I have enjoyed all the visit and comments on my giveaway post on Thursday. I am always glad to be acquainted with quilters from different places, and Thursday afforded me the opportunity to do so. Please know that I will respond to your comments, either by writing you back or visiting your blog.

Reading the comments on my post provided a much welcomed break while I was quilting my Twilight Trails Quilt. All I have left is the brown border, and it will be ready for the finishing touches.

There were 83 comments left by 7pm CST on Thursday. I used a random integer generation, and the winner of my 1st giveaway is: Terry (comment #36). Terry, please email me your mailing address so that I can send it along to Quiltmaker for them to mail you your copy of 100 Blocks:

Now the rest of you, you still have a chance to win a copy of 100 Blocks on my blog. If you haven’t done so, leave a comment here between now and November 19th for your chance to win another copy of 100 Blocks and some other goodies provided by yours truly. A winner will be randomly chosen from all the comments left (minus Terry) on the night of November 19th. The following shows the stash of goodies I have assembled thus far. I am sure I will have a few more items added to the stash before all is said and done. The background quilt is featured in the issue of “The Quilter” included in the stash:

Thank you all for participating in the giveaway! I hope you have a lovely weekend. I will catch up with you next Monday. Meanwhile, Happy Quilting/Crafting/Sewing/Homemaking!

Hello! Welcome to my blog if this is your first visit. And of course, welcome again, if you are back for another visit! I always enjoy your visit. Please leave me a comment (with either your email or blog address) so that I can visit you back! The following is an animated cover for you to view all 100 blocks –

I am honored that my “Colonial Hospitality” quilt block (#52) is one of the blocks featured in The Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks from Today’s Top Designers. This special issue will be released on the newsstands on November 17,2009. So be sure to get your copy as there really are a lot of fabulous blocks!

Giveaway 1 :

Meanwhile, you do have a chance to win this special issue for free in a giveaway sponsored by Quiltmaker. Just leave a comment on this post between now and 7pm CST on Thursday night, and you will be entered in the giveaway. Please make sure you leave your email address. The winner will be announced on Friday morning (11/13/2009). Do go over to Quiltmaker’s blog for a chance to win original blocks made by the very hands of the designers, and other great bundles of goodies!

Giveaway 2:

Now, I am also giving away a copy of the 100 Blocks plus some of my patterns and a couple of other things. You may leave a comment on this very post between now and November 19, 2009. A winner will be picked on the night of the 19th, and the winner will be announced the following day.

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Here is a bit of behind-the-scenes about my “Colonial Hospitality” block – you may skip this part if you just can’t wait to enter the giveaways!

When I was contacted by Quiltmaker earlier this year about contributing an original quilt block, I knew from the get-go I was going to do a pineapple block. Here are some fascinating historical facts about the pineapple in the Colonial days:

1. Pineapples were symbolic of tasteful entertaining, normally used in lavish fruit centerpiece displays.

2. Pineapples were symbolic of Christianity in the late 1600’s because each pineapple has to give up its life to produce the fruit. Christopher Wren began using pineapples as ornamental accents for churches. Later pineapples were often used to adorn homes and buildings.

Lord Dunmore's Pineapple House

3. Pineapples were symbolic of hospitality. Sea captains that returned from the West Indies would place pineapples at the doors of their homes as a sign of welcome to those who wished to call.

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I am working on a pineapple quilt — stay tuned for progress pictures!

Thank you again for stopping by! I wish you a very good day.

Inspired by my blue and brown quilt, I set out to play with my blue and brown dishes all together at one time.

I am usually a dish collection kind of gal when it comes to dishes, but I have to say that experimenting with mixing the colors together was very fun! The following are some of the combinations I tried:

#1 (you can tell I was a bit reserved in the beginning!)

#2:

#3:

#4 (then ever so slowly, I started to loosen up):

#5 (I started to be a bit more adventurous):

#6 (By now, dishes were starting to pile up on the floor, waiting to be auditioned):

#7 (I am bringing in more blues):

#8 (now comes the desserts):

Now, how about retreating to the drawing room to take some tea with me?

What do you think, my bloggy friends – should I, or should I not use my blues with my browns this year for Thanksgiving?

Good day, Everyone!  I hope you are doing well.  This will be a quick post as I am running against the clock to get my Twilight Trails quilted.   I am excited to share with you that work is underway in getting my Pieceful Garden quilt published in Popular Patchwork, a British publication.

If all things go well, and I hope they do, Pieceful Garden is scheduled to be featured in Popular Patchwork’s March 2010 issue!  Stay tuned for details.  Meanwhile, enjoy your day!!  I will catch up with you tomorrow.

Happy Monday, Everyone! I hope you had a good weekend, and am looking forward to another new week. I had mentioned to you that I got a bit carried away when designing a quilt using the Northcott Twilight Garden fabrics. Upon completing the applique of 224 leaves on the quilt top, I worked on my piecing my fancy schmancy border. It didn’t look all that hard from the design on my computer screen, but it is a different matter entirely in real life. It took me quite a few hours to make the border happen. So, I present you a sneak peak of the complete quilt top with the fancy schmancy border:

The quilt will be quilted by yours truly on a domestic machine this week, and will hopefully reach the editor’s desk at The Quilter at the appointed time! This quilt is scheduled for the May 2010 issue in The Quilter.

May your week unfold into a week of all plesantness. Please check back later for my giveaway post on this Thursday.

Well, it is technically baby’s. I decided to attempt making another toy for baby for the fall. No, I have not the time, but one has to MAKE time for doing little things like that for the loved ones in our life. After I was done with the pumpkin, I couldn’t help doing a “big people” display with it:

Here is the “little people” version of the display:

The pattern is available for free from Schlosser Designs — the instructions are very clear. I was glad to find a child-safe fabric pumpkin pattern where one doesn’t have to use twigs or empty thread spools for the stalk. I was able to follow it without much of a problem. If you have known me for any length of time, you know that I am TERRIBLE in reading sewing instructions.

This is another scrap project. If you notice, the apple print fabric has made its appearance before in my Basket Full of Apple quilt, and the Children’s Corner Lucy Jumper:

I had to look up how to do buttonhole stitch by hand. The way it is done is almost opposite to how a machine does buttonhole stitches:

Just like the last toy I made, I put in jingle bells to make the toy more interesting! I gave it to baby this morning. Baby wasn’t quite sure how to take her “great” pumpkin — it was a bit bigger than what I had imagined it would turn out. Maybe the great pumpkin would grow on baby before the fall season is over!

Thank you for popping by. I wish you an enjoyable weekend! Tootles.

p. s. In case you haven’t voted for the Viewer’s Choice quilt among the quilts featured in “The Quilter” this year, please do so here. Thank you!

I just received my copy of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks! Absolutely wonderful!!! My block “Colonial Hospitality” is Block #52. I will have a giveaway on my blog next week (week of 11/9/09) in conjunction with Quiltmaker’s Blog Tour and Promotion of this very special Issue. Stay tuned for details!!

Following is the “Colonial Hospitality” block I had submitted:

Our fall foliage this year isn’t exactly glorious in appearance.  I am speculating that it is due too much rain.  You know how each year everyone seems to have their own theory as to why the leaves aren’t turning beautifully as in years past, haha.  Nonetheless, we are no lacking in the number of leaves – that I can assure you.

My 224 leaves are all appliqued!  I got that monkey off my back a couple of nights ago.  Now, I can move on to something more fun — the border,  and the quilt is ready to be quilted.  I have to say, I am more than pleasantly surprised by the blue/brown combination.  The look is quite agreeable, I dare say.  As a result, I have been playing with this very color combination with my dishes.  I will have some pictures for you maybe next week… as I have to get caught up with some housework and a few other more pressing matters, like attempting to make fabric pumpkin.  We will see how I do…

Thank you for stopping by!  I hope your day goes well for you.

Yesterday, I showed you the first issue of “The Quilter” in 2010. Looking back all the 2009 issues of The Quilter, I realized I have had an excellent year working with the editorial staff at The Quilter:

Roslynn in the March 2009 Issue:

Bluebird Ballad in the May 2009 Issue:

Cozy Patch in the May 2009 Issue:

Simple Pleasures in the May 2009 Issue:

Cottage Garden in the November 2009 Issue:

Sentimentally Yours in the November 2009 Issue:

Forever Christmas in the Holiday 2009 Issue:

My quilts will continue to appear in The Quilter at least through the July issue next year. Stay tuned for announcements and pictures!

Now before you conclude your visit, I would like you to vote for your viewer’s choice among my quilts featured in “The Quilter” in 2009 — just for fun. I am going to alert the editor which one of those quilts wins the Viewer’s Choice.

p.s. Back issues of The Quilter Magazine are available by clicking here.

Good day, you all! I received my copy of “The Quilter” yesterday. My Bloom Wherever You Are quilt is in the January 2010 issue. Can you believe it? We are swiftly heading toward the year 2010!!!

The fabrics used are from RJR’s Always in Bloom collection. The fabric choices made the quilt look like it has a watercolor quilt effect:

The blocks are double tulip blocks. Basically, they are just slightly improvised log cabins! The log cabin blocks are fun blocks to make because they have so many different possibilities depending on your choice of fabrics, placements, or any twist you add to the blocks:

This quilt was quilted with the Tuscany Silk Batt from Hobbs Heirloom and YLI Silk 100 thread. That batt is a dream, I tell you!!!! It is more than easy to manage. I really enjoyed quilting the quilt as a result:

Quilting as seen on the back:

I wish you a good day, and hope that no matter in what circumstance you find yourself, you continue to bloom wherever you are! Blessings to you!