I Spy Flowers :)

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

 Yesterday was a day of finishes.  They were simple projects but at least they are done.  I was able to prepare four envelopes for mailing.  Only one more project to make and finish for my monthly obligations to be complete.  Taking off that week of sewing really threw things out of balance.  However, I wouldn't trade the time I had with family for anything.  I was even able to start a new project - woohoo.  It was quite warm here yesterday.  Oh, who am I kidding.  It was darn right HOT.  The high yesterday was 105 F.  Lovely to know that summer did not forget us.  And what better way to start summer than with a scorcher.  Only the first of many more to come.  Yay!  I can hardly wait.  Not really, but I have to try and look at it positively - either than or it just puts me in a funk.  Thank goodness for the good ol' A/C!!!

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PHOTO FACT OF THE DAY

Velcro

Velcro, whose name is a combination of the French words velour and crochet, was developed in the early 1940s, after Swiss inventor George de Mestral returned home from a walk with his dog and noticed that pesky cockleburs had stuck to his pants and his dog’s coat. Examining the burrs under a microscope, de Mestral found the basis for a unique two-sided fastener — one side with stiff hooks (like the burrs) and the other with soft loops (like the fabric of his pants).

de Mestral gave up his engineering gig, got a $150,000 loan and spent eight years staring at matted dog hair under a microscope before arriving at a patent in 1955. He named the invention "special napped piles of man-made material with some of these loops having the means of hooking near their ends."
The first Velcro sample was made of cotton, which proved impractical and was replaced by nylon and polyester. Velcro fasteners made of Teflon loops, polyester hooks, and glass backing are used in aerospace applications, e.g., on space shuttles.
Velcro is strong enough that a two inch square piece is enough to support a 175 pounds (79 kg) person.  In favor of Velcro, it is easy to use, safe, and maintenance free. There is only a minimal decline in effectiveness even after many fastening and unfastenings. The tearing noise it makes can also be useful against pickpockets. Additionally, in the United States Air Force, where Velcro is used to attach patches to flight suits, aircrew have learned that they can remove small cloth pile balls that accumulate on the suits by using the hook side on the back of the patches like a brush to remove them.

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HEXAGON SWAP

I finally finished the second hexie flower for my swap partner in the Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap.

You might remember from a couple of weeks ago, Jane requested modern fabric for the petals and a white center.

Here are both of the hexie flowers that will be winging their way across the ocean to Jane in Australia.

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I SPY SWAP

Recently I joined in on an I SPY Swap being hosted by Mrs. Sassy Crafter.  There are a total of 20 people participating and we are to each cut twenty 4" squares out of each of ten different novelty print fabrics.  I purchased 10 fat quarters from Connecting Threads for this swap.  Yesterday I cut out these squares. 

Aren't these some cute fabrics?  These went out today and some time next month I will receive 200 I Spy squares back.  I can't wait to see what other people used for their fabric choices.

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ANOTHER HEXIE

Today is One Flower Wednesday.  Each week, Karen, of Journey of a Quilter, creates a linky page for those of us who are creating hexagon flowers to share our flowers.

Here's my flower for this week.  No, those dots are not on the yellow petals.  Those are the center of my paper templates that are showing through.  Don't the bright yellow petals remind  you of the blazing sun?  I thought the little mouse in the middle with the paw prints was awfully cute :)

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I will finish my Let's Bee Together block for Melissa.

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GIVEAWAYS

Stumbles and Stitches is having a giveaway.  You could win a $25 gift certificate from Fashionable Fabrics.  This giveaway ends  Friday, June 24.

Annie's Ruby Slipperz is having a giveaway.  You could win a kit to make a darling baby quilt.  This giveaway ends Friday, June 24, at midnight MT.

Fabric Worm is having their weekly giveaway.  This week you could win Hoos in the Forest by Doohicky Designs Yellow in Fat Quarters.  This giveaway ends Monday, June 27, at 8:30 am PST.

McCall's Quilting is having a giveaway.  You could win 1 of 2 patriotic Gingher Scissors.  This giveaway ends Monday, June 27.

Did you enter MY VACATION GIVEAWAY?  There's still plenty of time but you don't want to put it off and then forget.  Just click on the link :)

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FINAL THOUGHT

We have been going through a dessert desire in this house.  We can go months on end with no desserts - no cookies, no cakes, no ice cream.....no sweets of any kind.  Don't these kind of cravings usually happen during the winter?  We have had Klondike Bars on a regular basis - Heath and chocolate chip.  We have had our favorite spice cake with coffee frosting - several times!  Occasionally we have a good for you dessert and have a bowl of strawberries or blackberries.  Where are these cravings coming from?  Does it mean we are missing something essential in our diets?  It really has to stop!  I love the desserts but they tend to stay with me for a long, long time.  As the saying goes "A minute on the lips, a life time on the hips" - but that should include my arms, thighs, butt and anywhere else that fat likes to stick.  Oh no!!!  Now I'm hungry - off to eat my multi-grain cheerios for breakfast - lol!  How are you starting your day?

Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart.
~Erma Bombeck