Blessed by Friendship

I have been so blessed by the friendships that I have made on-line with other quilters. We came together from one common interest, that being quilting, and in turn have made endearing friendships that cross the borders of many states, countries, nationalities, politics and religion. 

I received this gorgeous bag from Mish in NJ. It's a beauty and I'm sorry that the photography does not due it justice. Mish just started on her Dear Jane journey so I sent her some civil war fabrics to add to her selection. She thought she was the one receiving the gift... she was wrong! I am the recipient of her friendship and thoughtfulness as evident by this amazing gift. She is the one who took her time to make something special for me, all I did was to put some fabric in a box and send it! I will always remember this bag as a gift of friendship above all else!

Thank you again Mish!

Hugs,

Elaine

Stimulus A Go GO!

Here you go Elly... my "Stimulus" package ready to go! It will be mailed today...

Thank you again to all of you who participated, it has been really fun to do this give-a-way! I'm throughly enjoying meeting all of the new people that have made the journey to my blog ... your blogs are wonderful!

Thanks again for visiting!

Life is Good....

And The Winner Is.....!

Grand Prize Winner of the "Quilter's Stimulus Package" Give-A-Way is Elly D. from Scotland!

Congratulations Elly... I hope my stimulus package will inspire you and provide the raw materials needed to create a masterpiece!

Well done Elly!

And a HUGE thank you to all who participated and left wonderful comments on my 45th Entry "Quilter's Stimulus Package" Give-A-Way.

Hugs,

Elaine

PS: For accounting purposes, 2 people posted twice and 1 person left a comment without identification resulting in a total of 55 participants included in the Random Listing Draw.

Moda Bake Shop Give-A-Way~!

Cutest Give-A-Way ever...please check this out over on the Moda Bake Shop web site! Too cute!

Thanks!

Elaine in SLO, Ca

A Slice of Heaven

My DH and I went on a lunch date today to Shell Beach. This is the view from where we sat... another gorgeous California day! We are so fortunate to live here, we enjoy not only great weather but beautiful scenery practically right out our front door.  If you click on the picture and enlarge it you can see the surfers.

My DH enjoying the view and some sun. We had a wonderful lunch outside on the balcony of the Spyglass Inn Restaurant. The food was delicious... Jim had a hot crab sandwich and I had a grilled chicken avocado club sandwich. 
Brown pelicans soaring above the ocean.  To be with my best friend, having great food and fabulous scenery.... what more can you ask for? Life is Good!

PS: Just 2 more days left to enter my "Quilter's Stimulus Package" Give-A-Way" See July 20th post for details!

"Which Way Is Up" ... Almost There!

Block #16 for my "Which Way Is Up" quilt. I only have 4 more blocks to complete and then I can start setting the quilt.  To enlarge picture, just click on my block.

I'm getting anxious to get to the setting part so I can actually "see" my blocks as a whole quilt! 

I started this project on a United Airlines flight in April 2008. We were on our way to Washington D.C (Cherry Blossom Festival). , Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (Amish Quilts) and then Harrisonburg, Virginia  (National Quilt Museum). These were our destinations... well "my" main destinations... DH had in mind Civil War battlefields.

We had a fabulous time and saw everything that "we" both had planned to see. We even had to buy a couple extra pieces of luggage to bring home what "we" had both purchased! It was a perfect trip!

PS: Please see posting on July 20th regarding my "Quilter's Stimulus Package" Give-A-Way! Winner will be announced on Monday, July 27th.

45th Entry Give-A-Way

 I thought it would be a great time for a 45th Entry Give-A-Way... my own stimulus package for quilters!

So, thank you to all who visit here, sharing my adventures and quilting journey! 

This one's for YOU!

Life is Good,

Elaine 

To enter, please leave a comment and post my link on your blog. The winner will be announced  on Monday, July 27th.

SLO Pincushion

Jo Morton Secret Sister Pincushion Exchange. Here are the two pincushions that I made for my secret sister. We were to use "Jo" fabrics and my secret sister's preference was black, gold, red and cream. I had never made a pincushion before so had my doubts whether I should do the exchange. I did have a lot of fun doing them which just proves that sometimes "stepping out of your comfort zone" is okay!

And here are the "goodies" that I included in her package. The thread is from Jo Morton's line for Presencia called "Earth". Thread Heaven, Bohn needles and a Clover threader will help my secret sister with her hand-piecing projects. I have also included a 1/4 inch graph ruler and a 1/4 inch bias tape maker.

I am looking forward to having my secret sister receive her package and hope that she enjoys all that I sent.

PS: Please excuse the poor photography, it's a "user issue" , not a faulty camera!

Tribute To My Mom...

My Mom passed away in March 2006. As a tribute to her, my brother-in-law David built this church birdhouse in her memory. Every Spring, since her passing, my DH has planted flowers around the base of the church. As you can see, they grow beautifully here... in keeping with the beauty of my mom's soul. Every day I think of her and am reminded of how wonderful she was, both as my mom and as a person. I miss her so much... her memory lives on in my heart and mind.

"Which Way Is Up" ... An Update!

Another block completed for my " Which Way Is Up" Quilt. This quilt is all hand pieced and will (eventually) be hand quilted. 

Each hand pieced block is alternated with a 6 x 6 inch fabric square. I had the hardest time choosing a fabric to use for this setting block. I  finally have compromised between what I pictured in my mind and what was available in civil war fabrics.

A really enjoyable project and  just the perfect thing to work on after a long, hard day at work!

Please come back to check in on my progress...

Pin Cushion Exchange

Pin cushion Secret Sister Exchange through Jo Morton Stitchers. My Secret Sister turned out to be Sandy D. from Washington state. I received her package yesterday and was throughly blown away by everything that she sent.  What an incredible package... not only did she send me a pincushion but a handmade bag, thread, needles and Chocolate Expresso beans! I am throughly spoiled!

In fact, Sandy sent me two pin cushions! The large one is set into an antique jello mold and the smaller is set in a salt celler.  So creative and cleaver to use as a pin cushion. Absolutely perfect ... I LOVE them both!  Sandy does beautiful work...

The cutest bag... perfect for my hand-piecing! Fabric used is from Jo Morton's "Cinnamon and Spice" Collection. The squares are 1 & 1/2 inches (1 &  3/4 inches unfinished) . Love the bag lining! The workmanship is incredible. 

Thank you again Sandy!

Look What's Baking!

Sweet treats in my mail box! 

My dear friend Cyn;-) sent me some "Honey Bun" strips! These are fabulous...two lines of fabric from Moda, "Patisserie"  by Fig Tree and "Aviary" by 3 Sisters. Also included are instructions to make a "Sweet Treat Bag". 

Thank you so much Cyn;-) for the nice treats... looks like I have some "baking" to do now!

Surprise Mail!

I received this beautiful handmade bag from my friend Donna this week as a thank you gift. I was completely blown away... this bag is amazing and more so is Donna's workmanship!  She does beautiful work. I feel very blessed by Donna's kindness and thoughtfulness.
Ties are on sides of bag allowing for expansion. When I go to Road 2 California in January you can bet that I will be using this to take to class and for vendor shopping!

Interior of bag... compartments to put quilting supplies for take-along projects. Amazing workmanship ! Thank you again Donna for sharing your talent with me...I am still speechless over your generosity!

Treasures In My Room

Another treasure "found" in my journey through my sewing room. The magazine is fantastic...so many beautiful quilts!  Look at the quilt I came across...

I fell in love with this quilt the minute I saw it. Absolutely beautiful, it would look wonderful in our bedroom!

Full view of the quilt. Heart blocks are set on-point with an alternating 9 patch block, also set on point. I think that this just might be "the" perfect setting for my Heart 2 Heart swap blocks!

PS: Please excuse the poor photography... not a camera issue but user ability!

A Night at the Teppan Grill...

A night out with co-workers took us to "Yanagi Sushi and Grill" in Pismo Beach. Here we were treated to the amazing cooking skills of "Bob". He dazzled us with his extraordinary ability  on the teppan grill. As this was my first time to sit at a teppan grill I was impressed. However I opted out for the sushi instead... I 'll never turn down a chance to have fresh sushi! And it was fabulous!!

Fast cooking on the grill. The vegetables were so fresh and Bob quickly cooked them up! Yummy!

Raw onion volcano... alcohol was poured in the top of the ring of onions and then ignited. Quite impressive up close... a very creative use of onion rings and fire. 

PS: Please don't try this at home!

Traditional Quilter & Dear Jane circa 1998

I decided to so some "Spring cleaning" and came across a bundle of old "Traditional Quilter" magazines from 1998. What a find! Here in six issues of the magazine are Brenda Papadakis's instructions for nine  blocks from "Dear Jane" and  directions for a number of techniques including applique, paper piecing, hand and machine piecing. The series will complete nine blocks including  binding and quilting. What a great resource.... maybe I should do "Spring cleaning" more often! 
Part 1 in Brenda's workshop on Dear Jane blocks. Brenda discusses fabric, "to wash or not to wash", and fabric selection.  Also included are directions for A-6 Uncle Home, M-5 Mother's Point and J-7 Chicken Tracks 

Part 3 of the Workshop covering paper piecing and freezer paper templates. Brenda gives directions for G-6 Papa's Star and G-8 Justin's Comet. Great illustrations and very detailed instructions. What a find to come across these after so many years!