Happy New Year

 

Happy New Year
from Texas!!

 

 

(Looking down onto

The Riverwalk,

San Antonio)

 

 



Signature Quilt - A Group Hug

(deleted post recovery #1,
dated 12/06/12)

 

 

Signature Quilts


Whenever  someone in our little community quilting group
faces an illness or an adversity,
I always try to make them a signature quilt
to help comfort them.

It's like a great big, 
perpetual, group hug!

 

 

For Helen.

 

 

 

For Lois.

 

 

For Marion.
,

But last fall, I decided we shouldn't have to be sick
in order to each have our own 'group hug',

I worked all summer on a signature quilt,

 

 

 

 

hand-quilting myself to the moon and back.

 

 

 

 

When we had our Christmas luncheon,

(the ladies always make sure it coincides to my departure),

we drew names for the quilt.

 

 

 

 

Here's the lucky, and very pleased,

winner!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

OOPS!

 

I accidently deleted a whole page of blog posts.

It's times like this that I wonder why I even bother.

 

Does anyone know if I can retrieve/restore them?

Blogger is no help.

No one answers questions in the forum.

And there is no place else to ask.

Thanks,

karen

Oh Little Playmate..

...come out and play with me!

Too cute to miss!

http://www.slothster.com/2352-Cat-On-Boat-Plays-With-Dolphins.html

Connections

Being a nature lover and a quilter,

it is sometimes difficult to connect the two in a post.

No doubt about it, quilters and artists have taken  the very best

of nature and incorporated it into their art for centuries. 

I've posted about owls, bees, dragonflies, and more dragonflies.

This morning, I found another connection, albeit ever so slight.

Several of my quilting followers have asked me

what a life list is

when I'm talking about seeing new birds. 

Birders are great listers. 

They have a life list, a yard list, day lists,

trip lists, wish lists, state, county, and even country lists.  

I'm sure I'm forgetting a few. 

Now there is e-Bird,

and they can keep track of their lists on the internet

with thousands upon thousands of other birders. 

This opens up a whole new playing field!

Visiting a new area?  Just hop onto the internet for a list

of birds that you can expect to see while you are there.

I looked 'lister' up on Dictionary.com

and discovered that a list is also:

 /lɪst/ Show Spe

1. a border or bordering strip, usually of cloth.

2. a selvage.

3. selvages collectively.

4. a strip of cloth or other material.

5. a strip or band of any kind.

 

 

Therefore, although the term is now obsolete,

a 'lister' is also 'one who applies a border or edge to...'.

Quilters are great listers of lists, as well. 

It's the only way they are able to finish all the projects they've started,

and manage their life around their sewing! 

Have a great weekend.

Hope you check off everything

on your list!

All the Rage

Dresden Plates are

all the rage. 

Miss Kyra

Isn't this one beautiful??

All proceeds from the sale of this pattern

are being donated to the family

of a very sick little girl.

Kyra

To learn more, please visit

Erin

at

One Piece At A Time.

To order the pattern from Erin's Etsy store

because you're just too excited to help

 and want to do it right now,

click HERE!

Erin has graciously posted tutorials

on how to construct this beautiful quilt.

Dresden Plate

Appliqued Flowers

Not a quilter, but it is in your heart to donate?

Click HERE!

Thank you, Erin, for giving us the opportunity

to help this beautiful girl and her family

as they stumble down this long, rocky path.

The Intriguing Owl

Owls have fascinated man from time immemorial - to some cultures they are symbols of wisdom, while to others they are harbingers of doom and death.

The Owl Pages 

Barred Owl
Forest Glen, Nova Scotia
11-2012

And to crafters, they are just too darned cute!
There are owl cakes, owl quilts, owl jewelry pieces,

owl die-cuts for scrapbookers, and owl just-about-anything-else!

Because owls have stormed the craft world this past year,

I thought it might be fun to post a few owl facts. 

Christmas 2011 gifts for all the kiddos!

Most owls are nocturnal birds of prey with some exceptions:

Northern Hawk Owl, Snowy Owl, Short-eared Owl, and Burrowing Owl. 

Several types of owl, however, are crepuscular — active during

the twilight hours of dawn and dusk; one example is the Pygmy owl. 

Because of the nocturnal habits of owls,

they are a coveted check mark on any birder's life list.

"Their habits, and cryptic plumage,

make it easy for us to walk straight past them."

The CROSSLEY ID Guide

Pendant

Worldwide, there are 223 species

In North America, 37

My life list:  only 3 visual, 1 audio

Barred Owl,
Somewhere in Maine

Though owls are typically solitary,

the literary collective noun for a group of owls is a parliament. 

Interestingly, if you look up parliament in the dictionary,

there is no mention of owls.

Sunflower Baking

The smallest owl — weighing as little as 31 g (1.1 oz)

and measuring some 13.5 cm (5.3 inches) — is the Elf Owl . 

The largest owl by length is the the Great Grey Owl,

which measures around 70 cm (28 in) on average

 and can attain a length of 84 cm (33 in).

Wikipedia

Scientists studying the diets of owls are helped by

their habit of regurgitating the indigestible parts of their prey

(such as bones, scales and fur) in the form of pellets.

These "owl pellets" are plentiful and easy to interpret,

and are often sold by companies to schools for

dissection by students as a lesson in biology and ecoloogy.

Instead of moving their eyes, owls swivel their head

to visualize their surroundings.

The swiveling radius of the owl’s head is around 270˚,

easily enabling them to see behind them without relocating the torso.

Barred Owl,
San Antonio, TX
12-2009

I jumped on the owl bandwagon, too, when I saw this adorable quilt kit

from  Connecting Threads.

For the backing, I used a flannel sheet from a sheet set

that I had purchased at half price after Christmas.   

I appliqued my little friend's name to the accompanying pillowcase!

Now she has a little matching 'set'.

The CROSSLEY ID Guide advises that if you want to see an owl,

"you will have most joy looking on the first calm evening after a storm."

Good Luck!

Creative Attempts and Yummy Give-away

As if I wasn't busy enough birding and sewing,

sewing and birding,

I thought it might be fun to try my hand at

cake decorating.

Yeah, I know, pretty funny.

Not only did I blow through my

monthly allowance in less than 2 weeks,

it really wasn't my thing.

But I learned a few fun tricks, and I'll be able to play

cake, cookies, and cupcakes for special occasions.,

as long as no one looks too closely.

So here's cake #1, made during lesson two.

The owl pattern was taken from a Connecting Threads quilt.

Here's cake #3, after the fourth and final lesson,

inspired by a

Wantobe Quilter's free design

for Colourque or Stitchery

© Helen Stubbings, Hugs ‘n Kisses.

(Notice there aren't any roses. Not my thing!

I'll have to practice more.

That is if I can put the binoculars down

and unplug the sewing machine for a little while.)

If you like to play with your food

before you serve it,

I found a most delightful site and a new book.

As a matter of fact, there is a give-away for this

newly released book at Bake at 350,

another fun-to-eat site!!

Cake for breakfast?  You bet!  And now I'm going to

ride the sugar high

and get busy at the sewing machine

take a walk.

An Enchanted Outing

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area

Fredicksburg, TX

I never pass up an opportunity to go birding

and when my daughter signed us up for a bird walk  at

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area,

I was very excited.

Nestled in the Hill Country, I'd never explored this area before,

on foot, anyway.

Open oak woodland, mesquite grassland,

floodplain, and granite rock formations
sounded like good birding to me!

Having driven two hours before the day dawned
and braving the cold,
here is what was waiting for us upon our arrival:

It was on this day that my camera ceased to function.

My daughter came to my rescue and whipped out her phone.
Technology is amazing!

Cold and dreary did not dominate the day.

The sun came out for a quick visit just as our little troop

approached the massive granite boulders,

and the air filled with birdsong,

lead vocalizations compliments of

the Canyon Wren (Catherpes mexicanus).

It was our good fortune to be in the company of

Dr. Kent Rylander, birding-by-ear extraordinaire,

and auther of The Behavior of Texas Birds.

And my personal good fortune that one of the geeky birders present,

Dr. John Wilbur,

graciously agreed to share some of his pictures with me,

because, you see, I saw FOUR life birds!

Black-throated Sparrow

(Amphispiza bilineata)

Lesser Goldfinch

(Spinus psaltria)

Rock Wren

(Salpinctes obsoletus)

And last, but not least,

Canyon Towhee

(Melozone fusca)

I have to explain that my daughter claims not to be a birder.

But I raised her to enjoy the out of doors

and to be a good daughter,

and she is always considerate and makes sure I find fulfillment

when I am visiting with her.

Claiming 98 Life Birds, now,
my non-birding daughter made this proclaimation,
"Half-way through, I wanted to go curl up in the car
and wait for you to finish,
but if I had, I wouldn't have seen the Lesser Goldfinches."
Hmmm, sounds like a birder to me!!

I leave you with just one question.
Which path is the right path?

Where's Cupid When You Need Him?

With Valentine's Day just around the corner,

this guy needs a little assistance!



He never did get the girl!!

***

There's still time to make a special

Valentine's Day project.

I found this pretty wallhanging at

the Janome site.

***

Last evening, I turned on the news, an activity I

usually go out of my way to avoid.

I generally find the news to be disturbing.

Last night was no exception.

I learned that for every dollar already spent on the primaries,

one person in the US is living below the poverty level.

The astounding total is approximately...

...are you ready for this?

47 million.

Is it just me?  Or is this an astounding number?

Dragons and Damsels

Yes, indeed, the Nature Gods are smiling down upon us,

with yet another long anticipated field guide

that bridges a gap.

Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East (Princeton Field Guides)

by Dennis Paulson

And the good news doesn't stop there,

because Dennis and the Princeton University Press

have also published the companion volume
(drum roll, please)

Dragonflies and Damselflies of the West (Princeton Field Guides)

Up until now, I cross-referenced between two excellent guide books

Dragonflies of the North Woods
and

Stokes Beginner's Guide to Dragonflies

and a couple of internet sites.

Now I can have it all in one!  AND damselflies, too!

Imagine my delight!

I am particularly pleased with the fully-illustrated text,

explicit, yet easy to comprehend.
And truly fascinating.

Dennis Paulson does an amazing job

covering description, identification (no easy task),

natural history (so much is still unknown!), habitat,

flight season and range maps. 

Each family is represented with general information

before introducing the 336 stars of the show

with a beautiful array of full-color photographs!

Blue-striped Spreadwing

Cherry Bluet

To learn more, go to  this Princeton University Press page.

Dragonflies are a favorite among crafts persons,

from stained glass

http://www.FaivusStudio.com/decorative2.htm

to jewelry

http://www.lucygoldenjewelry.com/wings.php

needle work

JoyPatch

and even soap!

http://www.willowfarmsoaps.com/shower.html

Everyone loves dragonflies.

Order your copy today!

A Special Quilter's Request

It has been brought to my attention,

by a very sweet and caring nurse,

that the babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

at the Brooke Army Medical Center (BMAC),

located at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio,

need blankets. 

Home-made blankets. 

Blankets made with love.

Ordinarily, I would prepare a few during the course of

 building my other projects, probably setting them

up as a Leader/Ender project,

and donating a few at a time.

However, these fragile infants

are the babes of our brave military men and women,

so I'm asking for a little help.

Small quilts,  measuring 24" x 24" or larger,

are perfect for keeping the babies warmer in the isolate,

and provide them with a securitiy blanket as they get older. 

The nurse I mentioned will embroider the baby's name on the blankets

if the parents would like that. 

Please e-mail me for an address

if you care to send along a quilt or two. 

I am assuming the responsibility of collecting

and distributing them while I am here in TX.

Here's my first one.

Inspiration for this little quilt came from
http://sentimentalquilter.blogspot.com/
She has some great tutorials:
http://www.countrylanequilts.com/id30.html

It sure would be great if you could pass this along,

mention it to your friends,

mention it on your own blog.

Thanks!

The Ranger to the Rescue

In a previous post, I shared a camping experience,

but had no photos to taunt you with.

After reading my blog,

The Ranger was kind enough to access his archived photos,

and send along a few.

I'd like to share them with you now.

Early morning mist.

Such serentity.  The lake is to the right, the ocean,
out of sight, is to the left, thus, a barrier beach.
The Leach's Storm-Petrels must have been nesting
in burroughs among the tree roots
in that stand of trees in the background.

My kayak is the red one.

Ocean side.

Does it get any better than this?

This is my life.

At least when the weather cooperates!!

Thanks, Ranger!!  I appreciate you.