Craft Fair Find, Another Swap, and the Giveaway Winners!

As I browsed the aisles of a local craft fair on Black Friday I came across a booth where a woman was selling small quilts and table runners. What caught my eye was the quilt ladders on which they were all displayed. I asked if she sold the ladders, too. She was such a sweet thing and indicated that though she didn't plan to sell them, she had plenty and if I wanted to buy one she would let me have one for $12.50. That would have been theft. I handed her a twenty dollar bill and walked away with my ladder before she could dig out her change. I still feel guilty, but it fits perfectly and is just right for small quilts.

What a fun time I had this afternoon meeting up again with Gayle (The Middle Sister blog). She was gracious enough to agree to another small quilt swap. This one was "A Square Foot of Christmas." The quilt was to be a square foot (obviously), in Christmas colors, but not Christmas fabrics. Gayle is very busy right now. Not only is it holiday time, but she was just blessed with a new grandchild last month and has a wedding next week. In the midst of it all, she took the time to meet up at our midway meeting place and swap our quilts. Here they are.

 The quilt on the left hung on my wall for about a week after I finished it. Recognize that pattern? Lisa Bongean's Old Glory Gatherings, translated into Christmas colors.
Now that quilt has been replaced by the cute yo-yo, lattice quilt, shown on the right, embellished with wool holly leaves and TINY little button holly berries. Click the photo to see the detail.  Gayle always does something so creative. I love it! Thanks for participating with me, Gayle!

I drew the winner of the giveaway, and I have to explain something. Soon after I started blogging I won a giveaway of a piece of jewelry by Julie over at Me and My Stitches blog. Ever since then we have joked that it was her turn to win one of my giveaways. Well, Julie, it finally happened! You won! WooHoo! I have your address, so I will get your prize on its way to you. 

I like surprises, so I decided to draw a couple of names to receive runner-up prizes of gift bags of my soap. Heartsdesire and Barbara B., if you will send me your addresses, I will get your soap sent out to you.

Until next time,
Janet O.

BTW, if you had expressed an interest in one of the pineapple or log cabin ornaments for a $10 donation to my daughter's fundraiser for Dravet Syndrome (which her youngest has) research, let me know. I can't recall each person that mentioned they would like one. We have a handful left, but I can make a custom one, if you have fabric preferences (batiks, plaids, CW repros, 30s fabric, etc.).

Table Toppers and a Winner!

My new header photo is something I have ready to quilt, but can't decide on a pattern.

It is going to go under my German Pyramid Nativity, which is one of my favorite Christmas decorations and I felt it was time it rested on something grander than a red and green cloth napkin. I made this little topper using the bonus HSTs that are accumulating from the Rocky Mountain Christmas Quilt in my previous post. I really like it, but as I mentioned above, I can't decide how to quilt it.

And speaking of quilting, my last two posts have shown a little table topper that I made as a Thanksgiving hostess gift. I didn't like my quilting job (it was my first), so I was making another one to swap for it. Well, here it is.

The quilting on the border of this one turned out so much better, IMHO. I think if you click to enlarge the photo you can still see the chalked grid on one side. I used it to help me space the leaves evenly, and then I used a less contrasting thread. I quilted the rest of it the same as the first--which you can see here. I think you can tell that this one makes me much happier.

Now for the part you have all been waiting for--the winner of my Bloggerversary giveaway is Carla! I have already emailed her for her snail mail address. She actually doesn't live terribly far from the valley I call home, but we have never met. We hope to change that someday.
Maybe you didn't know that I edited my last post to include a gift of my handcrafted holiday soap to another person, so Ruth, of Country Log Cabin, that person is you. I will need your snail mail as well.
Congratulations to you both!

That does it for now. Hope you are making time to enjoy the Christmas season!
Janet O.

Winners and other stuff!

First off, I want to let you know who won the Lynn Roddy Brown books. Congrats to Nancy, a no reply blogger, who won Simple Strategies for Scrap Quilts. Nancy, I need you to email your snail mail address to me so I can mail the book to you. Congrats also to Yvette, who won the Block Swap book. Thanks to all who participated! I hope the winners enjoy those books as much as I do!
I finally have another flimsy completed.I cut this out months ago using one of Lori Smith's Fit to Frame patterns.

The inner, pieced border gave me fits. I made it according to the pattern, I thought,  and it didn't fit--it was way too long on every side. Luckily I had only sewn 1 1/2 sides together when I realized the problem. I have no clue what went wrong. I checked my measurements with the pattern and I had cut things right. Anyway, I ended up making 1 1/2" HSTs to create the border instead of the method the pattern used. I have coveted the sample of this they have in a LQS every time I go in, so I decided I needed to just make one. I don't think I will frame it. I want to hand quilt it and bind it and put it on a wall somewhere, but I am trying to decide if I want to add another brown border to the outer edge. This is my first real mini quilt and I have to say that all of you out there blogging about how a mini quilt gives you a quick finish should come give me lessons. This did not go together quickly for me. But I will be making more. I love the result!

Another fun thing in the "little" department (or maybe I should say "tiny") is the foundation paper pieced jewelry made by Julie at Me and My Stitches. Some of you may recall that I won her giveaway a while back, and I chose a flag pin. Well, I finally got around to ordering more. I intended to order some traditional blocks, but when I saw the pumpkin and stained glass heart I was through looking.

Aren't they fun? Julie says she is going to be putting more on her website (which you can access by clicking the header photo on her blog) soon. You can get pins, pendants, earrings, and scissor fobs. I like a seasonal pin on my jacket or coat lapel, so these are all pins.

These are the blocks I have sent already.
They don't need to be this involved.
I always complicate things

One more thing, if you are not already aware. John'aLee has moved the deadline for 8" or 12" (finished measurement) patriotic star blocks to go into 5 quilts she is making for her daughter (whose fiancee was killed in Afghanistan just before they were to be married), the soldier's mother, two brothers and best friend, who was with him when he was killed. If you were hesitant to help because of the deadline, she has extended it to the end of November to try and collect all of the blocks she needs. You can go to her blog, The Scrappy Appleyard, for more info. I've already sent my blocks, but I am going to try and join Freda at The Adventures of the Empress of the Universe in  making one more each week until the last week of November, so we can each send her a few more.


I had more to share but it is late, so I'll save it for another post.

Until next time, from the little mountain valley where the sagebrush grows,
Janet O.

May I have the envelope, please.

The lucky winner of Lynn Roddy Brown's third book, "Patchwork-Play Quilts," is grendelskin! Actually, her name is Sally, but grendelskin is her blog name. Thanks to all who left comments and posted links for this giveaway. I'm glad so many of you were introduced to Lynn's books. They are a great resource for scrap quilters!

Recently several bloggers have been putting the word out about John'aLee's request for star blocks in muted reds, whites, and blues. She is making five quilts for the loved ones of her almost SIL, who was shot in Afghanistan shortly before he was to be married to her daughter. Instead of a wedding they had a funeral. So sad! Make sure the people you love know you love them. Life is tenuous.

I was motivated by Freda's post (The Adventures of the Empress of the Universe) sharing her initial efforts and decided to jump on board. I got fabric pulled Saturday evening and started cutting. I hoped to spend yesterday afternoon and evening sewing them all up, but alas, life interfered.  I did get the cutting finished and thought I would just share the blocks in the "design board" stage. I will get a little done on them tonight, but the finish may have to wait now until my monthly "quilt with Mom" event this Thursday.

This is the Missouri Star block, though I did throw in a
9-patch in place of the plain center square. Every fabric
in this block is printed with some type of star.

This is Ohio Star. I used Barbara Brackman's
directions, but there are easier ways to make this block.
I think the red fabric looks like fireworks.

I punched up this Sawtooth Star pattern by adding
the 16-patch to the center of the block. There are tiny
flags in the tan fabric in the 16-patch.

This is called Barbara Frietchie in Barabara Brackman's
CW post. By different color placement you could make
this into an "easy Lemoyne Star", right Freda? 

Finally we have a block named Richmond, after the
Confederacy's capital city. I may play with the
color placement on this one a little more.

These blocks were all made from my "Patriotic Scraps" drawer. I am pleased with how they are coming together. If you'd like to help make star blocks click the link here for the details.

Now I have the urge to make a patriotic quilt. I made one years ago and donated it somewhere. It would be nice to have one in the house when Independence Day rolls around. I guess that urge will just have to wait in line behind all of the other quilting urges.

Until next time, from the little mountain valley where the sagebrush grows,

Janet O.

Drum Roll, Please...

The winner is ... (suspenseful pause) ... Maureen, of "Pursuit of Quilts" who is having a great give away of her own to celebrate the 50 follower benchmark. Drop on over and sign up--you have until noon a week from today! Maureen will be receiving the Lori Smith pattern and the Comfort charm pack.
And the runner-up ... (more suspense) ... Kathie of INSPIRED BY ANTIQUE QUILTS. She will also receive a charm pack. I laughed when I saw who the random number generated had selected as runner-up. It seems like poetic justice since it is through her post about this fabric line that I learned of it.
Congrats to the winners. If you will email your snail mail addresses to me I will get your winnings mailed right out! And to those who won soap in the last giveaway--don't despair. The soap will be ready and mailed before the end of the month. Thank you for your patience (I feel like a recording you hear when you have been on hold on the phone for tooooo long).
Now for a visit to the county fair. I mentioned in my last post that the sweepstakes winning quilt was a "Dear Jane". I also said it was kind of hard to get good photos because the quilts were displayed in glass cases. Here is the best I could do for Jane while she was on display. These cases line the walls of the home arts building.

Dear Jane under glass.

So as the quilters came to pick up their quilts today I pounced on a few of them and asked permission to get a photo and post it on my blog with their name. You have to understand that my "post" at the home arts building has been the sewing/knitting/crocheting table for the past few years. This is not because I do those things, but because no one else will take that position. So I am across a large room from where the quilts are and I had to rely on peripheral vision to see when someone picked up a quilt that I wanted to photograph--it didn't always work, but I'll show you what I have. First I'll explain that our county fair gives three sweepstakes ribbons in the quilt department--one for the best machine-quilted piece, one for the best hand-quilted piece and one for the best wall hanging, whether machine or hand-quilted. This doesn't necessarily mean that the hand-quilted winner will have the best hand-quilting of those entries, but that of all the hand-quilted entries, it was the best overall, etc. Got it? I'm not sure I do.
So here is Dear Jane once she was released from her encasement.

That is Sue Baddley, the maker, smiling from behind the quilt. I would
be smiling, too, if this was my quilt.

Click to get a better view.

Look at this great documentation--on the front, for all to see! I like this. You can see that she pieced this a few years ago, but she just barely got it quilted in time for the fair. Just squeaked under the wire.

And this dedication.

The maker, Sue Baddley, has made more of this pattern than just this one. She told me specifically about one that is all red, white and blue. I'd like to see that. She did her own machine quilting and it is beautiful.

The quilting in the border.

The corner quilting.

She said the quilting in each block has a story behind it--but we didn't have time to go through them. : )

The sweepstakes winner in the hand-quilting category was picked up while I wasn't looking so I only have photos of it in the case, and I didn't get the makers permission to share her name. I want to give credit to the makers, so I will save her quilt for another post after I can talk to her. You will want to see it. It is an amazing quilt of appliqued Native American images. I believe it was a BOM quilt from a shop in Southern Utah, but I will try to have more info when I post it.

This is the sweepstakes winner in the wall hanging category. The maker okayed posting it, but I only got a photo while it was in the case. Very pretty little double wedding ring by Maylyn Knoppel. As I recall, it was hand-quilted. Hard  to be certain from the photo, but it looks like it.

I took these photos without flash (indoors--what was I thinking), so the pictures are a bit fuzzy. But I love this quilt. It was on a magazine cover a while back and it was one I was POSITIVE I had purchased, so I didn't bother getting the details from the maker. And do you think I can find it now? NO!

I'll have to call the maker, Charity Bates, and get the info from her. I can see the cover in my mind, but after an extensive internet search and search of my sewing stuff, I can't come up with it. I wish I had used a flash on the above photos. They would have been sharper images and not as yellow. I loved this scrappy "Many Trips Around the World" and the  border is even scrappier!

This last quilt is just cute and fun, using yo-yos as cherries--and yes, we have the quilt upside down in the photo. Cherries don't grow straight up--at least not the varieties I have picked. Why didn't I notice this while taking the photo?

The smiling maker shown above is LuAnn Rickson. She said this had been a kit offered at a now closed LQS. Love the pink and brown even when they aren't in a Civil War reproduction quilt!

It was fun to make some new quilting friends and share their creations with you. I have two more to share when I can contact the quilters. Stay tuned.

Congrats, again, to the winners. Hope you'll share what you do with the charm squares--even if it takes years. : )

Until next time, from the little mountain valley where the days are still hot, but the nights are starting to have that nip of fall.
Janet O.

And the Winner is...

Kristie at Cowgirl Quilter!! Woo-Hoo, I'm doing a celebration dance, Kristie. As soon as I get your address I will send the Eye Fooler pattern and Tri/Recs rulers your way.

I said I was going to choose a runner-up that would receive soap, but I couldn't limit myself to just one. Miss America has three runners-up (runner-ups, what sounds right to you? I don't like either option!), why shouldn't we?
So I had the random number generator work overtime and chose three more numbers.

First runner-up: Midge E. (no email on your profile page, "no reply" on your email to me--please email me your email address.)
Second runner-up: Mrs. Goodneedle--now you will get some of the "good, clean fun"!
Third runner-up: pcflamingo--you are on a winning streak!

Congratulations to you all!
I will be in touch with all four of you in an email with your scent options. We will talk!