She's got it ...

... "Who's got what?" you may be wondering.  Well, Paulette's got her quilt back.  You remember the one we did a skills barter on?  (For anyone who's still wondering what I'm wittering on about, you can find out here.)  I sent the finished quilt back a couple of weeks ago, and yesterday it was delivered.  I was so excited to be sending it back that I forgot to take any photos of it, apart from these

so I've taken these from her website, I hope she doesn't mind.  Paulette says she thinks she got the best of our barter but I don't agree.  I just love my penny rug, which sits on my dining table and looks wonderful. (So wonderful in fact that I almost have to search Mrs Nomad every time she leaves after a visit cos she loves it too.)

To all my American friends ...

Lucky, lucky me ...

... a couple of weeks ago I told you all that I seemed to be on a winning streak as I had won several great giveaways.  Well just look at what arrived in the post today from Ruth at Country Log Cabin.  I knew I had won the charm pack and some co-ordinating fabrics.  What I didn't know until I opened the box was that there was also going to be a fun hanging ornament, a gorgeous little chicken pincushion, which is far to cute to stick pins in, some wonderful blingy buttons and a notebook which becomes two photo frames when I've finished the pad of paper.  I know what I am going to do with the fabric, and can hardly wait to get cutting, but I must finish off one or two other things first.

Now you understand the title of this post?  Thank you so much Ruth, I loved everything you sent.

Yoohoo, Paulette.....

.... here it comes ....

This is what you've all been waiting for ...

The names of the Christmas Quiltalong winners.

I'm sorry it's taken me so long to post the names, but here they are finally.  Both Grand Prize winners and the quiz winner were all drawn using Random.org, but I haven't shown the screen prints this time.  I have saved them on my computer if anyone wants to see them.

I put your name into the draw once for each time you took part in a Christmas Quiltalong Day for one of the grand prizes, and so, without further ado,

the person who won this lovely little box by Dave at Quiltboxes, is number 54 Pattilou of Pattilous Quilts

The lucky person who won tthis Lollipop kit so generously donated by Sharon at Daisy Cottage Quilting,  is  number 38, Elizabeth from Sand and Sunshine







The winner of the quiz this month, which was more difficult than previous quizzes, is Janet from Caribou Crossing and I have awarded the Brain Teaser prize to Ann J, who sent me an electronic Christmas card with the answer, which I thought was very clever, and great fun.

Finally, because this is my party, so I'm allowed to do these things, I decided to award one additional prize, just for making me laugh, which goes to Sewali, for her answer to the quiz question  "In the Ukraine, what does it mean when you find a spiders web in the house on Christmas morning ?"  Sewali's answer was: "someone spent too much time quilting and didn't do the housework."

Please would the winners contact me with your addresses?

Thank you everyone who joined in with the Christmas Quiltalong this year. I've had a lot of fun, and I hope you have too.  Don't forget that Cathi and I are going to hold Quiltalong days evvery month next year, so keep checking back on our blogs for more information.

I promised you some exciting news a couple of days ago, so here it is.  SewCalGal has offered to sponsor a competition for all the Quiltalongers. I will give all the details next week, but wanted to share this news with you all now, isn't it great?  Thanks so much SewCalGal.

I heard it on the grapevine ...

... actually I didn't.  I heard it from SewCalGal, that some people who are entering quilts in the Christmas Quilt Show, are set as "no-reply" bloggers.  Now this means that if you win one of her great prizes, she can't get in touch with you, which would be a great shame, so, if you enter a quilt, do make sure she can contact you, just in case she accidentally pulls your name out of the hat instead of mine!  Ms SewCalGal has even made it easy to do this, by posting instructions on her blog here and here (you need to scroll down to "step 3" on this page).

I expect you're really here to see if you've won anything from the Christmas Quiltalong aren't you?  I'm sorry, but I've been having trouble with Random.org this morning, so I'm going to do it later and post all the results tomorrow, although on second thoughts, I might not do it at all, and just keep the prizes for myself.  Nobody will mind, will they?  No, I didn't think so.  Tomorrow I will have another exciting bit of Christmas Quiltalong news.  So be sure to come back.

Christmas Crackers Edited to add something important

You all know how I can't resist entering a quilt show on-line, so here I go again.  SewCalGal is holding a virtual Christmas Quilt show, and I reckon there will be hundreds of entries which means there will be loads of eye candy for us all.  Anyone is welcome to enter (there's all sorts of prizes if you do,) but even if you don't want to enter, do go and make yourself a coffee then settle down to enjoy the show here.
Edited to add that if you enter and you are one of the people who took part in any of the Christmas Quiltalongs, please mention that in your post and SewCalGal is going to give you an extra chance to win in the draw for all those wonderful prizes.  If you don't want to mention that, don't worry, I've just made up a new rule, which is that I'll have your extra chances instead.  (I'm sure that's OK isn't it Ms SewCalGal?)

My entry is a quilt I have called Christmas Crackers.  I  have always wanted a red and gold Christmas quilt and this year I decided it was the year to stop wishing and start making.  It is my own design, and I made it during one of my Christmas Quiltalong days.

Then I long-arm quilted it, and finished the binding on last night so I could show it today.  (I am great at leaving things to the last minute!) When I took some close up photos of the quilting I realised the gold/red/gold rectangles outside the pinwheels looked a bit like Christmas Crackers, and so this quilt got its name.

Before I finish this post, I would like to thank SewCalGal very much for hosting this show, which I know is going to be another cracker!

Night night everybody

I'm signing off now for tonight.  Tomorrow I'm looking forward to visiting everyone and see what everyone has been doing.

Don't forget to enter the Quiz and the Brainteaser - there are prizes!

I hope you've all enjoyed yourselves today, and don't forget that Cathi at Shakerwood Quilts and I are planning to continue holding Christmas Quiltalong days right through next year.  We will post more details on our blogs soon.


Night, nights, everybody.  I'll come visiting you all tomorrow so make sure you've put your names on the Linky whatsit here and the eggnog's ready and the mince pies are warm.

Progress report 2

It's now 7.30 pm for me and these

              plus these

have become these

Eight great little bags.

Now I've settled down to do some hand sewing in order to turn these

into something useful.

I hope you're all having fun, and getting lots of things done?

If you've only just joined the party, I would love for you to add your name on the Linky-thingy here so we can all visit each other and see what we're all up to.

Another little brain teaser ....

... I don't want you all to get too bored sitting sewing all day, so here's another little bit of fun.

Solve the puzzle before bedtime on Monday (you've got an extra day for this one) and email your answer to me and you could be the lucky winner of another prize from me.

Just find the letter referred to in each line.  When you have them all, they will spell out a well-known phrase.

My first is in hop and also in hope,

My second is found at the start of always,

My third and my fourth both rhyme with tea

And my fifth is in Yule and also in year.

My sixth is in cherry and also in cheery,

My seventh is exactly the same as my first,

My eighth will always be found in a rhyme

And my ninth is in this but not in that.

My tenth is in silver but never in gold,

My eleventh is in a nice cup of tea,

My twelfth is seen at the beginning of me

And my thirteenth is always the first letter you see.

My last is in is and also in was,

And my whole is a wish from me to you all.

Traditions

I was just sitting sewing strips together for binding, which isn't exactly demanding, and my mind started to wander.  (Yes, I can hear you at the back there muttering that that's nothing new!).  In our house we always have a Chinese takeaway on Christmas Eve with as many of the family as we can gather together.  It's great fun, and usually noisy.  The big advantage for me is that I don't have to cook it.  Oh, and there's very little clearing up/washing up to do afterwards.  The takeaway that we go to usually gives us a nice desk calendar too, so there's an added bonus.  So, do any of you have any Christmas traditions?

Mr Linky can be found here if anyone is looking for it to add their name or just so they can go visiting.

It's time ....

for a break.

Here's a little quiz for you all.  Simply (ha, ha) answer as many questions as you can, and email them to me before you go to bed on Sunday.  I (actually Mr Random.org) will pick a winner from among the entries on Monday and that person will win a little prize.  So, pencil poised?  Paper in front of you?  Brain in gear?  OK, let's go:

1              Which Christmas item did Thomas Smith invent?

2              What is the name of Tiny Tim’s father in A Christmas Carol?

3              Name one of Santa’s reindeer.

4              Christmas pudding was first made as a (?) with raisins and wine?

5              What was the original name of the dish that Christmas pudding was based on?

6              In which city did “Miracle on 34th Street” take place?

7              On which instrument were Christmas carols originally played?

8              Which  Christmas holiday drink contains sugar, milk and eggs?

9              Which country started the tradition of exchanging gifts at Christmas?

10            What do most elves wear on the tips of their shoes?

11            Christmas carol singing began as an old custom called?

12            Which famous Christmas gift was created from a sweet smelling tree resin?

13            What colour is the Grinch?

14            At Christmas it is traditional to exchange kisses beneath which plant?

15            In the Ukraine, what does it mean when you find a spiders web in the house

               on Christmas  morning?

16           Who was the composer of the Nutcracker Suite?

17           In the song Jingle Bells, what was fun to ride in?

18           How many sides does a snowflake have?

Lunch time ....

... and so far, this is what I've done:

Some of this

Some of this

Some sewing

and a bit more

and I'm having fun.

If you're taking part, please add your name to the Linky, here so we can all visit each other during the day.

Good morning ...

... all you Christmas Quiltalongers.

Just as I always do, I've added this Linky-Thingy. If you're taking part in the festivities put your name and blog address in there, then we have a list of the names that we can click on to go visit each other. Clever isn't it? Oh, and if you don't want to, you don't have to leave a comment, even though the Linky-Thingy tells you too.




Fancy some Christmas music to start the day off?

I always try to oblige, so here you go.  Just turn your speakers on, select your music preference, press the button, and hey presto, music as you sew.

How long .... edited version

I also have some great news.  Sharon at Daisy Cottage Quilting has donated a wonderful prize for one of you lucky people to win.  This is what she is giving,

a wonderful new Moda kit using the Lollipop range of fabrics to make that lovely wallhanging.  Everything comes in the cute bag you can see.  Thank you so much Sharon for being so generous.  While I'm talking of Sharon, do go and have a look round her online store. Edited to add this bit, cos I'm an idiot with a brain like a sieve so I forgot to tell you that Sharon isn't set up for overseas customers, but if you email your order to her she will sort it out for you.  I recommend you to sign up for her email newsletters as she often has wonderful special offers in there.  (The last one I took advantage of was 40% off everything in your order - yes that's right, 40%!!!!!)  If you do sign up, please tell her I sent you.

It's also a good time to remind you that you could also win this box made by Dave at www.quiltboxes.com

You don't have to anything to win one of these two great prizes.  I will put everyone who has taken part in any of the quiltalongs into the draw for these.  Guess when I'll do the draw?  yep, on Monday.  Mr Random.org and I are going to be spending quite a bit of time together on Monday aren't we?

Ready? ....

I know I've told you before that I worry about me sometimes, so here's my latest stupidity.

I spent almost all of yesterday looking for a book with an applique pattern of Father Christmas that I thought I might have a go at on Saturday. 

I looked in all the obvious places.............I looked in the not-at-all obvious places............ I had lunch........ I looked in all the obvious places again.......... I looked again in the not-at-all-obvious places.........still no luck.  So then I looked on the computer. 

Yes, I know I wouldn't find it there, but I just thought I'd check on my account history with Mr Amazon for when I'd actually bought it.  Don't ask me why I thought that might help me find it, but that's me!  I was right though, it DID help.  I discovered that I'd never actually bought it!

So anyway, are you all ready to join in the last Christmas Quiltalong for this year?

Is it Christmas already? ...

... I think I must have fallen asleep for a few weeks and woken up to find Christmas has arrived.  "Why?" some of you are asking. "What on earth is she on about now?" the rest of you are wondering.

Well, you remember I won a giveaway from Heather at Creative Confessions?  The parcel arrived a few days ago, and just see all these gorgeous fabrics in it? The ones on the left are all lovely brushed cottons, which I keep stroking, and which are going to become a lap quilt one day soon.  Some of the others will look great in the Drunkards' Path quilt I have planned, and I have ideas for most of the others too. Thank you once again Heather.

Then Leona at Leona's Quilting Adventure sent me a great Christmas panel to say thanks for some blocks I sent her.  That was so unexpected, and I want to say thank you so much Leona, that was a lovely thought and this panel is going to become a lap quilt very quickly I think.

Then I woke up yesterday to find I had won two more giveaways!  Woww, this is me!  I am the person who never wins anything.  Well I can't say that anymore can I?  I have won some fabric from Ruth at Country Log Cabin.  There is a charm pack of "Happy" plus some coordinating fabrics.  I am thrilled about this, and already know exactly what I am going to do with it, but I can't say anything yet.  Thank you Ruth, I can hardly wait to receive this.  In addition, I won a very generous prize from Abbe at Copper Patch.  She recently celebrated her 30th birthday and decided to give away $30 to someone, with the proviso it must be spent on something the winner really wants for herself. I'll have no problems with that then, thanks Abs.

So now you see why I thought it might be Christmas  already?

Now thinking of winning giveaways, you are probably all wondering when I'm going to announce who won that lovely book I was giving as a trick or treat prize?  Well, the answer is now.  I used Random.org as usual to draw the winner, and it is

and lucky number 13 is ..................... Sandie, from crazy'boutquilts  who, like me, specially liked the cover quilt.  OK, so here's the deal Sandie.  I let you have the book, then you make that quilt and give it to me.  That's fair isn't it?

Don't forget, the next Christmas Quiltalong day is on Saturday.  Come and join us everyone.

Hold the front page .....

... Isn’t that what they say in newspaper-land when there’s an exciting news story breaking?  Well I’ve got a great news story for you.  Several people have emailed me when they realised that next Saturday is the last Christmas Quiltalong, to ask if I would consider carrying on throughout next year.  One of the people who got in touch was Cathi from http://shakerwoodquilts.blogspot.com who offered to co-host with me if it went on right through 2011 – she must be as mad as I am. 

Soooo ...... after much thought and deliberation (at least a nano-second) on my part, I can now tell you that  

the Christmas Quiltalong 

will continue to be held 

on the second Saturday of every month 

during 2011.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to work on Christmas projects, but we do hope you will join us anyway.  We have got some exciting things in the pipeline and are even planning a free (cos free is good, right?) project for you along the lines of a block of month so you could actually join in and make a Christmas quilt.  There will also be other fun things going on with competitions and prizes.   

If you have any ideas of anything you would like to see us do, please contact either of us, otherwise, keep an eye on our blogs and we will give more information in a couple of weeks.

What a lovely dream .....

.... I had the other night.  I dreamt that we won the lottery.  £750,000!  It would have been higher, except we were sharing this win with two other people.  But I was very happy anyway.

Then the lottery organisers rang and said "whoops, we made a mistake.  You're not sharing this, so you've actually won £3 million."  Well, if I was happy before, imagine how I felt now.

Then the phone rang again.  It was the same lady from the lottery organisers.  "whoops, we made another mistake.  It was a rollover, so you've won £7 million."  Now can you imagine how I felt after that?

Fast forward a couple of days (in my dream that is).  We were introduced to personal stylists, hair and make-up people, etc, who going to do our makeovers and we would then be on TV receiving our cheque.  The venue for this was a wonderful hotel near us, and we were going to be taken there by helicopter.  (Really, we could have walked there, it's less than a mile away.)  There was going to be a big champagne reception afterwards for all our family and friends, paid for by the lottery people again.  You were all invited, and the hotel was going to pay your fares.  Ohh, it was all so exciting. 

We arrived at the hotel and were introduced to our personal investment advisor, who asked us what we were going to spend the money on.  Well, of course, I had spent a couple of days thinking about this, so I had a lot of ideas.  I took a deep breath to start to tell him, and.....

Mr Fixit decided to get up, and that woke me up. 

Anyone who knows us well will know that I am very good at spending money, whereas Mr Fixit is very good at saving, so it has caused much hilarity in the family when they realised that he even managed to stop me spending in my dreams.

Life's just not fair sometimes, is it?

There's still time to enter my giveaway by the way.  All you need to do is go here and leave a comment.

PS Tonight's lottery draw is a triple rollover, so the jackpot is £18 million, and yes, I've bought an extra ticket.

Christmas Quiltalong...

... It seems that most people would prefer it if I stopped messing around with the date for the next Christmas Quiltalong, so I can now officially announce that the date will stay the same.  It will be on the second Saturday of the month as usual, ie 13 November.  This is a party that anyone is welcome to join in and where newcomers will be very welcome. 

I'm sorry for the PPP.  No, not Practice, Practice, Practice, but P*ss Poor Planning.

Don't forget my giveaway.  It's open until Sunday so there's still time to enter here.

OK Paulette ...

... you asked for it.  You said I was to open it up, so here it is ...

I hope you like it?

Now, I'd like to be serious for a moment.  (Yes, I can be serious occasionally.)  I was thinking about the November Quiltalong today.  If it's on the second Saturday of the month, which will be 13 November, that's just a week before Thanksgiving I believe.  Is that a bad time for you people in the US, should we re-schedule it, say for this weekend instead?  Please let me know what you think, and I'll go with the majority.  You really don't want to miss this one as I've got all sorts of fun things planned, and there'll be a competition, door prizes and of course this stunning "grand prize".  

Edited to add picture of said Grand Prize:

 Don't forget, anyone can join in, just let me know your taking part by putting your name on the Mr Linky thingamebob that I put on the blog first thing in the morning.  I have been lucky enough to have a lot of new visitors and followers lately, so if you're interested, you can read more about it here.  Remember, this is the final Christmas Quiltalong of the year.

PS There's still plenty of time to enter my giveaway, here.

It's finished ........

.... Paulette's quilt, that is.  I've finally quilted it, now I just hope to goodness that she likes it.

Would you all like a sneaky peek?  Sshhhh, don't tell her then, but this is what it looks like:

 Do you think she'll like it?

By the way don't forget you've still got time to enter my giveaway, here.