Hello and Welcome to my blog! If you are here for the first time or visiting from Mystarsblog, it is so good to have you here! I am a professional long arm quilter and pattern designer.
This is a great book filled with some really innovative designs. I love seeing different takes on a theme and reading a bit about the process that went into making them.
Today I will be giving away a copy of Optical Illusions Innovative Designs for the Modern Quilter. I will also sweeten the pot with a very sweet little pack of Cotton and Steel Fat Quarters hand picked by my daughter. So you have two chances to win on my blog. Cool, right?
I think it is really funny that one of our favorite hens has her picture in the book too. This is Michelle. She is a very sweet Polish hen. She lays creamy white eggs when she feels like it and sometimes has her crown feathers put back in a ponytail. It is fun to watch her go about her business in the garden.
OK, lets get to my quilt. I made this quilt for the book based on an optical illusion I found on Pinterest. So many optical illusions are downright dizzying, I wanted to make something that had a touch of illusion, but also stay in the traditional wheelhouse. I used Carolyn Friedlaner's AWESOME Botanic fabric. * Funny Story - I made this quilt basically the day after Botanics was released. I literally opened my package of fabric and cut it up. The quilt went together really quick and quilting it was a breeze. Then I sent it off and over time and with projects piling up I kinda forgot about it. I am bad for squirreling fabric away and one day I decided to finally cut into my Botanics fabric...well, I couldn't find it anywhere! It was gone. I even went so far as to blame my daughter for taking it (she does that sometimes). Imagine how utterly stupid I felt when some memory in the back of my mind surfaced and I recalled that I had used all my pretty Botanics fabric in this quilt that was in a book! I still get a bit giddy about that.
That aside you should totally make this quilt! It is really simple, just being made out of half square triangles. The quilting was really fun too! It would probably be easier to quilt it this way on a domestic machine, but I used my Gammill. Each quadrant is quilted a bit different to keep me from getting bored while working on it.
OK, here are the stacks of fabric. Each pack has 5 fat quarters. Elizabeth (and pins ) choose the pack in the lower left, so you may choose one of the other packs if you don't win the book. The other two fat quarter packs will be available in my shop after the drawing.
To Enter is easy...just tell me about your favorite pet, just the name or a whole story. Leave you comment below. Make yourself at home! Animals are cool and so are you!
Good Luck!
Be sure to visit Elizabeth and Tammie today for more chances to win!
Thanks again for stopping by my blog. If you have a quilt you would like me to quilt shoot me an email, I do both hand guided custom quilting and Edge to edge with my Statler Stitcher.
Check out the rest of the blog hop for chances to win some great giveaways!
Nov. 7
My Stars on behalf of Mary Kay Fosnacht & Karen Hansen
My Stars on behalf of Mary Kay Fosnacht & Karen Hansen
beautiful quilt. Would love to win a copy of this book. We had a dog named Peppie once.
ReplyDeleteI love the little bird in your quilt!! Buddy is our family dog and he is the baby (mom's baby as my DH would say). He is the sweetest little guy and you can see a photo of him laying on my quilt (attached to this comment). Buddy is going to be 11 in May but he is still a pup at heart.
ReplyDeleteTilly - she is a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retreiver---and she is the best!
ReplyDeleteI love your quilt and the funny story about your missing fabric. Thank you for the chance to win this great book.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite dog was named Muffin. She wasn't allowed to come into the house, so she would lay down in front of the door. When she thought no one was looking, she would stretch her front paws out and slowly creep forward. She would do this several times until she was all the way in the house. Of course, we would scold her, but she would look at us with her beautiful brown eyes and we would always relent. Who could resist her sweet antics?
I have a cat that hates everyone except me, though she does bite when she gets really enjoying me petting her. Her name is Eddie
ReplyDeleteOur cat Jasper is an amazing kitty. Well, maybe no amazing-- he is a huge fat cat who sleeps most of the time. But he is amazing in my eyes.
ReplyDeleteWhen we first got married, my husband and I got a puppy we named Bear. We had him for many years and he was a good dog.
ReplyDeleteI have two dogs and couldn't pick just one, Marty & JJ. They're part of our family. Love the bird in your quilt!
ReplyDeleteI have had two. Misty Kitty was my lap cat for 17 years and Cricket was my little alien looking cat that I hand raised from the second she was born to a mother that didn't accept her. I had her for three years before she disappeared. I loved her because she had attitude and her way of saying hello was to hiss at you. Guess I wasn't a very good kitten mother and didn't teach her what hissing was for.
ReplyDeleteI have a cat named Mr. Bigglesworth and he's 14 years old. He's part Russian Blue, which makes him very bossy...we call him "The Stationmaster" around here. He makes sure everyone is doing what they are supposed to be doing at exactly the right time. He's loyal and has been known to attack wild pigs and dogs if they threaten the family. We love him very very much.
ReplyDeleteI am crazy about your quilt for the Optical Illusions book - really wonderful. Wish I lived closer so I could come to your improv class. I'm a HUGE fan of Gwen Marston, and I see evidence of her style in your class pics. Have a great time, and thanks for the chance to win this awesome book (or some fat quarters - never say no to fabric!!)
ReplyDeleteLiz
boltonia55@yahoo.com
We had an awesome dog named Sunshine when I was a little girl. She was a little cocker spaniel/poodle/terrier mix. We would walk out in the meadow near our house. Well I would walk, she would run. She was really short and the grass was really tall so she would run along and then jump so she could see where she was going. From my perspective she would skim the top of the grass for a moment and then disappear and then skim the top of the grass again somewhere further along. It's still one of my favorite memories. I love your quilt! I would love win a copy of this book.
ReplyDeletehmmm I don't really go for pets ... I grew up with cats to keep the mice busy, a dog instead of a door bell, geese to keep off unwanted people (and for dinner ... yeah) ... but non of them were really pets ...
ReplyDeleteI love your quilt so much that I will have to make one. And this book looks awesome. I have a cat named Percy - for persistent. He was a stray that kept pestering us persistently until we adopted him. Thanks!
ReplyDeletePlease click on the delaineelliott above for my email link.
My little Buzzy was a Shitsu/Laaso mix and was my constant companion for 15 years. Sadly he crossed the rainbow bridge 3 years ago. Lots of great memories.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite pet was an adorable miniature Schnauzer, sweetness on four legs, and a wonderful quilt inspector! After 14 years of devotion to us, she departed and now, four years later, I still mourn her loss. Thanks for the chance to win that great book!
ReplyDeleteI had a west highland white terrier when I was younger.
ReplyDeleteOnce when we were on vacation, we had rented a house with a fireplace and lit a fire in the evening. Of course he was not allowed to go near as long as the fire was burning.
As he was quite curious, the first thing he did next morning was jump into the fireplace (with all the ash inside) and came out a black dog!
We have had a variety of pets over the years. One cat we had for twenty years. Once she greeted the garbage man with a black snake in her jaws. The snake was still alive and the poor garbo had to kill it.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the book. my husband had a much beloved cat named Natasha. Thanks for the chance to win.
ReplyDeleteFabulous quilt - I love it!
ReplyDeleteWe have dogs, chickens and cows! My favourites are the cows, they are Red Polls!
Love your quilt!
ReplyDeleteI have a 16 year old orange tabby cat called Tiger. He grew up together with my boys, and when they went away for college, the cat went into a depression. When they came home for vacation, my cat cheered up a lot. The next time they went back to college he sort of understood that they didn't leave him for good, and that they would come back. When he realized that he settled down with hubby and me.
Now he is getting old and physically sick, let's hope he will hold on until Christmas vacation when the boys are coming home...
My favorite pet was a black cat that I was owned by for over 18 years. His name was Skunk, because although he was mostly black, he had these sporadic long white hairs that ran the length of his spine. He would come when I whistled, and would even call me ma-ma when he was looking for me. He endured many moves with me, but as long as he knew I was there, he was content. I still miss him.
ReplyDeleteI like your blog very much, I am learning to use a long arm and seeing your amazing quilts give me some ideas and inspiration
ReplyDeleteafter years of schooling and training when I was 34 and living in my own home, I adopted a cat named SIMON. he was a beautiful white haired blue eyed cat. Even though he was deaf , he was really smart. and spent every day next to me. It has been 4 years since I lost him but, I think of him every day
Smokey was my favorite kitty. She only had eyes for me. Your quilt is lovely. Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite pet is my dogs Romeo and Zoe! I love them so much and they are always such happy babies! I love your quilt, I've been wanting to try one like this. Thanks so much for the giveaway!
ReplyDeletetdkcarpenoctem@hotmail.com
Do I have to choose! No, I can't, my favorites are all of them! We have Avalee - a bearded Rottweiler and three cats: Lucky, Coal and Pwe. Thanks for the chance.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite pet is my dog. 24Tangent@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteMy cat, MacGyver, was my favourite pet. He was the sweetest cat I've ever known and I miss him a lot!
ReplyDeleteI've never had a pet! There were four kids in my family (with a 13 year age span) so my folks probably felt that was enough.
ReplyDeleteAnd good for you for not hoarding fabric!
I love both my yellow labs....they love me no matter what. Bad hair or bad breath.
ReplyDeleteThere have been several favorite pets. My daughter had a white parakeet a few years ago that was just the greatest. Dovey had a very outgoing and mischievous personality. She was great fun. There'll never be another like her.
ReplyDeleteRight now my favorite pet is our son and daughter-in-laws, black lab/ border collie cross Mika.she has a lovely temperament, is very clever and loves quilts, she helps quilt test when she comes to visit.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite pet is our exotic short haired cat, Breezie. She is so sweet and cuddles just like a teddy bear. She is quiet, playful, and so cute. Wish I could post her picture. ;)
ReplyDeleteOur Bengal rescue is currently my favorite. She has that in-your-face personality that just makes you shake your head and smile.
ReplyDeleteImpossible to answer: we're a 6 dog, 5 cat, 2 chicken house. But today my favorite dog might be our Mavis. She had her third chemo treatment today, after having her left front leg amputated. She has been resilient and amazing through it all.
ReplyDeleteI super duper love the hst quilt! Maggie May was our sweet dog growing up. Named after the rod Stewart song of course.
ReplyDeleteWe have 3 cats and I just can't name a favorite. There's Catdog, who is 17 years old!, and Minnie who is a very, very fat tuxedo cat, and BeBe (the youngest) who has totally shredded the furniture!
ReplyDeleteLionel the cat. The sweetest neghborhood kitty.
ReplyDeleteWe have two rabbits -- Sugar and Spice. They love to eat and sleep.
ReplyDeleteI once had an adorable little rabbit named Trilby. What a sweetheart.
ReplyDeleteThe pet of my heart is my cat Paws. Paws was so easy to care for. Soon as we left our home she was gone mousing and roaming the wooded area around home. After exactly half an hour of our returning home she would turn up expecting some attention. We would have to tell those who cared for her while we were away for extended periods not to worry if she did not appear when they were around. Just keep the food and water buckets full. I am sure we fed more squirrels and dogs than we did Paws. After these longer trips, exactly one half hour after our return a very indignant Paws would appear on the doorstep. She would be indignant for at least two days. Paws was a great pet for our family for 18 years, and though she has been gone for decades now, we still miss her when we return home from long absences. Yours is a wonderful design. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up we had the best golden retriever, Goldie. She was the best.
ReplyDeleteLove your quilt.
ReplyDeleteOur cat was called Rover.
lmfleming007 at gmail dot com
I had a turtle when I was a kid, but I don't remember it's name.
ReplyDeleteVery lovely quilt. The book looks like fun. I've always enjoyed optical illusions and brain teasers so I hope to get or win a copy of the book so I can make my own optical illusion quilt. I once had a dog and named him Rosebud before I realized she was really a he. What can I say but that I was young. kthurn@bektel.com
ReplyDeleteLoved your story about your missing fabric! My miniature poodle Kody was the best dog ever. Miss him a lot! Thanks for the chance to win!
ReplyDeleteI'd say my aunt's golden retriever. I'm not an animal person at all, but she's the animal I tolerate most happily; she's incredibly well-behaved!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite pet was our dog, Luke, when I was growning up. He was a Sheltie, and he was so smart and kind. sarah@forrussia.org
ReplyDeleteMy favorite pet is Colby Jack. He is a gold and white tabby that was to be named Cheddar, but my son feels animals should have "human" names. Staying with the cheese idea we named him Colby Jack. His sister is a muted calico named Zoey Lynn and she is pretty great too.
ReplyDeleteWe took home my Cappie from the Humane Society 4+ years ago. His tag said 3 years but he was 3 months. We got quite the education in puppy rearing!
ReplyDeleteFrodo, our German Shepherd, is a wonderful, strong dog. Not especially brave though--the washing machine (got unbalanced once and made a noise), the oven (once--okay, more than once--set off the smoke alarm), the lawnmower, the beeping noise the car makes when the key is left in it. . . You get the idea. And he is the best dog EVER!
ReplyDelete