And the winner is...

So sorry for the delay in announcing a winner. Since we last spoke, things got a tad crazy here. This momma-to-be had a great doctor's appointment and it seems Little Miss is eager to make her appearance. She's not "due" for another 4 weeks, yet the doctors think with her progression we won't make it til then, let alone the end of this month. We'll know more later this week at the next appointment to see if she's progressed more or not. :)

And then I somehow picked up a nasty stomach bug that sidelined me the rest of the week and into the weekend. Luckily I had my flu shot and I think that helped curb the effects a bit, but it still wasn't fun and I was basically worthless.

Add on top of that we had another open house here this weekend to try to sell our home. Luckily Ben was a great trooper and was able to handle the majority of it and then some... I swear I can't make this stuff up - Here we are about half an hour from leaving the house and we get a call from the realtor who was supposed to be showing our house... She got in a car accident and can't make it. Our regular realtor was at another showing over an hour away and knew he would be late (hence the other partner opening the showing). So what were we to do? Well, it ended up that I packed up the dogs and wished my hubby luck and he tried his hat at being a realtor until our guy could show up and save the day... It was awkward at best, but I hope Ben did a good job and we get some good news soon. Otherwise I'm not sure how we're going to be able to show this house in the first few weeks Little Miss decides to join us, especially if it's sooner than anticipated!

So, that was basically what happened here since we last spoke and I'm now in that super excited/anxious/panicked/can't wait mode waiting for Little Miss to get here. I had a hunch she may arrive early, but I didn't think she would be this far ahead of schedule!

Speaking of which, I think I have finally hit my mark on being "done" with quilting until after Little Miss arrives. She has been wearing me out and just airing on the side of caution, I think it's best I take it easy and prep for her arrival. Please feel free to contact me about quilting services and I can still take in quilts and get you on the schedule for once I start quilting again, but please know I probably won't be quilting again until after Easter or so - so please plan accordingly if you have deadlines.

And the reason you all (hopefully) have been listening to me babble and ramble on - THE WINNER!!!

The winner of the book is mamajan who wrote:

mamajanFebruary 11, 2016 at 12:06 AM

Lately I have been buying fabrics in coral and navy cause I would love to make a quilt with these colors. This book looks like I could find a beautiful pattern to use. Congrats on being part of it.

Now, I normally don't do this, but I'm making an exception. Mamajan, I don't have an e-mail for you so I can't send you a message. I'm giving you until Wednesday morning (Ohio time)to contact me at rubybluequilts (at) gmail (dot) com with your snail mail address so I can send you this book. Otherwise I will choose another winner and move on down the list. 

I normally don't choose a winner I can't immediately respond to, but there seems to have been some security changes on the blog platforms lately and more than half of the comments were no-reply (which means I can't e-mail you back).

I honestly don't know at the moment how to change the settings, but I will look into it and let you all know so that you can change your settings and have better chances of myself and other bloggers contacting you in the future (if you win something for instance). Thank you to all who entered and I urge you to go find this book and take it home with you because you're going to find several projects you'd like to make!

Now I'm going to do some more baby laundry and finish up these last couple quilts I have and wait for Little Miss to arrive. I'll update you all soon and mamajan - I hope to hear from you soon!

Block-Buster Quilts: I Love Log Cabins

It's time to share a brand new book with you that I'm super excited about! Today I'm going to share with you a new book by Martingale featuring 16 designers (myself included) called Block-Buster Quilts: I Love Log Cabins.

If you're new to the blog, welcome! If you're familiar with my ways, welcome back and please don't mind the life pauses here and there. I'm currently expecting our first child to arrive soon and we're trying to sell our house and move and yeah... Not much quilting happening at the moment. But today I have plenty to share so let's begin!

I have had a log cabin quilt on my quilting bucket list for a long long time. I finally made my first log cabin quilt a couple years ago - you can find Frolic in my second book, Seems Like Scrappy (it's on the cover) and from that moment I was hooked! 

I mean what's not to love? Choosing fabrics and getting prepped is so much fun and the construction goes together so smooth and swift - you have a quilt top before you know it. Not only that, but the color and layout options are endless allowing you to create and imagine and create some more until your heart is content!

As I mentioned, there are 16 quilts in this book - one from each designer. Oh, and before I forget - head on over to Martingale's blog and leave a comment to win! They're giving away 16 copies of this very book next week - one for each designer! Click here to head on over, just leave a comment and you're entered!

Daybreak by Rebecca Silbaugh (that's me!)

The neat thing with compilation books, like this one, is until the book is released or the marketing materials start to arrive, as a designer we usually only know about the quilt we made and/or the quilts our close friends have made too if we chat about that sort of thing. You never know what to expect. 

The quilt above is Daybreak by me! I am in love with wonky blocks and came up with this fun layout to try. This type of layout does give a directional look to the quilt overall, but it has so much dimension that I really want to try it in other color options soon. Maybe. Depending on when Little Miss arrives and how much energy I'll have left. 

If anyone knows me - I usually am not a fan of yellow. However there are exceptions to every rule and one being my sewing room is painted yellow. Knowing this book would be released in the typically most mundane time of year for me (I live in the snow belt in NE Ohio, usually by now the landscape has been several shades of grey for months) I wanted to choose lively colors that would remind me of Spring. And sun. And warmer temperatures. And yeah. That's why I chose these colors. 

I would love to see what colors or fabric lines you would choose to make this quilt out of. You know what - leave me a comment below with what color or fabric scheme you'd make Daybreak out of and I'll choose a winner later this week to receive a copy of I Love Log Cabins! 

Scrappy Courthouse Steps by Lissa Alexander

Well, to be honest I got my books in the mail last week and haven't had a chance to open them until today (we're trying to sell our house so my office and sewing room can't be the usual clutter storm I'm so used to living in - hey, I'm creative and it works). So I opened my books and started to scroll through the pages and had to keep the drool at bay. There are so many beautiful quilts in this book bursting with personality that I want to tear into my stash and make almost all of them. But I can't because I have to keep it clean and tidy... But the second we sell this place and move it's game on! Quilting season will be open as long as Little Miss and I have come to an understanding. I'm hoping the sound of the sewing machines will lull her to sleep. 

Anywho, the first quilt I stumbled across that I want to make is this amazing Scrappy Courthouse Steps by Lissa Alexander. It's simple and fun and fresh but timeless. I see this as a quilt for Little Miss and I to cuddle under in the future and watch movies. 

Mi Casa by Carrie Nelson

And then I flipped a few more pages and saw this dream of a quilt that I NEED TO MAKE!!! Carrie is known for her eye for color and texture and this quilt is the perfect opportunity to play with both of those things. It's another simple yet fresh concept that allows for maximum scrappiness. And you all know how I love scrappy!

 Seeing Stars by Kimberly Jolly

And what's not to love about a log cabin block with a star in it set in stars? Kimberly did an awesome job with this quilt and I love it. Okay I love them all, but for different reasons. This particular design could work so well for just about anyone by changing the colors and the textures. It could be masculine or patriotic or feminine or whimsical. I'm not sure which fabrics I would choose to make this one in, but the possibilities are endless!

 Log Cabin Chevron by Penny Barnes

And finally this quilt just blew me away when I looked at it. I'm a traditionalist at heart and this is honestly a very traditional block. It's just a modern color palette and layout to take this quilt to the next level. When I see this quilt, immediately I want someone to make it and send it to me to quilt it.  This type of design gets the long-armer in me buzzing and my brain is working overdrive to figure out how I would quilt it. I mean really - how much fun is this - AND it's a log cabin that doesn't look like a log cabin. BONUS!

So what do you think about this new book? Are you in love with log cabins like the designers in this book? Are you a hooked quilter on the road to log cabin recovery or a newbie to the log cabin fever? I'd love to hear what you think!

Don't forget to leave me a comment below to enter for a chance to win a copy of this book - I will probably choose a winner this weekend - and don't forget to head over to enter for another chance to win at Martingale's blog too!

If you're too impatient and you want to get your hands on this book NOW, you're in luck. You can look at your LQS, they should have copies in stock now, or you can purchase a copy from Martingale. The great thing about buying a copy directly from Martingale is you know the actual book will be arriving and be in your hands soon, but you also get an ebook download immediately after your purchase so you can scroll and start to plan your next project right away. Without the wait. How awesome is that?!

Well, that's a bunch of log cabin love to share with you today. Good luck and I can't wait to hear what you think about this latest book.