..and This One Too!

This was another quilt top I did for Konda's new book.

Super CUTE!!!

Hidden Diamonds

Here is another mini quilt I made for Konda's new book.

I LOVE these fabrics!

More chain piecing.

I ABSOLUTELY love this fabric!

I REALLY loved working with the 2.5" mini charm packs.  They are SO cute!!! :)

Pulled Taffy

I made this quilt a while back for Konda's new book coming out at market this weekend.

It is SOOO cute!

All chained pieced one way

Konda also had me make it in another color way :)

Sand Dollars

I was hired to make this quilt by Konda for Timeless Treasures' booth at Fall Market.  I had to wait until the week of market to share it with you :)

I had to giggle because my least favorite color combo is brown and blue 

and I DON'T LIKE Batiks! ;D

I took the job anyway ;)

Being unemployed will do that to ya!

"Hmm.... maybe these fabrics aren't too bad?"

"I sure like how these little strips are looking."

(The blocks all sewn and laid out)

"Wait!  Do I possibly like this quilt?"

The rows sewn.

The top in sewing progress.

TA-DA!  Ok, I REALLY like this quilt!!

 Konda came and got it for Quilting and then returned it to me for binding :)

 Yeah, so I had to eat ALL of my words because I LOVE THIS QUILT!!!

Konda's Mini Quilt A Long

GUESS WHAT???  

THE Fabulous Konda invited me over to guest post on her blog today for the "It's a Mini Quilt Along" party :)  

Come on over and check it out HERE!

Here's the schedule:

Sept 11 - Sign Up

Sept 25 - Mosaic

Oct 9 - Quilt 2

Oct 23 - Quilt 3

Nov 6 - Quilt Your Top

Nov 20 - Quilt 4

Dec 4 - Quilt 5

Dec 18 - Quilt 6

   There's three weeks here for the holidays.

Jan 8 - Quilt 7

Jan 22 - Quilt Your Top

Feb 5 - Quilt 8

Feb 19 - Quilt 9

Mar 5 - Quilt 10

Mar 19 - Quilt 11

Apr 2 - Quilt Your Top

Apr 16 - Final Drawing for Finished Quilts

As in other quilt alongs, you will get to meet guest quilters each time. And to enter the drawings, post your pictures on the flickr group:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/2124940@N22/

Feel free to post pictures of fabric you are going to be using, but they won't be entered in the drawings. Two pictures of each quilt will be entered in the drawings: 1) Quilt Top and 2) Quilted Mini Quilt.

Newspapers From Heaven

I finished a quilt for Konda.  It is for Timeless Treasures' booth at market.  It's a secret, so this is all I can show you until the end of the month :)  I just have to say that this quilt is SO SUPER cute!!!  Watch for the full length post at the end of the month.

Now, you may say, "What is this picture of a copy paper box on your doormat doing on your blog post?"  Well, let me tell you a WONDERFUL story.  

Last month my sweet hubby lost his job of nearly 17 years :(  [this isn't the wonderful part ;)]  I was crying in my soup on the phone with my friend Cheryl about running out of paper towels and not being able to clean the glass on my cupboards very well without the paper towels.  (no job=no $$ for paper towels) As we chatted on the phone, I heard a knock on the door, and who should it be, but Cheryl WITH a roll of paper towels for me :)  Aren't cell phones cool?

Anyhoots, Cheryl and I continued our visit until Konda showed up for a meeting I had with her that evening. Cheryl left and I told Konda quickly about what sweet Cheryl had done :)

---Please note, that through this whole "paper towel crisis" the idea that news papers worked really well for cleaning glass came up with both Konda AND Cheryl.  We don't subscribe to any newspapers, so that wasn't going to work out.----

On with the story and fast forward to today.  I was at my friend Annette's house sewing (see tomorrow's post for pics and details) when my daughter Kate called and wanted to know what this box was doing on out porch FILLED with the The New York Times.  I told her that some paperboy's papers must have been delivered to the wrong house and I'd call someone and get it straightened out when I got home.

Later, when I finally got home, I was about to see if I could figure out who those newspapers belonged to when I checked my email really quickly.  I found this email from Konda, 

"At school today, the recycle bin was overflowing with yesterday's newspapers. I thought of you and your "crisis" over cleaning your windows a few weeks ago. I left them on your front porch in a box. Now you have "window cleaning supplies" to last you a long time and you can use your paper towels for something else :)

Konda

I need to call Konda and thank her, but her sweetness makes me cry and when I cry I can't talk, so on the phone I sound like an obscene/heavy breather/prank caller.  I will call her after I am cried out :)

I have been thinking a lot about the generosity and love showed to our family during this hard time...and many other hard times we have had.  I have learned throughout the trials in my life, that during the most difficult times, we see the greatest miracles.  Through the love of our friends and family, I have learned that God loves us and answers our prayers through them.  I am certainly not saying [or implying] that I am a fan of HARD times, but I do find great comfort in knowing that our family will be taken care of and make it through.   ...A simple box of newspapers reminds me this is so :)

Weekend Update

Here is what has been going on around here since Monday...

Aly's living room quilt is basted and ready to quilt!
Aly's bedroom quilt has all of it's borders sewn on!
Two CRAZY, mad quilts have been bound for Konda ;)

WARNING WARNING WARNING!!  Much WHINING to follow:
YES!  You are seeing correctly... there are a BAZILLION pinked edges :p  I told Konda NO on several occasions, but she still won out and I hand sewed the binding on these two quilts. I think she has magical mind powers... or this is probably just pay back for FORCING her to be in a skit at our church retreat a few weeks ago. (I need to see if I have a picture of her acting/skit debut.)  My left hand was actually numb when I finished the binding.  (Have you had enough whine with your blog reading yet?) ;D  So, please don't tell Konda, but aside from the numb hand, the binding wasn't too bad. :)

I was able to cut out and finish two quilt tops for Konda.

Super cute, and tops secret, just like the rest :)

Cut out a quilt top for Emily. (sorry, no pics)
Sewed the binding on a quilt for Emily.

Sorry for the blurry photo.  

The binding is the purple on the right.

I have a SERIOUS crush on this quilt!!!

I think this is all :)  Time for bed and sweet dreams.  I think we will sleep really well tonight with the varnish fumes lingering throughout the house.  My sweet hubby recoated our front door with varnish and has been sanding and painting our kitchen cupboards too.  ;D  I do need to give full credit for the cupboard painting to April.  She teased and mocked him into FINALLY getting our cupboards painted :)  THANK YOU!!! xoxo

Springtime in the Rockies WINNER :)

It's time to pick a winner for the Springtime in the Rockies Book tour! 

CONGRATUALTIONS to:  #6 Barb N!  

She said: "I love that pink and green quilt with the vines - it's just a happy quilt! And such fun."

Barb's book will be in the mail to her asap from Kansas City Star.

Thanks for playing along!

Yummy Layer Cake

If you are looking for the Springtime in the Rockies GIVEAWAY click HERE :)

Sweet Konda surprised me with a layer cake of Collections For a Cause "Faith" Salute Americas's Heroes by Moda.  She said the fabric "needed" to be mine :)  I have to say that I must agree :)  It is SO beautiful and I can't wait to make this up into a BEAUTIFUL quilt for my living room!!!

Does anyone have a good layer cake pattern that would go well with civil war prints?