Cosmos ~ Flowers for Dummies

We have a Winner!!

Congratulations to Gladys in Virginia. She won the Fat quarters with the Loralie embroidered cat. She was my 4000th visitor who posted a comment.

Don't forget to check back weekly. I have lots of great Give-Aways for each week during the month of July. You have to leave a post in the comment section in order to be counted.

Also check out my new website site too!!

SewFarSewGoodQuiltShop

Please visit this site

Give-Away!!!

A Give-Away a Week!

Each week, a new theme!

'Til the end of the Month!

This week it's getting that 4000th visitor. Tell your friends about my blog and store. Shop a bit in my store, share my blog in your blogs! If you are my 4000th visitor and leave a comment about my store, you will win this neat assortment of 7 bright Hoffman fat quarters and this embroidered cat by Loralie Designs.

Don't forget to leave your comment!! Thanks and Happy Quilting!!

Quilt Kit Give-Away!! Winner!!!

Hi All,

Thanks to many of my fellow "Stashbusters" who came to my blog and posted their favorite All American quote for the 4th of July. Diane of MI is my winner!!

It was great fun reading all of them and your personal stories as well. Happy Quilting.

Stacey

Quilt Kit Give-Away!!

Free Firecracker Quilt Kit

Thanks for visiting my blog. I am having a give-away in honor of the 4th of July. I also know that we all like freebies too! I am giving away a neat quilt kit to make this fun quilt called Fireworks. Just leave your favorite "All American" quote in the comments section of my blog. I'll have my husband pick the one he likes the best.

I also have opened up a new on-line store too. It's just in the beginning stages, but I am open for business. Please check it out at www.sewfarsewgoodquiltshop.com

Feel free to leave a comment and sign up for my newsletter. It's gonna be a neat fun little place to shop.

Happy Quilting.

History Lesson

Wow! I just got home last night from a wonderful trip to Boston, MA. I have never been that far north. Remember that these bones are mine are originally from Southern California and then relocated to North Carolina 16 years ago. There is so much history up North (and in the South for that matter). I truly had a great time. The weather was absolutely terrific too. Since is it already hot and humid down here, it was a pleasure to be in 62 degree weather. I didn't get a chance to visit any quilt shops though. Boo Hoo.

Here is a shout-out to all of our wonderful troops supporting our country. May you all be safe, know that I truly am grateful for all the hard work and sacrifices that you and your families make for us to keep our freedom. Thanks for all you do.

Semper Fi

Independence Day!!!

Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it. ~Thomas Paine

Liberty is always dangerous, but it is the safest thing we have. ~Harry Emerson Fosdick

Revisiting Past Friendships

How would you like a phone call at nine in the evening from friends that you haven't seen in 16 years? Wanting to meet you the very next day? Well that is just what I did. They said "YES". Sixteen years ago my family left sunny California for Raleigh, NC. At that time many families were leaving California to many different states for lots of different reasons. Two friends of ours moved to Durango, Colorado. We tried to stay in touch, but you know how that goes. You get busy with kids and all that great stuff that goes along with raising a family.

We met today at the Double Tree Hotel in Durango, Colorado for lunch. What a wonderful day it was. Catching up on all that we've done, how we all raised our kids and even comparing who had the most gray hair. (It was a tie).

Durango is the sweetest, little western town full of charm and great mountain crisp air. It is also full of warm and friendly people such as our friends. Hopefully we won't wait another 16 years for the next visit.


Tomorrow it's off to check out the quilt shops in Farmington.

Downtown Durango

Main Street Durango, Colorado

There is a Quilt Shop Here!!!

There is a Bernina store and The Patchwork Pig too!! I guess I will check out these two places while hubby is in his workshop.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Patchwork Pig, LLC is located in the heart of the Four Corners (where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah meet.) A day trip can take you to Mesa Verde, Durango Mountain Ski Resort, Fly Fishing in the San Juans, exploring Aztec Ruins, visiting Bisti Badlands, mountain biking Moab or being awe struck at the Grand Canyon.

I just want to see some fabric and quilts.

Maybe I can go fly fishing too!!! Or river rafting!!!

Farmington, New Mexico

Sunday was a travel day for my husband and I. We fly into Albuquerque, New Mexico. Hopped into our rental car and drove 3 hours to Farmington, New Mexico.

This year I am tagging along with my husband while he attends the Southwest Chemistry Workshop. It is being hosted in Farmington, NM.

There is not a whole lot to do here. I better check out the yellow pages.

Apollo Makes His Debut

He also "makes" on my new carpet.

Isn't he sweet? Well my kids are leaving the nest and now starting to make their own. My lovely daughter decided that she needed a dalmatian puppy. After a lengthy search, she found a wonderful breeder very close to home and ordered her sweet little puppy. Waiting a few weeks for the puppy to be ready to leave his momma she says was worth the wait.

His name is Apollo. The Sun god, who brings life-giving heat and light to Earth. He is 8 weeks old. This will be the first night in his new surroundings. Her brand-new apartment! I bet she'll get a great night sleep tonight. She brought him over for my husband and I to see. I fell in love with him instantly. He already initiated the carpet, so that will be the last time he is invited inside.

As soon as she took the dog out of the car, I just loved that cute little red collar. It reminded me of a wonderful red and black Twisted Sister quilt that I made. I thought I'd blog about both and show off my pictures.

Sunday Sewer's Circle

My sweet group of friends meet on the last Sunday of each month.  We get together and sew for the day.  We all bring a few things for show and tell.   Eat delicious food, sit and sew and chat.  Each working a different projects, sharing lots of ideas about quilting, health related issues, kids, you name, we talk about it.  This time I brought a nice little quilt that I made from the April issue of American Patchwork and Quilting for my show and tell.  It's called Pink Lemonade.  

My 29th Birthday Party ~ Again!!

My two daughter's came home and made a lovely dinner for me for my birthday.  They started cooking at 5:30 and dinner wasn't ready until 8 pm.  They can't figure out how I manage to get everything done at the same time and be able to sit down to a nice dinner. I told them that I have been doing it for 25 years so I better know how by now.  One of my daughters loves to be in the kitchen and the other could care less.  I think the latter just did the dishes.  Unfortunately my son is in sumer school and couldn't come home the the weekend.  We had cornish game hens, a fantastic carrot ginger soup and our appetizer was a delicious warm baked brie round with walnuts and honey inside.  

They also put one of my favorite quilts on the table for my tablecloth.  It's called Salsa Snowballs.  I am going to put some kits in my store just as soon as I can find the time to make them up.  

The Great Hexagon Quilt Along 2

Hi All,

I found this wonderful, sweet, inspiring blog that I want to share with you. It's called The Great Hexagon Quilt Along. I didn't realize that so many others like me are hooked on hexies. I am so inspired to see everyone's wonderful quilts, storage ideas and works in progress.

I got hooked on hexies coming home from The International Quilt Festival in Houston last year. I started working on them in the airport waiting for my flight home. I used up all my foundations and finished them all in the airplane. It seems like I am using a different method then most people use. I use english paper piecing foundations. I know there is a lot of extra steps in the method that I am using, so maybe for my next one I will use freezer paper. I am using all Moda fabrics from various fabric collections and a variety of creams for my connecting hexies. It's gonna be a soft and scrappy one. I think I will be a grandmother before I ever get it done though.

Happy Hexing

"Jared Takes a Wife" Quilt aka Blackford's Beauty

Just finished this pretty quilt up on Friday.  It's one of Bonnie Hunter's from Quiltville.com.  The greens are from the strip exchange that I participated in.  Somewhere back in my blog I mentioned that my husband pays to get my quilts quilted by my local long arm quilter.  Well, he saw this quilt and said he loved it. He wants this one and said it's a keeper.  Then he said, "Did you notice that some of your blocks don't match up too well?    I said "Who made you the Quilt Police? I love him anyway.  

Fly Away Home Quilt ~ My Pretty Peonies

My Sweet Amy Butler "Fly Away Home" Quilt on my kitchen table at sunset.   I always have a quilt on my kitchen table.  I thought this was sort of pretty this evening when I sat down for dinner.   The sun was coming through the window you could really see the detail on the quilting of my flying geese.  I'll tell you though, this was a tough quilt to make.  Not being so accurate with a 1/4 seam.  This was a real challenge to get this quilt straight.  It turned out so wonky.  I chopped a bunch of geese off and the gal that I use to quilt my quilts did a fantastic job of hiding all my mistakes.  

Wings Over Wayne County

I don't think there is a better way to spend a Sunday then to watch an Air Show in this fantastic country of ours.  Featuring the finest flying men and women our country has.  Spending the day with my daughter and her boyfriend at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, NC was truly a delight.  We are all very proud of him and wish him only the best on his new mission.  We said our goodbyes and to Fly Safe and Fly Strong!!  

Patience My Dear...That's what My Mom Always Told Me

16 years ago when I moved across the country to the South from Los Angeles, I bought a teeny tiny little dogwood tree from Walmart for $1.00. I had great hopes that my little tree would bloom quickly and I’d be a “Southern Belle”. Every year I waited patiently for my little tree to bloom. Taking pictures of my kids in front of the tree to document its growth. Nothing but leaves for 16 years. But NOW, WOW this year, it finally bloomed.

Tulip Time

The tulips in my yard did not last long enough for me to enjoy them.  So I grabbed the "Tulip Time" pattern that was still on the counter in my sewing room.  Yes, I finally made some blocks.  One block came together so fast that I decided to make a bunch more.  Now I have this sweet little quilt for me to enjoy until I make a new one for

 Mother's Day.  

Okay, so this pattern has been sitting on the counter in my sewing room since the day I saw my tulips pop out of the ground.  Now I've got to make a few blocks.

I guess I need to raid my stash of brights and blenders and make a batch of Pink Tulip Squares.

But I really want this!!!

Take a Walk on the Pink Side

Since it's so pretty outside, I thought I share a photo of my sweet tulips in my front yard. I only have a few.

Jared Takes a Wife
A Follow-Along with Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville.com
Also Known as "Blackford's Beauty" Block

I just received my green 2 inch strips for my on-line strip swap. Wow! Did I get a nice selection of greens. Thanks to all you ladies that participated in this swap. Now I've got to get going on this quilt. Here are some pictures of the progress I am making.

Broken Dishes Quilt

I just finished the binding on my Broken Dishes quilt today.  Made from a ton of my green scraps and green Chanteclaire fabrics called "The Color of Money".  Believe it or not, I am using it as a tablecloth for my kitchen table.  My friend says I am nuts.  Don't I worry about getting stains on it?  I told her that I don't make them as heirlooms and I want to enjoy all my quilts now.  Besides my husband loves to have a quilt on the table all the time.  He said "If you make 'em, I'll pay for the quilting."  Isn't he the greatest?

What A Difference A Week Makes

Remember last week I said I was waiting for snow?  Well, we got some.  Here is a picture of my house.  I just love 2-3 inches at a time.  It was so pretty and quiet outside while it lasted.  Now it's 81 degrees in the South.  I had to put my air conditioning on in my sewing room. It's on the third floor and it gets kind of stuffy as soon as the weather gets warm.  

My HeartStrings

I now know that I am addicted to making string quilts.  I love making  color controlled baby string quilts.   I use the pages from phone books that just keep appearing on my front porch.  Don't they know that I only want the Real Yellow pages?  Well I start with  about 25 pages torn out from the book.    Cut them into 7 1/2 inch squares.  I raid my stash of string and scraps.  Sew my fabrics onto the paper, iron, repeat this process with each strip, square up my block and viola, I've got my string block.  

Today I made two.  A sweet 1930's Aunt Grace and a Blue & Yellow.  Listening to my favorite country radio station, I just sat and kept sewing.  After two days of raining and now waiting for our next snowstorm, I had the most enjoyable day.

Blue and Yellow HeartString Quilt

My Daffodils Are Up!

I know spring is just around the corner when my daffodils pop up.   Just look at that Carolina Blue Sky too.

Sweet Bundles of Fabric

Well Super Bowl Sunday came and went. I did no sewing at all the whole weekend. I had planned on doing Quiltville's Strip Twist. But I got side-tracked. That seems to happen a lot.

I just made cute little fat quarter bundles for my store instead.

Aren't they cute? Take a look at the cute Pink Poodle Fat Quarter bundles that are in my store. You can find them at the "Sew Far Sew Good Quilt Shop"