Simply Moderne Numero Deux

Issue 2 arrived yesterday, courtesy of the kind folks at Simply Moderne. I knew that the editorial staff visited Australia earlier this year and that there would be a feature on gorgeous Aussie quilts and quilters from the Sydney Quilt Show. There are lots of beautiful photos (especially of the stunning quilts made by my lovely and crazy-talented friend Lorena Uriarte).

The cover quilt by Rana Heredia is pretty fab...it reminds me of the two layer quilts Dan Rouse was making a few years ago, except this one is machine-appliqued onto wholecloth.  Great texture and shapes!  I also really enjoyed the article on Embracing Improv Handwork written by Riane Menardi, Communications Manager for the MQG.  It features excellent photos and advice.

There are plenty of excellent projects in the magazine. I would say that a few of them feature fabric that we probably wouldn't consider 'modern' but you can easily look past that and appreciate the design of the quilts.  The modern quilting movement is slower to infiltrate continental Europe and quilters there definitely have a hard time finding the same variety of designer fabrics that we have access to here (I'll talk more about this when I post about my recent trip to Sweden).  There are however, plenty of folks trying really hard to raise awareness and Quilt Moderne is one publication that's excited about the changes modern quilting is bringing to their reader community.

If you're in the States, the magazine is now available at Barnes and Noble, or from a new website set up for North Americans. Locally, I heard that the Cloth Shop on Granville Island was selling copies of Issue 1, so I presume they'll bring this one in as well.  You can always enquire at your local quilt shop and see if they'd order a few copies in. Anywhere that has sold Quiltmania could easily add Simply Moderne to their order if you asked.

Simply Moderne - a new mag on the rack

The folks at Quiltmania have done it! They're producing a gorgeous new modern quilting magazine called Simply Moderne and they were kind enough to send me a copy to peruse.  I've always been a big fan of the styling, varied projects and high production quality of Quiltmania and have earmarked several patterns for "making one day" in my copies.  This includes a stunning Civil War fabrics quilt (YES, I'm serious and YES one day I'll make it - I even have the fabric!).

This premier issue includes several pages featuring photos of quilts from QuiltCon, 2015. Simply Moderne Executive Director Carol Veillon remarked in her editorial how inspired she was by the energy, quilts and excitement at the Austin, TX event.  It was a lovely surprise to see that a photo of Chess on the Steps was included in the QuiltCon feature, alongside the beautiful Shifting Impressions made by my friend and fellow Canadian Marianne Haak.  I must say, it is one of the best exposed photographs of my quilt that I've seen in print - it's very special, in fact thrilling, for me to know people appreciate my work enough to share it in publications.  It's even more fun to see my quilt featured along with the beautiful quilts of so many of my friends, including Leanne, Amy, Ara Jane, Martha & Rachel. It makes me realize how much my world has grown in the past 6 years of blogging, making and sharing - my heart is pretty full.

There is a wonderful article on Victoria Findlay Wolfe shot in her amazing Manhattan loft and several great photo spread/features on shops in New York, Austin and France.  I love seeing interior shots of stores to check out what is selling around the world and how goods are displayed.  You'll also find new book and notion reviews as well as recommended modern quilting blogs to check out.

Aside from the great feature stories, there are 13 patterns for quilts sewing projects! I read through all of the instructions; they are concise and well-written and provide a range of quilting options from eager beginner to seasoned skill-hound. I particularly love Michelle Tucker's Sew Vintage quilt.  The styling and photography is gorgeous - there is a full frontal shot of every quilt, which is something I always want to see in books and mags.

The magazine will issue 4 times per year and I'm already looking forward to the second issue! One-year or two-year subscriptions are available for U.S. and Canada here.  Subscribers to the paper edition automatically receive digital versions as well.

Cutting Garden featured in Homespun - and a giveaway!

If you've never had the pleasure of reading Homespun Magazine from Australia, I hope perhaps my latest quilt pattern will encourage you to order a copy! This has always been one of my fav sewing publications due to the varied projects (quilting, embroidery, sewing, collaging), gorgeous photography, matte paper, designer biographies and glimpses of quilting life DownUnder.  I wish it were easier to find in Canada. If you search online there are a few retailers in North America from which you can order copies.

 

Here's the adorable cover and a little detail of my quilt on the contents page!

The story of Cutting Garden is kind of a long one. You may recall that last year I worked with many neighbourhood friends (as well as others from my local quilting community) to make a Scrappy Sprouts quilt for our friend who was diagnosed with cancer.  The quilt we made was inspired by a quilt my friend Tracey made with sewing buddies the year before for her friend with cancer.  We both feel that the block is sweet and hopeful and I know that both quilts brought so much joy to their recipients. 

The location photos in the magazine are just stunning and make me so proud to have a project included!

Well, the editors at Homespun saw a photo of my quilt online and approached me to create a similar one, but they wanted a design with more flowers and a darker "ground".  I first asked Tracey if she wanted the gig, after all, it all started with her block design and quilt.  The timing wasn't right for her, but she graciously allowed me to go ahead with a quilt using a smaller version of her block.  Because of Tracey's generosity and the origins of this quilt, I've donated my modest design commission to cancer research - that just felt right.

The scale of a dresden plate flower didn't work with these smaller sprout blocks, so I designed some folk-art inspired flowers that are made up of two pieced quarter circles, some bias tape applique stems and machine appliqued circles.  I love how they look on top of those pretty rainbow sprout stalks.  It is really difficult to showcase the scrappy low-volume background fabrics in photographs, but trust me, there are tons of prints in there!

One of my fav things about the quilt are the two Heather Ross bumble bees on the flowers (Briar Rose fabric line).

This quilt is a fabulous scrap-buster. There is a lot of piecing, so it takes a while, but the results are so pretty. I cut the squares from pressed scraps using my Accuquilt GO!Baby cutter, which saved lots of time.  I have a little stash of leftover HST's, squares and stems that I saved for one lucky follower along with a copy of the magazine if you'd like to make this quilt yourself.  

Please leave one comment below for a chance to win. Your email MUST be linked to your comment, or appear in the comment itself, in order for you to win.  I'll choose a random winner next week on my birthday: July 22nd. Good luck everyone!

ETA: comments are now closed. Congratulations to comment #74 chosen by the random number generator! The Rx Quilter, you've won!! I'll email you for details on how to get your prize to you.

Read All About It!

Greetings from Austin!! I wish you were here (and if you are, come find me so that I can pin a Retreats Rule! button on you).

If you want to know all about QuiltCon 2015 but weren't able to join us in person, the good folks at Interweave have prepared a special edition of Modern Patchwork magazine devoted to all things QuiltCon! You might just find a photograph of my Chess On The Steps quilt in there...

On news stands March 3, but you can order your copy right now, direct from the publisher, by clicking on the link above.  

Lots of stories coming soon, but in the mean time, follow along on Instagram under the #quiltcon hashtag.

Horoscope Pillow

Here's a project that's been under wraps for months that I can now share with you!  You'll find this fun pillow cover (or mini quilt pattern - attention all Schnitzel & Boo IG swappers!) in issue 5 of Quilt Now, Katy's gorgeous mag out of the UK.  This issue is all about scraps, and I've used some gems in this project!

Bricks of low volume with jewel-toned corners? Yes please!

I love the oblong 6-pointed star that results when the bricks are offset like this. I called it the Horoscope pillow because of these stars. It is a pretty easy pattern to put together and BONUS - if you double seam your  little corner squares and save your "two-fers" you can use them for a teeny tiny piecing project, like this!

There are 22 scrap projects in this issue of Quilt Now and an article on scrap organization by fellow quilting Canadian Cheryl Arkison. Order your print or electronic copy today (only 90 print copies remaining!).  

I hope that you'll share your version of Horoscope with me when you make it!

The pillow cover is bound just like a quilt and there's a hidden zip in the back!

Stitch Science in Homespun Magazine

Last fall I received a lovely email from the folks at Australian Homespun Magazine asking permission to publish one of my tutorials (the Sweetheart Stamps over there on the left sidebar).  After some back and forth emailing, the focus shifted and instead they asked if my Scan Me QR code quilt could appear in a piece on "The Scientific Approach" to sewing by Janai Velez. Cool!! Sewing nerds unite!

The feature is in this month's (May 2014) issue of Homespun. I love the sweet thread spool on the cover!

Courtesy of Homespun 

Janai is kindly sending me hardcopies of the magazine, but passed along these images for me to share. The Science feature looks super geeky and excellent. There is a piece on this guy that you must check out, especially if you are an antique Singer fan. I'd never come across the Sewing Machine Orchestra before and I'm rather amazed by it all.

Here's the piece on my quilt (also giving some props to the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild here!).  This quilt will likely be hung soon at Vancouver's Mini Maker-Faire in June.

Courtesy of Homespun

A great big G'day to my Aussie friends! I just love it that a little picture of something I made is in a Australian magazine. I am so coming to visit one day!

Advent Giveaway!

On the first day of Christmas, I'm going to give someone this magazine.

That someone could be YOU! All you have to do is leave a comment below and let me know if you've ever been on a quilting retreat before, if you'd love to attend one in the future, or if you dream of organizing a retreat in your own community!

I've written an article for this edition of Canada's very own Quilter's Connection magazine, sharing my tips and advice for organizing a day retreat. There are other fantastic articles on packing and preparing for retreats, a story about the Fibre Art Network's latest retreat by fellow VMQG member Terry Aske, an exclusive interview with Ricky Tims, some cute quilt patterns and lots more.  

The article is a bit of a teaser for a project I'm working on for the new year. My plan is to self publish an e-book. It will be a manual for people interested in starting a day retreat business like I've run here for the past 9 years. I can't wait to share all of my experience with others who would like to start up an exciting small business based on their passion for quilting and bringing creative people together.  I receive regular requests for retreat advice and always do my best to share information.  I finally decided that writing everything down and putting it all together in one manual would be the most efficient way to share.  I look forward to doing just that!

In the meantime, enter the giveaway and on Sunday night I'll chose a winner! Double your chances by leaving a comment on my Instagram photo of the magazine cover. There will be two winners - one from the blog and another on IG where you can find me as @poppyprint.

Happy Weekend!

ETA: The giveaway is now closed and the random number generator chose comment #39, Nessa, as the winner! Congratulations! Please email me your address so I can get the magazine in the mail to you!

Hot Dog!

Ooops, I mean Top Blog!

I've been holding out on making a scene about this totally amazing, unexpected, surprising, lovely, shocking, warm-fuzzy-inducing situation. A few weeks ago, I received an email from my friend Carol telling me "congratulations, you're on the list of top blogs in Quilter's Home magazine!" At the time, I was reading it on my iPhone because I was on retreat without my computer. I think I sat on the couch with my mouth open for a few minutes, not really believing what I was reading. Then I clicked through on the link Carol had sent which took me to a web version of the article.

Then I read the paragraph ABOUT ME (and my blog) and couldn't decide whether to (a) pee my pants or (b) cry from joy. Since the couch I was sitting on didn't belong to me, and I couldn't quite contain my excitement any longer, instead I just burst out "Oh My God you guys!" but then I couldn't really say much more for a few minutes. I know it might seem a bit dramatic, but this was so completely unexpected, and truly, I felt like crying from happiness when I read this:

I don't know these people and I had no idea they knew anything about me. They want to kidnap me because they think I have photography secrets? My photos make them want to come to B.C. for a visit? Holy cow! My retreat buddies were amazing. They put up with my childish hyperventilating, they congratulated me over and over (and referred to me as 'top 55 blogger' for the rest of the weekend - even bragging about me on our visit to the LQS!). Example: "What would Top 55 Blogger like in her tea?"

Since the magazines take a little longer to reach Canadian newsstands I only got my hands on this copy last Friday. Quilter's Home really is a fun quilting mag that I've read often. The writing is fresh, tongue firmly in cheek, and I trust the book and notion reviews to be honest. I just love it that so many of the blogs I follow, and so many of my friends are on the list, too. People like Amy, Kaye, Heather, Jacquie, Ginger, Ayumi, Ashley, Malka, Monica, Kasja, Rita, Rashida, and Leah who I follow because their work inspires me and because they are such nice people. It is wonderful to be included with all of them. I've almost checked out all of the other listed blogs - I encourage you to do the same because there are some beauties I didn't know about before.

There you have it: my Big Huge News (that isn't really breaking news, because so many of you have already emailed to say HEY! did you know you're on this list??). Thanks everyone for sharing my excitement. I know you follow along because you like what you see/read here and that makes me feel amazing. I take my blog seriously, and treat it like a job (because other than my retreats, I don't work outside my home). Every single time you leave a comment, I feel like I've received a positive performance appraisal...and the Quilter's Home mention feels like the most wonderful annual review a hard-working blogger could ask for.

Now, about that raise?

Free Fabric!

Aha, that got your attention.

You might have read somewhere in the vicinity of this blog that I'm trying not to buy more fabric. That doesn't mean I don't try to win it. Like this stack.

Olivia's Holiday by Tina Givens

Imagine my shock when all that yardage (I think there's about 6 yards!) arrived in a lovely box with Tina Givens' new book "Sew Tina", two of her adorable children's patterns and FOUR boxes of her sweet note cards!

I won the Lark Crafts-sponsored giveaway at Heather's blog a few weeks ago, thinking that the prize was Tina's book. Then all of that loot arrived on my door step. I must say, her fabric is really gorgeous and the thrill of receiving it completely unexpected and totally gratis just makes me all warm inside. Thank you Heather and Lark books!!!!

Now, onto the inexpensive-but-not-exactly-free-fabric portion of this post. I'm such a sucker for those darn newsletters. I know I should spare my bank balance and hit 'unsubscribe' but I can't. I just can't miss out on the deal! You know?

So, when I received Cathy's lovely newsletter announcing her fall clearance sale at the amazing Pink Chalk Fabric store. Well, you know what happened......

This:

fabric details on flickr, just click the image

My stash needed it. Honest. Plus, Cathy sends out free patterns with every order (so hey, more free stuff!).

I needed this, too:

There are 35 minutes remaining in the kid-free portion of my day. I'm heading out into some incredible October sunshine to peruse the "1 yard gifts to make in an afternoon" article!

Stay tuned everyone, BIG FUN Blogosphere premiere coming first thing Thursday morning - I am so excited. The post is written and scheduled for 7:00 a.m. on the 21st.....and what's a BIG FUN post without someone GETTING LUCKY???!!!

Autumn Jewel Box

Recently I posted about this quilt pattern which was published in Quilter's Connection magazine's Fall issue. The quilt has just made it's way back to me, and is gone again!

That's right, I've given it away. I promised all of the people who supported me on the Weekend to End Women's Cancers 60 km walk in August that I would have a draw for some 'as yet determined something" made by me. A whopping 46 friends and family members donated a total of $2700 to my campaign - I was thrilled and really wanted to say thanks in a concrete way. I would have loved to make them all something, but I probably wouldn't be finished before next year's walk! Speaking of which, I've already got a team of 9 women (and counting!) who will join me next year. It's going to be fun to participate with so many friends, all raising money for an amazing cause. Would you like to join team "Kickin' Cancer with Creativity"? Email me!

Back to the quilt. If you've been visiting Poppyprint for a while you will recognize this quilt as a replica of one I designed last fall for a swap (click on the link to see the process post). This time, I blanket stitched around each wool leaf applique (using my machine). I like the look much better than the straight stitch I did on the first quilt.

I really like the leaf stems. I've used this technique on a few projects, including this one. It is a trick I learned many years ago in a workshop with Jane Sassaman, but I didn't have a machine that could do it until recently. First, I drew a gently curving line with a Clover wax pen to represent the stem. Then, with my zigzag set to 0.5 stitch width and 0.5 stitch length (which creates a satin stitch), I begin sewing over my drawn line. Every 5 or 6 zigs, I would press the stitch width increase button (while continuously stitching). You just have to go for it! If you keep stitching and press the button at 5 or 6 stitch intervals, you should end up with a smooth stem that gradually widens with length. If you have a digital sewing machine that can adjust stitch width on the fly, then you can do this. Give it a try and let me know how it goes!

In other news, I wanted to say Hello! to two of my far away readers in Siberia and New Zealand who commented on my last post. You have no idea how exciting it is for me to realize you read my blog and enjoy my work. Welcome! Thanks to everyone to stops by to check my little page of quilting...I've almost been at this for a whole year and lots of exciting opportunities have arisen from this place. You know what that means....an anniversary giveaway isn't far away! Plus, I am getting dangerously close to 200 followers, another milestone worthy of celebration, I believe.

Hugs,

Krista

Who's Getting Connected?

Thanks to the 44 readers who entered my Quilter's Connection Giveaway! The RNG did it's magic:

The lucky winner is Nina-Lise!!!! who said that her favourite things about fall are the wind and the rain. Well then I guess she should come visit me soon because there will be plenty of that next month right here! If you haven't already, treat yourself to a visit to Nina-Lise's blog, Mrs.Moen, where her original work will no doubt inspire you.

Congratulations, my friend! It just so happens I've got a little extra package of something to send along with your magazine that I picked up for you recently. It's sugar-free!

I was able to make two small but fun projects over the weekend. I'll be back soon to show you my colourful mug rug!

Connecting Quilters: mags and mug rugs

It's a cool fall morning here today - our furnace actually came on! A great sewing day (well, except for the fact that 3 eleven year old girls are sleeping over tonight and we apparently have 'lots of preparation to do' according to D".

After my last post (giveaway still open until tomorrow evening here), I thought I would tell you a bit more about Quilter's Connection magazine. It is truly Canada's only quilting magazine with 100% Canadian designers, writers and content, which is amazing. The publishers also maintain a blog and website. PLUS, anyone can sign up for their e-newsletter which always features a free pattern! I received mine via email yesterday and check out the cutie-cute jellyroll book bag pattern that subscribers can download:

If we want to keep a Canadian magazine in business, we need to support it people! It has been a fantastically successful first year for Quilter's Connection; each of the 4 issues have just been better and better. Subscriptions for the quarterly mag are available for 1 or 2 years and YES, our neighbours to the south and overseas can also subscribe! That means you too, Canadian ex-pats! Stay connected with the quilting scene back home! Two-year subscription prices for us Canucks are comparible to what we pay to import the popular U.S. mags.

So, go ahead and subscribe: ask your guild to take out a subscription for your library, or maybe purchase a year for your mom/aunt/grandma/sister, or in some fantastic situations, your quilting hubby!

Okay, I'm going to see about making that adorable book bag....right after I enjoy my morning latte....

Soon my morning latte will be enjoying it's new mug rug! That's right, I've joined yet another swap over on flickr. We'll be making over-sized coasters for each other's mugs and the ones popping up so far have been amazing. I even cleaned my desk yesterday to make way for mine...lo and behold, I discovered a couple of coffee-ring stains under my keyboard, so I need that rug pronto (I believe I've mentioned here before that housekeeping is NOT my strong point)!

Here's the inspiration mosaic I put together for my partner.

Hope you are enjoying the long weekend! School starts in 2 short days. Wooohoooo!!!! Sewing room, here I come!

Poppyprint in Print Take 2 + a giveaway!

Phew! I'm back. Sorry to keep you hanging for a couple of extra days, but the weather was just too gorgeous to come home and our lovely hosts welcomed us to stay on at their little piece of paradise (photos soon). If we had come home as scheduled, we wouldn't have sighted a juvenile grey whale 20m from the boat!!

Ok, here's my news. Remember back here, when I was all excited to have my first ever magazine article published? Well, now I've had my first ever original PATTERN published!! I wasn't sure when the Fall 2010 issue of Quilter's Connection Magazine would be out...apparently subscribers (like me) all got theirs last week. Mine arrived just moments before we were leaving for our last summer hurrah, so I haven't even had a chance to read the whole thing yet. There was no way I was taking it with me to get sunscreen, sand and wineglass rings all over it!

D kindly snapped this totally staged shot of me 'reading' my pattern this morning.

I have to thank Heather, the wonderful publisher of Quilter's Connection (Canada's very own quilting magazine) for the opportunity to share my work. I love this wall hanging pattern that is a breeze to sew up for your wall, a door, or for a coffeetable runner. The leaves are woolfelt applique's (I love mixing cotton and wool). It could be done with any type of leaf outline (oak? ginko?) and even green/blue colours in the 25-patches for a spring look. If you've been perusing Poppyprint for a while, you may remember that I initially designed this quilt for last year's Autumn Swap on the Quilting Gallery blog.

I have a spare copy of the magazine that I'd love to share with you! It's full of fantastic patterns and articles by Canadian quilters - I know you'll love it!

Leave me a comment and tell me your favourite thing about autumn for an entry. I'll close the comments on Monday, September 6th at 10:00 p.m. Pacific Time and then use the RNG to find the winner and let you know on Tuesday. If you are an anonymous lurker or a no-reply blogger, make sure that you leave an email address in your comment so I can notify you!

**comments are now closed, thanks for entering!**

Why yes, Quilter's Connection will make it....

to the States. At least, this copy will! The handy dandy random number generator suggested #68 (out of 73 comments!) and here it is:

Tiffany said...

Oh my goodness, how exciting for you to be published. Congratulations on your article and best wishes for the continued success of Quilter's Connection magazine. I'd love to get my hands on your new mag, it looks beautiful. Do you know, will QC make it to the states?

Well Tiffany, this copy will definitely make it, along with some other goodies!

There's another fun part to this win - turns out Tiffany is my partner in the Fancy Pin Cushion Pass that Amy is running over at During Quiet Time. How excellent!! Tiffany and I just met this week. Yet another fine example of quilter's karma that I just love.

I'm sorry I can't send a copy of the magazine to all of you, but instead I will leave you with some delectable eye candy (call it Sunday Stash a couple of days early). This arrived yesterday.

After the other posts I've done this week, I can almost see your eyes popping out....wha? who sent her that? Don't worry, I actually paid for this stuff, it wasn't sent by yet another generous friend (well, Jackie is generous, but she is running a business after all. And, I couldn't resist her Memorial Day special of 20% off). Yummmmm.

Check out Canton Village Quiltworks. You will find gorgeous fabrics, FQ bundles like my new roman glass/paperweight treasure, Essex cotton/linen blend like that beautiful lime green solid on top of the yardage stack up there, and plenty of Kona solids (I ordered crocus, eggplant, glacier & charcoal). What I didn't show you in the picture is my new KONA colour card!!! Yippee! No more guessing, now I can choose just the right solid for my projects, out of a possible 221 colours. The cards are only $16....who wouldn't want their very own?

A Cow's Point

The incredibly talented, prolific, funny, generous and all-around lovely Nina-Lise of Mrs. Moen sent me this wonderful mini quilt! I'm so lucky!

You can read all about the inspiration for this cow series here, but I can tell you it originated with a quote by Phoebe (or was it Joey?) on the TV series Friends. She kindly sent me Moo Point V. Nina-Lise often works in a series which is a great way to perfect techniques and challenge yourself to try new things. If you've never visited her blog, please treat yourself soon! There is no shortage of inspiration there. You'll find clearly written and photographed tutorials, fun and unique quilts, new and exciting techniques for writing on quilts and lots of good humour.

Thank you for sharing your work with me Nina-Lise - you are a great friend. I love my Moo Point!!

Speaking of great friends, another blogging pal of mine Carol of mamacjt recently made my day, too. I bought a copy of her fabulous Christmas tree skirt pattern and was whinging about not being able to find any clear reds and greens locally. So, what did she do? She sent me some strips right from her stash! How nice is that?!

AND a brand new mag that was not yet on newstands in Canada. It's gorgeous!

I have such lovely friends. Thank you!!!

Poppyprint...in print!

I'm trying to keep it under control. You know, like, not TOTALLY. FREAK. OUT.

But I can't help it!!! You see, I've been published! This is rocking my world for several reasons. First off, Canada has never had it's very own quilting magazine....until Heather took over a regional newsletter and broadened the whole shebang to a new, glossy, national magazine. Joining forces with the very talented designer Laurraine, these two gals and their many contributors have created an amazing new resource for Canadian quilters.

Here's the cover of issue 4 that arrived in my mailbox today.

The second reason I'm so thrilled to have an article in the mag is that it's all about an incredible quilt created by my friend and quilting teacher/designer extraordinaire Dianne Stevenson. Dianne has made a beautiful quilt to honor women's work and textile history in our country called "Canadiana in Cloth". Dianne then turned this experience into an 8-month quilting course that is, in my humble opinion, worthy of a university credit in textile history.

Thirdly, while I can't re-write the entire article here for you, I can giveaway my extra copy to one lucky Poppyprint reader (and you know I could never send a magazine all by itself - how lonely would that be? - so expect some extra goodies)! Normally I don't go in for those giveaways with lots of rules, but in this case, I would love to spread the word about Quilter's Connection. If we want a Canadian quilting magazine to succeed, we need to support it, people!

So, leave one comment below to enter this giveaway. If you have your own blog, post a link to this page on your blog (feel free to use the cover photo)....then come back and leave a second comment for another chance to win! I'll leave comments open until 9:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, June 4 at which time I'll employ the RNG to find the lucky winner.

No need to become a follower (honestly, I know there is only so much time in the day for blog-reading!), but take a look around and if you like what you see, then why not hang out and share the love? I'd be happy to have you follow along!

If you live in Canada, you can find Quilter's Connection on the mag rack at Indigo or better yet, subscribe here. If you subscribe, then you will receive the fall issue which just might have another Poppyprint surprise in it....eeeeeeeee!

Edited: comments are now closed...winner announcement coming soon! (June 4, 9:10 pm)

I'm Baaaaaaack!

Helloooo friends! I missed you! Although I only started blogging a few months ago, it has become a really fun, exciting part of my life and I definitely missed connecting with all of you while I was on vacation.

We had a most excellent family time together in Barbados. I will share some themed photo mosaics in the days to come, so if the weather outside is frightful where you live, then come back for some delightful Caribbean visuals coming soon to this blog!

I've got loads to do (of the laundry variety), as well as general house tidy in prep for holiday decorations. I'm terribly distracted by these, though:

What a mailbox haul! Nothing like returning home to inspiring mags. My neighbour kindly shared her September Marie Claire Idees (WOW!), I received my second issue of Quilter's Connection Magazine, Canada's brand new quilting mag and finally my copy of special-ordered Stitch that I cannot find here in Vancouver on any news stand. I'm only about 10 pages in and already I love, love, love it. I'm going to try and have our local mag shop order it in for next issue because it is utterly brilliant and features so many of my favourite bloggers' project ideas.

Also arrived in our absence (no thanks to the Canadian Customs & Border Services):

My beautiful fabric bunting from Sweet Jessie. Jessie was kind enough to share her bunting on a giveaway and then we had several worried emails back and forth, because it took more than a month to cross the Canadian border! Jeesh. It looks so nice in my dining room window and the colours are actually perfect for Christmas, so I'm leavin' it up!

Back soon with tropical treats for your eyes....

(edited to add: blogger is automatically inserting it's homepage address in front my links and I cannot figure out how to make it stop! sorry...just follow the 'try this instead' links from your browser to see Sweet Jessie and Quilter's Connection)