x + y = ?

Kate recently posted something on facebook about the challenges of trying to learn some pi related formula in order to sew a witch’s hat for Halloween.  I feel that I generally run about 2 years behind Kate, so if she’s wearing army pants and flip flops today, she looks great and too cool for me.  Then in two years, I’ll finally get army pants and flip flops.  But at this very moment, I’m right with her on the math.

Right now, the complicated math behind even the most seemingly basic sewing or craft project is quite possibly going to make my brain explode.  I can’t figure out what the problem is, because I’m pretty sure I used to be good at math.  Brain, stop trying to impress Aaron Samuels and figure out how to allow for seam allowances when trying to sew two triangles from a square!  With a quick brush up, I could probably do derivatives today, but calculus is probably the most useless thing I learned in school.  Who is using that- astronauts?  Where are you now geometry?   

Speaking of astronauts, I finally made it to the International Quilt Festival Houston.  Every year I vow to go at all costs, then every year something comes up that trumps it, my niece’s baptism or a Guy Fawkes party.  This year was a long, clear Saturday morning all to myself.  A highlight of the day was picking up information about the quilt block challenge with Astronaut Karen Nyberg, currently on the space station, who made a star quilt block in space.  The challenge is for anyone else to make a star themed quilt block to send in to be joined together for a huge (or many huge) star themed quilt for next year’s quilt festival.  You had me at astronaut.

My square was inspired by Hubble telescope photographs, meaning that I looked at some photos before digging into my scraps.  Photos of space are God’s way of hinting that when we die and pass on, we’re going to look around at whatever’s next and go, I was way off.

Last night I commented to Trent (measure carefully at least twice, cut once) that it must be so interesting to start a project with a visual goal in mind.  I (eyeball it, cut four times, use a seam ripper, cut three more times) start all my projects wondering how it’s all going to turn out in the end.  I thought that star on the quilt block was going to be eight of the nine and a half inches.  Sewing math strikes again.