Tag: book review

it’s okay…..

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IT’S OKAY IF YOU SIT ON MY QUILT
by Mary Ellen Hopkins
Many Christmases ago I received a gift from my sister in law. 
This gift was life changing. 
The gift consisted of a rotary mat and this book, 
along with a a little note saying that the 3rd part of the gift 
would be here soon. 
I could NOT figure out how this book and this big green mat 
were suppose to be used together.
I was a bit puzzled because I could not figure out what the 3rd part was. At this point in the game I already knew how to quilt, the old fashioned template way.
Can you guess what the 3rd part was?
About 3 weeks later, my very first 
rotary cutter arrived in the mail.
That was the life changing part. 
I had made a few quilts from THE SAMPLER QUILT by Diane Leone
 tracing all the pattern pieces  to templates, 
then to fabric and
 then cutting with scissors.
Not until THE IT’S OKAY IF YOU SIT ON MY BOOK 
(along with my trusted mat and rotary cutter)
came along was I truly inspire to quilt every single day.
Fast forward 32 years and 300 quilts later and I still love a good quilt book.
I am fortune to have been involved with the making of 
many books along with  
having good friends that are talented authors.
But my brand newest, 
most favorite book 
as of right now today is,  
The sub title says, Family, Friends, Foods  & Quilts. 
Because I love it so much, I am going to give one away.
Tell me why you need this book and I will draw a winner at random on 
SUNDAY, August 11th.
I will post the winner late in the evening.
Stop by all the other blogs on the book club hop today!
PLUS… the generous crew at United Notions has a special giveaway for 6 books to add to your own
collection on Moda’s Book Club Day here…
http://modafabrics.blogspot.com/2013/08/book-lovers-day-hooray.html

Fat Quarter Quickies

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Today is my day on Kathy’s blog hop.

I love quilts that are repetitive graphic quilts that you have to take a second look at to see how they are constructed.

My favorite from the book has probably got to be Supponsibilites.
It is a great quilt but it is a wonderful story as well. (see book for story)

Martingale - Fat-Quarter Quickies (Print version + eBook bundle)
Leave
a comment and tell me how much you really want this book and that you have a jillion million fat quarters just watiting to be made into quilts.
 I will pick a random
winner on the last day of the blog hop. June 25th. The winner will
receive an E-book directly from Martingale.

Be sure and check out all the stops on the blog tour to see their favorite quilt and for more chances to win.

June 17th- Sew Unique
Creations – http://sewuniquecreations.blogspot.com/
June 18- Pam
Kitty Morning – http://pamkittymorning.blogspot.com/
June 19 – Spun Sugar
Quilts – http://www.spunsugarquilt.com/
June
20 – Martingale – http://blog.shopmartingale.com/
June 21 – Modalissa – http://modalissa.blogspot.com/
June 22- Silver Thimble
Quilt Co – http://www.silverthimblequilt.com/
June 23 – Jaybird
Quilts – http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/
June 24 – PS I
Quilt – http://www.psiquilt.com/
June 25th – Teacher’s Pet – http://www.theteacherspet.typepad.com/
 
 

 

Fat Quarter Quickies

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Martingale - Fat-Quarter Quickies (Print version + eBook bundle)
So many great books hitting the market and here comes another one. With a title like,
Fat Quarter Quickies
how can anyone resist. If you know Kathy or have ever visited
with her it is apparent she is from the south. Quilt names such as
Smorgasbord,
Brown-Eyed Girl,
Cutoffs, 
Pixy Stix
and Tequila Sunrise
surely came 
along with a bit of southern twang.
I can say this about her
because I am pretty southern myself,
so I know she won’t mind.
 So here is the line for the blog hop.
June 17th- Sew Unique
Creations – http://sewuniquecreations.blogspot.com/
June 18- Pam
Kitty Morning – http://pamkittymorning.blogspot.com/
June 19 – Spun Sugar
Quilts – http://www.spunsugarquilt.com/
June
20 – Martingale – http://blog.shopmartingale.com/
June 21 – Modalissa – http://modalissa.blogspot.com/
June 22- Silver Thimble
Quilt Co – http://www.silverthimblequilt.com/
June 23 – Jaybird
Quilts – http://www.jaybirdquilts.com/
June 24 – PS I
Quilt – http://www.psiquilt.com/
June 25th – Teacher’s Pet – http://www.theteacherspet.typepad.com/
foolproof, 
honest-to-Gussie, 
can’t fail me now….
Kathy’s own words to describe her fat quarter projects.

A Quilting Life blog tour

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Hello to all, 
I hope you have been following along.A Quilting Life
All of the following people have been sharing bits about their quilt life.
Everyone is also giving away a copy of Sherri’s super duper book. All you have to do to win onw is visit each of the blogs throughout the duration of the hop. 
The winners will be posted on the 14th.
Monday June 3rdNanette at Freda’s Hive http://fredashive.blogspot.com/
Tuesday June 4thSinta from Pink Pincushion http://pinkpincushion.blogspot.com/
Wednesday June 5th Jodi from Pleasant Home http://www.pleasant-home.com/
Thursday June 6th Judi from Green Fairy Quilts http://greenfairyquilts.blogspot.com/
Friday June 7thLissa of ModaLissa http://modalissa.blogspot.com/
Saturday June 8th Amanda of AmandaMurphyDesign http://amandamurphydesign.blogspot.com/
Sunday June 9thAnna of Thimbleanna http://thimbleanna.com/
Monday June 10th Amy Smart of Diary of a Quilter http://www.diaryofaquilter.com/
Tuesday June 11th Kristyne of Pretty by Hand http://prettybyhand.com/
Wednesday June 12th Sherri of A Quilting Life http://www.aquiltinglife.com
WINNER’S ANNOUNCED the 14th.
(International winners will be sent an e-book)
Okay so that is the business part, on to the fun part.
 Sherri’s blog has got to be the most perfect name ever, right? 
Who among us cannot say we live the quilting life or at least dream of the quilt life. 
Sherri is a gentle giant working alongside so many other people. 
She has sewn for many people, set-up quilt booths, designed contests & 
events & challenges, organized Schnibbles parades, 
creates projects for the Moda Bake Shop and so, so much more. 
 So I can’t begin to tell you how excited I was to hear 
that she was going to share some of this talent 
on the pages of her very own book appropriately titled, 
A Quilting Life.
 The projects and inspiration in this book range from pillows, table runners, totes, wall hangings, so there is a project for literally every aspect of your home.
One of my favorite projects from this book is the Mod Runner.
Our assignment for this blog hop is to tell a little bit about our quilting life.
My quilting life began in 1980  and there is not much of my life that did not involve quilting. I am also lucky enough to have a job doing something I am passionate about. Did I say passionate, maybe I meant obsessed.

Quilting is my life, I had a dream once that I got called into the Principal’s office because my son called someone a fat quarter.  I did get called in at a later date for him looking up a girl’s skirt on the playground.

When I worked and taught at a quilt store, sometimes my students would call my home asking quilting questions. My family was comfortable thinking they could answer. If they were asked, about how much yardage should they buy? The standard answer was, “I think 1/2 yard would be plenty.”

Quilting is my life, 
if my grown son uses my supplies to make his dog a Dallas Cowboy super bowl outfit.

I once was blamed for our foundation issues. 
Well after all my fabric stash was on that side of the house.

 Quilting is my life…..If I use my children for human quilt hangers.

 Do you let people use your good scissors to cut paper? What about using a rotary cutter to cut pizza? you know who you are… Quilting is my life. 

angie-and-lissa-at-Christmas

 If all your Christmas stocking are made from 
quilts, then quilting could be your life.

 
When I show any of my quilts to my crew, they always say, ” Is that a log cabin pattern?”
 
There is nothing better than sharing the craft with the next generation.
Quilting is my life.
Sherri’s grandmother shared it with her and I hope you have the opportunity to share your quilting life.
Leave a comment and let me know  how one of our family members has used your quilting supplies to win one of Sherri’s books. I will also throw in a few of my favorite charm packs. The winner will be announced on the 14th.

Hex- a- Go Go Day

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Hexa-Go-Go
Yippee Yeah It’s My Day.
I hope you have been following along on the Hexa-Go-Go book tour. Tacha has outdone herself on her Hexagon English Paper Piecing book and has asked us to tell you what we think about it.

 August 20th Katy Jones – imagingermonkey – http://www.imagingermonkey.blogspot.com

August 22nd Beth Wilson – Sew Mama Sew – http://www.sewmamasew.com/blog2/
August 24th Cathy Underhill – Cabbage Quilts – http://cabbagequilts.blogspot.com
August 27th Lynne Goldsworthy – Lilys Quilts – http://www.lilysquilts.blogspot.com/

August 29th Jennifer Mathis – Ellison Lane – http://ellisonlane.blogspot.com
August 31st Angela Pingel – Cut to Pieces – http://cuttopieces.blogspot.com

September 3rd Jeni Baker – In Color Order – http://www.incolororder.blogspot.com/

September 5th Nettie – A quilt is nice – http://aquiltisnice.blogspot.com

September 7th Lissa Alexander – Moda Lissa – http://modalissa.blogspot.com

September 10th Sarah Fielke – The Last Piece – http://www.thelastpiece.typepad.com/
September 12th Michele Pacey – Michele Made Me – http://www.michelemademe.com/

September 14th Kimberly Jolly – Fat Quarter Shop – http://www.fatquartershop.blogspot.com/
September 17th Aneela Hoey – Comfort Stitching – http://www.comfortstitching.typepad.co.uk/

September 19th John Adams – Quiltdad – http://www.quiltdad.com/

September 21st Elizabeth Hartman – Oh Fransson – http://www.ohfransson.com/

Hexa-Go-Go
This is just once example of the happy colorful projects in the book.
Is Happy a color? It should be. If my unmade bed looked this good, Iwould never make it again. 

English Paper piecing or EPP dates back to the 18th century. This method was often used to stabilize fabrics such as silk. EPP continued to the art form it is today by using the smallest bits of scraps and transforming them into today’s heirlooms. I can imagine that learning EPP was similar to the craft of
teaching stitches by making embroidered samplers.
The luxury of EPP for me is that it is so portable and requires so few tools and supplies. I  even keep a small bag in my car with a clover needle threader, needle and thread, hexagon papers and scraps.
One of my favorite quilts in the book is a huge union jack quilt.
pics compliments of Stash Books

 I really want to make it, but instead I started on a smaller version of the US flag quilt. I worked on this during the London Olympics, so it is kind of the same, right?

This is my table runner in progress. I ran out of time to finish the field of stars
as hexagons so I am going to quilt it to look like hexagons.
I talked to my friends at Accu-Quilt and ……..
I have one  Go Baby for some lucky person.
Then I am going to throw in a hexagon die and mat. You will have the complete package to aid you in this addiction to this relaxing, therapeutic form of handwork. Leave a comment and let me know what you would make from hexagons. The winner will be drawn at random Sunday night and announced Monday morning. (thank you AccuQuilt)
 As you know I do love hexagons. There is something just so pleasing about it’s simple shape.
Warning: EPP does become an addiction as you will see in these pictures.
I have two different quilts started. I probably have enough hexy’s made to complete both quilts
but I keep making more.
I have even started machine piecing some of the hexy’s together.
Read how in previous blog posts here and here.
Sneak peek on my I Spy hexy quilt for a future grand child. No one is pregnant yet and I do not want to tempt anyone to get pregnant just to get the quilt. I have a long long way to go.More on this project in a future post.
Tacha has taken the traditional EPP flower garden to an entirely new level.
The hottest trend is the new English paper piecing. Amazing how great quilters are making a craft from the 18th century trendy again.
What would the acronym for that be? NEPP

There is an old saying: Nothing good comes from boredom. It’s said that idle hands are the devil’s workshop, an old saying dating at least as far back as Chaucer in the twelfth century who called idle hands the devil’s tools.
Keep your hands busy with Hexy’s and start with Hexa-Go Go for inspiration and direction.
Thank you Tacha!

Hex-a go-go

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Hex a Go Go  by Tacha Bruecher Book Tour

Starts August 20th.
It is time for another book tour.  The tour is all about Hexagons, so of course I was absolutely giddy for Tacha to have asked me to join in. Mark your calenders to follow along with designers from all over the world.  Regardless of what time zone you are in, there will be a great variety of people sharing
their review of this book.
Hexa-Go-Go 
 August 20th visit Katy Jones – imagingermonkey
August 22nd hop on over to Beth Wilson – Sew Mama Sew
August 24th  hear what Cathy Underhill has to say – Cabbage Quilts
August 27th go across the pond to Lynne Goldsworthy – Lilys Quilts
August 29th visit Jennifer Mathis – Ellison Lane
August 31st  travel to Angela Pingel – Cut to Pieces
September 3rd join in with  Jeni Baker – In Color Order
September 5th Nettie shares the buzz about this book – A quilt is nice
September 7th is my day! Lissa Alexander – Moda Lissa
September 10th pop in on Sarah Fielke – The Last Piece
September 12th  visit Michele Pacey – Michele Made Me
September 14th check in with Kimberly Jolly – Fat Quarter Shop
September 17th Aneela Hoey shines- Comfort Stitching
September 19th John Adams goes hexy on us – Quiltdad
September 21st is the prolific day for Elizabeth Hartman – Oh Fransson

Simply Charming- MINI BOOK REVIEW

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Mini Book Review and Giveaway
Starts TODAY!!
I am honored to be included in Moose on the Porch’s Book review and giveaway.
Konda has done it again with Simply Charming- Mini’s.
With fun quilt names like
Fire and Rain
Death by Triangles
Criss Cross Applesauce
In love with Minis ( Quilt not skirts!)
Flying around in Circles
and  12 more designs,
you will find a project to wet your quilting appetite.
Each of the  quilts are shown in 2 color options to
encourage endless color layouts.
The directions are black and white with fairly big print
(my eyes aren’t what they use to be)
in step by step directions.
SO I GOT TO THINKING!
Pinned Image
 On Pinterest I saw this picture from greylustergirl.blogspot.com. She basically framed her thread rack. 
Pinned Image
I have always dreamed of a wall of pictures like this but that got me to thinking, what about a wall of mini quilts? How fun would that be? I guess this would cost a bit more than new wallpaper but it wouldn’t be near as fun as making a wall of Minis!
http://freehouseinteriordesignideas.com/hallway-art-wall/

 And then as the wall of minis grows, it could be a hallway of minis with studio lighting.

How great would that be?

 

Konda is kind enough to have offered a book for the giveaway. So leave a comment about what you could do with mini quilts and I will draw a winner at random on the 31st.
Today hop on over to Emily’s blog to read more.
Each day visit these talented designers, bloggers, quilters, etc to read more about Konda’s book.
Wed, July 25
Thurs, July
Fri, July 27
Sat, July 28
Sun, July 29
Mon, July 30
Tues, July 31

DONT FORGET TO LEAVE A COMMENT.