The Noble Wife

Sweet Stuff for Valentine's Day

2012-02-03T08:37:00.062-05:00

Oh sweet, pretty things- how I love you. I found these gorgeous photos on the Better Homes and Gardens website. I have included the links to the recipes.
You're welcome. :)

Red Velvet Sweetheart Cakes

Chocolate Cherry Stack Cake

Mocha Truffle Tartlets

Lemon Rose Cookies

Puffed Heart Lemon Cookies

White Chocolate & Raspberry Cookies

Letter Perfect Cupcakes

White Chocolate Cherry Shortbread

Flower Cookies with Cardamom

Heartthrob Cookies

Which one(s) will you try????

(You've given up on your New Year's Resolution by now anyway, haven't you????)

What a Face!

2012-01-30T10:43:00.002-05:00

How are we feeling this Monday morning? I am exhausted....

But this video cheered me up. What a face!!!
Maybe he could use some orthodontia (killer underbite there) and a face lift? (Maybe not a full face lift, just the "Lifestyle Lift"- I'm sure he wouldn't want to look overdone....)

Happy Monday.

"Tastes Like Lasagna" Soup

2012-01-27T09:52:00.015-05:00

I spent many, many years trying to get oldest daughter interested in cooking, but to no avail- she just had no interest at all. But now, she has become quite a good cook in the past year or so. She now spends hours cruising the internet for new recipes. A few nights ago, she made this recipe for the family, and it was really good. There is the original version by Paula Deen, and the lighter version by Bobby Deen. She made the lighter version, except we didn't have whole wheat lasagna noodles so she just used the regular kind. We sprinkled homemade croutons on top, and we would definitely make it again.
Click here for the recipe.

To learn how to make delicious homemade croutons out of stale bread, click here.

Happy Weekend!

Creative Journey

2012-01-25T09:26:00.002-05:00

Last week I was looking for some of my artwork that I did a few years back, and found that my storage drawers were a complete wreck and totally disorganized. I figured that while I was looking for a couple of particular pieces, I might as well just organize everything.

What began as an organizing chore became a fun look back on my creative journey. I found a lot of old stuff that I had completely forgotten about it. Some of it- I still really like. Some of it- well.... let's just say it really has been a journey! It was good to see how far I've come since I started painting about 16 years ago. I WILL NOT show you that older stuff. What I thought was pretty good all of those years ago is frankly just horrible!! And I found SO MUCH that I had totally forgotten about. I did way more work than I thought. I thought about all of the hours and days and months and years represented in those drawers. I realized that I really have worked really hard to get to where I am today.

Sometimes we are not happy with the work we are doing. It just seems to be not good enough. Sometimes it is missing something, but we don't know quite what, and we don't know what to do to fix it. Creativity is not just a fun hobby or job, it is a learning process just like everything else. If you are not quite happy with your work, I suggest looking back at some things you did a few years ago, and my guess is that you will be pleasantly surprised at how far you've come.

I did throw a lot of stuff away- mostly stuff that was incomplete and I knew I'd never finish. It was a good purge- making room for the new! But I kept a lot of the stuff from my "Early Ugly Period" (I am thinking that when I'm dead and then finally become a super famous artist, that's what the historians will call it.....)- it is a good reminder of how much I've improved.(I even labelled the folder for them so it will be easy for them to archive.)

It reminds me of a couple of quotes. The first is by Ira Glass:

Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.

By the way, I don't think this is just true of beginners. As we progress, and our work improves, it can still get even better. As long as we just keep making stuff, it will get keep getting better and better. More mature, more aesthetically pleasing. Even though I am light years ahead of where I began, there is still so much to master... I look forward to the unfolding journey in the upcoming years....

The second quote that I am reminded of comes from Zechariah 4:10:
(paraphrase) Do not despise the day of small beginnings.....

Do not despise where you are today! Keep on working and then enjoy the fruits of your labor!
(And don't despise your Early Ugly Period, either. Even Michelangelo had to start somewhere....)

P.S. The Newsletter goes out today or tomorrow... so if you'd like to sign up, go to the top upper right bar of this blog.

Newsletter Sneak Peek

2012-01-23T09:23:00.000-05:00

The January/February Newsletter will go out this week- are you signed up??

A sneak peek at what you'll be missing if you are not:

If you are not signed up and would like to get in on the super-cool-fun-action that is The Newsletter, you can sign up at the top of the right side bar on this blog.

Also, look at what's new on the website:

Fat Quarter Pack for my Apple Blossom Acres fabric line.

Completely Adorable (if I do say so myself) panel from my A Beautiful Day fabric line

(comes in Blue OR Pink.) If you need to make a quick baby quilt- this is it! (Maybe you should get a few to have on hand for last minute gifts....)

Fun Photo Friday

2012-01-20T09:05:00.006-05:00

I know this has gone around and around the internet, but the first time I saw it I almost wet myself laughing. I'm honestly not sure if it is real or not, but it's hilarious just the same. If it is real, I can only imagine the time that the Good Samaritan who took this creature in must have had (wonder if he needed a Rabies shot???)
Happy Friday.

P.S. Dawn at Linen Closet Quilts is giving away a copy of her newest book- it looks beautiful! Make sure you stop by to enter (and tell her I sent you, wink wink).

Crafty Stuff

2012-01-17T09:24:00.005-05:00

Lately I have been "showing off" all of the crafty projects my kids have been making. Truth is- they have been much more prolific than me lately! Oldest daughter, being a poverty-stricken college student, made several holiday gifts for her friends this year. She embroidered her room mate's initial onto a piece of wool, and used an embroidery hoop for the frame. Very inexpensive project and easy to do:

For another friend, a plain white mug becomes adorable with the help of ceramic markers found at the craft store:

Apparently, Daughter's room mate is crafty too- this is what she gave Daughter for Christmas:

She decorated a plain store bought lamp with a veritable bouquet of fabric flowers. Isn't it tres cute??

So now the kids are back in school, I imagine/hope that they will be too busy keeping up with their studies and homework to do a lot of crafty projects. I guess that will be left up to me now....

My Oldest UFO

2012-01-16T09:34:00.002-05:00

When I started quilting about 10 or 11 years ago, one of the very first classes I took was for a sampler quilt. I invested quite a bit of money in the class fee, book, and fabric. I finished the quilt top, and loved it. Then I started quilting it. Myself. And so, despite my best intentions, after many stops and starts, it made its way to the UFO (UnFinished Objects) pile. And no, it wasn't even hand quilted. The machine quilting, on my little home machine, just became overwhelming. The quilt conquered me, and my good intentions :(

Over the years, it sat in a box in my sewing room. I tried to ignore it- but I knew it was there, about 80% finished. It mocked me.

A couple of months ago I was cleaning out my studio and I came face to face with it. I still loved it. So I took it to my longarm quilter to finish for me. She did a great job, blending her quilting with mine (I did manage to do a good amount before I finally gave up.) She even did the binding. So shortly before Christmas I brought it home, threw it in the washer and dryer (to make it nice and comfy), and we have been snuggling under it ever since.....

I did all of the stippling (you can see why it wiped me out!) I even quilted some heart outlines and then filled them in with stippling (you can see them in the top right corner of the above photo)- I have no idea how I did that, it was so long ago, I don't recall doing it at all....

Honestly, I have to say, that considering how inexperienced I was when I made this, I am pretty impressed with myself! Most of the points match up, and the quilt lies completely flat (I can't say that about some of my current quilts....) I'm soooooo glad that I got this one done (with some help!) As I said, we have really been enjoying it, and it no longer taunts me from that box hidden away in the corner of my sewing room!

What is your oldest UFO? How would you feel if you got it done (or if someone else finished it for you)? Would you be relieved? Is it so old that you don't care about it anymore? Do you have any resolutions to get some of those UFO's finished in 2012??

Red & Pink

2012-01-10T20:35:00.000-05:00

Sadly, the Christmas decorations had to come down this past weekend. But it did give us a chance to start looking forward to the next holiday- Valentine's Day. What I like best about Valentine's Day is all of the pink and red- my two favorite colors. And because taking down the Christmas decorations made the house feel a little empty and bare, fresh flowers were just the thing to brighten up the kitchen table. (and only $3.99 for a pretty little bouquet at Trader Joe's!!)

We also continued our new tradition (just started last year) of a Valentine's Tree. It began last year when the kids wanted to leave up the little Christmas tree in the kitchen, so I told them they could if they decorated it for Valentine's Day.

A few more Red & Pink ideas from the Better Homes and Gardens website to inspire you:

Back in the Studio

2012-01-04T09:43:00.011-05:00

I am back in the studio after a nice Christmas break. But while I was busy relaxing and doing nothing for a couple of weeks, youngest daughter (she will be 17 next month) was working on a new project. She had a canvas tote bag from the craft store. She said she wanted to paint it- I was thinking a few flowers, a butterfly..... No, she wanted to reproduce a Van Gogh painting- no- 2 Van Gogh paintings- on the bag. I discouraged her- telling her she only had 10 days of Christmas vacation. She kind of rolled her eyes and proceeded. It took her about 10 minutes to sketch each painting, and about an hour to paint each one with acrylic craft paint. What, what?????? Oh yes she did.

I did manage to get to the quilt shop and get more fabric for a project I am working on. I had most of the fabric already, I just needed some for the borders. I was looking for pink but couldn't find just the right color, so I ended up getting a pinky-red which I think is going to be really pretty. The project top secret but I will say that it has something to do with a certain big event happening in our family this coming June. I hope I get it done in time.....

The quilt is going to be pretty scrappy and the colors are "antique-y"- gray, green, yellow, pink, orchid, brown and blue:

The "whole enchilada":

I am having fun working on this project! But I can't show it until it has been given to the recipients...

The FabShopNews Apronicity Blog has featured the Sweet Stuff Apron from my book, Fruitful Hands. It is a cute blog. If you love aprons- and who doesn't?- make sure you visit Apronicity for everything apron related.

It's a New Year.....

2012-01-02T18:25:00.002-05:00

Happy New Year, Everyone! Yes, I am still here! I hope everyone had safe and happy holidays. I have been enjoying time with family and have done the bare minimum as far as work goes...... and it has been wonderful! Over the holidays, we mostly hung out and enjoyed our Christmas presents- watched movies, played a new video game, read some new books.... For New Year's Eve, oldest daughter was out of town, and youngest daughter had a sleep over party (her friend's birthday is on December 31, so it's an annual event). Hubby and I drove her to the party, went to dinner, came home, watched a movie and were in bed by 10:30.... It has been a very relaxing couple of weeks and I almost hate for it to end! But, I guess I have to get back to work sometime... I am easing myself into it. Spent a couple of hours sewing today and tomorrow I will get up early and hit the ground running (I hope!)

Last year I shared this and I wanted to share it again. I don't make New Year's Resolutions anymore- they never last more than a week anyway and I just end up being disappointed in myself. So I have this taped on my bathroom mirror- it is a good reminder of how we should live everyday, not just the first few days of January.

I CHOOSE LOVE...

No occasion justifies hatred;

no injustice warrants bitterness. I choose love.

Today I will love God and what God loves.

I CHOOSE JOY...

I will invite my God to be the God of circumstance.

I will refuse the temptation to be cynical...

the tool of the lazy thinker. I will refuse to see

people as anything less than human beings,

created by God. I will refuse to see any problem as

anything less than an opportunity to see God.

I CHOOSE PEACE...

I will live forgiven. I will forgive so that I may live.

I CHOOSE PATIENCE...

I will overlook the inconveniences of the world.

Instead of cursing the one who takes my place, I'll

invite him to do so. Rather than complain that the

wait is too long, I will thank God for a moment

to pray. Instead of clenching my fist at new

assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

I CHOOSE KINDNESS....

I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone.

Kind to the rich, for they are afraid. And kind to

the unkind, for such is how God has treated me.

I CHOOSE GOODNESS...

I will go without a dollar

before I take a dishonest one. I will be overlooked

before I will boast. I will confess before I will

accuse. I choose goodness.

I CHOOSE FAITHFULNESS...

Today I will keep my promises.

My debtors will not regret their trust. My associates

will not question my word. My wife (husband) will not

question my love. And my children will never fear

that their father (mother) will not come home.

I CHOOSE GENTLENESS...

Nothing is won by force. I choose to be gentle.

If I raise my voice may it be only in praise.

If I clench my fist, may it be only in prayer.

If I make a demand, may it be only of myself.

I CHOOSE SELF-CONTROL...

I am a spiritual being....

After this body is dead, my spirit will soar.

I refuse to let what will rot, rule the eternal.

I choose self-control. I will be drunk only by joy.

I will be impassioned only by my faith.

I will be influenced only by God.

I will be taught only by Christ.

I choose self-control.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,

faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

To these I commit my day.

If I succeed, I will give thanks

If I fail, I will seek His grace.

And then, when this day is done,

I will place my head on my pillow and rest.

by Max Lucado

Last Minute Christmas Projects

2011-12-23T09:07:00.014-05:00

For some reason, oldest daughter has lately been inspired to be quite crafty. A few days ago, she had an idea for an embroidery project. She drew a Christmas tree, and embroidered it with a chain stitch. Metallic thread made for the perfect star at the top of the tree:

I just happened to have the perfect frame in my stockpile of supplies (thank goodness I tend to buy supplies and materials with abandon.... it comes in handy sometimes....) The frame was just a little long, so she sewed on a couple of fabric borders at the bottom, along with a bit of vintage crochet lace (again, the stockpile comes in handy.)

She has also started a wool applique project. We had an old moth eaten knitted wool sweater which she cut into the shape of mittens, and then added some stripes with wool from my stash:

We cut off the sleeve cuffs from the old sweater, and they became the cuffs on the mittens:

Project is coming along well....

All in all, I am almost ready for Christmas Day. There are still a few presents to be wrapped, company coming this afternoon and a party to go to this evening, then church tomorrow evening (Christmas Eve). Christmas day will be spent with extended family at a crowded, noisy, joyful gathering.
I hope you have a very Merry and Blessed Christmas.

There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger." At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises: Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him. Luke 2:11-14 MSG

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.... In NYC

2011-12-19T08:57:00.053-05:00

In my opinion, Christmas time is the best time to visit New York City. Everything is decorated and there is even more hustle and bustle than usual. The weekend before last, our family hopped on the train and went up for the day. We had a fabulous time.

There were so many people! You could barely walk down the sidewalks!! This is the intersection between St. Patrick's Cathedral and Rockefeller Plaza.

Grand Central Terminal. Thousands of people! Hence the expression:

"Geez, it's like Grand Central Station in here!" It really was!!

Christmas Tree at Penn Station

Rockefeller Plaza

St. Patrick's Cathedral

On such a cold and blustery day, it's fun to sit and sip hot chocolate at an outdoor cafe and do some "people watching".

We stopped into M & J Trimming AND Tinsel Trading. Dangerous! Thank goodness I hadn't brought my purse- hubby had to pay for everything so that kept my spending in check! I got some satin ribbon and striped grosgrain ribbon, AND we found beaded trim for Daughter's wedding gown for only $20 a yard- a steal in my opinion (especially after you've seen what the bridal boutiques charge). Afterwards, knowing how much he'd spent and seeing my little tiny bag, he asked, "Is that all you got??" Yes, I replied, it doesn't look like much but it's a treasure to me.

So that was our trip to the City. Hope you enjoyed "coming along" with me.....

9 Days til Christmas...

2011-12-16T08:33:00.000-05:00

There are just 9 days until Christmas.... Most of my shopping is done! I have just a couple of things to get today. Since we are cutting down on Christmas presents this year, there was less to do, so that's a plus. Tomorrow will be spent baking- a lot of people on our list are getting homemade Christmas cookies on a pretty plate- it is one of my favorite gifts to give every year. Who doesn't like homemade cookies? And the pretty plate is a nice gift that lasts for years to come after the cookies have been eaten. Daughters have big plans to make about 12 kinds of cookies tomorrow.... we'll see how far we get!

Yesterday, daughter made mini Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes from the recipe in my book. I will be doing a talk and sharing cupcakes today at 2 pm at Olde City Quilts in Burlington NJ. Stop by if you are in the area- It is a really beautiful, inspirational shop and it will really get your creativity going! And before that, I am stopping to have "Christmas lunch" with one of my oldest and dearest college friends. So it's going to be a wonderful day!

Speaking of wonderful.... look at this quilt created by Wendy Sheppard using my Joy, Love, Peace, Noel fabric! It is featured in the current issue of The Quilter Magazine. The quilting is incredible.

Happy Weekend, everyone.

Something to make you smile.....

2011-12-13T11:15:00.000-05:00

I found this website today and it made me smile!! What do you get when you photograph your dog while they are relaxing on their back, and then flip the photo over?? You get UpsideDownDogs.com of course!!! (Who comes up with these ideas, anyway??)

This reminds me of a weird family photo album- with photos taken after everyone has had a little too much egg nog- ha ha! If you want to giggle and relieve some holiday stress, stop by for hundreds more cute and funny photos.... UpsideDownDogs.com

2011-12-08T13:08:00.004-05:00

Oldest daughter is a college senior this year. Every year her college picks 6 or 7 seniors to speak during their Chapel services throughout the year. At the beginning of this semester, daughter applied and was chosen! She thought she'd have until Spring Semester to prepare, but alas, the date given to her was December 5..... so I think she panicked a little and then buckled down and got it done.

Our family went to see her speak this past Monday and she did a phenomenal job!! She spoke for about 30 minutes and her subject was "Creativity" and how we should do everything that we are called to do, no matter what it is, with creativity and excellence. The college president went on and on about what a great job she did... We were so so proud... She really hit it out of the park! Here is the link to the video, choose December 5 Senior Speaker Samantha Steves. (You will need Quicktime Movie Player to view.)

Our family and Samantha's fiance, Jeff

If you are a follower on Facebook or Twitter, then you probably know that I had a little "hair mishap" last week..... My hair has been the same for quite a while, kind of a dark honey color, and I wanted something different, so I decided to go red. I picked out a nice auburn shade at the drugstore and did my hair at home. Whoaaa- my hair DID NOT look like the model on the box! It looked like Ronald McDonald! For about a minute, I thought about trying to fix it myself, then decided to go to the salon and have professional "color correction" done (that's a nice way of saying- "You screwed it up on your own, now we are going to charge you the equivalent of a mortgage payment to fix it for you.") The photo above shows my new shade- very dark brown with auburn. I am still not sure if I like it, maybe I just need to get used to it (it actually looks darker in real life than it looks in the photo.)

Stop by the Aurifil blog and meet the December Designer of the Month- Sharon Pederson. Sharon's palette is bright and vibrant and fun- I'm sure you will love it as much as I do....

Holiday Mail for Heroes and a Project Sneak Peek

2011-12-05T08:43:00.017-05:00

Would you like to send holiday cards to our service men and women to brighten their holidays and let them know that they appreciated while they are far away from home? Hurry! You still have time to send your cards to the American Red Cross Holiday Mail for Heroes program. They must be postmarked by this Friday December 9.

The Red Cross is working with Pitney Bowes, a mail stream technology company, to collect and distribute holiday cards to American service members, veterans and their families in the United States and around the world. The process is very simple and takes no time at all - All you need is a pen and piece of paper to share your appreciation for the sacrifices members of the U.S. Armed Forces make to protect our freedoms. The Holiday Mail for Heroes mail box is open and ready to receive for your cards.

All of the details can be found here and it is very simple. You can even "order" cards online for only $1.00 each- just choose your card design and greeting, and a card will be sent to a service member. Click here for the details. (Really, how easy is that?? Oh my, I hope Ina Garten doesn't get mad at me for stealing her tag line!)

I finished an embroidery design this weekend. Maybe... possibly... it might be part of a project for my next book. But you didn't hear that from me, OK?

I have also been writing a pattern for my Christmas fabric line called Oh Holy Night which comes out next spring. I am trying to work ahead, so I don't have to do it at the last minute... I am glad I got this one done because it seems like it is taking forever..... I don't have Oh Holy Night fabric yet, so I whipped up a sample using Joy,Love,Peace,Noel fabric.

Funny that I am working on something for next Christmas.... shouldn't I be working on stuff for this Christmas? I want to do some baking, but the honest truth is that if I bake now, nothing will be left by Christmas- we just love our Christmas cookies around here... so the baking will have to wait just a little while.

What are you doing this week to get ready for the holidays? Are you already done all of your preparations, or maybe you haven't even started yet? I am trying to just take my time and enjoy this time of year and not get too caught up in the hustle and bustle. How about you??

December Newsletter and Free Shipping Coupon

2011-11-30T14:32:00.018-05:00

Look at this prize for the GIANT Henry Glass Jolly Holiday Blog Hop Giveaway! In addition to receiving a prize from each designer, the winner- Julie from Utah- will also receive this beautiful assortment of fabrics:

Oh I wish I could have entered! Thanks again to everyone who participated- Hope you all come and "play" again next year....

We got our Christmas tree and put all of the decorations up this past weekend, since daughter was home from college. It's so much fun to have everyone home for the holidays. Next year at this time, she will be married (not sure where they'll be living), so it was really bittersweet for me..... It will be strange next year not having her around for all of the holiday preparations like she has been for the last 21 years! It will take some adjusting...

(yeah.... the tree IS leaning a little bit....)

The December Newsletter is on the way. AND it has a coupon code for FREE SHIPPING for the month of December on any order placed on the website, including WHOLESALE! (Domestic U.S. shipping only. For international orders, the difference between domestic and international shipping will be charged. Email me for details.) If you haven't signed up for the newsletter yet, fill in the box in the top right bar of my blog.

Stuff I Found at Market

2011-11-28T09:36:00.003-05:00

This is not an "official" Quilt Market post- I just wanted to show you what I got while I was there. I luckily/unluckily (depending on how you look at it) had my booth right next door to a booth with tables full of vintage table cloths, buttons, and trims. You know how I feel about trims. So I found myself shopping in that booth about 3 times a day. I had such self control, you wouldn't believe it. Although I really really really wanted everything, I limited myself to purchasing just a few little things:

Vintage (c. 1940's) table cloth. Oh I love red. And pink. And fruit. I am in love with this little beauty.

I was completely drawn to this table cloth, also c. 1940's. I just love the old fashioned romantic feel. It had a few small tears so I got it marked way down (happy dance).

Also got these vintage trims and buttons. I love them, yes I do. Who doesn't love a big fat button in such glorious colors? The trim with the scissors is also vintage. 1980's I am told. Hey wait- I went to high school in the 80's- I don't think I am quite vintage yet, am I?????

The December Newsletter is coming! There is a great sale on my website for the month of December- FREE SHIPPING on ALL ORDERS, including WHOLESALE! (Domestic orders only. For international orders, the difference between domestic and international shipping will be charged. Email me for details.) The COUPON CODE will be included in the December Newsletter. If you are not signed up yet, fill in the box at the top right bar of my blog.

Celebrate Christmas Blog Hop! One Special Star Block

2011-11-24T00:03:00.041-05:00

Today is Thanksgiving here in the U.S., and it is also my turn for the Celebrate Christmas sponsored by Quilting Gallery. Have you been following along? How many blocks have you made?

A few things about me.... I live in a 160 year old farmhouse that I love.
I have 2 daughters (one is getting married in June).
I am the Aurifil Designer of the Month for November!
I have a pretty cool FREE newsletter that comes out once a month (well, I aim for once a month. But you know how that goes.....) It has recipes, free projects, and news about what's new (hence the name Newsletter.... yes, I am quite clever....) You can sign up for it in the upper right side bar here on my blog.

The fabrics used in my block are from my Joy, Love, Peace, Noel fabric line for Henry Glass Fabrics. Look for it in your favorite quilt shop, or do a Google search for "Joy Love Peace Noel fabric" to find several sites to purchase online. I also have fat quarter bundles available on my website. I also have a couple of patterns that feature this fabric line:

My block is called One Special Star, named for the special Star that led the shepherds to Bethlehem on that Special Night of Nights. Are you ready to get started??

You will need Dark Blue, Light Blue, and Cream fabrics. All seam allowances are 1/4", sew with fabrics right sides together. Instructions below will yield one 12" (12 1/2" unfinished) block.

Cutting Instructions
Dark Blue:

4 squares, each 3 1/2"
4 rectangles, each 3 1/2 x 6 1/2"

Light Blue

2 squares, each 3 7/8"
4 squares, each 3 1/2"

Cream

2 squares, each 3 7/8"
4 squares, each 3 1/2"

To Make the Block:
First grab your large (3 7/8") Light Blue and Cream Squares.

Place a Light Blue Square right sides together with a Cream Square. Draw a line diagonally down the center of the square (on the wrong side of the fabric), then draw a line 1/4" from the center line. I find that a clear ruler makes this super easy to do.

Pin the squares together. Sew on the side lines:

Cut on the center line:

Press the squares open:

Sew the squares into pairs so they look like this:

Then sew the pairs together to make the pinwheel center for the block:

Next, you will make the 4 flying geese units. There are ways to make flying geese without wasting any fabric, but they give me a headache! I have found that this method works well for me.

Get your small (3 1/2") Light Blue and Cream squares and draw a line down the center of each diagonally (on the wrong side of the fabric):

Place a Cream square right sides together on the left side of the Dark Blue rectangle. Pin and stitch on the line:

Fold over the triangle to make sure it's lined up properly:

Then trim off the extra fabric to leave a 1/4" seam allowance:

Press:

Sew Light Blue square to right side of rectangle in same way:

Make 4 flying geese units:

Sew 2 of the flying geese units to opposite sides of the pinwheel square:

Sew a Dark Blue square (3 1/2") to opposite ends of the 2 remaining flying geese units, and then sew onto block:

With this block pattern, you can make a quilt like this:

Or this:

Or maybe this:

(Click here for a PDF version of the Tutorial.)

As for Christmas fabric, look for my next Christmas fabric line called Oh Holy Night next spring at your local quilt shop! Click here for a look at the line!

Happy Holidays! And thanks to Michele at Quilting Gallery for sponsoring this fun Quilt Along!

The Final Round of Quilt Market Photos

2011-11-20T11:20:00.001-05:00

Thanks to everyone who joined us on the Jolly Holiday Party Blog Hop- I enjoyed reading everyone's comments about their favorite holiday things. Family and Food were the big winners (no surprise there!) I hope it helped to get all of you in the holiday spirit. The winner of the giveaway was Joanna- congratulations!

Hard to believe I've been back from Houston for 3 weeks now (I am almost caught up.....) Let's see how many more Market photos I can jam into this post, OK? Are you tired of them yet.....

Lynette Anderson of Lynette Anderson Designs. She is one of those magnificently talented Australians who do a lot of embroidery in their designs. I always enjoy meeting up with Lynette when we go to Market- maybe someday I will make it down to Australia to visit her! That would be wonderful!

A new friend! Maggie Bonanomi is a fellow Kansas City Star author. I have a couple of her books- they are simply beautiful. She has a wonderful primitive style.

This is Pam from Buggy Barn. Usually, her "partner in crime" at Market is her sister Janet- but unfortunately Janet was unable to fly due to a back injury. Keep Janet in your prayers for a speedy recovery- we certainly want to see her at Spring Market!!

A couple more new friends- Marcea and Janice from Abbey Lane Quilts. They have a wonderful, fun style- I really enjoyed chatting with them.

Finally, what would Quilt Market be without Pat Sloan- the Queen of Everything Quilty!

OK, I'm tired now! Thanks for "coming along" to Quilt Market with me!
Stop by on Thursday to see my block and the tutorial for the Celebrate Christmas Quilt-Along....

Henry Glass Jolly Holiday Party Blog Hop- Day 7!!

2011-11-19T00:02:00.004-05:00

PHEW!!! You made it to the last day! Congratulations! OK, here we go with our final designers on the Blog Hop:

Linda Lum DeBono (aka The Energizer Bunny)

Chelsea Andersen of Pink Fig Designs

Here is the line-up for the whole week:
Day 1 (November 13)
Jill Finley of Jillily Studio
Kari Ramsey of Fresh Cut Quilts

Day 2 (November 14)
Jacquelynne Steves of The Noble Wife (ME!!)
Liz and Beth from Lizzie B Creative

Day 3 (November 15)
Vicki Oehlke of WillowBerry Lane
MaryEllen von Holt, Alice Berg, and Sylvia Johnson of Little Quilts
Lucy Morey of Hot Scott Patterns

Day 4 (November 16)
Barbara Jones of QuiltSoup
Anni Downs of Hatched and Patched

Day 5 (November 17)
Leanne Anderson of The Whole Country Caboodle
Brenda Pinnick of Brenda Pinnick Designs

Day 6 (November 18)
Janet Nesbitt and Pam Soliday of Buggy Barn
Renae Allen of RGA Design
Dana Brooks of Lazy Daisy Cottage

Day 7 (November 19)
Linda Lum DeBono
Chelsea Andersen of Pink Fig Designs

OK- collect the secret words from today's designers and Hop on Over to the Henry Glass blog to enter for the SUPER STUPENDOUS GIVEAWAY!!!

Good Luck!!

Henry Glass Jolly Holiday Party Blog Hop- Day 6!!

2011-11-18T00:35:00.004-05:00

We're almost there- are you still with me? It's Day 6 of the Blog Hop. Just one day left after today for the Hop- Stop back tomorrow! And you still have time enter MY GIVEAWAY! Click here to enter!!!

Visit today's designers and collect the secret words for the INCREDIBLE Henry Glass giveaway at the end of the Blog Hop:

Pam and Janet from Buggy Barn

Renae Allen of RGA Design

Dana Brooks of Lazy Daisy Cottage

Here is the line-up for the whole week:
Day 1 (November 13)
Jill Finley of Jillily Studio
Kari Ramsey of Fresh Cut Quilts

Day 2 (November 14)
Jacquelynne Steves of The Noble Wife (ME!!)
Liz and Beth from Lizzie B Creative

Day 3 (November 15)
Vicki Oehlke of WillowBerry Lane
MaryEllen von Holt, Alice Berg, and Sylvia Johnson of Little Quilts
Lucy Morey of Hot Scott Patterns

Day 4 (November 16)
Barbara Jones of QuiltSoup
Anni Downs of Hatched and Patched

Day 5 (November 17)
Leanne Anderson of The Whole Country Caboodle
Brenda Pinnick of Brenda Pinnick Designs

Day 6 (November 18)
Janet Nesbitt and Pam Soliday of Buggy Barn
Renae Allen of RGA Design
Dana Brooks of Lazy Daisy Cottage

Day 7 (November 19)
Linda Lum DeBono
Chelsea Andersen of Pink Fig Designs

P.S. (I seem to be doing a lot of those P.S.'s lately- there is just so much going on around here! We are busy, busy, busy!!) Make sure you stop by Kiera's blog, It's Sew Kiki today and find out more about me than you probably ever wanted to know- ha ha!

Henry Glass Jolly Holiday Party Blog Hop- Day 5!!

2011-11-17T00:09:00.003-05:00

It's almost the weekend- can you believe it? What are you doing this weekend? Thanksgiving preparations? Christmas shopping? Christmas gift wrapping??? (I know there are a few of you overachievers out there!)

The designers for today for the Blog Hop are:

Leanne Anderson of The Whole Country Caboodle

Brenda Pinnick

Don't forget to collect each designer's secret word today for the ENORMOUS Henry Glass giveaway at the end of the Blog Hop!

Here is the line-up for the whole week:
Day 1 (November 13)
Jill Finley of Jillily Studio
Kari Ramsey of Fresh Cut Quilts

Day 2 (November 14)
Jacquelynne Steves of The Noble Wife (ME!!)
Liz and Beth from Lizzie B Creative

Day 3 (November 15)
Vicki Oehlke of WillowBerry Lane
MaryEllen von Holt, Alice Berg, and Sylvia Johnson of Little Quilts
Lucy Morey of Hot Scott Patterns

Day 4 (November 16)
Barbara Jones of QuiltSoup
Anni Downs of Hatched and Patched

Day 5 (November 17)
Leanne Anderson of The Whole Country Caboodle
Brenda Pinnick of Brenda Pinnick Designs

Day 6 (November 18)
Janet Nesbitt and Pam Soliday of Buggy Barn
Renae Allen of RGA Design
Dana Brooks of Lazy Daisy Cottage

Day 7 (November 19)
Linda Lum DeBono
Chelsea Andersen of Pink Fig Designs

Henry Glass Jolly Holiday Party Blog Hop- Day 4!!

2011-11-16T00:24:00.015-05:00

This is "hump day" for the Blog Hop- after today- you'll be more than halfway done!
Today's designers are:

Barbara Jones of Quilt Soup

Anni Downs of Hatched and Patched

Stop by and say hello and collect the designers' secret words for the HUGE Henry Glass Giveaway at the end of the Blog Hop!

Here is the line-up for the whole week:
Day 1 (November 13)
Jill Finley of Jillily Studio
Kari Ramsey of Fresh Cut Quilts

Day 2 (November 14)
Jacquelynne Steves of The Noble Wife (ME!!)
Liz and Beth from Lizzie B Creative

Day 3 (November 15)
Vicki Oehlke of WillowBerry Lane
MaryEllen von Holt, Alice Berg, and Sylvia Johnson of Little Quilts
Lucy Morey of Hot Scott Patterns

Day 4 (November 16)
Barbara Jones of QuiltSoup
Anni Downs of Hatched and Patched

Day 5 (November 17)
Leanne Anderson of The Whole Country Caboodle
Brenda Pinnick of Brenda Pinnick Designs

Day 6 (November 18)
Janet Nesbitt and Pam Soliday of Buggy Barn
Renae Allen of RGA Design
Dana Brooks of Lazy Daisy Cottage

Day 7 (November 19)
Linda Lum DeBono
Chelsea Andersen of Pink Fig Designs

Henry Glass Jolly Holiday Party Blog Hop- Day 3!!

2011-11-15T00:01:00.027-05:00

Today's designers are:

Vicki Oehlke of WillowBerry Lane

MaryEllen von Holt, Alice Berg, and Sylvia Johnson of Little Quilts

Lucy Morey of Hot Scott Patterns

Make sure you stop by and say hello, and collect the secret words for the BIG Henry Glass Fabrics giveaway at the end of the Blog Hop!!

Henry Glass Jolly Holiday Party Blog Hop- Day 2!!

2011-11-14T00:05:00.109-05:00

It is my day for the Henry Glass Jolly Holiday Party Blog Hop! Remember to stop by each of the designers' blogs for the day, get their secret word, and then at the end of the blog hop visit the Henry Glass Blog and enter for your chance to win a GIANT prize pack! My contribution to the prize pack will be a fabric bundle from my Joy,Love,Peace,Noel fabric collection, and 2 holiday quilt patterns:

I will also be doing my own giveaway, read down to the bottom of this post to see how to enter....

Here is my free project for the Blog Hop- a Jolly Holiday Santa Gift Sack. It is easy to put together, and I think it is a cute alternative to paper gift bags. Who wouldn't want to get their gift to come in this little bag?? It's like two gifts in one...

Click here to download the PDF for the free project sheet.

For the blog hop this year, we are doing a little Q & A session:
What is your favorite holiday food? Christmas cookies! Every kind!

Does your family have a favorite holiday tradition? We always go out to a tree farm where there is a tractor ride out to the field. You pick your tree, they cut it down for you, then load it back onto the tractor and you ride back to the barn to pay for it. While you are waiting, there are free cookies and hot cocoa. It is especially fun and pretty when there is snow on the ground. It is something I really look forward to every year.

What's your favorite holiday movie? Elf ("Buddy the Elf- What's your favorite color??). We watch it every Thanksgiving night to kick off the Christmas season! Once we watch Elf, it's really Christmas time for us. I also love While You Were Sleeping, a cute romantic comedy. And then there's Year Without a Santa Claus (not a movie, I know, but still who can resist the Heat Miser and Snow Miser???)

What's your favorite holiday song? Oh Holy Night. I even did a fabric line by that name.I love Christmas music- I have a collection of about 40 or so Christmas CD's.

Do you make many holiday presents? I make lots of cookies for gifts- dozens and dozens of cookies. I give them to all of the neighbors, our friends at church, etc. Everyone has now come to expect them every year!

Would you prefer a large fully decorated tree or one like Charlie Brown's tree? I am definitely a "more is more" kind of girl- so we get the biggest tree we can fit through the door and decorate it with ornaments that we've had for years. Every year as we trim the tree, it is fun to remember back on all of the other Christmases when we decorated the tree. And my husband takes a photo every year, so we can see how much our girls have grown (they are now 21 and 16).

Do you like a big family gathering at the holidays or do you prefer a small dinner followed by hot chocolate by the fire? Both- first we go our parents and spend the afternoon with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, and we have a big Christmas dinner. Then our family comes home in the early evening and we relax by the fire and watch a Christmas movie.

And now, my secret word for the Henry Glass giant prize pack giveaway is...... Christmas Pudding!

Make sure you stop by the LizzieB girls' blog today too!

I am also doing a giveaway here on my blog. The winner will also receive a fabric bundle and 2 holiday patterns. To enter, comment here on my blog and tell me what your favorite part of the holiday season is. Comment by 11:59 pm Eastern time on Saturday the 19th, and make sure that I can contact you through your Blogger or Google account or your email.

Happy Hopping!!!!

Henry Glass Jolly Holiday Party Blog Hop- Day 1!!!

2011-11-13T00:01:00.006-05:00

Welcome to the Henry Glass Jolly Holiday Party! We are so glad that you're here to celebrate the holidays and to join in on all of the fun that we are going to have. There will be giveaways, stories and lots of inspiration.

Visit with each designer. You'll find her wonderful holiday post and a special design that she's made for you.

Here's the exciting line-up:

Day 1 (November 13-that's today!)

Jill Finley of Jillily Studio

Kari Ramsay of Fresh Cut Quilts

Day 2 (November 14)
Jacquelynne Steves of The Noble Wife (ME!!)
Liz and Beth from Lizzie B Creative

Day 3 (November 15)
Vicki Oehlke of WillowBerry Lane
MaryEllen von Holt, Alice Berg, and Sylvia Johnson of Little Quilts
Lucy Morey of Hot Scott Patterns

Day 4 (November 16)
Barbara Jones of QuiltSoup
Anni Downs of Hatched and Patched

Day 5 (November 17)
Leanne Anderson of The Whole Country Caboodle
Brenda Pinnick of Brenda Pinnick Designs

Day 6 (November 18)
Janet Nesbitt and Pam Soliday of Buggy Barn
Renae Allen of RGA Design
Dana Brooks of Lazy Daisy Cottage

Day 7 (November 19)
Linda Lum DeBono
Chelsea Andersen of Pink Fig Designs

Each day the designers of the day will post on her site. Click on the links above to go to the designers' blogs some holiday fun. In each post you will find each designers' secret holiday word. Collect all of the words and post it on the Henry Glass blog from November 19-24 and we will draw a name to win the grand prize.

What's the grand prize? Lots of fabric, of course, and each designer will be sending you something special.

Have fun and be inspired!

Happy holidays!

More Quilt Market Photos....

2011-11-10T08:10:00.002-05:00

As promised, I have many more photos to share with you from Quilt Market....

Me and my good friend, Brenda Riddle from Acorn Quilt and Gift Company. She designs beautiful fabrics for Lecien. I usually see Brenda twice a year at Market- and of course there are lots of emails and phone calls in between! I am so happy and honored to call her my friend.

Here I am with the very sweet and wonderful and superbly talented Deb Strain. She designs fabric for Moda, but as you probably know she has been a licensed artist in the stationary and gift ware industries for many years. I love her pretty watercolor style!

Fellow Henry Glass fabric designer and Kansas City Star author Jill Finley. Another super nice lady- her daughter got married last June, and mine is getting married next June, so it was fun sharing wedding photos and ideas with her!

My pal Linda Arye- the incredible power-house (I seriously mean that....) who founded Quilts for Kids. I love Linda's passion for this cause and organization and most importantly, the kids. I am looking forward to some future projects with Linda and Quilts for Kids.....

I have a few more photos to share with you next time- I hope you're not getting tired of them yet! I enjoy "re-living" Market- it is really hard work and takes a lot of time and energy, but I love it! I love seeing old friends and meeting new ones, learning information and news about the industry, and of course seeing all of the beautiful booths and new fabric lines and designs. Until next time..... Happy Quilting!

P.S. The Jolly Holiday Party is coming- don't miss it!!!!

P.P.S. You still have time to enter the giveaway for Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks....

P.P.P.S. In case you missed my post last week- I am the Aurifil Designer of the Month for November! YIPEE!! Click here to read all about it!!

Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks! WooHoo!

2011-11-08T00:20:00.066-05:00

Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Vol. 4 hits the stands soon (November 15)- Woo Hoo! This is a fun issue- I got a sneak peek and there are some really great designs.
Last week I showed you a teeny tiny photo of the cover with my block on it. Here is a better photo of my block:

It's called Neapolitan because of the palette- pink, brown, and cream, representing, of course, the classic Neapolitan ice cream flavors of strawberry, chocolate and vanilla. Here are some examples of quilts you might make with this block:

Soooooo...... I was wondering what would happen if we added another color to the palette, like, say, green. Pink, green and brown: sounds like Spumoni to me. So here is what the Spumoni blocks would look like:

There is now a digital version for Volumes 1 and 2- isn't that cool?
And guess what? I have a 3 copies of Volume 4 to give away. To enter, leave a comment here and tell me what is your favorite color palette-pastels, brights, primitive, or something else?? Comment by midnight Eastern time on Friday night (November 11). Make sure I can contact you through your Blogger or Google account or email. Winner will be drawn randomly.
Good Luck!!

Also, don't forget to visit all of the other designers on the hop, who will be giving away copies too. Quiltmaker Magazine is also giving away a-whole-lotta goodies, so make sure you stop by there as well!!

P.S. I just found out that today's sponsor is Kansas City Star- and they are giving away a copy of the books by their authors who are included in this issue of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks- so that means you have a chance to win a copy of my book Fruitful Hands- stop by the Kansas City Star site to enter.....

P.P.S. The Henry Glass Jolly Holiday Blog Hop is coming next week- so many prizes and free projects- I can't even count! Make sure you stop by....

Guess Who is the Aurifil Designer of the Month?? (Hint- It's ME!)

2011-11-03T11:38:00.046-04:00

I am so happy and excited to announce that I am the Aurifil Designer of the Month for November! I was so thrilled when Aurifil spokesperson Pat Sloan contacted me and asked if I'd like to be an Aurifil Designer of the Month- and of course I said, "Of course!!" Have you tried Aurifil Thread? The colors are so yummy! I love using it for piecing and machine applique, and it can also be used for machine quilting and machine embroidery. In fact, the embroidered blocks in my newest pattern, called A Beautiful Day, were done on a Bernina using Aurifil thread (50 wt).

Stop by the Aurifil Blog to find out more and read the interview! Every Designer of the Month shares a free project. Also, visit the Flickr page to see tons of photos of projects- lots and lots of inspiration for you there!

P.S. More Market photos next week....

Quilt Market Photos

2011-11-01T20:24:00.001-04:00

International Quilt Market was great! I met up with lots of old friends and made some new ones, too. Thank goodness my husband was with me at Market- he is the one who remembers to take photos- if left to me there would be no photos at all!!

The first day, I did 2 School House presentations. The first was for my book Fruitful Hands. It was my first School House ever, and though I was a little nervous, I think it went pretty well. I actually had fun! The second one was for Henry Glass Fabrics with 4 other fabric designers. It was kind of a whirlwind- all 5 of us trying to show our new lines in a 30 minute session! Here are some photos:

(Me and my Henry Glass design director, Harriet.)

Henry Glass designers Dana Brooks, Me, MaryEllen vonHolt, Kari Ramsey, Jill Finley

After School House on Friday afternoon, we ran back to the booth to finish setting up for Saturday morning. Then we went out to dinner with some pals from Henry Glass. A busy, busy, fun day. Then we collapsed into bed- exhausted! And there was still a little work left to do on Saturday morning before the show opened at 9:30, but we managed to get it done.

Photos of my booth:

We picked up a few bags of apples when we got to Houston- the perfect prop for my Apple Blossom Acres fabric line.

Look at these yummy Aurifil threads that I displayed in my booth. Did I mention that I was one of the booths on the Aurifil Booth Hop? It was really fun- I am so glad that I was asked to be part of it! It's just like a Shop Hop- participants get a passport and have to get it stamped at each booth, then at the end they were entered to win lots of prizes. The grand prize was a suitcase full of Aurifil thread! Oh I was wishing that I could enter! Speaking of Aurifil, here is a picture of me and Alex Veronelli from Aurifil:

AND, more Aurifil news later this week.............

I have lots and lots more photos (thanks to Hubby!). Check back for more of the Quilt Market Recap.

Quilt Market Preview and New Product (I'm super excited!!!)

2011-10-27T11:39:00.148-04:00

I wanted to share with you some things I will showing in my booth at Quilt Market this weekend. I have 2 new fabric lines for Henry Glass Fabrics, Apple Blossom Acres which will be in stores any day now:

and I will also be showing A Beautiful Day which will be in stores in November (the panel comes in blue AND Pink):

Some patterns that I designed to coordinate with Apple Blossom Acres:

Amelia looks complicated but it isn't- instead of pesky curved piecing, blocks are appliqued by machine or by hand.

Apple Basket is a pattern for both a quilt and a large tote bag- perfect for your next picnic or hayride.

Little French Hen has a quilt pattern in 2 color ways, plus a really cute appliqued wall hanging.

Summer Breeze looks way more complicated than it is- super easy half-square-triangle construction! In 2 color ways. Isn't it "beachy"?

A new pattern to coordinate with the A Beautiful Day fabric line:

The A Beautiful Day quilt comes in 2 color ways. There are 10 patterns for simple hand embroidery- you choose the 5 that you want to use in the blocks. The blocks are big and made of half-square-triangles- so it is super easy and quick (and baby quilts always seem to get done at the last minute!)

Bonus which I am so excited about- We have digitized the embroidery patterns, so if you have an embroidery machine you can embroider the blocks oh-so-quickly on your machine!!!
The CD for the embroidery patterns will be available probably around mid-November.

All of the patterns are now available on my website.
So that is what is "brand-new." Of course, I will be promoting my book, Fruitful Hands, at the show:

Come back next week for photos and news from the show!

To Market We Go!

2011-10-25T11:43:00.005-04:00

So for a couple of months you've been reading "Market this" and "Market that"... It's finally here! I will be leaving in a day or so and the trade show runs from Saturday through Monday in Houston, Texas. there are piles of stuff in my studio, in the family room, all waiting to be packed up in suitcases (normally I ship all of the stuff for my booth ahead of time, but this time I didn't have anything ready early enough.... so we will be lugging lots of suitcases from the airport to the convention center).

This Quilt Market is going to be especially exciting for me- I will be doing 2 School House sessions (School House sessions run on Friday, the day before the show opens). In the first, I will be talking about my book, Fruitful Hands, for Kansas City Star publishers, and for my second, I and four other Henry Glass Fabrics designers will be talking about our upcoming fabric lines. I am bringing some of my original watercolor paintings to both School House presentations, to show how art gets translated to the printed page and to fabric.

Also, I am going to be part of the Aurifil Booth Hop! This is going to be a lot of fun- show attendees can get a passport from the Aurifil booth (#1356) or my booth (#237) or any of the participating booths, visit all of the booths and get their passport stamped, and then be entered to win a veritable suitcase full of Aurifil Thread! Oh that is a stupendous prize! Have you seen Aurifil thread- the colors are simply gorgeous, and the thread is so easy to work with.

I know many of you don't get to go to Quilt Market, so Thursday I will do a little Market preview for you here on my blog. And of course, there will be lots of photos when I get back. I will try to make you feel like you were there (without the sore feet, of course!) Have a Happy Tuesday.

Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Giveaway- Did you guess correctly??

2011-10-21T15:30:00.015-04:00

The answer is.....
No! I don't think anyone guessed correctly! (and sorry that cover photo was so small- I don't have the actual magazine yet and that photo was all I had.)
A lot of people chose applique blocks, because I do a lot of applique. Maybe I should have given a hint that my block doesn't look like something I typically do.... But I really, really like this block, maybe because it is kind of different from my usual style..... the name of my block is "Neapolitan." Can you guess now??

Stop back on November 8- I will be giving away a free copy (or 2) of the magazine, and showing nifty ways to use this block.
Since no one chose correctly, I chose randomly from all the entries and the winner was..... James-Linda.
She will receive a copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Vol. 1 (The Original- I also had a block in that issue), plus a copy of Country Threads, which also contains one of my designs.

OK- so moving along..... The November Newsletter will go out next week (no, you didn't miss the October issue- I totally missed the entire month. Somehow it just flew right by.) This issue will feature 2 delicious recipes (Ham and Corn Chowder and Apple Upside Cake), plus free place cards for you to print out and use on your Thanksgiving table, a free stitchery pattern (see sneak peek below,) plus a Quilt Market Preview. If you're not signed up yet, you can subscribe in the upper right bar of my blog.

(I just realized that this is my 500th post. Guess I should throw a party or something???)

Visit to the Apple Orchard

2011-10-20T11:57:00.001-04:00

NOTE- This post was supposed to publish way back on the 12th, but for some reason it never posted, and I didn't realize it....... So here it is, a whole week late. Yep, that's kind of lame.

Saturday was a beautiful day. I worked all morning on a sample quilt for Quilt Market (I'm leaving in 2 weeks!) and by the afternoon I needed to get out. So the family hopped in the car and went to a local orchard. (Unfortunately- the farm was NOT called Apple Blossom Acres.... that would have been too perfect.) It was really fun- the perfect, perfect thing to do on a gorgeous October day. We picked a couple of baskets of apples, then when we got home, daughter made an apple crisp.

(I'm not in love with this photo- my eyes are all squinty because I was looking into the sun)

(They have pumpkins at the apple orchard too!)

So, the quilt sample that I mentioned at the top of the post..... I shouldn't have had to make it. When I was designing it, I made a couple of sample blocks, with different measurements, to see which worked best. When I wrote out the pattern, apparently I put in one wrong measurement- it was off by 1/8". But because a Yseam was involved, it didn't work for my sample maker. By the time we figured out the problem, she didn't have time to re-make the sample (she also has a real full-time job- I know, the nerve!) So I spent the last several days working non-stop making the sample myself- kicking myself the whole time because if only I'd have had that measurement correct- the whole thing could have been done by now! So, now you have a glimpse into the glamorous life of professional quilting. Exciting, isn't it????

Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks!! (and maybe a giveaway or 2...)

2011-10-18T11:33:00.015-04:00

I just got a peek at the latest issue of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks....

So why do I mention this? Because not only do I have a block featured in the magazine, but it's also on the cover- WooHoo!!! Can you guess which one it is???? And there will be a blog tour November 7-11, so be sure to check back, I will be giving a way a free issue of the magazine. The issue will be on news stands in November. Just think of all the projects you could make with 100 original blocks.

(As a little "aside"- My block made the cover, but not my name... maybe I should I change my name to "And More", ha ha!)

I actually have 3 blog hops coming up in November, so it will be a busy month here on my blog. And of course, that means lots of opportunities to win prizes and giveaways. I'm just sayin' you might wanna make sure you hang out here next month.

OK, so, really- try to guess which one is my block- I am curious to see if anyone can figure it out. Maybe I will even send a little prize the person who can guess correctly (if a lot of people guess correctly, I'll do a drawing.) Comment with your guess by noon this Friday October 21 EDT. (I must be able to contact you via email- if your address is not included in your profile and you don't want to include your email in your comment, you can email me directly with your address).

Happy HollyDays

2011-10-06T12:24:00.005-04:00

I know it's a bit early to be wishing Happy Holidays, but I wanted to show you a project that I did for the latest issue of Create and Decorate Magazine. It's the Holiday 2011 issue and it will be on news stands any time now. I got my copy last week and it is chock-full of great projects (does anyone know what chock-full means, anyway????). My project is called the Happy Hollydays Table Runner:

It has super simple squares pieced together and a wool applique design in the center. So easy and so cute- You can easily get this done before the holiday season, maybe even make a couple for gifts. (And of course, the fabric is from my Joy, Love, Peace, Noel line.)

I am also working on my free project for the Henry Glass Jolly Holiday Blog Hop. Yes, we are doing it again this year and there will be lots of fun and tons of prizes, so stay tuned. This was really fun last year, and I am glad we are doing it again.

It's hard to believe we are talking about holiday projects already- I'll bet some of you have already been working on some projects, haven't you??? What are they? What do you have planned for this year? Will you start on your projects early, or save everything for the last minute?
(I think I will, despite my best intentions, probably end up doing everything at the last minute. Sigh.)

Quick Post!!!!

2011-10-03T16:20:00.000-04:00

Super Quick Post-
I spent Saturday at the Quilts on High Show in Burlington, NJ. It was supposed to be an outdoor show, but alas, the forecast called for rain and gusty wind, so the show was moved indoors. It was still a great show! I met so many wonderful quilters- Shout Out to all of you I met on Saturday!! Woot! Woot!
Some photos of my booth, taken with my phone (in other words- not fabulous quality photos....)

Also got a few packages on my doorstep last week- including some preliminary print outs for my next fabric line with Henry Glass Fabrics, and some Aurifil Thread (scrumptious!)

It is so chilly here today- I tried not to put the heat on but my fingers were too cold to type so I finally gave in... Yay Autumn is here!

So that's it- TTFN- Tata for now!!

In the Studio this Week....

2011-09-29T11:52:00.007-04:00

Sewing, Sewing, Sewing! and Pattern Writing (I think you know how I feel about that part....)
This time of year is always hectic but exciting. As I start to put together samples for my booth at Quilt Market, I start to get more and more ideas, and then wonder if I will ever get them all done. Of course the answer to that is- no. We can never do everything that's in our heads, not on this earth. anyway. So much fabric, so little time... Do you think there is quilting in heaven?

I have been making samples for my Apple Blossom Acres fabric line. Word is, I might get sample fabric for A Beautiful Day shortly before Market, too. So if that's the case, there will be no sleep here the week before I leave for Houston!

Next week, we are set to go see a college with youngest daughter. It will be her first visit to a college. Exciting and sad at the same time.... sigh.

Saturday I will be a vendor at Quilts on High, a quilt show in Burlington NJ, hosted by Olde City Quilts. There will be vendors and hundreds of quilts on display outdoors. This show has been referred to as "Little Sisters"- isn't that cute! And it's free. So come on out if you get a chance. I will be selling patterns and fabric and autographed copies of my book, Fruitful Hands. I would LOVE to meet YOU!!!

So I yesterday turned around and realized that it was end of September, i.e. time to send out the October Newsletter, and it seems I just sent out the September Newsletter!! Yikes! So, I am working on it, but..... it may end up being an October/November issue. For those of you who have received my previous newsletters (all 2 of them)- what did you think? What was your favorite part? What would you like to see more (or less) of? If you're not a subscriber yet, you can sign up on the top right side bar of my blog.

OK back to work now. Have a Happy Weekend (yes I know it's only Thursday, but I can think about the weekend, can't I??)

De-Stash 4 Malawi (Come along with me.....)

2011-09-26T11:57:00.046-04:00

I want to start out by saying- I LOVE LOVE LOVE this idea. So often we see sad little faces on the news and feel that the world is so unfair and there is so much suffering, but there is nothing we can do. And then we go into self-preservation mode and put it out of our thoughts. I do it, you do it, we all do it- I think it's just human nature. We think, "If I don't think about the suffering, my heart won't hurt." Actually, we probably don't think that consciously, but subconsciously, that desire to push away the sad thoughts (and guilt) is there.

So what if I told you there is something you can do? What if I told you that something really small on your part would put a HUGE smile on a child's face, and in fact, probably change the course of their life. Yes, you really can!

I am talking about De-Stash 4 Malawi:

We are focusing on a mission in Malawi, in southeastern Africa. This work endeavors to clothe and educate the orphaned children and the adults there. Here is a quick peek at the letter from Mrs. Kropf:

I have been measuring children for school uniforms. I have measured a little over 900 of them in the last month. I enjoy this. It gives me a chance to see their little faces and connect some names with faces. I look at these precious little 6 year olds, not quite sure what this Azungu (white person) is going to do, their eyes wide with fright; the 9 year old girls give me shy little smiles; the boys put on a bravado. It was my joy to give them 5 copy books and a bar of soap each.

There are so many teenaged girls in grades 5, 6, and 7, failing many years, and partly because when they become women, they do not have the necessary sanitation means to go to school, so they miss a lot of school. The boys miss a lot of school because they go out looking for odd jobs to buy clothes, shoes, food, etc.

Here is where you and I come in. With fabric yardage, Mrs. Kropf can transform a tee-shirt into a dress for a girl, or create a pair of shorts for a boy. She says:

I made a lot of tee shirt dresses last year, using new material for the bottom and used shirts for the top; I made over 300 of them. That is why new material for dresses and tee shirt dresses is so much appreciated. I can buy material here, but it is not as nice as the states.

I don't want this post to be too long. Go here to get all of the details about the program. There are lots and lots of chances to win books, patterns, and fabric for every yard of fabric you donate! They are also collecting thread. And go here to read the full story about what the Kropf's are doing in Malawi. Trust me- you want to read this story- it will fill your heart with joy and hope that there are people giving so much of themselves and really making a difference. And you and I can be a part of it.....

Don't put it off. Don't intend to do it this weekend. I want you to STOP reading this post right now, go to your stash, and pull some stuff out. Go on, you heard me. Right now. It's OK. I'll wait......

OK Are you back? What did you find??? Some cute and adorable stuff just looking for a really really good home? Here is some of what I am sending, I am still putting my package together:

Please participate! You have until October 15 but I don't want you to wait that long, 'cause we all know what happens to our good intentions. Package it up and get to the post office TODAY.

Here is a little hint from me to you: Fabric is heavy and can be expensive to ship. A much more economical way to ship is to use the Flat Rate Boxes that you get from the post office. It costs the same amount to ship, no matter how much you cram in it (and you don't have to hunt around looking for a box). If you can't fill a box on your own, ask a friend to share one with you. And once you put all of your fabric in the box, if you have just a little room left, you can take it to your local quilt shop and ask them to donate a yard or 2 to "top it off."

Again, click here for the program details.

So come along with me, and from the bottom of my heart- THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Beautiful Day

2011-09-22T12:30:00.012-04:00

Have you seen my new fabric line? It's called A Beautiful Day, and it's a Baby/Toddler themed line. This may be my favorite line to date. I really like the colors- soft but not too pastel-y. And the animals in it are really cute, I had so much fun working on them.

Here is the panel (available in a blue AND a pink colorway):

Some of the coordinates:

You can find a free project sheet here at the Henry Glass website. You will find the fabric in stores in early 2012.

Back to the sewing machine. Lots to do!!

Happy Monday

2011-09-19T12:03:00.001-04:00

OK so this is the point at which I go "underground"- the house is a disaster, meals consist of take out, and I feel just a little like a mole, not seeing much daylight.... I thought I had 7 weeks until Quilt Market in Houston, but I looked at my calendar a couple of days ago, and I have just about 5 weeks.... so...... yeah.... I'm in a little trouble. But everything will get done. I mean, it has to, right?????

So I DID get out of the house this weekend. I did a book signing at a local quilt shop for Fruitful Hands and met lots of nice people. I made a batch of my Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes for everyone to try (the recipe is in my book, and I haven't made them in awhile, and oh were they good.)

When I got to the shop, I got to work putting out all of the sample projects from my book. I hastily put on the Sweet Stuff Apron. OVER my sweater. When I saw this photo of me, I realized that I looked like my body measured 6 FEET ACROSS. And I wore it ALL DAY..... how embarrassing... Oy. (I cropped the photo so I only look 4 feet across, instead of 6).

It has been cool here- in the upper 60's and lower 70's and I love it- good tea-drinking weather. Good chili weather, too..... and chicken pot pie....... and roasted chicken with mashed potatoes....... Maybe I will find some time to make some comfort food for dinner tonight.

What's on your menu for this week???

Are You Ready for Christmas?

2011-09-14T12:04:00.001-04:00

What? You're not??? Well, let's shake a leg, people! Here is a good way to get started on the holiday season- Join the Quilting Gallery Quilt Along! 36 designers, 36 blocks. Here are the details:

Start: September 13, 2011
End: December 1, 2011
Length: 12 weeks
36 designers creating 12" blocks for quilters to make.
Designer profiles, their blocks and a Super Deal for Quilters will be featured each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Quilters will complete the blocks and upload to a Flickr group to share their creations.
Completed quilts and projects made with the quilt-along blocks will be featured in next January’s Weekly Quilt Contests.

Click here to see the featured designers. I am the designer for November 15. How many blocks will you make?

Busy Monday

2011-09-12T11:59:00.001-04:00

Did everyone have a good weekend? Mine was busy busy. But before I forget, I wanted to mention that I am doing a book signing for Fruitful Hands this coming Saturday September 17 from 1-3 pm at Needles and Pins Quilt Shop in Swedesboro, NJ. If you are in the Southern NJ/Philadelphia/Delaware area, stop by- we are going to have fun!

This weekend, I attended the Women of Faith conference in Philadelphia. As always, the music was fabulous and the speakers were great. But my favorite part was listening to Dr. Henry Cloud speak. Wow! What intelligent and useful advice. He spoke about "The Law of Happiness"- turns out, most of the secrets to happiness that have been "discovered" by modern science and research can be found in the Bible. And he spoke about "Necessary Endings"- recognizing those things, either good or bad, that have run their course and we need to leave behind to make room in our lives for new things and new seasons. As soon as I got home, I ordered a few of his books. I will review them for you when I get them and read them.
My second favorite thing about the conference was a comedian called Tim Hawkins who did a show Friday night. I have honestly NEVER laughed so hard in my life. Afterward, my cheeks were twitching because the muscles had been overused! And it is all good clean humor- I think it is much more challenging to be funny if you don't have to rely on obvious crass jokes and curse words. You can look him up on YouTube or find his DVDs on Amazon.

I spent all of last week working with stacks of my Apple Blossom Acres fabric, trying to get ready for Quilt Market. The time is just flying by and panic is setting in just a bit. You can see just a little of a project in the background that I just finished up this morning. There is a lot more I need to get done. A LOT.

I am really glad I cleaned up my studio last week. It is so nice to be able to walk through it without tripping over piles of fabric and half finished projects..... it was getting to the point that I didn't want to be in there anymore, but now that I can find things, work is actually enjoyable again. And I definitely feel better mentally when everything around me is in order- when my environment is clear, my mind is much more clear.

So what am I doing right now, you might ask? Well, at this very moment, I am writing a blog post as a way of putting off writing patterns! I will do anything to get out of the writing part!! Oh well, it must get done. Happy Monday.

The Newsletter is Coming....

2011-09-06T12:16:00.003-04:00

The September newsletter will be sent out tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon. Are you a subscriber yet? If not, it's easy to sign up at the top of the right sidebar here on my blog. In the September issue, there will be an exclusive free project, stitchery pattern, and recipe. Like this....

and this...

and this....

mmmmm... Cranberry Walnut Biscuits with Honey Butter.... made them for breakfast the other day, and they were so good. And very simple (I like simple).

Sign up today and don't miss out!

Also, very importantly, today is daughter's 21st birthday. She and her fiance came by this weekend for a little celebration. We had dinner at a Malaysian restaurant (yummy noodles- my favorite!) Then we came home and for dessert we had this wonderful pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting that younger daughter made.

Then daughter opened some presents and we watched Jane Eyre (even the guys!) I prefer the lightness and humor of Jane Austen to Bronte, but I think the guys prefer the Bronte stories because they are always much more dark and mysterious.

Happy Birthday, Daughter! You are a joy and a delight,

and we have truly been blessed to have you in our lives.

A New Look....

2011-09-01T09:18:00.002-04:00

Oh What a strange week last week was! Thank you for all of your kind and encouraging comments. I am ready to settle back into a schedule and a little normalcy. Oldest daughter went back to college on Tuesday (which was postponed 2 days because of the hurricane.) Youngest daughter goes back to high school today (postponed 1 day.) I now have an engaged-to-be-married college senior and a soon-to-be-driving high school junior. Life moves way too fast!!

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that my blog was getting a new look. What do you think? My youngest daughter thought I needed a more modern look, and she did it all by herself. Well that's it. Now she's made herself completely indispensable, I told her she can NEVER go away to college or leave me for any reason!!! Did anyone ever read the book "Like Water for Chocolate" (I think that's the title) and the youngest daughter is not allowed to married- she has to stay and take care of her parents. Yeah, that's the ticket!!

Speaking of a new look, I spent a few days cleaning out my studio when the electric was out. (You can see photos of my studio here.) Since I couldn't sew or work on the computer, I figured it was the best use of my time. I also recently got a new quilt rack that hubby hung over my cutting table for me.

Problem is, that now it looks so good that I don't want to work in it, for fear of messing it up! I just want to sit in my chair and drink tea and look at it all day!! OK, none of that- time to get to work. I am soooo behind now- didn't realize how behind I was till I made a list last night. Uh-oh, that was an eye opener. Just 8 weeks till Quilt Market. Gotta go mess up the studio now....

PS Something else I am behind on is my September Newsletter. I am working on it and hope to get it out next week. So if you haven't signed up yet, you can do so on the right side bar (at the top.) I got a lot of positive feedback from the last one, so I hope you like this one too!

Hurricane Irene Aftermath

2011-08-28T18:52:00.000-04:00

We survived the hurricane. As I write this from a friend's house, we still have no electricity and no running water. Power has been out for about 20 hours, but we are not expecting to get power back tomorrow, so we will make do. Lots of water in the basement, but a friend from church kindly let us use their generator, so we can keep the freezer going and my husband was able to shop-vac the water out of the basement.
Several bridges and dams in our area washed out- this bridge is about a mile and a half from our house, and we will have to take an alternate route for a while:

Truly, though, we are grateful that we are safe and sound. I am sad to say that a 20 year old girl that my daughter went to high school with was swept away in her car while driving through the storm, and she drowned. It happened only about 3 miles from our house. Just a week ago, a young man (age 21) that we knew was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident. It has been a sad week. It makes us all the more aware of how fragile and tenuous life is. It makes me want to grab my kids and hug them and squeeze them and kiss them, and never ever let them out of my sight. These families are in my prayers.

I don't know when power will be back on. In the meantime, I am cleaning out the studio, throwing away lots of stuff and giving lots of fabric away to friends and to charities. Have a safe and good week.

Fun Friday Silhouette Project

2011-08-26T12:20:00.005-04:00

Look what daughter did! I think it’s sooooo cool. Older daughter is getting ready to move into her first apartment for her senior year at college. (She was supposed to move in on Sunday…. But due to the impending Hurricane, the semester will start 2 days late.) Anyway, she wanted some cool stuff to decorate her apartment with, and of course being a college student she needs to decorate on a very limited budget. She “commissioned” younger daughter to make her something for the wall. Her only condition- that it had to go into an old beat up frame that older daughter had “requisitioned” from my mother’s garage. This was younger daughter’s inspiration:

A photo of a cool sofa from an Anthropologie catalog. It has curved piecing and the seam allowances are on the outside. Here is the link to a tutorial for doing the curved piecing.

To make this project, choose your frame and cut a piece of foam core board to fit in the frame. Go through your stash and find some interesting fabrics. Piece a background that is at least an inch larger than the foam core board. Do any kind of decorative stitching that you would like on the fabric. Daughter did wavy lines. Wrap the fabric around the foam core board and secure. Place in the frame.

Choose a silhouette design that you like (there are tons on the internet). Enlarge it to the size that you need, and trace onto a dark fabric (such as brown, black, or gray.) Cut out. Glue to background. (Of course, you could do this step before you attach the background piece to the foam core board, and you could use fusible webbing or applique it. But since this is a wall hanging, a few small drops of Tacky Glue will work just fine.)

Voila! Totally cool and inexpensive art!

Here on the East Coast, we are hunkering down for Hurricane Irene, which is supposed to hit late Saturday night/early Sunday morning. We are just hoping that the electric does not go out for days and days (as has been known to happen here where we live.) Since we have an electric water pump and lose water whenever the electric goes out, I have been collecting water in every available container I can find for drinking, cooking (luckily we have a gas stove) and flushing the toilet. Hmmm, it's kind of like camping (have I ever mentioned that I hate camping??)
Stay safe and dry, everyone, and have a good weekend.

In the Studio Today....

2011-08-23T12:01:00.002-04:00

Some Friendship Star blocks that I have been working on. Friendship Star is one of my favorite blocks because it's so simple, but when you set it in a quilt it just kind of comes alive and is so effective and has so much "movement." I love the colors in these. Mostly I have been pulling stuff out of my stash for this project... My stash has become large enough that I don't have to shop for fabric very much any more (but I still do...)

And I always know when my fabric is coming from the mill overseas, because I get a phone call from FedEx the day before to let me know that I will need to be home to sign for a delivery. Sure enough, yesterday I got my box of sample yardage for my Apple Blossom Acres fabric, so I can start playing.

I have 6 or 7 quilt designs to go with this line. This week, I have to start writing all of those patterns (yuck), and start my piecing so I can get it all done by Quilt Market which is in October. Luckily, I got my fabric really early, so I have a good amount of time to get it all done. Thank goodness! It's so much harder when you get your fabric like, 2 or 3 weeks before Market! And you always seem to get your best ideas about 2 days before you hop on the plane! Always! I guess because those creative juices are really flowing, and you always end up wishing you had thought of whatever about 2 weeks earlier....

Also this week, daughter has 2 bridal shop appointments (hoping that this week we can decide on the dress and order it- I love checking things off of my list!) Right now, there are 3 dresses that are serious contenders... On Thursday, I have an appointment with local a quilt shop- I am partnering with them to develop a new product, so hopefully all will go well and I'll be sharing with you soon.
Happy Tuesday!

Birthday Reflections....

2011-08-18T11:59:00.027-04:00

My kids made me this fabulous chocolate pie for my birthday on Tuesday. It's one of the best desserts I've ever eaten (and I've tried a lot of desserts in my lifetime...)

It was low calorie and low fat (not), and they found the recipe in a Southern Living Cook Book (which, as you know, automatically disqualifies it for being low calorie OR low fat.) We went to dinner at Outback Steakhouse. I had the tilapia. Because, frankly, I'm not there for the steak. I'm there for the Bloomin' Onion and baked sweet potato with honey butter and cinnamon. (I also have it under good authority that in the REAL outback, they do not eat Bloomin' Onions....)

I spent the day relaxing and reflecting. I have been reading a book called Creating Your Best Life, about setting life goals. When you get to be my age (I have not yet mentally recovered from turning 40, and 50 seems to be approaching with unbelievable and alarming speed), life goals and priorities seem to become more and more important. Over the last few years, my life seems to have been lacking balance. Which is funny, because as my kids become older and more self-sufficient (they are almost 21 and 16 1/2), you would think that I'd have more free time. Not so. I have become busier and busier with work. Which is good, because I really like what I do and I am so glad that I get to do it. But I can tend to have tunnel vision, and as I spend more time working, other things tend to fall to the wayside.

Over the last several months, I have tried to make more of an effort to do stuff just for fun, instead of locking myself up in my office and studio all the time. There have been more trips to the beach and to the flea market and craft shows. It's good because being in a creative field, I think that your work should be an overflow of your personal life and passions. And when you let the stuff that you love to do for fun & that fills up your soul get pushed out of the way, not only does life become dull and boring, but so does your work. I am still striving for balance, it is an everyday challenge.

So anyhow, writing down your life goals is really exciting. I have found that it fills me with hope and anticipation. You are supposed to write down 100 life goals- I got to about 70 and I can't imagine coming up with more. But over the next days and weeks, I probably will. Some of my goals are really simple and can be done in a day or two. For example, even though I'm a pretty good cook, I've never been able to make a really great steak- so that is one of my goals to accomplish soon. I would also like to take a ballroom dance class (which is a little harder, because it will involve convincing my husband to come along!) I have a lot of personal and family goals and hopes and wishes. And of course, work and career related goals- again, some will take a little bit of time, and some will probably take years.

I know I said that writing all of my goals fills me with hope. But there is just a little part of me that wonders if I still have time for it all. In order to keep myself from feeling overwhelmed with what I have left "to do" with my life, I decided to write down some of the goals that I have already accomplished in my 40+ years: Married for 22 years. Raised 2 GREAT kids. Published a book. Designed fabric. Live in a house that I love. Writing this list made me extremely grateful for the life that I have lived until now. And it helps me keep perspective, because when I get down and discouraged, I can look at my list and see that there is always something to be thankful for.

I recommend the above mentioned book, and also there is a website called SuperViva, where you can make your own "bucket list" (list of things you want to do before you "kick the bucket") and see other people's lists for inspiration. C'mon- try it.....

Hey Babe- It's Time for the County Fair

2011-08-15T11:14:00.003-04:00

(BTW, let me start out by saying that I do realize that by putting the word "Babe" in my post title, I am opening myself up for a slew of spam comments here.)
One of my favorite things about summer is the county fair. I will admit it unabashedly- we have a great fair! A couple of weeks ago we went to the county fair for the neighboring county, and it just paled in comparison (and they charged an unconscionable $10 for parking! Ours is only $5.00). The best part of the fair is all of the animals. CAUTION: MANY MANY PHOTOS OF LIVESTOCK AHEAD. Please indulge me- I am just a sucker for the big brown eyes.

Piles of piggies:

What do you get when you put 20 kids in a pen with 19 piglets, and the kids have to try to catch a pig? The Pig Scramble, of course:

What? You say you want to see more livestock photos???

Lamancha Dairy goats are born with little tiny ears.

A Nigerian Dwarf goat kid- my favorite.

Miniature horses were very popular this year.

There were some gorgeous poultry specimens (hard to get a good photo through the caging, though.)

Of course, you can't have a fair without the Home Ec competitions. There were baking, flower arrangement, quilt, photography, artwork, needlework and scrapbook exhibits (didn't get photos of those.)
Produce:

A nice display of restored antique tractors:

Can't have a county fair without funnel cake and ice cream....

(thanks to hubby for the great photos.)
Happy Summer!!

Wednesday Stuff and This & That

2011-08-10T12:06:00.005-04:00

Are you a quick sew-er or a slow sew-er?? I am a slooooowwwwww sew-er. No matter how I try to speed things up, it seems to take me forever to make a few blocks. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that my chair is uncomfortable so I'm always finding some excuse to get up and stretch..... and I like to press my blocks more than I like sewing them.... is that weird??? I just like the satisfaction of getting a seam nice and flat. I confess: I am a very aggressive presser!! And I'm addicted to my steam setting!! So anyway, I made these adorable little blocks the other day.

Love the colors, they remind me of sherbet. Yummy. Still working on the embroidery part of this design, that's gonna take me quite a while.

I love the beautiful photography that you see in magazines (hence, my addiction.) As if the magazines weren't enough, now I can just go the the Better Homes and Gardens website and see more.... It's a dangerous thing....
I want to do this to the spare bedroom:

And I think this would look great at the beach house (living room is the next room to get done):

And I am a sucker for repainted scruffy old cabinets AND pears, so, yeah:

Yep, I could just get lost on that website...

Daughter and hubby decided that my blog needed an updated look, so recently they have been busy working on a blog makeover. Yesterday, daughter showed me what she came up with, and it looks so great.... she spent a really long time on it, and she is so, so talented. It amazes me what she can do at the age of 16- and she is completely self taught. I am gushing, but really, my kids just knock me over with their creativity sometimes.... I think the "new and improved" blog will make its appearance at the end of this month.

It's Time to Announce ALL of the Winners....

2011-08-08T12:09:00.071-04:00

Thank you for all of your wonderful comments during the tour. I went through and re-read them, and it so warmed my heart that you all had such kind things to say. Your support has meant so much to me. I really wish that I could send a book to every single one of you!I have really enjoyed sharing this little journey with you..... But boy am I tired! It's kind of like coming home from a whirlwind vacation- you had a great time and you have wonderful memories, but you are pooped out!

So I know you are thinking, yeah yeah, blah blah blah, WHO WON???? I have sent emails to all of the winners. So without further ado, the winners, chosen at random, are:
Day 1- Quiltma
Day 2- Heather R.
Day 3- Ramona
Day 4- Barb
Day 5- Katie M.

Winners from other giveaways were:
Pat Sloan's winner- Cathie L.
Natalie Lymer- Becky R.

I haven't received the names for the winners on the other blogs yet. As I mentioned, the winners have been sent emails. If you didn't get one, I'm so sorry! But thanks for touring with us!
If you didn't win and you'd like to purchase a copy of the book, there are several places where it is available:

My Website
Amazon
Kansas City Star Website

And of course- it is available in your favorite local quilt shop! (If it isn't, be sure to ask them to order it.....)

If you are a shop owner, the book is available through Checker, Moda (United Notions), or directly from Kansas City Star (email me and I'll send you the contact information).

So now that the HOOPLA has died down, I am spending some time today working on a project for my next book. (I will let you in on a little secret- I just submitted the proposal a few days ago, and I haven't heard back yet.... but I am so excited about this little project that I'm working on it on faith that it will be in the next book....) This morning I went through my stash for some fabrics:

Hmmm.... definitely needs more orange.... guess I'll have to go to the quilt shop this week.... don't you just HATE when that happens?....

This weekend, I started doing some embroidery for the project:

After years of denial and eye strain, and with my birthday approaching next week, I finally broke down and wore these:

Yep, the magnifiers have been in my desk drawer for 2 years... but I have managed to talk myself out of wearing them. But finally, this weekend, I could resist no longer. I did a little stitching Saturday night and my eyes were just so out of focus, I couldn't see what I was doing. The next night, I put on the glasses.... and I could see how terrible my stitching was from the night before! I guess I just have to accept it, that these are now a necessary tool in my everyday life! Blech!

Book Blog Tour Day 5

2011-08-05T00:01:00.180-04:00

It's the last day of the tour-phew! Thanks for sticking with me! I have really enjoyed reading all of your comments. Leave a comment on this post by midnight ~~Saturday~~ Sunday EDT (you get 2 extra days this time!) for your chance to win a copy of my book! And remember that I will list ALL of the winners of my giveaways here on my blog on Monday, so be sure to check in to see if you're a winner.

This has been a dream come true- I have known for a long time that I wanted to do a book, and it took me a while to put it all together in my head, to figure out just what I wanted it to be. I knew I wanted to paint my own illustrations for diagrams and to "decorate" the book, and I knew I wanted to add some recipes, because the kitchen is an important part to my creative life. I loved putting this book together. As I mentioned, it started in my head about 4 years ago, and it has been a lesson in patience and persistence for me. What I liked most is that it has let me combine so many things that I love doing into one project- sewing, cooking, painting. It was really fun (and sometimes challenging ) to come up with a good balance of projects and recipes, and then paint all of the diagrams and illustrations to go with them.
Someone asked in a comment the other day what part I enjoy most, and I would have to say, all of it... When I'm tired of sewing I do a little painting, and vice versa. As far as the food, my family is always ready and willing to taste and test.... the only thing I don't like about it is actually sitting down to write the pattern, and then the endless proofing when it is time to edit. But the fun of creating new projects and recipes far outweighs that part.

The first project that I worked on, before I ever had the nerve to even THINK about submitting a proposal to a publisher, was the Pineapple Welcome Wall Hanging. I made this sample probably 3 or 4 years ago, knowing in the back of my mind that "someday" it would be in my book:

Another project that I did early on was the Citrus Peel Quilt- I really like the refreshing colors in it. It does not match a single room in my house.... so maybe some redecorating is in order?

And the recipe? Orange Chocolate Chip Scones.

I am happy to announce that today is Sandi Andersen's day for the blog tour!

Her blog is called A Legacy of Stitches. Sandi is the only person on my blog tour that I have never met face to face- but I consider her a dear friend. We "met" while blogging, and have sent many, many emails back and forth, as well as packages stuffed with fabric, little gifts, etc. Last week I got a package from Sandi...

....and I just LOVED what was inside- it's honestly one of the nicest things anyone has ever given me. She made me this cute little pin cushion from my Sewing Room Social fabric, I will always cherish it (and I cried a little when I opened it- which is really rare for me):

Want to learn to make this pincushion? Click here to go to the tutorial on Sandi's blog.

Sandi is another one of those "Energizer Bunny" type of people! She is always sewing something, blogging something, hosting or attending a retreat, doing volunteer work.... I don't think she ever sits still. She often designs projects for her favorite quilt shop, Firefly Quilt Shop in nearby Mankato, Minnesota. I sent her a big box of Sewing Room Social fabric, and Wow! has she been busy... some of the projects she has made:

A mug rug- click here for Sandi's tutorial.

a sewing kit

a tote bag (love this one!)

a wallet

Sandi is the perfect person to help me finish up my blog tour, because the theme of her blog has a connection to my book theme. Her quilting blog was inspired by the women who shared their creativity .......her mother, Mary, Grandma Goldie, Aunt Marie and so many more ladies in her hometown of Lehigh, Iowa.

Several years ago, she began sharing the vintage quilts her parents bought at estate auctions and some family quilts along with her own designs, in a program she calls "A Legacy of Stitches". If you check out her blog, you'll find a poem that shares her thoughts on those quilts and quilters who inspired her. Every Monday, Sandi has a post called "What's On the Line" where she shares an antique or vintage quilt from her vast collection. It's the perfect platform for her natural story telling ability, when she shares her memories related to the quilt and some of its background.

(Sandi and I have talked before about trying to get these outdoor photos while the Minnesota wind was blowing- I think we came up with the term "aerobic quilting" ha ha.)

Click here to join Sandi on her blog today for another chance to win a copy of my book and ~~some~~ A LOT other goodies that Sandi is generously sharing with the winner.

Monday: Brenda Riddle of Acorn Quilt and Gift Company
Jill Finley of Jillily Studio
Tuesday: Pat Sloan of, well, everything!
Wednesday: Natalie Lymer of Cinderberry Stitches
Thursday: Michele Foster of The Quilting Gallery
Friday: Sandi Andersen of A Legacy of Stitches

Thanks to everyone who came along for the tour!

Have a great weekend!

Book Blog Tour Day 4

2011-08-04T00:01:00.085-04:00

It's day 4- are you still with me? The giveaway today is an assortment of buttons, charms, beads and note cards:

To enter, leave a comment on this post by midnight EDT tonight! Tomorrow you will have another chance to win a different prize, so stop back! (By the way- I will be announcing ALL of the winners here on Monday- so stay tuned to see if you've won....)

Today I am sharing a couple more projects from my book. The quilt featured on the cover is called the House on a Hill Quilt, and it's my favorite project:

The embroidered border at the bottom says:

A house is built of walls and beams,

A home is built with love and dreams.

Another favorite project from my book is the Sweet Stuff apron. Cupcakes are the latest greatest thing- so why not wear them? It has my favorite colors, red and pink-

And if you're going to wear them, you might as well eat them, so there is a recipe for chocolate peanut butter cupcakes (and if you eat too many, you really will be WEARING them, if you know what I mean!) When I was testing this recipe for the book, I lost track of how many batches I made. We ate a lot of them.

Today is Michele's turn for the blog hop. I met Michele (aka Mishka) at a Quilt Market a couple of years ago (you see why we all love going to Market- you meet so many cool people!)

Michele is the brain and creative force behind Quilting Gallery- which is pretty much a Quilting Universe! Visit Michele's blog for the weekly contest- submit an entry for that week's theme, or vote for your favorite. This week's theme is Log Cabins- if you'd like to enter, you have until midnight tonight to get your photos in, then voting starts tomorrow. The winner receives a prize from that week's sponsor, such as gift certificates to online shops, and fabric, patterns, and books. Back in April, I sponsored the Applique Contest and gave fabric and patterns as a prize. There were so many beautiful entries... On her blog, Michele also talks about the quilts she is working on and other stuff going on in the Quilting Universe.

At Quilting Gallery, you can find a huge listing of quilt bloggers, quilt guilds, shops, free projects and tutorials, forums and more- I told you it was a whole Quilting Universe!! You can easily lose yourself on Michele's site for hours at a time.

To visit Michele's blog for the Book Blog Tour, click here.

Today Michele is giving away a copy of my book, plus an Aurifil thread sample pack and glue stick.

Tomorrow is the last day for the book tour, make sure you stop by all of these great blogs:

Monday: Brenda Riddle of Acorn Quilt and Gift Company
Jill Finley of Jillily Studio
Tuesday: Pat Sloan of, well, everything!
Wednesday: Natalie Lymer of Cinderberry Stitches
Thursday: Michele Foster of The Quilting Gallery
Friday: Sandi Andersen of A Legacy of Stitches

Book Blog Tour Day 3

2011-08-03T00:01:00.081-04:00

It's day 3 of the book tour- I hope you are all having fun. Today's prize is a fabric and pattern kit for a table runner and set of 4 place mats for my Joy, Love, Peace, Noel fabric line. To enter, leave a comment on this post by midnight tonight (EDT). Good luck! Be sure to stop back tomorrow for a chance to win yet another prize.

I thought that today I would tell you a little about my inspiration for my book, Fruitful Hands.

The idea for this book started in my head about 4 years ago. I was thinking about a bunch of different projects that revolved around a fruit theme. I was also thinking about the Fruits of the Spirit as described in the Bible, in Galatians 5:22-23:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

I thought about the word longsuffering, in other words, patience; and by extension, perseverance. I thought about not expecting everything to come easily and with little effort. And I thought about the women who came before me, who were creative out of necessity. They couldn't just run to Wal-mart when Junior had outgrown his coat and winter was approaching. Maybe they'd have to sell some eggs to raise the funds, or maybe they'd have to patch something together from whatever they had around the house or cabin. I thought about pioneer women making do with whatever they could find. I thought about my own grandmother, making her own clothes, and my own mother, making dinner from whatever happened to be left in the refrigerator (and it was usually pretty good!) Generally, women in the past HAD to be creative to survive. Today, most of us can run to the store to pick up whatever we need. While our foremothers had to sew and quilt and cook out of necessity, we now get to do those things as enjoyable hobbies. We don't have to be creative to survive- but we can instead turn those creative urges into making things just for fun- what a blessing.

One of the projects in my book which is an homage to making do is actually called a make-do. The tag on mine says "patience" to remind me daily that I need to work on that attribute! In the book, you will also find patterns for other tags, such as love, joy, peace, kindness and faithfulness.

How about covering an old binder that you have lying around the house with some bits of fabric, and turning into a recipe binder for yourself, or as a perfect shower gift. In the book, I suggest collecting recipes from shower guests before the day of the party, and then assembling them into a keepsake recipe binder for the bride-to-be:

Do you like to do punchneedle? If so, maybe you would like to work on this Cheery Cherry Pillow:

And the recipe: Cherry Cheese Tart with Almond Oatmeal Crumble. Yum!

Today, stop by and say hi to Natalie of Cinderberry Stitches. Natalie lives in Australia and is mom to a beautiful little blond haired angel- I think we know where she gets some of her inspiration from! I "met" Natalie through blogging, and then got to meet her in person last fall in Houston at Quilt Market.

She has a new book out, also, called Cotton Floss. To see lots of images from Cotton Floss, click here.

Natalie's style is so cute- little fairy girls, owls, toadstools.... She does lots and lots of embroidery- she has such a unique and adorable style. I just want to make every single one of her projects!!

She also just started designing fabric, her first line will be called "Woodland" for Lecien, so be on the lookout for that!

Again, to get to Natalie's blog for the book tour, click here.

There will be a giveaway on Natalie's blog to win a copy of my book!

Make sure you stop by these fun blogs this week....
Monday: Brenda Riddle of Acorn Quilt and Gift Company
Jill Finley of Jillily Studio
Tuesday: Pat Sloan of, well, everything!
Wednesday: Natalie Lymer of Cinderberry Stitches
Thursday: Michele Foster of The Quilting Gallery
Friday: Sandi Andersen of A Legacy of Stitches

Book Blog Tour Day 2

2011-08-02T00:02:00.029-04:00

It is Day 2 of our book tour! Today the prize I am giving away is a collection of 5 of my patterns. Comment on this post by midnight tonight (EDT) for your chance to win- then make sure you stop back tomorrow for another chance to win a different prize.

A little more about my book.... I mentioned that is has 12 recipes. I love being creative in the kitchen- in fact, I have a very hard time following a recipe.... I am always thinking, oh this would be good with peaches instead of raspberries, or, I have olives but not capers, or, what if I add BACON...... I am always thinking of ways to do different variations on a dish, or how to combine 2 dishes into one, or, most often- how to turn whatever I happen to have in the refrigerator into something good for dinner. To me, cooking should be about making food with love. You don't have to be a chef or go to culinary school to be a good cook. You just have to love making things that the special people in your life will enjoy (kind of like quilting....)

Some of you have already seen the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes in the book. How about Spiced Pear Upside-Down Cake with Ginger Cream Sauce (I will tell you, I LOVE that cream sauce- I want to pour it over everything). Cherry Cheese Tart with Almond Oatmeal Crumble. Creamy Curried Apple and Butternut Squash Soup. I am getting hungry now.... My husband and I did the food styling and the photography for the recipes in the book. It is fun getting the props together, but sometimes it can be challenging to set up the photo and get the lighting right, and make the food look as good as it tastes.

See some sample pages from the book here.

Today, make sure you also visit with the fabulous Pat Sloan! Pat is the Queen of Everything Quilt-y! You can find Pat at her website, her blog, and every Monday, catch up with her as she hosts the American Patchwork and Quilting Radio show. I really enjoy the show- it is always so interesting to hear from other people in the quilting and creative world. She also has a monthly crafting radio show.

Pat is the Energizer Bunny of the quilt world- she says she occasionally sleeps, but I'm not sure I believe her. (I may be mistaken, but possibly liberal doses of coffee have something to do with it??) If you'd like to meet Pat in person, check out her events page to see where she will turn up next....
Pat's latest book is called Redwork with a Twist, and the projects are darling! I really love it!

Pat's latest fabric line is called Simple Stitches, and there are 5 FREE patterns available!

So here is the link again to Pat's Blog for the Book Tour.

There is a giveaway for a copy of the book on Pat's Blog this week.
Make sure you stop by and say Hello!
Pat loves meeting new people!

Here is the line up for the whole week. And in case I haven't said it- THANK YOU to all of my wonderful and supportive Blog Buddies for joining me this week....

Monday: Brenda Riddle of Acorn Quilt and Gift Company
Jill Finley of Jillily Studio
Tuesday: Pat Sloan of, well, everything!
Wednesday: Natalie Lymer of Cinderberry Stitches
Thursday: Michele Foster of The Quilting Gallery
Friday: Sandi Andersen of A Legacy of Stitches

Book Blog Tour Day 1

2011-08-01T00:01:00.157-04:00

Welcome, everyone! I am so happy to have you here with me today. This week is going to be a lot of fun. Make sure you stop back here every day- I will be giving away a different prize each day. Plus, many of the participants in my blog hop will be doing giveaways, too- You will have lots of chances to win an autographed copy of my book, fabric, patterns, and more.
In case you don't already know, my first book was just released by Kansas City Star. It's called Fruitful Hands and it is loaded with quilt, embroidery, punchneedle, and wool projects, plus 12 wonderful recipes. Later this week I will be giving you more sneak peeks into the book.

Today's giveaway here on my blog is a fabric and pattern kit to make this wall hanging from my Sewing Room Social fabric line. To enter, leave a comment on this post by midnight tonight (EDT).

As I mentioned, I will be giving away prizes everyday. You can enter to win every day for that day's giveaway only (each giveaway will close at the end of that particular day.) So, you have to come back each day for another chance to win (aren't I sneaky....)

Now, let me tell you about my 2 special "guests" today! I am so happy and proud to have both of these wonderful designers participating in my book tour.

Brenda Riddle is the owner of Acorn Quilt and Gift Company. I met Brenda a few years ago at Portland Quilt Market. I had been designing patterns for a while and I decided to visit the show and walk around to see what it was like and decide if I wanted to exhibit the next year. Brenda was so kind to me and extremely helpful, answering all of my zillions of questions! I immediately felt like she was a long time friend. She has always been so generous with her advice. (In fact, you will find her listed on the Acknowledgments page of my book....) She lives in sunny Arizona with her furry son, Bailey:

If you like a soft romantic, cottage vintage look, you will adore Brenda's style. A few of her patterns:

Brenda also designs the most scrumptious fabrics for Lecien. Her latest line, Durham Anew- I just want to roll around in it!! If Elizabeth Bennett or Elinor Dashwood (c'mon, you Jane Austen fans) were around today, this is what they would be quilting and decorating with:

Also today, meet Jill Finley from Jillily Studio. Jill is a fellow Kansas City Star author AND Henry Glass Fabrics designer. Her booth at this past Spring Quilt Market was a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e!! She even won a prize! She set up an old fashioned soda counter and was handing out scoops of sorbet on little tiny ice cream cones- so creative, and so delicious. Jill is so nice and fun and friendly- a typical Utah girl, I think! What I love about Jill's style is that the colors are so fresh with liberal doses of RED- my favorite color.

Her latest fabric line from Henry Glass is called Sorbet Garden (so now you see why she was handing out sorbet at her booth!) The name is perfect- totally refreshing!

Stop by all of the blogs this week and meet my friends-

Monday: Brenda Riddle of Acorn Quilt and Gift Company
Jill Finley of Jillily Studio
Tuesday: Pat Sloan of, well, everything!
Wednesday: Natalie Lymer of Cinderberry Stitches
Thursday: Michele Foster of The Quilting Gallery
Friday: Sandi Andersen of A Legacy of Stitches

In the Studio this Week....

2011-07-29T11:59:00.036-04:00

This week has been spent mostly at my computer. I even went to the library yesterday to work, because the internet there is much faster than my connection at home, and I was getting impatient! But that's OK- I took daughter out for her first driving lesson since she got her permit the other day (she did just fine), and then we went to the Amish Farmer's Market and had a healthy lunch (what? it had mushrooms on it- that's a vegetable).

I did get my shipment from The Gentle Art of their newest thread colors. It is always an exciting day when the mailman brings the envelope from them! As usual, I love the colors and can't wait to come up with some designs for them:

I have shown this in the past but I thought I'd show it again, my father-in-law made me this beautiful thread rack for the wall- it fits in my studio perfectly, and it makes it so easy to find just the exact right color of thread when I am putting a project together:

I also spent a good chunk of time this week working on my first newsletter, which I sent out yesterday. I did some extra little bits of art for it, drew up a free little stitchery pattern, put together a note card design that can be printed out, and had to figure out how to use the template, etc. (thank goodness for my techie husband- who did the bulk of that part). All in all, it was a lot of fun to put together. I hope everyone enjoyed it. I'd like to say that the newsletter will be a monthly thing.... but you know how that goes. I would say that the schedule is TBD and subject to change!

Finally, I have been spending a lot of time this week getting ready for my book blog tour next week. The designers I have lined up for the tour are really great- I am so happy to have all of them along. I'm sure you will enjoy "meeting" all of them and I hope that if you are not already, you will become devoted followers of their blogs- you won't want to miss out... Make sure you check in here Monday for the first day of the tour and for your chance to win LOTS of giveaways, such as books, fabric, patterns.....

Monday: Brenda Riddle of Acorn Quilt and Gift Company
Jill Finley of Jillily Studio
Tuesday: Pat Sloan of, well, everything!
Wednesday: Natalie Lymer of Cinderberry Stitches
Thursday: Michele Foster of The Quilting Gallery
Friday: Sandi Andersen of A Legacy of Stitches

Have a wonderful weekend!

Beach House Decorating

2011-07-27T12:05:00.006-04:00

We have been working on decorating the beach house that we bought from my parents a couple of years ago, and we have done most of it on a shoestring budget. The house that began as "shabby" is slowly becoming "chic", thanks to many trips to the flea market, and innumerable cans of spray paint. Our latest project has been making some wall decor.

I made some outlines of fish on sheets of newspaper, and then had my father-in-law cut out the shapes from scrap wood. Then, the wooden shapes sat around for about a year, give or take a few months. Finally, I got my kids to paint them up.

Younger daughter set to work painting (hint- when you are impatient, like us, use a hairdryer to dry acrylic paint almost instantly):

These went on the wall above the bed in one of the bedrooms:

Back in the spring, a storm threw a bunch of debris up onto the beach, but for us, it was treasure found. A piece of painted green scrap wood became a very cute sign in the hands of oldest daughter:

We added more painted fish to make a grouping in another of the bedrooms:

One of our next projects will be to clean up and paint these vintage metal lawn chairs- I'm thinking cherry red, what do you think?

What are some of your favorite thrifty decorating tips- I'd love to know!

Don't forget to sign up the newsletter! Lots of goodies included that are exclusive to subscribers. Sign up at the top right side bar of my blog. Click here for a preview of the first issue.

Also, don't forget the book blog tour next week, featuring these fabulous "guests" (I feel like Johnny Carson- wow, I'm dating myself... maybe I should have said Conan...)

Sandi Anderson of A Legacy of Stitches
Brenda Riddle of Acorn Quilt and Gift Company
Jill Finley of Jillily Studio
Michele Foster of The Quilting Gallery
Natalie Lymer of Cinderberry Stitches
Pat Sloan, quilting queen extraordinaire

Coming Soon...

2011-07-25T12:02:00.029-04:00

Did you all have a good weekend? It was miserably hot here- other than going to church on Sunday morning, we stayed in the whole weekend. I got a lot of work done on Saturday, and then Sunday, despite my best intentions to do more work, I ended up on the couch watching movies and reading magazines, just enjoying some relaxation (and the air conditioning.) So, actually, a pretty good weekend despite the oppressive heat and humidity. Someone told me they heard August would be worse, but I don't see how! (For those of you in the Southern Hemisphere- I suppose you are drinking lots of tea and making soup and trying to stay warm. Isn't it odd and wonderful how the internet makes us feel so close to one another even though we are literally a world apart??)

So..... I have a few new things to announce. The first thing, I am really looking forward to and have been wanting to do for quite a while. I will be putting out a newsletter. I'd like to say it will be monthly, but we'll just see how it goes! Of course, the newsletter will have information about new designs and upcoming events such as workshops and classes, but it will also have FUN and FREE stuff, too. The first newsletter will be coming out at the end of this week, and it will feature...

a free note card design, available exclusively to newsletter subscribers. Just print out, fold, and voila! super adorable stationary, send a hand written note to someone special and make their day (don't you like getting real mail nowadays, instead of just email?) This design features artwork which was used in my Sewing Room Social fabric line....

and the newsletter will also include this recipe, perfect for using up all of the delicious and bountiful summertime fruit (again, for those of you on the other side of the world, you could use apples, pears, canned cherries...) Daughter made these for brunch on Saturday and they were delicious:

You can sign up for the newsletter at the top of the right side bar of my blog (isn't that easy??) And it is totally FREE. So, no excuses not to sign up! NOTE: if you are having trouble signing up, email me and I will add your name to the list.

Now, the next big thing is something I am really excited about.... Next week we will be having a book blog tour to celebrate the release of my first book, Fruitful Hands. I have a really great assortment of quilt-y, blog-y friends participating.

Sandi Anderson of A Legacy of Stitches
Brenda Riddle of Acorn Quilt and Gift Company
Jill Finley of Jillily Studio
Michele Foster of The Quilting Gallery
Natalie Lymer of Cinderberry Stitches
Pat Sloan of, well, everything!

So you can see why I am so excited... It's going to be lots of fun and there will be tons of giveaways (really, literally, I weighed them...)

So make sure you sign up for the newsletter and stop back next week for the tour- you won't want to miss it (hmmm, I feel like I am starting to sound like an infomercial...)

Finally... Click here or on the button on the right side bar to see my newest fabric line, Apple Blossom Acres, which will be available in quilt shops around October. I have designed some really cute quilt patterns to go with the line... now I just have to get my hands on the fabric so I can start making up some samples....

Finding a Good Home for My Stash...

2011-07-22T12:04:00.004-04:00

My studio is getting more and more cluttered. Is there such a thing as too much fabric? I am loathe to admit it, but I think the answer might be yes...
I have more than I can ever use. But most of the fabric in my stash is just so pretty I hate to get rid of it. I think I would feel better about the purge if I know that it's going to a good home.
I received an email yesterday from the International Association of Professional Quilters* with a list of organizations that take fabric donations. What a great idea. Here are a few of their ideas:

Project Linus is dedicated to making security blankets for babies, children and teens in need. Volunteers will turn your stash into quilts.

Haiti Peace Quilts. This organization establishes and supports independent women's quilting cooperatives. In addition to helping the women build a business, Haiti Peace Quilts markets one-of-kind art quilts in the United States. The cooperatives need donations of fabric and other quilting supplies.

Prayers and Squares. This interfaith outreach organization combines the gift of prayer with the gift of a hand-tied quilt. Individual chapters around the world need fabric, batting and other supplies.

And an additional charity that is a personal favorite of mine:
Quilts for Kids. This organization's mission statement: Transforming discontinued, unwanted and other fabrics into patchwork quilts that comfort children with life-threatening illnesses and children of abuse.

Yes, I think some of my fabric could definitely find a new home, it could be put to good use rather than sitting on my shelves. Time to clean out- I guess I know what I am doing this weekend!

*Morna McEver Golletz is the founder and CEO of the International Association of Professional Quilters, an association to help quilters, fiber artists and other creative arts entrepreneurs build business success. Her weekly e-zine offers tips, techniques and inspiration to help you craft business success from your creative arts passion. You can sign up for a F.R.E.E. subscription at http://www.professionalquilter.com.

I Am A Calendar Girl!

2011-07-20T12:05:00.000-04:00

I am Miss August! Well..... my quilt is, that is. My Spin-Off quilt is the August Quilt in the

American Patchwork and Quilting 2012 Calendar.

It all started about a year ago, when our family was getting ready to leave for a 12 day trip to England. About 3 hours before we were to leave for the airport, I got an email from one of the editors at APQ asking if I would like to have my quilt included in the calendar, and could I have the quilt to them in a few short weeks. Of course, I said YES, and wondered how I was going to get this quilt made and quilted and bound and shipped to them by the deadline, considering I would be an ocean away for the next week and a half.... and I had designed it with my Sewing Room Social fabric in mind, but at the time I did not have the actual fabric yet, (and it wouldn't be available from the mill for another 6 weeks or so), so I would have to find similar fabrics to make the quilt. (I'm so glad I was home to receive and reply to their email...)

So..... we went to England and had a wonderful time. We got back at about 11 pm on a Monday, and on Tuesday morning at about 8 am, I was on my way to my favorite fabric shop, about an hour and a half away. Got everything I needed, and got to work!!

The calendar comes with a booklet with instructions for all 12 quilts. If you can't find the calendar at your favorite quilt shop, you can call 800-826-4707 to order one.

Also, make sure you check back here the first week of August for my book tour. Visit lots of great blogs and get several chances to win a free copy of my book, Fruitful Hands. It's going to be fun!!

Lost and Found

2011-07-15T08:38:00.000-04:00

Lost- First half of July, 2011. Inexplicably disappeared without a trace. If found, please return to

Jacquelynne Steves. (Seriously.... where did it go???? Has anyone seen it??)

Found- One giveaway winner. Location: Lake Pulaski, Minnesota. Name: Mary.

Hobbies: Quilting and Fabric Obsession (OK that's just an assumption- I figure Mary is probably just like the rest of us).

In the studio this week:

Daughter (who has a thing about making aprons- we have quite a collection now) made an apron with Union Jack theme- her own design. It came out very cute:

I have been working on some artwork:

I think I finally decided how I want to do the borders on my green quilt, with that great Pat Sloan fabric I showed you a couple of weeks ago:

Ahead- a blissfully unscheduled weekend- should I catch up on laundry? clean the bathrooms? take a trip to the farmer's market?? Probably should get in some work AND play (balance is so difficult for me- I am such an all-or-nothing person. Either I want to play all day and my house stays a wreck, or I work myself into the ground and my house looks great and I am a wreck!)

What are you doing this weekend?

A few more hours for the Giveaway...

2011-07-13T07:36:00.000-04:00

You have just a few more hours to enter the giveaway for my new book, Fruitful Hands! Click here to enter. I know I said I'd announce the winner today, but the contest goes till noon EDT today, so I'll announce it on Friday.

In the meantime, yesterday I took a ride to one of my favorite quilt shops, Olde City Quilts in Burlington, NJ. Such a great shop- and Judy and Eva have been so supportive! We set up a couple of dates for me teach classes and speak at a retreat, so stay tuned. If you live in the Delaware Valley Area, you will want to pop in! They have a beautiful collection of fabrics, tons of patterns to choose from, a very large upstairs classroom area (elevator available!) and they just added on the vacant shop next door to be used for the their long arm classes and services. And they are a Bernina dealer- so lots going on there. It's always buzzing when I stop in.

I took a few shots of the shop yesterday while I was there:

A display with some samples from my Sewing Room Social fabric line- they have just a few kits left, so hurry in if you want one....

Part of their adorable Christmas display with an old fashioned sleigh. My Joy, Love, Peace, Noel fabric line can be seen on the left and in the front. It's really not too early to start thinking about those Christmas projects! Because of my work, I am usually working on Christmas and holiday projects in the summer, like I am right now!

Are you working on any holiday projects yet? Let me know- am I the only one humming Christmas carols in the middle of a July heat wave?

Christmas in July at Keepsake Quilting, Win My Book!

2011-07-11T11:14:00.052-04:00

You can purchase this kit at Keepsake Quilting. It is my Star and Holly quilt, and it features my Joy, Love, Peace, Noel fabric line for Henry Glass Fabrics. The folks at Keepsake put the sample quilt together- didn't it come out pretty??? It's a great time to start Christmas and holiday projects- give yourself plenty of time, so you can enjoy the process! And with the hot, humid weather we've been having here on the east coast, I am already dreaming of a white Christmas....

The Joy, Love, Peace, Noel fabric is now available on my website. Also, I am releasing 2 new patterns for the line.

First- Winter Friends Quilt:

In addition to the pieced star block, this quilt features 7 different embroidered blocks- the embroidery designs match the little animals in the fabric. There is also a fabric kit available on my website- start your project right away...

The second pattern is called Joy, Love, Peace, Noel (for obvious reasons...) It includes a pattern for a square table topper and a wall hanging. I really like the scallops at the bottom of the wall hanging- very fun and whimsical!

There is a fabric kit for the Joy, Love, Peace, Noel Pattern, too, just click here.

Also available, Fat Quarter Bundles, and the coordinating fabric panel and Christmas stocking panel.

You still have a couple more days to enter the giveaway for my new book, Fruitful Hands. Click here to enter!

Remember to stay tuned here for the winner on Wednesday.....

Book Giveaway Continues,Free Summer Beach Patterns...

2011-07-08T09:16:00.003-04:00

I have recently added a new free pattern to my website:

Seaside Fun would be very cute embroidered on a beach tote, wouldn't it? or maybe paint it on a child's t-shirt, or applique it on a quilt block. Find this pattern and lots of others on my Free Pattern Page. My free patterns are featured in The Country Register in many different states. Make sure to grab your copy- they are available for free in gift and quilt shops all over the USA and Canada.
Some other free summer time patterns on the Free Pattern Page:

Speaking of the beach, we headed down there last weekend for the 4th of July. We went to a barbecue at our next-door-neighbor's house. There is nothing like making s'mores and watching fireworks on the beach! And a fish fry with freshly caught fish... oh my, that was good.... Didn't my hubby take some fabulous photos... I want to eat it all.... again....

Also, you still have time to enter the giveaway for my book, Fruitful Hands. Click here for details and for lots more photos from the book.

The book has 14 projects, from quilts to wool to punch needle to embroidery, plus 12 recipes, and watercolor illustrations that I painted. Make sure you check it out and enter for your chance to win your very own autographed copy!