And the lucky winner of the One Big Cabin pattern give-away is:
Congratulations, Alicia! We’ll get your pattern right out to you.
For those of you who entered but didn’t win, One Big Cabin retails for $9.00, and the girls at Row House Creations have agreed to offer a 10% discount if you’d like to buy it.
Check it out here: Row House Creations Shop.
Let them know you came over from Prairie Moon Quilts, and they’ll help you get your discount on!
My friend, Doris, (who is also one of my fellow Blogger’s Retreat buddies) recently started up a new pattern company with her partner, Trina.
Row House Creations was formed in 2011, and their first pattern is a cute one!
It’s called “One Big Cabin”, and Doris and Trina have graciously agreed to allow me to give away a free copy of their pattern to one lucky winner here on my blog.
Their company’s tagline is “Built upon classic foundations”, so all their patterns are based on a traditional quilt block of some sort.
One Big Cabin is based on a half log cabin, and has the cutest little forest animals on it, all drawn by Doris. There’s a raccoon . . . 
. . . a squirrel . . . and an owl. 
The applique is done using an easy raw-edge technique, and with Trina’s background as a longarm quilter, each of Row House Creation’s patterns will have quilting diagrams and suggestions for you to use when your top is finished.
Doris and Trina sent me a copy of the pattern (isn’t it great to have designing friends?) and since my niece is having a baby boy in September, I decided this would be the perfect quilt for him, so I just whipped one right up. Here’s my version of One Big Cabin:
Now if I can just get it quilted before the shower next weekend.
If you’d like to win a free copy of Row House Creations’ “One Big Cabin” pattern, all you have to do to enter to win is leave a comment on this post. I’ll draw for a winner on Saturday, July 7th.
A rare day off for me. I’ve done nothing but be lazy!
I even rode my horse this morning, and I haven’t done that in quite awhile!
My Cowboy trimmed Bonnie’s feet a little before we took off, and when we got back, he said: “Go get Bette, and we’ll trim her up a little while we’re at it.”
Well, Bette saw me coming, and ran from me! She had seen me come get Bonnie, and I’m sure she was thinking: “I saw what Bonnie just had to go through, and there ain’t no way you’re saddlin’ me up — I don’t want no part o’ that!”
I had to bribe her with apple treats.
A few minutes ago, My Cowboy and I were standing in the kitchen talking, and someone heard us:
He just wanted to let us know it’s suppertime!
So since I’ve been lazy all day, I’m just now getting around to drawing for the pattern winners. And they are:
and
Congratulations, gals! I’ll get your patterns to you right quick. And if you do decide to make your own versions of this quilt, I’d LOVE to see them. It has lots of possibilities for some great machine quilting . . . hint, hint! You both can give those longarms a workout!
The theme for my guild’s 27th Annual show this past weekend was “Springtime in Paris”.
We decorated with little vignettes all throughout the show area, each containing items with a French flair, such as a white wrought-iron patio table with a wire basket holding a loaf of French bread sitting next to a bottle of French wine, or hat boxes and draped toile. We tried to put little French touches throughout the space.
Early in the planning stages, we even decided our raffle quilt could match our theme. So I designed a medallion quilt that has some piecing and some applique, and we chose soft, springlike colors, and came up with “Springtime in Paris”, the quilt!
I’ve turned “Springtime in Paris” into a pattern, so if you really love this quilt, you can now make one for yourself!
The pattern comes with full-sized applique templates, and complete instructions for making the 86″ x 86″ quilt as shown. We used the “Buttercup” line by Joanna Figueroa of Fig Tree Quilts by Moda for our quilt, along with Moda Bella Ivory solid for the background. 
My committee members worked hard to see this quilt finished. Rose Marie pieced the 64 blocks needed for the setting. I did the applique, and set it all together, Marsha provided the backing and batting and did the binding on the finished quilt, and Bonnie HAND QUILTED it for us! 
I’d love to see it done in some richer colors with toiles, or even a black and white version.
When I showed the completed top to My Cowboy, I asked him if it looked spring-like, and he said: “Yeh, and it looks all French, too. It’s got them La Fleurs all over it!” So I guess we met our goal of making it look like “Springtime in Paris”, if even a cowboy can guess!
The pattern is available in either a printed version, or as a PDF file, and is available now in my Etsy Shop.
However, as usual, I’m giving away two copies of the pattern here on my blog to celebrate the design’s debut. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post before noon on Saturday. I’ll draw for two winners on Saturday, June 9th.
Every year, I get asked by the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Mid-Missouri if I’ll make them a quilt to raffle off at their annual fundraiser.
They always have a theme, so I try to match my design to their theme. This year’s theme is “The Red Shoes”. It’s kind of two-fold on their part, as they’ve referenced Ronald’s big red “clown shoes”, and Dorothy’s magical red shoes from the “Wizard of Oz.”
In conjunction with that, it also carries the theme of “There’s no place like home,” because it’s the goal of the RMHC to get families reunited and sent home, which means a sick loved one is no longer in the hospital!
Here’s what I came up with this year . . . The Red Boots . . . 
But I made them into a throw quilt . . .
I designed the appliqued center to fit into the middle of my Lil Cowpokes pattern. I used black and white Half Moon prints by Moda, and black and white solids for the backgrounds of the blocks.
And I used the entire quilt to practice my longarm quilting on!
So here are some close-ups . . .
This was the first time I ever tried pebbling a background . . . 
My longarm is not computerized. I did all of this free-motion, and the only part I marked was the straight lines so I could get the placement “gaps” all the same.
I wanted to use a modern kind of design, yet still keep the western theme going on — it’s hard to combine those two things! So I put a star in the center of each block . . .
Here’s the back side . . .
I also took all these photos before I washed it, so it’s a lot flatter and less wrinkled now!
I didn’t want to quilt with the white thread on top of the boots, so I switched to brown on the top and white in the bobbin just to quilt the boots. To my amazement, it actually worked quite well!
The entire quilting process was quite an experiment for me. I learned a lot. Which is what I was wanting to happen . . .
I hope whoever ends up with the quilt loves it and gives it a good home.
Oh, and before I go . . . there’s one more thing.
I’ve made the applique pattern for “The Red Boots” available as a free PDF download, so if you’d like to have the pattern so you can make your own pair of boots, just click HERE.
If you want to make the entire quilt, the “Lil Cowpokes” pattern is available in my shop.
I’ve finally gotten around to posting my newest pattern in my shop.
I’ve had it ready for over a month, but just never found time to attend to all the little details that getting it posted and listed requires. (I’d rather be quilting!)
It’s called “Scrappy Wild Geese”:
It’s a fabulous pattern to use if you want to use up a lot of scraps. You can choose from any of 5 different sizes to make your quilt, depending on just how many of those scraps you’re wanting to use up!
You can read more about the size options here: Prairie Moon Quilts.
I taught this quilt in a workshop at a retreat back in December, and they all loved it. Or at least they said they did! — would they lie to me? — I mean, they look happy enough, don’t they?
This pattern also makes the first pattern I’ve listed in PDF form, so you can get it either way: as a pre-printed pattern snail-mailed to you, or as a PDF version that gets emailed to you. I’ll be having more PDF-version patterns available as the year goes on . . .
But right now, in my usual style, whenever I debut a new pattern, I’m having a give-away.
If you’d like to win a copy of this pattern, just leave me a comment and say so. If you win, you can specify if you’d like the printed version or the PDF version. I’ll draw for 2 winners on Thursday, January 19th.
Did I say I would announce the winners of the Final Countdown prizes yesterday?
Why, yes, I did . . .
Did I do it?
Why, no, I did not . . .
I’ve not had much time in front of the computer the last couple days.
I’ve been galavanting.
(Definition of galavanting: trying to be gone so as to get out of farm work . . .)
So I’m here now to announce those winners. Are you ready?
I loved hearing and seeing all that you did for these challenges, and I, for one, am thrilled (as I always am) to start the new year off a little more organized. While I’m never quite as organized as I’d like to be, it feels a bit better every year. And I’m in love with my Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt all over again . . .
I’m still working on piles, but hopefully I have a system in place that will keep me at it all year, instead of having to go into crisis mode at the very end of the year. But then, what tasks would I have for the Final Countdown? Hmmm . . . don’t worry, I’ll think of something.
Anyway, how ’bout those winners?
For Task One:
For Task Two:
For Task Three:
Sue Bone
And for the unrelated prize of the little jelly roll suitcase full of goodies:
Thank you ALL so much for playing along and participating and visiting and reading and commenting . . . and I hope you stick around. It’s gonna be a great year!
Notice I said “winnerS”.
That’s right. I’ve decided to pick two.
I’m picking one the way I originally intended: a random drawing among those who got the answers right.
But . . . everyone was so kind to give it a shot and leave a comment even if they didn’t want to give it a shot, that I’ve decided to also give away another prize by random drawing from everyone who commented.
But first, I’ll tell you where the quotes are from . . . ’cause I know you’re really wantin’ to know, right?
1 ) “I’d do it myself, but I’m feelin’ plumb lazy.”
I’m gonna have to take your word for it that this quote came from “The Rounders”, so everyone who put that as their guess is gonna get it counted as correct. I’ve never seen “The Rounders”, but now I really want to! However . . . the movie I’m quoting from is “Monte Walsh”. It’s from the very beginning of the movie, where Tom Selleck is trying to convince the traveling cowboy to paint the lawyer’s door yellow as a prank. I use this quote all the time when trying to convince My Cowboy to do something for me that I don’t want to do. Comes in real handy!
2 ) “The only chance he’s got atta education is listnin’ ta me talk.”
This one is from “Lonesome Dove”, my favorite movie of all time, Monte Walsh being my second favorite. Gus is telling Woodrow that he shouldn’t be sending Newt to bed so early, because it’s much more beneficial for him to listen to Gus’s stories. This movie is chock full of funny quotes from Gus, such as: “A man who wouldn’t cheat for a poke don’t want one bad enough”.
3 ) “Is you is, or is you ain’t, my con-stitchin-see?”
From “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”, another movie stuffed with funny and memorable quotes, most of them from George Clooney’s character, such as: “Well, isn’t this place a geographical oddity? Two weeks from everywhere!” The above quote comes fairly close to the end when the crooked politician/KKK leader is trying to convince everyone he’s not a bad guy. Typical politician, huh? My Cowboy and I use the “Is you is, or is you ain’t” part of this on each other all the time. Hey, at least it’s good for a laugh now and then.
4 ) “I said I never had much use for one. Never said I didn’t know how to use it.”
While I use this quote as much as possible when referring to various kitchen utensils, this actually came from Tom Selleck in “Quigley Down Under”, at the end when he shoots the bad guy with a pistol that the villain thought he didn’t even know how to use. Fooled him, though, didn’t he? Tom always comes out ahead . . . what a hero!
5 ) “Needlin’ people is what I do . . .”
Another “Monte Walsh” quote from Tom Selleck, and My Cowboy’s mantra. My Cowboy has a joke for everything, and never misses a chance at one, and is quite the cut-up and joker. This mantra fits him to a T. It comes from when Monte’s in the bar giving Shorty a hard time for being short-tempered.
6 ) “If you ain’t first, you’re last.”
From “Talledega Nights”, spoken by Ricky Bobby’s daddy as he was being carted out of the schoolhouse after making a lovely scene at Ricky’s career day. I also love his use of the word “egregious” during this very same scene — makes me laugh every time.
7 ) “Well, I’ll be a suck-egg mule!”
I know this quote is from at least two different movies, and I’ve seen them both, and I’ll agree that you’re all right that it came from “Rio Lobo”, although I didn’t sit down and watch it again just to make sure. The movie I’m quoting it from is “El Dorado”. The same guy is in this movie and uses the same quote again. In “El Dorado”, his name is Bull, and he plays an annoying trumpet everywhere he goes, and uses quaint expressions such as the one above throughout. Now every time something comes up around here, My Cowboy uses it just to make me laugh. And it does . . .
8 ) “That thar elk is ourn!”
The first time I heard this one, I couldn’t even laugh hard enough. The quivering voice he uses as he’s saying it just makes it even funnier. And Donald Pleasence’s character is one you love to hate. He’s Preacher Quint, a bad guy from “Will Penny”, and his son shoots the elk just before Lee Majors (Blue) can do it, but Blue thinks he deserves it and is gonna take it anyway. There’s a couple other funny parts in this movie, too, if you’ve never seen it. Slim Pickens gets in a couple of them himself.
9 ) “What we have here is a failure to communicate.”
From “Cool Hand Luke”, which I’ve never watched in its entirety. This particular quote was voted one of the 100 Most Memorable Movie Quotes of all time. My Cowboy uses it on me every now and then. Can you imagine?
10 ) “Do you know who I am? I’m kind of a big deal.”
Another one My Cowboy uses on me occasionally. I know that’s hard to imagine as well. It’s from “Anchorman”, when Ron Burgundy is “introducing himself” to the sexy blonde beside the pool that he doesn’t yet know is his new co-anchor. Smarmy is the word that comes to mind here . . .
11 ) “That’s bold talk for a one-eyed fat man.”
Yes! “True Grit”. And isn’t the original always better than a remake? Who can take the place of John Wayne, anyway? Pfftt! I have to admit, however, that as much as I like “True Grit”, I like The Duke as Rooster Cogburn in “Rooster Cogburn” much better.
12 ) “Some calls it Hell. I call it Hades.”
What else but “Sling Blade”? I thought about using the quote: “Some calls it a Kaiser blade. I call it a sling blade”, but that would have been too easy, and it wasn’t too difficult anyway. “Sling Blade” is probably my third favorite movie of all time, which I find oddly disturbing about myself. I just think Billy Bob Thornton did such a great job in this movie, and I love to hate Dwight Yoakam’s character. And I can’t dislike any movie that has Robert Duvall in it. And here’s a tidbit I’ll offer up, in case you’ve never seen it for yourself. You need to rent the DVD of “The Astronaut Farmer” (another Billy Bob film), and watch it all the way to the end of the credits. All the way to the very end of the DVD. There’s the most hysterical surprise at the end of it that is very worth the wait, especially if you are a “Sling Blade” fan. That pique your curiosity? Trust me — it’s worth it. Go rent “The Astronaut Farmer”.
So, how’d you do? I know some of you got them all. I’m impressed. But I’m also honored that so many of you tried and/or commented even if you didn’t. Thanks so much for visiting me during the Blog Hop Party and playing along.
And now for the winners . . .
The main prize pack, drawn from all of those who got the answers correct, is:
Marcia
And the second prize pack, drawn randomly from all the comments, minus the first winner, is:
Congratulations, and I’ll get your prize packages out to you right away.
Quilting Gallery is hosting a Blog Hop Party with give-aways to celebrate their 4th birthday. I thought I’d help out by joining in. Besides, I’m not one to pass up something fun.
By now you’re probably asking, “So, what do Movie Quotes have to do with Quilting Gallery‘s birthday celebration?”
Well, I’ve decided to share some of the more useful movie quotes that My Cowboy and I use here at the ranch all the time with each other. And, yes, we do engage in a lot of laughter around here. It’s pretty constant. And laughter helps celebrate birthdays, so . . .
I thought I’d share our Top Ten favorites, so that you, too, can see if they’d come in just as handy where you live . . . but I couldn’t stop at just ten, so I’ve put our Top Twelve instead.
See if you can guess which movies they’re from! Leave your guesses in the comments. I’ll give a prize to the person who comes closest to getting them all correct. (And keep in mind, we don’t have “real” TV here at the ranch, so we watch a lot of old westerns and comedies on DVD.)
1 ) “I’d do it myself, but I’m feelin’ plumb lazy.”
2 ) “The only chance he’s got atta education is listnin’ ta me talk.”
3 ) “Is you is, or is you ain’t, my con-stitchin-see?”
4 ) “I said I never had much use for one. Never said I didn’t know how to use it.”
5 ) “Needlin’ people is what I do . . .”
6 ) “If you ain’t first, you’re last.”
7 ) “Well, I’ll be a suck-egg mule!”
8 ) “That thar elk is ourn!”
9 ) “What we have here is a failure to communicate.”
10 ) “Do you know who I am? I’m kind of a big deal.”
11 ) “That’s bold talk for a one-eyed fat man.”
12 ) “Some calls it Hell. I call it Hades.”
These may lead you to really wonder about just exactly what goes on around this here ranch in the course of a day, but trust me, we DO use these, and they come in handy every little bit! For example, #4 comes in real handy for me in the kitchen, and I try out #1 all the time; and you can probably guess which of us around here uses #10 the most! There are many many more, but I had to stop somewhere . . .
For your chance at the prize, just leave a comment, numbering your answers according to which movie you think the quote came from — for example: #1 is from ABmovie, #2 is from CDmovie, and so on. (Hint: There might be more than one quote from the same movie, so you can use a movie name more than once, if necessary. And you don’t have to know who said it, just which movie it’s from.)
The person who gets closest to getting them all correct will win the prize. If there’s a tie, I’ll draw a winner at random from all the ones that qualify.
What’s the prize, you ask? Well, that’s sort of a surprise, too. I’m putting together a grab bag with several goodies, including a copy of my latest pattern that I haven’t even revealed yet, some fabric, and some other stuff I’m not telling you about.
The give-away ends on December 17th, at which time I’ll announce the winner, and I’ll also let you know which movies the quotes were from so you can see if you were right. Have fun! And hop over to Quilting Gallery, wish Michele a Happy BlogBirthday, and go visit all the other blogs that are having give-aways in honor of this event. You could win all kinds of goodies!
It’s finally here!
The 2011 Prairie Moon Ranch Cowboy Christmas Stocking . . .
This year’s stocking is called “Cowboy Kris”, because I just know if Kris Kringle were a cowboy, he’d absolutely LOVE to have boots like this! Not too fancy, but still oozing with style, and in a red that would match his suit perfectly.
And as is my usual deal, I’m hosting a give-away in honor of the new pattern’s release. All you have to do to get a chance to win is leave a comment on this post. I’ll give away a copy of the pattern to each of two lucky winners next Monday, November 7th, when I get back from Houston.
If you simply can’t wait, the pattern is for sale in my Etsy shop right now, and I also have a limited number of kits available. The kits come complete with everything needed to make the stocking exactly as pictured, but I only have a few, and they go fast, so don’t delay if you really want one.
Hi, I'm Shelly: Quilt designer, ranch wife, procrastinator, longarm quilter, and flitter. Otherwise known as Ellie Mae . . .
Prairie Moon Quilts 