I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date...

Yes indeedy, I am late for my very own blogiversary! What do you make of that? My first post was January 5, 2009. And here it is already the tenth. But it is a very binary day -- 011010. October 10 will be even better -- 101010. But I digress. Every blogiversary deserves a giveaway now, doesn't it? So in keeping with the custom, let's have a giveaway!

Since I am 5 days late to the party, how about 5 patterns? It's a bit of an electic collection cuz I am an eclectic kind of quilter. We have 2 primitive items, one is the wool bunny runner that I finished a while back. Well, finished is a relative term. It still needs to become a pillow. Then a little cottage-y baby quilt, a Christmasy one, and a scrap user-upper.

But wait, there's more. A couple of years ago a friend gave me a quilt a day calendar. Alot of those days were A for applique days, let me tell you. I couldn't bear to toss any of them though, so I will throw them in. Then it will be up to the winner to toss them. Or maybe the winner will be an applique fan so they will be put to good use!

So, we need giveaway details now, don't we? I notice that alot of giveaways now are being used as traffic builders -- become a follower, link to me on your blog, stand on one foot, etc. For me blogging is not a popularity contest. I blog because I love to read other people's blogs and want to contribute. And because I have enjoyed the back and forth with some of my commenters. So let's keep it nice and simple. Leave a comment and I will draw a name next Sunday, January 17th. Be sure to leave your email address if you don't have a blog link so I can find you if you win. How bad would it be to win and not be able to get your prize because you can't be found?!
So, here we are in a new year. I have a few little, ahem, quirks, and one of them is counting the spools I use during the year. 2008 was a 55 spool year. 2009 was only a 34 spool year. But 2010 is off to a great start, it's already a 1 spool year!

So what have I been up to that has used a spool up already? Remember the red and green blocks I was working on? Well, I finished a LOT of them. In fact, all sewn together they are too big for my design floor. Here's a look:

More of it:

I had a bit of a time deciding on the sashing. Since many of these scraps are really OLD I considered choosing the sashing by fabric date. Here is a contender from 2005. A litte too cutesy I think.

Here is another contender, and well, the ultimate winner. 2002!!! Wouldn't want to use any fabric before it's time, now would we? And I think it turned out to be about as perfect as can be. Maybe I'm on to something with this date thing....

I like to cut my binding when I finish a top. That way I know it's done. Of course, then when the quilt is quilted I have to find it, but that's a problem for another day. I use this little red check from Joann's alot for backings and bindings. It nearly always seems appropriate. Could be since I use so much red.

So, what else have I been up to, you ask, during this long hiatus? If you remember, I decided a few months back to separate my fat quarters out from my fabric colour stacks. Many of my fat quarters are fabrics that I just don't like a whole lot. Why did I buy them you might ask. Well, mostly because they were in adorable little fat quarter bundles that just couldn't be resisted. So I decided to make a couple of quilts out of just my fat quarter collection.

I am certainly prepared as I already own these books. I have made a couple of quilts from them already (not necessarily from fat quarters) and there are many more tempting ones.

For one of them I decided to use up all the large florals. You might have noticed I don't do much with florals. The blocks are finished and a few rows are already sewn together. Again, a little big for my design floor but I think you get the idea. This one has been quick and fun, and amazingly, I think I am really going to like it!

Here are blocks already made for another. You can't see them very well the way they are stacked up, but these 9 patches are all ready to make into bigger 9 patches. If you have really good eyes you will see the stack of kind of repro -- old fashioned fat quarters underneath. They were going to be the next one from the fat quarter books but I have reconsidered and decided to make a quilt from one of the Kim Diehl books that uses at least 50 different fabrics. It calls for chubby 16ths. So that's next up after these tops are completed. Unless of course, I change my mind again.

So, just to recap, be sure to leave a comment by Sunday, January 17th, and those patterns and A for applique days can be yours. Talk to you soon.....