Last Day of the Blog Hop ~ And It's Our Day!!!

All week we’ve been sharing about the Sullivan’s Cutting Edge Ruler, and hopping around to other fun blogs for cool tidbits and give aways…and today is our day here at Spring Water Designs!  Thanks to Pat Sloan for hosting this hop and inviting us to participate :) First, we wanted to share our favorite Sullivan’s rulers:

Heather’s favorite feature of the Sullivan’s Ruler is the frosted non-skid back.  Besides that, she likes the 6-1/2” x 12-1/2” size because she travels with her projects and it fits really well in a tote bag, and as you can see in the above picture mine stands up great in my rolling cart with my small mat.

My favorite feature of the Sullivan's ruler is of course the diamond incrusted cutting edge (which does seem to work at removing those annoying small burrs on the rotary blade that causes little individual threads to go un-cut periodically), thus extending the life of the blade.  I have several of these rulers, but my favorite is the little 4-1/2" x 8-1/2" rectangle that fits perfectly in my hand piecing travel clutch that I carry along everywhere.  It's small enough for easy travel, but large enough to work with!

Look for the Sullivan's Cutting Edge rulers at your local quilt shop, Joann's, or you can find them in my Web Store.  (Click Show All to see ones that we have in stock.)

So as part of the blog hop we were asked to share a favorite recipe, and late September in the Stewart house means Football Seaso...and Football season in our house means Taco Soup!  Mmm...Taco Soup is one of my favorite things about football :)  It's quick and easy ~ the perfect recipe for a quilter!

Click Here and scroll to the bottom of the page for our Taco Soup recipe :)

And just for fun, Pat asked us to answer a few random question:

Question 1. If I take a look inside your refrigerator what would I find?

...Oh my.  Well you will always find three types of Pepsi (I have a son who like regular Pepsi, Hubby likes Diet Cherry, and I like Caffine Free), Gaterade (son, remember), and my new thing is Bread Starter that I got from a friend...Any you'll usually find some beer and leftover pizza. 

And you'll always find chocolate in our butter compartment :)

Question 2. What is your favorite TV show of All Time and why?  

Heather’s favorite show of forever is X-files because she loves anything creepy, and she watched this show from it’s inception back in 1993.

My favorite show is NCIS because I like crime dramas…and Michael Weatherly…enough said.

 

Question 3. If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you? 

Ok, this one made us laugh outloud!  Heather picked Jewel Staite (Kaylee from Firefly) just because she likes her.  I came up with Mariska Hargitay from Law & Order SVU, because I think she's a cool chick, and hey...we're dreaming here right!  

 

 Ok, now that we've dispensed with the silliness, let's get down to the Nitty Gritty!  Leave a comment here on this post (tell us what's in your fridge right now), for a chance to win a Sullivan's Cutting Edge Ruler of your choice ~ Yes you get to pick the size that you want! ...And if you've gotten through to the end of this ridiculously long blog post, you deserve that!  We'll pick one random winner on Monday morning.  

 

Hop on over to Emily Cier http://carolinapatchworks.com/blog who is the other featured blogger of the day!  And go back and read all of the bloggers from earlier this week and make sure you comment!  

Sept 27 (tues) Rachel    http://www.psiquilt.com/ Allison   http://www.cluckclucksew.com Sept 28 (wed) Erin's http://erinrussek.typepad.com/one-piece-at-a-time/ Victoria http://bumblebeansinc.blogspot.com/ Sept 29 (thurs)  LizzieB Liz and Beth http://dreamlaughcreate.blogspot.com/ Sarah  http://www.thelastpiece.net/ Sept 30 (fri) Me http://springwaterdesigns.blogspot.com/ Emily http://carolinapatchworks.com/blog/

Oct 1 (Sat) – http://blog.patsloan.com   

If you're new to our blog, you can scroll back to earlier posts this week for other tips and information on the Cutting Edge rulers, and don't forget our Quick Mystery BOM Runner.  You can click Here for the post with information, and get the Free pattern download ~ we just started with Block One this month, so it's not too late to jump in.  But hurry, Block Two comes out on October 7th, and it only goes for three months, so you'll have a finished table runner in time for the holidays!

And don't forget to upload your Block One blocks to our Flickr Group, or email them to me ~ we want to see the different colors everyone uses!

Enjoy the day! ~ Dawn

Hoppin Right Along

We're hoppin' right along to Day 3 of the Sullivan's Cutting Edge Ruler Blog Hop! 

Another Sullivan's ruler that I have in my repertoire is the 16-1/2" square.  I love this one ~ I got it especially for trimming and squaring my Baltimore Album Blocks :)
 

16-1/2" is a nice size for a large variety of blocks (and a surprisingly hard ruler size to find).  Trimming and squaring is so easy with the clear lines on this ruler, and the non-skid frosted back helps to keep it from shifting.

All trimmed and squared and ready to be pieced in to my future Baltimore Album quilt...someday ~ Yes, I'm optimistic :)

Now Hop on over to the featured blogs for Day 3:  Liz & Beth Hawkins, and Sarah Fielke and leave a comment to be included in their give aways!  And of course, our hostess Pat Sloan's Blog :)
Here is the schedule of all the blogs ~ don't forget to stop back again for my day tomorrow!!

Tuesday:

Pat Sloan http://blog.patsloan.com

Rachel Griffith http://psiquilt.com

Allison Harris http://www.cluckclucksew.com

Wednesday:

Erin Russek http://erinrussek.typepad.com/one-piece-at-a-time

Victoria Findlay Wolfe http://bumblebeansinc.blogspot.com

Thursday:

Liz & Beth Hawkins http://dreamlaughcreate.blogspot.com

Sarah Fielke  http://www.thelastpiece.net/

Friday:

Emily Cier http://carolinapatchworks.com/blog

...And Me http://springwaterdesigns.blogspot.com

Look for Sullivan's Cutting Edge Rulers at your local quilt shop, or you can find them in our Web Store (click View All to see all the sizes that we have in stock).

Enjoy the day!

~ Dawn

Blog Hoppin Day 2!

Welcome to Day 2 of the Cutting Edge Ruler Blog Hop!  How about a little tip of the day:

I think the most versatile size of all the rulers in the Sullivans collection is the 6-1/2" x 24-1/2" ruler ~ especially if you'll be cutting yardage.  But if you're traveling and want the ease of the shorter 6-1/2" x 12-1/2" ruler (or maybe you're a beginner and only have the one 12-1/2" long ruler), there is still a way to cut the full width of fabric yardage very easily.

1. Lay your fabric out in front of you with the selvages together, and away from you, and the fold  towards you.  

2. Then fold the fabric again (taking the fold up 1" shy of the selvages).  Now your fabric is four layers thick.  Make sure that both of the folds, and the selvages all line up with lines on your cutting mat to ensure that everything is straight. 

3. Now you can lay your 12-1/2" long ruler across the width of fabric and cut!  Trim a small amount (to the first line on the cutting mat) off of the left side to square everything up and give you a fresh edge to cut from ~ and you're ready to go!

Now Hop on over to the featured blogs for today: Erin of One Piece at a Time, and Victoria of Bumblebeans and leave a comment to be included in their give aways!  And make sure you check out Pat Sloan's Blog as she just may have some hostess goodies there!
Here is the schedule of all the blogs ~ don't forget to stop back again tomorrow, and come back for my day on Friday!!

Tuesday:

Pat Sloan http://blog.patsloan.com

Rachel Griffith http://psiquilt.com

Allison Harris http://www.cluckclucksew.com

Wednesday:

Erin Russek http://erinrussek.typepad.com/one-piece-at-a-time

Victoria Findlay Wolfe http://bumblebeansinc.blogspot.com

Thursday:

Liz & Beth Hawkins http://dreamlaughcreate.blogspot.com

Sarah Fielke  http://www.thelastpiece.net/

Friday:

Emily Cier http://carolinapatchworks.com/blog

...And Me http://springwaterdesigns.blogspot.com

Look for Sullivan's Cutting Edge Rulers at your local quilt shop, or you can find them in our Web Store (click View All to see all the sizes that we have in stock).

Enjoy the day!

~ Dawn

Trying Out a New Ruler

Day 1 is here for the Sullivan's Cutting Edge Ruler Blog Hop!  Every day there will be two Bloggers who will share about their experiences with the rulers, some fun stuff about themselves, a recipe for you, and of course some free give aways!

Heather came over and spent a day in my sewing room, and wanted to try out these new rulers that she's been hearing so much about for herself.  This one is now hers :)

As a beginning quilter, her favorite feature of the ruler was the non-skid frosting, even more than the diamond incrusted edge that sharpens your rotary blades as you cut ~ although that may be because I provide her with the rotary blades :)  She did have to get used to the extra half inch on the edge of the ruler (this one is 6-1/2" x 12-1/2"), but once she adjusted to that, she really liked that better than her old 6" wide ruler.

These are the fabrics that Heather cut for her Quick Mystery Block of the Month Runner ~ she just couldn't resist jumping in!  I'll show you her progress on the Block One later in the week. 

Click on the above Button for more information and the free pattern for the Spring Water Designs  Quick Mystery BOM Runner, and sew along with us!

Look for Sullivan's Cutting Edge Rulers at your local quilt shop, or you can find them in our Web Store (click View All to see all the sizes that we have in stock).

Hop on over to today's two Bloggers for the Sullivan's Cutting Edge Ruler Hop, and leave a comment to get in on the give aways!
Rachel Griffith http://psiquilt.com
Allison Harris http://cluckclucksew.com

And don't forget our Blog Hop Hostest with the Mostest, Pat Sloan who is always full of fun surprises!
http://blog.patsloan.com

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Have You Seen These Yet?

Have you seen these rulers?  This is the Sullivan's Cutting Edge ruler.  I love these, for several reasons.  They were developed by a quilter ~ Pat Sloan (waving at you Pat!!).  I like the frosting on the back that helps both with reading the ruler, and is added protection against sliding when you are cutting.  I really like how clear and easy to read they are with the black, white and red hash marks.

...And there's a bonus: this added diamond powder incrusted edge that helps to keep your rotary blade sharper longer ~ how cool is that!  I liked these rulers so much when I first saw them at Quilt Market that I stock some of them in my web store (click view all, or scroll to page 2 & 3 of the Notions section to see all the rulers I have in stock).

Join us starting tomorrow for a fun blog hop where you can travel to 8 different bloggers, learn some tips, share some recipes, have a few laughs, and maybe win yourself a ruler!  See you tomorrow!!!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Trying a New Craft ~ Just For Fun :)

When the kiddos come to Grandma's and Grandpa's for a visit, it's never a dull moment.  It's like one big party all day long.  But when Little Sister goes down for a nap, it's time for the older girls to play.

On this last visit Elsie, Mommy, Aunt Heather & Grandma all went out and tried our hands at painting pottery one afternoon.  We had never done that before, and we had a great time ~ Lisa snapped this picture of Elsie & I looking like we're taking our pottery very seriously...but there really was much laughing and chatting going on!

After leaving our pieces to be fired, we went back about a week later to pick them up.  Lisa made the large mug and etched words into it, Elsie and I made pumpkins, and Heather made the three-toned blue creamer.  We had a lot of fun, and were very happy with our first time ceramic projects.

Here is Elsie handling hers with much care after getting it back from firing ~ because, "It's very breakable" (and she knows from personal experience how hard Grandma's porcelain tiled kitchen floor is).

Definitely a craft that we'll enjoy again on another visit :)

I hope to get into the sewing room tomorrow and work on another block from the Quick Mystery BOM Runner.  Make sure you get your Block One done soon, the October Block will be out before you know it!

And check back on Monday, for an announcement of a fun blog hop I'll be participating in next week.  There'll be lots of fun, probably some silliness, and I'm sure there will be give aways!!!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Sneak Peek and a Feature :)

I'm binding tonight.  Curled up in my recliner...finally...after a long crazy day.  I made sure that earlier in my busy day, I took the time to get the binding sewn around this quilt, and now I'm savoring every comfy moment of needle and thread in my hand as I turn the binding to the back.  (This is a tiny sneak peek of my next one being sent out for publication, so this is all I can get away with showing right now.)  It was nice to get to work with some really traditional fabrics this time ~ and I'll have them on the bolt in my web store any day now!  The quilting on it was done by my good friend, Mary Nielsen of Keep Me In Quilts :)

In the "Other Exciting News" category, I am featured in the Blogger Spotlight at AccuQuilt this week!   You can subscribe to AccuQuilt's emails by clicking on the link over on the right sidebar of my blog (the one for the 22 free patterns) to get all of these Guest Blogger posts each week.  My post was sent out today, so in case you missed it you can click Here to go read my Blogger Spotlight Post on the Winding Ways block.  It was so Awesome when I was asked to write a post that I of course said Yes! right away...but then I had to figure out what I was going to say that someone might care about.  I've included some design ideas in the post using the Winding Ways block...Let me know which ones you like best :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Some Friday Progress ~ Kind of a Finish...

I don't have a quilt top for my Friday Finish, but I finished some Red/Green blocks for a swap that I'm participating in with the Quiltsy Team on Etsy.  Getting them completed and mailed out was kind of a finish, so I'll count it!

I had to make Twelve 8" blocks (any block of my choice) using predominantly Red & Green fabrics.

I challenged myself to use all fabrics that I already had in my scrap drawers, so all twelve blocks are not the same fabrics, I made two of six different combinations.

...And I was able to cut all of the blocks using my AccuQuilt Go! Cutter.  I used the Value Die & the 2-1/2" strip cutter.  That was a real time saver bonus!

Speaking of AccuQuilt, I'm told my Blogger Spotlight feature on the Winding Ways block will be showing up next week ~ probably around Thursday-ish. 

So make sure you are signed up to get emails from AccuQuilt so that you don't miss it!  You can subscribe to their email list by clicking the above button, and you'll also get 22 free patterns that you can download at the same time if you want!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Little Surprises to Brighten the Day

Don't you just love a day when little unexpected surprises pop up in the middle of a regular work day to make you smile?  Yesterday was like that for me.  First, my son was home in the afternoon, and offered to finish putting together the wire basket units for my sewing room closet (I'll show those to you as soon as I get them all loaded up ~ but I smile every time I look at them).  Then in the evening, I attended my first Board meeting for the Baltimore Applique Society.  I've volunteered to be the Secretary this year, and Cathy Marciano, the BAS President had this little pincushion as thank you gift for me!

I really didn't expect a gift, and she even inked my name on the back ~ that made me smile.  This will go right into my little pin cushion collection that I have going :)

Then when I got home, I had mail!  My four year old granddaughter had her mommy help her write me a letter, complete with a picture of her and her little sister splashing in puddles ~ I went to bed with a smile on my face.

Here's wishing you a day full of little smile moments :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Remembering...

No words today...

just prayers.

Winding Ways & A Tease

It's been a crazy time of off and on electric at our house, first from Hurricane Irene, then from Tropical Storm Lee.  That makes life really interesting when you have a delicate balance of deadlines to meet!  But amongst it all I did get some things finished.  I can't show you some of them just yet, but I can give you a peek at this one.  This is the Winding Ways top completed from the blocks that I cut using the Winding Ways Die for my AccuQuilt Go! Cutter (You can see how I pieced them back in This Post).   I'm excited about a neat feature I'll share with you about this quilt coming up next week :) 

...And check back on Monday when I'll unveil my Free Quickie Mystery BOM Project ~ How's that for a tease :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Sights from the State Fair

It's September, and that equals the Maryland State Fair :)  We visited the Fair one afternoon this week.  

 It was fun, taking in the sights and just chillin'

And what wonderful sights there were! This Baltimore Album Quilt by Barbara Burnham won for Exemplary Applique.

 

I spotted quilts hanging from several of my friends and acquaintances ~ This one is Dawn Burchett's from our Jo Little Women's Club :)

(I always get excited when I recognize the quilt maker at a show!)  I was even surprised to see my good buddy Mary Nielsen of Keep Me In Quilts.

 And a Blue Ribbon for Dawn Burchett's Gettysburg Quilt, what a great use of Dear Jane blocks!

Then I spent the rest of the holiday weekend coolin' it with family.  I hope you all had a Happy Labor Day weekend :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn