Happy Birthday Giveaway

Hi All! I'm so excited!  Today my blog is 1 yr old! I can't believe it's already been a year! (I also can't believe I'm mother to an almost 27yr old, but that's another post for another day.)  Anyway, what better way to celebrate a birthday than w/gifts, right?! 

So...I put together this little somethin' somethin' to give away.

The gift pack includes 80 charms(not all are pictured) from the Symphony of Blues Collection from Connecting Threads, a Sew Curvy Quilt Pattern from Michelle Hollis' Red Bucket List, and 2 spools of (my fave) Connecting Threads Essential Thread.

One lucky winner will be randomly drawn on Friday, September 5, 2014 at 9p AZ-MST and announced on Saturday, September 6, 2014.

Alls you have to do be entered into the drawing is answer one (or more, if you are so inclined) of the questions below.

What does linking up mean and how does one do it?

What is a blog hop?

What is the notion or gadget you absolutely cannot live w/out?

Is there quilt pattern you have made 2 or more times? If yes, which one?

Is there a pattern you will you never try again?

Have you taught anyone how to quilt?

Do you recommend washing quilts before gifting/selling?

What sewing machine do you currently use?

What is the term for a quilt w/o binding...when you layer top and backing, right sides together on top of batting, sew around the edges leaving an opening and then turn it right sides out?

What is the best way to square up a quilt? Do you do it before or after quilting?

Obviously I'm working at establishing my blog. I appreciate your input. Thanks for your time and participation!  Giveaway is now closed. 901p 9/5/14

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A Thread for Life
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
1John 4:10-11

A Fast Break and An Upcoming Giveaway

I officially broke my fabric fast Thursday night. What had happened was, I lost my seam ripper on Wednesday night. I couldn't find it anywhere and had given my backup  to my sis a few weeks ago.  I decided it was a good time to finally visit the new local quilt shop, Sew Much for Quilting, that opened up near me in the Goodyear AZ.  I'd previously met Trish the owner, who is also a member  of QA, but I'd never been to the shop.  Well...I couldn't very well  walk into this HUGE shop, with rows and rows of fabrics and other goodies and ONLY buy a seam ripper!!!  

So...I bought a few yards of fabric, which I know most of y'all will find boring.  I didn't have a lot of time to spend in the store and since I don't really need fabric, I chose a couple of solids and one w/print for a friend, 2 seam rippers, and some clips that should work for binding (though I'm not sure they were designed for that).   If you are local or visiting the West Valley of Phoenix/Goodyear area and have time to browse an extensive selection of quality fabric and other goods, stop on by Sew Much for Quilting.  They also have a spacious classroom and offer several quilting classes for all levels of quilters. It is  definitely a 1-stop quilt shop!

I can't remember where/when I first saw this Tessellation Pattern by Alison glass, but it was love at first sight! I absolutely had to have the pattern and ordered it immediately. When I got it and opened it, the excitement faded a little. It's a paper piecing pattern and I've never done paper piecing. It can't be too hard, right? I found this post encouraging and will follow the sew along when I am ready.  I shall make mine scrappy. 

At this month's QA meeting a new friend gave me all these wonderful magazines. I just LOVE free stuff!  I've added at least 10 more quilts to my To Make list. I'm a maniac maniac oh yeah! 

Outlander Update
Outlander is everything I thought it would be and more! I don't have cable, but a dear friend subscribed to Starz so  we could watch It.  I'm very grateful and looking forward to watching episodes 2 and 3 this evening. 

My Quilty Updates

As you will see, I have a few tops done and really need to start quilting. 

Red Chevy Crush is pin basted and ready for quilting. I really like how this turned out. I used a strip/bricks technique seen here. 

Diamonds and Purples quilt top is complete.I won this kit at a QA raffle and a handful of the diamonds were already constructed.  Since I didn't use setting triangles, I'm thinking about just trimming off the sides and leaving the top and bottom points and making it a quilt w/o binding or a flip or whatever you call it. What do you call it?

The Summer Star Mini top is finished.  It's a QITR pattern. 

In other Quilty News

I am the lucky winner of triangles and squares giveaway! Yay me!! Thank you Christine. 

I was planning on visiting my new friend and fellow quilter/blogger Greta of Material Detachment in Iowa this month until I saw the Dream Studio Giveaway.  I read that the AQS Quilt Week is in Des Moines in October, so I'm making plans to visit then.  I'm looking forward to hanging out w/Greta and going to a quilt show in another state! It'll be a grand time!

And lastly, it's almost GIVEAWAY time! I'll be having a giveaway for my blog's 1st birthday on Aug 29th. I am also working on a scrap buster tutorial.

Stay Tuned and Happy Quilting!

A Thread for Life

Get into the habit of dealing with God about everything. Unless you learn to open the door of your life completely and let God in from your first waking moment of each new day, you will be working on the wrong level throughout the day. But if you will swing the door of your life fully open and “pray to your Father who is in the secret place,” every public thing in your life will be marked with the lasting imprint of the presence of God. - Oswald Chambers My Utmost for His Highest

And They Call it Puppy Love

Ivy Queen Mackenzie Lewis

Life w/Ivy is going well. It's kind of like having a new born but easier. You can't just leave a newborn in the crate or backyard unattended when necessary like you can do w/a pup.   I am crate training and feel it's been successful. There have only been a few accidents in the crate (pee) which isn't bad for an almost 10 wk old pup. Of course there have also been accidents in the house but she is learning. 

I'm grateful to be able to bring her to work w/me everyday. Everyone likes having her around. She is crated at work too but I let her have some free time on and off the leash.

Look at that belly!

Ivy and Inka still aren't BFFs but they will be.  Inka really needs to relax. Ivy just wants to taste her tail.  =)

I just realized I slept a full 5 hrs last night (the longest interval w/o Ivy interruption since I got her 2 weeks ago).  I'd like more sleep BUT I like sewing/quilting more and I stay up super late on Friday/Saturday nights to get quality sew time in.

Ivy is growing faster that I thought she would but she is a delightful companion!

A Thread for Life
"Never run away with the idea that it does not matter much what we believe or think; it does. What we think and believe, we are; not what we say we think and believe, but what we really do think and believe, we are; there is no divorce at all. To believe, in the sense our Lord used the word, is never an intellectual act but a moral act." --Oswald Chambers, in The Moral Foundations of Life from The Quotable Oswald Chambers.

I Was A "No Reply" Blogger!

Unbeknownst to me, I was a  “no reply” blogger! 

What is a “no reply” blogger you ask? Well, it means that in my blogger user profile (probably when I connected it w/Google+ (herein referred to as G+))  the little box that says “show my email address” came un-checked, so whenever I left a comment or question on a blog, the blogger couldn't respond to me. For the last year, (yes an entire year!),  when I didn't get responses from bloggers I just thought  maybe I asked a dumb question or they didn't really like my comments (which were always nice) or they were too busy to reply. But that wasn't the case at all! It all had to do w/how my profile was set up!  I read several posts on how to fix the "no reply" blogger issue, here, here and here but before I could do the 1st step in any of them, I had to disconnect my blog from G+. Though I'm sad that I've missed correspondence w/some bloggers, I'm glad the issue is fixed and I'm happy to say that I'm no longer a “no reply” blogger!  

 The issue was kindly brought to my attention by my new blogging/quilting friend at triangles and squares.  Thank you Christine!  Before I found out about  the “no reply” issue, my blog was connected w/ G+.  I've since learned that when a blog is connected w/G+, only peeps w/G+ profiles can comment on posts. I want ALL my readers to be able to comment on my blog so I've decided not to re-connect w/G+.  The only downside is now I can't display my G+ followers on my blog page.   

BUT wait a minute!!!   After much searching, I finally found this post  and was able to get Google Friend Connect to work  on my blog!!! 

So here is a final request  to ALL the peeps in my G+ circles:

  PLEASE take a few seconds and visit  my blog and under the About Me Section, click on Join this Site with Google Friend Connect, Connect w/Google, Follow Publicly.

Thank you in advance for the support in helping me develop my blog. 

God Bless.

A Thread for Life
God be merciful to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us,
That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations
Ps 6:1-2 NKJV


I'm linking up on Let's Bee Social.

More Finishes and a New Addition to the Family

I finished the college bound, scrappy strip twist quilt for my niece. I'm extremely pleased w/how it turned out!  She is going to love it!

I practiced FMQ -  meandering in the pink borders. It's not the prettiest job, but the important things are:  I'm practicing, thus getting better AND I used a light colored thread so you can't see how not-so-curvy it really is. ;)






I've been experimenting more w/taking pics of my quilts. This one was too long to hang where I usually do to get a full frontal. I realize pics don't have to be full frontal but whenever I just "lay" the quilt over the end of the sofa or a wall, it looks stupid.  Anyone have any pointers?

I also finished this little charity quilt. At the last QA meeting, someone brought in a bunch of individual 10" squares already quilted.  I grabbed a handful and this is what they became.






I came across this handy dandy post by +bellezza squillace on how to fold and store quilts. I've tried this several times. Mine still aren't as neat looking as the originators pic seen here, but they will no longer have hard creases down and across the middle! =)

Remember the puppy I wrote about in this post? I named her Ivy. I brought her home last night. I got her from my dear friend +Pam Hammond. If anyone is interested in a Blue Heeler aka Australian Cattle Dog, she has 4 pups for sale; 2 females, 2 males.  I'm hoping Ivy and Inka (our cat), will be fast friends soon.

3 wks

Look how much Ivy has changed in 5 weeks. They are born white and quickly develop their colors/spots like Dalmatians (because they were cross bred with Dalmatians way back when). She has beautiful markings w/ a single mask and was the only pup in the litter w/brown ears.

7 1/2 wks

I'm still hanging w/Bikram Yoga. I just completed my 4th week. Only 8 more to go. I have to adjust my schedule to 2 classes a week starting Monday because I drop my grandson off at school. I may have to adjust it even more to accommodate Ivy. I'll keep you posted.

Oh, I almost forgot, my blog's 1st birthday is this month and I want to do a give away. Any tips/pointers you can give for a successful giveaway will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for stopping by. Until next time, Happy Quilting!

A Thread for Life
But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called "Today," so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Heb 3:13 NASB