Favourite Things Friday: My iPod

Music cleanses the understanding; inspires it, and lifts it into a realm which it would not reach if it were left to itself. –Henry Ward Beecher

My favourite thing today is kind of a spin-off of my first FTF post and was brought to remembrance by Mrs. P's FTF post today. My favourite today is my iPod.

This little beauty is a pink 5^th generation 16gb nano, adorably dressed in a skin to protect it from getting scratched. My iPod houses all seven Harry Potter audio books, the four Twilight books, three or four of my favorite Jane Austen's, half a dozen of my favorite CD's in their entirety, tons and tons of my favorite movie music, my Bradbury 13 episodes and several lengthy favorites playlists for different occasions and moods. And there is still space on there for more . I love it!

Whoever came up with the iPod is a genius. I love music and I love that I can put all of my favorites on one amazingly tiny portable device. I listen to it while I'm doing laundry or mopping the floors or gardening or sewing. Here is a small sampling of what you will find on my playlists. Feel free to pick and choose what you listen to. I went a little overboard .

Today's post brought to you by:

Grandpa's Candy Dish: A Quilty Finish

A grandfather is someone with silver in his hair and gold in his heart.
–Unknown

I've had this quilt rattling around in my head since last August. I saw it over at Quilt Times. Sue was using a pattern called Summer Breeze {found in Scrap-Basket Surprises}. She'd done hers in reds and greens and called it Christmas Stars. I loved the design. I decided that I'd use some giveaway winnings, a really fabulous Moda Marbles Jelly Roll and my Go!, to make something like it.

I really wanted this to be a Christmas gift for my Grandpa, but budget and time constraints prohibited that. So, I made it a priority as one of the first things to get done in the New Year. When I pictured what sort of fabric I wanted to use for the pinwheels, homespun came to mind and I thought red would be really spectacular. But when I got to JoAnn's {armed with my trusty 50% off coupons }, I absolutely fell in love with this earthy brown homespun. I picked up a piece of white-on-ivory for the background {also at 50%} and got a terrific steal deal on some Warm and Natural batting. I came in at just under $20 {it was $19.68 for those of you who are wondering, and I know some of you are} total out-of-pocket cost for this quilt.

I used the starter die that comes with the Go! Fabric Cutter to cut the half-square triangles for the pinwheels. It was really fast and fun. I laid the fabrics in pairs, right sides together and when I'd finished, they were all ready stacked and ready to sew . As I worked, I pondered names for this quilt. I couldn't very well call it Summer Breeze or Christmas Stars. I started out with basic descriptors, Grandpa's Pinwheels, Homespun Pinwheels, and the mostly likely candidate, Elemental Pinwheels. Then I asked for Mr. Bug's input. He suggested Earthy Pinwheels or Rusty Pinwheels. Nothing seemed to fit. Completely in love with how the top was coming out, I'd resigned to calling it the less-than-spectacular Elemental Pinwheels. I began to put the borders on and realized that the gorgeous browns reminded me of chocolate and caramel. As I thought about that, I remembered that my Grandpa had a candy dish. And in his candy dish, he nearly always had Werther's Originals. I'd had a Werther's from his candy dish the last time I visited him.

I remembered other candies in my Grandpa's candy dish; gummy bears {the good ones from Germany}, Skittles {also known as Andy Candy}, M&M's, mini candy bars. You see, Grandpa has a sweet spot for the grandkids. So if he knew you were coming, there was always something yummy in his candy dish. The pinwheels in the quilt reminded me of those wrapped Werther's candies and so I decided that Grandpa's Candy Dish would be the name for this quilt.

I just did a simple stipple, at a medium size, for the quilting {liking free motion more and more all the time } and threw it in the wash so it would be soft and crinkly. I'll be dropping this in the mail tomorrow. I can't wait until my Grandpa gets it so he'll know that I have a sweet spot for him too.

Today's post brought to you by:

Bradbury 13: The Fox and the Forest

While our art cannot, as we wish it could, save us from wars, privation, envy, greed, old age, or death, it can revitalize us amidst it all.
–Ray Bradbury

Today's Bradbury 13 episode is adapted from The Fox and the Forest. This short story was included in The Illustrated Man in 1951.

The Fox and the Forest
There were fireworks the very first night. Things that you should be afraid of, perhaps, for they might remind you of other more horrible things. But these were beautiful rockets that ascended into the ancient soft air of Mexico and shook the stars apart in blue and white fragments. Everything was good and sweet. The air was that blend of the dead and the living of the rains and the dusts. And in the shadows, with bottles of assorted liquors at his elbow, the man in the Panama hat lit a Turkish cigarette and stared into the crowd, searching. Searching.

My Rating:
My favorite voice actress of the series, Barta Heiner, plays the female lead, which I really enjoy. She has a very lovely voice. Additionally, I really like this story. There is a timelessness to it, I think almost as much as The Wind. There is quite a game of cat of mouse going on. And as always, there is an interesting twist which, in this case makes you wonder if you can ever really escape your responsibilities even if those responsibilities are dreadful or even wrong.

Air Date:
June 11, 1984

Narrator:
Paul Frees

Cast:
Neil Barth
Barta Heiner
Glenwood Thompson
Jay Bernard
Janet Swenson

Music:
Roger Hoffman
Greg Hansen

Production Assistant:
Patrick Mead

Associate Producer:
Jeff Raider

Created, Produced, Directed:
Mike McDonough

Executive Producer:
Dean Van Uitert

Audio Clip of The and the Forest
Buy The Fox and the Forest mp3
Buy Bradbury 13 Audio CDs

Apron №. 107: Another Apples & Pears

Friends are those rare people who ask how you are and then wait for the answer. –Unknown

I have this cute friend. She has a thing for pears. And her favorite color is Pink. So what could I do when I found out her birthday was in six days? {And why didn't I ask her about it months ago ?} The answer is obvious. Make her an Apples & Pears apron. {Sorry about the fuzzy picture. I got a new-to-me camera. I took eight different pictures and this was the best of the bunch. I obviously need to read the part of the manual that tells you how to focus.}

I don't think I'll ever get tired of this adorable print. How can you not love pink pears? I may have to make an apron for myself with it. Hooray for another February finish!

Abbey Lane Quilts Giveaway Winners

Sewing mends the soul. –Unknown

I would again like to thank the lovely ladies at Abbey Lane Quilts for their kindness and generosity in sponsoring the giveaway of two of their books and one pattern. I can't think of a better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than by giving away something that I love! The votes have been tabulated. No. Wait. That's not right. The winners have been drawn, and without further ado here they are:

Fab Five Pattern Book
Drawn by LadyBug

Congratulations to
Happy Cottage
Quilter

who said, What a great book! I have seen Abbey Lane patterns but I've never made one. This book looks fabulous. Thanks for the generous giveaways.

Blooming Possibilities Pattern Book

Drawn by Grasshopper

Congratulations to
Rhonda
of Quilt Nut Creations

who said, thanx for all these giveaways Elizabeth. I love the hats.

My Ticket to Ride Pattern
Drawn by Mr. Bug

Congratulations to
Mystica
of Musings from Sri Lanka

who said, I would like a ticket to Paris!



Ladies, check your inboxes. Thank you to everyone who entered! And Mystica, I think I'll book the seat next to you for Paris.