Kristina’s mom got Merlin a very basic and kid friendly digital camera for Christmas. This might be one of the coolest things to give to a three or four year old–they have no sense of visual composition or what is important in an image and take absolutely unhinged photographs. For example, he spent a while… Continue reading If you give a kid a camera…
Category: Blog
Uncanny Spaces
I started writing a thing about the value of uncanny spaces (and how many there are in Saint Louis) but instead here’s a visual process of a quilt I made about one such uncanny space (our weird-ass house), which I think conveys the same point in much less time. The idea for this quilt… Continue reading Uncanny Spaces
Merlin Update
How do you write about your kid without being annoying or invading their privacy? For that matter how do you raise a kid without being annoying or invading their privacy? Merlin is hurtling towards 4 (in March of next year) and three has been quite a time. He’s gone from being sorta-kinda able… Continue reading Merlin Update
Fabrications
Because I love puns here are some literal fabrications–constructions of fabric. A quilt that I made for Merlin’s big kid bed (and Merlin’s room, which is boss). Also I just checked my own blog to see if I mentioned we moved into a new house and discovered A blog post from 363 days ago… Continue reading Fabrications
Last Years Model
I am trying to thread a needle on these posts such that they aren’t “self-help/self-actualization” content but also aren’t “bragging for my grandma” content. Fun fact about my grandma Arlene. who died several years ago–she rode a horse to school. The horse would walk itself back to the farm and she would ride the school… Continue reading Last Years Model
Airhead Work
Here are 576 half-square triangles, each measuring 4.5″ per side. That’s 64 each of nine separate colors, all planned off of a 70s-sunset-airbrushed-on-the-side-of-a-van color palette. Each pile started as 8 pairs of 10″ squares (cut from bolts of cloth), stitched twice crosswise: Those squares were then cut into 8 triangles: Which were then butterflied and… Continue reading Airhead Work
Gratuitous Merlin Content
In anticipation of a series of posts about culture, ideology and hegemony I am writing up an account of Merlin’s first camping trip, a two night affair in the Ozarks. Sometimes you land upon a book that really gives you the gift of seeing in a new way. I spent hours in the car as… Continue reading Gratuitous Merlin Content
The Epistolary Moment
Two anecdotes about receiving mail, followed by a probably clumsy cultural analysis: There’s a photo of Merlin at the end, too. Item one: Once each September I send an email to one of my oldest friends, whom I haven’t seen in 15-ish years, as a sort of birthday gift. Because my birthday is… Continue reading The Epistolary Moment
The Enemy of Done
I’m not sure if anyone actually wants to read about quilts so I tried to have some Ideas about it. There’s also photos of Merlin involved. The old saw you use on someone when you want them to hurry up, “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good” has a lesser known corollary. Don’t… Continue reading The Enemy of Done
Orphaned Objects
Despite acquiring the bulk of my wardrobe from thrift stores for most of my life I have an emotional allergy to the retail experience presented at thrift stores. I have to wash clothes from the thrift store twice, usually, because the smell of the industrial detergent they use will occasionally trigger migraines. . This phenomenon… Continue reading Orphaned Objects