Hi, all!
Many of you probably already know that I am a huge fan of Christina Cameli, who blogs over at A Few Scraps. It all started with her great blog series on free-motion quilting techniques. It came at a time when I was trying to teach myself how to FMQ, and her easy style of teaching and great tutorials was a big help. I now refer people who want to learn how to FMQ to her tutorial series (which you can see here.)
Then Christina wrote her first book, First Steps to Free-Motion Quilting. I was in love! Great easy instructions that took her tutorial series to the next level, and twenty-four fabulous projects - and I wanted to make them all! My criteria for buying a book is to have three or four projects that I want to make - this one blew my mind. So many great things to make! Here's just one of the things I've made from her first book...
And now she's got another book - the perfect progression from her first book. It's called Step-By-Step Free Motion Quilting, and it's available NOW from Amazon!
In it, Christina takes nine simple shapes and shows you how to combine them into more than eighty fabulous quilting designs. Here's one example from the book…
I had been searching for a quilting design for a modern sixteen-patch quilt with a lot of negative space, and I thought that the curvilinear waves of this design would make a nice contrast to the sixteen-patch blocks. I loaded the quilt up sideways on my long arm and this is how it turned out!
And as I was looking through the book, I spotted this design…
…which is probably going to grace the next quilt I put on the frame! I love the contrast of swirls with square patchwork, and oh, the texture this will give a quilt! I can't wait to give it a try!
As you can see from the pages shown above, Christina breaks down each design into simple steps that make you feel like you can easily recreate what she's showing. And trust me, you can! I've used her techniques on both my tabletop machine and on my long arm quilting machine, and they work equally well both places.
And for those of you who have trouble learning from the printed page, Christina also has a Craftsy class...
I've viewed part of this class and it's great! In it, she takes the basic designs she teaches in her first book and shows ways to enhance them. My problem is that once she teaches a new design, I want to stop watching and go quilt something! Christina's teaching style is friendly and engaging - it's so much fun to see her in person and have a face and voice to go with the name. This is a resource you will refer back to over and over! AND - if you go to Christina's blog, there's a button in her right side bar that will connect you up for this class for HALF PRICE!! Jump in and give it a try!
So have I convinced you that you CAN do free motion quilting yet? No? Well, how about this - I'm going to give one lucky reader a copy of Christina's new book for their very own! Are you excited now? Here's what you need to do to enter…
1.
Leave a comment on this post! Let's make it fun - since we're stuck with cold weather (at least here in the States) tell about the craziest thing you've ever done in the winter! Be sure to leave your email address, too, if there's a chance you may be a no-reply blogger. I'd hate to draw your name and not be able to reach you to let you know you won!
2.
You can get an extra entry if you are a follower of this blog. Leave a comment telling me how you follow.
3.
Help spread the news! Mention the giveaway on your own blog and leave a comment here with a link to your post.
That's it - easy peasy! Three different ways to enter - do one, two, or all three! The giveaway will stay open until Monday, February 2nd at noon CST, and I'll announce the winner on my Make-A-List Monday post later that day.
And just for fun, here's my winter story. I grew up in Miami, FL, and never had a chance to play in the snow growing up. When my husband and I got married, we moved to Louisville, KY so he could go to seminary. About a week after we moved in, it snowed overnight - a pretty good snow, about six inches. I woke up very early and saw the reflection off the snow and couldn't wait to go out in it - so I snuck out of the apartment and went out to play! My husband woke up that morning to the sound of kids playing in the snow and me missing from the bed - when he looked out the window, there I was, in the midst of all the playing children! I still get giddy over snow (when I don't have to drive in it!)
So what are you waiting for? After all, you CAN do free motion quilting, you know!
Hugs!
Sarah
I've only tried FMQing a couple of times and can say that I did really badly. It looks like this book would be a huge help. Thanks for the chance.
ReplyDeleteI follow you on Blogger and Bloglovin.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a blog that I keep up with but did share on Google+ and tweeted about it. https://twitter.com/Chanzy01/status/560456872898355200
ReplyDeleteI love her tutorials on her blog, and am very interested in this book. :) I follow with Bloglovin.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Utah with moderate amounts of snow. The craziest thing for me was actually going skiing. I'm afraid of heights.
ReplyDeleteThis book looks great-I have never tried FMQ but would like to!
ReplyDeleteHaven't done anything crazy during winter-too busy shoveling the piles of snow in the driveway!
This book looks great and I need to take my FMQ up a notch. Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteI follow you on Blogger. Your sixteen patch looks great, will try this FMQ.
ReplyDeleteI love winter--except for snow storms! When we lived in N. WI, we had a sauna (Finnish steam room) in our basement that I loved to relax in after a hard workout. Usually, I'd jump in the shower to cool off after I was finished but in the winter, since we lived out in the woods, I would run outside--buck naked!--and roll around in the snow! But only after dark!
ReplyDeleteI've been mastering FMQ for years now and am always looking for new designs and new techniques. The book looks like it's something that I could really use.
ReplyDeleteSarah, I've followed you on Blogspot for the past couple of years and really admire all you do for those in need of a little comfort.
ReplyDeleteWhile I think about something crazy I did... I will start with telling you that I am following you via Bloglovin' - thanks!
ReplyDeleteI don't have a blog, but I did tweet: https://twitter.com/mimistarquilter/status/560471154297561088
ReplyDeleteThe craziest thing I did with my family and friends one winter many years ago was build a Quinzhee. Three of them even slept in it over night!! I tried to enter the snow fort but soon discovered that I have claustrophobia!!! Instead I stayed in the trapper's log cabin and that was an adventure too/11
ReplyDeleteI am a warm weather girl so there are no stories of craziness during the winter😊 thanks for introducing me to the new blog. I am always trying to better my fmq.
ReplyDeleteI follow your blog via GFC.
ReplyDeleteOnce I was helping my mom deliver newspapers in a pretty terrible snow storm. My sister and I were supposed to run right around a corner to a building, drop off some papers, and then come back. We got disoriented though and missed the building. Fortunately, before we got too far, we realized our mistake and retraced our footsteps back to a mother who was getting pretty worried.
ReplyDeleteI follow your blog on Bloglovin.
ReplyDeleteI am a follower... not a leader/ender. LOL
ReplyDeleteI guess I follow on Google (it says so just below this box).
Hugs
I wrote a post about it, too.
ReplyDeleteHugs
We don't get much snow in my part of the UK - my children were all over 8 before they saw any!
ReplyDeleteGFC follower!
ReplyDeleteI follow via Feedly and Byline.
ReplyDeleteI grew up in PA, and lived at the top of a hill that was impossible to drive up in the winter (so we usually parked the car at the bottom - trunk full of kitty litter and cinder blocks for weight in hopes that we could make it up) and hiked it when the weather was bad. The good thing was, we got to sled to the bottom where the bus stop was in the mornings!
ReplyDeleteWe lost power and I ended up cooking grilled cheese sandwiches over a Kerosene heater during the big snow a couple of years ago. Would love a copy of this new book! Thanks
ReplyDeleteThe craziest/scariest thing in winter we were involved in was our moved from Chicago (where we only lived 8 months) back to Texas. We drove IN A BLIZZARD, not knowing of course it was going to be a blizzard, and it was the most terrifying thing I've ever done. My husband and son in one car, with me and my daughter following in our other card. It was white-out conditions. SCAREY...and dumb, dumb, dumb. "Don't try this at home" kinda thing. :(
ReplyDeleteI follow your blog on Feedly :)
ReplyDeleteI follow your blog via Feedly.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a big fan of cold or being out in the cold, so I haven't really done anything super crazy. I do remember one time when I was 12 our youth group went skiing. I just couldn't bring myself to see what I was going to run into, so I went down the hill {very slowly} backwards. Haven't been skiing since, and have no desire to =)
ReplyDeleteWe walked to school when I was young. I remember that we would walk on top the snow banks, down across the driveways and back up on the snow banks all the way to school. That was a lot of ups and down in a mile and of course took longer than just walking in the street.
ReplyDeleteI am a GFC follower.
ReplyDeleteThe craziest thing I've ever done in the snow was try to DRIVE in it !
ReplyDeleteI'm a follower and have been for years. You go girl!
ReplyDeleteHi! I follow your blog through Blogger. I love your linky party!
ReplyDeleteChristina's original blog series inspired me to do more free motion quilting too. I'm glad you're helping spread the word. She's a great FMQ teacher and I didn't realize I didn't have her on my blog list so I added her right now. Thanks for hosting this giveaway!
love winter as long as the heat doesn't go off
ReplyDeleteOnce during a blizzard - I live on a steep hill, I dug a luge all the way down the hill so the kids could sled safely. Thanks for the great giveaway. Yeah I would love the book. (debbie at wowilikethat dot com)
ReplyDeleteOnce during a blizzard - I live on a steep hill, I dug a luge all the way down the hill so the kids could sled safely. Thanks for the great giveaway. Yeah I would love the book. (debbie at wowilikethat dot com)
ReplyDeleteHow timely! I have made this year to do more FMQ! I am perfectly imperfect at this!
ReplyDeleteCrazy snow thing: In high school there was this party. The cops decided we shouldn't be doing that at all! Some of us got scared, jumped out a window and ran through the fields full of snow. We ended up in a barn, but were soon picked up and taken to a nice warm and toasty police station! It was a good thing too! My fingers and toes were frozen! Crazy things crazy kids do!
I'm a follower via bloglovin!
ReplyDeleteThe craziest thing (according to my husband) that I did in the winter when we were living way up north was to drive 2 1/2 hours in a blizzard to go shopping. Those winters were sooo long.
ReplyDeleteWe drove up to New Jersey for a wedding right behind a blizzard, we had no idea that the car heater didn't work until we were way too far north to turn back, we had never had to use it before. We piled every bit of clothing on our daughter to keep her warm who was seeing snow for the first and so far, only time. She actually said to me "mommy, you never told me snow was cold". LOL
ReplyDeleteI follow you on bloglovin. thank you for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteMany years ago, when I was a young college student, I went cross-country skiing and camping with some friends. The cabin we slept in was not heated so well (we all had winter sleeping bags) and my contact lenses froze in the case. I had to take them back into the sleeping bag with me and eventually they thawed out from my body heat.
ReplyDeleteForgot to mention that we were camping and cross country skiing in Minnesota.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was really young, my sister & I did some cross-country skiing with my Dad. But I never got on skis again except for once when I was a teenager - I prefer drinking hot chocolate in front of a fire. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI'm a follower with Bloglovin'. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteI follow on bloglovin :)
ReplyDeleteCraziest thing I ever did in winter was drive my car down the Alaska Highway at -40 for three days.
ReplyDeleteLOL Sarah - Wow Wee, I agree with every word you wrote about Christina and her teaching and books! You don't have to enter me in the giveaway, because I am doing the same thing soon on my blog. I've lived in the Buffalo, NY area most of my life and have been marooned in more than a few blizzards. So many amazing stories to tell there. The best thing though is that the people in this area really pull together and help each other out in rough times and my theory is that it comes from coping with blizzards. Love your story about playing with the kids in the snow!
ReplyDeleteI'm not real adventurous when it comes to winter, but I went outside barefoot once in the winter. That's about it.
ReplyDeletedawnm1993(at)gmail(dot)com
I already follow via email, thanks for the chance to win!
ReplyDeletedawnm1993(at)gmail(dot)com
I have Christina's first book and I love it, so I would love to have her newest one, too. I grew up in Florida as well, but it was north Florida. One year it snowed there and we used trash can lids as sleds. :-)
ReplyDeleteI follow via email. Thanks for the great giveaway.
ReplyDeleteI follow with e-mail. Thanks! sarah@forrussia.org
ReplyDeleteI have 2 crazy stories, because 1 is technically not mine, but I was there! The first is from my childhood. I grew up in Minnesota, and in the winter on Sundays after church my dad would do "Sunday driving" which meant taking the car and making it spin around on the ice in the parking lot. One day we drove down to the local lake and he drove us out onto the lake to do "Sunday driving" out there. it was incredibly fun (and quite safe -- ice can be driven on after it freezes 12"). The second is from when I was living in Russia. On New Years Day we went to the newly opened Ikea store, not realizing that it didn't open until 2 pm that day. As we sat waiting for 2 hours, the Australian friend we were with made her first snow angel in the middle of the road; well, then the snowplow came around, and actually stopped while the driver tried to figure out what it was! Snow angels, especially adult sized ones in the middle of the road being rather an uncommon sight...! sarah@forrussia.org
ReplyDeleteI am a follower who just can't seem to get comfortable with FMQ
ReplyDeleteI can't think of a crazy winter story right now since it doesn't snow in Texas much. I think we had a few snowflakes a several years back
ReplyDeleteSarah, I'm not sure you'd call this crazy, but one year I made a photo calendar for my husband's Christmas present, taking pictures of our 2 kids doing things appropriate for each particular month. For December, I wanted a picture with snow but there was not enough in our yard. So we drove to the mall and I had the kids climb up on the huge pile of snow in the parking lot there to take a "natural" picture of them in their snowsuits. We all giggled as we threw snowballs at each other afterwards; it was a fun memory.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I follow you like a shadow...I subscribe to your emails, and look forward to all your posts each week!
ReplyDeleteI once had the opportunity to sit in an outdoor hot tub in minus 40 below weather, in the Canadian mountains. It was hot enough to be warm! But normally I spend the winter indoors working or quilting. Thanks for the chance to win this great book!
ReplyDeleteI follow your inspiring blog via Bloglovin. Thanks again!
ReplyDeleteI jumped in the river in January--twice. It was in a spot where it wasn't iced over. The first time the friend that was taking pictures (for proof) did realize (nor did *) that there wasn't a camera card in the camera. So my husband and I went back and I did again. It was kind of an agreement--if I did it my Mom would donate some money to an organization in memory of my brother.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a crazy winter memory but I do have a magical one: walking to Christmas dinner through a snowy field, up to our hips in thick, white snow, on our way to our neighbor's farm. We could see the lights from our house shining and that was how we found our way home later on.
ReplyDeleteI follow you via email: wordygirl at earthlink dot net.
ReplyDeleteOh, I don't think I am ready to tell on myself yet ... The craziest thing I've done might set my face on fire if I admitted it out loud!!
ReplyDeleteAnd I follow you with Feed Wrangler and Reeder. :-)
ReplyDeleteI lived in Chicago for 30 years that was crazy enough for me.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely book. I'm trying to improve my FMQ skills. I live in Australia, so we are in summer heat here. I've swum in Sydney Harbour in winter. Even though it's not cold enough to snow, it's too cold to swim in the harbour!
ReplyDeleteakenned5@une.edu.au
I'm a follower on bloglovin.
ReplyDeleteThat looks like a great book! Thanks for sharing, Sarah. I don't know of any crazy things I've done in winter...there are probably lots, but I can't think of any :) I did live for six years in the arctic, where winter started in September and ended in June, though it could snow literally any time of year. That was pretty crazy!
ReplyDeleteI follow by email, and quite enjoy all of your posts!
ReplyDeleteHi, I follow by blog-hopping and love what your group is doing. I am learning FMQ and loving it. My craziest winter adventure was taking my five week old daughter to my parent's home during a blizzard for a Christmas celebration. Yep. I still think this was stupid!
ReplyDeletesayers.gmlren@gmail.com
I need this book! I have been considering ordering it after reading about it on another blog. b.j.day69@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI follow your blog using feedly.com. Sounds like the book would be a wonderful resource. I live far from any kind of quilting community, so always trying to find ways to learn.
ReplyDeleteMy crazy winter story occured around 1966. My next door neighbor and I went to Madisonville Kentucky which is about 50 miles from our home. We went to a fabric shop and the new spring fabrics had just been put on the shelves. We both fell in love with the suiting fabric and wanted to make a spring suit for Easter but we didn't have enough money to buy the fabric that day. So we made the decision we would return the next Saturday (we had to get there as soon as possible because they might sell out of that beautiful fabric). As luck would have it, it was snowing that Saturday morning but we decided it wouldn't snow very long. We started out and the further north we drove the deeper the snow and the heavier it came down. I had to stop several times and clear the windshield. But we persevered and got our fabric and got home safe. I think the Lord was riding in our backseat or maybe he was helping me drive. By the time we got back home we had about 12 inches of snow. b.j.day68@gmail
ReplyDeleteI grew up in the snow and don't have an adventure. I've done most of the snow stuff, skiing, tobogganing, skating snowman building. As a youngster and as a mom and now as a grandma.
ReplyDeleteI follow your blog via email.
ReplyDeleteNo snow here in South Australia so nothing too silly to share. I love winter and my favourite day is one when its wet and miserable. I'm inclined to take the dog for a walk on those days!
ReplyDeleteI follow your blog on Blogger!
ReplyDeleteLOL!!! Funniest thing we did was WITHOUT snow too! Having grown up in Arizona...one winter after a big rain, me and my daughters took our trashcan lids and I taught them how to "sled" down a hill...Arizona style...trashcan lid down a steep, slippery hill. (We also made our snowmen out of tumbleweeds and light them up with white lights and fashioned them with a cowboy hat!!)
ReplyDeleteI'm a happy follower you know by way of GFC but even better, right on my blogroll so not to miss out on anything!!
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah...I"m back...I added your give-away to my sidebar. I LOVE this book and am keeping my fingers crossed!! Thanks for the chance to win! V:)
ReplyDeleteThe craziest thing I did was ride a bicycle for a week to work in March in central Ohio while my car was in the shop. On day I hit the railroad tracks wrong and ended up in a puddle on my butt. I got back on the bike got to work and spent the day trying to dry out.
ReplyDeleteThe craziest thing I did in the winter was to take of walking in a pair of shoes that did not have traction. Oops, I hit a patch or ice and ended up falling on my right arm. Crunch went my elbow and I ended up in surgery getting it pinned.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy following your blog.
ReplyDeleteLove following you on Feedly!
ReplyDeleteCraziest thing I've done in the snow has been finally taking skiing lessons at 45! Of course I put my kids in lessons at 4 years - they are sooo much better than me.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if it's that crazy, but I went walking in snow shoes when I visited a friend in Flagstaff once.
ReplyDeleteI follow you by email
ReplyDeleteI follow you by email
ReplyDeletei love free motion quilting but I am sure I can always learn some new techniques and pointers on how to improve!!
ReplyDeletemumbird3(at)gmail(dot)com
First & last crazy winter stunt, my husband & I decided to go to Tahoe in an old VW bug...winter...snow...little to no heat...the slowest windshield wipers.... oh yeah & when got into the mountains it was already dark...very dim headlights. Lesson learned.....
ReplyDeleteJust saw a copy of the book... can't wait to own. Follow you on bloglovin'
ReplyDeleteThe craziest things I have ever done in winter happened when I was a sophomore at the University of Illinois. My boyfriend (now my husband) walked in the very bitter cold from the campus area to downtown Champaign to watch a movie and then walked back because we didn't want to spend the money on a cab. Nancy A: rangerer@sbcglobal.net
ReplyDeleteI am one of your followers. Nancy A: rangerer@sbcglobal.net
ReplyDeleteI really need to learn FM quilting. I took classes, years ago, but, I'm interested in trying again. This would be a great birthday present for me. The craziest thing I've done in winter/snow, was walk out on a frozen lake in Kansas, when I was 6. We'd just moved there, and, were NOT used to cold winters, being from TX.
ReplyDeleteYep, I'm a follower, and have been for a very long time. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHa, ha, the craziest thing I've ever done in winter is gone swimming. Of course you know I live in Florida, so we have very mild winters. However the water can still be quite cold, so we swam at a friends house who heated their pool by solar power :-)
ReplyDeleteI am a long time follower of your blog!
ReplyDeleteI am a new follower of your blog!
ReplyDeleteNot to long ago I washed the windows, crazy or not it was needed, even if winter is here!
ReplyDeleteI have your blog bookmarked and check in every Friday to see Can I get a Whoop Whoop.
ReplyDeleteEarly in our marriage, my then husband and I went for a ski weekend at Killington, VT. I was a novice skier, but apparently fearless because went way up the mountain on the ski lift. When I got off the lift, it was quickly apparent that the slope was too steep for me. So I moved off to the edge of the trail, sat down on my skis, and went most of the way down sitting on my skis until I reached a place where I could snowplow the rest of the way. Then I went into the lodge for a hot toddy. Needless to say, skiing did not become a steady hobby.
ReplyDeletePate393@gmail.com
The only crazy thing I can think of that I've done in the snow would be riding huge truck inner tubes down a huge hill! It was so fun back in the day but I think I would be too chicken now! Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeletetdkcarpenoctem@hotmail.com
I follow you by email! Thanks
ReplyDeletetdkcarpenoctem@hotmail.com
The craziest thing I've done in winter? Move!
ReplyDeleteThe day BEFORE I moved in the middle of January, it was 52 degrees (yay!). The day I actually moved? Nineteen. All my plants died.
So I guess the second craziest thing I've done in winter is decide to STAY in Chicago when I could have moved somewhere warm!
Living in sunny northern California, we don't get too much crazy weather. I probably would say riding my bike without enough layers so I was like a popsicle when I got home!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance at the giveaway...Christina's book is on my wishlist!
I am a follower via Bloglovin'.
ReplyDeleteI go sledding with my granddaughter. I am 50+ We started going when she was 6. We try to do it at least once a year. She loves to go with me. We do the inner tube and laugh the whole way down the hill.
ReplyDeleteYes , I love your encouragement that I can learn to FMQ. I just don't know where to start. Thank you.
Janita
I can't think of anything crazy I ever did in the winter, so on to step 2. I follow you with a link on my blog roll.
ReplyDeleteI follow you through my email. Thank you :) Janita
ReplyDeleteAfter our last freezing rain/sow storm, everything was covered with so much ice that trees were snapping like popcorn all around our neighborhood. My husband and I trekked into our backyard, lit a fire in the firepit, and after cutting some limbs off our own tree just in case, drank hot chocolate around the fire and (safely) listened to all the trees snap around us. Our power was out and we had nothing better to do.
ReplyDeleteMy story: I once drove from Austin, TX to Denver, CO, in a 1976 Toyota station wagon with almost no heater. The only thing it would do is clear a space about the size of a kleenex box in front of the driver, OR you could put heat on your feet. It was like driving inside an ice cube... Good thing I was younger then, lol. Anyway, would love to win this book!
ReplyDeleteThe craziest thing I 've done in winter is attend First Night on the night it was subzero temp - never again! I woul love to win Christina's book. I tried her Wayward motif after watching her video a gazillion times and it worked!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite snow memory as a child was making igloos. At the intersection of the sidewalk and driveway, the snow would get piled high, really high. We would take the shovel and dig a tunnel into the snow. We didn't worry about it caving in on us and it never did. I guess we didn't dig that far into the huge pile. My favorite story of snow as an adult is one which I tell when someone asks me what made me move to CA. I tell them I drove into a snowdrift which was in the middle of the road, had to walk to the nearest farmhouse where there happenend to be a school bus in front, had to call on a regular phone at the stranger's house to have the snowplow come and pull me out, left my car at the town hall where they housed the snowplows, and then stayed overnight with the strangers. I left out the part about driving for an hour while it was snowing and blowing and I couldn't see anything. I had to rely on my memory to recall how the road turned and twisted and now an again the blowing would stop and I'd get an idea of where I was. I couldn't stop because I was out in the country and pulling over wouldn't work as someone would just come along and hit me. The next day was sunny and bright and other than knowing there was more snow than the day before, it was just another day in winter. That was in Feb. and by August I move to CA. Do I miss upstate NY? Yes. I miss my relatives and friends and I miss the rolling hills and all the greenery. I think I follow this blog but will check to be sure.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in New Zealand snow was a rare event. After a particularly heavy fal one year,l we made a wall of snow and lots of snowballs and pelted anyone who walked past our home. It was fun.
ReplyDeleteBeing I live in the desert, the craziest thing I have done in the winter is go where there was snow! Pretty to look at, but man oh man, it was cold! We did go on snow mobiles and it was fun, but give me warmth!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great giveaway! When my kids were 5 & 8 they were so excited to visit Denver for the Christmas holidays and hopefully see snow. Flying with their grandparents and visiting with their twin cousins was excitement enough. The next day temps went down to the "teens" for the high and it started to snow....and snow. The zoo had a holiday lights display with Santa photo ops. Let's go!! Bundled the kids up, quick walk to see the lights and in for hot cocoa and Santa. Time passes and we realize that hubby and son (yes, the 5 year old) are no where to be seen. Search party goes out and there they are at the seal habitat! Son has removed his heavy jacket and gloves and is heaving snowballs into the water for the seals to "play" with! Hubby remarks, "Well, he's definitely got the Norwegian blood in him!! akronne (at) gmail (dot) com
ReplyDeleteReplyDelete
I live about 25 miles from Punxsutawney, PA. One year we bundled up at 4:00 am and drove to Groundhog Day celebration. It was a cold 22 degrees and we ended up walking over a mile because all the shuttle buses were full. We joined the 38,000 other crazy people there to wait for a groundhog to predict the weather!
ReplyDeleteI follow you on GFC.
ReplyDeleteI once went snow camping in the Rocky Mountains. It was crazy cold, and I complained mightily but looking back, I am proud that I did it!
ReplyDeleteI follow your blog. Thanks for the chance to win! Looks like a great book, and I think I'm ready to try FMQ!
ReplyDeleteI live in Winnipeg where winter lasts almost six months, so everything we do in winter seems crazy!
ReplyDeleteI'm a follower.
ReplyDeleteCraziest thing I did in winter was get into a car crash in our 15 passenger van. No one was hurt. And the police officer gave out no citations because it was so close to Christmas. That was a huge relief.
ReplyDeleteCraziest thing I did in winter was get into a car crash in our 15 passenger van. No one was hurt. And the police officer gave out no citations because it was so close to Christmas. That was a huge relief.
ReplyDeleteIn high school I went skiing for the first time with friends. After getting off the chairlift I realized that I didn't know how to get down the slope. Should have started on the bunny slope!
ReplyDeleteCraziest thing I ever did in the winter was just this morning when I traipsed out across our snow-covered field (think about 18" deep), in the pitch black night, in my bathrobe and bedroom slippers, at 4:20 a.m., trying to get our 15-year-old dog to come back home. She is deaf, so I couldn't yell out at her. I had to catch up with her! Of course I sank through the ice-crusted snow and now my calves are totally scratched up. And my slippers kept slipping off. And my feet got a little frost bite. But she's safe! What a way to begin the day!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in high school it started snowing one evening, and I went over to my friend Lois' house about midnight and tossed pebbles at her bedroom window to wake her up. Then she and I wandered all over town in the snow. It was so quiet and beautiful with hardly another soul around. I've never forgotten it.
ReplyDeleteI get your post updates via email, and probably follow with Bloglovin' too.
ReplyDeleteWe don't get a lot of snow, but when we do, everyone hits the grocery stores for bread, milk and eggs, (never understood this. What does everyone do with bread, milk and eggs) and then goes home to "stay in". My oldest son was young and we would drive in the snow and go to KMart (No Wally World at the time) it was almost completely empty and we had full reign of the store. Such fun, got to look and play with all kinds of stuff, read books, etc. On our way home I would slip and slide on purpose, sometimes not, and he would look at me and ask "Was that for real or were you playing?" I would also say I was playing so it wouldn't scare him and he would just laugh and laugh and say "do it again" and I would. He thought it was so funny. He doesn't give it another thought now to drive in snow.
ReplyDeletehot tubing in -30 winter weather while it was snowing. Invigorating.
ReplyDeleteI so need to learn to FMQ, scared of all those birds nest threads and ripping out, and i have to learn so thanks for the giveaway.
I have followed for a long time and enjoy visiting.
ReplyDeleteI follow you by email, thanks,
ReplyDeleteThe craziest thing I've done in winter...well, my dad was on a business trip and mom took us all out to a remote restaurant for dinner. A blizzard blew up while we were there and on the way home the family car got stock in a huge drift on the road, which was impassable by then. We had to stay at a goat farmer's house near where we got stuck, but it was so blizzard-y, he had to lead us to his house by having us hold onto a chain while he walked us there, including all four of us kids, my mom, and my grandmother. Pretty crazy, like something out of Little House on the Prairie!
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ReplyDeleteI don't know, when the weather gets crazy I try not to go crazy with it. When we had 5 feet of snow in December I stayed inside and sewed :) Thanks for the giveaway, I just quilted something like "swift" on my Christmas quilt, but I'd love more ideas.
ReplyDeleteLove the winter snow. Grew up in So. California but moved to Northern Nevada when I was 21. The first winter it snowed 3 feet in 3 days but the sun was shining brightly on the 4th day. Being a CA girls I thought that meant it was warming up and went to get the mail down the block without a coat. HA...it was -2 degrees. I didn't make that mistake again!
ReplyDeleteI follow your blog via email notification.
ReplyDeleteMy first date ever was in HS, and Moke asked me to go ice fishing! How safe is that for a worried Dad. We went and had a great time until the game warden came up and I didn't have a license. Moke about died as we got a fine! My Dad owned a farm and managed other farms for people so he went to the office with me and told the game warden that he wanted regular patrols on ALL his land!! Let's just say, looking at me and hearing the story of a innocent date gone wrong w tears, they tore up the ticket. We went fishing again as I loved that and had many more legal fish tails to tell. It was fun remembering, thank you. 😊
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Several years back we had a freak snowstorm in October. More like a ceaseless snow fall than a storm. It just kept coming and coming and the trees were still filled with leaves so the limbs started breaking under the weight and falling with a thud and eventually we lost power for several days. Had to put the beer in a snow pile to keep it cold! And the milk . . . of course :)
ReplyDeleteI follow you on bloglovin, and just signed up for Christina's class! TY
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I follow you on Bloglovin I am learning free motion quilt know and would love to win her book! Thanks for a chance to win!
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I spent 30 years in Massachusetts. One winter 1978' a big blizzard struck, groceries closed for 2 weeks. When they opened, my son and I walked pulling a laundry basket on a sled for groceries. I stepped into a hidden snowdrift up to my chest. He at 10 had to help me out. Kids out of school too.
ReplyDeleteI just signed up to follow your blog. I read your past blogs.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a good winter story. All my winter stories end with either a car accident or me falling on my behind. I did laugh so hard I peed my pants after a fall though. kmcassie@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI'm a blog follower by email. Thanks for introducing me to this book. kmcassie@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteIt's so funny to look back and remember all the fun times I had playing in the snow as a kid. I loved spending hours playing outside with my sister and the neighborhood kids. Now, as an adult, I seriously rebel about going out in the cold. For me, snow would be welcome if it didn't come with the low temps!
ReplyDeleteThe most insane thing I remember doing with snow is drive my dad's Mercedes up and over a mountain of snow in a parking lot where they has shoved all the snow from the lot. What possessed me to do this, I have no idea, but that lovely little car just went up and over like it was made for it! The "mountain" was probably 15-20 feet high. I always wondered what other people thought when they saw the tracks. Thankfully my dad doesn't do the internet cuz I would be grounded even after all these years if he knew!
ReplyDeleteI follow your blog via email.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I haven't done anything crazy in the Winter. I guess the craziest thing would be going out in the snow in my sandals. LOL! Thanks for the fun giveaway! msmissy02 at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteThe Polar Bear Plunge in Sandpoint, ID!
ReplyDeleteBRRR!
Much younger and crazier back then!
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ReplyDeleteThe craziest winter episode was when my husband was taking a class in Connecticut in January. We drove from there to Baltimore during a blizzard. We were in a little rental car without snow tires. We kind of just followed tracks on the turnpike until they suddenly made an abrupt 90 degree turn. We decided then that we needed to get off of the road, especially since on the radio they were telling about all the cancelled meetings and events for that evening. We are from California and had never encountered snow like this, except in the mountains.
ReplyDeleteI follow you by email.
ReplyDeleteI was about 20 when I saw my first snow. I was so amazed that I was gushing about it forever.
ReplyDeleteThough I've been making quilts for over 20 years I have just begun learning to FMQ! This book looks like it would be a huge help. Living and growing up in Maine makes for quite a few crazy snow stories. As a kid I would spend hours outside digging intricate snow tunnels in the snowbanks that led to cozy cave like rooms. Just The thought of it now makes me claustrophobic!
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Love FMQ, have first book and have recommended to many quilt friends. Live in canada so many snow stories. Cross country skiing in windy minus 15 degrees is a good one
ReplyDeleteI have not yet tried FMQ, still stitchin in the ditch. Maybe this will get me going? Tarnia.hodgesATgmail.com
ReplyDeleteI'm a follower on your blog. Thanks for the chance to win the book.
ReplyDeleteThe craziest thing I did in winter was witness (but not partake in) people jumping into a Great Lake in January in Rochester.
ReplyDeleteI follow your wonderful blog via bloglovin.
ReplyDeleteJust started Christina's Craftsy course, would love her book as well.
ReplyDeleteCraziest winter antic was trayboggening at night.
I follow you via bloglovin.
ReplyDeleteAs a child I took part in a winter walk to a restaurant. It was organized by our sports club and we were to walk there, have dinner and tons of fun for everyone- well except for the little girl that wandered away from the group and fell through the ice into a little lake... Guess who that was 😂 Thanks for the giveawy!!!
ReplyDeleteWhen we woke up to find snow in Texas, my husband and I would wake our little girl, bundle her up, and play in the snow. Once we were chilled, we'd head inside for hot chocolate!
ReplyDeleteA few years ago, we had "snowmageddon" here in Virginia. I think it was something like 3 feet of snow or more. Needless to say, we were snowed in for an entire week. On Day 1, hubby and I tried to return a DVD to the redbox up the road. We got dressed, trudged across the parking lot and to the main road - the plan was to walk to the store to return it. Well by the time we had made it that far (all of 100 feet), hubby realized he was getting all wet because he wasn't wearing the right clothes, so back home we went to get changed. Out we go again, get to the same point, and hubby realizes he's left the DVD in his other pockets.... so home we trudge again. Finally we leave the house a third time and make it partially down the road (we were walking on the actual road because the footpaths were walls of snow) but the snow on the road was still so bad and up to our knees that in the end we were so exhausted we went back home and decided to pay that extra $1 redbox fee and return it the next day instead!!!
ReplyDeleteI grew up in northern Ohio but attended college in Atlanta, GA. I remember Atlanta received 6 inches of snow and the whole city shut down. We were walking on I 75 teaching drivers how to get unstuck from the snow! We had so much fun!
ReplyDeleteI am a follower of your blog.
ReplyDeleteI follow you.
ReplyDeleteThe craziest thing in winter? How about kayaking with friends down a snow covered hill. RADICAL and hilarious!!!
ReplyDeleteI went snowshoeing with a friend who drove a huge truck. When we got to the spot it was very icy and she couldn't turn the truck around. We had to back very slowly down a narrow road with a steep cliff on one side. Forget about snowshoeing-we were lucky to get home alive.
ReplyDeleteI signed up for her class. I'm sure having the book would be helpful. I want to learn free motion quilting.
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