Dotty Stars and Giveaway

Hello fellow blog hoppers!  Today is the first day of the Dots on Dots Blog Hop hosted by Corrie of Quilt Taffy and Mdm Samm of Sew WE Quilt!.  Both are fantastic blogs and resources and I am excited to be part of this Blog Hop - I've lurked for a while and decided to jump right in, so I hope my first attempt goes well!  I know all the other particpants are awesome, make sure you check all their blogs out and give them some bloggy love too! 

Here's today's schedule:

Cat Patches

Busy Bee Quilts

Stitch by Stitch

Mary on Lake Pulaski

Just Let Me Quilt

[Amy's] Crafty Shenanigans

PolkaDotClassic

AnnieOak Designs (that's me!) 

Blueberry Moon

The full schedule can be found at Quilt Taffy here.

Now on to what I did.  I've been wanting to make a table runner for a while so I thought this would be a great opportunity.  I pulled out my trusty block book and went to work finding a star I liked.  I chose the Fifty-Four Forty or Fight block and sketched out the table runner in my notebook.  Figured out the amount of fabric and off I went.  I needed four colors to make the block work.  I am a JoAnn fan when I need something quick (a trip to a LQS would be an entire day and I am not shy about admitting that), so I wandered over and found these three coordinating dots fabrics and a navy to pull it all together.

Since the table runner called for three 12.5" unfinished blocks and some borders, I cut everything out.  Never used my Tri-Recs rulers before and turns out, they are pretty handy.  Thanks Nancy!

Then off to sewing. 

Fifty-Four Forty or Fight Block

I said I wanted a table runner right?  Well, I also wanted to try my hand at machine quilting with my Juki and I figured this would be the perfect opportunity (plus it seemed like a lot of work to get the thing on Diane's longarm for a lot of little work).  I pin basted it and being the control freak that I am, sketched the block out in my notebook and played around with the quilting designs until I liked what I had on the paper.

On with my machingers and off we went!  I started by stitching in the ditch around the stars and doing a dotty/pebbly motif in the navy areas around the stars.   

Pebbly Navy (sorry - the flash is aweful)

And this is as far as I got. 

Almost all the way!  2 out of 3 blocks done.

Ran out of thread.  This being my first attempt at machine quilting on my Juki I neglected to over-purchase my thread.  So, I am not going to the store tonight, so it lays unfinished, hanging over the bannister staring accusingly at me every time I go up and down the stairs.  I will get it done!  I has been too fun to do and I want to finish it before I start on my next project.

Now to the giveaway.  Since I am a stasher I ALWAYS buy more fabric than I need for a project.  What if I mess up a block?  What if I want to add to the pattern as I go?  Gotta have the wiggle room right?  Right.  So, I am giving away a fat quarter of each of the four fabrics I used for the table runner.

Just leave a little comment in the comments section and I'll pick a random winner at the end of the Dots on Dots Blog Hop, September 21.  For an extra entry, be a follower and leave me another comment telling me you are a follower.

Now, your next assignment is to check out the rest of the lovely blogs on the Dots on Dots Blog Hop!  Don't forget to leave bloggy love!

Tetris Top Done!

Most of you know that I have been participating in a quilt along over at Happy Quilting called the Tetris Quilt Along.  Fun fun!  Fabric choices are here, block #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6.  It was fun!  Now the top is done!!!  Into the winter quilting bin it goes since I tend to fill my summer weekends up and  I gotta go all the way up to Tigard to quilt them on the longarm.  Not going to try to machine quilt this on my Juki.  Uh-uh.  Here is the top!

I put a 3" border of the black fabric on it, will back it in purple or pink flannel, then bind it in a rainbow of all the colors used.  Can't wait - it's going to be a great Christmas gift!

Farmers Market, Squash and New Toys

Yesterday the girls and I got up early and went over to Corvallis to get our chores done so we could have the afternoon to relax.  We left at 730 and were home by 11!

We stopped by the Corvallis Farmers Market and the girls were both mooned over again and again and again.  They love it and I am happy they can be taken out into public like this, I always feel guilty leaving them at home so it makes it easier this way :o)  I picked up some more fat tomatoes, some apricots and more canteloupes! 

I got two beef knuckle bones for the girls (not pictured) that they have been chewing on all day long.  I make them keep them outside - I don't want the carpet smelling like raw beef fat - so I have to go out to see them if I miss them for 5 minutes.  I also snapped up some more flowers, just a $2 bundle, but they just make the kitchen perk up.

At Winco they were having a sale on their summer toys so I tossed a couple of those rubber balls they keep in the wire cages - at $0.98 each, they're cheap fun for for the girls.  When we got home I tossed them in the back yard and Oak went bonkers.  Then promptly left them alone.  Figures.

As I am snapping this picture of my squash bed,

I look over and see Annie picking up the orange ball (melt my heart - she picked the right color - GO BEAVS!).

She quickly popped it.

Then she wandered over to the pink ball.

Oak wasn't having any of that and snatched it up, hauling it across the yard where she popped it.

They both seem to have more fun with the popped balls!

Molly hung out in the potted lillies and watched the girls pop their toys.

 At least they had fun!

Tetris #6 - the final block!

Just hopping on quick to get this up - I finished it Thursday night, the last Tetris block!!!

Check out Melissa's blog for the other blocks :o)

McDowell Creek Falls - Quick Peek

I am not feeloing so hot this afternoon, but I want to get some photos up of our hike this morning.  The girls had me up late into the night - they were freaked out by the thunder, so they let me sleep in until 930.  Could have slept longer though.  I rolled out, grabbed some breakfast, threw on my boots and loaded up the dogs.  Off we went to McDowell Creek Falls Park.  Here are some photos - I'll get more up when I feel like looking at somehting other than my bathroom floor for longer than 15 minutes.

Where'd the dogs go?!?  Peeking through the bushes, this is what I see.

Annie whizzing by behind O.

Majestic Falls

P-R-I-M-A-D-O-N-A.  But I love her for it.

Roman Shade and Farmer's Market

Today I put together and installed a roman shade in our laundry room.  It is the only window on the first floor that we didn't get blinds for when we had them installed in the house and it has been bugging me ever since.  We don't use the room much and the doors are always closed, but it gets hot!  The onions and potatoes always sprout early when I store them in there and like I said, it gets hot! 

I found Jen's great little tutorial on how to make Roman Shades in 20 Pictures or Less and got to work.  It was great!  The only thing I learned that she doesn't instruct you to do (but she mentions her ruler keeping her 2" from the edge) is that you need to put your outside rows of rings close (like 2") to the edge of the shade, or you get saggy sides. 

 Oh well, it won't be up much and when it is, it'll still look great.  I love this fabric and think it looks pretty neat with the Roman Shade style.

 I also hit the Corvallis Farmer's Market with the girls this morning and got quite a haul.  It is really hard to not just tear into everything all at once!  The canteloupes are filling the kitchen with their smell and I am looking forward to having one for dessert tonight!

The tomatoes are all juicy and yummy - Annie can't keep her eyes off of them when I walk by them in the kitchen.

The zucchini.  Oh zucchini - so pretty and so tasty.  Steam them up and sprinkle some Almond Parmesan on them.  Mmmmm.

I am going through withdrawals of dahlias this summer - I haven't been up to Portland much so I haven't had the chance to snag buckets of flowers from my Mother-In-Law's yard.  So, I put $2 in the Community Garden Jar and picked out this little bundle of flowers.  Think I might try and find that peachy-pink one for my MIL's collection.

I also dropped some lemon cucumbers off at Saturday Morning Coffee for Brad and Brandy and had some questions - what were they and how did they grow?  Just cucumbers and like cucumbers.  Simple.  Here is a ginormous mass of lemon cucumber flowers hiding.  I have a feeling I am going to be pawning these things off on anyone I can find.

And here is the cucumebr bed.  There is one green cucumber plant and several lemon cucumber plants.  If you notice the bed mayhem on the left side of the picture?  BOTH girls were in it this morning.

Tetris Blocks #4 and #5 and 50 Shades of Grey

Yeah, Josh was home again and I totally ignored my sewing in favor of him.  Gonna need to get my butt in gear before he comes home next time so I don't miss anymore deadlines!!  Here are my next two Tetris blocks for the Tetris Quilt Along over at Happy Quilting.

Block #4 (late but done!)

 Block #5 (on time :o))

Can't wait for next week - it is the last block, then we get to finish the top!!

And now on to the other part of this post...50 Shades of Grey.  That is Shades of Grey Charm Swap being hosted by Ellie Q over at Color My World.  I bought my yard of fabric and cut it up into the 5" charms:

Prospect Park Leaf Grey by Kitty Yoshida for Benartex

All bundled and ready to send to Ellie when she says to!  Something new to try - a Charm Swap!