Just for laughs….

I'm slipping this in here, because if you haven't already read this, it's worth it. (Especially if your other choice is doing laundry…….). Check it out.  It's funny!!!!

March De-Stash Giveaway winners

The USA winner of the March big box of orange goodies is Kelly@Blue Bird Sews who said" I live in Portland, Oregon and we are lucky to have lots of flowers this early but the only one in my yard right now is the primrose. So pretty in lots of colors! Thanks for another great giveaway Stephanie! http://www.sloatgardens.com/plant-pick/primrose.htm ".  Kelly I will be emailing you!

AND

The International winner of the $15.00 gift certificate is Corinthians Grace who said "We are just moving into Autumn here in Australia. But the flowers that means spring is here is the good old jasmine. It looks and smells like spring to me. ". I will be contacting you and I will need the following information: your mailing address, preferred email address  and a internet fabric store of your choice. I will contact them with your information so they can get your gift certificate to you.

Congratulations to both winners. Check back in on April 1st (no joke) for the April De-stash giveaway.

Doing it again……..

I'm going to do this again this yearPlease join meDetails {click on the link}

What's up at the FRMQG

With 2012 came the Saturday meet-and-sew's. A morning meeting and afternoon sew, which works out great since this guild has members from all over the Front Range of Colorado and some peeps have to travel hours to get to a meeting. Plus, you're sewing in the afternoon with friends, what's not to like about that.
Our last meeting we celebrated our 1st birthday. All kinds of goodies were passes out.  This next meeting, we're having a pincushion swap. We had to make a pincushion using at least one additional item that was not quilter's cotton. So, you could use linen, or buttons- you get the picture.
Here is my picture of the pincushion I am bringing to swap

My non- cotton items include: linen, embroidery floss, and a cute little ceramic base to keep the pincushion from tipping over.

The wee bird is singing away, and won't mind at all having a few pins to keep from falling on the floor. I added a bit of piped cording between the top and the sides, I like all the stripy colors. The sides are polka dotted. (It's spring after all).
I can't wait to see all the other pincushions up for grabs. If I bring one (and I am) then I get to take one home too!

Thank you, I do so like Tangerine Tango

Thanks to all the judges an hosts for choosing my quilt in the Tangerine Tango challenge.
There were some beautiful quilts entered and I'm still a bit in shock that the one I made was good enough to capture 1st place in the quilt category. Please go here and here to see all the lovely entries. You will be inspired, I was……..

oh, and I know this is after the fact, but if I don't put it here, then where…… See what the judges said about the winning quilts- I did wonder myself.

Acts of kindness

It's so wonderful when you get to meet new, uber-talented ladies, who are more than happy to lend a helping hand. It's also nice {for me} to be able to share some of my talents to thank them.

So, to Marta Strzeszewski and Amy Gibson, many, many THANKS!!! I couldn't have done it without you. The pictures look great, my fingers are crossed!

These quilted goodies are for you. I won't say which one is for Marta and which one is for Amy, but you can see little bio's of them below their photos. I'm bringing them to the meeting on the 17th and I hope you'll both be there. If you see this before then, you can try to guess which one is for you!

Hexie flower on mustard Italian linen. Background linen densely quilted in an echoed scallop pattern with light lavender thread- Front
The hexes are 1", so you can get a gist of the overall size of the zippered pouch (10 x 6.5").

The back- the quilting really stands out here. Purple zipper.

Hexie flower on indigo dyed Italian linen. Background linen densely quilted in a "butterfly wings" pattern with a spring green thread. Front (This linen looks like denim in all the pictures I have ever taken. But it's so much nicer and textured than denim- perhaps I just need a better picture).
The hexes are 1", so you can get an overall idea of the size of the pouch (10 x 6.5").

The back- Light green zipper. 

I'm going to link these zipper pouches over at Amy's Creative Side…… I've had them on my to do list for a few weeks and now they are ta-done!!!

Don't forget this…...

Had to take a detour for the Modern Mini Quilt Challenge. But don't forget to leave a comment and get your hands on some goodies here.

Remember: 2 give aways this month.

Pixie Sticks

I'm trying my hand at some new {to me} quilting techniques (I have tried these before in garment making)…… and thought I'd give some of them a try at the Modern Mini Quilt Challenge over at Ellison Lane. Thank goodness for the MINI designation. (I tend to get carried away……).

Do you remember Pixie Sticks? I do, even though I didn't get to eat much candy when I was little, I did love those brightly colored straws and the sweet/tart sugar powder inside.

Pixie Sticks- front (detail of the dense {mostly} straight quilting and the 3-D Pixie Sticks).
The picture was shot with  a bit of shadowing cast by the Pixie Sticks to add some drama

My Modern Mini is a 12.5 x 15" 3-D beauty made from my scrap bin, a bit of cotton string and left over Kona Coal from the For the Love of Solids Swap. (Feels good to made a wee dent in that scrap pile).

The Pixie Sticks are prepared like corded binding, cut to different lengths (dictated solely by the length of the scrap) and laid out in a rainbow progression. Mostly prints, but some solids, again dictated by what I had cut and designated as scraps.

The Pixie strips are then sewn to Kona Coal strips of varying widths and lengths and then sewn to one another to make the mini quilt. I then densely quilted between the Pixie Sticks to make them standout from the neutral gray background. It's fun to run your hand across the top of the mini quilt. Makes an interesting sound as well.

Pixie Sticks- front

Side- 3-D- detail of Pixie Sticks

The back, plain multicolored polka dot, 100% cotton. I chose the backing fabric to keep with the "candy" theme- remember these? Candy dots on paper…….

Pixie Sticks- back, with the fabric version of Candy Dots on paper!

{The}Details:
Title: "Pixie Sticks", original design
Size: 12.5 x 15"
Material: Kona Coal and various scraps of 100% quilting cotton
Thread: Aurafil dark grey, 40 wt, 100% cotton (top thread) and Coats and Clark 100% quilting cotton, 40 wt (bobbin thread)
Binding: Hand bound with Kona Coal.

Design-finish: February, 2012.

March De-Stash Giveaway is here!!!

The March, 2012 De-stash Giveaway is here!!! Actually 2 giveaways.
This month is one of my favorite colors- orange. (We're "marching" our way through the rainbow).
Because I love orange so much, I have a double give away this month- I will pick one US winner and one out-side the US winner.
For my US followers, this box filled with (mostly) orange goodies could be yours.
For my outside the US followers, I will send you a gift certificate for $15.00 (US) to an on-line fabric store - hopefully near you- you may have to help with the selection.


So, for March this is what you have to do:


Answer the following question: With Spring around the corner, what is the first flower/ tree  that blooms near you?  If you can link to a photo, even better, I'd like to see what you see. If you have a photo from your yard, share!!! ALSO- and you MUST include this information with your answer. Tell me what country you live in.


For example: The first flowers that appear in my neck of the woods are Darwin Tulips. I live in Colorado, USA.

Darwin Tulips (aren't they pretty????)

2 winners in March!!!!!!

Large Postal box filled with things mostly orange.

Details for the 2012 Monthly Giveaway:

I will post a photo of the give-away each month during the first week of the month- so check back often, so you don't miss out.

You will have until the 21st of each month to leave a comment.

Leave only one comment per person.

I will pick a winner and get your package in the mail by the 25th of each month (postal holidays and weekends excepted). (Make sure you don't fall in to the no-reply blogger category- if I can't get you I'll pick someone else).

I know some of my followers are outside the USA. Because international postal rates abroad are much more expensive I will be doing international mailings only a few times during the year (these are big packages and costly to send). Please know- I haven't forgotten you and appreciate your following me- I really do. So, I will specifically post whether the monthly destash-give-away is open to international entries on any given month.

Thanks for all your support and good luck in 2012! Remember 10 chances remain to win this year- Go for it!!!