Parade of Winners - just a brief announcement

I just wanted to make a brief announcement to let you know who has once all these little giveaways here recently.

The winner of the Quilting Quickly magazine and Sophisticated Stitches book is......

#50 Margaret!  Who said, "Free Motion Quilting with Angela Walters" was her favorite quilt book right now.  I agree completely!  It is one of my favorites too and I refer to it often.  Margaret, your package will be in the mail soon.

A whole bunch of you recommended Sunday Morning Quilts also, and that's one book I don't have yet.  But after so many of you recommending it, and hearing a little more about it on the American Patchwork and Quilting Radio podcast recently, I've decided to get my hands on it.  Thank you everyone for the tips!

I also recently gave some mug rugs away from the April Showers Blog Hop.

They went to BizyStitches aka Janelle in Kansas, Rhonda in TX, Crickets Corner aka Rita, and Mystica in Sri Lanka!  Everyone has already received their little packages.  I was sorely disappointed that my post man didn't even raise an eyebrow at my mailing a package to Sri Lanka.  I guess I will have to keep trying.

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaways and congratulations to the winners.

Now I better get back to work.

Have a super sparkly day!

Jen

An excuse to try new things - It's for the Birds Blog Hop Stop

I don't know about you, but I have really enjoyed all the creativity that the participants of this blog hop have shared.  There have been some AMAZING projects!  I want to thank Mary at I Piece 2 for being our cheerleader, and of course Madame Samm at Sew We Quilt for putting these great hops together.

So what do I have to show you today?  Well, I really enjoy using these blog hops to try out new things, whether it be a new pattern or new technique.  Yes, on occasion this strategy has backfired on me, but in general it seems to be good for me.  For this blog hop, I tried out a new pattern AND a new technique:

I made a little paper pieced bluebird using a FREE pattern from Liljabs, available at Craftsy.  Liljabs has some amazing free paper piecing patterns at Craftsy.  I was sorely disappointed I didn't get to finish the sandpiper looking one she has for this hop!

I've only seen a bluebird once in my life, so it sounded reasonable to make one that I could look at every day if I wanted.  So, that's the new pattern I tried out, now for the new technique:

I made this "robin" (it looks more like a really fat finch to me), using a McKenna Ryan pattern found in the April 2013 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting magazine.  It is a fusible applique pattern.  I've used fusible applique before, but I normally then machine applique around each piece.  McKenna skips that step entirely and instead outlines each piece at the quilting stage - effectively securing it in place and quilting at the same time.  I must admit, it did go together much more quickly than my old way!

Please don't forget to visit other participants.  Here is the rest of the schedule:

Monday, May 13

http://www.quiltsmiles.blogspot.com

http://sewdarnquilt.blogspot.com

www.cindycraftycreations.blogspot.com

http://madebymeinred.blogspot.com

http://featheredneststudio.com

http://cmyprims.blogspot.com

http://ukcitycrafter.wordpress.com

www.gracieoliverarts.blogspot.com

http://quilterinthecloset.blogspot.com

http://quilttotheedge.blogspot.com

http://aroundthehomestead.blogspot.com

http://sewpeacetopeace.blogspot.com

www.caliquilter.com/blog/

http://pamela-kieffer.blogspot.com

Tuesday, May 14

http://www.intheboondocks.blogspot.com

http://mychellem.blogspot.com

www.thimblemouseandspouse.blogspot.com

www.quiltingandsewingarts.com

http://Sewgratefulquilts.wordpress.com

www.aquiltingsheep.com

http://tricia-ramblingsofaquilter.blogspot.com

http://sewmanyyarns.blogspot.com

www.moosestashquilting.blogspot.com

http://bethstrand.wordpress.com

http://quiltoo.blogspot.com

http://teatimecreations.blogspot.ca/

http://secretlystitching.blogspot.gr/

Wednesday, May 15

http://cariboucrossingchronicles.blogspot.ca

www.notionnanny.blogspot.com

http://crookedgulleyartquilts.blogspot.com

http://Karamino.blogspot.com

http://celticthistlestitches.blogspot.com

www.sewmolliesue.com

http://devotedquilter.blogspot.com

http://mystitchin-n-stuff.blogspot.com

www.quiltscapesqs.com

http://kocanquilt.blogspot.com

http://createinthesticks.blogspot.com

http://terrysquiltingtime.blogspot.com

http://Sewwequilt.com

As always, thanks for reading,

Jen

PS. I love owls!  Here's a little pic of one of my first quilts:

Inspirational Sunday (13) - via the 2013 Road to California Quilt Show

Happy Mother's Day!  I hope you are all celebrating in some special way.

I can't believe it, but I am nearly out of pictures to show you from the Road to California Quilt Show.  But don't despair, the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach is right around the corner in August!

Today, I promised to show you some paper pieced wonders, and they truly are amazing.

This first one is called, "Mistaken Identify" by Gail Stepanek and Jan Hutchinson of New Lenox, IL.  This is their original design, but it came about by trying to identify a block from an antique quilt labeled as a Mariner's Compass.  They found the block to have 21 spires and be more like a Sunburst pattern.

The blackish background makes the quilting hard to photograph, but here is a close up.

Amazing, right?

This next one is called "Euphoria" by Marilyn Badger of St. George, UT.  She paper pieced this using silks, hand-dyed cotton sateen, cottons and Sew Batik graduation fabrics.  It was quilted with Superior Kimona Silk and Floriani polyester.  Couched with Superior Razzle Dazzle and embellished with jewelry findings and hand-sewn crystal beads.  Original design was inspired by Jacqueline De Jong's Circle of Life with the makers own applique, border and quilting designs.

It was nearly impossible to get a shot of it from the front as there was always someone looking at it up close (the woman in blue managed to get into 4 of my attempted shots of this quilt, she even bumped me on the next one).  Here is a close up of that amazing quilt work.

Up next week, how about a little innovation?

Thanks for reading today.  I hope you are inspired.

Jen