What's new?

I've joined the fun with Jodi over at Pleasant Home!  

I'm excited to take part in Sew Scraps Along 2012! 

I really need to feel more confident with using my scraps and this is just the place to be inspired! 

There will be tips on how to organize your scraps and how to use them in a quilt. 

There will be guest bloggers, tutorials and give aways! 

I'm ready to have some FUN...are you? 

Today was the first tutorial so hop over and be inspired! The button on my sidebar will take you there. 

I've been a little remiss over the busy holidays to post some notes of thanks. Better late than never...

just before Christmas I was the lucky winner of this book

from Linda Lum DeBono. It has some really nice projects and is a very nice addition to my library!

And this book from Kelly at IHAN! 

An interesting technique that I want to try.

As part of the Blog Hop Party, I was the lucky winner of these sweet prizes.

Thank you Andi from Making Modern Memories. 

I feel so special...

when I get packages in the mail!  

Today the mailman delivered not 1 but 2 packages addresses to me!!!

First was a sweet package from my Pin Cushion Swap partner, Kelly!  I 'met' Kelly through the Charming Girls Quilt Club which she organizes and runs! I have so much respect for all she does. She pays attention to all the details...even wraps with fabric and pretty ribbons! 

Look at all the goodies she sent! I absolutely love, love, love the pin cushions! Beautiful fabrics and beautifully made! 

Kelly also sent 2 charms of Lovely by Sandy Gervais 

{I really love Sandy Gervais' fabric designs}, 

2 Schnibble patterns...Joy Luck and Jacks by the ever popular Miss Rosie's Quilt Company, 

and a bag of extra fine glass head pins! I will put these to very good use!  

Thank you so much Kelly!!! 

A thanks to Kris at Dandelion Quilts for organizing the swap 

{even if I didn't do such a good job at keeping the dates correctly in my head}.   

The second package of goodies came from Susan at Super Mom - No Cape!

On March 12th, she was celebrating her third blog anniversary with a give away and I won!  She made this lovely little gift bag and said that she would fill it with goodies! 

Oh boy! Did she ever! 

And she customized the goodies to things she found on my blog!

I had recently posted about my love of buttons...and she included a little fabric bag of lovely buttons! She took note that I enjoy stitchery and included several skeins of embroidery floss.  She made a lovely scissor and needle holder...with my Word for the Year...JOY! She also included a journal and matching magnetic pad of paper, and 2 boxes of chocolates {one with raspberries my all time favorite!}

 Thank you so much, Susan!

I do feel special today! 

The last 2 blocks...

for Block-A-Palooza were released this week (Monday & today)! I have been really good at keeping up and here are the last 2:

Next week we will be putting it all together!  I think I may remake a block or 2 as I'm not completely happy with a few.  I didn't take a picture of all 16 blocks together yet. I'll have to do that soon as it always helps in seeing how they look together.  

I also finished my March block for the Birdie Stitches BOM.  

Isn't it cute?

Back in the early part of February, Cara over at Cara Quilts sponsored The Basics Charity Challenge.  You can read about it here.  There were several prizes for incentive but the challenge was an easy and not expensive act to do.  Although my DH and I volunteer at our local homeless center, I accepted the challenge and went out to buy some twin size fitted sheets and dropped them off at the center.  

Just last week, Cara notified me that I had won one of the incentive prizes, Bari J's new book Inspired to Sew! I love it...it has beautiful illustrations and I can't wait to try a project.  I especially like Bari's Chicago connection...my hometown! 

I have been thinking of ways to repurpose things and here is one that I recently made.  

Instead of dog-eared corners in my books to mark my place, I now have these easy to make corners.  They remind me of photo corners and neatly fit over the corner of the page.  And they are much prettier! 

What do you think?

Do you remember my extreme wedding dress makeover?  Well, I promised to make the bride her wedding veil.  She wanted a simple, single layer veil.  I used some lace from the original dress to cover the comb.  

I leave you with another challenge.  Rachel over at p.s. i quilt has joined Moda in their Just One Star challenge.  They need 1800 star blocks by May 1st.  Rachel has challenge us in making just one star this week...in the mail by Monday! Quilters Unite! We can do it! They are so easy to make...I made 2!

{name blurred on purpose}

Have you made yours?

What I've Been Up To

Well, I really can't show everything yet but I can show some.  

I have been keeping up with the Block-A-Palooza quilt along...2 blocks a week! Blocks 11 & 12 were released this week.  You can see more at on flickr.

I made my pincushion for my swap partner, Kelly, but no peeks.  It will be in the mail to her next week...maybe a surprise or 2...not saying.  Hope she likes it.  Pictures soon!

I also made this pincushion.  

I had to chuckle when I saw it here and just had to try one for myself.  Here is my version.

I also received a very nice package in the mail from Jane.  I won her Domestic Diva charm pack giveaway! I am a lucky girl.  Thanks Jane!

I was asked to show some close up pictures of my Happy Camper quilt.  There are 12 different campers fussy cut and centered in each block. 

The fabric is Happy Camper from Clothworks.  

Here are a few of my favorites.

The pop-up...

vintage...

VW van...

We have had quite a bit of rain and grey days...today was back to snow...Argh! I'm so ready for Spring and some sun!  How about you?

A win and a finish!

Sometimes it is so hard to be patient!  At least for me.  Christine over at Auntie's Quaint Quilts notified me that I won her giveaway!  I knew that the package was coming all the way from Tasmania and that would take some time but...I was so anxious for it to arrive.  Guess what arrived this week? 

This package is full of goodies!  Fabric (3 fat quarters) from Lynette Anderson, a Schnibbles pattern - Hot Cross (Miss Rosie Quilt Co.) and Tis the Season embroidery patterns by Natalie Bird! 

Thanks Christine!

I also finished my fence inspired quilt. 

[the little white specks you see...is snow]

I am not completely satisfied with the quilting.

 As I quilted the long colored spaces with straight line boxes, the middle tended to pull in the direction I was stitching.  

Can you see the way the fabric is distorted in the center?  

I never had that happen before but I probably never quilted in such long, straight segments. 

 I used my walking foot rather than trying free motion (thought it would keep the lines straighter). 

Has this ever happened to you? How can I improve on this?  Any suggestions are welcome. 

Anyhow, it is a finish and that means I need to make another quilt square for Queensland. 

I'm back!

Well this post is well over due but somehow when you get back from vacation, it takes awhile to get caught up! 

First, let me show you what was waiting for me when I arrived home.  A package with these lovelies inside!

I won this give away from Dawn over at The Straw Needle.  Two quilted heart potholders and a charm pack of Aster Manor for Moda!  Thank you Dawn!

Next up is a follow up on my Charming Girls' Quilt Club.  As mentioned before, this month's theme is Self-Care.  When I first posted about this topic, I mentioned that I was going to treat myself to a pedicure!  And I DID!

It was wonderful to pamper myself and have pretty feet before heading off for vacation! 

Love the red!

This past Monday (the day after we got home), I completely finished by Between Charming Friends QAL quilt.  I needed to bind it since I couldn't do that without my machine.  Here is the finished 'A Little Gem!'

And finally an update on my goals!  

Quilting ~ finished by QAL

~put the borders on my Red & White, need to get backing material

~finished my Applique Posy Needle Case (and a little extra surprise) for my swap partner and sent it.  Will post pictures once it's received. 

~have worked on a design layout for my stitchery, but it isn't finalized.

~second Happy Camper quilt may have to be put on the back burner due to other priorities coming to up.

Reading ~ while on vacation, we listen to 3 books on tape.  Does that count?  I would think so since I couldn't really be reading while listening.  These included:

Airborn by Kenneth Oppel

Smiles to Go by Jerry Spinelli

and My Antonia by Willa Cather

I also finished 2 books.  

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

and Free Range Knitter by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee 

I'm currently reading The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks!

Vacation ~ I will share Part 1 of our vacation now! We had a wonderful time with our daughter, Kirsten and future SIL, Mike (and his family) in South Dakota. Take a look! Hope you enjoy it!

Digital slideshow generated with Smilebox

Will need to post about Vacation Part 2 later!  Be back soon!

The winner is...me!

Last month I visited many blogs in the giveaway day sponsored by Sew, Mama, Sew!  It was a lot of fun visiting so many talented people out in blogland.  One blog I visited was sleepy time sewing and guess what?  I was chosen as one of her winners!  I patiently waited for the package to arrive and it finally did on Thursday!! Here is what I won!

 One hundred 2 1/2" vintage fabric squares!  Yummy! Thanks Leigh!

Another of my favorite blog to visit is Krista over at Poppyprint. She is a very talented young mom and quilter!  She has recently been published in a new quilting magazine from Canada, Quilter's Connection magazine! Go over and check out her blog. You will fall in love!

And finally, another little bag I made.  These bags are so cute and fun to make.  

That's all for now!  A busy day...hope the weather holds off...