Bright Flowers

See, the human mind is kind of like... a piñata.  When it breaks open, there's a lot of surprises inside.  Once you get the piñata perspective, you see that losing your mind can be a peak experience.  
~Jane Wagner

I had such a wonderful weekend and hope that you did too.  Our DD#2 and SIL came for a visit - they hadn't been here since Christmas.  The weather couldn't have been nicer - cool mornings and mild afternoons, both of which aren't normal for late May.  DH did some amazing barbecue and we all ate too much all weekend long.  Monday I gave DH an early birthday present - 3 passes to the local indoor kart racing.  The three of them had a blast.  I was totally content to sit and watch and take a few photos.  I couldn't have asked for 3 more relaxing days than those just passed.  Now on with the rest of the week.

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Manatees

Here on the west coast we are not blessed to have these wonderful creatures.  Here are some interesting facts I found out about manatees:

*  the average Manatee is 10ft long weighing 800-1200 pounds. They have been known to reach 13 ft and 3500 pounds

* When born they are 3-4 ft long and 60-70 pounds

* Manatees are herbivores meaning plant eating animals.

* Manatees cannot survive in temperatures below 68 degrees (20 Celsius) and range from Virginia to Texas and one was documented in Rhode Island. (Very rare)

* They have fairly good vision and can distinguish between colors

* Did you know that manatees have three fingernails on each flipper and when they get into shallow water the manatee walks on its nails?

* Manatees have trouble with depth perception

* They can stay submerged up to 20 minutes

* Females mature for breeding at about 5 years old and 8 years old for males. On average one calf is born every 5 years. Gestation period is about 1 year long

* Manatees may live as long as 60 years

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ONE FLOWER WEDNESDAY

I created one flower this week's One Flower Wednesday.  Nothing spectacular but definitely bright....

Last week in the mail I received a couple of flowers from my April Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap partner, Jane K.

Aren't these flowers just the cutest?  The purple with the happy flower center makes me smile.  And the music notes with the red center makes me want to dance - well, at least sway to the music.  Thank you so very much, Jane!

To see more hexies out there in blogland, Karen has provided a linky page for our One Flower Wednesday creations.  To go there, just click HERE.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I will continue working on the doll quilt I started working on yesterday.

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FINAL THOUGHT

The Weekend Ahead

We come, not to mourn our dead soldiers, but to praise them.  

~Francis A. Walker

As we approach this 3 day weekend, we need to remember why we are celebrating Memorial Day.  Take a moment or two during your festivities to say thank-you to those who have or are serving in our nation's armed forces.  Countless men and women have given their lives to keep our country strong and free for which they have earned our undying gratitude.  The next time you see a soldier in uniform, take the time to say thank you!  Without these fearless fighters of our defense, who knows what kind of country we would be living in.  God bless America and have a wonderful Memorial Day!!
I will be taking Monday off from blogging to celebrate with my family.

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Flag of the United States of America

I don't think there is a more patriotic symbol than our own country's flag.  The stars and stripes can move my soul with a single wave. We will be proudly flying our flag on Monday!  And since this fits with the coming holiday, here are some little facts about our flag...

* Another name for the American Flag; Old Glory actually refers to a specific flag owned by Captain William Driver. Old Glory was made with 24 stars and 13 red and white stripes representing the original 13 colonies

* The red, white and blue stripes are strictly defined as Dark Red (Pantone 193 C), White (Pantone safe), and Navy Blue (281 C).

* The current version of the US flag was designed by an 18 year old high school student, who only received a “B-“ for his efforts. Robert Heft, took exception to this grade, and issued his teacher a challenge: if Heft’s design proposal was accepted by Congress, he would deserve and receive an “A”. Heft earned his “A”, and by presidential proclamation in 1958, his design was officially adopted as the nation’s flag.

* 6 US flags are currently stationed on the moon. They were put there by Apollo 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 17.

* When folded properly, the US flag is shaped like a triangle with only the stars showing. If you have exacting standards, it usually takes 13 folds: the same number of original colonies.
* Only State Governors and the President of the United States order when the flags on government buildings are to be set at half staff.
* Red is for Valor and Hardiness; white is for Innocence and Purity; and blue is for Vigilance, Perseverance and Justice.


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SWAP BLOCKS

Back in March I made three blocks for swap partners that I never shared....

I made this Eccentric Star block for Karen, my swap partner for Quilting Block Swaps Australia.  Karen requested "bright greens, bright blues, fresh modern colors and each block to have some white".  This block fits both colors and is definitely modern.

This On The Oregon Trail block was fun to make - so much so that I made two!

Barbara was my March swap partner for Block Swap Adventure.  One of her previous month's partners didn't produce so I made her an extra block.  Barbara requested red and white fabrics be used to create her block.

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STITCHERY UPDATE

I was able to start the phase of my counted cross stitch project....

You can't see a whole lot of what I've been doing but you can see a bit at the bottom and then, of course, the outline and the start of a feather (sorry it's a bit blurry).  I just figured out how to enlarge the pattern to an easily readable size without the distortion I was encountering earlier.  Sure wish I had figured that out when I was working on the center section.  But that's okay, because now I know how it do it and it will come in handy for the next 2 Christmas projects I will make from the same designer.  Luckily, they don't have to be completed until Christmas 2013 and 2014 - lol!

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

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TODAY'S GOAL

To get the spare bed cleared of all fabric carefully stored on it.  Our DD#2 and SIL will be coming for up for the weekend!!

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FINAL THOUGHT

Thank you to all who have served or are serving to keep our wonderful country free!!  Bless those that have given their lives protecting us!!  

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

A Busy Weekend

Life is like sailing.  You can use any wind to go in any direction.  

~Robert Brault

I'm glad it's Monday!  The weekend was quite busy and I'm ready to get back to my sewing room and a bit of quiet.  Friday evening we had a nice dinner out with family and friends - even if I was sitting directly under the A/C unit and froze - lol!  Saturday morning it was out the door early to attend a 6 hour quilting workshop (more below) followed by dinner out (again) to celebrate 3 birthdays - mine, DH's, and my Mom's (which is today).  Delicious food along with family and a good friend made for a wonderful time.  Sunday was spent doing wash and washing Weasley but I did manage to get in a bit of stitching.  Not a bad way to celebrate my birthday.  I now have 2 gift cards to spend at my favorite online stitchery store (thanks to my DD#2 and good blogging friend, Annie) and 2 gift cards to spend at a LQS (thanks to my mom and sister, and my sweet DH).  I love going shopping when it won't cost me a dime :)  Now onto a new week and to spending some time in my sewing room.  What are your plans for the week?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Lizard

When I was growing up, we used to have lots of lizards in the fields around us.  Now the only time I see a lizard is when we go visit my daughter in New Mexico.  Here are some facts I found on these speedy little guys:

* There are almost 5,000 lizard species

* Lizards smell with their tongue—like snakes.

* Lizards shed their skin.

* If caught by the tail, to escape, most lizards can break their tail off at a weak vertebra link and later grow another. The new grown tail is smaller and has no bones.

* The largest lizard is the Komodo dragon—it can reach 10 feet in length.

* Some lizards, in order to protect themselves, can squirt blood 2-4 feet out of their eyes.

* Some lizards can live over 30 years—the record, 33 years and 11 months, is held by a Mexican beaded lizard.

* How can you tell that a legless lizard is not a snake? He has eyelids and you can see an opening for his ears.

* The basilisk and the collared lizard (Crotaphytus collaris) are capable of bipedal locomotion (they can run on their hind legs). When young, they can even run on water.

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GUILD MEETING

Thursday evening was my guild meeting (Cotton Patch Quilters of Kern County).  We had a tutorial and a small trunk show presented by Cindy Seitz-Krug.  She gave some great hints for free motion quilting.  Here are a few of the quilts she brought to share....

This quilt is amazing and the colors remind me of Delft.  

Cindy is on the right talking about her first ever Wedding Ring Quilt.  This was one of the first quilts she ever made.

Cindy made this quilt when she was pregnant with her son.  She had always wanted to make a Baltimore Album style quilt and thought this would be the perfect hand project to take her through her pregnancy.  It ended up taking her three years to complete.  It is completely hand appliqued and hand quilted.

I'm hoping you can see some of the absolutely amazing machine quilting that she did.  Cindy does all of her quilting on a domestic machine.

"Simply Santa Fe" has won numerous awards.  But that is not the reason I'm showing this photo.....

This is the back of Simply Santa Fe.  Cindy said that after the quilt was all put together, she threw it in the wash as she does with all of her completed projects.  The darker fabrics ran everywhere!  After several washings and soakings with different remedies, all of the dyes that ran were successfully removed from the front but the back still had spots that showed up on the light backing fabric.  Almost at a loss of what to do, she contacted a friend and they came up with the solution of fabric stamping.  She used a waxy type of dye and stamped all of the floral designs you see disguising all of the dye spots.  And it still went on to win numerous awards.  Aren't quilter's clever people?

After several wins, people kept telling her she needed to design her own pattern.  This was her first one.  The beauty is really in the quilting.

This was a gorgeous wall hanging and even the backing was beautiful.....

Look at all of that thread painting.  The backing fabric is a plain light, mint green - all of the rest is thread.

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SATURDAY WORKSHOP WITH CINDY

Saturday I spent the day at a workshop hosted by our guild and taught by Cindy Seitz-Krug.  She taught us some wonderful filler free motion quilting.  Here's is what we created....

A Christmas stocking.  I used a deep red (the photo makes it appear brighter than it really was) and gold colored silk thread.  This is the first time I've used silk thread and really liked the effect.  It was also the first time I have ever worked with wool batting and I'm still not sold on it.  There were 18 of us in class and it was a fun day spent with fellow quilters.  Cindy is a great teacher and so encouraging.

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NEW SWAP GROUP

There's a new swap group out there in blogland dedicated to 12" mini quilts.  It is called 12 Inch Mini Quilt. There is no set time for when you have to get a mini made.  You just make and swap whenever you want to.  Easy enough!  I'm holding off for now but am adding the button to my sidebar to remind me that it is open.  They already have several participants.  Check it out!

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I hope to complete the little paper pieced quilt and maybe get it sandwiched.

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FINAL THOUGHT

Sunshine Brings Flowers

May the sun shine, all day long,
everything go right, and nothing wrong.
May those you love bring love back to you,
and may all the wishes you wish come true!

~Irish Blessing

Really?  It's Wednesday already?  Are you sure?  That's what the calender says but it's hard to believe we are already in the middle of another week.  Why do I feel like every time I take two steps forward, I end up taking at least one step back?  Some days are like treading water with very little accomplished - or so it seems.  Okay, I've had my rant for the day.  Onward and forward.....one step at a time......minute by minute.....hour by hour.  I'm heading off to the sewing room.  What are your plans for the day?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Stars

Stars - those little glowing objects in the sky.  When we lived out away from the city, I loved going out at night to see the stars.  Living in the city, we don't see as many and you forget the beauty until you are out of the city glare.  Here are some facts about stars:

* The star that is nearest to earth is the Sun.

* The formation of a star begins with a gravitational instability inside a molecular cloud, which is often triggered by shockwaves from supernovae (massive stellar explosions) or the collision of two galaxies (as in a starburst galaxy).

* The formation of a star begins with a gravitational instability inside a molecular cloud, which is often triggered by shockwaves from supernovae (massive stellar explosions) or the collision of two galaxies (as in a starburst galaxy).

* Stars are first formed as clouds of gas and dust. In fact, they basically comprise of hydrogen gas.

* Stars are very hot and give off huge amounts of energy, in the form of heat and light.

* Most stars are between 1 billion and 10 billion years old.  The oldest star yet discovered is HE 1523-0901, which is an estimated 13.2 billion years old.

* Stars that have really strong gravity become smaller and smaller with time and eventually, turn into black holes.

* Stars come in different colors. While hot stars give off blue light, cooler stars give off red light.

* All the stars that make up Milky Way Galaxy revolve around the center of the galaxy once every 200 million years or so.

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ONE FLOWER WEDNESDAY

I spent my travel time in the car doing cross stitch this past weekend so there is only one flower again this week......

Where does the yarn come from?  That's what the lambs seem to be saying - lol!  These little lambs were in the same fabric line as the pigs I used a few weeks ago.  

To see more hexies out there in blogland, Karen has provided us a one stop look-see for One Flower Wednesday.

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TWO MINI PATTERNS

DH purchased two mini quilt patterns for me while we were at the quilt show on Saturday.

Both patterns work up to around 13" square.  The sail boat mini is going to be made for the family home on the coast.  The little fishes are for me.  These are both paper piece patterns and should be fairly easy to do.  The patterns are by ABC Patterns.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I will continue with the table runner - maybe even get it ready to quilt.

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FINAL THOUGHT

Now that little ditty is stuck in your head, isn't it - LOL!

May Flowers

Some of the world's greatest feats were accomplished by people not smart enough to know they were impossible. 

 ~Doug Larson

It's the middle of the week.  I have managed to accomplish a couple of things but nearly as much as I had hoped.  I don't know where the hours went but they certainly flew by.  Maybe over the next few days I can spend a little more time at my sewing machine.  I have a couple of projects waiting in the wings that I really want to start but am trying to be good and finish what I'm working on first.  I really wish I didn't have to sleep - lol!

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Money

Money is something we never seem to have enough of.  Without it we couldn't buy fabric to make quilts, not to mention the fact that we use it to buy the food to fuel our bodies, provide power to our homes, and so much more.  Here are a few facts about US money:

* Before the days of paper money, Americans traded animal skins, including deer and elk bucks, for goods and services. Hence the word "buck" to describe money.

* American Indians used to carry around strings of clam shells to use as money, which they called wampum. Wampum was the most common form of money in North America. By 1637, the Massachusetts Bay Colony declared wampum legal tender, which meant it could be used as money.

* In 1916, you could get your money laundered for free! If your money was in good enough shape, you could take it to Washington, D.C., where it could be washed, ironed and reissued.

* The Bureau of Engraving and Printing produces 26 million notes a day, with a face value of approximately $907 million.

* A piece of currency can be folded forward and back 4,000 times before it will tear.

* Currency is made of 25 percent linen and 75 percent cotton paper. Red and blue synthetic fibers of various lengths are distributed evenly throughout the paper. Prior to World War I, the fibers were made of silk.

* In 2002, the U.S. Mint produced 14,413,236,610 coins for general circulation.

* A mile of pennies laid out is $844.80. By this standard, America is about $2.5 million wide, coast to coast.

* During much of the 17th and 18th centuries, the Spanish dollar coin was the unofficial national currency of the American colonies. To make change, the dollar was actually cut into eight pieces or "bits." Thus, came the terms "pieces of eight" from these early times and "two bits" (a quarter) from recent times.

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ONE FLOWER WEDNESDAY

For One Flower Wednesday, I actually have just one flower this week....

I had a fat quarter with several large sunflowers.  To make this hexie flower, I used bit and pieces from several flowers.  I should have cut out the petals a bit differently so the other center edges didn't show but this will work for now.

To see more hexie flowers out there in blogland, Karen has provided us with a one stop linky spot - just click HERE.

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MAY DOLL QUILT

Last week I made up a little quilt for the May Doll Quilt Swap.

The theme for May is May flowers.  I found the pattern for the center while checking out the Garden Blog Hop.  The center block, Spring Time Blooms, was designed by Quilt Doodle Designs. (If you make this, some of the measurements aren't exactly correct).  This little quilt was fun to make and my husband was sad to see it leave for Minnesota.  Diane has received the quilt and said she was very happy to get it.  Now it's time to start thinking about next month's theme.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I hope to start a table runner for my Mother for Mother's Day

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GIVEAWAYS

Stitch This is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of More Take 5 Quilts eBook.  This giveaway ends Friday, May 6. 

Annie's Ruby Slipperz is having her weekly Monday Mystery.  You could win 5 fat quarters.  This giveaway ends Saturday, May 5, at midnight.

Victorian Motto Sampler Shoppe is having a giveaway.  You could win $25 in goodies from her eBay store. This giveaway ends Wednesday, May 30.

The Cottage Home is having a big May giveaway.  You could win a Quilt Blocks fat quarter bundle from Fat Quarter Shop, or two car magnets and two refrigerator magnets from YAY! LIFE!, or a fat quarter pack of Kaffe Fassett Aboriginal Dots from Canton Village Quilt Works, or a $20 gift certificate to Fairytale Frocks and Lollipops, or a $25 gift certificate to Modern Fabric Studio, or a hand selected bundle of 8 fat quarters Heartsong Quilts' Kaffe Fassett collection.  This giveaway ends Friday, May 4, at midnight CST.

Quilty Pleasures is having a giveaway.  You could win some luscious Sulky threads.  This giveaway ends Friday, May 4.

The Jolly Jabber is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Vol. 5.  This giveaway ends Monday, May 7.

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FINAL THOUGHT