My Hop Stop

It's my turn in the spotlight of the

Red, White & Blue Blog Hop!

My thanks to each and every one of you for hopping on in ...

My special thanks to Jane and Madame Samm for all the arranging!!

Everyone who participates in this hop,

 from the quilters, hoppers, and organizers,

you make this event so much fun and 

share such inspiration and encouragement ...

Thank you!

Without further adeiu,

here's my Red, White & Blue ...

The first block I made is a slightly modified version of  a pattern I found  in the

Summer 2010 Quiltmaker's Small Quilts magazing ...

the pattern is called Stars over Texas by Jo Morton ...

and while I really liked the design and idea of her pattern ...

well ... take a look:

The original block was 8x8, stopping at the red border and would have had cornerstones. 

Needless to say, I enlarged the inner block, added the two additional borders and decided to miter all the corners ... thought it looked pretty cool for a 12 1/2 inch block. 

I used Hometown fabric by Sweetwater. 

Think now I'm going to use it for a pillow front because ... well, I like it ... alot :)

So, I had intended to stop with just that block and turn it into a table topper somehow,

then ... I'll be darned, but I got an itch to sew a bit more and dug through my stash,

found some more red, white and blue fabrics and ...

Well, I started with one blue one, found out I cut enough for two, and couldn't make just two so made a third which I believe should be enough for a table runner ... eventually :) :) 

I honestly cant tell you the name of every fabric in those blocks, but the block is from the book Lazy and Lovin' It by Joan Hawley,

using the Lazy Angle ruler by Creative Grid

 ... LOVE IT!!!

Okay, okay ... any girl with half a brain

 (and I'm not claiming I even have half)

would have stopped there ... and I was GONNA! 

Well ...I'll be danged (again!) BUT

and I blame it all on Lesley over at The Cuddle Quilter 

who just HAD to make a block that I was drooling over

on the very first day of the hop

so much that I had to go out and hunt up the magazine

she used to make the block from

.... which by the way, was from

 Quiltmaker's 100 Block Vol. 5 Collector's Edition ....

(yes, my picture in the dictionary  when looking up obsessed quilter!)

So ... I head to my stash again ...

pull out some more red, white and blue fabrics again

and

TaDa!

(this is where the ticker tape, balloons and noisemakers all fly free)

Good grief ... after all that hype, you'd think it'd be a bit more exciting than that, but heck ... what can I say, I guess you had to be on this side of my computer monitor ... sorry for the let down .... :) :) :)

But I really like the block and, I cut some "streamers" from the red fabric and appliqued them onto the white backing and made this banner from the block ... it can be either a wall hanging or a table topper ... 

I think what made Lesley's block so special,

I decided after I finished my block,

was the dark, hand quilting she did around the block itself ...

very cool and one I may have to attempt again ...

I promise less hype next time ;) HA

How about to make up for the wee-let down and lack of ticker tape,

I have a giveaway??? 

Besides, if you've made it all the way down to the end of this post,

you've earned yourself some sort of chance at a reward ...

You game?

 Red, White and Blue themed, even :) 

Okay ... first, I do request that you are a follower of my blog

and let me know in your comment,

second, in your comment, let me know what your

favorite block of the hop has been so far ...

you obviously know mine, I'm interested to read yours.

Oh ... would you like to see what's up for grabs???

hehehehe

How's this:

Yep, two patterns -- one quilt and one table runner --

and ... 

 one Red White & Bold charm pack by Sandy Gervais ...

and ...

at time of publishing this post,

I am finishing up a Red White & Blue Schnibbles pincushion

to include with the giveaway ...

Update:

I finished the pincushion...

.... front and back photos!

If that is enough to tempt you,

Please leave a comment with the above information,

and I'll draw names next Saturday,

July 14th around 8 p.m. Mountain time.

Make sure I have a way to contact you, as

the winner will be contacted via email and posted here.

If you are a no-reply blogger, please include your

email address in your comment.
I've had a few "no-repliers" and I won't
be able to reply to your comments! :(

Now ... I know there are some wonderfully talented quilters yet to visit today,

so I thank you again for stopping by and send you on your way to visit:

A Passion for Appliqué

QuiltQuest

crafty imaginings by jen

sew me something good

Grandmama's Stories

and, if by chance you get lost  sidetracked along the way,

just look for Jane's button on any of our blogs:

And you'll get right back on the hopping trail ...

Until next we meet, happy hopping and warm hearted wishes!

Thank you!!



I'm Sunk!!

I'm Sunk!  It's only the first day of the

Red, White & Blue Blog Hop and I'm sunk!

After viewing this morning's blog hop hostesses, I could not rest until I went out and found my very own copy of Quiltmaker 100 Blocks Volume 5. 

 (Lucky for me, my first stop at Joann's Fabric had it and 10% off!)

Why?  Of course you have to ask that ... well ... go visit Lesley at The Cuddle Quilter ...   did you visit? did ya???  Oh My Gosh!  Her paper pieced block, Pinwheel Salute, designed by Robin Koehler did me in.  SERIOUSLY! LOL  Yep, gonna have to make it now.  Wouldn't it be fun in multi-colors too?  Can you picture summer time whirly-gigs in bright, happy colors? Yeah, I got issues, but at least I admit it :) First step to recovery, I'm told ..... hahahahaha

On an another note, I did accomplish something productive this week ...

This quilt is called Alpha Buddies from a 2009 edition of Fons & Porter's Kids Quilts magazine.  When I saw this pattern in the magazine, I adored the line of material and the easy looking pattern and of course had to hunt up the material until I found it all.  Oh, and the material line was an Andover Fabric by Nancy Davis-Murty called AlphaBuddies.

Well, I found it all, and ... oops ... three years later it was still sitting in the pile of "want to makes" and I decided the time was now.  Still think its adorable, it was simplicity itself to make ... yes, I still have to quilt and bind it, but that should be easy once I decide what to do with it.

After three years, everyone I had thought of making it for no longer needs it ...

LOL

Obviously, no rush to finish it ...

Heck no ...

I've got more Red, White & Blue blocks to go make!

If you haven't already, go visit these fine quilters:

Mary on Lake Pulaski

Hot Pink Peonies

VroomansQuilts

piece peace

The Cuddle Quilter

Marcia's Crafty Sewing and Quilting

Today is only the first of the Red, White & Blue blog hop,

trust me, you'll be glad you did ...

I know I am!

Until next time,

warm hearted wishes!

Let's All Hop, Hop, Hop ...

Happy Canada Day Weekend

to all my Northern Neighbors!

Not only is tomorrow Canada Day, but tomorrow in

the blogihood ... it's the start of the:

 

Hello!!

Here is Sunday's schedule for the

Red White & Blue Blog Hop

July 1st

Mary on Lake Pulaski

Hot Pink Peonies

VroomansQuilts
piece peace

The Cuddle Quilter

Marcia's Crafty Sewing and Quilting

 

Each day the top two blocks will be chosen

and posted at Sew I Quilt ...

I'd say we have some blog hoppin' to do

for the next couple of weeks

Wouldn't you?

 

There are over 100 participants for this hop ...

What better way can you think to beat the heat,

or stay out of the rain ...

than to hop all these marvelous 

Red White & Blue

block partiers???

 

Join us, won't you?

 

 See you 'round the block!

 

 

 

Time Flies

Oh My But the Time Does Fly!!

Today marks one year since I returned to the work force ...

I cannot even begin to list the changes that have been brought over this past year ...

Goodness!

However, I can thank all of you very special, wonderful people who have supported me through this year as you and I both know I without each of you my road would have been much, much rougher.

I dearly, dearly appreciate YOU!

Thank you.

I know there are still more tears than smiles that will probably come until smoother roads are found, but I can now see that smoother road in my future and just the vision of it makes me smile.

It feels good and it feels right.

Thank you.

I do have a quick share ... the project I've been working on ...

This is the Lincoln pattern from Another Bite of Schnibbles by Carrie Nelson using the Woodland line of fabric by Natalie Lymer of Cinderberry Stitches.

Yes, obviously, it is not yet finished ... it needs to be quilted ...

another attempt at a photo:

I need to get a better photo of it, but maybe the quilt is shy and wants to wait until it has been finished for it's close up :)  It is 75 x 75 finished size.  What do you think ... over all quilting? Straight line quilting? What do you recommend?

Finally, speaking of time flying ... please remember that beginning July 1st, Jane of Jane's Quilts and Fabrics is hosting the Red, White & Blue blog hop.  My date for hopping is July 7th and I believe, if I get my quackers in a row, I will host a giveaway ... worth you visiting again, I promise!

So until next time, warm hearted wishes and sunny smiles,

Hello!

This pretty little petunia just asked for her picture to be taken ...

had to oblige and include it in tonight's post ... Isn't she sweet??

Would you believe July is just around the corner???  Holy buckets!  Today marks the longest day of the year as the first day of summer and as my dad would say every year ... enjoy your day as tomorrow will be shorter ... gee thanks dad! :) 

not my picture,  dang it all ... found on internet

Its a funny joke now that I'm not at home any more, but it does make one stop and wonder ... are you filling your hours of the day with what you want to?  I hope so.  I got to fill my off work hours with quilting the past few days, and I admit, I really enjoyed it, especially since the sun didn't come back out of hiding until today.  It's been cold here in Montana, rainy, and icky outside. ... sunshine and warmer temps promised for the rest of the week.  Bonus that I finished this quilt tonight:

This past weekend, a friend asked if I'd make her a quilt for a baby gift.

Silly me I said sure, then she said she needed it by Thursday.

Uh....

okay.

hahahahaha

I started surfing the free patterns online and found this pattern called "Toddler Quilt" by Patty Wright who has a blog called Patty Trends ... 

Patty, I thank you!!  Your directions were very clear and simple.

The pattern actually calls for a couple of charm packs, however, digging in my stash I found and used a layer cake, this one by Sandy Gervais, though for the life of me I can't find the name of the line ... its the one with lollipops, letters and bananas ... fitting for a baby quilt, wouldn't you say?

Anyway, I was so excited to finish it, I just had to take pictures in the fading light tonight and share, so thank you for indulging me and visiting ...

I appreciate you and hope to share again real soon.

By the way, getting back to the nearly July issue ... do you all remember that we have a Red White & Blue blog hop happening starting July 1st?

My hop day is July 7th ... I am prepared!

Get all the details by clicking on Jane's button over in my side bar,

or you can just follow this link:

Seriously awesome quilters on this hop and I'm thrilled to be included.

So ya'all com back again, please :)

 

Smiles Aplenty

Among some of the fun things I want to share with my friends in the blogihood is first a huge, huge sigh of relief for myself and those of my Modern Mini Mystery Round Robin group ... for a short time the mystery was where was my block????

Oh My Goodness, after two days of searching (a.k.a. tearing apart every inch of my newly-moved into duplex), I felt the need to fess up to my group and let everyone know I lost my June block. 

I stressed and agonized over this for so long, even my daughters gave me wide-berth.  However, I womaned-up and emailed my group, hanging my head in shame as I wrote them...  Very gracious they all were, telling me to give it a bit more time before we decided how to proceed.  More time???  Heck, I had just searched for two and a half days ... more time???  I couldn't handle it.

Yes ... I can write about this because sure enough, I no sooner confessed than went back to my sewing area and rifled throught a box I had pawed through a half-dozen times and this time picked up a real pretty card I hadn't picked up previously.  I'll be danged ...that silly block was inside that card.  Can we all say ... WHEW!!

I can't tell you how many things I've been "looking" for since moving again...

but I think I've finally gotten a handle on things ...

for the time being.

So ... when I wasn't obsessing about finding my block ...

I took the girls to our locale park, where the wonderful

wooden carousel is ...

 Played at the adjacent playground:

Visited UM's mascot Monte: 

Had faces painted:

Became bubbles:

Made rockets:

And in general, just had a wonderful evening, running and playing:

Today, at our local Lowes, we joined the Build & Grow project and

the girls became little builders:

Warning: girls with hammers!! 

The girls loved the bitty hammers and were able to come home

with wooden airplanes, aprons, goggles and certificates

proving they built the planes themselves ...

(Thank you Janu!!)

To finish the evening tonight, I discovered a super cool trick

while making my peanut butter cookies:

who knew that spraying cooking spray into your measuring cup

before putting your peanut butter in the cup made it

come out so much easier????

Goodness ... why did it take me until I was 44 years old

before I discovered this trick??

I think I'll close this post now, and get back to

working on my in-progress quilt project

which I hope to show you soon ...

but until next time,

I leave you with this cute picture

I found online while searching the internet tonight ...

Come on ... how can you  not smile at this???

I send you each a virtual hug and a big

thank you for your support!!

Warm hearted wishes ~ 

Where in the world??

 No, I did not fall off the face of the earth ... 

Though, I am ...

I'm sure you all know the feeling.

In the month since my last post ...

I've moved ... again ...

 Nicer duplex, extra room, plus an additional bathroom ...

BONUS for us three girls!! 

Same neighborhood, so even nicer :)

I have managed to stay up with my rounds for

Michele's Modern Mini Mystery Round Robin ...

though I can't share {{heehee}}....

I finished my block for Jane's Red/White/Blue Blog Hop

which begins July 1st ...

And, yes, you have to wait until July 7th to see

my finished block  when it'll be my stop on the hop ...

get all the details at Jane's Fabrics and Quilts

because this is a super hop you will not want to miss!

I can show you the very fun mini-quilt I made

for Kris's swap over at Dandelion Quilts,

Believe it or not, I started and finished this

in time to mail it before the end of the month!!

Score!! 

Oh yeah, and I started and finished this commissioned quilt:

The indoor picture is not at all good quality, but as it was raining

bucket loads outside, so I had to take the best shot I could

inside just to get the scope of the size ... large queen.

Next in the works is a quilt using Natalie Lymer's Woodland fabric and Carrie Nelson's Another Bite of Schnibbles book ... can't wait to show you that project .... adorable!

 And ... let's see ... Abbie had her school music concert,

her classroom play and her last T-Ball game this last week or so ... 

Emily and I constructed her chimpanzee diorama this weekend:

The last day of school for both girls is on Wednesday at which time

I.

will.

be.

taking.

a.

day.

off!!

Seriously!!

HaHaHaHaHa

no, seriously, five days to be exact

Five days off of my 9-4 weekday scheduled job to see if I can get a bit of work done around the house and spend some precious time with my girls.

Maybe during my vacation time, I'll actually find time to visit my dear friends and neighbors in the blogihood and catch up with some very precious and dear friends ...

you all know who YOU are and I love and appreciate you dearly!!

Love and hugs ... I think I've earned turning in early tonight :)

Blessings to you and as always, very warm hearted wishes!