June 1st? Really? Where did May go???? Well I guess May was so busy it just literally flew by…

I’m so proud of this girl! Kimberley graduated from High School and she’s on her way to college this fall. She’ll join big sister Kathrine in the ranks of being a grown-up and now there’s only 3 left to go. I’m not sure what I’ll do when they are all gone…you hear it all the time that they grow up too fast and this is very, very true :(

(I plan on just keeping them all forever and not letting them grow up but they are pretty much ignoring me. I’ve informed them that it is rude to ignore their mother but they are grown-ups now, remember? ;P)

Well, I’ll just suck them into my fabric madness and they won’t be able to leave! Kathrine helped a ton with this beauty…

Isn’t it just gorgeous?! Or should I say Luscious? Oh, and it’s big. And has cotton and wool batting so it is very heavy. And really, really warm. It’s new home is in Canada so I think that’s a good thing :D

Well, this big quilt has evolved with quite a bit of drama and my beloved Bernina ending up at the sewing machine doctor. Fortunately, it was not a serious problem and now all of those pesky computer upgrades it has needed for years are now taken care of! I get to pick her up tomorrow and I’m sooo excited! I’ve had a loaner machine that a good great fantastic friend let me borrow but I’m so glad I get to have mine back! It’s made me realize that maybe I’m a trifle spoiled with all of the wonderful things my machine does that I take for granted. It’s also made me realize that maybe I’m a trifle spoiled with the great friends I have…don’t worry, friends never get taken for granted (love ya, Bri!!!)

Luscious Stars and a Giveaway!

So...it's been quiet around here of the blog lately. I'm not lazy in general, I'm just a lazy blogger.  What can I say, I'd rather be quilting ;)

Summer's almost here and my part-time job at an elementary school will be on hold for a few months which will give me a chance to stay up to date on blogging and all some of my quilting projects. I don't share all of them, but this one I just have to! I told you in my last post that I had a Luscious project underway...I still do. It's not quite done yet, but will be soon! It's almost ready to be quilted!!!

I LOVE this quilt top! The fabrics are Hello Luscious by Basic Grey for Moda with a Moda Essential Dot for the background fabric. The design was inspired by a quilt that a customer and new friend saw on Etsy. She wanted a similar quilt, but with a few changes. I contacted the seller and she said that she didn't have a pattern; she had been inspired by an antique quilt she had seen. She generously gave me permission to play with her design so I did! :) Enter EQ7...I love this software! My daughter helped out and we quickly figured out the design and I just love the results! I'll share more pics when this beauty is all quilted :)
In another previous post I shared a giveaway by Sew Kind of Wonderful for her fantastic Quick-Curve Ruler. Well, Jenny's at it again and I reaaaalllly want to win this one! She's designed a new bag and it is absolutely darling! Best of all, she's going to make a custom one for the winner!!!
Here's what Jenny said in her post:
I was hoping I could get some help to spread the word about my bag at Quilt Market and the incentive is a 

CUSTOM MADE QUICK CURVE RULER BAG!!

To enter the Giveaway, I would need your help spreading the word!   You can do that through a Blog Post, button on your blog, Facebook, Pinterest..... linking back to this post and be sure to include this picture:

For each way you help me out, will get you more entries in the Giveaway, but be sure to comment each time letting me know.....so let's say you did a blog post and pinned it on pinterest, then you would leave (2) comments, one for each. Get it!

The Giveaway will be open until May 18th, at which time I will do the drawing for the Giveaway and the lucky winner will get to put in their color request for a custom made Quick Curve Ruler bag, like the one above!  You'll have a one of a kind Contemporary bag all put together and quilted by me!

And that's it!!

Jenny is an amazing quilter and I would LOVE anything made by her so I hope I win! You can have a chance to win too...all you have to do is enter at her site! Good luck!


For those of you who are signed up for my newsletter you know that there has been a great Mother's Day deal going on @ TopsandBobbins.com. If you want to get in on this deal and more to come, make sure you sign up! I share coupon codes like this one...MOM#ONE. Use this code during check out for 20% off all precuts and kits!!! This is a one-time use coupon good through Mother's Day, May 13th, 2012. I always ship US orders over $100 free!

Oh! I almost forgot! I have a new button...make sure you grab it and put it on your blog! Thanks! We'll talk soon...I'm going to have a lot more to share this summer!!!

<center><a href="http://TopsandBlogin.Blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Tops and Bobbins" src="http://i1068.photobucket.com/albums/u447/TopsandBobbins/button-1.jpg"/></a></center>

Spring Flowers

Spring flowers are here but maybe not quite the ones you were thinking of...

This pillow was put together with flowers made from this fantastic template!

I discovered these templates at the International Textile Expo in Las Vegas a few weeks ago and I couldn't resist ordering some to share! (Ummm....busted! Yup, I was in Vegas over Spring Break and I have neglected blogging. Again.)

Anyway...these little cuties are made by Clover Needlecraft. I know many of you are already familiar with Clover but I didn't realize just how much awesome stuff that they make! In addition to these flower templates (and their super amazing Kanzashi flower templates- these are on their way and will be added soon!), they also have this fantastic new doohickey...

...that makes AMAZING jewelry like this!

This fantastic little tool makes it sooooo fast to make a gorgeous necklace or bracelet! Just add some beads to thread, floss or yarn and whip one of these up in a few hours! My girls have really sensitive skin and can't wear metal (unless it's Platinum and that's not gonna happen!) so I'm excited that we can make them jewelry that they aren't allergic to!

(Two of my girls are going to Prom next weekend and I see some beautiful new necklaces in their futures :)

So you can see I've been out finding more stuff to share...head on over to TopsandBobbins.com and check out our new finds! We still have limited quantities of Blitzen and Vintage Modern pre-cuts available,too...hurry and buy yours before the Moda Sample Spree runs out! Visit the Patterns page too, because some fun new patterns have been added! While you're there, make sure you sign up for our newsletter...I always share a special or include coupon codes in our newsletter so you can get even better deals :)

Oh, I almost forgot....I'll have some pics to share soon of a Luscious project underway :)

Sharing a Giveaway

Jenny Pedigo of Sew Kind of Wonderful is having a giveaway...one of her awesome rulers and her new pattern. 
Stop on by to enter for three chances to win!

MIA.....

Ok, I know it's been quiet around here lately...I haven't forgotten about you! I have just been really, really busy! So that means I have pics to share :)

 


Remember all of those gorgeous batiks I picked up at Road? I finally finished the quilt! I used Daniela Stout's book Strip Six and I think it turned out amazing! I love all of the colors and kept it going with the quilting.  I quilted cute turtle blocks with King Tut variegated thread and I think it came out perfectly! This little beauty is on it's way to a special birthday girl so, shhhh! No ruining the surprise!

That's not all I've been up to. There are more new fabrics and kits in the store but I'm most excited about these....

Vintage Modern by Bonnie and Camille  

Blitzen by Basic Grey

Moda is having a Sample Spree and I was able to pick up some bundles to share! These fabrics won't be available for several months so get them now while they last!!!

Quick Curve Winner

Thank you to everyone who participated in the giveaway!  I'm sorry the comments weren't working for everyone...I'm working on getting that fixed. 

The winner of the quick-curve ruler is...

Lucky #1, heartsease54!
Her winning comment was:
I really like her #101 Urban Birthday. Her tutorials make it look very easy to sew the curves. Very good videos.
Congratulations! Your ruler will be on it's way as soon as it arrives :)
Even if you didn't win this time you can still get in on the fun! Rulers and patterns are on their way from Sew Kind of Wonderful and will be available at TopsandBobbins.com soon! Have a great day everyone! ~Denise

Quilt along and a Giveaway!

****GIVEAWAY CLOSED****

Love is in the air…February is here!

Can you believe how fast this year is going already?! I feel like it is flying by and I need to just stop and take a few minutes to enjoy some simple things… I think for starters, I’m going to make a quilt. Okay, maybe that doesn’t sound like a big deal but there is a difference; I’m going to make a quilt for me!

Well okay, maybe it won't be for me exactly, maybe it’ll be for one of my kids but the point is that it is going to live at my house when it’s done!!!

I’ve found the perfect, fun quilt to make! I've been following Jenny Pedigo’s blog and she is starting a wonderful quilt-along with her fantastic quick-curve ruler! (I’m ordering some for the shop so there will be plenty to go around :)

Check out her site… she is one talented lady! Jenny designs amazing patterns and she is also a fantastic quilter. Oh, and she’s also super nice! She even has tutorials on her blog to demonstrate how easy it is to use her ruler. I’ve been throwing her a ton of questions lately and she’s also very helpful :)  

To help get this quilt-along in high gear, I’m going to giveaway one of her fantastic rulers! (*ahem* I’ll ship to the winner as soon as they arrive because I haven’t actually placed the order yet…  Order's placed & they'll be here next week!)

So the giveaway is open as of right now! All you have to do is visit Jenny’s blog and see what the fuss is all about. Then come back here and tell me which design # is your favorite. The giveaway will be open until February 8 so that gives you a whole week to figure out what your favorite design is. I’m having a hard time choosing between #1 and #4 so it's okay if you pick more than one!


For a second chance to win, make sure you also visit my website and sign up for my newsletter (just leave me a second comment saying that you signed up or already receive my newsletter.) The newsletter is the best way to know what's going on @ Tops and Bobbins! This month I'm going to be celebrating a fabulous February Fondness for Fabric event in honor of Valentine's Day! The newsletter will have coupon codes to use for fantastic deals so make sure you don't miss out!


Third chance...share the quilt along and giveaway on your blog or Facebook for another chance to win! Leave me a third comment telling me you shared :) Good Luck!