Faithful Circle & Elizabeth's Prairie Garden ~ Journey Three

It bears repeating that I thoroughly enjoy reading your comments!!  Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to comment these past few weeks.  In my last post, I asked about what skill level you look for in a quilting pattern, and found your answers delightful and familiar. 

Like so many of you, I love a challenge, and try to expand my quilting horizons each year to learn or make something totally out of my comfort zone.  Generally, I look for a more complicated block, but love the easy classics, like a Nine Patch and Churn Dash, just the same.  I'm totally a traditional quilter at heart, and enjoy the entire process of piecing, no matter what the block may be. 

Getting to the important part of today's post....I give you the winner of the Frontier Foundations pattern!  Being that today is 11-11-11....I just had to choose comment number 11...... Lesley!! 

Lesley wrote....

Pam, Frontier Foundations is gorgeous. You are so talented! I have been quilting for over 30 years, and would consider myself intermediate skill level...I'm not too willing to create anything new, but I can follow most patterns. I hand quilt, but not very fast so I try to keep a few projects on the go...one to piece, one to quilt, one to embroider, and projects to cut...of course, that just delays me from finishing one, but it keeps life interesting! I would love to win this kit!   Congratulations, Lesley!  Please email your address to me and I'll get your kit out to you.   On a side note, I have major computer problems here.  Yesterday, I opened my laptop to find that Microsoft Windows 7 did an automatic update to my computer (even though it was completely shut-down!), and in so doing, wiped all of my documents, pictures, EQ drawings, and iTunes completely clean!  My computer sits here as if it were brand new and never used with absolutely nothing on it.  Needless to say, I'm devastated.  (Sob, sob, sob)  I know what you're asking....did I have a back-up?  Yes, but it's from September (which is waaaayyy better than nothing!)  I've been working very hard writing the patterns and shop guide for Journey Three, feeling the pressure to get it done, totally forgetting to back-up all of that work!!  A mistake I promise I will never make again.  Thankfully, all of the Journey Three patterns were saved to a flash drive!!  I took the patterns the printer that way, so those I can install again (Sigh!).  Not so lucky for the shop guide, although I did make hard copies of part of it so I could proofread them.  That's a little something, too!   The reason I share this with you is two fold....to emplore you to do whatever is necessary to save your work!  Don't be so busy that your back-ups are not a priority!  (I say this more to me than you, while I shake an index finger at myself!)   The other reason is that all of my professional Journey Three quilt photos are gone, too (temporarily - I can get those again!) ....so I quickly took a few pictures with my camera to show you the last two quilts from Journey Three.   Quilt Six ~ Faithful Circle     Faithful Circle is another quilt that features the Churn Dash block.  This classic block can really change its look depending on where you place your fabrics, which is so fun!  Simple, scrappy, and easy is what I had in mind for this quilt.  Like Frontier Foundations, I chose the border fabric first, and then pulled the block fabrics from that palette.  You can go crazy with scrapping this quilt up, add lots of Make-do's, or choose to make it from just two colors.  Lots of possibilities and a quick quilt to make!!    Elizabeth's Prairie Garden     Elizabeth's Prairie Garden is the bonus project for Journey Three.  When last you saw pictures of this quilt, it was waiting for the applique design.  After playing with several ideas, I decided on this little flower motif.  It doesn't overwhelm the light blooms, and adds "just a little something different" to the quilt, which is exactly what I was looking for!  I chose to make the applique flowers with wool for the added texture that wool gives, which I love, and because it's so easy to work with!  I chose wool that was not overdyed, and found just the right colors that work beautifully with Civil War reproduction fabrics.  You can order a charm pack of these luscious wool colors from my website by clicking here.  I'm very happy with how the whole quilt turned out, and smitten for life with hexagons!!    I am very happy with how Journey Three turned out, and thoroughly enjoyed writing six new stories about life for Prairie Women in the 1800's.  As soon as I'm able to get the last of my work finished for Journey Three, I'll begin work on Journey Four.  I want to thank all of you for your continued support of the Prairie Women's Sewing Circle club!  Without you, I'd just be stuck in the 21st century dealing with computer problems!!    In my next post, I'll show you the photos of my recent trip to Wisconsin, and a brand new, absolutely wonderful retreat home.  (Thankfully, those photos were still in my camera!)  Until then, enjoy your weekend, and send me good computer thoughts!    Pam