Wednesday, February 29, 2012

 Here's a sneak peak of a small part of my Jubilee project. I didn't want to show my start just in case I couldn't pull it off. Looks like it is going to work and I'm thrilled!!  Be looking for more next week.
 My drunkards path blocks from Martha have been my evening hand work. I was sewing the sections together in between the paper piecing in the previous photo.
These are sewn together in fours... Yep, one is messed up and I thought quite a few times, I'd take out the stitches and change it, but I like it. Isn't is funny how it is the brightest and most obvious color that I messed up on?!

I have weekend plans that start on Friday morning, so I will talk to you all next week!!

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Charm School- Winner

I have to say that I loved reading the comments on this post as did the Country Threads ladies, Mary & Connie.Thank you Mary & Connie for the opportunity to review this book and give one away.

Loved this comment by Susan:

The Goops they lick their fingers
And the Goops they lick their knives:
They spill their froth on the tablecloth
Oh, they lead disgusting lives!
The Goops they talk while eating,
And loud and fast they chew;
And that is why I'm glad that I
Am not a Goop, are you?


What's a goop, you ask?
Check it out on Wikipedia.
Here's another one.

When you are playing with the girls,
you must not pull their pretty curls;
if you are gentle when you play,
you will be glad of it some day!
I LOVE it!!
The winner of one Back to Charm School book and Goat Gazette is Karen of K's Quilting Corner. Congratulations Karen!!
Thank you all so much for entering. Have a fantastic week!!

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Sonoma Rose Winner

Thank you all for entering to win. I love having giveaways, I don't like only having one thing to give!!

The winner of Sonoma Rose  is  Kathy aka Nana from Empty Nest but Full Heart!

Kathy, if you will send me your mailing address I will get it ready to put in the post on Monday!
Thank you Liza C. from Dutton, Penguin Group USA for asking me to review this book.

Friday, February 24, 2012

Red & White Sampler

 Here's my latest batch of Just Takes 2 blocks.
Anybody think this is a bit of a waste?! If you need to make your half square triangle THAT much bigger, then maybe you need to take a beginners quilt class! I will no longer trust their cutting sizes. I do not have that much red fabric and am trying to stretch it as much as possible. At $10 yard I want to throw away as little as possible. (Like my dad used to say, "Money doesn't grow on trees!)
Did anybody else see this in the directions?
use the Dear Jane®Rule: cut it big and whack it off
What?! I like to cut it a tiny bit bigger, but really...this is ridiculous. This was never quite the rule I used when making my Jane Stickle quilt. Super unprofessional, in my humble opinion.

If you want to win a book and you have not left a comment, now would be a great time to do it.

Sonoma Rose by Jennifer Chiaverini- click HERE (I finished it so the winner will not need to wait)Will draw Saturday, Feb 25th in the evening.

Back to Charm School- by Country Threads-click HERE.  If you have not read the comments you need to do that too. What a hoot! Will draw Sunday, Feb 26th.

Utility Quilting; Simple Solutions for Quick Hand Quilting- click HERE. Drawing on March 2.

Have a fantastic weekend!!!


Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Utility Quilting - It Could Be Yours!

I feel so fortunate to be able to review three books this week!! The finale is Utility Quilting; Simple Solutions for Quick Hand Quilting by Carolyn Forster. 
My day was the 23rd and it is that day in the UK, so I'm posting now!! 

I reviewed a novel, a quilt book with many small quilts and a cute theme, and this book, which  is definitely a technique book. Is it possible Carolyn saw my post when I admitted it had taken me 13 years to hand quilt my Jane Stickle quilt? hahaha

The first thing I noticed when I received the book is the clear, large photos with step by step instructions. I am a visual learner so this was extremely helpful to me.

The other thing I picked up right away, is Carolyn is not a hand quilting snob. She does not dismiss the use of machine quilting as undesirable or less of an art. (many do!) Utility quilting by hand or machine gets the job done!
System 2 for basting
How many ways are there in quilting to get to the end result? Many! She shows us step by step 3 ways to hand baste a quilt.She also covers, spray basting, the use of safety pins for basting and a basting gun.

One whole page and a beautiful photo of possible thread choices. (She isn't a thread snob either!) There is plenty of photos and lists for supplies. I liked that she gives lots of choices. It isn't a matter of one specific thread that you have to order cross country to use! (The bottom quilt I show I used 3 different threads! I think Carolyn would approve)

 
I love that Carolyn uses real quilts as examples!! She does that throughout the book. She also shows us how to make our own templates for popular quilt designs.


There's more then one way to tie a quilt!! Love the close ups!!
She gives page after page of examples of big stitch, fine hand quilting and machine quilting.

I've never done a big stitch before  reviewing Utility Quilting. Here's my little quilt I made for AAQI recently. I found thread that I thought would work and did a simple grid marked with my Hera marker.
Not perfect by any means, but a good first project and fun!
Here's the back. Looks like I missed a few places going all the way through. I thought big stitching fit the style of this quilt really well.
Here is the back of another small quilt I used the big stitch on recently. This time I used a fan pattern with no marking.

 Lest you think it is all technique, you'd be wrong. Carolyn is from the UK and has included beautiful floral soft shabby chic style quilt  patterns and quilting suggestions. Seriously beautiful quilts!! If you want to see more you can also have a preview here.

What do you have to do to win a book? This time you must hop right over to Carolyn's blog before March 2 and leave her a comment. (and look at other posts while you are at it- very inspiring!) She has added a few things to go with the book including thread, needles and fabulous fabric!! (hmmm, wonder if I can enter?)  Tell her Lori sent you!! 

And if you are not a lucky winner, then I'd suggest looking for it at your local quilt store. It is worth every penny!!


Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Charm School- It Could be Yours!

When I said yes to review 3 books I had no idea they would be posted the same week. It must up the odds that you will win at least one, right?
I was over the moon when I was contacted by Mary to see if I would want to write a review for their newest book, "Back to Charm School". I've been a fan of Country Threads patterns for years. After seeing their newest book, I have been reminded why I'm such a fan.

Any 'second' book that makes me want to run out and buy the first one has to be a good one!! BTW, the first book is called "Country Threads Goes to Charm School; 19 Little Quilts from 5" squares"

So they sent me two books, and two copies of Goat Gazette.  This is their newspaper that has been written for 29 years! It is obvious when reading it they have a true love of animals. What a neat way to get to know the authors and owners of Country Threads.

One of the things I remember from my childhood is the little saying that went with learning manners. Anybody remember this one? Mabel Mabel strong and able get your elbows off the table! I sure do!
Half the fun of reviewing this book was reading the Charm School etiquette. It's sure to bring a smile to your face as well.

Here's the little quilt I opted to make to test the directions. It's called Never Leave the table Before Other Guests. 
A sidebar in the book says" Etiquette notwithstanding, no one will want to leave a table with this little centerpiece on it. They'll be too busy admiring all the little squares..." How sweet!!

The book give basic quilting directions so even a beginner could use this to make their first quilt, start to finish. One thing I was glad to see them include in the cutting directions. "Charm School has really only one rule: Cut charms carefully! Some of the projects use every bit of a charm square, so there's no room for mis-cuts."
I have never bought a 5" charm pack, but to make this quilt I cut 5" squares from scraps. This was one project that used every thread of the 5" squares.

If you like small quilts, scrappy quilts, and charm school, you'll love this book.

Below is a few more projects from the book.



You have a lot of chances to win your own copy of this book. Leave a comment here and tell me if you remember little etiquette sayings when you were growing up. I'll draw a name on Sunday the 26th of February.  Then be sure to visit the other bloggers and see their reviews. I know Paulette made Keep Your Elbows Off the Table.

Feb.20~ Maureen                 moequiltz.blogspot.com

Feb.20~Paulette                   sweetp-paulette.blogspot.com

Feb. 21~Lori                         humblequilts.blogspot.com

Feb. 21~Jo                           joscountryjunction.com

Feb. 22~ Sherri                     aquiltinglife.blogspot.com

Feb. 22~ Karen                     selvageblog.blogspot.com

Feb.23~ Julie                     juliekquilts.blogspot.com

Feb.24~ Sarah                   confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.com

Feb.24~Suzanne               coloradolady.blogspot.com

Feb.25~Michelle                mychellem.blogspot.com

Feb.25~ Pat                      silverthimbletalk.blogspot.com

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Sonoma Rose- It Could Be Yours!

I actually did get some sewing done this weekend, but this week my blog will be about books! Following my love for quilting, close behind is reading!!
I was asked if I'd be interested in reviewing Jennifer Chiaverini's newest book to be released Tuesday, February 21st. I think this is my first "official" book review. If anybody knows me at all, you know I'm honest. Just don't send me any terrible books to read, and you'll be OK. LOL


The publicists writes to me about the book:
Rosa Diaz Barclay is touched by the criminality surrounding Prohibition when she discovers that her husband, John, has given over the duties of their Southern California rye farm in favor of bootlegging. Fearing the safety of her four children, Rosa flees, carrying only a case of John’s ill-begotten cash and her mother’s two quilts. Lars Jorgensen, her true love and the father of two of her children, aids in her escape, and together the six travel north to San Francisco. Under assumed names, they are hired to work at a Sonoma vineyard, where Rosa creates a personal and professional identity that she would never have dared imagine at the opening of her tale, and one that brings great honor-and beauty-to all who surround her.


Read Amazon's review here. 

The idea of a historical fiction intrigued me. I'd probably never pick up the book by reading Amazon's review as it sounds like way too much love story for me.
I didn't get the book until Feb 14th and  I am not finished with it yet. I do feel like I can give a review on it though. I admit I went into it thinking I wouldn't really like it. The first two chapters didn't pull me in. I even told me friend I thought it would be a bit fluffy. But, I am pleasantly surprised at how much I am enjoying it!! Jennifer does an excellent job of going back and forth from present day to previous years and so far I feel she is weaving a wonderful fictional story with an accurate view of prohibition in the wine regions of California. I've never given a second thought to what happened to all the wineries when our government decided we need to stop drinking alcohol, including wine. I'm thinking about this when I'm not reading the book! I think that is a sign of a good book when we'd like to know more about a particular era.

If you would like to win this book (when I'm done with it!) please leave a comment and I'll draw a winner next Sunday.  That should give me some time to be close to the end. If you have read any other of Jennifer Chiaverini's books, I'd love to know which one has been your favorite.
 

Friday, February 17, 2012

This, That, and Somemore....

Good evening! Wow! The two word verification sure struck a chord with quilting bloggers!! Seriously I thought I'd be the only one that was miffed at those dumb words! If you do not know what I'm talking about, read my last post and you'll be up to speed. I am very curious for those who have changed and no longer do word verify if you start getting spam and if it is being published as a comment. Please let me know as I do think blogger has gotten better at blocking the junk.
 This is a little sneak peak at a test project. I told you I was previewing some books. Well, I have to test the directions don't I? I thought that was part of the job. You'll see more of this next week.
 I'm still working on these little blocks and they are starting to add up.
 Here is my little stack of cheddar bow tie blocks. They have taken a back seat to some other projects that I'd rather be working on.
Here's the original quilt for sale in Sisters, Oregon this past summer.

Here is an email from Liesel in Australia that she sent me some time ago and I forgot I wanted to post it with the bow tie progress.
"I had a lovely surprise reading your recent post about your progress on the cheddar bow tie quilt inspired by the one you saw in Sisters. I loved that quilt so much also, it was different from many of the others that were on display that day. It had a such a variety of beautiful fabrics in lovely colours. I loved it so much that the quilt is now residing in Sydney Australia. The quilt that you are making inspired by the quilt looks fabulous & I love all the different cheddar prints. I can’t wait to see the finished quilt."
Thanks for the lovely blog
Kind Regards

You are a lucky lady Liesel to be enjoying that quilt!!

Everyone, have a wonderful weekend. Come back on Monday and I'll review my first book!! You are going to love it!



Thursday, February 16, 2012

Pet Peeve and A Little Airing

How well can you read that first word? Is it ptonen or is it ptorren? And what's with the comma and capital letter? Just this morning I noticed they must have ran out of single words, because now I have to type two of them!
Heaven forbid anyone should count on blogger's spam blocker to catch spam comments. Do you know there is one? In dashboard, go to comments, and click on the spam tab. Very rarely do I ever find a legitimate comment in the spam section, and I am not using word verification.


I do most of my blog surfing early in the morning when I am the only one up- I don't turn on the lights. I use the light from the computer to see my keyboard and drink my coffee.

You may not even know that word verification is now two words. If you use this, please tell me why. If you need help changing it, please email me and if you wonder why I stop leaving comments, you'll know why.

Ok, done, I had to get that off my chest this morning...

ADDED:
to turn word verification off:
Dashboard, settings, comments, scroll down this page until you find word verification- fill in the NO bubble. Click "save settings" at the bottom of the page.

Monday, February 13, 2012

Quilt Exchange


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Look at this wonderful quilt! The end of last year I saw Karen had been involved in some terrific one on one swaps and I wanted to do one with her. You may remember that I met Karen last August before cruising with Bonnie Hunter.  I laugh when I see a lot of Karen's quilts because we have so many patterns and quilts that are the same.  Anyway in December I made the suggestion and after the new year we made a plan to swap before Valentines day. This is the quilt I received from Karen. Isn't it amazing?! The applique blocks in the corners are 5"- oh yea, the hand applique blocks are 5". I don't think I could even prep applique pieces that small!!  I totally love the colors as well. It fits me to a T. I'm as thrilled as I ever could be. Thank you so much Karen!!
Now, you will need to go to her blog to see what I made for her: Log Cabin Quilter

We started a blog for the Jubilee quilt I've talked about a few times. Lisa (no blog, no email) and Meredithe were the only ones I didn't have an email to send an invite to join the blog. If any of you are going to make a jubilee quilt, you are certainly welcome to join in. Send me your email address and start the fun!! You can see the icon on my sidebar if you want to visit: The Jubilee Quilt Project
I'm still waiting for fabric.....

I am going to be reviewing 3 books this month!! I am so excited, as I will not do a review on anything I wouldn't want to win or purchase myself. You will love the books!! Be prepared to be inspired. I'm sewing a pattern from one of the books now. Gee, gotta test the patterns as well as read them!!

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Quilts for sale! quilts for Sale!

Everything is SOLD! We are such a helpful group of quilters willing to assist a clean up when we need to! LOL
Look for more in the near future!!

My friend Jill is cleaning! I told her I'd be happy to list a few things on my blog for her to sell.
She is a long time quilter cleaning out 20+ years of accumulation from her sewing room. Her gain- Our gain!! LOL
Buyer to pay postage from New Jersey. I think the prices are more than reasonable, but feel free to make an offer.



Folk Art Calender quilt by Indygo Junction. Hand appliqued, machine quilted.Has a
homespun plaid backing fabric. Size is 51" x 70"    $60 (that is $5 square! What a deal!)
SALE PENDING

 Turquoise/periwinkle/fuchsia log cabin star is a TOP only. Size is 67" x 87". $25
SALE PENDING

This was a Kansas Troubles Block of the Month...was hugely expensive and fun
to do, but I never did get it quilted and probably never will. So this is
a TOP only, primitive/folk art with some brushed cottons and primitive
embroidery. Size is 70" x 90".   $75 SALE PENDING

Here is a  log cabin star, with lots of cheddar, that
is 55" square.  Would be a nice table square or wall hanging. $20
SALE PENDING


The patterns are eight different angel patterns from Cabin Fever Designs.
They are cute for someone who likes folk art.  They are in brand new
condition,  as I never used them...lol. $8 SALE PENDING

If you feel like the price is too high please send me an email with your offer!!

Friday, February 10, 2012

No Rhyme or Reason

No Rhyme or Reason
Tonye Phillips calls her liberated log cabin blocks Log Jammin'.  I am made this log cabin quilt for AAQI and thought a lot about the log jam in my mom's brain caused by Alzheimer's.
How can someone who doesn't want to shower or clean decide that a free luncheon is a good thing?! Our church takes the widows out around Valentines Day. She received an invitation in the mail and decided she wanted to go. Here is the person I can hardly get out of the house this winter- I guess she knows a free lunch when it's offered!!  I am taking her to the salon today where they will do an old fashioned wet set- my mom thinks it is a perm and wonders why it only lasts a couple of days.
Lately she has been drinking non dairy creamer with her coffee. It must be 1/4 cup coffee, 3/4 cup creamer. If you'd like to know the ingredients you can check at Labelwatch. Thankfully Darigold has come out with one with 4 simple ingredients.
Living in a small town has its perks. One of our grocery stores takes phone orders and delivers- no charge! It is a service to the elderly and housebound. The deliverers put 2 and 2 together and finally figured out it was my mom they were delivering to.  It is a good thing I have a sense of humor- when it comes to my mom my sense of humor has been harder and harder to find.

Oh wow, what a little rant......sorry. I'll let you know when the quilt gets put up for sale.

PS, there is an AAQI auction going on right now. Go take a look and bid generously!! I've got my eye on one myself!

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Pink Lemonade Winner

Thank you all so much for adding your link and sewing along! I had a blast seeing all the different versions. Sharon from Camp Gramma (She looks a little young to me for a blog name like that!) is the winner of the 8 FQers. Please send me your snail address Sharon and I'll get these in the mail.
I've had several people ask me when the next one will be. Who knows?! I'm going on a late spring cruise, then to NJ to travel with my friends to the Vermont Quilt Fest, then hosting some friends for the Sisters Quilt show. I'm always on the look out for a good quilt to reproduce though.

Look at this beautiful paper cut decoration! Snippety Gibbet is an amazing artist and has a few more at a very reasonable price on Etsy. I consider these finds buried treasure....And I am happy to have it at my house now.