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(Tangled, TQS Member Nepeanquilter's black cat quilt)

For those of you with Paraskevidekatriaphobia, or a morbid irrational fear of Friday the 13^th, here are some interesting facts:

1. Fear of Friday the 13th dates back to Nordic Mythology. Many of their thirteenth Gods met with violent deaths, such as Loki, the trickster God.
2. Ancient Romans regarded the number 13 as a symbol of death, destruction and misfortune.
3. The guillotine blade falls 13 feet.
4. Certain ocean liners will be held in dock until after midnight to appease passenger's fears on Friday the 13th.
5. A "quatorzième" is a professional 14th guest hired by the French, who had only 13 guests in attendance for dinner, who felt that was unlucky.
6. A witch’s coven consists of 13 members.
7. Hotels rarely have a room number 13. Usually it is called 12a or 14. Same with floors of buildings and the elevators without a #13 button.
8. A British study concluded that even though there were less cars on the road on Friday the 13th (as compared with other Fridays), more accidents were reported.
9. A baker's dozen consists of 13 for a reason! So the story goes, a witch near Albany, NY demanded 13 items every time she came into a particular bakery, and one day the old baker could not afford her extra biscuit. She sneered some strange words at the man and he suffered terrible luck from then on, until he brought her another 13 rolls. After that, life was once again easy for the baker and word spread around town. The custom is still sometimes practiced today.
10. In Scotland, there is no gate 13 in any airport; instead there is a gate 12B.
11. Microsoft skipped Office 13 for being "an unlucky number," going directly from Office 12 to Office 14.
12. In some forms of motor sport, for example Formula One, there is no number 13 car.
13. There is a Friday the 13^th: The Series two-part episode called "The Quilt of Hathor," involving a cursed quilt which allows the person underneath it to dream their enemies death.

And, if you are looking for something to do this Friday the 13^th … Head on over to the Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara, CA.