Flower Power X 3

Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labeled "This could change your life."
~Helen Exley

Everything was quiet around the house yesterday.  It seemed a little strange after having family in and out for the last two weeks.  Even the birds outside were quiet - I think they were just trying to cope in the heat.  I enjoyed the peacefulness.  I enjoyed the solitude.  I did talk with my mother but that was just 30 minutes of listening with a couple of "is that right" and "I understand" thrown in for good measure.  I did finish listening to a book recommended to me by another blogger (I can't remember who *see me hanging my head in embarrassment*) - Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen.  Excellent!  It was a good book to sew by.  Do you ever listen to books while sewing?  Have you heard/read a good book lately?

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PHOTO FACT OF THE DAY

National Camera Day

The earliest cameras were massive, difficult to operate and required subjects to hold posses for so long they often needed to sit down or lean against a table.  Photography started with a camera and the basic idea has been around since about the 5th Century B.C. For centuries these were just ideas until an Iraqi scientist developed something called the camera obscura sometime in the 11th Century. Even then, the camera did not actually record images, they simply projected them onto another surface. The images were also upside down.  Photography and cameras were brought to the general public by George Eastman somewhere around 1885. He called his first camera the 'Kodak'. It was a simple box camera which had a fixed focus lens and had a single shutter speed. It had enough film for a hundred exposures (photos) and had to be sent back to the factory for processing the camera, as well as reloading it. Cameras became widely available only in the nineteenth century, with Kodak coming out with a series of box cameras as well as folding cameras.The Brownie by Kodak may be the cheapest camera to be ever made, with it being sold at around a dollar. The Brownie was also the camera to introduce the 'snapshot' concept. The Brownie was first introduced in 1900 and was on available for purchase even till 1960.  The first true digital camera was the Fuji DS-1P in 1988. It had a 16 MB internal memory. However, it was never released in the US. The first widely available digital camera was released in 1991, the Kodak DCS-100.

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HEXAGON SWAP

Yesterday I finished two hexagon flowers for my July swap partner in the Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap.  First I made this flower.......

Paula requested bright petals with the center being any color of green.  These petals are definitely bright.  Next I made Paula a second flower......

The purple isn't necessarily bright but the pinks and greens make the petals bright.  And, again, with the same green center.  These will be off in today's mail to Paula.

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MAIL DELIVERY TO CANADA

I read where we can now start sending mail to Canada again (as of Monday, June 27).  USPS said there might be some delays until all the backlog is cleared but they hope to have everything back to normal soon.

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MY OWN FLOWER

Today is One Flower Wednesday!  And, of course, I couldn't let that go by without my weekly addition to my GFG.....

Just look at those plump little ladybugs on the petals!  I like how their feet added a whole different dimension to the center of the flower.  And, yes, this is another green center.  Guess I just sort of got stuck on green this week.  This will be a great addition to my other bright flowers :)

And, thanks to Karen's linky (of Journey of a Quilter), you can view more wonderful hexagon flowers out there in blogland by clicking on Karen's name or on the link on my sidebar.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I will make swap blocks for Block Swap Adventure and Quilting Block Swaps Australia.

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GIVEAWAYS

Amy's Creative Side is having a giveaway.  You could win 2 Lapel Sticks.  This giveaway ends Friday, July 1.

Irish Muses is having a giveaway.  You could win a Beam n Read.  This giveaway ends Friday, July 1, Irish time.

Happy Cottage Quilter is having a giveaway.  You could win a Beam n Read here also.  A winner will be selected Saturday, July 2.

Diary of a Quilt Maven is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of Snowy Garden Stitcheries pattern.  Monica will pick a winner on Friday, July 1.

Diary of a Quilt Maven is also having another giveaway.  In this giveaway you could win 6 patterns by Sue Daley of Patchwork With Busy Fingers.  A winner will also be drawn for this giveaway on Friday, July 1.

Fabric Worm is having their weekly giveaway.  This week you could win 6 bolt ends from the Heather Ross Far Far Away 3 collection from Kokka Japan.  This giveaway ends Monday, July 4, at 8:30 am PST.

Do you need a new pair of embroidery scissors?  Or maybe a kit for a table runner?  You could win those at MY VACATION GIVEAWAY!

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FINAL THOUGHT

I have been toying with the idea of purchasing a new sewing machine.  I'm just beginning the research.  I would absolutely love a long arm and quilting frame but have neither the money nor the room.  I have started with research on the HQ Sweet Sixteen with the sit down table.  It affords ample sewing room for quilting without taking up too much room.  Plus it lets me sit down while quilting which is a good thing since I can't stand up for long periods of time.  Have any of you ever used this machine?  Could you let me know the pros and cons?  Is there another machine out there similar to the HQ Sweet Sixteen that allows you to sit down?  Do you know of a good source that reviews such machines?  As you can tell, I asking you for your advice.  Let me hear from you!

I always pass on good advice.  It's the only thing to do with it.  It is never any use to oneself. 
 ~Oscar Wilde