Quilting Book Extravaganza

I went to a small thrift shop on main street today.......I don't usually go there because they never seem to have anything I want.......well today they had a stack of quilting books that were only 1.00! I picked them all up....these are all new books that did not sell in the stores.....there was also a couple of beading books and a crochet motif book that I had thought about getting once before but never got.....now I have it and it only cost me a dollar! Yay!!!! Anyhow, I just had to share the bonanza of books with you......now as I was looking through these there is one by Debbie Mum that I will never use as I am not into the country theme.....So if you are into country quilting you can look at the pic and if you would like to have it leave a comment with an email so I can get in touch with you and if there is more than one person who wants it I will draw for it......

 The book below is the one up for grabs if your interested.......

Happy Stitching,
Wendy

Progress Being Made

Thought I would post a few of the things I have been working on to lighten things up after the last heavy post....I have been working on a couple of swap projects and have a few sneak peeks......the first one is for the Doll Quilt Swap that Christine hosted here: my partner was Bree and this is a peek at what I made for her before the quilting was done.......I decided to do this pattern that I had been wanting to try for a while.......and since I had already decided to make an artsy quilt I chose this.......Bree likes blues so that is what I decided to go with.....you can't see it in this pic but the background is a really soft mint green which makes the blues pop against it......white looked too harsh.......

 I hope she likes the quilt when she receives it......I really wanted to keep it for myself so I will be making one soon for me....When it arrives at her home I will show the quilting.......I am also making a doll quilt for the Doll Quilt 10 Swap......this is my in-progress shot for this little quilt......this is a secret swap so I cannot tell you where it will be going......sure hope my partner likes it......

 I have added two borders since this pic was taken and will post another pic when I am finished quilting it......I also have several book pages that are on their way to different people and when they arrive I will post pics of those also....

Happy Stitching,
Wendy

It's Finally Over

As most of my readers know my son, nephew and brother-in-love was hit head on by a drunk driver a little over a year and a half ago...since then we have been to court several times....finally this past week we are finished with court......all in our favor thankfully....yet the person who hit them will not be prosecuted or go to jail......this was her 3rd offense for the same thing...alcohol found in the persons system,in the car she was driving.....the same persons parents placed her in a home for the mentally unstable so she would not be prosecuted.....there is nothing we can do unless she ever gets out before the time frame to be prosecuted is up.....then she will go to jail......my bil will never work again, walk properly, or do the daily things he was able to.......my nephew now has anger issues resulting from this wreck.......my son does not sleep well or ride in a vehicle well since the accident......three lives changed by a careless driver....for my son he can now move on and eventually will recover from his issues......my nephew will do the same.......my bil's life is forever changed along with my sister.....now she must work to support her family.......the roles are reversed........please pray for them......there is no satisfaction or relief in store for them......they're lives are forever changed because someone chose to drink, and drive with no regard for themselves or others......IF YOU DECIDE TO DRINK PLEASE DO NOT DRIVE..........YOU MAY BE LUCKY AND MAKE IT HOME OK WITH NO MISHAPS.....THEN AGAIN YOU MAY HURT NOT ONLY YOURSELVES BUT OTHERS AND FOREVER CHANGE SOMEONES LIFE FOR THE WORSE........Yes I am happy that they did not die........they could have and my bil almost did twice........and still could from three of the blood clots that will take over another year to dissolve........at the same time people who drink should not drive........the laws should be tougher on those who do........they should not be allowed to hide away to keep from going to jail........yes she needs help......yes she needs to dry out and get off all drugs and alcohol.......and yes she should go to jail for what she did......our laws should protect the innocent and not the law breakers........the laws should be harsher for those who continue to drink and drive........the roads would be safer for those who do follow the law........the innocent would be safer........If you drink and drive my prayer is that you get caught before you hurt or kill yourself or someone else.......Please don't be the cause of someone else's suffering. For those of you who think I am on a soap box and need to hush......undoubtedly you have never experienced what we as a family have in the past year and a half or you're a drinker who drives when they please without regard for life...yours or others.......Drinking and driving do not mix!!! Please do not put the two together........they only cause harm and eventually you will either get caught, hurt someone (maybe someone you love) or kill/hurt someone you don't know....I am not trying to be harsh, just trying to keep what happened to us from happening to someone else.....Awful things happen to good people all the time.......some may say where was God in all of this......He was with them in the accident......they all survived.........my son said God pushed him over to the side when they flipped.......God was with my bil during all those days, weeks that he was fighting for his life....God is still with us today........WE praise God daily for the lives that He spared that day.......I even thank God that the person who hit them did not die......at least now she has another opportunity to change her life and accept Christ into her life.....I thank God that He was and is with us on a daily basis making the crooked path straight....God has been with us through it all......He has given us favor when we needed it, strength when we needed it and love throughout this ordeal....Every time I look at my son I see the faithfulness of God to us......God was and is with us at all times, good, bad, hard and easy....and I am thankful that He is Faithful to us who call Him Father......Please don't let someone you know DRINK AND DRIVE!

Wendy

Giveaway

Kaelin over at the Plaid Scottie is having an awesome giveaway of fabric.......three chances to win.........two fat quarter bundles and a box of scraps from her studio.....go on over and check it out.......but hurry it ends midnight tomorrow.....her blog can be found here: http://theplaidscottie.blogspot.com/

Two Posts in One Day/The Jelly Roll 1,600 Quilt Video

1600inch Quilt..........

I had a jellyroll laying around that was not earmarked for a special project and thought I would try out this quilt......Its called the 1600inch jellyroll quilt and makes up really quick......below is the one I made......in one hour I had this quilt completed.......I will definitely be making more of these quick quilts....this makes a good size lap quilt......if you could do the math you could add to it to make it a bigger quilt.......I just don't know how that would come out.....

Here is my  mug rug that I received from my swap partner...........I so love it......my swap partner was Wendy and you can find her here: http://wendymoondesigns.blogspot.com/  thank you Wendy.....we thought it was funny that we both had the same name and she had my name......

I have a few more I need to add but I am waiting on my camera to charge up to be able to show the pics of them........a couple of doll quilt swap pics to show.......


Happy Stitching,
Wendy

Praying for Japan

My heart and prayers go out to the people of Japan..........Such devastation is never easy.......It seems of late we are offering up prayers and thoughts to those around the world who are being torn apart by natural disasters........Australian floods.......New Zealand quake.........now Japans quake followed quickly by a tsunami......may each of these countries find peace in a hard time, along with safety..........may those who mourn loss of life be comforted by God's peace..........may those of us who are safely tucked away in our daily lives stop and take a moment to say a prayer for our neighbors around the world.......May all of our friends in these places know we love and are praying for them.......

Wendy

A Rant and an Apology

 Edited to add: This is the email they sent out a friend sent me this copy of the email.......It is not from Me!!! Please disregard and accept my apologies that it was sent out to you without my knowledge......


(Hope you get this on time,sorry I didn't inform you about my trip in Spain for a program, I'm presently in Madrid and am having some difficulties here because i misplaced my wallet on my way to the hotel where my money and other valuable things were kept.I want  you to assist me with a loan of (2,600 Euro = $3300) to sort-out my hotel bills and  to get myself back home.

I have spoken to the embassy here but they are not responding to the matter effectively,I will appreciate whatever you can afford to assist me with,I'll Refund the money back to you as soon as i return, let me know if you can be of any help. I don't have a phone where i can be reached. Please let me know immediately.
    Thanks
   Wendy Ford)

 I would never ever ask my friends for money! I have my own thank you very much! Can you tell I am mad about this!And I hope all my friends will disregard this flagrant fraud and know that it was and is not me.......I have fixed my account but the emails had already been sent out.......just disregard those please and know that it was not me.........

Hi everyone hope all is well with you........last night my email was high jacked.......my daughter who lives at home said mom did you know you were in Madrid Spain and need money to pay hotel bills and get home.......and by the way the embassy was not helping you at all......what did you say!!!!!!!!!!the bottom line is that my email account was hi jacked and all my lists were stolen........if you get an email that says its from me and is asking for money please know that it is a scam.........I am not in Spain and I do not need any money from my email friends or blogging friends........This makes me so angry that anyone would stoop so low as to steal information from other people let alone try and get the people they know to send them money........I do apologize for the emails that I am sure will be coming to you. Please know that I have no control over it. I have reported it to Yahoo and they are working on it.......I hope they catch whoever did this.............they had no right to take the names from my addy list and try and defraud them by asking for money.....I am seeing red right now I am so mad..........Not only did they steal them from me but now I no longer have access to the addys unless you email me saying you got one of these.........I cannot email everyone as I can't remember all the email addys that were in the address book........it was a lot........anyhow please know that I would never ask for money through an email or letter for that matter.......that being said I hope you have a wonderful day and I pray that this does not happen to anyone else......
Wendy

An Update........

Finally I can update with some pics......my camera card was full and I had to get another one to replace it......now I can take lots of pics although I missed being able to take some as I had deadlines and am hoping the recipients will post pics for me......I can finally show what my partner in the Tilda Heart Valentine Swap sent to me.....Cat from http://catalinanz.blogspot.com/   was my secret partner and she sent me some great items.......of course the chocolate is gone but I do have the other items that she sent out to me.....Thank you so much Cat as they are so lovely and I love what you sent out to me.....the hearts, needlebook, notebook, bodywash, cupcake holders, travel size tissue cover ( I have been wanting one of these for a while, how did you know) bookmark, candy, embroidery thread and a great rose motif I can use in my crazy quilting.....again thank you so much Cat for all the lovely items.....

Next up I was in a swap for a 5x7 fabric collage page over at Swap For All Seasons. We were to make a fabric collage and then send it out to our partner.........here is the one I made for my swap partner....this was not a secret swap so it is ok to post it here.......I have already mailed it out to my partner and am waiting on mine from her......it should be here any day now.........this is the one I made for Debbie.......hope she likes it......

I have also made and sent out several fabric book pages...........but no pics of them as I did not have a card for my camera at the time....hopefully as they arrive the new owners will post pics of them and I can then post them here......My secret project for my friend with the brain tumor is coming along.........it will be ready for the binding soon and I will post pics after I have mailed it off to her and she has received it........that way it will be a surprise to her.......we are finally getting some nice weather here and my mojo is coming back slowly but surely........I am working on several projects for the time being and hopefully will have pics later in the week of them......also as swap items arrive here I will be able to post pics now........I have several book pages that I need to post that I have received after I take pics of them this week........hope your needles are flying with plenty of thread and projects!

Happy Stitching,
Wendy 

Bragging Time!

I had to share a few pics of our newest granddaughter Jazmine........She is growing so fast.......has the bluest eyes ever and is so sweet......she has brought much joy to our family since she was born in November......

 Happy Stitching,
Wendy

We have a Winner........

I used the random generator after assigning everyone their number.  There were 43 comments the winner is #2 which is Miss 376. Congrats on the win. Please email me your snail mail info and I will get the package out to you. Have a great weekend everyone......


Happy Stitching,
Wendy

Giveaway Reminder

Just wanted to remind everyone that the giveaway will end at midnight MCT here in the states. If you have not left a comment yet you need to do so. And good luck. I will choose a winner and post the outcome on Sat. am. Be sure and post the comment on the blog post below for the giveaway found here: 


http://stitchduchessscrazysanequiltingworld.blogspot.com/2011/02/giveaway-time.html


Wendy

Update on Peacock Splendor/ A Crazy Quilt for the Studio

I thought I would give a little update on Peacock Splendor....it is almost finished  with just a few more seams to be worked and his topknot feathers........then to add more beading of course.........I love how this is turning out.....I hope to have it finished by the end of the month and then I can put the backing and hanging sleeve on..

 This has been a great project and will look hanging on my wall in the sewing studio.......the brooch above his tail feathers is so pretty...the rhinestones are blue and green and are shaped like a feather......I will post more closeup shots when it is completed......

Happy Stitching,
Wendy

Time For A Giveaway!

 This Giveaway Now Closed

I have been wanting to have a giveaway for a long time now.......so with Valentines near I thought that would be a great time to do one.....I have made some heart door hangers.........a pin cushion for those who heart Valentines or hearts year round.........and last but not least is 2 Pom Pom De Paris by French General for Moda....

The winner will get to pick the heart they want from these three.....now what do you have to do to enter this giveaway........just leave a comment on this post.......that's it.......no jumping through hoops......if you want to follow me I would love for you to but it is not a requirement for this giveaway.......international friends are welcome also........I will close this drawing at midnight on Friday mountain central time......good luck everyone.....

Happy Stitching,
Wendy

Some Crazy Quilting Updates.......

Sorry for such a long time between posts.....we have finally gotten all the sickness out of the house and things are getting back to normal.... I have been working on some round robins from Crazy Quilting International....Below are some of the blocks I have been working on. First up is Lorrie's block from the rr that I am in with her. This rr is a DYB= do your own block where we send out 6 nekkid blocks and each person in the rr works on a block. When you get them back home you will have one left to embellish yourself. Lorrie's theme is Christmas, Jesus is the reason for the season........I chose the block with the baby Jesus and really enjoyed working on her block.....I used lots of sequins and beading. All thread is DMC perle cotton #8......

 The next block is from the 2nd Winter Theme DYB rr from the same group......with different people.......this block belongs to Thearica and her theme is snowmen......This was a fun block to work on as well. Lots of beading, sequins and lace of course.....her colors were really rich and vibrant just the way I like them.....I made the snowman from lace and beading with sre for his hat and bow tie.....I really enjoyed this theme. I used DMC perle #8 thread along with some silver metallic thread (the metallic thread is horrible to work with but so pretty)......all beads are czech glass beads.....the lace motif reminded me of a white poinsettia that I had yrs. ago with a pink center......

 Both sets of my blocks are exactly the same.......done in blue tones my theme for both rr's is winter. I requested that everyone stay within my colors of icy blues, whites and silver for threads and beading. Think arctic colors......below is what my nekkid blocks looked like when I sent them out.....when they come home I will post a pic of the finished blocks......These are the first set that I sent out....love all that icy blue.......

 This is the second set for the next rr that I sent out.......again nice and icy blue.......this is a great pallet for the winter theme that I am going for.......

The only difference in the blocks is the first set has a dark blue velvet and these blocks have the blue swirl......all the other fabrics are the same. When put together they will look really well together. I have almost finished my peacock block and will post an update pic of it later......hope you are stitching up a lot of great items.......

Happy Stitching,

Wendy

Just a Wave and Shout Out!

Just wanted to wish all my Aussie friends a happy Australia Day. Hope this day is fun and happy even though so much of your country has been devastated by the horrible floods. May you find a little joy on this day.

Happy Stitching,
Wendy

I'm In !

 I just received my email from Kris letting me know that I made it in to OPAM finished projects again this year. This really helped me to finish off some projects last year. I am hoping to have many more this year. I have already finished my first project of the year and added it to the sidebar. Although I do have a few more that I need to post and will do that on tomorrow. 

Happy Stitching,
Wendy

Just a Small Update

Slowly getting back in gear after all the sickness. Will be back on Monday with pics of some projects and such. Have a great day....

Here is a pic of Ritva's block for the "  Winter"   theme RR that I am in over on CQI.

Happy Stitching,
Wendy

Lila Tueller is having a giveaway on her blog!

Hi everyone, Lila Tueller is having a giveaway of her new line on her blog. Go check it out here: http://lilatuellerdesigns.blogspot.com/

Snow, Ice, Flu and a Finish

Ok snow at Christmas was ok and so very pretty. It was a once in a lifetime event for our state. My mom and dad are 77 and 75 yrs. young and had never seen a white Christmas. Sunday evening it started sleeting around 3:30 and put an inch of ice on the ground. At about 6pm it started snowing...........which ended up being about 7inches where we are........my driveway is on an incline and it is iced over........cannot get out........I need to mail out some things for some RR's I am in......can't until Wed. as the post office is closed until then.....snow is starting to melt and making a slushy mess.....glad it does not do this very often here......on top of the ice and snow here my middle daughter is in Atlanta which is shut down due to snow and ice conditions with her sister.......We have had flu since before Christmas starting with my dad then my middle daughter and now my son......this is not a simple strain of flu either it is really bad........high fever, throwing up, chills, congestion, coughing that will not stop, stuffy head and chest filled with yuk........son has been sick almost a week now.......it took my dad and daughter two weeks to be symptom free........I am tired, cranky and just want my children to feel better.......hopefully through nursing children through this I will be immune to it. The Dr. office is full of sick people and there is not much they can do besides antibiotics and cough meds. 

 "   Peacock Tiles "

"

I have been able to complete a mini quilt for the studio during this time by working in small snippets of time......I had wanted to make one of these since I ran across it on  Crazy Mom Quilts blog. Just follow the link to see the tutorial that she did. You might want to make one for yourself. This is my first finish of the year........I may be absent for a while as I am tending to sick ones but will try and post again this week if possible.

Happy Stitching,

Wendy                                              

Great Giveaway at Green Fairy Quilts

Green Fairy Quilts is having an awesome giveaway.......go here http://greenfairyquilts.blogspot.com/ to sign up to win a layer cake or jellyroll of Dilly Dally by Moda......Go on over and check it out before its to late.....look at what you can win........yummy!!!!!!!

 Wendy

Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year..........may this new year bring much happiness and creativity to your life and that of your family.

May Gods' richest and best blessings be upon your life. 

May you always have fabric, thread and needles to work with in the coming year. 

I will be back to regular posting on the Monday...........enjoy your weekend with your family and I will see you next week.

Wendy

Fabric Haul

I just wanted to post some of my stash enhancement that I have gotten since November. For my birthday my dh gave me all this "  Bliss"  fabric........one fat quarter pack, one jelly roll, three charm packs and 5yds of the medallions for backing......I love this line of fabric.....

Next up is my "  Spirit"   haul........I have been wanting this fabric for a while also.......a fat quarter pack and jelly roll.......

 Next up is the new Tula Pink "  Parisville"   in the pomegranate colorway. Fat quarter pack and a 1yd piece.....I love this line. I cannot wait to get the rest of them and some jelly rolls hopefully.

 Next up we have some lovely peacock fabric that hubs picked up today.....I only wanted a yard and he came back with 4yds total because he knows how I just love peacocks. I see some pillows in the future........

He also gave me these for Christmas.......a new quilting foot for my Bernina and some templates that I have been wanting.......

 

Last but not least......we play a fun and highly competitive game at my mom's on Christmas called dirty santa.....this year was as fun as always and there were some great gifts. My brother and his girlfriend decided to buy all the gifts this year.......there was a great selection of gifts......I chose my gift and it was a nice flannel shirt.......you can steal a gift you like if you want to but I chose to keep the shirt for later........glad I did......after all the stealing had been going on after my turn the bag made its appearance......I could not believe it........of course no-one else there knew the great value of the bag except for me. I love anything Laurel Burch........it was traded to the pot and stayed there.....no-one wanted it.........at the end I was asked if I wanted to trade my shirt for anything left on the table......you bet I did......I now own this cute little Laurel Burch cat bag.......I am sooooooo happy.........I guess only a quilter would appreciate this bag.......that was to my good......

Hubby also bought me Kaffe Fassett's book Country Garden Quilts...this book has some very lovely quilts inside and I plan to make a few of these in the future.......All in all we had a great Christmas......lots of food and most of all time well spent with all of our family........priceless......

 The quilts in this book are really nice and as always I love the way the he has presented all the quilts........the garden shots are just lovely......more on the quilts inside at a later date...... Hope everyone has a happy new year.......I will be taking a break until Jan. 1st......then I will be back and ready for the new year......

Happy Stitching,
Wendy

Pincushion Swap

I was in a pincushion swap a while ago and was waiting until my partner received her pincushion from me to post about it........I waited and waited and still no pincushion........we finally concluded that the pincushion was not going to arrive and I made her a new one and sent it off in the mail.....it has arrived safely this go around and she now has it.......Verona made me a very beautiful little pincushion that she made in cross stitch....thank you Verona I love the pincushion that you made for me........below is pics of the one she sent out to me and the replacement that I sent out to her.....
From Verona to me............

 My replacement to Verona.......

 Happy Stitching,
Wendy

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!............Photo Heavy..............

Merry Christmas 

May your family have a wonderful time filled with love, joy, happiness and peace on today and throughout the new year. This post is very photo heavy but I have lots to share. First today our town made history.......This is the first time ever that it snowed on Christmas day all day long.........not as much as our northern neighbors but for us it was a lot of snow. Now it is turning to ice and will be hard to drive in the mess. I am so glad that I do not live in the north.......too cold......I love the look of snow, but am glad that we live in a warmer climate. Not as warm as Texas......but I am finally getting used to the cold here again. We celebrated Christmas yesterday with my mil and today we had Christmas with my oldest daughter and her family and tomorrow we will celebrate once again with the whole family......23 of us this year with the two newest members of the family. Lots of noise and fun going to happen. Below is pics of the snow.......................................................

 

Riddick was so funny because he did not know what all that white stuff was. I looked out the window a few minutes ago and it is still snowing. The roads are beginning to ice since it is dark out and travelling is not a good idea. Next is my swap package from Sue..... I was in Chookyblue's annual Secret Santa Swap and it has been so much fun. We were to make an ornament and one homemade item for our swap partner. Below is what Sue made for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love it Sue.......thank you so much.........she made me the most beautiful wall hanging with a gorgeous peacock on it. She added beads and made a custom tassle for it....... Sue you did an excellent job and I love what you made for me. Thank you for making me something out of my favorite theme. Anyone who knows me knows I collect all things pertaining to peacocks.

The photo does not do the wall hanging justice. The colors are vibrant jewel tones. She did thread enhancement throughout and added beading.......some of my favorite things......... Below is what I made and sent out to my partner.........I made a snowflake stitchery for the center and used some blue Christmas fabric that I had purchased for this project......This is a table topper or can be used as a candle mat if she likes. I made this for Pamela ........

And of course no post would be complete without a new pic of baby Jazmine! Is she not cute........she is laying in a doll cradle that is how small she is. She is growing and now weighs in at 9lbs.We still have lots of room in the cradle and she is so cute laying there...

 May you be wrapped in the love of Jesus who is the reason for the season that we are celebrating on today. May His love wrap around you and give you peace throughout the new year. With much love from my family to your family. Merry Christmas!

Wendy