and the winner is........

CLOUD9 

is the winner of the Rainbow Quilt Giveaway!!!

I wanted to thank each and every one of you for the thoughtful, caring comments you left on my blog. I have written each one in my journal to refer back to when things get dark. Each one was deeply appreciated. Thank you all for participating, and please stop back again soon.

Have a wonderful weekend!

GIVEAWAY Reminder!

Simply a reminder to enter the

RAINBOW QUILT GIVEAWAY...

Please leave a comment HERE 

and have a chance to win this fabulous kit for a twin size rainbow quilt top.

Good Luck one and all!

Mr. Random will be choosing the lucky winner tomorrow at 5:00 pm EST.

Rainbows and Butterflies

Today could not be more beautiful!

The sun is bright. A nice breeze is blowing. We are getting a break from the crazy heat,

and I am embracing the display of color all around me.

I am currently working on a new quilt which you can see here. I needed to make four of these 12" blocks. There are 88 pieces in each block. I must be nuts :)

I confess to be a bit obsessed with color wheels of late, but they seem to have an energy about them that replenishes those empty places in my soul.

My Calla lilies are in bloom.....

and as if all of this wasn't enough to brighten my day, when I went to photograph my Rainbow Butterfly bush, a butterfly landed on the flower and took a sip of nectar. Couldn't be more perfect!

Don't forget the.....

RAINBOW QUILT GIVEAWAY

which you can enter 

HERE !!!

Rainbow Quilt Giveaway !

It's been one of those seasons when almost everything that can go wrong...does!  I'm feeling like I need to put some positive energy back into the universe. So.......

Here's a giveaway!

I purchased this kit about 10 years ago at the Lancaster County Quilt Show. It has been sitting in a stash bin ever since. At this point, I'd rather see someone actually make it than have it sit here any longer.

This kit has never been opened. It is a Rainbow Star Quilt designed by Kathleen Starr. It measures 79" x 99" and the kit includes everything for the top...even the binding :)

So, here's what you need to do to have a chance to win...

Simply send me a quote in your comment that has helped you stay strong during a rough time in your life. I will  be using Mr. Random on  Saturday, June 30th, which gives you plenty of time to be thoughtful about your entry and share this incredible opportunity with all your friends.

Please make sure that I have an email address to contact you if you are the lucky winner!

Good Luck and have a great day!!

Tangerine Dreams...

It is a rather gloomy Sunday. No sun and chillier than our recent days....but perfect for finishing up a quilt.

Using Eleanor Burns book, Quick Trip Quilts, I put together a quilt for my daughter's best friend's baby girl.

It is perfect for showcasing the Pretty Little Things collection by Dena Designs for Free Spirit.

Bright and cheery, I kept thinking Tangerine Dreams...a fitting name.

Now..on to choose a backing and make decisions about the quilting...
Happy Sunday :)

Sunshine...

So, the rain has finally left and brought with it a gorgeous sunny day...not too hot, not too humid. I would accept this all year long. It was a beautiful day to photograph the Aboriginal wall hanging that I completed last night.

After a heavy rain, everything is so green. It's very difficult not to smile and appreciate the earth we live on on a day like today.

As I was walking around the property looking for a place to shoot a picture, I realized that my lilies had begun to bloom. No matter how many years go by, I always get excited when my flowers show their beautiful faces.

I've said it before, but this quilt was a pleasure to make. Every step of the way, I looked forward to watching it come together. These prints are so great to work with. They present you with so many possibilities.

The colors really grabbed me, too. So rich and saturated....and the background blue looks like the sky today...bright with scattered clouds.

Keep it simple....

I'll keep it simple...I am having so much fun :)

By the way...if any of you are wondering about my new blog header...no, this is not my house or my dog! The owners were gracious enough to let me use their home to photograph some of my quilts. The dog, Barber, stayed in that position the entire time I was taking pictures. I think he secretly wants to be a model...

For the love of fussy cutting...

I have never been really crazy about fussy cutting. I guess I generally stay away from patterns that would call for it. However, when I began choosing fabric for my little medicine men, I was amazed at how I could cut the pieces for this pattern. When I put one fabric up to the body, I realized that it looked exactly like the musculature of the torso. There were the pecs, the abs, and even the quadriceps. It made me giggle. How perfect could that be? Then another fabric had these goofy circles and dots that were perfect for the face.

So, here are my four silly guys lined up in a row. I plan to set them around the center of the Aboriginal quilt (wall hanging).

Next, I will plan the border. When I purchased the fabric for this piece, I couldn't quite imagine the outcome. I am absolutely loving the colors, loving the patterns, and loving the way it is all coming together.

Sometimes, when we're creating......we get wonderful surprises!

Color, thank you!

The colors live a remarkable life of their own after they have been applied to the canvas (or quilt).  

                                                               Edvard Munch

So, I wanted color? Well, I couldn't ask for more right now. I am a very happy person when I am surrounded and inspired by every value and every hue. I spend a small amount of every day on the internet being inspired by other artists of all kinds. When it comes to quilting and use of color, I am most inspired these days by Wanda of Exuberant Color. Check out her blog  http://exuberantcolor.blogspot.com/2012/06/gallery-tour.html

The next block for the BOM quilt is a variation of the color wheel. Everything is all cut out....

organized.....and ready to sew!

Before I got too involved in those blocks, I decided that I should begin the wall hanging that I've planned with the Aboriginal fabrics. I am loving every moment! Here are the first four blocks on my messy drafting table...

The block is called "Amber Stone" from Mary Jo Hiney's out-of-print book called Beautiful Foundation-Pieced Quilt Blocks.

The few things that make or break my day are three....my children, my art, and my dog, Mr. Darcy. There is no question that he rules this house and everyone in it. Nothing is sacred...he can go anywhere and do anything he wants, or so he thinks. He has recently decided that he wants to share my pillows. His dog bed doesn't quite suit him anymore. So when I crawl into bed at night...I get a face-full of dog-smell and dog-hair. The pathetic thing about it is that I don't mind. He is the love of my life. That's all!

Color, please!

"To read a poem in January is as lovely as to go for a walk in June." Jean-Paul Sartre

Anyone who knows me well knows that my favorite color is purple. The trim on my house is painted purple, and almost every flower in my gardens is purple. I absolutely love this time of year when all this color springs forth and greets me everyday. 

Walking around my house, even on the gloomiest of days, makes me smile. Flowers can take a very dark moment and turn it around if I let it. I simply have to give in to its beauty.

Today, I finished the snowball nine-patch using David Butler's Curious Nature line. I can't deny that I struggled a bit as I worked on it. So many one and one-half inch squares. I thought I'd go crazy!

In addition to the tedium of the construction, the monochromatic scheme left me running on empty. I was absolutely craving COLOR!

However, I must say that when it all came together, I appreciated its simply beauty. I'm hoping to find a border fabric that gives it a final touch....and then done.

Then, I gave myself just what I needed when I needed it most....a rainbow! These fabrics will become the next block of the BOM quilt that I will be working on over the summer. I wanted color? Well, color I got and plenty of it.

I can't wait to begin...