Paper Piecing Course

People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself.  But the self is not something one finds, it is something one creates. 

 ~Thomas Szasz, "Personal Conduct," The Second Sin, 1973

Saturday ended up busier than we thought it would be.  We ran several errands and I still had to come home and order a couple of things online I need for an upcoming workshop.  Sunday morning we did spend some time enjoying the beautiful spring morning while reading the paper and sipping our morning coffee.  Then it was labor time in the backyard repairing the drip line in the flower bed and under the trees.  Luckily it wasn't too warm yet making the chore not as bad as a could be.  I'm ready to start a new week and getting back to sewing.  What are your plans for the week?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Sun

The sun is something we take for granted.  We know it will rise in the east and set in the west.  It provides both warmth and light.  I'm not so much a warm weather kind of person but here are some facts I found about the sun:

* The Sun is a star found at the center of the Solar System

* At around 1,392,000 kilometres (865,000 miles) wide, the Sun’s diameter is about 110 times wider than Earth’s.

* Light from the Sun reaches Earth in around 8 minutes.

* The Sun’s surface temperature is around 5500 degrees Celsius (9941 degrees Fahrenheit)

* The reaction taking place in Sun is nuclear fusion, same as a Hydrogen bomb.

* The Sun rotates about it's own axis once every 25.38 days.

* The Sun orbits around the center of our Milky Way galaxy once every 240 million years.

* In addition to heat and light, the Sun also emits electrons and protons, known as the solar wind which travels at a speed of 450 km/sec.

* Solar flares are violent explosions taking place in the Sun's atmosphere occasionally. Solar flares can reach more than 100,000 miles away from the sun.

* Every eleven years, the magnetic poles of the Sun switch. This cycle is called "Solarmax"

* The luminosity of the Sun is equivalent to the luminosity of 4 trillion trillion light bulbs of 100 watt.

* At one time of the year, for 186 days you can not see the Sun in the North Pole of Earth.

* No Total solar eclipse can last longer than 7 minutes and 40 seconds.

* The expected life time of Sun is another 5 billion years or so

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CRAFTSY.COM CLASS

A few weeks ago I started taking an online class from Craftsy.  This class is called Quick Strip Paper Piecing and is taught by Peggy Martin.  The first section is a project call Polka Dot Pinwheels.  Well, I didn't do mine in polka dot but in this....

I call this Pinwheels and Flowers.  Would you believe I picked out the fabric for this wall hanging totally backwards?  I started with the border fabric and went from there.  

Here is a close up of the quilting.  I did some small meandering in both the blue and white areas.  In the border I outlined each of the larger flowers and connected them with just a wavy sort of line.  By the end of the border, I was getting pretty good at outlining those flowers - lol!

If you've never taken a class on Craftsy, I highly recommend it.  The classes are videos that you can watch as many times as you like and go back to refer to something you didn't quite get.  Once you pay for the class, you get to keep it forever - no time limits.  I've taken other online courses and they always had a time limit on how many days they were available after taking the course.  I'm looking forward to the next section of Quick Strip Paper Piecing and making another project.  

Craftsy.com did not ask me to review them, I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy taking their classes.  If you receive their emails or follow them on Facebook, you can sometimes get classes at 50% off!

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I will continue working on the Loving Hands quilts

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GIVEAWAYS

Tricia's Craft Box is having a giveaway.  You could win three dishcloths and some cotton wool.  This giveaway ends Friday, May 4.

The Peony Teacup is having a giveaway.  You could win a pair of flannel fat quarters.  This giveaway ends Friday, May 4 (Aussie time).

Mary Jane's Tearoom is having a giveaway.  You could win fabric and ribbons or yarn and buttons.  The winner will be announced Friday, May 11.

It's Sew Kiki is having a giveaway.  You could win a complete set of Lark Crafts and Needlearts Stash Happy series.  This giveaway ends Thursday, May 3.

Hawthorne Threads is having a giveaway.  You could win a Cloud 9 Alegria fat quarter bundle.  This giveaway ends Wednesday, May 2.

Sew Bitter Sweet Designs is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of Ties That Bind.  This giveaway ends Wednesday, May 2.

Cat Patches is having her weekly Fun Fact Friday Freebie.  You could win a fat quarter.  The winner will be announced Friday, May 4.

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FINAL THOUGHT