Week 15

The photos this evening are from this past week. I took a break from my schedule and did several applique as take along projects after A-13 was complete. I tried the silk thread and have to say, it's completely worth the investment. If you are good at applique with cotton thread, you are going to LOVE what silk will do for your stitches-----YLI is awesome! I've not tried other brands yet but am very happy with this little discovery. Thank you to the applique fanatics who encouraged me to give it a go. 

Expect several updates on the blog over the next couple days. Tomorrow we'll announce the winner of the first official Retro-Fabulous Giveaway! Good Luck!!

I also plan to post some highlights of the International Quilt Festival-Chicago (Rosemont) soon afterwards. Being the eternal optimist, I expect to have some more blocks completed and posted, too. We'll see how that goes.

Blessed are the Piecemakers.

Happy Quilting!!

50th Block PARTY!!

The wonderful people of Electric Quilt Company (EQ) are providing a FREE copy of the beloved DEAR HANNAH SOFTWARE for one of my lucky and of course, FABULOUS readers! I'm adding fat quarters of my favorite new fabrics from the little *ah-hem* shopping trip...there are even a few out of print bunny fabrics in the mix! 
How festive.

In order to be eligible to win this incredible prize pack, there are a couple details you'll need to include in your comment on this thread by April 17, 2010 12:00 am central time. 

Please share if you have done any of the Jane Stickle/Dear Jane blocks or any from Dear Hannah, a tip you'd share with a quilty friend & how long you've been working on your project.

If you have not yet attempted a Dear Jane or Dear Hannah block, please share your favorite theme/color of fabric, favorite traditional block and a tip/trick that simplifies your quilting/piecing. 

Those kind enough to leave comments on the Golden Girl post prior to this post going public will be eligible for a second chance. The winner will be randomly chosen and must meet the above criteria. If the winning comment does not meet the criteria, a new winner will be drawn. 

Winner will be announced Sunday, April 18, 2010.

FYI: If you leave a comment that cannot be replied to, I may not be able to find you in this great big world of ours.

Dear Hannah is a companion CD and does require the use of Dear Jane, EQ5, or EQ6 Software.

Thank you for reading my blog and celebrating with me! EQ, thank you so much for partying with us!!!

This drawing is not limited to U.S. residents.

GOLDEN GIRL!!

I completed my 50th block Monday!!!!  My official Jane numbers are 50-0-0-1083 & I’m so thrilled! I passed the first 1000 piece mark at number 47 and the 50th block not long afterwards. It took 3 variations of the 9 patch to get me there but I really wanted to hit the goal by April.

L-10 is something else…fair warning, readers. Give yourself some time for that one and save some easy blocks for recovery. Seriously.

As you may already know, the 50 block mark is golden and in my opinion deserves a celebration----did someone say giveaway??? 

You’ll really want to check back for details on this one!

Wishing you and yours the very best,

Heather

Fabric SHOPPING Spree!

The hubs took me on  road trip for a little day away----to 2 quilt shops! I know. I tell him all the time he's the best! You're not going to believe the treasures I found. If you're into 30s and NOT shopping at Ericas, what are you doing? They have other great stuff, too but you know I'm completely obsessed with repros.

I found some YLI silk thread. I'll give it a whirl on the next applique block and give you my opinion. Not to worry, I think I have one scheduled for the begining of the week, so it shouldn't be a long wait. For now, you can check out the latest fabrics that will make their way into JANE.

Week 12---Passed the 40 Mark

I'm thrilled to say I passed the 40th block this week!

Number of completed blocks: 44, Pieces: 957.

I also heard some news...the Dear Jane book is on the way to the house,

signed by the author! Special thanks for the early B-day present.

This year, I'm turning 40 and wanted to give myself a precious gift: time.

I've made so little time for myself for so long. I really wasn't sure what 

to do with it until I found this project. I feel refreshed & myself again.

*BONUS* I get a gorgeous quilt, too!

What could be better?

All my best,

Heather