See The Bees

As ye sew, so shall ye rip. 

~Author Unknown

Eight blocks down and 2 more to go.  Over the last couple of days I have done nothing but work on swap and Bee blocks.  I bet you will be as glad as I am when I'm finally finished with all of them.  I thought they would be going out in the mail today but it looks more like Monday.  I didn't want to take time away from sewing to prepare the packages.  Some of them will be winging their way across the ocean and others will travel just a few states away.  Yesterday I should have stopped sewing after the first seam.  The first seam had to be ripped out.  And it went down hill from there.  One block I'm working on has lots of color changes and turns - Mr. Ripper and I have become BFFs once again.  Two seams in - one seam out.  One portion of the block together, whew....uh oh - rip and replace a center section.  I knew I was tired when I started.  You would think I would learn - STAY AWAY FROM THE SEWING MACHINE WHEN YOU ARE TIRED!!!!  But no, I had to continue sewing and ripping, ripping and sewing.  Hopefully today will be a better sewing day! 

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PHOTO FACT OF THE DAY

Rain Day

Here's a weird little holiday, courtesy of Waynesburg, Pennsylvania. It all started back on July 28th, 1874, when a farmer told Byron Daly, the owner of a drug store, that tomorrow he should expect rain. The farmer made this guess because it always rained on his birthday, July 29th. When the farmer's prediction proved true, Mr. Daly made an annual game of it, betting store patrons and townspeople that they could expect rain on July 29th. The typical wager for this bet: a hat. Every year it rained, and every year Mr. Daly won himself a new hat. Over the years Daly and his son amassed a huge collection of hats, which were donated to raise money for charity. So next time it rains on Rain Day, just think, somebody out there is winning a hat. And somebody's bare head is getting soaking wet.

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SQUISHY RECEIVED

Earlier this week I received a squishy from New Zealand.....

Alethea made these two beautiful blocks for me.  I love all of the wonderful greens she used.  Alethea was my July swap partner for Quilting Block Swaps Australia.  Thank you, Alethea! 

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SOME BEE BLOCKS

Today I will share 3 blocks I have made for Let's Bee Together...

This block was made for Colleen.  She is the August Hostess for Let's Bee Together Group A.  Colleen sent out some wonderful fabric from DS Quilts Picnic and Fairgrounds line to work with.  I'm sorry that the colors didn't turn out exactly right in the photo because the red is a true red and the yellow is a bit more golden.  She also selected the dreaded Wonky Star which you all know is my "favorite" star to make. LOL!

Jadie was our July hostess for Let's Bee Together Group B.  She wanted to stay with the patriotic theme of July 4th and sent out these bold, solid colors to work with.  Jadie said that we could make any star block we liked so I went with the Amish Star Block.  I really like how this one looks :D

Oh look!  Another one of my "favorite" Wonky Star blocks!  Erin is the August hostess for Let's Bee Together Group B.  She sent out the center little block with the saying (isn't it cute?!?) along with a little bit of red and some black and white fabrics.  Erin said we could make any block we wanted and with the pieces that she sent, I thought wonky was the best way to go.

I think that's it for that Bee group.  I will show you Bee In Oz blocks on another day. 

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FMQ - DAYS 12 and 13

Wednesday's fmq practice was a great thread burner.  I went through half of a bobbin on Cat Hairball Filler.  What a name - lol!  I would do okay for awhile and then my mind would sort of go numb and I would almost forget what I was doing.  I finally quit about two-thirds of the way up the block.

Thursday's practice from Leah was a better pattern.  However, I forgot to increase the speed on my machine so some of my stitches ended up a bit long.  Another case of being tired when starting out the sewing day.  This pattern is called Trailing Tears.   I did concentrate more when traveling back on top of previous stitching.  Some of it turned out pretty good.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I hope to finish up with the swap and Bee blocks - I hope, I hope, I hope.....

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GIVEAWAYS

Olive and Ollie is having a giveaway.  Heather is giving away a copy of QuiltAlbum.  This giveaway ends Wednesday, August 3, at midnight EST.

Design Editor is having a giveaway.  You could win more than $375 worth of items from nine generous designers and shops (too much stuff to list!).  This giveaway ends Saturday, July 30, at midnight EST.

Possom Blossom Patchwork is having her first giveaway.  You could win any two packs of die-cut or e-cut paper pieces or card pieces from her store (100 pieces per pack, you choose the shape/size).  This giveaway ends Saturday, August 6 (Aussie time).

Cut To Pieces is celebrating her anniversary with a giveaway.  You could win jelly roll of Little Apples.  This giveaway ends ?

Diary of a Quilt Maven is having a giveaway for followers only.  You could win the pattern Fat Quarter Quilting: Reproduction Fabrics Two and six Civil War to get you started.  This giveaway ends Wednesday, August 3.

Jane's Fabrics and Quilts is having a giveaway.  You could win an I-rock by imaginisce.  The winner will be announced Sunday, July 31.

Ruby Blue Quilting Studio is having a birthday giveaway.  You could win a Charm Pack, your choice of Charmed Living Series pattern, your choice of 2 other Ruby Blue Patterns and your favorite candy bar.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, August 2.

Love, Laugh, Quilt is having a giveaway.  You could win an autographed copy of Out Of The Box.  This giveaway ends "in a couple of days".

Diary of a Quilter is having a giveaway.  You could win a $25 gift certificate from Crafty Girls Workshop.  This giveaway ends Saturday, July 30, at midnight MST.

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FINAL THOUGHT
As we head into the weekend, I am already trying to plan out my strategy for next week.  What will I be working on?  Will I be able to finish anything?  After spending an entire week on blocks for others it almost feels a bit strange to think that I will be sewing for myself again.  Of course, I could always work on the little quilts for Loving Hands and then there's those borders to put on the QOV quilts.  But I think next week will be for me.  It will be the start of a new month.  Another month of summer here in Central California.  A month where kids start talking about the beginning of a new school year.  A month where many families take their summer vacation - a trip to the beach, a trip to the mountains, or even a trip to see relatives.  Are you ready for a new month?  I know I am.

Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability. 
~Sam Keen