What I've Been Up To

A bit of sewing...getting caught up with Randy's Sow-A-Long:  Clay's Choice.

Anvil. I think my HSTs got a bit turned from hers. I found a fat eighth of that gold background in my stash from a line called Democracy by Sandy Gervais.  Wish I had more.

And Flock of Geese.  All six-inch blocks.

A bit of sewing for the Ugly Fabric Challenge. That's a sixteen inch Churn Dash block, pencil included for scale, featuring two of the 'uglies' I received. I've already finished one quilt that I have not posted about yet. I wanted to do all my sewing before showing the finished projects. I've never made such a large Churn Dash before, it had me giggling, I confess to being easily amused!

A bit of wildlife watching...The poor deer in our area are loosing their territory to new construction and are showing up backyards panicked.

And a bit of shopping. I am still working on a Christmas gift certificate from a LQS. The Halloween charm pack was so happy I couldn't resist it.

I sure wish pattern designers would stop trying to wield power they do not possess. It drives me nuts when they think they can tell  buyers of their patterns that they cannot sell the products you make. Wrong! The buyer cannot reproduce the paper pattern but the designer cannot control what the buyer does with the end-product. The first sentence is correct, the second is not. Along the same lines, there is a LQS that claims people cannot take pictures of quilts made from patterns sold in her store because the designers will not allow it. Another silly claim. And that's the end of my rant!
Thanks for stopping by~

Unwanted Guests

Pygmy Rattlesnake

It was bound to happen. We've created the perfect environment a snake could ask for on our lanai: plants, water (pool), and food (lizards) and no predators (birds). The last part being our lanai is fully screened. Now don't get me wrong, we've had snakes before but mostly of the non-venomous bent. So it was alarming to find a twelve-inch Pygmy Rattlesnake right there.  That's not my picture, we were too anxious to get it out of the lanai to think to take one!  What a feisty snake!  It shook its tail, and reared up striking out at anything.  It was no match for the broom, ten-foot pool skimmer, and generous glasses of pool water thrown on it.  Last we saw, it was slithering off towards the woods.

This is a Corn Snake I had to chase out last fall.

Much larger than the one that bit me a few years ago.  When my daughter was still in high school I volunteered at the school's library.  Talking with the librarian one day he told me of a Boy Scout camping trip he took with his son and all the snakes they encountered but which were harmless.  So a few days later when I found a Corn Snake I got the non-so-brilliant idea to capture it and show it to my daughter.  Oy! That little twelve-inch snake reared up and managed to strike my thumb twice right down to the bone.  That necessitated a week's course of antibiotics after catching the same snake and bringing it to the emergency room (not necessary, btw---treatment is based solely on symptoms).  It looks quite fearsome with it's vivid coloring but is non-venomous.

Credit: D. Stevenson

 I've met the Eastern Mudsnake also, though usually when gardening.  We both run in opposite directions!

Credit: Sharing Insight

 The Black Racer is another common snake here in Florida. I found this guy likes to hang out in our Sago palms hunting down the lizards.  They are also easy-going and usually take off rather quickly hence their name.
Back to quilty things next time, thanks for stopping by~

A Trio Of Blocks

After a trip to the grocery store in the rain, I made some HSTs  for a block Randy had published on Wednesday for her Sow-A-Long.  Oy, those HSTs are too small for my tastes.  I've tried ironing them and flattening with books when still hot---I'm sure steam would do wonders but I've never been able to use it without distorting the block.

I must have misread and cut the squares way too large cause I had a lot to cut to get to 1.5 inches trimmed.

And here's the 6-inch block finished.

I decided not to make the second block Randy posted and went with this one instead.  It's still 6-inch, of course---I think it's called Framed Pinwheel. 

And this is Thrifty.  Nice and easy after those HSTs on the first block. 

Talk to you later~

Looking Forward

I'm a new reader of Barbara Brackman's blog.  I stumbled upon it one day just Googling Civil War quilt blocks and have been hooked ever since.  She is the authority on Civil War fabrics and the history of textiles of which I am sure you know!  She sponsored a Block of the Week in 2011 that included a Civil War history post every Saturday along with instructions for a block.   Anyway, about a week ago she announced she will be doing another Block-of-the-Week this fall this time centered around the "fight for women's rights."  It sounds like it will be a fun way to learn more about this important phase in history.  I am hoping she posts more about the fabrics popular in this era as the summer progresses.  More about the project here.
Talk to you later~

Stop It, Moda

Ya know, I've been trying really hard to not purchase any more fabric and 'work from the stash' but that darn Moda!  Take a look at this line to be released in July:  Coquette by Chez Moi. 

And of course, they just had to ship those precuts, layer cakes, jelly rolls, and charm packs to further inflame my passions.  I mean it's one thing to see pictures of coveted fabric but to go to your LQS and see it in person.  Just look at those yellows.  And I don't even like aqua but these are to die for.

:Sigh: I resisted but I do not know for how long.  What about you?  What fabric do you find irresistible?
Talk to you later~