A Completed Mystery

For fast-acting relief, try slowing down.

~Lily Tomlin

What a relaxing weekend I had.  With DH gone, there were no errands to run or meals to fix.  I had a wonderful time visiting with my SIL.  We watched a few movies, caught up with each others lives, and just relaxed.  We even had dinner delivered to the door Saturday evening :)  I was able to get quite a bit of hand sewing in and spent very little time online.  DH and BIL arrived home around 3:00 Sunday happy and a little sunburned.  It was a great weekend all around.  Sometimes it's nice to have the regular routine of life interrupted, even if it's just for a couple of days.  I hope you all had a great weekend, too.

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PHOTO FACT OF THE DAY

Blueberries

July is National Blueberry Month, unless you live in British Columbia - then National Blueberry Month is August.  Doesn't a blueberry muffin sound good right about now?  Or a fresh picked bowl of blueberries?  How about a warm out of the oven blueberry pie?  I'll take all three, thank you very much.  Here are a few facts about blueberries to help you celebrate:

* blueberries are related to azaleas, camellias, heathers, and rhododendrons

* Wild blueberries tend to contain more brain-saving bioflavonoids than the domestic ones

* blueberries are native to North America

* In Sweden, dried blueberries are used to treat childhood diarrhea.  This use is attributed to anthocyanosides, a natural substance found in blueberries which is believed to be lethal to E.Coli

* blueberries won't ripen once they are picked

* On January 12, 2004, Gov. James E. McGreevey of New Jersey signed a bill into law naming the blueberry the Garden State’s official fruit

* blueberries have more antioxidants than most other fruits and vegetables

* Blueberry Jelly Bellies were created especially for Ronald Reagan

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ONE MORE JOURNAL BLOCK

On Friday I finished up the second block for A Gardener's Journal quilt......


This block is called Watering The Garden.  It will end up being 4 1/2" X 6 1/2".  I don't really  like the way the blue thread shows through for the water lines but it called for a running stitch and I couldn't really figure out how to prevent this and still have the spaces in between the stitches.
 

Here is the back.  I had to use knots this time on the back because of the french knots (the flower buds on the large bush) and for the beginning and ends of the running stitches.  Two down and 22 more to go.  Of course, some of those 22 blocks are very small - thank goodness :)

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IT'S A WRAP!

Over the weekend I worked on hand stitching down the binding.....

It seemed like an endless binding.......but I finally finished!

This is the Designer Mystery BOM 2009/2010 that you watched me work on for almost a year.  One block a month, each with a Christmas theme. 

The beautiful quilting was done by my friend, Vera Watkins.  And, do you know, when it was time to pick up my quilt from Vera, she presented us with an absolutely delicious pan of homemade cinnamon breakfast rolls.  Thank you so very much, Vera, for the wonderful quilting job and for the scrumptious breakfast rolls!

This is my first, and probably last, Christmas quilt.  This was a fun quilt to make.  Fat Quarter Shop provided plenty of fabric for each block, so much so that I lots of scraps for future projects.  The finished size is 69" X 75".  It feels good to have another quilt finished this year!!!

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I will work on a the 'simple' quilt I started last week.

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GIVEAWAYS

Threadgatherer is having a giveaway.  Here is one more chance for you to win a GO! Baby Cutter and 3 dies.  Deb will select a winner on Thursday, July 14.

I'm Just A Guy Who Quilts is having a giveaway.  You could win some fabric from Robert Kaufman and/or some Amanda Murphy patterns.  Ryan will announce the winners on  Wednesday, July 13.

Teresa's Heartfelt Stitches is having a Thank You giveaway.  You could win a notebook cover made from a "Lizzy Kate" pattern and some other added surprises.  This giveaway ends Sunday, July 17, at midnight.

The Intrepid Thread is having a giveaway.  You could win 2 charm packs (76 charms total) of Kate Spain's new Terrain that is not yet available in the stores.  This giveaway ends Friday, July 15, at midnight.

My Quilt Diary is celebrating her blogiversary with a giveaway.  Julie is giving away a few things that are very Japanese.  She will draw a winner on her actual blogiversary, Monday, July 23.

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FINAL THOUGHT

It's a new week.  Monday brings all sorts of plans and wishes for the week to come.  I hope to get lots of sewing in this week.  I plan to finish a quilt top this week.  Perhaps I'll make a block or two of the WIP that is sitting on my sewing table that just recently moved from the UFO pile.  Maybe I can even get some stitchery time in too.  Oh, and I need to make some 12" blocks so I can start practicing fmq.  Of course there's reading blogs, emails, and preparing my own blog.  And I suppose I need to fix a dinner or two - DH sometimes likes to eat dinner when he gets home from a long day at work.  No shopping is planned for this week - that's definitely a good thing!!  And, of course, I have to stop numerous times a day to give doggy loves and hugs - therapy for both pups and me.  Do you have big plans this week?  Do you have a specific wish for this week?

I like to think of thoughts as living blossoms borne by the human tree.
~James Douglas