Giveaway Winners and a Funny Baby Video

This scene reminds me of when our daughters used to take part in our old church's Living Nativity each year.  Precious memories!

It sure seems like Christmas came along right on the coattails of Autumn.  We are blessed with all our children coming home this week, and with our son Sam even staying for three weeks, in preparation for our daughter Kaitie's wedding in mid-January.  Then after that, we babysit our baby granddaughter for a week.  She'll be one year old soon... my how time flies.  We'll be so busy for the next six weeks or so that I want to take this opportunity now to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

In case you missed it, last week was the end of my Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day post, which I paired with free patterns for a Pomegranate & Berry Table Topper. 

Between the Sew Mama Sew linky party and Betsey Langford featuring my free patterns in the American Quilter's Society On Point newsletter, that post got an unprecedented amount of traffic and comments.  :o  

Thank you to both Betsey and Kristin and especially to all of you who left such wonderful comments.  I loved reading each and every one.  What you had to say about your favorite things about winter really has given me a better appreciation for the season.  You all are so expressive and funny!  

With such a great turnout, giving away one copy of my book Crafted Appliqué: New Possibilities didn't seem like enough, so I increased the number of winners to three commenters. 

Without further ado, the randomly drawn winners of a signed copy of Crafted Appliqué: New Possibilities were Nancy, Karen, and Anita.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

And just to leave everyone with a smile on their faces....

"Are you making yummy sounds?" is sort of a running joke in our family and it comes from a scene in a favorite movie: "Young Frankenstein".

"The Monster: [off-screen] MMMMMMM!
Dr. Frankenstein: Oh, do you like it? I'm not partial to desserts myself, but this is excellent.
Igor: Who are you talking to?
Dr. Frankenstein: To you. You just made a yummy sound, so I thought you liked the dessert.
Igor: I didn't make a yummy sound, I just asked you what it is.
Dr. Frankenstein: But you did. I just heard it.
Igor: It wasn't me.
Inga: It wasn't me.
Dr. Frankenstein: Well, now look here. If it wasn't you, and it wasn't you...
The Monster: [off-camera] Mmmmmm!"
  
Well we sure know who's making the yummy sounds in our home now.  Our granddaughter Eden recently discovered toast with cream cheese.  :)

  

Pomegranate & Berry Table Topper Free Patterns & a Crafted Appliqué Book Giveaway

This festive set of patterns with a pomegranate and berries motif is an early Christmas gift for all of you and a way to say thank you for all your warmth and support.  

Betsey Langford, who writes for the American Quilter's Society's "On Point" Blog has offered a great opportunity to all the AQS authors. She's going all out to help promote our books.  She will be sharing this post on Wednesday through "On Point".  Thank you bunches Betsey!  To help with the promotion, at the end of this post I am also running a giveaway for a free copy of my book, which is open for entries until Wednesday, December 14th.

On top of that, Wednesday, December 7th is the much awaited and totally stupendous, annual Giveaway Day linky party at Sew Mama Sew!  Be sure to visit there for oodles of fun giveaways!  

Pomegranate and Berries Table Topper

I designed this table topper using the pomegranate appliqué motif from the Folk Art Christmas wall quilt in my book Crafted Appliqué: New Possibilities.  The two projects make a wonderful, coordinated set.  This pattern could also be changed up to make a lovely table runner or tree skirt.  Of course I used the fray-free Crafted Applique method to sew mine, but you can also use any raw edge method you like.  

There are actually 2 versions of the appliqués, each with their own pattern.  You get a little bit of a different effect, depending on which pattern you use and on how you place the appliqués:

Pomegranate and Berries Table Topper - Mock up 1

Pomegranate and Berries Table Topper - Mock up 2

It helps with placement of the appliqués if you divide your background circle into even quadrants, like slices of pie.  I made my topper as an 18 inch diameter circle and used chalk to mark the pie slices.  That way I could do a better job of spacing the appliqués evenly around the circle.

Dividing the Table Topper into Even Sections

Stitching the appliqués on was a breeze because of using the Crafted Appliqué method.  I used the back coating technique from my book so that the red paisley background would not show through the white fabric of the appliqués.  

Stitching on the Pomegranate Appliqués

Then for fun, I designed 4 center quilting motifs and am going to share those patterns here too.  They would make beautiful appliqué designs in their own right.

Pomegranate & Berry themed quilting patterns

Jasmine, from Quilt Kisses, gave me a great tip on quilting a design like this.  She suggested using Quilting Paper by Golden Threads.  (You can get a great deal with that link to Connecting Threads and it is not an affiliate link.)  I was able to tape a piece of Golden Threads to a sheet of printer paper and print the design right out on the Golden Threads paper, with no tracing required.  It's easy to tear the paper away when you are done quilting.  

Quilting using Golden Threads Quilting Paper

One of the things I did when sewing my table topper was that I layered the quilt sandwich BEFORE sewing on the appliqués.  That way, part of the quilting was already accomplished once the appliqués were sewn on.  Always a plus!  Just a heads up though - I should have sewn on the appliqués AFTER I quilted the center motif, because there was a bit of puckering between the two areas.  It would have quilted out if I had done more quilting, such as pebbles around the motif.  Pebble quilting makes me dizzy though.   

The table topper looks terrific cozied up to the fireplace seating area! 

Making the table a little more Christmassy

The PDF files for the Pomegranate & Berry patterns are free for personal use.  You can download them here:

Pomegranate & Berry Applique Pattern 1
Pomegranate & Berry Applique Pattern 2
Pomegranate & Berry Quilting Pattern 1
Pomegranate & Berry Quilting Pattern 2
Pomegranate & Berry Quilting Pattern 3
Pomegranate & Berry Quilting Pattern 4

   

Now.... Let's Start the Giveaway!

Crafted Applique: New Possibilities

Have you seen the page under the Header for Buzzinbumble for the Crafted Appliqué Never-ending Linky Party?  It's for any project made using the Crafted Appliqué method. You can also see all the projects in the book there too.  It's well worth checking out because everyone has truly let their creativity soar!  You can see more great projects using the Crafted Appliqué method by searching the hashtag #craftedapplique on Instagram.  (Thanks to Heidi, at Red Letter Quilts for starting that up because I didn't have a clue about hashtags. LOL)  It's amazing the things people have come up with to use with Crafted Appliqué.  Their creativity just blows me away!  

The Crafted Appliqué method really does open up new possibilities.  Betsey wrote that the method is even growing into a movement. :)   Wow do I like the sound of that!  

How would you like a chance to win a free, signed copy of Crafted Appliqué: New Possibilities?  Simply leave a comment below, telling me what you like best about winter.  (Even if it's "When it's over!" LOL)  Followers, both new and old, can have another chance to win the book by leaving a second comment and letting me know how they follow BuzzinBumble.  If you don't want to wait and see if you won, you can also order the book through my BuzzinBumble Big Cartel shop, the AQS Book Shop, or on Amazon.  If you ordered a book and then end up winning, I will happily refund your payment. 

*There have been so many wonderful commenters (I LOVE the way you all write about wintertime!) that I am increasing the number of books I'm giving away.  Now there will be three lucky winners of a copy of Crafted Appliqué!

The giveaway is open to international participants.  Please make sure that you are not an anonymous or a "no-reply" commenter and make sure that I have a way to contact you if you win.

I'll draw the name of the 3 winners on Wednesday, December 14th, using a random number generator and announce the results shortly thereafter. It might not be possible for me to do my usual reply & reciprocate if there end up being a lot of comments, but I definitely appreciate each and every one of you.

Thanks for visiting, because...

You can click on the pup and she'll 

take you right to the comments section.

A Fond Farewell to Fall

Over Columbus Day weekend our daughter Alina and son-in-law Gonzo rented a house for the family to get together in the Adirondack Mountains.  It was a wonderful trip and balm for the soul.  A part of my heart will always be in the Adirondacks.  

As part of Soma's Wandering Camera linky, I thought I'd share some of my photos from the trip.  I have not been able to be my regular blog hopping self or keep up with emails this last month, so I am disabling the comment feature and hope you'll just enjoy looking at the pictures.  

But first, I'd like to share a fun and easy idea from Emma Jeffery (@ Hello Beautiful) for Spoonflower that would make the most memorable and cherished gifts.  Just click on this link to see:

How to Turn Hand Written Recipes into Tea Towels

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Without Further Ado... 

The High Peaks Region of Adirondack State Park

Heart Lake - Adirondack Loj 

Adirondack Loj Campground

Calico Leaves

The Plains of Abraham

Grey Dogwood Berries

West Branch AuSable River 1

West Branch AuSable River 2

Maple Leaf on the Shore

West Branch AuSable River 3

Whiteface Mountain with its Head in the Clouds

And... It's a grandma's prerogative to always include a photo of her little granddaughter... 

Eden Cruising the Porch

I hope you all had a lovely Autumn and I'm wishing you a warm and Happy Thanksgiving!  Thanks for visiting, because...  

Folk Art Quilted Traditions Blog Hop

Today is my turn to present a project for Suzy Webster's blog hop, made with a pattern from her awe inspiring and fabulous book "Folk Art Quilted Traditions".

Folk Art Quilted Traditions Table Topper

When I first saw the cover of Suzy's book, I got so excited!  I love Folk Art and I love color!  The patterns and projects inside are beautiful and inspiring.  Suzy created them as a celebration of her Hungarian heritage.  They also remind me of Scandinavian designs, like you would see in Norwegian rosemaling.   

There are projects here of every size, so it's a snap to find one you love.  You can even do what I did and make something great using just one block of the twelve block designs.  (Mine is block pattern number 5).  

Suzy is an Island Batik Ambassador and batiks are the perfect fabrics to use for these patterns.  So that's what I used, with a birch bark fabric background.

Suzy includes full instructions on how to create the appliques.  If you know me, then you can probably guess how I created mine.  :)  I used the "Crafted Applique" technique for no-fray, washable appliques.  After layering the quilt sandwich, I used a simple straight stitch and sewed around the appliques and then echo stitched around the outside of each flower.  This way, part of the quilting was already done.
 

Folk art motif ironed on and ready to sew!

 

Stitching on the appliques

Sewing on the last flower - the appliques held up really great.

Getting ready to quilt the background fabric.

For the quilting, I used a Frixion pen to draw a half inch diagonal grid on the background fabric. The lines disappear when heated with the iron.  (Use these pens with caution, because they sometimes take the dye out of dark fabrics.)

Ta Da!

Folk Art Quilted Traditions Table Topper

Blog Hop Schedule

I've been away from home for more than a week and have a lot of blog hopping and catching up to do!  (I still need to reply / reciprocate to the people who commented on my last post.)  

Suzy had a lot of of great presenters lined up and I don't want to miss a single one.  Here is the blog hop schedule below:

Monday, October 10

Suzy Webster - http://websterquilt.blogspot.com/

Connie Kresin Campbell - http://www.conniekresin.com/

Jennifer Eubank - https://jennifersewing.wordpress.com/

Tuesday, October 11

Bea Lee - http://www.beaquilter.com/

Sally Johnson - http://sallysquiltingcorner.blogspot.com/

Suzy Webster - http://websterquilt.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, October 12

Jessica Cadwell - http://www.desertbloomquilting.com/blog/

Anna Branch - http://arkangelcreations.blogspot.com/

Vicki in MN - http://knitbug2.blogspot.com/

Thursday, October 13

Pamela Boatright - http://pamelaquilts.blogspot.com/

Teri Lucas - http://generationqmagazine.com/

Maryellen McAuliffe - http://teachpany.blogspot.com/

Friday October 14

Adele Mogavero - http://adelemogavero.com/

Joan Kawano - http://moosestashquilting.blogspot.com/

Lara Buccella - http://www.buzzinbumble.com/

Saturday October 15 - Final Wrap-up

Suzy Webster - http://websterquilt.blogspot.com/ 

The Giveaway Prize

Don't forget to enter to have a chance to win your own copy of Folk Art Quilted Traditions, by Suzy Webster, along with some Island Batik fabrics!  The giveaway ends on Saturday, October 15th.  Just fill out the comment form below.

A Rafflecopter Giveaway

Thanks for visiting, because...

(You can click on the pup and 
she'll take you to the comment form.)

Many Thanks! & a Trilling Experience

I'm sending out a BIG THANKS to Jacque at Lily Pad Quilting for hosting a wonderful Pets on Quilts Show this year!  This is a really fun annual linky event, with so many great posts and a lot of laughs.  Participating in and/or following along is a sure-fire way to enjoy the hi-jinks of quilters and their pets and meet friends, both new and old.

Also I want to express my gratitude to the voters and for the fact that the Charlie & Wilbur Mug Rug that I made for Ruth at Charly & Ben's Crafty Corner won the Pet Themed Quilt category.  There were some mighty amazing quilts in that category and it was a very close contest.   I'm jazzed over a few new ideas for next year too!  

It was really thrilling to win a bundle of Sharon Holland's absolutely beautiful Tapestry fabrics.  These fabrics are wonderful, with beautiful colors, and they are very soft, both to touch and see. If you look closely, you will notice that two of them have a very subtle cat theme. Thank you to Sharon, for being such a generous sponsor of the Pets on Quilts event!  

Sharon Holland Designs - "Tapestry" fabric collection

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It's time for Wandering Camera!

Autumn is my very favorite time of the year.  We haven't seen much in color changes in the leaves yet, but 'tis the season for Farmer's Markets to be at their very best!  Pumpkin Time has come and who can resist pumpkins? 

We visited a beautiful and colorful market, but forgetful me did not bring a camera.  Luckily my daughter Bean let me use her cell phone and these are a few of the photos, below. I'm surprised at the photo quality being so good. 

Linking up with Soma's monthly Wandering Camera event over at Whims and Fancies.  

Bouquets by the Bucket

A Happy Companion

Cherry Tomatoes - which were yummy! (We bought some.)

Handmade Pottery

Herbal Delights

The World's Best Breakfast Sandwiches! (at least Gonzo and Jim think so.)

Going out of my gourd over pumpkins!

Also not to be missed:  Soma is a master of paper piecing pattern design and she is currently is holding a Lego Harry Potter Quilt Along at Whims and Fancies too.  The detail she is able to get in her blocks, while at the same time keeping the lines clean and simple, is amazing! 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Suzy Webster at Adventurous Applique and Quilting has published her book "Folk Art Quilted Traditions".  She's one of the last authors to make it through the AQS editorial process, because the AQS is leaving book publishing.  I'm so glad she made it too, because this book is a gem!  I just love folk art and the Suzy's designs are inspirational, to say the least.  The blog hop / book tour begins next Monday, with wonderful presenters and I'll be taking my turn on Friday.   

Here is the schedule below:

Folk Art Quilted Traditions Blog Hop

October 10-14, 2016

Monday, October 10

Suzy Webster - http://websterquilt.blogspot.com/

Connie Kresin Campbell - http://www.conniekresin.com/

Jennifer Eubank - https://jennifersewing.wordpress.com/

Tuesday, October 11

Bea Lea - http://www.beaquilter.com/

Sally Johnson - http://sallysquiltingcorner.blogspot.com/

Adele Mogavero - http://adelemogavero.com/

Wednesday, October 12

Jessica Cadwell - http://www.desertbloomquilting.com/blog/

Anna Branch - http://arkangelcreations.blogspot.com/

Vicki in MN - http://knitbug2.blogspot.com/

Thursday, October 13

Pamela Boatright - http://pamelaquilts.blogspot.com/

Teri Lucas - http://generationqmagazine.com/

Maryellen McAuliffe - http://teachpany.blogspot.com/

Friday October 14

Suzy Webster - http://websterquilt.blogspot.com/

Joan Kawano - http://moosestashquilting.blogspot.com/

Lara Buccella - http://www.buzzinbumble.com/   

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

A Trilling Event!

Our little granddaughter Eden just gets more and more fun.  She's eight months old now and every day she seems to change.  It is really great to see her strong personality growing.  One of the many hilarious things she has started doing is trilling.  Her dad Zak caught a video of her performing and I just have to share it here.  

Here is a link in case the embedded video does not work:  Eden's Trilling Video

Thanks for visiting, because...

You can click on the pup and she'll 

take you to the comment section.

.