Friday, October 26, 2012

2 Finishes


Bittersweet October.  The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter.  
~Carol Bishop Hipps

Fall has temporarily arrived.  There has been a nip in the air and we even had a spattering of rain the other night.  Would you believe northern California even had 5 tornadoes on Monday?  The last few mornings I've been able to wear jeans and a zip hoodie - with the hood up!  My morning time at the computer is spent with both dogs and my legs wrapped in a quilt.  I'm loving it and so are my furbabies!!!  Unfortunately, they are predicting that we will be back in the mid eighties next week :(  Hopefully it will be short lived and we will be back to those wonderful autumn mornings.  What's the weather like in your area?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Tarantula

I decided to keep with the spooky, creepy again - this time Tarantulas.  Do these fuzzy spiders make your skin crawl.  I'm usually not afraid of spiders, but this one is a bit over the top for me.  Here are a few interesting facts about this large, hairy creature:
* Tarantulas were named after Taranto, a town in Southern Italy
Tarantulas can only drink their food, meaning that they must liquefy anything before they try to eat it (the mouth is shaped like a straw)
Tarantulas can grow to be 1 foot long (that's including their legs)
The hairs on a tarantulas body have the power to kill small rodents
Tarantulas having a bite that is deadly to humans is a myth (in fact, scientists are still trying to discern the effects of a tarantula bite)
The oldest tarantula lived to be 49 years old
Female tarantulas can live 30 years or longer in the wild.
Tarantulas are quite docile and rarely bite people. And it wouldn't do a tarantula much good defensively to bite you, since its venom doesn't pack much of a punch. A tarantula bite is no worse than a bee sting in terms of toxicity.
Tarantulas have retractable claws on each leg, like cats.
Tarantulas can regenerate lost legs.

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A LITTLE QUILT

I made and turned in my latest little Loving Hands quilt last week.

I used the same pattern I've used before, Squares Upon Squares, but explored a bit with the quilting.  I did the normal anchor of stitching in the ditch and then added a large petal design.  This was quick and easy and helped me renew the feeling for free motion quilting.  The fabrics were some I had in my stash.  The green I've had for ages and it just happened to blend with the persimmon fabric from Connecting Threads that I bought awhile back.  It's hard to find a good place in my yard to take photos in the sunshine this time of year so please excuse the shadows.

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BIG FINISH

I finished my big stitchery project!!  And in plenty of time to get it framed before Christmas.

This piece was fun to stitch with the challenge of different stitches and using some metallic threads.  I'm ready to start another Chatelaine Design pattern.  It will be another Christmas gift but this time for 2013.  I feel so good to be getting such a head start.  

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
Started April 2012 - Finished October 2012

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FINAL THOUGHT



19 comments:

Mommarock said...

They are both great, but the second one is WOWZA!!!!

Anonymous said...

hi Linda that spider certainly gives me the creeps,love your cross stitch and little quilt,well done on your awesome finishes.xx

Needled Mom said...

Your stitchery is absolutely amazing!!! It is just beautiful and will be loved by the recipient.

Your quilt looks wonderful too. That is a nice pattern.

We used to catch tarantulas as pets. They do look creepy, but their looks are deceiving. A few years ago we found one in our shower and the kids loved holding it. It kind of tickles when it crawls up your arm. I have no idea how it got in the house.

I feel so rich!!!!! Ha!

Kasey said...

Love the stitchery! Tarantulas are one of the few spiders that don't freak me out (the other being daddy long legs). I think it's because they're slower and easily seen, rather than those skittery ones that hide in corners and (gasp) have a penchant for running across your feet like I had happen yesterday. Good thing I trained my dog, Prudence, to chase them and eat them! Though, really, "training" just means she saw how happy it made me the first time.

quiltercaroline said...

Absolutely love the cross stitch - it is stunning and whoever is recieving it is very lucky. Have a good week. C x

Vroomans' Quilts said...

We are bracing for storm 'Sandy' - love the cross stitch piece, just stunning. And great closer!

Linda in Calif. said...

Cute little quilt for the loving hands. I totally love the cross-stitch. Love the desert images are it.

Valspierssews said...

Your cross stitch project is fabulous. I love the lightening. Well done on getting it finished. When I was a kid we called huntsman spiders tarantulas because they are so big.
Australia is having some weird spring weather. Snow near Sydney, 42 celsius on the coast. Luckily Brisbane has been pleasantly in between.
Love the final thought. It is all about perspective.

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

Wow the cross stitch is magnificent! I wish I had the stamina to do something even half as big as that...the helping hands quilt is lovely. I like that pattern....we used to have tarantulas at one of the places I lived and it has been years since I saw one here but they are creepy looking.

Susan said...

Oh my goodness! Your Desert Mandala is just stunning! I wish I was on your Christmas list! Whomever gets this for a gift is one very special and loved person! Excellent work! Just love it!

Christine M said...

Your Desert Madala is amazing Linda. You'll have to show it to us when you have it framed.

sunny said...

Ewww...because of your hairy little friend, I had a hard time clicking on this to open. I'm glad I finally did, because you have some awesome eye candy, Girl. What a beautiful stitchery.

Lynda said...

Your stitchery is just amazing. So beautiful! I don't have the patience or the skill.

Our weather has hit that funny stage between Autumn and Winter. It snowed and covered the cars during the night but was 60 degrees by noon. Nice weather for some hot chocolate in the evening with my granddaughter.

Barbara said...

Wow! I love your stitchery. And the colors in your quilt are great.

Janet said...

Your stitchery is fabulous! Congratulations on getting it done.

Shannon said...

I don't mind spiders. The ones I like I help outside and the other that I don't like I kill and flush, LOL! Your quilting on your little quilt is great. Your stitchery is fabulous!!! It is so colorful and rich in detail. I love all of the different pictures!! Good for you!

Raewyn said...

Wow I never knew Tarantula were such interesting critters!! LOVE your stitchery - I am in awe as there seems so much work in it - beautiful.The colours in the LH quilt are just lovely - love the final thought!!!We're having some lovely spring days but the weather is still very changeable here in NZ.

Vesuviusmama said...

That's a funny funny there at the end! Great finishes!

Quiltsmiles said...

OMG! I love this design and actually have it in to stitch at some point in my life. Yours is stunning.
WHere did you purchase all the threads,beads to stitch this. There are no LNS around me and I usually order on the net, but I also love to actually see all the colors, some of those hand dyes are a bit off at times.
Jane
Thanks for the tidbits about Tarantulas, interesting.

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