What LUCK!!!

Want to hear something funny? (Or disgusting, as the case may be...)

I left the following email on the Crazy Mom Quilts blog early this afternoon:

The Joyful Quilter has left a new comment on your post "date stamp quilt":

That's a VERY interesting idea for a quilt... AND a very interesting idea for a book. I didn't see the deadline for the drawing. I'm always up for a FREE book! Thanks for the opportunity to win a copy of such a unique book.



Posted by The Joyful Quilter to crazy mom quilts at 1:32 PM

Well, when I opened my email after dinner, what did I find???

 I just got an email from Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts...

Re: [crazy mom quilts] New comment on date stamp quilt.

From	amandajean
To	The Joyful Quilter
Date	Today 19:24

Message 1 of 338 < >

change-formatchange-format

You are my winner! Please send me your name and address and I will get a copy to you. Thanks for playing along! 

Amanda Jean

I won her drawing for the new book "You inspire Me to Quilt" by Cheryl Arkison (co-author of Amanda Jean's book Sunday Morning Quilts.)  I laughed out loud when I saw the email. Seriously?!?!  TWO prizes in TWO weeks!!!

Thank you, Amanda Jean!  I can't WAIT to see exactly how you made your Date Stamp quilt (and what other fun projects can be found in the book, too.)

Perhaps, I should go play the lottery!!!  :o))

Until next time...

Take a chance!!!

Mail Call Monday - {Arrival of...} The Prize Patrol

OK... so maybe it was just a box on the front porch.  Either way, it caused MUCH EXCITEMENT (once I remembered what was inside!!)  Because, I've got to tell you, my first thought was:


WHAT have I ordered NOW???  LOL


As it turns out, it wasn't something that I had ORDERED, at all.  It was a generous gift from Melissa Corry (along with her sponsors and Mr. Random Number Generator!)

Would YOU like to see what was INSIDE the box???


Of course, we would, Joyful...


Well, here's a quick peek at the contents of the Prize Package:

Here's an overview of the contents of the box:

What's that?  You'd like better look at array of AWESOMENESS?


OK, here's a close-up of the AMAZING prize (that I still can't believe I won!):

Along with "glamour" shots of each component...

An American Jane Lorraine Layer Cake {Roll}:

2 Irish Green Fat Quarters from Denyse Schmidt's Moderns Solids collection:

An Angela Walters Drawn Fat Quarter:

A Lizzy House Butterflies Fat Quarter Bundle:

A signed copy of Melissa Corry's new book Irish Chain Quilts:

And a Bitty Bits Mini made by Melissa!!!

Just LOOK at the incredible quilting job that she did on MY Bitty Bits Mini:

Now, I'm off to take another look at Melissa's lovely book to see if I can decide on which quilt I will make first... because you KNOW that I want to make them ALL!!!  :o))

Until  next time...
Get Lucky!!!

ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC15 - Week 26

Welcome to Week 26 of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!  I have a fairly FREE week, but as you know... Life has a way of getting in the way of our quilting.  Come.  Take a journey through my week (as it transpired.)

SUNDAY afternoon, after writing up the notes from yesterday's Quilt Bee meeting, I went upstairs to deal with the aftermath of my Dye Frenzy creations...

While the hand dyes go through the washer and dryer...

Take a look at my gelli prints:

NOTE:  If you EVER get the chance to experiment with Gelli Printing... DO it!!!  It is SEW fun!!!

We did stamping, stenciling, and ghost printing.  We worked on quilting cotton, paper, organza, and deli paper.  We learned what felt like a whole new language!  Most of all, we had SEW much FUN!!

And, don't worry!  You'll get another look at these if/when I actually make something with them.  I've got plans... something along the lines of a small wall hanging with the bird print and other bits.

After heat setting all of the mono prints, I worked on some Rainbow Crumb/Slab Blocks:

MONDAY was a FREE day, except for DS2's report card pick-up and  being ready for work by 4:30. The evening shift really cuts your day short!  Here's what I accomplished (between multiple loads of laundry) and cleaning up the studio for an arriving guest...

ONE Crumb Blocks and ONE Slab Block with small bits of LIGHT BLUE:

I took the trip to the school first thing... after lunch (and a trip to the grocery store.)  LOL!!  I got right back to work, but only completed...

ONE Crumb Block (that looks suspiciously like a Slab Block, but oh well...):

TUESDAY morning, I had to "be at the office" by 8 AM.  During FREE moments, I was able to check my email and play around on Ravelry.  The afternoon was mine to do with as I pleased.  THIS is what I did with that time:

See the pile of bits on the machine bed???  That's the part I'm talking about.

Our house guest arrived and we went out to dinner.  Then I added to HALF of my pile of Crumb Starters before decided that it was too late to sew any more.  I admitted defeat and went to bed.

Look at the pieced string hanging over the front of my sewing machine.  That's it!

On WEDNESDAY, my work was done for the week.  I made use of the time by... running errands and having a spa day (a hair appointment counts!)  When I got home, I finally got my hand dyed pieces out of the dryer and pressed them:

The splotchy one was squirted with spray bottles, the LIGHT BLUE and the yellow-green ones were folded and clamped, but the pink one was tied in knots (which never seems to work for me.)  You might notice that my colors aren't very vibrant.  That's because I was the LAST person to dye.  By that time, the water had cooled and, as you might know, the brightest colors result from the first (HOT) dye bath.  As the water cools, the dye doesn't take as well.  (I'm OK with that... this time.)

THURSDAY was a CRAZY day!!  I went to Quilt Group in the morning, met the guys for hair cuts in the midday, and took DS2 to clinic in the afternoon then had dinner and caught up on other work when I got home.  (Namely, posting pictures and "prettying up" the BLOG POST from today's Cherry Creek Lane Quilters meeting.)

I did, however, trim up a fresh batch of Crumb Starters:

FRIDAY came, and with it... coffee, Knit Group, lunch and SHOPPING!!!  :o))

I managed to carve out some time after dinner to add on to my Crumb Starters:

See the rumpled studio bed in the background? Evidence of our (recently departed) house guest.  No, NOT dead!!  Gone home to return the borrowed car.  :P

Hooray for SATURDAY, with its RSC LINK PARTY (I'm at link number 22) and a full day of sewing!!  Well, that was the plan.  What actually happened was THIS:

I slept late, was delivered breakfast in bed, showered and dressed, then worked on finishing this post

and...

Instead of bouncing around on the So Scrappy blog checking out what the other RSC Quilters have been up to this week, I probably should have been sewing!!!  After linking up, I got ready for DH's work party and that, my friends, brings ME to the close of another month of RSC Madness.


WAIT!!!  What, Joyful???


You heard me correctly.  I'm done with counting for the RSC blocks for LIGHT BLUE month.


WHY, Joyful?!?!


The reason is simple.  I'm working FULL-TIME next week.  :o))

...and I don't think I'll have time to add any further blocks to my collection of RSC sewing.  :o((

Until next time...
Get Scrappy!!!

Design Floor Friday - Challenged {Pieced!!}

Here is the progress made since the last Design Floor Friday post:

The only other thing that I did (after this photo was taken) was to pin the blocks in place on the pieced background.


Why so lazy, Joyful???


Not lazy, friends...


Busy.

I've been cleaning up for a house guest!!!  You try to quilt with a guest sharing your space and see just how much (or little) you're able to accomplish.  :P

Mail Call Monday - The Postman Cometh {Eventually!!!}

Unbeknownst to me, I set the wheels in motion the week before last.  It was late in the evening, while blog hopping, when I did something that I don't normally do.


What's that, Joyful?


I signed up for the accompanying giveaway for THIS:

Now, you might be thinking... umm, Joyful, that's NOT so unusual.  However, for me, (given that there were already more than 500 entries!) it really was out of the norm.

Anyway...

I had a busy day with friends on Friday.  I was out all day and then swung by to have dinner with DS1.  We didn't get home until 7 PM with food for the rest of the family, so it was nearly 8 PM before I booted up my computer for my nightly jaunt through BlogLand and beyond.  (You know the drill... Facebook, Ravelry - if you knit or crochet, emails, and blogs.)

When I finally got around to checking email, this is what I saw...

An email subject heading that read:

Winner of Irish Chain Quilts Blog Hop Grand Prize Giveaway!!!!

My immediate thought was, "Right!!  I've heard THAT before."  My second thought was, 
"I wonder why they are bothering with emailing about the winners?"  Well, let me tell you,  I could barely contain myself (after I was able to accept that it wasn't a hoax email... because, until I read the content TWICE, I was convinced that it was just junk mail.)


I couldn't believe my eyes!  Here's what I read when I opened the email:

On 2015-06-19 09:05, Melissa Corry wrote:

Good Morning and a huge Congrats to you!!!

You won one of the Grand Prize Giveaways as part of the Irish Chain Quilts Blog Hop!!!

I have got a big bundle consisting of a Lizzy House Butterflies Fat Quarter Bundle, and American Jane Lorraine Layer Cake, 2 Irish Green Fat Quarters from Denyse Schmidt's Moderns Solids collection, an Angela Walters Drawn Fat Quarter, a Bitty Bits Mini made by me, and  a signed copy of Irish Chain Quilts ready to ship your way.

Can you please send me your mailing address and I will get this out to you ;)

Congrats again!!!

Melissa Corry Happy Quilting | www.happyquiltingmelissa.com

I'm SO excited!!!  Thank you, Melissa!  Thank you, prize sponsors. And, thank YOU, Mr. Random Number Generator!!!

You have GOT to go check out Melissa's BLOG POST to see the adorable CHARITY QUILT that she made from the blocks made by her Blog Hop participants!!

And just LOOK at the LOOT that was given away:



Judging by the list of prizes that Melissa included in her email, my goodies are on the RIGHT side of the photo shown above.  (I can't WAIT to get my hands on MY copy of her book!  It includes blocks that give a fresh take on the traditional Irish Chain pattern.)

Don't worry...

I'll post another picture when my prize package arrives.

Until then...
Wait patiently!!!  Since I will have to...  :P

ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC15 - Week 25

Welcome to Week 25 of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!  It's hard to believe that we are already HALF way through June.  That's NEARLY half way through the year!!  Now that summer is here, my work schedule has changed.  I'm hoping that will mean MORE time for sewing!

Let's see how that worked for me this week...

On SUNDAY afternoon, I noticed that Angela posted the next RSC Sampler BLOCK TUTORIAL:

Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2015 Sampler - June - Ohio Crossroads

(Oops!  She actually posted it on Saturday, but I don't always notice these things right away.)  If you haven't made one of these blocks, you may want to go grab some scraps and give it a try!

Look what I made!  EIGHT (8) more Crumb Blocks (with bits of LIGHT BLUE):

AND...  ONE Slab Block using the lightest aqua fabrics in the scrap basket:

MONDAY was my day off, so after an early-morning chiropractic appointment (my 3rd), I worked on my Crumb Blocks.  Genius!  They will fit in with EVERY Color of the Month since they will contain every color of the rainbow... and then some.  :o))

I completed TEN Crumb Blocks:

I also made ONE Tiny Nine in LIGHT BLUE:

Before Quilt Guild, I sewed the background for my Paint Chip Challenge:

Sorry! Stellar photography skills at work, once again. I didn't realize that the lighting was so poor.

Followed by ONE Maverick Star:

And, because I had a few minutes remaining, ONE String Block in LIGHT BLUE:

On TUESDAY, I worked a half-day and then went to the grocery store.  While the boys brought in the groceries, I made (Fast) Pepperoni Bread (meaning I used prepared dough instead of making my own.)

It was a HOT day!  So... after some relaxing computer time, I went up to sew...

TWO Slab Blocks in LIGHT BLUE:

And... THIRTY new "Crumb Starters" for my fast-growing collection of blocks:

WEDNESDAY was ANOTHER day off from work.   (I'm REALLY liking this new schedule!!)  I went up to the sewing room with the intention of starting a craft project, but once I sat down in from of the sewing machine...

The rest is history.

Those FABRIC SCRAPS pulled me in and "forced" me to sew them (and sew them, and sew some more.)  When I finally said ENOUGH, I had created another, WAIT FOR IT...

THIRTY "Crumb Starters" in a RAINBOW of colors:

On THURSDAY morning, I went to Quilt Group, taking the equipment needed for Saturday's Dye Frenzy.  I also took my Crumb Quilt to sew down the label (which has been hanging off the back of the quilt since it was finished!)

Between Quilt Group and work, I went shopping for a few last minute items for the printing portion of Saturday morning's event.  Then... I was off to work the evening shift so... no RSC sewing was done today.

FRIDAY morning meant Knit Group (and ANOTHER trip to the mall).  :o))

This particular Friday also included a workout... of my interior design skills, a dinner date, and a special surprise when I (finally) got home and checked my email.  You can read about that on Monday.  Alas, ANOTHER day without RSC Sewing.  :o((

On SATURDAY, after breakfast, I went off to Quilt Bee for our Annual Dye Frenzy.

Here's PART of what I did at the quilting event:

Gelli Printing is FUN!!!  It was my first time with this technique and there is definitely a bit of a learning curve (which provides opportunity for further experimentation.)  Look closely... I even managed to use some LIGHT BLUE the RSC Color of the Month, too.  :o))

Quilting was followed by a trip to our LYS (That's shorthand for Local Yarn Shop for the non-knitters out there!) for my first Knit Class in a number of years.  I took a Finishing Class in order to get a handle on what will be involved in completing my Sideways Lace Vest.  It's a project that has been on the needles for WAY.  TOO.  LONG!!!

Now that the end of the day is approaching, it's time to LINK UP with Angela and the rest of the RSC Quilters for our weekly look at what everyone has been up to.  Go see all the wonderful projects.  It's well worth your time!  (P.S. You will find me at link number 21 this week.)

Until next time...
Get Scrappy!!!

ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC15 - Week 24

Welcome to Week 24 of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!  This week was a little different from the norm.  I actually had a "regular" DAY OFF (and I liked it.)  It came with one regular day and a double, but it brought my sewing opportunities to an all-time high.

Shall I walk you through my week?

SUNDAY - No RSC sewing... unless you count the TWENTY-NINE (29) Crumb Blocks that I completed.  It began yesterday with digging in a scrap bin, so I think it SHOULD count...

Here are the growing blocks coming off the machine:

Blocks (ready for trimming):

See??  LOOK!!  Crumbs (some of the smallest scraps):

And MANY incorporate the LIGHT BLUE Rainbow Scrap Challenge Color of the Month!!

All of this prompted  a MAJOR sorting project while talking on the phone with a friend.  I realize that it looks like a BIG mess right now, but I am making my SCRAP STASH more user friendly.

I'm sorting all of my scraps by color (which makes a LOT more sense for the RSC):

Also on Sunday... Angela posted the first Sampler block for LIGHT BLUE month:

Rainbow Scrap Challenge Sampler - Woven Four Patches

MONDAY - I took at little trip with a friend.  Neither of us had been to the mall in ages, but each of us needed to shop in stores located there.  She, for a particular brand of shoe, and I, for a popular brand of intimate apparel.

Times have REALLY changed!!!

LOOK what I found on the way to the ladies room:

It's a combination phone-charging station/semi-private conversation area (as opposed to wandering around the mall with your phone to your ear.)  Interesting addition to mall-offered services!!!

After our excursion, but before work, I did some more scrap sorting.

It's a BIG job because I have a LOT of scraps.  (Just not a lot in LIGHT BLUE!!!)  The piles are growing and here's the "picture proof":

TUESDAY - What started with me looking for a "usable" scrap of RED fabric for a Crumb Block has turned into a multi-session sort out.  It started on Sunday and continues still, but the "important" thing to know is that I completed FIFTEEN (15) more Crumb Blocks (11 of which include LIGHT BLUE!!)  Not bad for an hour or so:

WEDNESDAY morning included MORE sorting... I told you that I have a LOT of scraps!!  Subtle changes, but the piles are growing:

I also managed to do a bit more sewing (of the RSC variety) after work and made ONE String Block:

Then, before dinner I made ONE String Block and ONE Slab Block in LIGHT BLUE:

After dinner, I sewed a few more Crumb blocks, but didn't have time to trim them up.  Oh, well! Tomorrow is another day...


THURSDAY brought my weekly quilt bee meeting.  Lots of fun and inspiration.  (And a yummy lunch, afterwards!

In between returning home and leaving to take DS2 to play at Graduation, (band) I trimmed up the TWELVE (12) Crumb Blocks that I made after I did my RSC sewing yesterday.

FRIDAY is for knitting buddies.  We hang out and drink coffee at Reed's Art and Coffee in Mebane, NC.  After all the yarn we can stand for one morning (or until one of us starts whining for lunch), we take a poll of where we should eat.  That may or may not be followed by some shopping...  Today? We were off to do our own thing once lunch was over.

The afternoon included come computer time, a load of laundry, and another trip up to the studio to sew.  Here is a photo of the SIX (6) additional Crumb Blocks that I completed before dinner:

SATURDAY, before lunch, I finished up this post and joined in on Angela's LINK party.  Be sure to follow the link to see what all of the other RSC Quilters have been up to this week.  You'll find me at link number 19.  Go, go!!  There are TONS of fabulous projects to see!

Until next time...
Get Scrappy!!!