pincushion kit winner!

Sorry I'm so lame and forgot to do this earlier in the week!

I really enjoyed reading your comments and hearing about those of you who have made bloggy friends! They are super awesome, that's for sure!

And the lucky winner of the pincushion kit is

Yay Kate!

only one problem - you are a no-reply blogger so I don't have anyway to contact you! Please contact me so I can get your shipping info and color preference! Penny is going to put this together just for you!

Speaking of no-reply bloggers - some of you mentioned you don't have two way communication with the blogs you read/follow. You see, I have (as do most bloggers, I think) all of my comments emailed to me. When I hit reply on the email, if you have an email attached to your profile I can email you right back! If you don't, your email address says no-reply. The best part is you don't have to have a blog to do this. Just a profile!

If you go read THIS POST at Pleasant Home (THANKS JODI!!) you can change your settings so that you have an email attached to your account! It's so easy and makes it really fun to be able to continue a conversation started in the comments section.

Okay! I've got lots of bee blocks to share this week! See you soon!

sew & tell - february 2011

Well hello there!  I'm so happy to be back for a sew & tell today!  I have learned that I shouldn't tell you what I'm planning to post because sometimes it doesn't work out.  I have that bird quilt almost ready - but the biggest problem is that I don't have any good pictures of it!  I was going to take some pictures this morning, but it's wet and rainy outside and the quilt has a lot of white in it.  Need I say more?

I also want to wax poetic about the loveliness of the people who made the blocks for me and all the things I learned on my first real foray into free motion machine quilting.  I know, you can hardly wait!! ;0)

I've been sewing up a storm working on a few projects, including the kitchen swap and some bee blocks.  But I wanted to share this with you today!

I love this bag! If you haven't heard of V. and Co. you need to get over there now! She's got so many ideas in her head it's amazing. Therefore she has a ton of great tutorials and patterns not to mention awesomely funny and entertaining blog posts! I made this bag from her pattern, The Favorite Bag.

It also came with the pattern for this detachable flower.

I've always wanted to make some fabric flowers but have been too intimidated to break out my glue gun.  It wasn't really that bad.  I need to get over my unsubstantiated fear of hot glue and it's little stringy off-spring.

I haven't made a bag for a while - I kind of had bag burnout after last year.  But I think I'm going to be making some more.   And definitely more of these little flowers!  They are on a bar pin so I can take it off and wear it on my favorite cardi!

So what have you all been up to the last month or so?  Link up a finished project below and remember our Sew & Tell linky etiquette:

PLEASE READ THIS POST IF YOU ARE NEW TO LINKING UP!  :)

NEW RULES FOR LINKING UP!  Please read carefully.  The delete monster will be eating non-compliant links.

1. Please write the post for sew & tell - or add a blurb mentioning sew & tell to a post written since the last sew & tell.  If you are linking to a post with your own tutorial, please make sure it was a finish from this week and that the completed project is shown first.

2. One linky per person. (please put multiple projects in one post.)

3. Link to your specific post.  (See here for permalink instructions - or email me.)

4. Link back here with a link or a button.

5. Be sure to visit and leave comments on other's posts!

awesome mail day #3

I got this in the mail from my friend Amy at Amy's Creative Side!! Woohoo!  I consider myself lucky to have received a preview copy!

I will be concluding Amy's book tour in early March.  The tour started yesterday and she'll be sending you to a new blog each day with reviews and a chance to win your own copy.

I'll share more about my impressions when it's my turn, but these quilts are awesome - and approachable!  When I was visiting Utah last January I got to see most of these quilts in progress.  It's fun to see them all finished up and even better to have the instructions on how to make them!  I have my eye on one already...

I realize I posted the pincushion kit giveaway on a Saturday of a long weekend.  So here's a reminder to go to this post and leave a comment for this darling kit!

And then while I was sewing today 2 of my crumbsnatchers were watching a movie. I heard them trying to get a blanket, thinking they were going for the down throw that they always use. When I went into the other room, this is what I saw!

Warmed my heart, for sure. It's still needing a little bit more quilting and a wash. But I plan on sharing it this Friday for sew & tell. Are you ready with a finish?

lucky penny + pincushion kit giveaway

Do you have a lucky penny? I do! And she blogs over at sewtakeahike! If you were around this summer you got to read several of her guest posts as she helped me out when I was birthing and moving. Oh yeah, that sounds way more glamorous than it really was.

She was part of A Notion or Two quilting bee with me last year.

Backtrack. I wanted to tell you one of the things I figured out while I was 'away' was that I need to not over-commit. It's not fair to the people that are constantly waiting for me to make good on my end of the deal. And it's not fair to me not enjoy making something because I of the worries that comes with it - guilt for being late, nervous if they will like it, making things because I HAVE to not because I want to. I'm not saying that I didn't want to be a part of such a fun group, but with my life getting so crazy this last year, I couldn't in good conscience continue with the bee and I dropped out. It was a fun group for 2 years. It turns out a lot of us had run our course and it's practically a new group. And I'm a little bit sad that I'm not still in it, because I recognized a lot of sew & tellers in the new group and how fun would it be to quilt with you!! So I've been playing catch-up on bee blocks the last few weeks and have 5 to show you and one more to make.

Okay, back to Penny! I just got the bee blocks she made for my month. I had wanted to make Rachel's Pinwheel Sampler quilt but couldn't do the quilt along, so I decided to have my group make some of the blocks! And they all turned out so cute!

Penny designed this asterisk block for the pinwheel quilt and I love it!  She is a pro at paper-piecing and this just makes me happy! I know it was made from her heart.  That is one important lesson I've learned from Penny.  If it's truly made from your heart it will be perfect and creative and unique!

#1

#2

And if that weren't enough she also included a sweet flannel blanket for babylouwho.

She knows how to rock a crochet hook that's for sure!

She's so sweet she also gave me one of her footstool pincushion patterns to giveaway!

Actual kit will mostly likely differ from the photo.  But knowing Penny, it will be equally awesome!

Isn't it adorable?!

Just leave me a comment and tell me about a blogging friend you've made.  I'll leave the giveaway open until, oh, I don't know, Wednesday 22 February?  Remember Sew & Tell will be back next Friday! (24 Feb)

I ♥ all of you, my dear blogging buddies!

*fine print - no compensation was received for doing this giveaway.  Penny's just nice and wanted to share!

good mail v. bad mail

good mail = stuff made with fabric
bad mail = junk mail, ads, EOBs, and bills


Luckily for me, this has been a VERY GOOD mail week!  So as not to overdo it, I'll just share one thing today.  I'll get to the others soon.

As I've said, I'm part of the Spicing Up the Kitchen {a modern swap} over on Flickr.  It's my first swap like this and it has been so much fun!!

Today the mailman came and had a package for me.  I was surprised, because I hadn't ordered anything lately.  Then I saw it was from Amber, at One Shabby Chick, with whom I was in A Notion or Two (we both dropped out this year.)  So I wasn't expecting anything from her.  Then it dawned on me that she must have been my secret partner in the swap!  I was ecstatic as I had seen her WIP in the group's photostream!

the loot

If you have seen any of Amber's work, you know how pretty and scrappy and unique it is!  Her blog is one of the first that I started following when I found out about the sewing/crafting blog world several years ago.  I'm so honored to have some of her work that I can use and admire on a daily basis!

She made this gorgeous table runner.

That looks equally good in my kitchen at the bar or on my dining room table!

I just love all of these fabrics she used! The prints and the colors.

look at that quilting!!

And she included two oversized square hotpads. I don't have anything like this and am sorely in need of some!

upon further inspection these are all made from crazy nine patches.  is that what the kids are calling them these days?

And I was just telling my mom how I boring I think most kitchen items (sold at most big box stores) are and ALWAYS the same sage, burgundy and navy. totally Not me.

you had me at aqua polka dots

This however. TOTALLY ME!! yippee!

and look how good my brownies will look while cooling. Perfect! Thank you so much Amber!!

And you know what's funny? The block I made for her on Round 2 of our bee is what has inspired what I am making for MY partner in the kitchen swap. Here it is in progress.

In other news. I think I found my sewing mojo again. Anyone up for Sew & Tell next (February 25) Friday? I have a quilt I want to share! I'd love to tell you about all the things I figured out during my break.

More soon.

happy valentine's day!

One of these years I'm going to make a heart quilt.  I just love this one:

found on Flickr

and then there's this one that I saw last year at American Quilting in Utah:

 

Maybe next year.  Until then enjoy this day loving those you love!
xoxo

need some eye candy?

Hi there!  I know it's been a little while.  So much to talk about!   I'll start first with this.


I'm so honored to have been chosen a judge for Quiltstory's Block Party!  I just finished picking my favorites - it was so hard to choose!  There were some amazing blocks.  You should take a look!  It would be a great way to spend your Sunday afternoon.  Go here.

Winners will be announce on their blog on Monday.  I can't wait to see who wins!  The suspense is killing me!

I've been sewing some quilt blocks of my own.  Well actually, they are me playing catch-up for my 2010 A Notion or Two Bee.  I'll have pictures to show soon.  And lots more to talk about.

And maybe a quilt for sew and tell?  How about the last Friday in February?