and the highlight of the ladies' lives seems to be visiting each other during the structured visiting hours. Most ladies are spinsters or widows and the male presence is distinctly lacking, and the occasional visit from a man is equally a cause for concern and excitement for the ladies. Overall, it is a lovely little story of a community of ladies rallying aroung for their friend Miss Matty Jenkins during harder times. A pleasant and quaint read, but made the better for the version of it that I own; the pictured Penguin cloth-bound beauty, and the beginning of (I hope) a lovely collection of the series that will adorn my bookshelf.

Half way to a completed quilt

I've been a bit quiet on the quilting update, but have been busy plodding away. Row by row, stitch by stitch - I am now finally at the half way point to getting the quilt top sewn together. The photo may be a bit misleading as what appears to be the length of the quilt is actually the width of the quilt. The width will be 10 9-square patches long, and the length will be 12 9-square patches long. So far, I'm really pleased with how its looking. It's quite exciting to finish a line, hold it up and gaze at the progress - I can just about imagine the final product.

A Life Update

You may remember from a couple of posts ago that I was going for an interview. Well, the result of that is that despite the very stiff competition (1 in 80 chance) I got offered a place and from September will be training to be a Primary School teacher. I can't wait to start!!! I will be moving from Brighton to London for the duration of the course, and living back at home with my parents, which will be an experience in itself. This is going to be an incredibly stressful and intensive year, as they push you hard - but I'm game! Genuinely thrilled that I got offered a place on the course and still can't quite believe that its finally happening!

Cloud Atlas

Cloud Atlas is a book that has been recommended to me by a number of people. I must admit that I started reading it with a little trepidation, was it going to be one of these books that didn't live up to my expectations?

Cloud Atlas follows 6 stories that interlink, spanning a number of centuries and locations. It is hard to write about it without giving away some of the plot, as essentially you are reading six short stories. And that, of course is the ingenuity of the book. As you read these stories you can't help but look out for the links that tie each story together, some more obvious than others. Each character has its own charm, own language and own culture, and each story is as gripping as the previous. You start off in the 18th century, each story progressing in order of time, with the middle of the book (story number 6) being told in full, and then each story is returned to in reverse order. All in all, I really enjoyed this novel and have already passed it one to my mum to read.

A Passage to India

I picked up a disintigrating copy of 'A Passage to India' from my University library a few days ago, and was determined to read it for a few reasons:

1. It is on the list of 1000 novels


2. I've picked it up before and given up on it, despite liking other E.M. Forster novels (namely a Room with a View)


3. My sister is about to start her round the world (parts of Asia and Africa) trip, and is starting off in Nepal and then travelling to India. Not knowing anything of the storyline for some reason I felt that this would be quite an apt read...

I don't know why I gave up on reading this novel before, but this time round I couldn't put it down - which is possibly why I've got two book related blog posts so close together. The story follows two English ladies who travel to India and their adventures as they try and discover the 'real' India. Their experience as English tourists in the early 20th century is very much a 'home from home' experience as the people that they commune with are all English gentlemen and women who are seen as the ruling class and who seldom communicate with the local community, instead communing together each evening in their exclusive club. The local Indian community are seen as subordinates, if not subserviant. The ladies who are new to the community insist on meeting local people which results in a trip to some local caves with Dr Aziz, and a local schoolmaster, Mr Fielding. During this trip Miss Quested is allegedly assaulted, resulting in the arrest of Dr Aziz who pleads his innocence and who finds his sole English supporter in the form of Mr Fielding.

E.M. Forster challenges the role of the British in India, and his commentary on how the English percieved the local community made for an uncomfortable read. The novel is a challenge to the role of the empire and colonial rule, but is also a commentary on the differences within the local community, particulary highlighting the differences between the Muslim and Hindu population. Given my previous study of Orientalism, Colonialism and post-colonialism, I think that I found this novel particularly interesting as it would have been a very controversial testament going against the pro-Britain and pro-empire sentimentalities of post WWI Britain. Whilst some of the sentiments expressed in the novel may seem a little dated now (although unfortunately some of the attitudes still persist today), as long as it is read with the understanding of the political and historical settings around the date of publication, I think it is an enjoyable and eye-opening read.

9-patch, 3 rows

I feel the need to add another picture of the 9-patch quilt to this blog, almost to prove that I haven't abandoned it completely. It is currently (almost) 3 rows long. I say almost, as I need to sew up the final couple of squares to the previous row and then it will be 3 rows long. Hand sewing does have its frustrations as I'm eager to see the finished product, but I do think that I'm getting a more accurate finish as I'm working at a slower pace and able to pick up on mistakes as I go along. Once I complete this row (which I will do this evening!) I'll be a quarter of the way there! In my ever-so-humble opinion - it's looking good!!!

My Family and Other Animals

My Family and Other Animals is a charming novel by Gerald Durrell, where the author pens his adventures as a young boy. He moved to Corfu with his eccentric family; mother, 2 brothers and a sister, and a number of pets. Gerald has an unsurpressable interest in nature; namely all things that move, slither, swim, fly etc. Slowly the family home is taken over with new additions to the family pets, becoming more like a zoo. The novel is a charming comedy which follows the lives of the family, their unusual visitors and a young boy's adventures as he runs around the island trying to capture all creatures in his path.

Quilt for Baby J

As I think the recipient of this quilt is unlikely to look at my blog, I thought that I would upload some pictures of the final product. If you do look at this blog and then receive this in the next couple of weeks, please try to look surprised.




The quilt is bound with royal blue binding, and most of the fabric is from my somewhat limited stash (a couple of things were purchased especially for the purpose of this quilt). It came together pretty quickly and I'm pleased with how it appears overall. It was quite hard to choose colours as we don't know the sex of the baby, so I tried to keep it as neutral as possible, although I think I may have made it look a bit more boyish by adding the blue binding. Still, you live and learn.

Well, this is my first completed quilt! :-)

An unexpected weekend of productivity

Just in case the recipient of this quilt looks at my blog before I give this to her - this is just a teaser. Considering I have a big interview coming up in three days time, I didn't think that I'd have a productive weekend! However, in between reading government documents and doing research, thanks to my housemate's sewing machine (and a Facebook fast because of Lent) I managed to finish sewing together a quilt top and have even basted it. Whilst doing that I've been listening to my itunes and enjoying listening to whole albums instead of just snippets of songs, and have been contemplating my answers to questions that I think may come up at my interview. Sewing has been a really good way of taking my mind off my nerves.

I don't know if anyone reads this, but please pray or keep fingers crossed (and toes if you can manage it!) for the interview.

Signs of Spring

Spring is finally here - bulbs that were planted in October are beginning to poking their heads out of the near freezing soil, daylight is lasting beyond my working hours, buds are appearing on trees with the promise of blossoms and leaves, colourful flowers are bouncing in the breeze breaking up the dull grey of winter, days are beginning to be filled sunshine that contains warmth that cuts through the cold. Welcome Spring - you've been missed!

Ulysses

Tonight I have just finished reading James Joyce's epic Ulysses. Wow! Wow for two reasons - one: I managed to finish this, and two: I actually enjoyed it! Well, parts of it. I enjoyed some narrative voices more than others, I'll have to admit, but there were parts of the book that I couldn't put down. It's a very risque book, and must have been very controversial in its day. I was surprised that the final chapter (section?) of the book contained a female narrative voice, having got used to following Mr Bloom around with his various voices: question and answer, hallucination, religious prose etc, it was a bit of a shock to end the book with the rambling thoughts of Molly Bloom, the wife who is alluded to but often absent from Bloom's day. The final chapter was written as a stream of consciousness, rambling sentences that don't have any punctuation, endless sentences that roll into one - thoughts that merge and then move on. Ulysses is one of the most complicated novels I've ever read. This might have something to do with my lack of knowledge of Greek mythology (Ulysses being based on Homer's Odyssey) but possibly on the acknowledged fact that Joyce wrote this epic as a challenge for his academic peers. Having managed to complete this - I think it might be time to read something a little bit lighter! Comedy anyone?

First bit of sashing...

I've added 2 lines of sashing to the first row of my quilt. It's quite difficult to photograph as its so big, but to give a sense of scale, here is the first line of the quilt draped over the back of my sofa and (the same row) hung over my door. Its getting easier and easier to picture what the finished product will look like. Can't wait! :)

After work sewing

We have a lovely new housemate who owns a sewing machine and has been giving me lessons on how to use it. Simultaneously at work they are attempting to break the Guinness World Record of the longest bunting in aid of Fair Trade fortnight. They are providing triangles of fair trade cotton which people are meant to decorate (however they like) and then hand back. I've been using this as an excuse to experiment with the machine.


The photo above is my solo attempts at using the machine. I've made one previous triangle which was much more abstract (I didn't take a photo of that one before I handed it in), where I tried to 'master' the straight line, but these involved sewing curves which were a lot more tricky. I've enjoyed playing around with the machine though, and once I complete my hand stitched quilt I'll look forward to making another quilt by machine. It is SOOO much quicker on a machine. I'm beginning to understand why people think I'm crazy to hand stitch a queen size quilt. Still I've started, and feel that I should continue on principle :) ... So ten years later, I may have a finished product to show off!

Hugh's Fish Fight Campaign

I don't think I would normally blog about campaigns, but I've been watching some of the programmes on Channel 4 lately and have been really angered by the wastage that the European Union is creating by the quota system that they force on fishermen. I love eating fish, and don't normally eat cod as I thought that it was an endangered species, or at least on the verge of being endangered. Why, oh why then, are fishermen forced to throw back the dead carcasses of perfectly good fish in order to comply with some stupid law which simply does not make any sense?

And this is to say nothing of the TV show featuring Gordon Ramsey looking into the practice of shark finning for the sake of shark's fin soup. That is not to be watched if you are squeamish (or while you are eating)!

I will continue to avoid eating cod, and will think twice about eating other species too... instead, I will probably diversify my eating patterns and try out some new species. Plenty of good fish in the sea, after all!

See http://www.fishfight.net/ for more information. And if you feel passionately about it, sign up.

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth

No pictures today. Just to let you know (you, whoever you are...) that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Hubby and I came back to the UK from our Christmas trip which was fantastic - but as soon as I got back I got the flu bug that seems to have been going around the country. I still feel very tired, and I'm back at work and busy like crazy, so recovering is probably taking a bit longer than it should. The advantage of having been ill is that I was at home for a little while and managed to get quite a bit of quilting done. Maybe I'll give a photo update soon...

So, holiday reading done - I'm back to attempting to read Ulysses. In all honesty, I'm struggling. I'm on page 400 or so, but as its bed time reading, I'm managing to read a few pages, and then the eyelids start to droop and that's it - I'm done! I guess as bed time reading - its very effective!

I will finish it - I will! I've got hundreds of books to finish on my list - I will not give up - even if it is the most dull book on the earth.... So its bed time now, and maybe I'll read a couple more pages which will help me drift off.