Friday night sewing with friends, Pick 4 Giveaway, My Giveaway and weekend sewing coming up!

Last night, I went over to the church and sewed and hung out with my friends. I took along my OBW to work on and got alot farther along on sewing all the blocks.  I think I might have twenty blocks left to sew now.  I'll be ready for next weekend by this afternoon, I hope.... It was fun to see all my friends and see what they were working on.  I try to take something with me that's easy to sew or work on because I just can't concentrate and have fun visiting at the same time.  These OBW blocks were just the trick....I'll lay this out on my design wall later for you to have a sneak peek but I won't be putting these together until next weekend when we all get together and play with the layout of the blocks... 

Yesterday was also the last day of the Pick tour but you still have time to enter the giveaways on some of the blogs participating in this book review/drawing.  Go here (Sue's blog) and you will see a list of all the blogs you can still enter...So far, I haven't won any of the drawings but I've still got my fingers crossed.  Believe me, it's been really hard to do things with them crossed too!   Anyway, hurry over to the other blogs and comment or follow them to win this great book.  Good luck to you....

Before you go though,  comment on my blog a few posts back,( here's a  link to get you there quicker)  I'm having a drawing for my followers. Today is the last day to sign up.  I was going to show you what you would win but everyone seems to like a surprise so I'll just keep that to myself until the drawing.  I'll show you what you win before I package it up and mail it off.  Now, go comment on my blog to win some surprises. Be sure and let me know where you live, I'm just interested to see where everybody is from, no big deal...just curious.

I don't have the grandbaby today but my DH is off today. We are going to go do a little shopping then I'll be back to work on several items this afternoon.  I want to finish my OBW blocks, I have some naked snowmen to dress (very sexy, I'll show you those later too!) and I have a very cute stuffed doll to make for two wonderful granddaughters.  Beth over at Love Laugh Quilt posted a tutorial of a rag doll she made that I just can't resist making. She just keeps calling my name.  I saw her yesterday and dreamed about her last night.  Since little Carmen isn't with me today, I'll have time to go to my sewing room and pick some cute fabrics for her a sweet dolly.  I can't make just one as I have two sweet granddaughters.  Alayna is six , so her dolly will need to be a little bit more sophisticated, I'll have to really work on hers.  And, I love dolls too, so I'll be making a third one for me!  Oh well, I'm just a big kid at heart.  I have big plans for today so I have to get busy, have a good day sewing and being with family. Come back and see what I've done later and I'll be drawing tomorrow morning for my winner so stay tuned for that.   Happy Labor Day!

I won The American Patchwork book drawing. Pick 4 and enter my 200+ Drawing!

I'm so excited. Pauline from Meemaw loves to Quilt emailed me and told me I won her drawing!  Woo hoo, what a way to start the day!  I posted about this earlier in the week and am so excited about it.  Thanks, Pauline! 


Don't forget the Pick 4 drawing, this is Day 9. You have today and tomorrow to get in on the drawings...Go check out Trudie over at Happy Daize for today's review. 

And, don't forget, I'm having a drawing for my followers too.  In my previous post on August 30th, (2 posts away) go leave me a comment that you want in on the drawing to celebrate my 200+ Followers and tell me where you are from.  It's that easy.  I'll take entries until Saturday and Sunday, I'll pull a winner.  Come back Friday, and you'll see what you will be winning! Good luck and go comment, please.

Pick 4 Giveaway and my giveaway.

Hello, today is another great day to go and visit another great blog and register for Sue's book giveaway.  Today, Paulette over at Sweet P Quilting is reviewing the book.  Everything I have seen out of the book looks great.  Paulette is showing a cute table topper quilt she made from Sue's book.  Here's a link for you to go look at it and leave her a comment so you will be in on her drawing.  She's giving away one of Sue's autographed books too.   I have had so much fun this week looking at all the blogs telling about this book.  I think every book published should do this...The authors can advertise their books this way and we get sneak peeks at the book to wet our appetites..  I want to win a book but I plan on purchasing one if I don't win.  Go on over and look at Sweet P's blog and comment. She's a hand quilter and does some lovely work.

Before you go, please enter my (right now it's a surprise but won't be for long) drawing. I'm having a giveaway too.  Yesterday, I reachedd my 200th follower and I was thrilled.  I've been at the 190's for awhile now but Kelli signed up to be #200.  She will win a prize as well as some lucky follower too.  So, go to my post from yesterday (08-30-2011) and leave a comment to enter my drawing. I'm closing the drawing on Saturday, Sept  3rd and I'll announce the winner on Sunday afternoon....I'll show you what I'll be giving away by Friday.  So far, everybody seems excited about a surprise but I know they won't mind me showing what they'll be getting too....so, leave me a comment on yesterday's post and be a follower to enter, also, tell me where you're from...that's it.  Have fun.

Book Giveaways!

Hey, I just love blogland!  I have been hopping around looking at all the blogs posting about the new book called Pick 4 by Sue Abry. I love the way Sue tells about where the bloggers are from. I have had so much fun reading her blog entry then hopping over to the blogger reviewing her book for the day.  It's been fun and educational too.  Today's blogger is Lynn over at Sew'n Wild Oaks Quilting Blog.  Here's a quick link to go over and visit her and leave a comment.  She's having fun with a Beatles theme to her review and I loved it.  I'm a big Beatles fan and this was really fun!  Go check her out and leave a comment to be in on her drawing for Sue's new book....

Another giveaway I just found out about is on Meemaw's blog. She's giving away this great book:

Here's a link to her blog. Her drawing happens tomorrow so hurry on over there and enter....(Please tell her I sent you.)  Happy sewing and hopping!

Pick 4 Blog Hop with Bejeweled Quilts

I got up early and couldn't wait...I just had to see what Barb over at Bejeweled Quilts had to say about Sue's new book.  I love Barb. She always has something fun and different on her blog. She made the cutest quilt out of Sue's new book. Go look and see what Barb has to say and leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for the book. Have fun and happy sewing!

Fun times with friends

I went today and sewed with some of my buddies. We met at  a friend's house and sewed together. My buddy, Sharon, has a great big craft room and we got together to cut out a new project.  I didn't take my machine.  We met together to cut out a One Block Wonder quilt.  This is my first on this quilt. I've done a stack and whack and it's very similar.  It was alot of fun to get together and learn the tricks and do the project quicker.  There were four of us that came early to work on this project,  the others came later during the day. They decided to work on other things  besides this project so they brought their sewing machines.  Anyway, my friend Martha, has made four of these (OBW quilts) and she was teaching us to do this.  It went very quickly with her telling us what to do.  I love this...I didn't even have to read the pattern, she just walked us through it....

I had been worried about doing this project as I had not been able to find enough fabric for it. I knew we would be doing this project for about two months and I've looked all over.  I found lots of fabric that I liked but there wasn't enough yardage of any of them. I was looking for a blue fabric.   I didn't find any blue but I did find a beautiful black fabric and I am so thrilled with the way my blocks are turning out.  

I got all of my triangles cut  and I'm  able to start playing with the triangles to see how I wanted them to be sewn together.  Martha called it twist and twirl....anyway, I was sitting and pinning my triangles together to sew at home. I told my buddies I felt like I was having withdrawals from not being able to sew.  Sharon had her machine set up already and said, here, sew on mine....ahhh, relief!  Anyway, I twirled the blocks around and put several together while I was there.  I have about 85 more hexagons to put together.  These are so much fun to do. I love seeing how each one is coming together.  This is what I call mindless sewing,  I'll put a tape on tomorrow and just sew these little jewels together quickly.....We will be getting together again in September to sew the quilt top together.  We have to have all of our blocks ready for this and we will play with the arrangements together.

  Did I tell you that we eat at these gatherings too?  Wow, talk about great food!  These ladies can really cook.  Sharon made pickles for this and she's going to teach me how to make her pickles and "can" them too.  I can't wait!  I've wanted to learn how to do this for awhile and she has said she will show me how. 

Judy shared her recipe for Pimento chesse with me today too.  I love her homemade pimento cheese and now I can make my own...It's so nice to have sweet friends like this.  I love getting together with these sweet women. I didn't take any pics today as I had left my camera at home...

Ok, here's the blocks I worked on today.  I have them pinned together.  These will be sewn together in strips and that's why I have not sewn them together all the way. You leave them in this condition and we'll play with the placement, then we sew the strips all together matching your other hexagon side...I'll show you that later when I do that....

I  was also able to put the final border on another quilt today too.  I had put this top together a few months ago and really wanted a border on it.  The problem was I didn't have enough fabric for a border.  I was short about one strip of fabric (I estimated this- I never measured. )I knew one of my buddies had some of this fabric so I begged her for some.  I asked her for a 6 1/2" strip and I thought that would be enough.  She was generous and gave me two strips. Boy, was I glad she did.  It took both strips and I only had a piece of fabric left that was less than 2" wide.  Woo, there for a while I thought I was going to have to beg some more! I am so much happier with this quilt now.  I liked this quilt but I really wanted a border. I had been thinking about this quilt or maybe I should say fretting about it.  I had gone online trying to find more fabric and it was no where to be found. It had really been bothering me not to have the border on that I wanted. I'm so glad I have friends that have the same taste in fabric.  Thanks, Judy, I really owe you big time!!!  Here's my Crazy 8 quilt with the border on it...Now, I can get it quilted and it will be just like I wanted it.

  Ok, don't forget about the Pick 4 Blog Hop.  Kim over at Magnolia Bay Quilts is the book reviewer today.  Go check out her post about the book and leave her a comment to be entered for the book drawing.  This has been alot of fun to see reviews of a new book coming out.  What a great way to bring out a book.  Click on the link above to go to her blog....Hurry up! Go now and enter and see what Kim is working on!

 I hope everyone is taking care of themselves and the people in the path of Hurricane Irene stay safe, our thoughts and prayers are with you!

til next time, happy sewing!

Pick 4 Blog Hop and the chance to win a great book!

Pick 4 Blog Hop started today....A new book by Sue Abry, aka: Quilt Sue, and is being reviewed by several different bloggers with a chance to win a copy of the new book.  Go meet some of these great bloggers and see what they have to say and what they are working on....

Today is Hazel's turn over at Hazel's Quilts. She's a new quilter. Go on over and say hello, leave a  comment and you'll be entered in her drawing for a chance to win this new book....Every day there will be another review with another chance to win.  It will be interesting to see what other quilters have to say and what they are working on.

To see who is on this blog hop and will be posting about this book, you can visit Quilt Sue's blog and she will guide you to the next blogger....Here's a link....Quilt Sue.