Cozy Afternoon Block #3!

Looks who's come out to play!

This is the Laurel Burch kitty that graces my Block #3 for Jacquelynne Steve's BOM Cozy Afternoon =^..^=

Last month, we made Blocks #1 and #2 --- you ARE making these with us aren't you?  These first two blocks were fun and quite easy to make - and I LOVE EASY!!!  Don't you?  Not to mention FREE, of course :*)  You can see my post on making the first two blocks HERE.

If you've just discovered Cozy Afternoon, it's definitely not too late to join in!  Or how about inviting a friend or two to join in the fun with you?  Just go to THIS LINK and sign up - you'll receive Blocks #1, #2 and #3.  And it won't take very long to catch up either :*)

Assembly of this block is easy - which is a very good thing because I almost waited too late to make it!!!  I was so looking forward to this block, and it was on my calendar for this weekend ... but .....  Saturday was a blur of things we had to take care of around the house, and then we unexpectedly added a 12-hour trip yesterday to pick up our granddaughter Sara.  I got home about 8:30pm, got Sara and her puppy Link all settled in, and was just about ready to fall into the bed, exhausted, at about 10:30 last night when I remembered!!!  Yep, I still had a block to make and this post to write - YIKES!!!

Miss Sara was an angel, keeping me company (and keeping me awake!) while I pulled fabrics, cut them up, framed my kitty, and began to sew my block.  Sara chose the kitty for this block =^..^=

Then I put her to work pressing my seams as each piece came racing out of the sewing machine......

...... she did an awesome job and saved me SO much time!!!

Many of you may remember Sara from her visit last summer when we had fun teaching her how to sew.  You can read all about those adventures HERE if you're interested :)  We sure are hoping to sneak in some stitching time this visit too!

Finally, my block was done!

Oh my gosh, I love it!

You might notice that because I want to keep consistency in my corners for these blocks, I had to revise Jacquelynne's pattern just a touch by leaving out the square in the corner sections.  Mine are just simple half-square triangles :)

These blocks are really fun, and I love that they are easy to make but still have great visual impact.  Here are all the blocks so far on my Design Wall ....

The blocks in the corners are the Cozy Afternoon blocks, and the others are from Sew Sweet Simplicity, Jacquelynne's BOM last year.  Next month I'll add Block #4 to the center of the layout and it will really begin looking like a quilt top!

As always, to celebrate this month's new block, Jacquelynne is offering a wonderful package of her PDF digital patterns to one lucky reader here at A Quilt and A Prayer.  I spy the cutest little petal pincushion in there!!!!

The giveaway is open to all readers and will end promptly at midnight, central time, Sunday, July 19.  For your chance to win, just leave a nice comment on this post telling me the most exciting thing going on in your life right now.  I love happy stories!  Be sure to visit Jacquelynne's blog today as well, and see all the other bloggers who are sharing their finished #3 blocks and hosting a giveaway - multiply your chances of winning!

And don't forget to mark your calendars ---- Next block - August 10th :*)

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

Sew Sweet Simplicity - Block #3

It's time for another Sew Sweet Simplicity BOM block!!!  Are you ready?  

I really had to get busy and get this block done in time for you all today :)

Sometimes I wonder if I would ever get anything done without a deadline!

This Laurel Burch cat looks to me almost as though it has a halo, which of course reminded me of Gypsy, so that was naturally the one I chose from the panel print for this month's block =^..^=

I got off to a great start.  I knew exactly the fabrics I wanted to use. This purple is one I picked up while on my Thanksgiving travels - YUM!  It is from the same line as the blue I used in an earlier block.  (Shimmer by Timeless Treasures)  You can see the difference here..... aren't they beautiful???

And I wanted to put a nice gold in as well - this Laurel Burch fabric seemed perfect!  This picture is not quite true - it is brighter, and there are actually little punches of orangey-gold in this fabric where you see the darker brownish color patches.  You can see it better in the next photo I took earlier in the day.  I only have a small treasured piece of this!

And in referring back to my first two blocks, I realized that orange seems to be a recurring color, so I added a fun orange too :)

Before long, however, this block proved to be a little bit of a challenge for me.  Not the pattern of course - it was perfectly written and very easy to follow, as always :)  No, I had trouble deciding where to put each fabric in the block - not a common problem for me.  For some reason, I just couldn't visualize how they would look in different places in the block.  So this is how I auditioned them .....

After quite a bit of dilly-dallying (fun word huh?), I finally decided the gold would look like a crown around the cat, and I would save the purple for the outer sawtooth points....

I moved along pretty well after making these decisions, and here is the completed block!

I have to admit, I'm still not completely satisfied with it.  I'm thinking maybe those colorful strips around the cat cause it to fade away a little?  And that bright gold demands a lot of attention so perhaps the cat needs the stark outline of the black in order to shine as well?  I don't know what it is, but it's bothering me.

I'm keeping open the possibility of going back and removing those colorful strips and just framing the cat in black at a later date.  I want to be sure these beautiful felines are the focal point of the quilt!

So now that you've seen my block and listened to my whining, how about I share some fun news!

GIVEAWAY!!!!

Yep, once again Jacquelynne is offering up one of her amazing pattern bundle prize packages as a Giveaway this month!  I just love that Sun Blossom Tote bag!  And the sand dollar quilt - ooooo, it makes me yearn for Summer!!!

You can win this fun PDF Patterns Package designed by Jacquelynne Steves simply by leaving a comment here on this post - perhaps let me know if you're loving Winter or you would rather Summer hurry up and get here (like me :)

Since this is the busy time of year, we will leave the Giveaway open through January 2, 2015.  But why not go ahead a leave us a fun comment now so you don't forget :*)  It is open to all US and International readers :)  
BE SURE I HAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS!!!!

I think Jacquelynne is a little jealous that her blogger buddies are having all the fun giving away fun prizes, so she's decided to do a little GIVEAWAY on her blog today too!

You'll want to hop over to her blog (here) and get in on the chance to win one of her "mini-kits" of pre-cut fabrics to make one of these fun Sew Sweet Simplicity blocks out of her own fabric line, Cottage Charm.  All the pieces will be already cut for you, just arrange and sew - how easy is that?

That's not all Jacquelynne is offering FREE right now either!  If you sign up for her FREE e-magazine (here), she will send you a PDF of this lovely Red and White quilt.....

One other note to put on your calendar, we will be hosting a "Catch Up" day for the Sew Sweet Simplicity BOM in January.  So if you haven't been able to play along - maybe the holidays have just been too busy? - or maybe you're all caught up but you'd like to make extra blocks?  Well, get your things together and get ready to sew along with us on "Catch Up" day!  Watch for more details to come soon :)

 We are looking forward to some children and grandchildren who will be traveling "over the river and through the woods to Grandma and Grandpa's house" :*) ♥♥♥  I probably won't have time to blog much between now and New Year's, so I wish you all a lovely Christmas week!!! 

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

Linking up with 
Freemotion by the River for the
Tuesday Linky Party!

Rainbows and Winners!

This time of year is always so BUSY!!!  

I know you all know what I mean, right?  Getting ready for loved ones and grandbabies coming to visit.... putting up the tree and decorations.... Christmas parties and pot-luck luncheons with friends and guilds.... shopping for the perfect gifts.... putting the last stitch in this year's newest Christmas quilt... the list is endless.

It's a lot like babysitting the grandbabies - I love it, and it's always fun, but I'm always glad when it's over too :)  Frankly, at my stage of life, fun can be exhausting!

Of course, quilters cannot live by family and responsibilities alone, but by every stitch they can sneak in when no one is looking!  Am I right?  And I seem to remember that I did promise you the 9th Hootie recently, didn't I?

Well, wait no more......

Introducing Rainbow Hootie 

and boy, does he have ATTITUDE!!!!

If the sun ever comes out, I'll get some better pics!

Rainbow Hootie is the Hippee Flower Child of his family LOL!!  I've decided to name this quilt, "Whooooo's Your Daddy?"  I mean, can you see all of the other owls looking anywhere but at Rainbow?  No one wants to claim him as family LOL!!!  Not that it seems to bother him any - he's chillin' and sportin' that whole "Make Love, Not War" attitude :*)  He's just happy to be hanging out with the crowd and doing his own thing!

I'm almost finished sewing all the feathers down, and next I will assemble the "limb" sashing strips and the tree trunk on the left.  I'm having second thoughts about the brown - it makes the whole quilt look dark I think.  I hate to say it, but I just may have to go shopping!!!!  Eeeek!!!!

I have no idea right now how I will quilt it, but I just can't wait to finish it now that I'm this close!  Everyone doing the Rainbow Scrap Challenge over at SoScrappy this year is trying to finish up our projects for the end of the year, and this will be my second finish if I can pull it off.

And speaking of finishes, did you notice my Partridge in a Pear Tree table-topper in the blog header???

Oh, I really love how this turned out!

It dresses up the fireplace area nicely, and adds a pop of color :)

I think the partridge turned out really nice!  The striped batik worked perfectly for his wing.  I re-designed the black striping around his face from the original pattern design (you can see the original pattern picture here if you are interested).

 And the pears cut "broderie perse"-style also worked perfectly.  I used this fabric....

Ironed light fusible on the back, and then cut out the pears and fused them to the background.  Then I just did a simple straight stitch around all the edges.

I even used some of the leaves from the fabric (the ones with gold in them), as well as the ones I cut from my own green scraps.

Don't you just love that red print for the border???  To me, it looks like bright red Christmas bulbs :)

I'm very happy with it and look forward to many years of enjoying it during the holiday season!

♥♥♥♥♥

And now to take care of a little business .... 

I really want to thank everyone who came over to visit during the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day :)  So many lovely comments!  And I have some new followers too - Yay!!!  Welcome aboard :)

And so, without further ado.....

    ♥  The WINNER of the 100 Blocks Volume 4 issue from my Giveaway Day with Sew Mama Sew is - Cathy who blogs over at A Quilting Chick!!!  You should pop over and visit her blog - she is making Bonnie Hunter's Grand Illusion mystery quilt and I just LOVE her colors and fabrics!!!!


    ♥  and - I realized I have never officially announced the WINNER of the Sew Sweet Simplicity Giveaway (my bad!)  Congratulations to - Kathy E!  Kathy blogs over at Sparkles, Sprinkles and Everyday Crap - cute name huh?!?  She's a fairly new quilter and has challenged herself to make the SSS blocks - and doing a great job of it too!  Kathy has already received her pattern package from Jacquelynne Steves :)

Now don't despair if you didn't win - there will be several more prize packages to come in this fun BOM before it's over!  Be sure to go to Jacquelynne's blog to sign up for the free patterns if you haven't already HERE!

And I know you want to grab a copy of the Christmas Edition of her E-magazine!  I just received mine the other day in my email inbox - wow!!!  Such lovely inspiration!!!!  You don't want to miss out on that either, so while you're there, sign up for the FREE e-magazine too HERE :)

And for those of you who act fast, Jacquelynne is giving away a FREE PATTERN right now on her blog HERE for this oh-so-cute and classic Red and White quilt...

Photo courtesy of Jacquelynne Steves Facebook

Now I'm going to watch some football with My Guy 

and play with my Patchwork of the Crosses blocks for a while.

Today is Slow Sunday Stitching with Kathy's Quilts after all :)

Also linking up with the Tuesday Linky Party at

Wishing everyone a lovely Sunday!!!!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

Hooray It's Giveaway Day!!!!

I have to admit, Giveaway Day almost slipped up on me!

Thanks so much to Sew Mama Sew 

for sponsoring this fun blog hop once again!

I am so happy to join in on the fun!

And you will be too when you see what I'm giving away :)

How about a really nice copy of Volume 4 of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks?  These are SO HARD to find once they are off the shelves!   Volume 4 came out in Winter of 2011, and the only copy I found online was digital.  Somehow, I ended up with two copies of this one (and none of some of the others - that's how it goes sometimes, right?).  This copy is in great condition, very clean, unread, and all patterns are intact :)

If you're not familiar with the 100 Blocks issues, they come out about twice a year, and they contain 100 original blocks by some of the most exciting designers out there today!  This issue has blocks by Bonnie Hunter, Crabapple Hill, Kaffe Fassett, Kim Diehl, Weeks Ringle & Bill Kerr, Jan Krentz, Pam Kitty Morning, Camille Roskelley, Denise Russart - and so many more!

The upper right block in this photo is Bonnie Hunter's block, and look at that adorable Lil' Monkey block by Sonja Callaghan!

Here's a closer pic of some of the others that are shown on the front cover....

I'd love to share my bounty with you, so if you'd like to win, just leave me a comment on this post telling me which quilting magazine is your current favorite.  I have to admit, I love Quiltmaker!  I also usually enjoy McCalls, especially their Christmas issue :)

No hoops to jump through to win!  You don't have to follow, but if you are a follower, thank you!  You may leave a second message letting me know that you follow, and I'll put your name in for a second chance to win!  Now, remember - I MUST have an email address in order to award the winner.  This giveaway is open to both domestic and international readers, and I will keep it open until midnight Friday, December 12, 2014.

BEFORE YOU GO .... you might like to see what I've been working on lately :)  I'd love to have your encouragement and input as I work on these fun projects!

My favorite current project is finishing up my Hootie quilt!

This is a block that I got from Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 7, and it is designed by the very talented Shayla Wolf of Sassafras Lane Designs.  I made one of these blocks each month along with the Rainbow Scrap Challege hosted by SoScrappy.  I eventually decided against the gray Hootie in the bottom right - and went with just a little different look for the 9th Hootie - here's a peek....

Today I spent a good part of the day preparing pieces for my newest project, Patchwork of the Crosses - these are my "slow down and relax as I piece by hand" blocks :)  Here are the blocks I have finished ....

And this one is in process....

During my Thanksgiving travel, I picked up a few pieces that I thought might work for this design.  Here are a few of them ...

.... and I think they are going to work very well ....

Oh yes, I'm excited!!!!

I hope you'll come back after you have visited all the other fun blogs during Giveaway Day.  You just never know what we might get up to here at A Quilt and A Prayer =^..^=

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=

Also linking up with:

Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching

Design Wall Monday

Tuesday Linky Party

Sew Sweet Simplicity BOM (Giveaway Alert!)

I just LOVE the name of Jacquelynne Steve's upcoming BOM....

Sew Sweet Simplicity!!!

...... And I'm just tickled pink to be a featured blogger for this fun event!!!!

                Come along, and let's have some fun making these oh-so-cute blocks!

Jacquelynne is all geared up to start things off by publishing the first block on October 27.... are you signed up to receive your FREE blocks yet?  If not, it's not too late :)  Go HERE NOW to sign up!!!  Please note - even if you currently receive The Art of Home newsletter, you still need to sign up separately for the BOM blocks :)

The BOM will run for 5 months - you will receive 1-2 blocks per month (total of 6 blocks) for 4 months, then you will receive instructions for the borders and finishing on the 5th month.  And don't let the look of these blocks fool you - they may look complicated, but they're simply made up of squares, half-square triangles, and flying geese!!!  They're not named "Simplicity" blocks for nothing :)

And listen up.... We have OPTIONS!!!  Yep, we can make this quilt as simple or as fancy as we like!  Jacquelynne will provide the option of making a 4- or 6-block quilt!  And she is adding some lovely applique details for those of us who think no quilt is complete without an applique or two .... even some really cute embroidery designs for the hand stitchers among us!  (There will also be video tutorials to help any newbies out there!)  Or, you can choose to just make the pieced blocks only ..... the choice is yours!  Isn't it nice to have choices?

Of course, there will be lots of prizes and giveaways!  Starting today!  Jacquelynne is offering this AMAZING PDF Pattern Bundle with a retail value of $40 to one lucky winner on my blog!

All you need to do is leave a comment on this post - and be sure you leave me a valid email address to contact you if you are the winner.  The Giveaway will run until midnight October 23 (Central time).  Because it is a PDF download, it is open to all US and International readers!  Yes, that means YOU!!!!

There are quite a few other featured bloggers who are joining in to share their blocks and give you inspiration as we go along, so be sure to get the schedule on The Art of Home blog so you can see what each blogger is doing.  Jacquelynne is doing the sample blocks in her lovely Cottage Charm fabric line - and I gotta say, it's really hard to beat that!

As you know, I'm a COLOR GIRL and I like to be different (no snickering now - be nice!) - so I've chosen to use my bright solid scraps on a black background - BIG surprise, right?  =^..^=

Leftovers from Amish Beauties ♥♥♥

What I haven't decided for sure yet is whether I will include applique or embroidery - but I'm leaning toward a little of both maybe.  I think they will add a unique element to these sampler blocks - and I really love some of the sneak peeks Jacquelynne has shown of her designs!

Photo courtesy of The Art of Home

Looks like fun, right?

You betcha!!!

So, make sure you are signed up to receive the blocks -

And don't forget to leave a comment for the Giveaway!

Hugs & Blessings!

Teresa

=^..^=