WILD! How I made a tray feeder for wild birds...

This morning my niece posted on Facebook about a type of feeder that she wanted to order from Wild Birds Unlimited

and I had been thinking of a similar type of feeder for my back yard because the BlueJays and some of the other larger birds could not access the round tube feeder that I have there....

So, as you know, I occasionally go off on a "tangent"!  Well this was definately a tangent! And took me less than an hour to put together, including locating the 'elements" or you might call it the materials and supplies...

I used things that I found around my house, yard or basement.  I spent not one PENNY!

I had an old office magazine holder thingy that I took apart to use the mesh screen of it for the bottom of the 'feeder' so that rain would not puddle in the feeder and ruin the seeds...

the wooden box is one that I picked up along with some other plant containers just to use in my garden....

an old electrical extension cord that for some reason didn't work 

The Tools: a screwdriver and pliers to take apart the magazine holder, heavy duty scissors for cutting the pug ends of the extension cord, my father-inlaw's electric drill from the 1950's that still works -- but you can use a newer one if you want!,  and a hammer to bash out the bottom of the wood box...

First I took apart the magazine holder thingy but didn't bother to cut or change its shape as it fit nicely to the bottom of the box and allowed a kind of ledge on the outside edge...  And bashed out the bottom of the wooden box, which was pretty easy to do as it was actually water warped and a bit rotted...

Did I mention the staple gun and staples?  I used the kind of staples that they use for upholstry, not the kind for paper... much stronger!  staples in the corners and two on each side edge...

 Once the bottom was on - I put the bottom on so that it would make the box a bit stronger so that it wouldn't go off square when I drilled holes beside the corners...

Then I cut the plug ends off the extenion cord and pulled the two long plastic coated wires apart so I had two long and strong cords to put thro the holes in the side of the box -

tied the 4 loose ends up into a knot and hung the thing on a bracket on my fence....

Hanging on the bracket with seeds in it...

took barely 15 minutes and the first visitor arrived -- a chickadee!  I think he was a regular visitor to our tube feeder so he knew where he could find LUNCH already!

and another chick-a-dee a few minutes later 

The last two photos are taken with my canon power shot at 14x zoom from the second storey balcony on our house.

Now I am going to have to keep an eye out for the blue jays and maybe some other of the larger birds in our neighbourhood...

Thinking Ahead! - Work in Progress

To be honest, I am the type of person who is always looking ahead and am ready with contingency plans long before they are actually needed!  My father instilled in me a sense of "being ready for anything" and I do wonder sometimes how anyone is caught unaware that a situation is developing or approaching!   I am the consumate ANT of the fairy tale The Ant and the Grasshopper !  (for the full story click on the story title)...

But then again...  Crochet does lend itself so very well, to making winter accessories, doesn't it?

At the beginning of our Victoria Day Weekend (in the USA it is Memorial Day Weekend) I had no travel plans or even any chores or work around the house to do so I decided to start on a project that I actually had meant to do a few months back...  Now, this is where procrastinating translates into preparedness -- if you wait long enough, what was late can actually appear to be early when you wait til next year!

So Leg Warmers...  and a Slouchy Hat.  The pair of leg warmers are complete -- they were actually a test to create my own design/pattern and they have actually worked out quite nicely -- mind you a few rows were 'frogged' a few times but now they are done and I am started on a matching Slouchy Hat.

I used a yarn of "unknown content" that I got in a thrift store, so even tho I plan to write the instructions and a tutorial for these leg warmers I am going to work them up again with a 'brand' yarn to make it easier for anyone who might like to try out this pattern.

I actually was inspired to create these because I was leafing through one of my books and found a stitch pattern that I thought would suit leg warmers nicely.  Do you think so?

So today, I am off to my local yarn shop to see if I can find a similar 'branded' yarn to reproduce this project and then write up the pattern instructions...

  

I am linking up with Merry Messy Life and the Needle and Thread Network  today.

PS.  If you are wanting the instructions for these leg warmers, please sign up to receive email notice of my blog posts (near the top of my sidebar on the right side) as I cannot promise exactly when I will post the instructions for this pattern -- hopefully within the next couple of weeks -- because it did not take me very long at all to work up this pair of leg warmers!

Work in Progress and Runaway Days

Yes, I am still working on the Jane Austen Family Album blocks (check the link in my side bar) I was away for a few days so I only worked on the one block and that one was quite simple and quick!  I did not layer or quilt last weeks block "page" so I have a bit of extra to do this week!  In the instructions on Barbara Brackman's site, she suggests two different methods for making this block -- I chose the easy -- fewer pieces version,  not because I didn't want to sew a few extra pieces together, but because I found a scrap piece of fabric that I felt suited this block very nicely!

Large print strawberries on a black background, with the corners in a hot bright pink!  This block is done similar to the earlier one -- the Cross within a Cross  with the centre square being set 'on point' and using the tip where you crease the centre square so that the four corner units are sewn on perfectly centered...  and be sure to read the entire post, because there is an update/correction of the 'variation' of this block!  Because I have not done the variation, I am not commenting on how or what to do if you choose the fussy cutting version!

Barbara calls this block Village Square and uses it to represent Jane Austen's oldest brother James.  He is the 'favoured one" in the family and the one who inherits what ever his parents or other relatives have to bestow upon him...

I did not get a whole lot done in the crafty department, even though I did have some extra time...

This past week - 3 days of it anyway -- I went on a little ride with my friend over the mountains, from here in the Fraser Valley, over the Coquihalla Hwy and the Connector (Hwy 97C) to Kelowna BC.

Now as much as I love quiltmaking and crochet, I love to ride as a passenger in a car and look out the window at the swiftly passing scenery!   I would rather go on a car ride than just about anything else!!

Now, once arrived in Kelowna we checked into a very nice hotel/resort -- Manteo Hotel and Resort....  My friend was in Kelowna for some meetings and business so I was left on my own for the daytime hours.

So contrary to my usual habit of sewing or crochet -- I walked...

There is a boardwalk along the lake front that makes for very easy strolling.  A private beach for guests, a marina, a putting green, a library building and a outdoor pool and even a small theatre all within the complex.

I watched some teenage boys practice their putting skills and wondered why they were not in school on a weekday.   And best of all, I walked and sat on benches all along the boardwalk totally  peaceful and simply enjoying the gorgeous spring day!  This early in the 'season' I suspect it was much quieter than would be usual in June, July, or August.  And I loved the quiet comfort!

Soon tho, it was time to head home and the drive over the high mountain passes heading west to home was a bit more gloomy than it was getting to Kelowna.  It is pretty high up and there is still snow on the hills, tho the highway was dry and clear.

I cannot describe how much I enjoyed this little 'holiday' -- it was unexpected but felt so good to be away from the everyday things at home.  I think I would have gladly spent another week away!   Do you ever get to go away for no reason whatsoever with no obligations or plans?  Not often, I would suspect -- there is not much in my world that can beat this kind of little runaway adventure!!

Works In Progress - Block Book 4 and a Crochet Tangent

Many years ago the words to a popular song grabbed my heart and I sing that song in my head whenever the things in my life seem to be matching the words to that song...

I've got a song, I ain't got no melody
I'ma gonna sing it to my friends
I've got a song, I ain't got no melody
I'ma gonna sing it to my friends

Will it go round in circles?
Will it fly high like a bird up in the sky?
Will it go round in circles?
Will it fly high like a bird up in the sky?

Read more at http://www.songlyrics.com/billy-preston/will-it-go-round-in-circles-lyrics/#jgmD877kY7IWjBmm.99

or you can check it out on You Tube at http://youtu.be/yGQZXA54gjU

It doesn't seem to be a song that 'everybody' sings to themselves, it's certainly not You are My Sunshine, or one of those early Beatle tunes that are always popping up in one's head at the most inopportune time...

Now, what does a 44 year old song have to do with quilting and crochet, or with crafts of any kind for that matter?

Well, its the listener I think, me, the song comes upon me when I realize how motivation, interest, desire to accomplish something, replaces a period of almost depression -- little interest in a project or not being able to find a reason to create something.   "Will it go round in Circles" just always seems to me to signify the way life goes round, how sometimes you actually in a weird way enjoy the down times, but realize when it comes around again, the good times, the times you want to work and achieve and just plain do 'stuff'

I have got to say that this project of creating a Real Representational Page Turning "Book" -- even if it is only one copy and that it is just for me -- has got me on a tangent!  I do love TANGENTS - its an adventure that leads from one thing to another and each step is a learning experience and in itself is motivating to go onto the next step...  Did I say I love Tangents?  Do you know what I mean?

The 'page' this week for my Block Book again comes from Barbara Brackman's Austen Family Album  36 part block series where she tells about Jane Austen's family and the time they lived.  This weeks block is called Thrifty and represents Jane's mother -- click on the link on my side bar to get the full story along with the instructions for putting together this versatile beginner quilt block!

I also discovered that The Quilting Gallery has begun a series of Quilt Block Tutorials! Check out this new series if you are a bit impatient and want to do more than one quilt block a week...  Quilting Gallery Block Library  

I suspect I will be incorporating a few block from this series into my Block Book...

Another element to my current TANGENT is a crochet project that has expanded as it progressed.  On April 10 on this blog I talked about a scarf pattern that I decided to start work on. ( see Jumping off  a cliff...  )  It is a pattern from Interweave Crochet -- their magazine Crochet Today Spring 2007 (and they offer a kit on their website) for the Boteh Scarf by Kathy Merrick.

Well, I certainly didn't expect to get so involved in this pattern!  I started out using sock yarn to follow the pattern, relatively close to what the instructions were saying.  I used Red Heart, Heart and Sole to start...

And that's when I went off on a TANGENT...  I opened a draw in my bedroom and came across two and a half balls of Lion Brand Wool Ease and even before finishing the first scarf, started a second!   

The same pattern, but my what a difference!  It makes me want to try out this pattern at least one more time with another yarn!

I am thinking and wondering what this pattern would be like with a 'soft' acrylic.  I have some Loops and Threads (Michael's exclusive yarn) Soft and Shiny that I am thinking will feel really nice and look great!  How 'bout in burgundy?  

"I've got a song, I ain't got no melody..."

How 'bout you?  What are you excited about this week!

Kitty, Kitty, Kitty!

It seems like a natural pairing... Quilts and Cats.

Little cats and big cats, orange cats, black cats, grey cats and even blue cats!  I don't think I have ever heard of anyone who makes quilts and does not like cats!

And I certainly never heard of a cat who didn't like a quilt!

I recently acquired from quilting friend of a friend (thats pretty much how I get all my fabric now, since I am on a fabric buying diet -- but doesn't mean a friend can't give me some fabric!)  a small bundle of mostly fat quarters of CAT fabrics...

Nice.

Fun, too!

Most of these are a few years old...

Well, more like 20 years since they were on the store shelves...

But does the allure of cats ever fade?

Is there a colour or a classic cat shape missing from this selection of fabrics?

One the best things about cat fabrics is that you can enjoy cats, even if you don't really like real cats!  My gramma did not like cats, neither did one of my best friends, but they both did not mind cats portrayed on fabric!

Now, what to do with all these?

Well, thats a start!  The paper pieced cat above was also given to me, but made and in a stash for many years... now with the cat fabrics, I am making a few -- cat nap mats for a cat carrier, or maybe they are place mats for your kitchen table, or maybe if it is loved alot, it could be put in a frame and hung up on the wall.

This one - and a few more will be in my etsy shop in the next few days with part of the sale proceeds going to my local SPCA...

Oh and by the way...

Walter

is three years old tomorrow!

Happy Birthday Walter Kitty!

Block Book 3

If you have been following along with my latest project you will know, this is week three of the Jane Austen Family Album  that I have started in order to create something just a bit different than a sampler quilt.  Barbara Brackman's page is dedicated to a 36 week project to create blocks that follow the theme of Jane Austen and her family and situations, ideas, and well, I guess we will have to wait and see what else Barbara gives us!

This week (somewhat appropriate to Easter) the block is being made to represent Jane's father who was a Reverend of the Church of England.  Go to Barbara's site (see the link in my first paragraph) to learn much about this man, who I think  anyone would be proud to call father!  He sounds like a man any girl would appreciate as a Dad...

The Block is Cross within a Cross and can be a tricky one to put together.  I thought I would pass along a few hints that might make the construction of this block a bit easier and perhaps save some frustration with seam matching and keeping those PESKY BIAS edges under control!

You should refer to Barbara's blog for the details for cutting and the piecing order, so read through my tips, then follow the instructions for the block.

The block is made from the centre out...

One general quilting rule that holds true for this block is "press the seams towards the darker fabric"

The center cross of this block is essentially a nine patch turned on point, but this makes the outside edges all on the bias, so make sure when you press the seams you do not stretch the long edge of the "C" pieces.

Your center section when sewn will look like this.  This is when you trim those corners.  Be careful when you do this because if you trim at an angle, your whole block will be off kilter.  Make sure that you line up the grid of your ruler with the side you will trim and with one or both of the other side edges.  This will ensure that the corners will be correctly squared at 45 degree angles!  It will save you much frustration being methodical in this step.

Next is to make the 4 corners of this block -- another tricky bit, but keep in mind the short edge of the "B" triangle butts up with the square.   Take a moment to place the triangles beside the square so that you can clearly see which edge to sew.

I like to chain piece, even if it is only 4 sections.

Once you have the four pieces done it is easier to see how to sew the other triangle to the square.   Oh, and to make it so that your seam does not take a little JAG at the end, see that little corner tag sticking out?  Snip or Trim it off, even with the edge of the SQUARE...

Just as the above photo shows...

Now this is another little tip, that will help with sewing your block accurately, if not perfectly!  Back to the center part of the block, match up the edges to find the center of that "C" triangle, give it a bit of a press to create a crease.  Do that on each of the four sides.   Then put a pin so that it marks the crease...

Now, as you see the pin marks the center where you will "point" the corner of the square "A" right at the pin.  You can then pin them together or just hold your fabric so that it does not slip as you sew the seams! (make sure that the edges of the fabric line up exactly -- I left the bottom fabric showing in this case so that you can easily see how the corner points to the pin)

You should also note that again when pressing, the seam is pressed to create that point.

When you sew these sections together you also need to keep in mind that both the smaller triangle and the inner "C" triangle is on the bias, so take care that you do not pull your seam as you sew it.  In fact if you actually slightly push on your fabrics they should not stretch out of shape....

And VOILA!  The Cross within a Cross Block for Reverend George Austen.  Be sure to read Barbara Brackman's explanation of his life and his position in life.  I find it quite interesting how the RULES of inheritance worked in those times...

Maybe that is an explanation of why my paternal grandmother Doris Merry Gent had some "uppity" ways about her?  She could have been part of an upper class family but with a father or grandfather who was not in the line of inheritance and who had to make their way depending on the financially better off relatives or to find their own way --- My father did some research on his  English family and discovered that his mother's father and grandfather were police constables in London in Victorian times...

Now, today when I watch shows like Downton Abbey and Call the Midwife it is easy to see how the class system of the time would instill itself in one's very being and even coming to Canada, it would be difficult to throw off those attitudes.  So if you have a Grandma that was maybe "uppity" or perhaps sometimes said things that made her sound harsh -- think now about how she was raised and what was normal in her time.... 

Work in Progress -- Block Book 2

Following along with Barbara Brackman's Austen Family Album  is working well for me...  One block a week is not alot to do, and in fact yesterday (Sunday) I was wondering what the block would be for this week!  Anticipation!  It has been awhile since I actually was excited about a project and that feeling of sweet anticipation was very welcome to my psyche!

This week the block is Sister's Choice.  I totally enjoyed Barbara's write up about Cassandra Austen, Jane's older sister.  It makes one wish for such a companion in life, but alas my wish was not granted so I have to imagine what it would have been like!  But, I do have a really wonderful sister-in-law, who lives too far away that I don't get to see as often as I wish...

For me I found this block interesting in that it actually lends itself to being a 10" finished size, but to be consistent Barbara published instructions to make it a 12" block.  Yes, it is easier to make it 10 inches, because the pieces are a more common cut but I went with the 12" block which made me take care with the cutting and the sewing of the triangles and I am quite happy to say that the effort turned out exactly right.

Out of my scrap crate came some bali batiks that have been sitting around for a few years, I had a couple of other batiks, but they were unrelated colours so the three I chose are as close to coordinated as I was able to come...

This is a great block to play with colours, so many variations and colour placement!

Now, during the week, I had some thoughts about how to finish these blocks so started with of course the first one.

I have about 4 meters of unbleached cotton (muslin) on a shelf and decided that this would be a good neutral to use with all the blocks for this 'book'...

Because I suspect all the blocks themselves will be 12" finished, I will even be able to cut ahead!  So, each "page" is going to be 15" x 12", that extra 3 inches allows for a description or information strip beside each block.

So, along with the block itself, I will cut a 3.5 inch x 12.5 inch strip to sew along one side of the block, and a 15.5 inch x 12.5 inch backing piece, both from the unbleached muslin.

Then a layer of batting, to create the "Sandwich".  Now one of the other things about doing these blocks in "Book" form, I am thinking that pieces of batting does not need to be consistent with each 'page'.  I have a rubbermaid tub that is pretty much full of batting scraps, some are 80/20 Hobbs cotton, there are a variety of polyester batting and even a few bits of fusible batting.  I think one advantage to using different battings is that it will give a different look and feel to each block depending on the quilting done.

The side Panel on the face of the page allows room to write down information on the block, and because the backing is also plain muslin any further notes can be written on the back, too.   Will just have to see how that goes.

I do not as yet have a plan for attaching the pages together, there are a few options, including putting metal "ring" holes, or even regular sewn button holes and slipping a ribbon through the pages to hold them together, or to sew the "hinge" side of each block, one to the next...   Again, will see how it goes.
                        ********************************
Lately I have been trying to be nice, even when I don't have to!  To some people that comes naturally, but I have been around sarcasm and thoughtless words for a good portion of my life so it takes a concerted effort to be pleasant, sometimes...
This morning there was a knock on my door, an unexpected knock, and in today's world, there is always that suspicion that uninvited people at the door may not be such a good thing.   Well, I decided to answer the door -- which meant me coming down the stairs and first putting the dog behind me.   I opened the door to an older man, carrying pamphlets -- perhaps you know what they were?  Well, I do not have the same beliefs as he does, but I decided there was no need to tell him to go away and stay away with mean or harsh words.  I nicely said, that it would probably be best if he kept his pamphlet to share with someone who might keep it and read it and when he said to me to have a nice day, I returned the nicety by wishing him a pleasant walk around the neighbourhood and this warm and sunny spring day....

And what is more happy in spring than a dog running in the park?

Jumping off a cliff...

Did you ever ask your Mother if you could do something - way back when you were about 14 years old?  And what did she say after you told her all your friends were going?   Well, my Mother said "if all your friends jump off a cliff would you follow along?"

I bet you answered, No! As did I.

But even though our rational mind tells us not to JUMP along with everybody else, we seem to keep doing it again and again!   We often think we are so smart that of course we wouldn't do such a dumb thing as to follow along because everybody else seems to be doing it.   Well, I suspect Advertisers of any and all products counts on you to follow, just because your friends are doing it!

They even tell us that "all your friends" are buying this, or that celebrities are leading the way in convincing us that this product or idea or fad is wonderful simply because others think it is...

I fall for this gimmick of "BUY THIS" so often that it has started to make me feel quite uncomfortable!  Big things and small things....

Lately I have REALLY been listening to the claims made in TV advertisements... One I noticed is a flagrant copy of another...  There has been an ad -- well actually it is usually a Paid half hour advertisement -- Cindy Crawford's skin creams -- you know the one where the great French doctor has discovered a rare extract from a even more rare melon...  Really how rare could this melon be if they sell this skin cream all over the world?  Do you think that if you ordered this stuff that sometime they might say, we are short of the rare melon extract so we are unable to fill your order?    Well now, we know very well, that is not going to happen!  In fact this idea of a famous doctor and a rare natural ingredient has obviously gone over so well, that now there is another cosmetic product advertisement that claims it contains an extremely rare "stem cell" extract from a sought after unusual apple that is only found in Switzerland by another brilliant doctor!   I am sure that these cosmetic skin and face creams are fine and excellent quality products, but why must they tell us that some ingredient is rare or exotic or unusual....  I suspect that sometime soon, we will be buying something that contains the unnatural red dust of Mars with no real reason except that it is rare and from Mars and some celebrity says it is a miracle!

Influence.   It is so easy to wind its way into the simplest things of our life.

The strangest thing set me off on these thoughts....

I am, as usual watching a show (Doc Zone on CBC) on TV while working on a crochet project.  I actually have about 3 crochet projects on the go, and could easily be working on one of them, but no....  A few days ago I got an email -- yes I subscribe to emails that actually want me to buy stuff, I tell myself it is a way to keep up with new things...  I was fooling myself!   So in this email, the company sent me an email "update" of a kit for a scarf and something about it caught my eye...  It was for a Boteh Scarf and had a really enticing photo....  Something about it tho made me hesitate.  Well, I always hesitate when buying crafty stuff, cause I often can live without it, whereas buying a loaf of bread or a jug of milk never causes me to question what or why I am buying it...

I really liked this scarf!  And it looked like it would be an interesting challenge and something a bit different....  But still, I spent another day thinking about it....  THEN like the proverbial light bulb, I realized I already had this pattern in one of their crochet magazines -- I just had to find it...  After leafing through a dozen or so issues I FOUND IT!   OKAY! no need to buy that pattern... but you know what gets me about it?  NEW.  Yes a NEW KIT is what they are selling, but hey? the pattern is in a magazine from WHAT? SEVEN YEARS AGO!!  Now to sell as an individual pattern along with an expensive yarn and call it a KIT is an excellent marketing ploy...  

For a change tho, I didn't jump off that cliff simply because someone implied that everybody was doing it and it was something new and fun to do!

I think, after alot of years of believing what "they" tell me, I am learning to stop and think about the claims being made about how I would really be missing out if I didn't follow everyone else over the cliff!  Even if maybe there really weren't so many others jumping....

Oh Boy! Now what have I done?  Becoming more thoughtful about the claims of product or idea sellers...  

PS.  The yarn in the kit is a 'sock yarn' so that too was easily on hand in a basket of yarn I had on the shelf and therefore I did not have to take another penny (oh yeah, we don't use pennies in Canada anymore) out of my pocket to satisfy my urge to try out this unusual scarf pattern...

I am developing new eyes to look at some of the 'claims' made on consumer products...

Work in Progress - Block Book

I did mention in a previous post that I will be following Barbara Brackman's Austen Family Album Quilt .  This is a 36 week project to create a sampler type of quilt based on names of quilt blocks or ideas from Jane Austen's lifetime.  Read Barbara's blog on this project and I am sure you will see how each block she presents to us along the way will tie into Jane's time...

Now, even tho I am somewhat of a fan of Pride and Predjudice, and Sense and Sensibility I must admit I was introduced to those stories not so long ago by great productions of those stories along with Emma as MOVIES...  I have not ever actually read any of the Jane Austen books except for Northanger Abbey, which I think must be her least known novel.

Really, the idea of the blocks that Barbara Brackman plans to tie into Jane's life seemed to me a great way of learning some details of Jane's life and to work on a favourite pastime, all at the same time...

I am not planning to make a quilt of these blocks, nor do I plan to use retro or vintage fabrics or fabrics that will co ordinate all the blocks into one large quilt. Barbara does speak of the kind of fabrics that would be appropriate for the TIME of this quilt in the first post she did to announce this project.

I am thinking of creating a BOOK of Blocks.   I do have in mind a method to create each page of the book, using the blocks.  I have not as yet confirmed exactly how I plan to do this BOOK, but as I progress with the blocks, I plan to do a tutorial of how I put the pages together -- each page I am hoping will be a small finished quilt with top, batting, backing and binding...

In the meantime  I dug into my "milk" carton where I keep scrap and leftover fabrics from previous projects...

The first block, posted on Barbara's site is called BRIGHT STAR and she explains how this block references Jane Austen -- Barbara says that this block was published in the Chicago Tribune in 1934.  When you read about Jane Austen for yourself, the Bright Star block seems quite appropriate to start this project.

A few tips if you make this block:

Barbara does not supply sewing details other than the pieces and size and shape of pieces to cut and sew...

If you want to make this block, because it is entirely made up of 1/2 square triangles, careful and accurate piecing is imperative!

I use a method of sewing triangles together that you can easily learn from this tutorial at Connecting Threads .  The tutorial shows two methods of sewing 1/2 square triangles and the writer says that the second method is their favorite.  Mine Too!

Another 'trick' to remember when sewing the sections of this block is that the squared side of the larger triangle should line up with the squared edge of the strip of pieced triangles -- you will find that once sewn, the long edge will then line up nicely even tho it looks like it is too big...

When you get the square pieced, it is a good idea to "square up" before sewing the 4 sections together.  Ideally use a 6.5 inch square ruler if you have one, as this section should measure 6.5 inches on every side.  Place the diagonal line of the ruler exactly along the longest diagonal seam, hold it still and with your rotary cutter trim the bits that fall outside the edge of the ruler...  Perfection!

Voila!  Bright Star!

And, Well, Spring has arrived here on the West Coast! 

My first year on the West Coast was 1986 and the blooms on the ornamental cherry trees was something that my eyes have adored every single spring since then!

Linking up today with The Needle and Thread Network