Enter to win a Pat Sloan Starter Kit of Aurifil Thread

Here's a great way to start off the week - with a Giveaway for an Aurifil Starter Kit.  I can't say enough good things about Aurifil - it's my go-to thread of choice! 

http://www.favequilts.com/sweeps/Pat-Sloan-Starter-Kit-of-Aurifil-Thread-Giveaway#

Great Way to Fold and Store Quilts

Ann Fahl has a wonderful tidbit of information on how to fold and store (or ship) quilts.  Her method will not set a crease in the quilt. Thanks, Ann!

Ann Fahl' Blog: How to Fold and Store Quilts

A celebration of life!

Just up the road from us, we have one of the neatest camps ever. It's called Camp Rainbow Gold and it serves to bring children with cancer together for a week of being outdoors, camping, singing around the campfire, telling ghost stories and laughing, as well as sharing some of the heartaches that go along with dealing with this disease.

Here is how the web site explains the camp: 

"Experience the magic of what happens when people come together to create emotionally empowering experiences for Idaho children diagnosed with cancer and their families. Camp Rainbow Gold is an oncology camp, a sibling camp and a family camp. It's a hockey night, a ski day and a college scholarship program. Camp Rainbow Gold is a celebration of life."

A celebration of life. What a statement!

More than 200 volunteers from all over the state train to help in a variety of ways.  The outdoor camp, held in July, becomes home for about 100 campers, age 6-18.

As a small way to help this statewide and community effort, our newly-formed guild - the 5 Bee Quilting Guild - is taking on the challenge to sew pillowcases for all the campers, as well as some siblings and parents.  I'll be out of town when the group gets together for a fun-filled day of stitching, so I've put together 11 pillowcases made with the Hot Dog pattern.  It's fun, easy, and just a fun way to create a little gift for those special kids.

Take a moment to celebrate life in your own way today.  After all, the celebration is yours for the taking!

Thread elves must visit at midnight

What's the deal here?  I can't seem to keep those bobbins all nice and tight and neat.  I think the Thread Elves sneak in my sewing room at midnight and play with these threads. It must be!

Any suggestions on keeping bobbins wound up?

Loving this winter!

Living in the mountains near a ski resort, you'd think I'd celebrate snow. I do, in a way, but I have lived here for 28 years (my goodness, that's a long time!) and as my bones grow older, and the winters seem colder, I look less and less forward to winter.

Most winters, except this winter.  This winter has proven to be the best ever. We have had relatively few snow storms, it's been cold, but not sub-zero cold for days on end, and the sun has shone most every day! There is lots of snow on the mountain tops and only about a foot left in the valley. A very mild winter indeed.

But aside from the weather aspect of this winter, I have been so busy sewing and quilting and learning and growing and thinking and planning and formulating - I just love it!  I've branched out from my nine to five job to create an independent business of my own. In the summer and fall I am very busy with my desk job and some associated travel, so winter and spring are mine for creating.

What have I been working on this week? I finished a little table runner and a non-traditional baby blanket. 

Free motion quilting another table runner is on the docket today. And the excitement of the week is that I am ready to load my first quilt on my new long arm machine and have my way with it. (Insert "Squeals of Delight" and "Trepidations of Fright")  I'm excited and nervous at the same time.  But I've prepared for this. Last year I pieced together my Christmas Quilt, which turned out rather large, too large for me to want to run it through my domestic machine.  It's made from Christmas scraps picked up on sale over the years and is the perfect choice for my first quilting project because if it turns out totally horrid, it's mine and I won't care.

So, I'm stepping out of my comfort zone today. Which is good - it keeps the brain active and alert, and it also keeps me from snacking, always a great benefit! 

What do you have planned for this week?

Modern Table Runner Decoration Riley Blake Reversible

What fun I had making this great table runner out of a Riley Blake Charm Pack! This hand-made quilted table runner features rich colors reminiscent of a garden of wildflowers. The fabrics are from Fiona's Fancy and are designed by Lila Tueller for Riley Blake. The yellows, pinks, purples, blues and browns all coordinate to make an exceptional table piece that will go with most any decor.



The binding is a coordinating fabric which was machine stitched to the front and hand-sti...

Switch from Google Friends Connect to LinkyFollowers

Just when you get the hang of things in the computer world, something changes! Now it is Google Friends Connect.  Apparently if you have a blog that is not hosted through Blogger, the GFC Followers will disappear on March 1. And rumor has it that even Blogger blogs will lose the GFC followers sometime down the road as Google begins to transfer everything over to Google+.

So whatever the landscape of staying in touch becomes, I am now using LinkyFollowers. It will behave the same way GFC has done by keeping you abreast of your favorite blogs.

Even though I use Blogger, I'm giving it a try. Might as well have things set up a little bit in advance.