Afternoon Additon --- Free Kindle book!

And we’re off! Heading out to the Trans Siberian Orchestra concert…and meeting up with friends after for dinner. It should be a fun evening.

I just downloaded this little freebie ---it’s a mystery, and it sounds cute. Wait – can mysteries BE cute??

Dead Air: A Sammy Greene Thriller by Deborah Shlian and Linda Reid is free today from the Amazon Kindle store, and has received an average user rating of 4 out of 5 stars based on 15 customer reviews.

Category: Mystery / Suspense

Book Description:

This likable mystery, set in 1995, stars Sammy Greene, a “freckle-faced” communications major at a conservative college.

She also hosts a daily talk show on the campus radio station, encouraging callers to discuss subjects that might be a bit outré for the mainstream.

When she discovers that a professor has been murdered, she picks up the scent of real journalism and decides to investigate. But she doesn’t count on exposing the dark side of the college in the process.

The authors have created a series-worthy heroine who has plenty of room to grow. Fans of light mysteries with a hard edge will enjoy this one.

Sounds worth a free-try, yeah? Just remember to double check before clicking that it is STILL free – things can change in the blink of an eye, and what was once free might not be later ---

Oooh! And be sure to click back to our Mystery Monday Link-Up post from last Monday --- we're close to 100 link-ups as I write this...check out everyone's progress! Great job everyone!

Grand-Kitty Addition!

I was out for a walk yesterday when my phone rang….and I answered it ---

“Hi Mom! Watcha doin??”

“Out for a walk! How about you?”

((Insert additional information – it’s been UNSEASONABLY warm here – pushing 70 degrees…in DECEMBER! Keep it coming, I love this!))

“I just adopted a kitty.”

“WHAT?!”

“She’s 6 months old and as sweet as can be ----“

What was really weird is I had woken up yesterday morning DREAMING of cats --- a whole house full! There must have been 6 cats in the house, and one of them a kitten that looked just like Oscar did as a baby – so I already had cats on the brain.

Was it a premonition?

Jason loves cats. And a single guy like him, coming home to a one bedroom apartment all alone --- I can see why he would want his own purry furry to curl up to, or have on his lap to study with. I’m okay with this. Cats are great therapy to cat lovers!

He sent pictures, and she is adorable!

I asked later, after the pics came in via text ---what her name was.

He said “Maybe Lola.” LOLA?!?

Are you hearing the juke box in your head start to rev up yet?

Or how about THIS Lola?!

I’m going to take a road trip down to Columbia next Monday for a visit, go love on my son a bit, and get to know my new grand-kitty too! By the time I come home, she might NOT be named Lola after all! LOL!

This afternoon should be fun….DH and I are going to Greensboro to a Trans Siberian Orchestra Concert! I think he is doing everything he can to force me into the Christmas Spirit! This just MIGHT do it – because I love their music, and I’ve heard their shows are great.

As for the sewing part of things…not a lot to show you since the quilt top yesterday. It’s gotta be quilted. I’ve pulled backing fabrics. I’m still cramming on pattern writing for the next book deadline, and there isn’t a lot to show you there, but you know what? It’s kind of nice not having a whole lot to talk about!

Happy Wednesday!

Holiday Freebie --- Paper Pieced Tree!

I’ve been having a lazy day --- but that doesn’t mean that hands are not busy! I’m sewing bindings like crazy, trying to get these quilts ready to be sent off for photography!

I’m going to have to spend some time doing some labels too, but for right now, I’m tackling bindings.

I’ve had a heck of a time binding with 100% cotton threads that want to shred back against themselves after only a handful of stitches through the binding. Does that drive YOU as nuts as it does me? I’ve tried “thread heaven” to lubricate the thread, it doesn’t matter --- after a few stitches, it drags and shreds into a lump and the thread breaks.

This morning I decided to try something different and tried some bottomline thread that I usually use in the longarm machine bobbins. It hand stitches like a dream! I had read somewhere that people liked it for applique too ---it behaves like silk thread, but it is quite strong.

I know what I’ll be binding with from now on!

This free little 4" tree is so cute, I thought I’d pass it on to you! I’m thinking mug-rugs or Christmas ornaments ---could even put 4 of them together for a small wall hanging --- it would be a great place to pull out the green and neutral scraps and crumbs for the tree, some blues for the background, and a hunka chunka brown for the trunk --

Click HERE to download the free pdf!

I’ve had emails today saying that the link to comment on the Story-Time Stars post wasn’t there..but yet several people were able to comment, so I think it’s either a blogger thing, or a browser thing? It isn’t anything I did, so there is nothing that I can do to fix it – my thought is to just to reboot your computer, try a different browser, and/or wait it out!

And with that…I’m headed back to put in some more binding time!

The finger feels much better….I’m watching it to see if any red streaks or swelling or other symptoms arise, but I am about 30 hours past incident and other than tenderness in the nail bed, I’m fine. But I sure will be more careful from now on…..and pay attention to that heel tap feature on that Bernina pedal!

Story-Time Stars!

The top is done! And --- I think you will like what I did! Isn’t this block SO CUTE! Each one turned out so different. This one reminds me of our Orca Bay mystery ---- I was gifted scraps and pieces of Alaskan Themed fabric while I was in Alaska this year, and it’s fun to put it in here!

And wonder of wonders --- I didn’t go all out all out all out and over do it on the border!

As often happens when strip piecing units like 4-patches or 9-patches, I ended up with a handful of left-over black/white 4-patches ----with not enough to really do anything with them.

I’m a fan of using them up in the project I am already working on, instead of having to make MORE of something to finish a project later that hasn’t been invented yet.

This is the top laid out with the checkerboard sashings and cornerstones.

I decided to simply add a 4-patch to the outside of each cornerstone in the sashing ---and then put simple logs of color between them as kind of a faux-border that gives the eye a BIT of a place to rest, but not much!

From here it just said "DONE" to me...and the size was right for a baby quilt.

I’m happy with it. I feel like this is the “less is more” that I was looking for without having it be boring --- and it worked really well where “Just choose one fabric in one color for the border” Just wouldn’t have worked for this busy colorful quilt!

Now to pick a backing for it and get it quilted and bound. I’m going to bind it in black to finish. I thought maybe black was too much for a baby quilt binding, but it does seem to be what this quilt needs. Baby is due around Mid January – of course I’m pulling for MY birthday, January 23! I don’t have anyone in the family to share my birthday with yet. Jeff came close…his birthday is Jan 25! ((But as always, he has his OWN agenda, and foiled my plans and came on his own day --- typical!))

I’m very happy with this finish! And I’m very happy that this one kicked me into gear to organize my strip stash better. It’s going to make a difference--- a huge difference – I know it is!

Hahahaha! Crabs in Sunglasses….love it!

And of course there is room for Tigger too!

Have a great Tuesday, Everyone!

Only a Flesh Wound!!

I remember laughing hysterically at the old Monty Python Spoofs about Arthur and the “Black Knight”

Are you this way? Some classic lines just seem to be stored in the back of the brain just sitting there, ready to be recalled when the appropriate moment arises.

Don’t ask me why “Only a Flesh Wound!!” was one of those statements laying dormant ---

But it sure came in handy!

I was sewing along, stitching border pieces together into a long length – humming, dreaming, pondering, singing along with whatever was coming up on my ipod play list, and

OH!

MY!

That heel tap feature on a Bernina machine can have dangerous side effects! And I have no reasoning to expalin why my finger was in such close proximity to the needle in the first place, but before I knew it –the needle was THROUGH my nail, and out the other side of my finger.

And I was STUCK! I couldn’t pull it --- I had to stop and think! Which is not easy to do when there is a needle doing the “through and through” through your finger!

The only way..was to use the hand wheel and raise it back up, and then slide my finger back OFF the needle.

And yes, I hate to admit it, but it's true --- I also thought "Quick! Where is the camera!" LOL! But getting my finger out of the machine took precedence over getting you an action shot ---

The biggest voice in my head yelling “DON’T BLEED ON THE QUILT!!!”

Quick! Wrap it in a paper towel! (( Did you get blood on the quilt?!?)) Get some ice! ((Did you bleed on the quilt?!?!))

Hold your hand above your head, holding pressure with the paper towel, and a baggie full of ice……do a funny dance all around the living room…(( Did you bleed on the quilt?!?))

When was your my last tetanus shot?! I’m up to date..it was a year ago. ((Did you bleed on the quilt!?))

Puncture wounds don’t bleed a lot, and I am happy to say the borders are on the quilt, but the finger is tender, of course. NO sign of infection so far --- but I’m watching it.

And no --- There was no blood on the quilt! Good thing it was "Only a Flesh Wound!!"

Be careful ya’ll! We are working with some pretty dangerous equipment! And yes, the machine got a NEW NEEDLE!

We have a ton of entries coming in on our Mystery Monday Link-Up! Be sure to stop by that post and see what everyone has been doing!

Mystery Monday Link-Up, Part 3!

I can’t believe how fast we are rolling into December! Can you believe there are only 20 days left until Christmas? I’m in complete denial.

It’s not as stressful as when the kids were young. Now that they are grown, and we’ve had to help them financially quite a bit over the past couple of months, it’s pretty safe to say that both of their birthdays and Christmases have been taken care of this year!

But I still long for that festive holiday feeling --- the Tastes, the Sounds, and the Smells --- and the FEELING. And it’s slow in coming this year for me. Maybe it will kick in by the 15th or so??

Do you need some help getting kicked into gear? Sew Cal Gal is hosting a Christmas/Winter virtual Quiltshow on her blog!

Check it out HERE!

There are lots of wonderful entries…..click them in the linky there to see what everyone else is showing.

As for MY Christmas Spirit? Viewing the quilts inspired me to put some Holiday Cheer on my OWN bed!

It’s my Carolina Christmas! I love how this one FITS the bed…The antique pillows look really fun with it. I love how just changing out the quilts changes the whole room!

The pattern is featured in Scraps & Shirttails II for those of you who didn't participate when it was our 2009 Mystery.

There are a few other Red/White or Holiday quilts that I can dig out and decorate with. I might get around to that, a little bit at a time. A few table arrangements, some stockings at the hearth --- and I think that will be it. I don’t plan on putting up a tree this year, no one else seems to really care if we have one or not, and that is one stressful thing I’d rather avoid.

Anyway--- How are you coming along on your Part 3 units? I was amazed just yesterday, one day after the clue was released…that several of you had already FINISHED! This year I tried to divide things up into more “easy-to-swallow” chunks…so that meant a couple extra weeks to break steps down into smaller portions, but hopefully it doesn’t add stress to YOUR holiday either.

If you are a blogger, please link your post showing your Orca Bay Mystery progress on Part 3 ((Or any other part, no matter where you are in the mystery)) below!

Remember that we need the url of the specific POST, not the address for your whole blog. To get the correct address in the linky –right click on the title/subject line of your post you wrote about your quilt progress. Chose “copy link address” and paste this url in the form when you link.

For instance, my blog address is http://quiltville.blogspot.com but that isn't enough. I can't link to the WHOLE blog, I need the address of the post. The address of THIS post ishttp://quiltville.blogspot.com/2011/12/mystery-monday-link-up-part-3.html See the difference?

If you link to your whole blog, I’ll have to remove your link and have you try again because I can’t fix it FOR you.

We'll leave this open for a week to give you time to write your posts! I LOVED seeing what links came in last week! If you missed those, you can find them linked in the Orca Bay Mystery tab at the top of the blog ---just look at the bottom of that page below the step links for the Mystery Monday Link up Links !

Happy Monday!

Rock you like a Hurricane!

It was a great night last night in Raleigh!

I’d only been to one “live” hockey game before --- that is unless you count the countless times I was at Jason’s street hockey games when we lived in Idaho ----they were rough and tough kids, and played on roller blades. Fun! But this time I’m talking professional NHL hockey.

Hockey fans are like non-other in the world. They wear their jerseys proud! And you could definitely tell who was rooting for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and who was dressed in Red for the home team, the Carolina Hurricanes!

We had two vehicles full….We packed Shamu with DH driving, me riding shot-gun, and 4 co-workers who are up from Reynosa, Mexico working with DH. The other vehicle had 4 other co-workers from Mexico ---and they’d never been to ice hockey games at all! So this was fun. They are up here for 6 months learning the running of the plant, and will head back to Mexico at the end of the month and put their knowledge and experience to use there. Great people – we had a wonderful time!

Can you see our little posse? Bonnie, Dave – and the 8 Mexicans. Sounds like a musical group! LOL!

Guess who made the best use of what daylight was left on the way TO Raleigh?! I got a bit more than one side done before it was too dark to see to thread a needle any more. One side done is one side done, right? And we keep working, one side at a time as we can squeeze it in!

Waltz of the Zambonies!! I don’t think there is a guy there who wouldn’t love to have this job!

It was even “free bobble head” Night! LOL! Not sure where I am going to put this guy --- he’s still in the box.

Hurricanes lost to the Penguins 2-3. SUCH a close game, all the way to the end! In the last few minutes, Penguins only had 3 on the ice…everyone else was in the penalty box! It was funny explaining to the Mexican guy sitting next to me why all those players were in that little glass cube in “Time Out”. It was hilarious, there were more IN the penalty box than were out of it!

It was a long drive home…the worst part of course, is getting back OUT of the parking lot with all those thousands of cars trying to do the same thing. THIS is why I don’t go to very many big-venue events. I hate the parking thing, and the getting OUT thing even worse…

But we'll always remember these highlights!

Remember that tomorrow is Mystery Monday Link-Up day! Remember to come back and share your progress on our Orca Bay Mystery, especially Part 3! You can show ANY progress you have made in the past week.

Have a Super Sunday!

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This is just a test ----please disregard. Feedburner isn't sending my links over to facebook and I changed some settings and need to try it out... nothing to read here, but stay tuned!

Jan/Feb 2012 Quiltmaker Magazine!

It’s out! I nearly spaced it with all that’s been going on!

My copies arrived about 2 weeks ago….BEFORE Thanksgiving. And didn’t THAT feel weird, because not only had we bypassed Thanksgiving --- but we left December completely out of the equation and moved right into Valentine’s Day!

Now, being a winter-phobe ---This is NOT all together a bad thing. I really don’t do winter. Yes, I think the snow can be lovely, if I don’t have to shovel it or get out and drive in it. Crazy words from a girl who is Minneapolis born, and lived for years and years in Idaho --- but it’s true!

I plan on braving my way though December --- and then for New Years I’m hoping for terrific weather in the Dallas Texas area where we’ll be giving 3 days of workshops over New Years for Fabric Fanatics in Plano, and then visiting the Garland Guild on Jan 3rd!

If I come home to snow and cold, never fear, I’m heading almost immediately after Texas for Southern California. And then Florida.

I’ve always thought that if I can just make it to February I’ll be okay! But then this is the East Coast, and we still might get some ice storms to throw a whammy in the travel plans. Heaven forbid!

But I’m getting ahead of myself ----

Remember when I made this quilt for Baby Michelle?

OH she was so cute and tiny sleeping on it!

The Princess Crown block is the featured block for my Addicted to Scraps column in Quiltmaker for Jan/Feb 2012 and it is available now!

It’s a GREAT Block for digging into the scraps --- I’ve shown it with the African batik fussy cut in the center for one block, but it also works great in reproductions!

This is another layout idea that Quiltmaker is showing!

This is definitely an issue you don’t want to miss….it is guaranteed to get you over those winter post-holiday blahs and get us looking forward to SPRING!

For more inspiration from blocks featured on the Addicted To Scraps column, click HERE!

Afternoon Edition–Free Kindle Book!

Heading out to the Carolina Hurricanes vs the Pittsburgh Penguins game in just a bit! Dressing in RED to support the home team!

Someone just please remind me to use the sticky roller to remove all threads and other quilting detritus before allowing myself to be seen in public!

Just found this goodie and wanted to pass it on to you!

Sweet Masterpiece by Connie Shelton is free today from the Amazon Kindle store, and has received an average user rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 9 customer reviews.

Category: Mystery

Book Description:

Connie Shelton has wowed readers with her down-to-earth female sleuth in her Charlie Parker mystery series. Now she introduces a new set of characters in a mystery series that contains a little romance, a little magic and a lot of chocolate!

Samantha Sweet is a lady who breaks into houses for a living, and the things she discovers often lead to trouble. When she finds an unmarked grave on a property in a remote spot in Taos County, New Mexico, Sam calls in the authorities. A small mural painted inside a closet in the abandoned house provides clues and Sam is caught up in an investigation. A fortune in artwork, a bogus will, and a wooden box that seems to give Sam powers she never dreamed she possessed–all lead to a genuine mystery for Sam to solve.

Then there is all that chocolate! Sam’s real goal in life is to use her elegant baking skills to open her own pastry shop, Sweet’s Sweets. She’s gaining quite the reputation as a baker with a magical touch, but a few obstacles stand in her way. Her grown daughter shows up on her doorstep–jobless and homeless; her bank account is at an all-time low; and trying to work from the tiny cramped kitchen in her home is becoming impossible.

Somehow, Sam copes and she finds that her dreams might just have a chance of coming true.

Praise for Connie Shelton’s previous mysteries:

“Shelton, a major success for Intrigue, can only expand her fan base with this solid effort.” — Publisher’s Weekly

“Shelton continues to combine suspenseful storytelling with sensitive portrayals of complex family relationships.” –Booklist

“Shelton again has done a superb job in bringing New Mexico to life.” — Albuquerque Journal

“Connie Shelton has another winner!” — The Book Report

Sounds like a good’un to me! Remember to check before clicking that it is STILL free..I pass these along as quickly as I can, but prices can change without notice….

GO HURRICANES!!

Gone Viral!

The Cleaning Epidemic has pushed its way down into the basement studio!

I honestly don’t know:

1. How it got so out of control in the first place?!

2. Just what it was that tipped me over the edge?!

3. How long this virus is going to STICK AROUND?!

I always thought I was semi-organized. I mean, ask me where something is and I can tell you….but pretty much lived by the philosophy that if it was IN the drawer and the drawer could shut, that was fine with me.

I honestly think it was working on this baby quilt that tipped the scales. I had THREE big drawers of 2.5” strips. And they all looked like the picture at the top of this page ---- two drawers with colored strips, one with neutrals. And they are OUT of control.

As long as there was one drawer for each, it didn’t bother me so much, but when you get to the point where both colored drawers are a mix of everything under the sun and you can’t find anything and you have to dig….it only seems logical ((Wait, did I just say LOGICAL!? Where does that word belong in fabric hoarding stashing?!?)) to want to sort things a bit better.

But what to do? I had no clue! But something had to be done. So I put on a Netfix movie and just started ironing. And sorting by color. And draping these strips by color family over the rail of my longarm…because it was the closest workable surface to do so.

Did it occur to me that I wouldn’t be able to load a quilt on the machine until I finished ironing EVERY DANG STRIP IN THE STRIP STASH!? It started pretty simply. Looking good…but those drawers are deceiving --- they have more in them than you think!

Strips began to pile on top of strips and some things became VERY evident!

HOLY. MOLY. How did I get so much PINK!?? I thought I’d have more red than anything..but you know what? My reds are nearly non-existent because I’ve been sewing with them quite a bit! I thought I’d have more blue too…but I’ve attacked the blue strips quite a bit this year with the Jamestown Landing quilt, and some others. Blues were not much of a space taker upper…but THOSE PINKS?!? LOL!

Do I see a pink challenge in my future? Hmmmm…MAYBE!

For those asking, YES -- Jamestown Landing will be featured in the next book...stay tuned and look for it in July, 2012!

And this is where I reached a crossroad. What to do now? I had 2 empty drawers with all the strings now ironed and lined up on the quilting machine rail --- HOW am I going to store these so they don’t get all messed up again? I thought of bundling them with a rubber band, but that won’t stop the thready fraying happening at the edges.

I remembered traveling with a ziplock bag of red ironed strips when I kitted stuff up to travel before. In fact, some of those red strips were still perfectly contained in that bag IN the mess of un-ironed strips. Dare I? Bag them?

I know plastic is not good for fabric, but I don’t have to zip them all closed air tight. It would just be a way to contain them by color family and keep them from needing to be re-ironed as much.

If it works for Bali-Pops to come all shrink-wrapped to minimize fraying – it will work for these!

This just might work for now. I’ll try it and see. It has to be at least a bit better than it was!

I took a bundle of strips, folded one end over, and rolled it into a long rectangle to fit the bag.

The gallon sized bags will hold 3 of these bundles….and I don’t have to zip it more than 1/2 way to allow air to circulate. Frankly? At this point, I really don’t care about the plastic..I just want the mess to not be so messy!

Jeeze-Louise! I can’t believe the difference! I never thought in a million years I would find it necessary to do this, or have the patience to start --- but you know what? Now that I’ve started? I know it’s going to take some time to get the other strip sizes under control too, but it’s worth it!

How do YOU store your strips? Do you have any ideas for me that might work better than this? I thought of putting each color in a plastic shoe box, but some of these colors would require several shoe boxes, and I wanted to keep using my drawers.

This afternoon we’ve got a fun excursion planned! DH has some visiting co-workers here from other areas, and we are all heading over to Raleigh for the Hurricane’s Hockey Game! It’s the Pittsburgh Penguins vs the Carolina Hurricanes!

I actually like Hockey – it’s easier to understand than football.. ;c)

And if I ride shot-gun in the van, I might be able to get some binding done on the 2 hour drive to Raleigh before it gets too dark.

Whatever you get up to on your Saturday, ENJOY EVERY LITTLE THING!

Inklingo-Link-Up & Mystery Fun!

Oh you guys!

I had no idea this Mystery was going to take the Inklingo World by STORM….but it sure has!

The truth is that Inklingo works so well with these small shapes that I love so much, and people are raving about the accuracy and versatility --- I’m going to have to try it myself just to see how it works.

Linda Franz has put the software for half-square triangles Inklingo Style on sale…Click HERE to find out more.

This is a caption from the inklingo website to entice you further:

ADVANTAGES

Either with scraps or with yardage, Inklingo has all of the advantages of chain piecing (continuous sewing) or paper piecing (sewing on a line), but you don’t ever have to fiddle with little pieces or sew a bias seam before it is cut—or pick off paper!

Print – Layer – Stitch – Cut

A very special sale!

Three choices! And yes, you can even have the special price on all three!

HST00B is $15 instead of $20 – Click

Storm At Sea 4.5 inch $20 instead of $25 - Click

Storm At Sea 9 inch $20 instead of $25 – Click

TO GET THE SPECIAL
You must mention Bonnie’s Mystery in the comment of your order to get the special price, okay? When you order, the higher amount will be approved, but I will manually process it for the special lower price.

As usual, if you buy a Storm At Sea shape collection for the 1.5 inch triangles, you will also get the Storm At Sea Design Book ($20 value) for no charge!

IMPORTANT TIME LIMIT
This sale only applies until Bonnie’s next clue is issued on Friday December 9 and if you note Orca Bay in a comment with your order. Don’t be late!

What I am intrigued by is the fact that she says I can use them with my 2” strips. I really want to give this a try. Unlike the go cutter and the accuquilt studio, which give you quite a bit of waste when cutting 1/2 square triangle pairs….this looks like no waste at all for those who like to sew first/cut after. The lines will be clearly visible on your fabric ---those shapes from the die cutters don’t have lines to sew on.

NO PAPER TO REMOVE.

I believe in having more than one choice when choosing what technique to use when working on a quilt. The more tools in our tool box, the better we can choose that right tool to get the job done.

If you are an inklingo user, would you leave a comment below to persuade us a bit more?

Even Better --- if you have written a blog post showing inklingo working for you, would you link to it below with a post as to why you love it so much? I’m SERIOUSLY thinking I need to do this. I’m a bit scared….I’m a bit shy at forcing myself out of my comfort zone --- but I’m willing to try!

Remember that we need the url of the specific POST, not the address for your whole blog. To get the correct address in the linky –right click on the title/subject line of your post you wrote about using inklingo. Chose “copy link address” and paste this url in the form when you link.

For instance, my blog address is http://quiltville.blogspot.com but that isn't enough. I can't link to the WHOLE blog, I need the address of the post. The address of THIS post is http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2011/12/ink-lingo-mystery-fun.html See the difference?

If you link to your whole blog, I’ll have to remove your link and have you try again because I can’t fix it FOR you.

We'll leave this open for a week to give you time to write your posts!

I can’t wait to see what you link up!

Quilt-Jacking ---Get the Word Out!

This morning I received a note from Sue who told me about Sharon’s devastating news that her quilt disappeared after being shown in Houston. It is not a misplaced shipment --- the quilt went missing before shipping.

She writes:

I’m hoping you can post this information and picture on the on-line quilt group you’re with. I just found out that my “Really ‘Wild’ Flowers! Second Season” quilt went missing the day after the Houston show and I’m devastated and heart-broken beyond words. I’m offering a cash reward for its safe return, no questions asked. I would just like to have my quilt back home. The size is 62” x 64.5”.

Please urge each of the gals to send the information out to their own personal contacts as well if you would.

Thank you so much,

~ Sharon

If you have seen this quilt, please contact Sharon Schlotzhauer.

Sharon, being one who has to ship quilts often, and travel with them often, I feel your horror and devastation over your missing quilt. I hope we can find it and return it to you in short order!!

Everyone, please get the word out! I hate the thought of Quilts being stolen or missing for any reason.

Go Climb a Tree!

We have a lot of trees. More trees than anywhere we’ve ever lived in our lives ---and I love them.

I love being tucked in under the green shade of leaves in the summer to the point where I can’t see any neighbors at all unless I try really hard…

I love the smell of woods in all seasons….

I love to hear the wind blowing through the branches…

I even love the sound of the acorns bouncing off the roof and on to the back deck….but those acorns are NOT so fun when you can’t see where you are walking in the dark on the way to the hottub for a midnight soak…and mistakenly step on one!

I don’t like the branches that break off and take out the power or block the driveway in a wind storm or ice storm—so today I had some guys come by to take out some of the big dead limbs and a few other dead trees that could prove to be a hazard in the upcoming winter months.

You shoulda seen this guy! He had these spike things on his shoes, a belt around this waist..and a rope…and up he went. Just that fast --- like nothing at all!

It didn’t take them long at all, and the dead wood was set aside for chopping for firewood later, or disposing of ---Now I don’t have to worry about DH trying to do something like this to save money and break his neck!

Now THAT’s what I call a tree hugger!!

I was a good girl today. I stuck to it, I did! We are ready for part 3 of Orca Bay to go live tomorrow morning!

I also finished up one pattern section of the next book, and sent it off to my editor ahead of schedule! Woot! On a roll now. Now that December is here I really need to buckle down and get those patterns written out.

When I was done, and had hit SEND --- I rewarded myself with a bit of this:

It’s all laid out and ready to sew together! Might get the center done tonight. Now I’m thinking of the next thing it needs --- BORDERS! Another conundrum CHALLENGE!

What do you think? Does she keep it simple, or does she just keep on marching on, Bonnie style?!

Stay tuned and find out!