My day at the quilt show......

WARNING...photo-intensive post (and lengthy post) about to begin.......hope you can click on the photos to see them enlarged.

I further warn you...there are not many quilt photos and none of traditional quilts. I have done that many times and didn't this year...as I became a slave to my camera at past shows. And...truthfully, I didn't find oodles of quilts I loved hanging there this year...not sure if it was me or the quilts!!! (DON'T answer that.....LOL) There were a handful that were even very wrinkled and didn't have much quilting. What is up with THAT, Mancuso brothers???? Did you not have a selection process with the quilts sent to you for this show? You did have many great quilts hanging there, but also several that, in my opinion, were a disappointment....and I don't expect to find that at such a large show as this one.

Alright...off my soapbox and on to my story of the day and the few photos I do have for you. I did enjoy the day....so I don't want you to think otherwise. I got up at 4:30....picked up the other 3 gals by 5:30...got to the bus stop to begin my "bus captain" duties before 6. We were on the road at 6:10. We had one large bus with a bathroom and one smaller bus with NO bathroom...so we had to stop enroute for a potty break. Got to the show right as it opened at 10. I didn't meet anyone from Blogland but I had many other folks stop me and comment on my "got fabric?" t-shirt. AND...the next day I got an email from a gal who said she realized after-the-fact that she saw me at the show...but she never said anything to me while there. We left the show at 4 for our dinner at 4:30 at a local tea room (in Hampton) that opened to do a nice dinner just for us. It is called The Grey Goose and we were very happy with it. Then...back on the road by 6:10 p.m. and with the potty break partway home, we didn't get back to the bus stop until shortly after 10 and I got home at 10:30....completely exhausted since I can't sleep on any moving vehicle (except a cruise ship). I had to be up early the next morning to go to handbell choir practice and think I was playing my handbells half-asleep!!!

This is a picture of my personal favorite at the quilt show. While I love traditional quilts, I am totally fascinated with quilts that portray rooms....and this one did it very well. It got a second place award...I'd have given it a blue ribbon!! The detail was amazing.This is one of several dog quilts done by one woman. They were all on display. She does very good work. (I didn't take pictures of all of them....and just took this one for my friend since she has a dog from the hound group....a greyhound, to be exact.)

Next, we have two of the gals from my group (Sherry and Linda) oohing and aahing over some goodies at one of the vendor booths.

This is some of our gals pooped out after shopping and waiting for the bus to take us to dinner. Can you tell they are tired??
MORE photos to follow.....blogger wouldn't let me do them all in one post...so read right on to my next post...which is just below..... so keep going.

REST of quilt show recap and photos....

Okay...blogger made me split this post in two because the photo file space was too large...so here is the last bit of it. (I'm hoping you can click on each photo here, too, so you can see the detail more closely.) We had decided that we'd have a fat quarter raffle on the bus. Any who wanted to participate, would buy a fat quarter at the show and pitch it into a bag on the way to dinner. We'd draw ONE winner. (Our bus was the smaller bus..and we had 19 people participate.) When I run fabric raffles at our guild meetings, I always put fabric in but never take a ticket...feel it would look bad if I won. On the bus, though, I took a ticket...and....I WON!!! What fun!!! We all had a good laugh at that and I love all the fat quarters that the gals bought. Here they are.....The last 3 photos show the items I bought...not very much this time, really. I had just been to a show in the fall and was at this particular show two years in a row and did a LOT of damage at these other shows. So...I figured I'd exercise some commonsense this time. (I rarely do that at shows...so this was a first for me.) Mostly I got some wool felt in colors I didn't yet have....a book....a couple of patterns and small kits. OH...and a 1/2 yard panel that has hummingbirds and other birds and pretty flowers in oranges and greens and I'm going to try to make a few things using this...small wall hangings and maybe even a tiny quilted pillow.

Enter my 100th post giveaway.....

GIVEAWAY now closed....winner announced in a March 1 post on this blog.

I am keeping this simple. My 100th post was last week, but I waited until today so I could find a special prize at the big quilt show yesterday in Virginia. I also really want to share this giveaway only with those who have been my regular blog readers....those who have supported me on a regular basis since I began this adventure and not have it won by someone who just surfs blogs for giveaways and then disappears after the giveaway is done. SO.....to that end, I would ask you to NOT be posting about this elsewhere...it will be just for those who find themselves already here without any prompting from elsewhere. (That also gives you...my regular reader...a better chance to win.....so SHHHHHHH!!!!) I will draw the winner early on Sunday evening (March 1) and will announce it after that name is drawn. To enter, all you need to do is comment on THIS post. Everyone gets one comment and one chance to win. Simple, right? For those of you who read daily and don't comment, now is the time to OPEN YOUR MOUTH. I know you are out there....mostly you just lurk and read, but lurking and not commenting will not get you in the giveaway. For those of you who do comment regularly, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. When I began this, I worried that I'd have no readers...and you have blessed me with your presence here on a continuous basis...and I hope you continue to stop by regularly. I've posted every day so far...can't guarantee I will continue with a daily posting, but I will post as often as I can. Before you comment...here is a photo of the prize (click to enlarge) with a description below it. I hope you like it! The prize is a watercolor quilt kit to make this "Heart of Mine" designed by Shirley Gilmore for
Whims Watercolor Quilts . The kit comes with all the 2" fabric squares to make the heart and the background. (You supply your own border fabric in a color of your choosing...this blue border is what they show in their sample.) Also included is the 2" water color fusible grid that makes the project so easy (and has it turn out so well). Finished size before the border is 9" x 9 ". There will also be some fat quarters and a couple of other goodies added to the prize package. I liked the sample of this watercolor quilt so much that I bought the same kit for me when I was at the MidAtlantic Quilt Festival yesterday! :) Okay...time to comment.....are you ready???
NOTE: edited to add....I have one comment already for which I have no way to contact the person (if that person wins), so be sure I can click on your name and contact you or put your email address in your comment. If not, I'd have to choose another winner.

While I am at the MidAtlantic Quilt Festival today....

I am posting some photos from the little Valentine's Day outing hubby and I had in Lewes, Delaware...a town about 10 miles from us (where we go to church). This is a charming town and there is a lot of history here and some wonderful old buildings...many of which are still used as private residences. Here is a link to some other photos about the town in case you wish to look at more. I know there are other links, but this is the one I found right now for you. So...while I'm at the quilt show today, enjoy the photos (you should be able to click on them to see them enlarged).....AND......come back tomorrow to find out how to register for my 100th post giveaway and to see a photo of the giveaway prize!

A home that has been standing for many years...
An interesting doorway on a home....

St. Peter's Church...our church.....founded in 1681 (but this building is not from that time period) Some of the graves are about 300 years old.View looking out toward theDelaware Bay from the ferry terminal - didn't go by the ocean in Lewes that dayOne of the older homes in town....a private residence to this dayAnother older home.....small but sweetAnd a favorite tiny home of mineThis is such a charming town..........I could show hundreds of photos, but I think I will leave you with these and hope you enjoyed the tour. Look at the link above for a few more photos, if you wish. See you tomorrow for the giveaway details!

A February finish....and a surprise package

In plenty of time for Easter, I finished this bunny penny rug. It is from a pattern designed and sold by Sandi (Legacy of Stitches). The bunny's collar and tail are from alpaca wool sent to me by my fun, online friend, Linda (Fiber Fabrications). Isn't it cute? I just love it and it's done in plenty of time for Easter!!! Click photo to enlarge.

I also got a nice surprise in the mail from Gene, an Alabama artist (click HERE for his blog). He knows I like penguins and sent me a piece of penguin fabric that I was AMAZED I didn't already have (and had never seen). I have quite an extensive collection, so this is no small feat to accomplish this. Along with this surprise of fabric, Gene included 3 of his really nice artist trading cards, which I'm thrilled to have as I don't own much original artwork. Thanks, Gene....this was very sweet of you! (Package contents pictured below.)
Tomorrow I will be going to the quilt show and will be away from the computer the entire day. I have a blog post, though, that will show up (pictures from a recent daytrip). Then...check back here Friday for the details on how to enter my 100th post giveaway and to learn about the prize.

Gee....how interesting.....maybe I'm RICH

I'm thinking many of you have this same situation. I guess I could call this one of my pet peeves....something that really "bugs" me. I have my emails sorted into separate folders.... ones from folks I know and another folder called "Junk" email. I do check my junk folder each day because sometimes there are new people who visit my blog and their emails land there....until I get to know them and approve them for my regular email folder. I also find in that junk mail folder many MANY emails that say things like this: Dear Email owner, Your email has won a total Cash Prize Of Six Hundred Thousand pounds sterling and a consolation prize of Dell pentium M laptop, T-shirt and face cap. Contact our claims office on;
Email: richardmatlock6@hotmail.co.uk
Claims officer: Richard Matlock
with your winning numbers above to process your winnings. Regards, Mrs Kate Gerard
Guess this means I might be rich (but since I never claim these prizes and have no intention of doing it and I quickly assign these emails to the "delete" folder, I am not seeing any upward swing in my bank account.)
THEN........I also have many MANY emails asking me for kind assistance as the writer claims to be in a desperate situation and in need of my oodles of money (that I guess the previous email writer told them I have from my big prize winnings)!!!
Geesh....I love the internet and it has been a wonderful resource, but I get so tired of these types of emails and I truly hope there is nobody who falls for this type of nonsense. How about you?

Once upon a time......

Here is another of my projects from awhile back. This was done in the summer of 2006. A guild to which I belonged at that time had a class in fabric manipulation. It was fun. If you click on the photo and look closely, you can see various tucks and twists and turns of the fabric that gave the piece some real interest. This piece is about 18 inches square and it hangs on the wall here in the bedroom the granddaughters use when they visit...which is also my sewing room. It has been hanging there so long now that I rarely actually look at it....which I should do, because it's a fun piece and I like it. I wish I could recall how all the techniques were done.....guess I could if I really studied the piece. As I recall, the handout wasn't too clear at the class....so even if I dig that up, I don't think it would help. Hope you enjoyed this little bit of reminiscing on my part! It makes me think I should give this quilt a name and put a label on the back. Any ideas for a good name for it? AND...before you leave, I want to tell you that Linda is having a nice giveaway over on her blog this week. Click HERE to get the scoop on this and to enter your name.....and tell her I sent you, okay?

Look for me at the quilt show.....

On Thursday, our quilt guild's bus trip will be to the MidAtlantic Quilt Festival in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Awhile back, I got a cute shirt (found through quilter, Bonnie Hunter). She is part of a small group that had these shirts made for themselves and they had a few leftovers, so I bought one. I intend to wear it to the quilt show as I feel it is just the "right" shirt to wear. What do you think? I will also carry the bag I made (from directions on Mary Grace's Hooked on Needles' blog). I'm picturing both here so that you can flag me down and say hello if you are at the show that day and see me. It's fun to meet bloggy friends at quilt shows. Even though we are all there on a mission and we have tasks to complete and can't spend a lot of time together, it's nice to put a face with a name and maybe even snap a quick picture. So....if you see me there that day, please say hello. Just look for this bag and this shirt.....I hope I won't be hard to miss! :)

Another mini-button wooly piece

Last month I showed a Valentine heart mini wooly piece in a frame that I made from a pattern hubby gave me for Christmas. This photo is another project from that same pattern. I should have used smaller buttons. Even though the piece is made exactly as shown in the pattern and put in the size frame they recommend, the buttons aren't clearing the edge of the frame enough. It's "okay" but it could have been better with different buttons. If I make it again, I'll know better next time. (You know how the old saying goes....."Live and learn.")

Daughter's music/video links AND a Pat Sloan quilt "retreat" this weekend

As a followup to my post on Feb. 18 about my daughter's music CD, there is now a website set up by her record producer that has information, photos, etc. You can reach that website by clicking HERE. The video for one of the songs has been put on YouTube. It's kind of a "wild" one......and I believe there is another one that is in the works that is a bit tamer (or at least I think it is). You can find that You Tube video by clicking HERE. This is a lot of fun to see this taking place. We don't know where it will go from here, but we are pleased she got the chance to finish the CD. If you know any young people who might be interested, have them do a search on iTunes for her music as word-of-mouth is so important right now for this CD. I am clueless about iTunes...guess I need to learn, huh? LOL

On the quilting front........if you are wanting a fun quilting experience, check out Pat Sloan's blog and participate in her OP virtual retreat this weekend. Among many other talents, Pat has the knack for having these fun virtual retreats a few times a year....easy project, fun interaction with others through postings and photos, etc. Click HERE for further information. Hope to "see" you there!!! Look for me and say hello! :)

TA-DA...100th post and another special package...

Okay...today IS my 100th post (congratulations to me....hehehe)....but...as stated a few days back, you'll need to wait until Feb. 27 for details on my 100th post giveaway....as that will be the day after I get back from the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival (where I'll be buying the prize). I don't want to post about the giveaway until I know what the prize is....and I'm sure you don't want to enter until YOU know what the prize is, either. So...stay tuned....won't be that much longer now!This package was received by me a few days ago. It came from Sandi who is the owner of the WoolyBuddies Yahoo group. She sent it to me as a thank you for agreeing to be a moderator for her there. Gosh......what a nice thank-you gift! Can you see there is even penguin fabric in there? (Guess she knows I have a "thing" for penguins!) There is also wool fabric and a really nice pattern of Sandi's. Thanks, Sandi. You are a sweetheart and I will put this fabric and the pattern to good use.

Info about our daughter's CD

A few days back, Kaye commented on my blog and made reference to our daughter's CD. Many of those who read my blog ended up emailing me to ask questions, so I decided to devote this post to answering those questions and to giving you the information you requested. Our younger daughter is musically talented (voice and instrumental). We had a choir director where we used to live who has a music production company with his wife. He is still a choir director and also works with a small symphony orchestra...he composes music, etc. He has many contacts in the music industry in New York City and elsewhere. He has worked with our daughter for awhile helping her write and record a CD. While I must admit, it is "younger" music than we prefer, there are some songs I really like and it is quite fun to see this CD now in the "pre-order" status online. If you want to hear snippets (for free) of 3 of her songs, click HERE....and go down the ringtone page until you see Tarra Dei (her recording name) and the album cover pictured here and then click on the arrow right under her name on the album cover to hear each of the songs. You have to do each one separately. There is no charge to listen to them...the area to "buy" the ringtones is separate and off to the right. If you like what you hear (or think one of your children, grandkids, nieces, nephews, etc) would like to pre-order it, do a search on either Amazon.com or Target's website for Tarra Dei. (For any of you blog readers who are Pat Sloan groupies, you can get her some credit from Amazon if you order through Pat's blog......just go to her blog and do the Tarra Dei search on her Amazon icon there and then proceed to place your order.) The name of the CD is Loved and it will be available March 3. The songs will be on i-Tunes soon and I will update here when that happens. We are quite tickled pink about this, of course. Whether or not you want to buy it (and please don't mind my shamelessly promoting it here.....what parent wouldn't??), I appreciate the fact that so many of you contacted me to inquire about it after Kaye made mention of the CD in her comments here the other day and I hope you will have time to listen to some of the music on the ringtones webpage linked above. Who knows what may happen? Maybe someday, I'll be saying...."I knew her when...." LOL

Wish you could FEEL this wool.....

I wish you could feel this wool. It is SOOOO nice. It is alpaca wool that has been prepared and sent to me by Linda (who raises alpacas with her husband...check out her blog by clicking on her name). I was so happy when she sent this to me and now it's so nice that I am holding back on doing something with it...hate to cut into it! I will use it, though...but want to think of something special AND be sure it's something for me. Thanks, Linda!

Isn't this cute???

I spoke on Valentine's Day about the nice package from Sandi that included her pattern for her Turkish Rose pincushion. I took time to make it right away and love it. I think I will make more as gifts It's adorable, isn't it? And since I love doing handwork, this was a fun project for me to complete. (Oh....goodie...it's a completed project for February, too!!!) You can see it closer if you click on the photo and enlarge it. Sorry the photo is a bit blurry and a tiny bit on the dark side. The one I did with the flash washed the colors out...probably should have taken the photo in natural light, but I was too excited to wait until it was light outside.

Soon....a giveaway!

Hard to believe, but....I will soon be reaching my 100th post. So....a giveaway is in order. I am going to the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival on February 26. While my 100th post will be reached before that date, I am going to buy a giveaway gift there and will post about it after I get back. So....keep watching for details of the gift and how you can be eligible to win it!

Happy Valentine's Day.......

NOTE: If you are reading this and it's still Feb. 14, please excuse that the background has already changed from Valentine's Day to St. Patrick's Day!
I wish everyone a happy day today.....whatever you do...whether it be going out or staying home and relaxing. I hope it's a day for you to do what makes YOU happy.....a day to do things you love and to be with those you love. I know sometimes we are a distance from loved ones, but if they are close to your heart, that is special, too.Yesterday I saw a ROBIN...the first this year and I do believe they signal that spring will soon be here. I saw this when arriving at our church for handbell choir practice and it made the bells sound a little prettier to me to have met Mr. (Mrs.??) Robin on the way into church.Today we will go into that same town...Lewes, Delaware. (Google it to find out more about it...a really charming town.) They will have a big hospitality day with their merchants and restaurants and there will also be a huge craft fair inside the ferry terminal on the bay there. It should be a pleasant day and I'll try to remember to take some pictures.I have had some nice Valentine surprises this week......a card made by my good quilting buddy, Denny, in PA (Miss No Blog!!!). She is a special friend and we have shared many thoughts in recent months. Thanks, Denny. I love this card and will treasure it.The second Valentine surprise was a nice package sent by Sandi (Legacy of Stitches)... the owner of the Wooly Buddies Yahoo group I mentioned here a few days back. Look what she sent....and I made the pincushion from her pattern since she sent it and I love it. (Stop by her WoolyBuddies board by clicking here if you are at all interested in working with wool and wool felt.) She had a wonderful Valentine's swap that I talked about a few days back and you may recall I showed my wonderful package from Jane P. in Maine. (And around that time, I also showed my Valentine swap package from Sandra that was done in Pat Sloan's Yahoo group.) This package below from Sandi contains a really great card she made, too. She is super-talented AND generous. Thanks, Sandi.So...HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY....oh....gee, wait a minute...does that mean I have to wrestle with blogger now and get rid of the hearts and pink here and change my background? UGH....... funny how each month/holiday rolls by so quickly and it's already time to do that again!!!

Winter....again......

Mother Nature likes to play tricks. She gave us some spring (and nearly summer) temperatures recently, but.....she sent winter back for a bit longer. This little wall-hanging is a "cheater" one that I made last year and use during the winter. It is a snowman panel. I then put borders on it and the one that looks like it's all patchwork squares is just a trick.....it isn't pieced squares....it's a fabric that just looks like patchwork squares. So...this was an easy one, but I like it....cute and very appropriate yet to hang on my wall while winter hangs around outside my windows and doors!

NOTE: Yesterday a comment on my blog made reference to a musical CD done by my daughter. I will dedicate a post to that within the next few days for those who are interested. (Some have emailed me about it, so it seems enough want to know....so be on the lookout.)

Did you take this class in school????

Main Entry:

pen·man·ship

Pronunciation:

\-ˌship\

Function:

noun

Date:

1695

1 : the art or practice of writing with the pen 2 : quality or style of handwriting

Maybe I'm dating myself, but when I was in elementary school, we had an entire subject / class called "Penmanship". (Handwriting, for those unfamiliar with the term penmanship). We had workbooks for it. We practiced push/pull strokes and circles and various other elements that went into making our penmanship look very nice and correct. The teacher used to walk the aisles of the classroom to see if our hand was in the absolutely perfect position as we made our strokes and circles. If my memory serves me correctly, we even used fountain pens when we reached a certain level of proficiency! (No Bic pens for us at that time....not even sure if ballpoints were invented yet!!!) You may wonder why I'm bringing this up, right? Well....I rarely have occasion to write things out by hand now...thanks to my trusty, well-loved, and well-used computer. Checks are done online.....letters are written online....envelopes can be addressed online (although I rarely do that). SO.....when I go to write something by hand (as I'm doing with the Valentine cards for the grandkids), I find my penmanship is now very sloppy. I used to have one of the best all through elementary school and when I was teaching elementary school, I had a picture-perfect penmanship. Not now!!! I am sad to say, even when I sign my name on the back of my paycheck for my part-time job, I know my writing is a far cry from what it once was. I also know that Penmanship is a thing of the past now and not even a subject in schools. I guess it's not a major concern with all the other things that students must now know, but....there is a part of me that misses that push/pull drill by the teacher and the end result of some very lovely handwriting. How many of you have memories of this from YOUR school days?

Sunday on the boardwalk...

We live a short ride from Rehoboth Beach (Delaware). Sunday was an exceptionally nice day...temps went up to just above 70 (cooler on the water) and the sun was out and the skies were very blue. Many had the same idea as we had...get some fresh air and sunshine, listen to the waves, marvel at the bright blue sky. These are a few photos from that afternoon (should be clickable to see them enlarged). I should have taken dog photos as there were SO many dogs...maybe more dogs than people! LOL It's times like this I love living near the beach as you can take advantage of the occasional extremely nice days in the winter and go there and really enjoy it.

My other Valentine swap package

Two days ago, I showed the Valentine swap package I got through the Wooly Buddies Yahoo group I'm in. I also got another swap package from the Pat Sloan Yahoo group I'm in. That is what is pictured here. I got it from Sandra in California and she sent some really nice things, as you can see. The towel she appliqued is wonderful......and I got fabric......and elastics to keep my thread tame....a bath scrubbie....and a great thimble pin to wear....and a red purse clip.....and chocolate candy and SOME of the candy was even in a heart-shaped Elvis tin....what a HOOT!!! Swaps are fun. If you've not been in a swap and get the chance, give it a try.

It's nice to have a handyman.......

So...there I was, once again, at the window tracing shapes for applique. I mentioned to the hubby that I was having trouble finding an inexpensive light box. He said he'd make one...and he DID!!! He went to Michael's (craft shop) and got one of those plastic boxes with a hinged lid that is intended to hold 12 x 12 inch pieces of scrapbook paper. He got the other supplies he needed at a small hardware store nearby. The cord stores in the box when it is not in use and so does the piece of plexi-glass that I put on the top (although it can be used with just the box lid and no plexiglass, too). WOW...life is easier now as I can trace shapes at night, too, and not just in the daytime on the window!!! Thanks, Handyman Hubby! OH...and yesterday it got up to a little over 70 degrees in the afternoon and we had a wonderful day on the boardwalk. I'll get some photos ready to post in a day or two, because I think many of us need to be reminded that winter won't be here forever! LOL

A Valentine Swap........

I joined two Valentine swaps this year. I'll tell you about them in separate posts. One was from a message board I've recently joined. It is called Wooly Buddies. If you enjoy working with wool and wool felt, you may want to click here and check out this group. It's new and growing and has a nice bunch of folks there. Sandi started it. Sandi paired us up for our first swap and I swapped packages with Jane in Maine. (hahaha...that rhymes, doesn't it?) I got my package the other day and loved it. A picture of it is here. Jane is lucky enough to live near a wool shop, so she sent me some great wool pieces. Our directions were to send 12 pieces of wool that were at least 3 x 3 inches in size as well as a card and some other goodies. I really got a terrific package from Jane! Thanks, Jane, and thanks, Sandi, for organizing the first swap there. I hope there are many more to come.

What a MESS.....

How many of you print out patterns and good ideas you find online? I do that a LOT. The result was I had stacks of these pages piled all over and even a full drawer full of them in the sewing room. I decided they needed to be put into looseleaf binders and tamed somewhat. SO...I had DH put the drawer on the family room floor and I worked on that for a couple of hours. The dog came walking through and stopped in his tracks as if to say, "What the heck is going on here?" It was cute...as you can see in the photo. At least I now have all those papers in binders and the drawer is totally empty for me to fill with UFO's (in bags) or some other sewing "stuff". Yay!!! I love to reclaim some space that hadn't been used very efficiently.

I have been asked......

I have been asked to show you the block I made for the book I posted about here on February 4. (Look back at that post if you missed hearing about this book.) The block photo is shown just below. It was simple and was paper-pieced. We all did the same house but used our own fabrics. We were told to have a sky background. My sky was a snowy one.
Also shown here, is a photo of the entire quilt. Gyleen had all our blocks photographed for the little book...one to a page along with a poem for each one. Then she took all the blocks and made a quilt with them. In the photo of the quilt, my block is in the third row from the top.....second block in from the left. If you go to one of her classes or lectures, she may have this quilt with her and you could then get to see it. She did a nice job with the quilt AND the book! (You should be able to click on both photos to see them up closer.)

A quilt full of HEART.....

One of the gals in our neighborhood quilting group made a really special quilt due to a request from a neighbor of hers. It was for the wedding of that neighbor's son and his fiancee. Anyway.....she used fabrics that have all kinds of significance in their lives......hobbies, holidays, colors that had a certain significance, etc. She designed a big heart (this was for a California king-sized bed). AND...since the young lovebirds both love to cuddle in quilts while watching TV or reading, she made the quilt so it could be tied together when on the bed, BUT...they could separate it into two quilts and each use their own half when watching TV. (We joked that it was a good idea, too, in case the couple ever split up....LOL) The quilt turned out WONDERFULLY...as you can see above....click on it to see it larger. Sherry is a very talented gal....she quilted it herself, too....on her regular machine! If she had a blog, I'd link you to her blog, but...she is one of my many blogless quilting friends!!!