Pics from the ASQG Quilt Show

Last time I posted, I mentioned that the Annie Star Quilt Guild was preparing for its biennial quilt show. Here are some pictures from some of my favorite quilts:

This quilt, pieced by Marilyn G., won Best of Show. Well deserved! The piecing on this quilt was amazing.
This quilt was also made by Marilyn G. How darling is this?
This is a kaleidoscope quilt. Very attractive. The black background really makes the designs pop.
This quilt was huge. Really, about the biggest quilt I've ever seen in a show. So big that I couldn't get a picture of the entire quilt. And the maker also machine quilted it.!
And since Halloween was just last week, I needed to include a picture of this cute wall hanging. Would love to have this hanging in my house around Halloween.

A Sneak Peak & Vacation Plans

I belong to the Annie Star Quilt Guild and we are holding our biennial quilt show this coming month, October. My friend Carol encouraged me to enter a few quilts, so I thought I'd give you a sneak peak at one of my entries.
This quilt is put together from blocks made by me and my friends to celebrate my 50th birthday, so it is very special to me.

With that, I'm off to the airport to spend some relaxation time in Cabo. Enjoy your week, I know I'll be enjoying mine!!

Where have I been?

Hi friends. Sorry it has been so long since I've blogged. I guess it's been a busy summer. My oldest son graduated from college and we just moved him down to Santa Barbara for grad school. My youngest is still in the Navy. I haven't seen him since Easter (I'm so glad I flew out to see him then), and won't see him until Christmas or New Years. My hubby and I got in a week vacation to Reno, a weekend get-away to San Francisco, and are now on the countdown for Cabo San Lucas.

Here's a picture of me from our San Francisco trip, performing indoor skydiving:



I haven't been doing much teaching lately and have been enjoying the break. I did have one class on the schedule in Paradise, but only had 1 sign-up so it was cancelled. On the plus side, I have a group of women who have me scheduled for a private class so that should be fun!

I'm trying to get up to speed with my Tin Lizzie and have just ordered a good selection of colors of Glide thread. I am also considering getting a Towa gauge. Does anyone have experience with them that would like to give me an opinion? As far as the Glide thread goes, I love it. It has a sheen like the Rainbow threads, and is very well priced.

Yesterday I got together with my small quilt group, Material Girls. I had a good day. I sewed handles on a bunch of little baskets, which was a pain because the baskets are little and it's hard to sew around the rim. I also got bindings sewed to three wall hangings (I still have to do the hand stitching), I laid out quilt blocks on the design wall and have them organized to piece together for a quilt called Pave the Way, I bought more fabric and got it cut for another Pave the Way, and pieced together three small mug runs. Not bad for a days work.

My big project now is to get the binding on the quilt I have entered into the local quilt show. The binding as been sewn on, so again - more handwork. It's pretty big, 92" x 96" so it's going to take awhile.

OK, that's it for now.

Mug Rug Fever

Well, I'm a little late coming to the party, but I've got the mug rug fever. This mug rug was truly a collaborative effort.

I made the rug, my friend (and partner-in-pounding) Pam found the coordinating mug and added the binding. I took this cutie to my office today and will be placing my mug on its rug tomorrow! I can hardly wait!
You can find the pattern for this mug rug here, but also, if you do a quick google search, you will find 100s of them!

So, now that I have the fever, I need to make more. If you know me, you know my philosophy: It's as easy to make one as it is a dozen! So, with that in mind, here's my work in process for the next 12 or 15 or so...
I will, of course, be adding black and white polka dots for the borders, and have found the cutest polka dot mugs at Pier One. I think they will make great Christmas gifts!!

A Chance to Win a DVD from Adam

Are you on Facebook? If so, please visit Adam Chenevert and comment on his post for a chance to win a DVD of your choice, either Wholecloth Design and Execution or 2,500 Feathers. As for me, I'm trying to get my owl quilt finished up. I hope to have pictures to share soon.

In the meantime, here's a picture of my handsome son:
And pictures of my Easter destination, Pensacola Beach, FL:

What I'm Working On

My friend Pam surprised me with the fabric and pattern for this cute table topper by The Pattern Basket.
Isn't it cute? I'm almost done but won't get it quilted before Easter, which is okay since I won't be home for Easter this year. Instead, I'll be visiting with my son in Pensacola, FL. I'll keep my eyes open for a quilt shop and will also be hot on the trail of geocaches. From where he's stationed, I think I can pick up a geocache in 4 different states: Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Wish me luck and I'll catch up with you in a few weeks.

2,500 feathers by Adam Chenevert

He's at it again. Adam Chenevert has a new DVD out that's all about feathers. 2,500 to be exact.


In six simple lessons you'll learn how to draw 2,500 completely unique and beautiful feathers in an easy to understand and follow format. All you need is a sketchbook, a DVD player, and your imagination.

There are over five hours worth of lessons on the DVD which will take you from novice to feather master all in the course of an afternoon. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the show!

You can find the DVD in Adam's Etsy store. I haven't purchased mine yet, but you can rest assured that I will. I do have his Wholecloth Design and Execution DVD and highly recommend it.

Finally Making Progress!

I had a nice time on the quilting get-away and was sewing like a mad woman. Here's pics of a few of the tops I got done. Obviously the quilting still needs to come, but still I'm happy to have got this far!

30's butterflies - before and after:

Owls, before and after:
Crop circles (started at Pacific Internal Quilt Festival in a class taught by Sharon Pederson), before and after:
Stay tuned. I actually finished 8 tops so more pics to come!!

On Vacation

Hi friends. Good news on 3 counts. First, the orthopedic specialist gave me a shot of cortisone and prescribed 6 weeks of physical therapy. Hopefully this will take care of my torn rotator cuff without surgery. Second, the swelling in my shoulder has gone and I have regained movement in my arm. Yea! Third, since my art is better, I'm able to go on vacation. I'm leaving early tomorrow morning. Six of us are heading to Bodega Bay to spend 5 days QUILTING. I'm so excited. This is the second year that we will have rented a huge 5 bedroom, 3 bathroom house with a gigantic dining room table that we'll set our machines up at. I have above 15 ufos packed up and ready to go. I hope that I am super productive as I have a lot of projects to finish. Here's a few pics of the house we'll be staying in. When I return, I post pics of my finished projects (positive thinking!) Have a great week.

One Arm Out (of commission)

Here's a pic that looks quite a bit like I've looked over the past few days. Except this person doesn't appear to be crying from the pain, like I have been.

Turns out that I've torn some tendons in my left arm so I've gotten nothing accomplished during the last week. So, instead of sharing with you what I've been working on lately, I thought I'd share what I haven't been working on - here's pics of a few of my ufo's:

Redwork:
30's Reproduction Blocks from several block swaps:
Bali blocks from a block swap:
Blocks with a butter-colored background from a block swap (why did I participate in so many block swaps?):
Grandma's flowers:
A half-made sunflower I made after taking Melinda Bula's class:
Blocks I won in the quilt's block of the month activity.

Oh my, I'm starting to get worried about all these ufo's. And this is just the start of them!

Wholecloth Design and Execution - Don't Miss This Opportunity

I have been a fan of Adam Chenevert's quilting style and skill for a long time now and had the opportunity to take his online Wholecloth Design and Execution class through MQResource. I'm a fan of his facebook page and just found out that he is offering his class on Etsy, in DVD format that can viewed on a computer. I can only say I hope you don't miss out on this opportunity to purchase this DVD.
The disc contains five and a half hours of easy to understand videos that can turn even a beginning quilter into a wholecloth master.

Included with the disc is a bonus video featuring thirty-five additional fills that you won't want to miss out on.

Want to know more about Adam? Check out this link.

A Winner!

A winner!! Thanks to all of your who left comments and became followers. True to our word, Library Gal and I held our "happy hour" drawing, during a real happy hour. Several friends were there to help us out and draw the names. My friend Sue dipped her hand into my bucket and JEANETTE - YOU WON!!! For those of you who didn't win, please continue to follow this blog as we'll have another opportunity for you to win soon. Congrats to Jeanette and thanks to Sue for drawing her name.

Keep Your Comments Coming - 2 Days Till Giveaway

Hi - Thank you all for commenting and joining in on the fun. We are overwhelmed and appreciative of your kind comments. Two more days till the giveaway. I will draw a winner at approx 5 pm, Friday. Library Gal will also draw a winner at the same time. Good luck to you all!

PS - Since I don't have a quilt-related picture to show you, here's one of my oldest son and his girlfriend.

Happy Hour Giveaway for One Stitch Off Jewelry

Our Happy Hour Giveaway for One Stitch Off Jewelry!

Happy MLK Day! Pam and I have decided to do a giveaway for not one but two necklaces! I am giving away a Love, Laugh, Quilt necklace like the one below.
Leave a comment here on my blog and for an extra chance to win, become a follower of my blog. Already a follower? Just let me know and you'll receive an extra chance to win.

Pam, my partner in pounding, is giving away a Quilt and Bee Happy necklace like the one shown below. Visit her at Library Gal Quilts and leave her a comment and become a follower too!


Winners will be picked Friday January 21st at 5 p.m. Happy Hour you might call it!

The Road to California is this week in Ontario, California. If you are a southern California gal, you should absolutely try to go! Stop by Honey Run Quilter's booth to see our necklaces in person!

Spread the love and mention the giveaway on your blog if you have time! Thanks and good luck!

I'm a Winner!!

Wow! Not too long ago, Brandie of the abc blog had a give-away. To enter, she asked that you leave a comment with your New Year's resolution. For me, that's an easy one. I've had the same New Year's resolution for about 8 years now: Organize my recipes. I'm proud to report that 1) I did make progress on that endeavor during 2010, and 2) I'm a winner. Brandie is what you call Wonderwoman. She bakes, cooks, appliques, quilts, sews, etc., etc. In fact, she does so much, I can't keep up with it all. One of her activities is sewing totes, which I believe she sells locally. So, she whipped up a few for her give-away, and I was one of the lucky ones. Here it it, isn't it beautiful?
In the spirit of give-aways, I'll be hosting one beginning tomorrow, Monday, January 17. Please be sure to check in and see what and how you can win!!

It's squirrels for the new year!

Yep, I'll admit it. I've become a bit of a squirrel and nut collector. It all started with my husband, who was joking with some guy friends and called them horn*y squirrels. Then the guys designed and ordered custom cycling jerseys that feature a squirrel. Since then it's been a bit of a competition to gather the most and biggest acorns. We have this cute little guy sitting outside our back sliding door.

Here's a picture of a nice iron grate I picked up somewhere. I really like it.
Here's a few pictures of the current acorn display. Can you guess which acorn my hubby contributed to the display? (Hint, see the bottom pic.)
So what does this have to do with quilting? Many of my fellow quilters know that I've always got an eye open for squirrel-related items. Carol G. sent me an email and directed me to this year's Bunny Hill Designs free BOM. Yep, you guessed it. A whole quilt of squirrels, and FREE!
Can I pass it up? NO WAY. In fact, I am planning on making two, one for hubby and one for his friend.
I may tweak a squirrel or two to make it more "man-friendly." Would any of you like to join me in making this darling quilt? Check out the link to Bunny Hill Designs for the details. In general, a new block is posted on the 5th of each month. That gives you a whole month to finish one (or in my case two) blocks. Easy peasy.