In my book it has been a good Mardi Gras. The weather was cold (for New Orleans!) and overcast, but we were snug at home enjoying a Tuesday off from work and watching all the festivities on television. As my friend called it - "Jammie Gras"! Best of all, our oldest son came by and joined us for ceremonial cheeseburgers as our farewell to rich food before the abstinence of Lent. (We often have a steak feast on Mardi Gras, but we did that on Thursday with our youngest son who flew in for the crazy weekend before Mardi Gras.)
I added the outer borders to the brown version of the Austen Family Album quilt. The final border is a damask-type floral print. I like the soft finish to this version. As I worked on the the border, I wondered if Jane Austen would enjoy Mardi Gras. I decided she would find the culture and traditions (and snobbery) as amusing as Regency England.
Here's a close-up to give a better picture of the sashing and border.
Once I had the Austen Family Album borders tackled, I was ready for my main Mardi Gras project: prepping block one of my Quilt Like An Eagle quilt project.
I will be out of town for some new job training for the next few days, necessitating some nights in a hotel. I wanted to get the block all prepped for applique, so I'd have something to do after work. I used the freezer paper and starch methods to get all his raw edges turned under and ready for stitching. He's not pinned or basted at this point, but that will be easy to do tomorrow evening. He has two different color talons because I couldn't decide which color I preferred. I think I'll go with blue. I'm pretty excited to finally have this project under way - I just hope I have the energy to work on him for the next couple of nights!
Mardi Gras will be over soon - the festivities traditionally end at midnight when the courts of Rex, King of Carnival (above) and Comus, another of the oldest Mardi Gras krewes, meet and salute each other. In the French Quarter, police on horseback ride abreast down Bourbon Street, ceremoniously announcing "Mardi Gras is over!"
Me, I'll be fast asleep and dreaming of quilts to come.
