I’m a Grandma

Becoming a first-time grandma is a pretty amazing experience.  My husband and I were visiting the North Shore of Lake Superior when my son Jon called.  He said, “Sorry to cut your trip short, but you have a grandson.”  He came three weeks early.  I guess he couldn’t wait to meet all of us . . .  and I was so excited to meet him.  We rushed back to the Twin Cities because I just had to see him on the day he was born.

I made him a Very Hungry Caterpillar Quilt.  He loves it!

I also bought him a “Going to Grandma’s” outfit and the book On the Day You Were Born.

Grandma loves you, Henry.

5000 Hits

     Woohoo!  I reached 5000 hits on my blog today.  It’s been just over a year since I wrote my first post.  So that averages just over 400 hits a month.

     It felt satisfying doing it all, even though there was a steep learning curve at first.  Looking back, I’m full of gratitude for all the creativity, fun, and fellowship with many wonderful quilters.  

 

 

 

“Is My Grandbaby a Boy or a Girl?” Runners for Jon and Kate

August is a wonderful month of anticipation for me and my family.  My first grandchild is arriving in early September and I’m beside myself with delight.  

My son Jon and daughter-in-law Kate (I know, Jon and Kate, not the famous ones) decided not to find out the sex of the baby, wanting to be surprised when the big day comes.  Since Kate loves table runners, I decided to make her a pair, one pink and one blue. I call these “Is My Grandbaby a Boy or a Girl?” table runners.  

This Tuesday,  we all went shopping for a stroller for Baby S.  So it was the perfect opportunity to give Kate the table runners.  

Here’s the pink one:

Here’s the blue one:

I found a cute backing fabric that says “I love mommy” and”I love daddy” all over it.

So, is my grandbaby a boy or a girl?

I’ll find out soon . . . . . .

The pattern I used was a free one from Timeless Treasures.  It’s called Easy Striped Table Runner by Karen Montgomery.  I was going to include a link, so you could find it but in the last week or so they have taken it off their website and it is now available for purchase at the Quilt Company.

Bummer – when I printed this pattern out at the beginning of August my printer ink was in short supply so my copy is not pretty.  I planned to print out a new one.  Not now.  

Putting these together was so slick and easy.  Just six short seams and the top is done.  Cutting is a little tricky, but not bad.  (I’ll post photos and instructions soon, so keep an eye out for it if you’re interested. )

Here’s a photo of the happy couple with their new stroller:

Grandpa S had to thoroughly check it out and it passed his inspection.  Shew!

 

This is all so much fun.  I can hardly wait to meet my grandbaby.  A child brings so much love.  I guess that’s why they are called “a bundle of joy.”

Love you Jon and Kate.  (You’re my favorite daughter-in-law.)  :)

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Quilt Garden Tour

I love quilting and I love gardening.  This is a wonderful way to put them together.  Check it out.

 

Amish Country Garden Tour

They also have a Flickr group if you’d like  to see even more photos.

Amish Garden Flickr Group

Road trip anyone?

Jan

 

 

Cell Phone Bag Free Pattern

I found this cute cell phone bag pattern on the C & T Publishing website.

Cell Phone Pattern

I especially like the little loop at the top that you can use to hook to your purse.  I already use a clip for my keys so I like the idea.

If any of you make one,  I’d love it if you’d send me some photos to post.

What do you think?  Isn’t it cute?

Jan

My Birthday Giveaway

It’s my birthday.  July 11 —- 7,11 —— my happy lucky day.  I’ve had a fabulous time celebrating since Thursday and it’s not over yet.

On Thursday I had a fun outing day with my friend Geri.  I went to several of my favorite quilt shops.  First was Four Seasons in Plymouth which is close to my house.  That can be good or bad depending on how you look at it.  They had a fabulous selection of clearance fabric.  Found many pieces I wanted, but controlled myself and only bought three.  Geri found the cutest watermelon fabric to make a runner.  We also spent some time examining the Moda Mystery quilt, since we are ready to finish one ourselves.  Even though this one was traditional, I think it will give us some insight on picking fabric to finish our Kaffe Fasset ones.

Then it was off to Glad Creations in Minneapolis.  I love this shop in an old home setting.  It’s always nice to visit with the friendly people there.

We had lunch at Turtle Bread and then just had to go next door to the Pumphouse Creamery for fabulous ice cream.  All of the ice cream there is made on site with organic milk from Wisconsin.  She also uses local ingredients as much as possible.  Yum!  It’s my favorite ice cream shop in the Twin Cities.

Friday I spent with my friend Mary.  We headed over to St. Paul and had lunch on the deck at Muffalettas.  I had a pork burger and Mary had a hamburger.  All their meat is pastured meat from local farms.  So I felt a little less guilty eating it.  Being there reminded me of a quilt shop that used to be in the neighborhood called the Country Peddler.  I sure do miss that place.

That night our couple friends came over for a grilled pizza at our house.  I had never made them before so followed some recipes I found in American Pie: My search for the perfect pizza by Peter Reinhart.  They turned out to be really good.  My friend Cindy and I were both celebrating birthdays.  Her’s is July 9 and mine July 11, so how perfect to celebrate on the day between them.

 

 

Yesterday, my actual birthday, was wonderful.  I went down to Lake Nikomos to take photos of my son Tim who finished the Lifetime Triathalon.

 

 Then lunch with my sister Jean.  

 

Enjoyed the afternoon outside in beautiful weather.  Then took a long walk with my husband along the Mississippi River.  We stopped for a light dinner at the Nicollet Island Inn and then headed over to Maple Grove for fireworks.  

 

 

Today I’m celebrating with my kids and their spouses.  We’re going to the Dragon Boat races and then for dinner.  My birthday seems to involve a lot of food.  

That’s a run down of my birthday “week” or as my daughter-in-law says we should call it our birthday “month.”  Anyway, I feel so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family in my life.  I decided to do a little giveaway for my birthday.  A birthday present from me to you.

I’m giving away a package of charm squares.  It’s Collections for a Cause from Moda. There are 40 squares in the package.  

 

To be eligible to win, post a comment here on how you celebrate your birthday or what birthdays mean to you or  a birthday wish or any other birthday related thing.  I will choose the one I find most interesting or creative.  That person will be the winner.

Here’s wishing you a birthday as happy as mine!

MN Designer’s Blog Hop

 

Isn’t this a great idea?  Sorry, I missed passing this on today when it started.  Visit each of these designer’s blogs for a free pattern or idea and a chance to win prizes.  Here’s the lowdown:

A group of 10 blogging quilt designers, all from Minnesota are taking part in this adventure. Starting next week you can visit a new blogger, every weekday. Each designer will have a free demo or pattern, show you a new technique and tell you a little bit about themselves. They will also have a little giveaway for you if you check in to visit and say hi in the comments.

But that is not all!!! If you are really dedicated and visit each and every blog and post your comment, you will be entered in a drawing to win a phenomenal grand prize!!!

Follow this link to GE Designs to access the links to all of the blogs.

Good luck and let us know if you win anything!

 

Jan

A Quilter’s Birthday Party

I got invited to a birthday party.  It was for one of my quilting friends, Cathy, for a very special birthday.  Her husband, Jim, arranged for all of us to attend a jewelry making class.  

It was held at The Studio at Rush Creek in Maple Grove, MN.  According to their website, it’s an art studio and coffee bar . . . . created to be a comfortable place where anyone, including beginners and hobbyists, can come in to experiment with different arts and crafts.  It’s a great space with friendly help.  

We got a brief introduction to dichroic glass and then had two hours to experiment and make pendants.  I think there were more options, but that’s all I concentrated on. 

 

 

Basically, you just cut colored dichroic glass and layer it into artistic designs.  Then you carefully place it into a kiln.  That’s the tricky part, since the pieces tend to slide around during the trip.  

 

There was a huge pile of scrap glass to choose from and a few other things to add like glass noodles, which is just like it sounds.  Thin pieces of glass that look like spaghetti.  

 

In the two hours, I was able to make 25 pieces.  Some of them were pure experiments. Just layered some scraps to see what surprises I could come up with.  (I’ll pick them up after they’ve been fired.)

After, we gathered on the soft seating for gifts and chatting.  Cake and ice cream too.

 

 

It was lots of fun.  Thanks Jim!  . . . . and happy birthday Cathy!

Give-away

Check out this site for a chance to win 30 fat quarters in honor of the blogger’s daughter’s birthday.  Go to the site and scroll down to the post. Deadline is April 20 at midnight.

There’s also a post on other online giveaways.

http://www.pigtalesandquilts.com/

Good luck.

Jan