Blocks and Practice X Three

Silence is more musical than any song. 
~Christina Rossetti

Thumpa, thumpa, thumpa is what I heard most of the day yesterday.  The teenage boy next door was home playing his music almost the entire day.  He must not have school on Thursdays.  This was one time I was glad not to have the windows opened.  I was actually glad to hear the A/C running.  Unfortunately, I couldn't drown out the noise with my sewing machine as it was a day spent on the computer prepping for October's swap group, paying bills, and other miscellaneous.  There were two definite bright spots in my day.  First, a friend that had moved away over a year ago surprised me at lunch with a visit!  How fun to catch up and hear what's been going on in her life.  And the brightest spot of all was learning that my DD#1 and GS#2 will be coming out for a almost a week at the end of the month.  WOW! That's next week.  I'm already counting the days.  Happy dance being done by me!!!!!

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Pasta

Sunday, September 25, is World Pasta Day.  Will you be fixing spaghetti or lasagne?  How about some mac 'n cheese or just a heaping bowl of angel hair smothered in cheese and your favorite sauce?  While you are deciding, here are some fun pasta facts:

* There are more than 600 pasta shapes produced worldwide

* In 18th century England, macaroni was a synonym for perfection and excellence. That's why, for example, the feather in Yankee Doodle's cap was called "macaroni." In fact, the word "macaroni" means "dearest darlings" in Italian.

* The Chinese are on record as having eaten pasta as early as 5,000 B.C.

* In Italian, fettucine means ribbons; stelline means little stars; and capelli d'angelo means angel's hair.

* Thomas Jefferson is credited with introducing macaroni to the United States. It seems that he fell in love with a certain dish he sampled in Naples while serving as the U.S. Ambassador to France. In fact, he promptly ordered crates of "maccaroni," along with a pasta-making machine, sent back to the States

* America’s first large pasta factory was built in Brooklyn, New York in 1848 by a Frenchman who would spread out his spaghetti strands on the roof to dry in the sunshine.
* "Pasta" is Italian for "dough."
* Approximately 2.75 million tons of pasta is made in Italy each year.

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FINAL BLOCKS

I had finished all of my swap blocks for September earlier in the month but just realized I hadn't shared them all......

This was the first of three blocks I made for Block Swap Adventure members.  I had my own swap partner and then made two more for members whose swap partners failed to produce blocks of their own.  This block is called Go Along Star #2.  It was made for Susan Mc. 

This block is called Friendship Scrap Block and was made for Robyn.  Her color preferences were burgundy and cream.  What looks like white is really cream.

And, finally, this block was made for Carolyn.  Her preferences were for civil war prints/colors.  What appears to be turquoise was actually a bit more green.  This block is called A Dandy.

All of these blocks can be found at Quilter's Cache.

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FREE MOTION QUILTING X 3

I realized after I posted on Wednesday, that I forgot to include my FMQ practices from Monday and Tuesday.  Now I have three to share as I also have Wednesday's.

This practice was fun!  And it even looks like its name - Fern & Stem.

Pebbles in the Stream was more challenging.  I had some trouble tracing over the stones.  Thank goodness all stones are perfect circles because my stones were anything but.

Now I probably won't use this pattern on any of my quilts but it was a lot of fun to do.  And my circles were closer to actually being round.  This one is called Fiery Comet.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I hope to complete a table runner........maybe

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GIVEAWAYS

Chatterbox Quilts Chitchat is having a giveaway.  You could win MyMemories software.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, September 27, at 8:00 pm MST.

Tea Rose Home is having a giveaway.  You could win a fat quarter stack of Indian Summer and a layer cake of Wanna be a Cowboy2.  This giveaway ends tonight, Friday, September 23, at midnight.

Mariliz's Musings is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of the book, The Harvest of Grace.  This giveaway ends Sunday, September 25.

Cloth Stitched is having a giveaway to celebrate her daughter's birthday.  You could win a 1/2  yard piece of Denyse Schmidt’s Fairgrounds dots blue and 5 colors of DMC embroidery floss.  This giveaway ends tonight, Friday, September 23, at midnight EST.

Life's Rich Patterns is having a giveaway.  You could win a FQ bundle of Moroccan Mirage in the Marrakech colourway.  This giveaway ends Thursday, September 29, at 5:00 pm GMT.

Inside The Studio is having a giveaway.  You could win Boy and Girl Fat Quarter Bundles from "Meadow Friends" or a Fat Quarter bundle of "Coming Home" fabric and Deb Strain's 2012 "Coming Home" calendar.  This giveaway ends Saturday, October 1.

The Average Quilter is having a giveaway.  You could win two books, Quilter's Complete Guide and Skillbuilder Companion, or a box full of embroidery floss.  This giveaway ends Saturday, October 1.

Quilt Story is having a sponsored giveaway.  You could win a $25 gift certificate to Fashionable Fabrics.  This giveaway ends Monday, September 26.

Leona's Quilting Adventure is celebrating her 200th post with a giveaway.  You could win 10 fat quarters of Free Spirit Fabric by Annette Tatum's Lifestyle collection, one package of Timtex Interfacing 13.5" X 22", one Quilt in a Day Large Flying Geese ruler, and one copy of The Startooth Quilt by Jean Wells.  This giveaway ends Saturday, October 1, at midnight EST.

Rogue Quilter is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of Patchwork-Play Quilts by Lynn Roddy Brown.  This giveaway ends ?

Heirlooms by Ashton House is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of Stitches from the Schoolhouse by Renée Plains of Liberty Star.  This giveaway ends Thursday, September 29.

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FINAL THOUGHT

Today and tomorrow I will be enjoying a breather from the daily normal.  We will be doing a little bit of running around but we will also be enjoying some different sights and sounds.  I will share them with you on Monday.  I'm still enjoying the fact that my DD#1 and GS#2 will be here in less than a week.  Plus, during that time we will be visited by DD#2 and SILALS Walk to Defeat with me and DH on October 1.  This may not be a fun disease but it does bring my family together.  Fun will be had, laughter shared, and probably some food consumed during that time too - lol!  I'm not wishing my days away but I sure wish next week would get here in a hurry!

The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.

~Abraham Lincoln