Gudrun´s World

Thankful

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I loved having all three of my little birdies home at the same time, even if it was only for a short time. My oldest son Atli came home from college for the first time since August and we had a great time together. It´s really incredible to see how fast these kids grow up....and yes, the NO Shave November is not helping my cause! As I went shopping with Atli I was determined to tell everyone that he was my little brother because he really doesn´t look like he could be my son! But of course I didn´t.....I am so proud to be his Mama:)

There is so much for me to be thankful for as we head into December (The way bestest month of the year!). It is going to be a busy month, with it´s ups and downs I am sure, but here´s to hoping that the ups will override any lows and make it a fantastic month! Here are a few of the things ahead.

Today is actually the first day of Radiation treatment for my husband. We are ready to tackle this like other challenges. It is going to be a 6 week treatment so he won´t be finished until January. He is determined to go through it with gusto and without side effects. Determination can take you very far right? Hopefully he will breeze through it.

My birthday is coming up next week. Yes, its a big one. Heading into a new decade! I am not scared or depressed about it....at least not yet. I think I´m ready to welcome it with open arms because with experience comes value right? I have plans to spend some quality time with great girlfriends in a warmer climate to celebrate next week:) Can´t wait for that!

My new fabric arrived on Friday and I am already digging in. This line is called Nordic Vision and will be available in stores next spring. I am absolutely loving it and of course I think it´s the best one yet! Even though I always say that, this one is really great:) I will show you some peeks soon...stay tuned and make sure you are a fan on our GE Designs Facebook page to get the first look.

I have a lot to be thankful for in my life and the best way to show gratitude is to pay it forward. That is why I am packing up this stack of quilts to donate to the survivors of hurricane Sandy. If you have quilts laying around that you are not using, please consider this great cause. My friend Victoria Findlay Wolfe is spearheading this effort and has been so inspiring to watch on this journey. The Acacia Network will only be receiving quilts until December 7th so hop on the bandwagon with me and make a difference by providing the warmth of a quilt for someone in need. Here is all the info:

Send to:

Acacia Network

Attn: Pete Gonzalez

311 East 175^th Street

Bronx, NY 10457

PLEASE Include INSIDE THE BOX CLEARLY WRITTEN
your name, email & address

please mail them with delivery confirmation.

 

THANK YOU for being loyal readers of my rumblings, I truly apreciate all of you:)

Winners

Thank you all for your wonderful comments and kind words. I really loved hearing about all of your favorite 2 color combinations. I am like so many of you, my favorites change rapidly and I like to experiment with new colors all the time to keep my creative juices flowing. 

The winners!

The two blog winners were randomly drawn and the lucky ones are:

1.  Tamsyn : 

"My current favorite color combination is lime green and purple. Love this block! Tamsyn"

Tamsyn, I really love your favorite color combo, it's something I haven't tried myself but check out some of these photos I found just by doing a search for that combination, gorgeous.

Cakes...

Wedding....

I even found someones quilt in progress using those colors! It's definitely something I have got to try!

 

2. Lee:

"I love using navy blue and tangarine! Congratulations on your fabulous block and your new patterns which are wonderful! Thank you for the generous giveaway."

Congratulations Lee, there is another color combo I haven't tried but is very intriguing.

Wedding...

Decorating...

I want this bracelet!!

I didn't find a Navy and Tangerine quilt in my quick search but I think there might be one in my future!

As a matter of fact, I have a similar color combo sitting on my shelf waiting for me to figure out a pattern for it. Aqua and dark Coral (almost Tangerine). It started with the large bird print and then I got some of the Coral to go with it. It's a tough color to find but I had a couple of others that worked with it. Then I had some dark brownish grey's that matched the tree in the print that I think I will use too. What do you think? Interesting right?

I will show you how it ends up.....if it ever becomes a quilt!!

Congratulations winners, look for an e-mail from me in your inbox or send me your mailing address so I can send your prizes.

We have two more winners drawn from our Facebook page:

Mary Schneider Zaccardi

and

Amy Roth

They will also be getting a set of patterns and the magazine.

Giveaway Tour!

Welcome to the Quiltmaker´s 100 blocks Blog Tour. This is one of my favorite magazines and I always look forward to the newest issue coming out. It is chock full of fun blocks from great designers with great variety of techniques and styles.

This issue is no different. It is sure to be a collectors item for any quilter if you have the previous issues.

 

My block in this 6th volume is called Fire Burst and is on page 53.

When I was designing the block, I was in the midst of working on mybook Big Blocks - Big Style which has quilts made with blocks that are bigger than 12". Since all the blocks in the Quiltmaker 100 blocks are 12" finished, I knew I wanted to keep going with the "Big Block" theme and design a block that could be combined to create a larger design. I designed the quilt Fiery Flower along with the block to show the versatility of it.

If the block and quilt look familiar to you, you must have seen the first ever Quilts from Quiltmaker´s 100 blocks magazine that came out earlier this fall. This quilt is in there and was fortunate enough to make the cover of the magazine along with two other quilts.

I used the greys and reds from my fabric line Reflections for the quilt and love how those colors look great together. With just a touch of yellow, the red and grey create the visual contrast to really make the quilt stand out.

I was also so happy and surprised to see my quilt hanging front and center in the Quiltmaker booth at Quilt Market in Houston. 

If you love the 100 blocks issues as much as I do, you can come and spend a fun weekend with some of the 100 blocks designers in Portland next March! Check out  page 96 of the magazine for this ad:

I am so excited and honored to be a part of this event, we are going to have a fantastic time! Registration for Block Party is going strong, check out all the classes here and sign up to be part of the fun.

Want some free stuff?

There are lots of ways to win!

Please post a comment here to be eligible to win a copy of the magazine and a set of my 4 new patterns! All you have to do is tell me which two colors you love using together at the moment. I will be randomly drawing two names from the comments on Saturday that will be getting some goodies sent to their house!

That´s not all.....

If you are on Facebook, become a fan of our page and TWO lucky Facebook fans will also get a set of patterns and the magazine!

Blog Tour kickoff 100

The Quiltmaker 100 blocks Blog Tour starts today and the list of todays bloggers is posted on the Quiltmaker blog. There are endless opportunities to win a copy of the magazine and more great things from all of the bloggers on the tour so check it out and get hopping.

The magazines official release date is November 13th and it is chock full of fantastic blocks from all the top designers along with ideas on utilizing the blocks in a quilt. 

My Blog Tour day is Thursday November 8th, so make sure to check back here for a chance to win some goodies.