Aluminum Loaf

09 October 2013

Scale Model Airstream Quilt for Badger's Birthday

So, Badger's birthday came around last month while he was still off sailing the Arctic Ocean and stomping around on ice sheets to his heart's content as part of the crew of the US Coast Guard Cutter HEALY. I knew that I would be taking a trip to Alaska to join him for a week soon after his birthday, and I wanted to make him a special quilt. I'd started quilting in June, shortly before he left, and he's missed a few of them since he got underway, so this one had to be extra-special. It took me a few days to figure out what he most loves/misses about being out to sea, but it soon came to me: HE MISSES HIS AIRSTREAM! (Duh.) So I spend a number of weeks in September working on this two-sided, openable, scale model quilt of our Airstream. I gave it to him while we were together in Seward, Alaska a few weeks ago, and he and Makeshift felt right at home beneath it. It has since been installed on the ship where it is having the trip of a lifetime (or rather, the first of what will be many to come).

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Here are a few more pictures of what the final reproduction looks like. Our Airstream is 25-feet long and this quilt reaches five feet from tip to tail—a one-fifth scale model. It has flair that is specific to port and starboard sides; logos, lights, awnings, windows, water, refrigeration, furnace, outside shower, electricity hook-ups, outdoor outlets, hot water heater, et cetera ... (even the blue pull-tabs for our gorgeous blue-striped awnings are there if you know where to look). I apologize for the somewhat rumpled look, when we took these pictures the quilt had been in a very tightly-packed travel bag for a number of days.

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Posted on 09 October 2013 at 03:59 PM in Art, Makeshift, Quilting, Sewing | Permalink | Comments (5)

04 October 2013

Cthulhu Quilt [Hat/Helmet] for Dad's 70th Birthday

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Happy Birthday Dad!

My Dad is a very difficult man to buy presents for. He'd say he isn't because he has an Amazon Wish List, but he's going to buy that stuff for himself in the end anyway (if he still wants it). I did very well last year with the Mystic Order of the Elder Gods fez; it's a thing of beauty and a tribute to American craftsmanship, and he wears it very well!

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Posted on 04 October 2013 at 10:10 PM in Art, Quilting, Sewing | Permalink | Comments (6)

09 September 2013

Chief Riley reënlists, again ... (May 2013)

Well, it isn't actually a reënlistment this time, it's a contract extension, but I'm going to call it a reënlistment for the sake of both easy writing and clear intent. And also for clarity, I should say that this blog post is four months behind the times—this event took place back in May 2013. The HEALY has since been zooming around the Arctic Ocean ...

So, let's begin with an uncommon view of the US Coast Guard Cutter HEALY—from below! She was in dry dock at a Seattle shipyard during the time of this event.

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Posted on 09 September 2013 at 01:12 PM in Coast Guard, USCGC HEALY | Permalink | Comments (1)

08 September 2013

Collier Family Tree Redux

One of the interesting projects I've done in the past few months was a recreation of a family tree. My friend Michael sent me this original document and asked if I could recreate it using today's technology.

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It's unclear who originally compiled the data, or who might have taken the time to create the original document—the most recent date included is 1965—but is was apparently discovered within the papers of family member during a shredding mission. Here's just about all that's known:

I'm going through all of my paperwork—a vast task—and doing a multitude of shredding. I found two copies of this Collier family tree and just wanted to be sure you had at least one copy ...
[Michael's mother was a Collier.]

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Posted on 08 September 2013 at 06:44 PM in Art, Blackmer Maps | Permalink | Comments (2)

25 August 2013

Airstream TV Removal—or—Hellz Yeah I Just Did That!

Since we bought our Airstream fifteen months ago, we have used the built-in televion a grand total of one time. We tried to watch a documentary on it together, but honestly, we are both so used to our individual iPad form factors and the control we have over them that we just didn't enjoy the experience, and never bothered to try again.

Well, Badger was thinking to use it as an external monitor for his laptop—and he did try doing that, once. The TV is mounted is on an articulated arm, so it stretches out from the wall maybe four feet or so, and thus can be placed at eye level above the table. But honestly, the resolution wasn't anywhere near good enough to bother trying to use it in that way again—have I mentioned that we are thoroughly spoiled by our deliciously clear Apple laptop screens?

So, it's been hanging there, bothering me, for fifteen months. I have gone so far as to start attaching my current projects to it. Things that I have been thinking about or working on ... in this case a genealogical chart for an old friend.

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And recently—I guess since Badger has gone back out to sea—I have started writing in my journal about methods to cover it, repurpose it ... anything to have it not be just sitting there, staring at me. It's been really bothering me since he left (that's his side of the table, so when I look up, I guess his huge head is usually blocking my view of it).

I have mentioned to Badger on multiple occasions that we could just remove it, but it looked pretty solidly attached and there were so many cables and cords and screws—and the bloody thing weighs a ton. And for some reason he cares about the Airstream's resale value (like he'll *ever* get rid of this gorgeous thing!). So neither of us looked into it very closely to see what would be involved because we both figured that the cables would have to be cut, and that was a unquestionable deal-breaker for him. And I also figured that the piece of awesome 50s-style sheetmetal would have a huge hole in it that I'd then need to cover up.

So I did nothing. Until today!!!

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Posted on 25 August 2013 at 02:03 PM in Airstream Upgrades | Permalink | Comments (0)

24 August 2013

Happy Birthday, Mom! (Eggplant & Scrabble Board Quilt)

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I deviated this month from making quilts for my friends with new babies, to making a birthday quilt. Happy Seventieth Birthday, Mom! The pictures above are of Mom under an apple tree in Maine on her birthday, soon after she received the quilt. (Pictures courtesy of my Dad.)

My mother has worn so many hats over the years that designing a quilt for her posed somewhat of a challenge, but once again, there I was at a fabric store looking for something very specific for another project, and that incredible purple batik just about jumped into my arms (she likes purple). About-face! I left with a yard of it and a plan to make a small eggplant quilt (she's a gardener and likes eggplants—there have been multiple eggplant-related gifts over the years). I thought that I'd use some of the funky, swirly green fabric I had left over from the Ripley quilt to make some leaves and the letters for s-e-v-e-n-t-y and then use my leftover crazy-green thread to experiment with some quilting ideas I've been testing out in my journal and wanted to try in real life. I imagined a solid purple quilt with the leaves and letters in green, and then with really complicated and detailed quilted green thread patterns all over it. So here's what I started with, fully expecting to be able to do this over a weekend. Ha!

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Posted on 24 August 2013 at 03:47 PM in Art, Quilting, Sewing | Permalink | Comments (2)

12 August 2013

Badger Afloat Aboard the USCGC HEALY

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As a Coast Guard wife, I've spent quite a lot of time wondering where exactly my husband is ...

Over the years he's be stationed on ships that broke ice, rescued people, cleaned and placed buoys, and checked safety equipment on private and commercial vessels. Through all those postings, most of the time, the location of the ship and her crew—and their particular mission—were confidential/secret. I usually knew he'd be back in a a few days or weeks, and sometimes months, but was often unaware of if they were transiting north or south. It's a funny life ...

However, Badger recently joined the crew of the US Coast Guard Cutter HEALY, and everything changed for us. Stationed out of Seattle, the HEALY spends a great deal of her time in the Arctic (image below from Badger during this tour).

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Posted on 12 August 2013 at 10:22 PM in Coast Guard, Travel, USCGC HEALY | Permalink | Comments (0)

29 July 2013

The Pink-Haired Fisherman's Wife (Quilt)

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It's done! The quilt for Kasia's baby girl is ready for delivery! It's another reversible one, but with a completely different design on each side—which made deciding how to actually quilt the thing quite a challenge. But I absolutely love the result and hope Baby Ariel will, too.

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Posted on 29 July 2013 at 09:59 PM in Art, Quilting, Restaurant Reviews, Sewing | Permalink | Comments (5)

24 July 2013

Our Very Favorite Restaurants in Rockland, Maine

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Badger and I lived together in the Midcoast region of Maine for six years—Thomaston, Rockland, Tenants Harbor—it's where we met, where we got married, where we wish we could still be ... and where we guess we will eventually return to. But for now, I write this from the Pacific Northwest, where we currently live. For now, Rockland must live on in our hearts (and stomachs).

We are always making lists of places for people to eat when they're in Rockland—you'd be surprised how many people we bump into who are going to Maine! I figured I'd put all our very favorites together in this format for easy reference. [Update: I only managed to write about four of them so far, but additional posts will eventually get completed to round out the offerings.]

These are not-to-miss restaurants. There are many other places to eat in Rockland that are very good, but these are the places that we patronize EVERY time we return—which is thankfully for at least two weeks every year to visit my parents who still live there in the Midcoast region (Hi Mom and Dad!).

Here's a preview of what's below:
• Home Kitchen Cafe—650 Main
• In Good Company—415 Main
• Suzuki's—419 Main
• Conte's—148 South Main (directly next to Primrose Framing)

And I will try to soon write about these other favorites as well (also every-visit kind of places):
• Cafe Miranda (for great, big food)
• Wasses (a hot dog stand—there's one on either end of town)

Also, for COFFEE, go to:
• Rock City!

And while you are there at the café, check out the coolest little bookshop in, well, anywhere:
• Hello Hello Books!

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Posted on 24 July 2013 at 11:30 PM in Restaurant Reviews, Travel | Permalink | Comments (9)

21 July 2013

Elephant Quilt for Tania's Baby

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So, as I was hunting for fabric to make quilts for the other three new babies in my extended circle of family and friends—four babies born in two months!—I stumbled across this delicious elephant print fabric and got completely sidetracked with one single project.

My lovely friend Tania and her husband had just had a baby, and as she is elephant-crazy (in an actually-go-to-Thailand-and-help-the-elephants kind of way), this print just about jumped into my arms. I knew I'd ignore the pink elephants and just focus on the maroon and yellow elephants, so choosing matching fabrics to highlight those colors didn't take much effort. Thread choices were easy too.

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Posted on 21 July 2013 at 09:21 PM in Art, Quilting, Sewing | Permalink | Comments (4)