Advice

Have you noticed that most people- including me- only take advice when it tallies with what they have already decided, or tallies with what they want to hear?

This is a quilt top I have had 'finished' for some time now. It is made using one of Ruth Buchanan's quilt patterns, called Gathering the Harvest, and was published in Patchwork & Stitching Vol 4. No 1. I have taken a pic of it from both angles to better show the design. It turned out very 'pumpkin' coloured to me, so I have decided to call it Pumpkin Soup, which I love. I dont have as much contrast in fabric colours as Ruth had, so I wondered if it needs another border, to offset the busy one, or perhaps highlight the centre further. I have been thinking in terms of a dark brown 1" band?? So what do you think? Or should I just bind it in a dark brown? I have fabric from the final border, which I had intended using for the binding. The way it is now, is just as Ruth made it, but as I said, she used more of a contrasting fabric than I have.

I had laid it out on our bed, & GOM took a great fancy to it, suggested I get it finished & use it for our bed as a topper. I am not sure about that, but the more I look at it, the more I like it. I had gone 'off ' it a bit previously- hence it got put aside.

Anyway, I would like any opinions, please. I dont guarantee to take the advice but another point of view is always welcome.

I find it is always surprising too, to see how different things can look in a photograph.

Which brings me to another 'gripe' of sorts.

Those lovely appetising pics on the boxes of 'convenience food meals'. They always look so nice & tempting. So you tell yourself they will make a nice emergnecy meal, for when you are tired & really hungry in a hurry.

And inevitably, they turn out to be major disappointments. All gluggy, with none of the shining indgredients which seemed to be included in the photo meal.

I have been very tempted to write to the manufacturer, with photographic evidence, demanding they replace my 'missing ingredients'!

And yesterday, I read with amusement Keryn's mention of Cat food. We dont have a cat, but we have noticed with amazement the delicious varieties of 'gourmet' food in tins for dogs. I stand & read all the delicious sounding meal titles, & am ashamed to find to myself salilvating at some of them. As Keryn pointed out, they are probably offal, at best with fish waste included.

I love the way they have lightly sauteed this, & a lovely sauce of that, over the 'meal'. And when you open the tin, you can see wisps of dill, & slices of cheese, or fish, with diced carrot- sorry Aunty, for the mention of carrots!

And every time I buy something like that, -only when they are on special- I feel I have been manipulated in the worst way. Dogs -or cats- cant read, so who are they 'tempting', making meals with names like that!! Just stealing the money out of your very pocket is what they are doing. GRRRRR.

I might add, I quite often make my own versions of 'gourmet meals' for our dogs, using much the same ingredients that are supposedly in the tinned variety! A great deal more economical, even so.