Wonkiness

It's been a while since I've done any Wonky Stars and they used to be one of my favorite blocks to piece.  I saw a cute quilt that had a star within a star and I knew that's what I wanted to try.  This quilt is "late" by virtue of the fact that they waited to find out the gender of the baby until the birth, so this was a quick option that came together in very little time at all.

I also finally stopped procrastinating and fixed a pile of stuffed animals and toys that my children have been begging me to fix for a while.  They were taking over my sewing table.

Dressed for Trek

Pioneer Trek is coming up for the youth of our church next week, so it felt good to finish up the skirt. 

 Here it is with the apron:

 Meanwhile, another family at church is in the process of getting their house up on the market and packed away their sewing machine.  They could find everything except for a pioneer skirt on Amazon, so they gave me the materials and asked if I would sew her one.  Gratefully, the skirt is easier than the apron to sew together.  Phew.  Trek sewing is officially done! (Knock on wood).

All Quiet on the Western Front

As part of my Classics Challenge I chose to read All Quiet on the Western Front.  It actually falls under 2 categories, because it was originally written in German, but I'm using it for category #2: A 20th century classic - any book published between 1900 and 1968.   This book was first published as a book in 1929.  Erich Maria Remarque, a World War I veteran, wrote this book, so even though it's fiction it is an extremely realistic depiction of a soldier's life in the trenches during World War I.  

A couple of themes stood out to me in this book.  1- The difficulty of soldiers had returning to civilian life after witnessing the atrocities of war.  Paul Baümer had a particularly difficult time returning home during his 14 day leave.  2- The brotherhood that forms within a group of soldiers when planted together in extreme circumstances.   They probably wouldn't have been friends in regular society, but as they fight side by side and endure the unthinkable together they form a permanent bond.  In some cases Baümer served with the same men for almost 3 years as one by one they are all killed or injured.  

This book is heart-breaking and riveting until the very last page.  A little side note: This is one of the books that was later banned and burned in Nazi Germany.  I guess Hilter didn't want anyone thinking of war as anything but glorious. 

  

Trek Apparel

I was asked to make a skirt and apron for a youth who is attending Pioneer Trek over the Spring Break.  It's really outside of my comfort zone, but it's for a good cause, so I agreed to do it.  I finished the apron this morning.  It's not my finest hour of sewing, but it's done. 

Cinching the waist and attaching the ribbon to it was the hardest part for me, but I do kind of like the pockets.  I don't think whether it's stitched perfectly will matter much since they're going to be walking the dusty/muddy plains of Northern Oklahoma.  It just has to last for 3 days. 

Next up - the skirt!