All Sorts Of Color

Where you find quality, you will find a craftsman, not a quality-control expert. 
~Robert Brault

It happened to me again yesterday.  I was reading some of my favorite blogs after lunch and found another pattern I just had to have.  And it's all Sunny's fault!  Not really :)   But it was on her blog where I saw the pattern.  Then I realized that the pattern is in a magazine - one that I don't subscribe to.  As a result, I was off to Google doing a search for said magazine.  Fifteen minutes later I found two sites offering the desired magazine and decided to order it.  It's a little more than I would normally pay for a magazine but then that's what happens when you buy a single issue.  Because of the search, I also found a new online company.  Service seems to be great as they already sent me a notice that the magazine was shipped!  I'll let you know the Who and the What when it arrives.

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PHOTO FACT OF THE DAY

Cork Board

Today is cork board day.  Cork has been around for millennia. Cork bottle stoppers have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs. In ancient Greece, many items such as fishing net floats, sandals and bottle stoppers were made with cork. It was not until the end of the 19th century, however, that cork board was invented.

Throughout the ages, cork was produced same as it ever was, with much of the cork going to waste. In 1890, a German company began collecting the waste cork particles and using a clay binder to create an agglomerate cork sheet. The next year an American by the name of John T. Smith improved upon the process. Instead of using a clay binder, Smith's process used heat and pressure to combine the waste cork together, created a pure agglomerated cork board.
Initially, cork board was used primarily as insulation. This all changed in 1924 when George Brooks, a resident of Topeka, Kansas, patented a new use for cork board: as a bulletin board you could stick tacks into. A simple yet brilliant idea which has impacted the way we post messages to this day. Also known as pin boards, bulletin boards and of course cork boards, George Brooks' invention is a mainstay in homes and offices around the world.

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SWAP BLOCK RECEIVED

The mailman brought a squishy to my door the other day.....

This wonderful block came to me from Helen who lives in Australia.  Helen was my June swap partner in Quilting Block Swaps Australia.  The block is called Blazing Arrow.  She also included a note telling me all about the cute little bird on the front.  It is a blue wren.  I do wish our wrens were so colorful.  Thank you so very much, Helen, for the great block and all of the info on the little wren!!

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BLOCKS TOGETHER

Yesterday I started sewing rows of blocks.  That lead to sewing rows together.

Here's a peek at what I've been working on.  I have added one border and need to add one more border before I will let you see the whole thing.  Tomorrow I will be able to share with you the completed top :)

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FMQ PRACTICE - DAY 2

Yesterday I did the next practice block from Leah Day in the beginner category.  Leah called this Cursive F's.

I would get about half way across the row and all of a sudden couldn't remember how to make a 'Cursive F'.  And after thinking about it all day I finally figured out why I ran into trouble.  That is not how I make a cursive F - lol!  I think my brain tried to take over part way through and the hand didn't want to follow.  Oh well.  Can you tell I tried something else new?  I brought out a stencil I have had for a couple of years and traced it onto the fabric.  I used a red pen but I think I should have used a yellow chalk marker - it would have been easier to see.  I don't think I did too awfully bad with those.

I even signed this one.  Who knows, maybe someday down in history someone will think this was a real work of art.  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I will finish putting the border on my Dora's variation quilt and maybe make a block or two for the UFO (or WIP) from last month.

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GIVEAWAYS

Quilty Habit is having a giveaway.  You could win 3 wonderful fat quarters.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, July 19, at 11:00 pm EST.

Happy Quilting is having a giveaway.  You could win an entire fat quarter bundle of Kate Spain's Flurry.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, July 19.

Cat Patches is celebrating her one year blogiversary with a giveaway.  You could win three 1 yard cuts of some wonderful fabric.  This giveaway ends Wednesday, July 27.

Lily's Quilts is having a giveaway.  You could win a GO! Baby Cutter and your choice of 3 dies.  The winner will be selected on Wednesday, July 20.

Me? A Mom? is having a giveaway.  You could win a GO! Baby Cutter and your choice of 3 dies.  This giveaway ends Wednesday, July 20.

Creative Confessions is having a celebration giveaway.  Heather's giveaway is centered around Jo Morton and includes one of her books, some beautiful fat quarters and a BH&;G magazine that has a lot of Jo Morton information.  This giveaway ends Sunday, July 24, at midnight.

Our Busy Little Bunch is having a giveaway.  You could win Ann Kelle's Designer Select Fat Quarter Bundle
Urban Zoologie Collection.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, July 19.

Mariliz's Musings is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of the book, A Place Called Blessing, by John Trent with Annette Smith.  A winner will be drawn on Monday, July 18.

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FINAL THOUGHT
 I think I've figured out my time dilemma.  Next week I'm going to start blogging only on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays.  I think this will work well for me.  Of course I will still be reading blogs daily and collecting giveaways as I go to pass on to you.  And, I can always throw a blog out there on a Tuesday or Thursday if I should feel the need.  This schedule will give me at least 3 more hours a week to dedicate to sewing.  I can get a lot done in three hours.  And, who knows.....maybe I will find I don't like that schedule and go back to 5 days a week.  This was a BIG decision for me as I really do enjoying writing my posts.  Like I said before - too bad I have to eat and sleep - sewing is much more fun than either of those two things - lol!

A peacefulness follows any decision, even the wrong one.
~Rita Mae Brown