Has it been that long?

Yes it has! 

I haven't found the time to post since summer remains busy.  
Too soon summer will be over 

and DH and I will once again become empty nesters.  

Our recently married DD and SIL have been living with us since they returned from their honeymoon.  They thought they would move to Indiana where they went to college to hopefully find jobs however 

those plans changed as the job opportunity came from Austin, TX.  

They will be packing up and moving at the end of August.  

That same weekend, our youngest DD will be heading back to Indiana for her senior year in college. 

 The house will suddenly become very quiet.  

My DH and I also had a few days of R and R in Houston, TX where my sister and brother-in-law live. They have a beautiful home and a pool in their backyard.

  We purposely didn't plan much activity so we could really enjoy a relaxing time.  The only planned activity was to head to San Antonio for a day. 
The Mexican Fiesta Market was full of color!

Then a visit to the Alamo...

reenactments

And the Riverwalk

Before we left for TX, I did manage to finish my July Birdie Stitches BOM and on the plane to TX I finished the August block.  YAY!

Waiting for me when I got back was the quilting and binding of Simple Things QAL...and it's a finish!

See my new label!

I love this quilt ~ so pretty in Charlevoix by Minnick and Simpson ~ kinda has a vintage feel. Thanks Kelly and Carol!

Another finish is the baby quilt from Vanessa at V and Co. This pattern is free over at Moda Bake Shop. It is so cute and it will be going to a sweet baby girl soon!

eat. play. sleep. repeat.

Love the backing fabric ~ too pretty to piece the back but I pieced the scrappy binding.

And finally, I had so much fun creating this name pillow for the baby's brother. 

I was inspired here.

You got have something for the big brother even if he is only a toddler.

If you are still with me, give yourself a pat on the back...sorry about the long, picture heavy post.  

I guess that's what happens when you don't post often.  I will try to be better...we are off again this weekend to Indiana to move the BIG things into DD3's dorm.  

I hope everyone is enjoying the Wantobe Quilter Campaign over at Sew We Quilt.  You don't want to miss out on the chance at some fabulous prizes.  Sign up with me ~ I'm a blog sponsor.  Go here or here for more information. 

More to share soon!

It's here!

Yes, today starts the Wantobe Quilter Campaign over at Sew WE Quilt/Stash Manicure hosted by lovely Madame Samm! 

There are sew many sponsors for giveaway prizes. Thanks to all of them!

  

Sew if you want to join in on the fun...

BTW this campaign will run for 12 weeks full of giveaways...

here is what you need to do...

1) Email me your name & phone number 

(see my profile on my side bar for my email)

Note: you must be registered with a quilter to be eligible. 

2) Be a follower of my blog, quiltingbydawn 

(see my follower button) 

&  

Sew We Quilt/Stash Manicure blog

3) Comment on the blog posts. 

(Monday, Wednesday, Friday for Wantobe Quilters

and Tuesday & Thursday for quilters!) 

When you comment, be sure to put my name, dawn @ quiltingbydawn, in your comment.

There will be prizes everyday and winners will be responsible to pay for the shipping of your prize to your home.

Let the FUN and winning begin!

The wedding and some sewing...

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that this summer our DD2 got married!  The wedding was on July 16th and was a beautiful outdoor wedding at our friend's home.  They were married under an arch made by my DH from tree branches.  The reception was under a large white tent decorated with all the unique touches that made their day special. Here are some snapshot pictures of the day!

(taken before the wedding)

programs were made into a fan to keep your cool

ring bearer and flower girls

props for photo booth ~ vintage hats, mustaches, bow ties and a Polaroid camera 

(photo taken before the wedding)

lemonade stand ~photo taken before wedding

outdoor games for guests to enjoy between ceremony and reception

spinning plates are a big hit!

table settings ~  a unique plate, cup and silverwear at each place. 

centerpieces ~ bookart, cameras and wild flowers.

hanging hearts ~ the back drop behind the head table

cake table 

1st dance

Daddy/daughter dance

DD1, DH, DD3 ♥

Mr. & Mrs. ♥

There are so many more photos of the wedding but I hope this gives you a glimpse of the unique and beautiful day we had.  Thank you to all that had commented and encouraged throughout.  

Since the wedding, I have had a little time to catch up on some sewing...here is some what I've done.

I finished piecing the top and waiting on the backing fabric I ordered...should be here real soon! Thanks Kelly!

The Abby Tote by Vanessa at V and Co. ~ made for my mother's birthday gift. This is the second Abby Tote I have made. Super cute!

NOTE: Monday starts the Wantobe Quilter Campaign at Sew We Quilt.  There are lots of prizes to win. You must be signed up with a blogger that has the Wantobe button on their sidebar.  Why not me? If your interested, email me your name and phone number. If you are a quilter, there will be days for quilters to win also but you must be signed up. You don't want to miss out!

A campaign and a giveaway!

While I've been away for my daughter's wedding ~ more on that later ~ so many things need catching up on.  

First up is the Wantobe Quilter Campaign over at Sew We Quilt.  Here is a little about it.

"Hello friends and followers, I would love to welcome you

to a Wantobe Quilters Campaign over here. ( http://stashmanicure.blogspot.com)

 They are having quilting supplies to giveaway 5 x a week for 12 weeks. 

Supplies that will have you quilting

before you know it...From sewing machines to irons, to die cutters,

to mats, to rotary cutters, sewing baskets, scissors, batting, needles,

rolled sewing machine bags, patterns, books, magazines...everything

you could imagine to assist you in being a NEW Quilter. 

Even if you are already part of this community you can win

quilting stuff too...Tuesday and Thursday are days for us..

All you have to do is give me your name and phone number 

and email sew I can submit this to the organizer, because if you win

anything I can win something too. 

All you have to do is be my follower and a follower

over at Sew We Quilt @ Stash Manicure....

That is all! There are over 49 Sponsors involved.

I am pretty excited to be part of this, sew should you.

I love being a QUILTER! 

( p.s you will not be eligible to win anything if you do not register

with a blogger where you see this message)

So if you wantobe a quilter, email me and I will get you in the running for some great prizes.  The campaign starts on August 1st so get your name in soon. This will prove to be an exciting campaign! Check out the button on my side bar.

Second set of business is the giveaway over at Aunt Polly's Porch.  It is for a Go Baby!  Become a follower of her blog and get a chance to win! 

I'll be back with updates and pictures soon! In the meantime...

The countdown has begun...

to the wedding of our DD2! 

I have managed to sneak a few hours in my sewing room that isn't related to wedding things.  Here are my latest Simple Things QAL blocks.  

So far I have been able to keep up but I have a feeling that I may need to play catch up for the next couple of weeks.  Wedding company starts arriving Sunday! 

I will leave you with some new pictures of a quilt that I made my very dearest friend, Ruth.  I am so blessed by her friendship.  I made this quilt for her birthday before I started my blog. It is called A Perfect Relationship...not only for our friendship but also because she is a beautiful Rosemal painter and I love to quilt.  I put our 2 'loves' together as I quilted a Rosemal pattern on her quilt.  Note to self: post pictures of Rosemaling in a future post.

Take a look...