I'm Back......I Think :)

Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.  

~Attributed to Carl Bard

It's hard to believe that it has been over 6 weeks since my last post.  It feels more like yesterday.  During that time we visited DD#1 and her family in Albuquerque.  DD#2 and SIL were able to join us so we had a mini family reunion.  We had a lot of fun celebrating birthdays and just being together.  Boy can the little guys (ages 3 and 6) wear you out if you aren't used to being around so much energy any more.  The heat of the summer just keeps hanging around with more 100+ degrees days for awhile.  I did get some sewing in as well as some cross stitch.  I was without my sewing machine for two weeks - in for it's yearly spa treatment while we were away.  How have you all been?  Have you been busy sewing?
Just on a side note.....so far I'm planning to post twice a week.  Not sure of the days and there might even be weeks where I only post once.  I don't want to reach burn-out like I did in June.  I want this to remain fun.  Hopefully you stay around, but if not, I fully understand if you have better things to do :)

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Llama

Llamas are really growing in popularity.  They have always intrigued me.  Rather odd looking creatures with a long neck and what I think is a head to small for its body.  Here are a few facts on the llama....

- Llamas are members of the camel family

- Camels first appeared on the Central Plains of North America about 40 million years ago. About 3 million years ago, llamas' ancestors migrated to South America.

- Llamas were first domesticated and used as pack animals 4,000 to 5,000 years ago by Indians in the Peruvian highlands.

- Llamas are hardy and well suited to harsh environments.  

- Llamas are smart and easy to train.

- Llamas weigh 280 to 450 pounds and can carry about a quarter of their body weight, so a 400-pound male llama can carry about 100 pounds on a trek of 10 to 12 miles with no problem 

- Llamas are vegetarians and have efficient digestive systems. 

- Llamas live to be about 20 years old.

- Llamas don't bite. They spit when they're agitated, but that's mostly at each other.

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A WONDERFUL DAY

Saturday we attended the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach.  What a delightful day!  And to finish it off, we were able to have dinner with DD#2 and her hubby.  I thought for my first time back in awhile, you would enjoy a some photos of the gorgeous quilts we viewed instead of spending time looking at the boring stuff I worked on.  I took so many pictures that I'm only going to share half of the quilts now and then I'll share the second half next week.

Totally Insane by Loretta Duffy of La Quinta, CA

This beautiful red and white quilt was machine pieced and machine quilted.  It is a recreation of a 1870 Salinda Rupp sampler quilt made up of 98 blocks.  Some of the pieces were amazingly small.  She stated that block #18 has 229 tiny pieces.

Buttercups and Butterflies by Gail T Brunnell of Laguna Niguel, CA

This quilt is pieced, appliqued and machine quilted.  Gail created this during an adult education class from a pattern called Aunt Millie's Garden from Piece of Cake.

Mrs. Lindberg's Neighborhood by Martha R. Lindberg of Mesquite, TX

This quilt is all hand appliqued.  Martha was inspired by a quilt she saw at the Dallas Quilt Show and many house quilts seen in Japanese magazines.  I thought this was fun for all of you that love creating those wonky houses.

Somehow I missed getting the information on this one.  I do remember being surprised that it wasn't Russian but rather made by someone from Japan.  It didn't photograph real well because of the high use of gold metallic thread.  Notice the two heads on the outside of the right border and the little balls on the bottom border.  This was such a fun quilt and so full of detail.

Cypress Sentinels by Mary Ann Hildebrand of Comfort, TX

This is the first quilt I remember seeing where on of the techniques was listed as 'scrunched fabric'.  It is also paper pieced, fused applique, and overlayed.  The scrunched fabric gave it such depth.

Windblown by Maria Elkins of Beavercreek, OH

This was one of my favorites.  The quilting was absolutely amazing!!!  This quilt was hand drawn, hand painted, embellished, and machine quilted.  

Square in Square I by Diane Loomis of Sudbury, MA

This quilt was machine pieced and free motion machine quilted.  Diane was inspired to make this quilt by the antique Concentric Squares Quilt in the collection of the Shelburne Museum and published in Art of the Needle.

Journeys In Fabric by Sue L Gallion, quilted by Madelyn Vale of Steamboat Springs, CO

This riot of color was hand and machine pieced and applique, machine quilted.  Sue was inspired to make this quilt by her love of fabric collected from travels.

Feeding Time by Joyce O'Connell of Courtice, Ontario, Canada

This quilt was machine appliqued, hand-dyed, inked, tread painted, and free-motion quilted.  It was inspired from the movie, The March of the Penguins.

Aren't each on of those quilts amazing!  We spent so much time looking at all the quilts that we had very little time to visit the vendor booths.  And wouldn't you know it, the one thing I wanted to purchase, they didn't have in stock.  I also found out they don't have it available online either :( 

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FINAL THOUGHT

This is for anybody that has had a puppy or enjoys our furry little friends.....