And More! Take Four....Hey, This Time I Can Make a Rhyme!

I may be an "And More...." again, but it's always fun to be included in Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks no matter what. Let's be honest....most designers are suckers for seeing their name in print, and I'm no exception, so I'll happily take it.

There it is again!

What's become even more exciting for me with these issues is that I never seem to recall what I submitted, so when I receive the notice that my block was accepted, I get to wait with bated breath to see exactly what utter creative brilliance I sent for consideration. Between being the BOM Maven for my guild for the past two years and submitting these now and then, and having brain mush syndrome from having way too much going on in my world at any given time, it's easy to forget. Thankfully, as well as seeing my name in print, I also am a sucker for a surprise, so this way I get both every six months or so. I do love me some good multi-tasking.

Now, let's admit. When you first saw this block, you did one or more of these things:

1. Said "Huh."
2. Were freaked out that there were purple eyeballs looking at you.
3. Questioned Quiltmaker's screening processes.
4. Wondered when I had entered my Aztec phase.

Having only a vague recollection of creating this block, but knowing I own a quilt top where these scraps came from so I can believe it, I did all four, so don't feel badly if you did as well. Especially if you didn't have the proof in your home that I could have created it.

Here's your proof - the Carpenter's Star I made a million years ago with Debby Maddy's (Calico Carriage) awesome pattern, and while I love it, I still haven't gotten around to quilting it.

 So, aside from the pretty scraps, why exactly should you make this block? Well, I put this one in the category of what let's call "Boring-ish Blocks with Possible Potential." In fact, when I got to playing with it in EQ, I came up with this, and I just plain love it. Doesn't it really scream "Indian Corn!!!!" now? With four exclamation points, even?

Looks like I have a new project.

If I'm not your first stop, you know the drill....two issues to give away to winners, all you have to do is leave me a comment telling me how many projects you have going currently. An estimate is fine, because let's face it, we all have too many and I'm not about to spend time coming to your house to actually count, because my current 9 projects will not allow me the time.

All entrants will not only be entered to win one of the issues, but also, because I really appreciate you even coming to see this blog with such a strange block entry, as a thank you, every commenter will receive a coupon code to my web store -use it or don't, it's really just a thank you because I appreciate you being here, and it's also a way for you to double check that you are NOT a no reply blogger. MAKE SURE I have a way to e-contact you, and if you don't receive an email from me (evapaigequilts@charter.net) with your coupon code within 18 hours of your posting (I do sleep, and time zones funkify my work hours compared to your posting hours sometimes) you might want to double check your no-reply status. Because no-reply means you can't win not only my issue giveaways, but anyone else's either! Who needs that? 

Thanks for stopping by! Good luck!

"And More!" Again and Loving It....QM's 100 Blocks Volume 10

Well, actually, it's here. Details.

By now you are either well aware of the fact that Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 10 is out this week, or you have been living in a cave. Granted, if said cave was in Scotland in 1745 and you were sharing it with a certain red-headed Scot, you are excused. But otherwise I am certain you landed here as part of the blog tour to celebrate, so welcome to Quilting Hottie Haven and my own little celebration of inclusion in this landmark volume of the 100 Blocks series! You'll note that as in Volume 8, I'm firmly part of the "And More!" crowd, and that is all fine with me. If you put all the And Mores from all 10 volumes together you would have a seriously awesome rave going and I'd hate to miss that.

If you've seen my video, which looks like it was shot in semi-darkness by an 11 year old because indeed it was shot in semi-darkness by an 11 year old, you've seen a little preview of my block. Maybe you also entered my "Cutting Room Floor" contest on my facebook page and threw out a guess of why I was wearing that big old button, the explanation having been left on the cutting room floor when the video was edited for length. Congratulations to Becki Morrison, who while not completely correct in her guess of "for those who need over 50 font," she was the closest to my delight in being a part of QM's 100 Blocks "because of the really delicate and subtle jewelry they send you." So size, and all things involved in it, mattered in this case.

Woo hoo!

My block, Puddle Jumper, is #975, which I love because that's a really easy number to remember forever and for always. God forbid I ever have to save the life of anyone by reciting what numbers my blocks have been in the 100 Blocks series, but I thank QM for making this one easy.

Despite my better judgement, Puddle Jumper was so named due to the fabric colors used. It's a method I really try not to employ in my quilt or block naming, but rules were made to be broken. I thought the aqua middles to these blocks looked like puddles, so there you go. Sometimes there's a good story behind a quilt name, and sometimes the story just sucks.  Unfortunately, this is one of those times. But who cares - it made the volume, so I'm happy!

A few weeks ago I wrote this blog post, which explains a little bit about why the block in the magazine looks nothing like the one I'm holding in the video. Although Kelly Eisenger at QM read and thoroughly enjoyed my post and immediately sent me a photo of my block so that I could whip up a new one, there are even more reasons I chose to go with a completely new color scheme:

• I was out of the teal batiks
• I make too many teal/purple quilts (see background of video for exhibit A)
• I rarely use red, so I thought "What the heck?"
• I believe whole-heartedly in putting a spin on any design, and this includes my own, because making something exactly the same way over and over again is boring.

Using the block in the video, I whipped this cute little baby quilt up last week, using four of the blocks and some pieced sashing.

I'm thinking of calling this "Rampant Viral Illness" as it looks a bit like measles and my youngest daughter was sick with a horrid flu the entire week I was making it. There. That's a way better quilt naming story for you.

Virus-like or not, I think the quilt is pretty cute, and shows a new variation on some setting ideas for my block. My older two daughters think it is the ugliest quilt I have ever made. I'm no longer feeding them until they take it back. PS, they are wrong, and clearly have not seen my trunk show featuring some of my early creations.

Pretty quick and simple

I played with the block in EQ7 a bit and came up with a few more design ideas for you.

Throw five blocks set on point with some setting triangles and you have a long table runner. Extra points to the first person to get one done by Thanksgiving next week.

Or eliminate the sashing or setting triangles and just play with the background fabrics a little for a cool secondary thing going on.

The block in the above mock-up was done all scrappy, and you can see the difference in movement between it and a the blocks shown previously. Both are great (if I do say), and it just depends on whether you are going for a more planned or a more scrappy look.

A little more planned

A little more scrappy

If you do use this block in any of your upcoming projects, I'd love to see!


My fabulous blog sponsor, Fat Quarter Shop, has graciously agreed to augment my giveaway prize of a copy of 100 Blocks Volume 10 with a $35 gift certificate to their online shop. Aren't they just the best?

To enter, all you have to do is comment below telling me what you are currently working on, and how long you've been working on it. Is it a table runner kit you bought yesterday and plan to complete this weekend? Or is it a Baltimore album you started before Baltimore was even a city? Let's inspire each other with our stick-to-it-iveness for the epic projects, and share ideas for quickie projects for when we just can't take one more second of the epic ones.

For a second entry, become a member of my EQPD facebook community, and comment that you did so in the pinned post at the top of that page. It's not mandatory for entry, but it's a fun little community of daily quilty snark and sharing and I'd love to have you be a part of it!

Enjoy the rest of the blog tour and good luck with my giveaway!






 

Celebrating QM's 100 Blocks new issue and videos with a "Cutting Room Floor" Giveaway

Yeah, that's me - grainy, fuzzy, and with questionable shadowing effects, but hey, my 11 year old videographer was the best I could do. Plus she kept laughing at me.

You may have heard by now there's a blog tour going on next week to celebrate Quiltmaker Magazine's 100 Blocks Volume 10 hitting the stands. If you haven't heard, it means you haven't seen all of the videos on you tube. When you are done entering this giveaway, go right ahead a watch a few.

When we were asked to film a short video to advertise the blog tour, we were also asked to use our creativity and personality, and that big old button left over from when I was included in Volume 8 became part of my schtick. However, as I am wont to do, my schtick went on too long, and the part where it became clear why I had it on ended up on the cutting room floor. To be honest, I was a bit sad about that for a few minutes. Then I had a brilliant idea - why not make an extra giveaway out of it?

I knew you'd like that idea. Here's hoping QM does too! More marketing is always a good thing, right?

So, here's the thing. Watch the video. Make a guess, either in a comment here, or on the pinned post at the top of my EPQD facebook page, stating why you think I am wearing that button, which is explained in the edited portion of the video (The Cutting Room Floor part). (Hint - try to think like me. I know, that's a scary place you just went to. But in other words, a little out of the box.)

Contest is open until November 16 at noon. Sometime in the afternoon, I will announce the winner, which will be the person who gets closest to why I decided to wear the button in the video, and she/he will receive a copy of QM's 100 Blocks Volume 10 and the scraps from the baby sized quilt (off the cutting room floor, see what I did there?) I am making for the blog tour highlighting my block. They are actually pretty cool fabrics and will be great in a small project.

Like I said, they are cool.

 Perhaps more exciting, I will at that time post the original video in its entirety and we can see how close the winner actually came. If they use my actual words I am going to be actually dumbfounded.

Don't think too hard. Just think like me. Be creative. Say whatever you want, because you know I of all people could never be horrified by any idea you might have.

 Enter in a comment here on this blog post, or on my facebook page where the post with comments is pinned to the top. Have fun! Be creative! Win a copy of 100 Blocks and my floor dregs! What could be better?

I don't want to brag, but I'm pretty much a Hot Mess

It's time to admit something: I can be a complete idiot.

Like most creative people, I can often be a tad disorganized. While I abhor general household clutter and regularly admonish Mr QH about saving every piece of mail that comes through the door, piling it all up on a counter to make me completely insane every time I walk by the kitchen peninsula, and regularly take a trash bag to my daughters' rooms while they are at school to toss random crap they won't even notice is gone, I'm actually okay with a certain amount of clutter in the studio. I think most quilters are. Call it "a studio in creative mode." At least that's what I call it. Whatever makes us feel normal.

Unfortunately, my creative mode has gotten a little out of hand this year. Since I have to blame something and obviously the problem couldn't possibly be me, I blame my year of Scrap Squad and the need to always be delving into my scrap bins and throwing them about the room to find the right one and the lack of elves to come along and put the bins back.


In further unfortunate news, this organizational chaos has resulted in a six week search for some photos I know I took, but cannot find, of the three blocks I submitted to Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 10. I'm thrilled that they accepted one of them to be included in the issue, which comes out in just a few weeks. I'm thrilled to be participating again in the blog tour, during which I'll regale you with the process of creating my block which will be included, called "Puddle Jumper."

I can hardly wait. Because like you, when I get my issue, what this block looks like will be revealed for what will feel like the first time. That is because I somehow lost all the photos I had taken of the creation process of all three blocks, and I named them all on a whim, filling out the form moments before I shipped them all off. So this is the only remaining photo of my blocks.

That's helpful.

 So what can we surmise from this photo?

1. Batiks were heavily involved in my creative process.
2. I remembered to sign at least one of the blocks.
3. I like a light background.
4. Folding and stacking blocks makes for a pretentiously artsy and stupid photo.
5. My handwriting really does look a bit like knitting.

What it does not help me surmise is which of these blocks actually made the cut, and WTH the winning block looks like. A block I need to not only recreate since I apparently have no photos of the original, and which I also have to play with in EQ to come up with some more stunning items for my blog post during the tour. 

You may have guessed I am too embarrassed to ask. Here's hoping someone at QM takes pity on me after this post goes viral.

It's pretty much my motto.

DAGMT Days 1-4: Samoa Sewing

I'm going to come right out and say it: When DAGMT starts on a weekend, I am doomed from the start as far as staying on track. Unlike the normal people who see the weekend as a blank slate of time to do things they want to do, most of my weekends are filled with things like this:

No errand to Old Navy is complete without a visit with the manequins.

 Or this:

I'm the fun mom willing to take groups of preteen girls tubing. I'm thinking of becoming the boring mom who stays home and reads a book now and then.

 Or this:

Sometimes I get to be the dance mom. All the double stick tape nightmares become worth it when your kid is so happy to have won.

 Or this:

If only we could somehow force them to stay there for hours. Oh wait! They do that willingly. Love the water trampoline.

 And this is what my first weekend of DAGMT looked like:

Yes, Annaliese, you are adorable. As is Eva the cookiehead. These two never fail to crack me up, really.

I'll say it now - Best Cookie Mom ever. Giving up my sewing time to hang out with a bunch of girls wearing samoas on their heads. I'm living the life, hotties.

But not to be outdone by weekend crazy, I managed a few things this weekend. Behold.

Accidentally created 3D modern art I decided to call "Lettuce Quilt, Shall We?" while pulling fabrics for the backing of a quilt. Then I destroyed the masterpiece and made the backing. It may well be the ugliest backing of all time. I mean LOOK at those fabrics. And then look away quickly before you hurt your eyes.

Sleeved a quilt that had been needing a sleeve for months. Attempted to hang quilt up on wall in family room, but discovered it was 14" too long for the rod in place on the wall there. Measuring is for wimps.

 Aside: Want to know how I put that sleeve on without threading a needle or handsewing? Check out the Sleeve Tute I posted about a year ago. I might change your life. That is, if I haven't already.

Opened a package of piecing thread and needles purchased from Purple Moose. She turned me on to this thread years ago and I just can't live without it. I was running low and this made me happy.

 

Things went really well with some machine quilting. And then they really didn't. So this has been fun.

 Given the fact that I have pretty much had enough of the pink and green quilt for a few due to having spent over two hours pulling out stitches last night, I decided to tackle another project during today's sewing session. I've been wanting to both give these flying geese papers a try, and make a new block to submit to Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, so you know, two birds and all.

Make that lots of birds. Flying geese are my life lately.

 I've been getting in the group swap blocks, which contain flying geese, and several quilters have had some troubles keeping their geese straight and getting the blocks to come out the right size, so I gave a shout to the hotties at Triangles on a Roll, who had offered months ago to let me try their products if I liked. Not being one to grab freebies just to grab freebies (usually, although I do enjoy stumbling upon the Trader Joe's wine tastings while shopping), I waited until I had a block that might benefit. After using them today to make a different 12 1/2" block, I do have to say that while making separate flying geese with them seems a bit wasteful - as you can see the papers are meant for continuous flying geese borders - my block came out utterly perfectly 12 1/2". I bowed down to myself and treated myself to a celebratory avocado tucked into my sandwich, because doggonit I deserved it!

I like this kind of geese. They don't sing their mating songs at 3am while pooping on my front lawn.

 You know you want to bow down to me too when you see those points. Don't be shy, go right ahead.

 As much as I would love to sing the praises of paper piecing all day long with you, I am not going to. One reason is I don't sing. The other is this:

I made ONE block. ONE. This is my garbage can. It was empty before I started.

So I guess we focus on the fact that the block, which I am not showing you because it is already in an envelope, is perfect, and not on the fact that it may have been responsible for mass deforestation of the USA.

It's like the song goes .... "You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both, and there you have...four flying geese. And a young George Clooney." Or something like that.

Finally today, you all know how I've been drowning in pink and green scraps lately working on my first Scrap Squad assignment, right? Well, if not, there you go. I have. I can't reveal my version of the quilt yet - that will happen when it is my turn on Quilty Pleasures on Feb 28 - but I am allowed to reveal which quilt the six of us have been assigned to scrap up:

Summer Love by Kimberly Jolly

I've been able to see sneak peeks of the other SS members' versions, and I can tell you that you are going to be astonished and amazed by how different this quilt can look in scrappy versions! Margaret Kennedy will be revealing her version first, this Friday on Quilty Pleasures blog, so make sure you check it out.

I'll be over here picking out my quilting on my version.

"And More!" - Quiltmaker 100 Blogs blog tour

 

Volume #8 of QM's 100 Blocks hits the stands next week, and we're celebrating with a blog tour! If you haven't been touring around cyberspace yet for a preview of many of the blocks, head on over to Quiltmaker's blog for all the details - and prizes. As if a visit here to Quilting Hottie Haven weren't prize enough.

While this volume does indeed feature lots of blocks "from today's top designers" as promised on the cover, I am very much aware that I personally am firmly in the "And More!" crowd. It's really terribly exciting to be hanging with the cool kids, though! Fingers crossed they invite me to sit at their lunch table.

One of my very favorite moments at Spring Market was when Carolyn Beam, QM Editor, wandered  into my booth and handed me the 100 Blocks entry form. I'd considered entering in the past but in all honesty had been too distracted (read: kinda too lazy) to locate the form. Now that it had been handed to me by the big guns I had no excuse.

Fabrics look familiar?

By some miracle, I didn't lose the form between Portland and home, and submitted "Hidden Garden," so named because I had just read "The Forgotten Garden" and the design certainly looks like my mind was still in a walled English garden. Lo and behold it became block #781.

I am absolutely amazed by the quality of the photo they took of my block. Clearly they have a fancier camera over there at  Quiltmaker than the one in my iphone. To see my block in shiny glossy splendor sandwiched between offerings from The Quilt Company and Jaybird Quilts (so very much NOT "and mores") is a little thrill every time I turn to page 65.

Those who know my "fun over fuss" style of design might be surprised to see so many points to match. Eh. There aren't as many as you think. Or maybe there are and you'll just have to give it a try and find out if I am turning over a new leaf or if maybe I just got distracted by the pretty fabrics. (Hint: It's the latter.) Loved these fabrics and they screamed "Garden!" to me. I told them to use an inside voice and we got creative together.

I played around with the block a lot this summer, and as I am wont to do, changed it up a little here and there to show what you can do with both the actual block as seen in 100 Blocks and with a few minor changes.

Set it with sashing in two solids from your color palette:

You might want to fill in that one sashing square I left blank. Just saying.

Try two different solids with the same prints:

Make nine of these blocks and you'd have a sweet little baby quilt. For a girl. I've heard boy babies don't love florals and hot pinks.

Change up the outer solid border to a scrappy one in prints rather than a solid for a truly scrappy runner:

Well, it will be a runner when it is bordered, quilted, and bound, but you get the idea.

Leave off the outer solid entirely and you get a cool new secondary design, as in this quilt I sewed my face off on all Labor Day weekend to get it submitted by the deadline, and woo hoo! it made it into the Designer's Gallery! Thank God, and thank Carolyn for putting it in, as I used it as an excuse to get out of all childcare responsibilities over the long weekend, and if it hadn't been included I couldn't have pulled that excuse in the future.

Those familiar with my style recognize this quilt as more my thing. Even one of my 10 year olds saw this and said "Uh, Mom? That's just Kickin' Stash." Well, no. It isn't, actually, although it is unwittingly similar and apparently I have a type in quilt block love as well as in men. Circular-ish scrappy in blocks, left-handed and studly in men, for those keeping track of such things.
 
My favorite part of this design send-up is the four patch cornerstones in the border. Simple but fitting. Isn't it delightful when we amaze ourselves with our design choices?


And how fun to find my block among those used in the Block Tester's Gallery of Volume 8 as well, this time with a totally different coloration and set on point in the borders of a quilt by Shannon Ownby. If there is anything I shake my head at in quilting, it is the thought that a block can only be made in the colors and/or fabrics shown in the photo, and I absolutely love that a tester saw my block in a completely different way than I did and made it work in her design. Thanks to my friend and fellow contributor Anne Weins, who pointed this extra block sighting in Volume 8 out to me. Bonus excitement!

I hope you enjoy all of the blocks and blogs on this tour. Quiltmaker is graciously giving away a copy of the magazine to a winner from each participating blog, and I invite you to enter while you are here. Just leave me a comment telling me what your current quilt project is - I know, I know, you have 47 projects going on now, just pick your favorite - and you are entered to win. I'd love if you considered following me here at QHH for fun and quilty snarkiness on a semi-regular basis, but that is not required for entry.

AND

For a second entry, head on over to my EPQD facebook page and leave a comment on the post that links to this blog post. I'll send one winner a signed copy of 100 Blocks. Because my "and more" signature will surely up the value on Ebay, right?

Both entries will be drawn at 10:30pm EST (or is it EDT? I never know what we are in at whatever time of year, but Eastern Time) Sunday November 17. Be sure you leave me a way to find you, like an email. I've had no luck with smoke signals in the past.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you back soon!