People can be so nice

There is nothing like nice people saying nice things about you to help chase the blues away!

Claudia at Armchair Quilter and Deb & Mandy at Quilter's Crossing BOTH gave the the Liebster Blog award!! Claudia's blog is filled with family and great quilts (check out her triangles with free-motion quilted feathers and her amazing, minimalist quilt with dogs & cats & rabbits -- WOW). Deb & Mandy have a quilt shop in the opposite corner of Houston than me, so I am sad to say that I have never been there -- but it is on my Bucket List! Their blog features lots of fabric & tools & projects & fun in the shop. Thank you so much, Claudia, Deb & Mandy!! I am very grateful to you for your kind words.

There are rules with the Liebster Blog Award. I must

1. Thank my Liebster Blog Award presenters.
2. Link back to my presenters' blogs.
3. Copy & paste the blog award on my blog.
4. Present the Liebster Blog Award to five blogs with 200 or fewer followers that I feel deserve to be noticed and post links to their blogs on my blog.
5. Let the recipients know they have been given the Liebster Blog Award by posting a comment on their blog.

So, here are the blogs I have chosen:

1. Safieh is a fellow HMQG member. She is an extremely talented quilter & sewist & photographer. I love the images of her projects, home & pets. I feel lucky to call her an In Real Life Friend!
2. Diane at O'Quilts is traveling a path similar to mine -- we are both dealing with ailing Mothers and trying to find solace with our quilting -- sharing helps make the load lighter.
3. Cassie at elegantitus is awesome! I love her exuberant fearlessness & wish that I had been like her when I was her age. I would love to quilt with her & drink a beer (or 2 or 3) with her.
4. I discovered Dana at Water Penny  after seeing her charming quilt that looks like the cat got to it -- some of the blocks are straight, some are askew like we've all seen after our cats "help" with the layout. She also a gardener & is concerned with environmental issues.
5. I've been a flickr friend with Karen at capitolaQuilter for some time & was pleased when she finally started blogging. She is quite a quilter & is sharing her skills with tutorials on her blog.

I hope you check out the blogs of the wonderful women & enjoy their writing as much as I do!

What is better than an ATTAGIRL?

An ATTAGIRL from a friend!
Bry at A Blond Quilts is an amazing quilter and blogger and my IRL friend and she recently passed along to me the the Stylish Blogger Award! {internet hug} Bry--until I can give you a real hug!

With the receipt of this award you are asked to do several things:
1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to 6 newly discovered bloggers.
4. Contact these bloggers to let them know they have been nominated as Stylish Bloggers.

So, 7 things about myself? Let's see...Audrey, Pippa and Louis are the 8th, 9th and 10th cats I've had in my life; I have a lovely collection of vintage wedding cake brides and grooms that I have not been able to display for several years now because Pippa began taking them down from the shelf. Fear of breakage caused me to put them away; Shug and I sail a Hobie Wave, a little 13 foot catamaran. It is lots of fun. And I think I might want a kayak this summer; I am becoming far too interested in vintage and antique sewing machines--but come on, we don't want all the old machines to end up as window dressing for AllSaints stores!; I've never dyed my hair (I like my grey!); just over a year ago, my Mom went in to a nursing home for what they delicately call "memory care". She still knows her immediate family but is increasingly confused. I really miss her; and lastly, Shug and I are married because of quilting: in 1991 (OMG! 20 years ago this fall!) I came to Houston to my first Quilt Festival. While in town, I phoned an old friend from college days who I knew had recently joined the faculty at a local university. Well, 14 months later, we were married and I was a Houstonian!

Now the 6 blogs I am awarding as Stylish Bloggers:

RachaelDaisy at Blue Mountain Daisy--Rachael is an amazingly talented quilter! Her career as a floral designer shows though in her brilliant (in every sense of the word) patchwork.

Ara Jane at you know what I love?--I just discovered this blog about quilting, knitting, baking, reading and gardening. Ara Jane's tone is so sweet and intimate she makes me love what she loves.

Sherri Lynn at daintytime--Sherri Lynn is famous for her Passage Quilts; they are as beautiful as they are touching and meaningful. She talks about life, creativity and shares her quilting skills with tutorials. I really want to try making my own Mod Mood Quilt.

Dan at Made by a Man: Sew What--Dan is a master of both precise (check out his Lone Star made with 1 inch strips!) and improvisational piecing and he takes his readers along through the process in a helpful and personable way.

Jenny at Sew Kind of Wonderful--Jenny's blog (one of two--the other is about long-arm quilting) is about quilting and life in general. She is developing a ruler that I am very eager to see--the quilts she has made with it are amazing!

And nifty quilts--I love the joyous quilts I see here. There isn't a lot of writing but lots and lots of beautiful quilts!

I've been Leibstered!

I am pleased and proud to announce that Marianne at The Quilting Edge has passed the Leibster Award to me!!!



I had admired her work on flickr for a while before I started following her blog. I am in awe of her quilts and was so flattered when she started offering supportive comments for some of mine. So it is especially meaningful for me to be awarded by her.

Like being crowned Miss America--well, almost like--the Leibster Award comes with certain obligations.
The award-ee must post who nominated her/him and a link to their blog. The award-ee must 'pay it forward' by awarding 3-5 other blogs--blogs with less than 300 followers--with the Leibster and putting links to those blogs in the post. And inform those bloggers with a link back to your blog.

Now, in my roll as Award-er, here are my choices:

Noga at nogaquilts.blogspot. She is a brand new blogger--3 posts so far! While there isn't much there yet, I enjoyed what I read--following her creative process and the 'nuts and bolts' of implementing her idea. I look forward to more from her.

Diana at sticksandbubbles.blogspot. This young Romanian mother is just the cutest thing! She makes charming quilts and other crafty stuff and in addition to following her through her creative process is the hurdle of getting the materials she wants and needs through Customs!

Dan at piece and press. This is another blog that takes the reader along for the whole process--from sketch, through ripping out things that don't work, to completed quilt. The quilts have vision and the blogging style is warm and comfortable.

I would like to give an Honorable Mention to two quilters who don't blog but whose work leaves me weak in the knees. I eagerly watch for new flickr uploads from them.

Helen at helen richards quilts.
Binita at silaibunai.

The quilts of both of these quilters leave me stunned and amazed. Everyone should know about them!

I constantly marvel at the community of quilters and other creative people that the internet brings together. The six bloggers/quilters I've mentioned here are from around the world! I wish they lived next door, but with the internet, the kind of do!