WINNER!

And the winner is...

Linda who blogs at http://lindasquiltmania.blogspot.com/ 

Congrats!

Please email me your address at kwiltzbystephanie@gmail.com!

Thanks for playing. 

Since April is fast approaching,

there will soon be another giveaway!

This morning I was able to cook up a day...

 with

humor

(remembering not to take life so seriously. 

That's on a box of Applegate sausages)

and...

happiness!

(I always knew I liked coconuts since they come from warm tropical lands! 

That's a bottle of coconut water)

What's your plan for some fun today?

MARCH GIVEAWAY!

Here in the Pacific Northwest 

Mother Nature continues to be unsure if it's time for spring.

Most of the week was below 40* 

and this morning we awoke to another light dusting of snow.

A lot of the week was spent considering hibernation options.

When the sun did peek out briefly, we ran to the beach...

and up north to the Skagit Valley to see the last of the Snow Geese...

and some very chilly daffodils!

I did manage a few more granny squares. 

I like the varying sizes, but am unsure how they will go together.

I am slowly falling behind on the NY beauty quilt along

but what does get created is so yummy!

I also worked on a new "little". 

That's me, 

at peace 

AND in the moment at the bottom of the lake, 

safe 

and unattached 

to any of the happenings within the lake 

or the weathering above the lake.

Eckhart Tolle in The Power of Now says...

"Having gone beyond the mind-made opposites (this is so key for me - I make up the "good" and "bad"!!!), you become like a deep lake. The outer situation of your life and whatever happens there is the surface of the lake. Sometimes calm, sometimes windy and rough, according to the cycles and the seasons. Deep down, however, the lake is always undisturbed. You are the whole lake, not just the surface, and you are in touch with your own depth, which remains absolutely still. You don't resist change by mentally clinging to any situation. Your inner peace does not depend on it."

OK, 

drum roll please

ratatatat.......

Here's this month's giveaway!

A jelly roll of Sandy Gervais' Objects of Desire line.

I bought this thinking I would use it to make a basket, but batiks, since they are two sided, work better. 

While I was organizing this week...

(can't you tell?!)

 I discovered this jelly roll in my box of Christmas fabrics!

SO...

all can play

leave a comment about what the weather is doing in your neck of the woods

and/or become a follower.

PLEASE make sure I can contact you, 

or check back to see if you won.

If last month's winner, 

Chiska, 

doesn't contact me by the end of this giveaway,

I will pick a second winner to win last month's giveaway!!!

As I finish this post,

the sun is shining!

Ahhhhhh....

THIS WEEK"S PROGRESS

Last week's "little" quilt focused on lips.

For some unknown reason when I see lip fabric,

I have to get a fat quarter.

Where I live, woman tend to not wear very much makeup.

In fact, as far as I can tell, most wear no makeup.

Not that I was in to lots of makeup before we moved out here,

but for the last twelve years I have worn nothing but occassional mascara.

Except now.

Lip gloss..fun!

Lip stick...fun!

Lip balm in fun flavors, like Dr. Pepper,...fun!

A fun themed "little" was needed...

but something was missing... 

kisses!

makes all that attention to lips even more fun!

(can you see the great ruby red lip pin? and the lip stick pin?)

My next little (above) used up some scraps from my fat eight pack of Good Fortune

which I am using for my granny squares.

I played for 15 minutes, like Victoria encourages http://bumblebeansinc.blogspot.com/p/15minutesplay.html

I notice that I have tendency to make a background

that is a bit hidden

and then put a

different

more noticeable

layer on top.

These past few days we have had at least ten siskins visiting our thistle sack.

I looked up the meaning of siskins.

Siskins call attention to removal of negative but deeply held issues.

Perhaps my "littles' reflect this idea.

I have started the New York Beauty quilt along.

http://www.sewsweetness.com/2012/03/new-york-beauty-quilt-along-block-5.html

And am continuing my granny squares.

(not a great pic, sorry, but you get the idea)

What fabric do you collect?

AMONG HOPE AND GOOD FORTUNE

I joined the Swoon-a-long on flickr and made three swoon blocks. 

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1904864@N22/

I like making these blocks

and I feel a little annoyed making these blocks.

It's fun to think, fondle, pick out, and see the results of the fabric combinations,

but in my gut, these modernized blocks are lacking something for me.

I tried to take it to the next level and came up with this Swoon in a swoon!

I like it!

It was a little bit of a bugger to make. 

I didn't have a pattern and had no idea how much fabric I would need.

I think Carrol, at http://www.auntmarysquiltshop.com/ loved me doing this project because I ended up buying six yards of the dots and the red! 

Those outer red rectangles were about 24 x 13!

Lilalou was tired of me taking up her bed space to figure this one out!

When I went to take care of some mom duty, 

she twirled and pawed and finally got it just how she wanted it!

A few posts back I shared this flying-goose-turned-to-chevron quilt.

I am still working through the grief process for the loss of my mom. 

Geese represent the sacred circle of life.

And the fabric is Denise Schmidt's Hope Valley.

Hope!

Krista at  http://kristahandbags.com/ quilted it for me and did a fantastic job. 

She used two layers of batting so the zig zagginess really pops!

Still thinking about my mom, who we called Gram, I joined the Granny Square Quilt Along at

http://www.flickr.com/groups/oldredbarncoquiltalong2009/

http://oldredbarnco.blogspot.com/

is another fabulous quilting blog that I just love. 

She just survived that awful burst of tornado action - check out her eerie pictures.

I am using Kate Spain's Good Fortune fabric line as my mom loved all things Asian themed (this feels a little Asian) and dragon flies.

Hope and Good Fortune 

I decided to use my mom's sudden passing as an opportunity for post traumatic GROWTH.

I have done a lot of positive growing this past year 

in terms of developing healthier coping skills for life.

Lately I have been focused on 

Eckhart Tolle's book The Power of Now.

He says - 

"Conditions are neither positive nor negative. They are as they are. And when you live in complete acceptance of what is - which is the only sane way to live - there is no "good" or "bad" in your life any more."

What I find so interesting is I quilt this way. 

A thought pops into my head, 

I start making that thought become reality.

 I trust that the fabric/thread/machine will work and be enough 

and if not I will figure it out when I need to. 

In fact, quite often, I find I miraculously have just enough time, fabric or thread in my bobbin!

I never worry about my project. 

Always - my project is what it is. 

Have I had quilts come out less striking or contrasting or straight than I wanted? 

Yes, 

but never once have I got hung up on that. 

In twelve years I have never made a "bad" quilt. 

I love them all.

What if the moments in my life were like this?

"Through allowing the "isness" of all things, 

a deeper dimension underneath the play of opposites reveals itself to you as an abiding presence, 

an unchanging deep stillness, 

and uncaused joy beyond good and bad. 

This is the joy of Being, the peace of God." - Eckhart Tolle

joy beyond "good" and "bad"

Hmmm....

Well, while I continue growing, 

the thinking of new projects is exciting!

I am contemplating this New York beauty quilt along

http://www.sewsweetness.com/2012/02/new-york-beauty-quilt-along.html

Here's a glimpse of my "percolate" wall.

Have you seen this ad for a trip to Ireland for their quilt festival?!!!!

And perhaps a little more practical...

a new purse?

And what about

 spring?

Robins remind us that we have infinite resources on hand when working on

renewal, joy, spiritual growth.

Thank you!

GIVEAWAY WINNER!

I love giveaways!

Thanks for playing!!!

Here's two fun pillows Laura made from a past giveaway!

Check out her cute blog 

http://baltimoremqg.blogspot.com/

and vote for her lovely heart quilt!

This month's winner is

(drum roll)

Chiska!!!

Congratulations!

TANGERINE TANGO CHALLENGE

Two days ago

I was entertaining the idea that spring was near

Silly me!

Today school was two hours late due to 1 1/2 inches of slushy snowfall!

Fred was also silly.

Here he is wondering wondering if there was enough snow to make the invisible fence stop working.

The slowness of the day provided time to officially enter

the Tangerine Tango Challenge

http://www.twomoreseconds.com/

Here's the mug rug entry I shared in the last post.

Here's my larger entry!

"Blorange Blossom"

Same fabric

Same idea

I love how it zings the eye!

Quilted by Judy, of course!

http://www.wildirishrowsquilting.com/

After you check out the other fun entries

treat your self

to this most wonderful blog!!!

http://bemused.typepad.com/

This was the first blog I ever fell in love with 

because she travels to Tokyo for the Quilt Festival every year

and posts hundreds of wonderful photos of all the quilts!

(You can double treat your self 

and check out my October 18, 2010 post 

to read about the trip I took to the Tokyo Quilt Festival!)

Let me know what you think...