Giveaway winner and April Christmas Quilt Along

Wow!  282 comments!  That is definitely a record for me.  I’ll tell you who the winner is in a minute, but first I need to let you know the results of my survey.

You liked thirty-three different lines at The Intrepid Thread!  Some people couldn’t decide and just liked them all.  Quite a few people liked the bundles that Julie puts together.  The line that got the most votes was Poetica, followed closely by Peak hour and Fruit Slice. 

A lot of people said they also love Cosmos.  A few people politely said the fabric perplexes them   

There was a huge range of suggestions for what I should make: bags, quilts, place mats, table runners, skirts, Christmas tree skirts, pillow cases, kimonos, aprons and a landscape.  Some people thought I should do up my sewing room, kitchen or living room with the fabric.  Billie Bee suggested I make her a beautiful quilt  

Some people suggested specific patterns I could make; and there were lots of suggestions for types of blocks: hexies, zigzag, 1/2 square triangles, circles, strips, stars, chevrons, kaleidoscope, granny square, twister, rail fence, retro flower, snowball, pinwheel, D9P (I had to look that one up), diamonds, bento box,swoon, sudoku, schnibble, dresdens and circle in a star.

Many people felt that whatever I make it should have big blocks to show off the patterns in the fabric.  Twenty-seven people voted for me to make a quilt and fifteen thought I should make a bag.  The block that got the most votes is the Swoon block.

Thanks for all the fabulous suggestions!  I will be looking into them more closely once the fabric arrives (no day after ordering delivery here – if it comes in a week I am more than happy).

The winner is ….(sorry I couldn’t get the little picture to copy)

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:126Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Kathy MacKie Apr 6, 2012 11:37 AM

I love the Poetica line, thanks for the giveaway.

Congratulations Kathy!  I’ll e-mail your right away.

And a reminder to everyone that Saturday April 14th is Christmas Quilt Along day, hosted this month by Lesley at The Cuddle Quilter.  See you there.  I’ve got three Christmas quilts to work on now!

Janet

This week, April 2nd to April 9th, I….

Did you notice that this week has eight days?  Since tomorrow feels like Monday, and today feels like the weekend, I decided to include my progress from today in last week.  I’ve had a busy week for sure.

I took Thursday off work so I could go to the SALE at the quilt store nearby me in Alaska.  They have a sale once a year, usually in February, but it was later this year.  I didn’t spend too much money – after all I did just buy a fat quarter bundle from The Intrepid Thread …..They were busy cleaning the streets and washing store windows in Skagway….getting ready for the tourist season….

Still lots of snow in the pass though…

A little while ago my blogging friend Sheila made some I Spy placemats and I thought it was a great idea for my grandkids for Easter. Of course I ran out of time…. but I found some cute fabric for DGS at the sale that didn’t require cutting and piecing….

And for DGD I made this one which did require some piecing… and the fabric didn’t come from the sale…

There was another cute piece of fabric from the sale that I made into a third place mat for a little girl …. but I forgot to take a picture before I sealed the envelope….

On Saturday we had a lovely Easter turkey dinner at my nephew’s house…. the weather was beautiful… see how northern kids dress for the weather….

Of course jumping in the mud puddle requires a little more covering…

Although I’m not sure why ….

A lovely dessert rounded off the day…

We all stayed overnight and got to watch the excitement of egg hunting in the morning…. although I was tired enough that I needed a nap before we went off to our next turkey dinner at a friend’s house on Sunday evening…the topic of conversation at this party was mostly politics…

I spent a bit of time in my sewing room today.  Mostly I was cutting two inch blocks for the second postage stamp swap party over at Mary's.  She is taking signups until April 22nd…. I signed up to swap four sets of 100 and to gift four sets of 50, so I have lots of cutting to do…. My friend Alberta is swapping fourteen sets!….

And I also sewed together another 200 blocks…

One lovely little gifty in the mail this week… I won this little house ornament from Kathy at Sew Happy House.  She made a wooden gift tag to go with it!  So cute.

Janet

Light

The most fantastic thing about living in the far north is the light.  It is also the worst thing.  When I first lived here I lived in a tent, with kerosene lamps.  Kerosene lamps don’t throw much light.  In the dark of winter when light comes around ten a.m. and leaves around 4 p.m. I grew to hate Kerosene lamps.  When they work well you can barely see.  When they don’t work well they smoke up the chimney and you really can’t see. 

Now I live in a house.  We have electric lights and lots of windows.  And I still remember how much light means to me.  Even with all the artificial light available I miss light during winter.  I crave it, I get depressed because it is missing. 

It is spring now.  It is light when I wake up at 5:30 in the morning and still light out when I look out my window around 9:30 at night.  It will get lighter by about two minutes every day.  I love that light.  And with the spring light comes sunshine – rays of sun, giving strength and happiness.  Oh I love light!

Janet

I’m hosting a giveaway!

This giveaway is closed.
Today I have the awesome privilege of hosting a giveaway for Julie at The Intrepid Thread!  The Intrepid Thread is my go-to on-line store for modern fabrics.  Julie brings in many beautiful lines – too many I would say, as I swoon over them and have to use all my willpower not to buy!
Julie’s service is delightfully speedy, she is always pleasant and goes out of her way to make sure she is giving you exactly what you want.  Her prices are great (and I’m the original miser), and she has lots of special code days with 15 or 20 % off.
And on top of that Julie has a giveaway every Friday! 
This fat quarter bundle of Cosmos by Dan Bennett is my most recent purchase from The Intrepid Thread.  I loved this line the moment I saw it - only I foolishly waited a bit too long to place my order so my bundle is missing two of the fat quarters…

I only ordered this yesterday, so it isn’t here yet for me to play with… I can’t wait to see it in person and decide what to do with it! 
This week Julie is giving away a Joy Charm Pack and a half yard each of Betty's Teal and Betty's Red which match it nicely.

You have two ways to enter the draw. 
1. Go over to The Intrepid Thread, browse around, and then come back and leave me a comment telling me which line of fabric makes your heart go pitter-patter.
2. Leave me a second comment with a suggestion of what I should make with my Cosmos fat quarter bundle.
The giveaway will close at noon Pacific Standard Time on Friday, March 2012.  I will draw the winner that evening.  Edit – oh my, I forgot to put in the date – and I’m still back in March!  Friday April 13th: is it your lucky day?
Oh this is so exciting!
Janet

This week, March 26th to April 1st, I….

Feel like I didn’t get a whole lot done, between a busy work week and some ill health.  As well it was year end for our local recreation board.  I do their book keeping so spent a lot of time on the weekend making sure all the last year bills were paid.

I did manage to spend an evening earlier in the week making perogies with my friend Donna…. there are two layers there, hence the lumpy look.  These are in the freezer for future consumption…

I finished the third of the Purple postcards and got them mailed….

Here are the three of them together…. You cannot tell from the photos but the middle strips are scrunched up with Texture Magic and then dotted with beads….

I also made this block and wrote a tutorial for it ….as it is my month in  Victoria’s New Bee swap over on this site….

It is constructed out of “made” fabric. Sewing scraps together in a random manner to make pieces of fabric and then cutting the required pieced from that…..

And that is all for this week….

Edited to add... EXCEPT I almost FORGOT, (how could I forget), to say that Spring is here, the swans are back.... Glorious skiing on the lake in the sun, over to the river which is more and more open everyday and filled with these guys...

Janet

This week, March 19th to 25th, I….

 

Took Thursday and Friday off work.  DH has gone fishing with his buddies, so I stayed home with Zeke, our little canine friend.  He usually goes to work with DH, but it would be too difficult for me to take him to work. 

Here is DH and one friend all ready to leave.  You would think they were going to Vancouver to hit the Boat Show or see a great bluesman in a bar, instead of skidooing out to a cabin with no electricity or running water in the middle of nowhere.  But they do have a twelve hour drive to Alaska to meet their other friend, so I guess they need to look nifty in all those one horse towns they’re driving through.   

I spent a lot of time this week end cleaning things up: lots of paperwork to organize, cleaned up my sewing room, organized my embroidery thread, cleaned some things out of the fridge.  On and on it goes.  It could be a full time job just keeping things organized.  Oh yeah, it is.  It’s called a homemaker.  I used to be one….

I’ve been out cross country skiing everyday.  The weather is mostly gloriously sunny.  I think I got a sunburn on my face today. 

I got a little sewing done.  Hexies for my March swap partner…. she asked for small prints in pastels…. I’ve found a gaping hole in my stash that I’m going to have to fill.

Two postcards for the swap I’m in this month.  The theme is “purple”.  I’ve got one more of these to make….

Back in January I saw Anne Sutton’s Merry Merry Snowmen quilt pattern on someone’s blog and I loved it.  I promptly signed up for the BOM from Fat Quarter Shop.  On Friday I received month two, so I thought it was about time I started on month one.  I got the background fabrics put together and the first little bit of applique and embroidery done.  Still a big applique and lots of embroidered bits to go on this block.

When I signed up for the BOM there were several things I didn’t think through. 

1. the cost.  This will be the most expensive quilt I’ve ever made.

2. the amount of work.  Lots of fiddly little bits of applique and embroidery.  As Anne says in the instructions, this is not a quilt to try and rush through.

3. I seldom make quilts from someone else’s pattern, using fabrics etc. that they have chosen.  It is a really different sport than putting a quilt together as you go with your creativity working overtime.

4. the fabrics.  These are really not my kind of fabrics.  I like bright and happy, primary colours, lots of colour.  These are browns and muted other colours.  Even the white is off white.  But I think I’m going to like it anyway.

I received one lovely piece of mail this week.  I had sent LeeAnn at Nifty Quilts a few pieces of vintage fabric.  She’s collecting pieces for a quilt she wants to make.  Click on the link to have a peek.  She sent me a few pieces from her vintage stash in swap.  They are so pretty.  I’ve already asked DD # 2 if she wants any of them for the hexie quilt.  I promised her a photo so she could see what they look like.

I also won this pattern from Candace in the St Patrick’s Day Blog Hop Party.  Candace gave away one of her electronic patterns to everyone who entered her giveaway! 

She calls it Ribbonry, but what I really like about it is that it is a plaid pattern.  I have wanted to make a plaid quilt for years.  My sister knit an afghan in a plaid pattern years ago which was fabulous.  I have been intrigued ever since.

I have a sitter lined up for Zeke for tomorrow, because I have to go back to work….

Janet

LOUD

A short story in five minutes.  I know, I know, I’m doing more writing than anything else this week.  It’s not going to be a regular thing, except that I am going to try to write Friday five minute stories as hosted by The Gypsy Mama.  Come join us if you like… She gives us a word and we write, free form and without self critique for five minutes.  Every Friday.

This week’s word is Loud.

I wonder how loud the sound of silence is.  I like silence a lot and it is what I choose most of the time when I’m alone.  But when others are around and I am choosing silence – like when I’m at work and I close my door – I wonder how loud my silence is screaming at them. 

Silence can say a lot.  It can scream really loud.  It can say leave me alone.  It can say I’m mad at you.  It can say I don’t like you.  But it can also say I’m sad, I’m shy, I’m hurting, I’m tired.  I don’t think those things scream as loudly from silence though.  I think they kind of whimper.  Or maybe they whisper.  I think that it is hard to hear those things when they are crying out from silence because the loud things are rushing around saying “hear me, hear me”. 

Janet

TUSAL and Tag

It’s TUSAL (Totally Useless Stitch-a-Long) day for March.  I forgot to post my TUSAL collection in February, so my vase is very full - but also very pretty.

I’m mixing TUSAL up with TAG this month.  Earlier today I was “tagged” by Sheila and I cannot remain “it” but must pass it on.  The way this game works is that you answer eleven questions, then you get to tag someone else.  Here are my answers to the questions from Sheila….

1. Why did you start blogging?

Why did I start blogging…. My friend whose quilting I admire, was a blogger and she was involved in interesting on-line swaps.  I wanted to participate.  I found a swap I wanted to enter that required you to have a blog.  Since I have always enjoyed keeping a journal, this seemed like a natural way to continue doing that, and with pictures too.

2.How long have you been quilting?

I have been interested in quilting since I was young.  When I was in my mid-twenties I started a quilt.  Hand sewn, solid fabrics, green, appliqued blocks.  I had made quite a few of them, when just after we were married DH and I lost everything in a fire.  I didn’t quilt again until about eight years ago, when I started to make baby quilts for my DD’s friends who were having babies.

3. What project have you made that you are most proud of ?

Every one of them… I’m not fast, so my production isn’t huge and my quilts take a while to complete.  All that labour, I can’t help but love them.  But the quilt I made for DD # 2 is in my home and I get to look at it when I want and enjoy the beauty of it.  So I’ll pick that one. 

4. What country other have you visited and when ?

When I was 23 I spent almost a year travelling with my then boyfriend.  We drove from Toronto down through the US to Arizona.  Then we travelled south, by bus, train and sometimes plane, through Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia.  At that point we’d had enough and we turned around and headed north again.  Besides that I’ve been to Cuba when I was 24 and Europe once about fourteen years ago.  Principally we went to Germany but DD # 2 and I did take a bus excursion one day that took us into Switzerland and France.  I have visited the USA many times over the years as well.

5. What is your favorite color and why?

Gosh.  I love yellow and usually say it is my favourite, because it is so bright and cheery.  However I love to wear red and love to use it in quilts.  I probably have more blue fabric than any other colour, so I must have some attraction to that as well.  I just realized these are the three primary colours.  I wonder what that says about me….

6. Are you an animal lover and if so what is your favorite animal ?

Absolutely an animal lover!  I love to see wild animals; it touches my soul when I do.  I saw two wolves yesterday when coming home from work – they are not animals who usually hang around the road. 

I love cats and dogs the most as pets.  I have always had a cat, until I started wheezing around them about ten years ago.  I grew up terrified of dogs after being bitten as a child, but I’ve gotten over that and I have a little dog curled up beside me right now.  Once we babysat a rabbit for a year, and he was lots of fun, but he hadn’t been house trained very well, which didn’t endear rabbit keeping to me.

7. Other than sewing / quilting what other craft do you love ?

I’ve tried so many things over the year and love them all:  spinning and weaving, pottery, beading, knitting, paper tole, stained glass, cross stitch, embroidery.  Quilting and other sewing are my favourites for sure though. 

8. What is your favorite all time book ?

9. If you could go anywhere in the world where would you most like to visit?

Ireland – the land of faeries and pixies draws me.  I would also like to visit North Carolina and wander among the coastal islands.  And Australia….

10. What is your favorite comfort food ?

Bread.  I love bread, but it doesn’t love me quite so much.  It gives me heartburn and I always fell much happier and healthier when I eschew bread.

11. Who influenced you most in your life?

Ahem… When I was a teenager I struggled with life and got into lots of things that could have ended disastrously.  I had a probation officer when I was sixteen and seventeen and she was a huge influence on me.  She was the first adult I knew who treated me like I was capable of being a success.  So thanks Susan.  The time you spent with me paid off. 

I’m not going to TAG anyone specifically, but offer the tag to anyone of you who would like to answer these questions… Please let me know if you do so I make sure I stop by and get to know you better.

Janet

Grandchildren fun

I stayed overnight with my grandkids (ages 4 and 7) last night to get them off to school and daycare this morning as mom and dad were both busy.  I slept in my granddaughter's room with her 4 month old kitten snuggled in beside me all night. 

At 7 a.m. her alarm went off - a kid's version of Jingle Bells blaring from the radio right beside my head.... followed by Frosty the Snowman.  She appeared a few bars into that tune and hit the snooze button.  She and I had a snuggle, while Claws (the kitten) leapt into action, cruising the window sill, knocking things off the shelf, jumping onto the bed and into the air to try and catch the mobile that hangs above her pillow, and then, when the two canines entered the room a few moments later, turning his torment alternatively between them and us.

The 15 minute snooze ended and Jingle Bells blared out again.  No stirring from Grandson's room next door.  "Will he wake up or do we need to get him up?" I asked.  "We have to wake him up."  So off we went to his room where he was scrunched into a ball with his face buried into his pillow.  Trying to roll him over did nothing as he grabbed a snuggle bunny for a face cover instead.  "If you get him dressed he'll wake up while you're putting his clothes on."  advised granddaughter.  There is a challenge in dressing a small scrunched up, semi-rigid body with a bunny stuffie attached to its face.  But then he was awake with a smile on his face and ready to show me all the ropes - feed the fish, get the vitamins out, instant porridge for breakfast.  "No I don't want water in it."  After a couple of dry, uncooked spoonfuls he acquiesced.

Granddaughter ever so slooowly got dressed, interrupted by a search for Band-Aids to put on her fresh scratches from Claws (the aptly named). She arrived for her porridge, and also requested a crumpet.  Grandson now wanted a crumpet too, which he gobbled into the shape of a gun - and proudly showed me over and over.

Son-in-Law had told me Granddaughter's lunch - a grilled cheese sandwich - was made and I just needed to cut up an apple or orange for her lunch box.  Danged if I could find a grilled cheese sandwich anywhere.  "I guess I'll have to make one."  Two bags of mouldy bread later we found some usable crusts and a short end of  cheddar cheese.  Granddaughter’s instructions were: "No, I don't want any butter, and I want it made in a frying pan, not in the oven, and don't put the bread together.  Just put the cheese on the bread in the frying pan and let it melt." 

I have to say this method doesn't work well.  First the bread started to "overtoast"  (euphemism for burn); when I turned the heat down.... well let's just say she didn't have grilled cheese, just burnt bread with softened cheese.  How do you put two slices of bread with softened cheese in a sandwich container without putting them together?  I still don't know because I told Granddaughter she had to take care of that challenge.  Then, "I'll have an apple." she said.  Oops, no apples in the fridge; she didn't want an orange, but settled for some strawberries.  Next step: cut off the spots and find a container for them. 

Grandson, meantime, wants to play I Spy with the I Spy quilt, which he needs to lay out perfectly flat on the living room floor so we can see all the pictures.  Find the light switch, turn on the light.  The clock has passed the hour - the time Son-in-Law told me we need to leave at.  Two quick turns at I Spy - one for each of them, (Grandson spies something pink, Granddaughter spies something blue - interesting) then we hustle to get on coats and boots, find hats, mitts and snow pants, make sure Granddaughter has her lunch bag and pack with her homework, get the car-seats into the car, get all my things into the car, get Grandson to sit down in his seat and stop trying to put on every other seatbelt except the one that is meant for him, make sure the cat didn't get outside, put up the baby gate at the top of the stairs so the dogs can't go up and eat the cat food during the day.  Are all the lights out?  I find my key and lock the door - boy that is one sticky lock. 

We got to the school before the second bell rang.  Apparently normally they stop on the school side of the street, but there were no parking spots so I stopped on the opposite side and walked Granddaughter across the street. Then spent the next five minutes explaining to Grandson that no, I couldn't fit my car into that little slot between those two cars, and no I didn't leave Granddaughter to cross the street by herself.  I dropped a happy boy at day care and was only fifteen minutes late for work myself.

Now that’s a fun morning!

Janet

This week, March 12th to March 18th, I….

Forgot to post my weekly update post on Sunday evening…. I was reading a book – not a particularly good book, just a thiller mystery type book.  I’m a fast reader and I often like to read this type of book cover to cover in one sitting.  So I spent about 4 1/2 hours reading this book yesterday and forgot all about my post….

Kept up the exercise routine, Yay!  Fantastic ski on Saturday.  The insanely sunny March weather is finally here.  Cold nights, –15 or so, warm days, around zero, lots of snow for skiing and snowshoeing, and tons of sun….

Had several amazing evening viewings of Venus, Jupiter and Mars…. very exciting….

Did a minimal amount of sewing…. FNSI was my big coup except that I…

Finally finished my name game swap piece.  Still can’t show a picture, but….

Took a class at the LQS using texture magic….and I have to show you the fantastic palm tree that I made using texture magic…. please enlarge the photo to get a good look at the texture…..

Received wonderful mail again…  This book – a giveaway win from Victoria…. I’ll read this book a little more slowly and carefully….  savouring it ….

Another set of 100 – 2 inch blocks for my postage stamp quilt… a giveaway win from Mary…Is anyone else wondering what has happened to Mary… she said she was going to organize another swap in March, but no word on her blog since February 25th… I tried e-mailing her but got no response…

Three fabulous hexies from Elizabeth, and the cutest little butterfly bead…

Fugly fabric from M R's giveaway…. this fabric does look nicer in the photo than in real life …..

And the last two of my spring flowers postcards….Here’s all three together…Tulips are popular….Aren’t they all lovely…

Janet

Friday Night Sew In Report

FNSI was not as productive as I’d hoped it would be.  I wanted to get all the blocks for DD # 2’s quilt completed so I can get the layout done.  I’m going to a retreat next month and joining all these blocks is going to be top of my list to get done while there. 

I sewed ten blocks and fixed the one block I’d sewn together wrong. 

I still have fifteen blocks left to sew.  I’m hoping to have a really productive sewing week as DH will be away for part of it – so no cooking or having to be a sociable wife… I like an occasional short break from those two things…

Janet

This week, March 5th to 11th, I….

What did I do this week?  It seems to have gone by so quickly and I’m not sure where it went to…. But,

I…. Got this huge bag of scraps from my friend in Skagway.  Those who know me well know that a bag of scraps like this makes my heart beat fast and my palms get sweaty….

So I cut a couple of batches of 100 two inch postage stamp blocks…. I’m doing another swap with Alberta…

And I sewed together 100 of my blocks…. 300 sewn so far…

The only other sewing I did was the Christmas mystery quilt that I showed yesterday …. and I’ve been working on my Name Game swap wall hanging…. I’m a bit late as it should be in the mail already… but it isn’t quite finished and I can’t show it because my partner might see it…

Last night we went winter camping… just for fun… with the grandkids and DD # 1… Here’s DGD leading the way on her skis…

And the rest of the crew coming up behind….

Snuggled up under the lean-to…it’s fun to sleep in a lean-to instead of a tent… you get to look at the stars in the sky, except it was overcast and snowing…

Everything was wet, from the soft fresh snow and warm temperatures…but a big fire dries it all out...

 

A few lovely items arrived this week…. these pretty hexies are from Gemma in Spain… they are my swap hexies from last September…

I won these cards from Marcia in the Leap Day giveaway….  So pretty…

And look at this gorgeous table runner that my friend brought me from Cuba… It’s got embroidery and drawn thread work.  Please enlarge the picture and take a closer look.  So pretty but such a lot of work! I told my friend that I couldn’t possibly put it on my table because DH always makes a huge mess…. So it is living on the back of the couch for now.  

I’m off to bed, even though I’m not tired yet.  It’s the first day of daylight savings time and it will take me a few weeks to get adjusted to the change in time…

Janet