Travel!

Happy Wednesday, everybody!  What a glorious, sunny spring day it is here in the pacific northwest!  After months of dreary, rainy weather, this is... well.... a breath of SPRING!

 May Giveaway

Thanks to all who have entered the May giveaway.  I used to try to reply to everyone who responds to blog posts- including those who enter giveaways- but they have grown so much that I just don't have time.  I DO TRY to reply to everyone who comments (other than entering giveaways or congratulating giveaway winners).  So if you comment and don't hear from me- check to see if you are a "no-reply" blogger.  Most people who are NR bloggers don't realize it.  If you're wondering, post a comment and see if I send you an email reply.  As for the giveaway- if your comment shows up at the end of the giveaway post- you're entered!  If you get extra entries for following, etc, you should have that many comments.  Good luck, all!

I recently took a couple of trips.  Those of you who are long time followers have read my warnings before- don't tell people you are leaving before or during a trip- tell them about it when you get back.  Otherwise, you may as well tell the bad guys where the spare keys are.  I'm just sayin'.

A few weeks ago, I went with 3 of my friends to a wonderful condo at the beach.  The Oregon Coast is one of my favorite places on the planet.  Add to that 3 good friends, a beautifully appointed condo, and our sewing machines- and it just doesn't get any better!  I didn't get photos of all of our projects- here are just a few.  I finished 4 quilt tops, a little handbag and a chatelaine.  You'll see them all as I finish the quilting, etc.

I showed you the baby quilt in another post.  This is for my niece and I'm working on quilting it this week.  I'll show it to you when it's completely finished.

This is called Tradewinds.  It's a kit I have on my website.  It's pretty brown and yellow batiks from Robert Kaufman.  I also made 2 other quilt tops that I don't have pics of yet- you'll see them soon when I quilt them.

Julie brought this cute little project for us.  She brought neckties and showed us how to make little handbags.  Each one is made from just one tie, a little lining fabric, and some "bling".  Thanks, Julie!

Jean started a One Block Wonder quilt.  One of these days, I have to make a OBW.  They're sooooo cool!

This is another one of Jean's... a pretty wall hanging with an Asian flair.

Diane made some pretty paper pieced pot holders for a church tea, but I missed getting photos.  Maybe I can talk her into sending me some pics of the tea that include the pot holders.  (Hint, hint, Diane).  This one she was working on is called Funky, Curvy Rail from one of Karla Alexander's books.  I have one of these started, too.  It's a fun project.  I just LOVE the fabrics Diane is using!

This is Julie's- another design by Karla Alexander.  She's donating this to the Quilts of Valor group- donating quilts to members of the armed services with our gratitude for their efforts.

Julie made a bazillion blocks for this one- and got started stripping them together.  Most of the fabrics were from my shop- from the Winters Grace collection.  This is gonna be a HUGE quilt- a wedding gift.

And just to show you that we have a sense of humor- our friend, Shirlene, was unable to join us, which made her very sad.  Shirlene, a retired home ec teacher, is always the one who keeps us neat and tidy.  She is an excellent cook, but also makes beds and cleans up the kitchen before we even realize she did it.  She's so organized and efficient!  Anyway- we did manage to keep things cleaned up, even without Shirlene.  We took turns making meals and cleaning up.  But one day, for a joke, we left the mess pile up in the kitchen on purpose.  Then we took this photo and send it to Shirlene's phone with the caption, "Wish you were here".  She got a good laugh out of that.  Then we had to clean up the kitchen.

No sooner did I get back from the beach,,,,, I left again on a road trip with DH to visit our kids in Utah.  Our oldest son and his wife just bought their first home and we just had to see it!

It's twice the size of our first home!  We're so proud of them for all of their hard work making their dream come true.  I wish them many years of happiness in the home and I hope they make many wonderful memories there.

Our grand-dog, Cooper, LOVES his new back yard!

 While we were there, we visited the Natural History Museum of Utah.  How exciting to see real dinosaur bones!

This is DH and myself (2 more dinosaurs) on the top deck of the museum.  The view of the valley is breath-taking!

Cady and Paul.  Paul is our oldest son and Cady is the love of his life.

We were sad to say, "Goodbye", but we'll be back again, soon!

AND....  since it was a long road trip, I finished up 2 pairs of socks I had started.  This one is called Luna, by Regina Satta.  It was the second installment of the year for the Barking Dog Yarns Sock Club. BDY is owned by my friend, Suzan O'Brien.  She hand dyes all of the yarn she sells and it's gorgeous!  I'd buy it even if she wasn't a good friend..  Her eye for color is a gift.  She's amazing.  Fun knit!

This pattern is called Loyal Friend, by Kerstin Bettig.  I test knit this pattern for Kerstin and it is now published.  Kerstin is a German designer and she asks knitters all over the world to test knit her designs so that she is sure they are translated well.  This is the 3rd test knit I have done for her and I love the opportunity- FUN!

Long post!  A giveaway update, travel safety warning, lots of quilts, pics of my grown kids, a house and a dog, 2 trips, dinosaurs, and a couple of socks.  They say it's best to keep blog posts short and sweet and to only cover one subject with lots of pictures.  Hmmmm.... well...,. I have lots of pictures!  :-) 

May Giveaway- Small Ruler & Cutting Mat

Is this the cutest thing you ever saw?  Well... not including baby toes and kittens playing in paper bags.  The giveaway this month is a 7 inch cutting mat and 6 inch ruler from Olfa. They are made with the same quality as their larger counterparts.   This compact set is great for keeping next to your sewing machine while working on small block elements, and great for taking to classes where space is at a premium. And if you like to work on miniatures- you definitely need one of these.  Plus- as already noted- they're just plain adorable.

Want a chance to win?  Just comment to THIS POST and tell me that you want to be entered.  That's all there is to it- just ask!

You have to work (just a little) for some extra chances.  For a second chance, make a SECOND comment to THIS POST and tell me if you are a follower of this blog (brand new followers count, too!).

Want a third chance?  Spread the news!  You can post to your own blog, or tweet or post on Facebook or announce it over the PA system at WalMart.  Just tell others about the giveaway.  Make a THIRD comment to THIS POST and tell me how you spread the word.  (You can tell others as many ways as you like, but you only get one extra chance for it.)

The winner will be selected by random number generator on June 1st (or June 3rd if I forget like I did this month).  As always- if you are a no-reply blogger, make sure I have a way to contact you should you be the lucky winner.  GOOD LUCK!

April Atkinson Pattern Giveaway Winner!!!

The trusty random number generator tells me that lucky number 31 wins the giveaway!  Congrats to Rebecca, who blogs at Our Busy Little Bunch.  I took a look at Rebecca's blog and I'm amazed at how productive she is!  Reading her blog reminds me of the days when I was a young mom with a lot more energy than I have now.  :-)

I'll send you an email Rebecca- you get to select any Atkinson Designs pattern on my website.

You just never know with random drawings (I once bought ONE raffle ticket and won a cruise!).  But Rebecca's chances were a little better in this giveaway because she sent me a picture for an extra chance.  She made her daughter this quilt using Lucky Stars, which is one of my favorite Atkinson Designs patterns. 

Very nice work, Rebecca!  And I browsed through your blog a bit- all of your projects are adorable.  You are a very talented lady!

I'll post a new giveaway for May as soon as I get a picture---
Have a GREAT day, everybody!