Midwest Family Life giveaway

Giveaway now closed!
Winner -- Mary on Lake Pulaski. :)

 As a mama who tries to work from home, I like to support others who do as well!

Meet Midwest Family Life!

I met Erika through blogland, and a few months ago (yes, it's been that long!) She asked if I would host a giveaway for her. She sent Scarlet this adorable hat and purse as a thank you, and is offering a $20 shop credit to a winner here!

Scarlet really likes her little purse, and often fills it with her babies, or princesses or jewelry.

Initially she wouldn't let me take a picture of her with her bonnet, but she finally did! :) 

To enter:

- Go to Midwest Family Life etsy shop and pick what you'd like if you win! There are GREAT baby shower gifts in there if you don't have littles at home. Leave a comment.

- For a second entry, Like Midwest Family life on Facebook. Leave a comment and let me know.

Winner picked Saturday. :)

A little giveaway

*Giveaway now closed - Barbara Woods was the winner*

I am hosting a little giveaway on Instagram, but will share here in case, like I wasn't for a long time, you're not there. 

You can enter for the Grand Prize on Instagram, or comment here with your favorite pattern and which essential oil sample you'd like to try!

Find the patterns here, and a list of the oils to try here! (Frank and PanAway not eligible for the sample). 

Thank you all for the support! ♥

Simply Modern Christmas - book review and giveaway

*giveaway closed - Mindy was the winner! Congratulations Mindy!*

My favorite thing about blogging, by far, is the window to meeting wonderful new people it has given. One of those ladies, to be added to my ever growing "would love to meet in real life" list is Cindy from Hiyacinth Quilt Designs. I tease her that I want to be her when I "grow up" (which really just means that I love her style and fabric combos, and I'm pretty sure we could happily share stashes). When she asked if I would like to review her new book, Simply Modern Christmas, I was very happy to do so.



Pros of the book -

• The styling is Christmas, but most of the patterns are universal and lend themselves easily to multiple fabric combinations. Cindy uses really fresh and pretty color groupings throughout, and it was easy for me to envision the designs with various combinations. Cindy blogged about all or most of her patterns, if you want to see some other examples!
• The patterns are thoroughly explained with words AND diagrams (which is nice for multiple learners!)
• In my opinion, the projects in this book are perfect for gifts -- there are some great, beginning to intermediate designs that are easily customized to your gift-giving needs.
• Designs lend themselves to using scraps.
• Some really cute seasonal patterns (stockings, and tree skirt for example).

Con of the book - 

• This is kind of a forced con, but there are not really any advanced patterns in here... so if you're looking for "advanced" designs, then this isn't really for you.

A few of the patterns that caught my eye in particular:

I am really drawn to this "Peppermint Float" star-in-star-in-frame motif. 

Love this tree skirt, "Skirted" (love it).

And this "Hanging Around" pattern I loved so much, I wanted to stitch one up for myself (and did so last weekend on a retreat).

This is my rainbow version of "Hanging Around."

This is going to my lovely friend Kelly, because well... she's lovely. Funny too. And she likes rainbows. And she made me a bag (I don't like making bags).

I used black and white background fabrics and the new Joel Dewberry and Anna Maria Horner True Colors fabrics. See what I mean about how the designs look great with non-Christmas combos?

Giveaway!

Leave a comment here letting me know what kind of quilt is next on your to-make list, or a project you need a pattern for and I'll pick a winner Sept. 29 to win an e-book of Simply Modern Christmas. 

Or, you can save yourself the wait and get the book on amazon, Simply Modern Christmas: Fresh Quilting Patterns for the Holidays, or Martingale.

Good luck!

Linking to Lee's!

This and that and a giveaway...

Thank you for all the love and support on my Roundhouse Quilt!
I got my copy of the magazine in the mail last week, and it was a really good feeling.  I think my favorite was how excited my husband was to get the magazine, or showing the picture to Steiger and asking him if he recognized anything (because you can bet that he's running around in the background of all my quilty photo shoots).  He sheepishly said, "That's Mommy's quilt." Making an all Anna Maria Horner spectrum quilt was on my quilty "bucket list," so it was extra exciting to be able to publish it.  And I really love the pattern too.



I have a few extra copies of the magazine to sell with the templates that are up in my little shop.

The cover quilt, made by Amy Friend, is amazing! I just love her creativity here!



I want to give away a copy of the magazine and a template.  If you'd like to enter - leave a comment here!  Pin the Roundhouse (or share on facebook or be a follower) for an extra entry.



Can you believe I hadn't bought any fabric since April?  (I checked and double-checked my statements to confirm that!)  But then placed a few orders to celebrate.  And then I think I might have got a case of "one yard is too many, and twenty aren't enough."

Here is a FQ bundle of Anna Maria's re-released Hand Drawn Garden (you can get it here from Beth at Stash Modern Fabrics, or from Amanda at Westwood Acres).  The social climber is one of my favorite prints; I'm going to need to get yardage to make something with that (or back a quilt or something).  And I actually used a lot of my AMH stash to make my Roundhouse quilt.  It *clearly* needed a bit of replenishing.



I also got this great bundle from Beth at Stash Modern Fabrics today.  Mostly Briar Rose and a Squared Elements, with a couple others thrown in.  I LOVE this stack, and plan to use some of it this weekend.





So pretty!  This is why I quilt! I can't help myself!

I have been loving my little pattern editing gig with American Quilter, but one down side is that it takes most of my sewing time.  But I'm all caught up on assignments, and this weekend I plan to do some sewing.  I took this pile of low volume background pieces outside this week to cut while the kiddos were playing (I love doing that - and p.s. most of these came from Amanda at Westwood Acres).



Hopefully I'll have something to show you soon with these!  That's the plan at least!  (Along with a couple custom quilts, a couple patterns to write... you know the drill!) ♥

Anyway - if you'd like to enter to win a copy of the August/September American Quilter magazine, with an acrylic Roundhouse template, don't forget to leave a comment!  (Or you can just buy one).

And have a great weekend!

♥ Tracey

Cosmic!!! Pattern is ready

I did it.
I got my Cosmic pattern ready!

This is the front cover.

I posted about this quilt way back during the Bloggers' Quilt festival, but was stalled in publishing the pattern with the prospect of needing to learn a new software program.  But bit by bit, I got it put together in to something I'm quite proud of.  

This design features a large, graphic block that is part arrow and part star.  I used Laura Gunn's Cosmos fabric, because I thought the large scale blocks would complement the artwork in her fabric.  I love that this block would be good for large scale, focal prints, because sometimes you don't want to cut them in to little tiny pieces.

If you look at the back cover, you can find all the fabric requirements to make one of your own.

Included in the pattern are fully diagrammed cutting and piecing directions, full size template pieces, and a coloring page for planning (who doesn't love a coloring page?)  There are no 'Y' seams in the construction of this block, and the piecing uses a combination of regular rotary cutting and cutting from templates.  I have a small and full set of acrylic templates available if you would like working with acrylic more than paper.  The templates are clear, laser-cut, and labeled accurately.  (Templates will be shipped early next week).

Here is a shot of them, (as well as a peek at a new pattern I'm working on that uses one of the large templates.)

To clarify the templates:
- The large set includes all four of those templates shown above, and the red and gray pieces shown below.  There are two large kind of house-shaped pieces, and two smaller notched triangles.
- The small set only includes the two smaller notched triangles (shown in red, which are nice to have a template for).

The pattern includes all the full-size paper templates; you only need these if you prefer to cut with acrylic.

So there you go!

Cosmic. 

You can find the pattern here in my pattern shop, or on Craftsy. :)

To celebrate this new pattern, I'm offering 20% off all my pdf patterns, through the end of the month.  I'll also discount the pattern/acrylictemplate bundle by 20%.

If you'd like to enter to win this pattern and full set of templates, tell me what fabric line you'd make this quilt with or a favorite song you like to work out to.  Or find a fun way to entertain me.  Followers get an extra entry if they leave an extra comment (and no word verification here folks... no sirree).  If you buy the pattern, and then win, I'll refund your purchase. :)

Linking to Fabric Tuesday!

more fabric love (and a winner)

Thank you again for all the support on my new pattern!

So without further ado... a big congratulations to Mary for winning the Rouenneries Deux layer cake and pattern!

I decided to give away an extra copy of the pattern, and Jenny won that one!  (I'll be emailing you ladies)

I look forward to seeing both of you, and any one else in our quilt along group.  It's a casual quilt along, that you do at your own pace; I really just wanted a place to be available to answer people's questions and see everyone's work.  Kelly did do an awesome job testing for me, and gave me very valuable feedback for clarifying, but if any of the rest of you have a question or just want to show off, that is a good place to go.  I won't be giving explicit cutting or piecing directions; we'll basically be sharing our work.  So if you love the pattern, and want to join with us... please do so. :)  (AND -- for any of you paper pattern lovers, I called a printing company yesterday to figure that out; they will hopefully be available soon).

____________________________

For the first time this week, both my children are sleeping. 

I didn't know what to do with myself; I just knew I had to stay QUIET so as to not jinx it (seriously, Scarlet has been cat-napper extraordinaire, and Steiger hasn't been napping at all).  

Cutting is quiet, and since I went on a teeny tiny fabric binge this month, I started cutting.

These aren't all the exact fabrics I'm cutting right now, but some of them are in my pile. 

I've decided I'm going to make a Spring quilt, and I'm going to name it "Favorite Quilt."  If the fabric doesn't make me feel happy, it doesn't get included.  

Anyway -- my mouse might have got me in to a little bit of trouble.  (side note to my Honey -- they were all really good deals... extra coupons on top of sales kind of good deals, and it motivated me to pull out more things to destash, so it's like breaking even if you really think about it -- and I promise I'll wait a long time before I do it again...yes, I feel guilty...)

Lots of pretty blenders... if you're curious about any specific ones, click on the picture and I'll name them for you in flickr (or leave a comment if you don't have a flickr account).

But who doesn't love a rainbow, right Kelly?

I practiced incredible restraint with the Pez prints, and only got a FQ bundle with a few selected half-yard additions.

I just love these Michael Miller "Falling Flowers."

(and again Honey -- I wanted to get all the color ways, but stuck with these four; you should be proud because they were on sale and I have had them in my virtual cart for a couple months).

I snagged a few pieces from Heather Bailey's re-release of Fresh Cut (oh how I wish that woman would release a new line... and soon!)

And of course, I had to get some Flea Market Fancy Legacy. 

My fabric.com history told me I hadn't placed an order since October of last year (!!!), which really I just used to justify my bad behavior. 

I've decided next year I'll need to give up buying fabric for Lent.

♥

(but they're so pretty)

"French Kisses" top and quilt along

My first pattern is almost done!  And here is the quilt top. :)

It just needs a few finishing touches... you know, like...
quilting (by Lindsay of Eileen Quilts -- can't wait to work with her!)...
testing (by Kelly)...
editing and publishing! (by me)


I'm sure it will be available as a PDF, and I'm trying to figure out if it will be cost-effective to have it available as a paper pattern too, but because of how I'm diagramming everything, it really will be best in color (easy to do with a PDF of course).


If you study the design, you can see that it is a play on a couple basic half-square triangle designs, two of my favorite HST designs.  One night (hmmm, I believe it was actually the wee hours of the morning), while I was nursing the Little Miss, I dreamt up combining the two designs (I do a lot of imaginary quilt play while I'm nursing).  The thing is, I love HST designs, but I don't like all the piecing that goes with them; all those little triangles really make for a lot of pieces!  So I thought about how I could potentially simplify the blocks, and here it is -- "French Kisses."


Wanna see it again?  But with different colors?
The first quilt I did up with this pattern is actually going to go on our bed.  Here is a picture of it without the borders added (fabric is Secret Garden by Sandi Henderson, if you're curious).  I did a lot of fussy cutting for this one, and also played with solids on the corners of the blocks.

Sleeping under it will be cozy. 

The pattern cover will feature the quilt in Rouenneries Deux, (as you all know how I like the French General fabrics) and the directions will be written for both fat quarters or a layer cake.  The pattern should be conducive to a fat-eighth bundle too, with the cutting diagrams easily lending themselves to figuring that out (all the cut sizes are less than 9").

yea!  Someone's making a button for me!

When the pattern is all ready, I'll be kicking it off with a quilt along, and a giveaway of this Rouenneries Deux layer cake!

So, if you like the design, and would like me to do your math for you, I'd love you to join us. :)

And if you want to get your fabric ready -- these are my (not 100% final and published, but really close) fabric requirements: 

Quilt measures 64" x 80"

20 fat quarters (10 light/background and 10 medium or dark)

2 1/4 yds. outer border (I used the roche solid because it looks like linen)

(If you want more variety for your focal centers or for fussy cutting, throw in an extra fat quarter or two)

OR

A layer cake

2 1/2 yds. background fabric

2 1/4 yds. border

(Again, throw in a fat quarter or two if you'd like more flexibility with your fabric choices, or to fussy cut)

I hope you like "French Kisses" as much as I do.

(sorry, again, couldn't help myself). ;)

And now may my children sleep dreamily so I can get the computer work for this done!

It's a...

Baby!

There were times I doubted our resolve, but we made it through our ultrasound on Friday without peeking between the legs.

And I'm thrilled with a healthy baby... really and truly.

Jay is sure there's a boy in there, and that is what I think too, but I was completely wrong with Steiger, so I don't trust myself.  This baby is measuring right on schedule (Steiger was about a week ahead), so that makes me think maybe there's a chance it's a girl.  During our sonogram, he or she kept playing peek-a-boo with us, and had two hands covering the face most of the time.  The tech had to work hard for those shots. :)

You know, it's funny... when I was pregnant with Steiger, I really wanted to find out.  My priorities though have shifted now.  After the ordeal that was my son's entry in to the world, the infertility struggles of those close to me, the softness and humility that comes from actually being a mom, I really don't care what gender this babe is.  (Besides, I'm having too much fun planning my "If it's a boy" and "If it's a girl" quilts!)

My prayers now are that the baby is healthy and strong, and that he or she meets us without surgery or complication.  If we do need medical intervention, I just want it to be because it is truly necessary, and not because of convenience, an arbitrary ban/policy, or poor medical care.  I'm doing what I can on my end to take care of those things; I suppose I have to trust God with the rest... If you're the praying kind, I covet all your prayers to that end. ♥

_______________________________

I just noticed the follower number is precariously close to reaching a new milestone, and I feel like celebrating the end of school, and a healthy so far pregnancy...

Let's see... I'll give away a half yard each of the dots in the DS Quilts collection.  They're really cute, and appropriate beings that one is more "boy" and one is more "girly."  

To enter: 

- Leave a comment with a boy name suggestion (we're good for girl names, but really stuck with boy names; how do you follow a name like Steiger?)

- Followers get an extra entry.  I think I'll close this on Wednesday.

Now I need to get back to work on finishing up my Goodie Bag Swap ... it's going well so far, but needs to be mailed soon!

(Amy Butler's Cosmo bag from Style Stitches)

-----------
* I had a request that I let you know which ones I like... well let's just say that if you and I were naming this baby we'd be great!  Jay and I only agreed on Steiger when he was born.  We didn't even agree on the middle name, but Jay gave me my way and allowed his first name as Steiger's middle name.  If I was naming the next one, he'd be "Dane Allen" ... but Jay doesn't like the name Dane.  I really want to have a name before labor, because whatever happens, it's bound to be intense and really emotional... I can see that cute husband of mine giving me the name I like because he is either so dang proud of me, or wants to give me some relief (or a mixture of both).  I plan to go over these suggestions with him after Steiger goes to bed, so keep 'em coming! :)

* The problem of finding a boys' name is compounded by our last name of "Jacobsen."  It eliminates all the "son" names, and some of the "en" names.

* I've also been a teacher for 6-ish years; I've met a lot of students, and some names are inextricably tied to those pupils of mine... for better or worse. ;)

wanna Go!?! -- closed

Just in time for the holidays. :)

Win an AccuQuilt Go! cutter. (and three of your favorite dies). :)

Q and A:

If you have a question -- please post it in the comments, and over the course of the giveaway, I'll post the answer here. 

-Question from Peris -- The accuquilt looks really cool but how do you store it...does it come in a bag or box...limited space means storage questions???

Peris -- It measures about 12" x 16" x 5" (with a little extra for the handle) when it's all folded up.  Mine is tucked next to my desk, and doesn't take up much room at all!  The top stays up with strong magnets, so it's secure, but easy to open -- like in the photo above -- when you need it. 

Here it is all closed up (next to the Go! Baby)

Someone asked me about the Go! Baby as well -- 

Yes, I've seen it, but I'd personally prefer the regular size Go! because it can use the wider dies (like the Rob Peter to Pay Paul, which I really love)... If you can't wait for a good sale, and if the cost of the full size is prohibitive, then the Baby is a great option.  Also, if you don't see yourself using the bigger dies -- then go for it! 

Calico Cat asked about wasted fabric -- 

I do have a question about the GO! - is there a lot of wasted fabric when you use it? The last thing I need is more snips and scraps of tiny fabric pieces, LOL - I'll feel obligated to keep them for "someday" or "just in case"!

Personally, I don't think the waste is much more than it would be cutting shapes yourself.  Irregular shapes will always have more waste, and that is no exception with the Go! cutter.  There is little waste with the geometric shapes (strips and squares) -- well, as much waste as you want there to be (based on how much overlap you make)

I don't feel bad throwing away irregularly shaped scraps, or anything smaller than 1 1/2" in width.

Here are my background posts and full reviews of the different dies I tried.

BUT -- to summarize:

- this product is really, truly easy to use -- sturdy and convenient

- makes piecing with tricky shapes much more manageable

- a nice tool to add to your quilty notions and gadgets

- would be a great investment if you make custom quilts or a lot of quilts

- If you can't afford it, it would be a great item for a wish list if your parents/rich great aunt/in-laws/fabulous sibling want to get you something, or if you find it on sale (they were just recently $200 at JoAnn's -- a great deal!)

I had wondered about a couple things from my experience, and I got a response from AccuQuilt directly: 

- When using the rag quilt die, you will probably want to have an extra 10" cutting mat, because it is very hard on them.

- Also when using the rag die, watch for the little blades to pop up, and just make sure you pop them back in.  If they don't pop back in -- call Accuquilt for help/replacement.

My personal favorite die I've used is the Rob Peter to Pay Paul.  I just finished a pillow using that die this week in fact. 

The quilt top I made with this die (using a layer cake) is bordered, basted, and waiting for the holidays to be finished and donated. 

I also really enjoyed making this little pillow -- made with the round flower appliqué die (tutorial here) -- which now resides happily in a baby girl's room. 

The next one I want to get my hands on is the Double Wedding Ring.

______________________________________________________________

Now for the giveaway!

To enter:

(separate comment for each please--and make sure I can get a hold of you!)

1) Leave a comment -- it can be a question, a cute little note, a boring little note -- author's choice for this one. ;)

2) Become a follower of traceyjay quilts (or tell me if you already are)

3) Be or become a follower of Quilt Hope In (the blog of our coming soon charity etsy shop)

4) Blog about Quilt Hope In and this giveaway... (yes, that is two things you must blog about for entry #4) -- don't forget to leave me a link!

So, you each get four chances.  I am going to have an outside party pick a winner via random.org next week (Monday, December 13)... 

It took a year...

... but I finally did it. :)

I finally made a quilt for myself.  And it is oh so pretty.

True, it's not technically a quilt yet, but it will be soon, and there's a good reason it's not yet...

Because I made this quilt pretty big (it's 12 x 14 rows), my little machine can't handle it.  

And because Jay (the hubs) was sitting next to me while I was quilting this quilt (to be posted Nov. 8), and thus he witnessed first hand my frustrations with free motioning when the tension kept going all wonky, I think I'll be getting a new machine next month!  

It'll be a stretch of the budget, but I'm a good rationalizer (won't have to hire a long arm for bigger quilts, have been hired to make quilts for some friends, and my niece's big girl bed, and we aren't buying any Christmas presents this year; I'm making them all, and quilting them on a new machine will go much more smoothly)...

Truth is, I just married a good man, who likes me happy... and though I want a Janome Horizon, I think Amanda Jean has sold me on the Juki TL-98Q (well, her review and the fact that it's $2200 cheaper).

I've already got 4 quilt tops waiting for it.  And I bought a large case of basting pins... so I'm ready to baste, baste, baste the next couple weeks. :)

_____________________________________________

I'm a bit distracted while trying to write my one year post, and in a rather reflective mood.

Here's the post where I officially turned this in to a quilting blog.

And here was Steiger on my first real-size finished quilt a year-ish ago, 

And here he was yesterday.

Getting so big.

(tangent warning)

I'm having one of those days/moments where I don't know if I should venture in to the land of self-exposure or not... but I think I'm going to, because I'm finding myself unable to write a simple bloggiversary post due to being overwhelmed with reflectiveness.

___________________________________________________

(getting a bit emotional)

This morning, I read one of those blog posts that re-cements the reality that on the other end of these computers are real people.  And when real people come in to contact with one another, they have the power and potential to be conduits of love and hope and blessing.

I'm crying like a baby right now while typing, and it's completely because of that blog post.  I watched it over five hours ago for goodness' sake!

I've only mentioned it once on here before, but Steiger's birth day was not an easy one for me (you don't even want to see the picture of me after I came out of surgery).  Many of you read that post and connected with me with stories of your own, but the truth is that a year and a half later, even though I'm feeling so much more sane about the idea of gearing up for round 2, I still have a lot of fears and regrets about how things went the first time.  

I'm stumbling over my words here.

The bottom line is that you all have helped me.  I am a sensitive soul, and was in desperate need of a healthy coping mechanism to help get me out from under some difficult emotions... and you gave me quilting.  And designing.  And swaps.  And comments.  And giveaways.  And pretty pictures of pretty fabrics. And creating.

So I thank you.

I'm still waiting and praying to see how that day will be used in my life, but I do believe I am loved and all things work together for good...

(And -- if any of you are on the hunt for a VBAC as I will be soon -- not pregnant yet -- don't hesitate to be in contact...and I think I'm going to need to make a story quilt here soon... though Angela set the bar pretty high)...

__________________________________________________

Now for the appreciation giveaway!

I ♥ Dresdens, and I want to make one for one of you, in the form of a mini quilt or pillow cover...or even a quilt block if you'd like to add a Dresden to a quilt you're making (like the 3x6 Sampler bee for example).  

You can pick the colors and style (maybe even a link to a quilt or room you'd like it to coordinate with), and I'll make it up for you.  :)

Here are a few I've made... to help inspire you. :)

To enter:

1) Leave me a comment with either:

- an introduction (if you're new especially)

- a sewing machine recommendation

- a suggestion for how to quilt *my* quilt

- a link to/mention of something you've made recently 

- a link to/mention of something you've loved recently (or)

- some other friendly little word

2) If you like it here, and are a follower, you can get an extra entry.  Please leave the note in a separate comment.

I'll probably pick the winner randomly on Sunday, but I reserve the right to both be busy at the pumpkin patch that day, and/or use something other than random.org to decide the winner. 

Good luck!  And from the bottom of my sappy heart... thank you for creating with me.