Monday, May 21, 2012

Its a Monday....picture day

I have been taking some pictures throughout the last week or so and I want to share them! So...here goes! Enjoy! First pics are of my son Steve playing King Pellinore in Camelot!
Pellinore introducing himself to the Queen
Having a glass of wine with  the King



Pellinore talking about sleeping in a real bed 

Steve is pointing a sword at Danny

Steve and Jacob (King Arthur) playing chess while Sir Lancelot continued to distract Pellinore (Steve) 

Pellinore covering Cosmo's ears so poor Cosmo can't hear what  is being said about him!

Steve's graduation pic!!
Here are some more pictures of random things that have been going on here....enjoy.....

a drawing of a quilting design I would like to do with my Gammill

Oldest son Joe, 21 years old, graduated Cum Laud from Oakland County Community College May 19, 2012...now on to the next level....he will either major in Automotive Engineering or Physics!

My sister Renee made this framed calendar for me to plan out my weeks...now I have to remember to use it!!

Passion Pit (side porch) all cleaned up! I'm ready to enjoy the summer!

Okay everyone, that is all that I have for your viewing pleasure. Happy  Monday!!

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Sew Many Things...

Today I am heading over to a shop, Sew Many Things, located in Clinton Twp. My friend Dawn works there. The owners are out of town at spring Market and Dawn will be by herself in the shop. So I thought it would be fun to hang out with her all day in the shop. I'm bringing a quilt to work on, while I'm there....can't waste any time...I will be surrounded by fabric!! so much inspiration will be swarming around me!! What is a girl to do?!
I hope everyone has a wonderful day!
Happy Sewing!

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Stormy night here in Clarkston

Last night we had storms roll through here around midnight. The wind was really odd sounding, woke both my husband and I up. We got up and closed the windows. Neither one of us noticed what happened in our side porch. The winds ripped out screens, and some ceramic potted plants containers were busted :o(
I guess my boys will be swapping out some screens for glass again.....oh well.......

Today I have to work on a quilt for Quilter's World magazine. It will be in the winter issue. I have been working on it each day, but not enough progress. My sister is in town, she lives in SC, so we have been doing lots of stuff together.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful day!

Happy Sewing!

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Quiltmaker's block giveaway!!

I was reading "Quilty News" blog today and learned that Quiltmaker's 100 blocks magazine vol. 5 will be giving all of their designer's blocks away!!  My block made the cover, top left hand corner!! The instructions for entering the contest are on page 98 on how to win a block and you enter online. Twenty five people will win 4 blocks each! What a great prize! I hope who ever wins my block will email me and let me know! How cool is this! I love it!
Good luck!

Happy Sewing!..........I had 2 more acceptances yesterday! I'm gonna some pieced table settings in a new book being released later on this year. Sweeeeeet!

Monday, May 14, 2012

Camelot and Designing

Camelot is over! We all survived a wonderful week of the play! All the actors were fantastic, the show was wonderful!
Today I have to design for a while and sew...I love saying I have to sew...sew sew sew....sew there! lol
What is everyone working on this week? How was Mother's Day?
Kate brought me home a huge hibiscus plant! I can't wait to put it in the ground, it is going to be beautiful!
Sorry this is sew short, but someone has to meet a deadline this week.....wish me luck!

Friday, May 11, 2012

Camelot!

Last night was our first night of production for Camelot! I hear the play went well! Just a few little mishaps! The kids have worked really hard on this year's play....1 down and 4 more shows to go! Our last show will be on Mother's Day.
Not getting much quilting done, I'm gonna be pushing it to get my quilts completed....wish me luck everyone!
Happy quilting!

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Tuesday Morning

Tuesday Morning I believe is a name of shop that has clearance items or discontinued items from other stores, kind of like Big Lots. haha Anyway, it is Tuesday morning and I have lots of work to do.
I've gotten another quilt accepted by Quilter's World magazine!! Woohoo!!
Here is a sneak peak of the block...and it is only a little bit of the block. I can't reveal that would not be fun!! This quilt will be in the Feb. issue of 2013! Wow! that is far away and before you know it, it will be here...in the dead of winter...ugh...I should not talk about winter..haha

Tomorrow my sister flies in and then...and then...it will be full blown no time week, also known in the theater world as "hell week"! My family, most of us, are involved in a theater group and the play is this weekend, yep, Mother's Day weekend. We will have 5 shows this weekend. The play is Camelot. My son Steve is King Pellinore. I'm in charge of the bake sale and I have a wonderful friend who is helping me with it, Theresa. My sister Renee will also be helping...I work them to the bone! LOL
Each morning I will have to quilt, bake in the afternoon or maybe I should do that the other way around....bake in the morning and quilt in the afternoon....I don't know, I do know there is not enough time in each day to accomplish all that is on my plate.....
I hope everyone has a wonderful day! Drop me a note!
I have picked the winnter for the magazine, so I will be posting that info as soon as I hear back from her!
Happy sewing!

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Saturday morning, what's on your mind?

Good morning world, it is Saturday morning....what is on your  mind? What will you work on this weekend?
A Quilt project?
Clean the house?
Go out shopping for the day?
Yard work?

I will be teaching the Beginner's Quilt class today at the Village Quilt Shoppe in Canterbury Village. It is always great fun hanging out with Sally and Linda at the shop.
This is a two part class, that teaches the importance of the 1/4" seam, accurate cutting and pressing. The class teaches strip setting and half square triangles...what else do you need to know! LOL It really is a great class.

If you are close by, stop in for a visit!
Happy Quilting!

Friday, May 4, 2012

Its Friday and the birds are singing!!

Good morning world, yes I'm happy it is Friday! The birds are singing beautifully and well I hardly got any sleep last night cuz of all the storms that rumbled through here. The storms did not let up until around 3:30am! Lightning, thunder, rain...it did not seem to stop...just as soon as I would doze off into a good slumber FLASH AND BOOM! LOL
Today I am working on my quilt for Quiltmaker magazine. Here is a little teaser for the quilt. This is definitely a teaser because this block is really in the shape of a diamond...oh the suspense rises!!

Also I'm hoping that today I will be able to go see 2 quilt shows. I don't think it is going to happen, but I can try. There is one in Ortonville, MI and the other is over in Macomb county. I don't remember the location, I will have to call my friend Dawn to find out. I really want to go see that one. I believe this one is put on by Macomb County Quilt Guild.

I'm not gonna let a little lack of sleep bring me down today, at least not this morning..it will hit me this afternoon!! LOL

I hope my son Joe is going to be ok today. He had his wisdom teeth pulled yesterday. He was in lots of pain yesterday afternoon, but then things were better by evening and last night.

Happy Quilting everyone!!

Thursday, May 3, 2012

Quiltmaker's Blog Tour

What a great day yesterday was for the blog tour! Thank you to everyone who stopped by to check out my blog and to participate in Quiltmaker's Blog Tour. This was my first time participating in such an event and I hope I did ok.
Several visitors to my blog thought that my block is paper pieced, it is not, it is traditional piecing....and it is easy peasy!
The quilt that I am piecing for the fall issue that uses this block will be made from Hoffman Fabrics of California! I absolutely love working with batiks! I enjoy seeing which colors will show up more and the wow you get from batiks!! ok I could go on and on about batiks.
I hope all the quilting fans will continue with the blog tour and all y'all get wonderful surprises. Please stop by again and let me know what you are working on!
Today: my oldest son Joe is getting his wisdom teeth put...all 4 of them! Poor guy, he is not going to be feeling too chipper for a couple of days. I will be working on my quilt for Quiltmaker while he is sleeping :o).
Also, another quilt I am working on is for Quilter's World magazine will be pieced from all Hoffman fabrics, but not batiks. They have a line called Antionette! I love love love french toile fabrics. This quilt was designed for a very special person that recently passed away. This quilt will be in the Dec. issue of Quilter's World. This one is very time consuming, mostly applique.....again...not revealing much about it.....

Block B for Adyline

I designed another quilt called Adyline. I'm gonna attempt to do the "leader ender" idea from Bonnie Hunter  (http://www.quiltville.com/)  on this quilt. I'm not in a rush to make this one.....I went on a fabric hunt after I designed this quilt and I have it all ready to go...it has lots of little pieces, at least by some of my friends' standards, but hey! I'm for a challenge! I did not think there are a lot of little pieces....oh well we will see what I think of it after I begin putting this bugger together!!! I probably should add that I did not choose this color wave for the quilt....




Oh, one more plug! I have a quilt also going into Fons & Porter's Easy Quilts in the fall issue. So...look for my work!

Blackford's Beauty block
Happy Quilting everyone!  And again, thank you for stopping by and complimenting my block for Quiltmaker!! 

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Today is the Grand and Glorious Day....Quiltmaker's blog tour!!

Hello everyone! My quilting friends from near and afar! What are we all up to these days? I've been working up a storm with creating a new quilt from my block that is featured in Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks vol. 5 which goes on sale May 8!! The countdown begins!!! Just as the magazine reads "from today's top designers"! How exciting it is to be included in this issue, what an honor! Can you tell I'm a little excited? Of course I am.
My block is featured on page 66 "All Framed Up"

Here are two other colorways that I played with:

This block is easy to piece!! Easy peasy is what my bestest ever quilting buddies, Sydney, always says! The magazine offers the templates for precise piecing, just don't for get to cut off those tips and little bity corner sections of those sharp triangles. You want good points so everyone plays nice together.
The outer portion of the block is especially simple! I hope you enjoy my block, please let me know if you make a quilt from it. I would love to hear from you!

Something to look for in the fall from me...
I can't wait to be able to show everyone the quilt I designed around this block. Very different, not the typical setting. So watch for my quilt come this fall.
Here are the links for you to visit the other blogs in this tour, please stop by all of them and leave us comments...there are prizes to be won!! You never know who will be picked! Surprise, it just might be you!
A complimentary copy of the magazine will be given away from my blog....who will it be? Can you find my block? It is on the cover....

Please go visit www.quiltmaker.com/blogs/quiltypleasures to see the awesome prizes available!