What Do I Do Now, Jane?

Our Dear Jane group is meeting tomorrow for an all day mini retreat. It's always so much fun getting together with these ladies. They are all so great to offer help or suggestions and I'm going to put them to the test tomorrow! I have made the decision that my Dear Jane quilt is going to be a throw size and will be made up of the thirty-something blocks that I have completed along with some other block in between each DJ block. I just don't know what the alternate block will be or how I am going to set them. I'm hoping that my fellow Laurel Janes will help me come up with the perfect plan tomorrow!

Little Cowboy Feet

I finally finished the lil' cowboy's artwork wall hangings! The one with the blue border will be hung in my sewing room with the the others in the series. The one with the gold borders is on its way to the lil' cowboy's house in North Carolina...I just wish I was the one delivering it and not the mailman!

May Giveaway Day!

Today is the May Giveaway Day hosted by Sew, Mama, Sew! and I'm joining in the fun! For this giveaway I am offering a Fat-Quarter Scrap-bags pattern along with two fat quarters...enough fabric to make not one, but two great bags!


Here are a few simple rules:

Just leave a comment on this post to enter. Any old comment will do, but it would be great if you could tell me where you are from or a little something about yourself.

I will ship internationally, so everyone is eligible to win, but please only one entry per person.

The giveaway will be open until midnight (EST) on May 31, 2009. The winner will then be chosen at random and announced Monday, June 1, 2009.

The winner will be notified by email, so please make sure I have a way to contact you. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, another entry will be chosen to receive the prize.

There are lots and lots of craft blogs participating in the May Giveaway Day, so be sure to stop by Sew, Mama, Sew! for the complete list of participating sites!

Sugar Cookie Bars

Frosted sugar cookies are a favorite around here, but honestly they are my least favorite cookie to make. Mixing the dough, letting it chill, rolling, cutting, baking, more rolling, more cutting...it's too much like work, so when I found this recipe I knew I had to try it! Let me tell you, my family may never get "regular" frosted sugar cookies again!

Sugar Cookie Bars

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Stir in flour, salt and baking soda and mix just until combined. Spread on a greased 9x13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 -20 minutes, until light golden brown. Let cool.

Frosting

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk

Combine butter and shortening until smooth and creamy. Add vanilla. Beat in powdered sugar and milk until smooth and spreading consistency.

And The Winner Is...

Today marks one year since I started Hanging On by a Needle and Thread. My how time flies when you are having fun! It's been a wonderful year connecting with so many fabulous quilters from all over the world and I'm so appreciative of your visits and kind words over this past year. I wanted to have a special giveaway to thank those of you who take the time to read and comment on a regular basis and I thought the fairest way to do that was to keep it a secret. Each comment that was left on my blog for the month of May counted as an entry in this giveaway. I listed them all in order starting with the first comment on May 1st and ending with the last comment on yesterday's post. I numbered them all and then used RANDOM.ORG to choose the winner...

25. Barb said...

I totally agree, the grass calls, the flower beds beg for attention, and I want to sew...hmmmm doesn't seem to work out so well right now! By the way I love the picture, quilts and grass...and those little dandelion heads...GREAT PICTURE!!

MAY 9, 2009 8:36 PM

Barb from *We* Quilt is the winner! I will be sending you the pattern and fat quarters shown in the photo. Congratulations!

Once again, I'd like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to every one of you who visit here and especially to those of you who take the time to leave a comment along the way. I'm looking forward to year number two and what's the best way to start off another year of blogging? Another giveaway! On Wednesday, May 27th I will be participating in the May Giveaway Day coordinated by Sew, Mama, Sew!, so be sure to stop by on Wednesday to see what is up for grabs!

I Couldn't Resist

Yesterday a couple of my quilty friends and I went to a craft rummage sale that was sponsored by the Corning (NY) Quilter's Guild. So much for my fabric diet...walking into that huge room filled with tables that were all over flowing with craft supplies, fabric, yarn, quilting books and patterns all at rummage sale prices was more than I could resist. I found charm packs for 50 cents each, 1 yard cuts of quilt shop quality fabrics for a dollar and a dollar also bought a large piece of the softest pink fleece. Actually, at those prices, I should probably be proud of myself for limiting my purchases to just one bag!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend

...I thank God for my life

And for the stars and stripes
May freedom forever fly, let it ring.
Salute the ones who died
The ones that give their lives so we don`t have to sacrifice
All the things we love
Like our chicken fried...

A Linus Finish

Even with all of the beautiful weather this week, I still managed to finish this Project Linus quilt! I mention Project Linus quite a bit in my blog posts, but I think some things are worth repeating every now and then... Project Linus is a non-profit organization that provides handmade quilts, blankets and afghans to children who are hospitalized, seriously ill or otherwise in need. Project Linus quilts are a great way to try out new patterns or techniques and you certainly don't have to be an expert to create a blanket that is beautiful to a child. If you can quilt, crochet, or knit - please consider making a quilt or blanket for a child who needs a little extra love.

Can You Find The Needle?

Can you find the needle in this photo? Neither can I! I was working at stitching down the binding on this quilt last night and somehow managed to drop the needle. I watched it fall onto my lap and then bounce onto the sofa cushion, but after that it was gone. I searched all of the cracks and crevices of the sofa, looked under the sofa, all around the sofa, high and low, but no needle. I am normally very careful to keep track of all my pins and needles and it really bothers me to know that there is a small sharp object floating around my living room where one of my grandkids might possibly find it, but I don't know what else to do. I just hope that it has gone to the part of the sofa where all of the pocket change, earrings, hair clips and playing cards have vanished to, never to be seen again!