Three sentence movie review: The Grand Seduction

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I can see why this got mixed reviews, as this is what I call a Sunday Afternoon Movie, meaning a movie where the premise is light, no new ground will be broken and you can see what’s coming a mile away; but, when it’s done well, it’s the kind of movie that’s a good bridge between the loveliness of your weekend and the harsh reality that soon you will have to shut off the TV and start prepping to go back for another five days of work.  This particular Sunday Afternoon Movie does things very well, the actors all bring their A-game, and it was funny enough that I laughed out loud several times, sounding like a crazy person cackling to myself all alone in my house.  Much like going to the restaurant you know you like and ordering the entree you know you love, so is this movie, peppering a well trod path with delights and enjoyment.

Cost: free from library
Where watched: at home.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/intl/canada/2014/grand_seduction.htm
(This is a terrible poster. It’s not helping.)

My sashiko journey begins here.

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It all started with Collette Patterns selling sashiko embroidery kits for Christmas one year.  What was this sashiko stuff that looked so pretty?  It turns out it is a Japanese quilting method, where layers of cloth would be held in place by really amazing geometric and beautiful embroidery.   Some examples here and here.  When I heard “layers of cloth” I thought of the t-shirts I’ve been saving since high school to make into a quilt.  I bought a t-quilt pattern years ago, but never started it because the first step was fusing interfacing to all the t-shirts to keep them from stretching.  I hate fusing interfacing, even to a collar, and there was no way I was going to do that to 40+ t-shirts.  Plus, it would make them all stiff.  But what if I could use sashiko embroidery to affix the stretchy shirts to a woven backing fabric?

This idea turned around in my head for a few years.  The tidying this spring was what finally got this project in motion. I’ve got an entire drawer full of t-shirt fronts ready to turn into a quilt.  I’d better start making a move toward turning them into a quilt sooner rather than later.  So I finished all my other at-home-movie-watching projects which meant it was time to buy supplies.

However, I decided to learn sashiko techniques by making two pillows first.  Julie and I traveled to Fabric Depot and I came back with this orange fabric, a blue fabric, needles, two kinds of thimbles, sashiko thread and a new color of Clover chaco marking pen.

If the pillows go well, I can begin sashiko on the t-shirts.  If it doesn’t, I can use the technique I just discovered, which involves rotating a backing t-shirt to cross grain to provide more structure.  This would would be much easier, but I’m hoping the Sashiko thing works out.

Good bag. Indygo Junction #IJ805 Grids and Grommets Bag.

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It has a great look while hanging.

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I’m not a fan of the lion print inside, but there are inner pockets and it opens up very wide.

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The straps are good sized and the pattern directions point out that you can double them up and put them over your shoulder make it a single strap to go across your chest.

Should I feel the urge to make a bag, this might be the one.