YOU CAN HELP

The world is hugged by the faithful arms of volunteers.

~Terri Guillemets

Along with the rest of you, I have been watching with sadness the devastation that is taking place in Australia with all of the flooding.  It leaves me feeling helpless to see all of that destruction and not being able to do anything.  Well, next week that can change for all of us.  Make It Perfect will be holding a QLD Flood Appeals Auction starting Monday.  Here's the plan. On Monday 17th January, she will have a master list of bloggers who will be running auctions from their blogs, selling products that they make or from their stores. You will have one week to bid on these auctions, and hopefully be the lucky winner of these great products. Auctions will be open for 1 week, and will close at midnight on Monday 24th January.  All of the money raised at these auctions will go directly to the Queensland Government Flood Relief Appeal.  She is looking for bloggers to hold auctions.  But, if you are like me and don't have anything to auction, you can support the auction by bidding - and that is what I will be doing.  At least maybe I can help at least a little.  How about you?

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PHOTO OF THE DAY

This was my morning sky

When I looked out the window this morning and saw the bright pink lines in the sky, what did I think of?  Quilting, of course!  A wonky block perhaps.  The jet trails were a much more vibrant pink (sort of flamingo pink) than what they appear in the picture with the rising sun shining on them.  Is it contrail, a vapor trail, or, as some would like you believe, a chemtrail?  I believe they are contrails.  What causes contrails?  Contrails form through the injection of water vapor into the atmosphere by exhaust fumes from a jet engine. If there is sufficient mixing between the cold upper tropospheric air and the hot exhaust gases to produce a state of saturation, ice crystals will develop.  Whatever they are, they were vivid and beautiful this morning.

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LAYER CAKE QAL PROGRESS

My goal for yesterday was to make the Layer Cake QAL block #6

This block is called Pointing the Way and is designed by Toby Lischko.  I hate to say this but I think this is my least favorite block in the QAL so far.  It was easy enough to do.  But as a single block I find it rather bland.  Even with the bright colors of the Sweet & Sour fabrics, it just doesn't do anything for me.  Hopefully it will work together well with all of the other blocks in the QAL.  Wow!  I just realized that there we are half way through the QAL!

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QUILTED TABLE JANUARY SWAP

After making the above block, I spent the next two hours cutting out fabric for the Quilted Table 2011 Things From the Heart Block Swap.  This is a yahoo group that I recently joined.  There is a pattern to follow to make four blocks all using red or pink fabric, or fabrics with a heart theme.

I only got this far on the block and checked the measurements.  This part was already 1/2" too small.  What the heck?  It's not like I measured wrong because I was using templates to cut out the heart fabric.  Then it dawned on me.  Our PC is in for repair so I had my DH print out the instructions and template page at work (can't seem to get the ol' laptop to talk to our printer here at home - ugh!).  I didn't think to tell him to print it to scale.  When he came home at lunch I asked him about it and he said that his printer is set to 'fit to the page'.  Well, that explained why my center block was too small.  So now I have three more hearts all cut out and ready to be put together.  But not to worry, I'm sure that I can find some use for them.  Perhaps the start of a mug rug or maybe a mini quilt.

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EXCITEMENT!

Yesterday afternoon we had a little excitement in our little neighborhood - well, not actually our neighborhood but just down the street and around the corner.  Around 1:00 I kept hearing the police helicopter circling nearby.  I finally got up to check it out and noticed that it was circling quite closely.  As I was watching it circle, I saw a police officer jump the fence of the house next door (it's up for sale and has been empty for almost a year).  Then I notice that there's another officer standing on something in the alley looking over the same fence and holding a HUGE SHOTGUN!!!  OK, now I knew for sure something was going on.  Turned on the police scanner but that didn't help much.  Finally heard at 2:30 on a news report that they were looking for a couple of guys that had robbed a cigarette store at gunpoint earlier in the morning.  They had chased one of the robbers on a motorcycle to a house not far from here.  They had the swat team out and it was all over by 3:00.  This caused the grade school across the street from my house to go into lock down so there were lots of anxious parents waiting on the sidewalks.  That was enough excitement for me to last at least a couple of weeks.

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MUG RUG SWAP

Since my morning cutting amounted to nothing, and part of my afternoon was spent trying to figure out was going on in the neighborhood, I spent the rest of it preparing a mug rug. 

This is for the Mug Rug Swap being hosted by the Quilting Gallery.  I found this cute little owl on a coloring book page and copied him onto some Bella bleached white fabric.  I'm going to coordinate the embroidery floss with the fabrics that you can see in the upper left corner.  I hope it will turn out as cute as I think it will.

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TODAY'S GOAL

My goal today is to recut the fabric for the Quilt Table Heart Block Swap.  I won't have to cut out the majority of the WOW fabric as it was cut to measure and not to template so it is right size.  I hope to complete the squares too.

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GIVEAWAYS

Before you read the giveaways, keep in mind, if I can reach 400 followers it will be time for me to have another giveaway.  That means only 3 more followers are needed for this to happen.  I'm just saying.....something to think about!

My friend Lana over at It Seams To Be Sew is having a Winner Choice Giveaway!  Lana is celebrating her 100th post by giving away 2 charm packs of the winners choice.  You must enter her giveaway before Monday, January 17th.

Toughie Sews is celebrating her 100th post.  What she is giving away is a surprise.  If you are intrigued, then enter her giveaway by Friday, January 21st.

Jaybird Quilts is having a wonderful giveaway.   Julie is giving away a copy of the book, Quilt Remix.  She will announce the winner on Saturday.

Martingale & Company is giving away a book as they do each month for those who sign up for their email.

Red Pepper Quilts is having a great giveaway! They are giving away a huge fat quarter bundle of Amy Butler's Soul Blossom.  The winner will be drawn on Sunday, January 16, 2011.

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FINAL THOUGHT

I think life gives us obstacles to cross and hurdles to jump just to make sure we are still paying attention.  Why let there be more than one day in a row without a challenge met?  Who wants to have an easy week - one without adversity or errors?  ME!!  I would like to have two days in a row where everything runs smoothly.  Two days where my seam ripper lies idle, my cutting is precise, my points are all pointy and match, and where everything I attempt is completed as planned.  Is two days too much to ask for?  I'm paying attention!!  OK, I will settle for one whole entire day.  One can only hope, right?

Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops... at all.
~Emily Dickinson

Today is Thursday - live it well!