Rainbow Geese A'Flying!!

And a GIVEAWAY reminder ... LAST DAY! (CLICK HERE!)

Look what I am working on today!

Aren't they just the cutest, most colorful little flying geese you've ever seen?  

Well, okay, I may be just a teensy bit partial to my new little goslings LOL!!!  These are for my 2012 Rainbow Scrap Challenge project, Rainbow Pineapples.  Here are the little mini-pineapples all positioned to be sewn together.

Each pineapple will only be about 3-1/2 inches finished!  There will be a 1" black inner border, then the little goslings will fly around the edge of each corner for the outer border.  I am thinking there will probably be another 1" border around the outside edge and maybe a scrappy rainbow binding, but that is not a firm decision yet. I'll wait and see how it progresses :*D  I really just want this to be a small wall quilt for my sewing room.  So far I am LOVING IT!!!

I'm already getting excited about what I might do for the Challenge for next year and saving potential ideas on Pinterest :*D  You can click HERE  to visit Angela's blog, SoScrappy, and see what the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is all about if you think you might like to join in the fun for 2013.

Okay, so back to the geese.... I've only sewn half of the borders strips so far, covering the Pink, Red, Orange and Yellow geese.  I still have to do the second halves which will include Green, Aqua, Blue and Purple geese.  You may have noticed that two of the PROY strips are shorter than the other two....

I left the bottom two Pink geese off of these because they will fit together at the corners something like this....

Pretty rough diagram, but I think you can get the idea.  The Pink geese on one strip will serve as the corner for both strips.

Since I learned from doing Hawaii Sunset how easy it is to make flying geese by paper piecing them, I sat down and drafted a pattern to make these little geese - just 1" by 2" finished!

Then I sat down to chain sew them.  Easy right?  Well, sure, but only IF your machine doesn't decide to go rogue on you!!!   This little foot pedal decided it wanted to sew whenever IT wanted to, regardless of whether my foot was on the pedal or not!!!  I actually had to unplug the machine to get it to stop sewing!!!

I had to do a little research and found out that the Janome pedals can do that if they get dust etc., on the electrical contacts.  Well, dust is something my sewing room knows all about, let me tell ya!!!!  So I wrapped it up for my favorite handy man (sweet hubby!) to fix for me.  In the meantime, I was happy to have this little button on my machine which allowed me to sew without the pedal .....

I sure showed that pedal who's the boss!!!  Of course, it was little awkward remembering to touch the button every time I wanted to start and stop stitching... I had a few runaways at first LOL!!!!  But happily it saved the day and got the job done =^..^=

We're going to see the new James Bond movie later today, so I doubt I'll get much more sewing done today.  But I have some starched applique pieces all perfectly prepped to work on my Blue Collection tomorrow while watching football, so I'm a happy camper :*)

Now, don't forget to go over and get in on my Birthday Giveaway!!!  You can win one of these....

I'm was just tickled pink to wake up this morning and find that A Quilt and A Prayer has just reached 300 followers!!!!  Hip Hip Hooray!  I am so delighted to have you all following along and sharing together on our quilting journeys =^..^=

My stash report for this week is pretty uneventful.... no finishes, but I did add these fabrics....

The brown and cheddar pieces are for Hawaii Sunset, the lime piece on the right is a birthday gift from The Quilter's Path, and the beautiful pink floral fat quarter on the left is a WIN from Barbara at Cat Patches!!!  I recently won her Fun Fact Friday Freebie - yay!!!!  Thanks Barbara!!!

Don't you just LOVE Barbara's cute little cat button????

Stash Enhancement Report - November 10, 2012 

Used/Destashed this week:  0.0 yards

Used/Destashed YTD 2012: 222.75 yards

Stashed this week: 2.0 yards

Stashed YTD 2012: 254.75 yards

Net Used for 2012: -32.00 yards

Hugs & Blessings!
Teresa
=^..^=

I'll be linking up with ....

DWM - Learning Something New!

                  ***  Looking for my Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Vol 6 GIVEAWAY?  Click HERE! ***

The Blue Collection has become one of my primary projects recently, and I've been trying to stay focused and keep blocks prepared so that I always have one ready to work on when it's time to sit down for some slow stitching.  Like yesterday.  Unfortunately, I didn't have any blocks prepared yesterday, so instead of stitching, I had a lot of prepping to do!

These pieces are not yet stitched down, but I laid them out so you could get an idea of how they will look when they are.  All were prepared using the Starch Method, a new method for me that I decided to try after hearing some really good reports on other blogs.  I have to tell you, so far I'm a very happy camper!!!

This method involves using freezer paper templates, and painting liquid starch with a small paintbrush on the seam allowance edges that will be turned under.  It was a simple enough procedure.

This little piece very quickly went from this....

..... to this.....

to this..... and it's as close to perfect as I'm ever gonna get!!!

Here are a few other pieces that would normally have given me some trouble trying to needleturn them, but they were very easily shaped with this method....

Aren't those curves nice and smooth!  Yep, I'm a happy camper!!!  This next one has a couple of problem areas that would have given me fits before.

See the little round bump at the top?  Designed for torture!!!  But it was no problem, and the curves are nice and neat!

This piece was so tiny, I had to put my finger there to give you an idea of its size so you could be REALLY impressed with how nice and neat it is :*)   It is the stem that goes on the tip of this piece.....

It's a strawberry leaf, and it does have a little bit of a raveling issue in that little deep cut.  There just wasn't enough fabric there to fold over on both sides.  I think it will stitch out okay though once I remove the paper.  It's really the only piece that gave me a problem.

I believe The Blue Collection is going to be much more fun finishing up than it has been to this point!  There are many tutorials out there on the Internet if you are interested in trying it too.  Just Google "Starch Applique" and you'll get lots of them.

Hawaii Sunset is still sitting front and center on my Design Wall - I haven't been able to touch it this week at all, but I hope to work on some flying geese tomorrow at sit-n-sew =^..^=

And I thought I'd let you know - I have officially decided to join in on Bonnie's Mystery, Easy Street!   I just love the colors she's using this year, and the fact that she has promised to take it "Easy" on us helped me decide.  I have all the fabrics in my stash, so long as I decide that the gray will work.  I'm still on the fence about that one.  You can see the paint chips laying (lying?) next to each colored stack of fabrics. 

There may still be a few I'll pull out - too dark? - and a few I'll add in, but for the most part, this is it!  I hope some of you are going to join in the fun!!!

That's all I'm up to right now.  What about you?  Do you have something fun and exciting to show us on your design wall, or floor, or bed - whatever it is you use to view your beautiful quilts in progress?  Please join the linky party at Judy's Patchwork Times so we can all enjoy it too :*)

********************     And don't forget, if you want a chance to win one of these....

..... don't forget to go HERE to get in on my Birthday GIVEAWAY !!!

Have a gorgeous week!!!!

Hugs & Blessings!
Teresa
=^..^=

Linking up with .....

Slow Sunday Stitching

***  Looking for my Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Vol 6 Giveaway?  Go HERE! ***

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I want to thank you all SO MUCH for your sweet Birthday wishes!!!  You are all so good to me :*)  I had a smile plastered on my face all day long!!!  I did stop smiling long enough to devour my Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara, topped off with Pumpkin Cheesecake at Olive Garden - YUM!!!!!

But then I went right back to smiling again ... actually by then I was doing a pretty good impression of the Cheshire Cat! =^..^=

I've had very little opportunity to do much stitching at all this past week because of some guild commitments, but I posted HERE about a little prep work I managed to get done for a couple of applique projects.  Yesterday I finally got most of that other "stuff" done, so today I am taking a break and sharing an especially fun Slow Sunday Stitching with my oldest granddaughter, Emma, who is visiting with me for the next couple of weeks.

Emma is one month shy of 17 and a sophomore, and getting a picture of her is like pulling hen's teeth, so enjoy this one, there probably won't be another LOL!!!

None of my grandchildren have so far shown much interest in sewing, but Emma likes to do a little cross-stitching now and then when she gets bored.  So when she asked if we could look for a project for her while she is here (yes she got bored pretty quickly), I hustled her off to Joann's Fabrics to see what we could find.  We were really disappointed to find that the pickings were mighty slim!!!  There were quite a few large and complicated kits available, but only a few smaller ones appropriate for a beginner, and none of them appealed to her.

We decided to look at the cross-stitch books to see if we could find some small designs there.  But then her eye fell on this sweet little embroidery book....

Doodle Stitching - the Motif Collection by Aimee Ray

It is filled with wonderful little designs that especailly appeal to young girls.  I was delighted because of my own recent rediscovery of the joy of embroidery.  I can clearly remember my mother and grandmother teaching me how to embroider when I was a small girl.  If they hadn't spent that time and attention on me then, I would have had to learn this wonderful craft the hard way!  So I was delighted at the thought of passing that down to my own granddaughter!

We bought all the little tools she needed, and I set her up with some muslin for learning and practicing some simple stitches - backstitch, french knots and lazy daisies.

She did great!!!  She said it was "tedious" - isn't everything "tedious" for a teenager?  LOL!!!  But she said she liked it and was eager to start on a real design.

We started with the unicorn - do all teenage girls love unicorns???

She got carried away on a real project and I told her we needed to work on making smaller stitches!  But I think she did really well for her first embroidery project, don't you?  And then she was off and running, putting together several of the designs to make a picture for a friend back in North Carolina....

Look at that sweet mermaid!!!

We are stitching together today... her with her embroidery, and me with my Blue Collection applique.  I'm teaching myself how to do the starch method of applique today to see how I like it.

Several of my friends swear by it, so I thought I would try it.  I'll let you know how it goes :*)

Are you enjoying the pleasures of slowly stitching today?  Go over to Kathy's Quilts to share and see what others are enjoying on this gorgeous Sunday!

Hugs & Blessings,
Teresa
=^..^=

Stash Report and A Giveaway!!!

Today's my Birthday!

Aren't these some gorgeous flowers my wonderful husband game me?

It's been a wonderful day so far, filled with hugs, and phone calls & cards from loved ones :*D  

I even got a video message from two of our Grands in North Carolina... what a treat!  

Isn't modern technology an amazing thing?  I would have loved to send such a message to my grandmother when I was small :*)

When my Mom was visiting, she and Darryll gave me their gift to me...

The Tin Man!!!  Isn't this just the cutest thing?  There's a story behind this that I need to share with you someday :*)  My sweet hubby told me to order a couple of fabric cutting dies and he's taking me out to dinner out at Olive Garden tonight!  Whoohoo!!!!!  

Am I a blessed girl or what ???  =^..^=

But of course, the day is not all about me.... As promised, I'm celebrating with a GIVEAWAY!!!

I received two of these in the mail last week....

The new Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Vol #6 !!!!

.... and I want to share one of them with you, just to say thanks for stopping by this past year, leaving such sweet comments and supporting me as I found my blogging feet and gave birth to A Quilt and a Prayer!  

I'm also going to throw in this cute Harvest pattern, because somehow I ended up with 2 of these too :*)  It's great for 2-1/2" strips and jelly rolls!  I've also seen it with a black background and it's gorgeous!!!

You don't have to be a follower to win, just leave a comment below, because your comments make my day :*)  However, if you are a follower, or decide to become a follower, you may leave a SECOND comment for a second chance to win!  I do want to be sure to appreciate my loyal followers =^..^=  I will ship anywhere, so feel free to comment no matter where you live.  The giveaway will be open for one week and I will announce a winner on November 11, 2012.

PLEASE make sure you also provide your email address if you are a no-reply blogger!

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I'd also like to ask for your votes in the Blogger's Quilt Festival..... Go HERE to see all the wonderful quilts in the contest (scroll down past all the sponsors), and then if you feel so inclined you can vote for Scrappy Bearpaws as Favorite Bed Quilt or Favorite Scrappy Quilt.

It's #299

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     The Stash Enhancement Report is easy this week - nothing finished and nothing purchased!

Stash Enhancement Report - November 3, 2012 

Used/Destashed this week:  0.0 yards

Used/Destashed YTD 2012: 222.75 yards

Stashed this week: 0.0 yards

Stashed YTD 2012: 252.75 yards

Net Used for 2012: -30.00 yards

Click HERE to go to Patchwork Times to see how others are managing their Stash!

Hugs & Blessings,
Teresa
=^..^=

What's Up?

Fun stuff, that's what!!!  
                   Mysteries and NewFO's and Giveaways... 

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***  Looking for my Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Vol 6 GIVEAWAY?  Click HERE! ***

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First of all, Bonnie Hunter's new 2012 Mystery starts today!!!

Fabric requirements for Easy Street are published on Bonnie's blog today and I've printed out my copy.  Have you?  How many of you are Bonnie fans?  Yep, me too!  I haven't yet decided whether I'll join the craziness of doing it on the Mystery schedule, but I will definitely save the instructions.  The colors in this year's mystery are absolutely YUMMY!!!  They tempt me, yes they do!!!

I love her mysteries, but I'm having a hard time justifying the start of another project right now, you know what I mean?  Although, she DOES promise that this quilt will be less intensive than the last couple were.  That's good to know, right?  Tempted.......

Bonnie is coming to our Music City guild in April 2013, so our program for November will be all about her and her quilts to give everyone a chance to learn to love her like we do :*)  I'm heading up the program, so not a lot of sewing has gone on in my house this week.  I did manage to get some prep work done on my current handwork project The Blue Collection and the tracing done for a little Christmas table topper, Partridge in a Pear Tree...

Won't this make a gorgeous bowl???  YUM!!!  This is the bowl for those infamous PEACHES!!!

Doesn't look like much yet, does it?  Hehehe.....

And don't forget that today is the day to link up with Barbara at Cat Patches for her 2012 NewFO Challenge party!


I started several projects in October.  First was the Partridge in a Pear Tree that you see in it's infant stages above.  I also joined up with Sew Kind of Wonderful's Curve It Up QAL and made my first block for that, a curved up Churndash .....

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I want to thank you all for responding to my question of whether you work on all one section of a quilt at a time or put blocks together as you go.  It seems a lot of you work the same way I do - I was surprised since most of my sew buddies are in the "one section at a time" camp.  It's nice to find out that so many of you like to see your blocks come to life as you go, just like me :*)

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And since I always like to leave you wanting more..... 

Lookie what turned up in my mailbox the other day!  

Two copies of the newest Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks - Collector's edition Vol 6!!!  

I was a block tester for this issue and had great fun with the blocks that came my way!  It was fun seeing the blocks in the published magazine too, I almost felt maternal toward them :*)

Since I was gifted with 2 of them, I think it's time for a GIVEAWAY here very soon!  We've got lots to celebrate, you know.....  I just realized the other day that I'm very near 300 followers - woohoo!!!  And I'm right on the verge of 40,000 post views - I never dreamed I'd reach even close to that when I started A Quilt and A Prayer last December.  And last, but not least, it will be my birthday this weekend!  So.... how about I give YOU a gift on my birthday?  Come back to visit this Saturday and we'll see if I can add any more goodies to this giveaway, what do you say?  Fun, right?!?

And speaking of FUN, I'm also linking this post up with Kathy's Slow Sunday Quilting and Angie's Applique Thursday :*D

Okay, I'm off and running - lots to accomplish today.  

I'm sending prayers out for all those in Sandy's wake. My heart breaks to think of the suffering she has caused.   Please join me in prayer for them!

Hugs & Blessings!
Teresa
=^..^=