Don't forget to vote!

Time is running out to vote for The Golden Quilter Awards!  Be sure to follow the link and vote for your favorites!  There are lots of great people and shops that have been nominated, so go help pick the winners.

It's hard to believe that my birthday month (haha) is almost over! My mom brought me lunch on my birthday, and look what else...

Aren't they pretty?  They tasted pretty good too!  She also brought me a big ol' German Chocolate Cake!  I think that I was so excited I forgot to take a picture of it.  She makes the very best homemade GCC.  It is my dad's favorite, so we usually have it on his birthday, but he opted for pie last year, so I was having withdrawals.  It was sooooo good!  Aunt Nancy sent me some fun presents too, but I haven't taken pictures of them.  One was a really awesome towel that she embroidered - she does such good work.

I'm always amazed at how many tempting sew-alongs there are in blogland.  And also how many people seem to follow several of them and actually FINISH them!  Last year, I watched from the sidelines while tons of people followed along with Lori, from Humble Quilts blog, making a cute little quilt called Pink Lemonade.  I kept seeing these little quilts on blogs, and finally couldn't take it any more and just had to make one!  Well, it didn't take that long to piece it.  Then I basted it last year so I could take it along on The Great Fart  to start the hand quilting.  Well, I did work on it a little bit, but put it away when I got home, because I had a bigger hand quilting project to finish.  So, FINALLY, a year after everyone else, my Pink Lemonade is finished.  You can see on Lori's blog that she hosted another SAL this year called Abundance - it is wonderful and last I saw, 45 bloggers had linked up - showing their version.  I AM NOT going to break down and make it, even though the temptation is great!

We've been busy here, as usual with jewelry.  Kathy Schmitz ordered a log cabin pendant from me, and was kind enough to blog about it (how nice was that!?), so we've had a few extra orders this week.  Another exciting order this week came from Lynette Anderson from Australia.  We have a few ideas in the works for some upcoming jewelry, so I'm really looking forward to that.  This weekend we are finishing up some new orders and working on charms - it won't be long and it will be time to mail out the next one!

I posted a new pattern on my website.  These pin cushions were originally in Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting, January/February 2012 magazine.  So if you missed that issue, you can now get the patterns from me.

Callie is busy as usual, tending to put a damper on my productivity!

And the view from "behind"!  Now that's just funny.  What's really funny is that she tried to crawl through there and got stuck!  Watching her back her way out was good for a laugh!

I will leave you with that visual!

Have a great weekend!

Fun mail, friends, finishes and fluffies

One of my awesome blog readers took pity on me when she read my plea for THAT fabric!!  Pam sent me almost a yard of that great red, and also surprised me with some of the same print, in purple!  LOVE THEM!  Thanks again, so much Pam.  Even though, between Janet and Pam, I have over a yard of the red, I'm still going to hoard it!

 Recently I met  two of my blogging friends in person!  Missie and Carolyn and I got together and had such a great time!  If you don't already follow their blogs, be sure to go check them out.  They are both so talented. They both design patterns (see just one of Missie's in the photo below) and Carolyn does the cutest drawings and watercolors (see the adorable card in the photo below).  Carolyn gave us each the needle book with the little notebook in it - what a great idea - something small to keep in your purse to jot down ideas, etc.  She also made the little candy holder on the right and included a box of candy hearts to put inside.  Missie made the wool heart pin cushion.  LOVE IT!

We really had fun - spent most of our time chatting and eating, but they did take me to the Adel Quilting & Dry Goods shop.  I've heard about this shop, but had never been there before.  The owner, Jacque, bought a lot of pins, pendants and patterns from me, so if you are in the area, be sure to stop by and see them!  I bought a few little things at the shop...

I think those little flowers will be perfect in the centers of some pendants.

Last week I won Missie's birthday giveaway, so when we got together this week, she gave me this...

 She also gave me a little tutorial on how to use it!  I've never done any hand piecing myself, but would like to try.  Now I have no excuse - I've got the templates and have had a lesson!

I thought you should all see what goes on in my sewing room daily!  Here is Ozzie - do you think he's comfy?  It's a good thing I keep a good stock of lint rollers.

 I also wanted to share Callie's antics with you.  Ozzie was sleeping away in the chair, minding his own business, when Callie decided she needed to jump up there with him. How long do you think that will last?

 Awww...look - she's telling him how much she loves him (really she is just trying to annoy him!)

 Yep...it worked...down he goes.  So much for his afternoon nap...

 Now who gets the nap!

 I actually do have a few "finishes" to show - now remember, my definition of "finished" doesn't necessarily mean quilted and bound!  These blocks were on my design wall forever -all stitched - they just needed to be put together!  MTM came over to sew one day and I decided this was going to turn into a flimsy!  Now it is ready to go off to the quilter.

 Here are the last blocks from Randy's sew-a-long.  Hmmm...wonder how long before this one gets put together?!

 And this one is a true finish.  It took me forever to get this hand quilted - mostly because I rarely worked on it!  CC had decided it was her bed, and I didn't have the heart to chase her off of it, so that was my excuse for not working on it for awhile!  I just quilted simple, straight lines and when I put my mind (and fingers) to it, it didn't take that long to get it done.  This pattern is by Edyta Sitar (love her!).  The blocks were really fun to piece, but putting it all together...not so much!  I hate Y seams and there were plenty of them in here. The hexagons are supposed to extend out, but I got frustrated and just chopped it off!  This was pieced several years ago but was in the "to be quilted" stack for a long time.

I'm glad it's finished, I do love it, chopped off or not!

Have a great weekend!