Fabulous Giveaway!

You must visit Lori's blog to enter a drawing for a fabulous giveaway!

In Friendship!

Saying Thank you!

Here I am - have you missed me? I can't say it's been an extremely busy week but there have been things that needed to be done practically every day - sigh!

Friday morning I finally had an opportunity to play in my sewing room. I bounced out of bed with a bevy of ideas so I got busy before I could second guess my plan(s). LOL I sewed Friday afternoon and all day Saturday and am pleased with the results. :-)


It started with a Civil War Crossing Layer Cake by Moda and some background fabric - the results - four small quilts. There are four lovely women in the Land of Blog who recently sent surprises my way and this is my way of saying thank you! While I really like the quilt in the lower right hand corner I'm thinking it might need a very narrow border of the background fabric. HMMM! Do you have an opinion?

After they are all quilted, bound and in the mail I'll share who received these quilts.

Thanks so much for stopping by to visit with me - please come again!

In Friendship!

Smitten or Bitten???

I can't decide whether I'm smitten with or bitten by the small quilt bug!

I've seen some small quilts around the Land of Blog over time and recently - I must make some - I simply must!!!!! I've been thinking about this for a couple of days and yesterday while standing at my cutting counter I was suddenly distracted. Over on the far side was a nice stack of 1/2 square triangles with the triangle paper still attached; leftover from my Sallie's Quilt project. I only needed 4 for each block but made 8 instead - why? I had an idea formulating in my mind but that's all changed now - teehee!

I cut them apart, sorted and pressed them. I needed to make four more because I only had 32 and wanted to make a square quilt. I was having a ton of fun so I made two of these little cuties (a surprise for a friend who's encouraged my small quilt bug). I've decided that no border is needed and I'll just bind them with something to provide a nice frame. At this point it's 18" x 18" so it's a perfect little decorative tidbit for my home.

I want to make a few more - teehee!!!! Such silliness, I know.

Thanks for stopping by - please come again and come often!

In Friendship!

My "Country Cousins"

This was one of my first projects when I took the hand applique plunge not long after I started blogging. This is "Baltimore's Country Cousins" by Susan McKelvey and it was being offered as a block of the month by The Quilted Crow. I was thrilled about working on this because the pieces were large and I felt I could do it and do it well. So what happened? I wish I knew - three blocks done and the rest have been kept in the dark - silently and patiently waiting.

Do you remember when I let it all hang out and showed you all my UFO applique projects - here (scroll down)! Well, fast forward to June 2009 - chatting via e-mail with Karen at Log Cabin Quilter and I gave her a good laugh one day when I admitted to her that I have yet to finish one applique project! She does beautiful applique projects! Anyway, I started looking through the 'projects in waiting' and decided that this was the one I needed to finish. I spent Tuesday afternoon prepping a new block and last night I started stitching. There are 12 blocks so I'll be sharing more of this project over the next couple of months. This is assuming that I don't decide to abandon it again! LOL

I've been spending quite a bit of time focusing on a variety of hand work projects (hand quilting practice, assembling my GFG blocks, embroidery projects, and hand applique). This doesn't mean that I've abandoned my machine piecing - there is a project in the works as we speak. :-)

Thanks for your visit and comments! Come again soon.

In Friendship!

An Explosive Giveaway

You must visit Kaaren's blog today and leave a comment for your chance to win one of four treasures! Kaaren is one of the most talented women I know in the Land of Blog! Therefore, I know that if you're one of the winners you'll experience fireworks in your heart!!!

Go now - tell her I sent you!

Good luck!

In Friendship!

Another "Click"
(by George I think I've got it)

Sometime in 2007 I decided I wanted to work on a Grandmother's Flower Garden - loving what I saw on Libby's blog and receiving encouragement from her, I jumped in with both feet. I pulled out my Rhubarb & Ginger fat quarter bundle, got very organized and assembled many GFG flowers. Oh, I was so proud!!! Then I came to screeching halt (yes, a complete stop)............no matter how many diagrams I saw I simply couldn't figure out how to put all the flowers together to make one quilt - I truly felt dumb!!! So, I put the whole project away in a pretty box and decided it just wasn't meant to be. Deep huge SIGH!!!

On occasion over the last two years I pulled out the pretty box - spread my flowers out and simply released an even bigger, deeper SIGH - still receiving encouragement from Libby - alas I just couldn't see it. I even joined the Great Hexagon Quilt Along and asked for help and after receiving advice I still couldn't see it. More sighs!!!

Well, yesterday I decided enough was enough - it was time! I looked at the pretty box and all the flowers and said "It's ON"! LOL

I don't know what happened but this time it clicked! I am well on my way to assembling my Grandmother Flower Garden quilt top - yet another deeper & bigger SIGH (this one of relief - whew)

It's probably going to be a long time before I see this quilt top completed but I certainly feel much better - I can pull out that pretty box and feel good that I know what I'm doing.

Thanks for stopping by! Come again and come often!

In Friendship!

By George I Think I've Got It!!!!

If you've ever chatted with me then you might know that I've had a very strong desire to learn how to hand quilt. A couple of years ago I tried to learn but it just wasn't in the cards. Sigh!

Well, last Thursday I had the opportunity to take a class from a very talented and skilled hand quilter. When I heard that she was going to be teaching at one of the local quilt stores I was excited beyond belief and waited patiently for "the" day to arrive. There were only four students in class so the teacher could spend lots of one on one time with us - bliss!!! Initially, I was all thumbs - frustrated, flustered and anxious because I simply couldn't get my fingers coordinated and then it clicked! I swear I heard the Angels sing - AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! LOL


I know that in order to get better skilled I need to practice, practice, practice but I haven't picked this up since then. Sigh! Libby gave me some wonderful advice - suggesting that I take the time to stitch at least one length of thread every day and it'll soon come very naturally to me. I must heed that advice soon!!!!! Thank you, Libby!

Remember I mentioned that there were only four students in class? One of the students was Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Co fame. I've known Carrie for approximately 10 years and chat on the phone on a very regular basis but I don't get to see her very often. I knew she was going to be in the class and enjoyed spending a few hours in class with her - it was fun to watch her struggle with the tiny needle, as well. LOL

I appreciate your visit and your comments - thank you! Come again soon!

In Friendship!

Oh My Stars!!!!!!

I'm sure you got tired of seeing my stars over the past two weeks but I have to ask

How do you like 'em now??????

I am crazy about this quilt and can't begin to express how much fun I had putting this one together - kept me smiling!!! :-)

This pattern is "Sallie's Quilt" by Bonnie Blue Quilts. I fell in love with Bonnie Blue Quilts last year when I made "Second Hand Clothes" (here) and can't wait to do another.

My Lunchbox Sewing Tin giveaway was a huge success - thank you so much for playing along with my silly game. And, thank you, as well for all your comments, kind words and compliments - I sincerely appreciate them and you.

Thanks for popping in to visit - come again soon and often!

In Friendship!

The Winner!!!!

Hello, my name is Nibbles and I'm the newest "wabbit" in Darlene's sewing room. Mary at Quilt Hollow stuck me in a big brown box and sent me to live with Darlene. She thought that I'd be very happy living with Darlene and the other Wabbits (Thimbles, Joy, Millie, Bea Bunny & Snippet) and she was right - I love it here. When I arrived I didn't have a name but my new friends named me Nibbles because I enjoy nibbling on their ears (I'm much bigger than they are - teehee)

OK, enough about me - I have the privilege of announcing the winner of The Lunchbox Sewing Tin and 10 treasures (Easy Dresden quilt template, seam ripper, needles, glasshead pins, flowerhead pins, 1" x 6" ruler, embroidery needles, Triangle Trimmers, Gingher Snips & small candy tin. So.......................................

Karen at Sew Primitive Quilter you are the winner!!!!
(send Darlene e-mail with your address and we'll put your prize in the mail soon)

We must say thank you for all your wonderful comments and for playing along with us! Darlene will be back later to show you her completed flimsy (it's the one with 32 stars - she's been working hard - whew)

We hope you'll visit again and often because we love that you do!

In Friendship,

Thimbles, Joy, Millie, Bea Bunny, Snippet and Nibbles

Party Time

it's my 3rd Anniversary!!!!

(this party is over - I'll be back later this morning to announce the winner!)

I hope that you'll join me in celebrating my 3rd anniversary in blogging! I can hardly believe that I've been blogging that long! Indulge me for a moment and come along down memory lane with me.

I have always referred to the quilting blogging community as my "International Quilter's Guild" - so many friends in this guild (some would argue that we're not friends but I strongly disagree). Many stopped by over the last three years and left a comment or two (actually over 12,000 comments); I've posted almost 500 times; thousands of you have stopped by just to have a quick look; two special bloggers pushed me off the hand applique fence and I discovered a new passion; many encouraged me to reconnect with hand embroidery and discovered yet another passion; more flimsies have been added to the ever growing pile of flimsies (LOL); yada, yada yada!!!

It's time to get this party started..................remember this little cutie????

I've added a pin cushion to the inside of the lid and tossed in a few things! Do you like what you see? teehee



So, what's inside???? I hope you'll agree - lots of wonderful treasures, but how many????

Three simple rules - it's all about the number 3. :-)

1. Please tell me why you stop by to visit with me
2. Tell me how many things you see inside the "Lunchbox Sewing Tin"
3. Promise that you'll show the tin and the treasures on your blog if you're a winner (if you don't have a blog then I'll post a picture) You do not have to have a blog to play! :-)


Leave your comment by midnight PST, Friday, June 5th.

Thank you so much for playing along with me!

See you Friday night! Good luck!

In Friendship!