I went to a Quilt Show !

No, not THAT quilt show, the Red & White one in New York, I went to the the 31st Annual Quilt Fest sponsored by the Decatur Illinois Quilters Guild.

But first, meet

TUCKER!!

Marianne at Wacky World of Quilting suggested the name. She said,

"He's so cute! The name that popped to my mind was Tucker. Don't know why, it just did. Over the years we have had Tuffy, Freckles, Blondie, Lovey, and Pistol Pete."

All the names were great, but in the end my daughter just thought he looked like a Tucker!! A check for $76 is in the mail to the Dogs Without Borders rescue group of Los Angeles County because you took the time to leave a suggestion, thanks so much!!

Here are a few pictures I took at the Decatur Quilt show. I'm always amazed when I get home and look at my pictures, or lack of pictures. I guess I get distracted, I never take enough pictures!

This quilt was perfectly pieced and the quilting amazing. Every one of those diamonds has a little quilting design in it.

I took a bigger interest in the applique quilts this year. I've always enjoyed looking at applique quilts, but now that I'm doing applique, I have a whole different regard for them, a better appreciation for the work, the time and the effort that is put into each quilt.

This is a mosaic pattern. Very unusual, and the first time I had seen anything like it.

I heard this quilt took a first in its division.

Here's a close up of one block.

While the mosaic one was interesting, I really appreciated this one.

The colors and the design are more me.

And that little touch of blue adds so much, I really need to get over my issue of putting (or more accurately not putting) blue in my quilts.

I thought the handwork was amazing, those little circles are perfectly round!

This was also an applique project that I loved. I'm not sure of the pattern name but it's a barn full of animals going to bed for the night. The quilt was well done and the detail was so cute.

I like how the piggy is holding a flashlight, the lamb is counting sheep, and the cow is drinking its evening milk!

I recognized this Judy Martin pattern from her log cabin book.

This was a stunning quilt.

I really liked this quilting design in the border.

I can't pass up taking a picture of any quilt made with Rouenneries.

This is the same pattern I used for Lee's quilt, but I Thelmasized mine. That little bit of green was not part of that French General family but I think it looks great.

There were vendors at the show and I stopped by a quilt shop on the way to the show and this is what I bought . . .

extra wide red ric rac! It was the first time I had seen that wide ric rac in person. It pops up online in a pattern or quilt every now and then and it always appeals to me. I have no idea what I"ll do with it, maybe put it on an apron or pillow. For now, it's just setting out in my sewing room, making me smile.

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It's Tuesday . . .

and you know what that means, it's Eventide Update Day!

But first, I got a note from a fellow quilter who attended the Red and White quilt show yesterday! She said it was amazing and gave her goosebumps! I got goosebumps just reading about her goosebumps! More importantly, there IS going to be a show book available, however it won't be published until next year. There's been some confusion over this, what great news, count me in!

Wow, can you believe it has been around 8 weeks since I came up with this little idea to see if anyone out there in Blogland wanted to sew along with me while I worked on Eventide? I am still amazed and humbled by the response I received. I was looking for one Eventide sew along buddy and I got dozens.

I live a small life in a small town. I am the only member of my family, extended or otherwise, who quilts. If I wanted to participate in some of the sewing activities held in local quilt shops, I would need to drive at least an hour, one way. Through my blog I have been exposed to so many wonderful and giving bloggers, folks who freely share their expertise, tips, and humor. I am no longer a lonely quilter. I appreciate every friendship I have made.

I selected Eventide for a sew along because I saw the quilt that was used for the pattern cover while attending a Carrie Nelson class, I thought it was lovely, and thought if some other folks thought so too, we might as well have some fun and sew along together. I am so glad I invited others to join me. Imagine my amazement when not only did folks sign up to sew along, but that fellow quilters as far away as the Netherlands and France joined in, it has turned into a real international affair. I've also enjoyed giving quilters without blogs the opportunity to "talk" and share their Eventide adventures through my blog.

I am not an employee of Carrie Nelson or Miss Rosie's Quilt Company. Quilting is my hobby, my passion, not my job. I'm just a simple quilter who wanted to make a quilt and who went looking for a few sew along friends and struck the jackpot. I think this has been one of the most fulfilling events I've undertaken as a blogger and quilter. And when it's all said and done, quilters all over this world will have a beautiful Eventide quilt and hopefully fond memories of making that quilt with others. I could not ask for more.

Now, for the updates. . . .

I promised Anita I would show her progress on today's update post first. Her picture got lost in my in-basket, and after a couple of weeks of no update on my Eventide Update posts, she sent me a very nice note.

Anita is using Rural Jardin by French General for Moda and I think it's going to be stunning. Thanks for your patience Anita, I'm thrilled you've joined the sew along and look forward to seeing your finished project!

Gayle followed Carrie's lead and went with two reds for her inner border.

I love it, but then they are red!

Gayle's all done,

here's a sneak peek of her Eventide.

I heard from Leona, she's still working on her Eventide, but no pictures, yet.

Peggy has finished her Eventide using Gatherings,

here's another sneak peek to hold you over until next week's parade!

Marianne is continuing to work on her Eventide using Garden Party by Blackbird Designs and made a lot of progress in one week.

Marianne says, "At first I wasn't gong to participate in the sew along, but after seeing all the other projects as they progressed I decided to join in the fun. I've never made a bed size quilt in less than a month's time, but I'm going to spend every spare minute I have to try and finish this quilt in time for the parade".

Marianne, your Eventide is a stunner, I hope to see your Eventide finished and in the parade!

These are the Ohio Star blocks that did not make it into my finished Eventide.

I really liked the block with the blue points, but I thought it was a distraction, my eyes were continually drawn to it, but that may have just been me. When it was in my quilt, someone left a comment saying it looked like a little blue wink in my quilt, which I thought was a cute description, but I still pulled it!

The stripes in the bottom row center block just didn't fit in with the rest of the fabrics that I used.

The other blocks were either too muted or too bold, I just didn't think they fit in. I liked them when I made them but it wasn't until I had all the blocks on my design wall that I realized they were not good fits.

We have a new addition to our sew along group, Melissa couldn't sit on the sidelines any longer, especially when an Eventide Pattern jumped in her shopping basket all on its own! Melissa has chosen Rural Jardin by French General for Moda. Even though Melissa got a late start, her design wall is filling up with blocks.

Bea's finished her Eventide and blogged about it today. She went with one outer border fabric instead of the scrappy rectangles called for in the pattern and I like how it really frames her work. Great Job Bea!

Carol's done, congratulations Carol! No pictures yet, look for her Eventide in the parade.

Gretchen's Eventide is done, check it out! Congratulations and thanks for the sneak peek Gretchen, I look forward to seeing it all next week. I agree, Fig Tree and Eventide are a great match.

Lisa promised to have an Eventide update today too, I've not seen her progress but she's using Luna Notte, how could it not be wonderful.

Mary Lou continues to make progress on her Eventide along with a host of other lovely finishes. She's thinking about maybe making some changes but I think it looks great already.

All Nicole has left for her Eventide finish are the borders!

Paula's finished her Eventide and has several very touching posts of how working on this project brought her comfort as she dealt with the loss of her sister. Paula, I'm so sorry for your loss, your project is lovely and could not have a more perfect name.

Sharrie's still auditioning fabric for her Eventide, personally, I think once you're happy with your fabric choices, this project is a breeze. Hang in there Sharrie, you'll get it to your liking!

Sinta "got crackin" on her Fig Tree Eventide and has new pictures of her progress.

I think that's it for the updates, be sure to drop me an email if I missed yours! I want to make sure no one gets left out!

And now for a few winners . . . Jen - Miss Punkie Pie . . .

you're last week's comment winner. Send me your address so I can send you this lovely little bundle of Charlevoix by Minick and Simpson for Moda.

This week's sew along winner is Peggy ,

send me your address and these two charm packs of Maison de Garance along Carrie Nelson's latest and greatest Schnibbles patterns (yes, all 6 of them) will be heading your way in this cute little Schibbles project bag.

Would you like to win this Schnibbles bag o'goodies,

just leave a comment on this post by midnight, CST, Wednesday, March 30, 2011 to be eligible to win.

Housekeeping - Next Tuesday, April 5th will be the Eventide Parade. All finished projects will be pictured on my blog with links back to your blog if you have one. Send me an email with your finished Eventide pictures if you don't have a blog. If you do have a blog, let me know that you've finished if you've not already done so. All sew along participants who have a finished Eventide in the parade will be eligible to win one of two prizes, a $50 gift certificate from the Fat Quarter Shop (thanks Kimberly!) or a prize from Carrie Nelson (Thanks Carrie!)

Krystena, Gayle will send you her extra Eventide pattern but I don't have a way to contact you, could you please send me an email with your address?

Whew, I'm all talked out...thanks for stopping by!

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My Ode to the Show . . . .

Well the Three Centuries of Red and White Quilts show officially opened in New York City on Friday. I've read a lot of pre-show information but have yet to run across any first hand accounts of the show from a quilter. I can hardly wait for those posts to start popping up.

Here's my tribute to what sounds like a wonderful show.....

This is Father's Fancy.

Select Lifetime Quilt #20 for more detail.

Housekeeping Items:

I think we may have a winner, my daughter liked several names suggested on the "Name this Dog" post, and is trying one out, so stay tuned. For sure the agency that rescued the pup is a winner, last time I checked I had 74 comments which would be a nice little donation for that organization.

Clarification - there seems to be a little confusion on a few "terms" I use regularly on my blog, so I thought I better set the record straight:

"Thelmasized" - The act of enlarging a Schnibbles pattern or reducing any pattern that has a 12 inch block.

"Thelmafied" - The act of making minor fabric changes to a kit or BOM as to make it more appealing in appearance to Thelma.

One last thing, a few posts ago I mentioned that I am a rule follower, and some folks thought that was a real funny, since I seem to be always changing up something in a pattern, but for the record, I would like to state that I think pattern directions are just like speed limit signs, they are more guidelines than actual rules.

Tomorrow's the last Eventide update post before the big parade, hope you can stop back by!

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Short and Sweet . . . .

For the first time in 5 months I'm all caught up on my Fat Quarter Shop 2010 Designer Mystery Block of the Month using Kate Spain for Moda or as it's called in my house, "Ashley's Christmas Quilt". All caught up, with only two more blocks to go.

As usual, I "Thelmified" my blocks,

I swapped out the fabric on the roof for the house block and I swapped out all the fabric for the present block, plus I made the box smaller to allow for a little plain border.

So here are all the blocks, the only block that I made exactly as called for in the pattern is the wreath, bottom left.

I've seen where some bloggers have already added the sashing to their completed blocks, and being the organized, stay ahead of the game, efficient person that I am, I think that's a very clever idea. But how can I come up with the perfect placement of every block until I have every block!! Believe me, if I had all those blocks connected, and got the last block, and thought it would look better in the middle of that quilt, I would take it all apart to put that block in the middle, so I'm forcing myself to wait until I have that last block done before I start sewing them all together.

Dog Name Update - I'm glad I'm not the one deciding that dog's name, you have made some great suggestions, thanks so much. As soon as my daughter has decided on a name, I'll be sure to let you know!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, thanks for stopping by,

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Name This Dog . . . .

On Monday I blogged about the latest addition to our family, my daughter adopted this dog over the weekend. Jackie suggested asking my fellow bloggers for help with the dog's name, and said that's how she got the name for her kitten.

Well that dog's no closer to a name, (it's currently being called doggy!) so I figured calling upon my creative blogging friends for a little help couldn't hurt.

Can you stand one more contest on my blog, it seems like that's all I've been doing lately?

So here's the deal, leave a comment with your best suggestion for a suitable name, for every comment I get, I will make a one dollar donation to the group that rescued the dog. If your name gets selected (by my daughter, I have absolutely no say in this one) you get a prize.

So here's a little information to help you . . .

This little guy is a dachshund/chihuahua mix, aka "chiweenie", is 6 months old, lives in California, and weighs 10 pounds soaking wet.

He's very playful, energetic and happy. Oh, and he likes to bury his treats in the ground.

So let's have it, I can hardly wait to read what you come up with!

Thanks for your help.

Cooper seems to be saying, "Hey, what about me, what's up with all this puppy talk"

Cooper, you're still the number one dog in our house!

I'm up to date on my Kate Spain Fat Quarter Shop Designer Mystery BOM, pictures tomorrow!

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It's Tuesday . . . .

and you know what that means. . . .

It's Eventide Update Day !!!

Wow, I can't believe this is the 6th sew along update, where has the time gone! Next week will be the last update before the Eventide Parade on April 5th.

I was waffling on whether to post pictures of the finished projects as they came in, then I decided sure, why not. Hopefully seeing the finished projects before the parade will help and motivate those not quite done, plus, who can see too many pictures of beautiful finished quilts, we'll show them again in the parade.

Deb has finished her Eventide and says,

"I finished my Eventide and I really like the way it came out. I auditioned a light versus dark border and decided I liked the dark border better, it almost provides it with a frame. Glad that it's done, but had a really good time working it with the rest of the gals"

Great job Deb, those Jo Morton fabrics worked out wonderfully, it's a beauty! And that red inner border, perfect!

So here's my finished Eventide which I have named, "Dancing with the Devil in the Pale Moonlight"

For as much as I struggled with my fabric choices and placement, and worried about my bold red and browns, I could not be happier with how it all came together.

I'm particularly happy with how it takes awhile for the large blue star points to catch your attention. I would have never made this quilt had I not seen it in person, but I'm so glad that I did, I just love it and think it's a wonderful addition to my other quilts, a breath of fresh air!

We have a newcomer to our sew along, Marianne doesn't have a blog, but after reading our updates every week she couldn't sit on the sidelines any longer.

Welcome Marianne!!

Marianne is using Garden Party by Blackbird Designs for Moda. Another great fabric choice for Eventide!!

I also heard from Peggy R, who doesn't have a blog but does have a finished Eventide! She promised a picture before the parade. Congratulations Peggy, I can hardly wait to see your Eventide made with Gatherings by Moda.

Gayle has finished the center of her project and plans to add two borders, a medium colored border, then a darker colored border, no pictures yet, next week for sure. Gayle has an extra Eventide pattern and would love to pass it along to someone who doesn't have one. The first person to leave a comment asking for the pattern gets it!

The early bird catches the worm, or in this case, Krystena gets the pattern!

Becky is at that tricky point in the project, she has everything all cut out, but is not sure how to sort it all. Hang in there Becky, you'll figure it out! That French General fabric is going to make an amazing Eventide, that fabric can't make an ugly quilt! If you're still struggling, maybe reading Nicole's blog on how she sorted her fabric will help.

Judith has finished her Eventide using Roses the Noel. Judith, it's just lovely! And when I say done, I mean pieced, quilted and bound! She's looking for a new name for her quilt, maybe you'll have a suggestion, she's offering a prize!

Gretchen's made some serious progress on her Eventide using some pretty Fig Tree fabric. Great job Gretchen, your project just sings, "spring".

Bea usually has a Tuesday update, the last time I checked in, she was working on her hour glass units for the inner border.

Brenda's got her Eventide cutting done too!

Sherri's working away on her Eventide pieces for the Ohio Stars, there's just something so appealing about a pile of pretty quarter square triangle blocks, just waiting to be pieced.

Paula started feeling well enough this past week to work on her Eventide, her design wall is full and she has just a few more blocks to piece.

Our other Sherrie has a new portable design wall and the first blocks on it....her Eventide blocks. Great Start Sherrie. You have to go through some amazing pictures of the Dallas Quilt show before you get to her blocks, how great is that!

I'm not sure if Sinta, Nicole, or Lisa have an Eventide update, they've been very busy girls, but they always have something interesting going on so it's definitely worth a stop by their blogs.

We have a winner from last week's update, Paulette, from Sweat Pea Quilting, these latest Schnibbles patterns from Carrie Nelson for Miss Rosie's Quilt Company are yours! Send me an email with your mailing address and they will be on the way to you. Thanks so much for following our sew along.

I don't know about you, but I'm having a hard time deciding which new Schnibbles to make first!!

This week's sew along winner is Becky - The Quilting Book Lady!

Becky, you get to pick from the following, a fat eighths bundle of Charlevoix by Minick and Simpson for Moda OR a fat eighths bundle of Pom Pom de Paris by French General for Moda.

What Becky doesn't select you can win, leave a comment on this post by midnight, CST Wednesday, March 23rd to be eligible to win.

If I missed your update this week, just drop me a line, I'll be sure to add it next week!

Thanks so much for participating in or following our Eventide Sew Along!!

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A Few Updates . . . . .

My Eventide is all done, I'll post the picture tomorrow, for Tuesday, Eventide update day!! I'm renaming mine, "Dancing with the Devil in the Pale Moonlight". We have at least two other finishes also, not only has Judith pieced her Eventide, it's quilted and Deb's is all pieced too.

Now that my sew along project is done, I'm playing catch up and finish up with some other projects .

Somehow I got 5 months behind on my Fat Quarter Shop 2010 Designer Mystery Block of the Month.

Initially, I wasn't using any of the blue fabric that was included with each block, but when my daughter was home, she thought this quilt would look cute hanging in her apartment, and she liked the blue, so it's back in. I'm so relieved, I was really stumped on what to do about the blue background in the tree block.

So far I have "tweaked" every block but one. The mitten block is exactly like the pattern, except I made mine a little shorter, to add a thin strip of background fabric to the top of the block. The sashing for the finishing kit is the same fabric as the mitten and I thought a little separation would be a good thing. I also changed up the fabric for the tree and the ornaments.

So now I'm only 2 months behind on the kits that have been mailed with only 2 more kits left for the whole project.

This cute quilt is still available at the Fat Quarter Shop, but I wouldn't wait much longer, I'm guessing it would be selling out pretty soon.

I finally learned how to make collages for my blog! Poor you, you'll have to put up with them all the time now.

Like this one, which I am naming "Ode to Reese's"

What's up with all the sizes of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups these days? I found 4 different sizes at one store, and that's not including my all time favorite, the Reese's Easter Egg. ( No Reese's Peanut Butter Cups were wasted in the making of this collage.)

And one last update, we have a new member of the family. . .

my daughter has spent the last several weeks searching shelters and dog adoption events for a dog, and this weekend she found her dog. He weighs around 10 pounds, is 6 months old, and my daughter was told he was a "chiweenie", that's a chihauhau dachshund mix. We don't see dogs like this where we live, but they seem to be pretty popular in California. This pup was rescued when he was just 3 months old from an over crowded shelter in Los Angeles County and has been living with its foster family, just waiting for my daughter to find him. He doesn't have a name yet, but he couldn't have a more loving home. Welcome little guy!

I can hardly wait to see him and Cooper together at Thanksgiving, I'm guessing what my daughter's dog lacks in size, he'll make up for in speed.

See ya tomorrow for the Eventide Sew Along Update!!

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Another MGF? . . . .

Look at this, it's Madeline's Good Fortune . . . .

but it's not my Madeline, it's Melly's Madeline!!

I am so excited, someone has made Madeline's Good Fortune! As I mentioned on my 250th blog post, I get the most emails about Madeline's Good Fortune, questions about the patterns (Madeline and Good Fortune Schnibbles by Miss Rosie's Quilt Company) the fabric (French General for Moda) quantity of fabric (see right hand column), the size (108 x 108), the amount of time it took to piece it . . . . You name it, I've answered it, more than once, and am happy to do so, because that's what quilters do, we share. I end each note the same, "Please drop me a note when you finish your Madeline". This week I got a note from Melly saying she had made Madeline's Good Fortune.

Melly blogged about her project here, it'a a great read, not just because she made MGF, but her thought process and how she went about making the quilt is a lesson to anyone too scared to try something, and it has a happy ending!!

I'm so excited about someone actually making that quilt that I've added a section to my blog to link to ALL the Madeline's that may get made. So if you've made one, or have seen one somewhere, be sure to drop me note and I'll add it to the list!!

It's a weird feeling and hard to explain, knowing there's another Madeline out there, but Melly is as in love with her quilt as I am with mine. I think it's the ultimate compliment and could not be happier.

Great Job Melly and Thanks So Much!!

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Its Tuesday . . . .

and you know what that means . . . It's Eventide Update Day!!

First up, my progress . . . .

Here's the center of my project, all laid out on my living room floor.

I sure struggled with the perfect combination and placement of those blue star points, but I could not be happier with how it's all coming together.

Next, creating those hour glass blocks for the inner border.

When Carrie talked about this quilt at class, she mentioned that when she was making her hour glass units for the inner border, she thought the solid red alone looked too bold, so she made her units using two different reds, a red solid and red floral print.

This is a closeup of Carrie's inner border.

I'm doing the same thing for my inner border,

one plain red, one floral.

Here's Deb's latest picture of her progress.

Deb says, " I've got the center of the quilt completed and I'm loving it! I've got all of the Ohio Stars, and larger pieces completed - just working on the inner and outer borders now. I'm beginning to see the end in sight now.

Deb, I just love the pop of color from your Ohio Star blocks, they look great with your large Ohio Star fabrics.

We have some bloggers making great progress too:

Mary Lou started working on Eventide from a newly organized sewing room plus her chicks came, but she still managed to finished all her large quarter square triangles and start on the Ohio Star blocks. Mary Lou has also had the added distraction of a husband home on leave, but he's back in Afghanistan now, thanks Mary Lou to you and your husband for the sacrifices you are making for us all.

Bea has completed the center of her quilt and is also working on her inner border units.

Becky has the most beautiful stack of French General fabric just waiting to be cut and pieced.

Carol only has 8 more Ohio Star blocks to go.

Gretchen has all her center Ohio Star blocks pieced, hang in there Gretchen, I think you'll make the deadline with time to spare!

Judith has the center portion of her project all pieced too!

Lisa's making great progress!

Nicole's been squeezing in a little time on her Eventide, when she's not been making baby girl onesies, burb clothes, and quilts.

Paula's got a good jump on the pieces of her Ohio Star blocks and a bad case of pneumonia, take care Paula, you still have plenty of time before the parade.

Sharrieboberry's on spring break with her family,have fun and we'll catch you next week!

Shelley's gotten her pattern, her fabric and decided on her color scheme, I think that's the hardest part of the project, it's smooth sailing for you now Shelley.

Sherri's using the same fabric combination that I'm using, except she's swapping the blue for gray.

Sinta's been working real hard on the perfect combination for her large Ohio Stars, but I think she's finally got it!

Linda just got her pattern and will be starting her project soon, she's selected Remembrance by Brannock and Patek.

Great Job Everyone!

How about a giveaway, CarrieNelson just released 6 new Schnibbles patterns,

Deb, you're this week's sew along winner and you've won them all!

Would you like to win Carrie's 6 new Schnibbles new patterns, just leave a comment on this post by midnight, CST, Wednesday, March 16th. The patterns should be arriving at the Fat Quarter Shop any day now.

Last week's comment winner of any layer cake from the Fat Quarter Shop is Jackie, of Jackie's Stitches. Congratulations Jackie, thanks for following our sew along. Drop me a note with your choice of layer cake.

Sue, our first Eventide finisher, would like to pass her pattern on to a lucky quilter who has not yet purchased it, if you're the first person to leave a comment asking for it, it's yours. Thanks Sue!

Sandy was the first to comment and has nabbed Sue's Eventide pattern!

And finally, as always, if I missed your update this week, I'll add it next week, PLUS it's not too late to join!

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