Friday, November 2, 2012

Rugs and Guild Challenge


Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn. 
~ Elizabeth Lawrence

Gosh!  What a week!  We were gone for 5 days and I just can't seem to get back into the sewing groove.  We were in Las Vegas attending the PBR (Pro Bull Riding) finals and were they ever exciting.  We stay at South Point away from the strip and downtown where many of the riders and member of the PBR stay.  It such a nice hotel and definitely calmer than the strip casinos.  We didn't win big - of course, it's hard to win big on penny slots :D  And then the other day I spent time online looking for a new cell phone.  Who knew it would take 2 1/2 hours to finally make a decision.  I'm hoping today that I get back to sewing.  How was your week?

=======================

LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY


Cows

What do you think of when you think of cows?  Milk?  Leather?  Here are a few interesting facts about cows:
A heifer is a young female cow that hasn't had a calf yet. A cow gives milk for the first time, only after she gives birth to a calf.
Cattle is the name for the entire "cow" family
A cow can climb up the stairs, but cannot climb down. This is because her knees cannot bend properly.
There are about 920 different breeds of cows in the world. Cows were domesticated about 5,000 years ago.
Humans and cows have the same gestation period which is about nine months
Cows have almost total 360 degree panoramic vision and are able to see colors, except red. 
Cows can hear lower and higher frequencies better than humans
A cow stands up and sits down about 14 times a day.
It takes about 350 squirts for each gallon of milk from a cow.
When galloping through boggy, soggy places or deep mud, cattle can run faster than horses. They have cloven hooves and their toes spread so their wide feet do not sink as deep as those of the solid-hoofed horse.

==============================

MUG RUG SWAP


I am a member of a yahoo group of 10 ladies that swap mug rugs every other month.  Wednesday I received the best squishy in the mail from my swap partner, Sunny.

First off, I just love the adorable rug Sunny made for me with the cute embroidered snowman faces.  A little while ago I had seen the beautiful cross stitch piece, FAITH, she had made for someone else and told her how much I liked it.  And she made one for me!  I really like what it has to say and Sunny did a fantastic job with the variegated threads.  Sunny also included two yummy biscotti, a fat eighth of Christmas fabric and a darling little handmade card with a hexie snowman.  Thank you so very much for everything, Sunny!  And thank you for being such a wonderful swap partner.  I will have the rug out for the next few months.

This is the mug rug I made for Sunny.  Full of snowmen front and back.  The snowman on the left is paper pieced and so easy to do.  It was supposed to have embroidered eyes, mouth, and buttons but I went with real buttons all the way.

===========================

QUILT CHALLENGE


Last month my guild (Cotton Patch Quilters of Kern County) held their annual quilt challenge.  This year the theme was monochromatic.  There were 10 entries this year and they were voted on by the membership.  Here are the ten quilts that were entered:

This adorable little quilt was created by Nancy Palmer.  And, yes, it is all in the color range of blue (according to the Ultimate 3 - In - 1 Color Tool)

This beauty was created by our guild president, Marilyn Smith.  She is a fairly new long arm quilter and her work is amazing.

Isn't the embroidery work on this quilt precious?  It was created by Celia Ho.

Sorry this is blurry but I love this Convergence pattern.  This was created by Nancy Erskine.

This amazing quilt was created by Jim Rupp.  It looks so 3 dimensional!

Another beautiful convergence by Nancy Erskine.

This one reminds me Valentine's Day.  It was created by Mary Jo Henry.

"Where It Rains".  This green convergence won 3rd place and was created by Nancy Erskine.  I love the colors in this one and the quilting was beautiful.

"It's Spring" won 2nd place and was created by Char Emery-Neabeack.  I really like her use of embellishments on this wall hanging quilt.

And, finally, my entry for the Challenge.  I called this "Purple FANtastic".  And I won 1st place!  I am so happy that my fellow quilters selected my little quilt - the smallest entry of the bunch.  Our membership is around 150 so to have my quilt selected by them was very thrilling.  In case you didn't see my description of this quilt on Wednesday, it measures 13 1/2" square and is entirely paper pieced.  
Oh, and while I'm talking about my little quilt, I've also entered in the Blogger's Quilt Festival.  Nominations are currently going on (thru November 4) and I would certainly appreciate your vote.  There are over 500 quilts entered!  Mine is about 3/4 of the way down #553 - just look for the purple.  There are some amazing entries this year.  Thank you for your consideration!

=========================

FINAL THOUGHT OF THE DAY


Don't you wish the stores felt this way?


23 comments:

Anonymous said...

Linda what gorgeous mug rugs sent and received,well done and love the interesting info on the cows,thankyou.xx

Vroomans' Quilts said...

Love both mug rugs - what a wonderful squishie to get in the mail! Super group of minis and congratulations.

Vesuviusmama said...

Of course they selected your quilt - it is FANtastic! Congrats! Love the mail that is flying back and forth between you and Sunny. And your final thought - love it!

Flo @ Butterfly Quilting said...

ha! fun facts about cows!!
And great quilts, thanks

Chartreuse Moose said...

What a fun blog today...delightful! Thank you so much...for all of the delightful photos/facts/funnies!

Needled Mom said...

I loved reading about the cows. My cousin received two truckloads of calves (big ones) while we were visiting them in Iowa. They bellowed all night long having just been removed from their moms.

Your snowman rug from Sunny is fabulous. I love how she did the snowmen in the hexies. I like youre mug rug to her too. Snowmen are so practical to carry you through winter.

I LOVED seeing the monochromatic quilts and congratulations on your first place win!! That is awesome and a real honor from your peers. There were so many great quilts.

I hope your weekend ahead will be quiet so you can do some stitching. My week was similar to yours, but I am hoping to get some sewing in today.

Linda said...

Your quilt is just beautiful, Linda!
Thank you for showing the others, too. It is so inspiring to see them all.
My granddaddy was a dairy farmer, so I enjoyed reading about cows. I was always fascinated with the way he took care of his cattle. He was so gentle and loving toward them. He had a name for each one (out of probably 200! He had a small dairy many, many years ago before computer chips and fully automated dairies.) I still remember him searching and searching for one of his missing cows and finding her very sick because she couldn't eat. He ended up pulling an obstruction from her throat and nursing her back to health.

Maria said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Maria said...

Congratulations on your win. I will pop over to Bloggers Quilt Festival and vote for your Purple FANtastic.
Both Rug Mugs are fabulous..

Apple Avenue Quilts said...

Congratulations! I think the best quilt won!!!!

Sheila said...

Both mug rugs are really lovely and the cross stitch that Sunny made for you is lovely as well. Lots of beautiful quilts in the challenge and congratulations on being #1 ,that is wonderful and your quilt really deserves to be number one!!

sunny said...

O.M.G> Your purple FANtastic truly is FANTASTIC!!!! Simply amazing, Linda. And yes, please send that turkey out to the big stores and mall.

Farm Gate Creations Incorporating Hummingbird Quilting said...

All the quilts are brilliant and I love your final thought of the day.

My Sister Made Me Do It.... said...

Another interesting post, Linda. Love the mug rugs...did you both decide on a snowman theme or did it just come out that way? Thanks for sharing all the lovely entries in your guild and congratulations on winning 1st prize with Purple FANtastic!

BillieBee (billiemick) said...

Congratulations! It's wonderful.
And I do love your cartoon.

Christine M said...

Congratulations on your win Linda. Both mug rugs are lovely. What a beautiful cross stitch Sunny made for you.

Barbara said...

Beautiful quilt, Linda. I love that quotation about faith.

SewCalGal said...

Beautiful quilts Linda. And, very interesting facts on cows. Growing up I fondly remember visits to my grandparents, that had cattle. My heart still gets excited when I see a ranch with cows, especially in spring. I've also been to a few events with cattle wrestling, and bull riding, but nothing to the caliber of the event in Las Vegas. I'm happy you and your family were able to go. Very special. Of course, next time I hope you make it on to So. Cal, as I'd love to show you around.

SewCalGal
www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com

Lynda said...

1st Place....congratulations! It is a beauty. Love the mug rugs too.

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

1st place. Congrats! My grandfather raised cows. I always pass cows and think 'steak on a stick'! Yum!

Pokey said...

Great job on the first place mini, Linda! It is a sweet finish. I do like the like blue mat/squishy that you received, too, so cool ~
:-}pokey

Anonymous said...

AMAZING QUILT! I love all that tiny paper piecing! That must have taken a very long time!
and of course you know I loved the cow facts...you even put some up that I didn't know!
Glad you had fun last week...

Anonymous said...

your mini is gorgeous! Congratulations on your win...evrything you create is so beautiful...

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...