Who's the best?

Do you enjoy watching the Grammy Awards? The Emmy's? How about the Oscar's??? Then you won't want to miss what is coming tomorrow!

Tomorrow will open nominations for the Golden Quilter Awards.

SewCalGal is offering an opportunity for you to nominate someone in the quilting community that has made an impact on you and your quilting.

Categories include -

Best Designer
Best Teacher/Instructor
Best Author
Best Quilt Store (physical)
Best Quilt Store (online)
Best long-arm quilter
Best Quilt Retreat (new category for 2011 Golden Quilter Awards)
Most Innovative new product (physical item)
Most Innovative new product (software item)
Most influential person in the world of quilting to-date, aka “Lifetime Achievement”

SewCalGal has all the information on her blog so you won’t want to miss out on nominating one of your favorites. Nominations will be accepted between March lst and March 18th .

On March 19th, SewCalGal will recognize all nominees and voting for winners of ten (10) categories will be accepted thru March 31st.

And now............. the envelope please!

The winner of the Power of 1 Giveaway is...................

Becky, The Quilting Booklady will receive the fabric prize

and

Jacque in SC will receive the Square in a Square Ruler, Books and tools.

Thank you everyone who entered. It would be so wonderful to give each of you a prize, but YOU have given me the prize by sharing how you are THE POWER OF 1!

Happy Quilting!

Would you follow...........

While driving down the Interstate yesterday, on my way to the local quilt show, I was quickly catching up with this.........


How would you like to be trailing a Coffee tanker? Maybe it was heading to the Quilt show to fill everyone up with caffeine??

Actually no, it went straight when I turned off.

Here is a picture of the Opportunity Quilt that was being offered.

I will share more pictures next week. But for today, don't forget to sign up for my giveaway.

or

Do not sign up on this post but hop over here. I will close the comments tomorrow at 5:00 pm EST and announce the winner on Monday :-)

Have a great quilting weekend!

Bleed No More!

Remember last week when the red fabric revealed to me that it would bleed?? I normally pre-wash my fabric before cutting into it, but this time I was in a hurry and, and......... well you know the story.

I know that Color Catcher is a very good product to use when washing colors that may bleed. Very interestingly I read a blog post on Forty-Two Quilts which addressed this very issue. If you are in doubt, read Jennifer's post Stop the Bleed. Great food for thought. I always enjoy learning new things, especially from those who have tried other products.

There are some wonderful giveaways going on around blog land. Check these out.

Hilachas is celebrating a Birthday giveaway

The Fairy Gardener is giving away 6 half yards of fabric

Creative Chicks is giving away some delicious vintage sheets

Quilty Giveaways is introducing Little Louise Quilts with a pattern giveaway

And don't forget to sign up for my giveaway here.

Happy Quilting!

I am bound

to bind!

Wow have you read some of the comments on my last post? It's so amazing and encouraging to read how all of you share the love with others. Whether it is in small or big ways, you all have the gift of giving.

And I've been working on binding! This first little quilt is just leftover HSTs that I put together. Crispy agreed that it needed the red binding. Thanks Crispy.

And this little quilt is a Lori Smith pattern.

I started this one when my BFF and I went to the Chicago Quilt Festival a few years ago. We met Lori and bought a few patterns from her booth. Then we went over to Judith Rothermel's booth and bought fabric. I'm so glad to finally get the binding sewn down.

And if you are a follower, please pop over to my last post and sign up for my giveaway :-)

Hope your quilting has you all bound up.

Welcome to my cottage

A little over two years ago, blogging came into my life. I had been reading the Pioneer Woman's epic and in doing so, blogging became a reality to me. Reading about other quilters and sharing their wonderfully creative outlet brought me to a place that opened the door for the Happy Cottage Quilter.

Recently someone asked me how I came up with the name Happy Cottage Quilter. My answer was slow in coming, as no one had ever asked me that before. Being told that I should have a cottage to use that name really threw me for a loop. But going back to one of my first blog posts, well, here is what I wrote......


We don't exactly live in a cottage, but in my heart it is. It is the cottage that we bought when we first married. We have raised our three children here. I love the oak floors. We have a large back yard where we have grown vegetables, roses and now a lemon and orange tree. There used to be a tree house in the large old water Oak. I could never go up there because it was so high it made me dizzy. But the memories are rich and full in this little house of mine. Laughter at the dinner table, games at the kitchen table. Children practicing piano and violin. M & M cookies baking in the oven. I used to even brew my own sweet ice tea, a southern tradition. Welcome to my cottage.

Yes we did live in a cottage. I loved decorating with things that brought us pleasure, whether they were from a retail store, tea house, or thrift store. We enjoyed sharing our lives in our little home. Many of you know that we moved last summer when I took you along as we painted, replaced carpets, found furniture and did a little bit of remodeling along with the excitement of moving for the first time in over 30 years.

So in the two years that have passed I have come to know many new friends. You have enriched my life with your encouragement, humor, creativity, faith and love. It amazes me that, even though I have never met you in person, I feel that we are friends.

So in appreciation of all of my followers just by being here and being supportive of my little blog, I would like to do a little giveaway. But this time I am going to ask you to do something for me. We all like to win a prize, whether it's a fat quarter of fabric, or a new cutting system. But don't you sometimes get more pleasure in giving rather then receiving? Please take a few minutes to view this video "The Power of 1". It will only take 5 minutes of your time.




I can't give away a cutting system, but here is the skinny on the giveaway -

* Since this is a follower giveaway, you must be a follower of my blog to enter. If you are not a follower, I would love to have you sign up!

* Leave one comment on this post and share with me how you have given to help someone by being the Power of 1. Have you made charity quilts, or volunteered in a soup kitchen, or even if you donated to an organization that helps others. (There is no right or wrong answer, and it is not required to be entered in the giveaway, but you must be a follower) One comment per person please.
Make sure you leave an email address if your email is not linked to your profile.

* I will ship anywhere, so everyone is welcome to enter.

* The giveaway will close on Sunday, February 27, 2011.

* I will notify the winner via email. Again, please make sure I have a way to contact you.

If I am unable to reach the winner by Thursday, March 3rd, I will choose another winner.

Oh and what am I giving away?

You will have your choice of 6 fat quarters and 2 yards of coordinating fabric

or The Square in a Square Technique Ruler, Instruction book, "Special Delivery" pattern book, and some always useful tools. Let me know your preference in your comment.

Thank you so much for following the Happy Cottage Quilter. I appreciate each and every one of you!

Happy Quilting!

Done!

Literally with only minutes to spare before we needed to leave the house, I machine stitched the binding down.

And it was done!

This was definitely too much of a time cruncher for me.

When you are using a pattern that you have used for years with NO problems, you just don't take into account the what ifs! And this time my what ifs turned into roadblocks.

But I was so glad to get this table runner finished and into the hands of the recipient.

Happy Quilting!

Tick Toc

Tick, toc, tick, toc........... the clock keeps ticking.

I've been working on a table runner that was to be a gift tonight.

All started out well. Some novelty type fabric..........

Making the cuts..............

Sewing them together..........


As I was sewing the pieces together, I started noticing a lot of red fraying on the edges. A horrible thought came to mind......... you see, I almost always pre-wash my fabric before I start on a new project. But this time, I was in a hurry and, and, and.......

I cut a little piece of the RED fabric, placed it in a cup of water, and to my horror!!!! the water almost immediately turned a pinkish red!! Oh no! I KNOW BETTER THEN THIS...............

I plunged whatever RED fabric I had left into water and soaked and swished several times over. Then back to the cutting board to cut out new RED pieces.

I've made it to this point last night............

and the pieces are laid out .....................

Will I beat the clock??

Oh man, we will see.................

Tick, toc, tick toc..............

Did you know?

• Flowers and other blossoming plants have nectarines that produce sugary nectar. Worker bees suck up the nectar and water and store it in a special honey stomach. When the stomach is full the bee returns to the hive and puts the nectar in an empty honeycomb. Natural chemicals from the bee's head glands and the evaporation of the water change the nectar into honey.
• Popcorn pops because water is stored in a small circle of soft start in each kernel. As the kernel is heated, the water heats, the droplets of moister turns to steam and the steam builds up pressure until the kernel finally explodes to many times its original volume.
• In 1970, consumption of broccoli was only a half a pound per person. Today, the average person in the United States eats four and one half pounds a year.
• The most popular sweet pepper in the United States is the bell pepper.
• Peanuts are not actually nuts. Peanuts, like soybeans, are members of the legume family.
• Heart valves from hogs are used to replace damaged or diseased human heart valves.
• The eggshell may have as many as 17,000 tiny pores over its surface. Through them, the egg can absorb flavors and orders. Storing them in their cartons helps keep them fresh.
• The bright orange color of carrots tells you they're an excellent source of Vitamin A, which is important for good eyesight, especially at night. Vitamin A helps your body fight infection, and keeps your skin and hair healthy.
• In the United States, lettuce is the second most popular fresh vegetable.
• There are about 7,000 cherries on an average tart cherry tree. It takes about 250 cherries to make a cherry pie, so each tree could produce enough cherries for 28 pies!
• The first ice cream cone was made, served, and eaten in New York City on September 22, 1886. The maker, Italo Marchiony, was granted a patent on his cone mold in 1903.
• Americans eat about 125 pounds of potatoes a year, about half from fresh potatoes and half in processed foods.

There are just some things in life that we need to know :-)

Have a great day!

Not quilt related

This is where we were yesterday.

We took my BFF 10 year old grandson to the beach.

It was a little cold, but the day was delightful.

I hope the sun is shining where you are. Have a wonderful week.

Happy Valentine's Day

Love is missing someone whenever you're apart, but somehow feeling warm inside because you're close in heart.

(Kay Knudsen)

Happy Valentine's Day

A little bit of Inspiration

One place I love to visit is Rainbow's End.

When you walk in, this is what you see......

..... walls and walls of fabric

and patterns...........

and quilts..............

and more fabric.........

patterns and books.........

and QUILTS...................


It's hard to drink it all in.

Happy Quilting!

"Beck" the ultimate UFO

About 11 years ago, I made a baby quilt for my BFF first grandchild. It was a simple 4 patch pattern that I had found in a magazine. It was fun to make, and was enjoyed by the family when it was received.

Fast forward to 2011. This family has since moved to the Ukraine as missionaries. And they now have 5 adorable children. And the little quilt I made for their first born was passed down to the babies that followed. It has been well loved, holes and all.

This family is currently in the states to renew their passports. When they left the Ukraine, Mama left the quilt, now affectionately called "Beck" back at home. However when they arrived in the states........... well, this was the email sent to me from Mama Oksana..........

"By the way, you already know that Damara loves the blanket that you made for David years ago. When we were leaving Ukraine, I left it at home because even though she likes it, she is not completely attached to it. How surprised I was to find out that Dalina, our six-year-old, packed that little blanket in HER little personal carry-on for her little sister! So, the "Beck" (as the blanket is affectionately known in our house) has traveled back to America once again!"

During our move last summer, and while I was working on organizing my fabric closet, I came across it's twin, Beck #2. My daughter had made the same quilt top after I made the original. The top was complete but never quilted, so having heard how ragged "Beck" has become, I sandwiched the top and quilted it. I've sent it on to them, so it might become another well loved cozy quilt for little children to snuggle with.

And here it is - "Beck" #2

Doesn't it make you happy to know that a quilt you made and gifted was so well loved??

Happy Quilting!

Got Scraps??

Almost two years ago, I did a tutorial on a little craft I do with my scraps. Little scraps, big scraps, any kind of scraps. With Valentine's Day approaching, I thought I would make some Valentine's cards using my pink scraps.

I take whatever scraps, small or large, that I have and pile them on my sewing machine table.

From there I start sewing pieces together.

I keep adding more pieces until I have a nice size piece to work with.

I find a heart that is just the right size (or you can make your own)

Draw and cut several on Heat and Bond UltraHold.

And we are ready to iron them on the wrong side of your scrappy pieces of fabric.

I like to use the pre-cut cards that you can find at the craft store.

They come with the right size envelopes but you can also use card stock and make your own.

After I iron the heart onto the card I have the option of sewing around the edges

OR you can just draw little lines to accent the heart shape.

Now isn't that a fun quick way to make some scrappy Valentine's Cards using those little pieces of left over fabric??

I made all of these this morning, so it really does not take a whole lot of time.

If you would like to see my other tutorial, check on my side bar or you can find them here and here.

Have a Happy Quilting day!

Thank you

Patsy Thompson.............

My TV set up for watching DVD's is working great!

Making some progress on UFO's.

And this pretty little lady wanted her picture taken when we visited friends last evening.

Could not get her to say cheese ;-)

Hope your day is going well. Are you doing any quilting today??