Two Completions

April prepares her green traffic light and the world thinks Go.  
~Christopher Morley, John Mistletoe

Saturday was a whirlwind of errand running.  We even visited two local quilt stores where I bought a small amount of fabric - some for future hexie flowers and a fat quarter pack that I just couldn't resist of dark batiks.  Sunday was spent washing the dog, doing laundry, watching (well, I listened) to the Nascar race, and I even managed to get a bit of stitching in.  This week promises to be a little quieter and hopefully I will get something accomplished in the sewing room.  How is your week starting out?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Salt and Pepper

Salt and pepper are a mainstay on most of our tables and in our cooking.  Of the two, salt is definitely a favorite with me.  Here are a few interesting facts on this duo:

* In the Middle Ages, salt was so expensive it was sometimes referred to as “white gold”.

* Black pepper is the number one selling spice in America.

* Consuming too much salt can have fatal outcomes. 1 gm of salt consumed per kilogram of body weight is capable of drawing a person to death.

* Most black pepper is grown in India, Indonesia, Brazil, and Vietnam.

* In India, the hard seeds are mixed with salts to produce the black salt of India. This mixture is allowed to stand for certain period to form the lumps of black salt.

* Peppercorns grow on a vine supported by a stake or host tree. A pepper vine can grow to lengths of 100 feet. The plant requires three years to mature and produce peppercorns, but the vines will continue to be fruitful for years.

* The towns with names ending with either “lick”, “saal” or “wich” are all founded because of the availability of the salt.

* Americans consumed more than 112 million pounds of pepper last year, an increase of nearly 80 percent during the past two decades.

* Out of the total salt production, only 7% is diverted towards the human consumption while the remaining 93% is used by the manufacturing and chemical industry.

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LEAP YEAR TRAVELING STASH WINNER

The Leap Year Traveling Stash is hitting the road and this time it will be visiting

Congratulations to

Miss Mary

Miss Mary said, "Let the traveling stash come to Tennessee, please!"

I have already email for her snail mail info and am ready to send the Traveling Stash to Tennessee.

Thank you to all who participated!

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THANK YOU!

Thank you to all of you who took the time to vote for my little quilt, Spring has Sprung, over the weekend.  It was fun to see such a wonderful response to my entry :)

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DOLL QUILT SWAP

Last week I completed and mailed my first doll quilt to my swap partner....

The theme for the month of April for Doll Quilters Monthly was 3 Colors.  My swap partner, Margaret, requested orange, purple, and lime green - the brighter the better.  I think this fits that description.  I used the Disappearing 9 Patch for the block.  For the quilting I did some stitch-in-the-ditch and then used a fancy stitch from my machine to do some diagonal quilting.  The final quilt measures 17.5" X 17.5".  This went out in the mail on Friday so Margaret should have it shortly.  I hope she likes it.

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SWAP BLOCK

This month my swap partner for Block Swap Adventure was Rachelle.  

Rachelle requested the Rail Fence block made up in jewel or winter tones.  The colors in the block are much deeper than they appear in the photo so that it fits the jewel tone request.  This block went out in Friday's mail so Rachelle should have it fairly soon.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I am going to work on a paper piecing project from a Craftsy class I'm taking.

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GIVEAWAYS

McCall's Quilting is having a giveaway.  You could win a colorful OttLite Creative HD task lamp.  This giveaway ends Thursday, May 31.


McCall's Quilting is having another giveaway.  You could win a pair of Olfa 5" Precision Applique scissors.  This giveaway ends Thursday, May 31.


Hawthorne Threads is having their weekly giveaway.  This week you could win a remnant stack of Riley Blake Chevron prints.  This giveaway ends Wednesday, April 4.


Favequilts is having a giveaway.  You could win a GuideLines4Quilting Ruler Set.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, April 3.


!Sew We Quilt is having a giveaway.  You could win a fat quarter bundle of Luscious.  The winner will be announced on Tuesday, April 3.


Desertsky Quilting is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of Snowball Quilts and a charm pack of Little Apples.  This giveaway ends Thursday, April 5, at 6:00 pm EDT.


Cat Patches is having her weekly Fun Fact Friday Freebie.  You could win a fat quarter.  The winner will be announced Friday, April 6. 


Pins and Needles is having a giveaway.  You could win a rainbow of 54 charms from her stash.  This giveaway ends Thursday, April 5, at midnight UK time.


Stitch This is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of Nature's Beauty in Applique by Susan Taylor Propst.   This giveaway ends Thursday, April 5.


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FINAL THOUGHT