Gudrun´s World

Winners....and lots of them!

It's time to reveal all the winners from all the blogs that participated in the 10 year party. It was truly overwhelming to read all of your comments and kind words. They will be my driving force as I continue my journey.

Here are the winners from each of the guest blogs:

Terry Degenkolb whimsicals.typepad.com

Angele Robichaud

Bonnie Hunter quiltville.blogspot.com

Joanna Perry

Quiltmaker quiltmaker.com/blogs/quiltypleasures

Charleen DiSante

Carrie Nelson lavieenrosie.typepad.com

Mary Ellen Honan

Tami Chaulk

Jodie Davis itsarubberduckieworld.com

Susan Kett

Fat Quarter Shop fatquartershop.blogspot.com

Julie Naatz

Pat Sloan blog.patsloan.com

Brandy Pettit

Lissa Alexander modalissa.blogspot.com

Linda Douglas

Julie Herman jaybirdquilts.com

Barbara Corbitt

Quilting Gallery quiltinggallery.com

Pala

Sharon Sehorn

We also have winners from my blog on each of the days. Here are those winners:

Aug. 5th

Patricia Dawe

Aug. 6th

Julie Naatz

Aug. 7th

Verna A

Aug. 8th

Jessie

Aug. 9th

Erin Breth

Aug. 10th

Sandi Timmons

Aug. 11th

Kristine

Aug. 12th

Sandi Scarlett

Aug. 13th

Kathleen O'Grady

Aug. 14th

Katie Bowers

And now for the big prize.....

The lucky winner posted a comment on Facebook:

Jeannette Smith Wertz

All of the winners have been contacted through e-mail and as soon as I have all of the snail mail adresses, I will send out the prizes. Hopefully that will be early next week. If you are a winner and haven't seen a letter from me, either check your spam folder or shoot me an e-mail with your address.(gudrun at gequiltdesigns.com) Congratulations and hopefully you will enjoy your prizes.

10 year Party - day 10 finally!

It's our last day to party, last giveaway day people. Some of the guest drawings will be left open through the weekend so if you haven't gotten a chance to check them out, here is the blog list for you.

 

Aug. 5th-14th Gudrun Erla gudrun.typepad.com

Aug. 5th Terry Degenkolb whimsicals.typepad.com

Aug. 6th Bonnie Hunter quiltville.blogspot.com

Aug. 7th Quiltmaker quiltmaker.com/blogs/quiltypleasures

Aug. 8th Carrie Nelson lavieenrosie.typepad.com

Aug. 9th Jodie Davis itsarubberduckieworld.com

Aug. 10th Fat Quarter Shop fatquartershop.blogspot.com

Aug. 11th Pat Sloan blog.patsloan.com

Aug. 12th Lissa Alexander modalissa.blogspot.com

Aug. 13th Julie Herman jaybirdquilts.com

Aug. 14th Quilting Gallery quiltinggallery.com

 

I was so happy to read your comments yesterday about balancing your life. I am so happy to hear that I have in some way inspired you to pursue a better balance or to get more exercise in your life. That makes my world go round, whether it is inspiring your quilting or a better quality of life....and therefore better quilting! 

The winner of the 4-pack of patterns was.

Kathleen O'Grady.......she said:

"I wish I had more balance in my life but too much time at work and everything else seems to be a rush. I worry to much about having a perfect tidy house when it wouldn't really make a difference. I don't get enough time to do the things I love, sew, run, exercise, read, gardening. I hope that this will change soon. Congrats to you for finding that balance in life."

Congratulations Kathleen, and forget about that house! Haven't we all been there. Just start to take time for those things little by little and you will get there. Wonderful things happen when you start feeling better by doing the things you love. Pieces of your soul just fall into place and then you wonder why you worried about that dust on the top shelf!  

Today's guest blogger is Michelle Foster of Quilting Gallery. If you are not familiar with the Quilting Gallery, it is a website that Michelle has been running since 2007from her home country of Canada, which has an active blog, hundreds of free quilting projects and tutorials, tips and tricks, videos, guest bloggers, etc. She sends out a fantastic newsletter with contests, deals, show and tell and I could go on and on. It's just a fantastic fun place for quilters.

Go over and check it out, remember to get your comment in because she has some goods to give away!

Today's giveaway on this blog is a stack of 20 Fat Quarters, yes 5 yards of fabric total. The interesting part is that it's gonna be an assortment from all of the collections I have designed for Red Rooster since I started, 12 collections in total! I just snapped a quick picture when I got the idea so the assortment might be quite different from the photo. But thats only because I'm gonna make it all look good together:) 

All you have to do is answer this question in the comments: Did you discover or learn anything during this 10 day party by hopping between blogs or reading my rants?

Thank you for following me on this journey...thank you for the fantastic 10 years because without you dedicated quilters that support and appreciate designers like me, I wouldn't have lasted very long. I am truly blessed and overwhelmed by some of your kind words but they have also ignited my spirit and creativity so I've got some years in me for sure:)

 

10 year Party - day 9.

We are getting close to the end of the big party and I hope you have enjoyed hopping along with me. I sure have enjoyed reading all of your posts on this blog and the guest blogs. It's given me such a wind in my sails that my brain is going overtime! I have two more great bloggers to go so be sure to check them out. 

I loved reading what inspires you to get quilting yesterday and hope that this book will inspire some quilts for the winner...which is.......

Sandi Scarlett.......she said:

"Sometimes its the pattern that inspires me and other times its the fabric. I never leave the quilt shops empty handed."

Congratulations Sandi, oh I think we can all relate. At least I speak for myself and admit to never leaving a quilt shop empty handed....it's a sin! I will be in touch for your snail mail address.

Today's guest blogger is designer extraordinaire Julie Herman of Jaybird Quilts. 

Julie started off in the quilting world  as an awesome blogger (well she still blogs, duh!) and has really taken off for the stars once she started designing and publishing her own patterns. She has just now designed her second ruler (her first one Hex N' More has been a big hit) called the Sidekick ruler and tons of new patterns.

I met Julie when she first came to quilt market after just knowing her through e-mail. Then I really got a chance to get to know her when we both taught at Quiltmaker's Block Party in Portland this spring. She is a ball of adorable fun and I can't wait to hang out with her again.

Make sure you stop by and say hi to Julie, she's got some goodies for you on her blog today.

Today's giveaway on this blog is a quilt as you go pattern foursome, Slivers, Peek A Boo, Which Way and Abundance. They are all quick and fun, can be done with precuts, scraps or fat quarters, perfect for a little instant gratification.

Balance is a word that has been high on my priority list of life goals lately. I haven't been very good at that for the biggest part of my life.

As you might have seen on Bonnie's and Pat's blog, I do work out regularly and run some crazy races for fun. I actually do various workouts, not just run. I like to get my yoga in at least once a week because nothing balances me and makes my body feel as good as yoga....as I get older hmm. I need to get some strength training in every week, because my upper body feels like mush if I neglect that. Running comes naturally to me as I was a runner all through high school and college but like everything, my exercise needs it's balance too.

I feel a lot better when I eat healthier meals and cook from fresh ingredients so it's not that I never eat anything bad (because I do Pat:-), it's just I know how I will feel afterwards, so either I go for it if it's really worth it or am just perfectly happy having a gourmet, healthy meal:) YES, healthy does not mean wheatgrass and granola! I make some tasty food :)

On the total flip side, I am a chocolate freak. I love to have my little chocolate every day or a nice treat (like pumpkin bars or salted caramel gelato OMG). I also like to have a glass of wine every once in a while and there is nothing better than hunkering down in my sewing chair by my machine for a day or two...or a week! But that's exactly what my point is. I have these two flip sides to my life and have found the perfect balance. At least most of the time;-) The indulgent things aren't as enjoyable if I don't feel strong, healthy and in balance. So my philosophy is:  Do what you love and makes you feel good, don't deprive yourself but strive for that balance so you can enjoy a healthier relationship with your sewing machine....and the other members of your family:-)

So my question to you is, how do you find your balance in your life? Is there anything you feel you need to balance better or would like to increase/decrease in your life to feel more balanced? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Winner will be drawn at midnight so get your comments in:)

 

10 year Party - day 8.

Wow, what great stories you shared with me yesterday. I loved reading all of your comments and some really heartfelt stories about your special quilts. And how fun to see that a lot of you are just working your way to that first quilt. My advice to you is just dive in because once you are there it is total bliss. The dive might not be perfect at first but with each time you go for it, the better and more enjoyable it gets. 

The winner of the Nordic Christmas Pattern and fabrics on my blog was....

Kristine.......she said:

"I've made quite a few quilts while growing up and have multiple projects happening now, but.... The quilt that means a lot to me would be the Double Irish Chain that my mom and I made together for my bedroom when I was a kid. It took us forever because it was our first "big" quilt (twin size) with pink, white, and green flower prints. I still have that quilt and on the back, my mom and I had signed it. I'm now pregnant and I'm hoping it is a girl so I can pass the quilt on to her. (I already have a son). Thanks, It is great to be able to reflect on quilts we've made. Especially since my mom and I still team up from time to time to make projects together."

Congratulations Kristine. How special to have been sewing and making quilts with your mom while growing up. I can only hope my daughter will cherish the projects we have done together as she gets older. I will be in touch for your snail mail address.

Today's guest blogger is the master marketguru of Moda Fabrics, quilter and designer extraordinaire and an overall fantastic person Lissa Alexander.

My love affair with fabric has been going on for a lot longer than the decade I've been in business. From the time I started quilting, I started hoarding fabric to no end. When I moved to the states, we really had to downsize our whole life inventory and decide what to bring because of the cost of shipping. It is quite the life changing and freeing experience when you really have to evaluate what is important to you and what can easily be replaced. To make a long story short, our whole life was able to fit on a pallet and a half! But I have to say, not one piece of glass, clay or porcelain was packed in newspaper on that pallet and a half! I used my fabric stash to wrap every single thing. YES, my stash was important enough to bring with me above a lot of other things.

The thing is, many times a piece of fabric inspires a new design for me. So I like to include many different fabric collections into my books. Not only does it keep me inspired and on my toes as a designer, I hope it gives my books variety and my readers some different options and viewpoints on my designs.

That's where the awesome "Moda Lissa" comes in. She and the whole Moda/United Notions crew have been so supportive of me throughout my career and I appreciate our relationship so much not only on a business level, but a personal one as well. I get the most wonderful surprise shipments of Moda goodness from her that hasn't even been seen yet. And what's most exciting is that she knows exactly what collections I am gonna like! It's pretty great.

Here are some of my favorite quilts from my books where I have used Lissa's great packages:

Steamy Windows from Strip On book

Easy Hex from Big Blocks, Big Style book

Strip To Be Square, single pattern.

Homebound, from Just your Style book.

Twirl me too from Strip On book

Brick House from Fast & Furious Home

And of course the grand prize quilt is made with Moda!

Lissa has a super giveaway on her blog so make sure you go visit and add your comment.

Today's giveaway on this blog is another copy of my Strip On book. 

All you have to do to get your name in the pot is tell me what inspires you to make a quilt? Is it a pattern that you find in a book or a store? Is it a certain fabric line that makes you want to make something out of it? Is it an occasion or a gift idea that gets you going or do you just start playing? 

Winner will be drawn at midnight so get your comments in:)

Happy MONDAY!

 

10 year Party - day 7.

The majority of you said that Christmas was your favorite holiday. It's mine too. And to be honest, it's the days building up to Christmas that I love, decorating, baking, getting together with friends and enjoying the month of December in general. I am born in December so I think that has a lot to do with it:) 

The winner of the Fast & Furious Holiday book on my blog was....

Sandi Timmons.......she said:

"That would be Christmas. I just love this holiday - food; lights and trimmings; hugs from loved ones; even opening presents. Fast and Furious sure would come in handy for making projects for presents. I would just love to win your book. This would mean so much because it would come from you. Thank you for being so generous. I enjoy your newsletters and your recipes."

Congratulations Sandi. I hope you enjoy it. I am so glad you are enjoying my newsletters and recipes. I never know if anyone even sees them. I will be in touch for your snail mail address.

Today's guest blogger is the voice of quilting, Pat Sloan. This woman is incredible. The things that she gets done in a day makes my knees weak. She has a weekly radio show on quilting, writes books, designs fabric, teaches and lectures all over the place and then writes a fantastic blog along with all the other social media. I aspire to be her when I grow up, that's for sure! Pat is a ball of energy as well and we always have some great laughs when whe see each other (for the 5 minutes she can stop:-)

On opening day of Quilt market this spring, we had a chuckle because our outfits totally matched. Just like our personalities do. 

Being that she does interviews all the time, Pat of course asked me some very unique questions for her blog day. One of them was if I had a special quilt I had made for a person, a special occasion and the story behind it. I am sure we all have a bunch of stories like that, but I chose to mention this quilt:

This is my oldest sons graduation quilt. He is a soccer player as you can see and so I used his soccer t-shirts and even socks to put it together. I also wanted to do something different than just cut all the shirts the same size so I put together these scrapbooking like blocks from smaller pieces and added some fabrics in with it for pop. His school colors are navy and vegas gold so this background worked great along with the fabric in the stars. It just so happened that I designed both those fabrics myself so it makes the quilt extra special for him.

Make sure to go check Pat's blog to see what other questions she asked me and to add your comment in for the giveaway. 

Since so many of you like Christmas, I decided that today's drawing here on this blog should be my Nordic Christmas pattern. This would definitely count as one of the most special quilts I have designed and put into a pattern. I designed this quilt using my Nordic Vision fabrics and mindful of all the things  I grew up with around the Christmas season. If you hav a Scandinavian background, you will also recognize the 4 advent candles, folded paper hearts we used to make and the very traditional scandinavian snowflake found in knitting and embroidery. Even though the fabric line is not a Christmas line the reds, greys, blacks and whites with a touch of green and gold give the quilt a perfect modern look.

The quilt measures 58" x 72", perfect to use as a lap quilt or a nice sized wall quilt. 

 

To help you get started on the quilt, I am adding a few fat quarters of the fabric to the prize package.

To add your name into the drawing, tell me about a special quilt you have made either for yourself or someone in your life. 

10 year Party - day 6.

I am so happy that you share my love for leftovers and I'll be sure to continue including some good projects using them in my books.

The winner of the Table Talk book on my blog was....

Erin Breth.......she said:

"Left overs kept most definitely! I have made some cute things with them. I absolutely love the countdown runner quilt as you go . It looks so fabulous! I love all your ideas and ideas in your pattern books. Keep them coming! Thats how I learn!"

Congratulations Erin. I hope you enjoy the book. Send me a photo when you get that Countdown runner done because it will only take you a few hours, it's so quick. I will be in touch for your snail mail address.

 

Keep adding comments to all the guest blogs. We will draw those winners later and announce them all at the end of the hop.

Today's guest blogger is the fantastic team over at Fat Quarter Shop, lead by the fabulous Kimberly Jolly. The Jolly Jabber is their blog. Kimberly has been a big supporter of me and my designs from the get go and I really love seeing her and her crew every quilt market. They came to my booth this past spring market and recorded a Booth Tour. Check it out!

 

They also did a really funny collaboration video of a bunch of designers, putting us in the "Hot Seat".

 

See if you can spot me in there:) This was so fun, but they literally asked like 30 questions so I would love to see all the other answers from these designers. We could start a weekly sitcom!

Please hop on over to the Jolly Jabber to get your name in for a drawing. Then go and check out their top notch store for the best of the best quilting goods there are out there. 

Todays drawing here on my blog is my book Fast & Furious Holiday. Yes, it's time to get sewing on some holiday projects. I just got a Halloween catalog in the mail so that's why I decided on this book today:) The book has 16 projects for all the different holidays so it really will be useful throughout the year. All the projects are Quilt As You Go so they go together fast....no excuses to not have a holiday themed quilt in the house:)

Let me give you some suggestions of what you can get done quickly for fall or Christmas:

Pumpkin Patch

Trick or Treat

Spruce Lane

Roly Poly Tree Skirt

All you have to do to be entered into the drawing for the Fast & Furious Holiday book, is tell me what is your favorite holiday and why in the comments.

Now get to sewing:)

10 year Party - day 5.

What a fun blog day it was yesterday. Carrie really outdid herself and made me blush! She even spilled the beans on some personal things ha ha ha. Like the fact that Gudrun Erla is my "Stage Name". Well, it is just my first and middle name but I like to say that it is my stage name:) Especially now that Carrie said it sounds like a Bond girl name. I'm gonna flaunt it. She also revealed that I have a son in College! Yes, it does give you a clue about my age and I am totally ok with that. Although I really appreciate the comment from a reader who said I must have been 10 years old when I had him. He's a great kid, getting ready to start his 3rd year of college and doing so great. I can't be anything other than proud of being his "Mamma".....although I have been known to introduce him as my little brother in certain situations:) A girl's gotta have some mystery sometimes right. Especially if she is a Bond girl!

On to business...

The winner of the Big Blocks - Big Style book here on this blog was....

 

Jessie.......she said:

"It depends on the pattern for me. I have made one of my favorite patterns 4 times but others its just a one and done."

Congratulations Jessie and I hope some of the quilts in the book become favorites, I will be in touch for your snail mail address.

 

Keep adding comments to Carries blog. We will draw those winners later and announce them all at the end of the hop.

Today's guest blogger is none other than Jodie Davis who is blogging from her It's a Rubber Duckie World. If you don't recognize her name from the multiple books she has authored, I am sure you would recognize her face from all of the quilting shows she has done on QNNTV.com and recently went "Big Time" on HSN!!  How cool is that.

I first got to know Jodie back in 2007 when I flew to Atlanta to tape a couple of episodes for QNN. She is a ball of energy and we always have so much fun. This picture above is from when she and Mark Lipinski came to my house in 2010 and raided my studio:) What a fun day that was. We spent the whole morning taping, talking, laughing, eating and even dancing!

We have done some more tapings together at quilt market and again, we just can't stop laughing and playing! I had a little fun doing screenshots of one of the tapings. These cracked me up.

OMG! I can't believe I am even putting this on the world wide web! I hope Jodie forgives me....and I hope you have a chuckle or two!

 Jodie is giving away a book and two of the patterns I taught in that first taping so hop on over to Miss Rubber Duckie and put your comment in:)

I know you saw the Table Talk book on Carrie's blog yesterday, but I thought we needed to give away another copy, so this is what you can win on my blog today:)

This was the first book I ever did with a publisher. When I started discussing the concept of the book with my editor, he told me that we had to include some of my history, growing up in Iceland and how I ended up in this quilting world. Thinking back to my childhood there was definitely something that stood out to me right away. My earliest memories of any gatherings of friends and relatives or any  conversations within the family, whether they were any day stuff or major political discussions, all involved the dining table or the kitchen table. I knew right away that I wanted to write a book filled with quilts that you can top your table with, to tie that together with my history. Along with the table projects, I included some of my favorite recipes, both classic recipes from my mom and grandmothers and others from my own kitchen.

The book is broken into 4 chapters; Pieced Projects, Holiday Projects, Quilt As You Go Projects and Leftover Projects. Here is a project sample from each chapter:

Shooting Stars

Wrap It Up

Countdown Runner (Quilt As You Go)

Jelly Jar Runner, from the leftover chapter.

Do those leftovers look familiar? Remember this:

Yes! When I was done with this quilt I had the little leftovers from the Jelly Roll strips that were just too pretty to toss and they all coordinated so I had to do something with them.

You see, I have a thing with leftovers. It's a love - hate relationship. And that both goes for fabric and food. Sometimes they are just the greatest thing and can satisfy you to no end when they become either a little project or a meal. But if I put them away....they are lost forever and do nothing but clog up your sewing area or your refridgerator! Am I right?

This is why I tend to have little bonus projects in my books and patterns, ideas on what you can do with your leftovers. The only reason for that is because those leftovers were sitting on my table, screaming at me until I did something with them. So I like to share ideas, just in case your leftovers start talking to you too.

To have a chance to win this book, just make sure to leave me a comment and tell me if you even like when I add those leftover project ideas to my books. Do you save your leftovers, store them, donate or toss them (gasp!)?

10 year Party - day 4.

After reading your comments yesterday, I realized I have many more bucket list UFO´s then I thought....Double Wedding ring was started years ago, I have no idea where it is or how far I got! It was such fun to read how we all have some of the same bucket list quilts like Dear Jane, Lone star and more; the quilting world´s masterpieces that we all want to aspire to be able to conquer.

The winner of the Strip On book here on this blog was....

Verna A.......she said:

"I have a long written list and a few ideas bouncing around in my head--plus I get more ideas every time I visit a quilt shop or read a magazine or blog! So many ideas, so little time! I started accomplishing more by concentrating on a few projects at a time. Thanks for the chance to win!"

Thanks Verna and I hope you like the book, I will be in touch for your snail mail address. You do speak the truth sistah, concentrating on one thing at a time does make things easier....but easier said then done right?

Keep adding comments to the Quiltmaker Magazine blog Quilty Pleasures. We will draw those winners later.

Today's guest blogger is the fantastic Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. Now there is a woman I would go through lots of trouble to be able to hang out with for a while...and while hanging out, praying I would get some of her skills by just being there. I had seen her around Quilt Market for years before actually getting to know her better. That happened on our way home from Market in Pittsburgh one year when we actually were on the same flight to Chicago. Through Carries tricks and stunts, we ended up sitting together on the plane and gabbed the whole way to Chicago. I actually considered just flying to Arizona instead of Minnesota so we could talk some more!

The woman should be on stage doing stand up if it were not for her uber skills as a designer and author. Her introductory blog post about this Anniversary was hilarious. She threw in a bunch of Icelandic words that sometimes made sense....sometimes not! Google Translate must have been working overtime:) Brilliant. Or maybe it's Miss Rosie that has Icelandic as a second language....hmmmm.

But for reasons like this one above, we want her to keep producing mouth gaping, eye bulging, stunning quilts. And now you might understand why I want just a little bit of her skills and patience. I absolutely love her pineapple quilt which you can read more about on her blog. It just might have to go on that bucket list of mine that we talked about yesterday!

Carrie has some great things to give out today so make sure to hop on over to her blog and leave a comment.

I am going to give away a copy of my Big Blocks - Big Style book today for a lucky commenter. 

The book has nine quilts that all have big blocks...duh! I love making big block quilts. Not only do they go together quicker it seems...you don't have to make as many blocks so it can be deceitful...but they also create such a striking look. This book has a little subtitle too. Many of the quilts have a bit of a Scandinavian flair to them. Terri talked about the Lopapeysa quilt (wool sweater) in her blog post, which I adapted from the Icelandic knitted sweaters with the patterned yokes. But there are more quilts in the book that are very obviously Scandinavian and then others that just have that vibe of Modern meets Traditional with sharp clean lines, which is the epitome of Scandinavian decorating.

Here are a couple of other of my favorites out of this book:

 

Obviously this photo did not make it into the book but my photgrapher Paula totally captured the "Make it Work" moment that happens multiple times during photo shoots. What she didn't catch was my assistant Yvonne holding the other end of the string to try and make it level and wait for the wind to die down long enough for the quilt to hang straight! Anyway, this is Charm Shuffle. I loved making these blocks because they are kind of like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. And I love jigsaw puzzles. 

This is Carnival. I always wanted to make a black, grey and red quilt for my wall in the basement and so this one was kind of made specifically for that. I usually don't do that when I am working on a book. I just go with what I want to do at that moment, not neccesarily if it works in my house or not. But I loved just pulling my fat quarters and get to work. So, do you think it's hanging on that wall in my basement? No, of course not! I'll get to it one day:)

I will try anything to get out of having to make a quilt from the same design or pattern more than once. If I have to make multiple samples, believe me, I will get someone else to do it or do it with not so much joy. However, this particular quilt is the exception. It's called Teen Spirit. I have actually made three of them and am planning a fourth! How about that! It goes together so fast, uses up the fat quarters perfectly and its fun! Plus it appeals to so many people; teens, kids, men and women. And you can have so much fun with different fabrics.

So to win a copy of the book, simply tell me in the comments if you are the type that can make the same pattern over and over again, and if so which pattern it is. Or are you more like me, one and done and moving on:)

 

10 year Party - day 3.

You really know how to make a girl feel special. If your wonderful comments on this blog hop will keep going like this, I will need some help to get down from cloud 9 at the end of the 10 year party! Thank you again for all your wonderful words on the blogs yesterday.

I knew that most of you would say you are an "organized" scrappy person. It really does take some practice to be able to pull and sew without thinking. Even when I do that, my subconcious is at work making sure I don't put the same fabrics or too much alike colors right next to each other. Keep practicing, it gets easier:)

The winner of yesterday's book here on this blog was....

Julie.......she said:

"I love organized scrappiness. I am so happy to see quilting make a leap (a huge one) into the modern aesthetic. It is so fresh that way, although, the two versions of the quilt in your book on your blog today are both fantastic! Happy anniversary with many more years to come!"

Thanks Julie and congrats, I will be in touch for your snail mail address. Now you can make your own version of Sand Dollars!

Again, we are going to let Bonnie's giveaway marinate until the end of the hop and then we will be announcing all the guest blog winners on August 15th. So you can still get your name in that drawing.

Today's guest bloggers are my dear friends at Quiltmaker Magazine and their phenomenal blog Quilty Pleasures. I just love that name.

The Quiltmaker staff consists of some amazing women. They have been so supportive of me throughout my career and I appreciate them so much. I have been honored to be featured in their magazines many times and this past March I was one of the teachers at the Quiltmaker Block Party retreat in Portland. Block Party was one of the best teaching experiences I have ever had. Everything went so smoothly because of great organization and the wonderful people they are. They made sure that everyone was happy and even gave us teachers a little surprise gift each morning of the retreat. We felt so appreciated and loved:)

Here are some photos from the Block Party

Quilt coming together in my Easy Hex class

Students displaying the Strip To Be Square blocks they made in class on their built-in "Quilt Racks" :-)

Fat Quarter Bundle winner!

The dinner tables were decorated with my Nordic Vision fabric one of the evenings.

Who do you think was the instigator of this activity after dinner....?

Go figure! Once a Phy Ed teacher...always a Phy Ed teacher!

Block Party was actually the birth of another idea that you might have already seen on YouTube:

 

I choreographed a dance for all quilters, the Quiltmaker Shuffle and then we recorded it during Quilt Market in the Quiltmaker booth with lots of designers you would know:) The idea is for all quilters to get up an move in a fun way so we encourage you to get your groove on with your quilting group or guilds. This will now be a part of every class and lecture I ever do so get ready if I am coming your way:-)

Make sure to hop over to the Quilty Pleasures blog and leave a comment there, they have some fun stuff they are giving away.

Since we were talking about scrappiness yesterday, and by the way....YES, it is a word...(confirmed by a reader that is an english teacher, yay)...I thought I would give away my Strip On book today. The book is filled with quilts that are made with either 2-1/2" strips or 1-1/2" strips. 

You can win by leaving a comment here today, winner will be drawn at midnight!

So here is the question of the day: Do you have a quilting bucket list or some dream projects that you would like to finish in your quilting life?

I do have a list...not written down...but securely stored in my head! The problem is, I have tried to get some things checked off the list but half way through the project, I get these grand ideas of changing things or tweaking the original somehow, so the project gets put away.....again....and again! Creativity can be limiting sometimes in getting things done.

On the list: Lone Star (half way done in my closet), Dear Jane (fabric set aside for it), Farmers Wife (4 blocks made), Baltimore Album (never gonna happen), Storm At Sea (got it half way done and changed it so it's not a storm any more)....do you see a pattern here:) I could keep going you know.

But I always have time, ideas and the stash for strip quilts, yeah! How many Log Cabins do you think I could make with this!

For those of you that don't get my monthly e-mail newsletter, you can sign up on our website, on the right on the homescreen. 

I did send out a coupon code for 20% off everything in the GE Designs Etsy Shop which is valid through the celebration, and I wanted to share it with you.

 

Use this coupon code when you check out: 10years

10 year Party - day 2.

I have had so much fun reading all of your comments both here on this blog and Terri's blog. I love the fact that so many of you made Quilt In A Day log cabin as your first quilt. It made me think....I don't even think I have ever done a traditional log cabin quilt! That's a shame! I'm putting it on my bucket list for sure. Some of you made me choke up with all the wonderful things you had to say about me and totally made my day....thank you, thank you, thank you! This is why I do what I do and will keep going for at least 10 more years:)

The winner of yesterday's book here on this blog was....

Patricia Dawe

Congrats, I will be in touch for your snail mail address. I appreciate all of you that shared your comments and time with me 

We are going to let Terri's giveaway marinate until the end of the hop and then we will be announcing all the guest blog winners on August 15th.

 

On to today's guest blogger....

I am sure I don't have to introduce the fabulous Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville fame to anyone. 

I "officially" met Bonnie when we were both teaching at Quiltmaker's Block Party in Portland in March  (I had seen her in passing at shows and oogled over her superstar talent before). It was love at first sight...marriage made in heaven...instant friendship.....you get the picture:) Boy did we have some great laughs and fun together. I can't wait to be able to hang out with her again, we live too far away right now, even though she is a Minnesota girl. We have similar personalities and take life by the horns kind of attitute:) We both love scrappiness in our quilts, although she takes it to a whole other level, ha ha:)

Please go visit Bonnie's accomplished blog today, she has some goodies to give you if you comment on her post today.

You can win a copy of my Just My Style book right here by commenting on this post today. Random winner will be drawn at midnight. 

Just answer this question: Do you like scrappy quilts or prefer well coordinated quilts using just a few fabrics? 

....Oh, and if your answer is Scrappy, do you like "Organized Scrappy" (you know who you are:-) or can you just pull fabric from a pile and sew it on without thinking about it?

I knew that's when it got tricky:)

Myself, I love scrappiness. (not sure if this is a word, but hey I blame english being my second language if it isn't) You can usually find a scrappy element in most of my quilts. However, that doesn't mean I like controlled, 3 fabric quilts any less. I like them too and sometimes that's what my head wants to do so I just let it. 

Most of the quilts in the book have a scrappy element to them because most of them call for fat quarters. The book has 7 quilts but each one is made two different ways. One version is traditional and the other more modern so it is fun to see the difference, and which version people like. Myself....I love them all! I know...It's very hard to put me in a box, I will find a way to get out of it:)

 Here is an example from the book:

This is Sand Dollars in the modern version, light and soft. 

Put the blocks on a black background and add a pieced border and you have a very traditional look.

But I still love both:)