Crafting, Quilting, Reading

Craft

I want to make pom poms and have found some good instructions on line, but then I found an inexpensive pom pom maker and ordered it (and a book and more buttons) from Amazon.  My package, for which I was so eagerly waiting, was supposed to arrive on Monday.  But the delivery gods must have been confused by all the bad weather we've been having, and it didn't arrive.  Nor did it arrive yesterday.  

After checking the tracking information, I discovered that it had been delivered.  Just not to me!  This morning, I contacted Amazon and the problem has (hopefully!) been resolved.  They are re-sending my goodies, and they should be here tomorrow.  My thanks to Amazon for the prompt response.


Fidget Quilt #7

I've done a lot of hand quilting on some of the previous fidget quilts, but this one is entirely hand quilted--and even as small as it is, it took me hours and hours to get it done.  I love the process of hand quilting, but combined with the time it took on the beads and the quilting, I realize that given the purpose of these little quilts, I need to do more machine quilting than hand quilting.

The birds and flowers are machine appliqued in Syko style, machine quilting around raw edge fabrics. This is the same way I did Bryce Eleanor's drawings--fast and fun and a style I like.  I have already washed it because I wanted to see how the embellishments held up and because I love the crinkled look of a washed quilt.  Everything did well, except that the wooden buttons may age a little faster than expected.  The quilted beads did just fine.  The pocket is from a vintage napkin.

Books/Reading

The Child Garden by Catriona McPherson 

Although I wondered at first if I'd like it, the plot and characters engaged me completely very quickly.  I spent a lot less time in the studio and a lot more time reading because I got so involved.  This was a NetGalley offering (love me some free books!), and I'll have to hold my review for my book blog until closer to publication.  

That doesn't mean I can't tell you to look for it when it does come out!


Just Interesting

One of my favorite sources for news is The Guardian.  I like many things about this source, including the fact that it has a uniquely British take on what happens in the world.  As Americans, we are accustomed to looking at the news from our own sources which are often biased by party affiliation or agenda, so I like seeking other sources that avoid that particular dilemma of Republican/Democrat, conservative/liberal leanings.  I'm sure American sources have mentioned the following, but I missed it.

 The world population is currently seven billion, but there is a 70% chance that the number of people on the planet will rise continuously to 11 billion in 2100, according to ground-breaking analysis. It overturns 20 years of consensus that the global population will peak by 2050 to about nine billion people.

Eleven Billion!  That is positively scary.  Here is a link to the entire article.