Marty's Fiber Musings: June 2012

I'm not a stay-at-home n'er do well....however,

I'm feeling like one these days.

June has been a very busy, busy month. Finally can check the heavy yard work off my list and can relax in the glow that the remainder of the summer will be low maintenance for me. Now the HuMAn's yard work is another story! You see, I do the hand pruning, clipping and weeding. He uses all the boy's heavy duty toys like the mower and blower. I'll give it to the guy though, he keeps the birds in feed and water. And they thank him daily: by coming back for more the next day.

But anyway, back to ME. I - the one who doesn't procrastinate - have been behind on one of my quiltalongs....and behind on completing my pojagi inspired samples....and behind on updating my Flickr pictures and behind on my housework.

So, today was the day to finish and get pictures of the pojagi works:

Then I started round No. 2

of the quiltalong: 24 of each of these rectangles....arrrrgh!

so tedious, but running one right behind the other without stopping for a break helped to keep me going. Once I stop....who knows when I'll get back to my Bernina. And the instructions tell me there's more to do next month....holy bedcovers and a double arrrrgh!

I did get this much done before quitting time.

A few more pictures were added to the Italy, 2012, Flickr Gallery

The housework is still not done, but I did have time for breakfast and lunch

and

It's a shrimp fettucine dinner night and I'm the cook, so ta ta for now.

I've heard it....and I know you have too

ad·age (d j) n. A saying that sets forth a general truth and that has gained credit through long use.

the long-used adage.....when it doubt, leave it out:

but, I liked them all, after editing, of course.

A doggy daydream

Hill View No. 1

Same Hill: View No. 2

WrapAround Housing

A collection at the pizzeria

Who's There?

I've been a little behind ~

the posts might get a little spotty at times

but I'll be back....just keep watching!

Now you know!

At local taverns, pubs, and bars, people drank from pint and quart-sized containers. A bar maid's job was to keep an eye on the customers and keep the drinks coming. She had to pay close attention and remember who was drinking in 'pints' and who was drinking in 'quarts,' hence the phrase 'minding your 'P's and Q's'.

I hope you are smiling about this bit of trivia! Thanks Theresa for sharing this wealth of information.

You've heard it said before, but I'll say it again -

"There's always a story."

Tuesday's Mail

Best Friends and Cousins
Couldn't be any Cuter

Quilter's To Do List: Done

Bright blocks for baby.....

A Piney Hills Quilt Guild community service project

two blue ones just off the machine

the beauty of baby size (approximately 40" x 60") is that I can quilt them with my

Bernina 440

Three community service quilt projects checked off my To-Do-List

Check.....Check.....Check

Now that feels good!

Going Green:

The Mediterranean

One of the 20 chapels at the Sacro Monte of Orta

The lush greenery covers brick walls on the path leading to the Sacro Monte

Road to Tenuta Le Velette: Where we enjoyed the taste of Italy.....charming Italian wines

Still enjoying my pictures out of Italy....these were some of my favorites

Linking up to Raindrops and Daisies: It's a Green Day!

Cats rule:

A friend of a friend:

Meet Coco ~ Isn't she handsome?

Pojagi Inspired: A shower curtain

Here's the shower curtain: currently hanging (with clothes pins) on my outdoor porch.

I have had this Kona Bay fabric for quite some time. You see, it was on sale so I bought the end of bolt - approximately 6 yards. Just enough to use as the backing fabric for a quilt. But, as I said, I've had this fabric for quite some time! With it's cream background with black Koi fish swirling around

I was having a hard time making this fabric flirt with any of my quilt tops.

Shower curtains measure approximately 72" x 72".....give or take..... to make one to perfection for your bathroom. I cut 13" squares and used the pojagi patchwork method to re-seam the patches. The swirling Koi took on an interesting effect and the seam work adds another dimension to the shower curtain.

Pictures aren't perfect: but, who's judging?

The beauty of pojagi is that both front and back look fabulous...especially pretty when a light source comes through to show off the seams....as in my bathroom which has a window behind the tub.

The pattern - Can you see that I spent a lot of time drafting my pattern. What? It's 72" x 72" - solving the math problem by division, I came up with six 12" squares across and six down. BUT, since I didn't want my seams to abut, I used only five 12" squares and added 6" rectangles on each end of three of the rows. To add further interest, after one row was completed, I cut it in half lengthwise, then seamed it together again. Note: cut 33 13" squares for a 12" finished block. And cut 6 7" x 13" rectangles for the finished 6" x 12" rectangles for the three alternate rows.

This quilter went to market:

Farmer's market, that is:

and I had my camera:

and found this pile of garden rubbish: ready for the compost heap: love:

and a few steps away from the market: is a butterfly garden: planted by:

tended by:

master gardeners:

bag of garden soil: thrown on the ground: spilt down the middle: planted with thyme:

great idea:

to love:

and if you dream in color:

dream this: garden hoses:

to delight the gardener's eye:

garden kitty:

love:

zinnias:

in the butterfly garden:

marigolds:

in the butterfly garden:

take out:

from the farmer's market: purple hull peas: tomatoes: cucumbers: onions:

bell pepper: squash: cantelope

watermelon:

left behind:

but they made a great picture:

...and a Happy Father's Day to you too:

~

We only say it once a year, but we think every day how lucky the moments that we have you

You be #1....You be The Cat's Meow.....You be The Capo da Capo Papa Cat

Happy Father's Day

(....yea, it's a cat house)

.....elegant, the logic used. To draw out more than

drying coneflowers and not enough information

Private Equity

Sophie Cabot Black (2010)

To put one and one together making
Two and so on. A house appears, room
With a bed in it. To configure anyway,

Even without enough information.
We work into it, the chosen. To measure
Everything out until the one who takes over

Becomes taken. This as strategy, the art
Of how we build until management
In turn builds us, elegant the logic

Used. To draw out more than what is put in.
Everyone wants beyond; even with the one last page
As exit plan it is the return that is watched and how

We will be known. To end up where we start
Again, and to look as if we gained.