Happy July 1st Parade!!! and Updates!

Well Hello everyone!!  Happy July 1st.

  I know its been real quiet but I have had a very difficult time recovering.  I had 3 major surgeries rolled into one and I ended up one pretty tired, slow moving, sore cookie.  But the good news is I am finally on the upswing.  Praise God, He is faithful.  And I can also tell you my family is awesome....Hubby stepped right up and took charge of everything and did a fantastic job.  He had a couple of weeks off and really took very good care of me and the girls.  And the girls, oh they were so very helpful.  They did not like seeing their Mama is "disrepair"  LOL  I really truly am so very greatful to them.

  I have been a SAHM for the most part during this 29 year Marriage.  I only worked when the girls were in school for a few of the years somewhere during that stint.  So I have basically run the household during that entire time while hubby worked his tail off so I could be home for the girls.
And to see him just step into my roll, do all my chores and his....yeah, he is amazing.

Okay so enough of all that goo......There is a parade we must get too!!!!  I felt so badly that first my computer decided to not be cooperative for  June parade, then the surgery.....so while I was down and you guys sent me pictures of your absolutely BEAUTIFUL quilts I safely tucked them away and worked on getting this Parade Moving!!!  So I have combined Both June and July into one parade and ladies the quilts are STUNNING!!!  yippe!! 

So first lets get to what is coming up next.....this is one that I have wanted to do for so long and well, there is no time like the present!!!  This one is cute and I can see Raggedy Ann and Andy in a little vinette with this quilt.  So please turn to Page 237 to Vintage Bow Ties!!!  Now be sure to read to the end of this post.....I ISSUED A CHALLENGE FOR COLOR IN THE LAST FEW SENTENCES!! hehe

So I will start with the June Parade and we did the pattern Decoy, I love, love , love this quilt.....It was a fun pattern and easy to put together.....so Here we go!!!

First up we have Robin, she said its been on her list for awhile so I am glad we finally got to it for her!  She used a patriotic combo and it is very pretty!  I like the way she Quilted it and the binding really makes the pinwheels pop!

Sandy used the French Generals Le Bouquet and it is a Romantic combo which also sports a patriotic flare and very pretty quilting!

Mickey sent me two pictures to share and its really cute in the way she displayed it and she made it a smaller quilt....the dolly is adorable and so is the crib!!!

Kay sent hers in and I have to say I love the clothesline!  I know in this part of the world it is very rare to see a clothesline!  I love them....my parents are from Europe (Italy) and I grew up with clothes on a clothesline and we only used the dryer on rainy days....today its all I use...hmmmmm Anyway, I really like Kays color choices!!  Very pretty!

And finally is mine from the June Parade, Mine is still a flimsy and hopefully now that I am feeling a bit better I can finish it!  I too chose patriotic colors.  I was hoping to have it finished by the fourth but I am not to sure.  We will see......

Now for the July Parade I just said make what you would like!  It could be any one either out of the book or out of your UFO's  but it was all your choice......I didn't get anything done! So Congrats to Kay and Robin for participating and getting stuff done!!!

Robin Chose Pinwheel Charm on page 207 using an acrylic template sent to her by her SQT partner who actually made this quilt full sized and was published in One patch Scrap Quilts...Robin chose

Civil war Repro prints......its absolutely stunning Robin!

and now last but certainly not least Kay was a very busy lady!!!  Not only did she make One, Not just two but THREE quilts!!!  She was having so much fun she continued on with two others using up her scraps from the first!! Way to go Kay!   She chose Strippy Triangles for her July Quilt

And finished it up with these two

So WOW you ladies did a FABULOUS Job!!!!!!  Can't wait to see the colorways you use in the August Parade, the ONLY challenge, Use colors you have been "Saving" for that Special Project one day!!! hehe  Have fun and see you at the next Parade!!!  Well hopefully WAY before then, I am hoping to be blogging a lot more now that I am out of the woods!!!!  God Bless YOU!!!!!

Stay tuned

Surgery went real well, recovery has been rough and slow....will jump on soon I promise and load the parade.  If you are reading this and haven't jumped ship on me thank you!!!  Life sometimes just throws us curveballs.  If your part of the QAL and didn't submit yours but have it done now send me the photo's!!!  I will join it to the parade.  It will be up in the upcoming days here shortly. 

very hard for me to sit for longer then 10 minutes.  but I will prevail and will be back!!!!

fondly,

Tilda

Technical difficulties and a surgery

okay so my laptop is giving me woes and I could get the parade posted....yet.

So I fiddled and fiddled and the photos were taking forever to load and I just gave it up.  I found the problem and will work on it in a week or two.

Now for the other part of my title .  Surgery, heading in early in the morning so I am out of time to keep fiddling.  I will be back and get that parade going, and well since I can't post a photo I decided since I will be out of commission for awhile I am going to let YOU pick the quilt of choice for next month!  That's right, do which every one you would like and send the photo to me and I will get it in the parade in July!!!

In the meantime, stay cool, heat wave coming....gonna be in the 100's by Friday!  Whoa summer came fast and furious!!!

Be back soon!!!

Tilda

Interview with Author Courtney Walsh!!!!!

Hello Everyone!  Boy do I have a treat for you TODAY!!!!

I have interviewed Author Courtney Walsh recently after reviewing her brand new book "Change of Heart."  I first discovered Courtneys books through a mutual friend
Melody Ross when she was telling us all about Courtneys very first Novel "A Sweet Haven Summer"......I WAS HOOKED!!!!  That girl can make a pen flow and an imagination soar!!! I have read every single book she has written.  She does not disappoint.

I have to say Courtney is a sweetheart.  She makes me laugh with her facebook posts as well because she is real and doesn't hold back, she tells you like it is and her Courtneyisms are great!  She is the Best. Cook. Ever!  Right Courtney?

Courtney lives with her husband and three adorable children in Rockford, Illinois.  You can find her on Facebook and enjoy getting to know her....check out her author page too!!!    Here is a link  Courtney Walsh

So here you go folks a great interview with Courtney, I would like to thank her for spending some time here on Huckleberry Stitches and sharing about herself!  I have posted her answers in red for ease of reading.

  How old were you when  you first began writing? 

I guess I've always loved writing. I wrote poems and short stories all through middle and high school, but it was when I went to college that I started to really realize just how much I enjoyed it. I took an English class with a professor who did a lot of creative writing and she was very encouraging to me, which surprised me because at the time, I had no interest in being a writer. I wanted to act, so I started writing for the stage. One Christmas break I wrote a one-woman show just because I was bored. I have no idea what happened to that play. 

How did you know you wanted to be a writer?

I honestly sort of fell in to it. It was one of those things that I think my parents knew about me before I knew it myself. I was so focused on acting and theatre, I wasn't even thinking about writing. Then, one day, after I had two of my three kids, it dawned on me that in my life, I've always been writing. My work has always centered around it. Funny how God reveals these things to us in his perfect time. 

Did you get a formal educatioin to be a writer? If so where did you attend?

I have a BS in Theatre and a BS in Journalism from Bradley University in Peoria, IL. Journalism is a different animal, but I think getting that education (as well as studying theatre) both contribute to my writing now. 

  Where do you get the ideas for your fabulous books? 

This is a hard one! They come all the time. I have notebooks full of ideas. It can be a title, a headline in the newspaper, a walk through a bookstore. Mostly, my ideas start with a "What if...?" question and then it's just about exploring the answers. 

What was the moment you knew you wanted to publish what  you wrote?

I'd been writing for the scrapbooking industry for years (I'd written two idea books and was a contributing editor for a scrapbooking magazine) and I started to get a little burned out. At the same time, my husband transitioned out of music ministry in to children's ministry and it was SO obvious this was exactly what God had created him to do. He was so good at it. I wasn't. I wanted to know what it was God had created me to do that was going to be so obviously my calling, so I prayed about it. I got a clear answer, one word: Write. I knew in that moment, it was a different kind of writing than what I'd been doing, so I set out to learn everything I could about writing novels. 

Was it hard to be published?

I think anything we do, in order to do it well, there is a degree of difficulty. It's tedious to revise a book. It's challenging to put yourself out there. It's such a journey and still continues to be. I always say if I'd known how hard it was going to be, I might not have done it, so I'm happy God let me find out one step at a time! :) 

  How many books have you written to date?  And what are the titles? (I already know the answer because I have read all your books, but there may be someone that doesn't!) and where can people purchase your books?

I've written 5 novels and 2 scrapbooking idea books. In the order that I wrote them, they are: 

Scrapbooking Your Faith

The Busy Scrapper

A Sweethaven Summer

A Sweethaven Homecoming

A Sweethaven Christmas

Paper Hearts

Change of Heart

They're available at amazon, Barnes & Noble, Christianbook.com etc. :)  

Are there any future books to look forward to in the future?  Will they be in the previous series?

Yes! I've just signed a new 2-book deal with Tyndale. Brand new series! :) 

What would you like to see in your future?

Vacation! Ha. I am in a season where I'm learning the importance of rest. It's not easy, but I have a feeling it would be easier if I were on a beach...

 What would you say to someone wanting to write a book and be published?

Learn everything you can about writing. Read everything you can as often as you can. Take in what works for you and let go of what doesn't. Write your truth--not someone else's, not what you think other people want to read. 

 Thank you thank you Courtney!!!  And for those of you in blogland reading this, go ahead and find her reads at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Christianbook.com.  You wont be disappointed!!!

May Day QAL Parade!!!

Happy May Day everyone and Welcome to the May Quilt Along Parade!!!

We had some really love quilts to share today.  I asked Mickey to pick from a couple of selections in the book and this one, Sugarplum Stars was her choice! And I loved it!!!!! She already had all her purple flavored fabrics sitting and waiting for this quilt!  And so Mickey we THANK YOU for such a great selection!!  And we will kick off the parade by showing Mickeys quilt first!  Here we go......

Mickey displayed hers in her office, what a great idea to dress up an office and be able to daydream about fabrics...hehe  Great job Mickey....it is lovely, check out the center of the stars....delicate birds!

Kathleen used such beautiful Bright colors...I love this combo, it would really look great in a girls room!  check out her blog Welcome to my World

Robin did a beautiful version using red, white and blue colors....so very pretty!

Susan used colors that are really soothing....I really like the brown/raspberry combo...nice job!

Sandy used some Minnick and Simpson fabric Miss Scarlet, Don't you just love the colors!  Look at that quilting too! Pretty!

And next up we have Kay who chose to make hers square....really nice choice of fabrics too!  Love the way she quilted it too!

And last up is mine.  I decided to use scraps.  I wanted to see if I could do it....not leave home and buy fabric because if you saw how much fabric I owned you would be shocked! LOL  so I made it all with fabric I have had since 1999!!!  Here it is....in all its Christmas Fabric glory!!

And now I know your just so excited to know what we are doing next month!! Wait no longer....oh wait!!!  Before I tell you...Please please stay tuned come on back in a few days...possibly a week....I will be having an INTERVIEW with Author Courtney Walsh right here on my Blog.....her books are awesome...I have read them all.....be  sure to sign up on the right of this blog to receive an email when I update my blog!!!!  Okay so now to see what we are doing next month!!!! Here you go, turn to page........264  to Decoy!!!!  You'll love making Carrie Nelsons quilt....so much fun!

Thank you so much for attending the parade!  Be sure to leave some love for these ladies!!!  I love all their work....everyone did a wonder job on their quilt!!!!  See you all in a few!!!!

Tea cup Exchange

Recently I joined the Teacup exchange over at The Enchanting Rose and I absolutely love it.  It is so much fun to receive a package full of goodies!  I was blessed to have Kelly from Homespuns and Hayfields as my gifter!  And what a gift I received!!!  Everything was packaged so lovely and carefully.  I could tell she put a lot of thought into it and selected each item with careful selection.  I did take a few photos to share with you all!  And to Kelly, I can't thank you enough for all of the beautiful gifts!!!!

This first photo is of everything included in the package......isn't it FANTASTIC!!!!

Kelly did look about my blog and found I love primitive things....so I was excited when I opened these candles....perfect!

Next up is a little love Kelly handmade for me and when I say this I truly mean it....I love, love, love it!!!  She did a really great job with it, everything is so precise....I put this in my guest restroom...it really fits the décor.

And what would a new cup be without some delicious tea and biscuits.....I love Bigelow tea too, the plant is right here in Boise and when you walk in you take a deep breath and it is sooooooo wonderful smelling!  Some of my favorite teas.  And the Biscuits, well lets just say they may or maynot longer be any left...hehe, they were really good!

And lastly , the Tea cup....OH MY GOODNESS!!!  It is BEAUTIFUL!!!!!  The colors are so springy and lovely and beautiful and pretty......I LOVE IT!!!!

Needless to say I felt so very spoiled!!!  I just loved everything Kelly Gifted me with, Thank you Thank you Kelly!!! 

And Thank you To Stephanie from The Enchanting Rose for hosting the teacup exchange.

April 1st QAL!!! No foolin!

Good Morning everyone and welcome to the April Quilt Along. Has Spring Sprung in your area?  It sure has here in Idaho....the flowers are just bursting with color!!!  And speaking of color......
I have to say I really loved the variety of color that came along with this months challenge.  I for one stepped out of my normal zone and used colors I don't normally use.  I used the 30's Playtime Charm pack but decided to use it in my daughters room because these are her colors.  It was actually fun stepping out of the norm for a change!

Okay so for next months challenge I asked Mickey, who has been doing these challenges since I believe either the beginning or close to it , to pick the pattern for next months challenge and It is a pretty one...I can't wait to make this one!!! So stay tuned because I will post it at the end of the parade! hehe  So here we begin with the April Parade! Be sure to leave some love for these hard working ladies!!! 

First up:  Robin Chose such lovely colors of Red, green and tan....just love this combo!  Really pretty!

Mickey used such soft pastel spring colors and made her pattern just a little bit smaller....so delicate!

Kay decided to use colors to brighten up her home and the funny thing is I used just about the same colors!!!  Love this Kay! Great job on the quilting too!!!

Sandy used a really pretty color combo that reminds me of a beautiful garden of Purples and greens....so pretty Sandy!

When I received Lauries quilt the first thing that came to mind was Mardi Gras Colors!!  To go along with March madness. Check out the quilting, love the lines.....  I really love the bright colors....just so very cheerful!

Susan made a stunning quilttop that really pops!!  the Brown crosshatch is really complimentary to the colors.....it really makes it stand out.....just lovely.

Susan used really pretty soft colors so great for early spring.  It would be pretty for this time of year for sure!!  Love it!

And now mine.....30's playtime fabric and red and white gingham binding. 

And now for the pattern for next month!!! It does come with a bit of cutting and piecing but what would a quilt be without????  I have been thinking about colors for this one.....what about you? And if you know others that would benefit joining our QAL, invite them...they can jump in at anytime. 

  I know you have been waiting for it....hehe, here it is!!!

SUGARPLUM STARS Page 75!

March 1st QAL Parade and the next one up!

Hello everyone!  WOW what beauties we have in store for you this month!  I REALLY loved the way all the quilts turned out and the participation!!!  Everyone did a super job!!

And if your visiting from Roses of Inspiration enjoy the Parade and leave some love for these talented ladies!!!

Onto the Parade!!!  Next Months challenge to follow:

First up we have Mickey....I just love the soft colors!!  One thing you will notice and I thought, very cool was Mickey Kept the flower squares whole!!  What a great idea when you have that pretty fabric you don't want to cut up or just love the design!!!  I think I need to make a few of them this way!!!

Next Up we have Susan, I love the Americana feel to this and if you look in the corner, that Paisley....LOVE IT!!!

Sandy pulled out the Red White and Blue for this one!  I love the placement of the squares along with the patriotic look...super cute!

Next up we have Sue a high school friend of mine from many moons!! Hers is a flimsy and I love love love the fabric!!!  This turned out super cute and this is Sues first time with us!  Welcome Sue!

Laurie , who has been with us I believe from the beginning made hers with a lovely flower print that is screaming SPRING!!!  I think we are all getting a little warm weather fever!!!  I really like the quilting on this , very nice Laurie!

Now Robins is just adorable!  She cut down the amount of blocks and made hers square!  I love it!!  I definitely need to make a small one like this....very cute and love that fabric!

And lastly is mine.  I decided to use civil war replica prints.  I love these colors, it suits my home.  I did add two borders to make it a little bit bigger to fit my eat in kitchen table.  I also quilted it using a cross hatch pattern.

And now for next month....let me tell you it was hard to choose!!!!  But here is next months challenge and I chose it because I have spring fever real bad and these colors screamed sherbert ice cream to me! LOL  makes sense right?  Anyway please turn to page 232

WALK - DONT RUN!!!  by Mary Etherington and Connie Tesene of Coutry Threads.

My challenge this month is use the color of your choice!!!  And one of you lucky ladies will be getting an email from me to choose One of three choices for the next parade!!!!  Keep an eye on your inbox!!!  Please be sure to leave a comment and give these ladies some love!!!!  Can't wait to see next months Parade!!!  Remember you can join anytime!!!!

Please be sure to check back in a couple of days because I will be doing a Book Review you wont want to miss!!!!  Hint:  Courtney Walsh's newest NOVEL....Its fabulous!!!!

Coffee or Tea stained Tutorial

Hello everyone, I thought I would post a tutorial on how to get that aged look on a new quilt, item, or piece of fabric. 

Items in need:

Large bowl
Boiling water
Instant Coffee
OR
10 Tea bags
Item to be dyed.

Okay so first you take your big bowl and put it in the sink.....I like to do my dying there because if water splashes out I am not ruining anything.  Add One saucepan of boiling water (about 8-12 cups water) then drop either tea bags OR your 2 cup instant coffee ( I used this Kava I have had in the pantry for about 6 years.  We didn't like it but didn't want to throw it out for just this occasion!).

Stir well to get a rich dark color such as this:

Next take your item, I am using a small quilt I picked up second hand that was too white, and dunk it in.....USE A WOODEN SPOON AS TO NOT BURN YOUR HANDS color you would like. 

When you have reached your color, which sometimes you can leave overnite if you like,  dump out the dye bath, hold your item in the bowl then fill it up with cold water and about 1/2 cup white vinegar....this sets the color.

 Let it sit for about 30 minutes.

  Dump out the water wring out the excess and then dry it....You can iron it if you need to but you can also leave it crinkly....your preference at this point and enjoy!!!!!

A few great finds alot of photos and some babble!

Hello everyone!  Wanted to take a few minutes and write a post because life has been extra busy lately and well I wanna keep up with you all!  So one of the things my family and I love to do it go shopping at little junk shops and find some treasures, and boy did we ever the past couple of weeks!!!  Here goes some picture overload!!!

 

We love especially going to small towns in our area and so while out and about I stole a shot of a few things in Small town America!! (well Idaho to be exact!!) 

                                         Our daughter took this photo of me and hubby...I didn't notice the sign above my head until I was scroll through the photo's later on!

                                                    My handsome hubby walking down the main street.

                                         This was a cute little candy shop they still make every piece by hand!

 

And last but not least I went to a baby shower for a little girl and I love making little girl stuff so I made a few things for this baby girl a blanket, 4 burp rags, 2 head bands and one teeshirt dress I embellished.  Oh so much fun!!!  I hope she enjoys it!!!!  And since Mom to be is learning how to sew I picked up two very cute patterns and some material!

 

I had a group of ladies over and we enjoyed some tea and goodies and held a meeting for womens ministries at our church....I made this little paper tea cup using a Brenda Walton die by Sizzix.  Isn't it adorable!!!!

 I made these little heart cakes to share....it was right before valentines day.

                                             The fabulous group I work with....love them all

 

That's about it for now.....I will have more to blog about soon, just wanted to let you know I am still around and think of blogland often!!!