Taylour Paige and Logan Browning embrace their sexy.

Police suspect ‘foul play.’

The Boogaloo Bois member fired shots at a police station.

"I'm not shocked, but I'm still pissed,” the artist said.

A decades-old record is toppled by Elaine Thompson-Herah

She continues to put her health first.

Flora Of Bermuda, owned by Bermuda Racing, claimed a third-place finish at Ascot in the prestigious Group One Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes in England last weekend. Drawn in stall 20 in the 20-strong field, the three-year-old, who went off a 25-1, ran strongly on the soft ground under jockey Oisin Murphy. Simon Scupham, founder […]

[Written by Stephen Wright] A team of 13 gymnasts represented the island at the recent Presidential Classic at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. The team, accompanied by their coach Dariana Rojas, competed at compulsory and optional levels against more than 4,000 participants worldwide. On the opening day, Alyssa Andrews, competing at […]

The police have renewed their appeal for anyone with any information about the murder of Kyari Flood – who was fatally shot in February 2023 — to please contact them. A police spokesperson said, “Around 1:00pm, Monday, February 13, 2023, police received a call from a member of the public who found the lifeless body […]

A luxury house described as ‘Bermuda-style’ in Palm Beach, owned by the executive chairman of Ross Dress for Less’ parent company, has been sold for $13.075 million. An Aol report said, “The executive chairman of the parent company of retailer Ross Dress for Less has sold — for a recorded $13.075 million — the North […]

To commemorate the coronation of King Charles III, floral artist Nicky Gurret created a floral arrangement at the Anglican Cathedral, with the artistic creation including a crown made of flowers. The work of art was placed in the steps in advance of the Service of Thanksgiving, which was held on Sunday afternoon. The coronation of King […]

[Written by Stephen Wright] The new Flower Bar on Reid Street, outside the Washington Mall in Hamilton, offers a unique mix of floral-infused cocktails, wine, prosecco and flower arrangements. Steven Faries opened the shop in July with Shane Francis, the director of operations – initially delaying the enterprise because of the Covid-19 pandemic – and […]

[Updated with video] The Flower Bar in Hamilton held a grand opening and ribbon cutting event this evening, with the new business offering a unique mix of floral-infused cocktails, flower arrangements, floral workshops more. Steven Faries opened the shop earlier this year, and held their official ribbon-cutting event today. According to Mr Faries, the bar combines a modern, […]

Clarien Bank donated flowers to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital [KEMH] and Agape House, with “aim to bring joy and hope to the patients, staff, and visitors of the hospital.” A spokesperson said, “Clarien Bank, one of the largest independent integrated financial services organisations in Bermuda, is pleased to announce its recent donation of flowers to […]

Nisaiah Berkeley and her Lander University women’s rugby teammates competed in the Tropical 7s Rugby Tournament in Tampa, Florida. Competing in the Under 23 Women’s Open Division, Lander competed in Pool B. In their opening group match, Lander defeated Adrian College 24-14. Lander then drew 12 – 12 with Army West Point Gold, before closing […]

Sabrina Burgess made an excellent showing in her IFBB Figure professional debut, placing 5th in the Master’s Figure Over 50 Division and 6th in the Over 40 Division at the IFBB Professional League Hurricane Pro event in St. Petersburg, Florida. Ms Burgess — who earned her pro card in 2019 and is in spectacularly good […]

[Written by Stephen Wright] Jaydon Goddard has vowed to “own the stage” when he competes at the NPC Amateur Olympia in Orlando, Florida, tomorrow [November 1]. Goddard must finish in the overall top three in the men’s physique to win a coveted pro card, which will enable him to compete at professional shows for cash […]

Flora Of Bermuda recently secured her first Group win after winning the Group 3 Summer Stakes at the York Racecourse. Stepping up to six furlongs, the three-year-old filly, owned by Bermuda Racing, was ridden by PJ McDonald, who returned from a lengthy injury absence, and claimed a three-quarter-length win. Trained by Andrew Balding, it was […]

Minister of Home Affairs Walter Roban represented Bermuda at the 15th Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum [CREF] in Miami, Florida. A Government spokesperson said, “The event, held from the 26 to 28 April, is the largest annual gathering of the Caribbean renewable energy market. This year, the Forum organisers invited Minister Roban to participate in the […]

Bermudian professional golfer Daniel Augustus commenced his 2024-2025 campaign with a solid performance in the Florida Professional Golf Tour’s premier season opener at Stonegate Golf Club. Augustus finished in a tie for 8th place with a score of 4-under par over three rounds. His tournament was highlighted by a strong second round, where he carded […]

[Written by Stephen Wright] OpenMat Bermuda will send 14 athletes to compete at the Pan IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Kissimmee, Florida, next week. Representing the Brazilian jiu-jitsu gym are Siraj Grant, Ryan Hopkins, Jahmali Bridgewater, Olivia Buchanan, Ramazan Ramazanov, Elijah Richardson, Noah Vieira, Reina Maypa, Sydney Mason, James Adams, Thomas Gregory, Lonnie Bascome, Aaron Dyer […]

[Written by Stephen Wright] Lonnie Bascome and Ramazan Ramazanov won bronze medals for OpenMat Bermuda at the Pan IBJJF Jiu-Jitsu Championship in Kissimmee, Florida, at the weekend. Bascome, who won gold in the purple belt lightweight division at the championship two years ago, enjoyed a podium finish in the brown belt category. Ramazanov continued his […]

14-year-old Bermudian Seri Fisher recently earned five medals — including a gold, two silvers and a bronze — at martial arts events in Florida. A spokesperson said, “Young Karate-ka Seri Fisher, aged 14, raised many eyebrows and conversations at two high class championships events in Daytona, Florida recently when taking on older girls and even […]

Musician Sinead the Flower has released a music video for her 2020 single Posogo, with the song produced by Rian ’8Track’ Williams. Sinead the Flower said, “The vision for Posogo was never small however, it has developed into so much more through the creative process of curating a visual. I originally released this single last year […]

The Ministry of Public Works wishes to acknowledge to the public that “the intensity of the rain has temporarily exceeded Bermuda’s roadways and drainage systems’ capacity to dissipate water swiftly.” A Government spokesperson said, “During prolonged rainstorms, the volume of water can surpass the dissipation rates of grates, pits, detention areas, and wall openings designed […]

The Bermuda Society of Arts [BSOA] will host its “Faces Called Flowers: Artists Talk” event with artists Keishunda Curtis and Andrea Ottley on Wednesday, September 11 from 5.00pm to 7.00pm on the top floor of City Hall. A spokesperson said, “Faces Called Flowers: Artists Talk with artists Keishunda Curtis and Andrea Ottley. Join the artists […]

As part of Bermuda Tourism Authority Art Month, The Loren Hotel and Masterworks Museum present ‘Flora in Flux’, a sculpture exhibition running from October 1 to 31, 2024. A spokesperson said, “In celebration of the Bermuda Tourism Authority Art Month, The Loren Hotel and The Masterworks Museum proudly announce the opening of Flora in Flux: […]

Gavin Dorvil has been held without bond after pleading not guilty to vehicular homicide in the Florida crash that led to the deaths of Lisa Jackson and Geraldine Francis. A South Florida Sun-Sentinel story said, “The teenage driver accused of being behind the wheel of a speeding Tesla that struck an SUV two weeks ago, […]

Make something special for dinner with this pizza made using cauliflower as the crust. Yes, cauliflower the vegetable.  Cauliflower and Mozzarella cheese are blended, then pre-baked into a crust. Then top with your favorite pizza toppings and bake. This pizza turns out very well and if no-one was watching you, they might not know that they were …

Another world building exploration with AI… this time a floating bubble city.

The post The Floating Bubble City appeared first on Stuck in Customs.

Native wine-cups (aka purple poppy mallow) bookends. This is one of my favorite native flower, so particularly pleased with how nicely it shows up in bookends.

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Open Road Media, which publishes several of my e-books, has announced a one-week reduction in price of Vacuum Flowers. Starting this October 18 and running through October 25, 2024, it will be available for $1.99. That's in the US only.

So if you're an e-book reader and have been curious about my novel... well, there you are.

And if you don't already know . . .

Vacuum Flowers is what used to be called a Grand Tour of the Solar System. Rebel Elizabeth Mudlark is operating off of stolen wetware and on the run from very dangerous people. She arrives in the inner system on a cometary orbit, which takes her through a great variety of human and post-human societies, including the most dangerous one of all--Earth.

That bit about the cometary orbit is not incidental. Comets enter the Inner System on either a hyperbolic or a parabolic orbit. The one is open, the other closed. I knew that the book would end with Rebel Elizabeth Mudlark standing in the stardocks with a coffin at her feet. But I didn't know if the person within the coffin would be alive or dead or if REM would someday return to the Inner System or was leaving it forever. I only decided that when I came to write the last page.

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Once again, one of my e-books will briefly be on sale! Vacuum Flowers will be available in the US for only $1.99. Here's the news from Open Road Media:

Hello,

We are pleased to let you know that the following ebook(s) will be featured in price promotions soon.

ISBN13	Title	Author	Promo Type	Country	Start Date	End Date	Promo Price
9781504036504	Vacuum Flowers	Swanwick, Michael	ORM - Portalist NL	US	2024-11-13	2024-11-13	$1.99

Open Road will promote the feature via social media. We hope you can share the deal with your network as well. You can subscribe to the newsletters at the links below so that you will get the direct link to the deal on the day that it appears.

Newsletter	Link
Early Bird Books	Subscribe Now
The Lineup	Subscribe Now
The Portalist	Subscribe Now
Murder & Mayhem	Subscribe Now
A Love So True	Subscribe Now
The Archive	Subscribe Now
The Reader	Subscribe Now

Please let us know if you have any questions. We are thrilled to be part of this promotion; hope you are too!

Best,
The Open Road Editorial Team

And because you've probably wondered . . .

I've been asked this many times, but the answer is no: I don't have a nude drawing of Gardner Dozois hanging in my living room. It's in the upstairs hallway. Anyway, he's wearing a sheet, so much of him is covered.

Robert Walters posed Gardner as the evil genius Jonaman for one of the illos (back when SF magazines had illustrations) that went with the serialization of Vacuum Flowers in Asimov's, way back when.

It's not the sightliest picture. But it is treasured.

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Providence Friars' Bensley Joseph found Corey Floyd Jr. for a tough alley-oop dunk against the Hampton Pirates.

Falco Floodfill is an exciting puzzle game that will test your logic and spatial thinking. Your task is to paint the entire field of pixels in one color, changing the color of the original pixel. You have to solve the puzzle by choosing the right pixel to start the flooding. Click on the pixel, and the color will spread to neighboring pixels of the same color, gradually filling the entire field. In Falco Floodfill, you have to look for optimal paths and strategies to paint the entire field with a minimum number of clicks. Test your puzzle-solving skills and immerse yourself in the colorful world of pixels in Falco Floodfill!

The Spanish government will propose to the European Commission to amend the post-COVID reconstruction plan to redirect unused EU funds to the 'reconstruction and revitalisation' of the areas most affected by the recent torrential rains and floods. ‘We are going to present an addendum to the…

As the United States continues to feel the effects of global warming and rising sea levels, there is renewed concern for the Key deer, a species native to the Florida Keys who could be pushed to cataclysmic levels by environmental change. The animal is the smallest deer species in North America —…

Bitcoin fell 3.4% in the past 24 hours to trade at $86,855, potentially indicating profit-taking by investors, according to a BRN analyst.

Why the government's flood insurance program is underwater Major flooding events are increasingly common across the U.S., but homeowners looking for flood insurance will find few choices. The main providers of flood insurance is the U.S. government through the National Flood Insurance Program, or…

Between two ponds in Southampton, New York, you will find one home that looks different from all the rest. The location of Tamsen House posed a lot of environmental challenges and this design by Fernando Fisbein Architect truly rose to the occasion.[...]

Cut flowers sounded easy when I started gardening. Just plant some flowers and then cut them, right? Well, there is a lot more to it than that. Cut flowers are often grown from specific varieties that tend to have long, sturdy stems and big, beautiful blooms, and each variety has its own tips to keep them healthy. It also can be hard to find the right varieties in sustainable versions. [...]

Altas Obscura tells us about the S.S. Relief--the formal name for an outhouse that floats in Lake Casitas near Ventura, California. The artificial lake is an important water reservoir for the thirsty people of southern California, so the Casitas Municipal Water District takes its cleanliness very seriously.

The lake is popular among boaters and fishermen. After a few hours out on the water, people need to relieve themselves. They can then paddle up to the S.S. Relief, which is a 2-seater outhouse that floats on the surface of the water. The waste is contained on the barge, so there's no contamination of the lake's purity.

As followers may recall, I started hand stitching hexies for a Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt in March, 2012... three years ago. Watching my friend, Christy, basting sweet, reproduction fabrics around paper forms, making little stacks of 3/4-inch hexagons, I just couldn't resist! These Beadlust posts show the various steps to making the quilt top and the start of  hand-quilting in more detail than this post.

Although I'm still hand-quilting, the end is in sight now. I'm hoping to finish in time for our County Fair in August.

In this post, I thought it might interest you to look at how much time it takes to complete each of the steps in hand piecing and quilting a 3/4" hexie quilt, and the total number of hours involved. I'm basing time estimates for all of the repetitive steps on how long it takes me to do a large number in one sitting, after having practiced... in other words, at my best speed.

Step 1 - Planning the Quilt and Getting Fabrics - time: 20 hours

I decided to make a version of the traditional 1930's Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt that is less common than the one with a path or ring around each of the flowers. I chose this design. Note the green hexie leaves, which form a vertical-horizontal grid.


The final size is 72 x 92 inches, a comfortable size for a twin bed, a total of 4,694 hexies. I wanted to use as many different fabrics in this quilt as possible.

• flowers = 280 different print fabrics with any background color except green or white.
• leaves = 150 different print fabrics in green
• flower centers (repeats OK) = 25 different solids
• double border = 1 print + 1 solid

Although I had collected 30's reproduction fabrics for a few years, I certainly needed more. From a selection of fabrics given to me, fabrics purchased in an eBay auction, and my stash, I found enough to make each of the flowers unique. Although there were not enough greens to make the leaves unique, I had about 60 different green prints, such that each is not repeated more than 3 times in the quilt. So, in the end the quilt includes more than 360 unique fabrics!

Step 2 - Wash and Iron all of the Fabrics - time: 15 hours

Yikes! A few of the fabrics I wanted to use were already washed; most were not. Knowing it should be consistent, and worrying that the reds might bleed, I decided to pre-wash and iron all of the fabrics. Doing this step in stages, as I acquired fabrics, I'm not really sure how long it took, perhaps quite a bit more than the above estimate.

Step 3 - Cutting and Trimming all of the Hexies - time: 28 hours

For each of the  4,694 hexies, I cut a 2" square of fabric, and trimmed off the four corners. Of course, I cut and trimmed in multiples, except for a few that I fussy cut individually. Again, since I did this step in stages, the above time estimate is a bit rough.

Step 4 - Basting the Fabric to the Paper Hexie Forms - time: 235 hours

Once I learned that using YLI quilting thread for basting makes it go much faster than using regular sewing thread, I was able to baste 20 hexies per hour.

Step 5 - Stitching Hexies Together to Make Flowers - time: 105 hours

Averaging 2.5 complete flowers per hour, it took me about two and a half 40-hour-work-weeks to whip-stitch all 238 full and 42 partial flowers. There are 14-17 whip-stitches per 3/4 inch seam.

Step 6 - Stitching a White Hexie Ring Around 130 of the Flowers - time: 130 hours

On average, it takes me 1 hour to whip-stitch 12 white hexies around each flower.

Step 7 - Layout Flowers for Quilt Top; Note Position on Each - time: 4 hours

I didn't fuss too much about the layout, spreading out the flowers randomly, making sure the red ones were evenly spaced, and that no areas were overly dominated by one color. Assigning each row a letter and each position within the row a number, I marked each flower on the back (writing on the center paper piece).

Step 7a - Half Flowers and Double Border All Around - time 90 hours

This is an update, added Feb. 2018. (I can't believe I forgot this important step when writing the original time line.) To make 42 partial flowers to fill in the gaps around the edges of the top, I cut fabrics, basted hexies, joined petals, and then stitched the partials into the gaps. To make the outer border, I made 522 individual hexies, stitched them into rows, and then stitched the rows onto the top.

Step 8 - Sew Flowers into Small Groups - time: 90 hours

To assemble the quilt top, I grouped 8-12 flowers, and whip-stitched them into a solid piece. There were 30 pieces, which took about 3 hours each to complete.

Step 9 - Sew Small Groups Together to Complete Quilt Top - time: 123 hours

I first sewed the small groups into rows, then stitched the rows together. As the sections got larger, the stitching took longer, making it difficult to estimate the time with total accuracy. I did a couple of time tests at different stages of the process in order to figure the above total. I completed this step on March 1st, 2013, one year after basting the first hexie.

Step 10 - Iron/Starch Top, Remove Papers and Basting Stitches - time: 33 hours

Removing all the basting stitches and papers took a lot longer than I would have guessed. But when I look at the pile of basting threads, it begins to make sense.

Step 11 - Assemble Quilt Layers, and Baste - time: 12 hours

Christy and Lunnette helped me layout the back, batting, and top on the floor; then baste in a 4 inch grid. I think we pinned it first, then basted, then removed the pins. On our knees for most of the time, it sure was wonderful to have their help!

Step 10 - Quilt and Embroider the Flower Centers - time: 70 hours

Choosing a floss in a similar color to each flower center, I embroidered a flower. Intentionally, some of the stitches act as quilting stitches, while others slip between the layers and don't show on the back. Around the edges of the quilt, it took about 15 minutes per flower center. Toward the middle of the quilt, it took about 20 minutes per flower center.

Step 11 - Quilt Flower Petals - time: 106 hours

Quilting around the petals of each flower requires turning the quilt 270 degrees for each petal, which is why it takes at least 20 minutes per flower, longer toward the middle of the quilt when the whole weight of the quilt must be constantly shifted. There are 238 whole and 42 partial flowers. I'm figuring an average of 25 minutes per whole and 10 minutes per partial flower.

Step 12 - Quilt Around White Rings - time: 65 hours

Like quilting the flower petals, quilting around the outside edge of each of the 130 white rings requires turning the whole quilt as I work, which adds a lot to the time it takes. I believe quilting the entire top in a diagonal grid of straight lines would take about half the time it takes to follow the curved, zig-zagging path of the hexie flowers, leaves, and rings.

Step 13 - Quilt Around Each of the Leaves - time: 79 hours

Not only does this step require turning the quilt as I stitch 360 degrees around each leaf, it also requires knotting and burying the tail at the start and finish of each leaf. Also I'm changing color of thread to more or less match the fabric color for each set of 4 leaves. Around the edge, it takes about 9 minutes per leaf; toward the center 11 minutes per leaf. There are 474 leaves total, at an average of 10 minutes/leaf.

Step 14 - Assemble Hexies for the Border Facing - time: 37 hours

To face the double (print + blue) border on the back of the quilt requires 522 hexies. To sew them together, forming the border strips, takes about 1 hour per 14 hexies.

Step 15 - Trim Backing and Batting; Blind-stitch Facing to Border - time: 13 hours

There are 264 hexies around the outside edge of the quilt top. Since I have not done this step yet, the time estimate (blind-stitching 20 hexies together per hour) is somewhat rough.

Step 16 - Remove Paper Pieces and Basting from Border and Facing - time: 10 hours

Again, since I have not done this step yet, the time estimate is based on the time it took to remove paper pieces and basting threads from the quilt top.

Step 17 - Blind-stitch Facing to Quilt Back - time: 13 hours

Step 18 - Quilt Around Print Fabric Border - time: 13 hours

Step 19 - Blanket Stitch Around Outside Edge of Quilt - time: 10 hours

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Total Time to Complete Hand-Piecing the Quilt Top: 873 hours

This is equivalent to nearly 20 weeks or 5 months on a 40 hours/week job. It took me a year. Mostly the time flew by as I basted and hand-stitched the little hexies together. Always there was a new print to enjoy, a new stack mounting in size to admire, a growing quilt top to thrill me.

Total Time to Complete Hand-Quilting: 428 hours

Since this job isn't completed yet, the time is only a rough estimate, based on the times it took to do some of the already completed steps. In all, hand quilting will take the equivalent to 10 or 11 weeks of full-time work. I find the quilting rather very boring. After taking a break for more than a year, I started working on it again and hope to be finished by August this year. Audio books are the answer to the tedium for me.

Total Time, Start to Finish: 1,301 hours

With Steps15-19 still to complete, the total is a rough estimate. Still, it is obvious that making a quilt like this, start to finish, requires more than 1,300 hours or the equivalent of over 8 months of full time work. If I were to be paid only minimum wages (2015, Seattle, WA - $11/hr.), the cost of the quilt would be $14,311 + about $500 in materials, or a total of $14,800.  Good thing I intend to keep and use it myself!

UPDATE, July 4, 2016

By June, 2015, I completely finished one corner, an area big enough to photograph so I could submit an entry form to the 2015 La Conner Quilt Festival, sponsored by the La Conner Quilt & Textile Museum. On August 7th, 2015, I received notice that it was juried into the show. Wow! That sent me into high gear for sure. After working non-stop, 7 days a week, and an average of 10 hours per day, I inserted my needle into that quilt for the last/final time on Aug. 24th, 2015, just days before delivering it to the museum. It took me 3 years and 3 months, start to finish!


I was surprised, honored, and incredibly pleased to find out it won the Curator's Award of Excellence, one of the top awards, which then qualified it to be shown at the museum for the month following the Festival. Note, the finished size is 71 x 93 inches, and there are 4,700 individual hexagons in it.


Big work for both hands, but sooooo satisfying!


In fact it was so satisfying that I've started another hexie quilt... Can you believe it? So far, I've made 733 hexie flowers for it! Although they are the same size hexies, there are no reproduction fabrics and the arrangement will be anything but traditional. Don't know why I love the hexagon shape so much... but it's certain that I do.

I started cutting scraps of fabric to make hexie flowers on September 1, 2015. After 9 months of labor, I have just finished stitching the 733rd flower!  I'll do the math for you... That's 5,131 hexies. They are small ones, 3/4 inch per side. The finished flowers measure just under 4" in diameter.


To give you an idea, this is what 44 hexie flowers look like. In case you don't know, for each hexie, the fabric is cut, and then basted over a paper, hexagon-shaped form. The hexies are then hand-stitched together to make the flowers. It takes about 1 hour to make one hexie flower, start-to-finish; thus 44 hours to make the batch above. Click the photo to see better detail of this process, which is called English paper piecing.


And here are all 733 hexie flowers! Each flower is a different fabric. Although a few of the flower petal fabrics were also used for flower centers, I'm certain that there are over 1,000 different fabrics used in these flowers.

What's next? Well, I'm going to build a design wall using sound-proofing foam-board covered with a king-sized flannel sheet. I haven't quite figured out how to make it yet.

When the design wall is ready, I'll get out my hexie flowers and start to "paint" with them. Who knows what will emerge? Not me. I only have a vague idea that I might want to try "painting" an abstract view of our island shoreline.

When the "painting" process is finished, I'll stitch the flowers together in small groups, and then stitch the groups together. The result, hopefully in my lifetime, will be a queen-sized, non-traditional style, hexie quilt!

Thanks to everybody who shared scraps of fabric for me to use!

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For those interested, here is a link to a "time study" and photos of my previous hexie quilt, Mama's Garden!

 

It All Started with Hexie-lust!

Getting Hooked on Crochet

Original Crochet-Along, Frida's Flowers

Bored with making 6 identical flowers - Colors calling us!

Designing Our Afghans

Entering at the San Juan County Fair

CSDP brings voices from across the political spectrum into conversation with Princeton social scientists and students. 

Within the vast musical landscape, songs dedicated to flowers have blossomed as lyrical tributes to the natural wonders that captivate and inspire. The countless compositions celebrating the beauty and symbolism of flowers highlight their enduring allure and universal appeal. In this article, we embark on a detailed exploration of the world of songs about flowers, ... Read more

The post Songs About Flowers: Exploring The Vast Melodic Garden appeared first on Star Two.