Feet Up Evening Edition: Free Kindle Book!

I’m tucked into my room in Fort Myers, Florida! What a whirlwind day----I am forcing myself to stay UP til 9pm at least – I don’t want to wake up at 3am again and I will if I go to sleep too early.

I just found this freebie and wanted to pass it on to you while it is still free, it might not be by morning, as often happens if I wait –--- so here you go!

I guess I am on a WWII era kick especially after seeing “Red Tails” with DH yesterday ((Was it only just yesterday? It feels like a week ago and so far away already ---that is the tiredness talking.))

Chasing Mona Lisa, by Tricia Goyer and Mike Yorkey, is free in the Kindle store and from Barnes & Noble.

Book Description:

It is August 1944 and Paris is on the cusp of liberation. As the soldiers of the Third Reich flee the Allied advance, they ravage the country, stealing countless pieces of art. Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring will stop at nothing to claim the most valuable one of all, the Mona Lisa, as a post-war bargaining chip to get him to South America. Can Swiss OSS agents Gabi Mueller and Eric Hofstadler rescue DaVinci's masterpiece before it falls into German hands?

With nonstop action, Chasing Mona Lisa is sure to get readers' adrenaline pumping as they join the chase to save the most famous painting in the world. From war-ravaged Paris to a posh country chateau, the race is on--and the runners are playing for keeps.

Get the free ebook from Barnes & Noble.

Sometimes there are links to Barnes & Noble, sometimes there are not --- but chances are if it is free for kindle, you can check the B&N site and find it.

As for me – this is how I enjoyed my late February Florida evening:

I sat out on the balcony until darkness overtook everything, and I forced myself to go back inside.

Guess what came with me? My Florabunda blocks, of course! I think I’ll set up the featherweight and see if I can get some stitching done to some NCIS!

Iphone-O-Gram! Retail Therapy!

Fort Myers has been most welcoming!! We've had lunch on the river at Joe's Crab Shack and are now at Quilt Lovers Hang Out adding to my stack of black on white!

Oh, and the bin of scraps with some pieces as big as a fat quarter- are on sale for 25 cents each!! Holy scrap therapy, Batman!!

Tired and need a nap but it is too beautifully sunny out there to want to miss it behind closed eye lids! I'll sleep come dark!

It’s “Thimbles-Up” Monday!

I have been so encouraged by the number of people wanting to participate in the show and share of our thimbles, and focusing this post a bit on hand quilting.

I have a funny story ---well, maybe NOT so funny as in hahaha, but funny as in “peculiar” ((Nancy ala Patchwork Penguin, you remember this?))

I was lecturing for a guild and it got down to the end for “Question and Answer” time. One lady raised her hand and I encouraged her to speak, and she said “Well, your quilts are beautiful, but how do you expect us to hand quilt these? You can’t hand quilt these! There are too many pieces, they are too large!”

It kind of caught me off guard, and I had to kind of chuckle because I felt like I had just been called out by the “Hand Quilting Police”. Yet, she didn’t know who she was dealing with. I just wish I had more hand quilted quilts to show her, because YES --- I do hand quilt. I love to hand quilt. It’s just that deadlines and a desire to do MORE with my time means that more quilts are going to be machine quilted –saving the hand quilting for the real special ones that have no deadline.

I have hand quilted through quilts with tiny pieces on the front AND pieced backs! You just have to know that when you reach a seam allowance, you have to slow down, maybe load fewer stitches on the needle – maybe even stab-stitch a bit to get you through thick areas, but you can hand quilt everything!

This past week I was asked:

Bonnie, I think I've asked this question of you before, but how in the world do you get a consistent hand stitch of any size through so many layers when the block or quilt pattern has a lot of pieces?

I love to piece, and hand quilt, but the two seem incompatible.

My reply? You can't. You are not a machine!

You do the best you can, slow down and load fewer stitches on the needle in thicker areas, and just know there will be variations. :)

Don’t worry about the size of your stitches at first. Just go for getting a rhythm and work at it. The rest will come. Mine will never be perfect – if you saw it from up close, you’d see uneven stitches ---but this is the beauty of hand work.

We are NOT machines. But we can strive for consistency ---and the rest will come. Remember, that a little girl has to learn to crawl before she can toddle, then walk, then run, and it is a long while before she is able to put on her toe shoes and dance as a ballerina. You can’t just try once, say it’s not for you, and give up.

I’ve hand quilted string pieced quilts, I’m in the process of quilting another Jane Stickle variation with lots of seams and lots of pieces, and those chocolate South African fabrics are kind of heavy --- and my stitches are not as small as I’d like them to be. But I go on. I’m not worried about it. Don’t let the fact that things are NOT perfect suck the joy out of it for you.

We all quilt in different ways. I love a lap hoop, and my quilt fairly loose within that hoop. I find that a quilt held too tightly in a hoop is too hard to manipulate to get small stitches. Remember, this is quilting, not embroidery. Slacken up that quilt in the hoop. And you don’t have to hold on to the hoop----just let it rest. I’ve got one hand under --- and one hand on top. I don’t hold the hoop at all, it is just working as an extra set of hands for me so I don’t have to gather all of that quilt in my hands to hold it while stitching. Some people don’t quilt with a hoop at all – but there is one thing we agree on. BASTE WELL! Baste more than you think you’ll need ---

I was sent a really neat youtube video talking about an “Aunt Becky” under-the-quilt tool --- I’ve never used one, and I’m pretty set in my ways of quilting, so don’t know if it would work for me – but I love this video for the other ideas:

This is Jean Brown, an expert hand quilter. I love her idea for threading 30 needles at a time and having them there and waiting! I might have to try that. And watch how loose her quilt is in the hoop –—that’s how loose mine is too. I do have a callous on my “under” finger, and it is just part of me. What is comfortable for one person may not be for another, so if you aren’t happy with the process, try shifting things up a bit, try something you haven’t yet – you just might find what works for you!

In the drawer of the living room coffee table is this box that contains the various tools used in my hand quilting escapades. Afraid to ever throw ANYTHING quilt-related away, this box has kind of become the memorial resting place of things that do not work!

I have tried so many different kinds of thimbles that there isn’t time or space to write about them all. Before my fingers got a bit knobby I loved the plastic ones that were somewhat adjustable, they were cheap, I had them everywhere ----and then they just didn’t fit me anymore. My joints are aging :c|

About 12 years or so ago I bought a Roxanne thimble at a quilt show…bound and determined THIS would be the one I would love. It was way too heavy, my finger sweat just slid that thing right off! Funny how life comes to bite you – I just tried that Roxanne thimble on ---and now those joints are so knobby that the thimble doesn’t fit at all….so here it lives, with all the others!

My favorite thimble is shown above. It’s from Thimbles Plus and it is a TJ Lane thimble. I wrote about how it came to belong to me HERE. Can you see how much lighter weight the Thimbles Plus thimble is compared next to the Roxanne one? The Thimbles Plus thimble has no weight to it at all, it becomes part of my finger. The other one? WAY too thick and heavy.

Back to the box above --That blue cone shaped thing? I think it was supposed to be an “under tool” But I am happiest when I can feel the point of that needle against the ever present callous on my under finger. Why am I saving this thing? I don’t know! There are also the clear oval shaped stickies that can be used in lieu of a thimble or as an "under the quilt" pad---Ehhhhh---I don’t think they do all that great of a job, and though they say they are resueable, I don’t feel like the sticky sticks well after the first use.

Other things from the thimble grave yard: More sticky thimble pads. How old are these? You can see I only used one, and gave up on them! Two elastic leather thimbles. Nope. Didn’t work for me. Assorted “regular” thimbles with different dimples, groves, and ridges. These were uncomfortable on the knobby knuckle. One Leather thimble with a “coin” area ---I don’t know why I gave up on this one, could be that it went too far DOWN my finger.

I also received this email from Jo, who shares her thoughts on thimbles –for those of you NOT used to wearing one, read on! She’s got some great ideas on how to get used to being thimbled-up!

I am 73 years old, I’ve quilted for 30 years, I have a blog, I hand quilt every day, I have definite views on my kind of favorite thimbles, BUT I also have a husband at home with dementia. He is next up on the list for the nursing home so he is a lot of work right now and I get very few minutes without interruptions, so I have no time to figure out the linky business but I do want to tell you about my favorite thimbles.

They are the old metal thimbles of the past. The best place to buy them is an antique store. The reason I like them best is that they have deeper dimples so the needle is not slipping out of the dimple.

When I started quilting I found a metal thimble in my sewing basket although I had never used it before. A very good friend told me to put the thimble on while I did my housework, like making the bed, picking up the kids toys, etc. That way you get used to having it on your finger. I did as told and the thimble became such a part of me that I really don’t realize that I have it on.

Another thing that I did that I didn’t even know myself until someone pointed it out to me was that I used the side of my thimble. When you hold the needle you use the thumb and first finger, put you middle finger at the end of the needle and with one easy motion you can start the needle and push at the same time.

Works for me. Thank you for listening. I very much enjoy your blog and am looking forward to meeting you when you come to the Mississippi Valley Quilters Guild meeting in April, as I recall.

Sincerely, Jo

Thanks for the hints Jo! I’m sure this will help a lot of new hand quilters out there, as well as some “old” ones! :cD

So – do you have a thimble post to share? We are interested in seeing what you find works for you and what doesn’t! Please link your post to mine below, and include a link back to me within your post. Remember, we need the address of your individual post, not just the link to your whole blog. If you link it to your whole blog, I’ll have to remove it and have you try again because I can’t fix it for you.

Let the Linky Party Begin! We’ll leave this open for 6 days so you have until Midnight on the 26th to link up your post! And don’t forget to share this post to your news groups, email lists, message boards, fb pages ---the more viewers and participants we can get the better!

iPhone-O-Gram! Snow!!!

It's coming down out there! DH just went to park Shamu at the top of the driveway afraid that we wouldn't be able to get up the icy slope come 3am tomorrow.

Here I was so worried about the weather for my PA/MD trip---who'd have thunk it that I'd have trouble getting to Florida??

It's really beginning to flurry now. This was just before dark. I left the porch light on for ya!

Bonnie

Slushy Sunday Edition: Two Freebies!

Just because it is THAT kind of a cold and dreary slushy/sleety/rainy/snowy ((can’t make up its mind which)) afternoon! We just made the drive home from Greensboro where we saw “Red Tails” at the theater. Loved it. Really good movie, and your guys are going to love this --- there is lots of blowing up of planes, ships, and other machinery in this movie, and you know how they love that stuff. What I loved? The real-ness of it. Based on true stories in history of the African American fighting squadrons in WWII, and what they had to go through to prove they were just as American as anyone else, and fought long and hard for their country. Good stuff.

What I also loved? The moment that DH opened a door, thinking it was to the “Other side aisle” of the theater, and promptly walked into a supply closet.! ROTFLOL!!! This was TOO hilarious! So was the fact that when I asked the girl at the counter to put a “Little” bit of butter on our popcorn….she abruptly gave the bucket 14 squirts of butter-oil. FOURTEEN! I counted. I’m sure glad I didn’t find out how many she’d give if I said we wanted “lots.” OY!

So here I am warming myself in the basement, with my sweats and my ugg boots on. I think it’s the first time I’ve worn them all winter. So much for my jinxing spring the other day **cough cough** And I’ve got two freebies that I couldn’t choose between --- first off because it is THAT kind of day, and second off, because one involves cooking yummy stuff which is PERFECT for this kind of day, and the other is a mystery/intrigue kind of thing --- not a conflict at all, see?!

27 Easy Brownies Recipes by Leonardo Manzo and Karina Di Geronimo is free today from the Amazon Kindle store.

Category: Cooking

Book Description:

**Note** This had to be translated from another language, because it is just that funny in the sentence structure, but I bet they still cook up good!

Welcome to our kitchen.
We want to share our experience and that of our parents with you.

In 27 Easy Brownies Recipes is explained how to make brownies in an easy and understandable way for all kind of people.

This book is part of a series called Easy Cupcakes & Brownies Recipes, and is an essential work for all those who are starting in Cupcakes and Brownies world.

All recipes included in this book have been carefully selected from an exclusive library which include several titles about Cooking, Food, Baking, Desserts, and other important subjects, and adapted and presented to You in a format suitable for EVERY type of tablet in the market, such as E-Reader, Kindle Basic, Kindle Touch, Kindle Fire, iPad and many more.

We all know how useful these devices are today, and if you still haven´t done it, we advise you to upload our recipes and have them always handy in your kitchen.

And all our books are available in paper too.

Here there is a summary of the table of contents and we also invite you to see the preview available in Kindle Store:

MICROWAVE BROWNIES
CHOCOLATE BROWNIE IN AN EGG SHELL
GLUTEN FREE BROWNIES
BANANA & CHOCOLATE BROWNIES
CHOCOLATE BROWNIES WITH WALNUTS
CHOCOLATE BROWNIES WITH ORANGE AND WALNUTS
CHOCOLATE BROWNIE WITH YOGHURT ICE CREAM
MARSHMALLOW BROWNIES
CHRISTMAS BROWNIES
COCONUT BROWNIES
BROWNIES WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE AND WALNUTS
CHOCOLATE BROWNIES WITH PISTACHIO
CHOCOLATE BROWNIES WITH BLUEBERRIES
BROWNIE COOKIES
ALCHEMY BROWNIES
POPSICLE SHAPED BROWNIES
CHOCOLATE & MASCARPONE DOUBLE BROWNIE
NO BAKE BROWNIES
WHOLE-GRAIN BROWNIES
BROWNIES WITH ICE CREAM AND APRICOT SAUCE
OATMEAL BROWNIES COVERED IN CHOCOLATE
BROWNIES WITH RASPBERRY COATING
PASSION FRUIT BROWNIES
TRIPLE CHOCOLATE BROWNIES
BROWNIE SKEWERS
Lollipop Brownies
BROWNIE AND STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES

So get something yummy baking……and then go download this one ---I actually passed this one on to DH cuz this is the kind of thing he loves to read. The characters sound fun:

Off the Grid by Mark Young is free today from the Amazon Kindle store, and has received a perfect 5 out of 5 stars based on 5 customer reviews.

Category: Action & Adventure

Book Description:

Murders, bombings and a cryptic message force police detective Gerrit O’Rourke to live Off the Grid for his own survival—and that of the nation.

MIT educated, Force Recon trained, Gerrit joined the Seattle police department seven years ago after his parents perished in a car bomb in that city. A government-sanctioned coalition recruits Gerrit to retrieve information vital to U.S. interests, where he discovers the murdered body of a scientist dumped in a Vienna, Austria hotel room. This discovery—coupled with an intercepted message about a covert operation called Project Megiddo—hurls Gerrit into an international thriller that forever changes his world.

Others emerge to aid in Gerrit’s fight. Alena Shapiro, a former Mossad agent—whose parents fled their Russian homeland to resettle in Israel—seems to watch over Gerrit like a guardian angel. Joe Costello, a cyber security specialist who promises to unlock the secrets of Gerrit’s tragic history. Hank “Redneck” Riley, a reformed Aryan racist—making amends for his past—uses his unusual skills to give these crusaders an edge against an unyielding foe. Finally, Willy Williams, former banger from San Francisco, elevates his street skills to become a formidable computer hacker.

Facing overwhelming odds, Gerrit and his small band of fighters struggle within the shadows of a global conflict. Advanced technologies are the tools; global supremacy the goal. Gerrit must learn to fight and survive in an Orwellian future that begins today.

That’s what’s going on here in cold and wet and dreary NC! I just hope the roads are clear by morning --- it’s going to be an early one making it to the airport by 4am! I don’t want any delays --- especially not weather related ones! Me and my flip-flops are headed to where it’s 80 degrees and SUNNY!

Accountant’s Wife Blocks ---

I have three more “Credits” to add to the Balance in my Account! I finished the 3 blocks that Randy assigned us this week! Sewing these also yielded me 4 more bonus cheddar bow-ties sewn as my leaders & enders!

That brings the total so far to 6 --- boy am I on a cheddar overload lately. This is what happens when you buy a solid by the bolt!

I’m liking these so far. Simple public domain blocks, in the small size that I like. Many of these can be found in the "Around The Block" books, in block base, in the little Ladie's Art Company Block Tool flip cards ---

Do you think this will make me pull out that Nearly (*@&#$(*& Insane thing back out of the drawer? I actually opened the drawer last week and saw all the parts and pieces and ---- promptly slammed that drawer shut again! Better not let that out, or it will take over!

I like small. I like a challenge. But there are SOME blocks in that quilt that just put me over the edge. I admire anyone who has finished one --- and I’ll get there some day!

Here are my 6 blocks on the cutting table…so far, so fun!

The binding saga continues chez Quiltville. I finished the binding on the little baskets quilt. Just have to finish sewing on the hanging sleeve and the label on that one and can call it done!

You saw my iphone-O-gram post last evening ---ugh. I did the usual thing –unstitched a bit, whacked it off above the seam, attached the end back on with the seam now falling above the miter ---and I kept going until ---

Sometimes I can’t get it right no matter how hard I try! I ended up one strip SHORT – good thing I had that bolt of fabric! I cut another strip, added it on, and again kept going--- The binding is now on and waiting for some sewing-down time. Every once in a while there are those quilts that just challenge our patience to within an inch of giving up. This has been that quilt for me. But it is now bound into submission.

I wanted to get some good full out pics, but it’s raining outside right now – and we could have snow in the forecast for tonight. What’s up with that?! So --- look for pics when I get the binding finished, probably after I return from Florida.

Remember tomorrow is our “Thimbles-Up!!” Linky party! Write your post, come back tomorrow morning and link it to mine and let’s show as many different types of thimbles and alternative non-thimble ideas as we can. Between us all, we are a great source of knowledge and inspiration – let’s put it in ONE SPOT to be a resource to others!

iPhone-O-gram!! %^+*^##%>€£¥*^!!

Of course there WOULD be a seam on the binding that falls exactly where I'm turning a corner!! Grrrrrr :((

Bonnie

iPhone-O-gram! Quilting preview!

A quick glimpse of the quilting on Midnight Flight as it comes off the
machine---more pics to follow! This is all I can handle by phone.

A special thanks to Deb Geissler for her Deb's Feathers panto! It rocked!

Quilted in a dusty lavender thread--love how it plays against the fabrics :-)

Bonnie

Sunshiny Saturday Afternoon Edition: Free Kindle Book!

It’s GLORIOUS out there!

I took a drive to the post office to mail off book orders and Sadie came with me. At my small-town-one-window post office, we had to park way behind the building down by the ball field where there was a softball game/practice in progress. SPRING INDEED!

Upon stepping out of my car, I could smell the mulch and the wood chips from the “buy it by the truck load” lot next door. Does anything smell better than wood chips in the sunshine? Definitely a spring smell to me!

Next to the post office is the little Wallburg Diner, newly reopened – and it is doing a bang up business. I thought the parking lot was so full due to the ball practice and the diner – but when I walked into the post office itself, I could see the line was nearly out the door. Please remind me never to mail late on a Saturday morning ever again!

One poor guy in front of me, had tried to mail a letter at the blue “outside” mailbox, must have had his mind on something else, and promptly dropped his wallet into the mail box! We were all commiserating with him as he told his story to the clerk at the window, but being as there is only ONE employee on Saturday, he was going to have to wait until she closed up shop and went outside to empty those mail boxes to get his wallet back.

He said he’d be happy to go wait at the diner next door, but his money was in his wallet! TOO BAD! It smelled so good ((another yummy aroma -- the smell of bacon coming from a diner in the morning!)) that I almost went in myself ---but Sadie was waiting in the car.

When I got back to the car, there she was – in the front passenger seat --- watching those kids throw balls back and forth, silly girl!

I just came across this book that sounds like a good read –and I’m sending it on to you.

Into the Free by Julie Cantrell is free today in the Amazon Kindle store, and has received a perfect 5 out of 5 stars based on 15 customer reviews.

Category: Drama

Book Description:

Just a girl. The only one strong enough to break the cycle.

In Depression-era Mississippi, Millie Reynolds longs to escape the madness that marks her world. With an abusive father and a “nothing mama,” she struggles to find a place where she really belongs.

For answers, Millie turns to the Gypsies who caravan through town each spring. The travelers lead Millie to a key that unlocks generations of shocking family secrets. When tragedy strikes, the mysterious contents of the box give Millie the tools she needs to break her family’s longstanding cycle of madness and abuse.

Through it all, Millie experiences the thrill of first love while fighting to trust the God she believes has abandoned her. With the power of forgiveness, can Millie finally make her way into the free?

Saturated in Southern ambiance and written in the vein of other Southern literary bestsellers like The Help by Kathryn Stockett and Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin, Julie Cantrell has created a story that will sweep you away long after the novel ends.

I loved reading THE HELP ----so if this is written in the same vein, I think I’ll like it! Speaking of The Help --- I’ve got a paper back copy that needs a new home! I’ve passed it on to local friends and I’m happy to pass it on to someone within the USA who leaves me a comment that they want it. I’ll ship it to you in exchange for a Fat Quarter to cover the cost of the shipping, how’s that? Pick something that you think I’ll like. ((No millenium fabric please! LOL!)) The first person contacting me gets it! If you are commenting as ANONYMOUS, please leave your name an email address.

Crock-Pot Enchiladas! ((And other Necessary Stuff!))

First things first!

Midnight Flight is has been loaded into the longarm machine. Not sure if it will get finished today, but I’ll make a good go at it. Thank you SO MUCH for the comments and compliments. I was afraid that border would be too much IN YOUR FACE with the red, purple and tangerine ---but I do love it. And those extra parts? On the back! Just WAIT til you see it!

And just a secret between you and me --- The due date for entering my next block for 100 blocks volume 6 is creeping up on me…so I started playing with those left over border units and designed a block using them. SO yeah—it too will match the quilt! LOL! Bet you’ll guess which one it is when you see it. :cP

Also on my list today ---packing up for my trip to Fort Myers and Naples Florida on Monday! It’s an early early flight so it’s a perfect day to have our Thimbles Up Linky Party ---I’ll set my post to go early Monday morning, and then those who have thimbles to share can link up.

Who is interested in participating in another Yard Sale Saturday?? The first Saturday in March is March 3rd. I’ll be HOME that day, so I can do it. I’m sure I can drag up something to sell on here. If you are interested in participating, leave a comment below so I can get an idea of how many to expect. It was great fun last time!

For those who have asked about the 3 rail frame and the quilting hoop on a stand….They are currently living in my attic, and I need to get them down, check to be sure I’ve got all the parts, and be sure everything is in order before I sell them, so I will be contacting you in the order that your email was received if all the parts are present!

So on to the recipe for today:

I’m wanting to put “SOMETHING” in the pot ---I want something that is easy, tasty, and minimizes the amount of time and fuss I need to spend in the kitchen because I’d rather spend my time in the basement studio.

THIS is on my to-make list today. I have “MOST “ of this at home already so it will only take a quick trip to Food Lion to grab the rest. After everything is in the crock pot, this only needs to cook 45 mins to an hour. It’s a great one to take to pot luck type events too! Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound lean ground beef

10 (6 inch) corn tortillas, quartered

1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix

1 1/4 cups water

1 (12 ounce) jar chunky salsa

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream

of mushroom soup

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream

of chicken soup

4 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

DIRECTIONS:

1. Crumble the ground beef into a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until evenly browned. Add taco seasoning and water; simmer for 15 minutes over low heat.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the salsa, cream of mushroom soup and cream of chicken soup. Mix in most of the cheese, reserving 3/4 cup for later.

3. Place a layer of tortillas covering the bottom of a slow cooker. Scoop a layer of the ground beef over that, and then spoon a layer of the cheese mixture. Repeat the layers until you run out of stuff, ending with a layer of tortillas on the top. Top with remaining cheese.

4. Cover, and cook on High for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Thimbles Up!

The comments on the hand quilting question & answer post were really thought provoking!

For instance, many had questions on thimbles.

Bonnie,

Like so many others you are a daily must for me. It keeps me inspired and sometimes even motivated ;)! You have inspired me to get out my antique quilt tops (put together with hand embroidered blocks my great grandmother did) and get to hand quilting them. I haven't hand quilted since my mother passed away. It was always something we did together around a big frame.

I am not sure my stitches will look so great, I hope it is like riding a bicycle! I would be interested in the thimble question. I know you have talked about thimbles before. I really struggle with something on my finger, but oh the pain if you don't. I would like to get back to doing some hand applique too. Thanks Bonnie for your constant inspiration and generous sharing!

I know that thimbles are a very personal thing, and what works for one will not work for someone else, so I was thinking we could do a Linky Party where those who DO use a thimble could write a post about their favorite one or ones, show some pictures, and we’d have lots of resources right there at our thimble-tips!

Would there be interest in participating in a Thimbles Up Linky Day? If you have a blog, a favorite thimble, and can write a post on it and are interested in linking up, would you leave me a comment below. If there isn’t any interest, I’ll just write a post on my own, but I thought a Linky that shows a TON of different thimble options would be of interest to many. Sound Good? If you have a fun thimble collection, this would be a great place to link it too! If your thimble has a neat story – even better.

Okay, let me know below! I was thinking we could do this on MONDAY, and that would give everyone a few days to plan their write-ups. If you are following along with Judy L’s Design Wall Mondays --- I thought doing this also on Monday would give you the chance to include the info in your same post, saving you some time --- and letting you link up on two places the same day to make it easy on you.

Any Questions?

Midnight Flight & Morning Birds!

Spring is here!

Am I calling it too soon?

I hope not!

The daffodils survived the cold snap last weekend. Today it is supposed to be in the 60’s --- those are all good signs. It’s lighter earlier in the morning. ((This I love!))

But the happiest thing of all….is waking to the chirping of bird chatter in my trees. Winter months are silent ones ---no crickets, peepers, frogs, bird sounds – at least not much. But with warmer temps, the southeast corner of the USA starts revving up the nature sounds much like a symphony in their cacophony of noise during the “warm up” time before the real music starts. It’s going to get noisy out there, folks!

Luckily this morning it was “just” birds…..and then the sounds of Sadie jumping off the bed and wandering over to her doggy door to go explore the bird sounds and the beautiful morning.

Then DH & Son were up getting ready for a day of motorcycle dirt bike riding ---making good use of this beautiful early spring day.

I was the last to rise ---snuggling in with the sheets and quilts up around my chin, hanging on to that last edge of cozy comfort and trying to ignore the bright light streaming in through the filter of the bedroom window curtains -- until it was my turn, too --- to get up and embrace this day.

I needed just that much extra sleep this morning! I was so tired from yesterday's escapades with the seam ripper. :c/

Did you ever have one of those days? Yesterday was THE DAY to get the borders on Midnight Flight. I had planned on a 2” finished inner border….4 patches in the corners carrying on the theme of 4 patches IN the quilt center. My measurements were going to work fine…..only. OH. NO.

My outer border, though it fit to perfection ---would NOT turn the corners right --- because it is an Up/Down/Up/Down kind of unit, and it started as an up, and ended as an up, when I needed it to end as a down! ((You get my drift, I know you do – this is QUILT SPEAK after all, right?!))

OFF came the whole inner border. I needed to adjust it to give me an ODD number of outer border units. That’s all 4 sides of inner border coming off, because I am just not good at trimming down the outer edge of a whole quilt to give me the measurement that I want --- I want to be SURE those strips are the right size ---

AND. The inner border goes back on. So far so good!

I start putting on the pieced border, and all goes swimmingly until ----- UHOH. The last border section I added….to the very last side of the quilt….had units in the wrong order, and it effected the whole thing! OFF CAME THAT BORDER. Boy, I was sure tired of my seam ripper by the end of this day!

This morning I took the top out to my back deck ---quick, hurry --- before the sun gets too bright! Photo ops are short out there when there is no tree shade to block the sunshine. But here she is --- corners turning right, borders that turned out to be just what the quilt needed.

And look:

No WONDER it felt like I was piecing forever! I have all of this left over ---WHAT was I thinking? It’s enough to go around maybe 3 sides of another quilt..LOL! I am SO not making this quilt again ----so ---it’s going to play somewhere on the back until it’s gone!

So many have asked where to find the pattern for Midnight Flight. Currently the block is featured in 100 blocks by 100 designers volume 4 by Quiltmaker Magazine. You can order the magazine HERE. You’ll see the Midnight Flight block there on the cover, upper right hand corner!

There is no pattern available for the full quilt. Not yet anyway! I am teaching this class in Williamsburg, VA for Quiltmaker’s Quilt Along in August! Plans are under way for another Quilt Along in March of 2013 in Portland Oregon, so be watching for more info on that, you Pacific-Northwesters! I’m planning on teaching it there too. After that, it will be reserved for my next-after-the-next book, scheduled for release in 2014. I know it’s a while to wait, but it takes me a while to make enough big quilts to fill a book! ((Another reason it would be so much easier to do placemat sized quilts :c/ ))

I just ask that you be patient with me and know that while I do offer a lot of “free” things here on the blog, that I do need to reserve some stuff for future books ---or there won’t BE future books :c)

Volume 5 of 100 blocks will be out in May --- and I’m really looking forward to that issue as well! I’m sure we’ll be participating in the blog party for that release, so you’ll want to be watching for that to come.

And oh, I’m sad to say ---that I did NOT win the vase full of Hershey’s Kisses at the chiropractor! That’s okay ---I really didn’t need that to wind up on my hips anyway. Thanks for playing along with me!

Help Get The Word Out–Another Stolen Quilt!

Everyone, I need your help.

I just got word from a friend that fellow scrap quilter, Sally Schneider, has had a quilt stolen.

You’ve helped before getting the word out to your blog, your email lists, your facebook pages, your online message boards. Can you please link your blog to my post, send the link along to your email lists and quilty friends, post my link on your facebook pages? We need to get the word out on this one!

Here is the news I received:

Please be on the lookout for Sally Schneider’s “Farmer’s Daughter” quilt. It was last seen on January 26, 2012 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was being shipped to Martingale & Company, home of That Patchwork Place. It was to be included in her book that will be published in January 2013.

This quilt is 95″ by 95″. It combines the scrappy look with cream. The background is Moda Grunge. This quilt is machine pieced and machine quilted.

If you find this quilt, please contact Sally immediately at sally@sallyschneider.com.

I was just IN Albuquerque this past fall. Such a beautiful place, and I hate to think of anyone who would DARE steal a quilt from a traveling quilt teacher/lecturer! It just makes my blood boil, and my heart break for Sally.

This is what Sally had to say via her facebook page:

Bad news today -- one of my quilts was stolen from it's bin -- Farmer's Daughter, a queen-size quilt is missing. Looks like my ta-done list is back to a ta-do list -- I'll need to make a new one. I'm so sad that someone would steal a quilt.

This is all the info I currently have, but if I find out anything more I'll let you know.

Please help us out by sending this post link and info wherever you can!

Sadly yours ---

It Finally REGISTERED!

Well, sometimes that means that I’ve finally figured something out, or maybe gotten a clue on something I was being pretty clueless about – but in this case…..

I want you to look at my header banner picture up there --- yes that one…top of the blog.

Do you see anything different? Look closely!

I’ve had something in the legal process for what seems like months and months and months now, and it’s true…it HAS taken that long.

The registration with the filing of my QUILTVILLE trademark is FINISHED.

This letter just in from my lawyer:

This means that your trademark has gone through the process, and is now formally enforceable against infringing parties.

You can now put a Register “R” symbol next to the QUILTVILLE name wherever you advertise
it.

If you know of anyone who is infringing on your QUILTVILLE trademark rights, please let me know and I can schedule a time to
discuss Cease & Desist options that might be available to you. Please keep in mind that you can stop others with similar services whose names are confusingly similar to QUILTVILLE, not just the “QUILTVILLE” itself anywhere across the United States.

This is probably the best thing to happen to me in a long while. And it’s a quiet hoorah because there isn’t any infringing going on at present, but still, this was a necessary step in protecting not only myself, but the name of my business.

I have celebrated by putting the Circle R here on the blog, AND on the banner of my website.

Oh happy day!

I’m off to the chiro to find out who won those hershey’s kisses --- Oh, I hope it’s me!

iPhone-O-gram! Guacamole time!

I haven't really had many foodie posts lately, but sometimes I just can't resist!

After my massage DH drove into Winston Salem with the suggestion that we grab a bite out to eat.

I swear, Chilis has the bestest crispest tortilla chips hands down. And the roasted corn guacamole ain't half bad either.

Add to that unlimited refills of unsweet iced tea with lemon and my relaxation destination is complete!

Tonight--more hand quilting maybe??

Bonnie

Afternoon Edition: Free Kindle Book!

This just in:

The Fifth Avenue Series Boxed Set by Christopher Smith is free today in the Amazon Kindle store, and has received a perfect 5 out of 5 stars based on 7 customer reviews.

Category: Mystery & Thriller

For the first time, all three books in the international Top 100 best-selling FIFTH AVENUE series are now available in one boxed set! Look for the fourth in the series, PARK AVENUE, in 2012.
Over 800 pages!

BOOK DESCRIPTIONS:

FIFTH AVENUE:

Look beneath all the power and all the wealth that represents New York City's Fifth Avenue, and you'll find greed, blood, revenge. In the international best-selling thriller "Fifth Avenue," each intermingles within a revered society that is unprepared for what's in store for it when one man finally strikes in an effort to destroy another man for murdering his wife thirty-one years ago.

Louis Ryan is that man. George Redman, his wife, two daughters and their close friends are his targets. Both men are self-made billionaires who came from nothing to stake their claim to Fifth Avenue. But when Louis Ryan hires an international assassin to literally rip the Redman family apart, a series of events that can't be stopped catapults them all through a fast-paced, hard-edged thriller in which nobody is safe.
Secrets are revealed. Sex lives are exposed. The Mafia get involved. And George's two daughters, Celina and Leana Redman, come to the forefront. More than anyone, it's they who are caught in the throes of their father's past as Louis Ryan's blind desire to kill them all takes surprising turns in his all-out effort to see them dead.

RUNNING OF THE BULLS:

TWELVE PEOPLE TARGETED FOR DEATH...
Five years ago, each person sold out to the SEC and took the stand against Maxmilian Wolfhagen, a man who robbed the world of billions. Now, with Wolfhagen out of prison, each is dying a grisly death.

TWO ASSASSINS WITH ONLY 48 HOURS TO CUT A SWATH OF MURDER AND REVENGE THROUGH NEW YORK...

Time is tight and the challenges are massive--but so are their ruthless skills.

MARTY SPELLMAN IS ON THE CASE...

Hired to investigate Wolfhagen, private investigator Marty Spellman soon learns that all isn't what it seems as the twists pile up along with sheer number of the dead. His life is put on the line. His family is threatened. No one is who they appear to be. Who can he trust as the bulls of Wall Street start to run as the two assassins fully ignite their killing spree?

FROM MANHATTAN WITH LOVE:
An outcast billionaire’s daughter is caught at the wrong place at the wrong time.

An international assassin questions her sanity when she falls in love with the very assassin she’s charged to assassinate. What happens when each collide? Chaos. Murder. Love. Revenge. And redemption.

In this taut, 35,000-word novella, which is a prequel to the upcoming third novel in the Fifth Avenue series, “Park Avenue,” both women come together for the first time in an explosive story that threatens each of their lives, particularly when one woman breaks her own rules and dares to fall in love.

In “From Manhattan with Love,” she soon learns what she always feared. When it comes to real danger, there’s nothing more dangerous than love itself.

RAVES FOR CHRISTOPHER SMITH:
***PLANET KINDLE ON CHRISTOPHER SMITH***
"Fifth Avenue, the first novel by penned Christopher Smith, is a fantastic first effort and was the reason I was simply unable to put my Kindle down over this Christmas period. And I would go as far to say that it ranks as one of the best first novels I’ve ever read."--PLANET KINDLE

***P.M. RICHTER ON CHRISTOPHER SMITH***
"Fifth Avenue. A big, big novel. A blockbuster? Yes. A bestseller. It should be. The author, at the beginning of the novel, thanks the people who introduced him to the 'real' Fifth Avenue. I suspect the real one could not be as interesting or engrossing as this novel. ...This is a highly recommended novel. It deserves the five stars." --P.M. RICHTER

Double check before clicking that it is still free before purchasing!

Ask Bonnie!

I received a couple of questions through email and the comment sections after my post the other night sent via iphone-O-Gram while hand quilting. I thought this morning would be a good time to answer them!

The first question was about my pink and brown Jane Stickle variation that I was hand quilting on. So here is a little history:

I had already finished ONE “Dear Jane” made in the traditional way. I started it in the late 1990s while still living in Idaho. It moved with me to two different locations in Texas, and finally to South Carolina where I finished the hand quilting. At that point in time I was giving myself ONE HOUR a day of hand quilting to get it done. ONE HOUR. Just pick one. Be it morning, or evening, do not sit down unless you are going to stitch on that quilt! And yes, you can finish the hand quilting of a big quilt in an hour a day! There is a link to that first Dear Jane version of the Jane Stickle quilt HERE.

The pink and brown one came to be because I was teaching the class at a quilt shop in South Carolina, and darn it if you don’t NEED to do block demos when teaching the class! I wanted to do something different, so I drafted up the Storm at Sea setting to go with the blocks instead of doing plain sashing and cornerstones. I also added a color scheme. I used a collection of chocolate fabrics from South Africa, scrappied up my double pinks ((Yes, just added scrappied into the dictionary too!)) and used ONE background fabric, an ivory shirting print with a little pink design. I wrote some about my journey of “In The Pink” HERE.

Over the past few years that I’ve been hand quilting on this ((Oh, is it 4? Is it 3? Oh dear --- I can’t remember when I basted it!)) it has been a very hit or miss situation because I’ve had so many other deadlines that have taken up my available time. I love this quilt. I want it finished --- I’m trying to put the “one hour a day” rule into place when I’m home, but we all know that isn’t always going to happen because so often that “one hour” has to go somewhere else.

This I do know --- I LOVE the peaceful “all is right in my world” feeling I get when I can simply sit with it and pull that thread through the quilt, one needle load of stitches at a time.

The next question was about the kind of hoop I use to hand quilt with.

I have tried every kind of frame/hoop system out there. I think you need to try them all to find out which is right for your body and the way you quilt. I’ve tried 3 rail frames….and I found I am happier when I can turn a hoop so I can quilt in the direction that is most comfortable for me. It’s easier on my wrist that way. So – I have a large Hinterberg 3-rail floor frame for sale here in NC if anyone wants one--- contact me!

I’ve also tried a rotating hoop on a floor stand. I could never sit in a way that was comfortable for me and I didn’t like having that stand between my knees. I also have one of those for sale if anyone in NC wants one. It’s also Hinterberg. I’ve got two sizes of hoops that go with it. I won’t ship these items, so they’d need to be picked up.

What works for me the best, is to sit in my recliner with my feet up, all nice and cozy --- with a simple hoop in my lap. No stand, no nothing.

I have two of these hoops in two sizes. The one on the quilt above is a 17” heavy-duty plastic hoop that has a non-slip groove in it. I used to use wooden hoops, but they come apart where the screws go through that extra wood piece that holds the hoop tight. ((Whatever you call that)) OR – when traveling with wood hoops I’ve even BROKEN them. I had to get duct tape on a cruise once to hold one together so I could continue to quilt on the cruise. The plastic ones have NEVER broken on me!

These hoops have the label of “Morgan Products” on them, and they come in various sizes. If I am flying, and planning on hand quilting in my seat on the plane, I use the 12” Morgan hoop.

Yep, I checked, and Amazon carries these. They can also be ordered directly from the manufacturer HERE. No affiliation, just what I like to quilt with. They are molded, non-slip, and I like that the part where the screw is is NOT going to separate from the hoop because it is PART of the hoop. A plastic hoop also means NO SLIVERS or no rough wood to catch my thread and or batting edges....those wood hoops are not always smooth.

I also had a question on the thread I like to use for hand quilting.

I like the YLI threads. They are one of the “FEW” that still have wooden spools! I love the feel of the thread, how it doesn’t shred back on itself, and it doesn’t twist and tangle and knot while quilting. And yeah, it might look silly, but a simple ponytail holder over the spool keeps the thread from winding off by itself. YLI is also a Carolina product --- their plant is just south of me in Rock Hill, SC. Thread made in the USA? I’m all for that.

And while we are talking about thread – we can talk about needles! There are so many choices out there, but these are what work for me:

Roxanne #9 Betweens

I know that people love 10s, 11s, 12s in hand quilting needles….but I have what some would call “MAN HANDS”. I’m a tall, big girl….so I go with the 9s. I can get nice small even stitches. I don’t shoot for 20 stitches an inch. I just strive for my own rhythm and try to be even, but not focus on small. Get that rocking motion going, and it is what it is. I think smaller fingers can make smaller stitches – at least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it! I also like that these needles are a bit more “stout” than others – they don’t bend right off the bat. The eye is large and is easy to thread, and let’s face it, I like the little tube they come in with the cute seashell on top! 50 in a package is a steal too.

A little secret --- sometimes I’m just DYING for a topic to talk about on here. Sometimes, day after day, coming up with something new that you will find interesting is not easy --- it leaves me writing about things like hershey’s kisses giveaways at the chiropractor for instance! Or way too much info on how my eldest son became the best Valentine’s gift ever! So if there is something you’ve always wanted to know – please ask! I’m happy to have a topic to write about that might be of interest to more than just you. Because if you are thinking it, and wanting to ask it – chances are you are not the only one. Help a girl out, won’tcha? ((Yep, just added won’tcha to the dictionary too, can take the girl out of Minnesota, but you can’t take the Minnesota out of the girl!!))

Wednesday will have me doing things like buying my airfare for a visit to Davenport Iowa at the end of March! Working on some more book edits. Piecing those border units I’ve been working on into pairs ---and just enjoying a quiet day home by myself. Jeff is doing well back in school. Jason and Kim are happy and figuring life out in South Carolina. My sciatica pain seems to be receding, and we’ll keep working on that.

Oh, and I almost forgot! I’ve got a massage appointment this afternoon! BLISS! ((I guess this means I need to shave my legs?!?))

Better get to it!

Evening Edition: Free Kindle Book!

I asked at the receptionist’s counter at the chiropractor if I had won the valentine guessing game for the hershey’s kisses, and she said they won’t know until they count them TONIGHT…and winners will be notified tomorrow.

TOMORROW?! But that’s NOT valentine’s day! What good then is the smelly romantic candle and the sexy romantic music CD and all of those foil wrapped roses tucked in amongst the hershey’s kisses in that vase?!

Gifts like this kind of lose their “ooomph” when the winner is drawn after the fact, don’t you think? LOL! So my next appt is on Thurs, and I’ll find out if I won then --- oh the suspense if it all!

I met up with Jason and Kim at Ikea --- and I was good, really good! We had lunch in the cafeteria and visited before hitting the floor. While they shopped for book cases and shelves and other stuff they needed, the only thing I left with was this:

A 6 plugger outlet!

And I didn’t even buy it. Jason laughed at me when I pulled it out of the cart, leaving all of their stuff behind and he said –”Put that back in here and let me take care of it” It was all of $3 or something like that.

But I felt so special with my Valentine’s Plug-In gift! And then while standing there in the aisle at Ikea, I told him that HE was the BEST Valentine’s gift of all! “Really??” he aked. “Really!” I said. “Just take today and count forward 9 months…” His birthday is November 10th. The light blub moment was priceless. “Oh, mom – you shouldn’t have told me that….oh ewww…you’ve forever warped Valentine’s Day for me, I’ll never be able to think of it any other way!” Revenge is sweet isn’t it? LOL! This just made my day.

I guess I’ll go put the 6 plugger outlet where I need it to be, behind the quilting machine….and spend some time back working on the border units for Midnight Flight. Loving how this is coming together -----and loving that I still have 5 days left at home before I have to go anywhere.

So on to the freebie part of the post:

Camp Follower by Suzanne Adair is free today in the Amazon Kindle store, and has received an average user rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars based on 8 customer reviews.

Category: Historical Fiction / Mystery & Thrillers

Book Description:

A deadly assignment. A land poisoned by treachery and battle. She plunged in headfirst.

Late in 1780, the publisher of a loyalist magazine in Wilmington, North Carolina offers an amazing assignment to Helen Chiswell, his society page writer. Pose as the widowed, gentlewoman sister of a British officer in the Seventeenth Light Dragoons, travel to the encampment of the British Legion in the Carolina backcountry, and write a feature on Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton.

But Helen’s publisher has secret reasons for sending her into danger. And because Helen, a loyalist, has ties to a family the redcoats suspect as patriot spies, she comes under suspicion of a brutal, brilliant British officer. At the bloody Battle of Cowpens, Helen must confront her past to save her life.

Praise for Camp Follower, nominated for the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Historical Mystery/Suspense and the Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction:

“Adair wrote another superb story.” — Armchair Interviews

“Full of details, a unique historical perspective, an elaborate plot, and outstandingly strong characters, Camp Follower is a historical mystery with something to please everyone.” — No Name Café

“Adair takes her reader on an exciting adventure, filled with historical fact wrapped around an intriguing plot.” —The Midwest Book Review

“The smells, sights, and sounds of the Revolutionary War in the Carolina Back Country have nowhere been better depicted than in this thrilling novel of conflict and suspense. Suzanne Adair is a gifted storyteller, and her latest book deserves a wide audience.” — John Buchanan, author of The Road to Guilford Courthouse: The American Revolution in the Carolinas

I love ANYTHING to do with NC history since I live here ---so I can’t wait to read this one! It was still free when I clicked it a bit ago. Double check before clicking that it is still free for you because this can change without notice ---

Enjoy your Tuesday Evening!