COMMENTS CLOSED - Thanks everyone!

It's a Saturday post and you know what that means... a surprise giveaway!

I'm participating in the Quilting Gallery's Blog Hop Giveaway and I'll be drawing on September 4 (my birthday) to give YOU  a present!

I'll be giving away a copy of:


and four fat quarters of Kona Solids!

If this is your first time here, I hope you'll have a look around and maybe come back again - and please have a look at all the great blogs on the blog hop.



To enter the drawing, like my Facebook page and after you've done so - leave a comment here letting me know.

Good luck, and have a great time on the hop!

ETA:  Please be advised, if you've "liked" my page and have neglected a step along the way, I won't get a notification from Facebook, and I don't get it, you're not eligible for the draw.  Please ensure I get that notification if you want to win!

Say that five times fast!!!

                            


I'm doing Jodie Carleton's Rag-Rug-Along at Vintage Ric-Rac.  Thank goodness she doesn't have any due dates, because I've been working on this thing for months, (well, an hour here and there) and it's only the size of a dinner plate.  lol  That said, if you're a joiner, you can still do so, 'cuz she's cool like that.  :)

And also - I told my friends last week I was pregnant (and they all said "Ooooo0000ooo???? Because I'll be 50 and menopausal - lol); but my baby arrived last night. May I introduce you to Tyler Jackson Lang:



A one year old Yorkie-Poo from one of our local pounds.  He's loverly!

And don't forget - the giveaway ends tonight at midnight!

ETA: GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED.

Winner will be announced on Monday.  Cheers, dears!

Would Barb and Sharon report to the front desk, please?



As you know, I don't usually do Saturday posts, but I reached a rather silly personal goal this week and I had always planned that if I achieved that goal, I would acknowledge it with a giveaway.

But first, I have to tell you a story. :)

Before I started blogging here under my own name, some of you will remember, I had another blog, Diva Quilts. It was where I began when I first started quilting in 2008, excitedly sharing what I was so proud of, with my horrible photos and quite badly made quilts.  lol

And I was out here in the universe all by myself - so I was so excited when all of sudden, I had my first followers: Crystal at Sonnet of the Moon, and Elaine at La Belle Helene. I wasn't talking to myself any more!

By 2010 I had started to explore art quilting. I wasn't much good, and most of my regular readers weren't very interested in what I was doing - they seemed to want me to post finished quilts, go "Ta da!" and move on - or at least that was my supposition when former followers began fleeing my blog in droves!  lol  At one point, I had nearly 300 followers, but by December of 2010 it had trickled down to 128.

So I started another blog, where I would chronicle my art quilting experiments. I called it "Coneflowers In Leslieville" (I live in a suburb of Toronto, called Leslieville.)

That blog was pretty much a failure. (After a year, I had 27 followers.) I didn't tend it properly, felt torn between two worlds (quilting and art making) and after a year of doing both blogs and not making any great strides with either;  I closed it, combined all of my previous content from both blogs here and I said to myself:

 I'm going to do what I want to do and hope that SOMEBODY will like it. But even if they don't, I'M DOING IT ANYWAY! 

There may have been some puny fist shaking as well. :D

It started off pretty slowly.  A handful of people from my Diva Quilts blog followed me here, and a couple from Coneflowers too (bless their hearts!); but in the first month I had only 14 followers.  And so it became a running joke between BSP and I that a blog I hadn't even blogged on in 2 months, 4 months, 5 months - not only had more followers than the blog I was actively posting at, but actually had more HITS although I hadn't posted there in 5 months!


                  

When I hit the six month mark here, I had about 45 followers, and was finally getting more hits than Diva Quilts did.  I figured I had reached a turning point, and set a secret goal for myself - I wanted to have as many followers here by my first anniversary as I did at Diva Quilts.

Well, thanks to Barb and Sharon at Wit's End, I reached that goal this week! Nearly two months before my actual goal date. You two are collectively my 128th followers! So, thank you for helping me reach that goal!

As for the REST of you - all of you are the ones who have helped me achieve this goal after all, so I wanted to thank you.  One of you will win the stack of fabric as shown above (Buddha not included). :)  There are two lengths each of  two Kaffe Fasset prints, a Robert Kauffman floral and then two lengths of solid purple cotton (not Kona).  Combined, there are a couple of yards of fabric.

Leave a comment on this post, and one of you will win that stack of fabric!

Thanks for coming along with me. I'm so glad you're here.

You're all awesome,

The winner of the draw for Jennifer Chiaverini's latest book Sonoma Rose is...  ::drumroll::

Jody, of Come Tarry With Me!  Jody, please contact me with your snail mail address and I'll make sure the publisher sends you your prize!




and this is a new background for another Game of Thrones inspired piece I'm working on.

See you tomorrow for more progress!

A couple of weeks ago I was over at Andrea Harris' blog, "Millions of Thoughts" and won some cool stickers to give Jezebel a make over!



Now all I need is a nice orange Buddha to set it off - I don't think my purple and gold Buddha is fitting so nicely in my current sewing room decor!

And hey, don't forget about the giveaway!

I'm doing a Saturday post because I want to remind you all of the giveaway.  I don't have anything to say really, so check out this video I made instead:




and don't forget to check out the giveaway!
.

If you want to see it bigger - it's on You Tube as well.  (I couldn't make it embed for some reason).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojdswzVSNFw&list=UUj0Z_Ilf0ssDu_iM1a0SsQA&index=1&feature=plpp_video

I was contacted by Jennifer Chiavernini's publisher last week who asked whether I'd be willing to do a give away of her latest book, Sonoma Rose.


For you, anything!  All kidding aside, when I read the advance copy, I couldn't believe that I had been missing out on this series.  I'm not quite done the book, but I am REALLY enjoying it. Although it's part of a series, I haven't read any of them before and am still able to read it as a stand-alone book. Ms. Chiavernini's writing is very readable, and the story really pulls you in.


"Sonoma Rose picks up at the climax of The Quilter's Homecoming, when Rosa Diaz Barclay flees from her abusive husband with her four children and her childhood sweetheart, Lars Jorgensen. On the run from her husband, his mob associates, and the federal agents investigating his crimes, Rosa and Lars make their way north, first to San Francisco where they seek medical care for two of the children who suffer from a mysterious ailment that has already claimed the lives of four of their brothers and sisters, and then on to Sonoma County, where they find work and sanctuary at an idyllic vineyard and winery struggling to stay afloat despite the constraints of Prohibition.

Rosa Diaz Barclay endured years of her husband's abuse, but one day Rosa realizes it is time to leave. Taking her four children and a few precious family keepsakes, Rosa flees, only to receive some unexpected help from her first love: Lars Jorgensen. Together the two set out to make a new future for themselves in the wine country of Sonoma Valley in Chiaverini's emotionally compelling tale."

                                                                                               from Jennifer Chiaverini's site

If you'd like to win a copy of this book, please leave a comment here up until Monday, February 21st at 11:00 p.m. and I'll announce the winner on Tuesday.  The publisher will send the book directly to you.  And if you'd like TWO chances to win, then go on over to Chris Daly's blog at Dye Candy and enter over there!

Chris is a talented fiber artist and purveyor of wonderful hand-dyed fabrics!Take some time to look around while you're over there - and if you're here from Chris' blog; welcome!

Good luck!

She picked ::drumroll::

Heidi said...

I wasn't totally interested until I read that blurb! LOL! Very intriguing now!

I don't know if you've been reading Clare O'Donohue's "Someday Quilts" series, but if you haven't, you've been missing out.  But don't feel bad - I didn't know I was either! 

The publisher contacted me a few weeks ago and asked if I would be interested in doing a giveaway of this book, and I said "Sure!"  I mean, we all like givaways, right?  When she sent me two copies (one for me, and one to give away) I started reading my copy and really liked it!

I pretty much only read on the way back and forth to work, and only if I get a seat - so you can imagine I don't read a lot.  But this book is nice light reading, fun and entertaining, so I was quite disappointed if I didn't get a chance to read it on any given day.

I also wanted to make an oversized  Devil's Puzzle quilt block for use in a tote bag or some such, but you know what, it turns out that a Devil's Puzzle quilt block is the very devil to make! (And y'all know that I suck at block making generally, anyway.)



So I found this picture of one that I posted instead.  lol 

Anyway, I also wanted to finish the book before I gave it away so I could honestly say I'd read the book, and I finished it last night.   

Here's a blurb from the Amazon site:

After their quilting retreat upstate, the Someday Quilts ladies return to Archers Rest to prepare for the town's big anniversary celebration. But their plans are unexpectedly derailed by the discovery of a human skeleton in Nell's grandmother's backyard-making Eleanor the prime suspect in a murder. But a skeleton isn't the only thing that's long been buried. When a wave of vandalism raises fears that the town's bygone history of witchcraft has been reawakened, secrets are unearthed that could change life in Archers Rest forever.

Oooh! You've got to read it now, right?  :)

You don't need to be a follower for this one:  leave a comment today or tomorrow and I'll announce the winner on Tuesday, November 1.


Happy Sunday!

So, I've continued to work with fabric paint, this time without the soy wax.  I ended up with this:



But I didn't leave it like that of course, I went to work on it with the tools you see under it in my drafting table (yes, those would be fugitive media items!)....




and after some judicious application of charcoal and pastels, I painted over it with the 50/50 blend of base extender and hung it up to dry.  Finished piece tomorrow!


And as for the winner of the tote bag and the name that quilt contest:

Shimmerwood Forest wins!  Email me at kit.lang.ltd@gmail.com with your colour choices and your snail mail address!



And Ms Lottie - you too win a prize, only because you had me giggling so hard.  I very nearly named the quilt "Robert" because it tickled me so much!

So you win one of my little lunch bags - they're plastic lined with a drawstring top and button closure.





Let me know what colourway you'd like at the same email address above.

Congrats to the winners!

Hey check me out! I accidentally made a wooden Christmas quilt!  :)  How does one make a Christmas quilt accidentally? Well let's find out, shall we?

You start by painting your plywood base flat black:



and then, you start playing with this:




Which is a sheet of tin.

I started out by seeing what it could do, and discovered that if I cut out triangles and then cut really thin strips into it, they curled up all by themselves, like this:



(that's actually a couple of said ribboned triangles put together).

So I painted my aqua swoops and used my silver tape to outline them, and then started laying my triangles that hadn't been beribboned on the background (I wasn't thinking "trees" at all, by the way), I was just laying them out in a pattern that pleased me.


and then I started decorating my triangles with washers, and bird wire:


with which I made a saucy/naughty triangle:




and by the time I added my little tin curlicues and some silver leaf dots and some big silver-coloured circle thingys (when I went to the hardware store I just bought things I thought I might be able to use - with no thought for what they actually were or how they were supposed to be used - or you know, their names!)....

So, by the time, I was done all that and looked at it, I realized I'd made a really big, wooden Christmas card! But for the life of me, I couldn't figure out what to call it.

Which is where YOU come in.    Can you help me name my Christmas card?

And if you pick a name that I like - as a reward, I will give you an iteration of this:



Now I know you might  be thinking, "Whatevs, Kit - that's just plain quilted tote bag" - and you're kind of right.

But if you've been with me a long time, you also know that in the last two years, I've made about FIFTY quilted tote bags of my own design, and this one is my favourite one.  Not because of the fabrics, but because it's perfect.

LOL

No, no, I'm not overspeaking. It's the perfect size, it's the perfect length to fit comfortably on my shoulder with a purse and the bag, it has two inner pockets to tuck my shoes in for work without getting the rest of the stuff in the bag dirty, it has room for my laptop in the non-pocketed section, the outside has a pocket for a book and another pocket for an umbrella (perfect for communting) - seriously, it's the best tote bag I've ever made, and despite the fact that it rarely goes with what I'm wearing, I use it every. single. day.

And if you pick a name for this quilt that I like, I will make one in your choice of colour scheme, just for you!

So, if you're a follower (one I can see over there ------->) leave me your best name (or names) for the quilt in the comments, and if I pick your name, you win the tote bag!

ETA: leave comments today or actually, through the weekend, and I'll announce a winner on Monday, October 24.
Gimme your names!

I've been AWOL for awhile -And I apologize for that. Been super busy at work, and been exhausted and tired when I get home late at night - no surprise that I've developed Cold/Flu #11 of the 2010/11 cold flu season. (Last night, BSP and I counted. ::cranky sigh::)




I've been dyeing fabric because that's fast and easy (and very rewarding!) and have done some more quilting on the one I showed you last time; but really, the only thing fun I did was go to the Creativ Festival last weekend, where just over $600 was spent (I went with a budget of $200 - budget wayyyyyyyy blown!) and I shall do a post about those pretties very soon.



But one of the reasons I wanted to go was to hand in my quilts for Japan at the Janome booth there, in order to save on the rather prohibitive shipping!




In a nice piece of synchronicity, the organization had requested specific sizes, all of which fit into my own specific "Kit sizing" for my laps and baby quilts. So "Daisies Sing the Blues", "Celtic Gold" and "Weekend In The Country" have all gone off to live in Japan.

Which I think is wayyyyyyyyyy fun!

I'll be back as soon as I can.

Hope you're all doing well!

Which though not at all like hers, had some similar quilting motifs. (clicky to see)

But back to Deborah:

Of course, it's not like I don't have a winter coat - in fact I have several; it's just that they're all in storage at the moment, and I don't have access to storage until our car is available, and that won't be for another couple of weeks.  (Long story, I'll share another time)

So, I'm showing you this, I think, quite cute little quilted tissue cover I made to add to my bird theme cubicle decorations.

Also, a couple of weeks ago, I won some really lovely loot, and it arrived in the mail last Friday. 




Hand made cards, a "leaf gatherer" pouch and assorted deliciousness from Heike Gerbig, a textile artist who blogs at Gerdiary (and has recently been published in Cloth Paper Scissors and 1000 Artisan Textiles.) In  addition to being a maker, she also produces beautiful hand dyed cloth.  I already know exactly how I'm going to use this fabric - it's perfect for a piece I've had in mind. 

Speaking of how I'm using it:


It's the perfect size to drape around  my neck while I'm working in order to hold all the little things I use frequently - instead of putting them on my sewing table where they (singly or collectively) manage to fall to the floor several times per session. 

Lucky me!

Thank you Heike!

This is what's on my sewing table at the moment.  I should have something finished to show you on Monday. 

Andddddd, the winner of "Rhythm Remix" is.....*drumroll*..... Elaine!

Elaine, I think I already have your address, but if anything has changed, please flip me an email with your new one. 

Thanks everyone who follows me, for doing so - it's much appreciated - and I hope that you continue to enjoy what I do here at Diva Quilts. 

Cheers,

Kit