Peas In A Pod

Winner of Taza Giveaway

Hi Everyone!

This morning I drew a winner for the Taza giveaway that Julie, from the Intrepid Thread, allowed me to host.

There were 158 comments.  I plugged 1-158 into random.org and the number generated was 45.

Congratulations to Cecilia, who said:

I already like The Intrepid Thread on facebook. I enjoyed reading your blog. Thanks for sponsoring the giveaway.

Cecilia has won this wonderful fat quarter grouping of Taza from Julie, of the Intrepid Thread.  Cecilia, I will send you an e-mail to get your mailing address!

Many thanks to all of you for playing along. I wish you all could have been winners!  Also, many thanks to Julie for alowing me to host this giveaway!  It was fun!

Have a great day!

Until next time,

Mama Pea

Little Forest Quilt-Along: Week 3 (and giveaway information)

Hello Everyone!

So sorry I'm late today in getting this post up!  I have been run, run, running all week.  The first couple of weeks are just crazy for me.  Yesterday, I started meetings at 8:30 in the morning and taught class until 9:00 at night.  I didn't get home until after 10:00 pm.  Today, I had to be at work in meetings, working with students, etc. from 8:00 am until about 6:30 pm.  It's just plain tiring sometimes!  Sorry I haven't had 5 minutes to get this post up!

Well, how are you coming along on your little trees?  I hope you had fun cutting and sewing!

I need 25 blocks for my wall hanging, so my goal was to get 13 of them sewn this past weekend.  I did it!

Here is one set....reds and pinks.  I think these fabrics worked out pretty fun!

Turquoise ones.  You probably recognize some of these as my "test blocks" that I posted last week.

A mixture of blocks.  I can tell I was pretty tired when I took these photos.  They aren't centered well and the lighting wasn't great.

And here's the last one I have done.

I have everything else cut.  So, I just need to finish sewing them this week.  I have to tell you, on Saturday last week, when I worked on these, I was so tired and burned out from the week at work, I almost didn't feel like sewing.  But I knew I had to get these done.  So, I did them, and then I quit for the weekend.  I was just too tired to do anything else.  Do you ever get like that?  I have a knitting project that I'm working on, and I just spent some time loafing in front of the TV and working on that instead.

I feel a little burned out this weekend, too, from a number of long days at work.  So, tomorrow, a very nice friend is keeping Sweet Pea for a while for me so I can go to a sewing class in Grand Rapids.  I am looking forward to sitting back, watching a trunk show in the morning, and doing a half-day class in the afternoon.  I need the brain break.  I'm very grateful to my friends for watching Sweet Pea for me.  (Papa Pea has another commitment.)  I'll report more on that next week.  (Caroll, if you're reading this, I wonder if I'll see you there?  I just decided to go today.  Sorry I didn't give you any more notice!  I only learned abou the class on Tuesday!)

I am anxious to head over to Flickr and look at the trees you all have been submitting.  I was there earlier in the week and saw some pretty neat stuff!  I need to go get caught up.  (I haven't even posted mine yet!)  Remember, you have until midnight tonight to get in on the current giveaway, so get your photos posted!  Even if you didn't finish half of your trees, at least show us what you did get done!  Even if you aren't participating, you might want to go check out the trees.  There's some pretty fun stuff.

Don't forget to head on over to Linda's blog, too, and check out her progress.  And you'll love the end of her post today!  I won't be a spoiler and tell you what it is.  It's awesome!  I wish that would happen at my house!  Too fun!  Go check it out!

Okay, ready for next week's assignment?  It's pretty easy!  (Well, for some of us.  Some of you insane people are making like 99 blocks!  I LOVE IT!)

1. Finish sewing up your little trees.
2. Piece your rows together.
3. Sew your rows so that the top of your quilt is done.

Pretty straightforward and hopefully accomplishable!  Can't wait to see all your layouts!

For another surprise giveaway, post your completed quilt top (or for those of you making really big quilts, at least post your progress!) on our Flickr group by Friday, September 23 at midnight.  I'll enter you all in a drawing for a fun prize!

 Happy sewing, everyone.  I'm going to go get some rest, now!

Until next time,

Mama Pea

Color Inspiration

Hi Everyone,

I just have a few moments for a quick post today.  Thursdays are so hectic for me.  Long days!  So, don't be surprised if I'm not around on a Thursday!

This summer, I sort of got hooked on Donna Downey's blog and website.  I don't know if you know who she is, but she's a scrapbooker and artist who does some pretty fun stuff.  She's amazing, and I learn lot from her.  I just like her attitude, too.  On Wednesdays, she has "inspiration Wednesdays," where she turns on her video camera and just creates stuff on paper.  She narrates it and lets you know what she's thinking, etc.  I really enjoy it.  Lots of collage and playing with all sorts of media.

Well, recently she offered a workshop via video on how to use Pan Pastels.  I saw the colors and love art lessons, so I bought it.

Will you just look at these pots of color?!  I fell in love with this color set and decided that the next challenge project I do with Lynn will probably be in these colors.  (....If we can ever get back to it.  Lynn has been willing and I haven't been able.)

In case you are wondering, these are pure pigment.  They are sort of like chalks, but they don't have the binder in them that chalks have.  You can apply them to paper with a sponge.  Way cool.  Can't wait to play with them.

I went and got some Kona fat quarters to coordinate. I didn't have the pot colors with me...I was working off of my memory (which is always dangerous).  I did okay, I think.  I may go back and get a darker yellow and green....0r I may just go with what I have.  Should be fun, though.

I still need to complete the workshop.  I've watched it, but not done it.  I need to get on that, too.

Can someone please tell me how to add 12 more hours to may day?  I might then be able to do everything I need to do!

What inspires you with color?  I love finding inspiration in unexpected places.

Enjoy and have a lovely day.  See you tomorrow for the next installment of Little Forest Quilt Along!

Until next time,

Mama Pea

My Recent Good Fortune

Recently, I've been fortunate enough to win a couple of prizes online.  I've been lucky again!

My good friend, Melissa, who blogs over at Baking for the Boys (a fabulous cooking idea site, for those of you who are interested).  Well, Melissa recently started working at a Vera Bradley store.  Okay, I'd be so broke if I worked there, because I'd spend it all!  So, she was giving away a Vera Bradley apron.  I put my name in and won it!  Woo hoo!

It came packaged in this adorable tin, which I am now usin gin my sewing room to house my safety pins for basting quilts, the little pinning doohickey that saves your fingers, etc.

The apron was packaged in there so cute.  And there's a recipe for sugar cookies on the lid.  Cute.

And here is the cute apron!  I would have modeled it for you, but on the day I was taking this photo, I was wearing sweats, and I don't think I had showered yet.  LOL.  So, this is what you get.  I like it, because the strap runs around your neck and through a slit on the apron and then around the waist.  So, you can adjust the length of the neck really easily.  I like that a lot, because I find most aprons are too long for me through the neck.

Melissa's husband apparently teased her and told her she rigged the drawing, because she knows me from when we lived in Idaho at the same time.  But she says I honestly won through random number generation.  Thank you so much, Melissa!  I love it!  Make sure you go over to her blog and check out all the wonderful recipes she provides.  She tests all recipes and doesn't post them if she doens't think they're good.  I get hungry every time I visit her blog.

Today, she has a recipe for homemade play dough.  Fun, fun.  And her photography of her food, as well as her packaging is so cute and adorable.  Lots of good ideas there for foodie gifts!

Then, my wonderful friend, Shelly, at Prairie Moon Quilts, wrote a new pattern and was giving away a few copies.  I left a comment and, guess what?!  I won!  I am so excited about this pattern.  I love everything cowboy or cowgirl.  I think this pattern is adorable.  And, Shelly includes in the same pattern pack a design for a little cowpoke instead of a cowgirl for the quilt, if you want to make it in the boy version.  AND she gives you another pattern that eliminates the cowboy/girl on the front so it can be gender neutral.  How awesome is that?

Now, I know you want one of these patterns, so hop on over to Shelly's shop and get one for yourself. (The picture in this shop photo is much better than mine, too, so check it out!  You can also see the other versions of the quilt I described in the paragraph above.)

Thank you so much, Shelly.  I can't wait to make one of these.  I'm going to start it in December, I think.  I have this awesome cowboy fabric that I got in Idaho and have been hoarding until I found just the right pattern.  I think this one is it!!!

Well, it's a busy day again, so I better run.  Hope you're all having some good luck out there in blogland, too.  I sure appreciate the generosity of all the wonderful bloggers!

Until next time,

Mama Pea

Delighted!

This weekend, a wonderful package arrived on my doorstep.

A yummy fat quarter bundle of every fabric in the new Delighted line from Amanda Herring (for Riley Blake Designs), The Quilted Fish.  Have I told you how much I LOVE being a member of this design team?  Little (or I should say BIG) surprises like this show up on my doorstep every once in a while!

These fabrics are going to be really fun to work with.  I don't see them on Amanda's website yet.  But I see that the Fat Quarter Shop has them on their website, if you want to see more of the fabrics.  I haven't had the heart to break open the set yet.  It's not available to the public yet....but it will be soon!

The design team has lots of fun stuff in store for you with these fabrics.  Projects and tutorials.  Maybe even a Quilt Along!

The fabric is going to be released in October, and we get to have a party to release it.  I'll be doing something on my blog to celebrate, so stay tuned.  You'll want to get in on this action!  It will be fun!

Speaking of that, Amanda also sent us a panel of these little pennants.  I'm going to sew up a banner for Amanda's release party.  Wait until you see what I'm doing.  I hope I can execute the vision I have in my head for these.  (You all know what happened last time I had a vision....the project didn't work out and ended up in the trash can.  Let's hope I can pull this one off a little better!)  I'll keep you posted.

Sorry it's wrinkled.  I hadn't had time to iron it yet.

And look at all the cute little goodies on the edges of the panel, too.  I will find good use for these.  Wouldn't they make cute quilt labels?!

Okay, I have to go.  Busy, busy day.  I just wanted to drop you all a note and share my excitement over this really fun new fabric!

Until next time,

Mama Pea