From My Perspective - Infant Carriers

random family
January 2020

This scene is one that makes me cringe, and I've seen it countless times in the last twenty years.

Why on earth do people put their babies on the floor in public places! The worst drafts in any building are near the floor, and babies have vulnerable immune systems. Many restaurants have high chairs that will easily hold an infant carrier and bring the baby up to table height. A chair could be used to get the carrier off of the floor if a high chair is not available.

When I volunteered at a hospital for several years, I saw some of the most ludicrous behavior as people left the hospital with infants in carriers. Some put the child on top of the car while they opened the door; some put the carrier on the ground by the exhaust. Really!!

I know infant carriers are convenient. I know they allow babies to sleep comfortably while their caregivers go from place to place. However, it appears that the the carriers allow the babies to be treated like a sack of potatoes and not the precious little humans that they are.

Am I the only one who thinks this behavior is troubling.

Disclaimer: I do not have children, so my point of view presented in this post is based merely on observations

Time to Make a Plan

Over the weekend, I went through some project boxes in my sewing room and found a stack of neutral triangles left over from this project. This stack has been moved from box to box and pile to pile for over a year, and it was time to actually DO something with them.

I slipped into a rabbit hole when searching for scraps to pair with these triangles. I unearthed even more triangles in various sizes and colors, and before long, I had stacks for HSTs, ranging in size from 2.5 - 4.5 inches. I'm sure some larger triangles may also be found in the scrap bins.

over 100 HSTs - some trimmed and others waiting to be trimmed
January 2020

It appears I need to plan a project to use all of these HSTs - perhaps they will become star points or pinwheels or remain HSTs.

Stuff

Surprise package from Connie H.
January 2020

Connie (Far Side of Fifty) has been going through her "stuff" and deciding what can stay and what must go.

I was the lucky recipient of a package of fabric panels and some white yardage. She even sent a crocheted scrubby. It's fun when someone's "stuff" becomes your treasure.

Thanks, Connie for sending this unexpected, yet welcome package.

Boldly American

Boldly American
59 x 68 inches
Quilt of Valor #172

Boldly American is the first finished project and QOV for 2020. Ironically, this pattern was also used for the first QOV of 2015.

I adapted the pattern (Simply Susan) to accommodate the center panel.

Bleak yet Beautiful

Houses in the Snow
Norway 1895
Claude Monet
as seen at the Denver Art Museum
November 2019

In an earlier post, I mentioned being surprised that Monet had painted Winter scenes. The bleak landscape in this image reminds me isolated Wyoming ranches. Those who live in such areas are hardy and have a work ethic that is hard to match. They know that the animals come before their own creature comforts. They don't have set schedules for meals or bedtime: they work until the work is done - period. They work in miserable conditions, and the pay is minimal; yet it's a lifestyle they will fiercely defend.

photo courtesy of WYDOT