Trying to expand

Sometimes it is hard to do it all!!  Work has been keeping me extremely busy, our school is in the process of getting all new technology and since I am part of the technology team it is taking a big part of each day.  I have also had a really bad cold, I hate having a cold!  At the same time I have been working really hard on my website and trying to get the word out about  my wool business.  I have a second blog that is strictly wool related, which is what I want to get away from on this one and get back to posting about quilting.  My other blog is over at Piginablanketwools.com, I would love for you to go over and check it out.  If you will check it out, leave a comment there and blog about it you will be entered to win a kit from my store of your choosing,  (except for the Snowbound Kit).  Leave a comment and blog about it by Tuesday November 4, election day.  Can't wait to read everyone's comments.  I am really anxious to do some regular quilting.  I have two quilts that I started this summer and would love to finish, in addition to all of the other UFO's in my sewing room.  I am also trying to clear out some items that I know I will no longer use.  I have been through all of my quilting books and cleaned those out.  I used to give them to Goodwill, now I am listing them on Amazon.  I didn't expect to sell any of them, but have been pleasantly surprised at the number I have sold.  I am also cleaning out my fabric, I have more fabric than I will ever use in three life times.  I have started listing some of it on ebay and again have been pleasantly surprised at the amount I have sold.  My new motto is "Simplify".  

Wool Give Away

One of my very first wool projects was a pincushion. Pincushions are really easy to make, they  are quick to make and are useful.  Visit my new website Pig in a Blanket Wools for some of my hand dyed wools and some of my wool kits.  Leave a message  about your favorite wool project for a chance to  win a  Primitive Gatherings Pincushion pattern and a kit featuring my hand dyed wools along with the necessary thread and even a needle!  If you have never worked with wool, let me know why you would like to.  Can't wait to hear from everyone.  You have until next Monday to leave a comment.  Thanks. 

Oops, forgot to announce the winner

I apologize for not announcing the winner of my wool giveaway on Saturday.  All of this snow and bad weather has just messed with my mind.  I enjoyed reading about everyone's favorite kind of handwork.  The winner of the wool and pattern is Michelle T.  Michelle email me your mailing address and I will get it in the  mail to you.  Thanks to everyone who replied.  Watch for more wool news soon.

Happy Fourth of July!!!

Hope everyone is having a fun, safe, and happy July 4th.  To celebrate the day I am having a giveaway, Edyta Sitar's new book Scrappy Firework Quilts.  I was lucky enough to hear her lecture last week at the Gwinnett Quilt Guild and it was amazing.  This book is also amazing.  No big hoops to jump through, just leave a comment and you will be entered in the drawing.  The winner will be announced Sunday night.  Good luck. 

44th Street Giveaway

Check out the give away over at 44th Street Fabrics.  Love Kathy Schmidt stitchery patterns. 

New Year's Fireworks

I know New Year's was actually a couple of days ago, but I've been busy.  I hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year.  I always look forward to the start of a new year, it seems so fresh and exciting, unfortunately it usually doesn't take me too long to get bogged down in mundane everyday tasks.  I am going to try really hard this year to be better about  that.  Back to the post title, Fireworks; ever since I was a little kid one tradition in our family was to have fireworks on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.  I think I got as excited about the fireworks as I did the actual holiday.  Every year a few days before Christmas Eve my dad would go out and buy a huge back of fireworks.  On Christmas Eve, my dad, my brother, and me would get bundled up and go out to "blow up the world" as my mom put it.  (she never took part).  It was so much fun.  We usually managed to sneak in a few fireworks  between the two holidays.  Eventually, my brother got married and moved away.  For a few years he would come home for the holidays and we continued our tradition.  Then after several more years I moved away,  but I always came home for Christmas, and no matter when I arrived home there would be a huge bag of fireworks waiting for me.  At this point it was just me and my dad, my brother stopped coming home for the holidays.  Then came the first year  that there were no fireworks waiting for me, my dad had passed away.  I have to admit Christmas just wasn't the same that year.  My DH knew that it meant a lot to  me so for the last four years he has bought me fireworks.  You should have seen me on New Year's Eve, in our yard in suburban Atlanta with my fireworks.  It is so much fun.  I know it is a silly tradition, but a tradition none the less and I love doing it.  What does this have to do with quilting you ask?  Well it is a very long introduction to a give away.  Edyta Sitar is one of my favorite designers, and she has a great book,  called Scrappy Firework Quilts.  I think it is so great that I actually bought two of them.  I will give one away next Thursday, January 10 to a random person who makes a comment on my blog about one of their family traditions, it doesn't have to be a holiday tradition.  I look forward to reading your comments.  If you make a post on your blog, your name goes in twice.

Complete Quilt Kit Giveaway

This is the pattern, Road to Romance by Silver Thimble Quilt Co.  It is a great pattern that includes the instructions for multiple sizes.

Great batik fabrics, solid greens with a green and beige dogwoood print.  Remember this kit is for the complete kit, including th binding and the backing.  Leave a comment with your favorite blog, become a follower and make a post on your blog for more chances to win.  Winner will be announced on July 25.

Giveaway time!!

Sew Mama Sew is having a great giveaway day.  This is the first time that I have participated in one of her giveaway days.  I had been thinking about doing a giveaway this summer and decided to take advantage of this blog adventure. 

My give away is a copy of The Kitchen Linens Book by Ellyn Anne Geisel.  The book comes with vintage transfer patterns for kitchen towels.  The giveaway is open until May 25.  Leave a comment and the winner will be selected by random number.  Good Luck.  Stop over at Sew Mama Sew and check out the great blog giveaways.

Giveaway for favor

Yesterday I made a post about our fourth grade teachers who were trying to get post cards from as many places as possible to help teach geography to their students.  I have had several responses so far.  Thanks so much.  I decided that since I was asking for a favor I should give something in return. 

I have two books that I am offering.  One is The Civil War Sewing Circle by Kathleen Tracy and the other  is Reproduction Quilts from the Civil War Period.  If you send in a post card your name will go in once.  If you blog about this your name will go in not once, not twice, not three times, but four times.  The drawing will be on Friday, November 11, this will give your postcards plenty of time to get here.  Can't wait to see how  many postcards our students get. 

Favor to Ask of Quilting Friends

As most of you know I work in an elementary school.  This morning one of our fourth grade teachers was talking about a project they are working on and the poor response they have had to it.  Being a nosy media specialist I wanted to know what the project was in the  hopes that I could help out.  The teacher has posted a map of the US and a world map outside her classroom and is trying to get postcards from as many different places as possible to post alongside the maps.  This is a great way to get the students interested in geography.  So far she has very few postcards  and they are  from the eastern United States.  She only has one international postcard so far.  I told her that I was sure some blog readers would  be more than happy to help her out.  If you send in a post card your name will go into a drawing for a give away.  Don't know what yet, since I just came up with this.  Watch for info later on exactly what the give away is. 

Address to send the postcards to:

Casey Dunaj

2400 Ross Road

Snellville, GA 30039

Lets see how many we can get for them!!!

Christmas in July

Christmas is my most favorite holiday.  I buy and make Christmas presents year around.  At this point I have over half of my shopping done for this Christmas.  By doing my shopping early I can actually enjoy the holiday season and not be stressed out by shopping.  I am also in the "less is more" frame of mind.  I bought this fabric last year to  make a Christmas quilt and have decided that I am never going to make it.  There are 6 yards of coordinating Christmas fabric, some of the fabric features cats.  I am not a cat lover so I have no idea why I bought this. This falls into the category of it is on sale so I must buy it.   I am doing a Christmas in July give away with this bundle of fabric.  All you have to do is leave a message telling one thing that you only bought because it was on sale.  The lucky winner will be chosen on July 25.  Good Luck!  me a

Give Away for my Birthday Month

My birthday is later this  month, but I make it a habit to celebrate all month long.  One way I like to celebrate is by doing a give away.  This month I will post several giveaways, the first is a pack of 25 batik fat quarters along with a crazy nine patch pattern.  The fabrics are all in blue,green, mauve, and lavender.  If you are interested in winning, leave a comment telling how you celebrate your birthday.  For an additional entry make a post on your blog, and for a third chance   become a follower.  The winning name will be announced on Sunday.  Then watch for another give away.  Good Luck!!!

Halloween in July

I know that everyone has heard of Christmas in July, how about Halloween in July? I love holidays, all of them. Christmas and Halloween are my two favorites. I have several Christmas quilts and one small Halloween quilt, when I saw this pattern last year while on retreat with Sharon and Shannon. I just had to have it! Lisa and Pat bought it also, and we challenged each other to complete it by this year's retreat. Well as you can see all I have left is to pick on a backing and get it quilted. I think that I won!!! In honor of my completing this quilt I am doing a Halloween give away. I have four yards of an Alexander Henry Halloween print, two books (0ne with just Halloween patterns, the other with all holidays), and four fat quarters that coordinate with the yardage. Just leave me a comment telling me about your favorite holiday memory, (if you become a follower you will get your name put in an extra time. ) . Since this is a Halloween post I will tell you my favorite Halloween memory. When I was a kid, there was no such thing as going to the store and buying a costume, my mom always made mine. My favorite one was a witch costume that she made, complete with hat and cape. The actual costume had a broom appliqued on the front of it. The cape was long and flowing, and the hat was really tall and pointy. I loved that costume. I remember waiting all day to put it on and go out and get candy. Back then my mom would just drop me and my brother off and we would go to several houses then walk back to the car. Boy have times changed. I seem to remember getting more candy that year and I just knew that it was the costume. I insisted that we save it because I wanted to wear it again the next year. We did save it, but by the time the next Halloween had rolled around, I had gotten a lot taller and there was no way that I could wear it. I still like to get dressed up and hand out candy at my house. I usually try to do something special to the front of our house to scare all of the trick or treaters. What is your favorite memory? I am heading out of town again tomorrow and will determine a winner when I come back on Saturday. (Close up of the yardage)

Help me celebrate

I remember when I was little thinking that 50 was as old as a person could possibly be. I have definitely changed my mind considering that I will be 50 in a little more than a week. I want you to help me celebrate. Tell me how you celebrated a milestone birthday and you will be entered in my birthday give away.

There are three books, Happy Hour by Atkinson Designs, Let the Good Times Roll by Anka's Treasures, and Surprisingly Simple Quilts from Australian Patchwork and Quilting Magazine. In addition there is a pack of 12 fat quarters, featuring icicles fabrics. To enter the giveaway leave a comment about one of your special days, to enter twice become a follower. The winner will be determined by RNG on my big day, February 10.

Katie Cupcake give away

Check out the great fat quarter bundle give away over at Katie Cupcake's blog. I love the colors in this and would love to add it to my stash.

Give Away

Check out the great giveaway on my friend Pat's blog. She is celebrating her 150th post.

Christmas in July

I love Christmas, it is my favorite holiday. I make many of the presents that I give, so I usually start on them right after Christmas for the following Christmas. That way I am always thinking Christmas. I also shop year around, whenever someone mentions something that they would like to have I make a note of it, or if it is something basic that I am positive that they won't go out and buy, I buy it then. At this point I have about half of my Christmas shopping done. I even think Christmas when we go on vacation, where ever we go I buy a Christmas ornament to remind me of that place. I love it when shops (either real or online) have Christmas in July Sales, so I decided to have a Christmas in July give away. I found one of my favorite easy patterns, Picture Play and fabric to make it from and put a kit together. This is all from my stash. I actually had put it together to make myself and decided I didn't know when I would do it. It needs a good home. I am also adding a Country Threads Wall hanging pattern and a Quick and Cozy Flannel Quilts book. Just think you could have a Christmas quilt together by Christmas. Leave a comment and you will be entered once, become a follower of my blog - get two entries. The random number generator will determine the winner on Saturday, July 25. Good Luck.