Quick update

We just returned from our Sample Spree buying frenzy. Oh my gosh! Imagine 1000 plus ladies (and a few bewildered looking men who obviously are along just to carry bags) crowded into a room about half the size of a gymnasium. Then imagine the room filled with tables of fabric bundles, patterns, books, ribbons, buttons - just about everything a fabric lover would adore. Then imagine what a madhouse it is when the starting whistle blows. Pandemonium, to say the least.

We picked up some things we think you will fall in love with. We will have them all at our after market party next Saturday.

The quilt market officially opens tomorrow morning but we got a few preview pics to share. The last photo shows my Wild Coxcomb quilt that is in the current issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine.

 

 

It's after 10:00 and way past my bedtime. I'd better get some rest because I have a feeling I'll be walking about 10 miles tomorrow.

 

Ornaments are finished!

The ornaments are finished, sewn on the quilt, and the quilt is in Colorado being photographed.  Whew!  It'll be shippped back to me just in time to take a ride to Kansas City next week for spring quilt market. 

Back to binding a couple of quilts that will also take a ride north next week.  Hope you have a good weekend!

That's me in the summer issue!

I'm very honored to have a quilt in the summer issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine.

I'm on page 56.

If you'd like the magazine and/or a kit, you can get one here.  I'm making lots of gingerbread ornaments today but will be back later this week to visit.

My homework is almost complete

Here's the last of the spring quilt market quilts.  This one was particularly fun to make because the vine was hand appliqued.  It was so nice to have hand work to do!  I still need to make something like 50 ornaments that will be sewn on after its quilted but have until May 16 to get them done.

Here's closeups of a couple of the blocks.  Of course, Santa will get his eyes and the snowman will get his pipe and eye and buttons once the quilt has been quilted.

It's been fun working with Lynette's new Christmas fabric line!  The fabric will be available here soon.

I've been swamped!

I know it's been a while since I updated.  I've thought about stopping to post but have been trying to keep focused.  I just finished 2 of the 3 samples for Lynette Anderson using her new fabric lines.  The first is a Christmas quilt. 

It was interesting to make because the sleigh was appliqued to a pieced background which was appliqued to the brown pieced background.  This is a free pattern which will be available at Lecien fabric around mid-May. 

The second quilt is made with Lynette's new Halloween line.  This is her first Halloween line and if it's an indication of what she can do with a Halloween theme, I expect we will see lots more spooky fabric.  This quilt is primarily paper pieced.  It had been a while since I'd paper pieced but I quickly remembered the technique and also remembered why I enjoy paper piecing.  It's an easy way to get precise shapes. 

Notice the pumpkins are pieced and then appliqued to the background.  I need to add more black ribbon to create a bow for each pumpkin which will look like a tendril.  Just not sure exactly how I want to approach that -- if I sew on the machine the ribbon will get all smushy (and I don't like smush!) but if I want until it's quilted, the ribbon will have to be tacked (lots of work) and will get smushed as the quilt travels throughout the world.  I'll sleep on it.

I just noticed this photo is just a photo of the inner portion of the quilt.  I'll take a photo this week and show you the border.  It was all foundation pieced.....but was fun to do. 

Instead of starting on the 3rd quilt (it's another Christmas one), I am going to shampoo the carpet.  Hubby is out of town so it's a great time to shampoo and then hibernate in bed.

New projects

Finally.....time to work on my Baltimore album quilt.  I had most of the templates prepared so started working on the second half of the first border.

The doorbell rang and the UPS man brought me a package all the way from Japan.  Fabric from Lynette Anderson Designs was shipped Monday and sent overnight to me.  Overnight all the way from Japan!  How do they do that?!  The box contained the most yummy Christmas and Halloween fabric. 

The Christmas fabric will make this

and the Halloween fabric will make this

Both need to be finished quickly so they can be quilted and ready for spring quilt market in May.  How fun is that? 

Back from Dallas Quilt Show

Much of my free time recently has been spent getting ready for the big quilt show in Dallas.  Booths at large shows are expensive so we wanted to be sure we had enough to offer to make it worthwhile.  We'd been told to expect from 8,000-10,000 visitors.  I don't know what the official head count was but know we saw a lot of people.

The first question was will this

fit in this?

Fortunately it all fit so off we headed.  It was raining....no pouring.....so the trip took longer than expected.  We finally arrived mid-afternoon and the next big question became how will we make this look presentable?

I think we did it.

We learned from this experience and will take those lessons with us next time we vend.   For now, I'm content to be home and sleeping in my own bed.