Introduction from Cindy

My introduction,

Hi, My name is Cindy, and I've been quilting for 3 years. During that time, I've gone from working 2 jobs, to being unable to work at all due to health issues. To keep myself busy, and my mind off my disability, I've thrown myself into quilting full time plus. I've gone from a beginner quilter who needed to learn how to sew a straight line, to an advanced quilter(according to my beginning quilt instructor, and others who have seen my progression), to an advanced quilter. I love to do any kind of piecing, from traditional blocks to modern, applique to paper pieced, basically anything that crosses my path I will try. I have even undertaken quilting my finished tops on my home machine. I am making samples for a local quilting shop, and I have also started testing patterns for bloggers. 

I really sound like I'm bragging, and I'm sorry. Unfortunately, a lot of my self-esteem is tied up in quilting right now, and my doctors are saying I probably won't be able to hold a regular job down any more. My biggest compliment came from my 25 and 26 year old sons this weekend. We are moving my quilting room upstairs, and I was trying to figure out how to get everything into the one bedroom. My son's want me to put my sewing table and machine in the living room. Why? Why would they want all that mess in the living room? They complained because I was sewing at the kitchen table this summer, so why the living room? The answer, they like me being in the same room when they come over so we can spend time together, and they are both really proud about how hard I have been working to overcome the curve ball I've been thrown in life, and are proud at how well I quilt now. My sons are proud of me! I  would never have thought to see the day.

Hello from Edith

Hi, my name is Edi (Edith). I have been a blogger for just a little over a year. Honestly, I can't remember how I got started but I did get lots of encouragement from a good friend Down Under, that I met while reading different blogs that I found on Pinterest. 

I'm a stay-at-home mom and homemaker. I share my home with my husband of almost 15 years, my 13 year old son (we adopted when he was 5 after 2 years of foster care), 4 dogs, 4 birds, a bala shark and 2 hermit crabs. Over my working career, I have been data entry, retail management, shipping and receiving and a legal secretary. I worked from home for five years while adjusting to being a stay-at-home parent. I volunteered as a tutor while my son was in elementary school. I volunteer as a Sunday School teacher and craft department for Vacation Bible School at my church.

I learned to sew in junior high. My mom taught me embroidery. My best friend of 40+ years is one of my strongest supporters in the quilt world. Along with sewing, quilting and embroidery, I crochet, cook, garden and am an avid reader. My favorite authors are Nora Roberts, Fern Michaels and Nicholas Sparks. 

I'm looking forward to this my first swap. Sharing, making new friends and learning lots.  Thank you.

Susan: Fabric choices

I have some of Deana's main print coming from the shop in Ephraim, and I bought these to go with it. I was going to use more from my stash, but it was a shop hop in stores I'd never visited before, so ....

There's another turquoise/teal in my batik stash - at least one! I'm going to find another rosy-salmon piece, too. These are mostly quarter yards, though two of the backgrounds are half-yard pieces. Better too many than too few, right? LOL!

Moira - first peek at fabrics

I headed out today to find fabrics to use at the basis for my swap blocks.    And here is what I found. I hope they look ok.

I'll be pulling any green, blue, yellow and background fabs from my stash.

But thinking of the background - any specifics on what that should be?

JO from ButterZ

I started my blog just over a year ago. The name ButterZ was chosen as a reminder of my son. ButterZ was his nick name. The quilting community has helped me so much to get through every day.
I enjoy patchwork and quilting. I find myself doing some everyday.
I seem to make a heap of things to give away but like to try different things. So I am really looking forward to this swap. I am not sure if I will do a row by row or just a few blocks. It just depends on how much time I work on them..
Thanks for letting me join in and hope to read a lot more about everyone's journey.
Come on 1st September.

Daryl

Hello I am Daryl and I blog at Patchouli Moon Studio. I have been blogging since 2008 and quilting since the 1970's when I did it all by hand. I am married to my best friend and we just celebrated our 34th anniversary about a week and a half ago. I have a daughter and a son and one grandson. I live in New Mexico where right now it's chile roasting season and the yummy scent of chile roasting is in the air wherever you go. October will bring 100's of hot air balloons flying in the skies of Albuquerque with the annual International Balloon Fiesta. The posting today on my blog shows 4 small hot air balloon quilts that I just made. (I also blog at another blog where I post the show and tell from other women from the groups I belong to: Daryl's Fiber Arts Blog).
Looking forward to making the blocks and enjoying the swap part too.

Close-up of balloons made with watercolors and quilted.

Moira

Hi everyone!

My name is Moira and I'm currently living here in NE Indiana in Fort Wayne.    I'm in my third, or is it fourth incarnation and am now working as a high school engineering teacher at a small rural school just north of Fort Wayne..   I have 8th-12th grades and enjoy all of them....well most of the time at any rate.....lol.    I finished a Master's degree in Tech Ed at Purdue University through a career change program.   And this year is the last year  that I have to work in a rural school for the program I went through.   Have now been back to school for 4 wks, and time has gotten more limited for sewing again.

I'm single and live alone so I can quilt whenever I want.....well I should when I'm not at school teaching or at the part-time job.

I've been quilting for over 40 yrs now and 95% of the time I make my own designs.   I am also a active quilt designer and have been blessed to have several blocks published in the QuiltMakers 100 Blocks magazines over the last several years, and one full quilt pattern as a result of that.   I currently have one pattern designed that I need to get a sample made up so that I know it works before submitting for publication consideration.

I'm also in the midst of hosting a block of the month this year on my blog - http://quiltedsna/il.blogspot.com/. I post msgs with links to the blocks on the blog.    Am also currently working to put a Block Robin together that has been sitting as a UFO for 3+ yrs now.

For this one, I'm the one that will not be working it as a row quilt.   I know I won't have enough time to do the full thing so I'll be swapping a block or two and then plan on putting everything together in a way similar to what I'm doing with my current project (can be seen on my blog).  =)   And in case you ever wondered, I don't tend to march to the same drummer as most people.   lol....

Susan and I have known each other for a lot of year now, and been in a lot of swaps together.   We tend to get each other to follow us down lots of different 'rabbit trails' as we find different project.  =)   I did participate in the last mystery that Deana  ran here, and still have the two quilt tops that resulted from it - both unquilted as of now.

Vickie

I have been quilting for 14 years but have tied quilts for many many more than that and have sewn since I was about 8 years old.  I have really enjoyed the piecing process and love doing long arm quilting.  I will be buying my first longarm in a few months but I've used them for about 5 years to quilt my own and friends quilts.  I love the way the sewing room has a calming, everything is right with the world effect on me.  We moved into our new home about 1 1/2 years ago and (lucky me) it has a mother in law suite out back which is now my sewing cottage.  I blog over at www.acreativenotion.blogspot.com but have been a slacker all summer long.  I'm married to my best friend and have 5 grown kids, 3 have 3 children each.  So I have 9 beautiful grand kids, only 2 are boys.   I currently have 3 grands living with me ages 8,7 and 3.  They keep me busy and unfortunately out of the sewing room for now. 

I am a registered nurse and do home care and hospice which I love doing.  I'm hoping to be able to retire soon and start my own business.

 I am excited to start this fun swap and have done many swaps in the past, the flower and sewing theme are right up my alley.  I live close enough to the store in Ephriam Utah to just run over there tomorrow and get some fabric.  Can't wait to get to know you all.  Vickie

Janice

I have been quilting since 2009 when I jumped in with both feet.  I usually start a quilt with a general design concept but let it develop and evolve as I go.  Most of my quilts usually snuggle on beds in cottages around mountains and lakes in Cananda.  I find they are the perfect thank you gift.  

I love scrap quilts, and embrace paper piecing.  My appreciation has yet to include Civil War or muddy colours - I purchase Kona white by the bolt.  While I love calm and cool, I also love vibrant reds, oranges and yellows.  My last quilt was #Hashtags which I love for its cool blues and pale greens, and lots of white.  It can be seen on my Flickr site - Tell Tale Threads.  

International swaps and QALs have broadened my horizons and pushed my bounderies, so I am looking forward to the Mystery Row Swap.

Hello from Marianne

I am a 40yr old expat Australian living in Denver Colorado. Sewing has been a hobby of mine on and off since high school textiles and design classes however I’ve only been quilting 2 years. My delightful dogs Ebony and Henry are my constant companions in the sewing room. I have a wonderful husband who indulges my many obsessions and three sons that have all left home. I am a substitute teacher and the work is sporadic, so I have a LOT of time to sew, I like quick projects and am currently enjoying bright colored fabrics the most.

Marianne

Betty

Quilting is my hobby.  I enjoy it very much.  I make quilts for family members and for friends.  I belong to a local quilt group of friends and we make quilts for local charities.  Most of the time we make baby quilts and lap quilts.  I really am a scrap lover and don't like to waste any fabric.
I am looking forward to participating in this Row quilt.  I like the theme and the name she has chosen for the quilt.   We are to chose fabrics similar to the ones that have been shown.  They don't have to be the exact same fabrics.  Am I understanding correctly?

By the way.  I live in Oregon.

Ann

Hi everyone,
My name is Ann, and I have been quilting my whole life, with spurts of more activity at specific times. I am a first cousin to Deana's mother (Lyn) and sister to Marie. We have been quilting as a family for a number of years. We are "The Daughters of Dorinda" or more accurately granddaughters several generations removed.
I am a retired nurse and now my vocation is Grandma. I tend 2 - 5 grandchildren while their Mom's work. With school back in session, I have only 2 preschoolers during the day. I have 13 grandchildren and I have made each of them a baby quilt when they were born, and have a goal of making them each a quilt for High School Graduation. Currently that has happened as there are only 2 who have graduated. Currently I have the tops done for the next 4, (who are teenagers). My Current project is a baby quilt for my first great grandchild. I don't have any blocks put together yet, but am doing a pinwheel quilt in blues (for a boy, of course).
I am excited to be doing a group project again. I love row quilts and look forward to joining all of you in this adventure.

Felicity

I am so excited to be apart of this quilt experience. I am a very blessed mother of three gorgous boys. Brody, Payson, and Trey are my life. My husband Kit is my knight in shining armor. Quilting was introduced to me by my Mother-in-law Lyn and my Sister-in-law Deana, and well lets just say its one of my passions and is also very addicting.
Lets get sewing! Horrah for Quilting!

Hello from Deana

Hi everyone!  I want to start by thanking all of you for joining in on this adventure.  It is gutsy to agree to make a quilt when you don't even know what it will look like.  Honestly, I don't exactly know either because I am designing one month at a time.

The quilting me:
I have been quilting for 20+ years, designing for about 15, and blogging for about 10.  I love to design and create.  I like to try any and all techniques because I love to learn. I love quilters because they are the kindest people EVER!  My dream job would be to get back into teaching quilting techniques.  Perhaps some day.  I love all fabric colors and generally favor autumn colors, but lately I am into brighter things.  I love quilts with LOTS of different fabrics in them and color coordinated scrappy ones.

The teacher me:
I am a secondary teacher who has been helping adults earn their GED or high school diploma for over 10 years.  I began my real love, teaching at the junior high, just two years ago.  I just LOVE teens.  I teach computer technology which is a class that teens like, so it makes my job easier.

The real me:
I am married to my sweetheart of 23 years and have 3 wonderful children.  My eldest daughter is serving a church mission in Russia, my second daughter is at college, and my son is a junior in high school.  Oh yeah, and I am pretty short - 5 ft tall.

Susan: Desertsky Quilting

Here's my introduction post. I'm not shy! I did participate in the 2011 Mystery and loved it, though I wasn't able to finish everything. I have a wall hanging I like very much, though - or I have the top and need to quilt it! For the most part, I'm a scrappy quilter, so I suspect that blocks I make for me will be made from my scrap bins - yes, that's bins, plural! I will bite the bullet and buy actual fabric in the colors required for swap blocks, though!
Here's an example of my scrappy nature:

If you want to know personal stuff, I'm a retired elementary teacher, a widow, and mother of two grown sons who are still brats. I'm not a grandmother, but there are a lot of children in my life because many of my friends are half my age. I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and gospel activities, quilting and reading take up most of my time, with sleeping and eating running toward the front, as well.
If you want to know quilt stuff, I'm a scrap quilter. I rarely buy fabric just for a specific project. Most of my quilt tops go to American Hero Quilts. I don't make clothes or pillows and rarely anything for the table, just quilts of varying sizes. I'm a traditionalist, though I like some modern things, as you can see from my string quilt, which was a pattern idea from Wedding Dress Blue. Here's another of my quilts, made for a friend.

I'm really looking forward to this new swap/challenge/mystery! Deanna is so creative and I love her work. I'm looking forward to getting to know each of you, though I already know a couple of you from the past, and Moira from long-time friendship.
One last quilt, from one of Moira's BOM designs, this one in my favorite colors:

Mystery theme launched! Fabric samples at the bottom.

Are you ready for September 1st?  It is time to launch the theme for the Mystery Row Swap.  I have decided to offer the pattern in queen and throw sizes. 

(Details to join are at this link)

First things first...

I LOVED all of the theme ideas submitted!  I ended up combining two ideas together because I was flooded with design ideas from both of them.  Felicity suggested flowers displayed in a variety of ways such as in a wheelbarrow or a watering can.  Cathy at "A Quilting Chick" suggested a sewing room.    The magic in my head really started turning after I put them both together.

I was also strongly tempted on the following ideas:
Jo's beach theme (I will be doing this one some day)
woodsy/outdoors
farm/barns

I am still deciding on a name, but I am leaning toward Quilter's Garden.  The row swap will feature rows of things you might find in a quilter's sewing room and flowers.  The garden part of the theme will not be a vegetable garden but a flower garden. 

The pattern for the first row will be released September 1st.  To participate, email me or leave a comment with your email.  I will send you a PDF downloaded pattern for free.  If you make at least one block to swap and post it to the group blog, then you will get the next month's pattern for free.

I am calling the first row "Good Vibrations".  It will feature a variety of sewing machines, old and new.  Here is a sneak peak.

Because it is a swap, you will be required to use quilt shop quality fabric and match the colors in my color scheme.

Below is a photo of the fabrics I chose to get started with.  I based all the colors around the center large flower print.  If features:

Turquoise/blue

salmon (not pink and not peach but in between)

green

golden yellows

pinkish reds (2nd photo)

brown 

white

As a starter set, I purchased a half yard of each and more of the white.

Below is another photo where I added some pinkish reds.

Below is a closeup of the fabric I tried to match everything to. It is from the Butterfield collection by Henry Glass.  One of the yellows is also from this collection, but none of the other fabrics are.

I purchased all but the reds from a little store in Ephraim, Utah called the Fabric Shack.  I am sure if you called them they would send you some of the main piece so you could better match colors, but you can probably guess close enough just from the photos.  435-283-3232

I also found some pieces in the collection (not the brown) at this link.  They might assist you in color matching as well.  I'm sure there are others stores out there too.

Linking up today with:

Needle and Thread Thursday

Fabric Frenzy Friday.

Let's Bee Social

Woop Woop Friday
Finish Friday

Finish Up Friday - Crazy Mom Quilts
Weekend Linky Party at Patchouli Moon Studio 

 

Rules for the Mystery Row Swap

Starts September 1, 2014

Welcome all quilters who like BOMs, MYSTERY, and SWAPS.  If you love BOMs and MYSTERY  but not so much SWAPS, this will work for you too.  

I have the itch to design and swap again and wanted to invite quilters from around the world to participate.   Here is what I have in mind:

I will be designing a ROW QUILT.  It will be offered in queen-size and throw-size, but make any size you want because row quilts are easy to adapt.  If you don't prefer ROW quilts, you can make a sampler out of the blocks each month.

After careful consideration from participant suggestions, I have decided on a "Quilter's Garden" theme.  The row swap will feature rows of things you might find in a quilter's sewing room and flowers.  

The pattern for the first row will be released September 1st.  To participate, email me (mamiebudgeese@hotmail.com) or leave a comment with your email.  I will send you a PDF downloaded pattern for FREE.  If you make at least one block to swap and post it to the group blog by the end of the month, then you will get the next month's pattern for free.

I am calling the first row "Good Vibrations".  It will feature a variety of sewing machines, old and new. 

Because it is a swap, you will be required to use quilt shop quality fabric and match the colors in my color scheme.

The Mystery

A new FREE row pattern will be revealed at the first of each month (via email PDF format).  Participants will make up to a listed maximum number of blocks they wish to swap from that pattern and post them to the group blog by the last day of the month.  If you are not much of a swapper, just make one to swap and make the rest for yourself, or you can purchase the pattern and just quilt along.  Anyone who posts swap blocks will be in on that month's swap.  Non bloggers can email me their photos to post. 

If you make two blocks, you swap two.  If you make 5, you swap 5.  If the row requires 8 blocks and you only make two to swap, then you will have to make the other 6 blocks on your own to have enough for the row. 

Block patterns may include paper piecing, some appliqué, or regular rotary or strip piecing methods.

What is a row quilt?

Here are some row quilts I have designed in the past to help you understand what they are.

Americana

Be Thankful - Autumn

 

Spring

a neighborhood with quilts hanging on the clothes line, flowers, butterflies, sunbonnet sues, a picket fence with a fancy gate, watering cans, birdhouses, and umbrellas. 

 

Additional Rules

• You must participate in the SWAP the prior month to get the next pattern for FREE.  The cost for non-swap participants will be $6.75 a month payable via paypal or Etsy or Craftsy.  Patterns for sale will release the first week of each month. 

• All participants will be asked to follow the fabric/color guidelines for each month's instructions so the blocks will look good together after we swap them.  Photos of and fabric description can be found at this link.

• Late comers are welcome but they will need to purchase the patterns they missed or come up with their own rows. 

 Who do you swap with?

As quilters post their completed blocks I will number each block in the order they are blogged.  So when it is time to  decide which blocks go to Jane Doe, and if Jane made 3 blocks, I will draw out three numbers to determine which ones she gets.  If Deana made 6 blocks I will draw the next 6 numbers for her.  Basically, it will be random.  I will doctor up the randomness if needed, for example, last month a lady drew two identical blocks from the same person.  I generated a random number to trade with for her.

Basically, you could get some blocks from the same person but most likely you will receive blocks from different people.  On the first of each month I will determine as randomly as possible where each block is sent and email everyone a list with addresses.


On the first of the month I will blog about a "maximum" number of blocks you can make.  It will probably be the number of blocks in the row (likely not more then 8).   

Participants will be required to use high quality fabric (no Walmart)  and to match the color scheme.  You can tell the quality by how good it feels and by the price.  Most good quality fabric is around $10 a yard.  I hope participants will purchase enough fabric so they can put bits of the same fabric in each row to blend the whole quilt together.

Deana’s Designs is not liable for blocks that get lost in the mail.  Participate at your own risk.

INTERESTED IN JOINING?  
Leave a comment with your email address or email me at mamiebudgeese@hotmail.com.  In the subject line put "BOM swap mystery" so I know you are not a spammer. If you have a theme idea for future ROW quilts, please share it.

We begin September 1st, 2014.   I anticipate the swap to go for 6-7 months.  The "free" block closes at the end of each month, but late comers can purchase it at Etsy.

Put the button on your blog and let your friends and internet groups know. 

A darling row quilt I discovered online.
And another one. 
A winter one getting started... 
And yet another...Just love them all! 
Moda Bake Shop posted one too.

Photo with all the blocks available to swap...

THE PHOTO SHOWS ALL OF THE BLOCKS AVAILABLE FOR THE SWAP SO FAR THIS MONTH.

Block #4 in the list has three identical blocks not pictured.