Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh!

The weekend is here--finally! It's seemed like another busy, crazy week at my day job AND my pattern "job," and the advent of daylight savings time didn't help much at all. All week long, I found myself awake much later than I should have been, and now that it's Friday night--well, here I am at 2 a.m., still awake and chatting with you.

Today was pretty nice, though. It was a relief to get the new pattern and kits into the Etsy shop, for one thing--not to mention the excitement and feeling of accomplishment! And I got to go out to lunch--yes, OUT TO LUNCH--with my friend Teri and her mom, Sandy. I get kind of excited about going out to lunch because I so rarely do! Usually I don't have time or I have something else to do during my lunch hour, so today was a nice treat. AND Teri's mom is a frequent reader of this blog, so it was almost like going to lunch with an old friend. Nice. I only wish I could have tagged along with them to visit some quilt shops after lunch, but unfortunately I'm waaaay too busy at work to be able to take an afternoon off without some pre-planning.

I stopped at the post office after work and mailed off today's pattern and kit orders and came home to find Hubby (aka Chef Hubby) making French toast (from homemade bread he baked yesterday) and bacon for dinner--there's something comforting about breakfast food for dinner, don't you think? Then tonight I spent the evening (and a wee hour or two of the morning) putting together a few more Bette Bunny kits.

Anna asked in a comment to yesterday's post whether I'd gotten the Sweat Shop cleaned up yet. Nope! Tonight I had kit "stuff" spread all over the place! Hopefully I'll be a little better at cleaning up my messes tomorrow.

Hubby's been busy the last couple of days taking apart a platform bed frame in our son's former room, and moving all my craft-filled boxes and things that were stored under it, so not only is the Sweat Shop a disaster area, but there are other piles of now-homeless craft supplies littered throughout the house. ARGH! All the mess drives me crazy, so I'm sure I'll need to do something about it tomorrow. But in the meantime, I'm just going to revel in the fact that I can sleep in tomorrow!

I hope you've made a good start on your weekend, whatever you have planned! Thanks for coming by and visiting with me!

Busy!

I've spent a busy evening--and my office staff spent a busy day--getting Bette Bunny ready to greet the public. I'm happy to say she's ready now and has been sent off to play in my Etsy shop.

Now--well, after I sleep and work and do all the other things one MUST do--it's back to playing in the Sweat Shop. I have a couple projects that need some attention--like trying to figure out what quilt I'm going to teach at the Patriotic Patchwork class I've signed up for. I have a vague idea and a small pile of Minick & Simpson's newest red, white, and blue line, Flag Day Farm. Have you seen it yet? I love their stuff!

But first--FIRST!--I most definitely need to get in the Sweat Shop and do a lot of cleaning up and putting away because it looks like a bomb went off in there right now! Thanks for stopping by to visit and see what I'm up to!

INTRODUCING . . .

BETTE BUNNY!

Thank you all for your name suggestions--I loved them! Personally, Ester (or Esther) Bunny tickled me the most, but I finally settled on Bette Bunny because (1) it seemed to go well with Buckey Bunny and (2) it just seemed "right."

A few of you asked whether I was going to offer this wallhanging as a pattern. Yep, you guessed it! And not only am I introducing Bette Bunny with this post, but I'm also introducing a new line of patterns I'm calling "Kim's Little Adventures."

I think many of you know that for the past several months, I've been making small wallhangings for my office/desk at work that reflect the holidays and seasons. Because these are fairly fast and easy projects, I thought some of you might enjoy them too, so as I make these for myself throughout the year, I'll also write patterns that I'll offer for sale on Etsy.

I suspect most of these projects will use wool, although I've included in my directions instructions on how to make the quilts using cotton fabric instead of wool--and I'll try to do a little tutorial on my blog showing those steps just in case it's not clear. BUT--I think I'll also be putting together a limited number of kits for sale on Etsy, so if you really want to use wool and have none in your stash or at your local quilt shop, or if you want to use the same fabrics I did, you'll have an opportunity to purchase a kit which will include everything you need except the binding.

As I've said a couple times before, I don't mean to turn my blog into an advertisement, but I'm kind of excited about this new little project. My office staff has his work cut out for him tomorrow (Thursday) because he'll need to get copies made of the pattern and pick up photos for the covers. I'm aiming to get this pattern listed no later than Friday night, so if this is something you're interested in, check my Etsy store then, although I'll probably also make a small announcement here--because I just can't help myself!

Happy quilting!

Name that Bunny!

This happy bunny needs a name! Eileen tells me she's a girl bunny. Any ideas?

What's Up Doc?!--Revisited

Would you like to make some carrots? I thought I'd share with you the pattern I gave to my class on Saturday.

First, take a standard sheet of paper, 8-1/2" by 11". On the 8-1/2" edge, find the center point (4-1/4" from either edge). Place a dot there. Now, from that dot, using your cutting ruler, measure 9 " from that center bottom dot to the right edge of the paper and mark that spot. Measure 9" from the center bottom dot to the left edge of the paper and also mark that spot. Keep measuring and marking 9" from the center dot along an arc near the top of the paper and then connect all the dots (this forms the top of the semi-circle). Your drawing will look something like this:

The outer lines that meet the edges of the paper will be your sewing line. For purposes of making a template, cut the paper pattern along those edges and along the line you've drawn for the top of the arc--it will resemble a slice of pizza.

Trace the pattern onto a single piece of muslin for each carrot, adding a 1/4" seam allowance on each side--you'll cut your fabric along those outer lines.

This pattern will make carrots that look close to real life size or slightly smaller. If you would like to make larger carrots, extend the outer lines up further, either on a larger sheet of paper or on the muslin itself.

Last year, I posted steps for making larger fabric carrots with photographs showing each step. Once you have your fabric cut, click HERE for a link to the rest of the instructions I posted last year. For making these smaller carrots, stuff with batting to about 1-1/2" from the top, cut the fringe about every 1/2" or a little less, and use a smaller muslin tie. (The photo below shows the pattern instructions I gave my class.)

Now you can hop off and make a whole GARDEN full of carrots!

It's All About Me!

But then, since this is my blog, isn't it always about me?! LOL!

Well, what I mean by the title, though, is that it's MY blogiversary--two years here in Blogland--and if you had a chance to check in over the weekend, then you know I had a little giveway of a pattern by Donna Yackey called Spring is Here. And you also know that I promised to announce the winner.

So as Hubby was coming out of the bathroom tonight, I said, "Honey, pick a number between 1 and 72." (By now, he's become quite used to me tracking him down and asking him to pick numbers.) "72," he said. And I thought that was rather clever of him because it seems like the first people and the last people who comment never get picked! So, Chocolate Cat, come on down! Well, no, not literally. But please DO email me your mailing address so I can get this pattern in the mail to you. At least you gals in Oz have about seven more months until Spring arrives, so you have a chance of completing the quilt by then!

And speaking of completing quilts, Jane in Ohio sent me a photo of the St. Patrick's Day quilt she finished using my pattern tutorial! She was also quite kind in allowing me to share a photo with you--

Isn't it great? I love what she did in the corners--now why didn't I think of that?! Wonderful job, Jane!

The weekend's almost over and it's back to work tomorrow. And while I'd really just love nothing better than to go back into the Sweat Shop and play around with the variation on Bucky Bunny I was working on earlier today, I think I'll try to at least start the week by getting to bed at a reasonable hour. I hope your weekend was a great one!

Tired, But Happy!

It's just past 9 p.m., and I'm sitting here, drinking a cup of hot chocolate--because I totally deserve it! And when we're done chatting here in Blogland, it's beddy-bye time for me, because the last few days have totally exhausted me. But in a good way--kind of like when you're a kid and you spend the day at Disneyland from the time the park opens until it closes.

Getting the Spring! pattern ready for sale AND working overtime at the office meant I was busy non-stop and only had about five hours of sleep each night on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Getting ready for the Spring! quilt class and putting in a full day's work meant I was busy non-stop and only had about six hours of sleep on Friday night. Today? Today WAS the Spring! quilt class--and we had fun!

Do you want to hear about it?

Well, you may already know this about me, but just in case you don't, I always think it's important to dress appropriately for each occasion. Selecting the correct footwear can be particularly vital.

Everyone's a critic, though. Hubby thought I should give them away as prizes at class or something--anything just so I didn't bring them back home. Spike was terrified. She kept looking at my feet, crouching down, and backing away. When I stopped at Starbucks and got out of my car, a homeless guy said, "You'd think it was EASTER or something!" Oh well--I think my quilty peeps appreciated the effort at least. I can always depend on quilters to applaud my good taste and superior fashion sense.

And true to my quilt class philosophy, the decorations were in line with the theme, and there were plenty of carrot cake cupcakes and carrots with Ranch dressing dip for all.

See the little gifties I brought everyone? These little bags each had a fabric carrot in them, a pattern for making more, an Easter pencil, and two plastic eggs filled with chocolates. (It's important to have plenty of food at quilt classes to keep up one's energy, and besides--you never know when a freak storm may hit, leaving you stranded in a quilt shop for days--it's best to have food, just in case.)

Also in each gift bag was a sheet of paper with BIG letters--A, B, C, D, and E. The letters corresponded to the different blocks we made and I printed those so my ladies could cut them out at the end of class and pin them to the block stacks for easy identification once they got home. But in the meantime, we played a little game. I asked my gals to write down all of the Easter-related words they could think of that began with each of those letters. At the end of class, I made them swap lists and check each other's list to eliminate any non-Easter words. (Not that quilters would actually CHEAT or anything . . . I'm just sayin!) The three ladies with the most words on their lists won Easter goodies I'd found at--where else?!--the THRIFT STORE!

Between all the fun we had, though, my gals worked hard.

And, I'm delighted to say I had a really great group for this class.

Hubby's been a HUGE help the last few days too. I told him that although it's never good to lose a job, if he had to lose his, this was the best time to do it. He's been really great about doing everything he can to help with the patterns and getting things together for the class, and tonight he even cooked dinner--teriyaki chicken and veggies on skewers--both cooked on the BBQ--and rice. And really, so WHAT if he didn't realize that when you cook rice, you also need to measure the water and not just fill the pot to the top?! He'll learn. Seriously, I don't know what I would have done this week without his help.

And all of you who have clicked on over to Etsy and ordered a pattern--I want to sincerely thank you for your orders and your support. Hubby mailed a batch out on Friday and another batch this morning, so they should arrive soon. And, by the way, I've modified the shipping info on the listing to reflect international postage prices--just in case you don't live in the US and were puzzled about ordering a pattern. We're happy to ship these babies anywhere you'd like us to! And quilt shops? I'd love it if you wanted to carry my patterns--just email me directly for more information.

Well, enough about me. I hope you're having a wonderful weekend! And if you haven't done so already, please comment on yesterday's post so I can enter you in the two-year blogiversary drawing for the Spring is Here pattern by Donna Yackey.

Thanks for visiting! My cup is empty, the hot chocolate is warming my tummy, and my bed is calling. Goodnight!

GUESS WHAT?

It's my Blogiversary! Woo-Hoo! Two years of living life in Blogland, and I'm still loving it! It's been a great journey of meeting new people and exchanging ideas about quilting and life. You know what usually happens on Blogiversaries, right? A giveaway! Yep!

See that cute Donna Yackey pattern up there? That's the prize. Leave me a comment telling me you want to be put into the drawing, and I'll draw a name late Sunday night when I post my Monday blog.

Tomorrow (Saturday) is my quilt class for the Spring! quilt and I've been hopping around like a bunny all night long, getting ready for it. All I can say is that if you're signed up for the class, there WILL be goodies and fun! And if you're not signed up for the class and happen to be in the Sacramento area? As of Friday at 5 p.m., I had one spot left--give Bearpaws and Hollyhocks a call when they open at 10 a.m. and see if you can sign up--I'd LOVE to see you! Class starts at noon.

Finally, speaking of time--if you're in an area that observes Daylight Savings Time, don't forget to turn your clocks ahead Saturday night!

* * * * *

*Comments closed--a winner will be announced soon!

Good Tidings

A couple days before my husband's department was closed and he was out of a job, this was the fortune I got in my fortune cookie that came with our Chinese fast food on one of those long, long work days:

I have a habit of saving good fortunes for at least a few days, and I'm sure you can imagine my thoughts every time I caught sight of my "fortune" in the first few days following the job loss. However--

On Tuesday, I received an email from C & T Publishing, informing me I had won their February Design Challenge--WOO HOO! So, yes, my fortune DID indeed come true--even more so today when FedEx delivered my prize package containing all sorts of yummy goodies from C & T! Check out THIS treasure haul:

Cool, huh?! And if it hadn't been for a couple of you out there in Blogland who emailed me to tell me about the contest, I never would have known about it and never would have won. So a big thanks to you guys! And if you haven't discovered C & T's blog yet, click HERE and take a look.

And there's more exciting news--at least I think so! My Etsy shop is now open for business, so those of you who have told me you can't wait for the Spring! pattern to be published--now's your chance! But really, what I want to say most of all is THANK YOU all for your wonderful words of encouragement and support in this new endeavor--without you, I'm sure my dreams of starting a pattern business "someday" would not have come to fruition THIS day.

Thanks, as always, for stopping in to visit!

No Time to Chat . . .

I've hopped to it tonight and I've been working as hard as I can at getting the Spring! pattern directions written. I have my office staff lined up to research photocopy costs in the morning, and then he'll hop on down to the nearest likely source. Hopefully--fingers crossed--I'll be ready to stock my Etsy store with Spring! patterns by late Thursday night if all goes well, and then I can get my shipping and receiving guy to mail out the first orders by Saturday.

Thank you all for the wonderful suggestions for Mr. "No Name" Bunny! It's awfully hard to decide! I just might need to make a couple more versions of the wallhanging so I can use your great bunny names!

I hope you're not too terribly disappointed with the lack of breakfast-time entertainment. I'll try to come up with a more interesting post soon. Thanks for stopping hopping in to visit!