Mess Made

The best things in life are nearest:  Breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of right just before you.  Then do not grasp at the stars, but do life's plain, common work as it comes, certain that daily duties and daily bread are the sweetest things in life.  

~Robert Louis Stevenson

This week just flew by.  It's hard to believe that the weekend is just a few short hours away.  Mother Nature has been kind to us these last few days blessing us with beautifully cool mornings and temperate afternoons.  If only it could stay this way until fall arrives - lol!  Our weekend promises to be a busy one and includes a 65th birthday celebration.  I probably won't get much stitching or sewing in.  What about you?  What are your plans for the weekend?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Pig

You either think pigs are cute or totally ugly.  I personally think pigs are cute and just love their grunting and squealing sounds.  How can you look at the cute face above and not think of Wilbur from Charlotte's Web?  Here some interesting facts I found while researching pigs:

* After a baby piglet is born, it will eat so much that its weight will double after only a week

* Pigs are generally not mean-spirited animals. They only time they will fight is if a sow's piglets are threatened by some immanent danger, or if a boar gets too annoyed.

* They don't like heat. Since they can't sweat from a lack of sweat glands, pigs have to wallow around in mud to stay cool.

* Pigs are also fantastic swimmers, which is quite surprising considering the structure of their bodies

* Pigs' noses and eyes are very powerful. Their snouts are highly sensitive and their eye balls located far on the outside of their faces, giving them a large range of vision.

* A pig's tail can come in three different varieties: kinky, straight, or curly

* Pigs are not picky eaters by any means. They have been known to consume tree bark, garbage, dead insects, rotting animals, and other types of refuse. Pigs are also cannibals, meaning they will happily feed on their own kind.

* There are four toes on a pig's foot, but they only use two toes when walking

* They can live to be 15 years old

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BEE BLOCK

I recently received fabric from April's hostess of Let's Bee Together.   There's no way to put this other than to say I made a big mess of some beautiful fabrics.

I thought I had enough to make the block I wanted but I didn't and then couldn't make a 12 1/2" block out of the remaining cuts.  Why is it I only destroy fabric when it is sent to me by someone else?  So I asked Melinda if I could substitute some similar color fabrics and she said she didn't mind.  I come up with.....

This paper pieced block.  As you can see, the colors of the fabric used pretty much match the colors I was sent.  I just hope Melinda is still able to use this block.

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CROSS STITCH UPDATE

This week went fairly smoothly in the counted cross stitch department.  Not too much unstitching was necessary.

It's time to add designs around the original center - lots of cacti.  These are going fairly quickly since there isn't a lot of color changes.

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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I WON!

Recently I was the lucky winner of Cat Patches' Fun Fact Friday Freebie.  Every week Barbara poses a question and then randomly draws a winner to receive a fat quarter of her choice.  Here's what I received...

The note attached said "Happy Cinco de Mayo".  I can see some great fussy cut hexies being made from this fabric.  Thank you, Barbara!

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I will be working on that table runner.

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GIVEAWAYS

123Stitch is having a giveaway.  You could win a chart pack for Summer Band Sampler by Little House Needleworks.  This giveaway ends Thursday, May 31.

Fabrics N Quilts is having a giveaway.  You could win a Snap Sack.  This giveaway ends Sunday, May 6.

CraftFoxes.com is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of Happy Home by Jennifer Paganelli.  This giveaway ends Monday, May 7.

Scarlet Fig is having a giveaway.  You could win a fat quarter bundle of Perfectly Perched.  This giveaway ends Saturday, May 5.

Little Dear Tracks is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of Pretty Little Pillows.  This giveaway ends either today or Monday, May 7 (it was listed as Friday, May 7, so you understand the confusion).

Hopeful Threads is having a giveaway.  You could win a Ruffle Swing Skirt & Halter pattern set AND your choice of 2 Fabric Flower patterns from Bumbleberries Boutique.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, May 8.

The Jolly Jabber is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of Geared For Guys by Emily Herrick.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, May 8.

Sew Hooked is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Vol 5.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, May 8.

FabricWorm is having a giveaway.  You could win a fat quarter bundle of Lucie Summers' Summerville in Sea Foam.  This giveaway ends Monday, May 7, at 2:00 pm PDT.

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FINAL THOUGHT