Have a listen!

We’re closing in on the end of May Mayhem!  Keep up the great work, everyone!  I’m so blessed to have dedicated quilters virtually beside me during this challenge.

Check out the Virginia Quilt Museum – I get to visit it this summer!

Have a listen to the show.  Thanks for visiting

Have a listen!

Thank you to the many listeners leaving comments!  The Husband especially likes your feedback

In March I had the opportunity to see Patricia Knoechel of Quilt-in-a-day fame speak and give sewing demonstrations.  It was well worth the $3.00 entrance fee and the 1/2 day of vacation!  She was promoting her sister Eleanor’s book, ‘Quilt Blocks on American Barns’. I bought a few things and had a great time.  I am glad I took the time to go.

Hurray!  I finished The Boy’s quilt.  Sorry, we are having technical difficulties with the camera so no photos yet but I wanted to share the awesomest finish on the binding I have seen: the ladder stitch!  I heard someone mention it on a podcast – I am thinking Annie Smith but honestly it was months and months ago so I am not sure who it was.  So I googled it to find a tutorial.  I found this super-clear and easy to follow tutorial at Turning Turning.  Check it out. 

Head on over to Big Tent to join the Pioneer Quilter group!  You will need to join the main Quiltcast Supergroup before you can join Pioneer Quilter.  Signing up will get you entered in a drawing to win a year of Quilter’s Newsletter!  You can also enter by leaving a comment here and by leaving feedback on iTunes (and then notifying me of your feedback here.)

Have a listen!

• The Modern Quilt Guild.  I’ve seen it mentioned on Sew Mama Sew several times and meant to bring it up.  Alert listener Carlyn reminded me about it.  Are there any Modern Quilt Guild members listening?  Send me an email or leave a comment if you are a member.  I’d love to hear what it is like.
• The Ladies’ Art Company Block Tool by Connie Chunn.   What an awesome reference!  It has a great variety of blocks and gives cutting sizes for up to 5 different block sizes. 
• The Quilter’s Newsletter had two patterns that I loved this month.

Have a listen!

Keepsake Quilting – I am still in love with that Halloween block of the month.

AQS – a contest!  Just fill in the form here.

The Alliance for American Quilts is holding a quilt contest.  Entries aren’t returned, but it is for a good cause and your work will be documented in the Quilt Index!

My sister Karri is participating in the three day Susan G. Komen Walk for the Cure event in Cleveland this year.  If you can provide her some support it would be greatly appreciated!  Also she is hosting a children’s clothing swap & shop March 6th in Rootstown, Ohio.

Goals for this year:

• 18 episodes for a total of 34
• Back, quilt, & bind The Boy’s quilt
• Embellish, back, quilt, & bind the Round Robin quilt
• Back, quilt, & bind the Sunburst quilt
• start piecing something new!

What are your goals for the year?

Click to listen!

I took a break from the frugal quilting series because I wanted to release something.  We’ve been super busy trying to get our house ready to put up for sale.  I know – it’s not a great time to sell but our circumstances don’t care about the timing!  The Husband makes a (surprise) guest appearance.  

I mentioned 4 books in this episode:

• The Civil War Love Letter Quilt by Rosemary Youngs
• The Quilter’s Catalog – a comprehensive resource guide by Meg Cox
• Material Obsession – Modern quilts with traditional roots by Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke
• American Quilts and Coverlets in the Metropolitan Museum of Art by Amelia Peck

I finished a Round Robin round – applique!  I do have a picture of it but of course I haven’t downloaded it from the camera which is AWOL somewhere in the bowels of or house.  (update: found the camera!)

Me & the latest addition to someone else's robin

I’ll be at the NQA show June 19th.  Stop me and say hello if you go!

Click here for episode #6

There are finally some signs that spring may be on it’s way here in Ohio.

 And the giveaway winner is….Brye Lynn!  Check out her blog and podcast at sewstitchcreate.com.  I can’t wait to hear it myself – it is downloading to the ipod now. 

Thank you everyone who joined in the giveaway commenting.  I know you were visiting to enter the contest…but your nice comments were very much appreciated!  Quilters are the best.

Alex Anderson is coming!!!  Abigayle’s Quiltery is hosting Alex for two lectures in the Cleveland area this May.  Click on the ’special events’ button at the Abigayle’s site to see details.

Goal updates -

1. Round Robin – round one is complete!  That’s The Husband peaking over the top. 
2. Winter coat is complete!  The Husband managed to take my photo in it without revealing my flood pajama bottoms hanging out.  Ha!
3. Sunburst block - the second block of six for the year, complete!  No pic – just look at the last one.  They are all the same. 

Today’s main topic is my wishlist.  There is probably some blogging word for it that I don’t know, but I am defining it as a list of techniques, materials, blocks, patterns, etc. that I would someday like to work with.  In most cases I would create an entire bedsized quilt for an item on the list.  What is on my list?  You’ll have to listen to the show to find out!!  What is on your list?  Leave a comment or blog and leave a link to your blog entry.  I’d love to know!

Happy quilting everyone!  Welcome to Spring

My friend Robin has informed me that I must add pictures to the blog.  So this time I have some photos to show.  Thanks for the tip, Robin!

The giveaway: to enter the drawing, leave a comment on this blog post.  If you’d like to have a second entry, mention on your blog that I am doing a giveaway and link to this post.  Then leave a comment with a link to your post.  To the left there is a pic of my hand holding up a tea cozy.  That’s a view of the inside pockets.  Tea included!  Yum!

You might be wondering what it was the Tooth Fairy brought for The Girl - two 50 cent pieces for the first tooth and one 50 cent piece for the second.  We thought at first we might give her something extra special to take the sting out of it for her.  (Ok, maybe the sting-reduction was more for us than her.)  But The Boy told her what to expect and 1) she was totally thrilled with that and 2) we did not want The Boy to feel his Tooth Fairy visits yielded lesser results just because his teeth fell out without novacaine and pincers.

Other photos:  My coat-in-progress, which is from the Project Runway Simplicity pattern number 2812:

The black and white part is the lining.  I got all of my fabric for it from Fabric.com.

And here is the first completed sunburst block of the year.  I finished it last weekend at The Girl’s ballet class and it has been scrunched up in her ballet bag since then, so pardon the wrinkles.

And last but not least, here is the center of the Round Robin exchange that I am working to add a border to:

The owner is planning a three-dimensional beak that will be appliqued to the chicken. 

Don’t forget to visit the Alliance for American Quilts!