Quilts For A VERY Worthy Cause!!

Have you read the post about the 

Ronald McDonald House Fundraiser??

NO?? -- hmmm -- Well hop on over HERE and read about this awesome fundraiser!

These are 21 of the 25 quilts that are up for grabs if you help with the fundraiser by sending Lindsay an email to crayolaquilts@gmail.com for tickets!!  They are 2.00 each or 3 for 5.00!

These quilts were made by members of the HGTV Quilting and Needlework Forum and bloggers.  You will see nicknames on the bottom of the photos... that is the quilt makers forum user name.

 

And don't forget about the 3 baskets FULL of quilting goodies!!!  Actually 2 of the baskets are machine totes!!!

SEW!! What are you waiting for! Email Lindsay and help her reach her goal of 5,000.00!!

crayolaquilts@gmail.com 

All proceeds go to benefit the Ronald McDonald House of the Ozarks in Springfield, MO!!

Pincushion Parade!

Who doesn't love a fun and whimsy pincushion!!

Beth of Love Laugh Quilt is hosting a pincushion parade and I am joining in!

Scoot on over to your sewing rooms, quilting studios, sewing corners...where ever your pincushions may be and photograph them and join the party too!

These live in my crazy quilting room among all of my many beads, books and laces!  They all have either been gifted to me by friends or gathered via pincushion swaps with my online friends. My friend Trish from Australia sent me the cat and Elizabeth from Massachusetts gifted me the needlebook and thumbnail pincushion. The other 2 came from an online swap.

These 2 pincushions live in the longarm studio. They both were gathered via an online swap.

These 2 live in the sewing room and are not allowed to leave!  One can get in a lot of trouble by removing my pincushions from their respected places of abode. :)

And lastly, this pincushion sits and waits for Allie's next summertime visit!  It is on her work station being very patient! If you missed her visit this past July, hop on over HERE and read about her first quilt! She did a fantastic job!!

My Work Has Been Published!

I hope it is ok to sound my own horn but I just had to give a shout out about the Winter Issue of Pat Winter's Crazy Quilt Gatherings Magazine!  I had submitted some of my work to be featured but had not heard whether or not it made the cut.  I was afraid I had sent too much but when I saw the magazine was out and clicked through the preview pages, I had a 2 page spread!  I was overjoyed!!  I could not believe it!

If you are a crazy quilting nut then you have to go over to Pat Winter's blog and see what she has been up to!  Her work is fabulous and really inspires me and a lot of other stitchers!  Check out what the craze is all about  concerning her BoHo Bags!

Head on over to MagCloud and get your copy!  There are tons of fantastic articles inside along with how-to's and lots more eye candy!

Thanks Pat for making me a part of your newest edition!!

I also wanted to let everyone know that I am adding new stock to my website over the next few days.  I worked on the site a good while yesterday and will work on it again today.  I think I am going to move my site in the next few weeks but will let you know when I do because it will be down while the transfer of domain goes through.  If I do move I will be listed under Quiltshops.com!!

Cover Your Little Piggies Quilting Studio

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LOOK who else made the winter issue of Pat Winter's Crazy Quilt Gatherings!!

My good friend Nicki Seavey made the back cover with her beautiful hand dyed laces!!  I have used several of her laces on the pieces I have created over the past 3+ years and continue to use them!   She doesn't dip her laces in the dye...she actually sits with a paint brush and paints the laces as any artist would. That is why her laces are always a step above other laces!

Head on over to her Etsy site, Raviolee Dreams, and see what she has in the shop!  But hurry, her laces do not last long once she stocks the shop! 

Quilting Retreats, Birthdays, and Thanksgiving! All Rolled Into One LONG Trip!

I bet my followers have been wondering where I have been!

I have been in Alabama for a week and a half!!

First off I stopped at a quilting retreat!  24 ladies from the HGTV Quilting and Needlework Forum met at the Magnolia Park Retreat Center in Odenville, AL for 4 days of sewing and fun!!  We have a larger retreat for the HGTV Forum once a year but we have started having mini retreats spinning off from the large one and they are just as much fun!  The larger retreat is a more structured retreat with these mini retreats being more relaxed, allowing everyone to sew at their leisure and get to know one another on a much more personal level.

Here are a few highlights from the mini retreat...

We had a jelly roll race!  This was a lot of fun but I hope we have some music next year!  I wound up winning the race and was given a great prize!  I have been threatening to buy one of these bags when I attend a quilt show but just had not.  Now I don't have to! Thank you Linda!

My winning quilt!

Not all.... but a few more Jelly Roll finishes!

This You Tube Link will take you to a short video clip when we started... The camera went dead so we didn't get much! arrgg! - Jelly Roll Race!

I have a fabulous friend who goes by Bluesnail on the HGTV Forum.  Lois was the shortest one at the retreat and took a little jesting from a couple of retreaters... all in fun... and Lois was most hospitable when we needed her to turn the celing fan down a notch or two... Only trouble was, she couldn't reach the pull string... So what was she to do???  but to call on her friends to give her a little boost!

We also have a fantastic friend who loves to have fun who goes by EBGQ on the HGTV Forum! Marlene  and her friends from Maryland put on a fashion show for us! Get ready for some laughter because they put on a fun show!

The last outfit that EBGQ sachets out in is the outfit she was wearing at the Large Houston Retreat in 2008 when she won the Jammie Queen contest!!

EBGQ and Company - Fashion Show

We had a lot of fun sewing and visiting and just getting to know each other!  Lots of fun had by all and a staff at the Magnolia Park Retreat Center who took really good care of us all!!

OH! Before I forget!!  This was our mascot!!  Isn't he cute!! NICUNurse (Pam) brought him so we could all sign our john henry's on him! I WANT ONE!!

The retreat lasted until Sunday at lunch but I cut my stay short by one day so I could be at my youngest daughter's 30th birthday celebration on Saturday night!  Her birthday was November 6 and she chose to wait until we came home to have her party!  That made me cry!  Not many people would have their birthday celebration 2 1/2 weeks late!

This is my baby girl with 3 of her closest friends!

I had this cake made for her! She loved it and it tasted soooo good!!

She had given me her t-shirts from high school sports some time ago and I took the time to make her a quilt out of them for her present!  She cried and loved it!!

This was the first year in 9 years that I had been in Alabama ON my birthday!  My girls and their families took me and my hubby  to the Texas Roadhouse Steakhouse for my birthday! It was so good having them all around me for that special day and ON my birthday to boot!

This was the first year in 6 years that I have been home on Thanksgiving so it was a very blessed holiday! Me and my hubby took the girls and their families for Thanksgiving breakfast at the Cracker Barrel!  For lunch we went with my baby girl over to her hubby's parents home and shared a fabulous meal with them!  For dinner we found Pizza Hut open so we stopped in for something a little different than turkey.  One can only eat so much turkey. :)

And then we get back home and what do I find waiting for me in the living room floor!!  A HUGE box full of birthday presents just for me!!  The 21st was my birthday and I am participating in a secret birthday sister swap on the HGTV Forum!  Jackie had my name (unbeknown to me) UNTIL NOW!!  The box was chocked full of things she knew I loved!

M&M's and Andes Mints!

Fill In Puzzle Book

Crazy Quilting Stash goodies!!

PIGS!!!

Puzzle

Rotary Blades

Rope Bowl that she made for me (rope to make my own someday too)

Embrodiered piece of my business logo framed in a pig frame!

A blue boy pendant to use with my Pinkie button for Crazy Quilting!

I was SO overwhelmed with her generosity!!  She really knows how to throw a birthday party inside a box!!!

My friend Carolyn drew this image for my website banner a few years ago and Jackie embroidered and framed it!

I bought the Pinkie button off of Ebay over a year ago and had been in search of the Blue Boy to go along with her!  Now I do not have to search any longer thanks to Jackie!!  I will turn them both in to Cabachons so I can sew them to the crazy quilt block when I create it.

WOW! What a trip!!  We have not been gone that long in a good while!  But by staying longer it helped me not be so tired once we got home.  These in and out trips to Alabama where we go in on a Thursday and leave on Sunday are just too quick a turn around to drive back a 12 hour drive!  I think we will be staying these longer visits from now on!

As much fun as I had, I am also glad to be back home!  Now it is time to get the machines humming and get some things finished before we hit the road again for the Christmas holiday!!

Linking up!

MMM Craft
Just Something I Whipped Up
Motivate Me Mondays