Thursday, December 29, 2011

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Do We Have To Take The Tree Down?

Christmas is over and it seemed to float by too quickly as usual. I cooked without ruining anything for a change, we ate a lot, we played even more. It was slow paced and easy this year. The grand babes had a great time and have a whole new selection of toys to choose from for the coming months. Everyone loved their quilts I made them and the boys are snuggling with theirs in bed already. I wish I had taken pictures but I never have the camera next to me when I need it.

I got wonderful box of chocolates from Benartex this year and everyone at my house has been enjoying them. I made lots of cookies but sent them home with everyone so I'm free from temptation! Let the diet begin.

My sister and husband were here for 4 days and we all had a great "adult" time when the grand babes weren't here. My husband and I especially enjoyed the blissful quiet time once everyone left. The house was once again silent, well, except for Toto and her morning conversation voice. She's very chatty in the morning! It's like she wants to catch up on all those hours she didn't see us during the night.

It's time to start thinking about work again, after taking a few days off. I guess I'll spend the week working on designs and ordering fabric. I could use a day to clean my desk also! Amazing how fast it fills up. There might be something important under there, after all!

How was your Christmas?

Saturday, December 17, 2011

That Golden Day is Here!

It's cookie time! I have all of my ingredients laying all over the kitchen, just waiting for the mixing to begin! I would have started yesterday but my husband beat me to the kitchen- he spent the day making and baking deer sausage. Needless to say, the counter was too full to compete with my cookies. I haven't baked in a while and I'm anxious to get started.

My favorite cookies at Christmas are peanut butter with those little Hershey's kisses on them but some how I don't think I'll be making them much more. MY little Grace is highly allergic to peanuts and we try not to have any in the house if she'll be "in house". You know, just in case anyone else eats them and gets near her. Those food allergies are scary stuff. Sarah keeps an Epi -pen with her at all times.

I do plan to make chocolate chip cookies, maybe some no-bake cookies and sugar cookies. I'll have to make fudge, after all, what's Christmas without fudge? So much for that diet I was going to start. Too late now! I have a great recipe for Mrs. Fields cookies, made with real butter and chocolate chunks. I will have to make Rice Krispie treats too. The kids love them!

I'm thinking pies- maybe pecan, chocolate cream and coconut. Funny story about my Coconut pies- a few years ago I was going to make 2 pies for Christmas. Well, sort of. I was in a hurry, company was already there. I mixed one batch for two coconut pies and got busy doing other cooking and left it too long so it burned on the stove. The pan was black. I think we eventually got it clean but it took a lot. Meanwhile, I had baked two pie crusts in the oven and forgotten them also. They were pretty brown but the time I remembered so i had to throw them out. I was all stressed out, wanted the stupid pies.

I was in a pretty bad mood by this time but I was determined to not let the pie win. I found a graham cracker crust in the pantry, so I started a new batch and watched it like a hawk. It turned out OK. I thought I was finally on a roll.

I put it in the graham cracker pie crust and started to move it into the dining room to cool, out of the way. To my horror, the entire foil pan buckled in my hands and the runny pie dumped all over the carpet. Needless to say, I cried. I spent the next half hour cleaning the milky coconut off of the carpet while wiping the tears out of my eyes. There was no comforting me that day and it took a few years to tackle the pie again. Did I learn any lessons? Probably not, as I still get busy and forget- things burn and I can only blame myself.
One lesson I did learn-
I always get extra ingredients now. Just in case!

I promised Toto she's going to get her long overdue bath today. It's been raining and snowing and really muddy out. She's a mess and confined to the kitchen until the bath. She gets her first grooming appointment later this week. I wonder how she'll do there? She hates the brush, even though I try to brush her each day. It's never been her friend. I think she'll get a little Christmas bow this week. I'll be sure to take a picture.

I'm going to start with the Christmas cleaning today, you know the kind- washing the windows, vacuuming under the beds and dusting the mini blinds. That stuff you don't do very often unless company is coming. The countdown begins. Are you done shopping?

I still have one quilt to finish for Grace, other than that, I'm ready, until you count the cleaning, baking and wrapping. I guess I'm not so ready after all. But I will be! Don't forget about the 25% sale on the website through Christmas.

Have a great weekend!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Never Enough Time

I don't know about you but I can't seem to get enough hours in my days. I have such a list to work on and what I think I should get accomplished in a day ends up short. I sent the last two days in bed with some sort of flu again. I've had this a few times this year and it's getting old.

I am working on two "big boy" quilts for Nathan, who will be 4 next week, and 2 year old Patrick. They've been dragging around their baby quilts I made them, you know, pastel greens and blues with chenille, and I figured it's time for darker colors plus some puppies, trains and cars in them thar quilts! Nathan's quilt is shades of green and Patrick's quilt is shades of blue. I'm working on the bindings tonight. Fabrics are from Benartex.

I couldn't leave Grace out, she gets a pink one with Girlie Girl fabrics from Moda. They have ballerinas and lots of flowers. I am tacking them and using fleece on the back. No batting. It makes them so soft, like a quilt on one side and a blanket on the other. After these are done, I'll tackle another baby quilt for Lilian Joy, due in February.

I am pretty much done shopping and decorating, just waiting until time to bake. I am making pumpkin roll this year for my son who can't be with us. That is going to be interesting to send in the mail! I am patiently waiting for the newest cardinal to return from the quilter. When it arrives, I'll get a picture posted. It uses the new Wintersong fabrics.

If you haven't noticed, there's a sale on the website posted on the Home page. 25% off on patterns until after Christmas. the code is christmas, all small case. Type it in the voucher space at check-out.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Pre-Christmas Website Special

Happy Holidays- it's coming. I just listed a bunch of quilts on the quilt page of the website. We also have a BLOG special this weekend on our website. It runs through Wednesday, 11/30/11. Order any patterns, charts or pre-finished stitchables on the website and get 20% off the entire order. Finished quilts are not included. Sorry!
The voucher can be used multiple times through Wednesday. www.prairiegrovepeddler.com

When you order, type the word

prairie

into the voucher box at check out for the discount.

I'll be cleaning the house and putting up my Christmas decorations this weekend. I did a little bit of shopping yesterday and the crowds weren't too bad at the Mall, in my opinion. I stayed away from Toys-R-Us though!

Monday, November 21, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving Week!

My turkey is thawing and the grocery shopping is done. The house cleaning, awe, not so done yet but it will be. I finally got the magazines shipped out to the winners. Watch for them later this week. I just sent my next fabric designs to Benartex so I got that off my list. It's been a really busy month but I can finally think straight.


I did have a funny thing happen this past week though - someone told me my fabric was the kind that a Mid-western grandma would like. Well, I am a grandma and I live in the Mid-west. I also like the fabric! I guess it's true! I didn't know it was classified that way though! Now every time I talk to my BFF Barb, she reminds me that I design fabric for Mid-western grandmas.



I had a bummer of a week last week and Barb sent me flowers to cheer me up. Sometimes life just doesn't go the way it should and we feel like we're pulled in too many directions. The card said "Next week will be better, hang in there!" What a sweetie Barb is! They are beautiful flowers also. Thanks again Barb!


I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends,

signed,

a Mid-western grandma!

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Lots of Winners

Winners of the QuiltMaker's 100 Blocks Blog Tour magazines are BillieBee, banjo 795, Kris in WI, and Lisa Marie. If you are one of these people, please email me at PGPeddler@aol.com with your address and I will send you a free QuiltMaker's Vol. 4 magazine this week.

As for the winner of the fabric panel- and I'll throw in a free magazine also- it's Kathy in GA. If you are Kathy, please email me your address and I'll send it right away.

Thanks everyone for all of the nice comments. There are a lot of nice blocks in this issue. I think there's more applique this time around also. I do love my applique! Hopefully we'll get to do it next year in Volume 5!

Welcome to the Blog Tour!

It's time to reveal my block in the QuiltMaker Magazine's 100 Blocks issue- block #309 on page 22. I do love my applique whether it be needle turn or quick fuse. I also love my poinsettias! I called this bock Winter Blooms. It can be made with red flowers also. I kind of like the white ones myself. I made it into a table runner as follows-


I would be a nice addition to a festive table. I added a 2" border. I also repeated the block for a small wall quilt. Here is one with a 1-1/2" sashing and 3" border. It would also be nice if the flowers were all different shades of reds or golds on black background. I'm honored to be included again this year. I'll have a drawing for a free copy of the QuiltMaker's 100 Blocks magazine. Leave a comment and I'll draw several winners later today.

OK, a last minute thought, everyone who comments today only is also in the drawing for the new panel I designed, Wintersong, shown at the right. The entire fabric line will be in your local quilt shops in January.




Tuesday, November 8, 2011

QuiltMaker's 100 Blocks Blog Tour Has Begun


In case you missed it yesterday, the 4th annual blog tour has officially begun. You can follow it at http://www.quiltmaker.com/blogs/quiltypleasures/. Each day there are new designers highlighted. If you visit each blog, you can enter drawings for a free magazine and other great stuff. It's fun to see what the designers are doing also! My special day is Thursday of this week.
This is the second time I have been featured in the magazine. I noticed there is a lot more applique this issue. Ohhh, I love my applique! I can give you a hint on my new block- it's called Winter Blooms. Can you guess what it is? It's not pictured on the cover so you'll have to check back to see it.

Stop back on Thursday for a look at my block featured in the new book plus some finishing ideas for it. We'll have some drawings for a few free issues also.

Friday, November 4, 2011

4th Annual Quiltmaker Magazine's 100 Blocks Blog Tour


Yep, it's here already- it starts next week. If you follow the blog tour, you can enter a lot of drawings each day for goodies! Click on the button to find out more. Next Thursday, I will personally have a few drawings for some magazines.

Monday, October 31, 2011

More Quilt Market Pictures!


Today was the last day for the International Quilt Market. I spent most of the day walking the aisles and getting inspired by the beautiful quilts hanging in the show. I ran into Gail from Shannon Fabrics. They make a wonderful fuzzy fabric for baby quilts and rugs. You can see the projects in the picture- the monkey was designed by Gail. She used to work at Benartex which is why I went with them on fabric design. I think I've known (and loved her) since my very first market. It's so fun to see old friends and catch up, even just twice a year.

I ran into Sharon Crescent working in Patti Connor's booth- you know her by SamSarah Design Studio. We visited for the better part of an hour. Patti is doing quilt designs now along with her cross stitch charts and she will be coming to the quilt markets in the future.

Sharon was just there to hang out but I know she was inspired by all the beauty around her! Who wouldn't be? Sharon has new trims that are hand-dyed along with her floss. She's working on her website so it's not all on there yet. She also has beautiful frames.

I got to sit and visit with Ricky Timms for a while. He used to live in St. Louis where I came from. He knows the son of one of my childhood/ church friends and we had a great visit. I didn't take a picture of him- I was too embarrassed to ask! What a nice guy though.

It was a great time had by all, in fact, I don't remember having a better time at Quilt Market! The only thing that would of made it better was if my BF Barb was there. Barb is suffering right now, sort of- the New England snow storm cut her power and dropped her trees like tinker toys- especially her apple tree in front of her kitchen window. ~~sigh~~ She's really, really sad about that one. Fortunately she has a generator and not totally in the dark or cold. Hugs to you Barb and Dave, Harley and Annie!

I head home tomorrow then back to work. I guess it's time to finish all of the new patterns and start on the next batch.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Sunday in Houston


Well, I've been away all week and I hadn't had a chance to get online until now. Quilt Market is always wonderful- it's great seeing old friends. I've been going since Fall of 1993 and you meet new people each year. Some years we are next to old friends and some years we make new neighbor/friends at the show. I didn't have a booth this year and it's a first for me since 1993. I did have a lot of fun so far walking the show and playing! I was able to capture a few pictures to share with you.

My new line of fabric is called Wintersong, by Benartex, Inc. Here is the panel that goes with the line. It is available after the first of the year at quilt shops near you. I had my trusty camera in my bag!

This is Cindy from Cotton Ginny's. Cindy was across from me at my first Quilt Market (1993) and we became fast friends. Cindy has a wonderful line of children's apron patterns and her booth always looks fresh and fun! You can see more of her at http://cottonginnys.com/
Barb from Vanilla House was there to help her and hang out. It's always important to have help so you can run around when you need to. Barbs website is http://www.vanillahousedesigns.com/

Next we saw Sue at Whistlepig Creek. She always has the greatest kids patterns, bags and fun stuff! She has the cutest critters! She designs fabric for RJR so when you get a chance, you should check out her site.
http://www.wpcreek.com/

Last but not least is Tammy from Happy Hollow Designs. Tammy has been in the business quite a few years longer than I have and we go way back also. I pretty much knew her when I started or the following year thanks to another friend-Norma of Freckles. We all shared a room at Paducah for a few years in a row. If you've even gone there, you know the rooms are very hard to come by and sharing is the only way to stay close.

She has lots of cute designs and always shows her kits and patterns in the cutest of ways. This time she had Chinese carry-out boxes and milk cartons. Once upon a show many moons ago, I made pumpkins to decorate my booth. Tammy convinced me to make them into a pattern and I did- the Pumpkin Patch, #163. Went on to be a huge seller for me.... and Tammy bought all of my models after that show to decorate her house for Halloween that year! I think she still has them! http://www.happyhollowdesigns.com/

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Quilt Market Here I Come!

I leave in the morning for Houston and I'm trying to get things finished up here before I go. I'm not near done with anything but I've got quilt tops to take. I'll be at the fabric booth most of the time but I do plan to run around and play a bit also. Looking forward to meeting my sister there and walking the show with her.

I'll try to post pictures of the show while I'm there as I'll have my Netbook with me. I've been pretty bad about taking pictures lately but I am bringing my camera and plan to use it. My new Wintersong fabric line will debut this week so I can finally post the panel and all of the fabrics.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Fabric Winner Announced

The winner of the brand new fabric sampler collection is Velda from MO. Congratulations Velda! There's a lot of jealous women out there right now. We had a lot of entries on this one! We'll do it again soon with more of the fabric.

I leave for Houston soon and the fabric will debut there. I'll try to remember to take my camera and post while I'm there. For now, I'm still working on quilts. Applique anyway. Directions will follow. If you're in Houston for Quilt Marlet, stop by the Benartex booth and say hello!
We got tickets for the King Tut exhibit at the Science Center while I'm down there. I'm really excited about that.

Update on my only B grade: I emailed the professor on the last test because I knew something wasn't right. After him checking a few things, it was decided that the answers were all correct and the grade was adjusted. I now have perfect A's- 4.0 again. What a relief! I know I'll probably get a B again somewhere down the road, but I just couldn't let that last one go without a fight! One more paper to finish before I leave for Houston, and one more year of class to go!

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Isn't It Monday Still?

OK, so another weekend slipped by again! And I lost a Monday. Must be my old age but man, this time flies by too fast. My son was in the hospital all weekend and my mind was elsewhere as you can imagine. I didn't forget about the drawing though. Read on.

I am working on pattern directions tonight. I do my best work late at night when everyone is asleep and the distractions are at a minimum, including the puppy. I made a quilt (a new pattern) for Benartex, Inc. to use with the new line of fabric and need to ship it to them tomorrow. Tonight I proof read! I am thrilled to be close to being done with these new patterns.

Toto is doing great at playing ball. She sits, and speaks. She's 4 months old now. She still potties in the house wherever she wants but she's cute! It seems like she won't ever be totally potty trained. It's a struggle.

For the drawing, I'm going to offer a small sampling of my new fabric line. It won't be available for sale until January so the winner will certainly be the first to have it.

To enter, email me by Saturday midnight 10/15, at PGPeddler@aol.com
Put Fabric in the subject line.
Put your name and mailing address in the body of the email.

I'll choose one winner next Sunday and post the winner here.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Another Beautiful Autumn Weekend!

Wow, the weather has been so wonderful and actually pretty hot for Fall. We've had 80's all week and I have to admit, I'm ready for those 70's coming next week. My Fall allergies are kicking in and I find myself sneezing day after day but there's still just no season like Fall. My anniversary is coming up this month - 33 years- and I was just thinking the other day that both of my married children got married in October also. I guess it's just a great month all the way around.

The trees in Missouri are turning beautiful colors and the breeze is scattering them around.
I guess we best enjoy it because it will be snowing before we know it and I'm not ready for that!

My youngest grandson Patrick turned 2 today. We're celebrating with a birthday party tomorrow. Sarah found out what gender her baby is yesterday but she won't tell anyone until her big Fall Bar-B-Q and hayride next week. Not fair. You'd think she'd tell her mom! 4 yr old Grace knows already and she may spill the beans tomorrow at the birthday party. I don't think you can tell a 4 yr old a secret and expect it to be kept. It will be a fun time, I'm sure!

I hope to finish the quilts this weekend. I know I need to stay home to do that. Seems I've been out playing all week. I will post pictures soon and offer a drawing this weekend.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

Midweek Mayhem!

Been home all week with the stomach flu. Seems like I've gotten sick more this year than ever before in my life! Must be an age thing or I really need to start wiping off the grocery cart from now on! Ever feel that way?

I'm getting a flu shot next week, just in case!

Still on puppy potty patrol. Man, this little stinker is almost 4 months old and she still does not go potty outside all of the time. She can be out there playing for 2 hours and come in and immediately go potty on the carpet. ~~sigh~~ It's like the outdoors is her playground, and the carpet is her toilet! I am determined to get her potty trained by first snowfall but I may lose my mind doing so! She is confined to the kitchen from now on until we get a grip on this. Any suggestions?

I know I've mentioned before that I am a college student again. I have about 1 year left for my Bachelor's Degree, going to evening classes to a local University. Until now I have had a perfect 4.0, an A in every class. This week I got my first B. I was devastated. I admit I still can't believe it. We had a final test with only 3 questions. Three. I missed one of them (wouldn't you know). That's all it took to end my perfect grades. I guess there's a bright side, I don't have to work so hard anymore in the rest of my classes. It's still sad though. Sad that one wrong answer changed my grade and ended my perfect gpa.

Quilts are coming along slowly due to being sick but I will start taking pictures very soon and posting. I think next week is a good time for a drawing of some kind. Maybe some of the new fabric?? Hmmm, stay tuned!

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Just a Quick Note!

I have been so busy working on new patterns and the website that I totally forgot about my Blog again. ~~sigh~~

I got the new fabric line in last week and I've been feverishly working on new quilts day and night. I'm trying to get a lot done before the quilt market in Houston. In my spare time, I keep adding more quilts to the website. They are selling like hotcakes and we're shipping them daily around here. I guess one of these days I'll run out but for now, there's still quite a pile to go. If you haven't looked lately, check out the new ones just added.

I just listed a Winter's Song finished quilt for sale. I've got a Winter's Majesty quilt in the pile to be offered soon also. It feels so good to let it go!

Thanks for all of the kind notes I keep getting and updates on your families! It's funny but I always assumed everyone would post their comments on the Blog but I get most comments in private emails! I enjoy it though so keep it up.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Did I miss it again?

I totally missed another weekend. I do not know how that happens. Too much on my mind I guess. I changed the look of the Blog again, do you like this one?

I have had puppy duty each weekend and Toto, or Taco, as my husband calls her jokingly, is training up really well! She can play ball for an hour, and sit, speak and come. She doesn't, however, shall we say, poopoo outside every time she goes. ~~sigh~~ We're still working on that one. Let's just say I use a lot of Pinesol on the kitchen floor these days!

She's a keeper though. She sleeps through the night now which helps after getting up several times a night for potty breaks and hugs! She officially weighs 3-1/2 pounds now.

She is so happy to see me in the morning and she follows me everywhere with the sweetest little conversational growl. It's her way of telling me everything that happened in the night I guess. I just go along with it since I have no idea what she's really saying! It's so cute though. She truly warms my heart!

I haven't had an inside dog for 30 years. Shameful, I know! I had a indoor cat for 8 years and after sneezing all those years, I decided not to have another inside pet for a while. I'm so glad I changed my mind although I spend a lot of time playing now instead of working.


Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow, right?

I got my fabric last week and been going through it and trying to decide which fabrics to use on the new quilt designs. I'm having a harder time trying to decide (could be puppy sidetracking). I have my favorites and I want to use them on everything! Can't happen though. The fabric won't actually be available for sale until January so I'm not posting pictures of it yet.
~~another sigh~~
Hopefully after Quilt Market ....

I have been listing quilts on the website and they are selling like hotcakes. This is a good thing because I need room for new designs and I'm a pack rat as it is. Some are my favorite quilts over the past few years but I'm learning to "let go". Some of them had two or three models of the same title. It was time! I still have a pile to list so check it out when you get a chance.
http://www.prairiegrovepeddler.com/quilt.html
It changes frequently.

Other than that, I'm working on the new quilts in between puppy play time. Market in Houston comes in late October.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

WOW- We have LOTS of Winners!

OK, only 1 or 2 people actually got every single question right. Turns out, some of the questions were tricky I guess. Surprise? to even me! I started off correcting all of the wrong answers but it was taking all day as there were LOTS of entries. SO, I just left it alone and told everyone to email me with choices. It went much faster. Check your email if you played the Scavenger Hunt.

Also wanted to mention, I have 2 Facebook pages. One for Quilts and one for Cross Stitch. That was the question missed the most. The Contact Page on my website has both links on it.

I am working on fabric designs today and trying not to watch too much TV on the 9/11 tragedy. I'd sit here crying all day if I did. I'm sure you all know where you were when it happened and we will never forget. I also lost a high school friend last night so I'm so saddened for his family today.

Friday, September 9, 2011

We're on a Roll!

Happy Friday!

I just listed a bunch more quilts on the website and refreshed everything. I sold a few quilts so I had to remove them. I'm loving being able to control my own website. I should have taken it over years ago. Check it out when you can. www.prairiegrovepeddler.com

While I was in the design mood, I changed the look of the Blog. How do you like it? I decided to go the shabbyblog way. It's a fresh new look and I'm loving it also. Homework's done, house is clean, puppy is learning tricks, so there's nothing else to do but design. After all, what's a girl to do, right?

I heard from Benartex, my entire new fabric line is on the way to me so I'll be doing some serious sewing later next week. I'll have to check with Benartex to see when I can post pictures of this next line.

Don't forget the contest this week if you get the newsletter. Deadline is Saturday night. I'll be contacting the winners next week for choices on patterns.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Better Late Than Never!

I don't know where my time goes but it seems to fly these days. I finally got all of the updates done on the website. I corrected everything that I could find and I added new graphics to the cart. OK, now that it is done, I can move on to better things like working on a quilt. Still waiting on fabric to show up. Oh, the drama of it all.

The puppy is doing great- she's a sweetie and I think my blood pressure has gone down since I got her. Nothing like a snuggle with a sweet puppy to warm your heart! The weather is wonderful finally and almost chilly at night. Considering it was 98 degrees last week, a high of 72 this week is a delight. Fall is almost here. It's time to consider where to set the pumpkins for decoration. Oh, decisions, decisions.

I got a newsletter out to both lists yesterday so if you are on either the Quilt list or Cross Stitch list, check your email. There's a little Fall Free For All Contest and you could win a free pattern or chart. The deadline is Saturday to turn in your answers by email.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

What a Beautiful Week!



I ended up with a summer cold last week and I was out of the loop for a few days. Fortunately, it didn't last long and didn't require much medication. The weather is still hot here but cooler days are coming next week, and oh, I'm so excited for fall weather to finally come to Missouri. I've been watching the news on the hurricane damage in New England and just feel heart sick about everyone who lost homes to the flooding. Those covered bridges, how sad to lose such national treasures. I'm equally worried about my best friend who lives up there. I haven't been able to talk to her since last Saturday.

We got an 8 week old Yorkie puppy last week and you can probably guess routine around here these days. My son and I are taking turns training her all day and all night. She's definitely ruling the house but such a joy to have around! That little tail wagging- well, her whole 3 pound body wiggles when she wags her sweet tail. It just makes my heart sing! I get up about 6 times a night now. Sometimes I don't get back to sleep for along time and she's up again! I've taken a bunch of pictures but the little thing just moves like lightening. I finally got her to hold still.


Waiting patiently for the fabric to show up, well truthfully, I'm really starting to pace the floor. I'm anxious to get the quilts done. Quilt Market is coming very quickly and I want to be ready. I am not staying for Festival this year. It will be the first time in 20 years that I'm not there. I'm really sad about that because not only do I love to be a vendor, but I love to shop the show also.
It's huge and has everything you could ever want in the way of crafts and sewing. Have any of you ever gone to Quilt Festival in Houston?

I can't stay this year because of my college classes. I don't want to miss any of them. I'm almost done with my Ethics class and going to start Economics soon. Lots of homework going on these days but learning is so fun and interesting.

I can't wait to share the new fabrics. Stay tuned, it seems to be a continuing story.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

The Website is Done!

I am so excited to say that the new improved website is ready. ~~whew~~ it took forever.
see it here:
www.prairiegrovepeddler.com

I know it should have been an easy thing but I had problem after problem. It didn't help that I wasn't here each day to work on it and it was done in bits and pieces. I spent some time at the hospital last week with my son and he is home and doing well now. There's always something, huh?

Well, the website is up and running. Please, if you encounter any problems, email me. I'm sure there's a link in there somewhere that's broken. I added a few patterns, had a great time making new graphics, and tried to smooth down the look a bit. My new fabric is due any day so I got the website up just in time. I'll add a Fabric link when the fabric is available. Please scroll through and let me know how you like the new look.

Sunday, August 21, 2011

Sunday Post

I don't think I've even been so aggravated in my life. I have been working on my website for weeks. It's done- it looks good, I'm happy with it. In order to keep things simple, I tried to transfer my domain name from the old company to another and it failed. I tried again and it failed again. I've spent all weekend trying to get the new site up and running. NOT. I called the new server who is open 24/7 and talked to 8 different people over 2 days time. There were only 2 that I could actually understand. More frustrating. Each one told me different things to try. I did them. NOT.

I tried to publish the new website through the old server and it failed. The old server is closed on weekends so I can' t deal with that. At this point, I'm just ready to scream. LOUDLY. Can you hear me yet? I will have to wait until tomorrow, Monday to do anything now. OK, I've vented.

I am one of those people that hate to leave things undone. I can't concentrate on anything new if I don't finish what I have started. It's going to be a long day. BUT- if I can get it up and running tomorrow, do check in and tell me what you think. I'm sure there are plenty of errors to fix so if you find one, please let me know. Until it's posted online, I can't really check everything so I'm anxious to do that.

I'm running a fever today so I didn't go to church this morning. It's probably from the stress of the weekend but I'll keep the germs at home, just in case. I'll post on Twitter, the Facebook pages and here when (and if) I ever get it up and running.

Still waiting on fabric to show up. School starts soon. Looking for a puppy- preferably Yorkie or Chihuahua but open to options. Checked the Humane Society and 2nd Chance Shelters yesterday but nothing for us.
Still searching.

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Winners & Websites

Been a busy day so sorry for the delay in posting. We had a lot of entries this week so I decided to pick 2 winners for the punchneedles and patterns. I just emailed them both so check your email. Winners are Sheila from TN and Cindy fro TX. Congratulations ladies.

I have been finishing up the website changes and it is almost done. I'm really happy with the way things are going and can't wait to be done. Hopefully I'll be ready to publish it early this week. I'd love some feedback on it so I'll post here when it's up and running. Once it's ready, I'll post some special things so stay tuned.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Thanks for the Birthday Wishes!

OK, it's true, I'm a year older today. Thanks to everyone who remembered and emailed me. It was great and I appreciate the kind words. I was lazy all day, thanks to an earache and swollen glands, but I enjoyed it so much. I seldom just hang out all day so I did have a good time.

I am back to working the website this evening and hope to finish and publish it this weekend or early next week. It's looking pretty good to me. I'll post everywhere, Facebook, blog and Twitter, when it's ready for some feedback in case there are faulty items I don't see. I've added patterns that were somehow omitted through the years and added sizes to a lot of the listings. All of the pictures have been redone and they are so much clearer than before. I'm going to do away with the mailing list with the new website since I have this Blog and it's easy to post anything new here. I will send out one more mailing to the list to announce that when I'm up and running.

My daughter just found out she's moving back to mid-MO so we're all celebrating with her family. Her baby is due this winter and I'm so happy they'll be fairly close to us. Life is good.

Don't forget the drawing this weekend for a Punchneedle and pattern of your choice. It's a good time to start a new hobby, right?

Sunday, August 7, 2011

We have a Winner!

Thanks for all of the comments you all sent in the emails . I thoroughly enjoy reading them . Another hot week here in Missouri and most of you mentioned having hotter than normal weather . I've spent the week updating pictures and graphics in my files . I'm not near done yet , I'm only about 1/3 way through. It's takes a lot of time to change it all . I'll probably change a lot of my website when I'm done . The new pictures a re so much better . It's something I've been putting off way too long .

I only had one punchneedle winner this week but had a lot of entries and a lot of comments . Most of you mentioned never having tried punchneedle . I think we'll extend the drawing one more week because I think everyone needs to try punchneedle . It's really relaxing and fun . To enter for a free punchneedle plus punch pattern of your choice :

Email me this week at PGPeddler@aol.com before Saturday midnight 8/13 ,
and put PUNCH AGAIN in the subject line .
Put your name and mailing address in the email and I'll choose a name next Sunday .

My daughter is expecting her second child now and busy writing a book . It will be my 4th grandchild . Meanwhile, my 2 little grandsons got their hair buzzed this week and my heart was broken when their beautiful white hair disappeared. I know it will grow back but their daddy , my son Kirk , had the most beautiful white curly hair as a child (see the picture on the right when he was under 2 yrs old) . I just love curly hair! Here's a picture of the bald trio on the left !

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Riding the Waves!


Have you ever seen anything so cute? I had a Praying Mantis on my antenna for about 10 minutes the other day. He was riding the waves for sure. He danced, he flew, he hung on with one foot, he prayed with his hands together, he spread his wings. He eventually made his way to the top and flew off. I was going really slow once I saw him so I didn't hurt him. It was quite the circus act though. I didn't know they grew so big, he was huge. He thoroughly entertained me during the ride.

Our 100 degree heat wave continues for another week. Hopefully fall is just around the corner. It's my favorite time of the year.

I'm up early this Sunday piddling in the office. I haven't cleaned off my desk for a week and it's getting scary in here. I know there's probably a bill under here somewhere that's getting close to the due date. Sarah and Grace are coming this afternoon to stay the night and we plan to do some designing together. She is pregnant with her 2nd child now and we are all excited about that.

The corn is in Ziploc bags the freezer thanks to my husband Keith. The tomatoes are growing but it's not the best year. We've had some but not nearly as many or as big as years past. Zuchini and cucumbers are producing profusely. Today seems like a BLT kind of day. We're trying not to use the stove or oven much these days with the heat index about 110. We had a little rain last night and the humidity level just spiked.

I've been working on graphics for my website for the last couple of weeks, you know, changing pictures and drawing up some new stuff. It's been fun and I can spend 8 hrs easy on graphics without even stopping for food. I'll let you know when I get it all on the site for viewing. I have a few quilt designs ready, just waiting for my fabric line to come in. Should be in the next couple of weeks. As soon as they let me, I'll post pictures on the Blog.

I think it's time for a drawing. This week, I'll offer a 3 needle Punchneedle and Punchneedle pattern of your choice (you can pick from my website). If you have never tried to punch, now's the time to learn for free! There will be one winner.

To enter, email me at PGPeddler@aol.com by midnight next Saturday, 8/6/11.
Put "PUNCH" in the subject line.
Include your name and mailing address in the email (for faster delivery of the winnings).

I'll post the winner next Sunday.

Good luck-

Saturday, July 23, 2011

We're Having a Heat Wave, a Tropical Heat Wave.....

Just singing around the house these days, "we're having a heat wave, a tropical heat wave". Remember that really old song? Today it's supposed to be another 100 degree day for the Midwest. (Ugh). I'm having company this weekend so I'm up early getting laundry done and the house cleaning finished. It was too hot to do it yesterday. Got my pot of coffee and creamer so I'm good for a few hours. I'll have to take a nap later.

I've had trouble getting motivated to do much all summer. I don't know if it's the heat, old age, or whatever. I can't seem to Blog, Tweet, or sew. I hope it passes soon. Anybody else having motivation troubles?

I spent the week semi-working on a new quilt, I have the quick fuse applique pieces ironed and cut out, background colors chosen and everything laid out and ready to iron. All I need now is a day to put it all together. There's like 200 pieces in the quilt, 30 blocks in all, so it was no small fete. I like it so far. I love designing, playing with fabric and choosing colors.

My little 20 month old grandson broke his collar bone last week jumping off the couch. He's pretty active and fearless. He has a little brace on him to hold one arm to his chest right now. The trouble is, it leaves him off balanced and now he falls more than ever without a hand to catch himself. The other day while I was over there, he fell on the floor in front of me, and while gently crying and trying to catch his breath, he said "I'm OK". He's just so cute. I love my babies.

I got an email this week that I got another block included in the next QuiltMaker's 100 Blocks Magazine. So, this fall, we'll have another Blog Tour to be included in along with more giveaways. Still waiting on my new fabric line to show up for the new designs I have for Quilt market. Won't be long now.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Another Week Closer to Christmas

It is a scorcher today. I'm talkin' 96 degrees out there. Tomorrow is supposed to be worse. I am so looking forward to Fall. I have been fine tuning my new designs, expecting my new fabric most anytime. I will post it here just as soon as they allow. I have also been tinkering with my website. I think it's time for a change. I am always planning some change or another but this time I'm going to redo it quite a bit. I'll keep you posted but I think I'll start on it this week. I want it to be ready for the unveiling of my newest fabric line. Won't be long now.

I have been taking some evening classes, trying to finish my Bachelors of Science degree. I stopped school when I got married. I can tell you it's not the same going to college now as it was in the 70's when I went before. It is so much easier now. You have the internet, email, Word- which corrects everything, and even does your citations for you. I am really loving it so even if it is a bit of work.

What is everyone doing this summer?

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Countdown to Fall

I don't know where my time goes but here it is another week. I blinked and lost an entire weekend again. Fall will be here before I know it. This past week I was blessed with 10 ziploc bags of blackberries from a neighbor. My husband is picking up 5 bushels of peaches from my Amish friend Anna on Wednesday. Some for us, some for friends. No ripe tomatoes on our vines yet but they're growing. The second corn patch has been planted. Summer is moving along. I am still playing with applique but have nothing worthy of a photograph yet. I do have 2 new ceiling fans in my office and studio thanks to my husband. It's hot flash season - again. ~sigh~





We had a small coyote pup in our garage yesterday, it was only about 12" long. Our miniature beagle had alerted us and cornered it. We had to tie up the dog and whoosh it out. It is strange to have one so close to the the house, especially in the garage. He was very happy to show us his teeth and let us know to stand back. Awww, life in the country. Last week it was a dead possum on the driveway (thanks to my beagle finding it as road kill and wanting to share the joy with us).

We had a great bar-b-q last night with friends and they read the Declaration of Independence.
I looked it up tonight and found this on the original signers. It's pretty sad at what they gave up for freedom. Here's the article if you want to read the whole thing. http://usff.com/usff/sacredhonor.html



Of those 56 who signed the Declaration of Independence, nine died of wounds or hardships during the war. Five were captured and imprisoned, in each case with brutal treatment. Several lost wives, sons or entire families. One lost his 13 children. Two wives were brutally treated. All were at one time or another the victims of manhunts and driven from their homes. Twelve signers had their homes completely burned. Seventeen lost everything they owned. Yet not one defected or went back on his pledged word. Their honor, and the nation they sacrificed so much to create, is still intact.






God Bless America. I hope you had a wonderful Independence Day.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Happy 1st Sunday of Summer

We just got back last night from a Haynes family reunion/ trout fishing trip. We got the suburban unpacked, most things put away, and the mail sorted. The laundry is started and the email has been skimmed through. I think that's enough for a Sunday. I took my camera but the batteries died after 1 picture. That's just ONE picture. That's what I got. Such as life. I took a couple on my cell phone so as soon as I figure out how to email them to me, I'll add them to this post.

Meanwhile, Kathy Shope sent this great picture of her mom with the Winter's Majesty quilt that Kathy made for her. She painstakingly spent three years working on. It's hand quilted and I think she did a beautiful job.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all of the dads out there. My dad passed away in 1977 but I still miss him sorely. He loved kids and I know he would so enjoy his five grand kids and great three grand kids. I'm the one in the middle of the picture with the skinned knees (1961). Notice the matching purple dresses.

We had another night of storms in the Midwest. We've had SOOO much rain- another 2" overnight alone. I wish we could shift it south to AZ, CO, OK, and TX where there are fires because of drought. This weather's a mess. I do think the excess rain has changed the Cicada noise situation though- they are all dead in heaps all over the ground now. I'm not sure if it was their time to go, they drowned, or just committed suicide due to excess rains, but they are much quieter these days.

I spent last night fine tuning a few quilts and today, after church and Father's Day festivities, I'm planning to piddle with quick fuse. Is piddle a word? LOL. I'm anxious to get the quilt tops done and see how they look. We're going fishing one of these days and I want to get set up to take some hand work with me for the down time. I still don't have any of my new fabric lines to use so I'll make these first quilts from stash.

I do know now that they are showing my two lines(#2 Fall and #3 Holiday) this Fall at the Intl. Quilt Market in Houston, so I should be able to post pictures by late summer/ Sept hopefully. Pretty exciting even though it seems to have taken forever from start to finish. The first line took about 2-1/2 years from start to sale. These two are taking 1-1/2 years. Shorter but still seems forever.

Winner? Do we have a winner? I had a lot of entries but can only pick one. The prize is a $50 gift certificate for patterns on my website. The winner is Colleen from New York. Congratulations Colleen. I'll do another drawing for a gift certificate soon.

I had a few comments on my daughter's jewelry- here's the latest that she added and here's link to her Etsy store. She is still donating 1/3 of every sale to the Joplin tornado cleanup through Operation Blessing. Her jewelry is beautiful.


Have a great day.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Another Week of Storms

Does it ever end? I think not. I lose so much sleep to thunder these days. I forgot to post a drawing on Sunday so here it is. I searched and searched for the perfect prize and came up empty. It's not that I have nothing to offer because I have a lot of things here. I just wanted something really special. So, I decide to do ANOTHER $50 gift certificate to my website- any patterns or charts plus the shipping will be free.

Email me at PGPeddler@aol.com by Saturday midnight, don't delay as there's not much time left. Put GIFT in the subject line. Add your name and mailing address to the body so I have it for the order when you win. Will it be you? You'll find out on Sunday -and don't forget it's Father's Day. If you haven't purchased your card yet, hurry, run, go get it.

I'll post the winner on Sunday.


My daughter has an Etsy Store where she sells beautiful hand made repurposed vintage jewelry. She donates 1/3 of her sales to the Ralpha House in Joplin, MO. Ralpha House provides a safe haven and programs for sexually abused and exploited children. She was there last week volunteering with a crew from Operation Blessing while they rebuild Joplin. There's a great story about them in the local news.


Saturday, June 11, 2011

Another Sleepless Stormy Night

Well, here I am again at 4 am. A thunderstorm came through about 2:30 and once I heard the thunder, I was wide awake. I know there are many people who sleep soundly through thunderstorms but I am not one of them. I think it came from my retriever Rusty when I was first married. He was deathly afraid of storms and moaned frantically through them and always kept me awake. Rusty, seen here with Sundance the beagle, has been gone since 1983 but I still think of him every time it storms. Amazing! He was such a beautiful and smart dog!

I have a pot of coffee, an amazing bottle of Cinnamon Vanilla Creamer and a net book on my lap. I guess life could be worse! In fact, I was just thinking about the tornado victims in Joplin, Missouri, about 4 hours south of me.

My daughter was in Joplin this week with the cleanup and she shared a lot of sad stories when she came back. She worked on a house with her team from Operation Blessing. In three days, they had it gutted down to the studs. The roof was partially destroyed and the windows had blown out during the tornado. After the high winds a additional rains, the house was covered in mold on the inside. Everything was lost and had to be removed.

The two homeowners had recently canceled their Homeowners Ins. due to loss of income. I'm sure there are sad stories all over Joplin similar to theirs. Operation Blessing went in and will have the house completely redone by the end of next week at no charge to the homeowners. The roof was already on and the wiring was in place by the time Sarah came home. 1/3 of the city is gone, demolished and it's not a little town, pop. 49,000. There were 8000 structures damaged or destroyed. 150 people died.
Here's a website that talks about Joplin, the city and the tornado damage.

They still need volunteers down there and will for a long time. If you have time to help or want to donate, contact Operation Blessing.
http://community.ob.org/site/PageServer

I took the opportunity to play on the Blog again tonight. I'm trying to be quiet for everyone else and the computer seems to be the safest place to be. Let me know what you think of the new font. I'm not sure if I like it or not. I need feedback!

It's been a few weeks since we had a drawing and I think it's time this week. I'll post it tomorrow so stay tuned!

Friday, June 10, 2011

Friday Update

It's coffee time! Yummm. As you can tell, I am up early. I decided to do some changes on the Blog- color, content positioning, I even added a search feature. What do you think?

I mowed the yard yesterday since my son wouldn't due to the Cicada dive bombers. I didn't actually mow ALL of the yard as we have 2 acres around the house but I did mow a LOT. I was aggressively attacked by the intruders in the yard at every turn. They are coming in clouds these days and every tree in the yard was covered. There are Cicada "shells" on the ground by the hundreds, you know, those little empty bodies they leave behind that little boys love to play with. We certainly have a bumper crop!

Found this little song about cicadas on YouTube http://youtu.be/OvJrEPEx27A

I am thrilled for Friday! Not only do I get to babysit the "boys" today but I have a lot of reading to do this weekend that I am so looking forward to! It's hot out, a good time for reading, maybe a movie! I might tinker with my new quilts but sometimes we (OK, I really mean ME) just need to step away.

I might go looking for a watermelon or some fun fruit for the weekend. I'm thinking summer now. I wonder what else I can whip up for the weekend? I need ideas....

What is your favorite thing to fix in the summer?

Sunday, June 5, 2011

Memphis, Floods, Cicadas

I just got back from Memphis after a visit with my mom. I expected to see a lot of flooding on the way down through Missouri as the news has been so bleak all month long. There was some flooding but it was mostly near West Memphis in the flood plain along the Mississippi River, an area that gets flooded each time the river is up. There was some flooding of crop fields near Cape Girardeau along a river that runs out to the Mighty Mississippi but all in all, I'd say it looked pretty good down there. The farmers were planting in the fields and that's a pretty good sign. It was HOT! 102 yesterday. My moms A/C was not working properly so we were hot. Hopefully they got it fixed for her today.

On the way home I was dive bombed by the cicadas. It was honestly like driving into a paint ball fight. They didn't leave a small mark, it was a huge splat on the windshield each time they unfortunately for them found me. WE stopped frequently to clean the windshield. I now notice the shrill sounds outside. All I can say is, I'm glad the A/C is on and the windows are closed! It's noisy out there. They are clung to the house and trees and cicada shells litter the ground. We were warned, this is their grand year! They sure are noisy little boogers!

On a bright note, my clematis is gorgeous! It is heavily blooming now, climbing up the light post which you can't see as it's so inclusive!
I am looking at a catalog to purchase another one, possibly pink next time.
I'd like to get a trellis and plant it in back. I just love clematis. This purple one is pretty old and well established thanks to the previous homeowner.

It's supposed to be in the 90's all week in Columbia so I think I'll stay in and get some work done. I am still playing with the applique but I'm leaning toward doing a few of the first quilts with quick fuse before I start the needle turn applique. Seems like I get to this point each time- it takes so long to start the needle turn that I get discouraged and jump into quick fuse which is, well, "quick"! Creature of habit I guess, good ones and bad ones.

Do you ever do needle turn applique? What is your favorite applique method and why?

I am cutting back on coffee these days, I haven't had creamer in 3 days. There is hope for tomorrow, I know!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Blooms Galore!


I hope you had a wonderful weekend with family. I didn't do much but work on quilts. I did take a tour around the yard, my clematis is starting to bloom. I get hundreds of blooms on it and it seems like it should pull down the lightpost that it grows around but it doesn't. They are so pretty!

I have these other hot pink flowers, perennials, and I think they are called Dianthus. Wow, they came back really well this year, even larger than last year. I'd like to get some more of them!


Well, I've spent the better part of a week drawing out little applique pieces on freezer paper and now I'm cutting the little things out. I have a gazillion quilts in the makings and can't seem to stop and work on one at a time. I know, that WOULD be a better system! I have fall market on my mind and my two new lines of fabric coming out. Now they say they'll release them at market this fall for January delivery. SOOO, I have a little more time for the quilts using that fabric. The last time I designed fabric it was delayed a whole year also. It seems to be routine.


Hope to get stitching on some applique soon. I may do the first quilts as quick fuse. It's just so fast! Hard not to like that!


Meanwhile, I have other quilt designs to finish for market. I normally do festival (the retail show following market), in fact I've done it for 19 years in Houston. I'm usually gone for 2 full weeks. Not that it isn't fun, I love to go to Houston, it's like my second home. My sister lives there and I get the spa treatment when I go. Houston offers the best restaurants, great museums and wonderful pedicures!


This year, I'm thinking about not staying for the second week. I guess I'm getting older and it's getting harder to do the retail show. I hate being gone for 2 weeks as I'm such a home body. It's getting harder to haul things in and out- I have bursitis in both shoulders from years of pulling dollies filled with heavy boxes through show floors for set up and tear down. I have the contract now and I have to decide if I'm going or not. Decisions, decisions!

Friday, May 20, 2011

Busy, Busy, Busy



OK, I know it's the wee hours of the morning (top o' the morning to you!) but I have a zillion things on my mind and needed to get up and start doing them. Sipping my coffee (yes, with creamer) and on a roll. Don't you love it when you can get up early and have those bonus hours in your day?

Anyway, I'm updating my Etsy site and adding a few Fall and Winter items. After all, it is time to think about fall sewing! I have a new quilt that I'm working on for Fall market, it's applique and I'm actually doing needle turn applique for a change. I generally do quick fuse but I love the look of needle turn. I'm using freezer paper and it's really fun. Have you ever done needle turn applique and if so, how do you do it?

I just got the latest 4 X 4 back from the printer-
It's called 4 X 4- Winter. Has 4 designs and projects. It's the last 4 X 4 for a while since I have other things to finish for market.

I'm excited to do some fall sewing for myself. A long time ago, I had a great pattern for a 5 foot scarecrow that stands alone and remember that pumpkin pattern I did in 1998? Well, I think I'm going to make them again and put them on my porch for Fall. Some patterns are just classics. I have such fun making the fabric pumpkins also. I make a lot of them from quilt batting and chenille and then paint them with different shades of orange. I add coffee to the paint and it gives the pumpkins a great aged look. I use real wood stems- grape vine painstakingly cut by my husband, and that's not fun either as they are very sticky when you cut them! Fortunately, they dry well! I know it's not hot here yet but I'm already looking forward to Fall.

Don't forget to enter the drawing for the quilt by Saturday night.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Sundays are my favorite day of the week!

It's a great day here- we have rain and about 55 degrees. It's only great because I have nothing to do outside and it's the kind of day you can snuggle up under a blanket and read a good book! With summer coming, there's not a lot of those left. I'm sitting here watching old Newhart reruns with Larry, Darrel and Darrel.

I was trying to cut out creamer again as I'm trying to start a diet (again) but my addiction got the best of me. Yesterday, I slept in because I knew I had no creamer in the house- hence no coffee for me. I can't drink coffee without my beloved Cinnamon Vanilla Creamer. I was totally depressed- really! I moped around most of the day and had no energy to do anything. It finally dawned on me- I missed my morning coffee. My husband finally went to the store and got some for me after seeing me suffer all day. I feel like an addict going through withdrawal. I guess somehow I'll work the coffee/ creamer into my new diet. I won't survive otherwise! I always say it's a sickness with me- now I'm sure it is. ugh.

We do have a winner for the $50 gift certificate- it's Linda from AZ. Congratulations Linda! Check your email.

As promised, I have a finished wall quilt this week for a drawing. It's called My Secret Garden.
All you have to do to enter is email me at PGPeddler@aol.com by midnight Saturday night, May 21.
Put SECRET in the subject line.
Stick your name and mailing address in the body of the email for easier shipping for us.
I'll choose a winner next Sunday, May 22.

Good luck!

Sunday, May 8, 2011

A New Day, A New Winner!

Happy Mother's day everyone! I hope you are all enjoying a great day with your family. We went to church with my daughter-in-law and two grandsons and had a great dinner. It was a first for us- salad and pizza! Usually we do big dinners on Sunday but today was a no nonsense kind of day for a change! It was fun! We have a winner for the magazine- it's Glenna from Canada. Congratulations Glenna, email me with your mailing address.

For today- the very last QuiltMaker's 100 Blocks will go to one last winner. Comment TODAY- your chances are very good to win! I'll be sending them out this week.

It was exciting to be a part of the QuiltMaker's 100 Blocks Volume 3. It was a lot of fun to read all of the comments all week. Today, in honor of those who commented, I'm offering a chance for a $50 gift certificate to my website- www.prairiegrovepeddler.com.



All you have to do to enter is email me at PGPeddler@aol.com by Saturday, May 14 at midnight, put your name and address in there and GIFT in the subject line.

I'll draw a name next Sunday and post it here.

Next week, I have a quilt for a drawing. Stay tuned!

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Sorry for the delay!

Sorry for the delay- I had a late night last night, my son's first prom/formal. It was great- they had old fashioned ball room/community dancing like in the movie Pride & Prejudice and every couple danced and had a blast. It was so fun to watch. I stayed and worked at the cake and punch table with a few other mothers (a mothers job is never really done, right?). My daughter and her husband are here and well, between all of the visiting, I just got behind!

We have a winner for the MUG! It's Kathleen. I'm not sure which state she is in but she is the winner! I emailed her and I'm waiting to hear back from her.

Congratulations Kathleen! You won the coveted QuiltMaker's 100 Blocks Vol.3 coffee mug!

For today, comment and I'll select one more name for a free copy of the book- QuiltMaker's 100 Blocks Vol. 3. I have two more copies to give away, one today and one tomorrow.

Stay tuned, next week the drawing prize is a quilt!

2:45 pm UPDATE- no word from Kathleen yet. I know she's out there somewhere. We'll give her a few days to respond. That's the only bad thing about blogs- there's not always information to get a hold of someone who comments. The first choice today came with no information- no way to contact them, and signed anonymous. :(
We had to pick again. Normally when I do drawings, I have you email me so I can at least contact you when you win!

Please, if you enter today- give a hint of who you are if you are listed as anonymous!

9:00pm UPDATE- I finally heard from Kathleen- the winner of the mug. Congratulations Kathleen!

I'll check the comments early in the morning and select a winner for the book. If you don't win tonight, try again tomorrow- the comment numbers are dropping quickly so maybe you'll have a better chance then!

Friday, May 6, 2011

Having A 100 Blocks MUG Giveaway Today





OK, I know there's a lot of you who really want one of the 100 Blocks Coffee Mugs with all of the blocks on it. It just so happens that I got a special cup sitting here and I'm dying to share it with one of you. Comment today and I'll choose a name from the comments to receive it. I'll post the winner tomorrow right here on the blog.

Just added- I was away all morning and came back to the comments! Wow, there's a lot! I have to physically post the comments, as they are moderated, so sorry to everyone who thought their comment didn't arrive. They are all posted now. I wish I had 100 cups to give away but I only have one. I'll choose late tonight and post the winner here. Good luck!

OK, one more post- I will be out for a while this evening. When I get back, I'll post the rest of the comments (so don't think I missed you) and I'll pick a winner before I go to bed tonight.
Good everyone!

Tomorrow, I will have one more drawing for the last 100 Blocks Magazine that I have. Be sure to comment to have a chance at it. Thanks!

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Two Winners for The Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Magazine


I was reading the comments on the QuiltMaker's Blog tonight and I noticed all of the comments about applique and the lack of knowledge of it. I just want to mention that it is beautiful to do needle turn applique but I often use Steam-A-Seam II and do quick fuse applique. It's really fun, fast and easy. It's like gluing your fabric down with an iron. Steam-A-Seam is a wonderful product and I've used for many years. It is made by the Warm Company- you know, the ones that make Warm & Natural Cotton Batting.

It makes a permanent bond if you pre-wash the fabrics you are using. The directions are on my website under the heading Steam-A-Seam http://www.prairiegrovepeddler.com/ . All of the quilts on my site were made with Steam-A-Seam II. It really is easy to do applique the quick fuse way, I promise. All you need is a pencil, scissors and and iron.

Here's a mock up of a small quilt using 9 of the blocks, sashing and a border......




Here's an idea for a table runner in different colors...


There were a lot of comments all day so I chose 2 winners instead of 1 for the QuiltMaker's 100 Blocks Magazine. I'll be contacting the winners for addresses- they are Janet from South Dakota and Marcia from Florida. Congratulations ladies!


Thanks for all of the comments- it was an honor to be included in the magazine and fun to read the comments. I hope you all visited the other 19 blogs for Monday and entered the contests there also. Remember there will be 20 new blogs highlighted each day this week. QuiltMaker will also have 2 drawings later this week for a goodie basket with lots of things in it.

Monday, May 2, 2011

100 Blocks Blog Tour Begins Today!

The Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Blog Tour begins today- Monday, May 2.

Check out their website - http://www.quiltmaker.com/100blocks.html

There are a lot of other designers featured this week. They have
giveaways and lots of fun things going on. There are some beautiful blocks in the book, all hand signed by their designer, and Quiltmaker Magazine is giving each of the 100 blocks away during the week.

Winners of the first two books- My block is the purple flowers on the cover, under the "B". It's not my normal look but I guess I can't fool too many! The first two ladies who guessed correctly are Kimberly B. and Martha S. I'll be sending a free copy of the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks books to them this week.

I'll be giving away a another copy today- just leave a comment here on the Blog. I'll choose a winner by the end of today. I'll also include all of the email responses I have gotten so far today in the drawing. The magazine is on sale starting May 10.