this and that

(procrastinating. I still have to wait for a bit to see if the last lab books come in. The others are graded. I have all but one of the big papers, I've read through the first one but really want to read them at home where it's quieter and cooler and I have fewer distractions).

I did start cutting on the next quilt this weekend; this is going to be a simple "brickwork" pattern done with 4 1/2 by 9 1/2 (finished dimensions) rectangles (and smaller rectangles every other row's end to offset). Mostly, I am using the "Hideaway" collection by Lauren and Jessie Jung....I bought pieces of this a while back just because I liked it, then I found a pattern I wanted to do.

(And I find I have two half-yard pieces that are duplicates - a turquoise background cuckoo-clock design, and a green fabric with kind of a swirly, almost paisley design. They got put to one side as possible swap-fabrics. Yes, I want to do a swap this summer; I am finding stuff I either have duplicates of, or bought a ton of and used what I wanted, or which I have fallen out of love with).

I have a few other fabrics from different lines mixed in - a couple of bee prints, a Christmas print with a red background and large pinecones on it (well, it goes with the Alpine theme of the other fabrics). And I have a huge piece of my favorite fabric in the line (a forest with chalets) for the border (and another huge piece - got on a very good sale - for the backing. Yay having all the fabric I need for a quilt on hand)

This is one that will be layout-intensive. Not sure if it will be small enough to do what I typically do - strip the pillows and top sheets (and, uh, amigurumi Ponies) off my bed and lay the fabrics out there. I don't have a design wall, and don't really have a good space for one, and increasingly I find getting down on the floor is uncomfortable for laying out quilts. For bigger things I could probably use the church's long tables at a time when no one else is down there, but it's kind of an effort to pull all my supplies there for a smaller quilt.

Maybe someday I will make a "portable" (foldable) design wall, I have heard of such things, but I am not quite handy enough to make one to the degree of sturdiness I would want. I think a foamcore one would get beat up pretty fast considering where I'd have to store it.

***

The most recent MLP "micro comic" came. This one features Rarity. It is, IMHO, by far the best of the micro-comic stories (well, so far). The storyline is the best (most complex, and I think it showcases Rarity's personality traits - both her hatred of getting dirty and sweaty, and her generosity to other ponies that allows her to overcome that hatred if necessary). And also - well, it's a Cook/Price comic, and I think they're the best ones, of the comic artists, at capturing the style and spirit of the show. And another thing they do that I love - they put in little pop-cultural references that are funny and apropos. (In this one, there are several 70s references - Rarity winds up on a flower-child commune sort of place).

The story is funny and cute, and as I said, it showcases who Rarity is well.

As for the pop culture references, maybe I liked them because they were 70s references (I was a child in the 70s, but I remember a lot of it....heck, I probably remember more of it than some people who were in their 20s at the time ;) )

There's a Bluto (from Animal House) pony. And Venus Flytrap and Johnny Fever. And (I think, they're less recognizable to me) two M*A*S*H ponies playing poker (At least, there's one who looks like Hawkeye, but I don't recognize the other). And my favorite one? A reluctant and apprehensive Fluttershy being chatted up by "two wild and crazy stallions."

 Oh, and the posters the hippie ponies have up: "Celestia Superstar." And "Mane." And one for "The Baboons" featuring a pony wearing a Mike Nesmith hat. It's the little things like that that I enjoy so much.

There may be others I missed (Dennis Hopper pony, mayhaps?) but at any rate - those little references make me laugh. (They were missing a Laugh-In reference, or, if they did one, it wasn't obvious to me. Then again, I pretty much only saw Laugh-In in re-runs, and not many of those at that. But I still know some of the main characters - the Henry Gibson giant-sunflower guy reciting poetry, and the tattooed girl, and the old man on the tricycle....)

There are also a lot of show-references in this comic, things that happened during all the series of the show (including Luna's role in people's dreams). And background ponies - Lyra is there, and Octavia, and DJ PON-3, and the Flower "sisters." And Derpy has a large (well, in terms of the drawing size, at least) cameo.

Also: Celestia has best bathtub. But you would expect that.

And there's a bonus comic at the end featuring Hayseed Turniptruck and his travails at trying to impress Rarity. ("Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Poor Hayseed....) Very nicely done and I'm glad I decided to order the micro comics. (The Hayseed one is done in a different art style. That's another thing I like, that the comics let each artist kind of go with his or her own style: some are more cutesy, some are more detailed....)