Voting Results & Magazine Giveaway !!

First of all, a THANK YOU to each & every quilter who took the time to leave a comment. Since this was my first-ever Blog Tour, I had no idea what to expect.  WOW!! Your comments were graciously kind, wonderfully insightful & left me with the biggest smile on my face :)

I ended up selecting two winners at random:

1. "Sallie" will be receiving her magazine directly from Quiltmaker. Her comments:  
"Purple all the way! Thanks for the chance!"

2. "Duff" will be receiving her magazine from me. She commented:
"I vote for the purple because the radiating points have two distinctive colors whereas the orange seems to blend more. Thanks for the chance to win a copy!"

I’m sorry everyone couldn’t win! If the magazine isn't available in your area, be sure to get your copy here (plus there are more giveaways next week!) :
100 Blocks Vol 3 + More Giveaways

Now for the voting, PURPLE was the winner with more than 60% of the vote! I'm glad that so many of you liked the orange version, too, as I will probably make it up into the 4-Block Wall Hanging for a local quilt store. If I do, I will be sure to post a photo in the Radiant Heart Gallery. In the meantime, I whipped this up:

This is the first Radiant Heart I've made that isn't from Batiks! What do you think? I'm calling it "Stained Glass" Radiant Heart. A few of you had some different ideas for fabrics you might use - reds for Valentine's Day - white daisies .... I would love to see what you come up with!! Let me know - won't you ?? Faith.

100 Blocks Blog Tour - Radiant Heart Voting

I'm leaving the vote open until midnight Friday - 05/06/2011 !!  So, please continue to add your comments & ideas below (to the 05/02/2011 post to make it easier for me!) to be considered for the free magazine giveaway!

And, since you've all been so wonderfully responsive, I thought I'd add a new page to my Blog called "Radiant Heart Gallery"!  I'll be making up samples very soon for my favorite local quilt shops & will post photos there.  And, I would LOVE to see what you come up with!  Please be sure to email me with photos of Radiant Heart projects (or even blocks would be wonderful!).  I would love to add your creativity to the Radiant Heart Gallery!!!  So, stay tuned .... & don't forget to VOTE with your comment below!!!!    What's it gonna be?? 

ORANGE or PURPLE or ??

Don't forget - giveaways each day - all week long:  Quiltmaker 100 Blocks

100 Blocks Blog Tour - Come on in !!!

Thanks a bunch for visiting me today - the second day of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Blog Tour !!!   I designed Block #226 - "Radiant Heart" - a really fun paper-pieced block that I hope you enjoy.
 

Here's the Radiant Heart as a 4-Block wall hanging with a simple zig-zag border.  My photo isn't nearly as good as the one in the "Designer Gallery" section of the magazine, but at least you get a sneak-peek!!

The magazine features this block PLUS 99 others!!  What a deal!  Plus, there's all sorts of helpful info - including settings & layouts - even some all-over quilting designs! 

Before you return to Quiltmaker, make sure you leave me a comment telling me which Radiant Heart you prefer.  I'll select one comment at random & that quilter will get themselves a free 100 Blocks magazine!!  If you don't happen to be selected, not to worry - go check out all the other blogs on this tour all week long for more chances.  But first, leave me a comment to get in on the goodies !!

So, what do you think? 
The ORANGE one ??  Or, the PURPLE one ??





Go to Quiltmaker for more fun & freebies!!!

Radiant Heart - Block #226

The UPS guy came today & for once, the delivery was for ME!!  My block - Radiant Heart - is in Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Volume 3 - page 38 - SWEEEEEEEET!  Here's what it looks like:

Radiant Heart, Block #226

I also whipped up a 4-Block Sample Quilt that made it to the "Designer Gallery" on Page 21!  How cool is that?   

More details coming soon during the Blog Tour scheduled for May 2 - 6. Each day showcases a new set of designers - my day will be Tuesday, May 3.  There will be fun - there will be give-aways - there will be dancing (well, at least at my house!) - see you soon :)  Faith.

We did it - my first retail show!

Whew!  WE did it!  My first retail show.  I was going to say I did it, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how many people have helped me get to this point - it takes a village don't ya' know! 
A very big THANK YOU to all, but especially my brave sister who manned the booth & handled the moola & so much more!

It was actually 1/2 booth (5' wide x 10' deep) for my first try, but I stuffed displayed as many quilts, tablerunners, mug mats, & centerpieces as would fit (& then I layered them).  Oh my!  At this point I think I need to thank everyone who was brave enough to enter!!  And, I especially want to thank everyone who bought a pattern when there were so many beautiful designs available at the Expo.  Thank you for being part of the Doodle Time Village - I appreciate it more than you know!  See you next year?!  Faith. 

Lots of Good News !!

It's been awhile since I've posted, but I have lots of excuses reasons for that! 

• First, I submitted an original block to Quiltmaker Magazine & learned it was selected!  My Block - Radiant Heart - will be included in Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Volume 3.  Somebody pinch me!    
• Then, Quiltmaker requested photos of projects made from blocks to possibly be included in the Gallery section of the magazine.  Guess what?!  Yep, my 4-block sample was selected!  I rushed it off for photography the next day - my block is a super-model!
• I can't reveal my block, but here's a sneak peek at the magazine:

                      Sneak Peak - Quiltmaker 100 Blocks, Volume 3 Cover

• While all this was going on, I decided to be a vendor - that's right - I'll have my own booth at the Pueblo, Colorado Quilt & Stitch Expo coming up shortly.  Well, it's not really my OWN booth - it's more like 1/2 booth, but it's a start.  Quiltmaker magazine graciously rushed my Gallery Quilt back in time for display.  Come by Booth 701 & take a look if you can :) 

                      Pueblo Quilt & Stitch Expo

Now, back to stitching my samples - with apologies to Robert Frost - I have miles to sew before I sleep!  Faith.

Happy Birthday Favorite Sister!!

Bad winter  weather prevented a timely birthday celebration, but for once, I was ready!!  Completed the binding on my favorite sister's quilt at 2:00 am the other night.  Here's the proof:

 Design:  "The Big EZ" Pattern by Bloom Creek
The Big EZ Pattern

A lovely design, but a stretch for me :)  As you may know, I specialize in small things!  To paraphrase Mother Teresa: 
"... we can all do small things with great love ..." 
Larger things usually leave me ... well, with a UFO!  (Unfinished Object in quilting parlance)

Very EZ design aside, this was an accomplishment for me, but I had help in meeting my deadline.  The piecing was fast & fun.  I varied from the design when I ran out of large pieces of fabric (I tend to over indulge in fat quarters - not yardage!).  But, the real joy was turning it over to a wonderful friend who happens to be a longarm quilter!  Selecting a quilting design was a delight - how can you go wrong?   We decided on "Popcorn" in the end & it turned out wonderful. Thank you PJ!   Got a few tips on different binding methods from the quilt expert & I took over again.   I really enjoy hand sewing - popped in a movie (pun intended) & was done in no time at all.  The party was rescheduled for tomorrow & best of all, I'M READY!!  Happy birthday & I hope it gives you the sweetest of dreams!!

Happy New Year Gift for You!!

It shouldn't be a big surprise to know what my new year's resolution should be - POST, POST, POST!!

So, to start off right, I'm posting a download (I'm aiming high!). For those of you who have my Last Minute Centerpiece pattern, here's a new center as a 'thank you' from me:

Download Gift Center

Click on the link above, but don't print directly from the web page :)  Instead:

     Select File
        Select Print pdf
           Select your printer
           SET Page Scaling=None
          
This "Gift" Center is not in the pattern :)  But, the pattern is available on my Etsy site:

http://www.doodletimedesigns.etsy.com/

Thank you & Happy New Year!  Faith.

Firewood Stack

Been very busy since my last (first) post! We use mostly firewood to heat our home during the winter & it's a LOT of work. But, it's fun, too. My dh cuts the tree down - hopefully it falls where we want it. If not, it's even more work! Then, he clears off some branches & cuts from the top down to the base. That way, I can start hauling pieces back to the truck while he continues to cut. I'm kind of slow & steady & eventually he catches up to me. I stack smaller pieces by the truck until we have it all there to load. Take a look at my stack:

What's funny isn't how I stacked it (easier to load into truck) - it's that my dh said - "look - flying geese!"

I guess quilting just seeps into your soul & that's a good thing :)

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to ME & my BLOG! I've read most of (well, some of) "Blogging for Dummies" & it's time to put pen to paper - or keys to screen. I was waiting for the perfect moment of inspiration to write this first entry, because it's a lot of pressure to be first! But, when has anything ever been done perfectly the first time?? When has anything been done perfectly at all?? I've decided to settle for doing my best - just like mom always asked. At first I thought that meant she wanted me to be the best. And, sometimes I was. But, most often, I wasn't. And, that was perfect enough for mom.