What I'm Working on Wednesday

Hi everyone:


Well, it finally appears to be spring here in Calgary - we haven't had snow in several days (although still being forecast for later this week). With spring comes new ideas and projects and it occurred to me that my readers might be wondering what I've been working on. So...


I'm starting a new weekly post to show you what I'm currently working on. You'll see these posts on Wednesdays, followed by a photo of the finished project in a later post. I'm hoping that this will keep me on track and actually finishing some projects. I find that if I have a deadline or a goal, I do accomplish things. 


These are some of the items that I'm currently working on. 

Doll made with AccuQuilt GO! dies

Stick guy & gal embroidery

Charning Cats & Dogs (detail) made with
AccuQuilt GO! dies for a guild challenge

More stick guy & gal embroidery

Although some of these projects are complete, such as the embroideries, I still need to finish the instructions so that they can be available for sale on my Etsy store: so they're really not finished yet. I do expect that the Charming Cats & Dogs will be done by next week, since this is the deadline for the challenge (deadlines are good!). The doll is a work in progress and is almost complete as well - just need to refine a few details.

I'm going to try very hard to work on these projects and finish them before I move on to other unfinished work. I do seem to recall that I have some hexagons hanging around that need to be included in a project...

What are you working on this Wednesday?

!Quilt Fiesta! winner

Hi everyone:

Well, folks, we have a winner! The winning number was #30 and the winner was kc. Congratulations, kc, I'll be sending your copy of !Quilt Fiesta! out to you as soon as I receive your address information. Again, thank you to Martingale and Company for providing this book as a giveaway to my readers.

Thanks to everyone who entered and welcome to my new readers. I enjoyed reading your comments and have some new design ideas from them (how did I miss doing a manga puppy?!).


I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful Easter week-end with their friends and family. If you see the Easter bunny, don't forget to send him my way :)

Book Giveaway

Hi everyone:


In yesterday's post I advised that I would be having a giveaway for !Quilt Fiesta! Surprising designs from Mexican tiles by Cheryl Lynch. 

Don't worry, I'm still doing this giveaway and you have until April 22, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. MST to enter to win your own copy. 
I did, however, forget to mention that this book is published by Martingale and Company. Also, mea culpa (my fault) in neglecting to mention that Martingale and Company have provided me with a copy of this book to give away to one of my blog readers. 
So... my apologies to Martingale and Company as well as my thanks to them for providing a copy of !Quilt Fiesta! for this giveaway.


Good luck, everyone!

Book Review - !Quilt Fiesta! and a Giveaway

Hi everyone:

Sun, sand and warm temps in Mexico

After our recent trip to Mexico (warm breezes, sandy beaches - NO SNOW!), it seems only appropriate that I should be reviewing !Quilt Fiesta!: Surprising designs from Mexican tiles by Cheryl Lynch. Inspired by a trip to Pueblo, Mexico, the city of tiles, Cheryl created 10 projects in a variety of sizes including placemats, wall hangings and throws to include in this 95-page book. 

Cheryl includes a section explaining how to take your inspiration and transform it into a quilt design. I found this information to be very helpful since I often find inspiration in ordinary, everyday objects, as I believe do other quilters as well. Now I have the information on how to turn these inspirations into my own personal quilts. 


Cheryl includes the original tile inspiration for each project and then explains the design elements she used from that particular tile and the parts that she changed for the quilt design. I appreciated the design options shown for each project, including different colour ways and borders. Centre and corner design options are also included to help get you started with your own project.


Instructions for fusible web appliqué and foundation piecing, as well as general quilt construction, are provided at the beginning of the book.

Frida's Flowers

My favourite designs are both floral projects: Frida's Flowers, a bright throw with flowers, trailing vines and buds and Floral Fiesta, place mats with flowers and a prairie point edge. I think that a set of these place mats along with the design option shown of a wall hanging would be perfect in a dining room. 

Floral Fiesta

I enjoyed reading about Cheryl's tile "inspiration to design" process and found the photos stunning. While this book has wonderful, vibrant patterns, which truly reminded me of Mexico, I also viewed it as a workbook showing you the process from design inspiration to project reality. Including the photos of the tiles which inspired the designs, allowed me to further understand the transformation from hard tile to soft quilt.

From tile to quilt

To help you create your own design using Cheryl's book, I will be giving away a copy of !Quilt Fiesta! to one of my readers (U.S. and Canadian addresses only, please). The giveaway is open until 7:00 p.m. MST on April 22, 2011. 

Here are the ways that you can enter this giveaway:

1. Enter a comment below telling me why you would like to win this book.

2. Become a follower of my blog by entering your email address on the top right side of my blog page and leave a separate comment below indicating this. If you're already a follower, please leave me a separate comment below indicating this.

3. Become a follower of Chatterbox Quilts on Facebook (see blog page sidebar) and leave me a separate comment below indicating this. If you're already a Facebook fan, please leave me a separate comment below indicating this.

4. Visit my Etsy store (see tab at top of blog page) and let me know which item currently for sale in the shop is your favourite and leave me a separate comment below indicating this.

You have 4 opportunities to win so be sure that you leave a separate comment for each entry so all of your entries will be eligible.

Good luck and hasta la vista!

More Free Patterns

Hi everyone:


I realized today that I had forgotten to add a few more FREE patterns to my new blog tab. So... I added them in! You may also notice that I've added another new tab (yes, I'm going tab crazy!) with photos of some of my quilting and other sewing-type projects. 

Snow Cool
Fusible web appliqué and hand embroidery

I always think that everyone knows my patterns and other projects that I've actually completed (remember, I have lots of WIP's), but then realized that this isn't necessarily so. Now you'll be able to see a few of my completed projects. 

Flourishing Hearts
Hand embroidery

I'd show you my WIP's, but I don't think that there is enough space on the blog to show you them all!


Blog pages updated, now back to some actual quilting!

Look at what's new!

Hi everyone:

Well, it's a snowy day - again - in Calgary, so what's a girl to do but work on her computer. I was going to do some sewing, but decided to work on my blog first. 


I've been wanting to add some tabs across the top of my blog to allow my readers to access more information and I've finally figured out how to do it. Yup, I'm a bit of a slow learner sometimes!

I'm pleased that everything seems to be working okay and hope that you'll let me know if you encounter any problems. Now you can see my free patterns and tutorials, as well as previous posts relating to Accuquilt items. 


I hope to be adding more tabs and information in the future. 


What type of static (ie. items that don't change) information do you like to see on a craft blog?

Do you issuu?

Hi everyone:


Have you heard about issuu? A great place to publish - or find - information of all types. I'm usually looking for quilt or craft patterns myself.


If you haven't found this website, you'll have to check it out.


Here's one of my embroidery designs that I've published there. The presentation looks so professional, doesn't it? Oh, and I like the pattern too! :)



I think it's a great place to publish free patterns so everyone can find them easily. You can also embed your patterns from issuu to Facebook or on your blog, like I'm doing right now.


Let me know what you've found on issuu or if you're using this website to publish your ideas.

Open publication - Free publishing - More stitchery

Book-A-Round Tour 2 - Inspired by Tradition Part 2

Hi everyone:

I'm back from vacation and trying to adjust to April in Calgary - a record breaking dump of snow the day before we arrived back in town. The days are getting a bit warmer now and we're seeing sun, but there is still lots of snow, which just has to go! We had a wonderful hot week in Mexico, so I'm not hating the snow quite as much as before we left, but still...

Early morning on the beach

One of the walkways from the hotel to the beach 

Thanks for all your wonderful comments about Kay's book. I'm still reading through all your comments about your favourite form of appliqué. 

Congratulations to Dolores, the winner of Inspired by Tradition at my stop on the Book-A-Round Tour 2. Kay has shipped out your copy and I know that you'll really enjoy this book and find Kay's appliqué instructions very helpful. 

If you weren't one of the lucky winners of Kay's book, remember that you can order your own copy from Kay's website - and save $2.00 off the price through April 15, 2011 by entering "BLOG2" in the coupon code area during checkout.