Emerald City

No – I’m not skipping down the yellow brick road with Toto in tow…. but that is the name QM gave to my latest design to be published in Quiltmaker Magazine – March/April issue.

 I really need to get my mail from the mailbox at the end of the parking lot more than once a week — I didn’t know the issue was out yet  until one of the TQP ladies said she saw it.  And lo and behold, the advance copies were in my mailbox.

It’s always fun (and a surprise) to see what QM does with the design I send them.  Quilts get renamed to fit the fabrics they use (or because I can’t come up with a name and ask them to name it), and the fabric colors get changed many times from what I had my EQ image colored in with.

I like the  shades of two colors theme going on in this quilt  — and it has given me an idea for some batik fabric I have in the stash since I actually haven’t stitched this quilt – but may just need to make my own for my bed. 🙂However to show you how different it started out in my image, here’s the quilt image I sent them.

Using a smaller segment of this quilt with the multicolors I drew, if sections are colored in differently, yield a bit different look…. as shown in the additional two drawings.

So, IF you live in the U.S., and IF you don’t have a subscription already to Quiltmaker Magazine (oh the horror), and would like to be included in the random drawing for a free issue of this magazine, leave a comment below.  Be sure to check back on this blog post next Saturday when I’ll update it with the winner(s) to see if you are the lucky one.  Updated: No response so had to pick some new winners.  Jan in Virginia – you are the winner. Please email me privately  (email address under my photo at top of blog) with your full name and mailing address.

Mail surprises

I was contemplating going to the grocery store this afternoon and stopped sewing to go look outside — nope, the fog has turned to more fog and it was drizzling so not waiting for a bus in that today. But I did spy a box the mailperson had left outside my door in the drizzle.

Not a great photo but there’s the Quiltmaker 100 Blocks mug for the 10th anniversary issue – it has a little 10th anniversary banner on the other side but my photo turned out even more blurry of that.  There’s my block – bottom row, corner.  I now have a nice rounded set of six mugs which fills my mug tree.

 

I’m happy to report – I had enough of all fabrics to cut all the borders I wanted.  The floating border is attached all the way around (have I mentioned how much I hate sewing on long plain borders?  I think that’s why lately my quilts have pieced borders – don’t mind those).

And as you can see, I have one section of the taupe and blue outer border joined to one side.  I just need to cut the section for the right side to length and then can get that added too.  I just might get these borders all  on before I quit stitching for today.

Especially since now that I’m not going to the grocery store, I think I’ll just order delivery from somewhere for dinner so don’t have to worry about making something.

 

It’s coming…….Quiltmaker 100 Blocks

Blog Tour starts Monday!   Be sure to stop in for my day on the blog tour – Tuesday! 🙂

Stashbusting and Quilts from 100 Blocks

It’s been a while since I did a stash busting report – my problem is I keep starting things and not finishing them – or simply finding time to sew.  Both design walls are full.

I didn’t get to any sewing yet this week but I did donate 5 yards to  a co-worker’s child for a school project they were working on.

so my numbers stand at

They are not earth shattering numbers by any means but I definitely don’t just randomly purchase fabric like I used to (now if I could transfer that to yarn purchasing).  Oh well…….

The Asian project on the left of the design wall all came from my stash and I plan to work a bit on the sashing strips  that go with it this afternoon.

Have you seen the  latest Quilts From Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks issue – Fall ’14 which is available now — and has been out for a little while.

I just received my complimentary “advance” (tho not so advance in this case due to an address error) 🙂 copies and inside is “Frozen Friends,” a wall hanging design based on my “Should’a Flown South” block in the last issue (Issue 9) of 100 Blocks.  Too cute if I do say so myself.

Just leave a comment on this blog post (must live in the U.S. to enter) to be entered into the random drawing for the extra copy of the magazine I have.  Winner will be announced next Sunday.

Is it Friday yet???

Things are just crazy busy around here – at work, at home.  Finished writing one quilt pattern last weekend.  Have another I need to figure out the yardage for — don’t actually have to have the pattern written up for another month or so but I tend to figure yardage as I write up the pattern.  But I was busy last night counting pieces and strips and how many pieces I could get out of a strip – you get the idea.  Then I decided – heck I wouldn’t really want to piece it that way – so I may rewrite it a different way. 😉  Need to have yardage figured by Monday so I think there will be some time spent this weekend figuring that out.

I am counting down the days until I take a bit of a vacation!  And I still need to quilt my Camp Loopy 2 project quilt and get it bound before the end of the month – and actually really need to have it done before the end of next week according to my own personal schedule.  But like Scarlett said … Tomorrow is another day!

In the meantime, check out what arrived in my mailbox – advance issues of the September/October issue of Quiltmaker.

The quilt design is mine but I can take no credit for that lovely quilt on the bed which was stitched by Donna Smith – but I love the colors they chose for it.

Another swapper signed up for the Spooktacular Halloween Block Swap so we now have the block patterns listed below spoken for.  I still need to get Sara’s blocks added to our “virtual quilt” on the swap page which, if you aren’t familiar with the block names, gives you a visual of what each block looks like.  The names in the list below correspond from top to bottom with the rows of the quilt.  You don’t need to swap a lot of blocks (1 set minimum which is three blocks) in order to get some of the other block designs.    And just to clarify for anyone new to swapping – if you sign up for one set, you make 3 blocks of the same block pattern.  But you get back three DIFFERENT block patterns, not a SET of three same pattern blocks  made by someone.  So an easy way to get a lot of variety in block pattern, variety in fabrics, to make a fun Halloween themed project.

I also got a question – are paper pieced blocks allowed.  Yes – when I said it needed to be a “pieced block” in my mind, that includes paper pieced (but I neglected to actually type that in the swap rules).  Just carefully remove all the paper on paper pieced blocks before you send  them.

Sara’s blocks aren’t in the virtual quilt yet but I’ll be adding those as soon as I get a few free minutes!  Now to go find some dinner.

 

 

Attention span of a Gnat…….

That’s what I seem to have today (tho gnats are a bit more persistent in things than I’m being).  My plan was to rearrange the living room today – move my favorite chair to a spot not directly under the air conditioning vent since one of these days I just might have to use it (the air, not the chair),  put all the quilting and knitting stuff that had gotten dragged into that room back in their places.  Get rid of that layer of dust on the tv and tv stand and the various clutter.  Have I accomplished that … well a little bit of the clutter is gone.

Instead I got sidetracked when I looked out the window and decided my garden plants needed watering.  The garden plots were allegedly going to be ready to plant yesterday.  Well, I did see that the two foot high weeds that were growing in them were gone yesterday when I came home but they have not been tilled up yet.  I was really hoping to get my plans in the ground this weekend but it looks like that won’t happen.  They dry out so fast when in those little nursery pots.  So watering done, I decided to move the birdfeeder to its summer location, pulled a couple of outdoor decorative things out of the laundry room and took my favorite pottery pots back out to the patio, find the patio chair cushions.  Not in the mood to pot any plants yet so came in to get back to that living room project.

So next picked up a stack of magazines that had slid of a shelf.  Started flipping thru to see if there were any I wanted to toss.  But heck, that bit of side tracking has led to this giveaway…..

I recently received two advanced copies of the July/Aug McCall’s Quilting magazine.  Hmmm… I don’t have a quilt pattern coming out in that issue so I emailed Quiltmaker that I think the wrong magazine was sent to me.  So, they sent me two copies of the July/August issue of Quiltmaker.  Hmmm… no quilt of mine in there either! LOL  (I think I really do have a pattern in the Sept/Oct issue of Quiltmaker tho!).  So not really sure how I got on the wrong list for mailing out advance copies to but this is all to your benefit!    I’ll be doing some random drawings for the two issues of McCall’s Quilting, the two Quiltmaker issues, and as I was cleaning out that pile of magazines, I also found two extra issues of Quiltmaker Nov/Dec 2011 which has my Boxes and Bows design on the front cover, along with one extra copy of Quiltmaker 100 Blocks Winter 2011 Vol.4 (which is where one of my Dog Pound dogs debuted as “Balancing Act”) and Quiltmaker 100 Blocks, Summer 2014 Vol. 9 — the latest issue that came out last month that has my Should’a Flown South design in it

For giveaway entry, just leave a comment on this blog post  telling me your general thoughts on this idea — I’m contemplating doing a Row by Row design for a Block of the Month type  Project for next year (yes, always planning ahead here).  If you were to be enticed into joining in to make the project – what would draw you to it.  Meaning, in your perfect world, would it be pieced, appliqued, paperpieced, a bit of all of the above.  Would it be just a great collection of various rows of blocks that look good together or would it be based on some sort of theme, and if so, what theme.

Two additional items: (1) you must live in the United States (sorry out of country dwellers but postage to mail a magazine out of the US is more expensive than the magazine itself) and (2) only one entry PER PERSON NOT per every email address you have please.

I’ll post the winners next Saturday so be sure to check back on that blog post to see if you’ve won.  It will be “first come, first serve” as to which magazine you get so if there’s one you really want, you’ll need to be quick on the draw. LOL  After I announce the winners, they will need to email me PRIVATELY (remember my email address can always be found below my picture at the top of the blog) providing their complete mailing address and give me their order for preference of magazine.

 

Now, seriously, I’m going back to cleaning the living room….. I think…..

Purple is coming!!!!

What the heck does that mean????

Well, it means the Spring issue of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks, Volume 9 cover has been revealed and the header color is purple this time.

    And why do I think that’s so exciting, despite the obvious that it’s a great magazine, packed with 100 new and fun quilt blocks????  Because…….

 

 

And you must know what a new issue of 100 Blocks means…….

 

 

Yes!  There’s a blog tour coming.  And that means there will be all kinds of giveaway goodies on the Quiltmaker Quilty Pleasures blog that week in addition to links to all the blogs on the blog tour so you will want to check it out.  I’ve got a couple of gift certificates to MyEQBoutique tossed into the Quilty Pleasures Blog giveaway prize packages (or I will have since I forgot to mail them off today).    And since I was lucky once again and got a spot on the blog tour, that means there will be a couple of issues of the magazine given away during my day of the blog tour and who knows what over giveaway goodies I might find.  Soooooo…….

        

It’s in the mail…..

  Well it WILL be in the mail tomorrow.

I heard back from the three gals who won the random drawing for this issue of Quiltmaker with my Spinning Pinwheels design in it so envelopes are addressed and they will go out in the mail tomorrow.

 

And congratulations to Sara F!   I had one extra issue of the magazine left since my subscription copy is probably also sitting in my mailbox (but it’s been too cold and snowy to bother to get the mail so far this week), so when I loaded a new photo of me to the blog (which is another story) I decided whoever noticed the photo and left a comment first got the extra issue and  not long after I uploaded it, Sara mentioned it.  So the last copy is headed out to her tomorrow too.  Hope you ladies all enjoy the issue – lots of fun quilts in it.

I can’t wait until tomorrow (1) because it is FINALLY Friday!!!  I woke up Wednesday morning think it was Thursday and was very happy in my oblivion until the guy who makes my latte at the coffee shop said something about it being Wednesday.  My hopes were dashed — and this week seemed exceedingly long from the on but (2) more importantly, the Dog Pound calendar designs I ordered for giveaways should be delivered tomorrow.  I can’t wait to see them. 🙂  The tote bags and pens order won’t arrive till probably next week.  Then I have to find a safe place to stash all of them.

Back to my knitting — why are sleeves so boring??  Well it is good don’t have to really pay attention knitting but it seems to be taking forever to make any progress especially since these are bell-shaped sleeves so more stitches than a normal sweater sleeve.  But all progress is goods back at it.

And the winners are – Quiltmaker March/April issue

Okay  you people who entered the giveaway for the extra copies of the March/April issue of Quiltmaker that has my Spinning Pinwheels quilt in it, I have had the random number generator pick some winners .

  Cindy, Roxanna and Susan I have emailed you privately to get your addresses.  Congratulations.

Thank you to all who left comments and in response to a couple of them — Cindy said she couldn’t quite figure out how I designed them.    The interesting thing is when I drew them, I had in mind a specific way on how I would put them together.  However, Quiltmaker’s magic elves write the patterns up the way they would make the quilt which in this case is very different from how I would do it – and a very interesting way to put it together.

Thank you for the comments about loving the colors, etc.  — I can’t take any credit for that.    I didn’t make that quilt – the deadline between when I would receive fabrics to make the design out of and the time they need it completed and sent back for photographing is just way too tight for a person who works a full time job outside the home. 🙂  So the fabric line that gets used and who makes the quilt are chosen by Quiltmaker.   So it’s always a great surprise to see what one of my designs looks like in the magazine issue. 🙂

I love the fabrics that got used in this one but it’s a very different look from the colors I used in EQ to color the image in with.

 

Here’s what my original image looked like.  And rather than Spinning Pinwheels, my name for this design (which doesn’t always get used in the magazine) is “Button, Button”  (as in Button, Button who’s got the Button) since they remind me of sewing buttons.

 

And more fun news — I just found out one of my most favorite blocks I’ve ever designed is going to be in the next Quiltmaker 100 Blocks issue so I’m thrilled to have another block included.

 

 

Spinning Pinwheels

  In the colder weather I have not been making the trip out to the mailboxes  – dang I should have picked an apartment closer to the street but then I wouldn’t have the woods right behind me.  Besides – it’s usually just bills in the mailbox anyway so no need to collect them every day. 🙂

But sometimes there is something fun…… like the advance copies of the March/April Quiltmaker issue that have probably been sitting there all week.  I had forgotten they should be coming around this time so it was a fun surprise.

 

And inside…. Spinning Pinwheels.  It’s always interesting to see what Quiltmaker names the designs since some I don’t have names for or they change the name.  It was even more surprising since I thought they were using a different one of my designs for this issue.  A bit of a snafu in communications since when I was writing the blurb that shows up in the magazine next to my photo, they sent me the image of the other quilt and that’s the design I was referring to when writing that blurb.  Luckily, what I wrote sort of applies to both designs or it might have sounded a bit goofy. LOL

So I’ve got a couple extra  issues I’m willing to part with.  If you do not subscribe to Quiltmaker magazine and would like to win an issue, it’s very simple.  Just leave a comment on this blog post – but only one comment per person (so please do not sign up with multiple email addresses).  You must live in the United States in order to be eligible for the drawing.  If you have never left an approved comment on my blog, it will hold your comment until I approve it so don’t go crazy on me and leave multiple comments if you don’t see it appear in the comment list.  I will be approving them before I do the random drawing.

 

Time to finish off the last of my cleaning and then find duffle bag so I can pack my vacation stuff.  I’ll be glad not to be standing on the corner waiting for the bus tomorrow morning in the below zero temperatures and hopefully between here and where I’m headed they don’t get as much snow as was earlier predicted for today and tomorrow or I may have a stay-cation after all.