We have a giveaway winner!

Encouraging words of the day:

The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant words are persuasive. ~ Proverbs 16:21, NLT

 

We’ve posted our first 5 blocks on the Penny Haren Pieced Applique group.  This is our catch-up week so there block #6 is not due until next week.  Here are my first five:

We took a 6-hour road trip yesterday so I was able to work on my hexies.  I got several petals made and four flowers so I am prepared for “One-Flower Wednesday.”  Here they are:

 

Giveaways I've run into! 

"Pins & Bobbins" is giving away a Cutting Edge ruler that sharpens your blades as you cut, doesn't slip around and is perfect for squaring up big blocks.

"Alderwood Quilts"  has a 16-page pattern booklet with instructions for 5 beginner-level quilts along with quilting basics to give away.   

"Gone Stitching" is giving away a package of goodies as yet unnamed.

And finally there’s my "Birthday Giveaway"   of 9 fat quarters from Connecting Threads, an Olfa 45 mm refill blade, and a spool of 100% Egyptian Cotton Thread.  I couldn’t figure out how to put an image of the “Random Number Generator” and the number it chose on my page, as some do, but the number that came up is #26.  Robin who said:

“I just blogged about your giveaway” in post #26 is the winner.  She also wished me a happy birthday and became a follower in a previous post.  Thanks, Robin, and congratulations.  This giveaway will be on it’s way to you as soon as I receive your pertinent information.  Thanks to all who participated in the giveaway.

About  UFOs:

UFOs will remain on the shelf for a while longer as the Dresden Plate quilt is taking me forever and I have other projects I’m working on .  I’ve decided to quilt at least one of the blocks each day but that’s kinda faltering…

That is all.

 

 

Getting “in shape.”

Encouraging words of the day:

How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension!  ~ Psalm 147:5, NLT

 

I bought a Wii system and the Wii balance board some time back in an effort to get my body back “in shape.”  I guess it would work if I used it more consistently but like most exercise, it’s easy to slack off.  Today “it” asks me “Do you have trouble walking?” and later tells me to “try to feel the rhythm of the beat” as I fall off the WiiFit balance board.  As my son says, “I can’t believe you paid that much money to have a machine insult you.”  Oh well.

I’ll stick to my sewing machine.  Here’s my latest block on the Penny Haren  Pieced Applique.  These are getting more difficult with each block.  Here it is, my 5^th block.

The “House Blocks” we’re sewing in another group are much more fun.  This month we made a barn.

I won!  I won a copy of "Redwork From the Workbasket" as well as Pearl Louise Krush's "Redwork Winter Twitterings" from the "Hand Quilting"    blog.  Thanks so much.  I’m busy now trying to select a project to  start on.

 Giveaways I've run into !

  "The Plaid Scottie" is having a giveaway which ends on March 9^th for a fat quarter bundle and a copy of Denyse Schmidt Quilts.

 "1choice4quilting"  is having a giveaway of Sunkissed fabric, your choice of

1/2 Yard each of the 8 different Sunkissed fabrics or 1 Yard each of 4 different Sunkissed fabrics .  There will be 2 winners.  Closes March 14^th.

"Inch Worm Fabrics"  is giving away 5 Batik fat quarters. 

And or course there’s my "Birthday Giveaway"   for a chance to win 9 fat quarters from Connecting Threads, an Olfa 45 mm refill blade, and a spool of 100% Egyptian Cotton Thread.  This ends on Tuesday, March 8th. 

About  UFOs:

I have a Dresden Plate queen size quilt I’ve been working on forever.  I am now quilting it and hope to complete it some day.  I didn’t work on it in the summer because it was too hot to have the quilt draped over my knees as I sewed.  And now that winter is almost over, I got started again.  Soon it will be too hot again, ha.

That is all.

Pay It Forward 2011!

 Encouraging words of the day:

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him.  Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13

Pay It Forward 2011!

I'm participating in Pay It Forward this year! I'm very excited - I've seen this around blogland for a while and always wanted to participate.

I signed up over with Jessica at "Quilty Habit"

  and now I need three people to send things to, who will then send things to three people  etc.

This is how it works:

I need three people that would like a gift from me.

I send each of them a gift sometime in the next year.

In turn, you post about this and send three other people gifts.

I think it can be done.  We have a whole year in which to do it!

It kind of reminds me of the”random acts of kindness.”

No need to be big and fancy, just kind and considerate.

I love the idea of making gifts for people, and you making gifts for people, etc.!

Let's “Pay It Forward!”

I'll take the first three people who want to commit. I hope someone does!

It’s “One Flower Wednesday”  and my garden is growing.  I've made two completely different flowers.  I think my garden will have all sorts of flowers. 

Oh.  I won the "Block Lotto"  Well, I won along with four other people in the lotto.  We win blocks made by the other participants.  I’ll be getting 48 blocks total of  “String Heart Blocks” we all made.  I only made 4 because they were difficult for me but they are beautiful.  Here’s a photo of the ones I made.  I'm excited to start receiving blocks to see what others made :)

 

Giveaways I've run into ! 

"Vignette in Stitches"   is having a giveaway of a bundle of 15 fat Quarters from 'Where the Wind Blows.  This ends on the  10th of March.  

"Pleasant Home"  is having a GO! Baby giveaway.  You could be the lucky winner of a GO! Baby and 3 dies just for entering a comment about being a grandparent.

 "Why Knot Quilt"    has made a cute cloth bucket with a charm pack for her giveaway which ends today.

And or course there’s my "Birthday Giveaway"   for a chance to win 9 fat quarters from Connecting Threads, an Olfa 45 mm refill blade, and a spool of 100% Egyptian Cotton Thread. This ends on March 8th.

About  UFOs:

I finished my “Alice in Wonderland” quilt which I started about a year ago.  What got me working on it is that it will be a gift for my god-daughter who is graduating from high school in May.  So, here it is!  

I don't know why I can only get this photo to come out sideways.  Curiouser and curiouser...
That is all.

Happy Monday!

Encouraging words of the day:“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him.  Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13 NLT

More info about the sewing machine.

In the early 1800s, clothing was made by hand, families sewed their pants, shirts, and dresses using a needle and thread. But in 1846 Elias Howe changed all that, he came up with another way to make clothes, he patented the first practical sewing machine..The sewing machine industry based on his original invention made possible the mass production of clothing on a much larger scale than had ever been possible with hand-stitching.

Speaking of quilting and blogging:

Something strange seems to be happening in my life (or maybe I mean TO my life).  As if I didn’t already have enough things pulling me away from my sewing room, now I’m into blogging.  I’m so exhausted from working on my blog that I don’t have time to sew.

Back to quilting:

I received this beautiful “hexie” from a friend in The Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap.  Hanne from Denmark sent me this beautiful flower for my garden.

 

Giveaways I've run into !

"Leona's Quilting Adventure" is having a giveaway consisting of a  copy of the book Scatter Joy by Kathy Davis and eight cuts of beautiful Journeys fabric.

 

 "Cut to Pieces"  is having a giveaway of two jelly rolls of Sherbet Pips.

 "Happiest When Crafting" is having her first fabric giveaway.   The giveaway closes at 11p.m. on the 28th  February Lisbon time so I’m thinking we don’t have much time to enter this giveaway.  Let’s see, it is now 9:00 am in El Paso and I wonder what the time difference is…I had to go look it up.  The time difference between El Paso, Texas (Mountain Standard Time) and Lisbon, Portugal  is 6 hours so it closes at 5:00 pm MST.

And don’t forget about my "Birthday Giveaway"   for a chance to win 9 fat quarters from Connecting Threads, an Olfa 45 mm refill blade, and a spool of 100% Egyptian Cotton Thread. 

About  UFOs:

I did a little work on my “Alice in Wonderland” quilt.  I got the sandwich made and am now in the process of finishing the quilting part…and so it goes.

That is all.

Getting better at blogging. Maybe.

Encouraging words of the day:

He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will never be shaken. ~ Psalm 62:2, NLT

Another item from the interesting book given to me by my sister:

Until the 1700s, there were no machines to make cloth; every single piece had to be spun by hand.  This was considered “women’s work” and consigned to an unmarried female in the family.  Hence the word “spinster.” 

I’m doing somewhat better on my blogging, every-other-day instead of once a week so here I am again.  I worked on my block for the Layer Cake Quilt-Along.  It was pretty easy and very interesting.  For Block Nine with Jovita Goldschmidt you sew up 9 squares and move them around to make different 4 different variations for her block.   Here’s the one I chose:

 

I received two mug rugs for the Mug Rug Swap  My rug mugs, ummm mug rugs were made by Lisa from Michigan and I am so excited.  She made one of the mug rugs with an appliqué shape of Texas (my state) on one half and the card tricks block on the other half.  I don’t think she has any way of knowing I love to play cards.  Beautiful.  The other mug rug is in hues of blue and green with a heart appliqué and a star block and is lovely as well, not to mention the beautiful hand-made card she included.   Oh, and did I mention, both mug rugs are completely hand-sewn and quilted?  Also included were a hand-sewn pin and a cute butterfly tassel “thingie” which is going to look great hooked onto my NOOK.  Thanks, Lisa.  What an exciting package! Here is a photo showing all my loot:

The main thing that occupied my time in the last two days was working on my blog.  I changed my main photo to the little crooked pink house I made for the “House Block-of-the-Month I’m in.  And THEN, trying to get one of those little “Grab My Button” gadgets on my blog.  That was pretty much a nightmare.  Please try it and see if it works and let me know one way or the other…It's on the top right hand side of my blog over a the little pink house that looks like this. Thanks.

And finally, don’t forget to visit my sister’s blog my sister's blog when you get a chance.  She’s just starting and  “I made her” (or so she says) start blogging.

Giveaways!

"Confessions of a Quilt Addict"    is having a great giveaway consisting of 2 charm packs, 13 fat quarters, 4 one-yard cuts, and a copy of the newest "Quiltmaker" magazine. 

Oh.  Don’t forget about my  "Birthday Giveaway"  for a chance to win 9 fat quarters from Connecting Threads, an Olfa 45 mm refill blade, and a spool of 100% Egyptian Cotton Thread. 

And I still didn’t get to those dreadful UFOs.

That is all.

One Flower Wednesday again.

These encouraging words of the day seem so appropriate for what’s going on in the world today.

Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. ~ 1 Timothy 2:2, NLT

I’ve been reading an interesting book given to me by my sister.  It’s full of all sorts of interesting information.  For example, did you know that in the 1950s, 75% of American households had sewing machines?  Now it’s less than 5%.  I guess, we’re too busy and many don’t have the time to sew.  I’m glad we’re in the minority.

It’s “One-Flower Wednesday” once again.  I’m getting to where I really enjoy these days.  Last week I completed 2 flowers and this week I, once again, completed 2 flowers so my garden is starting to grow.  So, ta da!

Oh.  We have a new blogger in “Blog Land.”  I have finally convinced one of my sisters to start a blog.  She is working on it as I type this.  If you get a chance, visit her blog and encourage her.  I know that it helped me so much with all the encouragement I got from all the blog friends I’ve made.   Here’s the link: My sister made me do it.

Some giveaways I’ve run into, including my own  "Happy Birthday Giveaway"

or check yesterday’s blog entry for my “Birthday Giveaway”  for a chance to win 9 fat quarters from Connecting Threads, an Olfa 45 mm refill blade, and a spool of 100% Egyptian Cotton Thread.

"Jaybird Quilts"  is giving away a half yard bundle of Magnolia Lane along with other companion fabrics... totaling 7 half yards of fabric!  This giveaway ends Thursday, February 24, at 10 pm EST.

 "So Happy Me" is having a Fabric Giveaway with a very generous bundle of 19 fat quarters of fabric.  You don’t have much time to enter this as it ends midnight (UTC time) on Wednesday  23rd February and I’m not sure when UTC time is.

Things I need to do today are work on my Layer Cake block and then, of course, there are always those dreadful UFOs so…

that is all.

Happy Birthday Giveaway

Words for the day:

For we live by believing and not by seeing.~ 2 Corinthians 5:7, NLT

 

Happy Birthday Giveaway

 Today is my birthday so I’m celebrating with you by hosting my first giveaway!

In this morning’s mail, I received a shipment I had ordered from Connecting Threads.  I ordered fat quarters in stripes and checks since it seems there are SO many floweredy fabrics on the market.  It seems like I’m always looking for something to neutralize the flowers, something besides a solid.  So, I’m sharing 9 striped  and/or checkered fat quarters  and, alright,  one floweredy orange fat quarter,  an Olfa Rotary Refill Blade 45 mm, and a spool of 100% Egyptian Cotton Thread. 

You will have two chances to win this giveaway:

1.  Become a follower of my blog and tell me you’ve done so in a comment.

2.  Blog about this giveaway and come back and leave a comment telling me so.  

     Leave me a link to your blog so I can contact you if you win.

If you have a no-reply blog or do not have a blog, make sure to leave me some way to contact you.  If I can't contact you, you will not win and I will have to choose someone else.  I’ll be using the random selector to choose a winner. 

This giveaway will end on Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at midnight (Mountain Standard Time).  I will announce the winner on Wednesday, March 9, 2011.

I hope you like the giveaway and that I’ll soon be hearing from you.  Good luck!

That is all.