Quilting for men

It was awfully encouraging to read about your experiences with the menfolk and their crazy ways. It seems that, personality differences aside, there are some common patterns, and the best approach is probably not to assume current behavior is entirely predictive of later behavior. Anyway, I wanted to present a contrasting picture to the one I painted of my charming husband last time (basketball watching, future-ignoring). It's also one that illustrates the basic point a lot of you made: if you ask for specific things, they will likely get done.

A few months ago I decided I'd better make a quilt for Bun Bun. I don't enjoy making quilts, but I knew I'd regret it if I didn't whip one up. The part I hate most about quilts is the design. Design is not my thing. I'm not good at it. But Mr. Bunny is. He's got a good eye for color and shape, and enjoys messing about. So I asked him if he'd like to collaborate. He'd do the design and cutting (horrible parts!) and I'd do the manufacturing (slightly less horrible parts). He agreed with enthusiasm. Then he sat on his ass for a while, until I began hinting that it was time to get cracking. Then he did a little work on it, and sat on his ass for a few more weeks, until I began asking him every other day if he'd finished. At last the design was done, and he nervously presented it to me. I loved it! I loves me some tree--it's one of my favorite design elements! And I loved the way the strips are staggered horizontally, as it means I have nothing to painstakingly match! He picked out some fabrics, including one with the most awesome grumpy owls, and then commenced to do the math necessary for the cutting. In Figure 1 you can see his hilariously marked up design. There's just something so...MALE about it, particularly the way he converted from centimeters to inches for every individual piece.

Figure 1. Grumpy owls!

And then he did all the heinous cutting, while I ate ice cream. In Figure 2 the strips that make up the front have been sewn and are waiting to be assembled. I love the way it's coming out. And I love the idea of it being a joint project, and of us setting a plump little Bun Bun down on it, in just a few months.

Figure 2.