“Focus On The Center” Blog Tour!

I’m really excited that Pat Sloan asked me to be part of her blog tour! Blog tours are such a great way to discover new people, new ideas, and get a glimpse into other people’s heads! This one should be fun….because she is asking US to be creative!

If you are new here because you followed the links on another participant’s blog ---WECOME! I hope you enjoy your visit, and I hope you’ll be back!

Pat is also writing about us on HER BLOG so if you are one of my regular readers, you need to go over there – maybe you’ll learn something about me that you didn’t already know!

And because I’m an equal opportunity kind of girl – I had my shot at asking PAT a question on something out-of-the-ordinary, because, you see – I think we really could have been great teenage buds in our younger years, and I’m always interested in other people’s growing-up-years!

Pat’s dad was military, so she spent many of her growing up years living over seas!

I asked about her first “REAL” job – thinking that it might be Mc Donalds, or working the movie theater, you know, TEEN JOBS?! This is what she had to say:

I lived in Brussels Belgium and we only had so many jobs at the school and bases for teenager to work at. So you put your name in for a job and I got selected to work at the "motor pool".

That meant it was just ME as the phone answering girl.. and the guy that ran the motor pool. He did a LOT of jobs... like being sure the teenage boys were mowing the school grass in the summer .. and I SO wanted to go out on that check ride!

He also did all the grounds keeping at the general's homes that our government rented. The funniest story was when a 'wife' was calling and was being.. mmm.. well.. I guess a tad annoying with her requests. So my 'manager' taught me how to make a crackly noise then hang up the phone on her... LOL! This is a TRUE story!

LOL! So she was doing crackly noises like…”ooops? Bad signal? CLICK!?” I suppose that is an acquired skill, and one that could come in handy at the right moment.. Hehehe!

My high school jobs? I worked at an HSalt Fish n Chips -- and I did house cleaning. Not quite as glamorous as being a phone girl to the motor pool guy!

So let’s get on to the book:

You know my love for antique quilts RUNS DEEP. I am a very traditional quilter, even if my fabric choices are not --- and I love the timelessness of time honored blocks and designs, and I love “different” ways to showcase things instead of always making a handful of blocks, plopping them down with either alternate blocks and sashings. I also like working with different sizes of blocks and units, and one way that really gives you a place to PLAY is to set things in a medallion setting.

Even the COVER of the book screamed out at me…OOOOOOHHH!

Pat asked us to pick one of the quilts that WE would like to make and to show what fabrics we would use with it…

Oh GOODNESS! This is a NO BRAINER! I bet you would have picked THIS ONE for me too:

Arabella’s Courtyard

Finished Quilt Size: 89” X 89”

Don’t you think this looks like something I would do? I love stars! This has a carpenter’s star center ((ALL HALF SQUARE TRIS – NO INSET “WHY?!” Seams!)) Lots of checkerboards, hourglass units…and oooooOOOOOOoooooH! Yellow!

Can you see a peek of what I’d like to see it made with from MY stash?

CONFESSION: I am writing this post the day before leaving for New York, after just getting back from VCQ in Virginia the night before with one day in between…..I’m grabbing PILES of fabric for this post…..as just a sampling!

TADA!!

I wanna change that gold to cheddar ((Another NO SURPRISE)) --- and use all the shirt plaids in it ((Like you couldn’t guess that EITHER!?))--- still keeping the colors consistent – so I’d use scrappy red where the reds are, scrappy greens where the greens are, etc --- as for that wide floral outer border? I’m thinking stringy piano keys from the bin of shirt strings!

I just love how those “Clays Choice” blocks dance in that wide yellow border outside the checkerboards, don’t you? And a 90” Square quilt? Yup…..those ALWAYS fit the bill for me!

Here is a sampling of what else you can find in the book, whether you want to use yardage of just a few fabrics, or dig into your scrap stash – they are all fabulous:

All Roads Leave Home 49” X 49”

Antique Mist

57” X 57”

Blue Lagoon 73” X 73”

Lucky Charms 61” X 61”

((Love those diagonal bricks framing the center…AWESOME!))

So would YOU like to win a copy of Focus On The Center? I’m going to draw for 2 winners on Monday Evening, May 7th. You can also visit Pat’s Blog and register to win there EVERY DAY during the tour, and visit the links of the other participants – go leave a comment on their blogs too!

Tuesday May 1

• Vanessa http://www.vanessachristenson.com/

• Carrie http://lavieenrosie.typepad.com/lavieenrosie/

Wednesday May 2

• Bonnie Hunter http://quiltville.blogspot.com/

• Michele http://quiltinggallery.com/

Thursday May 3

• Victoria http://bumblebeansinc.blogspot.com/

• Rachel http://www.psiquilt.com/

Friday May 4

• Jackie http://cvquiltworks.blogspot.com/

• Dana http://www.oldredbarnco.blogspot.com/

Saturday May 5

• Vicki Welsh http://vickiwelsh.typepad.com/

• Faith http://www.freshlemonsquilts.com/

And don’t forget to check out the Leisure Arts Blog as well!

Hey, if I can win the Jelly Bean Contest --- you can win a copy of this book!

Please remember to leave me your name and email address if you are commenting as anonymous or if you don’t have your email address visible in your blogger settings. Comments without names and addresses won’t work, and I’ll be forced to draw again!

Good Luck Everyone!