That time of year

when the FedEx guy brings a package and you have to try and contain your excitement or you just might hug him!

I'm just saying. :o)

A good read

I don't read as much as I did when I was younger. I guess taking care of kids and quilting have taken up the time I used to spend reading. Of course, I always make time for the latest Sparks novel- but not much more beyond that.

Then a couple weeks ago I was contacted by Elm Creek Quilts and asked if I wouldn't mind reading Jennifer's latest novel

To be honest, I haven't read any of her other titles, but I have seen them in quilt shops and bookstores. This one caught my attention though. I read the summary and knew I wanted to read it. I grew up near the Sonoma valley in California and thought the story would be interesting.

I'm not even half-way through, but I had to write. I LOVE it!  Sometimes it takes me a few pages or a chapter to get into a book- not this one. After the first page I knew I wanted to know more about the characters and their surroundings. Once the quilts were brought into the picture I was hooked for sure. In fact, as soon as I finish writing this post and tuck my kidlets into bed, and I've got a date with my bed and a good book. (Sorry hubs, you'll just have to watch the Oscars w/out me!)

So if you're looking for a good read- check this one out. I can tell you one thing, as soon as I'm done with this one (oh, I'll keep you posted) I'll be tracking down her other titles to read.  :o)

REMINDERS

Are you tired of hearing about this stuff yet?

Quilt Block Contest is still accepting applicants. It's su fun to visit the FLICKR page and see all the fun blocks. You are all so creative with your blocks- the fabric selections and colors. Love it!

I'm accepting entries through March 9th!!!

Also, tomorrow I'll be at STITCHING CORNER in OREM, UT 

Hope to see YOU there.  :o)

Mini/Many Plans

Thanks for your comments on the Mini's. I feel the same way as ALL of you so it still leaves me conflicted. On one hand I think they're a great way to try a new technique or make and finish a project all in one day. On the other hand, they almost seem pointless to me because once I make them I'm not sure what I'll do with it. But who knows, maybe once I have a few I'll start finding purposes for them.  :o)

So I'm gonna dive right in. I have a couple ideas in mind and I picked the fabrics this morning:

This raindow of marble-y prints has been calling my name. The yellow looks pretty gross in this pic but I promise it doesn't in person. :o)

Next, this stack of graduating greys. It may look dreary to some, but I have grand plans for this one.

My hope is to get these done by the weekend. We'll see.

But speaking of weekend-

if you're a Utah local and want to come see, I'll be doing a trunk show at

Stitching Corner 

Saturday at 11am.

They're located at 631 E. 1700 S. (just off of State st.) in Orem.

I'd LOVE to see you there.

And who knows- maybe I'll have a couple 'Minis' to show! :o)

MINI

I've seen mini quilts ALL OVER. I have even made a few. But I wanted to get your thoughts on them.

I've had a couple of ideas for quilts on my mind the past few weeks but can't seem to find the time to make them. Then I started thinking about making them mini. But I just can't decide.

So, what do you think? Do you make them? Do you like them? What do you do with them?  :o)

p.s.- Did you pick up on my 'secret' project from the last post? Just curious how many saw it and how many it slipped right by. More on that to come. 

p.p.s- One more thing, I FINALLY added a gadget to this blog so you can follow by email. It's on the left column right below 'Followers'

HAPPY SEWING!

call me Mrs. Crazy

Last year when I posted this - I wasn't exaggerating. Itseriously was the best weekend ever. But don't feel like you missed out completely because you, too, can have the best weekend ever at this years

Besides the fun I mentioned in my post last year of meeting new friends, learning new techniques, stalking your favorite bloggers  :o)  and eating delicious food, there's another fantastic reason to attend this year

I'm TEACHING!!!

I can't wait. SS2012 is going to be a PARTY!  Hope you can come join us.

Sign up for the newsletter so you will have all the up-to-date info.

And hopefully I'll see you there!

I just took a peek at the Flickr group for the block contest- WOW!  There are some really cool blocks in there. I'm beginning to wonder how on earth I'm going to pick my favorites. Yikes!  :o)

Perspective

To say this week has been interesting is an understatement.

It started out with expectations of 'Love' and celebrating Valentine's day by writing names on paper valentines and sticking lollipops to said valentines.

As the week went on it quickly turned into summersaults.

Those summersaults continued through yesterday evening when they came to an ubrupt hault with a sudden smash into a brick wall.

All in all we're good. Life has yet again been brought into perspective.

I'll be back next week with fun things to share.

But for now I'm going to veg.

Yup. Just me, my OnDemand, and Angry Birds.

Oh yeah, and these

What!? My Girl Scout cookies haven't come yet. Don't judge.  :o)

Have a good weekend.

*Hugs!*

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

'Smitten' by Crazy Old Ladies

Stare/Stair

I decided that seeing the actual bolts is much better than staring at cardboard boxes. However, I am a little concerned with how we're going to get upstairs. I guess I need to reorganize the studio to make a space for these guys.

Block Contest

So here's the deal- I wanna give away some fabric. LOTS of fabric. And it seems, based on all the comments, that you're willing to recieve said fabric. But picking random comments is getting a little boring for me and you, dontcha think? Instead I thought I'd have a contest.

Here's how it works.

All you have to do is design a quilt block.

You can make it in whatever fabrics you want and whatever style you want.

Your block does not have to be an original design.

It just needs to finish somewhere between 9" and 12" square.

(9 1/2" to 12 1/2" with seam allowances)

To enter you have to upload a picture of your block to the flickr group:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/blockcontest/

There's also a button link on the top left column of this blog.

Please post only one picture per block,

but enter as many blocks as you'd like.

The contest will run through MARCH 9th

(I want to give you time to make your blocks)

At this point my team will narrow down our favorites and list a poll here on the blog.

Then it's up to YOU to vote for the winner.

Votes will be tallied up and the winner announced on APRIL 2nd.

The GRANDPRIZE winner will recieve

1 yd of each print in the 'Hall of Fame' fabric collection!

(yes, you can get excited)

But don't worry, there's lots more fabric. I'm also going to have several FQ bundles to give away and

lots of Crazy Old Ladies patterns, too!

So, wanna play along!?

I can't wait to see what you make!  :o)

Ode to Improv

I FINALLY finished a project that I have been dying to show you!

 I've always wanted to take a folded binding shot!

 I started this quilt last year when I attended the Sewing Summit. I mentioned it a bit here. You can even see me working on some of the blocks. We were given a baggy of scraps but I had so much fun I started digging through the garbage (scrap piles) to find more. I even managed to get a couple blocks donated by some friends.

 Thanks to some scraps and inspiration from Pam- I decided it was time to finish! However I wasn't too pleased with my quilting choice. I decided to do ramdom lines (not always straight) throughout the quilt. Eh. Not my favorite- but it is what it is.

I finally bound it last night while watching Glee.  :o)

I LOVE the finished quilt!

I'm calling it 'Ode to Improv' because of the class at SS taught by the lovely Jess of Urban Patchwork. 

My quilt has 3 parts:

The top where the large solids pieces are.

The center made up of several improv blocks.

And the bottom that has everything left.

*heart*

p.s.- I've got an idea for my giveaway. I think I'll announce on Friday. Stay tuned!  :o)

Stacked

These boxes came last week.

They are FULL of Hall of Fame bolts.

What am I going to do with all this fabric?

I think I should have a giveaway- what do you think?

But what should I do?

Leave a comment and tell me what kind of giveaway I should have
and what I should give away.

HELP!!!  :o)

Let's get ready to rumble!

Check out Making It Fun and see my designer spotlight!!!!!

Work

Contrary to what some people think (my husband) I actually have a job. It's a little different from many other jobs. But it's still work. I still have to budget my time. I still get burned out (sometimes). And I still have to pull long nights to finish projects for deadlines.

Yesterday was a VERY productive day. However the nature of my job prevents me from showing you how productive just yet. What I can tell you is that I fniished 4 quilts yesterday.

Before you start thinking I'm some sort of quilting Terminator (Sorry, I have boys) I need to clarify. There's the 'Needs to be Pieced' stack that consists of folds of fabric carefully selected for a particular project. These are numerous and scattered throughout my studio but 2 are on High Priority status right now.

Then there's the 'Needs to be Quilted' stack that consists of pieced quilt tops waiting to be sandwiched and quilted. There is only one of these stacks but is almost more daunting that the plethora of 'Needs to be Pieced' stacks. This stack can range between 1 and 12 quilts on any given day. At this very point in time there are 3 quilts in this stack.

Lastly, there's the 'Needs to be Bound' stack. This stack is self explanitory and actaully embarassing. I HATE BINDING! I'm not sure why. It's that last little bump to get over before the project is complete but I often let quilts sit for days or weeks (even months) before binding them. Yesterday was an exception- I bound 4 quilts. Yes, the same 4 that made it to the FINISHED stack along with 1 that made it to the 'Need to be Quilted' stack and the 2 'Need to be Pieced' quilts cut out and ready to go.

So yesterday when the hubs walked in the door, I was laying on the couch half-dead (certainly brain-dead) watching old 'Big Bang Theory' episodes. He asked what I'd been doing all day and when I replied 'Working' he chuckled and said 'Uh huh' in his you-don't-have-a-real-job sort of voice. I showed him. I went to bed. He had to do dishes.  :o)

______________________

P.S.- Don't forget to check out http://makingitfun.blogspot.com/ on Sunday for my designer spotlight! 

Wish List

Sometimes I just want to sew something just for fun. Hopefully someday I'll have a little time for that. But it seems my 'Someday' list keeps growing and growing. Here are a few that top my list:

  Gigi's Thimble

I fell in love with this pattern the moment I saw it....

Someday.

Cluck Cluck Sew

One of the many that I adore from Allison- that girl is AMAZING!

Someday.

Fig Tree Quilts

I bought this pattern as soon as I could get my hands on it. Can't wait to piece this one

Someday.

Don't Look Now

 My love afair with this gal has only just begun. This pattern as a wall quilt is a must for me once I've perfected the technique.

Someday.

Chitter Chatter

*sigh* This EXACT quilt, in the EXACT fabrics will NEVER happen. But I can dream, can't I?

Someday.

Do you have a 'Someday' list?

Have you completed a 'Someday' project?

Please share so I can live vicariously through you.  :o)

Outtakes

I had a photoshoot today with the cutest little fans!

Cooper and Jake

 or is it

Jake and Cooper

(don't ask me which is which- I can't remember!)