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!!

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!! 

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! 

What great fun is coming!!

http://www.quiltmaker.com/100blocks.html

Hi everyone, so much is happening! I have lots to chat about but very little time this A.M. I have an announcement, my block is in Vol. 5 of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks magazine and ...and.....and....wait for it, wait for it.....it made the cover!!! How cool is that?!

This morning I'm running short of time!! I have a quilt due to another magazine. I don't know how in the world I'm gonna finish this quilt today! I have to ship it out today!! I also have a quilt show that I want to attend this afternoon, but don't know if I can fit it in.

Tonight I am hosting a "help you sew" at the local quilt shop, if you are in the area, I will be at the Village Quilt Shoppe in Canterbury Village in Lake Orion. It costs $5, bring a dish to pass. I'm there to help you finish your quilts...instructions, not actual sewing. I'm hoping it will be a blast!

Well everyone, please come and be a part of the blog tour that begin April 30 and runs till May 5 with Quiltmaker magazine! You will love it!

Happy Sewing!



Rise and Shine, I've started early today

Rise and Shine world! Yep, I woke up awfully early today and could not go back to sleep! I believe I was up by 4:30am, I tried to go back to sleep..just kept tossing and turning..finally gave in and got out of bed. I had lots on my mind that was occupying my brain.
Quilts, family, friends, events, deadlines....life...being a grandma soon, graduating my 3rd son this year, traveling, quilt shows, designing quilts, reading a good book...my mind just would not turn off! Ever have one of those nights? morning? Might as well just get up and make use of the brain power that is going on! Put it to good use!
I began designing a quilt in honor of my Pastor's wife Bonnie. Pastor and Bonnie were married for 32 years and have 3 grown children and 1 daughter in law. Bonnie was a Pastor's wife. A Pastor's wife has to be willing to give up her husband anytime of the day or night, duty calls for him. She led our women's ministry at church for a very long time. Always there for the women. I've seen Bonnie in action, I've seen her listening to women. Bonnie would sit close to them and place her arm around them to console them. She had lots of wisdom to share and give.  Her face would glow when one of her children would perform a song at church, play an instrument(their children are very talented muscians)...proud momma! and poppa!
Bonnie suffered for over 5 years with breast cancer. A couple of years ago she was given a clean bill of health, then it came back...back with a vengence! Bonnie had Triple Negetive Breast Cancer. She battled with it as long as she could. She died a little over a week ago.
Bonnie was in several clinical trials to kill this cancer, her body just could not take any more. We all loved you Bonnie.
I did not know Bonnie as well as other church members. When we moved here, 5 years ago, was about the time she had started her first chemo/radiation. Bonnie was not at church, she was sick from the treatment. For the longest time I only knew "of Bonnie". When I finally met Bonnie she was still weak, but my first thoughts were she is pretty, I like this Texas gal! Most of the time I would see her standing with her arms folded across her stomach when she was listening to someone. I loved to watch her make a "joke" or a little remark...cuz she would move her head in a "sassy" kind of way and giggle! Bonnie had a beautiful smile and classy sense style! Bonnie was beautiful all around.
Bonnie was a "scrapper"! Yes, she enjoyed scrapbooking. Ido know one thing about her, she did not like the color purple....One day I was trying to find out Bonnie's favorite color and I was told she liked everything but purple, this was told to me by her daughter Abby. Ok, no purple it is then, make note...don't put purple in Bonnie's quilt! <-this was from a quilt I made for her a few years ago.
I designed 2 quilts in honor of Bonnie this past week. I don't know which one I like best, so here goes....let me know which one you like.

I asked three of my boys to come see the two quilts I designed. Sons Joe and Steve like the first one, Chris likes the second one and I like both of them! Which one do you like?

Hello World!

I'm so excited! Let me tell you why!
Earlier in the month of February I was told by an editor of a magazine that I would hear if my submission made the cut by the end of Feb. Ok, so the impatient person that I am, checked email everyday almost hourly!! Well of course I would not hear anything when I am doing that! So, by this past Friday, since I had not heard anything at all I gave up and figured that I would get the "rejection" email later on. So....jump forward to yesterday. It was around 3pm. I knew I had a few minutes to check email, but I was not looking for anything in particular. I would have to leave in a few minutes to take my son John to work. I sat down, logged into email and lo and behold...there it is...meanwhile, my son John is standing beside me asking me to help him finish his laundry while he is at work (all my kids have to do their own laundry)....you can probably guess that I am ignoring him and reading my email from the editor. I'm still expecting the reject though...and there it was!!! My design was accepted!!! WOOHOOO!! I screamed with glee that my design was accepted!! Poor John was still standing there trying to ask me about his laundry! lol
Finally, I said, "what? and John do you realize? I just got in another magazine!!!" He grinned, gave me a "hi-5" and said, "never mind mom I will go switch out my laundry" LOL poor guy...then while he was driving (he is driving and I'm sitting in the passenger seat) he says, "mom, I think we need to celebrate this new magazine you got in." Ok, how john? "by having STEAK for dinner!" LOL, oh you are paying?!! He just grinned that "john" grin ...no mom....lol
Anyway, my block was accepted into Vol. 5 of Quiltmaker magazine. This will be out in May. My quilt design is going in one of their special publications that will be out in the later part of this year. I can't show you anything yet, sorry!
I have so many designs in my head, that sometimes I can't sleep! They wake me up. I think I should put a special lamp, notepad and pencil on my nightstand so I can write my ideas down.
And on another happy note, I don't have to make dinner tonight. It is Kate's night...lol...I wonder if she remembered?

I hear spring is coming (quilt pics included)

Yep, I hear spring is coming! It is March 1....it is snowing....someone needs to inform Mr. Weatherman that he should not say those things on tv and tease us! LOL
Yesterday was a very busy day. But I wanted to share some pics with y'all. They are family pics and quilt pics

Chris playing his bass at church

Chris, Josh and Steve. Chris and Steve are 2 of my boys

Chris and youngest brother John...what can I say? I have a musical family!

Last night after church we had to stay for another practice. Steve wants us to do a special at church "Praise Him with a Dance" by Casting Crown. Steve rounded up everyone that he wants to be in this special. He does not know when we will be performing, that will come later.

Also yesterday, I received a box in the mail!! A box of quilts! Quilts that belong to me!! So here is the first book that my work is in!! Out of 9 quilts in this book, 3 are mine!! How sweet is that?!

Front cover of book, Release date is March 2, 2012

Can you find my 3 bedrunners?

I think they all look like carpet runners or throw rugs!!

this one was a bear to piece all those triangles! but I did it!

Kate has informed me that I can display this one at Christmas time in the foyer....I think I will

So there ya have it! All in all it was a great day yesterday

Take care everyone and happy sewing!