Today's mail . . .

My mailbox had a surprise in it today. Isn't this cute? Denise from Madison Wisconsin was my partner in the Quilting Gallery's winter mini quilt swap.

I absolutely love bright colors and I love applique, so Denise really hit the jackpot with this mini quilt. The applique is so neatly done with almost invisible tiny stitches.

Thank you, Denise! This is going to be enjoyed every winter!!!

On another note . . . watch my blog tomorrow because I plan to post my Blog-iversary GIVEAWAY.

Ready to quilt

My lap sized quilt top from the Day and Night class is done and ready to quilt. I have all of the spider web blocks put together as well, but still need to finish the mini star blocks. Maybe tomorrow . . .

I think the quilting needs to be done in yellow thread. And that will have to wait until I finish a couple of other projects that I've neglected lately.

Day & Night class was a blast

I had a wonderful relaxing Saturday at the Pin Cushion attending a quilt class taught by my friend Linda. She did a great job of working with a group composed of various skill levels from relative beginner to very experienced. Everyone got a lot of blocks finished.


There were 7 of us students (all strangers to me before that morning) making the Eleanor Burns "Day & Night" quilts. Some of us did them with 2 colors and a couple of the ladies did theirs with 3. None of them were alike at all . . . and all of the quilt blocks were gorgeous.


Here is my block done in red with a yellow and pink "day" fabric. There are bonus blocks made from the scraps but I'll show them another day. I have all 12 of my blocks made, set together, and have 1 of the 3 borders attached. I'll post a photo of my lap sized quilt once the other borders are on.

Now to show off the other lady's fabric choices. This one will be queen sized when she finishes - 42 blocks. The red just pops on this one.

This one is done is such a soft, rich green and cream. Very soothing with a "woodsy" feel to it. The owner of this block said she loves earth tones in her house and this will be perfect.

Bright blue and a pale blue . . . . made me think of something tropical.

Navy blue and cream . . . very elegant. This one had such a perfect contrast between day and night tones.

Pale pink and a rich burgundy batik . . . . . .

And last, but not least, this fun combination of blues and greens. The batik in this one was a great choice. And the bright blue solid just adds movement to the block. Again - very tropical feeling.

I really wish I could see everyone's quilt once they are finished. They will be spectacular!

100th post coming soon

Watch for an upcoming GIVEAWAY in the next few days to celebrate my 100th blog post.

On the edge

I'm on the edge . . . of my comfort zone. These are the 2 fabrics I bought to use in my Day & Night quilt. In good light, that yellow is much lighter and the contrast is strong between the red and the yellow.

I think the combination will be fun for summer. I know what you're thinking - summer? We probably have 2 months of winter left here is South Dakota.

Anyway . . . I digress. My Day & Night class is Saturday, so I can't wait to see how this all comes out.

Day & Night class

I'm very excited because I signed up to take a quilt class using Eleanor Burns' "Day & Night" patterns. My friend Linda is teaching it on Saturday, Feb 27, at The Pin Cushion. Can't wait! It has been a couple of years since I've actually taken a class. It will be lots of fun.

The books should be in at The Pin Cushion by the end of the week, and I also need to pick out my fabric. We're doing a 2 color version. MMM - red is my favorite color, but maybe I need to get out of my comfort zone a little and do something totally different for a change. Maybe purple . . . . . . . ??

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone - and happy birthday to my sister-in-law Kathy out in the beautiful Black Hills. Kathy is also a quilter and is the person who really got me started quilting many years ago. Thanks - for giving me the very BEST hobby!

My "sweetheart" left this morning on a business trip for the week. Wish I could say he was just driving to the airport to get on a plane for St Louis. But no - he's driving all the way today - nearly 700 miles. And we are in the midst of another winter weather day with snow and wind, so he will have at least 200 miles of icy, snowy interstate highway. So instead of a 10 hour drive he may have more like a 13 hour drive. It gives me something to worry about all day - right? I hate it!!!