sewing weekend with friends

Every year, my sewing group - Patchworkgruppe Nersingen - goes missing for one weekend on a retreat organized by Sabine Feldmann of Quilt Oase. This year we wanted a new location to optimize our sewing pleasure. And boy, did we ever find the greatest place in Altheim - Heiligkreuztal south of Ulm and north of the Bodensee. The weather was so beautiful when we arrived on Friday late in the afternoon, too.

This very beautifully restored and updated Kloster (Zisterzienserorden) or convent dating back to the early 13th Century captured our hearts. Kloster Heligkreuztal is a very large complex with several restaurants/bistros, gardens, bookstore, and meditation areas, media rooms, and gift shop. After we set up our working stations in this rather spacious room, we gathered in the Gaststätte for a full and very fresh buffet. After a short while of giggling and relaxing, we went to work hammering away on the sewing machines until wee hours in the morning.

Pure sewing bliss - Photo by Karen Ackva

My station was all the way on the other side of the room close to a window. The room was very spacious so we did not feel cramped at all. We had sewing machines, ironing boards, extension cords, music, all the fabrics and supplies that we needed. An extra delight for us were these amazing design boards provided by the facility! You could wheel them around the room to wherever you wanted.

Photo taken by Katrin of http://cattinkakw.blogspot.de/

We had the chance to work on anything that we wanted; there was no course, just pure sewing fun. I brought my Berenstain Bears II quilt fabric already cut and ready to sew. I actually thought I could finish the quilt before I went to bed. Boy did I overestimate my sewing abilities!! There were close to 200 - seven inch patches; I did manage to get all 12 rows finished, though. Here you can see me laying it out for the final construction.

Photo taken by Katrin of http://cattinkakw.blogspot.de/

The next morning we were greeted with another full and fresh buffet of German breads and pastries, soft boiled eggs, meats and cheese, jams and jellies as well as everything else with your extended German breakfast. We set off back to our sewing machines. When everything was running smoothly, we were pleasantly interrupted by our second breakfast of freshly baked butter pretzels and coffee. We took a short break for some photos for our group photo album as well. Here you can see me waiting for my beautiful models to arrive. I took some personal photos for our exhibit in the fall 2015.

Photo taken by Katrin of http://cattinkakw.blogspot.de/

We returned to sewing and then came lunch. Another awesome spread of roasted lamb, fresh steamed/sauteed veggies, and full salad bar not to mention desert. Shortly after lunch, I finished my quilt and Katrin helped me to show off my quilt as went on a short photo tour of the convent. Thank you, liebe Katrin for helping me tote my quilt top around. ;-)

Photo taken by Katrin of http://cattinkakw.blogspot.de/

This is such a beautiful and amazing convent. I love how it smelled of history. You could feel the religious presence around you. It really inspired me as well. You could capture the different design elements and use them for new ideas in quilts and artwork.

After our short photo session, we went back to work. All of the other lovely ladies were hard at work pumping out quilt tops, pp light houses, blocks for our guild sampler, ragtime quilts, modern art quilts and pictures. I started to work on another block for my sampler quilt. I want to get it finished before our big exhibit in October in Nersingen.

Afternoon coffee and cake greeted our hungry appetites once again followed by more sewing and then another amazing buffet dinner in the evening. We sewed, we gossipped, we drank wine. We had a great time together. Sisters through sewing. ;-)

Our weekend was rounded up by more fabulous food on Sunday as well as a procession of children taking their first communion. It was very inspiring to watch. This was the view from our sewing room window. Only one-third of the procession is shown.

Photo taken by Katrin of http://cattinkakw.blogspot.de/

Our patchwork weekend came to an end. We said our farewells and made reservations for next year! We will be back! What a lovely convent and accommodations for our fabulous sewing weekend with the girls. ;-)

Thank you, Katrin for most of the photos I showed on my site. She took almost all of them. You can see more photos of the weekend by clicking here. Thank you for stopping by!

tula pink random drawing

Thanks for dropping by! I would like to announce the winner of our Tula Pink Mug Rug Drawing. Drumroll please....

True Random Number Generator Min: Max:

Result: 6  Powered by RANDOM.ORG

The lucky recipient of the two mug rugs is Jackie - Number 6!

Thank you to all that dropped by and left a few comments their love of color schemes! I will contact the recipient for address of where I will be sending these two lovely mug rugs. Thanks again! You lucky winner Jackie!!

tula pink and the german qal

Greetings to everyone. Today, I am your guest blogger for the Tula Pink's, City Sampler - German QAL. I was asked by the very charming, Sandra from the Hohenbrunner Quilterin, to take over this Monday to host a couple of blocks. So, here I am, giving you some tips and advice, and my quirky opinion. We will look into the chapter called Haiku, blocks 88 and 89.

Hallo an alle! Heute bin ich Euer Gast-Bloggerin für Tula Pink's City Sampler QAL. Ich wurde von der sehr lieben Sandra von den Hohenbrunner Quliterin gebeten, diesen Montag ein paar Blocks zu übernehmen. So, hier bin ich nun um Euch ein paar Tips, Tricks und meine Erfahrung weiterzugeben. Wir werden uns das Kapitel "Haiku" mit den Blocks 88 und 89 ansehen.

First of all, I want to explain my relationship to Tula Pink and her book. When I first saw the book, I was intrigued. Then I ordered it and quickly thumbed through it when it arrived. Honestly, I thought the blocks were just too simple! I know my philosophy is "simple, easy, practical," but I wanted to "learn" something new, especially from a book I spent money on! I read the Introduction from Tula and started to understand where she was coming from and where she was headed. I liked it! She wanted to make a sampler...or rather present blocks that we could put together as randomly as we wanted without the hassle of learning new techniques or sewing complicated blocks. Let's face it, when we make a sampler, it is usually a collection of blocks with different and complex sewing layers to challenge our skills. I have made a couple of samplers...and I don't want to sew another one! Why? They are just too hard and too time consuming!! BUT, Tula presented simple and easy blocks that everyone could sew without the hassle of "perfecting" the technique or learning something new. It is sewing for peace, relaxation and tranquility! Sewing for FUN!

Als erstes würde ich gerne meine Verbindung zu Tula Pink und ihrem Buch erklären. Als ich das Buch das erste mal sah, war ich fasziniert. Dann habe ich es bestellt und nachdem es angekommen war sofort durchgeblättert. Ehrlich, zuerst dachte ich mir, dass die Blocks zu einfach waren! Meine Philosophie ist ja selbst "einfach, leicht, praktikabel", aber ich wollte ja selbst was neues lernen, erst recht, wenn ich schon dafür Geld ausgebe! Dann habe ich nochmal vorne angefangen und die Einleitung von Tula gelesen, verstanden, was sie sagen wollte. Und ich muss sagen: "Ich liebe es!" Sie wollte einen Sammlung machen, aus denen wir nach Lust und Laune aussuchen können ohne neue Nähtechniken zu lernen oder komplizierte Blöcke nähen zu müssen.Wenn wir ehrlich sind, dann bestehen Sampler, die wir machen, aus komplizierten Blöcken, die uns auf der einen Seite herausfordern aber auch gleichzeitig ewig dauern und bei Zeiten auf die Nerven gehen. Damit sind Sampler etwas, was man nicht allzu oft machen möchte. ABER hier kommt Tula mit ihrem Buch! Sie hat eine Zusammenstellung von leichten und einfachen Blöcken, die jeder meistern kann - und das in Ruhe, Entspannung und Frieden. Sewing for Fun!

What I really love about Tula's blocks and especially her fabric lines, is her sense of humor! As an experienced quilter, I like to make use of fussy cutting to bring more to a block. Tula not only designs this special type of fabric quilters love but makes use of it, in her self-designed sampler blocks! This is the challenge I see - make use of your fabric to create a second design or story. Okay, we usually use shades, tones, and contrast to tell the story in our blocks, but Tula promotes the use of fussy cutting to allow us think a bit more

Was ich wirklich an Tula's Blöcken und ihren Stoffen liebe, ist der Sinn für Humor! Als eine erfahrene Quilterin, nutze ich gerne "fussy cutting", um mehr aus einem Block zu machen. Und Tula entwirft diese speziellen Stoffmuster, die hierfür wie gemacht sind. Wir Quilter(innen) nutzen gerne Farbtöne und Kontraste um unseren Quilts eine Geschichte zu geben und Tula ermuntert uns geradezu mit ihren Stoffen mehr "fussy cutting" einzubauen.

On to the blocks - Block #88 and #89 are from the chapter called "Haiku." With that, I tried to incorporate this idea of "composition" into my design using images from a panel I wanted to use. First I looked for images that would not be caught within the seam allowance. I taped off the required size using some washi tape on my 6.5" ruler to make my "window."

Auf zu den Blöcken -  die Blöcke #88 und #89 sind aus dem Kapitel "Haiku". Hierbei versuchte ich die Idee der "Zusammenstellung" in mein Design zu übertragen und hierbei Bilder aus einem Stoffpaneel zu nutzen. Als Erstes habe ich nach Bilderausschnitten gesucht, die nicht in die Stoffzugabe reichen. Als Hilfe habe ich mit Klebeband das Fenster auf meinen 6,5'' Lineal markiert um den späteren Stoffausschnitt besser beurteilen zu können.

Then I looked for coordinating and contrasting fabric to see in which direction I wanted to go. I really liked the grays and the greens and thought this a strong possibility. I thought the purple, however, was a little too contrasty for me. The turquoise didn't seem to fit at all...at least not a fabric from my color stash. Gray and green it is!
Danach habe ich nach dazu passenden Stoffen mit schönen Kontrasten gesucht. Die Zusammenstellung von grau und grün hat mir von Beginn an gut gefallen. Das Lila war mir zu stark im Kontrast (zumindest was ich an Stoffen da hatte - haben wir nicht alle zu wenig Stoffe zuhause?) und das Türkis hat irgendwie gar nicht gepasst. Grün und Grau das war es also!

So the hardest part is over -  my color preference. After that, it was quick and easy to sew the block together - no hassles, no matching up seams! Here it is! Pure sewing enjoyment!
Das Schwerste war also geschafft - meine Farbzusammenstellung. Danach war es einfach die Blöcke zu nähen - kein Ärger, keine zusammenstoßenden Nähte. Hier sind sie! Pures Nähvergnügen.

On to block 89. This is a really fantastic block making use of a blazing tree and inverting one part of the same fabric in another part of the block. The block presented is also very tone-in-tone. I love it, but didn't want to recreate it...this is my block, not Tula's. She is allowing me to stray from the path as stated in the introduction. ;-) I wanted to use the same panel and found these cute little bunnies.
Auf zu Block #89. Dies ist ein wirklich toller Block, der einen leuchtenden Baum nutzt und einen Teil hieraus in einem anderen Teil des Blocks wieder auf nimmt. Die Abstimmung ist sehr Ton-in-Ton, was ich sehr mag, aber so nicht umsetzen wollte. Es soll ja auch mein Block werden und nicht Tula's. Sie erlaubt ja auch ausdrücklich in der Einleitung vom vorgeschlagenen Weg abzuweichen. Ich wollte bei meinem Paneel bleiben und habe diese zuckersüßen Häschen gefunden. 

I also wondered what I would use the blocks for later since I am not participating in the entire QAL. Do I want the two blocks to match or coordinate in any way? What can I do with them later? I didn't think the additional yellow was going to help the block in any way. I liked the green I used in the previous block and thought it could tie the two together...if you are going for this.

Ich habe dann weiter überlegt, was ich mit den beiden Blöcken später anfangen möchte, da ich nicht den ganzen QAL mitmache. Sollen die beiden Blöcke zusammenpassen, d.h. nebeneinander stehen? Ich dachte nicht, dass das zweite Gelb dem Ganzen wirklich hilft. Mir hat das Grün aus dem ersten Block gut gefallen und hilft die beiden Blöcke zu verbinden... und so habe ich es dann auch gemacht.

I had a little bit left over from the fussy cut rabbits section and tried it to make it fit for the corner segments. I tried out several scraps, but just wasn't coming up with something that appealed to me. I ended up using something completely different in the end.

Ich hatte noch ein paar Reste von den "fussy cut" Häschen und habe versucht hier etwas passendes für die like obere Ecke zu finden. Aber nichts wollte so recht passen. Zum Schluss habe ich mich dann doch für etwas ganz anderes entschieden.

My block looks completely different than Tula's block as far as the effect and colors, but all of the pieces are the same. I used two of the same fabrics from the previous block and added a matching fabric with yellow and gray.

Mein Block sieht im Vergleich zu Tula's Block komplett anders aus, im Bezug auf Ausstrahlung und Farben. Die Stoffzuschnitte sind allerdings die gleichen. Ich habe zwei Stoffe aus dem vorherigen Block wieder verwendet mit einem zusätzlichen Stoff mit dazu passendem Grau und Gelb.

And here are the two blocks together...my sister blocks #88 & #89. So my advice is to look for interesting fabrics that have fussy cut pictures...mix and match from panels or unusual fabrics. Try out matching and contrasting fabrics. Think about if the blocks will be next to each other or not. And most importantly, HAVE FUN WITH IT!

Und hier sind die beiden Blöcke zusammen ... meine Geschwisterblöcke #88 und #89. Meine Empfehlung hieraus ist es interessante Stoffe mit "fussy cut" Bildern zu nehmen und sie mit anderen Paneelen und ungewöhnlichen Stoffen abzustimmen. Versucht Euch ruhig mal mit der Zusammenstellung von Stoffen, die nicht augenscheinlich zusammen passen! Überlegt Euch ob die Blöcke später nebeneinander oder sonst farblich oder von Design her in Bezug stehen. Und am wichtigsten von Allem, HABT SPASS DABEI!

I am very curious to see how you interpret this chapter, especially these two blocks and would love to see your progress so far. Please leave a comment in the section below, so we all can see your blocks!


Please leave a comment below stating your favorite color scheme for the blocks. In one weeks time I will draw one of the commenters (meeting the above requirement) that will receive the matching mug rugs from the two blocks I made as a giveaway. A reply address is mandatory.

Ich bin sehr neugierig, wie ihr das Kapitel in euren Arbeiten interpretiert, speziell für diese beiden Blöcke. Ich würde gerne sehen, wie ihr hierbei voran kommt. Bitte hinterlasst unten einen Kommentar mit einem Link, damit wir alle ein Bild Eures Blocks bewundern können.

Hinterlass doch bitte einen Kommentar mit Deiner Lieblingsfarbzusammenstellung für diese beiden Blöcke. In einer Woche werde ich aus allen Kommentaren (mit genannter Lieblingsfarbe) einen ziehen, der die beiden Kaffeeuntersetzer geschenkt bekommt. Voraussetzung ist natürlich eine hinterlassene Antwortadresse.

The giveaway closes on Monday, March 30! Thanks for dropping by!
Die Geschenkaktion endet am 30. März! Danke fürs Vorbeischauen!

should I participate in a swap or not?

I have been swapping for a couple of years now and mostly with great rewards. I have made friends, learned, shared, received, was spoiled, and was amazed..but also let down and disappointed. I know there are many other of you out there too, who have this same problem and ask yourself continuously, should I participate in a swap, or should I just forget about them?

As is everything in life, there are always a few bad apples. (I think this was in a book from the Berenstain Bears I read to my kids.) I rarely ever get disappointed from a swap or from a swap partner, for that matter. There are so many amazing women (and men) out there that totally and completely rack their brains to come up with original ideas and transform them into needle and thread simply for the pleasure of other's happiness. For the most part, I think this is and will remain the truth. Unfortunately, there are a few out there, that have forgotten to be kind and polite. Yes, we all have "real lives" and things come up that prevent us from fulfilling our commitments, but we owe it to our swap partners (our friends) to inform them. A simple one line email, SMS or Instagram message would do the trick, but these people are just not motivated for that simple courtesy. Why is it that everything else is more important...and we are just a stranger...no courtesy needed? Maybe someone could explain this? This is sad, sad, sad., so very sad...(Dr. Seuss is coming to mind now.) Aha...that is the problem. These swappers have never read the traditional moralistic books I now read to my kids? Morals, values, norms. What are those again? In today's world we don't have time for those do we? YES WE DO! And I practice them too...!!

I recently participated in the Forth Worth Fabric Studio Spring Mug Rug Swap! And I loved it! I made this very springy mug rug for my partner, Nancy. I still don't have a formal "thank you," from Nancy, but I am still hopeful there will be a note one day in the mail. Lindsey, from the Fort Worth Fabric Studio, forwarded an email from Nancy stating she was pleased with it.

 

Thank you so very much, Lindsey, for organizing this swap for us 50 swappers! We all had a secret partner and didn't know who was swapping for us. The ever talented, Dorothée commented on a post of mine that she too was participating in the swap. It never ever occurred to me that she was sewing for me until I received her ever most beautiful package! I have never, ever received such a beautiful package in my life from a swap partner!!

Dorothée is a skilled mini stitchest (that is not a word but fits the skill)! She sews these tiny, micro stitches that totally blow my mind away!

She was only "required" to send a mug rug, but sent all of these goodies as well. The one thing that was the first to disappear was that fabulous bamboo box with handmade chocolates!

And here is her spring mug rug using garden flowers and again her tiny hand stitches! Amazingly beautiful! Thank you, again, Dorothée!

Now, keep in mind, my swap partner was Nancy. And Dorothée sewed for me. I quickly wrote her an email directly and thanked her for the beautiful package. I was so moved by her generosity and warmth, I sent her a small "thank you," in return. I finished my bee swarm mug rug and sent it to her!

Yes, every cloud has a silver lining! If you want to participate in a swap, you will be a richer person for doing it. In general, you will gain many things, meet new friends, build skills. But, don't be too disappointed if it doesn't turn out the way you planned. In a rare few cases, you will be disappointed.

What did I learn this week? I hate to constantly get pricked by by straight pins! You know you are a sewist when you have little wounds all over your hands from them!

Thanks for stopping by!

time for a quilting retreat?

Spring is in the air and I am slowly getting anxious! Whenever I think about spring, I think about going on a patchwork retreat! Don't you? I have been on a couple retreats now, and have learned what I like/don't like about them...and especially what I need! The most exciting and rewarding and rejuvenating retreat was most definitely and without a doubt, PATCHWORK IN THE PEAKS! It is truly the ultimate quilting retreat!

What is including in the ultimate quilting retreat, you might ask? Here are some things I want from my retreat:

1. SPACE TO WORK! I need room to sew as well as to cut my material. I need room for my sewing machine and for the piecing I am working on. If I feel scrunched up, I am not going to be happy. ;-( One very important thing I have learned before I go to a retreat, is to cut my fabric beforehand. The fact is, I am happiest when I can just SEW! I love to piece! I like to simply have enough room where I feel comfortable and not cramped.
2. GREAT LOCATION! Some of you might say, it doesn't matter where, just as long as I am away from home. Well, if I were stuck in the middle of a forest with only trees around me, a gray sky with pouring down rain, I don't think I would be happy! I want to look out of the window at times and see a beautiful blue sky and a nice scenery! It doesn't have to be far from home, but about an hour away gives me enough distance that I forget about HOME.
3. FULL SERVICE, GREAT FOOD! When I am at home sewing during the week, I manage to get in some sewing time in between loads of laundry, taxiing the kids, making lunch, cleaning up. So, on a retreat, I want to sew completely uninterrupted and completely relieved of my "mama duties!" And let's face it...on a retreat, I don't want just a can of ravioli for lunch...I am sophisticated on my weekend off, I want an exclusive meal...and that three times a day! ;-) Hey, a girl can be picky once and a while! ;-)
4. COMFORTABLE WORKING ATMOSPHERE! Living in Germany can be hard at times, especially because Germans aren't too warm at first. In the beginning this was hard for me, but now you would probably just judge me as the same! ;-) Most of the ladies in my patchwork groups though, are warm and friendly also to the newbies. I like my retreats to be warm and friendly as well! My hostess or group leader has to be open and a little bit bubbly too. I love to laugh and make jokes and want that type of atmosphere. If the instructor isn't friendly or willing to make jokes or general conversations for that matter, and there is constantly dead silence...I could have stayed at home and listened to the radio sewing instead...and not waste my money. I want to be comfortable and welcomed especially to a new group!
5. LEARNING SOMETHING NEW! I thirst for knowledge, change and diversity! On a retreat, I want to learn something new. I want to be challenged. And I want to see how my fellow quilters interpret that! I love to see how we all come up with different ideas! A little competition is good for one's motivation...especially me! It gives me new focus and direction.
6. A COMPLETE WEEKEND! A retreat can be a day, a weekend, a week or even several weeks! I have seen vacation retreats offered on cruises or European patchwork tours. I always wondered how much sewing gets done...I don't think I would sew at all on one of those types! I need a little bit of time on my retreat so I can actually SEW and get some things done. One weekend, or three full days, is a good amount of time for me. 
7. AFFORDABILITY! Okay, I actually envy anyone who can afford to go off on a quilting cruise retreat...but I simply can't afford it! The fact is, I am a SAHM (Stay-at-Home-Mom). We have one household income and that spread over four people. We have to make the money stretch as far as we can. A cruise is just not in the budget or I am too frugal (Schwäbisch).
8. PAMPERING OR SERVICE! A retreat for me is also a little vacation. What do I expect from a vacation...? I want to be rejuvenated or "erholt." I can get this from being pampered with a massage or sauna in the evening. It could include pick up/or drop off service. 
9. GOODIES! What I especially love about new retreats or coming into a group where I know no one, is receiving a goodies basket with name tag, sewing notions, new products, fabric, handouts, pencils, etc. These baskets don't have to be that big either, just enough to say, "hey, I appreciate you coming!" This totally warms my heart! Who doesn't love quilting goodies??
10. WANTING FOR MORE! When I leave a quilt retreat, I ask myself, would I go back? Was I happy with the experience? Would I have changed something? How did the others like it? Is there a new program out that would excite me just as much as this course/retreat did? If my retreat leaves me wanting for more, then it was THE ULTIMATE QUILT RETREAT! 

I will say it again. Patchwork in the Peaks 6 - Autumn 2014 was the ultimate patchwork retreat for me! It fulfilled all of my criteria and left me wanting for more! You can read all about my experience here.

There are still places available for Patchwork at the Peaks 7, 16-19 April and 23-26 April, 2015. And if you can't make the first weekend, you can sign up for the second weekend at the same chalet in the ski region of Morzine, France. Elita, the greatest instructor and hostess in the world with her Southern hospitality and charm, has a great new program all about color, curves and "harmony."

If this has peeked your interest, there are still places available. Please check it out! I promise you, you will LOVE it! Unfortunately, I will not be going this spring to the retreat due to other commitments. I hope to go back in the fall though!!

Thanks for dropping by. Now I have to get on with the laundry and maybe some sewing!

pillow swap four seasons - summer edition

Hello everyone! I was looking forward to a nice, quiet morning of sewing on my advanced sampler when I was reminded by my co-host, Sandra aka Hohenbrunnerquilterin, from Pillow Swap Four Seasons that sign-ups for the summer edition have opened! Yahoo!! Are you ready to join in the fun? Let's party on for summer!

I created a new blinkie size 240 x 240 pixels in gif format to paste on your blog or website to show your support. It will decrease to 150 x 150 pixels. Please use the html tag listed below to copy and paste onto your page:

<div align="center"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/groups/2730349@N24/" title="Pillow Swap Four Seasons"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioaBd_UREW0e4w4tDyJ0PE5jjcE3Af4hvQmJzdArDxvKlj4mNzOa-xKsL8o0H0o8FVLbceTsuuzCL8kTTjw79ix3zHu-5OA7ZhqfxdFNcE04Fu_4K98URWsHQMiOhJd5s2LLXQyIsH5Vyy/s1600/pillowswap_blinkie_240.gif" alt="Pillow Swap Four Seasons" width="150" height="150" border="0" /></a></div>

What's the group about? We are an international group of patchworkers and sewists who love to make pillows according to the seasons. Our swap is "secret" so you don't know who your partner is - the person who sews for you. You, on the other hand, make a mosaic of pillows, colors, ideas that you like about summer. This will help your secret partner tailor to your expectations wishes!! Does it sound interesting?

For the complete "skivey" on information you can click on the Pillow Swap Four Seasons tab in the tab bar or go to the Flickr Group. Because this is solely a Flickr experience, we would like you to participate whole heartily with comments, opinions, ideas, questions....general support of each other. Please don't commit unless you are fully committed!! That way, you really receive a pillow according to your tastes, but still secretly! It is really loads of fun!

Please check out all of the wonderful pillows made by our participants! I honestly cannot pick ONE as a favorite, because they are all unique! There are some pillows that were extensively hand sewn with hexagons, Oma Tam, I am talking about you! and then there are others that are beautifully paper pieced with two totally differently designs on the front and back, greatbrittan66 - I mean you!! All of the pillows are GORGEOUS! AND I MEAN ALL OF THEM! I have yet to receive MY pillow, and I am sure that will be the most gorgeous of all!! There is such a high level of quality and creativity in the group, you must stop by!

And to show you what my interests for the summer swap are, here is my mosaic!

My Pillow Swap Four Seasons - Summer Inspiration - www.flickr.com/groups/2730349@N24/

1. Rollin' Along, 2. dqs7 quilt, 3. strawberries, 4. Pure Color, 5. Summer Cocktail for Tamiko, 6. Mermaid Pillow, 7. Quilted waves, 8. splash, 9. 'Vespa Scooter v.2' PP pattern (1), 10. Ice Cream Man Pillow, 11. Last Strawberry, 12. Beach, 13. Watermelons


Does are swap look intriguing to you? I hope it does!! I also hope you sign up for the next round. Registration started yesterday, March 2nd and runs through March March 12, 2015! Please take the time to read the rules and general guidelines before you register! ;-) Then, follow the link that will take you to a formula on Sandra's blog. Simply fill out the form! Then start looking for inspiration or ideas for your mosaic, create and upload to the group!!

I look forward to seeing all my old friends as well as lots of new faces! ;-)