Giving from the Heart

I have always found the blessings are abundant when you give of your time and talent for others in need. Leslie of Pinyon Creek Stitchin'! is coordinating "Hearts and Hands for Sendai." Please log onto her blog and read all about this wonderful project and the requirements. Be sure to arrow down and read the March 14th. post for all the details. Please consider joining in and contributing a block.

Here is a portion of Leslie's post that tells a little about the project:

"This project will be dedicated to helping those affected by the earthquake tsunami disaster in Japan. Per Hideko Ishida's request, all quilts will become a part of an exhibit in Japan where money will be raised by viewing the quilts. Ultimately, these quilts may be auctioned and the proceeds given to a charity designated by Hideko Ishida, our Japanese CQ Sister! We will keep everyone informed as time progresses. This project is open to the quilting community at large!"

Crazy Quilting in the Texas Hill Country

Myself along with several of my crazy quilt "sisters" were invited to spend Spring Break in the Hill Country of Texas. Julie of Creative Blessings of Joy planned a fabulous stitching retreat at her brother & sister-in-law's gorgeous home. Built on the top of one of the hills, it overlooks the lake and the scenery is breathtaking.

We have these retreats down to a fine art and there is only one thing we can do better... create a mess! On the right is Jan showing one of the blocks she is currently working on. As you can see, we come prepared with our stitching paraphernalia. Julie, seated, and Linda, standing, are both taking a break in this photo.

The photo on the left shows Gumbo giving Julie a "high five." I could fill this post with pictures of this sweet dog. You can probably tell I love animals and I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with Gumbo, the family's beautiful Australian Labradoodle.

We spent the day shopping in Kerrville and Fredericksburg and Julie,
Lynnis and Jan needed a nice dip in the hot tub to soothe their tired muscles. Gumbo, is waiting patiently to be splashed in the face.


Their Mountain Laurel was in full bloom and absolutely beautiful. The antique roses were just beginning to bud out and I found one partially opened bud. Spring is coming to Texas!

A special "thank you" to Julie's wonderful family for their gracious hospitality. We had a wonderful time stitching in their lovely home and enjoying all the beauty of the Texas Hill Country.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU

I wanted to express my sincere thanks for the wonderful gifts I received from this year's One World One Heart event. If you have not heard of this yearly event please check Lisa's blog, The Whimsical Bohemian, for more information. On the top right sidebar you will see a place to sign in.

I've participated for the last two years and have met so many wonderful and talented bloggers. It's fun to both give and receive. Thank you, Lisa, for creating this event and for the wonderful opportunity it provides.

Can you believe I was the lucky recipient of four gifts? Each one is a treasure and I feel so very fortunate. The beautiful smoky quartz bracelet and handmade bag on the left is a gift from Diane of Lavender Dreams Thank you once again, Diane.

Pictured on the right are a number of lovely hand-crafted beads by Jennifer of Jewelry by Jennifer Pride I will enjoy using them, Jennifer - many thanks!



I was amazed at the bead work on this beautiful doll. This was a gift from Dot of Speediebeadie . She loves her new home and has her very own place of importance. Thank you Dot!



And last, but certainly not least, is this gorgeous hand-crafted journal by Jen of Jenxo. This is great for drawing my designs and I will use it often. Thank you again Jen for your generosity.

Saying Goodbye to our Mary

Our crazy quilt group has lost a dear and talented "sister." Mary was a gifted artist and her talent unequaled. She was able to create in any form of needle art and loved to recreate the beauty around her onto fabric. She was a gifted artist in oils as well and her paintings are magnificient.

Her last crazy quilt was "The Mighty Oak." Her inspiration was taken from one of the Piecemaker Calendars and she added her very own touch of Texas in each of the blocks. She entered our local Quilt Show the year it was completed and won every ribbon. It was a true work of art!

We are planning an article for CQMagOnline.com in memory of Mary and have permission to include photos of "The Mighty Oak." You will want to log on in April - you will truly be inspired as we have been. We will miss Mary but her presence lives on through all the many treasures she has created.

CQMagOnline is a quarterly publication and absolutely free to anyone who would like to look through the articles. Just click on the live link and then "current issue." I would be remiss if I didn't thank Rissa, our editor, for her dedication. It has been a wonderful resource for crazy quilting for many years

And The Winners Are..........

What fun it has been participating again this year in the One World One Heart event. It's with a great deal of pleasure that I announce my winners:

Maggie R. with Magpie's Collectibles is the winner of my silk ribbon embroidered and beaded necklace.

Laura with Ragamuffin Primitives has won the beaded bracelet and earrings.

A special thank you to Lisa for organizing and hosting this event. Although this is the last year for the OWOH, I am really excited to read about the Our World Our Art. To receive a piece of art created by the artist is truly special. I look forward to 2012.

Thanks to everyone who visited my blog and left such wonderful comments. I hope you will visit often.

One World One Heart - 2011

Welcome to my blog! I've been very negligent with my posting but Lisa's OWOH event has motivated me and I hope to do better.

My name is Barbara and I live on the Texas Gulf Coast. I am an avid crazy quilter with a special love for creating with silk. I write for CQMagOnline.com, a quarterly publication for crazy quilters. I invite you to sit down with a nice cup of coffee and read the current issue. There are some wonderful projects and tutorials included in the January issue.

I would like to offer two prizes this year. The first one is a silk ribbon embroidered necklace stitched on black velvet. I've used a beaded peyote stitch for the bezel and bail. The necklace is made with vintage beads and Swarovski crystals. (I will edit and include a photo of the necklace when I take another photo.)

My second prize is a heart bracelet and earrings that I've beaded. (earrings not shown)

I invite you to leave a comment in order to enter my drawing. Please make sure I have a way to contact you by email should you be one of my winners. The event is open to active bloggers. The drawings will be held on February 17th. and I will notify the two winners by email and also post your names on my blog.

I encourage all of you to visit Lisa Swifka's website and participate in this year's event. It's a wonderful way to meet new friends and renew old acquaintances.

A Calmer Time

It has certainly been a long time since I've posted to my blog. Occasionally the necessities of life get in the way and it's difficult to resume the old practices. In April I had knee replacement surgery on the right knee. Although God truly blessed me with a quick recovery and an easy rehabilitation, the initial surgery was difficult on this "old body."

Last month I had my final cataract removed from the left eye. That's a quick and easy surgery and it's great to have improved vision. Enough about me, however, and more regarding the fun things.

November 3 -7 was the Houston International Quilt Festival and we were honored to have our WTWW ArtBras and wall hangings on exhibit. Quilts, Inc. did a remarkable job setting up the exhibit and their work was amazing. Our gratitude and heartfelt thanks for showcasing our art in such a wonderful manner.

It's always great seeing old friends and making new ones. I always look forward to representing CQMagOnline at the Festival and finding new tools and techniques for our art. I have some great articles for the upcoming issues and hope you will log on and take a look.

This is our 2010 Fan wall hanging assembled by Stephanie Novatski.
What an amazing job she did - it's an exquisite piece. Photos do not do justice to the beauty of this beautiful crazy quilt.

On the right is our 2009 Rose wall hanging. Each of our wall hangings are donated to a breast cancer center. This one will be donated to Methodist Hospital Breast Cancer Center in honor of Jan Campbell. You can see her ArtBra on the cover of our 2011 Calendar. Calendars can be ordered through the ArtBra website and we encourage you to support this very worthwhile cause.