Quilt Happy, Quilt Often

S,A,B, etc. etc.

S is for Spring Break! Last week was spring break, and Hannah's friend Macey flew here from Washington to spend 10 days with us! We've spent many hours movie-watching, game-playing, junk food eating, and power-shopping:

   

 

A is for Almond Bars! On Sunday we spent 7-1/2 hours playing "Settlers of Catan". It's our family favorite! In fact, Sundays at our house are dubbed "Settlers Sunday", in which we are known to play for hours and hours. And of course, we need to eat something yummy while we play for all of those hours, so this Sunday we made the most amazing almond bars. And we wanted to share:

Almond Bars

4 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup butter, melted

2 cups flour

2-1/2 tsp. almond extract

Confectioners' sugar

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until lemon-colored. Add the butter, flour and extract; mix well. Spread into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Makes 2 dozen.  A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

B is for back, as in mine, as in aching, after playing Settlers for 7-1/2 hours on Sunday.

M is for "May Flowers", another quilt that I just submitted to the Fons and Porter magazine! Hold your breath and wish me luck! I'll let you know if it's good news! Here's a teeny little peek:

   

 

F is for Fanny's House! It will be the free project in the "F" newsletter for the Block Party Club! I love love love it and hope you do too!

 

 

E is for exhausted. It's hard work being an adorable puppy!

  W is for work, which I must now get to. Happy Tuesday! xoxo

And the winner is...

Gwynette! If you'll email me your address, I'll pop the book and the kit in the mail to you this week.

Thanks everybody for playing along. And thanks for stopping by my little corner of the world every now and then. I love keeping in touch with you.

Happy Sunday, from my peeps to yours!

Happy, Happy, Happy!

Yes, that happy screaming that you hear? That's me! After 9 (N.I.N.E) days, my junkie is home! Home home home! Me and the dogs are doing the happy dance!! Well, I am. The dogs are yet again looking at me wondering what in the heck I'm doing. So happy! Yes, I am!

And now I better get to work on the stack of small quilts sitting here. But, first, to celebrate this happy day, it's time for a give-away! I have my book "Seasons Stitchin's" along with the kit to make the Fall Penny Rug!

  

This book is full of projects for all of the seasons - quilts, penny rugs, stitchery, and punchneedle projects. The kit has everything you  need - wool, thread, freezer paper, fusible web, and the orange homespun fabric (sorry for the glare on the picture-wierd lighting today):

 

So, all you have to do to get in the drawing for this book and kit is leave me a comment! I'll put everybody's name in a basket and pick a name on Saturday night.

Have a sew happy day!

New Patterns!

Woohoo! New patterns from the printer!

So happy to introduce "D...Depression Era Quilt":

 

and "E...Easter Lily":

   

These join  A,B, and C  in the block party patterns!  These new patterns will be up on the website shortly. Have you heard about the Block Party Club? Go here! 

And isn't it about time for a give-away? Yup! Stay tuned - one give-away coming up soon!

And, by the way, I've been without my juki for 7, yes S.E.V.E.N. days.

Big E, Little E, What begins with E?

First off, a big, HUGE welcome to the gals who have joined the Block Party club these past couple of weeks! WELCOME! We're a happy, friendly bunch, and hope you have a good time sewing along with us!

Even though I've been without my juki for 6 days now, I'm pushing ahead, working on projects that I can't wait to show you! I can't quilt them, though, because I've been without my juki for 6 days now, so I'm trying to wait to show them to you till I can quilt them, which I can't, because I've been without my juki for 6 days. If I don't get my juki soon, though, which I've been without for 6 days now, I'll have to break down and show you a thing or two without being quilted, which I've been unable to do because I've been without my juki for 6 days now. (My husband calls it my "junkie").

So, in keeping with Block Party tradition, here's the "E" quilt - "Easter Lily"!

 

It's made with only 16 fat quarters, and measures 68-1/2" square. The pattern will be ready by the end of the week! woohoo!

And of course, small "E", the 6" block that is included in the pattern directions:

 

And last, but not least, is the "E" table runner, which I have tenatively named, "Extra Special Christmas Table Runner" (obviously, I'm open to suggestions). This table runner is only partly quilted because, sadly, I've been without my juki for 6 days now. It will have red buttons for the holly berries, and red binding, which I'll be able to sew on after it's quilted, which I will do when I get my juki back from the shop, where it has been for 6 days now.

   

And, now I have just realized that I have skipped "D". Tune back in tomorrow for "D"! See what happens when I am without my juki for 6 days? I can't even think straight.

Happy Sunday!

Bless His Heart

I've been unable to get on my computer much for the last couple of days because Dan has been working on taxes (bless his heart). See, I'm not very good at paperwork. I try! I do keep track of many things, but all the little details (which seem to be important to the IRS) get away from me.

So, every year about this time, I hand over all of my reciepts, file folders, etc, to Dan, and he disappears into office to make sense of my mess, re-emerging  to ask for some other paper something that I have filed somewhere (bless his heart).

With every new file folder I give him, I pledge to do better next year, (oh shoot, it's already March, I better get busy) and he just smiles and says "that would be great!" (bless his HEART!)

So, to keep from hovering and causing him even more anxiety (bless his heart), I've been hiding, no, working!, in my studio, on some new projects!

   

  

   

See that ipod there? I LOVE listening to audiobooks while I work. I was a sad camper after my old ipod got stolen out of our car last fall, so Dan gave me this new ipod for Christmas. BLESS HIS HEART.

Hello yellow

Today we woke up to a gloomy, rainy, trying-to-snow day. I guess somebody lost my order for a nice, warm, spring, sunshiney day. How dare they. This is entirely unacceptable!

So, I am rebelling, and making my own sunshiney yellow day...

 

 

 

   

     

 

 

 

 

Have a yellow day!

Today...

Today was one of those days...

I did a little bit of this:

   

And a little bit of that:

   

I did a teeny weeny bit of this: 

And a small pile of that: 

I had quite a bit of this: 

So I had a lot of that: 

Then I did a bit more for this: 

And a bit of work on that:  

I had some more of this:   

So I did that:   

that: 

and that: 

And of course, my dogs followed me around all day wondering why exactly am I taking all these pictures? Good question.

How was your day?

TGIF!

Whew! This has been a crazy busy week!

I've been getting this month's patterns and newsletters ready to go out. I'll be sending everything out early next week. We've had some trying computer issues here, but hopefully it's all worked out now. Thanks everybody for your patience!

Lots of block party stuff going on here! Patterns "D" and "E" are going to the printer next week:

 

Patterns "F" and "G" have been tested and will be going to the quilter next week:

   

 

And "H" and "I" are on the drawing board. woohoo!

BUT, tonight my sweet hubby is bringing home home-made tamales for dinner, and we'll put our feet up and watch a movie and chill out. Perfect ending to a crazy week.

 

Have a great weekend!

Paula

What's your cup of tea?

While on my trip to WA last week, I found this set of teacups that very nearly brought me to my knees and made me hyperventilate:

 

I packed this set in my suitcase, using my fat quarters to line,stuff, and cushion the tea cups so that they wouldn't break during the trip home. Yet another use for fat quarters!

Last night I got home from a two day trip to Overland Park, Kansas to do a trunk show and speak to the Blue Valley Quilt Guild. What a great group of ladies! They have a huge guild, and they are very very busy doing lots of things to help their community. I totally enjoyed my time with them!

I shared my Block Party club with them, and I'm so excited that so many of them signed up for the club! Welcome to the party ladies! I'll be sending your "A" stuff this week!

While I was gone, I asked Oreo to take care of the laundry piled up on the chair in my bedroom. Take care of it, he did:

 

Quilt Happy!

Paula