Awww, That's So Nice Of You!

What a happy surprise!  I was about put up a new blog post and I noticed that Susan, you may know Susan from Bobbins, Bougainvilleas and Bread or one of my favorite podcasts the History Quilter, nominated Fluffy Sheep Quilting for the Stylish Blogger Award.  Yippee!  Thank you, Susan!

Before we go on, take a minute to hop over to Susan's blog and have a peek.  I love her School Yard quilt top on her Quilt Top Finishes and Mac-N-Cheese post.  I recently started imagining a quilt like this in my future, so this is inspiration for me.  It's really beautiful! 

Now, onto the details of this fun little award.  Upon receiving the award, the blogger is to...

1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you the award.

2. Share seven things about yourself.

3. Award 6 recently discovered great bloggers.

4. Contact the bloggers and tell them about the award.

Well, seven things you may not know about me....and a few photos too!
  

1. I am a full time scientist by day.  Quilting seems to attract goobers, so I feel quite comfortable here.

2. Frogs make my heart melt they're so cute.  I like the variety of colors and their awkwardness when on land and grace in the water.

3. I am easily angered if not fed regularly, so feed me often and well.  A nice green salad will do me, but I won't turn down a burger, fries and a beer either. :)

4. Gardening makes me happy.  I think this is because gardening is an endless cycle of optimism.  This year's gardening challenge is to get chili peppers to grow in my freezing, wet, dark Irish weather.

5. I am a list-maker. I am thinking of adding one to the sidebar of my blog so I can check it anywhere at any time. 

6. I love to go camping. I have moved on from tents, but can do that in a pinch. We recently bought a camper and I can't wait for our next long weekend out.

7. I have two antique sewing machines - one is a 1913 hand cranked, thistle-painted Singer and the other a 1956 industrial-ish Singer.  I made my first three quilts on the 1956 singer and loved it, but it would wake up anyone in the house when sewing early on a Saturday morning.  I now have a Pfaff (circa 2005) and it is fantastic.  No photos here - they're the topic of a future post.

What are my favorite blogs to follow?  Well, all are craft focused, some quilt and some embroidery-centric.  Anyway, these make me happy and they may make your day brighter too.

1. Carina's Craftblog.  Carina can also be found at Feeling Stitchy, so have a look at both sites.  Her blog is a wonderful mix of interviews, just happy life updates, beautiful stitching and creative little projects. My favorite thing, though, is how beautiful and colorful it is, so its nice just to page through for eye candy.  Its a daily stop for me.  This is absolutely not a plug, but I have to say it.  Carina has beautiful embroidery patterns and books for sale, so you may want to keep your credit card handy :) 

2. Oh, Fransson.  This is a staple for most quilters, but I list it in case you have not had a look.  This is Elizabeth Hartman's website/blog. I love that most of her quilts are a solid color (white is my favorite) with geometric, bright, bold, modern patterns sparsely placed.  My recent favorite is her Tokyo Subway Map quilt-along. I wish I saw this in time to participate.  Have a good look around - there are quilt making basics, quilt-alongs, projects, books, etc.  A great place to spend a few minutes poking at links.

3. Wild Olive. Mollie Johanson has a fabulous blog that is mostly embroidery-focused. She is a very regular poster with short posts (to the point and inspiring, though!) and great photos. It makes me want to stitch immediately!  For the past 3 weeks, Mollie has posted a detailed discussion of the basics: color choice, pattern transfer, and materials.  Each has a download-able pdf file you can save right to your computer for quick reference. Mollie also offers a pattern of the month club, so check that out.

4. Nonnie's Quilting Dreams.  Nonnie is a frequently commenter on many blogs and podcasts, so you may feel like you already know her.  Still, have a good look at her blog or listen to her podcast.  Nonnie is great for posting many pictures of beautiful quilts that are in a range of genres - some 30's repros, some traditional.  You're bound to find something that give you a great idea.

5. Off-Kilter Quilt.  Do you already know Frances? I've been following her from the beginning of her podcast. If you haven't listened yet, I suggest you do so ASAP.  Her style is very relaxed, chatty, positive and her blog reflects it. I'd love to put a link to her recent accomplishment, Simply Amy/Simply Frances, but her finished photo isn't posted yet!  If you have a look here, you can get an idea of how it is constructed and how beautiful it will be.  Well done, Frances! 

These are my regular haunts. The list is endless, really, but these are the blogs and podcasts (along with our favorite History Quilter) that I check out very regularly. On my home page there is a list of podcasts that I follow regularly, so if you have time do download a few and try them out.

Again, thank you Susan.  This was great fun and made me smile.  Reading the blogs listed here brighten up my evening when I want color and happiness.  Thank you all for taking the time to post regularly.