Ashamed

 I'll talk about quilting in a minute, but I have something to get off my chest first.  I've mostly always been a proud U.S. citizen.  Yes, there have been some embarrassing moments, but for the most part, I have been proud of my country.  

Not so much anymore.  

I am ashamed of the viciousness of the perverted unwoke minds of trumps loyal toadies and grunts.  It was one thing when he was going after us, but he has clearly put us on the road to being a russian satellite state by selling out our friends.  He is selling us and selling our country to a dictator.  Because the dictator is more powerful than him and he's so weak that he can only pretend to be as powerful by sucking up to him, not realizing that makes him look like a cheap whore.  It's pitiful and frightening to watch the leader of a super power kneel to the biggest dictator and the richest man.  Because every time he takes the knee, he sells something that we hold precious and he places no value on.  Our loyalty and pride.  

Last week, someone commented and asked me what right we had to destroy a person's business just because we lost an election.  

Here's the thing.  I have the right to choose where I spend my money.  I choose not to spend it supporting businesses I don't agree with.  I didn't spend a dime on Friday.  I haven't bought anything off Amazon since the inauguration.  I haven't been in Hobby Lobby since the first trump fiasco.  I haven't eaten at chick filet since the Obama administration.  I don't know how long it's been since I was in a walmart.  It is a fact that none of those companies misses me.  But, holy crap do I feel good about myself and where I spend my money.

And, I plan to do all I can to make the trump economy look like the joke it's going to be.  I plan to hold onto every dime I can.  And, it's a bonus that not spending means not giving the state its sales taxes.  Because TX government is fucked up too.  

I can't bring down a big business or a change a government.  But I'm not alone in trying.  And, while it might not feel like a lot, I know I'm doing my part.  Buy small.  Buy local.  Even in a big retailer's store, there are employees that need their pay.  

We are thinking about a Costco membership.  

I'm not saying that others need to do what I do.  But, I am saying that you can let your conscience guide your spending.  

Okay, so not much progress was made on the double wedding quilt, despite the fact a lot of time was spent on it.  This weekend, I focused cutting more centers and wedges.  I ironed out 2 yards of fabric and was able to trace pieces for 27 blocks out of it.  I'm nearly done cutting them out now, but wish I'd taken a pic before I started.  Showing them all traced out would have been really cool.  

This is a strip with pieces for four blocks that I cut after they were traced.  I'll cut this strip into chunks and cut the pieces out of those smaller and more manageable chunks.  

The fabrics have gotten pretty wrinkled from me manhandling them to cut them out.  I probably could have done a better job of that, but it's okay because I'll press them before moving forward.  Press.  Not Iron.  When I iron, I use the iron to push the wrinkle off the edge of the fabric.  But, that will stretch the fabric.  I don't want these stretched so I will lay them out and press the iron on top of them to get rid of the wrinkles.  Up and down only, no side to side movements at all.  One of the first things I used to explain when I taught was the difference, and how you iron yardage to get it flat, but press piecing so you don't distort the shape.  

Here's my stack of cut pieces, ready to be pressed and have arcs added.  

I've been studying how others quilt their double wedding ring quilts.  There are some beautiful quilts out there.  But most of them have elaborate quilting and this is supposed to be a bed quilt, so I'm going to want something more plain.  But, not too plain.  

There's a lot of fabric left from the original set of fabrics I planned for this quilt, and I'm likely going to end up making a lap quilt out of that.  It seems like a good use of it and it will keep it in a grouping.  I also have this small grouping for a holiday table runner.  What to do?  What to do.

Other than some petty name calling memes and a couple recipes and pictures of other people's quilts, that's all that's in my photo library from the week.  I spent some time in the garden both days, just moving things around.  Our cold weather is over, so I'm starting to pull plants out of the greenhouse and put them back in their places.  I found a really huge flower pot that someone was throwing away last week and brought it home.  I can't wait to see what I decide to put in it.  It's big enough for a small tree.  

Everybody have a great week!  I follow a guy that ends all his posts with "relax that jaw" and I'm thinking that's really good advice.  

Lane