12 Days of Joy at Christmas

I finished quilting the first of my 12 days wall hangings.  The 12 days before Christmas is our kids favorite time of year.  We pick 3 family's each year to giveaway too.  We have done this for 5-6 years now.  We give gifts each day for the 12 days leading up to Christmas Eve (Christmas is for family's so we end the day before).  Each year we have picked completely different family s last year we picked 2 next door neighbors which is difficult as we do a sorta ding dong ditch delivery method (up tell the last day) then on Christmas eve we deliver a bigger gift with my whole family and put the kids (we generally pick family's with younger kids) out of their misery if they have not already caught us.  They can finally see who has been bringing them treasures.  This year one of our gifts will be the 12 days wall hanging.  We made it out of non Christmas material so it would be appropriate to leave it up all year and to help that family enjoy the gift of giving.

So today is our 3rd day.  Yesterday we had some wrapping paper and bows.  The first day this year we gave some Christmas dishtowels.  So what you ask is tonight?  I am not sure my wife has a box that she loads up all year with "12 days gifts" we start buying the leftover Christmas stuff when it goes on sell the week after Christmas at a killer deal.

So why do I tell you all about this?  I want you to understand my desire to give at Christmas.  So what do I want you to do?  Pick a friend or even a enemy that is feeling a little down this Christmas and do something special for them.  If not for your own desire do it for me.  As I can only do 3 family's a year we set that limit years ago.

Jared made another treat that I promised to share so here it is.

If you are interested in commenting to me today I am interested in family traditions.  I have every year since I was married visited the lights on Temple Square here in Salt Lake City.  It is a fantastic view if you have never seen it.  I would like to add new traditions to my family but I don't have any great ideas do you?

If you are interested you can find more of my Temple Square pictures here.

Link A Finish Friday #45

This week and last week has been busy and with 2 giveaways I am behind (and sick) which means my post is going live a few hours after normal.  Good news though our Blog Hop Party with Giveaway is still open
so if you have not entered you still can.  Above though you can see Rebecca's Pillowcase finish using our new serger she was so proud of her sewing.

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It is now time for Link A Finish Friday.  Today I would like to start with a big thank you to Fat Quarter Shop who has offered to Sponsor our Link A Finish Friday with Prizes.  This month's winner (December) will win a $15 gift certificate to spend on Fat Quarter Shop.

Please remember to thank our sponsor by visiting their store at http://www.fatquartershop.com/ their blog http://www.fatquartershop.blogspot.com/ and Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/FatQuarterShop

Nine Patch with Applique from Loose Threads

Star Wars From Sami's Quilts & Crafts

A Christmas Quilt from Needles, Pins and Baking Tins

Are 3 of the the items linked up last week.  Link up yours and lets see what you have been making.

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.
4) Monthly random winner picked from all of the months linkups to $15 gift card from Fat Quarter Shop.

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.

Finishing Touches on Christmas

Tanya has 6 step brothers and sisters (her dad remarried two years ago), so we don't really know them.  They are married and all have kids of their own.  As part of our making every one a quilt we decided for the step siblings we would give each family a  lap quilt and each kid would get pillow case.  So between all of these we need a dozen or so pillowcases.  So this weekend Tanya and I cut out about 2 dozen pillow cases. So far I have sewed the tops onto 11 of them and completed 5 of them.  Above is the first one done (which I claimed and is on my bed). 

We have been trying to figure out what to get Rebecca for Christmas.  We talked about a sewing machine or a serger, but the cost of them was more then I am willing to spend on a 14 year old girl.  So I bought myself a serger (after all don't you just need to serge pillow cases?)  I am sure some of you are saying no its not needed.  You might find this funny, but I own a serger now, but have no intent to use it.  I got it so my daughter can work on her home work assignments from her sewing classes at school.  So far she has made a hoodie, shorts, a quilt, and now mostly done with a dress and she is going to make a matching one for Julia.  Any way it is for her, but not for her.  Any way we now have the most styling pillowcase.

Here are the other 4 that are finished, we will have a few more done in the next few days.

Blog Hop Party - Giveaway Day

11 Fun Black and White Fat Quarters

Today we are participating in the Blog Hop Party With Give-Aways. Sponsored by Quilting Gallery we participated in the last one and had such fun I had to do it again.

We are giving away 11 fun black and white fat quarter prints. These fat quarters are from various designers. All are quilt shop quality fabric.  Half are from our stash and the other half were bought for this giveaway.

Here is a better look to see what they are.

To enter, I want some help setting a new goal for Richard And Tanya quilts.  I am new to quilting (Me speaking of Richard) and Tanya is even newer then me.  I made my first test quilt and finished it on Christmas Eve last year.  My first full size (baby quilt). Yes I have a few issues with making big quilts (I have made over 50+ baby or lap quilts).  But I have made up for the lack of size in the quantity I have made.

This is a collage of just a few (21) of our quilts that we have made this last year.  My goals for this year (2012) was to make 52 Quilts in the 52 weeks of the year.  I am proud to say that I have exceeded that number.  You can see some above and more can be found on my Quilt Finishes Page. Though most of Decembers have not yet been added.

So to enter you have a few options.

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1) Leave a comment listing a suggestion for a goal for quilting in 2013.

2) (Bonus Entry) If you follow Richard and Tanya Quilts, tell me how you follow.

3) (Bonus Entry) If you like my quilts find your favorite on my complete page and tell me the quilts name.

4) (Bonus Entry) Tell some one about our giveaway. (I don't care how just spread the word.  You can knock on the next door neighbors door if you like.)  You don't need to tell me how you told some one, but you can if you want to make me laugh.

So please leave a separate comment for each entry.  Open to all any where in the world.  We are willing to ship internationally.  Contest closes Sunday Night, December 16th meaning any comments made before Monday when I will draw the winners name.  My son Jared (he is 8) will help come up with some clever way to pick it in a random way.

So 4 possible entries.  Here at Richard and Tanya quilts I answer every email personally.  I enjoy to communicate with my users.  I hope you enjoy that and enjoy following my blog.  You can find below some of what you might find in a blog post here.  Enjoy your day and I hope that after you enter the many giveaways that you will come check us out and see what we are all about.

Jared  is in Christmas stress mode, I do not think it will come fast enough for him.  I have been trying to keep him busy and off the computer.  So today he made me a Flying machine and I told him I would show it off for him so here it is.

I know your saying why is he still talking?  You want to get to entering the drawing.  The last few days this is what Tanya and I have been working on they are 12 day calendars you can read yesterdays post to get the link to the tutorial we are using to make them and learn a little more about them.  We plan to make 40 of them before Christmas and I only have 4 made and basted sounds easy right only 36 to go?

Now go enter the drawing already. 

Winner is Sandra I will send her a email!  Congrats

12 days of Quilting

It has come to my attention that Christmas is almost here.  I have been trying to put off Christmas because I am simply not ready.  We have too many things going on and not enough time.  But Tanya informs me that we have to put up the tree today.  Last august I started making my 12 days wall hanging.  I have decided that I plan to give one away to about every one I know (including one here on the blog) but they are not ready.  At the beginning of this year I started quilting and blogging and one of the first things I found and fell in love with is this Mini Mystery Quilt

Back in August, I stated working on this (and then quickly forgot it) you can see that post here. Last night Tanya and I were up way too late working on this.  I now have 11 blocks done (times a few dozen) The plan is to make 40 ish of these (yes I am nuts) I have blocks done for the first 15 or so.  Today I get to finish the 12th block (ok its block 10 I think that is not done) and finish assembling the blocks.  Above is blocks 1-6 in rows and below is left over mess of other things.

So I need you all to wish us luck in my crazy goal of 40 wall hangings before Christmas.  Now I have a question for all of you.  Have any of you tried to do something so crazy?

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Last week the Sew Mama Sew giveaway was going on.  I have already received a email this morning telling me that I won a prize.  Feeling guilty about winning with out giving Tanya made me draw winners.  For any of you that do not know I am a Programmer and instead of silly random.org I in SQL created a quick random to pick my winners.  I then let Jared run it a few times and then he stopped and here is the results. I will Email the winners after this post goes live.  Congrats in advance and thank you to every one that entered.

AnaCrafts said...78

I love sewing quilts more than anything else. I tend to use Gutterman thread but don't have that much experience of other types.

December 4, 2012 5:59 AM 

The winner of our Fabric and Tread is AnnaCrafts.  Congrats.

Kelli said...29

Your scrappy patchwork quilt out of Twirl with a minky back is really beautiful. I especially love the binding you chose. It really completes it and brings all those bright colors together.

December 3, 2012 12:00 PM 

The winner of our Quilt  with free shipping (or $40 dollars towards her pick of quilt in our Etsy Store) is Kelli.  Congrats to both of you.