March Blogger BOM - "O Hi Star"

Today is the March  installment of Blogger BOM.  The presenter today is Nicole of Patchwork Duck Designs. The block she created is called "O, Hi Star!". This is a modern take on the classic Ohio star. Nicole created a great tutorial here on her blog. I love it but then again I am a sucker for stars.

Nicole is also giving away a great charm pack of Wordplay .These would work great with my growing low volume collection. Sadly my low volume prints are a low volume of my stash but I am working to fix that!

I too have a fun give away . To participate make sure you are a follower and leave a comment. The winner will receive a fat quarter of these two low volume prints (Domestic Diva by Riley Blake and Bungle Jungle Crosswords in Grey by Moda) as well as a pattern for a cute triangle quilt using the Moda Bungle Jungle prints. 

Giveaway open until 3/22/13

As a final note of business I also have the winner for the Traveling Stash Box #1. Wendy is the winner and the box is making it's way to her in Alabama. 

Here is a list of all the participants of the BOM

Date	Name	Blog
Sept 15th 2012	Carin & Carol	Margarets Hope Chest
Oct 15th 2012	Jenny	Sew Kind Of Wonderful
Nov 15th 2012	Jennifer M	Ellison Lane Quilts
Dec 15th 2012	Natalie	Craftin Mechanic
Jan 15th 2013	Stefanie	Little Lady Patchwork
Feb 1st 2013	Jennifer I	Knotted Thread
Feb 15th 2013	Sandra	Sharp Quilts
Mar 15th 2013	Nicole K	Patchwork Duck Designs
April 1st 2013	Bree	Distant Pickles
Apr 15th 2013	Tracey	Itching 2 B Stitching
May 15th 2013	Felicity	Felicity Quilts
June 15th 2013	Erin	Billy Button Design
July 15th 2013	Nicole N	Mama Love Quilts
Aug 15th 2013	Dhia	Peach Patch Quilts

Here is a button you can grab and put on your blog to make sure you don't miss a single post.

<center> <a <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">href</span>="http://<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">thepeachpatch</span>.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">blogspot</span>.com/2012/08/blogger-block-of-month-blog-hop.html" target="_blank"><<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">img</span> alt=" Peach Patch Quilts " <span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">src</span>="http://i1144.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">photobucket</span>.com/albums/o481/barnbabe13/3ecc08b0.<span class="goog-spellcheck-word" style="background-color: yellow; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">jpg</span>" /></a></center>

I have also started a Flickr group to show off all the pretties you make.

Blogger Block Of The Month Flickr Group

If you would like to donate any blocks you make during this blog hop please mail them to the address below.
Donated blocks will be sewn into quilts for Margaret's Hope Chest.

Peach Patch Quilts

P.O. Box 0012

Sullivan, WI 53178

Traveling Stash Box #1

Karyn over at The Stylish Home picked me as the winner of the traveling stash #1 box.  I got to pick this up yesterday from the post office. Here are all the goodies in the box.  

Books And Patterns

Fabrics

Notions and Finished Goodies

This is what is staying with me

This is what I added 

If you would like a chance to have this box visit you.....

Leave a comment below......You can get a second entry if you follow my blog or become a follower. Just leave a message that you follow.

The give away will be open until 3/10/13

Here are the rules to qualify.....

RULES: 

1. Be an active blogger. Post about receiving and the giveaway on your blog in a timely manner.

1. There is a note in the box that logs where the box has been. Please add your info and place the note back in the box.

1. There is a list of Rules and Guidelines in the box. Please read and follow these and return the list to the box.

1. You may take anything you like from the box. Just replace every item with comparable quilt shop quality items equal to the amount taken. See guidelines below.

1. Ship the box to the next person in a reasonable amount of time.

1. Due to the amount of postage shipping is only within the USA.

The definition of a stash is a secret store of valuables. For quilters it's a collection of usable quality products. The stash should contain mostly fabric with a few patterns and/or books and other items.

• FABRIC:     Should be quilt shop quality in new condition. Scraps should only be included if they are cut for adding to a collection and packaged accordingly (i.e. I-Spy squares, postage stamp squares, etc.). There should not be anything under a Fat Quarter unless packaged like this.

• PATTERNS/BOOKS:     Should be in new or gently used condition. They should be kept to a minimum (books are bulky and add weight).

• OTHER ITEMS:     Should be in new or gently used condition. Tools, notions, etc. These items should be packaged if necessary.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER:

• If you receive a box with anything that is of "poor" condition you should not feel guilty in tossing it out.

• Only put items in the box that you would be proud to own. The box is NOT a dumping place for all your outdated unwanted items.

• Items should be free of smoke and pet hairs.

• You must replace items you take with the same quantity of like-kind items. Replacing more than you take is always welcome.  :)  There is a guide to Pre-Cut amounts below for your reference.

• Jelly Roll strips are 2-1/2 inches so every 10 strips is 2/3 yard (plus an inch). 30 strips is 2 yards plus 3 inches. 40 strips is 2-3/4 yards. 50 strips is 3-1/2 yards.

• Honey Buns are 1-1/2 inches so 10 strips is just slightly under 1/3 yard. 40 strips are 1-2/3 yards.

• Desert Rolls are 10 (5 x 45) strips or just slightly over 1-1/3 yard.

• Turnovers are 80 (6 inch) triangles and is equal to slightly over 1 yard.

• Charms are 5 inch squares. 40 charms is equal to 2/3 of a yard.

• Layer Cakes are 10 inch squares. 40 layer cake squares are equal to 2-3/4 yards.

HOW TO SAVE MONEY & TIME WHEN MAILING A STASH BOX: 

• Did you know that you can purchase postage online from the United States Postal Service (USPS)?

• Did you know that when you purchase postage online you get a discount and FREE Delivery Confirmation?

• Did you know that when you purchase postage online you can also schedule the Post Office to pick up your package at your home or office?

Yes you can do all of these!
Here's how . . .
1.  Go to USPS.com.
3.  Click on Print a Label with Postage.
4.  Log on or create a new account.
5.  Enter the mailing information for your package. Enter the package details. We use Flat Rate boxes to mail the Traveling Stash so check "I am shipping Flat Rate". Then choose your ship date and click "Next: Choose a Service".
6.  Scroll down the shipping options. Click on "Large Flat Rate Box". (Note:  Some of the stashes are in medium boxes so if the stash you have is in the medium box you will choose that option.) Scroll down to "Add extra services". The "Delivery Confirmation" box is already checked. You get it for FREE when you purchase flat rate postage online! How cool is that?!!!  :)
7.  Click on "Next:  Review your Cart".
8.  Verifty the mailing address then click on "Next: Billing Information".
9.  Follow the instructions to pay for the postage.
10.  Print the mailing label out. Trim it and tape it to the box.
11.  Your package is now ready for mailing. Either drop it off at the post office (you can simply put it in the package drop box inside) or schedule a pick up online.
SAVINGS:   Did you notice that you only paid $14.65 online for postage (large flat rate box), instead of the $15.45 you pay at the post office? You save $ .80! You also receive FREE Delivery Confirmation. That is a value of $ .75. For a total savings of $1.55! Plus you can track the delivery of the package!  :)
This may seem like a lot of steps but it's really not. I just tied to spell it out carefully so I didn't confuse anyone. If you have any questions you can contact the post office or me (Cherise) and I'll be happy to help you! It really is an easy process and one that save you time and money! I know everyone likes that!  :) 
GUIDELINES:

GUIDELINES TO PRE-CUT AMOUNTS:

2.  Click on Ship a Package.

Find out about the Origins of the Traveling Stashes Boxes here.

Find all the Traveling Stash posts here.

Puppy Love!!!

Over the weekend I tackled a couple dog based projects as well as a quick valentines project. On the doggie front I made a couple dog chewies as a Valentines present for some puppies in Michigan. I have been cranking these out at a pretty fast rate. Turkey loves them and it keeps him from chewing up my more expensive stuff. If you would like to make some I would recommend this tutorial here.... They are very simple to make and a great alternative to expensive dog toys that get torn up. I have been hitting up the remnants at Joann fabrics. The remnants are 50% off whatever the going sale price is. Recently fleece has  been 50% off on sale and then 50% off cause its a remnant. Gives me something to do with my hands while watching tv other than chomping chips.

Over the weekend I also broke out one of my favorite dog biscuit recipes. I used to make them all the time and it got to the point that Daisy would spit out commercially available biscuits. Such a diva !!! I don't often post recipes but this one is a keeper and I have optimized it so I will share.

Puppy Love Dog Biscuits

Ingredients

1 cup uncooked oatmeal
1 egg, beaten
1 1/2 cups meat in broth
3/4 cups cornmeal
3 cups flour (whole wheat, all purpose, whatever combo of flour you have)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 F. 

Prepare the meat....

You can use any meat in this recipe. I utilize this recipe to use up freezer burnt items, left overs or meat that's on sale. Make sure that you don't use leftover that are heavily seasoned. Take your meat and cook in 2-3 cups water for as long as you can. I usually cook the meat until it is falling apart. Remove from heat and cool until you can shred or chop the meat as small as possible. If you used bone in meat make sure to remove all bones at this point.

Add your broth and meat to a large bowl. You can substitute meat and broth for hot water with bouillon cubes. Heat the contents of the bowl in the microwave until hot. Remove from microwave and add oatmeal, let stand 5 minutes. 

Stir cornmeal and egg. Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. 

Knead 3 to 4 minutes, adding more flour if necessary to make a very stiff dough. Pat or roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness. 

Cut into shapes and place on a greased baking sheet. You can use cookie cutters, or free form shapes. I cut bite size pieces with a pizza cutter. 

Bake for 40 minutes. Allow to cool and dry out until hard. 

There are no preservatives in these biscuits. Shelf life can be lengthened by freezing. 

I cut mine into hearts this time for valentines day, I should have added some beet to the mix.

I also made some treats for my human Valentines as well. I have a million pink scraps and this ate up some. I think i need an all pink scrap quilt to kill my scrap stash. I mailed off these to my mom and a coworker for Valentines day. Hopefully they will arrive in time. 

Last but not least we have a winner for the Traveling Stash Box #6. Katie from Snuggle Up with a dish from Karma will be the recipient of the traveling stash box. Hopefully she will enjoy the goodies within and add some more awesome stuff. 

Traveling Stash Box #6

Ann over at Orange Cumpled Napkin started a new traveling stash box and I was the lucky winner. I got to pick this up yesterday from the post office. Here are all the goodies in the box.  A book of kids projects some fabrics and some orphan blocks. 

Here is what I took from the box.

Since this box is still in its early stages I added more than I took to help it grow and grow. I added 20 fat quarters and a pack of 50 2.5" squares

If you would like a chance to have this box visit you (especially if you have some box building materials!) Here are the rules to qualify.....

Leave a comment below......Give away open until 1/11/13!!!!

Don't forget we have a great give away for Blogger BOM (fat quarter pack, 2 yard total!!!). Enter that give away here...

RULES: 

1. Be an active blogger. Post about receiving and the giveaway on your blog in a timely manner.
2. There is a note in the box that logs where the box has been. Please add your info and place the note back in the box.
3. There is a list of Rules and Guidelines in the box. Please read and follow these and return the list to the box.
4. You may take anything you like from the box. Just replace every item with comparable quilt shop quality items equal to the amount taken. See guidelines below.
5. Ship the box to the next person in a reasonable amount of time.
6. Due to the amount of postage shipping is only within the USA.

GUIDELINES:
The definition of a stash is a secret store of valuables. For quilters it's a collection of usable quality products. The stash should contain mostly fabric with a few patterns and/or books and other items.

• FABRIC:     Should be quilt shop quality in new condition. Scraps should only be included if they are cut for adding to a collection and packaged accordingly (i.e. I-Spy squares, postage stamp squares, etc.). There should not be anything under a Fat Quarter unless packaged like this.
• PATTERNS/BOOKS:     Should be in new or gently used condition. They should be kept to a minimum (books are bulky and add weight).
• OTHER ITEMS:     Should be in new or gently used condition. Tools, notions, etc. These items should be packaged if necessary.

IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER:

• If you receive a box with anything that is of "poor" condition you should not feel guilty in tossing it out.
• Only put items in the box that you would be proud to own. The box is NOT a dumping place for all your outdated unwanted items.
• Items should be free of smoke and pet hairs.
• You must replace items you take with the same quantity of like-kind items. Replacing more than you take is always welcome.  :)  There is a guide to Pre-Cut amounts below for your reference.

GUIDELINES TO PRE-CUT AMOUNTS:

• Jelly Roll strips are 2-1/2 inches so every 10 strips is 2/3 yard (plus an inch). 30 strips is 2 yards plus 3 inches. 40 strips is 2-3/4 yards. 50 strips is 3-1/2 yards.
• Honey Buns are 1-1/2 inches so 10 strips is just slightly under 1/3 yard. 40 strips are 1-2/3 yards.
• Desert Rolls are 10 (5 x 45) strips or just slightly over 1-1/3 yard.
• Turnovers are 80 (6 inch) triangles and is equal to slightly over 1 yard.
• Charms are 5 inch squares. 40 charms is equal to 2/3 of a yard.
• Layer Cakes are 10 inch squares. 40 layer cake squares are equal to 2-3/4 yards.

HOW TO SAVE MONEY & TIME WHEN MAILING A STASH BOX: 

• Did you know that you can purchase postage online from the United States Postal Service (USPS)?
• Did you know that when you purchase postage online you get a discount and FREE Delivery Confirmation?
• Did you know that when you purchase postage online you can also schedule the Post Office to pick up your package at your home or office?

Yes you can do all of these! 
Here's how . . .
1.  Go to USPS.com.

2.  Click on Ship a Package.
3.  Click on Print a Label with Postage.
4.  Log on or create a new account.
5.  Enter the mailing information for your package. Enter the package details. We use Flat Rate boxes to mail the Traveling Stash so check "I am shipping Flat Rate". Then choose your ship date and click "Next: Choose a Service".
6.  Scroll down the shipping options. Click on "Large Flat Rate Box". (Note:  Some of the stashes are in medium boxes so if the stash you have is in the medium box you will choose that option.) Scroll down to "Add extra services". The "Delivery Confirmation" box is already checked. You get it for FREE when you purchase flat rate postage online! How cool is that?!!!  :)
7.  Click on "Next:  Review your Cart".
8.  Verifty the mailing address then click on "Next: Billing Information".
9.  Follow the instructions to pay for the postage.
10.  Print the mailing label out. Trim it and tape it to the box.
11.  Your package is now ready for mailing. Either drop it off at the post office (you can simply put it in the package drop box inside) or schedule a pick up online.

SAVINGS:   Did you notice that you only paid $14.65 online for postage (large flat rate box), instead of the $15.45 you pay at the post office? You save $ .80! You also receive FREE Delivery Confirmation. That is a value of $ .75. For a total savings of $1.55! Plus you can track the delivery of the package!  :) 
This may seem like a lot of steps but it's really not. I just tied to spell it out carefully so I didn't confuse anyone. If you have any questions you can contact the post office or me (Cherise) and I'll be happy to help you! It really is an easy process and one that save you time and money! I know everyone likes that!  :) 

Find out about the Origins of the Traveling Stashes Boxes here.

Find all the Traveling Stash posts here.

The first step is admitting you have a problem.....

Lots has been going on during the last few weeks. I have been back at the homestead and have been stitching up a storm. Mostly due to my new fancy present from Papa Peach for our 3rd wedding anniversary and Christmas.

Although the 3rd anniversary is the leather anniversary and this is hardly leather I love it....and I can sew leather with it. He also got me a new leather purse to replace my badly worn out purse. We tried unsuccessfully to get the machine before Christmas. I originally was looking at the Janome 6600P. Could not get my hands on one before Christmas, they were sold out everywhere. I took it as a sign that I did not need a new machine. Papa Peach was not to be deterred. He was passing out my number to shops all over town to call when the machines came back in stock. Two Fridays ago I got a call that the machine was back in stock. We didn't have time to go to the shop before I headed off to Michigan last week. When I got back Papa Peach shuttled me to the store and it turned out that they were having a floor model sale. The 7700 included the table but the 6600 did not. They had just put the 7700 out on the floor less than a week ago. So it was barely used. Still a ridiculous amount of money to spend on a sewing machine. It was actually more expensive than my 1st car. But I do love it and it makes everything so much easier and I spend lot of time stitching. (There was a lot of justification to get this to the house!!!) I went with a Janome vs a Bernina due to the price of accessories. Bernina is krazy when it comes to buying accessories or replacement parts.

Since then I have been sewing and sewing and sewing. Making serious progress on Megan's baby quilt. I have finished the backing, done the quilting and attached the binding to the back. I just need to get the binding tacked to the from. Here is a picture of it in my fancy new sewing room with my fancy new machine.

Another thing that has happened is that I annexed our sitting room to become my new sewing room. I used to use my office as an office/craft room. But it got to the point where there was too much fabric and I was tired of swapping out the Bernina with the laptop. We kicked the furniture out of this room and replaced it wit my new sewing machine and table, old fabric cabinet and old dining room table for cutting. Papa Peach also made me this fabric design wall (which was supposed to be my Christmas present). My office is still not being used as an office, just a fabric storage location until I can get some folding/sorting/organizing done.

The quilt on the new design wall is a purple and grey quilt for my oldest step daughter Ellie. I am hoping to have it finished before she heads off to college in the fall. We made some miscalculations on the design wall and will be making two smaller 4'x4' design walls for the room as well.

Over the weekend we decided to get off of our bums and go for a bike ride. It being Wisconsin it is not often that we are given that opportunity in January. But the weather was "warm", I was feeling mega fluffy and I had not yet given up on my personal diet resolutions. We ended up biking a few miles on a trail in a town a couple miles away. After our short, nippy bike ride we found a quilt shop. This particular shop was going out of business since the woman was retiring and was open by appointment only. I made an appointment to come back the next day in the hopes of buying some fabric storage furniture. I instead bought this.....

I don't know if you can appreciate what a shameful amount of fabric that is......By my count its over 60 yards. The blue and white stripe on the bottom is an entire bolt. (The first bolt I have ever bought) I was in such a fabric frenzy and the prices were 60% off. The bolt was clearance and then 60% off!!!! She also had some notions and patterns as well as finished quilts. She had a one yard minimum and still a pretty good selection. Oh well........If you are in the area and would like to buy up some goodies she is open til the end of January by appointment only. The name of the shop is the Backyard Quilt Shop.

This morning I got an email that I was the winner of one of the traveling stash boxes. Box #6 will be coming my way and I will be filling it with some of my newly found goodies. Last but not least don't forget that I have a give away going on check here if you want to win 100 pieces of candy. I am linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.