Marty's Fiber Musings

Hello! It's Me

I've fooled around and fell in love with Craig's List. Now I have these three pieces of drapery/bedding/upholstery weight fabric posted and hope to have these yardages sold and delivered within days. There's 2 1/2 yards of the yellow check @ $10.

and 3 yards of the royal blue @ $12

Happiness is ~ having 3 yards of camel design @ only $12

all 54" wide

.....and that's the truth

On life....one of my favorite daily blog reads is Marc and Angel Hack Life:

Saturday's post was entitled 12 tough truths that help you grow....here's No. 6 of the 12 that struck home today.

One of the greatest freedoms is truly not caring what everyone else thinks of you. As long as you are worried about what others think of you, you are owned by them. Only when you require no approval from outside yourself, can you own yourself.

and another one I found interesting and must think more about.

Marc says Some people will lie to you. Remember, an honest enemy is better than a friend who lies. Pay less attention to what people say, and more attention to what they do.

What? What was that noise?

The sound was deafening in my early morning ear. It's Sunday and I wanted to sleep in. But before I nod off again, I must tell you about my dream. You see, I'm changing my sleep pattern. Once upon a time, as soon as dinner was finished....around 7:30 p.m. and the kitchen cleaned....around 8 p.m., I would head to my bathroom for a nice relaxing bath.....around 8:30 p.m. then off to bed with my book I would go until around 9 p.m. Then, it was lights out.

However, I've been pushing this weight around for much too long, so am desperately working hard at changing my sleep (and other) patterns. Meaning that I'm pushing the clock up 30 minutes to an hour each night. It's been lights out around 10 p.m. for the past week.

I've also started back to exercise

and haven't had a glass of wine in who knows when. But, I lost two pounds this week!

But anyway, back to my dream, the silliness of I blame on the late hours I've been keeping and the tired muscles. I dreamed someone was pushing me into an open window and he/she asked me to tell them in two words or less what I thought about exercise...... and I said Run Together.

Roosters On A Lark......a Marty Mason quilted wall hanging

Was it the roosters crowing this morning that woke me or the laughter of those listening in on my conversation with self in my dream?

Hello..........It's Sunday

How to Disable Right Click in Blogger

I've never given stealing much thought....fact is, I'm so claustrophobic that I wouldn't want to commit a crime for fear that they would come and put hand cuffs on me and put me behind bars. And I'm not talking about the kind of bars where you go for a sip of wine and visit with friends.

Hand cuffs and bars would be uncomfortably uncompromising.

I really, really do not care that my images are used in a healthy, heart felt way, with credit given back to me and my blog. I've had nice people ask before using my images and that makes me happy. What makes me unhappy is the thought that my images are used by others and they claim them as their own.....which prompted me to do a little research to see what I could do to hamper these misguided folks.

Here's what I found and it's so easy to disable those right clickers from taking our images. This might not stop every theft, but it is a start. Go to this site to copy this html script. Back to your blog's design board >> add a gadget >> paste the script you just copied.

I personalized mine by changing function disabled in the html to thou shall not steal..... hoping that would soften the blow to the now disgruntled thieving maniac. Save your newest add on.

I know we are putting that image thief out of work, but hey....somebody has to do it!

PS: I probably won't keep this fail safe method on my blog. You see, I like to share my images and my work and what I do, and I doubt seriously if anyone is making any money off my little photostream! But, I thought it was great fodder for those who are concerned about protecting their images.

Gathering Flowers

I missed her birthday

July 19, 1942

Yesterday would have been her 70th

She passed away many years ago at a much younger age than was her right to do,

but the choice wasn't in her hands.

What was in her hands was what she did with her life

While we disagreed on many things, we did agree that to sit idle was not an option

We both had such energy that had to put into something

....anything....

but that energy had to be used - used to think or read or create....teach, ride horses, run, skip rope, dance or gather flowers from the garden.

I gathered flowers from my garden this morning

and thought about my sister.

Hither, Thither and Yon

From here, past there and yonder:

It was one of the smallest villages we visited - Montone - but it was still full of activity - can't you see! The noise was deafening in this crowded room, but never deterred, I found the perfect shot.

and made it better

now....the focus is on the simplicity of the bar and the stools

to this place

in that direction

at a distance............over yonder

Did I learn this from Mom....making something out of nothing at all. As a child, I could go to the refrigerator and walk away thinking, oh my, there's nothing here for dinner. Mom could go to the same refrigerator at the same time and at the blink of an eye, have a delicious meal on the table. It amazed me through all those years that she could make something out of nothing at all.

I just walked back inside when the phone rang ~

I usually don't answer the phone if the number isn't one I'm familiar with. Some folks call this screening. I just call it saving my precious time. HOWEVER, I posted some tapestry/needlepoint yarn left over from previous projects on Craig's List,
SO I knew if I was gonna sell it, I had to answer questions about it!

Therefore,

when the phone rang and it was an unidentified wireless caller....I looked at the HuMAn and he looked back, rolling his eyes at me as he went back to his book. I very reluctantly answered the phone. Well, LOL and a happy dance, to my surprise, it was an inquiry about my yarn for sale.

(pause)

Okay, I'm home again and just walked back inside from meeting the most pleasant lady who bought my bags of tapestry and needlepoint yarn. A nice outing for my first Craig's List posting and sale. This may be the start of something big!

Another month and the mystery quilt saga continues ~

Just to keep you up-to-date on my mystery quilt progress...........well, there has been none. I was so excited to get the current month's instructions for the 2012 mystery quilt quilt-along; however, this mystery still has me baffled! I'm just about where I was last month except that my layout wasn't quite right.

I arranged the eight blocks on the design wall this morning....here's one plan

or another, more scrappy look....not sure which one I like the best

and then - and then - I had all these blocks left. WHAT???

Where do they go? I twisted and turned and puzzled, then tapped my foot, then stamped it in frustration

.......so flustered, I just couldn't make a plan or sew a stitch. My plan to sew all morning to get this baby finished just got stuck in the mud. Blast it!!! Now, I'll have to wait another month to figure it out.

I could just bite nails!

I pulled the blocks off the design wall

Do you see this empty design wall?

and can you see that my sewing machine does not have anything under the needle....

You just wait until I get my hands around the necks of the two quilters that came up with this mystery quilt pattern....yes, you just wait!

Instead of biting nails, I'm going to strangle both of them.

Yes, you just wait and see!

There's nothing like a good love/hate relationship with a mystery yet to be solved.

Piney Hills Quilt Guild Meeting.....review of the fun

Thursday, last in Ruston:

Hannah's program was (as always) full of punch. She brought lots of fabric newly arrived in her shop

and demonstrated how easy the Go Cutter is to use. Intricate patterns were cut faster than I could say rotary cutter!

And the Louisiana Chicken Festival raffle quilt is ready! Quilt blocks by guild members and quilting by Virginia Hughes. Just in time:

Louisiana Chicken Festival

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Scott Hamilton Warehouse

Hwy. 167, downtown Dubach

9:30 to 4:30

$1 Admission.....kids free

Featuring The Hoffman Challenge Quilt Trunk Exhibit

The Hanami 2011 Collection Quilts

All quilts are welcomed.....Jean Lowery 318-777-0960 or 318-548-8373 has all the details about when and where to bring your quilt entries. Come join us for a fun day.

Piney Hills Quilt Guild is all about giving back to the community. Members make quilts for Life Choices and pillow cases and Christmas stockings for DART. Here's just one of the stockings Janie made last month.

And Mary made pillow cases.....lots of pillow cases.....a bag full of pillow cases! I lost count ~ she said it was one of those 'betcha can't make just one' sewing days!

and a little snippet of Show and Tell

Judy with granddaughter Autumn's very own quilt - yep, she made it herself! I would be smiling too if this were my quilt!

and Judy Ward's Rose Cottage (I think she calls it)...it is a beauty, Judy.

Kay Defreese says she just took her currently too small jeans and made aprons. Darling idea and what a happy way to up-cycle that denim.

there was more....much more, but I'll end with Virginia Hughes and her find of the day, an
Indianapolis Star Quilt Pattern. A treasure for sure Virginia.

When the cutting station looks like this:

it means I'm being busy!

and I'm still being busy from this perspective too!

Being busy making place mats - there's just a hint of two little works-in-progress on the design wall.

Inspired by Korean Pojagi Patchwork

Gone Junkin' in Kansas City.....Kansas

Where color abounds

do you see those cute little kids over in the corner....

well, that would be my nieces,

Maysen and Finley

Really!

This mystery quilt along is getting my goat!

Originally posted and mused over here after the second month of the quilt chapter quilt along. Fabric requirements and cutting instructions were passed out the first month. I decided to complete the lap quilt size in a scrap happy method using up some batiks.

Completed six 16-patch blocks and I'm liking the batik so far, but still worried that my contrast between the dark and light will not be contrasting enough!! (the hate side of a mystery quilt). Also on the hate side of a mystery quilt is that I've pre-cut all my fabric. What if I don't like some of my fabric choices once I get it sewn into blocks?

Received May instructions and fell behind. Received June instructions and fell further behind. Now, it's almost time for the July instructions and I'm finally up-to-date.

May, June, July mystery quilt blocks completed

thankfully

and I'm speculating on the block arrangement....but if it's anything close to this, then I like it

and I can see that my contrast between the dark and light is working fine.

I'm really liking the scrap happy blending

Also liking the batik fabric that's now into a quilt block and out of my fabric bin

but these 10 6 1/2" blocks remain!

There must be another block arrangement in this mix somewhere, but until next month,

it's still a mystery to me!

Top News of the Day:

New study links increased suicide to cat litter boxes! What the....?? Has our government been spending too much money - again! Didn't go there, but

it got me thinking back to some of the days gone past when there was more black and white....translated - that means some things are obvious and don't have to be color enhanced - no explanation is required - it is what it is!

Such as the rose brambles in my garden