A new BOM I found from Stringybark Farm

I know I'm way behind in my Quilter's Blessings BOM - sadly it's the only project I took with me on my retreat last month b/c I didn't know how often or long sewing machines would be available to use. (several members brought theirs and others... but they were reserved for classes)

and it didn't help that I removed my current BOM block from my hoop so I could insert plain muslin to practice knots and other stitches on.....and then did not remember where I placed the BOM until a week after I got home from retreat! :P

oh well... I do have it now and it's not a race right? after all it was the 2008 BOM and I 4 completed before April... so I'm not that behind...

BUT main reason I'm posting today is to share with you what I recently found...another stitchery BOM!

This one is super cool because Missy, from Australia, is using coloring pencils and coloring in the objects. Isn't it super cute?

She's using a farm theme for this one, and although I didn't catch how long it's gonna last - she has left up both blocks 1 and 2 so far... so it's not too late to join in! :) She's even shared a button for anyone who wants to post on their website to use in their side bar. I'm not sure if I'll add it in mine since I'm not participating yet... for now just downloading and saving for later.... gotta finish up Quilter's Blessings first ;)

But if you do decide to use it - here is her web link addy that takes you straight to the patterns: http://sites.google.com/site/missymackcraft/stringybarkfarm

and if you'd like to just take a look around her blog click on this link: http://missymack.blogspot.com/

I hope you enjoy my newest discovery in blog land ;)

Love from Texas!

2009 Spring/Summer Issue of Quilt Sampler

This morning I noticed that Celine1 posted on the HGTV threads that the Spring/Summer issue of Quilt Sampler is now out... and it reminded me...

I quilt going down the magazine isle at my grocery...I mean do I really have time to browse the magazines or thumb thru the pages - NO not when I have 3 kids with me!!!

However, earlier this week when I was at the register Monday I saw this issue and they NEVER have quilting magazines up front - so I took that as a SIGN that I just have to have it! LOL

I just could not resist! That beautiful quilt on the cover sucked me right in.....and can you believe I didn't even thumb thru it while standing in line!!! Nope, I'm saving it as my reading material when I go pick up Nora form school and arrive early - it will be my reward ;)

....was I there early Monday or yesterday??? noooo :rolleyes: but today is another chance for me right?! ;)

Reading the thread on the HGTV board I saw where baglady posted that her LQS is featured on the cover!!! WOW! Lucky you to have such a nice place near bye to shop at. ;)

and batikfreak, has been to one of the shops shown too... oh I just can't wait to get in the van and take a look at mine!!! Maybe I'll go out to the garage now...? naw, just kidding. But I will start loading up the tiwns at 10:45am instead of our usual 11am ;) I'll be the 1st one in the carpool line today!

It's so fun to play I-spy looking thru the photos of everything shown in the shops. And don't forget I shared the link to the current issue at the top of my post in case you're saving the $$$ and not buying magazines anymore ;)

Have a great day everyone!

Love from Texas!

Mail Call

I just love getting packages in the mail don't you?? I mean what's not to love?? Perhaps that is why I love hosting my FQ Bingo every spring... ;) .....but today when I went to the mail box I was greeted with not 1, not 2 but THREE packages as I opened the door and I wasn't even expecting them!

well now that I think of it - I sorta was.. I guess you could say ... I'm hosting the month of June for the Sunshine Quilters on the HGTV Boards... and several members are really on-the-ball with making their blocks and working ahead and have mailed their blocks early ;)

These 4 blocks today were from char77 Thanks char for such a beautiful variety of scraps around red for the HeartStrings Quilt Project!! ;)

and I had also ran out of a background fabric for a charity project I'm working on and had emailed Vicki and asked for more... but I had forgotten about that on the way... (doesn't take much for me to forget things)

(I'll blog about this project and share more pics with you soon - so consider this your "preview" LOL)

but the 3rd package was a total surprise!!!! I went to NH at the end of April for my 1st ever quilting retreat (again, I've not posted about it -I'm so bad...sorry!) and got to meet 70 of the HGTV Quilter's message board members! We had a lot of fun those short 5 days...

more on that later - back to the package... it was sent to me from NY from lovetoquilt who I met at the retreat. When I opened it and saw this baggie I knew she had sent it for Nora.

..... so I took it inside and let Nora finish opening it. She was so excited to see TWO panels of Princess Fabric and spread it out on the kitchen floor to get a better look at it.She literally "fell" in love with it at first sight :)It didn't take her long to discover the dotted lines in between... and she knew what that meant to do. Cut apart :) "One for me and one for Olivia! So we can be the same."

Here's Nora giving her "2 thumbs up for 2 princess squares" ;) LOLCan you tell she's excited??? ;)and how about that second panel for Olivia.... well I went into the den to give it to her and here is what the babies were doing.... watching Signing Time on TV...

And when they heard Nora's voice they immediately jumped up and ran to the doorway... "Look Olivia what the bingo friends sent to Mommy and me... you can have one too!" I think Olivia noticed the sparkles in the fabric faster than Nora did. ;) and Paul Thomas took a look at it too...and he was able to steal it away from her... and tossed it over the gate out of reach. LOL I wonder if he remembers my rule that if we can't share then the item gets put away... and he knew that they weren't sharing with him so he fixed that!

Don't worry Paul Thomas one of my other Bingo players sent in some very cute fabric with dogs on it and it will make for a very cute backing piece for a quilt for you. I just gotta figure out what I'm gonna piece and put together for the top side :)

I think for Nora's and Olivia's I'll just get muslin for the backing and then buy coordinating threads and PRACTICE my machine quilting I learned while on retreat! :) :) :) swirls in the dresses... outlining the Princesses following the lines... an so on.. should be fun right?

Again, I'm so very thankful for this gifty to my girls - all of my quilting friends are so great to think of sending me little extras for me and my kids... you all don't have to do that but you do. You are so sweet!

"Thank You Ms. Lauren for my princess Fab-RICK" :) Love Nora!

So Bonnie, What FQ Bingo you ask... yeah, our game has ended this year and I know I'm way behind on blogging about it...that and retreat and everything else.... I promise to update my readers soon - but if I don't just "Jump in where we are" as the FlyLady says... then I'll never get caught up and it will only delay me more. Thanks for understanding. ;)

Love from Texas!

The Mom Song & Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of my friends. I thank God everyday that he made me a Mommy. I'm so grateful to have 3 very special children that He's given me a front row seat to watch them grow up. ;) I'm so blessed.

Also, I thought of this MOM SONG to share earlier today but never got around to sharing until just now tonight... we had BIG fun tonight cleaning out and reorganizing "most" of the garage late this afternoon - and boy were the kids ever so worn out. ..... so even if you don't come by until next week - I know you will love this all the same... It's a fun song by the GO FISH Guys.

I don't know how to make the video appear here... but here is the link that will take you to the youtube page of it so you can hear and watch the MOM SONG :) Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day & Love from Texas!

A share-n-tell type of show-n-tell ;)

This Lone Star Quilt was hand pieced and hand quilted by my Grandmother, Momma Newt. She gave it to my parents as a wedding gift in 1954. It was her tradition to give couples a quilt of this pattern when they married and she did so for all of her children and 17 of her 18 grandchildren.

Momma Newt passed away in 1995 two years before my wedding so since I was the only one in the family who didn't receive a Lone Star made my Momma Newt my mother gifted me with the one she and Daddy received some 40+ years before. ;)


I'm so lucky to have such a special and meaningful treasure. I love all of my "Momma Newt Quilts" especially this one! So last year when it was time to hit the road runnin' to evacuate for Hurricane Ike, I couldn't take EVERY quilt... but y I grabbed up this one along with a few others and loaded em up in the passenger's side around the computer. They made for good padding and I knew I just couldn't live with out them if our home flodded.

This share, show-n-tell post was prompted by the give-away takeing place over at Connie's webpage http://www.quiltqua.com/ you have until May 31st to enter and share a quilt with her for her big show and tell and for doing so you will be entered to win one of 3 Moda Jelly Rolls. ;)

This is the link to where you enter your quilt and give a description of it along with the details on who designed, made, and quilted it. ;)

Love from Texas!