The Last Day

Here it is, the last day of 2012. I started out the year extremely content. I loved our little house on Market Street. I thought we had the perfect number of children. I had big sewing goals -- 12 quilts in '12! -- and big personal goals as well.

Ha. Hahahahahhahhahhahahaha.

Lesson learned: never be content.

I am ending 2012 in a new house. In a new city. In a new state. We are adding another child. I came nowhere near my sewing or my personal goals. I am ending 2012 much happier than I started. How is that possible? I don't know. But it is.

 A highlight of my year was going to Market. The best part? Meeting my virtual besties in real life. Those gals continue to cheer me on and inspire me from afar.

 The second best part of Market? Being a part of the book. (PS -- I made the quilt below 3 times this year. The pattern is in the book. I never took a picture of quilt #2. I am lame.)

Another highlight? Meeting The Butlers.

In small circles, I'm kind of a big deal. In big circles, I'm a total doofus. (Did you notice that David and Amy don't wear name tags? That's how awesome they are. They don't need them.) (Did you notice my crazy stalker face? Yeah, me too.)

So here's my simple goals for 2013:

1. Sew more. And finished some things -- namely my Halloween quilt. Oy.
2. Have a baby.
3. Be happy.

Here's hoping 2013 brings all of us the best year of our lives. 

Handmade Holidays

Here we are in the throws of another holiday season. Feeling merry? I hope so. I'm struggling a little, I'll be honest. I'm tired and a little stressed. Oh, and pregnant. Very pregnant. With raging hormones. Seriously, they rage. One minute I want to hug the world for happiness, the next I am in my closet in tears. The trigger? It could be anything. Once it was that I ran out of milk. Again. Today at the store I bought 3 gallons. Take that, hormones.

Raise of hands of those making a few holiday gifts. Come on, don't be shy. I love a well made and thought out handmade gift. And I love giving those gifts, too. This year I have some things up my sleeve that, if you were pregnant, would leave you weeping in the corner. For my girls' birthdays, I am making them doll houses. For Christmas, I am still narrowing things down. I think Patch will get a Mario pillow. I wish I had time for the whole quilt.

For those who need some ideas, Amanda put together an a-mah-zing e-zine, featuring her new line Flutter. Check it out here. My project is the ruffled apron. There's a link to the tutorial within the e-zine. Today she posted three more tutorials, found here.

By the end of the weekend I hope to have the stockings done and the house all decorated. That is if I'm not crying.

You Know What?

You know what's awesome about being a sewing blogger around Christmastime? You guessed it -- so much going on, can't show any of it. I have so many balls in the air. And today I finally managed to figure out what to make for a very difficult person on my list. Phew. In the St. Nick of time! Now if I could extend my day by about three hours, and also up my energy level, that would be great.

In addition to all the gifting, I am making a little something for me. I've had this cute Christmas quilt in the works for years. The top is now all assembled. I just need to quilt it. I'm so happy with it. So is Ginger, who has to step on my quilts as I lay them out. I have another one on the floor today. She ran all over it.

What are you working on? Anything fun?

etsy update

I just finished updating my etsy shop. It's been awhile. I'm not going to lie -- moving instead of doing a craft show has put a huge dent in my holiday budget. I want to give my kids something other than tears on Christmas morning, you know? (Did you hear a tiny violin playing a slow, sad song as you read that? You should have.)

My father-in-law sent me an email late last night proclaiming me to be a slacker because my blog was severely neglected. Please, everyone, jump all over that. I moved! With kids! And pregnant! Thanks so much. Almost all our boxes have been unpacked and I have started sewing again. What I can't find are my batteries. I put them someplace that, at the time, made so much sense. I have been to all the logical, and now illogical, places, and I still can't find them. What I do have, however, is instagram. It's my favorite app, and now you can see all those pictures online. Find me here!

Before my camera died, we took a family picture while Flower was here over the weekend. This was one I liked, but didn't choose for the Christmas card:

So, to sum up, almost all the boxes are done, my FIL called me a "slacker," and I updated my etsy shop. Happy shopping!

My Curly

Curly is one helluva guy. And I'm not just saying that because periodically he checks my blog. Nope. Here's why he's awesome:

Last night he lit a fire in the fireplace and we settled in to watch some shows on the DVR. Grimm was on, and in one scene the character wakes up from a dream underneath a patchwork quilt. Curly says, "Wow. He has a nice quilt." I look at him, a little in shock. But, really, being around a quilter like he is he should be able to pick out the nice quilts from the Wal-Mart variety, right? Then, and here's the best part, he says, "Don't you have that fabric?" He was referring to a tiny square of purple fabric.

The fabric is from Kate Spain's Central Park line from a few years ago. And yes, yes I do have that fabric.

He's a keeper.

Tutorial

Just popping in to tell you that my friend Jackie has a fabulous tutorial over on the C&T Publishing blog today. Go check it out!

Things are slowly coming around to normal here. I love our new area. And our house? It's fantastic. Mostly because of my sewing room. If I get my chores done today, I can finish the quilt top I've been working on. Pictures soon.

Thanks for sticking with me. I have big, fun plans for Christmas crafting. I'll share soon, kay?

It Happened

We moved. Just like that, we are from Pittsburgh. We are slowly making our way through boxes. There are just so many boxes. The kids started school yesterday and love it. They take a bus. It was so hard to watch them get on that thing yesterday. I cried. I never cry when they go off to school. My stomach was in knots all day thinking and worrying about them. But they did fine. I should have known they would. Today was our first day of normal life because Curly went back to work. It was very quiet around here.

I just made Mini-me cry because she voted for Obama in the school election. I had no idea she had liberal tendencies.

So that's life in the 412. This weekend I get to put my sewing room together, and then the Whos down in Whoville will gather and sing. Amen.

Isn't This Cozy?

GIRL:

 GIRL:

 BOY:

 GIRL:

 GIRL!

Arriving March 2013. 

Houses

Not sure if I'm ready, but in a week the movers come to take me from here:

 

To here:

I am, however, ready for the stress to be done. I am ready to have my family under the same roof again. And I am ready to be out of a holding pattern and into forward motion. I am ready to start making memories and messes in the new house. 

But I don't think I will ever be ready to say goodbye. Not totally.

New Normal

We drove up to The 'Burgh on Saturday for a weekend in our new house. It was delightful. We had one couch, an air mattress  and a few blankets. The kids loved sleeping on the floor of the huge, empty living room. The new house sports a delightful wood burning fireplace. All weekend we had logs blazing. Curly was in heaven. I loved parking in a garage that is attached to my house. Curly wasn't sure he would really care about it, until it rained Sunday and no one got wet getting in and out of the car. The longer I stayed there, the happier I was with our choice. It's a great house. Except the decorations. Since we're renting it for 6 months before we can buy it, I will have to live with a burgundy red floral border in Ginger's room. And sponge painting in the kitchen. But man, in 6 months, watch out. That stuff is going away.

We left Curly there to start work, and then the kids and I came back. We are getting into the swing of things, and adding having house showings into the mix. It can be a pain, but I really want this puppy to sell. The separation from Curly is short term. He's back this weekend and then again in a week and a half for the move. I am not ready to say goodbye. I don't know if I'll ever be ready. It's getting close, so I better do the best I can.

I have been really good for the past month or two in not adding to my fabric stash. You don't even want to know how many bins it fit in when I packed up my sewing room. Let's just say a lot. I feel like rewarding my good behavior. I think I need to make new Christmas stockings for the new house. I have my eye on this fabric. I think they would be darling stockings. I was trolling etsy this morning and found a kit for this quilt:

I neeeeeeeed it.

Expert

I am an expert in many areas. My new area of expertise is lice. That's right. Lice. They are gross and resilient. They are trying to take over my life. I'm trying really hard not to let them. In a text, my mom told me to stop praying for patience. Trust me when I say I would never do something like that. When you do, you're basically asking for hard experiences. But, if any of you out there are praying I will get patience, knock it off. Start praying the lice are done.

Exhaustion

We are nearing the home stretch of getting our house on the market, and exhaustion has set in. I just cannot pack one. more. box. Luckily we don't have to pack everything, just the nonessential things. You know, like fabric and sewing machines. But we really are almost done. And the house looks fantastic. The exterior has been painted, all the dings and cracks inside are gone, and the lights all have new bright bulbs.

What am I most looking forward to in the new house? Well I am pleased you asked! Mainly I cannot wait to unpack my sewing and finish my Swoon quilt. And really I just can't wait to be done with moving.

Have a great weekend!

Bucket List

When Curly dropped the bomb that we were moving, he suggested we each write a Frederick Bucket List. The kids wrote things like, "Have my friends over for a play date" or "Go to Baker Park." We told them we might not be able to do everything on their lists, but we would try our best. My list included a lot of restaurants. We've crossed a couple off the list already. It also included the fair. Specifically, entering a quilt (or two) and taking our kids out of school early to ride as many rides as we could.

Check and check.

I am pleased to announce that one of my quilts got a 4th place ribbon. Yay me! In the photo, it's the one on the top in the middle. I am pleased as punch. It was made from my pattern in the book. I had entered the quilt in the "Original Pattern" category, so if you make one, please be sure to tell people you made it from an Award Winning Pattern (capital letters are necessary). However, I am not pleased that I was wearing the most unflattering sweatshirt available. And my bra could be a little more supportive. Honestly. I'll be using this photo in my Biggest Loser audition. I'm sure Bob will ask if the funnel cake was worth it.

 I picked the kids up from school at about 1:45, and we got to the fair a little after 2 for the carload special. With that, the entire car gets in for one price and gets unlimited rides. By going early, we avoided long lines. The kids got to do all their favorites several times before the crowds arrived. And by kids, I'm including Curly in that. He did one ride that had him upside down and spinning in all directions called The Stinger. Even looking at it made me queasy. Ginger loved all the rides, especially those that spun really fast. Look at her face. Such happiness!

 In fact, she was really ticked she couldn't go on all the bigger rides. It's all she wanted. I, on the other hand, was more than happy to watch from the ground. I really don't like the rides. Curly took Mini-me and Patch on really fast and scary things. I really couldn't think too hard about the fact that these rides took mere hours to put together. Mini-me is 4th from the left, with Curly and Patch sitting right next to her. Patch's face on this one was priceless. He looked like Ron Weasley when he jinxed himself with slugs in the second Harry Potter movie. It was quite funny.

I love my Bucket List. I wish I could write: "Stay in Frederick until all my kids have graduated," but it's time to move on. Pittsburgh needs me and my Award Winning Pattern.

And Then

As if moving wasn't stressful enough, today I had the choice experience of delousing one of my children. What is it about the mention of "lice" that makes you compulsively need to scratch your head? I am willing to bet about $2 that you are now scratching your head, or trying hard not to. Lice are gross. Here's hoping I got them all today.

Checking In

Here are the bullet points of the last couple of weeks: 

• Found out Curly needed to be in Pittsburgh early October. 
• Went house hunting in The Burgh.
• Found out I hate house hunting.
• Put an offer on a house we love. Still waiting.
• Came home to get our house ready to put on the market.

And there you have it. My last few weeks in a nutshell. Want to know a really sad part? My sewing machine needs to be put away until after the move. I am very sad. But, in the end, it will be worth it to make this house look its best. She's 99, you know. A gem of a lady.

The Potty

I decided that Saturday was the BEST day to potty train. We had nothing on our schedules and Ginger seemed ready. In case you're wondering, "nothing on our schedules" means "big kids were totally bored" and "Ginger seemed ready" means "more accidents and staying within 2 feet of the potty than I had anticipated." On Day 2 we had success, and were able to venture out from the kitchen into the living room for a bit. It's hard work to go pee pee in the potty. It's also hard work to be the mom. My quads are killing me from all the squatting.

But, I did manage to get the binding put on a mini table runner. I got the American Jane mini charm pack from Quilt Market in May. Well, I say "I," but I really mean Candice's mom Robbie got it for me. She was the queen of Market Swag. I thought the little 2.5" squares were perfect as they were, and just added some white squares in between. I bound it in a the gold print from DS Quilts last line at Joann's. It's a favorite and I will be sad when I use the last of it.

It measures about 24x14, which is why I call it "mini." I put it on my buffet with my other seasonal decor. I just need to find my Muffy, which is a whole other post.

And today, I am reveling in the fact that all my kids are diaper free. It feels oh so good. Better than a ribbon at the county fair.

I Finished Something!

I finished something! I feel such a sense of accomplishment. I really can craft and have an unknown future! 

 I love biased binding. *steps on soapbox* If you are making a quilt for a little person, you really need to do your binding on the bias. It will last longer. If you do straight grain binding, then the fibers get direct wear, and will fray faster. It may be quicker at the outset, but you'll ending up re-binding the darn thing. Plus, bias binding done in a stripe or plaid is just so cute. *falls off soapbox*

I used Peak Hour for the quilt. Isn't it cute? Perfect for a baby boy. The pattern is Chain Linked by Amy Smart. I'll definitely be using this pattern again. With Christmas fabric. How cute would that be?

Due to a shopping error, I had to piece the back. Seriously, who orders just a yard for a quilt back? Even a baby quilt? Man. My brain can start working at any time now. It turned out to be a delightful mistake, because the back is so stinkin' cute. Can't you just picture a little guy running cars up and down those stripes? Thanks, Donna, for asking me to make this!

Now to turn my attention to my fair quilt. I really hope I can get it done in time. This is my last chance to submit to the Frederick Fair. I get so sad thinking about it. I'm going to have to go every day and eat funnel cakes and Hemp's roast beef sandwiches. Care to join me?

It's Saturday

Hi. (When you read that, did it sound like depressed Ross from Friends? Cause that's how I wrote it.) We've had a week here. It's been, um, unexpected. Let me back up a bit and explain.

About 6 weeks ago, Corporate decided to restructure the management at Curly's work. It directly affected him. He, along with 8 others, had to reinterview for their jobs. Curly also looked around the company and found a couple of other things he'd like to do. So, he applied for those. Which led to us putting our house on the market. And then, when he didn't get those other jobs, we took our house off the market. It seemed we were staying put. Yesterday, Curly got his offer. It was for the same position he has now, but in Pittsburgh. With it came the promise of promotion in 6 months. To say we were floored is an understatement. To quote Clark Griswold, "If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn't be more surprised than I am now." 

Some things need to be ironed out, but right now it looks like we're moving. Again. Today we spent the day wandering downtown, going in every store we love, and just taking it all in. I'll be doing that a lot until we move. We haven't told the kids yet. I just can't bring myself to do it.

This has been extremely depressing, has it not? Yikes. At least I have my fabric to comfort me. And, bright side here, Pittsburgh is only a few hours from my older brother. I have a feeling we have an open invitation to every Thanksgiving and Christmas for the rest of our days. Eh, Jon? Save the neck for me.

35

And now the Birthaversary Week of 2012 has come to a close. Can I get a AMEN? We had a lot of good chocolate cake, some delicious dinners, fun presents, and now we're ready to move on. Well, at least I am. Patch is still enjoying fond memories of his special day. 6 is a big deal.

We got letters from the school yesterday with teacher assignments. Only 2 more weeks of summer fun. Did I hear another AMEN? We are all very excited for the start of school. Well, except for Patch. He has forgotten how to read. It's quite sad. He can't even read the word "I" or "a." Sad.

It's also only 5 weeks until the county fair. I am determined to submit a quilt this year. I have a few to choose from, but I'm also hoping my Halloween Swoon will be done. That would get a ribbon for sure. Maybe even a blue one.

AMEN!

The Beach

Who doesn't love the beach? The soft sand, the gentle breezes, and the ocean spray could put even the grinchiest grinch into a good mood. We spent a week in Surf City, NC on Topsail Island. I would recommend it to anyone. The beach itself was perfect and uncrowded and very family oriented.

While there, Patch turned 6. He also insists he got taller.

 Ginger wasn't a huge fan of the beach, but she could be distracted enough to stay for a couple of hours. Luckily our house was across the street, so it wasn't too far to go home early.

 Curly and his very tall brother became salty prunes. They hardly left the ocean.

 We brought some sand toys for the kids, which they loved. Mainly they loved to be in the water, which gave me heart attacks. There are sharks in the ocean, you know.

 We brought face cutouts of the two that couldn't come: Flower and Uncle Boo.

 This is our whole crazy family, plus two turtle watchers. Topsail Island has a turtle hospital, and they also have volunteers who look for and protect sea turtle nests. This couple were watching a nest that was supposed to hatch any day. There were over 150 eggs. That's a lot of turtles.

 Mini-me made a friend the first day, so I hardly saw her the entire time. She pretty much wore her suit and her pjs the entire week. And her hair got much blonder.

And finally, while on vacation Curly and I celebrated 10 years together. We went out to a nice restaurant and walked on the pier. It was the perfect way to celebrate. Then, when we got to the house, we watched old videos, including some from our wedding day. They were hilarious. 

And now my sewing machine and I need to get reacquainted. There was no room for it in the car, which made it sad. My list of projects is growing and the craft fair is right around the corner. Time to get to work!

Vacation

We are on vacation. It couldn't have come at a better time. I worked really hard all week to get our house ready for showings. And then, at 11:30 pm on Thursday, Curly got a call from work saying he didn't get the job that would move us. Our house was taken off the market Friday morning, before anyone could come take a look. I am thrilled.

So now we're soaking up the sun in Surf City. We're staying in a gorgeous house across the street from the beach. The water is warm and the sand is plentiful. Fun is being had by all. See you all next week!

Seeing Things

This is the view from my front window. Just between you, me, and the wall, I am very apprehensive about this. Curly is interviewing for some new positions within his company. No offers have been extended. Yet. While we wait, and while I throw out half of our belongings that we just don't need, does anyone want to buy our charming Victorian? I promise you will love it. I know I do.

Say it With Me

Three! Three Swoon block done! Ha ah ah ah ah ah ah!

Big Plans

Tonight is Friday, so naturally I have big plans.

Hosted by Heidi, this monthly party is something I try to do every time. I don't always get to because sometimes my kids sense that I have plans for after they go to bed, and they decide to go bat crazy. But this month I am determined! I have about 5 quilts I'm working on right now. And that may be a conservative estimate. Don't tell Curly, but the sewing machine is coming with us on vacation.

So next month is my birthday. I'll be 35. If I were to have another baby, I would be considered "advanced maternal age." That makes me feel very VERY old. Curly will be 40, and that's sounding a lot older than me. I have my eye on a few things that would make my day extra special.

A little Kate Spain.

And some Lucy.

Would those ladies be fun to have around?

Much Too Soon

Yesterday I went to my Happy Place. You know. Target. I was there to just "look" at something, and just had Ginger with me. She wanted to look at the toys (and play with the toys, and put them in our cart), and as we walked towards the back, my heart stopped.

The school supplies are out.

How is that possible? We haven't even been on vacation yet. I mean, I want the heat to be over as much as the next person. Maybe even more. As I walked by the bins of crayons and erasures, I could almost smell the cool air. I could imagine walking outside and wearing a sweater, or maybe even just a long sleeved shirt. The leaves would be crunchy and the sky blue. It made me smile a bit. So maybe I don't mind the school supplies being out in July because it makes me think of my favorite season.

But then again, maybe I think it's excessive.

I'm a mess of contradictions these days.

For those who wanted a book, but didn't win, I have a great offer for you. For now through July 22, go here and use the code BLOGTOUR and get 20% off the book. That's an amazing deal!

Ready? Set? SHOP!

Snail's Pace

I finished my second Swoon block last night, and I feel a little like The Count on Sesame Street. Two! Two blocks done! Ha ah ah ah ah ah!

My Swoon quilt is coming along at a snail's pace, but that's okay. Halloween is still months away. As long as it's done by September 30, I'm okay. If it's not, I may have a temper tantrum.

Can I just pat myself on the back a little here? I love how it's turning out. Having the center be a different fabric than the outer points was, quite frankly, a bold step. But I love it. And I love purple. I am so glad it was added to the official Halloween colors. Remember when it was just black and orange? Bo-ring!

Who decides holiday colors anyway? I'm pretty sure it's Martha Stewart.

Today I get to go to the dentist. Whenever I go to the dentist, I sing the "Me and My Llama" song. Sesame Street made a little girl walking down the streets of NYC with a llama normal. It's pretty much been my favorite show since I was 2 and clearly influences my inner dialogue today.

The Winner and a Question

Thanks to everyone who entered! There were 86 commenters, which is just fantastic. Love it. Without further ado, here is the winner!!

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:8Powered by RANDOM.ORG


Honestly, can I tell you how glad I was that it was number 8? I would hate to have to count to, say, 54. Now, who is number 8?

Lynne Tilley said...

Oh my, my favorite thing to make???? Well, it is usually whatever I'm working on at the moment. I just jump from quilts, to bags to bookmarks to zipper cases to pillows.... you get the idea. I just love to sew. Thanks for the chance to win!
tilleybl@aol.com

Yay for Lynne! I will email you directly!

Now for my question. Flower is here for the next 2 weeks. She has wanted to learn to quilt, and I think this is a fantastic opportunity. Can anyone give me some good teaching tips? She's 13 and doesn't have much sewing experience. And please, no one say "patience." Please. I will just lose it. 

I'm so funny.

And beautiful.

Wrapping Up

The tour ends today. Have you checked out all the stops? Entered all the giveaways?

Sunday, July 1st: Amanda's Blog  & Jana's Blog (me!!)

Monday, July 2nd: Julie's Blog

Tuesday, July 3rd: Sally's Blog

Wednesday, July 4th: Candice's Blog

Thursday, July 5th: Stephanie's Blog

Friday, July 6th: Johanna's Blog

Saturday, July 7th: Jackie's Blog

Sunday, July 8th: Brooke's Blog

My giveaway ends tomorrow, so go here to enter, if you haven't already. 

This week we are supposed to get a break from the oppressive heat. I am thrilled. I have never been more grateful for AC. It's a marvelous invention.

We Love America

We had a great Independence Day celebration here in MD. We woke up bright and early and got ready to attend the 18th Annual Olsen Breakfast. The food is terrific and you'd be hard pressed to find a more patriotic celebration. Every year there is a costume contest, and I was determined to win. I made the girl's sundresses from the Popover Sundress pattern. They were super quick to make, and looked fabulous, if I do say so myself. Patch's shorts were made by Target and my skirt (which you'll see down in the group shot) was made by Old Navy.

 It was hot. Very hot. Ginger got a little grouchy.

 Mini-me, however, was all smiles.

 Patch thought it was "too sunny" and the program was "too long." I was so mean to make him go.

 Curly dresses up every year as a different historical figure and acts as MC. This year he was Major Jonathan Letterman, who during the Civil War came up with a combat ambulance system that is still used today. And now you learned something new from coming to my blog. Aren't you glad you did? I felt bad for him because his costume was wool. Ick. In this picture, they were getting ready to announce the winners.

We won for best dressed family, but no one thought to take my picture as I went up to accept the award. But here is Ginger later in the day with our cute USA sign. Love it.

 And here is our group shot. I love it because it's chaotic like we are. No one is looking in the right place, but we all look pretty happy. I was thrilled to finally be in some shade. And isn't my skirt cute? It's the only picture of me all day. That's so lame.

I was so wiped out after a morning in the sun I went to bed at 9:30. It was delightful. I hope your celebration was delightful as well!

An Apple a Day Blog Tour

Hello everyone! Welcome to day 1 of the An Apple a Day blog tour! I'm so glad you've stopped by. What is An Apple a Day? I'm glad you asked. It's a fabulous book put together by The Quilted Fish Creative Consultants Design Team. Amanda assembled the team about a year and a half ago, and I am thrilled to be a  part of it. These women are creative geniuses! 

The book features 9 different projects, ranging from simple to challenging. My contribution? A quilt.

 I am enamored by precuts. It seems to be all I order these days. I love having every print in a fabric line, because I know my finished product will look color coordinated and beautiful. My quilt uses 2.5" strips, which Riley Blake calls a "Rolie Polie."

The coolest thing about this quilt isn't the stunning top. Oh, no. It's the back. Namely the foot pocket on the back. Within the pocket are three smaller pockets where you can put foot warmers in. Now, on a day like today where it's supposed to be 100 degrees with 80% humidity, that doesn't sound so appealing. But come November, you're going to love it.

When I made the quilt, I had an extra block left over. What to do, what to do. Why, a pillow, of course!

 Cute, right? For the top, just quilt as you want. I quilted in the ditch, which made the fabrics pop a bit. I added a border around the block, and then bound it in leftover binding from my quilt. It's very matchy-matchy. For the back, I did an envelope closure. Here's how I do it:

Measure the front of the pillow. Divide the length by 2, and then add 2 inches. Cut two pieces and finish one edge of each piece. In the book, there are instructions for the foot pocket that you can use for this part.

 Place the pieces on the back of the quilted pillow front, and baste where the two pieces overlap.

 Bind using your favorite method. Mine? I like the stitch the binding by hand. I find it very soothing, and a great excuse to watch horrendous Summer TV that I just can't seem to get enough of.

So there you go. A cute pillow to go with the cute quilt you are going to make.

Now because this is a blog tour, there is a very strict rule that there must be things given away. Up for grabs is a copy of the book and a kit to make this necklace:

All you have to do is leave me a comment and tell me your favorite thing to make. Is it quilts? Is it bags? Is it knitted washcloths? Is it dinner? I really want to know! I'll announce the winner a week from tomorrow, July 9.

Here is the schedule for the rest of the tour. Thanks for coming by!!

Sunday, July 1st: Amanda's Blog & Jana's Blog <--- that's me :)

Monday, July 2nd: Julie's Blog

Tuesday, July 3rd: Sally's Blog 

Wednesday, July 4th: Candice's Blog

Thursday, July 5th: Stephanie's Blog

Friday, July 6th: Johanna's Blog

Saturday, July 7th: Jackie's Blog

Sunday, July 8th: Brooke's Blog