Groundhog Day 2012

Groundhog Greetings to All!
And to all the groundhogs who are giving their weather predictions today, especially Gertie at the Wildlife Prairie State Park in Illinois. What an exciting day for these all-American mammals!
In Europe there was a similar tradition with hedgehogs, though I am not sure it is still celebrated...and certainly not with parades and speeches by the local mayor.


For those who still may not know the noble Groundhog, here is a picture:

This is Puxatawney Phil

Their coats are thick, soft fur and they have front paws almost like hands (sort of like a raccoon). To learn more about groundhogs, and even hear a selection of sounds they make, visit Hog Haven.


In 2008 I wrote a post about my pet groundhog Charlie. He was a great guy, and I still like to remember him snuggled in my lap, making a contented little woodchuck grunting sound.
I always wanted to make a Groundhog Quilt, but didn't really want to use the Sunshine & Shadows block for it.

Sunshine and Shadows block (also known as Roman Stripe)

A  Mystery Quilt class I taught had a great design, but a name I no longer wanted to use...so it has become Groundhog Day, my latest pattern. The two colors represent Winter and Spring, and you can see lots of holes for the Groundhog to pop up from:

Groundhog Day c. Sunnie Malesky 2011

Before I publish a pattern it has to be tested several times. This one also includes a scrappy version, which I made in pinks and greens. I had the top spread out for some final patch counting, and it took Shayla O'Puss about two seconds to appear for a nap:

Shayla was so happy on this top she didn't make a face when I snapped the picture!

I hope all my Faithful Readers have a wonderful Groundhog Day. I am very honored to be included in Gertie's celebration this year with a little poem I wrote back in 2008:
May your Winter be short and your Springtime be long;
May the shadows that fall on your life soon be gone.
May the sun shine upon you, may your joys never end...
and remember the Groundhog is always your friend!

A Fleece Quilt and a Groundhog

Happy Groundhog Day!
You may know this is my favorite holiday, as I once had a pet groundhog whose name was Charlie. To read more about that, just click here. Or type "groundhog" in the search box.
Reccommended block for this holiday: Sunshine & Shadows!
Here's the most famous Groundhog of All, Mr. Punxsutawney Phil:

If you are watching the weather predictions today, be sure you get one from a real groundhog, not a prarie dog. European readers will want to consult a hedgehog. I would love to know what animals our friends in Africa, Australia and Asia look to.  Antartica is a real puzzle.

Back to quilting...

I just finished this baby quilt, made from the remaining Blue & White 9-Patch blocks I received when I was guild president...about 10 years ago! I made two larger quilt tops from the other blocks...they are in the pipeline to be basted soon.
This one will be a donation to the guild's community service project. I had a nice remnant of fleece, and decided to use it for the backing and batt both, just one layer.
Yes, you can spray baste onto fleece! Cherry-cherry helped me baste several quilts, and this was the first fleece one she'd done.
(much later....)
I am sorry to say, Blogger does not want to connect to my picture files right now, so we'll have to take up the story of this quilt tomorrow!

Happy Groundhog Day!

Things are really busy right now, but I couldn't let a Groundhog Day pass by without posting.
For those who are confused about the way it works, this is the bottom line:
If the Groundhog sees his shadow on a sunny day, he's scared of it and goes back in his hole:
six more weeks of Winter.
If the Groundhog comes out on a cloudy day, he's not scared by his shadow so he stays outside:
Spring will come in about a month and a half.
Yep...that's 6 weeks!

I know PETA thinks that Puxatawney Phil should be replaced by a robot, but that's crazy talk! Phil has a great job that only lasts one day per year and he's treated like a king.
The thing that gets me is they drag him out of the burrow! I don't think you can get a good weather report that way, but they are undoubtedly trying to make the morning news hour. It's all about marketing.

Anyway, here's a link to a post I did about a real groundhog, my beloved Charlie.
I hope you enjoy a Very Fine Holiday that truly harks back to a time when we were closer to Nature.

http://patchworkpie.blogspot.com/2008/02/lessons-from-groundhog.html

Next time: back to quilting!