I'm Ready For October!

For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together. For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad. 
~Edwin Way Teale

It's the last day of September!  Are you ready for October?  I would be if the weather would ever cool down.  I'm hoping that Mother Nature will take another look at the calender and send a cooling trend our way.  I'm tired of it being in the 90's every day.  Not a single leaf is changing color and I believe the birds are all staying around waiting for it to cool before heading south.  It's time for sweatshirts and hands in pockets to stay warm.  It's wrong to be going to football games in shorts and light weight t-shirts.  I want cool weather - darn it!  Have the temps dropped in your area to welcome it the fall?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Sticks of chewing gum

Today, September 30, is Chewing Gum Day.  I haven't chewed gum in years - it messes with my dental work.  But I thought it would be fun to share some facts about that little wad of gooey goodness.

* During WWII, U.S. military personnel spread the popularity of chewing gum by trading it and giving it as gifts to people in Europe, Africa, Asia and around the world.

* Chewing on gum while cutting onions can help a person from producing tears

* The largest bubble ever blown was 23 inches in diameter. The record was set July 19, 1994 by Susan Montgomery Williams of Fresno, CA

* Singapore has tried to completely forbid gum, with heavy fines of over $6,000 for possession or use without a prescription.

* Chewing gum burns around 11 calories per hour.

* In the U.S. alone, the total amount of chewing gum sold in one year would make a stick 3.5 million miles (5.6 million km) long. That’s long enough to reach the moon and back seven times or to circle the earth’s equator 150 times

* The largest piece of bubble gum ever was the size and weight of 10,000 regular pieces and was presented to baseball player Willie Mays by the Topps Chewing Gum Company in June 1974.

* Back in the 1920’s, prohibition increased gum sales because people needed to mask the alcohol on their breath. When prohibition was enacted, Adam’s Clove gum hit the market with the slogan: “It takes your breath away!”

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OCTOBER TABLE RUNNER

For just over a week I worked on the wool table runner for my side board.....

First I worked on the ends creating the scene for fall....

And, of course, I had to add a little owl sitting in the tree.....

Here's one end of the runner.  I just love the falling leaves....

(oh my, I just realized I put Stitched on the photo instead of Stitches - stupid me!)

And here is the entire runner.  It was actually supposed to be two inches longer (36 inches) making more space in the center but when I washed the wool it shrank much more than expected.  It actually fits my sideboard a little better with the 2 inches missing.  The table runner pattern is by Nutmeg Hare and is called #48 An Autumn Mood.  One fall project completed!

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OCTOBER MINI QUILT

Earlier this week I finished the little mini quilt for October.....

I had bought this pattern back at the Long Beach Quilt Show in July.  When I saw it I knew I had to have it.  It is already hanging on its stand in the entryway ready to greet all who enter.

Here is a close-up of the tiny meandering I did.  There's only a couple of pointy spots and one or two places where I stitched over previous stitching.  Luckily it's small enough that most people won't notice the mistakes.  This little pattern is by The Wooden Bear Quilt Designs and is called October Scare.

Woohoo!  I'm all ready for October with one day to spare!!

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FREE MOTION PRACTICE

Since I forgot to share any of my FMQ with you on Wednesday, you now have to suffer through 3.....

Peppermint Candy showed me that I need to practice my circles.  Can you tell where I sneezed twice during this practice?  Second and fourth row right in the center.  LOL!  Allergies are a real pain when you are concentrating and then sneeze without warning.  It also made me want some peppermint candy :)

I really enjoyed this practice.  Flame Flower didn't require as much precision and  you could make the petals fit as you went.  I can see using this in a quilt somewhere.

Thursday's practice looks much better at a distance.  I liked the effect of Pointy Paisley but I'm not sure where I would use it on a quilt.  Some of lines could have been straighter and the corner points a bit pointier.

Now that I will be taking a week off from sewing, I hope my fmq skills don't get too rusty.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I'm going to enjoy my DD#1 and GS#2!!!!!!  I think I can achieve today's goal without  any difficulty.

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GIVEAWAYS

Sunshower Quilts is having a giveaway.  You could win all the fabric you'll need for your own fall table-runner.  This giveaway ends Sunday, October 2.

Make Life Sweet is having a giveaway.  You could win some pre-cuts of Hometown.  This giveaway ends Monday, October 3.

World of Charity Stitching is having a giveaway.  You could win a $25 gift certificates from Vee at VeeandCo Cross Stitch Designs.  This giveaway ends Friday, October 7.

Craizee Corners is having a giveaway.  You could win 4 fat quarters of breast cancer awareness fabric and 4 appliqued ribbons cut with the Accuquilt die.  This giveaway ends Saturday, October 1.


Quilting by the River is having a giveaway.  You could win Maple Leaf Centerpiece kit created by Connie.  This giveaway ends Sunday, October 2.

Hawthorne Threads is having their weekly giveaway.  You could win a Lizzy House Outfoxed charm pack.  This giveaway ends Wednesday, October 5.

Lavender Ridge is having a giveaway.  You could win the very first edition of Primitive Quilts and Projects, summer 2011, and maybe some extra fat quarters.  This giveaway ends Monday, October 10.

Cotton Cocktails is having a giveaway.  You could win a Moda Summer House charm pack.  This giveaway ends Thursday, October 6.

Happy Cottage Quilter is having a giveaway.  You could win forty 5" charm squares, a Granny's Flower Patch Charm Template, a Pyramid Charm Template, thread, 3/4 yard of fabric, and quilters pins with a cute little tin to keep them in.  This giveaway ends Sunday, October 2.


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FINAL THOUGHT

As you head into October you will be doing it without me.  I will be taking a brief break from blogging to enjoy the time with my DD#1 and GS#2.  I will return on Monday, October 10.  I will miss sharing my life with you but I'm sure you understand if I plan on very little computer time.  Enjoy the first third of the month and I will be back with you soon.

Laughter is an instant vacation. 
~Milton Berle

Stars And Eggs - Green!

May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light,

May good luck pursue you each morning and night.

~Irish Blessing

It's St. Patrick's Day!  Do you have on your green?  Do green eyes count?  If so, then I am covered.  If not, then get your pinches ready because I'm not wearing green - at least not where it shows!  Neither my DH nor I are Irish.  Our only bit of celebration is usually my making corned beef and cabbage - gag me with a spoon.  I dutifully make this each year as my DH likes LOVES it.  How can you like boiled meat?  The cabbage is passable and I do like the carrots and the new potatoes.  And who can stand that smell?  DH says it is the perfume of the Irish.  (Again - gag me).  This year will be a little different.  My sweet DH is taking me out to dinner (happy dance).  He can order his corned beef and cabbage and I can have whatever my little heart desires.  And, best of all, we can come to a house that doesn't reek of boiled meat!

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PHOTO FACT OF THE DAY

Kissing the Blarney Stone

Five miles north west of the small city of Cork is the village of Blarney. Near the village, standing almost 90 feet in height is the castle of Blarney with its world-famous Blarney Stone. More than 300,000 people come to kiss the Blarney Stone each year, in the hopes of gaining more eloquent speech.  While the Blarney Castle that visitors see today was constructed in 1446, the history of the place goes back two centuries before that time. The story begins with a magical stone, its origins shrouded in mystery. One legend says it was the rock that Moses struck with his staff to produce water for the Israelites during their exodus from Egypt. Another legend relates that it had once been Jacob’s Pillow and that the prophet Jeremiah had brought it to Ireland. According to this telling it became the Lia Fail, or ‘Fatal Stone’ and was used as an oracular throne of the Irish kings. 

It is known, however, when and how the word Blarney entered the English language and the dictionary. During the time of Queen Elizabeth I, Dermot McCarthy, the ruler of the castle, was required to surrender his fortress to the Queen as proof of his loyalty. He said he would be delighted to do so, but something always happened at the last moment to prevent his surrender. His excuses became so frequent and indeed so plausible that the official who had been demanding the castle in the name of the Queen became a joke at the Court. Once, when the eloquent excuses of McCarthy were repeated to the Queen, she said "Odds bodikins, more Blarney talk!" The term Blarney has thus come to mean 'the ability to influence and coax with fair words and soft speech without giving offense'.

 

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JUST ONE STAR

Moda staff and designers would like to invite you to join their newest challenge:  Just One Star can comfort a soldier.  The challenge is to piece, quilt and bind 100 quilts in 100 days using the Flag of Valor pattern by Minick and Simpson.  As the saying goes "many hands make light work".  They need 1800 star blocks to reach their goal.  You can be involved too!  You simply need to make a quilt block(s) to support moda and Semper Fi's efforts. 

Please take a few minutes to piece Just One Star block (click here for pattern) using a medium red or blue and a cream background.  Sign each block with your name and state.  Moda will coordinate the donation of the 100 quilts thru the Semper Fi Fund.  The deadline for blocks is May 1, 2011 so that moda can meet their quilt deadline by Flag Day, June 14, 2011.

Yesterday I made two of the stars.....

and my brown pigma pen arrived in the mail so I could sign the blocks with my name and state.  They are on the road to moda today!

Won't you help this very worthy cause?  Support our troops!  Let's help moda make more than 100 quilts!

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SPRING IS COMING

Today the gold finches arrived at my thistle feeder.

Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera nearby when there were over 15 of these precious little birds on the feeder.  They are such flighty birds that it is hard to catch them in a good shot.  This is a sure sign that spring is just around the corner.

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WOOL CANDLE MAT

Yesterday I prepped and cut the wool for the Chicks Candle mat that I want made before April.  It is a darling pattern by Bareroots.

Doesn't this remind you of a rotten broken egg with little chick embryos floating in it?  Gross - I know.  Don't ask me why my mind went there.  It just did.  I will be stitching the little chicks in the proper places over the weekend so next time you see them, they should look a whole lot better.

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ANOTHER START

Yesterday I also started working on my second Baltimore Album block.

Not much to see yet.  I found making inside curves much easier to make smooth than the outside curves.  The next four pieces have both inside and outside curves.

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TODAY'S GOAL

A while back I signed up for a hot pad swap.  I plan to start working on it today - at least get the pieces cut out.

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GIVEAWAYS

Such a Sew and Sew is having a giveaway.  Elizabeth is helping her friend, Wanda, get organized by is giving away 10 1/2 yards of Civil War Reproduction fabrics and a copy of the book, The Civil War Diary Quilt.  This giveaway ends on Friday, March 18, at 11:30 pm MST.

Amy's Creative Side is having a giveaway.  She is giving away a collection of 6 Indygo Junction Patterns.  This giveaway ends Monday, March 21st.

Bee In My Bonnet is having a fabric giveaway.  Lori is giving away 2 sets of 1930's repro fat quarters - 22 fat quarters in each set.  This giveaway ends Saturday, March 19.

Stitched In Color is having a batting giveaway!  Rachel is giving away a package of Warm & Natural batting, 90" X 96" (full size).  She will draw a random winner on Saturday, March 19.

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FINAL THOUGHT

There are so many charities and wonderful organizations out there, how do you know which one(s) to get involved with.  I say to pick by what feels closest to your heart.  I crochet afghans for Project Linus, an organization whose mission is to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer "blanketeers".  I am also involved with the Golden West Chapter of the ALS Association.  This is a much more personal reason as I have the disease.  I give monthly to our local homeless shelter that provides meals to those who live on the street no matter what caused them to end up there.  There are other charities that I participate in yearly either by donations or attending walks.  With so many it is often hard to decide where to spend my time and money.  Do you get involved?  What charities and/or organizations to you participate in?

Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.
~Mark Twain

'Tis St. Patrick's Day! May the luck of the Irish be with ya!

Gummy, Wooly Swappers

If I had to sum up Friendship in one word, it would be Comfort.

 ~Terri Guillemets

Thank you so very much for all of your kind thoughts and the prayers sent for my Mother.  We found out yesterday that she will be having surgery Saturday morning to fix the 90 to 95% blockage on one side of her neck.  They will be using a vein from her leg to replace part of the artery in her neck similar to the way they do heart surgery.  They have decided the blockage is being caused by scar tissue.  This is the side that she had surgery on in September.  At one point she had expressed the desire not to have surgery but when the doctor said "It's either surgery or death" she opted with the side of life.  That's a good thing!  I just hope this isn't a reoccurring problem and that she will have to have surgery every 4 1/2 months.  The other side is 70% blocked but surgery will be put off to a later date for that one when it becomes more serious.  Thank you again for all of  your support and warm wishes - they mean more to me than you can ever know.

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PHOTO FACT OF THE DAY

Chewing Gum

Though it's hard to imagine, chewing gum is one of the oldest candies in the world! For thousands of years, people of all cultures have enjoyed the many benefits of gum.   Here are a few chewing gum facts:  

  *The average American chews over 300 sticks of gum each year.

*In the early 1860s, doctors advised patients to stop chewing gum, often telling patients it would cause their intestines to stick together.

*Over $2 billion of gum is sold in the United States each year.

*Dried chewing gum can be removed from hair using peanut butter.

*The Wrigley's company originally sold scouring soap and baking powder. Today, they are known only for their gum.

*While the sale of chocolates and other candies has gone up and down over time, the sale of gum has always remained strong.

*Most gum is purchased between Halloween and Christmas.

*Sugarless or sugar-free gums hit the marketplace in the early 1950s

*Pink remains the most popular color for bubble gum

*In 1951, the Topps Company reinvented the popularity of bubble gum by adding a stick of it to a package of baseball cards, replacing their previous gift of a single cigarette.

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WOOL PREPARATION & A QUESTION FROM A NEWBIE

Yesterday I traced all of the pattern pieces for my Garden Fancies table runner onto fusible web (per instructions).  I then pressed it onto the appropriate colors of wool.

I had hoped to cut out the pieces but I ran out of time.  I have a question for you wool experienced stitchers out there.  When it tells you to "trace the words" onto the wool, what method do you use?  I can't see the words through the wool to be able to do that.  And how do you do that if the wool is dark (I will be doing a dark one soon too)?  I sure would appreciate any guidance that you might be willing to share with me

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ORIGINAL BEE BLOCK DESIGN

In yesterday's mail I received my second to last Bee block for the January Let's Bee Together. 

This wonderful block is an original design by Colleen Yarnell.  I just love the way the fabrics are displayed in this block.  Thank you, Colleen!!

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BLOCK FROM BRAZIL

Also in yesterday's mail, I received my first ever anything from Brazil.

This beautiful block was made by Gina, my January swap partner for the Quilting Block Swaps Australia.  You can check out her blog, Catwhiskers, to see some of her wonderful work.  Gina included a beautiful little note and apologized for the less than perfect craftsmanship.  I think a little imperfection in a quilt block is what makes it special and unique.  Thank you, Gina!!

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today is sort of a continuation of yesterday.  I will finish my Birdie Stitches BOM #2 that I had intended to complete yesterday.  I also plan on cutting out hexies so that I have some hand sewing to do while waiting for Mother to come out of surgery.

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GIVEAWAYS

Mom Loves 2 Quilt is having a Round Robin Book Giveaway.  If you've ever wanted to read the Aloha Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini here's your chance.  Patty will be 'doing the random.org thing' on Monday.

Shauna is celebrating the opening of her store, 1 Choice 4 Quilting, with a giveaway!  She is giving away a jelly roll of  your choice.  Plus, there are all sort of specials going on too.  This giveaway will end on Monday, February 7th, at 8:00 PM EST.

U Create is having a gift certificate giveaway.  You could win a $50 gift certificate to The Ribbon Retreat.  This winner will be announced on February 9th.

Quilting In The Rain is having a February fabric giveaway.  Jera is giving away a Giddy Jelly Roll and
a Fairy Frost charm pack - there are two chances to win!  This will end on Monday, January 7th.

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FINAL THOUGHT

The week is finally coming to an end.  What a long week it has been.  Ups and downs, trials and tribulations.  A week that I hope doesn't repeat itself too soon.  A week that started out with such promise and high hopes.  The hopes are still high but the promise sort of went 'poof'.  The weekend will be busy but manageable.  I hope for some down time and DH time on Sunday - watching the Super Bowl, I'm sure.  Do you have big plans this weekend?  Will you be attending a Super Bowl party or will you be shopping or sewing away?  Me?  At home, probably doing the wash and hopefully a little hand stitching.

Watching football is like watching pornography. There's plenty of action, and I can't take my eyes off it, but when it's over, I wonder why the hell I spent an afternoon doing it.
~Luke Salisbury


May your Friday be fantastic, your Saturday satisfying, and your Sunday super!!