Tour de France = Tour de Fleece

The Tour de France begins July 1 but to fiber spinners it means Tour de Fleece.  In fact, I always think of this time in July as time to spin!

What does this mean?

• All spinners unite to accept the challenge to spin each day--even if it's only for 5 minutes!
• 
  
• Have fun!
• 
  
• Get that Stash spun down!

How can you participate?

• Join a team--here is one that welcomes your involvement--accepting members till June 30th--spinfoolish
• Join this Facebook group for encouragement
• The Knit Girls are sponsoring a Bingo game around Tour de Fleece
• Shepherds Talk is another interesting feature on Facebook

So get those wheels ready and the stash prepared and

SPIN, SPIN, SPIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Are You Out of Your Gourd?!

Gourd--  

noun

1.

the hard-shelled fruit of any of various plants, especially those of Lagenaria siceraria (white-flowered gourd or bottle gourd) whose dried shell is used for bowls and other utensils, and Cucurbita pepo(yellow-flowered gourd) used ornamentally.

Compare gourd family.

2.

a plant bearing such a fruit.

3.

a dried and excavated gourd shell used as a bottle, dipper, flask, etc.

4.

a gourd-shaped, small-necked bottle or flask.

Idioms

5.

out of /off one's gourd, Slang. out of one's mind; crazy.

You think you're out of your "gourd' when you enter the exhibit hall at the Kerrville Arts and Cultural Center--it was full of gourds of all shapes and sizes!  

This was the Southwest Gourd Fine Art Show (exhibit ended June 25) 

A Juried Show of art from the best gourd artists--

Here is a small sampling from the exhibit:  All pieces were so creative!  I'm thinking of growing gourds again!  

This was one of my favorite--!!

These two pieces were wrapped in blue jean strips

Best of Show!  

Should Have, Could Have, Didn't!!

Several months ago, I saw this pattern in a magazine--should have ordered it

right then, but I didn't!  I thought--"I don't really need to make this one"

That pattern just wouldn't leave my pea brain though!

Could have bought the kit right then but "NO", I waited too long..........

That pattern kept itching in my brain and when I went back to

purchase the kit--it was no more!! Drats!

I searched for the panel--found it!  Should have bought it

months ago--I'm looking online to find the fabric--none

available, well, not all of it anyway--so, I was buying

in piece meal--some from here some from there.........

Should have, Could have, but didn't--stupid me!

there will be some substitutions and I really think

I've spent more time looking for fabric and more $$

than if I had bought the kit right then and there! 

I Skipped That Lesson :-(

What was I thinking?  The May lesson with Year of Therapy was to knit a mouse--ugh!  Albeit, it was a cute mouse--I didn't really want to knit a mouse.  And what would I do with it after I did knit it???
Skipping a lesson isn't a good thing--when the June pattern rolled around, it used that skipped lesson technique-- a pin hole cast on!

Now, I'm at a disadvantage!  Bummer--didn't do any good to skip that lesson just

because the outcome was a mouse--a cute mouse nonetheless!

It's back to the May lesson to learn what I skipped!  I would have been so far

advanced if only I hadn't skipped May...............

Grandma's Kitchen SAL

 My Granny didn't live near me, so I wasn't around her much-- I can't tell you what her kitchen was like.  My paternal grandmother died when I was very young;  I have vague memories of her and of course, no kitchen--I'm looking forward to this SAL (sew along) from Pat Sloan, which begins Wednesday.

Every Wednesday there will be a block added to her website and it's free!

Don't we all love free?? 

On her website, she gives suggestions as to fabric choices--but, I'm waiting to

see the first block to choose my fabric.  This SAL will run till

Thanksgiving. 

I so enjoyed her Summer Solstice SAL

The blocks are still up if you are interested.

Do You Like Quilt Magazines?

Do you like quilt magazines?  Do you like FREE quilt magazines??

This is a super ezine for you to enjoy--free patterns,

good sewing suggestions and other sundry items!

Sew In Love With Fabric has the ezine that you will enjoy--lots of 

cool sewing ideas-- I like the Debby K's modern with a twist--Fractured

jewels! 

The other ezines are also available for download--

And The Wheel Goes Round And Round.................

At our January Spin-in conference we were given a challenge

for 2018--our theme for 2017 was "Go Green in '17"

We received these lovely natural colored fibers, packaged by

Lisa of Dicentra Designs.  Lisa produces such lovely dyed fibers too.

So here we have Blue faced Leicester, Grey Shetland top, Fawn Shetland

top and Brown Jacob--the fibers are so easy to spin as they are

nicely processed.