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Archive for March, 2009



PostHeaderIcon How to Use Stencils for Quilting

The following article includes pertinent information that may cause you to reconsider what you thought you understood. The most important thing is to study with an open mind and be willing to revise your understanding if necessary.

When the average person thinks of stencils, the word probably brings to mind early American style-painted floor cloths, or stenciled walls. Stencils enjoyed a great resurgence in style in the 1980′s as everyone went mad for the country look. However, when a quilter thinks of stencils, a very different use comes to mind. The crafter unfamiliar with the use of stencils in quilting may be quite perplexed as to how they are used. After all, when you look at a quilt, there’s no evidence that anything to do with stenciling in the traditional sense has occurred!

However, stencils are actually very useful in the art of quilting and advances in technology are quickly making them a must-have tool. Quilting stencils are very similar to stencils for paint, and often look about the same. They are most often made from a sturdy plastic, with holes punched in it for the design. However, while painting stencils are used to create decorative elements, quilting stencils are used to lay down a pattern to follow when stitching. The use of quilting stencils allows quilters to reproduce elaborate patterns on their quilt tops. With quilting stencils, you have an easy way to transfer and then follow a stitching design. You don’t need to worry if you feel you can’t draw. With quilting stencils, the drawing has all been done and all you have to do is follow someone else’s design.

You can see that there’s practical value in learning more about Quilting. Can you think of ways to apply what’s been covered so far?

Many companies offer quilting stencils and the supplies you’ll need to go with them. You’ll find designs ranging from traditional florals and fans to very contemporary styles. Take a look around some of the quilting sites on the internet or visit your local quilting store to get an idea of how many stencils await you.

Quilting stencils are easy to use. To transfer the design you can use chalk or stitching or water-soluble pens. (It is very important that you test the water soluble pen with your fabric before using it with a stencil-you don’t want it to ruin your beautiful pieced quilt top!) All you have to do is lay the quilting stencil atop your fabric and trace the pattern. Voila! You now have a stitching pattern to follow without a lot of muss and fuss. After all, most quilters prefer to spend their time designing, piecing a quilt top, or doing the actual quilting, not messing around with pattern transfers. A simple rule of thumb is to choose a design about a half an inch to an inch smaller than your block, so that the resulting pattern doesn’t look crowded. You can also take one of the smaller stencils and repeat the design by laying it down in a pattern on your fabric.

Quilting stencils are one of the most useful advances in notions for the home crafter. The average quilter of yesteryear would be amazed to view all the notions and supplies that are now available for the home crafter. Why not take advantage of these advances yourself? Quilting stencils are a great time-saver.

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PostHeaderIcon The Path to Personal and Professional Development

The path to personal and professional development is different for everyone. Depending on what your interests, dreams, and goals have become, your path to personal and professional development will be different than anyone else. Personal development and professional development are undoubtedly linked. Without professional development and success, you cannot achieve personal development and your personal dream. Because of this, there are some typical similarities on the path to personal and professional development.

The first step on the path to personal and professional development is to decide what exactly you want to do with your life and your career. To do this, you must examine your strengths, weaknesses, interests, skills, and talents. Discovering more about yourself and what you want from life will help you to find your way to a rewarding and fulfilling career that will take you where you most want to go.

Once you have decided what career path you want to take, you have to figure out how to get there, and how you will obtain your ultimate dream. Most personal and professional development requires some kind of furthering education beyond high school. If your career can be started without education, you may want to start your career and continue your education while working.

Those of you not familiar with the latest on Personal Development now have at least a basic understanding. But there’s more to come.

There are many ways that you can do this. There are part time and nigh classes available through most community colleges and small universities. One great way to continue your personal and professional development is through online colleges and universities. These learning institutions allow you to advance in personal and professional development on a flexible schedule that allows you to work around your career.

Another part of personal and professional development is recognizing your obstacles, and how you need to overcome them. For example, resources such as Federal Financial Aid or your local community college financial aid department will be able to assist you in overcoming obstacles such as payment of high tuition and book costs for college courses. Another example of overcoming obstacles might be surrounding yourself with a positive and motivating support system, while removing yourself from negative comments of current family and friends.

A large section of your path to personal and professional development is setting goals and a timeline for achieving them. Having a dream is great. But that dream will be much easier to achieve if you set obtainable, periodic goals, rather than focusing on the larger goal of your dream. Setting goals and creating a timeline for success is a great way to advance your personal and professional development.

Once you have set your goals, created a timeline for success, and made those first steps toward achieving your first minor goal, you will be well on your way down the path to personal and professional development. There are many books, websites, and magazines that will help you on your way. For additional help and information, you may wish to look into hiring a personal and professional development coach, trainer, or consultant. These professionals can greatly help you in your self assessments, as well as goal setting and finding resources to help you meet your goals for success.

Now might be a good time to write down the main points covered above. The act of putting it down on paper will help you remember what’s important about Personal Development.

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PostHeaderIcon What to Do When Ferrets Bite Hard

Ferrets bite hard. That’s not an option, but it’s a sad risk ferret owners have to consider. It can happen to anybody at anytime with a nearby ferret. But there’s no need to panic. Most bites are not as harmful but still, precautionary measures must be taken properly.

A Quick Look on Ferret’s Teeth Structure

Ferrets’ teeth are in many ways synonymous to human teeth. But the lethal part in the ferret’s dentures would have to be the tip of their canines. That is the sharp part that some owners decide to cut off at the outset of its growth to avoid ferret bits from plaguing the whole ferret experience.

The good thing is that ferrets’ canine tips can naturally break off from excessive biting of objects. Giving them hard toys they can chew, for example, can help eliminate the threat of its sharp canines.

Ferret Bite Quick Tip 1: Assess the extent of the damage. If bitten, the very first thing to do would be to assess the depth of the bite. If it is just a minor scratch, clean the wounds but do not make any dismissive presumptions. In the case where you are confronted with a major bite, you need to have it checked immediately.

So far, we’ve uncovered some interesting facts about Ferrets. You may decide that the following information is even more interesting.

Ferret Bite Quick Tip 2: Clean the wound immediately with your first aid kit. Cover it afterwards. Having a first aid kit would be very beneficial for both you and your pet ferret. Wash with soap and water, clean it with peroxide, cover it with gauze and if all else fails proceed to the next step. Note the color of the wound and make sure that the blood flows for a considerable amount of time before cleaning it up.

Ferret Bite Quick Tip 3: Go to the nearest doctor. Seeking the help of a medical professional will help you have the objective assessment of the wound. It will also ensure that you did not acquire any infections from the ferret bite.

Ferret Bite Quick Tip 4: Have the ferret checked by the veterinarian. It is not just you who needs to be checked but you also need the help of your veterinarian to have your ferret checked. You also have to have the dentures of your ferret checked to see if there are any remnants of skin or anything unusual that came from the bite. This is to ensure that both your health and the ferret’s health remain uncompromised.

Ferret Bite Quick Tip 5: In the case where one ferret bites another, have them both checked and keep them in separate cages until the tension dissipates. In the case of ferret to ferret bites, you will have to have both of them checked with a veterinarian. If at all possible, analyze the causes of the hostile behavior. Eventually, you may have to combine them in a single place again, but make sure that this is done with utmost care and in a gradual manner.

Ferret Bite Quick Tip 6: Furnish your first aid kit immediately for both humans and ferrets.
Your ferrets must also have their own first aid kit, furnished with pretty much the same thing that the human first aid kit has except that all the objects are downsized to suit your furry creatures.

Exert caution in treating wounds of your ferrets, otherwise they will see it as an attack and bite you as you treat it.

Is there really any information about Ferrets that is nonessential? We all see things from different angles, so something relatively insignificant to one may be crucial to another.

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