Wedding Quilt Giveaway!

Hope that title got your attention :-) Today is the day to begin the giveaway for this new book by Jennifer Chiaverini, The Wedding Quilt. This book is a continued delight of reading about the Elm Creek quilters. Jennifer Chiaverini's books include interesting bits of history...some of it authentic and some of it developed in the many endearing characters she has introduced to us. This latest story is written 'from' the future and tells of what has gone on in the lives of the Elm Creek quilters and their families since we were last with them.

I thoroughly enjoyed it! The characters in these books are like old friends that I love reading about and I'm really happy I get to share them with you.

Since this giveaway can have a special goal of getting the word out about this new book and giving someone else the joy of reading it, I want to encourage you to share this book picture and link on your own blogs.  Leave a comment of your interest in reading it and if you have a blog, send me a link to where you have posted about the giveaway.  One chance will be entered for a comment and an additional chance will be added for your 'getting the word out' post. I will choose and post the winner on December 4, 2011.
If you haven't read any of the Elm Creek Quilters series, I would definitely recommend you treat yourself to these wonderful books. They are in libraries, Amazon and all over the place :-) Start with The Quilter's Apprentice and enjoy your way through the stories.  

Giveaway coming!

For some reason :-) my humble little blog was noticed and I am getting a chance to giveaway a new book. The Wedding Quilt  by Jennifer Chiaverini has been released.  I received the copy of it this week and will get to start reading it today....sitting in the docs office waiting to get my sweet mom's fractured wrist rechecked :-(  
So stay tuned for a review and giveaway of what I'm sure is to be a very enjoyable read. The Elm Creek quilters draw me in every time!

I've been distracted

lately and not posting what I'm working on.  So here's a peek into my world :-)
I was the lucky recipient of a giveaway by JulieQ.  Here is Elinor in the midst of triangles galore!  Some were sewn together, some weren't.  I am having a great time with them as leader/ender units. All different fabrics than my own and already cut :-) Thank you, Julie!

Last week I found a lovely pumpkin color check from Buggy Barn to use with these triangles. I'm going to love all this country warmth!

In the finishing area, I was able to piece and quilt a wedding gift. However, Marianne is blessing it for me and I will need to take a photo for you later.

I hope you are having a beautiful day!

a few more pics from PIQF

Fall Spendour. I think this quilt was actually machine pieced together. Impressive work.

More pictoral quilts.

This first one was applique and thread play.

Applique



I still have a few more to show next time :-)

west coast quilt show

Pacific International Quilt Show is this weekend in Santa Clara, California. I was able to go yesterday and really enjoyed some beautiful quilts as well as meeting up with some of my favorite quilters! First on my agenda was to see quilts that Nancy Brown had entered. I was thrilled to see a blue ribbon by her quilt with the elephant seals and penguins. I love it when the judges realize what good taste I have and they put the ribbons on my favorites :-)

 I love the expressions on these girls faces (the elephant seals depicted here are the females...I don't know about those cute penguins though...there could be some boys there).

 Here is another quilt of Nancy's that was commissioned by another quilter. Just by looking at this picture, you could tell this was a very sweet grandmother. I know the pigeons liked her :-)

 There were some beautiful quilts with flowers. Iris are my favorite.

 This quilt was gorgeous fall colors and included plaid.

 This quilt really was inspiring to me. I don't know if the picture will show it well but it has the look of wood block art....I think I just made that term up...I don't know what they call it but...the background is black with the scene appliqued onto it (I think?!)  Anyway..it is a breathtaking view of the Sisters Mountains in Oregon. So wonderfully done!

The vendors were as delightful as ever. I didn't do too much 'damage' but found some good hand dyes to use for applique pictures of my labs and some pretty batik layer cakes to make a couple of gift quilts. A sweet, memorable day!

meet Wizard

Here is my completed pup applique. It looks like another dog I used to know rather than my dog, Bridget. So I'm calling this one Wizard. I definitely needed some practice with this (and I need to wash out the pencil markings!). So I'm going to shop for some perfect fabrics..maybe hand dyes and then make a picture with my two labs, Sandy and Bridget. Then if Mosley is sweet and not acting like a criminal, I'll try one with his picture....if!

I really enjoyed stitching this boy. Marianne is posing here while I type this reminding me that she would also look beautiful in a quilt.  She's right, of course.

Note, this is an older post for Pets on Quilts 2017 of a quilt I hadn't shared yet.

In the meantime, the quilt group I meet with monthly has started a BOM. It is a mystery revealed one step each month. If you would like to join along with us, check out Pieces of Rana's Life for the pattern instructions.
This is my effort for the first month.  The edge is just turned over and will hopefully look alot smoother when I stitch it onto the background.

Pumpkins :-) just in time for autumn!

applique class with Nancy Brown

We gathered (opps, Nancy's not in this picture!) last Sunday in Morro Bay and learned applique tips and how to shape cat and dog faces in fabric. We had beautiful samples and a wonderful (and entertaining!) instructor right there to inspire and teach us. I enjoyed the whole day!

This first picture is Nancy's quilt of her friend, Mittens.

And this quilt is of Nancy's cat, Opie. The quilt shows off Opie's beautiful blue eyes.

If we locked ourselves in this room for the next three years, Nancy promised that we could complete this lovely quilt with several of our favorite dogs....might take me six with lots of help!

Nancy also showed us how to trace pictures of our own pets and accent the light and dark to make quilt replicas of them.  This week was busy so I only got as far as a neck and two eyes for the dog applique that will look like my dog, Bridget....completed that in the class, except for having to redo one of the pupils on one dog eye. And then another dog eye for a second dog applique that will look like my other dog, Sandy.

Hopefully someday these parts will look a little like this.

My thoughts and prayers are with those of you on the east coast braving those storms this weekend. Hope it's almost over.