Hokule'a's top may be finished and a winner

And the winner is

#12

Snoodles at Lily Pad Quilting.  Congratulations and thank you to everyone who played along.

 

Hokule'a is now a 46" square.  I think it wants to stay this size and be a wall hanging.  It is fun to see all our old shirts and my favorite muumuu in this piece.  The red centers in the log cabin blocks do not stand out this much in real life.  Interesting how they pop in the photo.  I wasn't sure how I would feel about the asymmetry of the center, but I am very happy with it.  I have really enjoyed the process of making this.  This quilt has done most of the design work along the way.  I will leave it up for a couple of days and see if it really is done.    I think I already know how I will quilt it, and I have backing and binding fabric. 

Tomorrow, I will work on more bags.  I just need to get some dark zippers.  I also want to start on the doll I am going to make for Bella.  That should be an interesting challenge.

Joyful quilting, everyone.

Giveaway Reminder

The chances of winning this charm pack and pattern are very good.  Only 15 people have entered so far.  If you are interested, and haven't entered, go to this post and leave a comment telling me about the best gift you ever received.  I will be drawing a winner on Saturday, December 10.

I have my last guild meeting of the year with the Cedar River Quilters this evening.  We are having an appetizer and dessert pot luck and putting on our own trunk show with our favorite quilts (even the unfinished ones).  I am looking forward to a fun evening with loads of quilted goodies as well as treats to eat.

Joyful quilting, everyone.

More bags

Today, I made two more of these cute bags.  I used fusible interfacing this time.  I like the body, but I don't like the creases that show.  Maybe it is too heavy.  I will keep making these, trying new things until I get them just right.  I do like these, though.

If you haven't already, be sure and sign up for the giveaway here.

Bell ringing, a gift and a giveaway

This morning, I spent a couple of hours bell ringing for the Salvation Army.  I am the one in the blue coat.  Chris B., on the left, is our new guild president.  I had a really good time.  It was great fun greeting people and sharing Christmas greetings.  I was pleasantly surprised at the generosity of the people who came by us.  In these hard times, and in this depressed area, it was really heartwarming to see just how much people are willing to share.  It was a good morning, and I plan on doing this again next year.

When I got home, after a side trip to Puyallup to the quilt store, I found a box on my porch addressed to me.  It was from Friends4Kenya.  I didn't know what it was, or who they were.  I brought the box in and immediately opened it.  Look at this beautiful basket that was inside!  I was stunned and couldn't figure out where it came from or why I would deserve such a thing of beauty.  So, I went online.  Friends4Kenya is a small group of women, mostly quilters, who work with women in an area outside Nairobi.  They have taught these women to make these beautiful cloth baskets.  Be sure and visit the site and read about these wonderful women. Once I found out who these women are, and that I am related to two of them my marriage, I began to figure out how this beautiful basket came to me.  Willa, I assume this is from you.  I love it.  Thank you.

And just why would someone send me this beautiful basket?  It is almost my birthday.  That's right.  I will be turning 65 next Saturday, the 10th.  I have thought of many ways to celebrate this event here.  I decided on a giveaway.  Then, I had to decide on something I could afford for the prize.  When I went to Puyallup, I found this Ruby charm pack and this very cute Schnibbles pattern that is charm pack friendly.  I love the Ruby line for Moda and hope you do, too.

If you want to enter to win these two things, please leave me a comment telling me about the best present you remember ever getting.  Why was it so special?

I will leave this open until next Saturday, December 10.

Good luck, everyone.  I look forward to reading all your stories.

Guest posting at Victoria's and a giveaway winner.

I am so excited to be the guest blogger over at Victoria's Bumblebeans blog today.  Stop over there to read all about the process I followed in creating this Matisse block.

Thank you all for leaving comments and following my blog.  Now, for the moment you have been waiting for.

The random generator selected # 17

And the winner is

Missy said...

I'm now a follower of your blog. This sounds like a lot of fun. I haven't done this before and I think it might stretch my creativity some.

 I have sent Missy an email and will send her fabric as soon as I get her address.



Joyful quilting, everyone.

A new fish

This one makes six. 

 I think my mojo walked out the door this morning when Priscilla (my Juki) and I had some difficulty over a new kind of thread my client wants me to use on her quilt.  I am afraid, it is so bad that I am going to have to get Priscilla's bobbin case fixed or replaced.  I also had to rip out about 12" by 85" of quilting.  It looked fine on the top, but when I started to roll it up, it was a mess.  I am still new enough at this that I didn't automatically check to see if the back was alright before I got that far.  Priscilla didn't do her part in warning me, either.  Anyway, it has been on my mind all day and my studio work suffered.  Only one fish all day?  That is sad.  At least I like the fish.  I only have six more fish for the swap, unless I decided to send one directly to Mary Lou.  Then I would need seven more.  Decisions, Decisions.

If you are interested in the Soul Blossom giveaway, you still have until tomorrow morning around 9:00 AM PST to enter here.

I hope you are all having a better day than I am.

Guest Blogging and a Fabric Giveaway

Today, I am guest blogging at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.  Please visit over there , then come back here to enter the fabric giveaway.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011, 8:30 AM

The giveaway is closed

I have three fat quarters from the Soul Blossoms collection by Amy Butler for Westminster Fabrics.  I have been drooling over this line for a while.  If you would like to win this yummy fabric, you have four chances.
1.  Visit Sarah's blog and become a follower.  Come back here and leave me a message letting me know you are now a follower.
2.  Read my post on Sarah's blog and come back here to leave a comment about the "Why" section of the post.
3.  Become a follower of my blog.
4.  Leave me a comment about what you are reading these days.
Winner will be chosen Wednesday morning.  Please be sure I have a way to contact you.

Thanks for stopping by.
Good luck, and joyful quilting.

More fish and a giveaway announcement

This lovely lady still needs fins, but I couldn't resist sharing her portrait.  I now have four and 3/4 fish completed.  I need to have 12 for the swap.  They are really fun to make, but they do take me a long time to put together.  Here is the one I finished today.

My other big project for today was the Lotta Jansdotter challenge.  I got the top put together and am trying to decide about a border. 

Here are the details of the elements squares.

These were fun to make and I think they really improve the look of the quilt.  These were done after a family conference about the quilt.  Quilt by committee.  You have to love it.
Finally, I am guest blogging at Confessions of a Fabric Addict tomorrow and announcing a fun fabric giveaway back here.  Hope you visit over at Sarah's great blog and come back here to enter into the drawing.
Joyful quilting, everyone.

Travel tip and a book giveaway

Many of you may already know this tip, but for those of you who don't, I want to share this great place to visit when you are in the Seattle, WA area.  Martingale Press is located about 25 minutes NE of Seattle.  They give tours on Monday and Wednesday afternoons at 1:00.  The tours are limited to 12 people, so you need to call about a month ahead to book your tour.  Why tour a press house, you may ask?  Martingale is one of the big publishers of books about quilting.  At any given time, there are wonderful quilts adorning all the walls.  The tour guide will take you around through the offices and tell you about the various quilts and the books they are in, or are destined for.  The quilts we saw yesterday were beautiful.  There was even a large purple cow that is going to be in an upcoming book.  There was no photography allowed, but there is something better.

BOOKS!

At the end of the tour, you are taken into the book room.  Books and patterns that are over six months old may be found in this room.  Each book is five dollars, except the ones with the blue dots which are three dollars.  I came home with $135.00 worth of books and patterns for $29.00. 

I saw wonderful quilts from each of these two books, and was so happy to find them.  They are each filled with wonderful patterns.  I would like to propose one of the quilts in Twosey-Foursey Quilts for our guild raffle quilt for 2012.

I have been wanting the Rose of Sharon Block Book for a while now.  I love these blocks, and have been wanting to have some applique to take as handwork when I need to wait places or watch television in the evening.  Even though these patters are for machine applique, I can easily adapt them to handwork.  I also found a block that I want to use for the center white blocks in the traditional quilt I am working on.  There are 83 blocks in the book and template patterns to make them all.

This book combines piecework with applique.  It is pretty traditional, but I really like the patterns.

There were many more books that I wanted, but I had set a limit on myself before I went in. 

On top of all the wonderful books I purchased, I also won a beautiful new book called A Year in the Life of Sunbonnet Sue by Christine Porter and Darra Williamson, and was published in 2011.

This book has 12 small quilt patterns (22"x26"), each commemorating a different month of the year.  There are also directions for making 12"x16" blocks to be set into a bigger quilt. The retail price on the book is $24.99, if you are into that sort of thing. This is the book I am going to give away.  If you would like this book, please leave me a comment telling me your favorite quilting tip. I will draw randomly next Monday for a winner.  You don't have to become a follower, but if you would like to, I would be very happy.    Please make sure I can contact you if you are the winner.

Good luck to all of you who want this book.

Joyful quilting, everyone.