Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Fun Flowers

If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting off doing it.
 ~Olin Miller

Why is it when I feel pressured by a deadline, I will work on anything but what I'm supposed to?  Or why do I waste precious time on the computer doing nothing of importance?  I get so mad at myself.  Nobody else to blame.  It's something I've always seemed to do.  I really do hate the feeling of "have to".  I have set these demands and deadlines on myself.  Each day I tell myself "you will get 'item with deadline' right from the beginning with no messing around".  But NO!  Not me!  I guess it's something I should be used to by now and should have learned to correct.  It's definitely a flaw in my personality.  Oh well..........  Do you put off doing what should be done right away?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Buttons

Today, November 16, is National Button Day.Often when you buy a jacket or cardigan, the garment will come with a bonus button to hang on to for later repairs. Of course, we usually just toss this button in a box somewhere and then by the time we need it we forgot we ever had it in the first place. Okay, maybe this doesn't happen to everyone, but for those of us with a box of misfit buttons, today's the day to put them to good use.  Here are a few facts about buttons:
* Archeologists have discovered button-like objects dating as far back as 2000 BC, which were most likely used more for decoration than for fastening.
* Button holes were not used in Europe until some 3,500 years after the first buttons.
*  In the 18th century, only men sported highly decorated buttons on their frock coats, while women still fastened their gowns with lacing or hooks and eyes.
* France’s King Louis XIV, the infamous Sun King, reached the zenith of button excess by spending $6 million on buttons during his reign, and $600,000 in one year alone!
* In 1520, King Francis I of France ordered 13,400 buttons from his jewelry, ALL of which were sewn onto a black velveteen suit, which he wore to a meeting with King Henry VIII of England, hoping to form an alliance.

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FLOWERS FOR SWAPPING

Over the weekend I sewed two hexie flowers for my swap partner in the Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap.....

Shannon requested red, orange, or yellow flower petals with the same color center only lighter.  I have such a small selection of red that I had to go with the yellow and orange.  These will be on their way to Shannon tomorrow.

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WEDNESDAY'S FLOWERS

It's time for One Flower Wednesday, and as is my usual routine, I made two.......

I know it's not yet Thanksgiving, and I really dislike seeing Christmas items prior to Turkey Day, but I couldn't help myself.  These California Santa's just screamed to be made into a hexie flower.  Don't you just love the sunglasses?

And keeping with the holiday theme, Santa just had to bring presents.  I made this hexie flower with scraps left over from the Loving Hands challenge quilt I made last month.  I really like the look of this flower.
Thanks to Karen (Journey of a Quilter) you can go to one easy spot to check out more hexie flowers.  Karen provides links to everyone who has joined in the One Flower Wednesday fun.

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FMQ

With my own time crunch dilemma, I was only able to practice free motion quilting once over the last two days.....

Spiral Petals was fun today but I think I did it in too much of a rush.  A few of my swirls were nice and smooth but many have points where they don't belong.  This design reminded me of the North Wind blowing around.  I can see this design being used in a regular quilt.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Well, I finished the Loving Hands quilt so now I need to work on the baby quilt that I have to have done by Monday afternoon.

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GIVEAWAYS

Our Busy Little Bunch is having a giveaway.  You could win 9 yards of Pellons new Eco-Cotton blend batting.  This giveaway ends Monday, November 28.

Sew Kiki is having a sponsored giveaway.  You could win Sarah Jane's Make It Do pattern/kit.  This giveaway ends Saturday, November 19.

A Spoonful of Sugar is having a sponsored giveaway.  You could win a set of buttons from Incomparable Buttons.  This giveaway ends Sunday, November 20.

Kool Beenz is having a giveaway.  You could win a 4 Fat Quarter bundle set of Michael Miller Holiday Fabrics.  This giveaway ends Friday, November 18, at midnight EST.

McCall's Quilting is having a giveaway.  You could win a McCall's Quilting blank journal, plus 2 different packs of 6 Troy Riverwoods Modern Textures fat quarters.  This giveaway ends Wednesday, January 3. 2012.

Quilting Ranny is having a giveaway.  You could win one of four prizes.  This giveaway ends Wednesday, November 30, at 11:30 pm MST.  Please mention that you learned about the giveaway on my blog :)

I Have A Notion is having a giveaway.  You could win a Beam n Read.  This giveaway ends Monday, November 21, at midnight.

Annie's Ruby Slipperz is having her weekly Monday Mystery giveaway.  You could win five fat quarters.  This giveaway ends Saturday, November 19.

Sew Bittersweet Designs is having a sponsored giveaway.  You could win a jelly roll of Flora and an Easy Star and Geese Ruler from Fat Quarter.  This giveaway ends Sunday, November 20.

Nunu's Quilt World is having a giveaway.  Shannon is ready to send the Traveling Stash on its way.  This giveaway ends Thursday, November 17.

Hawthorne Threads is having a giveaway.  You could win a Fat Quarter bundle of the complete Woodlands line, a 2012 Calendar, and a Woodlands Print suitable for framing OR a Fat Quarter bundle of the complete Woodlands line, and a 2012 Calendar.  This giveaway ends Friday, November 18.

One More Quilt is having a mini giveaway.  You could win 3 yards of fabric.  This giveaway ends Thursday, November 17, at 10 am.

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FINAL THOUGHT


28 comments:

annemieke said...

What a lovely Santa hexie and the one with the presents, so cute.

Greetings Annemieke.

Maria said...

OH Yes I hear you Linda. I do exactly the same as you.Like I should be writing my post, wrapping my GGD 1st birthday present,cleaning up the cave sew I can pack something to take to retreat on the weekend. Sound familiar.

Your swap Hexies look like an Orange amd Lemon, lovely.
Oh Santa and gifts how cute are they.

Sandy said...

Oh my, thought I was reading about myself when I started reading your post.. ha ha!! That is me to a "T" - I really hate "having" to do things, so I put them off. I really, really, really need to start a baby blanket and get it finished, but for some reason I am just putting it off. Hoping I feel like starting it this week!
Thanks for the heads up on all the giveaways too :)

Cheryl said...

Oh, I am so a procrastinator...even describe myself as such in my blog intro. Some of us just work better under pressure.

As always, your hexie's are adorable. How do you make so many? I find them frustrating and very time consuming. I truly like machine piecing the best.

Kris said...

Linda - Your Christmas flowers are fabulous!! And Shannon is going to love her flowers!! Procrastination?? Wait a minute, let me think about that!! Enjoy your day!! Kris

Barb said...

That is my MO....putting things off or doing something else other than what I am suppose to be doing...like right now...HA!!

Vroomans' Quilts said...

Love your hexies, but the Santas are a hoot! I am the other end of the spectrum - done before all the rules and info are out which sometimes leads to another project.

Krista Schneider said...

ah, yes. procrastination is my forte. or demise, however you wanna look at it! as soon as i feel pressure to complete something i shut down, lol. cute hexies! i need to try those out sometime soon!

rubyslipperz1052 said...

OMGosh...I currently have a trophy, crown, and red velvet cape! for what?! you might ask...
Well, I'm WELL known for being a queen in the land of procratination!

the hexagons are as always MOST amazing and totally fun to look at!

The free motion quilting this week...is one of my favorites so far. I really LUV your design!

Buttons - I have some very important buttons in my button drawer...they are my grandmother's
and, I remember as child of 6-8 years old (50+ years ago) "sewing" them together in sets with needle and thread.

Thank YOU for your wonderfully fun blog posts!

hugz,
annie
rubyslipperz106.blogspot.com

Melissa said...

I am the same way - I procrastinate like it is going out of style! Just look at my FMQ challenge that I have been saying I wanted to start months ago! Thank you for including my giveaway today :) Have a happy Wednesday!

Linda in Calif. said...

I hate "having" to do stuff too. But the funny thing here is that you are the one that's making you do stuff.

Barbara said...

I just love your Christmas flowers. Very cute!

Birdie said...

Those Christmas hexies are the cutest things I've seen in a long time. Beautiful yellow and orange ones too.
I have paper work I should be doing right now, but it will have to wait until I finish looking at all the hexies posted today.

Jessica said...

That cartoon defines me (sadly!) I hear you Linda! Those Christmas flowers made my day - they are so cheerful! SO looking forward to the holidays.

Lana said...

Hahahahahahahahahahaha! Yes! I am so guilty!
I still love your blog after all this time!!!!!

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

I'm 'putting off' stuff right now by catching up on my blog reading (a whole week in one evening). I'll pay for it later, when I'm further behind on my deadlines. Oh well.

Staci said...

Oh, I do that, too. Also starting new projects is my very favorite form of procrastination! I've got a quilt I've been calling my procrastination project for months now, and today I buckled down and finished it. It's in the washing machine right now. and the only reason I finally did it was because I'm away at the weekend and it has to be finished and gift wrapped to go with me!

Love your hexies, especially the present one.

Sheila said...

Love your sweet little hexies! Interesting facts about buttons. I procrastinate about some things, but I try to budget my time to meet deadlines. Retirement is new to me and I am loving IT! More time.

Karen said...

Oh my, that sounds just like me! LOL. A garden of red, orange and yellow, how lovely, Shannon will be pleased. Excellent Christmas flowers too!

Shannon said...

I don't do well with deadlines. I usually wait and then my backside off trying to finish on time. I Love the Christmas flowers, ho fun! I love my flowers, I am so excited to get them!

Lynda said...

California Santa so cute. I'm sure we all procrastinate things. Sometimes I work better under pressure....other times I fold.

Quilting Chemist (Danette) said...

Are you sure you didn't write about me? I've been horrible with deadlines lately and I really hate that 'have to' feeling. I feel so good when I finish/accomplish something but it's so much more fun to start a new project, watch a show on tv, read a book.....

Your hexies are GREAT! I really like the Christmas presnts.

Quilting Chemist (Danette) said...

My daughter thought I should add that it took about 45 minutes to write the post above - you see I put off getting up and going to bed - so I fell asleep, in mid sentence, with the computer in my lap. I better stop procrastinating....good night!

Susan said...

I simply adore the Santa and gift hexies. Others wonderful too, but those two I Like, Like, Like!

quiltzyx said...

I do so enjoy seeing all the hexie flowers you make! Santa really made me laugh. :D

Yes, I do sometimes will do anything other than what I should be doing. It makes that rare occasion when I finish early that much more special!

Anonymous said...

Your fmq is getting better every time! As far as getting things done, I can only work under deadline. If it isn't close to the deadline, I put the project aside. Perhaps not the most mature approach lol, but it works for me. VermontPines@aol.com

Renate Bischoff said...

Your Hexie with Santa is so cute. The sunglasses made me smile. I have never seen before such fabrics. The hexie with the presents I love too.
Thank you so much for the stories about the buttons. Veery interesting.
Have a nice day!
Renate

Miss Hillbilly said...

That gift box hexie is the cutest. One of my favorites so far!

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