Spooky

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

Do you ever have days when you can never seem to get to where you want to be?  Every time I headed for the sewing room I remembered something else that needed to be done - forgot to look up a recipe, have to start another load of wash, time to empty the dishwasher, take a bit of time to chat with the guy from down the street that takes care of our front lawn, etc, etc, etc.  That's how my day went yesterday.  I never did get to sit in front of my sewing machine.  Hopefully today will be better.  Do you have any plans for the weekend?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

With Halloween just around the corner, thoughts of scary things come to mind and one of those is Frankenstein.  Well, unless of course you remember the movie, Young Frankenstein, and then it is a memory of fun and laughter.  Here are a few interesting facts about the original Frankenstein:

* Despite common depictions, the monster of the book was not green with bolts sticking out of his neck. Dr. Frankenstein carefully assemble his creature to be attractive; however, once the monster was alive, he was described as having yellowish eyes, long black hair, “shriveled complexion,” “straight black lips,” and yellow skin that “scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath.”

* Victor Frankenstein was based on a real person – Johann Konrad Dippel. Born in Castle Frankenstein in Germany, he was a doctor who experimented with reanimating dead animals and corpses in hopes of achieving immortality.

* The young Mary Godwin, later wed to poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, wrote Frankenstein at the age of nineteen.

* Frankenstein is a German name meaning, "stone of the Franks".

* Frankenstein was released anonymously in 1818, and was originally sub-titled: The Modern Prometheus. 

* Frankenstein’s monster has appeared on the US postage stamp twice! In 1997 and in 2002.

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SPOOKY

My doll quilt arrived from my October swap partner, Vickie, last week and I love it!

Isn't it adorable!?!  The theme this month is "Spooky" and Vickie certainly did a wonderful job following it.  From the darling ghost to the spider he's holding to the fabric she used - I love it all!  Thank you so very much, Vickie!!

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BEAM N READ

Recently I was contacted by ASF Lightware Solutions and asked to review their Beam N Read.  I can honestly say that I would definitely recommend this product to anyone who needs more light while stitching, sewing, or doing about any kind of hand work. 

Here are the pros:

* Light exactly what you are working on without causing distraction for anyone else in the room (my DH really liked this)

* Comfortable to wear around the neck - light weight 

*  Can angle the light in several different positions

* Totally hands free and doesn't get in the way

* Uses 4 standard AA batteries, not one of the fancy round batteries that are impossible to find

* This will be great to use while traveling in the car - I can even stitch when it's dark out now :)

* Not overly expensive

I really didn't have any cons other than the strap could use a clipping mechanism rather than just being stretchy.  I had to have the strap adjusted up enough that it messed my hair when I took it off - that's what happens when you don't have much of a bust for the light to sit on - lol!

Beam N Read lights offer a range of included and optional accessories not available with other personal 

lights. Accessories, depending on the model, include clip-on color filters to warm and soften the light 

and clip-on magnifiers.  AC and DC power adapters are optional accessories. The result is a product that 

is one of the most versatile and economical, hands free LED lights available.

I will be holding a sponsored giveaway for a Beam N Read next month.  However, if you would like to purchase this functional light before then, it is available from readinglight.com and Amazon.

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FINAL THOUGHT

A Bit Of Sewing

Give thanks for what you are now, and keep fighting for what you want to be tomorrow. 

~Fernanda Miramontes-Landeros

Whew!  What a busy weekend.  Saturday was the annual Walk To Defeat ALS in Kern County.  My team was made up of family and friends and we all had a wonderful time.  The Walk started around 9:00 with over 500 people in attendance.  After lunch was served and devoured, we finally made it home around 1:30.  The rest of the afternoon was spent with our DD#2 and SIL and then expanded to include my BIL & SIL.  Soon after the rest of the family arrived and did the noise level ever increase - lol!  DH barbecued tri-tip and we served it with Santa Maria style beans, french bread, and salad with little eclairs and cream puffs for dessert.  I was totally exhausted by the time we were in bed at 9:30.  Sunday was dog wash day and laundry day.  I was glad to see Monday roll around so I could get back to some sewing and a bit of peace and quiet.  How was your weekend?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Pumpkins

I probably gave you facts on these oranges fruits last year but this time of year always brings pumpkins to mind.  I just love pumpkin bread and pumpkin muffins and, especially, pumpkin pie!  Here are some little facts about pumpkins:

* Pumpkins originated in Central America.

* The name pumpkin originated from "pepon" – the Greek word for "large melon."

* Pumpkins contain potassium and Vitamin A.

* Pumpkins are fruit.

* Pumpkin flowers are edible.

* Eighty percent of the pumpkin supply in the United States is available in October. 

* The largest pumpkin pie ever made was over five feet in diameter and weighed over 350 pounds. It used 80 pounds of cooked pumpkin, 36 pounds of sugar, 12 dozen eggs and took six hours to bake.

* In early colonial times, pumpkins were used as an ingredient for the crust of pies, not the filling.

* Colonists sliced off pumpkin tips; removed seeds and filled the insides with milk, spices and honey. This was baked in hot ashes and is the origin of pumpkin pie.

* Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites.

* The largest "official" pumpkin ever grown weighed 1,340 pounds.

* Pumpkins are 90 percent water.

(okay, I don't know why Blogger kept changing the font and size on me - and I couldn't fix it either! FRUSTRATING!! )

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DOLL QUILT

I have already sent off this months Doll Quilt to my swap partner, Vickie, who lives in Utah.  Hopefully she has received it by the time this post hits cyberspace.

The orange is so much brighter than this photo depicts.  I found this foundation paper piece Witch pattern on Artisania, where you can find several wonderful free patterns.  I then added the two borders from scrap Halloween fabric I had.  Wouldn't you know, I forgot to measure the finished piece but I think it came out to around 14.5" X 16.5".  The theme for October was "Spooky" so I think this fits.

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BEE BLOCKS

I also made and sent out the blocks for this month's Let's Bee Together hostess, Sara.  

And, of course, I through away the info before writing this post so I don't remember the name of the block.  I do remember that Sara got the pattern from Eleanor Burn's Quilt In A Day.  These were easy and fun blocks to make.  The green is the background fabric and she has each of us using different contrasting colors so it will be interesting to see what her quilt will look like.  

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FINAL THOUGHT

A little funny to brighten your day.......

It's GIVEAWAY Time!

If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves.  

~Thomas Alva Edison

I'm sooooooooo tired of the heat!  102 degrees on Friday.  100 degrees on Saturday and Sunday!  Maybe today it will be a bit cooler.  This as should come as no surprise to me as we normally heat up for the opening of the Kern County Fair but usually not to 100.  I am trying to think cool and stay cool.  Ceiling fans are working day and night right along with the poor air conditioner.  I feel so sorry for those that have to work outside in the furnace we call the Central Valley.  I'll be staying inside doing some sewing and stitching this week.  What are your plans?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Fox

Do you remember when fox coats were popular?  These are beautiful creatures.  I think I've only seen one in the wild.  Here are some interesting facts about foxes:

* Foxes are solitary animals that do not really prefer to live in packs. The fox belongs to the medium-sized canid group.

* This animal is found in almost every kind of habitat. They also show an ability to adapt to the presence of humans.

* The Fennec fox is the smallest fox seen amongst all the species. This tiny animal weighs a mere 3.5 pounds.

* Foxes use various sounds and pitches to communicate between each other. 

* Although foxes belong to the Canidae family along with dogs, they also display behavior patterns similar to cats. The vertically slit eyes are on similar lines of the feline cats, besides, they also have retractable claws.

* Foxes feed on rodents, worms, insects, birds and all types of relatively smaller sized animals. They also store their food so that it can be consumed later on during the day.

* Foxes are basically nocturnal animals and prefer to hunt at night.

* The fox is an excellent tree climber

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CROSS COUNTRY DOLL QUILTS

Kim and I were Doll Quilt Swap partners for September.  We live just about as far apart as you get and still be in the continental US.  Kim lives in New York and I live in California.  The theme for September was Harvest but we both pretty much just went with a fall theme.

Kim made this beautiful quilt for me.  She created this little quilt using 1.5" sample pieces sent to her with an order from Keepsake Quilting.  Kim selected the perfect background fabric and then anchored the little squares with the quilting stitches.  This looks so nice out on my living room table.  Thank you so very much, Kim!

This is the quilt I made for Kim.  The browns are much richer than the photo depicts.  I had fun making the paper pieced maple leaves using some of the batiks I had plus another fall print.  It ended up measuring about 15.75" square.  I just might have to make one for myself.

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FAT QUARTER SHOP GIFT CERTIFICATE

Are you ready for a giveaway?  One of my all time favorite places to shop online is sponsoring this giveaway - Fat Quarter Shop!  How would you like to win a $25 gift certificate to spend any way you would like at their wonderful online store?  

I bet I have your interest now!  How can you enter?  Well, let's see.......

1.  Go to Fat Quarter Shop and look at their Coming Soon section.  Then in your comment tell me what you are going to be adding to your wish list for a future purchase.  For me?  I'm looking forward to the release of Backwood Batiks by Hoffman Fabrics due out the end of October.

2.  Spread the word of this giveaway by including it in a post on your blog.  Make sure you include a link back to this page.  (I will be checking!).  Include a link to the page where you posted it in your comment.

Easy enough, isn't it?  So you can have two chances to win the Fat Quarter Shop $25 gift certificate.

Fine Print:

- only two entries per person

- open to everyone, everywhere! Yes, Fat Quarter Shop ships everywhere!

- if you are a no-reply blogger, you must include an email address where I can contact you in your comment.  If I can't reach you, you CAN'T win!

This giveaway ends Monday, September 24, 2012, at 5:00 pm PDT.  I will announce the winner in my post on Tuesday, September 25, 2012.

Thank you, Fat Quarter Shop, for sponsoring this great giveaway!  I wish that I could be the winner.

GOOD LUCK, EVERYONE!

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FINAL THOUGHT

A Little Bit Of This....

If one dream should fall and break into a thousand pieces, never be afraid to pick one of those pieces up and begin again.  

~Flavia Weedn, Flavia and the Dream Maker

This week just flew by.  I had hoped to get a lot more completed than I did.  Summer has returned and will be visiting over the weekend, too.  The forecast is promising - they say we are to be in the high 80's next weekend.  I sure hope they are right!  This weekend seems to be a fairly normal one with a few errands to run.  Oh, and before I forget, don't forget to come back Tuesday because I'm having a Fat Quarter Shop sponsored giveaway you won't want to miss!  Woohoo!!!  Is your weekend a busy one?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Dachshunds

Can you guess what is my favorite breed of dog?  And, no, those are not my pups.  I couldn't get a good photo of the two of them together.  We do have long haired miniatures and have had one that looked exactly like the short hair in the middle.  One day I would like to have a wired haired.  Here are some fun facts on dachshunds:

* The Dachshund belongs to the hound group. They have a very good sense of smell and are excellent at hunting.

* The Dachshund came from Germany.

* The Dachshund was bred to hunt badgers. The word dachshund means "Badger Dog".

* It is pronounced "DACKS-hoont" not "Dash-hound" or, as one friend of mine  says, "Dat-sun." (No, the car was not named after them!)

* Dachshunds were first found in Europe in the 15th Century. They have an acute sense of smell, can fit into tunnels, can dig quickly, and have lots of courage. The smaller-sized dogs were used to hunt foxes and rabbits. They have a temperament that closely matches terriers.

* They look like hot dogs, and are often called wieners, but in fact, they precede the hot dog!

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SQUISHIES

Recently I received two wonderful squishies in the mail.

Like most of you, I entered several of the giveaways during the blog hop that was hosted by Michele over at the Quilting Gallery.  I was the lucky winner of three of those giveaways!  This fun package of two quilting magazines and  beautiful fabrics is from Carly over at Faith, Family, and Frugality.  Thank you so much, Carly, I'm enjoying looking through the magazines and love the fabric.

And then I received this darling Doll Quilt from Merry.  Merry was my July swap partner for the Doll Quilter's Monthly hosted by Barbara.  Life got a bit in the way for Merry but the wait was well worth it.  Don't you just love all those yoyo's?  And did you notice the little patriotic bee on the right hand side.  I'm not waiting until next July to put this little quilt out on display.  Thank you, Merry!

It was a great mail week :)

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STILL DANCING

I'm still working on the Dancing With The Stars quilt.....one block at a time.

This block is called Cha-Cha.  It reminds me of looking through a kaleidoscope where the pieces don't quit match up.  I don't care for this block by itself but I do like it mixed in with all the rest.

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FINAL THOUGHT

Summer Is NEVER Going To End

Life is not about discovering our talents; it is about pushing our talents to the limit and discovering our genius.  

~Robert Brault

Hot, hot, hot!  That's what it's been here in the central valley of California.  Our highs are hovering right around 108 degrees and our low was a measly 82 degrees Saturday morning.  Even though I am a native of good ol' Bakersfield doesn't mean I have to like the heat.  As far as I can tell, nothing good comes from this heat.  Thank goodness for the air conditioning, and right now it's working overtime just to keep the house somewhat comfortable.  Hopefully this heatwave will end soon but they aren't predicting that to happen until at least next week.  Thinking cool thoughts and keeping busy with quilting and stitching helps a little.  Oh well....on with the day.

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Sponge

For some reason my mind went to the sea this morning.  Maybe it's because I was thinking of cool, fresh air instead of the oppressive heat and smog we've been experiencing the last few days.  Sponges.  What are they?  Well, let's see what I found out:

* Sea sponges are classified as animals, however, lack the brain, the central nervous system, digestive system and a cardiovascular system.

* Because sponges move only a couple millimeters each day, they have a unique method for eating. Using their unique design, they eat by filtering water through their pore cells and digesting water and food with their collar cells. Water escapes out of the sponge from a top hole termed the osculum.

* Sponges can contain 16,000 other animals inside of it.

* To prevent other sponges from attacking them, Sponges can produce chemicals to keep other sponges cells from growing

* The chemicals that a sponge produces are being used to find a cure for cancer and many other diseases

* One of the largest sponges ever was almost 10 feet wide.

* When a part of a sponge breaks off, the broken part will form a new sponge.

* If you strain a sponge through a cloth it will form a new shape on the other side

* What we think is sea sponge lying on the beach is actually just its skeleton. The skeleton is composed of needle-like splinters called spicules and a mesh of protein called spongin. A microscopic examination of this skeleton can tell us which kind of sea sponge it is.

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DOLL QUILTS SWAPPED

Last week I received a darling doll quilt from my swap partner, Anita.

The theme for August was "Warm and Sunny".  Isn't this just perfect?  I won't tell you which of the fun ladies best depicts me - lol!  Anita's work is amazing.  I love the play on words that she stitched in the sky.  Thank you so very much, Anita.

Anita and I mailed off our doll quilts on the same day.  She lives in Florida and I live in California.  The route from east to west won.  Here is the little quilt that I made for Anita.

The center block is a foundation paper pieced pattern from Carol Doak's Scenic Scrap BOM.  What I thought was a beach ball is supposed to be a beach umbrella.  Oh well, it's still a beach scene.  I bordered with yellows and oranges and then did straight line quilting with a variegated thread (oranges and yellows) to depict the rays of the sun.  

Next month is Harvest Time.  I have no idea what I will be creating for that!

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FINAL THOUGHT

Hey!

Our wedding was many years ago.  The celebration continues to this day.  

~Gene Perret

Hello!  Hi!!  I'm back!!  I sure missed all of my blogging friends but I did enjoy my time off.  While I was away we were lucky enough to be able to spend 5 days in Santa Cruz at the family home.  The weather was beautiful, even the one day it rained.  We rested, ate too much, visited the Boardwalk, and just enjoyed life, each other, and our fur babies.  Luckily, we returned to moderate temps but that has since gone away.  We are definitely into summer with our highs breaching 100 degrees (of more), and to think, we only have 3 1/2 more months to go.  Yesterday we celebrated our 37th wedding anniversary!  We were quite young when we said our vows (at least by today's standards) but it has been a wonderful journey through life together.  There is nothing better than being married to your best friend and sole mate.  

I have to admit that I really enjoyed my time away from blogging.  So much so that I will be taking off some more time.  Writing the blog today was very much a chore and not something that I found fun.  I am looking at taking off until August 1.  Blogging is meant to be something fun for me and not a daily or weekly duty that I feel I must do - I must want to do it.  However, I will be checking on your blogs from time to time - I have to keep up on what's going on in my friends' lives.  Hopefully you will be around when I return, but if not then I fully understand.  Oh, and just in case you are concerned, I will be keeping up with the Doll Quilt Swap, Let's Bee Together, and Block Swap Adventure.

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Elephants

Elephants have always amazed and intrigued me.  I love the way they lumber around and their babies are just too cute.  Here are some fun facts about this large creature...

1.  The elephant’s closest living relative is the rock hyrax, a small furry mammal that lives in rocky landscapes across sub-Saharan Africa and along the coast of the Arabian peninsula.  

2.  Elephants don’t like peanuts. They don’t eat them in the wild, and zoos don’t feed them to their captive elephants.

3.  Elephants prefer one tusk over the other, just as people are either left or right-handed

4.  An elephant’s trunk has about 150,000 muscles and no bones: these features make the trunk very flexible.

5.  Elephants can hold 4 gallons or more of water in their trunks at one time.

6.  Elephants drink about 50 gallons and consume 400 lbs. or more of food each day.  Elephants eat about 16 hours a day.

7.  An elephant sleeps an average of 2 hours during a 24-hour period.

8.  An elephants' skin is an inch thick

9.  Elephants use their feet to listen, they can pick up sub-sonic rumblings made by other elephants, through vibrations in the ground

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MAIL BAG

While I was on break, I received some wonderful things in the mail....

These two 6" blocks were made by Ann W. in Australia.  Ann was my January 6" Inch Block Swaps Australia and these are replacement blocks. The original blocks she made were lost somewhere across the great blue expanse that separates our countries.  The corner squares actually have a lot more green in them than the photo shows.  I love the center square fabric selection.  Thank you for the wonderful blocks, Ann!

My Block Swap Adventure partner for June was Shannon B from Georgia.  She made me TWO beautiful blocks!  One block was for the normal monthly swap and the second "as a thank you for all your had work and time as hostess".  That's so nice!  Shannon also told me that the blue floral in the middle of the bright batik block was from the Atlanta Shop Hop Batik from 2005 and that Hoffman produced this batik exclusively for the shops during the hop.  How cool is that?  I have to admit that the batik block is my favorite - bright colors on black just speak to me.  Thank you Shannon!!

Last month I won this fun book!  Beaquilter had a giveaway and I was the lucky winner.  The book has all sorts of wonderful ideas and it is even signed by the author.  I have been building quite a stash of buttons so maybe this is a way to use some of them.  Thank you, Bea!

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A BIT OF SEWING

While I was away from blogging, I did manage to spend some time in front of the sewing machine but not nearly as much time as I had hoped.  Here is some of what I created......

These two blocks were made for Erin, the June hostess for Let's Bee Together.  I really like the white on white fabric she sent out for us to work with and the scrap fabric was fun.  Erin requested that these blocks not be cut down to size, allowing her to complete that task.  These went out in yesterday's mail.

This is the little quilt  I made for the June Doll Quilt Swap.  The theme was "Something old, something new, or something blue".  Guess you can tell I went with something blue.  The star blocks measure 3 inches square and the entire little quilt measures 16 1/4" x 20".  I found this pattern in a book titled "Small Quilts with Vintage Charm" by Jo Morton.  I followed her directions for making flying geese and I have to say it wasn't my favorite method.  This quilt is traversing the country all the way from California to Wisconsin.

I did make two more Loving Hands quilts but they look very much like the two I made for May - only the center panel is a bit different.  I worked on a couple of small cross stitch project for World of Charity Stitching - one was a repeat of the Scroll block I made and have already shared and one I'm not quite finished with.  I began a major FPP project and will be working on that for awhile.  I have to do most of my sewing in the morning hours as the sewing room gets very hot in the afternoon sun even with the A/C and ceiling fan running.  

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FINAL THOUGHT

Look for me August 1.

It's a Day Full of Flowers

Just remember, there's a right way and a wrong way to do everything and the wrong way is to keep trying to make everybody else do it the right way.

  ~M*A*S*H, Colonel Potter

I haves so many projects that I want to work on!  I have the fabrics and the patterns.  And what do I end up doing?  Procrastinating!  I don't know if it's because I have several I want to start or becomes of other commitments that keep coming up.  I really need to get started on a couple of them as I have hopes on entering them in our guild's 2014 quilt show and at least two of the quilts are very detailed.  I have two Loving Hands quilts to make, a doll swap quilt to make, and Thursday will be a computer day preparing June swap partners for Block Swap Adventure.  See there!  I've already puttered away several days and still haven't started on any of my major projects.  Does this ever happen to you?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Solar System

Did any of you notice the solar eclipse we had on Sunday?  That got me to thinking about the solar system - something I haven't studied since grade school.  Here are a few facts about our wonderful solar system...

* The solar system includes the Sun and all the objects that orbit around it due to its gravity. This includes things such as planets, comets, asteroids, meteoroids and moons.

* The Solar System formed around 4.6 billion years ago.

* There are eight planets in the Solar System. The four inner planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars while the four outer planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

* The inner planets (also known as terrestrial planets) are smaller and made mostly of rock and metal.

* The outer planets (also known as gas giants) are much larger and made mostly of hydrogen, helium and other gases.

* As of 2008, there are also five dwarf planets: Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Makemake and Haumea.  (When I was growing up, Pluto was considered a planet).

* For thousands of years humans were unaware of the Solar System and believed that Earth was at the center of the Universe.

* Mercury takes 59 days to make a rotation but only 88 days to circle the Sun.   That means that there are fewer than 2 days in a year!  Many astronomers believe that Mercury might be the core of what was once a much larger planet -- it appears to be a huge ball of iron covered by a thin layer of rock.

* Mars is the home of "Olympus Mons", the largest volcano found in the solar system.

* Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system, but it spins very quickly on its axis.  A day on Jupiter lasts only 9 hours and 55 minutes.

* The ring that surrounds Saturn could be the remnants of a moon that was shattered by Saturn's gravity.

* Neptune was discovered in 1846 (over 150 years ago).  Since that time it has only orbited around the sun once, because one Neptune year lasts 165 Earth years

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ONE FLOWER WEDNESDAY

I didn't get any flowers made for myself but I did get two flowers made for my Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap partner, Linda Mc.  I originally had made two other flowers until I double checked the roster and found out I had made flowers for someone else.  

Linda requested red, taupe, or brown civil war fabrics with a cream center.  I'm never sure what 'civil war' fabrics exactly means so I'm hoping these fit that description.  I know the colors are right - lol!  These should be reaching Linda shortly, if she hasn't received them already.

To see more hexagon flowers, Karen has provided a linky for One Flower Wednesday that you may access HERE.

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BEAUTIFUL DOLL QUILT

Monday I received a beautiful little doll quilt from my Doll Quilt Swap partner, Diane W.

Isn't is gorgeous! Diane couldn't have selected better colors for my living room if she tried.  And she included a special little card that she created.  This wonderful quilt now resides on my living room table.  Diane also added a hanging sleeve so that I could use it that way, too.  Thank you so very much, Diane, for making Monday's mail so enjoyable.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I will work on next month's 2 Loving Hands quilts.

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FINAL THOUGHT