Friday, August 26, 2011

Tribute to Archie the Wonder Dog

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Basket of Denial - I mean - Tumbling Blocks
Last week I visited and began following Helen at Archie the Wonder Dog.  Helen, not that I want to speak for her but this is just based on my own observations, appears to be a long-time quilter but short-time blogger.  She created her first post on Sunday August 21, 2011 - but you can tell that she is totally herself when she blogs and I think that is the way to be!  She is a powerhouse with already 46 Followers and the drive to continue her internet adventures to the max...with Archie of course...

Anyway, if you pop over to Helen's blog you'll see that she has the same talent for chattering that I do.  So, it is no wonder that once I left a comment on her site, and she emailed me, that I responded, she wrote back...and well you know where I am going with this.*  The subject?  The hexagons posted on her blog reminded me of the tumbling blocks quilt I started for Mr. Making Rebecca Lynne oh so long ago.  No no, not last year...or the year before...no no no no no...I began this project in 2001.  First it was just a because gift, then it was a welcome home from a year abroad and far away from me gift, then it was an engagement gift, then a wedding gift, then I misplaced the perfect backing I had found for it, then I misplaced the blocks themselves, then I forgot about it completely until...well...Archie the Wonder Dog reminded me.  And guess what, in all of my reorganizing and unpacking of my stash I found the blocks and the backing too.

SO.  Where does this leave us?  Helen has encouraged me to finish this quilt.  After multiple emails back and forth you understand, Helen wrote, and I quote,

  I think you need to post about it and then we can all nag (sorry, support) you with it!  He must really like it - do you think you could get it finished for Christmas?  

Alright.  I do need motivation.  Helen's got my number.  Yes.  Yes, I will take on that challenge and I challenge all of YOU to help me with your nagging support.  The Mister does deserve it, he deals with three females (read: drama queens) all year long and thanks to him we moved to wonderful Far Far Away, NY and are much better off.  Therefore, it's on...

Challenge Tumbling Blocks
[if this truly becomes a following I am making a button...so come on, make it worth my while...
free reign to nag me?...awesome]

As I've stated in the past, I did a whole minimalist thing for quite awhile.  The Mister was also on board with that way back when and pretty much 90% of everything we wore and surrounded ourselves with was black.  The tumbling blocks are a testament to this stage of our lives as they are made up with three black fabrics, one gray on black floral, one blue gray on black swirl, and one solid black.  The backing is a black on black asian print theme - The Mister is way into everything Asia as he spent a year teaching English in Taiwan and learning Chinese.  Yeah, he's one of those linguistic types.  [And he's a grammar nag.  :P]

Before we get to the photos.  Let me just add that when I took this box out, and suspiciously brought it downstairs to the sewing room, The Mister just raised his brows and gave me a look.  A look of "uh hunh, this again..."  I think he has just about given up on me ever finishing this, so that really should be motivation enough, right?

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Box with Hexagons
The hexagons lived in this box for 10 years.  Oh wait, what I mean to say is what I thought were all sewn together hexagons lived in this box.  See, see the finished hexies right on top in this photo above?  Oh contraire mon ami...  I dug a little deeper into the box and...

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Yup...


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PIECES.  Some of these are still just unsewn pieces!


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But my annoyance soon gave way when I discovered my long lost rotary tool.  I knew I had one of these!

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In the end, the quilt should look something like this.  I hope.

I'd like to thank Helen, and Archie, for encouraging me to straighten up and fly right.  As a shout out to Archie the Wonder Dog (the dog, not the blog) I am contributing to the Dogs in Blogs tonight by including The Girls.  Both Portia & Paisley thank Archie for finally getting my priorities straight...by featuring them in making rebecca lynne of course...

Portia & Paisley [a.k.a The Girls]

What do you folks think?  Can I do it?  Will You & Helen nag/support me through this struggle?  Go on, you can egg me on or tease me, I can handle it, leave a comment below...  ;)  

Have a great weekend everyone.  I will be MIA.  After all I have a lot to do!

- rebecca lynne

p.s. I am pretty sure Helen will know...but just so you all do too...I truly am very grateful to her encouragement and any antics in this post are just that...antics!  I think Helen would be the first to agree - I'm allowed to have fun on my blog, really.  ;)

*See Erin?  I'm a stalker too.  ;)

7 comments:

Archie The Wonder Dog said...

Dear Stalker ;o)
What a wonderful post - I was chuckling all the way through and at one point exclaimed "How on earth do you lose your rotary cutter?!" quite loudly! Thanks for the multiple plugs, I really appreciate them! The quilt is going to be stunning, I love the simplicity the limited palette brings but equally the way it enables your eye to create different patterns with the blocks. You HAVE to finish this - now I've seen it I'm even more determined to *ahem* 'support' you to the very end. I find myself wondering what a lone coloured tumbling block (or even a lone diamond) would look like amongst all the black...but I suspect it's one of those ideas that just doesn't work outside of my head! Portia and Paisley are very cute - I think they're also waiting for the quilt to be finished, see that supportive but slightly doubtful 'we've been here before with this' look in their eyes?!! I'm off to write another post - I may be some time!!

Archie The Wonder Dog said...

P.S. (Now who's stalking?!) what's your first deadline? All the blocks pieced by next Sunday (4th September)? or am I underestimating the amount left to piece? (I'm assuming you're piecing on the machine...if not your ultimate deadline is going to be a challenge!)

Rebecca Lynne said...

Alrighty Helen - September 4th is my next goal. Let's see if I can do it! What a great thing to show the Mr. as our Anniversary is on September 8.

Two birds, One stone. Love it.

Sarah said...

In a "Have you cleaned your room" mum voice (Getting quite good at it in real life!)
How far on are you? :)
Those hexies need evicted from that box after 10 years, come on find them a new home on a bed.

....How was my motivational speech lol

Anne-Lise at Rag, Tag, Bobtail said...

It's going to be great! You even got me thinking about how my son would love a quilt like that - he is very into black at the moment ..... But so far I have managed to suppress the urge! Go on, get it done so we can see it!

Nicky said...

Yeah Helen! It's good to have that woman in your corner - you couldn't have better! Thanks for your comment on my blog and I must say that is a lovely quilt in the making - far too good to stay another 10 years in the box! I have my own quilt from 2005 waiting to be finished and our anniversary is 5 September so similar deadline - let's get cracking!

Unknown said...

I love this quilt to be ... so you'd better get on with it, or you'll have another stalker on your tail LOL!