Spring Cleaning
A Touch of Blarney
Gone with the Wind
Hotspots
Sewing
March Winds of Change
100

To mop up a spill on a rug, take a cloth and do this.

What is blot the spill? Blotting the spill absorbs the liquid. Then use cold water, soda water, or a mixture of baking soda and vinegar to remove any remaining stains. By blotting the spill before scrubbing the remnants, you prevent the stain from being scrubbed into the rug.

100

This color is associated with Ireland

What is green? The color represents the lush greenery that is characteristic of Ireland.

100

In 2010, a handmade set of this popular real estate game sold for $146,500 to the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York.

What is Monopoly? The set was made in 1933 by Charles Darrow, the game’s creator

100

You don’t want to miss this museum founded by Pope Julius II.

What is the Vatican Museum? If you visit every room in the museum, you will walk nine miles, and you will see an extraordinary variety of art. The Bramante Staircase is one of the most photographed features of the museum, and its spiral is dizzying

100

This is the term for using long stitches to hold material together temporarily

What is baste? You want to use the fewest number of stitches to hold the material in place, minimizing needle holes in the fabric.

100

“In like a lion and out like a lamb” refers to this.

What is March weather? The weather transition in March is significant, often marking the shift from ice and snow at the beginning of the month to milder days by the end of the month.

200

When the warmer weather of spring arrives, you want your ceiling fans to move air in this direction.

What is down/counterclockwise? When warmer weather comes, the fan blades should move counterclockwise to push the air down toward the floor to make the room feel cooler.

200

St. Patrick was born here.

What is (Roman) Britain? Though he is the patron saint of Ireland, Saint Patrick was born in Roman Britain, in what is now Scotland, around the year 385. March 17 is the day of his death as well as his Catholic feast day.

200

This machine, with its peculiar odor, was found in every school office.

What is a mimeograph? You could smell the transfer solution for days after receiving handouts in class. You probably remember the purple print as well as the scent.

200

This is Italy’s largest island

What is Sicily? The island’s capital city is Palermo. Sicily has its own language, not a dialect of Italian. Sicily is home to the best-preserved Greek ruins outside of Greece and to Syracuse, the second-most important ancient Greek city.

200

In the store, it’s a length of fabric wound around a cardboard tube; in nature, it’s a unit of lightning.

What is a bolt? Lengths of bolts vary widely based on manufacturer and fabric type, but many bolts contain between 30 and 100 yards of fabric.

200

In the United States, the clocks “spring” this way on the second Sunday in March

What is forward? An easy way to remember the daylight saving time changes is to think “spring forward” in the spring and “fall back” in the fall.

300

Martha Stewart’s trick for cleaning coffee grinders is to run this food item through them.

What is bread? Just add a few pieces of bread to the grinder and grind as you would coffee. It will soak up the coffee grinds and the oil.

300

In which Irish city will you find the Blarney Stone?

Cork! Cork is the second-largest city in the Republic of Ireland 

300

The 1943 penny was not made of copper; it was made of this alternate metal.

What is steel? The wartime penny was coated with zinc.

300

This Italian city is the city of canals.

What is Venice? The city is comprised of 118 islands, all linked by the canals. When the high tide, known as acqua alta, comes in, the streets flood. Venice is built on approximately 120,000 wooden piles. Don’t miss out on a gondola ride while you’re there.

300

When you purchase a mercerized sewing necessity, you are buying this.

What is a thread? Mercerized thread is a chemically treated cotton thread with enhanced strength and color durability.

300

Among the first sounds of spring in many parts of the world are those of these migrating animals resting in the trees.

What are birds? Their migration can start as early as mid-February, depending on the weather and location.

400

This natural abrasive can help clean a cast-iron skillet

What is salt? Rub coarse salt into the pan with a paper towel or cloth, rinse, and dry thoroughly.

400

What traditional Irish dish combines mashed potatoes and cabbage?

Colcannon - Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish of creamy mashed potatoes mixed with cabbage or kale, and often includes butter, milk or cream, and onions, leeks, or scallions 

400

These stand-up collars were popular in the 1970s

What are Nehru collars? They were named after India’s Prime Minister Nehru. Today they are making an updated comeback in men’s shirts.

400

This city is the birthplace of the Renaissance.

What is Florence? In addition to its many museums, the city itself serves as an outdoor art gallery. You can see paintings, sculptures, and magnificent architecture. It was the home of da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Botticelli.

400

You’d be correct if you knew this term for the pretty side of the fabric that is seen when you wear the garment.

What is the right side? The wrong side does not include the features of the right side and faces inward.

400

The first day of astronomical spring, on which the sun is directly over the equator, is called this.

What is the spring equinox? On or around this date, daytime and nighttime are equal in length.

500

What country does spring cleaning in December?

Guatemala!  Every December 7, Families band together during the Quema Del Diablo Festival. They burn trash and deep clean their homes. It symbolizes driving away evil spirits and finding spiritual cleanliness before the Christmas holiday season kicks in. 

500

At 1,553 miles (2,500 km), Ireland is home to this scenic drive, the longest uninterrupted coastal route in the world.

What is the Wild Atlantic Way? The road stretches down the entire western coast of Ireland, from the border of Northern Ireland to Kinsale in the south.

500

Car dashboards made of this material have all but disappeared

What is wood? Like most things, wooden dashboards have been replaced with plastic. However, aftermarket wooden kits are available.

500

This lake area is a celebrity magnet, with George Clooney owning a vacation home there, and it has 100 miles (160 kilometers) of coastline.

What is Lake Como? The Romans built the first villas (what we call mansions) on the lake. You can travel between the lakeside cities by ferry to see the splendid architecture. You’ll spot artists along the streets, as the coastline has drawn writers, painters, musicians, and filmmakers for centuries. Ocean’s Twelve was filmed there.

500

These structured folds are named after a box-shaped German musical instrument.

What are accordion pleats? This is an advanced technique, not suitable for those without patience. Some fabrics, such as polyester and satin, enable you to create permanent pleats.

500

If you live in New England, the maple trees give you this sign that spring has arrived.

What is sap? Maple trees release their sap in the spring. Watch for squirrels poking around maple trees; they’re hunting for their sugar fix.

600

On August 30, _____, Booth patented the world’s first vacuum cleaner. Nicknamed the “Puffing Billy,” the massive machine was mounted on a horse-drawn wagon painted red to resemble a 19th-century firetruck.

1901! To demonstrate his new invention, Booth parked the Puffing Billy on a busy London street, extended its long hoses inside a large shop, and cranked on the loud gasoline engine. Onlookers marveled at the sheer quantity of dust and debris that piled up inside the glass-walled receptacle. “This was really astonishing,” wrote Booth. “Two machines on one occasion took half a ton of dust out of the carpets of one of the large shops in the West End one night.”

600

Who is the current president of Ireland?

Catherine Connolly - Catherine Martina Ann Connolly is an Irish politician serving as the president of Ireland since 11 November 2025. 

600

It WAS common to take with you one of these for personal hygiene. They are reusable, eco-friendly and can be machine or hand-washed in cold water and hung to dry, often lasting for years. 

A Handkerchief! Handkerchiefs began falling out of style by the late 1920s and 1930s, accelerated by the introduction of Kleenex in 1924, which offered a more sanitary disposable alternative. By the 1970's- their main function was for style. Though, the practical hankercheif is coming back around today as an eco-friendly alternative to disposable tissues.

600

This 50-kilometer coastline, stretching from Sorrento to Salerno, is breathtaking and is often photographed and painted

What is the Amalfi Coast? Positano, Amalfi, and Ravello are three of the 17 towns that dot the coastline with their watercolor facades overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea

600

A gusset is either a diamond or this shape of fabric.

What is a triangle? A gusset is sewn into a tight-fitting area of clothing to relieve stress placed on the fabric; for example, into the upper arm area of some fitted dresses. The technique is rarely used today

600

This alternate name for the spring equinox comes from the Latin word meaning “of the spring.”

What is vernal? There are only two times per year that one of Earth’s poles is not tilted toward the sun: the spring and fall equinoxes.