It Was One Of THOSE Days

Certain flaws are necessary for the whole. It would seem strange if old friends lacked certain quirks.
~Goethe

I'm a little depressed.  I know that I'm not supposed to care but I do.  I have been losing a few of my followers lately.  I don't know what I've been doing to cause this exodus.  I reply to almost every comment left to me (if there is a valid email).  I try to stop by several different blogs throughout the day and leave words of encouragement and/or support.  I try to provide something a little different each day with a bit of fun or information.  Where am I going wrong?  I'm not looking for pats on the shoulder or for you to join my pity party.  If there is something you don't like, please let me know.  I can't fix it if you don't tell me where it's broken.

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PHOTO FACT OF THE DAY

Blueberry Popover

Here is another obscure holiday that you may not know about.  It is National Blueberry Popover Day and it occurs on March 10 every year in the United States of America. On this day, the puffy, air-filled popover bread made with blueberries is celebrated. Popovers are sometimes compared to Yorkshire pudding, and they have an almost custard like base surrounded by air bubbles and a crisp crust. They are made using eggs, milk, butter and flour.
Blueberries are highly nutritious fruits, and they are thought to help fight diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. They contain high levels of antioxidants, which fight free radical damage on a cellular level. Studies have shown that consuming blueberries may help ward off the buildup of belly fat.2 However, this effect may be limited when they are paired with high fat foods such as popovers.

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BIRDIE STITCHES

Yesterday, well actually Tuesday evening, I finished stitching Block 3 of the Birdie Stitches BOM

Can you tell I made the border to represent March?  Definitely shamrock green.  I even stitched the birdie in green.  I tried something different with my stitching this time.  I decided to try stitching without a hoop.  I'm not pleased with how it came out.  My stitches are not uniform and the tension is not great.  Next month I'm definitely going back to the hoop.  If you would like to make a comparison, you can look at last month's block HERE.  That one just looks worlds better to me.  My thought on this?  "You don't know if you don't try it".  So it's been tried and I learned - Use A Hoop.

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ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Have you ever wondered what it was like "Down Under"?  I have but will probably never go :(  For me, the next best thing to going there is having made friends through blogland that live in Australia!  Monthly I send a block or two to that great land and receive a block back in exchange.  It is loads of fun and they even have that 'funny' way of talking.  Australia has some amazing quilters and they all have hearts of gold.  So won't you help me celebrate the one year anniversary of QUILTING BLOCK SWAPS AUSTRALIA!

Wouldn't you love to join this wonderful and fun group?  Sue B is our fantastic hostess who keeps us all organized and is the originator of the group.  There are more groups you can join that are relatives of this group, just jump on over to the website (link above or button on the sidebar).  All are welcome - even us regular talking Americans - they are not picky - lol!

Happy Anniversary Quilting Block Swaps Australia!!

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LAYER CAKE QAL

Yesterday I finished the 10th block of the Layer Cake QAL- but not without lots and lots of ripping and resewing!!

First I made this mistake.  You see the orange square?  It is supposed to be the bud part of the flower.  Then why is it floating in the air?  Because I sewed it together wrong and didn't even notice it until I had both of sides of the petals attached.

Here is what I thought was the finished block.  Mind you, I also had to rip out two more seams to get to this point!  I have to admit that I looked at this 'completed' block most of the day thinking "It just doesn't look right".  Well, if I would have looked at the example block I would have discovered what was wrong.  There were supposed to be green leaves - NOT A GREEN POT!  OMG!  This block took probably three times longer for me to make than it should have.  I thought I was paying attention but obviously not.  So, late yesterday evening I made the correction.......

Here is the correct finished block.  Doesn't it look better?  I guess for me the saying should be "Make it simple and Linda will screw it up"!  I really like the look of this block.  Oh, this block was designed by Kari Ramsay of Fresh Cut Quilts.  Don't tell her how messed up I made it look for awhile.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I think I will stick to some hand sewing and work on my Baltimore block.  Maybe I need a day away from the sewing machine.

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GIVEAWAYS

Amy's Creative Side is having a sponsored giveaway.  The Fat Quarter Shop has donated a bundle of Sugar and Spice by The Quilted Fish.  This giveaway ends Monday, March 14.

Happy Quilting is celebrating having 500 followers with a giveaway.  Melissa is giving away some amazing Fat Quarters from Riley Blake's new collection Penny Lane.  The giveaway will end on the evening of March 16th.

Wouldn't you like to win a darling applique pattern?  Then just click HERE to enter my giveaway!

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FINAL THOUGHT

Trial and error.  Mistake, mistake, mistake.  Learn, learn, learn.  Some days I think there is a barrier between my brain and my eyes and even down into my fingers.  There are days when simple becomes hard and hard seems impossible.  Luckily those days are far and few between.  I really do learn from days like yesterday.  If nothing else, it reminds me that I need to pay attention.  Attention to each and every detail.  Today is another day.  A day to start fresh.  A day to pay attention.  A day that everything will work correctly - brain, eyes, hands, and heart.

The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing.
~John Powell

A good Thursday to you all :)