We have a winner!

Congratulations to Sharon at Vroomans Quilts for winning my extra issue of Quiltmaker Magazine's 100 Blocks Volume 6!  Sharon, please send me a mailing address and I'll get it out to you after the Veteran's Day holiday.

Thanks to all for the suggestions of what to do with the blocks.  I think I'll take multiple suggestions.  If you were one who suggested giving away blocks to readers (I think there were two of you), let me know via email or comment which two or three you liked best and I'll see what I can do.  Others may go into charity blocks or pillows (again, if anyone has a suggestion of who might take random quilt blocks for charity quilts, please post or send!).

Thanks for entering and enjoy the magazine!

100 Blocks Giveaway!

It's time for the giveaway post for my extra issue of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Volume 6!

As you probably know by now, I was a quilt tester for this issue and my name is listed as such on page 6.  I had to sign a confidentiality clause which kept me silent as to what I was working on until now.  I tested a total of fourteen blocks, including two of the blocks featured on the cover.  They comprised all sorts of techniques, including needleturn and fusible applique, foundation piecing, curved piecing, and embroidery.  Here is a collage of the blocks I tested:

They are as follows (with links to their blogs if available):
Top Row, from left:
1.  Doug Leko, Freedom Star
2.  Gudrun Erla, Fire Burst (to be featured on Nov. 8)
3.  Kimberly Jolly, Spring Favorite (links to her post!)
4.  Cindy Lammon, Lattice
5.  Monique Dillard, Scrollwork
Middle Row, from left:
1.  Robin Koehler, Tropical Flags (to be featured on Nov. 7)
2.  Lisa Bassett, Fan Fare
3.  Pippa Eccles Armbrester, Reflecting Cityscape
4.  Angela Walters, Boomerang
5.  Debby Kratovil, Divided Diamonds (links to her post!)
Bottom Row, from left:
1.  Susan Geddes, Chicken Surprise (links to her post!)
2.  Cheryl Brown, Swirly Geese (to be featured on Nov. 8)
3.  Paula Stoddard, So Tweet
4.  Dianne Gardner, Cat Nip

Each block was great fun to review, whether it appealed to me or not.  I did not sign up to make a full quilt from one of the blocks, but if I had, it might have been Lattice.  I really enjoyed the challenges of both Divided Diamonds and Fan Fare.  Now that I have my copy of the issue, I'm looking forward to trying some more of the blocks.  My favorite thing is to find patterns that use a lot of precuts - 1 1/2" strips, 2 1/2" strips, 5" or smaller pieces - and whip up a few from my stash cuttings.  Lattice is one of those patterns which could be made with a charm square pack, coordinating honey bun, and background fabric for great effect.  I also like finding blocks that can feature large scale prints well.  As usual, this issue does not disappoint!

Quiltmaker not only sent me a free issue to thank me for my work as a block tester, they sent me a second to give away, so I will!  I'll keep this post open for the entire duration of the blog tour (through Friday) and choose a winner on Saturday, November 10.  For a chance to win, first, make sure you're not a no-reply blogger (or leave a way for me to contact you in your comment), and second, answer me this question:  what on earth should I do with my fourteen rogue tester blocks shown above?

Thanks for reading and good luck winning a copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 6 - if not here then elsewhere on the tour!

It's Here! It's Here!

The new Quiltmaker Magazine 100 Blocks (Volume 6) arrived in my mailbox yesterday with MY NAME inside acknowledged as a tester!  Best of all, they sent me a second copy which I will give away on my blog during Quiltmaker's blog tour week of November 5-9, when I also will share photos of the blocks I tested, two of which are on the cover (the designers' blocks, not mine, of course!). 

I won't be part of the "official" tour since I'm not a designer, but make sure you're following me or come back that week.  I may even give away some extras, like the blocks I sewed or some fabric bundles.  So much fun!!

Long lost blogger here

Wow, it has been absolutely ages since I've posted.  I knew I would be a little challenged when I stopped working and sitting in front of a computer all day but I've actually been spending time doing all those things I think about doing while I sit in front of a computer all day!  First I had a great summer with my son and the rest of my family.  When the kids all went back to school I turned my attention to getting our house ready to go on the market, including replacing three bathroom sinks, touching up paint throughout the house, rewiring and patching drywall and installing seven different lighting fixtures, as well as steam cleaning every carpet in the house and goodness knows what other little jobs I can no longer remember.

After that it was only a week until I gave a presentation at quilt guild called "Charmed:  Five things to do with five inch squares."  I talked about the disappearing four patch (picture from the guild presentation) and divided nine patch blocks, templates, easy half square triangles, The Happy Zombie's hourglass technique, and flying geese with bonus triangles.  Some photos below.

Disappearing four patch

Divided nine patch

step-by-step flying geese

HSTs

hourglass option one

hourglass option two

Right after I finished the guild class I flew to Phoenix for a few days R&R as a corporate spouse and thoroughly enjoyed it.  That brought us into this week, when I've been strategizing my return to the workplace, finishing up all the things I wanted to do before returning to work (car service, doctor appointments, etc.) and finding time to sew in between showings of the house (four this week alone).

At the end of September I participated in a quilt class taught by Barbara Cline on one of her triangle-based patterns called, "Chinese Checkers."  Here is a photo of Barbara I took in class holding up her quilt:

And here is the top I finished in the wee hours of this morning in an alternate colorway:

It was not the first time I'd worked with 60° triangles but Barbara taught a great new way of using templates that made me more willing to use them again in the future.

I think I'll try to clear a few more unfinished tops off my to do list before I start sandwiching and quilting the smaller ones of them (and sending the larger ones to Star City Stitchery).  Soon it will be time to start Christmas gifts (only pillowcases and table runners this year, I think - no quilts) and my challenge quilt for the 2013 quilt show.  I have an idea, which is half the battle; I just need to figure out how to execute it.

Now, one of these days, I'll catch up on READING some quilt blogs!!

changes and finishes

The summer has hit full crazy mode.  I have been in "temporary retirement" for two days now and I have installed a new toilet seat, two shower heads, ordered a bathroom sink (will install it and a faucet upon arrival), begun staining my back porch, and priced out more projects than I fear I can finish in a summer.  I have to begin getting serious about the yard sale sewing room contents now taking up my sewing room since they had to move out of my son's room (to make room for my son).  Life feels very busy.

I did finish and show off Spanish Treasure at quilt guild last night.  Other than that, I'm just trying to stay on top of my deadlines for Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks testing, so I have little else to show.

Bloggy awards!

I have to confess, this is not the first time I received an award.  Michele from Quilts From My Crayon Box gave me the Liebster award, for "favorite blogs with under 200 followers," back in February, before I was really striving for blog etiquette.  And today I received the Sunshine Award for "Bloggers who positively and creatively inspire others in the blogosphere" from Priscilla at Thrifty Crafty Girl.  Although these awards are really kind of like a chain letter for blogs, I think it's high time I stopped being a lazy blogger and continued passing along these awards!



First, old business:  The Liebster award.  The Liebster Rules are:

1. Post about your win on your blog.

2. Link back to the blogger who presented you with the award.

3. Copy and paste the award to your blog.

4. Present the Liebster Award to 5 blogs that have fewer than 200 followers that you think deserve to be recognized.

5. Let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.

I'm bestowing this award upon:

1. JoAnne from The Patriotic Quilter - I love her enthusiasm!
2. Amy at House of Bad Cats.  That name alone makes me giggle.
3. Prof. S at The Enchanted Bobbin.  She finished ALL of her FWQAL blocks and I'm in AWE!
4. Barbara at Chester River Quilter.  She is local to my dad's house and I love seeing what she finds on her shopping trips!
5. Michelle at Michelle's Quilts & Stuff.  I only found her recently but she lives in my home state of Delaware and I like reading about her work!
6. Stephanie at Stephanie Hamilton Designs.  Stephanie is an old friend of my Honey and she creates the most beautiful jewelry from knitting stones into metal.  Her blog is both inspirational and informative.  I am STILL working on a quilt for her in the hope I will get some of her art in return!
7. Susan at Susan Kraterfield's Quilts.  Susan has my vote for the most talented member of our guild and reading her blog helps me see what she's working on in between show & tell at guild meetings!
8. Deb at Deb Cobb Photography.  Deb is one of my sorority sisters from college and one of the most talented photographers I know.  I love seeing her work although too little of it makes her blog!
9. LSL at Long Story Longer.  I've been reading this blog for years as we commented on a mutual friend's blog.  I am so inspired by how she tackles life. 
10. Krista from Need a Latte Mom.  I love seeing how she transforms furniture and she is who inspired me to buy Annie Sloan Chalk Paint for this summer's projects.

Now, new business:  The Sunshine Award.  The Sunshine Award Rules are:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them.
2. Answer 10 questions about yourself.  
3. Select 10 of your favorite bloggers, link their blogs to your post and let them know they've been awarded the Sunshine Award!
4. Don't forget to copy and paste the award on your blog! 

 

The ten questions are:

Favorite Color?  Red.  A bluish red, not a yellowish red.

Favorite Animal?  Big, slow dogs with intelligent eyes, like an old labrador retriever.

Favorite Number? Seven.  I don't know why.  Number of letters in my first name?

Favorite Drink?  That would be either Diet Coke or Guinness, depending on the time of day!

Facebook or Twitter?  Oh, definitely Facebook.  I have not yet seen the point to Twitter.

Good Book or Good Movie?  Generally, I'd choose good book, but I can't sew while I read, so movies have their place too.  Unless it's an audiobook and then I can sew while I listen!  I just borrowed "Brideshead Revisited" from the library yesterday for an upcoming long drive.

My Passion?  Quilting.  I think that goes without saying!

Giving or Getting Presents?  Giving.  I feel more anxiety getting something than giving something.

Favorite Day?  My birthday.  It's nice to have one day a year that's all about me.  :-)

Favorite Flowers?  Lilacs.  I really don't mean to steal Priscilla's answer but I love the scent of them; they bring back good memories from my childhood.

Since this award has no maximum followers I am going to be choosing some famous names here:

1. Kay Mackenzie at All About Applique - I love her passion for applique and all of her helpful tips!
2. Karen from Sew Many Ways - she is always so cheerful and resourceful.
3. Barb and Mary from Me and My Sister Designs.  In addition to creating gorgeous fabrics I think that they've helped Sonic increase their profit margin because I find myself stopping there more often!
4. Pat at Color Me Quilty.  You know I made her Gothic window for the Virginia Quilt Museum!
5. Kim from Magnolia Bay Quilts.  I love her books, and she has always posted such kind words about my quilts that I make from her patterns.
6. Maryann from Domestically Speaking.  Painting furniture is going to be a summer project and she's got so much inspiration!
7. Judi from Green Fairy Quilts.  Her longarm quilting has inspired me to try machine quilting myself. 
8. Pat from Silver Thimble Talk.  I always feel personally touched by her words and enthusiasm.
9. Kelly from The Complete Guide to Imperfect Homemaking.  Great resource.
10. Melissa from Happy Quilting.  She's got a little of everything going on there!

Here's where I admit that I'm going to break from the rules.  I am too shy to let any of these people know that I'm giving them an award.  Most of them are such prolific bloggers with important projects and deadlines that an award from one of their many admiring followers is probably as annoying as a fly buzzing around their face.  But it doesn't mean that they don't deserve the props.  If you're reading and interested in what inspires me, go on and click through.  If you're one of the bloggers I've recognized here then you can blow me away by leaving a comment!

 

As for me, I've been busy.  My Honey is away and I definitely plan to get caught up in my sewing room tonight - I have a new project from the weekend which I should be able to wrap up and post.  I'm all caught up on my test blocks for Quiltmaker.  I'll post some photos in the near future, I promise.

Don't let me forget!!

(This is where I would put an image of a finger tied with string but I am terrified about using photos found on the internet without royalty or permission!)

At quilt guild Monday night I was approached by the programs chair who asked me to give October's presentation.  I had offered, about a year ago, to do a fun and informative session I'd call, "Charmed!  Five easy ideas for five inch squares."  There are so many books out on nickel quilts and other great way to use charm squares, but I wanted to do something that didn't need a pattern - like hourglass, disappearing nine patches, HSTs, flying geese, etc.  I consider charm square blocks to be something like candy ... when a fabric line is threatening to move into obsolescence and I don't own any of it yet, I can pick up a charm pack for under $10 and have it forever.  Or at least until I'm willing to cut into it.  Anyway, Monica Solorio-Snow at the Happy Zombie gave me permission to use her wonderful hourglass block tutorial in a guild class - you might remember the Hoopla baby quilts I made with this pattern, which is around the time I thought to give the class:

But this has been in the back of my mind for so long that I am prone to think of it as a done deal ... despite the fact that I don't have any quilts to use as demos.  So I am going to have to start digging into my charm packs this summer and MAKE SOME QUILTS!  I cannot forget!

I have two blocks to work on for Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks testing, both are a bit more intricate than I have been tasked with previously, and so that will have to be the next project on deck.  After Sunday's marathon quilting day I have taken a few days off (yesterday was my birthday and we went out to dinner ... and I've gotten my Honey almost as interested in Downton Abbey as I am so the last couple of evenings have finished on the sofa in front of the big TV). 

I'm going to have to organize my summer a little more intently than I have so far.