Drawing Time!!

I’m still unpacking! Somewhere, I’ve lost that Mp3 player again….it WAS connected to the headphones…but this morning, I could ONLY find the headphones…

And I have no idea WHY they were in the box of Cheese Nips crackers!!??! That’s the kind of “clean the car” episode we had last night upon returning home. It’s weird to have it dark so early……and easy to lose things in the dark!

I’ve just drawn TWO winners for the Patchwork Gilde Deutschland Magazine containing my “Zuckerwatte” ((Cotton Candy)) Quilt!

Are you ready?

Our first winner!

susan said...

Your blog is brand new to me. My friend Jeri L posted this on my wall, and so here I am. I hope you are having a marvelous time! Your quilt DOES look like cotton candy. Those scallops are beautiful! Thanks for the tutorial!

Welcome to Quiltville’s Quips & Snips, Susan! I’ve sent you an email and I’m just awaiting your snail mail address and will mail the magazine right out to you. I hope you’ll follow along in the future! Great things are coming up……including our Orca Bay mystery that starts on FRIDAY!!

((Funny funny --- someone was leaving a comment and must have been typing by phone because the auto-correct changed it to OKRA bay..heheheh!!!))

And our second winner!

Brenda said...

Bonnie, you make everything seem easy!!
I was scared (uh, still am!!!) That this will be on the new mystery!!! Oh well, feel the fear and do it anyway!! With you behind my back, watching over me, I know I could do this if it was going to be the end of the new project!!!

But saying that - THAT QUILT IS GORGEOUS!!!!!!
Love that!! The colours, the beauty, you have outdone yourself!!!
Question: what happens to the quilt after a magazine has used it?? So, you sent it off to Germany for it's photo shoot, now what happens to it??? just woundering....
I hope you have a very relaxing time on deck with your books and enjoy the cruise!!!

I've emailed Brenda and am just waiting for her snail mail address --- and HER copy will be off on its way to her too!

In answer to Brenda’s questions….After a quilt has been in a magazine, the copyright reverts back to me after a time and I am free to do with it what I want --- put it in a book, or upload it to the blog for everyone --- Each magazine has their own stipulations on how long they keep the rights on it before it returns to me, and that can be anywhere from 3 months after publication to a year, depending on the magazine.

As to the Zuckerwatte Quilt --- it’s going to appear in my next book, due out in July, 10 months after it was released in the Magazine.

As to the cruise! WOOOT! I’ve got so many pictures to go through and upload…so be looking for posts on that this week.

As for how things are here at home after the cruise?? Dear DH asked first thing this morning..”Is the dining room open for breakfast yet??” Man, I’m going to MISS that food service!!!

One more catch up ---- I’m drawing for the winners of 100 blocks by 100 designers volume 4 TOMORROW on my “Evening Edition” post! If you haven’t signed up to enter for your free copy…click HERE and leave a comment on that post ((NOT THIS ONE!!))

Good luck to everyone who entered, and be watching for that post tomorrow!

Come to Bali with Me!

Bali Trip, 2012!

We arrived home from our Caribbean Adventure last evening! I have so much to share with you, but it's going to take a day or so to get my bags unpacked and get to feeling "normal" again....so I'm leaving this in the queue for you---

Have you been feeling left out of our traveling adventure fun?? There is no better time than now to plan for NEXT AUGUST!

Come to Bali with me! You know we are going to have a trip of a life time!
August 21 - 30, 2012

For info, click HERE!

And if you are one of my Australia/New Zealand friends, the cost may even be better for you! Check with Sew Many Places at info@sewmanyplaces.com to find out!

Visit Denspar - Princess Mirah's Batik Factory - Batuan - Mas - Bali Bird Park - Ubud - Elephant Safari Park - Coffee & Clove Plantation - Palace of Puri Karangasem

Package Includes:Round-trip airfare from Los Angeles, deluxe hotel accommodations at the Melia Bali Resort & Spa, all transfers & taxes, most meals, private motorcoach & personal guide, Sew Many Places gifts, special hands-on batiking class, a visit to Princess Mirah's Batik Factory, lunch at Princess Mirah's Palace, sightseeing as listed in the itinerary, and personally escorted by ME! ((And the DH too, I'm dragging him along as well ;c))

Itinerary:

Tuesday, August 21st
Very early this morning (1am) we will fly from the Los Angeles International Airport to BALI.

Wednesday, August 22nd
This morning a breakfast snack will be served onboard the plane before we arrive at the Taipei Airport early in the morning. We will transfer to another plane for our connecting flight onto BALI. A lunch snack will be served onboard the plane. Upon our arrival at the Denpasar Airport, we will collect our luggage, pass through customs and secure our visas. We will meet our guide, Mawa and our bus driver who will take us to our beautiful deluxe hotel, the MELIA BALI RESORT & SPA. Here we will check into our rooms and settle in. This will be our home for the next eight nights. A special “welcome dinner,” hosted by our tour guide, Bonnie Hunter, ((That's me again!!)) will close our day.

Thursday, August 23rd
This morning, following a delicious buffet breakfast, we will depart for a tour of the Princess Mirah's Batik Factory. This will be an opportunity to see batik weavers and artists up close and learn more of how batik fabric is made. Lunch will be on your own. This afternoon we will visit the town of TOHPATI, where we will have plenty of time for shopping in the local market, before returning to our hotel in the afternoon. The remainder of the evening is at your leisure.

Friday, August 24th
This morning, following breakfast, we will visit the town of BATUAN and the town of MAS, where we will see some of the greatest woodcarvers and artists in the entire world. These are master carvers, so be sure to bring your cameras along to capture these incredible sculptures. We will return back to our hotel in the afternoon where the remainder of the day is at your leisure. I will be on hand tonight to meet anyone who would like to join her for a special dinner.

Saturday, August 25th
Following breakfast this morning, we will drive through picturesque landscapes of rice paddies tripping down hillsides, travel through a dense tropical jungle, and pass through quiet little villages until we arrive at the Bali Bird Park. Here we will enjoy a delicious lunch and have an opportunity to look around the park. Again, you do not want to forget your cameras! We will return back to our hotel later in the afternoon.

Sunday, August 26th
This morning after a hearty breakfast, we will drive to the town of UBUD, famous for fantastic shopping. Upon our arrival, we will visit the famous Monkey Forest. We will see the lush tropical rain forest and enjoy the spontaneity of the local monkeys who inhabit this area. (Be careful you are not walking through this forest with any valuables. The monkeys have a tendency to grab things and scurry up the tree with them. Take special care!) There will be time to browse the local craft shops in the town and bargain for anything from paintings to batik fabric. We will spend all morning here and depart in the afternoon for our hotel.

Monday, August 27th
Today, for those who have signed up for our optional tour, we will visit the Elephant Safari Park in the northern part of the island. Along the way, we’ll pass extraordinary scenery and have some great photograph opportunities. This is certainly going to be a fun experience, and one you will remember as a highlight of the trip. We will drive back to the hotel in the afternoon, where the remainder of your day is at your leisure. Lunch at the Elephant Park

Tuesday, August 28th
Following breakfast this morning, we will travel to a Coffee and Clove Plantation, where we will learn more about how these products are grown and produced. There will be an opportunity to purchase cloves, which make a terrific souvenir for friends back home. In the afternoon, we will go to a Batik factory, where we will learn to make batiks ourselves! Master batik artists will teach us how to draw on the fabric, apply wax, dye the fabric and rinse. It will be a very special afternoon and a day you will remember for a long time! We will return back to our hotel in the late afternoon.

Wednesday, August 29th
Today is our final full day in Bali. Following breakfast, we will board our motorcoach and visit the Bat Cave Temple of Goa Lawah, dedicated to the Ocean God Varuna. Our next stop on our tour is a visit to the Palace of Puri Karangasem. Upon arrival at the palace our gracious hostess, Princess Mirah, will provide a very special lunch for our group-the favorite dishes of her grandfather the last king of Bali. We will also enjoy some very special entertainment, which will be followed by a short tour of the palace. We will depart the palace and drive to the Tirtta Gangga Water Palace for a tour of the grounds. Tonight, a special“farewell dinner” awaits, as we bring our exotic Batiking in Bali Expedition to a close.

Thursday, August 30th
Today we will pack our suitcases and begin our journey home. We’ll check in at the Denpasar Airport for our flight to Taipei.We will change planes and continue on until we arrive at the Los Angeles International Airport in the evening.

Spaces are limited....so sign up today!! And just so you know where to come back and find the info…I’ve added this to a tab at the top of the page…look up there where it says Bali Trip, 2012!

Come ride an elephant with me! It will be a blast, of that I promise you!

Name This Gadget!

Have you ever wondered what some of these really strange contraptions could be?

If you are a vintage machine lover, then perhaps you know……but some of these? I’d never seen before!

Just what IS this thing?! It has moving parts and little notches with numbers….if you know? Leave a reply below!

My love of vintage machines started early on..and along with every treadle or vintage machine came a box of wonder-things…some of them fairly interesting! The dealie-bopper you at the left came with someone’s featherweight machine and we were examining and speculating on what these could be!

How about this one? It's a BIG thing!!

At first I thought it was a ruffler, but no…a ruffler has a dial thing, and this doesn’t. Look at the front of it:

A pin tucker maybe? What do you think? The little arm does go over the needle bar, so….that’s all I can think of!

This one is the ruffler. I’ve used these before. I made scads and scads and scads of ruffles when I was doing bunny and doll dresses back in the “day” --- the froo froo country decorating of the early 1990s! Can you imagine that little featherweight going to town making flounces for little girl Easter dresses?

This one has to be some sort of edging application foot. If you slide one fabric in one groove, and another in another groove, they’ll over-lap and you can stitch them together with ease…maybe lace? Who knows?

I had to come home and dig….I have this sewing machine attachment puzzle box from an early early machine and I remembered it having some Frankenstein type attachments in it too!

Ooops…looks like most everything has fallen out into the bottom drawer!

Egad! How do I get this stuff to fit back into that little box! And what the heck ARE these things?! Look at that farthest one on the left!

It almost looks painful, doesn’t it? Just what do you think THIS one is?!

This one was used to put on some kind of bias binding I think…..the fabric would be fed through that tube….

You know, for being fairly early machines, these vintage babies sure came with some high-tech equipment didn’t they?!

Evening Stroll through Santa Fe!

More Santa Fe?

Yes, more Santa Fe!

But first, I need to wish a very, very happy wedding to my little brother Scott, and his sweetheart Alicia who are being wed today on 11/11/11 at 11:11am! I can't be there in person, but I am there in spirit! I wish you guys the happiest of lifetimes, and can't wait to see you as soon as I can!

*SIGH* If only I could be two places at once, but the cruise was sold out and contracted before they announced their wedding plans, and I couldn't change it, and they understand that. All of my family is in Boise, Idaho right now, except for me! All 7 siblings and all their spouses and nieces and nephews and extended family. I MISS YOU ALL!

I really didn’t have extra time in Albuquerque to see anything --- and I would have posted LOTS if I had time to be taken to see it! So next time, I’m planning an extra day just to be able to see things that I missed.

For instance, I would have LOVED to be there on one of the balloon Fiesta weekends! I missed it by a week ;c) That’s okay --- NEXT TIME!

On my last evening, I was dropped off to my hotel about 5pm, and it was still very light out, and I took the shuttle down to the Plaza area one last time.

There is something very special about evening light in New Mexico. It just has this “other worldly” quality to it that turns the fading sunlight in to rosy pink hues.

Even the pictures I had taken mid-day the day before paled in comparison to these when touched by just that bit of evening sunlight. So I walked. And I clicked. I think I’m going to have to get me a “big girl” camera some day, but dang it – traveling and shooting with my phone is so easy and accessible!

The picture you see above of the courtyard is one area I just LOVED! There is so much to see…

And aren’t those burros just the cutest things ever? Click the pic to biggie size it. How many burros ARE there? THREE! Can you see the light reflected in the shop windows? And I love that blue color of the door and the window panes! Mixed with that terracotta of the building itself…it’s magic!

Everywhere I walked there were mesquite fences. They are just simply wired together, pole by pole…

See the wire? These just “Might” be able to keep the coyotes at bay….and they sure add a rustic touch to the down town Plaza areas! I wound myself around just taking in the size and shape and style of the buildings. When I walked past here the day before, the town was busy and bustling with people, with vendors selling their wares:

the turquoise and silver was just beautiful! And people sat there, every inch of the floor in the marketplace covered with jewelry displayed on blankets and tables…

But at night, past 5pm? Everyone had gone home and the Plaza took on a different feel ---

The streets were mostly empty, all the vendors were gone, leaving behind lonely buildings-

This just looks like something out of the “OLD” southwest, doesn’t it?

More of that fabulous turquoise paint! I think this could “almost” replace Cheddar in my favorite colors department!

The sun dipped its head to touch the tops of buildings and I was snapping pictures furiously before it got too dark to do so. I love the look of adobe buildings with the ends of wood beams sticking through!

Heavy, chunky wooden doors with almost a patchwork log appearance! GREAT texture! And yes, more turquoise window frame paint! I’m sold!

Even the plants just shout color, don’t they? Tumble weed sage brush and other desert plants line a low adobe wall ---

Even modern buildings are built in such a way that you KNOW they are ALL Santa Fe!

This was my favorite of all…just look at that stucco trim at the top, resembling a Spanish lady’s Mantilla. Uhhuh…..turquoise sky, need I say more about this color?

Window shopping when crowds have thinned can be very relaxing too! I was encouraged to relax even MORE by the pose of this statue just reclining in front of a shop window! Some how this looks more Egyptian than Spanish or Native American, but rest is good for everyone! LOL!

And yes, even lucky elephants can be found in Santa Fe….it is the land of Enchantment, after all!

Shop windows are full of interesting artifacts! This window had a bit of everything from Native handcrafts, to some Dia de los Muertos going on….

And I’m not a big jewelry wearer. I don’t hardly ever change my earrings, necklace or rings – they stay pretty much the same, basic, go with everything stuff --- but this display of turquoise and silver turned my head!

((This is where I confess to you that in a previous life, I worked as a floral designer in a flower shop, and it was my job to do the window displays! They always catch my eye, and I really appreciate well done interesting windows!))

In the evening light, the patterns and colors of the woven Navajo rugs looked even richer!

Lots of inspiration for quilt designs here, don’t you agree??

Darkness was gathering quickly, and it was also threatening to rain, so I hastened the 1.5 miles on foot back to my hotel…passing this wall of artwork—we’ve got a rattle snake facing off with what looks like to be a mountain lion or some cat-like creature….but look at those native plants! It was just a wonderful display on a street corner away from the Plaza area.

And now THIS I thought was tongue-in-cheek funny-----The hotel was right next to Whole Foods ((Great!! Love Whole Foods!)) As I walked over to Whole Foods I saw a whole bunch of tents in the park across the street! All kinds of tents, some with BBQs going, people milling about, looked like they were having a GREAT time ---

And then I saw the sign “Occupy Santa Fe” :c/

I didn’t go over there, but it struck me as rather “convenient” that they would rough it in a park right across the street from corporate Whole Foods.

No political affiliation what-so-ever --- it just seemed funny to me!

Oh, I loved Santa Fe, and I can’t wait to go back!

A Visit to Southwest Decoratives!

When I was in New Mexico, In between a morning guild meeting in Santa Fe, and an Evening guild meeting in Albuquerque, I had the opportunity to take a little side trip out to a very special shop!

Not that ALL shops are not special, but this one was something REALLY neat!

Southwest Decoratives might not even “SOUND” like the name for a Quilt Shop, but if you go to Albuquerque, please leave yourself ample time to wander through and be inspired by the many southwestern quilts, clothing items and other lovelies on display!

From the moment I walked in, I was ENCHANTED! New Mexico *IS* the Land of Enchantment, after all! I quickly found one of the ladies who works there and asked if she would mind if I took pics and wrote a blog post about what I found there!

((Always ask when taking pictures in quilt shops --- if you tell them you want to feature them on your blog, you may be given the go-ahead!))

You will NOT find “thimble berries”, “Civil War” or “1930’s Repros” here! You will find rich batiks, tone-on-tones, and wonderful prints and stripes with a Southwest theme, and GORGEOUS quilts resembling Navajo rugs and basket artwork—EVERYWHERE!

All of those rugs I fell in love with? Here they are in patchwork! Isn’t this awesome! These are the perfect designs for “Manly” quilts, for those who love Southwest or Cowboy style! These are DIFFERENT then all of the old traditional stuff --- This blew me away!

I remember back in the “90s” or whenever it was that Southwest meant peachy-terra-cotta and dusty sagey green or turquoise but with more muted shades. THIS IS NOT THAT LOOK! This is bold and vibrant and so full of life!

Everywhere you look there are more examples of Southwestern Lifestyle and Heritage ---and lots and lots of fabrics to recreate these wonderful images from!

I loved these samples. I’m such a Geometric girl --- Landscapes and applique just don’t charge me like the things that I can do with strips, squares and triangles do. That vibrant one to the left..Oh yeah…that just glows!

The classroom is large too, and there are even MORE samples in there! See that white sampler hanging to the right of the window? Those are tile replications! You know that those caught my eye right off!

Just look at that round mandala ---and the other navajo symbols! My next pic will give you a closer view of those lovely jackets on the wall in the background!

LOVELY LOVELY! I have to admit I am still in love with the prairie skirts and broomstick skirts I saw ladies wearing – complete with cowboy boots and a big silver buckle please!

I love this row quilt! Isn’t it awesome! I’m sure there are patterns for all of these available. Just check the shop’s website linked above.

For those who love to applique….these were impressive! I love the contrast between the white background and the black design work --- with either a punch of turquoise, or some red hot red!

I swear, around EVERY TURN…it was like being at a quilt show, I could have spent hours here!

Love that Navajo basket medallion there on the wall…..SO beautiful! Stunning!

Samplers, medallions, you name it --- there is something southwest to entice everyone who enters the door!

In perusing the shop's website I saw they even have some freebie patterns for you! Click HERE to check them out!

I loved what I saw here – I left so jazzed and inspired and ready to play with some wilder geometrics and wilder color combinations. New Mexico really IS the Land of Enchantment!

PS --- Happy 28th birthday to my firstborn Son, Jason! I love you more than my heart can hold! I'm so proud of you and the things you are accomplishing in your life. You are my shining star --- keep on keeping on! It will get better, I promise ---xoxox :c)