Making binding

Yay! I finally finished this topper!

#SummerSolsticeQAL pattern by Melissa Corry of HappyQuiltingMelissa

I won!

I had a lot of fun blog hopping the past couple of weeks. Two of the blog hops were for Island Batiks with their brand ambassadors: Tammy Silvers' new line "Coastal Mist", and then there was the New Beginnings Blog Hop. Then I went hopping with Fresh Snow Hop from Marian's Seams to Be Sew blog.

I was diligent in following these hops, because I have fallen in love with Island Batiks. And I must have been pretty lucky, because I won a few prizes!

From Maria Michaels Designs, I won a one-year subscription to Quilt Pattern Magazine online. That looks like a great resource and a fun, sharing community of quilters.

Next, Nancy Myers of "Patchwork Breeze" gave away this gorgeous 5-inch "stamp pack" of Sea Canyon by Island Batik. The colors are so beautiful, and I need to narrow down what I want to do with the pack! Island Batik really knows how to do purple, green, and blue right!

Oh yeah, I can't forget the reason that I won! Nancy wanted help naming her design for the New Beginnings challenge quilt that she created. I don't know if I'm great at names, but I do love puns and wordplay. I replied with a few of my ideas, and Nancy's husband read through all the replies/entries, and chose mine: "Dancing DNA". What a fun contest, and I feel honored to name her design!

And finally, I won this little bundle of 1/2-yards of autumn-colored Island Batiks. Look at those camouflaged deer on that pumpkin-orange background! And pine needles and swirls. This one was from Pam Geisel's blog "For Quilts Sake". She is so talented and creative, and it's a lot of fun following her blog. I love seeing what she's up to with each challenge as an Island Batik Ambassador.

And then, sometime in November or December, I won a giveaway from APQ (American Patchwork and Quilting): an archive of their magazines and patterns! How cool is that! It's going to be a great resource and a lot of fun to read all the digital back-issues.

I feel pretty special right now, and I'm so thankful for these wonderful prizes. They've been bright spots in a very snowy winter with my health problems. They make me want to try harder to get up and get through this pile of quilttoppers and quilt them, and also inspire me to practice designing. I would really like to be an ambassador for Island Batik and Bernina some day!

January progress, February's beginning

Happy new year!

Sorry that I'm late in wishing you a great new year! I'm hoping to feel better enough that I can get more done and create some more finishes.

This past month of January, my goal was to finish quilting the two mini ModaLove quilts.

I've also been able to spend more time quilting, more days of this past month, than I have in a very long time. I haven't been feeling well for such a long time, and I'm trying to push through it.

The other part of my goal for January was to finish the quilting on the Autism Swoon for my son. I didn't finish, but I feel like I'm making a lot of progress. 

A couple of weeks ago, after I pulled it out, my son came  this up to me and said "Mom, are you going to finish my quilt now? I really need a bigger quilt before I'm a big teenager!"

I laughed and asked "Did you just remember about it, or did you see that I pulled it out to work on it again?"

"I see you're working on it again! When will it be done?"

He just turned 10, and the baby just turned 3, so that means I've been working on this quilt for just over 3 years. Yikes.

This big quilt is really heavy, because my husband insisted that I use double batting. Not only will it be warm, but it will feel a little like a weighted blanket, which has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety in people with autism.

This is great, but it's also made it difficult and slow and energy-zapping to push and pull it through my little Bernina to quilt it. Sometimes it just hasn't been fun, and sometimes I've wanted to cry. I haven't touched it for at least a year or more, because my health problems have zapped my energy and motivation and mental health. I know what's going on now, and trying to get treatment, so I'm determined to finish this quilt!

Quilt guild meeting

Hello November Saturday!

Today, I attended a guild meeting of the Nebo Modern Quilt Guild. It's the first guild meeting that I've ever attended. I was so excited. My friend and neighbor, Katie, invited me and we rode together. Katie blogs over at Lady Katherine's Wheel.

Today's meeting featured a trunk show by Melissa Corry of happyquiltingmelissa. I felt like I was bouncing out of my seat. I've wanted to meet her since I started following blogs and participated in the Dresden Challenge. I've participated in two of her quilt alongs now. It was wonderful to see her and her quilts in person.  She brought all the quilts that are patterned and photographed in her book for Martingale called "Irish Chain Quilts". I want this book--it's on my Christmas list!

Here are some of my favorites:

This star chain is definitely my favorite! Everything about it is gorgeous--the colors, design, and quilting.

Yummy texture!

These two--the black and white, and Red, white, and blue, are the same quilt pattern. Another favorite of mine.

These two quilts are both Fractured. The colors are inverted for the chains. Just wow!

This is one of the chains made by piecing and appliqué. It was a quilt along last year, when the book was published, but I wasn't able to participate.

I wasn't the only one taking pictures!

During show and tell and UFO show, I was able to get up and introduce myself and show off my finished blocks for Summer Solstice by Melissa Corry!

She hadn't seen my finished blocks yet, and I think she was excited.

Someone was kind enough to take pictures of us. Melissa helped me hold up my blocks and I was excited to tell everyone how fun and easy her quilt alongs are.

The Seahawks fabrics that I ordered have arrived in the mail, so I can put this quilt top together, and the backing, too.

Block 2 of 4

Hi !!

Happy October!

Block #2 of 4 is finished!

This one actually has all the Seattle Seahawks colors together in one block!

I love it!

#SummerSolsticeQAL #HappyQuiltingMelissa

#IslandBatik

I'm trying to decide if I'm going to go all-out on this theme of Seattle Seahawks??!!

There's some awesome Seattle Seahawks cottons out there. I was wondering about a border of that, along with a Seahawks backing too?

(A snapshot of an Etsy shop called Pico Textiles)

Or batik borders with fussy-cut hawk's head from the licensed fabric for cornerstones of the border?

 Or a backing of extra-wide batik ?

Or not even worry about the Seahawks, because it's just a great color scheme with the purple thrown in, too?

Summer Solstice QAL--Drunkards Path

 Hi there!

Making more progress for the Summer Solstice QALat happyquiltingmelissa ! Yes, she had the grand finale finish link-up these past two weeks, and just posted the winners.

Here's one of my favorites:

Some of my progress on the drunkards path:

Finally, whew, I have finished the drunkards path units! They're so pretty!

I'm now ready to start building my blocks. Yay, it's a very fun part.

Meanwhile, the Payson Quilt Show at Peteetneet just finished up yesterday. I entered my baby's Winter Stars.

I'm not very happy about this picture. The other attendee that I asked to take a picture, obviously didn't understand when I asked her to take a picture to include me AND the whole quilt. Plus my little guy was wiggling. He recognized his quilt hanging in the show, right away.

I guess I didn't win any awards or ribbons, but everyone that I talked to, said they really liked it. One volunteer said she'd never have thought to use the colors together. My thought is that it is important for me to enter a creation of mine each year in a show, whether or not anyone else appreciates it. I'm proud of it, I like it, I put my best designing and work into it. At least it's being seen and I'm getting experience. 

Here's a few of my favorites entered in the show:

See you soon!

#SummerSolsticeQAL

Embroidery thread!

Oh my goodness!

Since I received my Bernette embroidery machine for Christmas, I've been watching sales and wish-listing starter packs of embroidery thread. My wish came true!

Last week, I was able to order this Sulky rayon starter pack with the Slimline storage box, from Amazon. I love coming home from errands, to find that the mail person has come! Even my toddler was excited at a new box to open!

Look at all those pretty, shiny colors!

These are my favorites, right here:

Blue, purple, silver, burgundy, green.