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!

Bunnies and Other Stuff

I've been busy my last day of vacation. It's late and I have to get up early in the morning for work, so I'm going to try to keep this post short--if I can!

My house is clean--yay!

My software arrived--yay! A couple people commented, asking what software I was getting. Nothing fancy--just some basic programs. When I bought my home computer, my only need at the time was for internet access, so I didn't get much in the way of software with it--just a bundle of trial programs. What I needed for writing patterns was a word processing program (Word Perfect), something to allow me to work with photos (Photoshop Elements), and a drawing program (Corel Draw Graphics Editor). I've used Word Perfect for years and years, so I'm fine there. I have absolutely no idea how the other two programs work, so I'll need to figure those out. In the meantime, I'll work with what I have and what I know. I DID print up a cover for my Spring! pattern:

My office staff (aka Hubby) will work tomorrow on mounting the photos on the covers (I just did two to see how they looked) and I'll try to put some time in on typing the rest of the pattern. Sure wish I had another day off, because I have about a day's "stuff" left to do, but isn't that always the way it goes?

I did get a little bit of play time today--not much, but I finished the little project I've been working on--another small wallhanging for my desk at work.

I think he needs a name. Any suggestions?

Something New

Okay, guess what? I have an Etsy shop! Woo-hoo!

No, there's nothing in it yet, but at least it's set up and I'll put a link on my blog soon. I spent a good part of the day today signing up there and starting a new PayPal account for the shop, and then playing around with getting the shop set up. There are still a few things to do, but I'm mostly ready as far as that end of things goes. Now I need to get the software I'm waiting for so I can print up patterns--it should arrive tomorrow.

I really don't much like taking care of this kind of business "stuff" though. After several hours in front of the computer and making a few calls about accounts and such, I was really ready to go play in the Sweat Shop, and I did for a little while, but I don't have anything to show you yet--maybe tomorrow.

I also managed to clean out the freezer in the garage and the freezer in the house. Now we have a countertop piled high with mystery food. I will NOT be surprised if I find a defrosted woolly mammoth in one of those containers in the morning.

I have one more day of vacation left, and I'm going to spend some of it cleaning house--but not too much! I'm definitely going to leave myself at least a little time for play. Thanks for stopping in to visit!

I've Got a Green Thumb!

And green fingers too! With touches of orange here and there. Why?

Because my carrots don't come from the garden--they're made and painted in the Sweat Shop, of course!

Thank You!

Thank you all for your words of support and encouragement, both as to Hubby's current lack of gainful employment and my own quilt pattern and teaching endeavors. Times are tough for so many people that we know we aren't alone. Your kind comments mean a lot to us.

Today I headed back to the quilt shop--which is also a place full of people offering support and encouragement! I can't help but feel a little guilty buying fabric now, but ultimately what I "invest" in quilting--as long as I have a plan and don't make purely impulsive purchases--is designed to earn money in the future through classes and pattern sales, I hope! I found four fabrics I thought would make good backgrounds for the bunny/tulip quilt, and knowing how limited my stash is in non-Thimbleberries neutrals, I brought home a yard and a half of each:

I decided to use the white with yellow flowers on the left for the class sample. I'm also making this one using a variety of colors for the tulips.

I've cut and sewn all of the component block "parts" today and put them up on the design wall, making notes for writing the pattern as I went along. Tomorrow I'll work on actually drafting out the pattern instructions and illustrations. I can't remember if I mentioned it in yesterday's post, but I wasn't sure whether I had saved the applique designs I'd drawn for the original quilt, but I found them last night, so that puts me another step closer to getting this one written!

On another note, Yvonne wondered whether I might do another Day of Beauty post because it's been a long time since the last one. Well, having been gently reminded and knowing that winter will be ending soon, I figured I probably didn't really need that thick layer of leg hair to keep me warm any longer, so I got out my razor today and blew off the dust. I WAS a bit concerned that we may need to call RotoRooter to unclog the pipes afterward and that's certainly NOT an added expense we need right now, but everything seems to have gone alright. And since I'm on a roll with the whole beauty thing, I just might work up to plucking my eyebrows and chin hairs sometime in the next couple of days. After all, even in these difficult economic times, it's still important to look one's best!

Thanks for stopping in to visit!