This One Is A Mystery

Since there is nothing so well worth having as friends, never lose a chance to make them. 

~Francesco Guicciardini

I didn't get much sewing in yesterday :(  The morning started with bill paying - one of my least favorite chores.  Then I had to prepare my traveling sewing bag to take to the quilt guild meeting last night for a sew in.  This was the first time I had to take my sewing machine with me and it felt really weird.  I kept worrying that I was forgetting something.  Did the mental check list of sewing machine (that was rather hard to forget), scissors, thread, bobbins, cutting/pressing board, rotary cutter, seam ripper, pins......  I don't have a travel iron so that wasn't an issue.  It was a lot of fun and I really didn't forget anything.  We had the choice of making the jelly roll race quilt or another little project.  I chose the jelly roll as I knew that I could turn that into quilts for Loving Hands.  A good time was had by all.  A good way to end the day - with friends and fellowship!

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PHOTO FACT OF THE DAY

Mosquito

Saturday is National Mosquito Day.  This holiday is celebrated by learning about the mosquito and passing on the information, both good & bad.  So for that reason, here some facts about those little blood sucking creatures:

* Only female mosquitoes bite; using proteins from a blood meal to produce eggs. Most species can produce several batches of eggs during their lifetime.

* Worldwide, mosquito-borne diseases kill more people than any other single factor. In the United States, mosquitoes vector (spread) several types of encephalitis, dog heartworm, and malaria.

* Adult mosquitoes only weigh about two milligrams.

* According to the Fond du Lac Humane Society, mosquitoes will be more attracted to you if you're wearing the color blue. Darker colored clothing attracts mosquitoes more.

* The average mosquito takes in about 5-millionths of a liter of blood during feeding.

* Smelly feet are attractive to mosquitoes – as is Limburger Cheese.

* A full moon increased mosquito activity 500% in one study

Time to pull out the repellent - especially if you are wearing blue!!

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MYSTERY BLOCK

One day this week I worked on the Designer Mystery BOM from Fat Quarter Shop.  There was quite a bit of cutting required for this month's block....

Lots of little 2 inch squares and 2 3/8 inch squares.  And would you believe I cut the green with white dots fabric wrong?  Luckily I could substitute out the solid green and still have the right amount of squares with no devastating results.

Some of those squares turned into these blocks.  Could those be strawberry topped mountains?  Or maybe red beaked geese?

And more of the squares turned into these shapes.  Just noticed the green fabric matches the green in my ironing board - giggles.

And one more sub-block to make - this one with the fussy cut center.]

And here is the final block.  See, I told you that my cutting error really didn't make a difference in the outcome of the block.  This block is called Promise of Spring and was designed by Pam Buda.  This BOM is supposed to create a different flower each month but I'm darned if I can figure out what flower this might be.  I love the colors though and the design is very pretty.  It won't be long before the next BOM arrives since I made this one so late in the month.

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VOTES

The votes are in for the binding for Colors Thru The Window.  There were a total of 48 votes:  15 for a black binding and 33 for the multi colored binding.  Looks like I will go with the multi colored binding!  Thanks to all of you who took the time to vote and/or express your opinion through comments.  I really do appreciate your advice and suggestions!

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FMQ - DAYS 7 & 8

Day 8's practice piece is called Brain Coral.  The upper right corner shows where I didn't quite have the concept down but then all of a sudden it clicked.  This is sort of an elaboration of meandering.  I had fun with this one and my stitches were fairly even.

Yesterday's practice piece is called Matrix.  I got a bit too curvy on this piece.  It shouldn't look quite so confusing.  Once again I had trouble going from bottom to top and my stitch length seemed to be a bit off too.  I think I went into it with the idea that this was going to be a piece of cake and I certainly proved otherwise - lol!

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RED, WHITE, AND BLUE

The other day I received 3 wonderful blocks from my swap partner in the 6 Inch Block Swaps Australia.

Coralie sent me these 3 beautiful blocks.  I have yet to try circles or curves and love the look of these two blocks.  And the scrappy basket block is just adorable!!  Thank you so very much, Coralie!

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I hope to finish the Christmas mug rug I've been working on.  This one involved applique so there was a bit more work to it. 

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GIVEAWAYS

A Stitch In Time is having a giveaway.  You could win a charm pack of Hullabaloo.  This giveaway ends Sunday, July 24, at 8:00 pm EST.

 

SarahJane is having a giveaway.  You could win 4 yards of Children at Play Fabric, 1 framed 8×10 print of your choice, 3 packs of greeting cards, 1 blank journal, 1 pack of bookplates, and other little random surprises from the shop that she'll throw in for fun.  This giveaway ends Sunday, July 24, at 10:00 pm EST.

Our Busy Little Bunch is having a giveaway.  You could win a bag of Rockin' Green detergent.  This giveaway ends Saturday, July 30.

Quilt Story is having a giveaway.  You could win stack of 9 fat quarters of Art Gallery Oval Elements.  This giveaway ends Monday, July 25.

Mary on Lake Pulaski is having a giveaway.  You could win four fat quarters of Susan Branch fabric from her Tea Party line, a heat resistant pastry brush, and a  Decal Kit from Fiber Flies.  Two winners will be drawn on Monday, July 25.

A House In The Country is having a giveaway.  You could win a GO! Baby Cutter and your choice of 3 dies.  This giveaway ends Monday, August 1, Australian time.

Hancocks of Paducah is having a giveaway.  You could win one Island Batiks Rose of Sharon Quilt Kit (I really shouldn't be telling you about this one because I would LOVE to win this one!).  This giveaway ends Wednesday, August 10.

Sew Inspired is having a giveaway.  You could win GO! Baby Cutter and 3 dies.  This giveaway ends Monday, July 25.

Creativity Amongst Chaos is having a giveaway.  You could win a wonderful pillow along with a collection of Rosie Tweet Patterns, or any patterns of your choice instead ($50 worth).  This giveaway ends Wednesday, July 27.

Iron Violet Designs is having a giveaway.  You could win a  fat quarter bundle of 15 of Poppy Seed Fabrics.  This giveaway ends Sunday, July 24, at noon.

LA Quilter is having a giveaway.  You could win your choice of 50 yards of miscellaneous fabric from Vicky's stash, or 50 miscellaneous fat quarters from her stash, or a $50 gift certificate to the Fat Quarter shop.  This giveaway ends "Saturday morning, July 24."  So I don't know if she means Saturday or Sunday since the 24th is actually Sunday - lol.

Diary of a Quilt Maven is celebrating two years of blogging and her 200th post with a giveaway.  You could win two project books and a Layer Cake from Adorn It.  This giveaway ends Thursday, July 28.

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FINAL THOUGHT

Do you have big plans for this weekend?  This will be our catch-up weekend of running errands.  We will make our normal start to Saturday by making a stop at the local Farmer's Market and then it's off and running.  It's supposed to be another hot one so that will just add to the misery 'fun' of the day.  Sunday I hope to get a little hand sewing in along with a week's worth of dirty clothes washing.  I think it is also wash day for the pups.  Luckily they both love to be bathed.  Perhaps DH will create some magic with the barbecue, which also helps to keep the heat out the kitchen.  I'm all for easy and cool this weekend - anything to beat the constant heat of summer.

Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it. 
~Russel Baker

Guess My Block

See everything; overlook a great deal; correct a little.
~Pope John XXIII

How was your weekend?  Mine was meh.  Not much going on.  Ran errands and did wash.  Nothing even exciting to watch on tv.  We were lucky enough to receive a little rain in the early hours of Sunday morning and were blessed with much cooler temps.  That was the highlight of my weekend.  Some weekends are just like that - not worth reporting on.  Hopefully that means my week will be productive and maybe a little creative.  I guess life is what I make of it  -  so no one else to blame but me for the blahs and humbugs. 

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PHOTO FACT OF THE DAY

Bridal Bouquet

We are quickly approaching June, the most popular month for weddings.  Do you know why brides carry floral bouquets?  About the time of the Middle Ages, people took their one bath of the year about April, when the weather was starting to warm up. Marriages traditionally took place in June and, by that time, people were starting to smell a bit ripe. Therefore the bride would carry flowers to help cover the offensive odor.  The annual baths themselves consisted of a big tub of hot water. The man of the house got the nice, hot, clean water, then all the other male members of the household from sons to servants, followed by the lowly women and, last of all, the baby. By that time, the water was so filthy, you couldn't see into it and tiny tots could actually get lost in it, hence the expression, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water." We've come a long way baby.  Flowers symbolize a number of emotions, values and wishes. In the past, brides carried flowers or herbs because they were believed to ward off evil spirits. Today, brides carry flowers to follow tradition, and to add beauty and elegance to their wedding.

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CAN YOU SOLVE THE MYSTERY

Friday I finished the 12th and final block in the Designer Mystery BOM from Fat Quarter Shop.  Would you like to help me figure out what it is?  Let's get started......

Here is the fabric I had to work with.  Just love this Kate Spain fabric, 12 Days of Christmas.  So let's get cutting.....

Here are all the pieces, cut and ready to go.  Didn't take much time at all.

These were the first two pieces.  Could it be Santa's wife with the skinny little waist?  No, probably not.  Maybe one of the sexy little store elves that  you see in the department stores?  Oh, don't go there......

Simple strips were next.  I have absolutely no guesses - how about you?

Four HSTs and two more little strips.  Elf slippers and ?

This looks like a slice of candy cane to me.  But what about those letters?

Could this be a popcicle?  Or maybe a road sign indicating snow ahead?  Come on - you must have a guess as to what the block might be......

Did you guess right?  This block is called The Final Touch and was designed by Sherri Falls of This and That Patterns.  I have already cut out the sashings and corner stones for this quilt and hope to start assembling it next week. 

And not to worry, this isn't our last mystery together.  I have already signed up for the 2011 Designer Mystery BOM.  This time it will be a spectacular flower garden filled with blooms and blossoms featuring the Strawberry Fields collection by Fig Tree Quilts for Moda Fabrics.  I'm already looking forward to June!

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BALTIMORE BASICS CONTINUES

Friday I also started a new block for the Baltimore Basics quilt.....

These are future stems and will be only 1/8" thick.  I'm learning a new method so I will see how it works.  I'm a little nervous about the center of the block so keep your fingers crossed for me.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I will make two 6 1/2" blocks for my swap partner Sallie. 

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GIVEAWAYS

The Raspberry Rabbits is having a giveaway.  You could win a DVD called Quilting Art's, it's workshop on making fabric journals.  This giveaway ends Wednesday, May 18.

Hawthorne Threads is having their weekly giveaway.  You could win a Rosalie Quinlan Sweet Broderie fat quarter bundle in Morning.  A winner will be selected on Wednesday, May 18.

Eclectic Quilter is having a giveaway. Marj is trying to name her new long arm machine. You could win a copy of Machine Freehand Patterns by Nan Moore. This giveaway ends Tuesday, May 18.

The Quilting Booklady is having a giveaway.  To celebrate Spring Market, Becky is giving away the pattern by Pat Wys and fabric to make your very own version of Tic Tac.  But hurry, this giveaway ends tonight, Wednesday, May 18, at 6:00 pm, EST.

Little Miss Shabby is having a final birthday giveaway.  She is giving away a custom pillow designed just for the lucky winner!  This giveaway end Friday, May 20.

1 Choice 4 Quilting is having a "Super Duper Duper Super" fabric giveaway.  There is just too much to list here but there will be 10 lucky winners!!!  The lucky winners will be drawn on Sunday, May 29, at 10:00 pm EST.

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FINAL THOUGHT

My week looks fairly normal.  Luckily there's no grocery shopping this week :D  I have been contemplating going to a local guild meeting Thursday evening.  I would really like to be able to attend when they have speakers or to be able to attend when they have classes.  I'm just not sure.  I'm not sure if I will like being in a large group - I never have been fond of groups.  I'm not sure if my quilting is up their standards.  I'm not sure how welcoming they would be.  I guess the only way to find out is to attend the meeting.  I still have a few days to decide - I'll let you know.

A peacefulness follows any decision, even the wrong one.
~Rita Mae Brown


Make your Monday marvelous!!