Bob's a syndicated columnist without the syndicate. Or the column.

It's been brought to my attention that not everyone knows the panoply of blogs out there that I occasionally post to. "Why aren't all those posts over here at Gnomicon, where you never post?" I was asked. "I didn't think you'd want to read those," I replied. "I'm like 50% of the Gnomicon readership and you bothered to mention it to me," I was rebuked.

So anyhow, there's several blogs in the Bob postiverse, and sometimes I cross-post to more than one, so don't let the deja vu overwhelm you. First there's Gnomicon, where I post stuff about books, politics, things I think Sarah's interested in, and other stuff that sounds smart. Then there's Halfwit On Blogs, which mostly is just cross-posts of stuff that comes from elsewhere on the web. So if I post something here about Brad DeLong's take on Harvard's endowment, it'll probably get posted over there too.

More interesting (to me) is Trollkien, where I post about Dungeons & Dragons (yes, I am 12, and yes, it is 1979) and other fantasy-geek stuff like that. (yes, I read comic books, and yes, it matters to me that Cap was right.) If that's not nearly enough D&D for you, then by all means check out the action at the dndblog, where I'm actually playing in a campaign.

There are some other blogs that I'm not the sole proprietor of: notably the related pair Curmudgeon Gamer and Game Journal, where people far more into videogames than I talk about the business of videogames and their game playing experiences, respectively. (I post both places occasionally, also -- you might actually be interested in my Game Journal post about playing Rock Band.)

There are elusive dreams of at some point sorting out a beautiful multifaceted blogsite, with an overarching sort of RSS feed collector for the brave few who want to read about everything, and specialty blogs that send those feeds to the big blog, maybe one about crafts and one about games and one about politics and so forth. But these are only wisps of fantasy at the moment.

Post-Mother's Day

I'm a firm believer in the conspiracy theory that Hallmark is behind most non-vacation holidays while the banking industry is behind most vacation holidays. Cynical, party of one, your table is ready. And until today I thought Mother's Day was just such a Hallmark fiction. But then I read a bit of the origin story of Mother's Day on a friend's blog. Did anyone else know it started as a protest for peace?

I find this particularly interesting because this year I felt like honoring a mom who isn't mine or my mother-in-law. She's a family friend whose son, who is my age, is currently serving in Iraq. One day awhile ago she received a call at work from his branch of the armed services. Imagine all the thoughts that ran through her head between being told who was calling for her and that long walk to the phone. Thankfully they were just calling to check on her and see if she needed anything. But phone call or not, those thoughts must be running through her head all the time. She puts a brave face on whenever she talks to her son. This Mother's Day I wanted to let her know that she's an amazing mom for supporting her son, even though she didn't choose for him to join the armed services. She's an amazing mom for waking up and going to work every day with all those thoughts running through her head. She's an amazing mom because at this stage in her life I bet she thought worrying about her son wouldn't be such intense work.

And she's just one of hundreds of thousands of moms worrying about children in the U.S. armed services. What if we took back Mother's Day from commercialism? What if we made it more than just a day to especially honor our own mom's, which should be every day? What if we honored its origins as a call to unite women against war?

While you ponder that for the 363 days until the next Mother's Day, read a Mother's Day greeting to Nancy Pelosi from Karen Meredith, the mother of Lt. Ken Ballard, who was killed in Najaf, Iraq four years ago.

Brita: Take Back the Filter

I subscribe to an e-newsletter from the Organic Consumers Association. The latest edition had the following call to action that I thought my gentle readers might find interesting.

You probably didn't know that Brita, America's #1 water filter, is owned by Clorox. Brita helps its customers feel good about filtering water without buying untold numbers of plastic bottles. Indeed, the Brita filter option is much better than purchasing bottled water. With that said, the U.S. version of the Brita filter is currently designed to be disposable. Hundreds of thousands of plastic Brita filters needlessly flow into U.S. landfills, while in Europe, the same company is providing those cartridges in a recyclable form. As a result, Brita is currently being pressured by consumers and TakeBacktheFilter.org to change its policies. Learn more about how you can send in your used Brita filters to pressure the company to make the green shift: http://www.takebackthefilter.org

The post sounds a little conflicted, like it sort of thinks that Brita filters are just a sham, but what if they're not? Like maybe they want to say the truly righteous path would be to take action to make your local water supply safe to drink straight from the tap for everyone including people who can't afford bottled water or Brita filters. Maybe while you're lobbying for safe water, you can also lobby for recyclable water filters.

Edited to Add 5/22/2008:
An update from the Organic Consumers Association:

READER'S QUESTION: A reader writes to us regarding our article calling on readers to pressure Brita to begin recycling their water filters, as they do in Europe: "I do happen to use the Brita filter system. It would be wonderful if the Brita company did do recycled water filters. However, I do not know of any other water filtration, or water filter systems who do have a recycled filter system in place. Are you aware of any? Frankly, I felt I was doing so well with water filter systems as opposed to packaged bottle water, that I did not really think about how the filters could be 'recycled manufactured'."

OCA RESPONSE: Yes, as noted in our article, using the Brita water filtration systems is a much better option, environmentally speaking, than buying bottled water. As for companies that offer home water filter recycling, you could check out http://www.terraflo.com & http://www.abundantearth.com/store/countertopfilter.html If you have a Brita system already, you can send those used filters to http://www.takebackthefilter.org

Follow Up: What Would Jesus Buy?

What Would Jesus Buy?, the best film at last year's Silverdocs film festival, releases on DVD May 27th.

From producer Morgan Spurlock (the creator of Super Size Me, another fabulously fun documentary) comes a serious docu-comedy about the new religion of rampant consumerism. The movie follows Reverend Billy and the "Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir" as they embark on a cross-country mission to save Christmas from the Shopocalypse: the destruction of humankind from consumerism, over-consumption, and the fires of eternal debt!

View the trailer and get the newly available DVD.
It's also available to add to your Netflix queue.

Beatrice Samols

At Bea's 93rd birthday brunch at the Ritz Carlton Buckhead, I gave her a courthouse steps pillow, which featured a yellow fabric with bees on it, in her honor.

BEATRICE SAMOLS, 93, of Sandy Springs died Tuesday, April 29, 2008. Graveside services were held April 30 at Greenwood Cemetery. Rabbi Neil Sandler of Ahavath Achim Synagogue, where Mrs. Samols was a lifetime member, officiated.
Born Beatrice Leonora Kolker in 1914, in New York City, Mrs. Samols grew up along the shores of Far Rockaway, Long Island. She was the oldest of four siblings. . . . She graduated from Brooklyn College during the Great Depression with a degree in music and education and pursued graduate studies in education at City College of New York.
She had a passion for cultural arts such as opera and the symphony, loved gardening, and was a voracious reader. The New York Times served as her daily source for world events, politics and the arts, and she was one of the longest subscribers to The New Yorker. She played bridge, golf and tennis.
During her graduate studies, she visited relatives in South Africa, where she met her husband, Reuben Samols, and lived for 37 years. She was an active member of the South African Association of University Women and served as president for many years. The group's mission during her tenure was to further the educational opportunities for black girls and women during apartheid. Mrs. Samols worked to raise money to purchase books and finance scholarships for black women. Mr. and Mrs. Samols moved to Atlanta in 1976 and remained here. . . . Survivors include daughters and son-in-law; grandchildren and their spouses; and great-granddaughters. Memorial donations may be made to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.

This obituary originally appeared in the Atlanta Jewish Times. Her great-granddaughter Darcy has the pillow now.

How do I keep it positive when faced with this?

So I've been chatting with the Obama volunteers who have knocked on my door just about every day for the past week and they're all about keeping positive in the face of people wanting to get all negative about Clinton. Very impressive stuff. But how am I supposed to maintain my positivity when Clinton's campaign is connected with disenfranchising voters? If you've been following along, I'm big on three things: quilts, criminal justice reform, and meaningful voting rights, not necessarily in that order. I thought at least two of those three things were fundamental tenets of the Democratic Party. It seems Clinton disagrees with me.

Threadtastic!

Back at IQF/Chicago I took another fantabulous class with Sue Nickels. The class was about how to make a scalloped edge to finish a quilt (which is described in her book Stitched Raw Edge Appliqué). My first class with Sue Nickels was on machine quilting at the Indiana Heritage Quilt Show. During that class she offered her collection of Superior Threads for sale. At the time I wasn't sure how into machine quilting I'd be (if you recall that was when my non-Bernina sewing machine up and died) and whether her threads were really the best threads for what I wanted to do.

After that class I took three more machine quilting classes. In every class every teacher stressed the importance of thread. And in every class every teacher recommended, among a few others, Superior Extra-Long Staple Egyptian Cotton Thread, and at least two of them mentioned Sue Nickels' collection by name. Sue Nickels' thread collection is Superior King Tut Extra-Long Staple Egyptian Cotton 40 weight (i.e., slightly heavier than what you'd think of as standard thread which is usually 50 weight), 3-ply thread.
And it comes in these neat tone-on-tone variegated colors which change color every inch, as opposed to some variegated thread which has longer color changes, which can make one area of quilting look way darker than another as opposed to giving the whole quilted area a sense of dimension and depth. So when I went to her class at IQF/Chicago, I bought her thread collection. Unfortunately she was all out of them at the show. So I received them in the mail today. I've got one baby quilt all basted and ready to quilt after my Bernina Mastery class covers how to use my Bernina Stitch Regulator tomorrow at Shiisa Quilts. I'll follow up with a full report.

Field Trips in Fiber is Made of Awesome

Many moons ago one of the quilty blogs I regularly read referred to another quilty blog: Field Trips in Fiber. I read through the older posts and immediately bookmarked it. It's written by a woman in Virginia who quilts, dyes, and does surface embellishment. Nine times out of ten she posts about those topics and when she doesn't it's gorgeous pictures, lately of the birds who nest in her yard. (I love that one of my criteria for a good blog is staying on topic for the most part . . . guess we don't fit my own criteria very well). Also, I haven't found another craft blogger who shares Consumer Reports-esque product/technique tests like Vicki does (e.g., she performed an in-depth analysis of curing fabric paint).

Well, I was out of town for most of last week so I had to catch up on all of the blogs that I normally check daily on Friday and Saturday (it's a lot of blogs, and I'd missed a weeks worth of posts). I came across a post offering a give away at Field Trips in Fiber. I looked at those boxes and thought about some of the boxes I've received from online quilt shops and thought, "These folks are guessing way too low." So I left a comment with a guess. I don't know how I feel about my first comment on her blog being a comment for a give away. I'd like to say I have insightful things to share about her posts every day. I certainly get inspired every day. She shares so much great knowledge and experience I guess as a novice I don't feel I have much to add (e.g., her curing time tests for fabric dye). And she explains things so clearly I don't have any questions (e.g., her fabric dyeing gradient test).

Long story longer, I got an email and check out today's post at Field Trips in Fiber. I won!

Obama on Criminal Justice

I have talked a lot about Clinton's tough on crime stance, but I don't know that I've given enough information about Obama's position. As a State Senator, Obama passed one of the country's first racial profiling laws and helped reform a broken death penalty system. According to his website these are his four main criminal justice goals:

1. End Racial Profiling

Obama will ban racial profiling by federal law enforcement agencies and provide federal incentives to state and local police departments to prohibit the practice.

2. Reduce Crime Recidivism by Providing Ex-Offender Support

Obama will provide job training, substance abuse and mental health counseling to ex-offenders, so that they are successfully re-integrated into society. Obama will also create a prison-to-work incentive program to improve ex-offender employment and job retention rates.

3. Eliminate Sentencing Disparities

Obama believes the disparity between sentencing crack and powder-based cocaine is wrong and should be completely eliminated.

4. Expand Use of Drug Courts

Obama will give first-time, non-violent offenders a chance to serve their sentence, where appropriate, in the type of drug rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than a prison term in changing bad behavior.

And for some of that famous Obama rhetoric, I give you an excerpt from his remarks at Howard University's Convocation in Washington, D.C., on September 28, 2007.

As President, I will also work every day to ensure that this country has a criminal justice system that inspires trust and confidence in every American, regardless of age, or race, or background. There's no reason that every single person accused of a crime shouldn't have a qualified public attorney to defend them. We'll recruit more public defenders to the profession by forgiving college and law school loans - and I will ask some of the brilliant minds here at Howard to take advantage of that offer. There's also no reason we can't pass a racial profiling law like I did in Illinois, or encourage states to reform the death penalty so that innocent people do not end up on death row.

When I'm President, we will no longer accept the false choice between being tough on crime and vigilant in our pursuit of justice. Dr. King said it's not either-or, it's both-and. We can have a crime policy that's both tough and smart. If you're convicted of a crime involving drugs, of course you should be punished. But let's not make the punishment for crack cocaine that much more severe than the punishment for powder cocaine when the real difference between the two is the skin color of the people using them. Judges think that's wrong. Republicans think that's wrong. Democrats think that's wrong, and yet it's been approved by Republican and Democratic Presidents because no one has been willing to brave the politics and make it right. That will end when I am President.

I think it's time we also took a hard look at the wisdom of locking up some first-time, non-violent drug users for decades. Someone once said that "...long minimum sentences for first-time users may not be the best way to occupy jail space and/or heal people from their disease." That someone was George W. Bush - six years ago. I don't say this very often, but I agree with the President. The difference is, he hasn't done anything about it. When I'm President, I will. We will review these sentences to see where we can be smarter on crime and reduce the blind and counterproductive warehousing of non-violent offenders. And we will give first-time, non-violent drug offenders a chance to serve their sentence, where appropriate, in the type of drug rehabilitation programs that have proven to work better than a prison term in changing bad behavior. So let's reform this system. Let's do what's smart. Let's do what's just.

Yes I Can . . .

I just returned from voting. I can feel the world changing already.

Augie and Izzy can feel it too. Based on Augie and Izzy's neighborhood yard sign count Obama is winning by a landslide. In fact, in all of Bloomington they have only seen two Clinton signs.

If you're in Bloomington and you're trying to figure out this early voting thing, swing by the Curry Building, which is at 290 W 7th St between Bloomingfoods and College Ave. They have reserved parking for voters and a little flier in the window with the hours they're open. I was the last voter today, so head on over tomorrow so you can cast your vote. I believe they're open on Saturday and Sunday.

Tuesday is the big day of course. The U.S. Supreme Court in their infinite wisdom has upheld the disenfranchising I.D. requirement, so, Hoosiers, don't forget these tips for voting:

• If you are registered and will be 18 or older by November 4th, 2008, you can vote in the May 6th Primary.
• When you go to vote between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m., you must bring with you a Photo ID issued by the state of Indiana or the U.S. Government that has your name and an expiration date after November 7, 2006.
• Acceptable ID includes Indiana Driver's Licenses, Indiana state photo ID card, a U.S. Passport, U.S. Military ID or Student ID from an Indiana state school, so long as it includes a photo and an expiration date.
• And if this is your first time voting, make sure you bring an acceptable document that shows your current address -- such as an Indiana driver's license, current utility bill, bank statement, or paycheck.

Clinton is Tough on Crime . . . Which is Not Good

In these last few days before the Indiana primary, if you still think Hillary Clinton is the correct person to lead this country, please read Prof. Berman's post and the items to which he links.
To sum up: Rising imprisonment is the price the Clinton wing of the Democratic party is always eager to pay to win power. Rich, white, elected Democratic officials do not pay any direct price from rising imprisonment; the real costs of rising imprisonment are borne mostly by poor and minority populations and their families. Being the toughest with imprisonment terms, especially in the context of non-violent crimes, is not the only way for Democrats to win political power. Nevertheless, as Senator Hillary Clinton's expressed opposition to crack retroactivity highlights, the Clintonian eagerness to sell out poor and minority populations and their families through criminal justice politicking is not likely to change anytime soon.

When one in every one hundred adults is imprisoned, it is not only those inmates who lose. Our families lose. Our communities lose. Our country loses. We lose the right to call ourselves the home of the free. The Statue of Liberty no longer cries to the rest of the world to "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." We can no longer declare "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Hope. Vote.

Donna Brazile on Colbert

"I'm a woman, so I like Clinton, I'm black, so I like Obama, but I'm also grumpy, so I like McCain."

That is one Super Delegate.

She said other presumably hilarious stuff, including heavy flirting with Stephen, but I could only sorta hear it over my guffaw.

Donna Brazile, you rock!

War good for Obama; Economy good for Clinton

I feel like this is the sort of superficial argument I would expect pundits to be making, so maybe they're making it, or maybe I'm more superficial than they are.

Does it seem like pure coincidence (or blatant revisionism) that Obama's campaign really took off when the issue of the day was Iraq? In the Clinton-Edwards-Obama competition, Obama had the best position on Iraq -- he was against it from the start. And lately, the issue of the day is the economy -- Iraq's still out there, but after the surge the press seems to cover it a lot less. Meanwhile, high oil price, high food prices, foreclosures and economic stimulus packages dominate the headlines. And Clinton's holding on.

I'm the best kind of pundit -- I haven't bothered to look at any polls, and I'm staunchly ignoring that electoral politics is probably all about local demographics. But still -- Clinton's got good name association with fixing the economy. I can see how she might appeal more to the voters that put that at the top of their priority list.

Maybe if Edwards were still in the race, he'd have the strongest rhetoric of the three on the economy and taking care of the little guy. But when he was running, Iraq was the big story, which he had neutralized as a deficit, but didn't have as an asset.

If the focus turns back to Iraq, I would expect Clinton's fortunes to wane faster.

I guess I'm saying this whole foreclosure/credit crisis/oil thing is a Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy plot to damage the Democrats by injecting some life into the Clinton campaign. Bush is political poison -- his support can't help McCain -- but the Democratic primary (and possibly, Democratic performance in the general election) is still affected by what the most talked about aspect of how awful Bush is.

Whether one should blame the media, or the neocons, or just random chance, is up to the viewer, although of course random chance is the most likely and therefore the least fun.

Random semi-edu-comment

Sometimes I see a bulleted list, and when I realize the speaker is going to read through each one, I cringe.

Do students do this -- even when they don't know what the bullets are?

Do students react to unknown words as mysteries or disempowering gobbledygook?

I ask these questions, but of course I "secretly" just want validation of the obvious answers.

Follow the link for references to the tyrant king porn dragon

So, anyone near Indiana, is this a real person? Is this getting a lot of Indiana press, or is he an ultrafringe loon who is mostly ignored?

I'm not kidding about the tyrant king porn dragon. Apparently it's pulling Jews into sex slavery, according to Zirkle. (See, now you HAVE to follow the link, don't you?)

clipped from thinkprogress.org Tony Zirkle, a GOP congressional candidate in Indiana, recently came under heavy criticism for speaking to the American National Socialist Workers Party (ANSWP) on the 119th anniversary of Adolf Hitler’s birth. At the event, Zirkle “stood in front of a painting of Hitler, next to people wearing swastika armbands and with a swastika flag in the background.” On his website, Zirkle has responded to the criticisms by railing against Jews and prostitution:

Hello, World!

The maiden photographic voyage of my shiny new Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital Elph. Together, Augie and I shall be an unstoppable force of cuteness!

At least 3 people care about prisons

This is for Sarah, who is one of the above 3. Some interesting posts in the comments (if you ignore mine), but no direct discussion of _why_ prison reform is a political third rail.

I suppose indirectly there's some evidence however: many people say our massive imprisonment gets results, and the fact that the rest of the world isn't as unique as us explains why we need to imprison 1 out of every hundred adults. So what's to reform?

clipped from matthewyglesias.theatlantic.com Yikes: "The United States has less than 5 percent of the world’s population. But it has almost a quarter of the world’s prisoners." Needless to say, we lead the world in imprisonment. This seems like a serious problem, especially when you consider Tyler Cowen's point that our prisoners face unusually dire circumstances by developed world standards.

Bike lanes

True other places too. I'm not a big biker, but I'd be far more tempted if it didn't involve chicken contests with cars.

clipped from matthewyglesias.theatlantic.com For example, the city fathers of Washington, DC should consider that though it's nice that they've established some bike lanes, the key thing would be for the lanes to connect with one another and go into the downtown area so they'd be helpful for people trying to get from where they live to where the bulk of the stuff is. It's like how the roads for cars don't just stop arbitrarily.

You Say It's Your Earth Day . . .

In honor of Earth Day I thought I'd share the websites I squirrel away in a folder labeled "Green."

Re-Nest - The consumer-centric (though with a dash of self-loathing) website formerly known as Apartment Therapy - Green. "Oh wait, remember how we told you dryer balls are good for the planet because they reduce the length of time you run your dryer? They're made of something totally evil for the environment. Ooopsy! Now let's open the comments for a discussion of how best to dispose of those evil dryer balls." I think the reason I check it every day as opposed to the following sites is that reading Re-Nest I every so often get the opportunity to feel righteous indignation that I am in some way greener than them. Not so much with the rest of these bad boys.

Grist - It's like the environmental CNN.

Treehugger - Where Re-Nest gets its best info from.

Common Ground Magazine and Conscious Choice are apparently one and the same these days.

I must have been delusional when I bookmarked all these green building websites. Like I'm going to be in the position to do any building or remodeling anytime soon. Maybe that's why I bookmarked them, so that ten to twenty years from now when I am, I'll have a bunch of handy out of date bookmarks to refer to. Bitter, party of one? Your table is ready.

The U.S. Green Building Council - Ever hear of LEEDS certification for green buildings? This is the non-profit organization responsible for it. And they're a great resource for green building information.

Modern Green Living - I ache with envy. That's green, right?

Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency - So in my fantasy world, I have a Craftsman bungalow and decide to install solar panels and a wind turbine and the state that I'm in rewards me for this decision through tax incentives. Already own a Craftsman? This site is where your tax preparer's dreams can come true!

This begins the food politics segment of my Earth Day link list, brought to you by In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan. Just finished it. Love it. More how to and less new journalism than Omnivore's Dilemma. I recommend reading OD then IDoF. Then subscribe to a CSA and never buy processed food again. Oh, but tofu is OK because it's an ancient Chinese secret.

Ag Observatory - Run by The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, this site covers U.S. and World agricultural policy, which has a humongous impact on the planet and your dinner plate.

Food News - Run by the Environmental Working Group.

Dr. Greene's Organic Prescription - I can't think of anything but Dr. Funke's 100 Percent Natural Good-Time Family Band Solution.

Pesticide Action Network of North America - No smiling doctors with babies here. Death is at your door! Well, if your door opens onto a wetland.

Organic Consumers Association - News about organic food.


Simple In Season - I believe this the the partner website to a book about seasonal eating, which is all the rage with locavores.

Did I say local?

Indiana Recycling Commission - Are you a Hoosier who doesn't know what to do with something you don't want anymore? This is the site for you!

Monroe County's Environmental Information & Education Resources - A way longer list than this of fabulous green websites and not just for Hoosiers.

Stir It Up: Test Drive for California?

This morning at about 5:40 a.m. it sounded like a train rolled quietly through our house. I was having a restless night reading on the couch under the big picture window in the living room. I wasn't sure what it was until I heard David, half asleep, say from the bedroom, "Get away from the windows." He thought it was a tornado, we are in the Midwest after all. The dogs didn't make a peep. I guess they're preparing to be jaded SoCal pups. They don't get out of bed for a measly 5.2. No harm done, though my sleep was then interrupted by the garbage truck, which I mistook for an aftershock.
For the official stats check out the U.S. Geological Survey.

Why Matt Yglesias is my blogdude

This is the kind of sarcasm I look for in my daily reading. Sadly, I wish he had fewer soft targets to aim his righteous biting wit at...

clipped from matthewyglesias.theatlantic.com Michael O'Hanlon gets a Washington Post op-ed to lay out his surprising view that the surge is awesome and, indeed, is working so well that we can expect to start taking troops out of Iraq in early 2010 if everything continues to be so awesome. In essence, thanks to the super-duper success of the surge, all we need now is several years of additional war and for all of Iraq's problems to solve themselves. Mission accomplished!

Bob's Innumeracy watch

Apologies to Ms. Beard for posting the whole article, but hey, if your math wasn't deceptive I wouldn't be forced to do this.

clipped from www.azcentral.com Betty Beard The Arizona Republic Apr. 6, 2008 09:05 PM The recent rise in Phoenix's housing prices means that in some cases the cost of owning a house grew too high compared with the cost of renting one, says a new report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research, in Washington, D.C. Based on 2006 housing costs, the cost of renting in the Phoenix area averages $862 while the average cost of owning can range from $1,343 to $1,804, depending on interest rates, the report said. That means that Phoenix rental costs can range from 47 to 64 percent of ownership costs. The report says that when ownership costs exceed 50 percent, it indicates a bubble. Some "extraordinary" gaps include New York City, where it costs 109 percent more to own a home than to rent; San Diego, 133 percent; San Francisco, 161 percent; and Los Angeles, 168 percent.

The percentages cited for other cities use a middle-cost scenario, while the Phoenix range of costs for owning is the low-cost and high-cost scenarios. So even if you knew better, you'd need to read the article to find the apples-to-apples comparison, which is this: the cost of ownership in Phoenix exceeds the cost of renting by 78%.

That's what those percentages mean, by the way: the article drops some critical words -- it should be "...when ownership costs exceed rental costs by 50 percent or more, it indicates a bubble."

Oh, and that "47 to 64 percent"? That's dividing the cost of renting by the (low and high scenario) cost of owning, which isn't directly comparable to any of the other results. Also, since that result isn't particularly meaningful, it's NOT in the original report, as opposed to all the other numbers in the article.

McCain: The Other White Meat

In the Sunday New York Times Magazine Michael Sokolove's article Change Makes a Call on Levittown looks at the Obama campaign there through the eyes of a former resident. Most interestingly a few folks interviewed in the article mentioned that they'd vote for Obama in the primary and yet consider voting for McCain in the general election. In moments of irrational anger, I have thought, "If Clinton wins the democratic nomination, I might as well vote for McCain."

As if responding to that negative thought, MoveOn.org sent out an email today: 10 things you should know about John McCain (but probably don't). It is well-supported with zippy sources and zesty links, and we've recently figured out how to link footnotes, so I thought I'd share. Though I will re-title it:

Even if Clinton Wins the Nomination Here are 10 Reasons You Still Should Not Vote for McCain

1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has "evolved," yet he's continued to oppose key civil rights laws.1

2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain "will make Cheney look like Gandhi."2

3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.3

4. McCain opposes a woman's right to choose. He said, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned."4

5. The Children's Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children's health care bill last year, then defended Bush's veto of the bill.5

6. He's one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a "second job" and skip their vacations.6

7. Many of McCain's fellow Republican senators say he's too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He's erratic. He's hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."7

8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates.8

9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his "spiritual guide," Rod Parsley, believes America's founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a "false religion." McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church "the Antichrist" and a "false cult."9

10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year.10


Sources:

1. "The Complicated History of John McCain and MLK Day," ABC News, April 3, 2008
"McCain Facts," ColorOfChange.org, April 4, 2008
(back)
2. "McCain More Hawkish Than Bush on Russia, China, Iraq," Bloomberg News, March 12, 2008
"Buchanan: John McCain 'Will Make Cheney Look Like Gandhi,'" ThinkProgress, February 6, 2008
(back)
3. "McCain Sides With Bush On Torture Again, Supports Veto Of Anti-Waterboarding Bill," ThinkProgress, February 20, 2008
(back)
4. "McCain says Roe v. Wade should be overturned," MSNBC, February 18, 2007(back)
5. "2007 Children's Defense Fund Action Council® Nonpartisan Congressional Scorecard," February 2008
"McCain: Bush right to veto kids health insurance expansion," CNN, October 3, 2007
(back)
6. "Beer Executive Could Be Next First Lady," Associated Press, April 3, 2008
"McCain Says Bank Bailout Should End `Systemic Risk,'" Bloomberg News, March 25, 2008
(back)
7. "Will McCain's Temper Be a Liability?," Associated Press, February 16, 2008
"Famed McCain temper is tamed," Boston Globe, January 27, 2008
(back)
8. "Black Claims McCain's Campaign Is Above Lobbyist Influence: 'I Don't Know What The Criticism Is,'" ThinkProgress, April 2, 2008
"McCain's Lobbyist Friends Rally 'Round Their Man," ABC News, January 29, 2008
(back)
9. "McCain's Spiritual Guide: Destroy Islam," Mother Jones Magazine, March 12, 2008
"Will McCain Specifically 'Repudiate' Hagee's Anti-Gay Comments?," ThinkProgress, March 12, 2008
"McCain 'Very Honored' By Support Of Pastor Preaching 'End-Time Confrontation With Iran,'" ThinkProgress, February 28, 2008
(back)
10. "John McCain Gets a Zero Rating for His Environmental Record," Sierra Club, February 28, 2008
(back)

The Only Sensible Strategy in Iraq: Rapid Withdrawal

Nieman Watchdog (my new favorite blog thanks to Joel Berg, a regular contributor to Neiman Watchdog and a one-time commenter here) reported that Lieutenant General William E. Odom, U.S. Army (Ret.) testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the U.S. should withdraw from Iraq post haste. If you're looking to take a stand at your next dinner party (or in your next letter to your elected representative), he artfully addresses many of the arguments against withdrawal.

Cake Rock Beach

If you're a hipster craftster then you already know all about Purl Soho. And you are probably so cool that you already know that Purl Soho cofounder Joelle Hoverson, author of the exquisitely photographed Last Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts, has just released her first fabric collection Cake Rock Beach manufactured by Moda. The image in this post is the Flora print in the Water color way in which the images range between four and fourteen inches and the pattern repeats every twenty-three inches. The Purl Bee has posted more luscious pictures of the collection and a project using the large scale Flora print.

Vote Local

‘Tis the season for Bloomington, Indiana’s Herald-Times Readers' Choice Awards.
When we were in the process of moving to our fair city, I looked all over for a Best of Bloomington list. I’ve moved a lot and find this sort of thing invaluable when settling in to an unknown place. Unfortunately, what I found was that national chains won in a lot of the categories. This is no help to the new Bloomingtonian. I know about national chains already. What I don’t know is what the local alternatives are. So don’t vote for Old Navy in every clothing category, or worse, Wal-Mart in pretty much every category. Even if it’s not where you always go, pick the local store that you wish you could always go to. Are you a Bloomingtonian who needs a little local refresher before voting? Check out Downtown Bloomington’s Directory. It doesn’t cover everything, but it’s a start.

And if you still don’t know who to vote for, here’s a list of who I voted for and occasionally a reason why.

RETAIL
Bookstore: Howard’s Bookstore
Craft Supply Store: Shiisa Quilts
In the text box at the end of the online ballot I also asked if I could write Shiisa Quilts in for the following non-existent categories: “Sewing Machine Dealer,” “Quilt Shop,” and “Fabric Shop.” In all fairness, Shiisa Quilts is truly the only Quilt Shop in town. There is one other local sewing machine dealer and, well, JoAnn’s fabrics is here, but it’s not like there’s a lot of competition. But, if Netflix can win for best video rental store, then all the local stores are in competition with online options, which as far as fabric goes are considerable. And as an avid online fabric shopper, I think Shiisa Quilts compares quite favorably both in terms of price and selection, not to mention the beautiful natural light in which to hold up your fabric and check the color.
Gift Shop: By Hand Gallery
I’ve never bought anything there, but I love the idea of it. So this is an example of me practicing what I preached when I said, “Even if it’s not where you always go, pick the local store that you wish you could always go to.” In all honestly I bought the vast majority of the gifts I gave last year at the IU Bookstore with David’s faculty discount, but if I weren’t buying IU sweatshirts for every person in my family, I imagine I would buy them something at By Hand Gallery.
Grocery Store, Health Food Store, and Place to buy Produce: Bloomingfoods Near West Side
I love Bloomingfoods. Even when the checkout elves bark at me for having an insufficient number of reusable bags, even when the deli trolls cower by the sandwich counter to avoid weighing out my pound of smoked turkey, even when they don’t have the vegetarian chili at the hot bar, I love them so. And not just any Bloomingfoods. The Near West Side Bloomingfoods. David has a crush on the Downtown Bloomingfoods, but that’s only because he picks up his coffee there on his walk home from school, like the Pusherman. Me, I’m a Near West Side girl.
Hardware Store (name & location): Bloomington Hardware Covenanter Drive
That’s a shout out to our landlord, the owner of said hardware store. And technically it is a TrueValue franchise these days. But it’s been in Bloomington since the 1880s. Can Lowes say that? I didn’t think so. Also, this is where we bought our reel lawn mower, which we love and is helping us save the planet.
Home Decor/Accessories Shop: Relish
Again, like By Hand Gallery, I’ve never bought anything at Relish. And David gets cranky every time he sees the sign because he thinks it’s going to be a cool restaurant and then it isn’t. But they sell Denise Schmidt quilts, so they must be good people.
Kid's Clothing Store: O’Child
See above re: By Hand Gallery and Relish. These folks just opened this year and that can be a tough time for a new local store. So even if you can’t afford to buy your kids clothes here, go ahead and buy at Old Navy (or Goodwill), but vote for O’Child. Tell rich parents where to spend their disposable income.
Optical Store: Optiks
These folks fixed David’s glasses and treated him like a prince, which was even more impressive because he was pretty fussy about having to get his glasses fixed.
Pet Store and Pet Grooming: Delilah’s
Augie and Izzy love Delilah’s. They have the best, most affordable, speediest, friendliest grooming we have ever experienced anywhere. We seriously brought in Augie covered in sticky little seed pods (he looked like a poppyseed muffin) and olive oil (at the same time . . . do not ask) and they had him looking like a prized show dog in under two hours.
Place to buy Liquor, Beer & Wine: Sahara Mart
OK, OK, we don’t drink, but if we did, we’d buy all our fancy wines and microbrews from Sahara Mart. David does buy coffee and tea there with some regularity. And I hear they have a great cheese selection too, not that I eat that either.
Shoe Store: Sole Sensations
They sell all sorts of shoes that are good for your feet. David got two pairs of Obays for an insanely good price. And the service is fantastic.
SERVICE
Auto Repair: Mission Auto Shop
Our formerly local source for all B-town knowledge (aka Gentle Reader, aka Thalia), recommended Mission and they’ve lived up to the high standards we expect from anyone she recommended.
Bank/Credit Union: IU Credit Union
Dental Office: Allen Linnemeier DDS
See above re: Mission Auto. Dr. Linnemeier was the most reasonable dentist ever, both in terms of cost (we don't have dental insurance) and in terms of dealing with people who haven't been to the dentist in awhile. Though I have not gotten over the fact he gave David's dental hygiene an A- and mine a B+. I will floss my way to greatness!
Dry Cleaners: Crosstown Cleaners
Health Club/Gym: YMCA
Veterinarian Office: College Mall Veterinary Hospital
See above re: Mission Auto and Dr. Linnemeier. Dr. Kraus at the CMVH has been a superstar with Augie and Izzy. Just recently they had to go in on short notice and we saw another doctor who was equally awesome, so Dr. K isn’t the exception.
PLACES/ENTERTAINMENT
Park/Playground: Bryan Park
Radio Station: WFHB
OK, OK, so technically I probably clock more hours on WFIU but that’s only because of NPR and the fact I can’t easily switch between stations on the iHome. I love the midday talk programming on WFHB and when they do play music the deejays are very eclectic in an interesting way.
FOOD
Monroe County Restaurant and Fine Dining: Farm
We went here for New Years Eve and it rocked our gustatory world. Technically, we’ve been to Tallent more frequently and Tallent is pretty awesome, but every time we go there something is just a little off. Like one time the side dish was super yummy, but the main dish was nothing to write home about. And for that amount of money, everything should be write-home-about material. But I’m not a hater, I’m a congratulator. Congratulations on your relatively recent grand opening, Farm!
Bagels: Bloomington Bagel Company
These are the best bagels anywhere on the planet. And they have this smores bar that we’ve been trying to reverse engineer for months. I think it’s a graham flour shortbread base, but I don’t understand how they prevent the melted marshmallows from melting the chocolate chips. But I'll keep trying to perfect these at home, even if I have to get diabetes in the process.
Bakery and Lunch Spot: Scholars Inn Bakehouse Downtown
Breakfast: Runcible Spoon
This was one of the first restaurants we ate at in Bloomington and my impression of it only improved after I took a cooking class at the Bloomington Cooking School with the Runcible's executive chef William Neal.
Chinese Food: Chow Bar
We suffered through many other Chinese food restaurants until we found Chow Bar. The sesame chicken is to die for.
Deli/Subs and Fast Food: The Village Deli
Their motto is “Eat and Get Out.” Doesn’t get any faster than that.
Desserts: BLUBoy
They made my birthday cake and it was AWESOME! Their cupcakes also rock if you can’t justify ordering a whole cake, or you need an instant fix. And their cupcake boxes are a wonder in package engineering.
French Fries and Hamburger: Upland Brewing Company
Italian Food: Grazie
Mexican Food: Casa Brava
We have suffered through every other Mexican restaurant in town and only recently found this place. It is in fact the best Mexican restaurant we have ever been to.
Other Ethnic Cuisine: Esan Thai
Pizza: Mother Bears
Romantic Restaurant: Trulli Flatbread
P.S. You know you live one of the top ten places to retire to when “Hearing Aid Store” and “Retirement Community” are categories in the Reader’s Choice Awards.

QR Code Generator

When my geek fell out last month about Random.org's random bitmap generator I had no idea this juicy nugget of procrastination was out there: a free QR Code Generator. If you scanned the image in this post it would say, "So much depends upon a red wheelbarrow, glazed with rainwater beside the white chickens. - William Carlos Williams" Today's New York Times Magazine has an article about the QR generator and the creativity it has spawned. About a year ago the Technology section of the New York Times did an article about the rise of this type of code.

The vicious cycle of making a living

(4:15:54 PM) Sarah: I think my quilt shop hates me.
(4:16:19 PM) me (Goog): :( Why? Do you give them fake money?
(4:16:31 PM) Sarah: No, I give them lots of real money.
(4:17:29 PM) Sarah: But I ask for stuff they don't have and I think I was sort of in the middle of a dispute between an employee and the owner in that I think the employee thinks they ought to stock everything people ask for and I think the owner is worried about not moving the inventory left over when one person finishes their project.
(4:18:00 PM) Sarah: Which is totally legit, but don't get cranky at me because your employee disagrees with you.
(4:18:25 PM) me (Goog): Right on. So you're saying your quilt shop owner is irrationally mean to you.
(4:18:32 PM) me (Goog): Because you've asked for things.
(4:18:36 PM) Sarah: Yes.
(4:19:07 PM) Sarah: And I totally understand why she doesn't want to stock these things I've asked for, and I'm totally cool with that.
(4:19:44 PM) me (Goog): Ah. Well, probably true. One spring day, however, they'll get over it. In a moment of happy clarity, it will occur to them that they have no good reason to be jerky to you, and so they will try not being jerky as a change of pace, and find that the flavor of that is rather refreshing after all.
(4:20:30 PM) Sarah: And I kinda wonder if the owner is just not much of a people person, which is a bit of a problem, what with quilters being people.
(4:22:13 PM) me (Goog): Probably so. Quilting, bees aside, is not innately an interactive experience. One could easily get into the business without being a people person. The same is true of most niches -- comic shop owners are famously stereotyped this way.
(4:23:03 PM) Sarah: Totally right on and valid comparison to comic shop owners.
(4:24:26 PM) me (Goog): It's an interesting dynamic. People actually often get into a business like coffee or comics or quilts because they like the THINGS, not because they love the idea of serving the needs of other PEOPLE who like the THINGS. (If you were _actually_ a people person, you'd be successful in more mainstream customer service like restaurants, sales, etc.)
(4:24:48 PM) Sarah: Totally.
(4:25:22 PM) Sarah: And this is why I am not in a customer service job.
(4:26:10 PM) me (Goog): EXACTLY the same thing can be said of mathematics professors. All disciplines, really, although not necessarily ALL professors. Just the overwhelming majority.
And actually being in the business tends to make you LESS of a people person, since customers are famously the worst sort of relationships.
(4:26:45 PM) me (Goog): As a wise Alphan said about moving on from tech support, "you have to learn to stop hating the users."
(4:26:56 PM) Sarah: Right on!
(4:27:07 PM) Sarah: You should write a post about this.
(4:27:21 PM) me (Goog): True.
(4:27:26 PM) Sarah: You have much knowledge to share with Thalia and Joel Berg.
(4:28:29 PM) me (Goog): LOL

Democratic Philanthropy

Joel Berg, Executive Director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger, raised a very legitimate question in a comment to my previous post on Free Market Versus Legislative Philanthropy.* He asked the question that all complainers should be asked, “Do you have a better alternative?”

Before I answer that question, I should clarify that I agree with Mr. Berg’s proposal of taxing the wealthy more equitably and allowing society as a whole to determine how excess wealth should be spent. Getting this excess wealth into government coffers would likely address the concerns raised in my Jan 29th post in that it is highly likely our troops would become properly equipped, most likely children would actually be taught in public schools, and probable that WIC and food stamps would continue and be streamlined. I feel Mr. Berg’s solution would adequately address all of those most deserving causes, which are not sufficiently funded presently. And maybe that is the best we can do. As they say, “Our democracy isn't a perfect system of government, it's just better than the alternatives.”

My concern lies in allowing the legislative process to determine how excess wealth should be spent. I have little fear that the legislative process would fail its worthy citizens in need. But the measure of a society is not in how it treats its most worthy citizens, but how it treats its least worthy. **

I do fear that the legislative process would fail to support less popular causes: rights of the accused, rights of prisoners, rights of sex offenders, rights of Islamic fundamentalists, rights of drug addicts, rights of sex workers, rights of people I didn't think of and lots of people don't think of either.

So after much contemplation here’s my proposal: MORE democracy rather than less would result in better use of wealth. Tax the rich more like Berg suggests, but also make the populace's control more direct. With the ubiquity of the internet, federal spending referenda are potentially practical now, and using voting intelligently (for example, by allocating funds proportional to voting percentage, rather than "winner takes all") might achieve spending with more variety and more equity of interest than filtering through political representation.

Of course, the people least served by government are those who don't take part in it, for example felons, non-citizens, and the ever increasing group of people who by law or by logistics are prevented from voting in government elections. Without a vote, the legislature has no self-interest in catering to them. Serving the interests of those who don't/can't vote is always a dilemma, and moving toward an Internet poll-driven democracy won't change that. But the internet has proved its worth at uniting disparate people with common interests, so the voice of those who speak for the unpopular and internet voiceless might be able to be heard better through a web poll than in the halls of Congress.

The Combined Federal Campaign might be a model for this, both for its strengths (in 2004, contributions were $256 million) and weaknesses (charities have to qualify for inclusion).

A cynic (for argument’s sake let’s call him Bob) might say no matter how you try to tie the government's hands, once the money is "theirs", it's up to Congress to discipline itself. If their inability to keep their hands off Social Security is any indication, we’re in trouble. Just transferring personal wealth of the rich into the generic government coffer that's subject to political whims is heavy-handed (though straightforward). What if the taxpayer is given a few options of charitable funds where a large chunk of his taxes will go? This sidesteps Congress (after they pass such a law) and gives the wealthy some discretion (if they have to pay, they might as well decide who'd best spend the money). This need not be equivalent to charitable donations. These funds could be private foundations that act as supercharities, like the United Way, or Hands On Atlanta, with the mandate to move the money on to charities covering broad swathes of causes. Of course in theory the legislature is held more accountable to us than privately run charities, but in practice that seems not to be borne out.

Again, while you ponder a better alternative to my alternative, please play Free Rice.

* Can I just completely geek out for a moment about how totally awesome it is that Joel Berg commented on my post? And how thoughtfully he did so? Thank you, Mr. Berg, or the super awesome intern at NYCCAH charged with responding in his stead. Either way, you totally made my day. (back)

** This is an aphorism that is not original to me, but I cannot find its source. For many years I credited it to Fyodor Dostoyevsky, but perhaps I should have been crediting the high school English class in which we read The Brothers Karamazov. To the best of my knowledge it is the confluence of the following. As Home Secretary in 1910, Winston Churchill observed that: “The mood and temper of the public in regard to the treatment of crime and criminals is one of the most unfailing tests of the civilization of any country.” Elkin, W., The English Penal System. London: Penguin (1957), at 277. Dostoevsky wrote that: “A society which looks upon such things [as the harsh punishment of its citizen] with an indifferent eye is already infected to the marrow…” Dostoevsky, F., The House of the Dead. London: Dent (1962), at 194. Cf. Coppedge v. United States, 369 U.S. 438, 449 (1962): “The methods we employ in the enforcement of our criminal law have aptly been called the measures by which the quality of our civilization may be judged.” (back)

Free Market Versus Legislative Philanthropy

Joel Berg, Executive Director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger wrote an excellent letter in response to the New York Times Magazine's March 9th issue, which was, in Mr. Berg's words, "dedicated to a discussion of how the wealthiest Americans can best have an impact on philanthropy." I must confess that between SXSW and the vortex of recycling I have not yet read said issue. But, as you may recall, I have been pondering issues of philanthropy as previously expressed in my post on Charitable Giving and Your Tax Rebate.


Mr. Berg sums up my underlying concerns eloquently.

Is the nation’s reliance on voluntary, uncoordinated charity — provided by people who may benefit from massive tax cuts — the best way to solve pressing social problems?
Modern American society seems to accept as a given that the wealthiest should have unfettered free choice to spend their billions on vacation homes, multimillion-dollar bequests to their pets or donations to charities, including well-funded medical, cultural and educational institutions.

I agree with his concerns, but I'm not totally sold on his proffered solution.

In contrast, most Western European nations tax the wealthy far more equitably, and their societies as a whole, through their democratically elected representatives, determine how excess wealth should be spent. Such countries have stronger social safety nets and less homelessness and poverty than America.

What of the tyranny of the majority? Would the same democratically elected legislators who pass ever-escalating mandatory minimum sentences and Orwellian punishments for sex offenders also vote to fund indigent defense funds for the objects of their "tough on crime" policies? Or would they add earmarks, like funding homeless shelters but only if they do not house ex-cons?


Again, while you ponder the answers to these questions, please play Free Rice.

Quilts in the News

My new local quilt shop, Shiisa, has an adorable blog with a great link to the video of Ricky Timms on CBS News.
This reminded me to post a link to the New York Times Style Magazine Design Spring 2008 issue's brief blurb (and a gorgeous picture) about the new International Quilt Study Center & Museum at the University of Nebraska.
I'd expect this sort of information in my Quilters Newsletter, but the NYTimes? Is quilting the new knitting? Have I stumbled into a cool craft?

SXSW 2008 RIP

I just returned from my first SXSW. I stayed at the Austin Motel in SoCo, which is almost too hip for it's own good as evidenced by the fact that almost everything in design*sponge's Austin Design Guide was within a one mile radius. If you ever go to Austin, and you should, stay at the Austin Motel. The water pressure in the shower was nothing to write home about but the wonderful people at the front desk (seriously more helpful and friendly than any Ritz I've stayed at), the unique room decor, the adorable kidney shaped pool, the adjacent El Sol y La Luna restaurant, and the neighborhood make up for it a hundred times over.

I'll share more once I've unpacked.

Quilting Hangover

I spent Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at the Indiana Heritage Quilt Show. This was my first quilt show ever. From the grumblings of some of the other visitors, I gleaned that there weren't as many quilts on display as at some of the bigger shows. But there were quilts from all over the country, and maybe a couple from overseas. Some of the quilts were truly amazing. Detailed piecing. Delicate applique. Quilting more dense than you can imagine. On the other hand there were some people's first quilts, which were cute, but probably not worth the price of admission. There were two Dear Jane quilts, one by an amateur and one by a professional. The amateur's won a ribbon. The professional's didn't. At first I thought it might be that the competition in the professional division was at a higher level. But then I looked closely at both and you could see that the ribbon-winner pieced more accurately, quilted in a more interesting way, made more interesting fabric choices, fussy cut a lot of the pieces, and it hung straighter - which is a sign that the construction was more consistent throughout the process. There is hope for us amateurs!

Edit to add: Robert Genn's Twice a Week Letter had this to say about amateurs:

"Amateurism can induce clear sight and creative optimism. At least you are not held in check by a lot of stuff you already know."

Thursday I took a machine quilting class from Sue Nickels. Friday and Saturday I took a Lone Star class from Jan Krentz. My sewing machine up and died fairly early on in the Sue Nickels class, which was about free-motion quilting, a process that does ask a lot of a basic machine like mine. Luckily an angel in the form of a Bernina dealer saved me with a free loaner of an Activa 230 PE. I got to practice most of the techniques and start on my larger project. And it turns out her daughter was at the Middlebury program in Madrid at the same time as David. Small world!

That night I took my dead sewing machine home and tried to revive it. I got it stitching a straight stitch with only a few skipped stitches every few inches, so I thought it might get me through the Lone Star class. But as soon as I plugged it in and ran a test scrap through it, it totally keeled over again. Thank goodness a student in another class who was renting a Bernina got ill and dropped out of her class so the Bernina angel brought me that Bernina, which I was able to use for the rest of the two-day class. I eventually caught up with the slowest person in the class and Jan Krentz was a superstar about managing a class with WIDELY varied skill levels and speeds.

Today I feel like I have a hangover. I don't drink. I think it was the three days of non-stop quilting. I feel like I need to sleep until I pick up my new (well, it was a classroom loaner, like the one I borrowed, so I'm getting it for a discount) sewing machine from Shiisa Quilts on Tuesday. :)

Pieced Quilt Backs

Sew Mama Sew's blog did an awesome February Quilt Month. At one point there was an open thread and someone posted a question that I would like to respond to here.

I saw some quilt backings that were pieced. I really do not care for the designs available on the backings. Any hints on putting together a pieced quilt back?

If you're just slapping together pieces of the same fabric to make a back the size you need in a fabric you like, you're in good company. Quilters have been doing that since the beginning. Consider piecing it diagonally (for a how-to check out John Flynn's The Story of the Diagonal Seamed Back).
I like to piece simple, bold, modern designs for the backs of more traditional quilts. For example, I backed a simple 30s reproduction one patch with a Josef Albers' square using four larger scale reproduction fabrics.
You can piece the back of a quilt just like the front of the quilt. I saw two very intricate two-sided quilts by Jan Krentz at my quilt guild meeting in February. Jan actually made two impressive quilt tops with Hunter Star blocks and made one quilt out of them. She said she didn't do it for an aesthetic reason, but to keep the weight of her suitcases within the airlines' limits.* So she gets to show two quilts for the weight of one while she's on the road. Genius!
There are two things to consider when piecing a quilt back.

1. Due to the additional layer of seam allowances, if you're hand quilting it will be a little harder because you'll have to get through all those layers, and if you're machine quilting you'll have to be more vigilant about getting the bulk through the machine evenly. If you piece your back diagonally, when you look at the finished quilting, any variation due to the back seam will be less apparent because the variation is on the diagonal rather than straight vertically or horizontally (you know how the diagonal words are always the hardest to find in those find-the-word puzzles, same idea).
2. You have to be more careful about aligning your back and your top when you're basting. To align your back and your top mark the center of each side of your top and back, then line up those center marks when you lay out your layers to baste. Also if your back design has wide, plain borders in a fabric without a noticeable direction (not lines, plaids, or orthogonal patterns), it will be less noticeable if your alignment isn't perfect. For the same reason, I also like to make the borders on the back intentionally unequal (for example one large asymmetric log cabin block).

Technicalities aside, approach designing the back of your quilt as another opportunity for creativity. Just because it's not on top, doesn't mean it never gets seen. At the Indiana Heritage Quilt Show the white gloved quilt angels were kept particularly busy showing the back of a quilt that had an amusing bit of sassy appliqué on the back. Your next quilt back is a great place to try something new.

Edited 8/21/2008 to add:
Pink Chalk Studio blogged her process of deciding how to arrange a gorgeous Denyse Schmidt style pieced quilt back. The photos and her description of what was going through her mind as she made design choices are very instructive.

Edited 1/21/2009 to add:
Weeks Ringle, of FunQuilts fame, dedicated a post on her new blog Craft Nectar to the wonders of pieced quilt backs. Her primary advice:

Be sure that the back and front of the quilt are square and in alignment because you don’t want one side to look fine and the other side to be out of whack.

Edited 3/18/2009 to add:
Kathy of Pink Chalk Studio meticulously documented her attempt to implement the John Flynn method to create a diagonal seamed quilt back. Her verdict: "it’s awfully darn fussy for the results I got and the amount of time it took to cut the fabric!"

* Apropos of John Flynn's column in the May 2008 issue of Quilters Newsletter.(back)