Design Wall Monday - Pre planning

I am making a certain someone a quilt....  right now - I have the fabrics, a few are cut....

The pattern comes from Here:

And..... It needs to be done by Christmas. Or maybe I should say Thanksgiving, that way if I procrastinate - it will still be done?

I don't make Quilts for lots of people for Christmas anymore... here is one reason why:

Recipient - upon opening said quilt " Oh this is SO gorgeous - how long did it take?"
Random person in Room - "I guess 20 hours"
Before Quilter can answer -  - the conversation moves on, and that was that.....

Just an FYI -  UM NOOOOO - 6 months to piece, the actual quilting of it took over 20 hours. But that is now between you and I .....


Not that I am looking for recognition - I have just decided that I will make quilts for me, and mine, and for whom I choose, not everyone I know at Christmas time. Much. Less. Stressful.... and when it is given - it is a gift, not expected... how about you?

For more design walls head to http://www.patchworktimes.com

More Quilts of Valor

I have some gorgeous Finished Quilts of Valor to show you!!! Our Wednesdays have been so full of wonderful block donations, that I am afraid you will run out of time to read.... so these quilts deserve a post of their own!!


This quilt came from Karen in OK and was quilted by Liz T in Colorado. I really like the light and Dark effect!  It's kind of cool ;)

Another one from Karen and quilted by Liz. I think they make a great team!!

 Check out the quilting - the wavy lines are just awesome!!

This top was made by Sherry B - When we did the Scrappy Trips blocks - she had so much fun she ended up with a WHOLE top!! I love the design it created. This one was also quilted by Liz!

The next 5 quilts were made by the Fremont County Quilters in Colorado. I had the privilege of meeting 2 of the quilting group - Cathy and Jewell.. What lovely lovely ladies!!!

 Aren't these quilts just amazing? They were so fun to check out!!

Hope you enjoyed todays quilts!!! Did you have a favorite???

Goofing around

Before the flood - we had to head to town for a Scavenger Hunt. My Middle Son's class was studying Greek Architecture and he was supposed to find a lot of it downtown. I was quite surprised... there was a LOT!!!

But of course - this picture - does not show the architecture...

My son is holding up the statue ( sort of)  

Isn't it surprising when you aren't looking for certain things - you find them?

Quilt of Valor Show - Sponsored by KimmyQuilt.com !!!

Welcome to Wednesday!!! We are glad to have you back!!

This Weeks Quilt of Valor show is Sponsored by Kim over at http://www.kimmyquilt.com/  Kim is a Fantastic Quilter, Teacher, Mentor - and Friend!  Her ultimate goal is to enable you with the tools to create your own masterpieces!!

Blocks came rolling in this week - and I still have a pile to go through - because I have to ohhh and ahh over them - it takes me a minute or two ;-)   ( SO!!! You will have to keep checking back!!)

This week so far:
Sharon E in CO (24)
Judy R in WA (49 RWB and 17 Blue and Yellow)
Raluca R in MD(30)
Steinfurth in VA (12)
Pat W in NH (6)
Jackie M in IN (59 RWB and 30 Blue Yellow)

And now a Word from our Sponsor: http://www.kimmyquilt.com

I continue to be amazed, awed, and inspired by Alycia and her complete dedication to our nation's wounded servicemen and women. To me, it is an honor to be friends with someone like her and when she asked me to be a part of this block drive I couldn't say "Yes!" fast enough.

Making quilts for veterans is a project that is near and dear to my heart. My grandfather was awarded a Bronze Star for his service in the Battle of the Bulge and spent the rest of his life reminding us that freedom is never free but is, instead, paid for by the actions of a brave few. To honor those brave men and women with a quilt which shows my gratitude for their service seems the very least that I can do.

Last year, I was approached by the wonderful folks at Craftsy, who asked me to do a class with them. It was a no-brainer for me to incorporate the Quilts of Valor project into that class and Alycia immediately stepped up to the plate to design a quilt for the class that would be suitable for use as a Quilt of Valor. A large number of students from that class have generously made quilts using this pattern and have donated them to veterans, and I hope that you might consider doing the same. 

The free pattern can be found on Alycia's site at http://alyciaquilts.blogspot.com/p/free-quilt-patterns.html 

Please consider donating your finished quilt to a vet, either locally, through Alycia's site, or through the national QOV site.

If you'd like to learn how to quilt this quilt, you can sign up for the Craftsy class for half price (you're welcome!) by following this link http://www.craftsy.com/class/machine-quilting-with-templates-creating-design-perfection/139?ext=MQWT&utm_source=Instructor-Kimmy%20Brunner&utm_medium=Instructor_kit&utm_campaign=Affiliate

Thank you so much for your support of the brave men and women of our nation's military!

Plus - don't forget to check out Kimmys website and see her videos. I have learned so much from each one!!  AND!!!! By Sending in blocks you have a chance to win her Twirly Whirly Feather and DVD!!!

Now - There is a wonderful Program called http://combatveteranscowboyup.org/  Check it out - I'll wait.

It is a fantastic therapy program that truly helps our veterans. They had a dinner - and at that dinner we got to honor 4 of the Veterans. Not only were they Quilt of Valor recipients, they are clients of CVCU.

IT!! WAS!!! AWESOME!!!  - The pictures, are through a cell phone, sorry. But you get the idea.

 Both Mr Nash and myself talked about Quilts of Valor, and then the best part - we wrapped each veteran!

 Maybe the best part was the smiles and the hugs!  But you all - I swear - these quilts have healing powers!!! These powers are all stitched up in quilty goodness.... they are there!!

After each Veteran was wrapped they paraded through the crowd. It was sweet.

Thank you all for your support in making this happen - and for honoring our Veterans this way -
Head over to http://www.kimmyquilt.com  and give her a thank you too!!

Running!!

My guys have all turned into runners!!! Friday my youngest had a meet in Ft Collins. Remember - we only have one bridge for the whole eastern part of the state to get over to Ft Collins..... so these kids - they are dedicated. ( not just mine - the kids from the 30 schools that came!)

There were pretty much 3 million kids there... yep - I counted each and every one ( okay not really) . There were 600 boys and 400 girls..... the two dark blue kids in this top pic - they are mine.....alright - the Dark blue one on the left is mine - the right belongs to my good friend.... but she might let me have him???

1580 - hes mine - the bunches never stopped. Usually in a race they start to thin out and stop running in clumps - THIS! DID. Not! Happen!!!

My guys - heading towards the finish!!

And that is how we all spent Friday - it took us 2 hours to get there, and almost 3 to get home... shew....

I want a helicopter...

Design wall - and a little catch up

Last you heard from me - we were wet!!! And sadly the destruction only got worse! In our community there was a lot of loss, but a lot of rejoicing too - as we found out what could be saved, and what could be cleaned. One of our friends had flooding under his house - it was so strange to see... another lost theirs.

But on a good note - we have a great community - and lots of us spent the majority of the weekend doing clean up. And salvaging, and realizing how blessed we are.....

And then - I ran home- took a shower - and headed to our Quilt of Valor sew day. I was so tickled that so many showed up - because you all... it is NOT easy to get to town....

We had some new QOV'ers - it was so great to meet them - they joined right in, and didn't think we were crazy!! It was great!!

We put together 6 tops from the BLOCK DRIVE  - and had a grand old time! It was actually quite relaxing after our weekend!!

For more design walls - head to:
http://www/patchworktimes.com

Quilt of Valor Show - Sponsored by Superior Threads!!!

Happy Wednesday!!

I am going to just issue a little tissue alert right here... so I don't forget later!

This weeks Quilt of Valor show is Brought to you by Superior Threads!  I love their threads... I use a ton of their different threads in my Longarm Machine, and love the company!!!

I had a great time getting to the post office this week - it was so fun to see all the packages!!!

Here is what is here from this last week:
Shirley Bruner (25)
Marti Z from Fresno (5)
Maria F in AR (6)
Barbara F in Ypsilanti MI (5)  ....I have been there!!!
Lori M in NV (120)  (wowzers!!)
J Seiler in TX (10)
Rosemary  in CA (20)
Kris S in Wisc (20)
Cyndi D in Houston TX (8)
Dianne K in CO (26)
Holly M in IN (100) (seriously!! LOve it) - Plus she sent 6 backs!! We will be quilting!!!
Nancy S in CO (20)    (Plus her guild sent me a Bunch of Pillowcases!)
Jane M in AppleValley WI (96)  ( she rocks!) - She sent pillowcases too!!!
Linda F in AZ (20)
Sherryl W in CA (20)
Cathy L from saneandcrazy.blogspot.com (40)

And now a word from our sponsor: Superior Threads:

Superior Threads has so many thread options, that truly you will be in heaven!!! Superior has threads for Quilting Machines, Quilting, Embroidery, Applique, Sergers, sewing and peicing. There are many different types and thread weights.  They also have prewound bobbins.

So... from a LongArm Quilting point of view - I have so many options available at Superior. If I want a thread that is going to sink into the quilt, and add texture - then I head over to the SOFine and use Bottom Line in the bobbin.  If I want to do a lot of fun thread work I will pick a heavier thread - Something like a King Tut thread. Which of course, comes in Varigated.

Here's another cool thing - Superior Threads is committed to the education of their customer. They provide a blog, a Superior University ( I highly recommend this!!) And many other ways to learn about thread. This always helps you make the right choice for your project.!

Superior has graciously offered 2 - $25 gift certificates for you to try their threads.... that's two chances!!!

Check out how to be entered here!!  it's the Big Blowout Block Drive - I would love it if you would head over and say thank you to Bob - he is a wonderful guy and a great sponsor!

Got your tissues ready?

Every once in a while we get a request for a Quilt of Valor to be presented to an individual that we haven't reached in our other channels.... and some of these Veterans are just amazing!

I had a request for a gentleman up in the mountains to receive a Quilt of Valor. So I loaded up the family and off we went.  i KNOW that the quilt was important to him - he was very touched... but his humility touched me.

We met at a park, and it was a little drizzly - but that did not stop us!  I had asked his wife in our earlier conversations what kind of colors he liked. So we brought out this Quilt of Valor.

It was part of The New Years Day Sit and Sew challenge. My boys were excited to show it to him.

We talked and listened and as I tucked it around him I got to hug him, and tell him Welcome Home.

 Yep - I made him cry.... and his wife.... and her son.... I am good ( it is the years of parenting practice - when you can get all the kids crying at once - you are successful!)

 He loved it.  And he was so honored to be chosen for a quilt. I was so tickled that we were able to surprise him and Honor his service to our Country. It was a pleasure to meet him and his family.

Thank you all for participating... and be sure to thank our sponsors - they are so wonderful.... So far, we have added up enough blocks to make 23 quilt tops - that is SO awesome!!!!

Vicki Welsh Hand Dyes:     http://www.etsy.com/shop/vickiwelsh?ref=si_shop

Clothworks  :    http://clothworks.com/

Superior Threads:   http://www.superiorthreads.com/

Craftsy:  http://www.craftsy.com/

KimmyQuilt – Kim Brunner: http://www.kimmyquilt.com/

Waterpik :   http://www.waterpik.com/

Quilters Dream Batting : http://quiltersdreambatting.com/

Quiltygirl.com : http://www.quiltygirl.com

Patchwork Times: http://www.patchworktimes.com

It's Wet!!

We have had the strangest week so far, and I have a feeling its gonna get weirder.....

Wednesday I had to pick my child up to go to the orthodontist, and got halfway there and had a flat tire...So they put the donut on and we went home. It was too late to head to town to get it fixed, and I figured I would do it Thursday afternoon.

Well -  Thursday - about 11:30 we got a reverse 911 that the school was closing, that the bridges that take everyone north of town were being threatened by the flood waters. So I picked the kids up in my Farm Truck, and went back home.

We started moving things, just to make sure, But we are pretty up high on a hill - about 4 miles from the South Platte River.

Friday(or it might have been Saturday) morning we woke up to:

 The Platte river has broken through its banks. There were lots of texts flying to see who needed what, and where they were, and who was safe....

Again.. we are up on a hill - so we were fine.   Wrangler Man had been in another town, and trying to get back was a daunting task. He was on the phone, I was on the CDOT website, and we was able to make it...

but... he had been turned around at our main hwy... later we saw why:

Check out this aerial Photo from Laura Reck:

That river - is not supposed to be that wide... and that is our highway 34 - the one we take to get to the big city.....

And then each and every bridge that gets us to a town was washed out......It's sort of an eerie feeling. But I feel for those who have lost everything. My report sounds trite when I see the devastation .

To be even more trite - I go shopping on Sundays... we have missed that last Sunday due to a rodeo - so we were down to the bare minimums of food.... which brings me to Judy - Judy at Patchworktimes talks about being prepared a lot... and I DO READ... and apparently it wore off.....

I had a box of powdered milk in the pantry - not good to drink ( to me) but great for all those pancakes/bread recipes that called for milk. I have canned fruit, I have spaghetti sauce, I have the staples....So other running out of chocolate and tortilla chips - I think we are good for a few days.

Pray for those around us - miracles have already happened.... more would be great.

Ready for Halloween

One of my customers has the Cutest grandchildren!!! And she makes quilts for them for lots of occasions. She is wonderful - AND - she plans ahead... not like some of us who might decided on the 30th of October that her son needs a Halloween quilt ( and who still might NOT have it bound) ... but I digress...

Check out this cute little Pumpkin quilt she made - ALL out of scraps!!

Isn't it just adorable?  I quilted spiderwebs in the string blocks. It was a lot of fun!

Many of you have emailed or texted ( thank you!!!) Yes - Colorado is flooding, but so far we are good. We live about 5 miles from the South Platte River, but seriously - we are up on the highest hill, and after we had a flood in our basement 11 years ago, we landscaped the heck out of this place, so water should ( fingers crossed) stay away from our house.

There are a lot of people that aren't okay though - so definitely be praying for them. We were in Lyons Saturday for a XC meet, and thought what a beautiful place it would be to live, apparently this flood stranded them. It makes my heart hurt for them.

For more FInished Fridays - head to http://confessionsofafabricaddict.blogspot.com/  and http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2013/09/re-runs.html

Quilt of Valor Show Sponsored by CRAFTSY!!!!

Happy Wednesday you all!!! Glad you could stop by!!

This Weeks Quilt of Valor Show is sponsored by http://www.craftsy.com/  I love this site... I do! They have such great classes, and you can take them any time and as many times as you want.... even at 3:30 in the morning when you are up.... just because!!

It has been a little like Christmas around here... we are having such fun opening the blocks. I just picked up a slew of packages.... and didn't quite get them opened... but here is what I have from this last week:

LeighAnn T in VA (20)
Laura R in CA (50)
Paulette H in WI (25)
Melissa in IA (2)
Maliah H in KY (5)
Glodean in KY (8)
Diane B in TX (10)
Rita in MO (5)
Sharon E in CO (15)

And now a word from our Sponsor:

"When Alycia reached out to Craftsy about sponsoring her BigBlowout Block Drive, we knew we had to help! Quilts of Valor is a great organization, and Alycia is doing amazing things in Craftsy’s own backyard. We are happy to donate three Craftsy classes to giveaway to YOU - keep those blocks coming!

If you’re not familiar with Craftsy, we are an online community of crafters, offering on-demand video classes, an indie pattern store, a fabric shop, and more. With over 2 million members from around the world watching over 170,000 hours of streaming classes each month, our online learning experience is like no other. When you enroll in one of our video classes, you have unlimited, on-demand access to your world-class instructor. If you get stuck, simply type in your question - your instructor will get back to you within a couple days, and you can continue working on your project. Taking a class on Craftsy is like having a classroom in your own house!"

Check out the LATEST Quilting Classes on Craftsy Today!  and while you are there - be sure to thank them!!! 

You might also remember that Craftsy helped us promote QOV a little bit earlier in the year with a mystery quilt and then a machine quilting class -   let me show you a Quilt of Valor that was made by Ellen and presented to her son .

Isn't this quilt fabulous? The Soldier isn't so bad either right? He was tickled, and as so many of our veterans are - totally surprised that someone is thinking of them!!!  

Please be sure to check out our other sponsors and thank them all for their support. 

Vicki Welsh Hand Dyes:     http://www.etsy.com/shop/vickiwelsh?ref=si_shop

Clothworks  :    http://clothworks.com/

Superior Threads:   http://www.superiorthreads.com/

Craftsy:  http://www.craftsy.com/

KimmyQuilt – Kim Brunner: http://www.kimmyquilt.com/

Waterpik :   http://www.waterpik.com/

Quilters Dream Batting : http://quiltersdreambatting.com/

Quiltygirl.com : http://www.quiltygirl.com

Patchwork Times: http://www.patchworktimes.com

Not Design Wall Monday

I tell you what ! I need a weekend to recover from my Weekend!!!  Some day I am going to look back and be impressed at all we get done in two days, but today.... I think I will catch up .... sort of!!

Let me show you what I finished Friday - and meant to blog about that day.... okay?

This is the coolest braid quilt! My Client thought that it would use up a ton of scraps... and you know what? She thinks she has enough for another quilt! I told her that's what happens when you leave them out of our site - they multiply!!

Isn't this neat - the dark side and the light side of the braids?  It is a really cool pattern!

It was fun to fill this border with feathers. It gave it such a neat look.

The best part? Delivering the Quilt to you client, getting ready to lay it out on the bed, and realizing the quilt that is ON the bed - is also one you quilted!! Love it!!

You all have a great day!

Photography

I found a Photo A Day Challenge, and thought I would participate. Each day there is a new prompt, and you are supposed to go photograph something that you think of that fits that prompt.

You can find all of them - up to date here; http://alyciaclicks.blogspot.com/p/photo-day.html

I have to show you something funny though.... I love Sports Photography. It is not posed, it is not planned, and it's fun to get the action shots. Sometimes though - even I laugh at what I capture.

The kids in the blue are my school - the one up front is Little Bit, and right behind him in Blue - is his buddy - J.  This is the first year for both of them running Cross Country. I tell you - these kids Crack! Me! Up!!!

Just a quick plug - If you are ready for Family Pictures - especially for Christmas Cards... now is the time to book your appointments. I am in Northern Colorado ;-)  Fall is one of the most beautiful times of the year!

Quilts of Valor Show - sponsored by Clothworks!!

Clothworks  is the sponsor this week for the BIG BLOWOUT BLOCK DRIVE  !!  And when the fabric that they have donated for our giveaways arrived... I drooled... really!!

Check out these yummy Strip Rolls:

Aren't they yummy? And there are THREE (3) rolls - so THREE of you will have a great time sewing with them!!

This week Blocks have been received from:
Flag String Blocks:
Meredith in AZ  (50)
Nancy D in MI (2)
Donna P in FL (20)
Nina J in VA (10)  You can catch up with Nina
Jan D in KS (20)
Dianne A in UT (20)

Yellow/Blue Blocks
Nina J in VA (5)


And now a word from our Sponsor:

"Thanks for having Clothworks(http://www.Clothworks.com) as part of the block drive! We love seeing charity quilts get made and are always astounded and warmed by the generosity of quilters.  The fabrics we are giving away today are little mixer of a few collections that would make a wonderful warm quilt.  Thanks everyone for giving your time to this great project and happy sewing.  To see more about Clothworks, check out our blog, The Works (http://www.Clothworks.com/blog) or head to our website (http://www.Clothworks.com). Best wishes to all of you."

Be sure to go and check them out - if you are so inclined - Thank them for helping us to show our thanks to our Veterans through a quilt!

Check out this Veteran!!  This is VF. He did two tours in Iraq. For a total of 22 months. During my first tour of Duty, I was a machine gunner on convoys. I conducted over 150 convoy missions, providing security for a variety of vehicles. Now VF is totally paying it forward and working with the ParaOlympics - too cool right!

As we are getting the blocks we are trying to get them all designed on the wall, and put into sets, ready to put into a top at our next sew day. I will keep taking pics of them up on the wall..... but I need some more days in the week - okay??? (grin)

Remember to thank our sponsors!!! Check out their sites !

Vicki Welsh Hand Dyes:     http://www.etsy.com/shop/vickiwelsh?ref=si_shop

Clothworks  :    http://clothworks.com/

Superior Threads:   http://www.superiorthreads.com/

Craftsy:  http://www.craftsy.com/

KimmyQuilt – Kim Brunner: http://www.kimmyquilt.com/

Waterpik :   http://www.waterpik.com/

Quilters Dream Batting : http://quiltersdreambatting.com/

Quiltygirl.com : http://www.quiltygirl.com

Patchwork Times: http://www.patchworktimes.com