Market Neighbors

 You have probably seen lot of blogs showing booths at Houston Market that include lots of famous quilters, I have enjoyed those as well. And I have to tell you, I didn't get around market as much as I would have like, so it has been fun seeing pictures that are published on other blogs. Being newbies, we were out in the boonies. We had fun getting to know our neighbors and I thought you might like to meet them as well. 

 Let me tell you about this groovy couple. This is Paul and Janna Thomas of Block-Loc. Paul saw all my quilts with half-square triangles in them (you know I love HSTs!) and he told us to come and look at their rulers. Well we didn't get over to their booth soon enough so he came to ours and gave us a demo. Joan and I both fell for him with his cute Australian accent and flirty personality. Then we met Janna, his wife, and we liked her even better. What a neat couple they are. So back to the rulers. These rulers are square and have a groove going diagonally across the back. You lay the ruler on a half-square triangle and the groove nestles right into the seam line and holds the ruler so it doesn't wiggle and then you can square it up! If you make lots of HSTs, like I do, you are always squaring them up to the exact size needed. This ruler is so awesome. Other rulers have a tendency to rock a little on the seam, and the ruler may slide out of place, but the Block-Loc ruler holds it right where you want it while you trim. Joan and I ordered a couple sets of these and sent everyone we knew to their booth! I also ordered the rulers for squaring up flying geese. I will be promoting these all over the place. They are traveling to lots of quilts shows, so be sure to look for them! And tell them I sent you!

 Michelle Civetti, on the right, put lots of work into preparing for market. She had lots of great kits for darling die cut wool projects. Her friend Barb was there to help with the customers. We enjoyed visiting with them. Check out her website, Grab'N Go Kits, to see some of her darling kits. A few are shown below.

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 This is Debi Weinert, from My Own Fringemanker. Let me tell you this girl can make fringe! And pom poms! Her booth was full of all kinds of things that she figured needed fringe. She and her husband invented this little gizmo that you can wind with funky yarns or just plain string and with a little sewing it magically becomes fringe. She was a busy girl at her booth. In fact, people walked right up to her booth and never turned around to look at mine. I thought about being insulted, but let's face it, people interested in fringe are probably not interested in my lil' old homespun projects anyway.

 

 This picture is of Melinda and my Turkey in the Straw quilt. Melinda was there helping Debi and we got to talking. Turns out she has an on line fabric store called Melinda's Fabric Shop. I was very pleased to meet her as I had ordered the Turkey red in this quilt from her shop! That was kind of exciting for both of us! If you haven't visited Melinda's Fabric Shop you really should. Her prices are great! Plus, she is a very nice lady!

This is my friend Mary Brandt who happens to be my son-in-laws mother, which makes her my grandchildren's other grandmother! She is a quiltermaker and a longarm quilter. She goes to market to work in the Cedar Canyon Textiles booth. They are the ones with the Paintstix.  She has made some lovely quilts using this product. We meet  in the strangest places!

 This is my friend Karen Bennett from Salt Lake City. We met at Spring Market in Minneapolis when I spotted her daughter, whose name is Monica Patch, and happens to be married to my husband's cousin. Joan and I really like Karen. She shared lots of good advice with me about market. Karen and Monica are the owners and designers behind Nellie's Needle. They have darling patterns. Check out their booth in the photo below.

OVERWEIGHT is not a term any of us like to hear, but that is exactly what the guy told us at the airlines counter! Joan was not happy when he told her it would be an additional $95! They had conveniently placed a luggage scale away from the line of people so we could go re-arrange our belongings. We ended up with three bags that weighed exactly 50 pounds each, plus very heavy carry-ons! I casually left my booth curtains on the floor at the airport. Too heavy and not worth it.

 I know this is a long post. I feel like I have been writing for hours and you feel like you have been reading this for hours, if you actually made it this far. And so I bid you adieu until another day!

Under Our Wings Takes Off

 The ladies from What's Your Stitch 'N Stuff, our LQS here in Virginia Beach, were involved in a booth at market sponsored by Marianne Fons. It is for a new program that was introduced, called Under Our Wings. It is in connection with Quilts of Valor. Above you see Kim McWherter, Joan, me, Holly and Sue. Where is Sandra??? She was there and working hard also!
Kim is married to the Commanding Officer of the Blue Angels and once upon a time she lived in Virginia Beach and worked at the shop. She made the Homeport quilt that is pictured in the previous post, and was featured with the quilt and her husband in American Quilter Magazine last summer. It was so great seeing her!

 This lady is a ball of fire! This is Catherine Roberts who is the founder of Quilts of Valor. With her energy and persuasive powers, it is no wonder that Quilts of Valor has become such a high profile organization in the quilting world. Just an aside, Catherine is standing in front of my Summertime Blues quilt made from the Wintergreen pattern found on my website. This quilt was hanging on the outer wall of the booth and I heard tell that Laurie Simpson saw it and liked it! It is made from the Prairie Paisley line by Minick and Simpson. Those ladies are terrific, by the way. They have been dedicated in supporting quilts for the military in any number of organizations, and have donated their profits from some of their work as well. (Let's just say quite a bit of their profits!) Their booth was wonderful and I was pleased to talk with them at some length. They have a new line of American Valor fabric as well as Charlevoix, both from Moda. Be sure and check out the Minick and Simpson blog for lots of great photos of their booth and others!

Here is the booth for Under Our Wings. It looked great! The ladies from What's Your Stitch 'n Stuff, with Holly at the helm, set up the booth and talked to lots of people about the program. They also participated in a Schoolhouse event with Marianne Fons promoting the program. Great job all of you in giving this program a good send off!

Adventures at Quilt Market

 Just got home from Houston last night. The whole trip went so fast! We had a wonderful time, and I have to admit,I don't have as many photos as I would like. I didn't wander around market to see other booths as much as I would have liked either. But all in all, it was great fun, we met some great people and made some great connections. We sold patterns and took orders, and I feel totally exhilarated!

 Here is part of one wall of my booth. My Homeport pattern,  in the upper left, was popular yet again! It  is the first pattern that I packaged for sale several years ago, and it is always a winner! I also took Williamsberg Medallion, even tho that focus fabric is long gone. Honor Guard and Cotillion are on the bottom.   

 Here is Joan in another corner of the booth. What a great friend she is! She worked so hard setting things up, working the booth and then taking it all down with me. I couldn't have even attempted this without her support. My Happy Place attracted lots of attention and we sold out of the pattern!

 

Look at this cute picture of Pat Wys from the Silver Thimble! I met her for the first time here at market. One of her quilts was in the same McCall's Quilting magazine as mine. You can see part of her Christmas quilt behind us. It is such an adorable pattern! Check out her block by clicking the link to see more of her booth.  And speaking of McCall's, I had the pleasure of meeting Kathy Hannah and Sherrie Driver, who both work at that magazine and with whom I have emailed several times regarding publication of my quilts, etc. So great to meet them both, and I could kick myself for not taking pictures. I just was not normal at market, whatever normal is.

Tara Lynn Darr came to visit me on the last day of market and brought us Halloween treat bags! She is so adorable and such a sweetheart! I met her at Spring Market and visit her blog and her online shop, Sew Unique Creations! Check it out! Tara didn't have a booth at market, but was going to set up for Quilt Festival, which is right after market, and is a retail show. We got to see the quilts that are set up for display and they are sensational!!! Maybe next time we will do Quilt Festival as well. Did I really just say that? Oh my gosh, we are so exhausted! I can hardly walk today!

All in all, I am happy to report that it was a wonderful experience! I was treated very well and had some awesome people buying in my booth. My first booth at market was a big success in my book. I came home all excited to finish some of my newer projects and the inspiration for others is bubbling over in my brain!

Turkey in the Straw

 Two posts in one day! Don't miss the second one below this one!

 
I am off to Houston tomorrow and I managed to get this little quilt done in the nick of time! As usual, my friend and quilter, Rose Skinner, did a wonderful job quilting it. She is rather fond of feathers, and filled every little crevice with them. Look at the darling little wreaths in the centers! Love it! This is my Christmas quilt for 2010, but I didn't want it to be restricted to Christmas so I searched my brain for just the right name. Finally it popped into my head! Turkey in the Straw! I had that turkey red on my mind, and I was very interested when Barbara Brackman wrote on her blog about it recently. 

You may know that "Turkey in the Straw" is an American folk song that was popular in the early 19th century. It is bright and lively, as is this quilt, so it seemed like a good fit for me. Yes, I know we are talking about different turkeys here, but I love playing with words. Coincidentally, turkey red was popular in the 19th century as well. Works for me!

I am offering this as a pattern for purchase this year. However, if you have made my Christmas patterns in the past and you really want to make this one, send me a photo of any Christmas quilt of mine that you have made and I will hold a drawing. In fact, I will hold two drawings, with extra chances for those with more photos of my quilts that you have made. A few of you have made my Christmas quilt designs every year that I have offered them and let me just say, you are a shoo in! I will announce winners when I get home from Quilt Market.

I know you are all wishing me good luck, I can feel the electricity of good vibes in the air! Thanks!

Edit: Turkey in the Straw is 30" square.

A Garden Patch

 Once upon a time there were the two little Patch Granddaughters. They loved to visit Grandmother Patch's garden and dress up in old-fashioned clothes that their grandmother made for their Aunt Jennie Patch, and their mother, Polly Patch back in the 1970's. They held their little fingers in peace signs, a remnant symbol of years gone by.

 

As the years passed, these darling little granddaughters grew up and moved far away. They went off to college and live in different states, but still manage to remain close and see each other almost everyday through the magic of the Internet and a program called Skype. Amazing! Mary, our blond beauty, just turned 19 and is a sophomore at BYU-Idaho. Becky is at BYU in Provo, married to the love of her life, and oh! Look at the next picture, she is bringing on the next generation of Patch descendants!

 

I think she is rather pleased about this, what do you think? 

Grandmother Patch is so proud of these darling girls and what fine young women they have grown into.

It is, however, Grandmother Patch's dream that someday the children will return to her garden.

It won't be long!

 

I Come in Pieces

Have you ever written on your blog with the thought that you are sending a message into outer space with the hope of finding similar lifeforms that will respond back with a friendly message? "Hello, I come in peace"! Or maybe in the case of quilters we should say "pieces". I come in pieces? Well, you get it. Right? When you post on a blog you never know where it goes, or who reads it, or who will respond. Maybe that is the fun of it. But we all enjoy when someone responds and comes in peace or in pieces!

I always figured that preparing to go to the International Quilt Market and having a booth would be an enormous deal. It kind of is. I am really grateful that Joan and I went to spring market in Minneapolis this year. It gave me an idea what to expect. I never figured I would have a booth at the Houston market this year. But it is happening, and we are Booth # 2358! If you are going to market, please come and see me! My friend Joan is going with me, thank heavens, and also Holly, Sue and Sandra from What's Your Stitch N Stuff, here in Virginia Beach. They are all more business savvy than I am, and I am so glad to have their help! Friday Joan and I put together little shop kits of nine of my patterns, hoping that shops will buy one to take home and play with. Honestly, it is the great unknown to me. How many patterns to take, etc. Come and see  me! Tell your friends! Remember me in your prayers! Send good vibes!

I have to tell you that I have a really wonderful flyer and new business cards, both designed by Folk Artist, Karen Mowery. You probably visit Karen's blog and know of her great talent. She is such a good friend! She will show the flyer on her blog at some point. so keep watching. Meanwhile, I have appliqued a beautiful block for a quilt that she is designing. I wish I could show it to you, but it is her quilt to share and it may be a while before she is ready to do that. 

So much writing without a photo! What is wrong with me? Well let me share some darling engagement photos that were taken  by Chea Lamb Photography in Arizona, of my nephew and his fiance.

Honestly, their photographer took a ton of great photos! But of course I am focusing on the ones with quilts in them. Just thought I would share this cute idea! 

Onto the rest of this beautiful Sunday! Hope you have a lovely day as well!

Here's to Good Friends!

I really should go to bed, but what I want to do is watch TV and relax, but what I am gonna do is post something because it has been over ten days since I last posted. I know you must miss me, right? I feel like my butt is attached to the desk chair this week. I have been on the computer non-stop. So much to do! And more this week than others because I AM GOING TO MARKET IN HOUSTON AND I WILL HAVE A BOOTH! Yes! I finally got kicked good and hard (in the butt again) by Holly who owns the shop that I love here in Virginia Beach. She is going to work the booth with me, so how could I say no? My heart is aflutter, and I am hoping that is a good thing. Meanwhile, there are flyers to be made and patterns to be written. I spent yesterday printing oodles of patterns and today I stuffed envelopes. I am at a loss as to what to expect and how much to take. How do I display things when I am so far from home? Etc., etc. I am totally taking advantage of friends where ever I can. It is good to have friends!

 Now, on a totally unrelated subject, my cousin, also named Holly, just had her 50th birthday. To her it is a big deal, to me it is a walk down Memory Lane. Fifty was a great age, in retrospect, so enjoy it cuz, because it does not, or shall I say will not, get any better! Anyway, Holly has some wonderful friends that she has had since birth, I think, or at least since early childhood. They are all very talented stitchers and quilters. They made her the most amazing quilt for her birthday, and I want to share it with you. 

 I am seeing some really ugly fabrics that I adore!

Is there anything sweeter than sour colored fabric?

 True friends, indeed!

The detail in this quilt is wonderful!

 Beautifully designed--not sure by whom.

 Beautifully crafted by those named above.

Isn't it wonderful!

OK, now I guess I must go to bed with no TV. I feel like I am being sent to my room. But all is well!

Springville Quilt Show

OK, I finally added the Followers gadget to my blog. I resisted doing it for a long time, but so many of you were kind enough to sign up anyway (how'd you do that?) that I put it on. I guess with Bloglines closing down we will be needing additional resources to find our favorite blogs. I have really enjoyed Bloglines over the years and am sorry to see them go. Boo hoo, seriously!

While in Utah there was a quilt show taking place  at the Springville Museum. My son and daughter-in-law took me and my daughter Jennie to check it out. There were some lovely quilts, and I have a few to share.

 We fell in love with two family reunion quilts. Both were designed by design Lori Holt. Check out her blog--what darling things she makes! I hope you can get close-ups of these quilts because they have adorable details!

Here is another quilt that I was attracted to. Don't know for sure, but it looks like Blackbird Designs perhaps? I know someone will correct me if I am wrong. 

 Finally, here is my little buddy again, Isaac! He finally received the quilt that I made him! Isn't he adorable!  More to come!  (Did she mean quilts or babies???)

UPDATE: The flag quilt has been identified! It is from a book by Blackbird Designs called Women of Grace and Charm. An old book of theirs. They have so many great books and great designs!

Focus on Thirties

 

I am back home at long last! And I have quilts to share!  My friend and long arm quilter, Marae Harris, in Mesa, AZ has a log cabin quilt that her grandmother made, and she decided to reproduce it. They are so similar that I am not sure which one this is. I love them! All thirties prints, as you  can see. She has an enormous collection of thirties prints, plus she traded with friends. The only way! 

In this photo I placed the recent quilt on top of the old one. Aren't they remarkably alike? Grandmother's quilt is so finely hand stitched--absolutely beautiful! I am sure Marae will machine quilt hers, and it will be beautifully done as well. This makes me want to start collecting 30's prints!

 My Aunt Kathy is a quilter also, and she loves pastels! She began this string quilt several years ago and this year she finished it up. Tiny white rick rack separates each block, then on the border she used a wider rick rack on the seams. It is darling! She is making baby quilts to put away for great-grandchildren of the future.

 

This is another of Aunt Kathy's. She hand stitched the pinwheel arcs down and added the cute string border. Another adorable quilt! It is so fun to see what these ladies are working on when I visit in Arizona.

I was only in Arizona for two days while wending my way home from Montana. It was fun filled with family and a few quilts. You know I got some Mexican food in also! I feel like I am ready to move there, if only my husband would retire. He is getting closer every day!!

 

One more curiosity of which to make note. My darling granddaughter, Danielle, came home from a church youth activity the night I arrived. She was so excited and had so much fun. They split up into teams and went on a scorpion hunt. Yes, for real. Her team caught 20. They had black lights and leather gloves and went around in backyards of local residents searching for scorpions! You have to admit, not every church group could pull this off!

Adventures in Babysitting

What has become of my cooking skills? Last week I made Molasses Crinkles, a favorite cookie in our family. Turns out that I didn't add enough flour, and the first tray spread all over the pan into a burned mess.  I added more flour and the rest were fine. Kathryn, above, wasn't that enamored with them, however, and remarked to her mother the next day that maybe she should stay home from school and teach me how to make NORMAL cookies.

Next, I attempted home made pizza. I didn't grease the pan and it stuck so bad it was impossible to remove the pizza from the pan. Great. Now what's for dinner?

Today I decided to make brownies. Bad idea. The recipe called for two cups of flour and I only had 1-1/2. Well hey, there is some pancake mix in the cupboard. Maybe I should just substitute a half cup of pancake mix for the flour. How bad could that be? The batter tasted great, actually. But when the smoke alarms started going off I knew I had a problem.  The problem was that the brownie batter was overflowing the pan and burning. Great. So I pulled the brownies out of the oven and let them sit there until I figured out what came next. Images of scrubbing the heck out of another burned pan came to mind. Not a happy thought.

See the crusted edges of the pan? Not a good look. Oddly enough, after the brownies cooled, they actually tasted good! Even Kathryn and Jack approved! 

I think my cooking talents have slowly disintegrated. About  all I know how to do these days is cut squares and sew them together.

On another note, (remember that the parents went out of town and left me in charge) Jack was playing on his "rip stick" and fell and broke his arm on Sunday. We spent the afternoon in the hospital emergency room. Jack was very brave and I was proud of the way he handled himself. 

Does his shirt say "Wild, wild west"? Yes, that seems to sum it up! 

So my work here is done and tomorrow I leave for Arizona for a couple days. Another rotation as grandmother. Be warned little ones, Grandmother is going South! (In more ways than one!)

Too much of a good thing.

Oh my gosh, I think I had one too many Diet Cokes today. Here it is 1:30 am and the children are long gone to sleep and I am still tossing and turning and yawning and having caffeine spasms in my legs and I just can't get comfortable in bed, AND I'm sleeping on a Sleep Number bed on somebody else's number! It is just me and the hamster that are up. The hamster, I have discovered, is nocturnal and races around all night, which doesn't help when you are seeking sleep. He seems like a happy little guy tho, so I can't fault him. 

I would have been fine, except I decided to take the kids to McDonalds because I have no idea what to make for them that they will eat. They had their Happy Meal and I had mine, which included the one too many Diet Cokes.

My daughter and her husband are gone for a couple days while they take their daughter to college in Rexburg, Idaho. After that they are going to Jackson, Wyoming for some R and R. They never get away alone together unless I happen to be around. Chris, my SIL, has been singing that he's "going to Jackson" for a week now. I think he has been looking forward to this. They will be back Monday, no doubt smiling.

Meanwhile, I think and hope that Hurricane Earl skipped over my house in Virginia Beach, VA. I don't know how bad North Carolina got it, but apparently it calmed down a bit as it swept north up the coast line. A very good thing.

I will leave you with a photo of Kathryn and her hamster collection as I bid you goodnight, and go off to bed to try again to sleep, perchance to dream.

Touring Montana

Currently I am in Missoula, Montana at my daughter's home. My son-in-law wanted to take me to this quilt shop with a taxidermy shop in it. It was a nice drive with beautiful scenery and a river ran through it. (Hee hee). Well, when we arrived we found that there was no longer a taxidermy shop there. I really just wanted to find a good subject to blog about. The shop caters to those interested in western type fabrics and they also had a nice supply of batiks. I love the name of it: Blackfoot Trading Post. Definitely Indian country here. Lewis and Clark stopped here as well on their Journey of Discovery.


Now for your viewing pleasure I have included a video of my granddaughter Kathryn, formerly known as Plumpkin. Her father recently taped her at Glacier National Park giving a tour of park highlights. At age five, she is already developing a career path.  Enjoy!

Sorry about the sideways shot in the beginning. We seek further instruction. Also, in the beginning, Kathryn is saying that the little tree wants to get prettier. And in the end, she thinks that the "thingy" on the tree looks like a dragon's nose.