Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day!!!

It's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Day . . . let's have some fun :)

First, we need to announce the winner from last weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway!!   The winner of the Half Yard Bundle of Chipper Sorbet from  The Scarlet Thread Quilt Co.   is . . .   Number #234 . . . Congrats Trisch!!!   I have emailed you :)    

  

    

And on to today's

Today's Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is being sponsored by Ollie and Evie.  Rhonda has an adorable Etsy shop packed with wonderful pre-cuts and beautiful yardage!!!  This weeks special is all Moda Charm Packs on sale for just $7.00!!!!   And she has also started Spring Cleaning, adding lots of new items to the Clearance Section, some yardage even marked as low as $4.00 a yard.  You are going to want to check this out!! 

And the Terrific Tuesday Giveaway is for a fabulous Charm Pack Combo!!!  A fantastic SummerFest Charm Pack by April Rosenthal for Moda and a coordinating Bella Solids White Charm Pack by Moda.  I just love SummerFest, such a happy fabric!!!!

You have two entry chances, the second being optional, and please leave a separate comment for each.  All Entries are welcome, including International Entries.  Please just be sure to leave an email address if you are a no-reply blogger ;)  

ENTRY 1 - Simply leave a comment that tells me what one last thing you want to get done in April.  

 ENTRY 2 - Show your Olie and Evie love.   You can follow them on  Facebook, at their blog, or Favorite their Shop, or you can visit The Shop and then share a favorite item ;)   Just be sure to leave a comment of how you showed your Olie and Evie Love!!!

And that's it ;)  The giveaway will be open until next Tuesday, May 3rd when I will announce a winner at the beginning of next weeks Terrific Tuesday Giveaway Post :)

Good Luck and Have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Dresden Carnival Blog Hop!!!

Today I am thrilled to get to share with you a wonderful new book called Dresden Carnival .   Dresden Carnival is written by Mother and daughter pair,  Marian Gallian and Yvette Marie Jones.   I have been fortunate enough to get to know Marian and Yvette through the annual Quilt St. George retreat that Marian started 3 years ago and that I have been able to teach at all 3 years ;)  The thing I noticed right off the bat about Marian and Yvette was that they both love to make Heirloom quilts and the quilts they shared really showed it.

That is their focus behind Dresden Carnival .  Marian and Yvette have taken the basic Dresden Plate and cranked it up about 10 notches and then added gorgeous needle turned applique to create stunningly innovative designs with gorgeous hand work and heirloom quality.   This Garden Terrace quilt is probably the most recognizable Dresden in the book and it isn't basic by any means.

I loved this Peek A Boo Violets quilt that combines both the rounded end Dresden and the Pointed Dresden to create a beautiful mixture of petals.  And you know I just love the purple!!!

And then taking it a step farther, Marian and Yvette have created beautiful petal templates that allow you to go past the basic Dresden Plate shape and give you a whole new look of a Dresden.  This quilt is called Windswept and I love the Petals!!! And the additional applique really sets off the design.  Just stunning!!

And this super modern Lily Pad just shows the variety and versatility that Marian and Yvette got out of the basic Dresden Plate.  I think this might be one that I could actually conquer as it is a whole lot more machine quilting than hand appliqueing ;)

And this Lemonade and Lace quilt was my favorite from the book.  It uses needle turn applique as well as reverse applique!!  And yes, just in case you are wondering,  the book includes a wonderful beginning instruction chapter that teaches you the basics of all this hand work goodness :)  I have wanted to make a quilt for some time that could be a treasured heirloom for my children and this just might be the one.  (They think quilts just grow on trees around here with how many I make, tee hee hee)

But you know me and hand work . . . so maybe, I will just start with something small like this Pink Lemonade and Lace pillow to get a little more practice in!!!  So cute :)

To see lots more Dresden Carnival Eye Candy be sure to follow along with the Dresden Carnival Blog Hop ;)  There are 16 projects in the book so what I have shown just scratches the surface ;)  

Mon. April 18:

C&T Publishing | http://www.ctpub.com/blog/ 

Tues. April 19:

Generation Q Magazine |  http://generationqmagazine.com/

Wed. April 20:

Bryan House Quilts | http://bryanhousequilts.com/

Thurs. April 21:

Michael Miller Fabrics | http://blog.michaelmillerfabrics.com/

Fri. April 22:

Textile Time Travels | http://utahquiltappraiser.blogspot.com/

Mon. April 25:

Happy Quilting | http://www.happyquiltingmelissa.com/

Tues. April 26:

Kitchen Table Quilting | http://www.kitchentablequilting.com/

Wed. April 27:

Andover Fabrics | http://blog.andoverfabrics.com/

Thurs. April 28:

Crazy Old Ladies | http://crazyoldladiesquilts.blogspot.com/

Fri. April 29:

Vetmari | http://www.vetmari.com/blog

Pink Hippo Quilts | http://www.pinkhippoquilts.com/blog

Thanks for popping in today and each and every day.  I am always so grateful to have this little space to share my love of quilting with you ;)  I hope you have a very Happy Quilting Day!!!

Sew Sampler Box from Fat Quarter Shop!!!

Last week I got a wonderful Sew Sampler box in the mail!!!  And I have to say, when I opened the lid and saw how pretty it was all packaged I almost didn't want to tear it open.  And then the curiosity and excitement took over and I totally tore open that beautiful blue paper ;)

And oh my, what wonderful surprises were inside.    This is my first time getting a sampler box and I was wondering what the whole experience would be like.  And I have to say, I loved it!!!!  It was just so fun to pull each little wonderful bit of quilting goodness out of the box and figuring out just how soon I could use it ;)  And it was really nice that the value of the items inside the box was almost double of  the cost of the box so I felt like I was getting everything on a great sale!!!!

A slightly closer look at all of the wonderful contents!!!  Isn't that Strawberry Picking pattern just adorable.  My 4 year old saw it and asked if she could have it, time to add another quilt to the list I guess ;)   And I am so excited to start making the Blocks that go along with the Recipe cards.  I am really getting into having a few sampler quilts to work on among all my other projects and I can't wait to start on this monthly Recipe Block surprise.

And a few other favorite highlights from the box.   I have to say, I just love Me and My Sister Designs fabrics.  They really are just so incredibly happy making always filled with bright colors and fun designs.   I plan to use this little Grow Charm Pack along with my Dot. Dot. Dash Charm Pack I already had in my stash.  Now just to find the right project for these happy charms ;)

And I was over the moon excited to find this super fun Creative Grids Ruler.  I actually ordered one from Fat Quarter Shop a few months ago.  It is the absolute perfect size for marking the back of squares and for cutting apart my HST's.   I was just telling Barbara the other day how much I love this ruler and how handy it is when I get a second one in the box!!!  So fun!!!!   It made a special little gift to Barbara, although now I am thinking I might want to order a back-up one as well.  Love this ruler!!!

And finally, I was so excited about these little thread cutters!!!   I think this was why I loved the box the most.  You know how you have those supplies that you use every day, and they start to wear out but you just keep making them go because you don't want to buy more when you can made do with what you have.  Well, now I have a new pair of thread cutters without having to go through the back and forth of whether or not I should buy them.  So fun!!!

So ya, to sum up, you can pretty much say that I loved The Sew Sampler box!!!   Just fabulous!!!   It was just packed full of wonderful quilty goodness  and there was just the right amount of practical needs and fun splurges in it!!!     I am already looking forward to the 20th of May when next month's box will arrive. Honestly, I am already looking forward to the 20th of every month!!!  It is going to be like Christmas in a box every month!!!!

To find out more about the Sew Sampler box, pop on over to Fat Quarter Shop and check it out. They have lots of frequently asked questions there that you might have if like me, you haven't tried a sampler box before.  

Now I am off to go mark some lines using my favorite little ruler and then I need to decide fabrics for my new monthly Recipe Sampler.  

  

Splendid Sampler Saturday

I was gone last week doing my trunk show at the SLMQG and missed my Splendid Sampler Saturday Post.  So let's get a little caught up today ;)

First up, the Family Stars block designed by Kimberly Jolly of Fat Quarter Shop.  I loved everything about putting this block together!!  The story behind Kimberly's block is so great, it just warmed my heart the whole time I was working on it.  And I just love all of those adorable little stars.  I can never get enough star blocks!!!

And second is Lina's Gift block designed by Pat Sloan.  This was another wonderful story behind the block.  And I have to say, it was awfully nice to make this block that went together in no time flat.  Every once and a while these less complicated ones can be a nice change of pace ;)  So fun!!

And just for fun, Pat did a little post the other day to see how everyone's blocks were coming along.  I hadn't taken a picture of mine all together so this was totally fun to see them all laid out in rainbow order.   Eeekk, makes me so excited to see the whole project come together over the year ;)   That and now I want some skittles ;)

I hope you have a very Happy Quilting Saturday ;) 

The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting!!!!

Today I am very excited to share with you The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting by two of my amazing quilting friends, Angela Walters and Christa Watson!!!!

I met Angela at my first Quilt Market when I won a copy of her book and we became fast friends ;)  She was part of my Celebrate Mom's event and shared all about how she maintains her thriving business (did you know she opened a brick and mortar store as well!!)  while still being an amazing mom!  And Angela and I super bonded when there was a little mix-up at a schoolhouse we were participating in and we found found we were it.  Super funny story!!!  Angela is an amazing Long-Arm Quilter, Fabric Designer, Author, Business Owner, Quilter, and above all Friend!!!!

Christa and I met like most of us quilters do, on-line but we really got to know each other when we were able to have lunch before I flew out of Vegas on my way to Market.  We did not stop talking for 3 hours straight.  We got to discuss our first books that we were both working on proposing and it was just fabulous to know I had a friend jumping into the deep end of the pool with me ;)   Later that year  Christa stopped by my home on her way to Sewing Summit, and once again, we chatted non-stop quilting goodness.  And just like Angela, Christa is an amazing Friend, Author, Business Owner, Quilter, and Sit, Down Quilter.  Can you see why they make such a Dynamic Duo!!!

Their amazing book, The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting, arrived at my house a few days ago and it has already become a favorite!!!  I have flipped through it again and again and I will tell you why . . .   Because of course, like all quilting books, it shows you lots of amazing quilting eye candy and how to do it, which I just love . . . but then, it takes it so much farther!!!  Let me use an example to show you what I mean.

There are 10 Quilt Designs in the book and each start with an "intro page" that tells you both Angela's and Christa's focus of quilting for that particular quilt design.   I love that this book has both the Long-Arm approach as well as the Sit-Down approach as I love to do both types of machine quilting!!  Then of course, there are some directions on how to make the quilt :)

But then is my favorite part of the book.   Wonderful Advice from Angela and Christa.   For this quilt,  Plumb Lines, Angela focuses on straight line quilting on a long-arm and shares lots of amazing insights on quilting on a long-arm with a ruler.  For someone who is just conquering her fear of rulers, this was amazing!!!  She actually goes over how she holds the ruler.   Just so awesome!!! 

Photography by Brent Kane

And then, Christa shares her advice for quilting her version of Plumb Lines.  Christa focuses on using Modern Quilting stitches other than straight lines.  She shares great advice on how to divide up the quilts so the overall design isn't so intimidating and goes over the sequence of the order she quilts it in to make it easiest on a sit-down machine.  Brilliant!!!

Photography by Brent Kane

And with each new quilt design in the book, Angela and Christa share lots more wonderful advice on not just how to quilt a quilting design, but like it says on the cover, When, Where, Why, and How to Finish Your Quilts!!!   It really is like you are sitting next to Angela or Christa and being able to pick their minds on why they make each quilting decision.  What an amazing recourse and truly it is, The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting!!! 

Photo borrowed from Martingale

Huge congrats to both Angela and Christa on such a fantastic book!!!  Way to go friends!!!