Bright Flowers

See, the human mind is kind of like... a piñata.  When it breaks open, there's a lot of surprises inside.  Once you get the piñata perspective, you see that losing your mind can be a peak experience.  
~Jane Wagner

I had such a wonderful weekend and hope that you did too.  Our DD#2 and SIL came for a visit - they hadn't been here since Christmas.  The weather couldn't have been nicer - cool mornings and mild afternoons, both of which aren't normal for late May.  DH did some amazing barbecue and we all ate too much all weekend long.  Monday I gave DH an early birthday present - 3 passes to the local indoor kart racing.  The three of them had a blast.  I was totally content to sit and watch and take a few photos.  I couldn't have asked for 3 more relaxing days than those just passed.  Now on with the rest of the week.

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Manatees

Here on the west coast we are not blessed to have these wonderful creatures.  Here are some interesting facts I found out about manatees:

*  the average Manatee is 10ft long weighing 800-1200 pounds. They have been known to reach 13 ft and 3500 pounds

* When born they are 3-4 ft long and 60-70 pounds

* Manatees are herbivores meaning plant eating animals.

* Manatees cannot survive in temperatures below 68 degrees (20 Celsius) and range from Virginia to Texas and one was documented in Rhode Island. (Very rare)

* They have fairly good vision and can distinguish between colors

* Did you know that manatees have three fingernails on each flipper and when they get into shallow water the manatee walks on its nails?

* Manatees have trouble with depth perception

* They can stay submerged up to 20 minutes

* Females mature for breeding at about 5 years old and 8 years old for males. On average one calf is born every 5 years. Gestation period is about 1 year long

* Manatees may live as long as 60 years

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ONE FLOWER WEDNESDAY

I created one flower this week's One Flower Wednesday.  Nothing spectacular but definitely bright....

Last week in the mail I received a couple of flowers from my April Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap partner, Jane K.

Aren't these flowers just the cutest?  The purple with the happy flower center makes me smile.  And the music notes with the red center makes me want to dance - well, at least sway to the music.  Thank you so very much, Jane!

To see more hexies out there in blogland, Karen has provided a linky page for our One Flower Wednesday creations.  To go there, just click HERE.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I will continue working on the doll quilt I started working on yesterday.

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FINAL THOUGHT

The Weekend Ahead

We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers, but to praise them.  

~Francis A. Walker

As we approach this 3 day weekend, we need to remember why we are celebrating Memorial Day.  Take a moment or two during your festivities to say thank-you to those who have or are serving in our nation's armed forces.  Countless men and women have given their lives to keep our country strong and free for which they have earned our undying gratitude.  The next time you see a soldier in uniform, take the time to say thank you!  Without these fearless fighters of our defense, who knows what kind of country we would be living in.  God bless America and have a wonderful Memorial Day!!
I will be taking Monday off from blogging to celebrate with my family.

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Flag of the United States of America

I don't think there is a more patriotic symbol than our own country's flag.  The stars and stripes can move my soul with a single wave. We will be proudly flying our flag on Monday!  And since this fits with the coming holiday, here are some little facts about our flag...

* Another name for the American Flag; Old Glory actually refers to a specific flag owned by Captain William Driver. Old Glory was made with 24 stars and 13 red and white stripes representing the original 13 colonies

* The red, white and blue stripes are strictly defined as Dark Red (Pantone 193 C), White (Pantone safe), and Navy Blue (281 C).

* The current version of the US flag was designed by an 18 year old high school student, who only received a “B-“ for his efforts. Robert Heft, took exception to this grade, and issued his teacher a challenge: if Heft’s design proposal was accepted by Congress, he would deserve and receive an “A”. Heft earned his “A”, and by presidential proclamation in 1958, his design was officially adopted as the nation’s flag.

* 6 US flags are currently stationed on the moon. They were put there by Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17.

* When folded properly, the US flag is shaped like a triangle with only the stars showing. If you have exacting standards, it usually takes 13 folds: the same number of original colonies.
* Only State Governors and the President of the United States order when the flags on government buildings are to be set at half staff.
* Red is for Valor and Hardiness; white is for Innocence and Purity; and blue is for Vigilance, Perseverance and Justice.


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SWAP BLOCKS

Back in March I made three blocks for swap partners that I never shared....

I made this Eccentric Star block for Karen, my swap partner for Quilting Block Swaps Australia.  Karen requested "bright greens, bright blues, fresh modern colors and each block to have some white".  This block fits both colors and is definitely modern.

This On The Oregon Trail block was fun to make - so much so that I made two!

Barbara was my March swap partner for Block Swap Adventure.  One of her previous month's partners didn't produce so I made her an extra block.  Barbara requested red and white fabrics be used to create her block.

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STITCHERY UPDATE

I was able to start the phase of my counted cross stitch project....

You can't see a whole lot of what I've been doing but you can see a bit at the bottom and then, of course, the outline and the start of a feather (sorry it's a bit blurry).  I just figured out how to enlarge the pattern to an easily readable size without the distortion I was encountering earlier.  Sure wish I had figured that out when I was working on the center section.  But that's okay, because now I know how it do it and it will come in handy for the next 2 Christmas projects I will make from the same designer.  Luckily, they don't have to be completed until Christmas 2013 and 2014 - lol!

Design:  Desert Mandala

Designer:  Martina Weber / Chatelaine Designs

Fabric:  Antique White Belfast (linen - for those of you who do not stitch)

Stitched:  2 strands of DMC floss over 2 threads

1 strand of Treasure Braid over 2 threads

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TODAY'S GOAL

To get the spare bed cleared of all fabric carefully stored on it.  Our DD#2 and SIL will be coming for up for the weekend!!

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FINAL THOUGHT

Thank you to all who have served or are serving to keep our wonderful country free!!  Bless those that have given their lives protecting us!!  

It's a Day Full of Flowers

Just remember, there's a right way and a wrong way to do everything and the wrong way is to keep trying to make everybody else do it the right way.

  ~M*A*S*H, Colonel Potter

I haves so many projects that I want to work on!  I have the fabrics and the patterns.  And what do I end up doing?  Procrastinating!  I don't know if it's because I have several I want to start or becomes of other commitments that keep coming up.  I really need to get started on a couple of them as I have hopes on entering them in our guild's 2014 quilt show and at least two of the quilts are very detailed.  I have two Loving Hands quilts to make, a doll swap quilt to make, and Thursday will be a computer day preparing June swap partners for Block Swap Adventure.  See there!  I've already puttered away several days and still haven't started on any of my major projects.  Does this ever happen to you?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Solar System

Did any of you notice the solar eclipse we had on Sunday?  That got me to thinking about the solar system - something I haven't studied since grade school.  Here are a few facts about our wonderful solar system...

* The solar system includes the Sun and all the objects that orbit around it due to its gravity. This includes things such as planets, comets, asteroids, meteoroids and moons.

* The Solar System formed around 4.6 billion years ago.

* There are eight planets in the Solar System. The four inner planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars while the four outer planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

* The inner planets (also known as terrestrial planets) are smaller and made mostly of rock and metal.

* The outer planets (also known as gas giants) are much larger and made mostly of hydrogen, helium and other gases.

* As of 2008, there are also five dwarf planets: Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Makemake and Haumea.  (When I was growing up, Pluto was considered a planet).

* For thousands of years humans were unaware of the Solar System and believed that Earth was at the center of the Universe.

* Mercury takes 59 days to make a rotation but only 88 days to circle the Sun.   That means that there are fewer than 2 days in a year!  Many astronomers believe that Mercury might be the core of what was once a much larger planet -- it appears to be a huge ball of iron covered by a thin layer of rock.

* Mars is the home of "Olympus Mons", the largest volcano found in the solar system.

* Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system, but it spins very quickly on its axis.  A day on Jupiter lasts only 9 hours and 55 minutes.

* The ring that surrounds Saturn could be the remnants of a moon that was shattered by Saturn's gravity.

* Neptune was discovered in 1846 (over 150 years ago).  Since that time it has only orbited around the sun once, because one Neptune year lasts 165 Earth years

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ONE FLOWER WEDNESDAY

I didn't get any flowers made for myself but I did get two flowers made for my Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap partner, Linda Mc.  I originally had made two other flowers until I double checked the roster and found out I had made flowers for someone else.  

Linda requested red, taupe, or brown civil war fabrics with a cream center.  I'm never sure what 'civil war' fabrics exactly means so I'm hoping these fit that description.  I know the colors are right - lol!  These should be reaching Linda shortly, if she hasn't received them already.

To see more hexagon flowers, Karen has provided a linky for One Flower Wednesday that you may access HERE.

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BEAUTIFUL DOLL QUILT

Monday I received a beautiful little doll quilt from my Doll Quilt Swap partner, Diane W.

Isn't is gorgeous! Diane couldn't have selected better colors for my living room if she tried.  And she included a special little card that she created.  This wonderful quilt now resides on my living room table.  Diane also added a hanging sleeve so that I could use it that way, too.  Thank you so very much, Diane, for making Monday's mail so enjoyable.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I will work on next month's 2 Loving Hands quilts.

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FINAL THOUGHT

A Busy Weekend

Life is like sailing.  You can use any wind to go in any direction.  

~Robert Brault

I'm glad it's Monday!  The weekend was quite busy and I'm ready to get back to my sewing room and a bit of quiet.  Friday evening we had a nice dinner out with family and friends - even if I was sitting directly under the A/C unit and froze - lol!  Saturday morning it was out the door early to attend a 6 hour quilting workshop (more below) followed by dinner out (again) to celebrate 3 birthdays - mine, DH's, and my Mom's (which is today).  Delicious food along with family and a good friend made for a wonderful time.  Sunday was spent doing wash and washing Weasley but I did manage to get in a bit of stitching.  Not a bad way to celebrate my birthday.  I now have 2 gift cards to spend at my favorite online stitchery store (thanks to my DD#2 and good blogging friend, Annie) and 2 gift cards to spend at a LQS (thanks to my mom and sister, and my sweet DH).  I love going shopping when it won't cost me a dime :)  Now onto a new week and to spending some time in my sewing room.  What are your plans for the week?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Lizard

When I was growing up, we used to have lots of lizards in the fields around us.  Now the only time I see a lizard is when we go visit my daughter in New Mexico.  Here are some facts I found on these speedy little guys:

* There are almost 5,000 lizard species

* Lizards smell with their tongue—like snakes.

* Lizards shed their skin.

* If caught by the tail, to escape, most lizards can break their tail off at a weak vertebra link and later grow another. The new grown tail is smaller and has no bones.

* The largest lizard is the Komodo dragon—it can reach 10 feet in length.

* Some lizards, in order to protect themselves, can squirt blood 2-4 feet out of their eyes.

* Some lizards can live over 30 years—the record, 33 years and 11 months, is held by a Mexican beaded lizard.

* How can you tell that a legless lizard is not a snake? He has eyelids and you can see an opening for his ears.

* The basilisk and the collared lizard (Crotaphytus collaris) are capable of bipedal locomotion (they can run on their hind legs). When young, they can even run on water.

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GUILD MEETING

Thursday evening was my guild meeting (Cotton Patch Quilters of Kern County).  We had a tutorial and a small trunk show presented by Cindy Seitz-Krug.  She gave some great hints for free motion quilting.  Here are a few of the quilts she brought to share....

This quilt is amazing and the colors remind me of Delft.  

Cindy is on the right talking about her first ever Wedding Ring Quilt.  This was one of the first quilts she ever made.

Cindy made this quilt when she was pregnant with her son.  She had always wanted to make a Baltimore Album style quilt and thought this would be the perfect hand project to take her through her pregnancy.  It ended up taking her three years to complete.  It is completely hand appliqued and hand quilted.

I'm hoping you can see some of the absolutely amazing machine quilting that she did.  Cindy does all of her quilting on a domestic machine.

"Simply Santa Fe" has won numerous awards.  But that is not the reason I'm showing this photo.....

This is the back of Simply Santa Fe.  Cindy said that after the quilt was all put together, she threw it in the wash as she does with all of her completed projects.  The darker fabrics ran everywhere!  After several washings and soakings with different remedies, all of the dyes that ran were successfully removed from the front but the back still had spots that showed up on the light backing fabric.  Almost at a loss of what to do, she contacted a friend and they came up with the solution of fabric stamping.  She used a waxy type of dye and stamped all of the floral designs you see disguising all of the dye spots.  And it still went on to win numerous awards.  Aren't quilter's clever people?

After several wins, people kept telling her she needed to design her own pattern.  This was her first one.  The beauty is really in the quilting.

This was a gorgeous wall hanging and even the backing was beautiful.....

Look at all of that thread painting.  The backing fabric is a plain light, mint green - all of the rest is thread.

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SATURDAY WORKSHOP WITH CINDY

Saturday I spent the day at a workshop hosted by our guild and taught by Cindy Seitz-Krug.  She taught us some wonderful filler free motion quilting.  Here's is what we created....

A Christmas stocking.  I used a deep red (the photo makes it appear brighter than it really was) and gold colored silk thread.  This is the first time I've used silk thread and really liked the effect.  It was also the first time I have ever worked with wool batting and I'm still not sold on it.  There were 18 of us in class and it was a fun day spent with fellow quilters.  Cindy is a great teacher and so encouraging.

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NEW SWAP GROUP

There's a new swap group out there in blogland dedicated to 12" mini quilts.  It is called 12 Inch Mini Quilt. There is no set time for when you have to get a mini made.  You just make and swap whenever you want to.  Easy enough!  I'm holding off for now but am adding the button to my sidebar to remind me that it is open.  They already have several participants.  Check it out!

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I hope to complete the little paper pieced quilt and maybe get it sandwiched.

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FINAL THOUGHT

Little Quilts, Stitchery Update, and A Winner!

Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.  

~Chili Davis

This weekend is going to be full of activity.  Tonight we will be going out to dinner with DH's age closest sister and her hubby.  We haven't seen them for quite awhile and it will be nice to catch up on what's been happening lately in their lives.  Saturday I am attending a workshop on stipple basics being taught by Cindy Seitz-Krug.  That should be loads of fun!  Saturday night will be another dinner out as we are celebrating three May birthdays - my mother's, mine, and my sweet DH.  Hopefully Sunday will bring that much needed day of rest.  Do you have big plans for the weekend?
By the way, my friend Linda from Buzzing and Bumbling is having a giveaway for a copy of My Memory Suite program, so you might want to hop over there and check it out.

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Birthday Cake

With my birthday just around the corner, I thought it would be fun to find out the basis of some our birthday rituals.

* It is believed by many scholars that birthdays began in the pagan culture of Europe because of the fear that evil spirits are more attracted to a person on their birthday. Friends and family would visit with well-wishes to ward off the evil spirits.

* Birthdays were usually only celebrated by nobility (which may be why we like to put a Birthday Crown on the birthday person) until the Germans began the practice of celebrating children’s birthdays called “kinderfeste” and bake a special sweet cake.

* Another theory about the origin of birthday cake is that it came from the ancient Greeks. They would bake a round cake lit with candles to offer to Artemis, the Moon Goddess.  The candles helped to send prayers up to the gods, thus came about the custom of making a wish before blowing out your birthday candles. In Germany the candle on a birthday cake was symbolic for the light of life.

* Happy Birthday Song- It began as the “Good Morning to You” song with the now familiar “Happy Birthday to You” tune, and was written by Mildred Hill and Dr. Patty Hill as a kindergarten school song. Patty Hill is credited with changing the lyrics to “Happy Birthday” after the song gained popularity (and yes, it is still copyrighted).

* $27.2 Million is the most money spent on a birthday party. This extravagant party was for the Sultan of Brunei’s 50th Birthday in 1996.

* 15 Million is the average number of people celebrating a birthday today (and every day) around the world.

* More people celebrate their birthdays in August than in any other month (about 9% of all people). The two other months that rate high for birthdays are July and September.  However, in my family the month of May is full of birthdays.

* The world's largest birthday cake was created in 1989 for the 100th Birthday of the city of Fort Payne, Alabama. The cake weighed 128,238 pounds, 8 oz. and used 16,209 pounds of icing.

* A recent survey suggests that more people are born on October 5 in the United States than any other day. October 5 holds a not-so-surprising significance, as conception would have fallen on New Year's Eve.

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WHO WON?

First off, I would like to thank all of those who entered the Just Believe Giveaway sponsored giveaway!  Could you believe all the different Christmas fabrics that Fat Quarter Shop has to offer?  There weren't any "no response blogger" entries this time - woohoo!  My only minor complaint was with those that didn't take the time to answer the question for the giveaway.  But that's just me, so on with the winner.  The winner was chosen with the help of random.org and is......

Gene Black

Gene said "The One Frosty Christmas line is my favorite..There is a nice variety in the collection."

Congratulations, Gene!  I have sent you an email so that I can forward your snail mail info onto the FQS.

Thank you, Fat Quarter Shop for once again sponsoring such a wonderful giveaway!!

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STITCHERY UPDATE

I finished up the scroll piece I was working on last week and sent it off in Monday's mail.

I just love the greens in this piece.

Design:  Scroll exclusively for World of Charity Stitching Yahoo Group

Designer:  Kell Smurthwaite

Fabric:  14 count Aida

Stitched:  2 strands over over 1

Floss:  DMC Color Variations 4050

I was also able to get a few stitches put into my bigger project.....

If you remember, the last photo I shared, I was just at the top of the circle and not very far into all the cacti.  I'm almost all the way around the circle and hope to start the next phase over the weekend.

Design:  Desert Mandala

Designer:  Martina Weber / Chatelaine Designs

Fabric:  Antique White Belfast (linen - for those of you who do not stitch)

Stitched:  2 strands of DMC floss over 2 threads

1 strand of Treasure Braid over 2 threads

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LOVING HANDS QUILTS

Last night I attended my quilt guild meeting and turned in my two latest Loving Hands Quilts.

Here's the front of one of the little quilts.  I just did a simple stitch-in-the-ditch around each border but I did some free motion work to outline the cute little boy in the middle.....

I was very happy with the way this turned out.

And here's the little girl quilt.  Obviously I should have ironed this before photo time as it had been folded for a couple of weeks.

It's a little harder to see the free motion work on this backing but that was because of the strong sunshine.  

These were quick little quilts to make.  Back in April, Anna of Urban Stitches, offered panels to anyone who would like one.  Her only requirement was "All I ask that you do is make a super cute SOMETHING out of it, preferably a quilt" and then send her a picture of it.  So that is what I did.  And, even better, I can make 5 more of each color and they all have a different little boy or girl in the panel piece.  Thank you, Anna, for your generosity.  These little quilts will make some family just a bit happier as they spend their time in the NICU.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I will continue working on the little paper pieced quilt top I started this week.

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FINAL THOUGHT

Flower of a Different Sort

People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness.  Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost.  

~H. Jackson Brown

With the early morning temps dipping back down into the high 50's, life starts out just a tiny bit bitter each day.  It's so much better than the mid 60's we were experiencing a couple of days ago.  It allows us to open the windows at night and I can even wear my sweatshirt to start the morning (albeit with shorts on - lol!).  We are getting a brief respite from the high 90 degree temps during the day and I'm sure enjoying it.  I don't feel like I'm melting when I'm working in the sewing room and having to run the iron and can last longer at the sewing machine.  I know summer will return with a vengeance, but for today, I will savor the cooler temperatures. What's it like in you corner of the world?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Snail

Snails are an enemy to my garden.  Why is it they only devour the plants I want in my garden and never seem to touch the weeds.  As a child, I would entertain myself by pouring salt on these slimy creatures (sorry if you are offended by that action).  Even though I dislike this slimy, leaf eater, here are some interesting facts about snails:

* The largest land snail was recorded in 1976. It weighed 2 pounds and was 15 inches long and currently, the largest land snail is the Ghana tiger snail, which can grow up to 12 inches.

* The fastest snail species is the garden snail that can move up to 55 yards per hour.

* They can easily slide over a razor blade without being hurt. However, they die if they consume either salt or sugar.

* A snail grows a new spiral every year and it looks like a ring, called whorl.

* A land snail has two pairs of tentacles on its head and the longest pair carries its eyes, one eye on each tentacle. They are called eye stalks. The second pair of tentacles is used for smelling and feeling.

* Snails are hermaphrodites, which means that they have both male and female reproductive organs. Thus, they can produce both eggs and sperms, but they require another snail to reproduce baby snails.

* Snails hibernate during winter season and live on their stored fat.

* Snails cannot hear

* Some snails have been known to live up to 15 years.

* The Giant African Land Snail is known to eat more than 500 different types of plants.

* Snails are very strong and can lift up to 10 times their own body weight in a vertical position.

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ONE FLOWER WEDNESDAY

Once again I only have one flower this week but that fits the title of One Flower Wednesday.  I decided to try something a bit different from my normal...

I made the center not quite so obvious.  If you look closely, you can still see that it's a hexagon.  I was pleased with how this optical illusion came out.

Karen has provided us with a wonderful linky tool where you can see more hexagon flowers out there in blogland by going HERE.

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TWO SMALL BLOCKS

I have gotten behind on sharing some of the blocks I've made.  I have taken a break from the 6 Inch Block Swaps Australia but I made these back in February.....

Kerry requested any block in burgundy, pink, and cream.  These 6" stars were quick to make and have long since reached their destination.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I will work on the little wall hanging I started yesterday.

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FINAL THOUGHT