Blog Hop Party Winner

Congratulations!

Many thanks to the The Quilting Gallery for hosting this Blog Hop and Giveway!
 The lucky winner has been chosen by Mr. Random.

She is, Margaret.

"I follow you by bloglovin and I too love that cathedral windows. I really like all of them but you made me choose. lol"

Very shortly, she will be the happy recipient of Runnermania.

Thanks so much to all of you. I really enjoyed reading all of your comments. The consensus on the favorite quilt seems to be the Aspen Frost quilt. Second is the Cathedral Windows that my Grandmother and I did by hand. She would be tickled at that.
Just a little reminder, if you are a No Reply Blogger or Anonymous, I can't identify you if you win. I had several of these type of entrys, this time.
Have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving!

Quilters’ Blog Hop Party and Giveaway

I Love Blog Hops and Giveaways!

Welcome everybody!

If you are new to this, like I was not long ago, it's a lot of fun hopping around the Giving Thanks Blog Give-Away.
 

  I hope you’ll visit all the participants, check out their blogs and enter their giveaways. I won a terriffic Jelly Roll the very first time I blog hopped and entered a giveaway.

 This is my second giveaway. For my part, I am offering a great book named Runnermania by Kathryn Squibb and Deborah Jacobs.

All you need to do is follow my blog and comment on which of my projects you like the best, so far. Entries for this giveaway will close at Midnight on Tuesday, November 26th.

I will do my best to reply to your comments but I want to say that I won't get to all of them because I work full time and my commute is two and a half hours per day on top of that.

Thank goodness for quilting and my quilty friends to keep my sanity! This is my escape.

I will be happy to ship internationally. The winner will be chosen by Mr. Random on November 27th. I will notify the winner by email.

Have fun!

This One's For Me-2

 Giveaways are a perfect source of inspiration in that you may win a fabric that you may not have discovered on your own. They also may cause you to try something new that stretches your imagination.

 I thought that I was a traditionalist when it came to holiday color ways.

Boy, was I wrong!

I'm so happy with this quilt!

The fabic is an Aspen Frost jelly roll that I won last Spring from  www.1choice4quilting.com. I added some yardage that is part of the same line.I finished this as part of my UFO Sunday determination.

Its UFO Sunday!

Its UFO Sunday!

Finally, I was able to spend the day sewing! I really do need to get going on some Christmas gifts so I decided to spend today finishing up some UFOs.

 I used up some Bittersweet charm squares by making two more table runners from my favorite pattern.

I also finished a Christmas quilt that I have been working on for my living room, made of Aspen Frost!

 I've made quite a few of these runners because I really like the Bittersweet fabric and the simple pattern but I think its time to climb out of my comfort zone and do something with a new technique. I tend to get comfortable with something and do it many times in different color ways.

I Know..........really boring!

Thanks to all of you, I have loads and loads of inspiration from your blogs and my ever increasing library of books.

I do know that my next project will be a gift for my mother in law and it will be made from Batiks.

Now to find a pattern.........................

New Secret Swap Sisters!

Meet my new Secret Swap Sisters!

First is Wendy, from www.why-knot-kwilt.blogspot.com. I am so crazy about her gift that I put it up right away!  This wall hanging is perfect in my kitchen. I have been pondering new paint in the kitchen and this piece will definitely help with inspiration.

Wendy has been so sweet, sending little notes along the way that really did make my day more than once.

 She basically showed me "how it's done".

Second is Julianne, from www.quiltingwithcalicos.blogspot.com. I stalked her blog and had lots of fun figuring out what she likes.

My little tease pre-swap qift was a happy stoke of luck!

 Who knew that she collected antique Singer machines? 

 When I read that Julianne loves tote bags, it was the perfect excuse for me to try my FIRST one! Monster Bash is a favorite of mine and it was a good time to do something for Fall. I think it came out adorable so, I sent it off with another little surprise, a fall table runner very similar to ones that I made for my own living room out of Bernatex Bittersweet. You can see pictures of them on the First Trys post, May 2013.

 Thank you again ladies, including my own Sister Dear, Michele,  for a few more firsts. I hope everyone had a blast like I did. I can't wait to do it again!

Its a Sister Thing

 I really have to hand it to my sister Michele.

What a great idea this swap is.

I really have fun stalking my sister swap partner and making what I hope is just the right thing. I expected that this would be fun but it also brought a really unexpected and delightful twist! The person stalking me has got to be one of the sweetest ladies that I have ever encountered. She has made my day a couple of times and has been a real inspiration.I could probably figure out who she is but I don't want to. I'll happily wait and I look forward to "meeting" her.

Class Project-Braid Table Runner

This was a Quilt As You Go class project at my local quilt shop, Beary Patches Quilts.
The georgous fabric was the perfect color way for my Mom on Mother's Day this year. I'll definately do it again in different colors.

This one is for ME!

My turn, my turn! Since October, I have completed six quilts and two table toppers all intended for others. While I absolutely love making hand made gifts for family and friends;

 I have been seriously craving a project for me.

In May, I won an "Aspen Frost" jelly roll from a great giveaway at 1 Choice 4 Quilting. Finally, I have some time to create something from that georgous fabric.

 The pattern is from Jelly Roll Quilts by Pam and Nicky Lintott.

The feline decorative accent is another story all together. Her name is Finleigh. Although she looks like a kitten, she is four years old. We rescued her as a tiny baby from a breeder that my in- laws deal with because the breeder did not want kittens that were an "oops in her kennel". She is mix between Oriental Short Hair and Maine Coon. My inlaws took her brother and we took her.

What's another Zyrtec when in comes to rescuing a beautiful kitten?

The top is done except for the border. It took me two weekend days and 5 evenings after work,

I picked the fabric for the border before putting the rest together and once I finished it, I decided that I didn't like what I chose for the border, at all. Does this happen to the rest of you.

 Maybe I should not pick border fabric until the rest of the top is done??????????

so, I ordered a different fabric for the border.

Stay tuned for progess on this quilt as soon as the border fabric arrives.

 UPDATE

I finally found somehting that I like for border fabric!

This one is for you, honey!

Last fall when I decided to start quilting again, I enlisted my Sister Dear, Michele, to help me get going. We visited several quilt shops that are local to her and we found this fabric on sale. 

I fell in love with it because in my opinion, it was the perfect fabric for a somewhat masculine quilt for my husband.

Like most of us, other projects, my job and life in general got in the way of my hubby's quilt for quite a while. Also, I really did want to hone my rusty skills a bit before I made something for him or other family members.

I promised myself that I would not have more than two UFOs at a time so after I finished a table topper for my Mom and Uncle Kenny's quilt, I got to work on this one, for John. (The guy really does need a present)

All quilts are fun for me but I have to admit that I can see the improvement in my quilts with practice. Corners are matching up better, seams are getting straighter and they are much less "wonky" than the first couple.

I hope you like this, hubby loved it. The long arm quilting was done at The Village Quiltery in Tannersville, PA.

Crazy for Shelburne

I just finished this quilt and will ship it off to Vermont in the morning. It is a gift for my Uncle Ken's 75th birthday.

The fabrics are from a line called Crazy for Shelburne by Windham.  Uncle Ken worked for the Shelburne Musuem many years ago. When I first discovered that the Shelburne designed a line of fabrics, I knew it was meant for him.

Pillowcases

I wish my husband would let me put these on the bed!
 They are quick and easy and a lot of fun to make.

Back to whatever normal is

I've been out of touch for a month, Finally things are starting to get back to normal or as normal as they can be right now. My husband was recently diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. We have spent the past month finding the right physician and getting his extreme level of pain under control. My family has been through an awful lot over the past few years and I prefer to look for the blessings instead of dwelling on the negative things. Our blessing is that although this is painful and chronic, it is manageable.So, manage it, we will. To quote my husband right after I had surgey for an aneurysm, "We found out what a 10 was....the rest is all 2s".

Lampwork Beads....my other obsession

Quilting and Lampwork Bead making are not as different as you may think.......take a look.

Both require attention to detail and both indulge a need to design wth color. Like modern quilting, making beads with hot glass allows you to throw traditional design rules right out of the window.

Some of my prettiest beads are the ones that initially looked like a mistake to me. Then they come out of the kiln and what a great surprise!

 Four years ago, a much loved cousin invited me over to see how she made her beautiful jewelry and a hot glass addict was born.

 I hope you enjoy some of my favorites.

We have two Winners!

Congratulations to our winners!

Mr. Random chose:

#25

Born4Travel said "Congrats on your new blog! I am following you now. Looking forward to getting to know you."

She is going to receive the Holiday Medly, charm pack.

#86

CraftyHourMom said "I'm a follower. I still don't know if I have more than a handful of readers... starting my craft blog was scary. For the most part I use it for documenting my sewing to refer back to, but I'm starting with some tutorials and sew alongs now too."

She will recieve the Sweet Scoop charm pack.

Thank you all! 

 I had a great time reading your comments and looking at so many new blogs during this weeks givaways......
I look forward to getting to know all of you.

Many thanks to Sew, Mama, Sew!

Grandma's Cathedral Windows

My Grandmother, Loretta, did various kinds of "handwork" all of my life.  About 10 years ago when she was 90, we decided to make a Cathedral Window Coverlet.  At that time, neither of us did machine quilting, just hand quilting.  I decided on a simple color palette, muslin and a rusty leaf pattern and she set to work teaching me how to create these beautiful little blocks. She would do a few and I would do a few and then hand sew them together.  Even though she was 90, her stitches  were perfect. We got many done before she passed away.

I hung on to them and tried to continue it several times but found that I just could not bring my self to finish it
without her...................

This past October when I was going through a stash of fabric, I found the little cathedral windows and had an idea......
I'll frame them!
I had one fairly large section and one smaller one. I took them to a custom framing shop in the Albany area and through tear filled eyes, told Grandma's story and handed the sections over to be matted and framed. I was terrified throughout the two months it took for them to be finished but when my sister and I went to pick them up, we were both overjoyed by their beauty.

One beloved treasure hangs in my living room and helps me feel close to Grandma every day the other now belongs to my aunt, her only daughter.

Welcome to my new blog and FIRST Giveaway, hosted by Sew Mama Sew!

Welcome to my FIRST Giveaway!

Sew Mama Sew is hosting a Giveaway and I am giving away two charm packs, in two giveaways. One is an adorable "Sweet Scoop" by Dan Morris for RJR Fabrics and the other is on of my favorites, "Holiday Medley", by Kansas Trouble for Moda.

Follow my new blog for a chance to win and leave me a comment about how the first weeks of your own blog went for a second chance to win. Willing to ship internationally.

The two winners will be chosen at random on May 10.

Loretta

This is Loretta! She is fourteen years old and a tried and true friend. When I picked her out, I had been sewing for years but mostly garments, mending, pillows and curtains.

 I had machine quilting in mind but didn't actually let Loretta have her quilty way with me for several years.

 I got the bug to start quilting again last fall and asked the advice of one of the best quilters that I know, my sister Michele, as to if it was time to schedule her for a good cleaning and maintenance.

Off I went to the same shop that I bought her from all those years ago. Two long weeks later, we were ready to go........
Loretta and I have been spending a lot of quality time together and expect to continue for many years to come.

PS: I recently attended a class and met a lovely lady who has had her Bernina for thirty years!

My First Win!

Yea! I won my first Giveaway .......
I'm so excited and can't wait till my Aspen Frost jellyroll arrives.

My Sister Dear Michele, has been my quilting re-entry mentor. When we first starting talking about me learning to machine quilt and she was describing the difference between the quilting world 15 years ago and now, one of the things she mentioned was the "giveaways" that she had won. I thought, hmmm, I have to find out how this works. So the evening before we went to pick up her long arm we sat for several hours and she brought me up to speed on lots of things including, starting my blog.

We were on the laptop for hours that night and entered lots of giveaways. I understood how it works but didn't think that it would ever happen to me. Then low and behold, on Monday,  Sister Dear called giggling her congratulations and asked how I like being a winner.
WHAT?
 I won????

She saw it before I did.

Years ago, hand quilting with my Grandmother was it's own sort of heaven. Now.....quilting is a community of new friends.

Giveaways, Shop Hops, Blog Hops, Jelly Rolls, Charms Packs, Turnovers, Layer Cakes... all new to me and I can't begin to describe how much fun I am having ! !

First Trys

After years of child raising and career building.....

 I'm happy to say that I'm sewing again!

Here are a few of my first trys. There are plenty of mistakes but each new piece perfects my skills. Each one has been a joyous experience.

Stephen's Owls Rag Quilt
I made this for a dear friends new baby boy, Stephen .

So, this is a Jelly Roll Quilt ! 
I first saw this pattern in a YouTube video of a jelly roll race and thought it would be good practice. My sister and I were discussing pre-cuts and knowing my favorite colors, she suggested this Grand Finale line. 

Grammy's Surprise
This was my second jelly roll quilt. It was made for my husband's Grandmother. I got a little bolder and added two borders on a Moda's Share The Joy jelly roll.

Charm Squares Table Topper
This was a fun, one afternoon project made out of one Bernatex Bittersweet charm pack. It's a great choice for a quick gift. 

About Me

I am a wife, mom of three, serious cook, lampwork bead artist and quilter. Oh...... and a stressed executive with a two and a half hour per day commute.

I have come to the realization that things that bring me joy like quilting, cooking and hot glass are critical to my happiness. 

 I hope that visiting my blog does the same for you from time to time.