Whew!

My part in this Be Mine relay for romance is more or less done, and I've passed the baton on to my long-time blog buddy Carol of Carol's Crafty Creations. I've "known" Carol for years--in a sort of virtual way--since we both joined a Yahoo Thimbleberries group before there even WERE blogs. I think Carol and I have similar tastes--at least I know I always LOVE everything she does! Click on over and see what Carol's designed for you--I can tell you it's a great project! I'm writing this somewhat early, so I don't want to give away the surprise before she gets to show you herself.

So, did anyone come back today? Four or five of you did? Excellent! I kind of feel like a party hostess after the guests have gone home. Time to clean up and think about the evening. Maybe sip a last glass of wine. Or two. As a matter of fact, I've thought of a few things I want to say about my project and--I can hardly believe it myself--I've read though all 462 comments you've left so far--Wow!--and I wanted to answer some questions more than a few of you had.

First, the project. Here's a little tip I neglected to mention. When you sew the blocks/pieces into rows press the seam allowances all in same direction for the first row. Then press the seam allowances all in the opposite direction for the next row. And so on, and so on. That way, when you sew the rows together, they'll fit nicely and the intersecting seams will line up.

Some of you said you'd like to make the runner but didn't think you could get it done in time for THIS Valentine's Day. Seriously, it's pretty fast. I don't know how much time you have in your lives, but I don't think it's a huge time commitment as quilty things go. Of course, you know what time you have available better than I do; I'm just sayin' it may not take as long as you anticipate.

Some of you complimented me on my color choices (or, if you're Canadian, colour choices). I wish I could take credit, but all I did was pick out a charm pack of Sandy Gervais' wonderful collection, Giddy. Tell Sandy you love her. I think she has a blog too. Or, better yet, buy some of her fabric at the Fat Quarter Shop--that's where I got mine! Nothing says "I love your color (colour) choices" louder than money.

Seriously, I love Canada. I only tease my favorite people. And old people, young children, and men.

Some of you said you'd love to make the runner but you don't have a table. Seriously? How do you not have a table? What about a dresser? Or the back of a toilet tank? If nothing else, hang it on the wall, use it as a bell pull, or drape it over your sewing machine as a dust cover. Or maybe your mother-in-law has a table? You'd probably earn big points and a mention in her will if you made her a table runner.

Some of you had issues with Scribd. Or Facebook. Or PDF files. Some of you commented about it to me and had email addresses, and for you, I emailed you a PDF file directly. If you're Son of Unabomber and want the pattern without giving up your identify or GPS location, email me--just click on that thing in my sidebar that shows you my whole profile, and then click on the email link. I'll send you a PDF file. But let me suggest this alternative--

Yahoo, among other sites, will give you a free email box. They're pretty easy to set up. I have another Yahoo address that I use for signing up for things, ordering on line, joining groups, etc. That's the email address I used to set up my Scribed account. And while I actually DO have a Facebook account, I don't think I needed it to sign up or log in. (Then again, I joined Facebook around Labor Day weekend and have only been back once when I wanted to find out if Soccer Son had been snowed in at Tahoe. Unfortunately, he doesn't want to be my friend, so I couldn't see anything. Kids!)

Anyway, if you're concerned about giving out personal information, there are ways to get around it. Scribed and other similar PDF hosting sites offer their services for free, and you KNOW nothing is ever free, right?! But don't pretend to be someone else. It's not legal anymore online. There goes all my fun.

A few of you said you were now following me (which is helpful in case I get lost), and one or two of you wanted to follow me but didn't know where or how. I love having followers but I hide you down at the bottom of my blog. I don't want it to go to my head and be all self-conscious or anything. But if you're looking for the followers, they're down there. Waiting.

Were you wondering about the puppy photo? I found it when I did an image search for "cutest puppy ever." You know how some bloggers have links in their sidebars that include photos from the listed blogs? I wanted something cute that would show up next to mine that might bring you back. I understand puppies work pretty well for guys in parks so I thought I'd give it a try. If this doesn't work, I'll try searching for "beefcake" tomorrow.