Winner Announced and Wins Received From SMS Giveaway

The winner of my Birthday Giveaway is Bea at  Beaquilter. Her comment was.  My birthday is in january! when I was little I always got "boring" clothes for my birthday- after christmas sales.

She has been emailed and I will get package mailed in the next day or two.

In the SMS giveaway I won  two fat quarters, hot iron transfer, embroidery floss, flower pin, and a cool zipper purse from http://celynnssunflowerpatch.blogspot.com/

In the SMS giveaway Richard won a Creeper Plush Toy from http://www.level8craftling.blogspot.com/ 

Great timing it showed up today on Jared's Birthday.

In the SMS giveaway I also won a gift card from  http://www.amateurquilter.blogspot.com/.  It is a $20 gift card to fabric.com and 4 fabrics that he sent me, but I am going to wait to show a picture until I receive my order. 

 Last, but not least I won a package of AURIFIL thread from http://www.lindsaysews.com/ Speaking of thread.  What thread is your favorite?  Richard and I have tried several different types, a few we dislike, OK hate, they have broken or have caused major issues.  Neither of us has a favorite yet.    Posted by Tanya

Beginner's Quilt-Along & Random Junk

Hello all I have been sitting here trying to find something fun and new to do. And ran across this new quilt along and decided it's for me (though I don't feel new, I am new and have something I could learn)

This is being sponsored by Quilting Gallery.  The hardest thing for me with doing something like this is going as slow as the group goes (you know me I want to whip out a quilt 2-3 times a week) But I will try to hang in their and go slow.  I have added a badge on the menu to the right and at the the badge above you can go to the main page and read about it.  The plan is to make 12-13 blocks (depending on your layout) one block given at a time and a flicker group to post the results too.  I think it sounds fun and while I think you all should join in.

In other news this week I have finished my Swap blocks for May (I know late) And June (Yes I am ahead now)

Just to be sneaky I am not going to tell you who got each block as these are in the mail and the recipients have not received them yet.  But last time I totally forgot to post them so here they are.

I have also completed my Civil War Quilt (it will be posted in a day or so) I am waiting for something from the cohorts of mine doing it with me and also time to get better pictures (above was a picture half way done with center not quilted and washed yet) So expect that in a day or so.

I mentioned the other day that I had bought EQ7 and started playing with it.  I have created the above image with it and am making 2 quilts (yes I cant just do 1) using the above as a pattern and guide.  In the process of this I plan to make a walk though and demo of how to make my quilt.  I also have made a new star I call yes Richard's Star (It's my star so could not help but name it after my self) Once I get done making one of those blocks up will show the world but for now just know its on the way and that Richard has not been taking the last week off just busy with secret projects.

Link A Finish Friday #17

The Goal for me this year is 52 Finishes in 52 weeks help keep me honest and show off your own finishes at the same time its a Link A Finish Friday!!  I as counting the other day and in a couple weeks I will pass my 52 quilt mark.  I might have to be upping this goal some.

The most popular link last LAFF was Done (2 quilts) from http://imperfectmom2two.blogspot.com 

I have completed 2 quilts this week one for my wife Tanya's B-day and one that Tan wanted for our Etsy Store.  

Before I go I wanted to show off something made with my newest toy (distraction) Electronic Quilt 7 or EQ & for short.  I bought this software for Tanya's B-day, but it showed up fashionably late.  Tanya likes to design quilts, but she is not always so good at explaining what she wants so I bought this so that she could show me what she wanted.  Today I took some time to create a quilt that I plan to make a template for it should look familiar to some and I was wondering if you could guess which of my quilts its based from.

This quilt is based off of Fire in the sky quilt that I made using the Disappearing 16 Block's that I made.  I really enjoy this block and the easy trick to make it (with no cutting or sewing of HST's)  Any way is their any interest in me making patterns or demo's and sharing it here on the blog.  By the way I think my son James is more distracted with EQ7 then I am.  He loves artistic things (not sewing but designing) I look forward to making something soon that he designs.

Now back to our previously scheduled LAFF and the rules.

So for the rules.

1) Who likes rules. Toss them out.
2) Add a link to your finish blog or where ever you show off your finishes (Not limited to quilts but I like them the most).
3) Visit a few of the finishes and comment or encourage them on.

Not Required but fun to do

1) Follow my blog.
2) Follow the blog of all those that link.
3) Link back to my blog.
4) No finish, go quilt and stop reading the web.

Linking too
http://marciascraftysewing.blogspot.com/2012/05/minutes-for-me-linky-party-21.html

WIP Wednesday #15

Today is going to be a Work In Progress Wednesday.   I will be linking up with Freshly Pieced.  

Completed Projects:

3 quilts finished this week One for Tanya's B-day and baby Pinwheels and Fire in the Sky

Ready To Quilt:
3 new tops this week added to ready to quilt.  Sadly I have still 1 or 2 others also in the box ready to quilt I am getting behind on this pile.

Ongoing Projects:
I have recently realised at the rate I am sewing my material together that I will run out of money or fabric before I run out of a desire to so and as of such I opened a etys store to sell some quilts to earn enough to while buy more fabric.  http://www.etsy.com/shop/RichardQuilts  Is the address of it also last night my wife talked me into trying more then 1 location to sell so also added a ArtFire site at http://www.artfire.com/ext/shop/studio/richardquilts I had never heard of them before my wife told me about it.  Any way if any one has a desire for a quilt to be made I am available for work.

Planned Quilts:

I sat down this week with my wife and we made a list of a few things we have in the works and a few things I would like to do and the list has over 50 items on it.  So no lack of ideas here.

Totals:
Finished: 10 May, 8 April, 10 March, 10 February, 7 January
45 Total for Year wow only 10 more quilts tell I meet my 55 projects and I have to set the bar higher.
Ready to Quilt: 3 shown here

Is my long weekend really over?

Wow I lived though another holiday weekend.  I love these and hate these all at the same time.  Mostly because you try to do too much and never finish what you wanted.  Any way for a May for Me month I did what I liked best this weekend. My wife did also.  Sadly what she likes most is tearing my old house apart and then putting it back together.  Her present to her self (for her b-day) was that she was going to re-model the bathroom.  Now to be honest I never approved or even agreed to this mostly because of the hassles that it causes.  Tanya promised me this would be easy.  Quick and simple.  She is going to rip out the sink and vanity, remove the toilet.  Pull up the sub flooring and tile and paint.  No big one I would hardly notice and I would not have to help (other then haul every thing from point A to point B) which I am surprised to say has gone all according to plan except.

Tonight when I really had to go to the bathroom this is what it looks like.  The hole on the right is while what I needed and the one on the left is to wash the hands after.  But hey I will have to take the long walk down stairs to use the little boys room.  Oh and to add insult to it all about 10 minutes after I picked the toilet up and put it into the tub last Friday night my son Jared informed us the only other toilet in the house is over flowing all over the basement floor.  Any way we are having fun at our house, can't wait for work in the morning at least we have facility's available there.

Any way now that that is out of the way, what did I do this weekend.  Oh yea I have already posted the 2 quilts that I finished.  But not to show off or any thing these 3 items are what I did in all the left over time between plunging the toilet down stairs which I have done 5 times (Yes I am counting) .Why is it when you remove one toilet the other has to stop working?

This first quilt top is the biggest pieced thing I have done yet.  If you look at the quilt above and the one below you might thing they are similar in size they are not the top one is huge.  The top measures 64 x 64 (I know some of you saying that's not so big) but for me comfort zone is about 42 by 50 or so smaller lap quilts.  This quilt is called Soldier's Star the pattern was created by Deonn Stott over at http://www.quiltscapesquilting.com. This pattern won 2nd place in the AccuQuilt 2011 barn quilt design contest.  Some may wonder how I managed to follow a pattern (for those that don't know me well I am not huge on patterns, though its growing on me). I took a class at HMQS quilt show from Deonn Stott using this pattern and got a copy of it in class.  Any way because of my out side the box, mentality I um failed to get even one square sewn together during class (I did get all the HST sewn and learned that I while ironed backwards and while now I don't).  Any way Deonn Stott is a follower and I want to tell her here thank you for the wonderful class and what she taught me.  For those interested she is teaching the same class at the Panguitch Quilt Walk June 7-9th 2012 in Panguitch, UT (now how many of you out their even know where that place is.  I do because its where I fill up for gas when heading south to visit the in-laws)

The second top completed this weekend is a tiny, tiny quilt that I am working on for my Civil War Quilt Along.  I will talk more about it later.  You will notice its already basted Tanya did that while she took a minute not finishing my bathroom this weekend.  (yes Tanya I love you but I told you so)

Lastly I finished (or I had though) this quilt.  It is a 25 block of 12 different colors.  My wife and I are (while starting) to go bold on our quilting and after the 2 wonderful borders on the other 2 quilts done this weekend we (meaning my wife) decided that we should add (meaning me) 2 more borders around this quilt.  So since I have not decided yet (meaning her) what exactly that is I won't at this time give those details.  But I will tell you it will be wonderful.  Any way this long weekend is finally over. In fact this day is over (I writing this post yesterday, but looking at my watch its now Tuesday and since their is a strict policy of not sleeping at your desk (yes its in the employee hand book). I must go to bed or risk having to find some one else desk to sleep at during work today, when I wake up from my not quite full night of sleep).