I DID FMQ!

Inflation hasn't ruined everything. A dime can still be used as a screwdriver.
  ~Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

My dreaded chore of grocery shopping on Wednesday actually went a little better than expected.  The store was practically empty.  We should have guessed this would be the case when we walked in and nobody, and I mean nobody, was in line for fried chicken.  There is always a line in the deli for fried chicken.  I had even asked DH if the store had run out of fried chicken - lol!  I don't know where everybody was but I'm not complaining.  We zipped through the store, bought what was on our list (minus two things) and were back home in less than 45 minutes.  I almost gagged when I looked at the receipt and noticed that a bag of frozen peas cost $3.69!!!!  WOW!  Talk about inflation!  That used to be one of the cheapest thing you could buy at the store.  I like to have a bag on hand for when I run out of fresh veggies, something quick to throw in the microwave for some green.  Oh well (sigh).  I guess nothing is cheap any more.

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PHOTO FACT OF THE DAY

Potatoes

 

 

Today, August 19, is National Potato Day.  Here's a holiday to celebrate one totally tubular tuber! The potato is a versatile food source and contributes to so many favorite recipes worldwide. The average annual diet of a global citizen is 73 pounds of potato and the world's top potato producer is China. So get up, couch potatoes, it's time to start peeling, slicing, mashing and frying to get your fill of potatoes today.  Did you know the potato is the world’s fourth most important food crop?  I bet you already know that approximately 1/3 of all potatoes grown in the US are grown in the state of Idaho but did you know that 62% of all Idaho potatoes that are harvested are used to make frozen or instant potatoes?  And our most starchy population is New York which consumes more potatoes than any other state, followed by Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

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LITTLE QUILTS

Earlier this week I finished three little quilts for Loving Hands. 

I used some fabric from my stash and made 2 1/2" strips and used the Jelly Roll Race quilt plan. 

Once it went together I wasn't real happy with the fabrics I used.  These will definitely be for little boys.  But you know what?  I actually did FMQ on each of these little quilts!

I did all over meandering on one.  I used the same gingham backing on two of the quilts.

And I did loop meandering on the other two.  What fun I had with this!

Here you can see the loops on the gingham and also where I outlined the little bee applique that was on the front. 

Here are the three little appliques that I cut using my GO! cutter and then appliqued to a front corner with a satin stitch.  I thought these might add just a little bit of cuteness to the quilts.  I really am happy that I used FMQ on these three little quilts.  It was a great exercise and they do look pretty good (if you don't look too closely).  I turned them into my quilt guild last night to be given to one of the local hospital's NICU.

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TWO MORE FMQ

I have tried two more of Leah Day's FMQ practice squares......

Wobbly Cosmos was fun to do.  I still have some trouble tracing exactly on the outside stitch lines.  I can see this pattern being used as another type of flower design.

Yesterday's practice is called River Path.  Ignore the top center error where I forgot to curve - I didn't realize that I was that close to the top.  You can also see some squiggly moves in a lot of the lines - this is where I reposition my fingers without stopping the stitching.  I'm so used to moving my fingers along a seam line that I forget it is best to stop before rearranging you hands and fingers while attempting FMQ.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I will work on a couple of swap blocks.

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GIVEAWAYS

Tales at Wayne Manor is having a giveaway.  You could win one yard each of two prints of Joel Dewberry's Deer Valley.  Not sure when this one ends :(

The Veggie Hunter is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of the My Memories Suit software.  This giveaway ends ?

Button Mad is having a giveaway.  You could be one of 20 lucky people to win some darling hand painted owl buttons.  This giveaway ends Wednesday, August 24.

Little Island Quilting is having a giveaway.  You could win a fat quarter bundle of Pooches and Pickups from Fat Quarter Shop.  This giveaway ends Thursday, August 25, at 8:00 pm Little Island time.

PS I Quilt is having a giveaway.  You could win a promenade fat quarter bundle from Green Fairy Quilts.  This giveaway ends Monday, August 22.

Hawthorne Treads is having their weekly giveaway.  You could win a Peacock Land Fat quarter bundle.  This giveaway ends Wednesday, August 23.

The Jolly Jabber is having a giveaway.  You could win one of John Adams' Blogger’s Choice Fat Quarter Bundles.  This giveaway ends Wednesday, August 24.

Green Fairy Quilts is having a giveaway.  You could win a fat quarter bundle with 38 fat quarters in it called "Coming Home" by Deb Strain for Moda Fabrics, a jelly roll called   "Panier de Fleurs" by French General for Moda Fabrics or a layer cake called "Northcote Range" by Cabbage and Roses for Moda Fabrics.  Not sure when this one ends.

Crooked SeamsModa Scrap Bag, filled with strips from Sandy Gervais's Awesome collection.  This giveaway ends Monday, August 22, at midnight EST.

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FINAL THOUGHT

It's time to straighten up the sewing room.  I have stacks of fabric and scraps on almost every surface of the room.  I have managed to keep all scraps and WIP's off my DH's desk.  Or, at least I make sure it is cleaned off every evening before he comes home - lol!  I have books on the printer and swap blocks along with I Spy blocks and a fat quarter bundle on the computer desk.  The cutting table has quite a mound of scraps accumulated on it.  The sewing table is piled high in one corner with a WIP, FMQ squares, and another endless heap of scraps.  Even the digital clock has a small stack of scrap sandwiches that I use to check tension on.  I'm constantly picking threads off of the poor pups and pulling bitty scraps of fabric out of their bed.  It wouldn't be so bad if that all didn't stick to their fur and then end up all over the house.  I'm a big enough thread snip magnet as it is leaving my little trail of bits and pieces throughout the house.  They say clutter is a sign of creativity.  I think I should post that sign at my front door as a warning to all who enter.

I'm creative - you can't expect me to be neat too. 
~Author Unknown