Studio Progress

Happy Tuesday Morning to you all!!

I'm as happy as can be because I made so much progress on my "studio" this weekend ... see:

It really should be called my Sunkissed Spring Studio  ....

I love, love, love it!  Thank you, Madame Samm!

Just a close up of some of the embroidery work .... glad I never claimed to be "good" at this stuff ... LOL ... For those embroidery enthusiasts and faint of heart,

don't look too closely!!

I still have to quilt this piece of art, but it may be a few days before I can get to that, so I just wanted to share my progress thus far.  How is your progress??  Did you get any quilting done this weekend? How about relaxing time? 

I'd love to hear from you!

I'm off to bed now ... it's 12:30 a.m. and if I don't leave now, I'll be finishing off my stash of chocolate ....

can't have that now can I?

LOL

I'll leave you with a little lovin's from my girlies ....

See you next time!

Happy hugs and warm hearted wishes!!

Is it Spring Yet?

Does this picture not say "Spring" to you?

Wendy Finlay, Patchwork Kite, a photo by Wendy in MT on Flickr.

 I chose to make this kite using Tammy Blackburn's Moda Bake Shop Patchwork Kite pattern  as spring in Montana just does not seem to be able to pop for us yet and we are two days from the end of May!! I made two of these kites, one with a Fresh Flowers charm pack by Deb Strain for Moda, and another with a Happy charm pack by Me & My Sister Designs for Moda,

 for my daughters to play with and later decorate their rooms with to add a bit of whimsy and fun to their grey, dreary Montana spring.

So, from me to you ...

I wish you every happiness you can imagine!

Happy Dance!

Oh My Goodness Gracious!  Did you know that me, myself, and I was a guest blogger over at Stash Manicure today?!?!  Holy buckets, totally amazing! Yippie yay! Go on over and check it out ... seriously, I'm so full of bursting with happiness, you don't want to be sitting around here reading when I burst :)

Oh, oh ... but do come back ... :)  I've got some fun things to share ... really, I've been sewing! Imagine that!!  Between preschool field trips and kindergarten field trips and T-ball games, oh and a load of laundry or forty, and dishes, and dinner, .... and well, you get the picture ... well, I've fit in some sewing.... Take a look:

We had a "Hawaiian" themed birthday party to attend ... youngest needed a dress.

Loved this free pattern "Stepping Stones" by Tacha Bruecher over at the Fat Quarterly blog, and I used Sandy Gervais' Lollipop prints for a bright pop of happiness to be added to my front room, or really any room in the house.  The only change I made to the pattern was to add a pop of color, an orange piping, along the binding edge. Love it and will have to make more!

Oh yeah, I also have a couple of little Moda Bake Shop projects going ... they are so close to finished that I want to save taking pictures of them until they are finished ... that way, I'll have more to post about ... ah ha! method to my madness ... hahahahaha

And to each and every one of you visiting me here today, I thank you in sharing in my happy dance today!

Bless you and warm happy heart hugs to you!



Happy Thoughts

Do you think if we all put our happy thoughts into the air right this very moment we'll all feel uplifted?

Eh well, it was worth a try. 

Here's me sharing some happy hellos and warm hearted wishes to each and every one of you!

You are appreciated for who you are and

 thank you for being here!!

Hugs to you~

Shamefully Pathetic Request for Votes

Yes, I'm Trying to WIN A MAKEOVER on Facebook

Okay .... I'm using my blogger platform for personal gain ... if this offends, please forgive me, however ... this contest is worth it to me to beg and plead votes by even embarrassing myself to this level.

This post is only for those of you friends and followers that use Facebook. I keep in touch with my family, quilting buddies and a few others via Facebook and occassionally .... every now and then .... my Facebook account comes in handy. Case in point, this contest.

Bernina and Home Depot are hosting this contest to award a sewing room makeover. My twelve-year old Bernina, which I purchased used on ebay, is showing signs of dying .... Bernina alone is offering $2500.00 and this would so help me replace my machine which helps me earn spending money for my girls and I, along with making dresses and gifts for my family and friends.  My sewing room is approximately 9 x 10 ft for which I am truly grateful to have, really, but the three pieces of sewing furniture I have (which I purchased used from Craigslist) cannot be fully put to good use as I share this space as my "office" also ... you can probably see the filing cabinet and desk  and bookcase in same room.  The Home Depot portion of the win would be wonderful for shelving units for the walls and cupboards to remove the stacks and stacks I have under and over every crevice. And I would really love to have a real sewing chair rather than a folding chair!

Am I pitifully whining enough yet? :) :)

Yes, I am asking and soliciting for votes on this contest. Only the top ten vote getters will be entered into the final draw and yes, there are 800 +/- entrants.

Direct Link to Vote for ME :)

Thank you every so much for your consideration and please forgive my lapse into selfishness here. I promise to be back soon with quilting matters .... and my anniversary giveaway!!

Blessings and Hugs to you!

Bloggers’ Quilt Festival, Spring 2011

Okay, so Blogger had a small "problem" but seems to be back up right now, so I'm taking advantage of it.
 

Bloggers' Quilt Festival, Spring 2011



This is my entry for this year's Festival.  My completed Postage Stamp Quilt which I made in participation with Rachel of psiquilt. 

 I used Kansas Trouble Quilt materials. and I've decided to gift it to my Dad for Father's Day

If you were able to see the quilting on it, I quilted "Happy Father's Day Dad, 2011 I Love You" across this side.  And then, I quilted this face, a cat's face:

instead of another swirl to complete the last quilted row.  He will totally love the joke.  It made my heart smile when I decided to do it.  Every card for every occassion that I've sent to him for the past 20-some years has been a Garfield card....it's a very long standing "something" that only he and I have and I couldn't resist including it here.  You see, we almost lost my dad seven years ago and we are blessed with every day that we've had him since.  I don't know why it's taken me this long to make him a quilt, but this quilt "felt" like it belonged to him and since I wanted to include a quilt in this Festival .... tada ...

One completed quilt, one Father's Day gift fulfilled.

This Festival also marks my one year anniversary of my blogging.  Thank you so much for the inspiration and kick in the hiney to get going, Amy!!

WOW!!  I started my blog with the idea of "Why not just do it...."  hence the name "Why Knot"

So, if you are a follower of mine, and you come back after the Bloggers' Quilt Festival Amy and the numerous sponsors have so very generously put together for us, I promise you a very worthwhile one year anniversary giveaway.

Until then,  thank you ever so much for visiting, I hope to see you again and happy Bloggers' Quilt Festival hopping!!

 I ran outta gas ... LOL

Note to Self ....

Hello one and all!

Did you ever wonder how wonderful instinctive reactions can be?

You know .... catch a glass from falling out of the cupboard before it breaks,

um ... catching your step before squishing something really icky with bare feet, or

neatly deflecting a rubber ball (or other flying objects) from hitting you in the face

 ... you get the picture, right?  Instinctive reactions can keep you sane and healthy ...

normally.

NOTE TO SELF: 

When brand new, sharp, rotary blade drops from package as

 it is being removed to replace old, dull, nicked one. ....

LET THE SUCKER ROLL OFF THE COUNTER!!!

Do not, I repeat .... DO NOT ....

instinctively reach down to grab said blade as it rolls,

 or even stop it with the back of your hand,

thereby slicing through back of middle finger tissue

 (I swear to the bone ... but not).

No pictures are necessary to mentally picture resulting wound.

Yes, a human was injured in the making of this public warning.

(As an aside ... I really think some bandage company should

design some Quilt Block decorated bandaids ...)

Just sayin.

On to other matters, I do have one tiny share for you that have read my post this far.  I did say to you in my previous post I'd have something quilty.

Well ... maybe you won't consider this quilty, but

It is a Sweetwater Label Crew pattern, and

It is made with Strawberry Fields by Fig Tree QUILTS fabric

(Thank you Kelly!!)

This is a gift, in the mail on it's way today ... probably arrive late,

but the sentiment is as real as the love stitched into it.

Finally, I did get another quilt quilted on the Gammie this weekend.  I hope to bind it this week in time to post it for Amy's Creative Side's Bloggers' Quilt Festival starting on Friday.  For more information click on the button in my side bar to the right or the link above.

Be kind to yourself ...

and remember, please compliment your friends and be kind to strangers ...

for their shoes may be walking a very pebbled path and

you could make all the difference in the world with your kind word or smile.

I appreciate each and everyone of you ... 

Warning ... Foot Nudity ...

Happiest Mothers Day Wishes!!

(especially to you, my biggest fan, my mother!)

You know you are a mother when you are happy receiving a pedicure

from 5 and 6 year olds....

Meet my pedicurists ... 6 yr old Emily and 5 yr old Abbie. The feet may be ugly but the toe nail polish is gorgeous, wouldn't you say?   Please take note (DISCLAIMER: take note, do not, NOT, look too close! ugly naked foot!!) every other toe is a different color ... Emily's foot is pink and blue, which sparkles real pretty like the princess on the bottle of polish... and Abbie's foot is pink and purple, which supposedly smells like grape and cherry... I'll take her word for it ;)

I am so proud to be a mom.  I am 43 yrs old and am grateful for every moment that is blessed that I am called "mom" .... even the annoying, whining, fighting moments ... I am grateful for. 

So, to every mom out there in blogi-land ... I wish you the happiest mothers' day moments you could ask for ... even the honest ones, because you've been blessed with children. 

 Happy Mothers' Day! Thank you for visiting me, and I promise you,

my next post will be full of quilty stuff :)

Hugs to each and every one of you~~

Did You Know this?

Did you know that Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Vol. 3 Blog Tour is happening right now? 

Just click the link green circle above to join the tour and your chance to visit the 100 Block designers, see some wonderful designs, and possibly win prizes! 

Heck ... Why Knot ... join in the fun???

As if you need any more incentive, here are a few of my absolute favorite's I've seen in just the past two days Karrie Winters,Vickie Eapen, Lynette Anderson; Pam Vieira-McGinnis;  Mary Jacobson/Barbara Groves; and I've met so many "new" favorites too ... oh well, you'll just have to hope on over to Quiltmaker to check out this awesome tour ... there are so many more favorites to come that I'd be wasting space to repeat what they've already put together ... besides, you all know the chance at a prize never hurts either ;) but then ... if you don't enter, that leaves more chances for me!!!

Enjoy and I wish you all the success!! Seriously, it looks as if there's plenty of prizes to share ... all I want is one copy of the magazine so I'll be bountiful today and pass along the good news of this giveaway tour :) LOL LOL

Luv and hugs and warm hearted smiles!



Ain't She Beautiful?!?!

Isn't this bundle one of the most gorgeous things you've seen in a long time????  I won it from Kelly, over at Charming Chatter ... How cool is that?!?!  This sweetie is a fat eighth bundle of Strawberry Fields by Fig Tree & Co. for Moda.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart Kelly! The tip top and everything in between too! :)

WHAT?!!?!!!  You really thought I was talking about my kids????  Seriously????

Okay ... just to show that I do possess some sort of Motherly Love in this beleaguered heart of mine:

Abbie and Belle today before the work in the garden started .... rain clouds come again tomorrow so we were pulling weeds while the sun was shining.  Okay, so she's 'kinda' cute with all that brown hair

 ... oh, and Abbie too. :) :)

This little darling thinks she's adorable as she is proudly showing off that she just lost her second tooth!

Okay, well, we have our first T-Ball game tonight, and I'm supposed to make scones for a "tea" at the school tomorrow and feed the kids before the game. Never made scones before and haven't a clue what my dear darlings are going to eat ... so, I guess I best be going as I have to pick up the little toothless one from school and then come back home and make it look like I've been doing something around here all day ... ummm laundry's going, does that count?  Guess not as work shirts don't iron themselves

Well dang!

LOL LOL LOL

Love and hugs to each of you and Quiltastic Day to you!

Kindergarten Frogs

So ... did you know frogs are now going to Kindergarten ? ....

LOL ... Nah, not real ones, I hope, but just the ones I added to this little quilt I made for Em's Kindergarten Teacher's door.  This week is Teacher Appreciation Week and volunteers were asked to decorate teachers' doors to show their appreciation.  Em's teacher happens to really like frogs. 

Not knowing what I was going to do, I had in mind a 'bunting' or little flag idea for each child in the class to sign with their name.  When I came home and searched through my stash, I found I had charm packs of Sandy Gervais' Celebrate Spring! fabric.  I really liked a quilt that Sweetwater has a pattern for, but had the frog applique design from one of Me & My Sister Designs' patterns.  Soooo....  I came up with this. 

I searched the internet for fonts to print off on printable fabric and lo' and behold, but what do I find? Frogs holding alphabet baloons.  Meant to be :)

Here's a close-up picture before quilting.  Kinda cute, even if I do say so myself.  I started this project on Friday night. After T-Ball practice Saturday morning, I quilted it and did the binding then ran it to the school to decorate the door.  Hope she likes it.  Funny how when you see doors decorated by other volunteers, using pictures from magazines, and postcards, and cut-out letters, a person thinks to herself ... I can't I do something that cool??  My husband thinks I should do normal things and not "quilty/sew-y" stuff.  What say you?  My daughter loved it by the way.

No matter what, I appreciate Teachers to the 'nth degree and then back again. God Bless every lovin' soul that takes on a child's (no matter the age!) education!

By the way ... while my soap box is not so tall, nor so expansive, I did find this post this weekend by a lady whose blog I really enjoy ... It's entitled "Can’t we all just quilt-a-long?" I think Ms. Monica of Happy Zombie really states very well what many feel and cannot express.  Maybe it's worth your time to read, if not ... that's cool too!

Thank you ever so much for stopping by! Hugs to you and quiltastic day to ya!!