A Quilting Reader's Garden

Design Wall Monday

First, if you're here for the giveaways for my 5th Blog Year Annivesary, go here. Five great giveaways end Thursday, midnight.

On my design wall is my mystery quilt from the guild retreat. As you see it I still have to attach the top and bottom rows and the top will be done. And yes it is sandwiched as I'm doing this quilt as you go.

Now for the problems . Looking at the photo below, you can see the back is too small on two sides. This is because of two things. When I laid the center row on top of the batting and back I seem to be almost two inches too to the right of center. What they say about measure twice and cut once also relates to this. But the biggest problem is that when I cut the flannel back I did so before I washed it. I though I had left plenty around each edge - 2 1/2 to 3 inches more. Well, it shrunk and I'll never cut backing from flannel again if it hasn't been shrunk.

I'm hoping St Anne's cupboard has another piece of this to sew on three sides (after I've washed it that is). If not, I'll have to add a piece of something else all around to finish this off. Until then no more work can be done on this piece other than sew the two rows on.

What's on your design wall? I'm linking over to Judy's Patchwork Times, Esther's WoW, and Lyn's BOMs Away for now.

Stash Report and Octopus!

First, if you're here for the giveaways for my 5th Blog Year Annivesary, go here. Five great giveaways end Thursday, midnight.

Octopus? Octopus agave that is. Coming home a recent Sunday from mass, my DH and I noticed that the octopus agave planted stree side was sending out a stalk.

We were both quite surprised because his older brother isn't showing any signs of doing so.

This one really looks like an octopus. He's twice the size of the other.

I've been inside the better part of the last two weeks. Imagine my astonishment this morning again coming home from church, I see it's grown to near 12 feet. We believe it will have yellow flowers and then maybe bulbils (small plantlets). Then DH will dig it out as that's the end of them, once they bloom.
And here's a bouquet from my poor neglected garden:

Maybe next week when it's suppose to warm up and this cough is gone, I'll be able to go out there and do something.

Now for my stash report. Used a fat quarter for that napkin you saw in the Applique Tuesday Post, and another for this month's Block Lotto block (that's really a dark green in the center).

I also used 2 1/4 yards for that receiving blanket and a 1/2 yard for the background of the hexie piece I'm working on for a total of 3.25 yards out. I'm linking to Judy's Stash Reports on Patchwork Times. See you there. Oh and new numbers on right sidebar. Not bad for week 9 of 2014.

It's My 5th Year Blogging Anniversary!

First off, I want to thank all my followers and readers for helping me get to here on Blogland. I so am so grateful for your advice, prayers when needed, help and encouragement you've provided over the years to help me grow in one of the things I love most - quilting! As I scrolled through the 910 posts I've published, I reminisced on what I've been up to in that time. Here are some favorites:

2009 Em's Quilt

2010 My Bullseye Quilt

2011 My first designed pattern

2012 2nd one I designed and made

2013 Begun my Love Entwined Adventure

Again thank you for all your encouragement and sharing you have done over the years. So to celebrate, let's have a giveaway! Since it's for five years, let's have five winners. This is open to all worldwide. To be eligible, please be sure that I can reach you by having your email available to me. That includes those on blogger. The last two giveaways, I've had to really work to find an email for my winners. This time, sorry, if I can't find it easily, I'm just going to pick a new winner. So, to enter 1. leave me a comment telling me which part of the quilting process you enjoy most - from cutting to binding and all the steps in between - and which of the prizes you are most interested in winning. Another chance is 2. follow me and then tell me how you are doing so or are already a follower. AND 3. link to my Hexie Weekend post (It's the previous one) any eye candy you'd like to share. HW is every Friday. I'll add your link to the comments list considered for the giveaways. Lastly, for those who write a post about this giveaway and include my link, I have a giveaway just for you ( a $25 gift certificate from the Fat Quarter Shop). You're welcome to use any photo on my blog for this post. Once you've made it and placed the link to this post in it, come back here and leave a comment telling me so. I'll go read your post and put your comment in a special pool and let you know you're listed.

So how long should this giveaway run? How about til next Hexie Weekend - that's March 7th. So the giveaways will close on March 6th at midnight. I'll pick the winners and announce them the 7th. Thanks for playing. I'm so glad you have come by and said hello!

So here are the giveaways - hope there's something you'd like to come your way:
1.