WINNERS OF RANDOM DRAWINGS ANNOUNCED!

Thanks for stopping in for the Random Drawing Winners Announcement!

All the Prizes are Packaged up and ready to go in the mailers!

AND THE WINNERS ARE 

Thanks to all who participated!

I would like the winners to send me their addresses via email asap.  I'll be going out of town today, so if I'm unable to get an address before I leave, don't worry, I'll get the prize to the winner, the following week!  Good luck and thanks again for all the nice comments and for visiting The Quilts in the Pumpkin Patch Blog Hop!

QUILTS IN THE PUMPKIN PATCH DAY EIGHT

Hi again!  It’s day eight of the Patch Hop and this is the BONUS day!

 I'm glad to present Patricia, another friend I met while participating in the Christmas in July hop!  She is busy, busy and I'm lucky she joined me in this hop!  Patricia has made a beautiful and colorful quilted throw or wallhanging.  She very cleverly finished a UFO and used a panel, but added some checkerboard piecing and cute quilting to make it her own.  I love the whimsical scarecrows dancing out in the moonlit pumpkin patch! 

Run, don't walk and go visit Patricia at Quilting Lines and check out how she did her project and her giveaway for a cute panel too!

See all the Fall projects that have been presented in the Pumpkin Patch Hop by clicking on the links below!

September 19th:  Sheri - Sunshine in the Attic

September 20th: Maggie - Maggie's Empty Nest

September 21st:  Susie - Susie's Sunroom

September 22nd:  Celine - Espritpatch

September 23rd:  Yevette - Evindie

September 24th:  Judy - Judy's Fabric Addiction

September 25th Elaine - Summercrafter
September 26th Patricia - Quilting Lines

QUILTS IN THE PUMPKIN PATCH WRAP UP!

I've enjoyed hosting this hop and wish to extend thanks to all the Quilters who have presented projects and to all who have visited the Blogs.  I hope you've enjoyed seeing the lovely and fun fall items!  

We'd also be interested in seeing your fall quilting projects!  To do this, I've created a Quilts in the Pumpkin Patch Projects Flickr Group.  Anyone can become a member and add photos of any fall projects.  This will be a fun place to keep the Hop Alive and enjoy seeing many autumn quilts and fall projects!

The drawings for the Sunshine in the Attic giveaways will be completed early on 9/27/13 and I'll announce the winners then.

QUILTS IN THE PUMPKIN PATCH DAY SEVEN!

We are now on day seven of the PATCH HOP!  Thank you for joining us today! 

 Today I get to present Elaine of Summercrafter.  I met Elaine while participating in Julie's Christmas in July blog hop.  I'm so thankful that she is always ready to help advise me on my technical blogging difficulties and give encouragement!  She has lots of fun activities going on over on her blog, like Friday Night Block parties!

 

Five Happy Pumpkins Wall Hanging

  Elaine's tutorial for her adorable Happy Pumpkins project looks easy to follow and even includes some button and beading artistry!  I remember learning the fun childhood holiday song called, "Five Little Pumpkins"!  Do you remember that one?  So go to Elaine's for a great tutorial and a little visit to memory lane!

I hope you all have had a chance to follow along.  If not, you can catch the previous posts by clicking on the links here:

September 19th:  Sheri - Sunshine in the Attic

September 20th: Maggie - Maggie's Empty Nest

September 21st:  Susie - Susie's Sunroom

September 22nd:  Celine - Espritpatch

September 23rd:  Yevette - Evindie

September 24th:  Judy - Judy's Fabric Addiction

September 25th Elaine - Summercrafter
September 26th Patricia - Quilting Lines

Thanks for stopping by.  See you tomorrow for the last day of the hop!

QUILTS IN THE PUMPKIN PATCH DAY SIX!

Welcome back to the "Patch" hop!  We're more than half way  through and so far we've seen two wall hangings, a table runner, a quilt, and a tote bag in all sorts of fall, fun colors!  We're lucky to have a few days left and more lovely items to see! 

 Today my guest blogger is Judy of Judy's Fabric Addiction.  Judy works with a variety of mediums.  She makes many lovely things and especially enjoys art quilting.  She's adventurous about traveling, taking classes and recently she's been to the Quilt Expo in Madison, WI and then off to Nashville!  I'm glad she's back home and has squeezed in some time to participate in the hop!


 Judy made this cute Pile O' Pumpkins Wall hanging amidst many, many other projects that she has going on right now! It's all fun, so go stop by Judy's and see some of her creations and lovely photos from the quilt expo too!
 Here's the blog hop schedule with the links becoming active on their day!

September 19th:  Sheri - Sunshine in the Attic

September 20th: Maggie - Maggie's Empty Nest

September 21st:  Susie - Susie's Sunroom

September 22nd:  Celine - Espritpatch

September 23rd:  Yevette - Evindie

September 24th:  Judy - Judy's Fabric Addiction

September 25th:  Elaine - Summercrafter

September 26th:  Patricia - Quilting Lines

AND GUESS WHAT?  JUDY IS HAVING HER OWN GIVEAWAY, SO DON'T DELAY VISITING HER!
Thanks for stopping by and we'll see you tomorrow!

QUILTS IN THE PUMPKIN PATCH DAY FIVE!

Hi Everyone!  I'm glad you came back for more tricks and treats! 

Today my guest is another coworker, Yevette!  
She is a mom of an amazing girl who has just achieved her dream of attending culinary school.  Yevette is a singer/songwriter and not a sewer or a quilter ---or at least she wasn't until a couple days ago!  She learns quick though, and you'll be amazed that she completed her whole project in about 2 hours! 

This is the tote bag she made.

Halloween Tote bag made by Yevette at Evindie

She has compiled an amazing video of her quilting experience, along with a tutorial and I am amazed and in awe of her talent!  Go see her very cute video and ENJOY!

September 19th:  Sheri - Sunshine in the Attic

September 20th: Maggie - Maggie's Empty Nest

September 21st:  Susie - Susie's Sunroom

September 22nd:  Celine - Espritpatch

September 23rd:  Yevette - Evindie

September 24th:  Judy - Judy's Fabric Addiction

September 25th:  Elaine - Summercrafter

September 26th:  Patricia - Quilting Lines

Another giveaway!  Here are a set of four reversible holiday coasters!

Reversible, quilted holiday coasters.

 Leave me a comment, joke or riddle for a chance to win these coasters!  New followers can get a second chance to win by following me and leaving a second comment telling me how they follow.  And stop by again tomorrow for more autumn fun!  DRAWING IS NOW CLOSED

QUILTS IN THE PUMPKIN PATCH DAY FOUR!

Hello and welcome to day FOUR of the PATCH Blog Hop!  Today marks the first day of autumn and I am so glad that you’re here and ready for more Fall Fun!

Today I get to introduce you to Celine, a blogging friend who really is in England!   She is a fabricaholic and a sewing/quilting addict, among other things.  I think we can all relate to that!   I met Celine when I came across her Granny Bee block tutorial which is excellent, so check that out too.  

For the Hop, Celine has designed a "Plus" quilt herself and put it all together in a whirlwind of activity in a very short amount of time using some lovely fabrics she's had on hand, just waiting for the right project!

So go visit Celine!   Her Autumn Plus Quilt is absolutely gorgeous and the colors, the pattern, and the parallel lines of quilting are so chic!

The "Hop" schedule:
September 19th Sheri - Sunshine in the Attic
September 20th Maggie - Maggie's Empty Nest Days
September 21st Susie - Susie's Sunroom
September 22nd  Celine - Espritpatch
September 23rd Yevette - Evindie
September 24th Judy - Judy's Fabric Addiction
September 25th Elaine - Summercrafter
September 26th Patricia - Quilting Lines

I do have another giveaway!  Today's drawing is for three fat eighths of the very cute premium fabric by Dear Stella called Town and Country.  See the little houses for the town and the field of trees for the country?   And every tree has a tiny little bird.  I love the colors and the prints are so darling!

  Leave a comment telling me something interesting or something you've learned recently (or whatever you want) to qualify for today's drawing! Thanks for stopping by and come back tomorrow for more harvest time activity!  DRAWING IS NOW CLOSED

QUILTS IN THE PUMPKIN PATCH: DAY THREE!

Hi Everyone.  Welcome to Day three of the "Patch Hop"-- Today I am so excited to introduce you to Susie, from Susie's Sunroom!  You will enjoy visiting Susie (all the way in England) Note:  Susie's not in England but she's still about 3000 miles away from me-- sorry for the error.  Susie has many wonderful quilted projects and don't forget to get a spot of tea to enjoy, while you're there!  Thanks to the internet and  blogging, the world is so much smaller -- you can make a friend across the world (or the U.S.) and it's almost as good as having them right next door!

  Today Susie will show you how to make this wonderful "maple leaf" block table runner! 

Oh how I love those fall colors with the crisp white background-- and maple leaf blocks have a special place in my heart, because they were the first blocks I made in my very first quilt class!  And the "swirl" quilting adds just the right touch!

Here is the Hop schedule.  Links will become active once they’re posted:

September 19th Sheri - Sunshine in the Attic
September 20th Maggie - Maggie's Empty Nest Days
September 21st Susie - Susie's Sunroom
September 22nd  Celine - Espritpatch
September 23rd Yevette - Evindie
September 24th Judy - Judy's Fabric Addiction
September 25th Elaine - Summercrafter
September 26th Patricia - Quilting Lines

So Go see Susie and leave her a comment and don't forget to leave comments to qualify for the giveaways!

 And were you wondering....?  Yes, I came up with another giveaway!  You may have seen my pumpkin pin cushion post and today I'm giving away a KIT to make one for yourself.  All you have to add is some rice or I hear crushed walnut shells (which are sold in pet stores) will keep your pins sharp!  To be entered into this random drawing, leave me any comment (how I can improve my blog would be good) AND you can be eligible for a second chance if you follow me and leave me another comment saying how you follow me.  Good Luck!  DRAWING IS NOW CLOSED

PUMPKIN PIN CUSHION KIT!

 

QUILTS IN THE PUMPKIN PATCH, DAY TWO

 Hello everyone!  Welcome to day TWO of the QUILTS IN THE PUMPKIN PATCH Blog Hop!

Today I am so happy to present Maggie!  Maggie is a mom, grandmother, manager of a surgery center among other things, and she's my boss.  She's an excellent manager and I'm not just saying that-- you can ask any of my coworkers!  Maggie is a very experienced quilter, but new to blogging, and so I appreciate her perseverance to put together the wonderful blog post and tutorial you're about to see.  Her project is a "DO NOT DISTURB" wall quilt.  Don't you just love that cat which is sprawled out in front of those darling pumpkins? 

"Do Not Disturb" (pattern by Country Threads) by Maggie at Maggie's Empty Nest Days

Maggie told me she was finally going to get to keep something she makes (she usually gives everything away) but then remembered her sister, who just had her birthday, and a new little grand baby who was born with some big challenges.  So she's decided to send the table runner to her sister, to brighten her day.  But she cut out two of everything, so she can still make another one for herself! 

Here's the rest of the schedule.  Each link will become active on the day.

September 19th Sheri - Sunshine in the Attic
September 20th Maggie - Maggie's Empty Nest Days
September 21st Susie - Susie's Sunroom
September 22nd  Celine - Espritpatch
September 23rd Yevette - Evindie
September 24th Judy - Judy's Fabric Addiction
September 25th Elaine - Summercrafter
September 26th Patricia - Quilting Lines

And guess what?  I have another random giveaway!  So go over to Maggie's and see her project and leave a comment and then come back here and leave a comment.  Suggested topic:  Favorite childhood memory of autumn.  Did you wait with anticipation to see "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown?" DRAWING IS NOW CLOSED.

Peruse this pair of pretty, purple, potholders (say that 3 times!) and leave a comment for a chance to win!

 Thank you for joining us and come back tomorrow for more holiday fun!

Quilts in the Pumpkin Patch-- Day One!

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Welcome to the Quilts in the Pumpkin Patch Blog Hop.

Would you like to make a Quilts in a Pumpkin Patch wall hanging?

THE FIRST HOP STOP IS RIGHT HERE! 

Hello Kitty Mug Rug

Aren't the tiny clothes pins cute?  Perfect for hanging tiny quilts in the "Quilts in a Pumpkin Patch" wall hanging!  Finished size is 13 1/4 x 12" so all you need is a few fat eighths or even some scraps for this one!
UPDATE:  I'M ENTERING THIS MINI QUILT IN AMY'S QUILT FESTIVAL AT AMY'S CREATIVE SIDE.  CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE FESTIVAL.

FOR THE TUTORIAL, CLICK ON READ MORE.

SNEEK PEAK GIVEAWAY FOR 1ST DAY OF QUILTS IN THE PUMPKIN PATCH: SEPT. 19TH

HELLO KITTY MUG RUG

Wouldn't you love to have your mug and plate of toast on this little mug rug while you sit, looking out your window at the beautiful fall leaves!  CHECK BACK SEPT. 19TH TO FIND OUT ABOUT THIS GIVE AWAY!

Briana's Quilt hanging on the Garden Shed

Finally complete.

I quilted it with some King Tut variegated autumn colored thread with a stipple pattern

Briana's Quilt

Last fall, my niece saw a quilt in this book that she liked and I offered to make it for her.

Here's a picture from the book of the quilt that she chose.   It didn't particularly appeal to me, but I wanted to make it for her because she liked it.

You can see I put on a different border but I really ended loving this design and the colors.  I just got done with the stipple quilting pattern tonight.   Just need to add the binding!

Tension Problems: the Significance of two tension controls

Do you ever long arm quilt (or in my case, mid arm quilt)?  You're sewing along making your meandering stitch and you start having terrible problems?  The problem occurred because my thread kept breaking and shredding and while reading the manual and trouble shooting, I found out that upper tension being too tight might be the problem.  So I began loosening it little by little and then a lot by a lot-- eventually the thread didn't break, but I ended up with this mess on the back-- but it was worse than the pictures show.

Steps I took to try and resolve the problem and it just got worse and nothing was working:

1.  Rethreaded (also tried different threads in top and bobbin)
2. Read the manual
3. Looked online at discussion boards for tips
4. Adjusted the tensions (2 upper and the bobbin) repeatedly
5. Put in a new needle (and I put it in backwards which I discovered days later!)
6. Adjusted the quilt on and off and on the frame
7. Oiled and cleaned out the lint
8. Finally, took the weekend off and went to Folsom (shopped at the outlets, watched my husband play softball)

When I came back I was determined to be calm and read the manual and methodically figure out the problem or else throw the whole machine and frame away!  Here's what I was so happy to discover!

1.  There are two tensions (see arrows).  The blue arrow is pointing to the main tension and the red arrow is pointing to the secondary tension.  If your tension is about right but your thread keeps breaking, you can loosen your main tension slightly and also tighten your secondary tension slightly, little by little.  This maintains the correct tension, but allows the main tension to be looser, and hopefully solves the problem of the thread breaking.  Also be aware that you can put a piece of batting in the "pigtail" (that curvy place you put your thread through when it first comes off the cone) and that's one more area where you can add a bit more tension)

In the end, my thread still breaks occasionally, but not every 10 seconds like it was when I began and I'm so glad I figured out the significance of having 2 tension controls.  I'm sure I still have much to learn, but hope this little tip might help someone else!

A Quilt for Julie

My manager at work pieced together this quilt for our co worker whose last day is tomorrow!

I quilted it with a stippling design with my Sunshine 16 except for the border design for which I used my regular sewing machine and applied the binding also by machine.

I love the prints, especially the sheep print!

Pumpkin Patch

Only one little pumpkin in the patch!