2010 August

New Clue from Michaela

August 31, 2010 By Anne 118 Comments

The hints keep coming and some of you might think I’m being tricky. I would never be tricky, even if I look a little like the lion in Michaela’s drawing right now. I said in my last post “here’s a “little” hint”. Little was in quotes, a hint, and not one of you mentioned it! Maybe you need some more help! My grand-daughter Michaela has kindly offered to help with the word “little”:

I’ve had 39 of you guess the theme of my new block of the month! 39! How about those odds for winning the prize! I’m closing the contest on Friday so you have until 9PM Pacific time to guess the theme! Come on my little stragglers. You can do it!

I’ll be picking a winner sometime next week, announcing the theme and showing the prize, but you’ll have to wait a bit to see the quilt. Just to entice you, here’s a sample of what’s included in the prize! I picked these tins up at the Cath Kidston store in London!

Ready to go over the hints again?

1. Christmas with some pieced blocks

2. A little bit of snow

3. A tiny bit of pink in the quilt, 5″ x 5″ or smaller.

4. The fabric I’m using is” Le Petie Ecole” from Kaari, the French General! Did you notice the gray in that fabric?

5. There’s a critter in the quilt that I like to draw almost as much as a bunny!

6. There’s a house in the quilt, and it’s set on snow.

7. Last hint and this is a BIG one! It’s an American theme with the critter and a few reindeer.

For a bit more fun, I’ll be announcing the winner of the “I Love my Pet Contest” in my newsletter on Saturday! If you see your name you’ll be getting that fabulous gift basket in the mail! I had 566 of you send in a over 800 pictures and one of you is going to win! To see all the pictures, here’s the link to Flickr!

You’ll also be getting block number nine of Snowbound on Saturday! I can’t wait to show you! Just look at my Snowbound group on Flickr! These are such cute blocks and you can post your blocks too. I look at them all!

Back soon!

Anne

Filed Under: Applique, Inspirations, Quilt Design

What on earth is a critter?

August 29, 2010 By Anne 64 Comments

Hummm what kind of critter do you think I might have on my new Christmas quilt?

Could it be a possum with her babies?

Or how about a camel?

Or a tiger might be nice!

Truth is some of you have already guessed it! You’re so smart and you know who you are! Here’s a “little” hint just in case you haven’t gotten that email from me yet. Critter… what do you consider a critter?

Hope you enjoy these wonderful drawings from my Grand-daughter Michaela. She’s an artist in the making!

Back soon,

Anne

Filed Under: Quilt Design Tagged With: Applique, Christmas, Drawing, Giveaway, Quilt Design

The Yellow House

August 22, 2010 By Anne 69 Comments

This was one of those houses that just made me swoon. If you visit the Cotswolds in England, and you drive the country roads you might find it. It has to be one of a kind and the story of the house will remain a mystery. I’m not sure I could find it again; too many country roads going in too many directions. I wanted so much to know the history. Who lives here and how many families have lived here before them? How old is the house? Has it always been the palest of yellows? What stories can it tell, this beauty of a house!

I spent Saturday with this house, but only in the studio. I drew it for applique only to find out I couldn’t capture it’s beauty in fabric! I tried for a full day, but the house remains elusive. A house this grand must want to remain in the Cotswolds. I love every detail of this house, so maybe I’ll try again someday when I have the palest of yellow fabrics.

Of course all of this leads to another clue.

Here’s the clues so far, with the new one in red:

1. Christmas with some pieced blocks

2. A little bit of snow

3. A tiny bit of pink in the quilt, 5″ x 5″ or smaller.

4. The fabric I’m using is” Le Petie Ecole” from Kaari, the French General!

5. I said in an earlier post that there’s a critter in the quilt that I like to draw almost as much as a bunny!

6. There’s a house in the quilt, and its set on snow.

I do have some good guessers. You know who you are!

Have a great Monday everyone!

Anne

Filed Under: Inspirations, Quilt Design Tagged With: Applique, Christmas, cotswolds, houses, Quilt Design, yellow

Paris Mode

August 19, 2010 By Anne 73 Comments

I’m in the Paris mode judging from the guesses coming in for my new Block of the Month! You have me wishing for a pink, French Christmas quilt! Ahh, how many of you would really buy a pink Christmas quilt? Sale of one pattern to Bunny Hill but the rest of you? Well you saw the fabric I’m using in my last post and I’m in more of a universal mode, but I’m always dreaming of Paris…

I loved Paris and I would return in a minutes’ notice just for a chance to browse the flea markets for treasures! Anyone ready for a Paris treasure hunt? I actually looked up costs online today for next year. I’m hooked don’t you think?

I paid 10 Euros for this card of vintage Mother of Pearl buttons. It was a bargain. I would have paid more, I loved them so much. I’m not good at bargaining. I hate it, but I made myself ask if they would take less in my most French sounding English. At the same vendor I paid 25 Euros for one button. The bargaining didn’t work at all. I really wanted that button from 1880 and so I paid the money. Can’t show it to you now because I’ll be using it for something in the spring. You’ll appreciate it more when you see it.

As for that 5″ square of pink in my block of the month? Try looking at some of my other block of the months to see how I’ve used “pink”! Do you think I’ve used the entire square or do you think maybe I cut it up?

Guess what? We have a few correct guesses in the contest already! If you guess right you’ll get an email confirming that you’ve been entered in the contest.

Quilt shops can email me directly for the “La Petite Ecole” fabric sku’s I’ve used.

One more question for today. How many of you have Facebook pages and why? I’ve been visiting Facebook and I’m not sure I “get it”. Do you actually use Facebook? Do you use it every day?

Back soon!

Anne