Flowers Crossing The Ocean

Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain. 
~J.K. Rowling

I'm so bummed!!!  My Janome has developed a mind of its own.  There is definitely something wrong with its inner workings.  It stitches fine but when I want it to stop, it won't!  And there are times when it will even speed up all by itself!  I take my foot off the foot control and it continues to stitch.  I try pushing the manual start/stop button and nothing happens.  Okay.....so I tried turning it off and letting it sit for awhile.  Turned it back on and the screen said to lower the pressure foot and raise the needle.  If I don't obey it keeps beeping at me.  So first I raised the needle.....then s-l-o-w-l-y lowered the pressure foot and away it goes...stitch after stitch after stitch!  Today was the day for the sewing machine repairman to be at the LQS so that means mine won't be looked at until next week.  This machine-over-owner thing had started happening a while back but would only happen a few times and then for only a few stitches.  There's no stopping it this time.  So that meant I had to bring out the simpler Janome - the one I don't have a walking foot for, the one that doesn't do well in a satin stitch, the one that doesn't have a darning foot or FMQ foot, the one that doesn't have a knee lift.  After sewing on the little machine yesterday my knee has a bruise from hitting the side of the table and I'm tired of having to manually cut the threads.  Oh well, it's better than not having  a machine at all.

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PHOTO FACT OF THE DAY

Trail Mix

Today, August 31, is National Trail Mix Day.  Trail mix is thousands of years old. Ancient nomadic tribes used to mix up dried berries, fruits, nuts and meats together. Trail mix was (and is) high in energy, needs no specialized storage, and does not require cooking prior to consumption.  Later, explorers continued the use of trail mixes, for the very same reasons, taking the high-energy food with them on their travels over many a trail, mountain or ocean. Native Americans had a special spin on trail mix, which they shared with those explorers they had good relations with. Their mix was called pemmican, and consisted of dried buffalo, moose or caribou, mixed with animal fat and berries, and lasted for months. Pieces were often broken off and used to make a stew, called rubbaboo, by adding flour, water, and maple sugar.  Despite this long, storied history, two separate companies, Harmony Foods and Hadley Fruit Orchards of California, state that the name “trail mix” was invented in 1968 by surfers who mixed together peanuts and raisins to keep their energy levels up during more “gnarly surf” periods. They hold to this statement despite a 1958 novel by Jack Kerouac mentioning trail mix by name.  Today’s trail mix often includes fruit, grain cereals, nuts, flavorings, chocolate or carob, coconut, pretzels, and sometimes crystallized ginger.

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SWAP FLOWERS

Yesterday I mailed off flowers to my swap partner in the Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap......

My swap partner, Gemma, requested flowers in either blue and whites or blues and yellows. in a floral print.   This one looks so bright and cheery.  Then I made a second flower.....

This one is a bit more sedate but still fits her requirements.  This is the first time I have ever sent anything to Spain.  I hope they don't take too long to get there.

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FLOWERS FOR AUNT SARAH QUILT

Over the weekend I was only able to make two more flowers for the Aunt Sarah Quilt.....

No, those dots are not on the fabric.  They are holes I've punched into my templates.  These flowers are smaller than the ones above.  These are only 3/4" hexagons.

Here is the second flower I made.  I like the look of the vine in the center hexagon.  If I only make two flowers a week for the this quilt I will be a whole heck of a lot older before it is ever finished.

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ONE FLOWER WEDNESDAY

And now to share my favorite flowers of the week.......

Just a little love to share with you today.  The purple basket weave fabric made for some interesting petals.

And now I will give you the sky and the stars - lol!  I'm really into that blue and yellow color combination lately. 

Would you like to see more hexies?  There are all kinds of colors, prints, and fussy cuts out there in blogland.  Thanks to Karen, all you have to do is click on her name or the link on the right sidebar and you will see all the flowers for One Flower Wednesday.

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A LITTLE PRACTICE

This may be the last FMQ practice you see from me until some time next week :(  The little machine doesn't have a darning foot or a FMQ foot so unless I can get the regular machine to cooperate these will be the last two you will see from for awhile.......

This was yesterday's practice.  By the time I was ready to add the title of the piece to the top I had been fighting with my machine for over 20 minutes.  Thus the reason (or at least excuse) for the misspelling.  It should read  Trailing Spirals.  You can see spots where the machine just kept on stitching and I wanted to stop - there is thread buildup :(

Now this is a practice I had lots of fun with.  I can see this used in a quilt in the future.  This practice piece is called Goldilocks

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I will finish the tops to for the Loving Hands Quilts.  Unfortunately, I won't be able to quilt them too :(

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GIVEAWAYS

Annie's Ruby Slipperz is having her weekly giveaway.  You could win 5 fat quarters.  This giveaway ends Saturday, September 3, at midnight.

Amanda Murphy Design is having a giveaway.  You could win a Garden Paths pattern and one Veranda roll-up.  This giveaway ends Saturday, September 3.

Love Affair With My Brother is having a giveaway.  You could win a charm pack of Amelia or a charm pack of Dilly Dally.  This giveaway ends Sunday, September 4.

Diary of a Quilter is having a giveaway.  You could win one of three gift certificates from Shabby Fabrics.  This giveaway ends Friday, September 2, at midnight MST.

V and Company is having a sponsored giveaway.  You could win a fat quarter bundle of Kona solids.  This giveaway ends Thursday, September 1.

Our Busy Little Bunch is having a giveaway.  You could win a five pack of Aurifil thread.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, September 6.

Kate Conklin Design is having a giveaway.  Kate has some left over scraps to give away from her Baby Mobile quilt.  She will draw a winner this weekend.

Michelle's Quilts and Stuff is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of the MyMemories scrapbook software.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, September 6.

Quilting Dreams is ready to send the Traveling Stash on its way.  This giveaway ends Thursday, September 1.

Primitive Quilts and Projects is having a giveaway.  You could win a pattern.  This giveaway ends Monday, September 5.

Sew Sweetness Giveaways is having a giveaway (duh).  Here is your chance to win a GO! Baby Cutter and your choice of 3 dies.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, September 6, at 11:00 pm CST.

Be sure to come back Friday, I just might be having a giveaway you will be interested in.

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FINAL THOUGHT

Do you realize today is the last day of August?  Summer is almost over - at least that's what the calendar says.  I have been reading blogs where there are those of you out there that are actually starting to feel fall in the air.  I'm envious!  The only indication that fall is coming around here is that it gets darker earlier at night.  This summer was busier for us than normal but in a good way.  We took a few more short trips and were able to entertain family more.  We actually had fewer days above 100 degrees (F) but I think we had more in the high 90's.  I feel for those in Texas who have had record heat this summer.  I hope that you will feel cooler weather soon too.  So say goodbye to August (waving) and tomorrow welcome September in with a smile :D

Every day is an opportunity to make a new happy ending. 
~Author Unknown