Whimsicals Threads

:: the aftermath ::

Well.....

Nothing like running myself down to the point of having a cold, chills, and no voice before going to Quilt Market, feeling a little better while at Quilt Market, only to come home and find myself (and my husband) sick again.  You would think that after so many years of doing this that I would learn the importance of proper rest and nutrition, but < sigh > it hasn't sunk in yet.

Getting ready for and exhibiting at Quilt Market is always a blur for me and this one was no exception.  In fact, the night before we left, I was still trying to get my booth planned and ended up packing my clothes by creeping into our bedroom with a flashlight at 1am while Tom slept.  (He tends to do most of the driving since the only time I can sleep in the car is, um.... while I'm driving.  Seriously!!)  Needless to say I ended up with some strange combinations of clothes and shoes. But hey.... they say fashion stops at the knees when attending a show like this, right?!

 

So, what have I been working so frantically on you may ask?  Well, this year marks Red Rooster Fabrics 10th anniversary, so I designed a fabric line for them with..... you guessed it...... Roosters! 

I've called it Home to Roost, and am working on a book by the same name that I plan on having ready in January.  I filled my booth at Quilt Market with the projects that were completed, but plan on adding a few additional small things that are still swirling around in my head. But for now, here are a few pictures of my booth and the quilts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not too shabby when you consider that I didn't really start planning the booth until 4 days before we left, although, I admit that I started collecting the various chickens almost a year ago.  The very large rooster was purchased in Arizona and was one of those things that we bought and THEN thought about how to get him home on the airplane!  He ended up riding home in my parents car several months later and has proudly sat guard in my dining room until (sadly for me) he went home with someone else as Market..... that is another story all together!

And just to give a little perspective for those who have not been able to attend Quilt Market (or Festival), here are a few pictures taken from the upper floor of the convention center looking down at the exhibit floor. 

 

And that is just a little taste of International Quilt Market in Houston.  Hope you enjoyed it! 

Terri

Market Prep

As you can imagine, I have been frantically trying to get ready for International Quilt Market, which is in { gasp } less than a week.  Where oh where did the time go?!  

I've had several days in the past few weeks when my parents have graciously come to help out, and because mom always brings her camera and takes pictures, I thought I would let her write a post and share some things from her perspective.  So, let me introduce to you.....

Mom (aka Jackie)!

As you read, you will see that I felt the need to insert a few comments.... you will be able to pick them out, I'm sure!

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Greetings from Mom!  Terri has granted me the questionable honor of doing a blog for her.  You see, she has been really busy getting ready for Market in Houston.  So being the Mom that I am, she asked me if I'd like to do a "guest blog."   Of course, I couldn't resist the offer.

Dad and I love helping Terri get ready for Market!    Well, I love it and Dad jumps in after I volunteer him.   Actually, our vehicles are trained to make the 60 mile trip between our homes in record time, time and time again!

My first assignment for this market was to show up to help with a new design.   Wellllllll.....any of you who design your own quilts know that great ideas don't always turn into great quilts.  Here's our first effort at using the new fabric line to make a "musical quilt" like Tyler's.  

NOTE:  I don't think I shared the making of Tyler's quilt here on my blog because I was trying to decide if it was going to be in my next book..... Just a few weeks ago, I decided to attempt writing the instructions for it and think I have it figured out, so you will see the final quilt in my new book!  But here is a photo as a little sneek peek since mom brought it up! 

Neither of us were really pleased with what we were seeing, so back to the drawing board we went.   To make a long story short, I headed home with the "notes" and a stack of fabric.  Being as lazy as I am at times, I decided to use only completed blocks for A Brief Note.    I have to admit, its a little "off the wall" or different, but I also have to admit I had a blast doing it!

 

Oops!  There's a stray spool left from another project on my design wall!!!  {hmmm...... wonder if that ended up in a project for this book..... I'm thinking you're going to have to check back to see when I do the sneek peek post!}

After quilting and finishing the quilt, I headed to my embroidery machine and produced three labels for quilts going in the book.   Labels are really important, especially for someone who is old, like me, as I cannot remember who quilted what, or even if I did it or someone else did it--especially after time passes.

Back to Noblesville a couple more times--don't ask me just what we did, but Terri and I were busy all day.

OK--time is really getting short now, so Carol, Terri's assistant, cut fat quarters, many of which ended up back in Lafayette where Dad folded them while I worked on binding a couple things so photos could be taken.  

Back to Noblesville again--whew!  Carol was still cutting while Dad folded more quarters.....I stitched labels in place and attached a sleeve for the Indy quilt show, where Terri entered a wonderful exchange quilt. {I'll post a picture of that quilt at a later date.... it's one of my favorites!}   Carol works on the computer while Dad (the Champion folder) is busy stacking quarters for bundles.

And here they are!!!   Neat, tidy little bundles all ready for the trip to Houston.

 

In addition to getting fat quarters ready, Terri has to finish the back of a rather large quilt.....here she is, diligently working on piecing it.   Notice that its not just a large piece of fabric.....pieced backs are much more fun.

Photos are another "must" in order to publish a book.....The dining room turns into the photo studio!  {sigh.... the photography is NOT my favorite part of doing a book!}

And you surely think Terri treats her quilts like gold---not all the time.   These have been photographed and are ready for the trip.

Oh, and the booth needs to be designed, props selected, etc.    Not sure just what the ball has to do with it, but maybe the little bed will be taking a trip! {The ball was there to hold up the center of the quilt so I could see if it fit on the bed!  Really, I think that is the most action this excercise ball has seen in several months!}

 

There are still a couple of projects to be finished.....to use or not to use, that is the question!    Do the colors work?   How many blocks?   And on, and on, and on.    This one may or may not make it into the book!

One more little detail--Terri always makes sure there's a delicious lunch available for anyone helping her!  {Yum!  My favorite lunch!}

Well, that's about it from Market Prep land.   Hope you enjoyed this sneak peek of what Quilt Market is all about.....it's about a messy house (always time to clean up later) and everyone pitching in to get it done!

Cheers to all, and happy quiltimg from the Whimsicals Mom

 

 

 

 

:: sewing... cutting... writing ::

Sewing, cutting, writing, more sewing, more cutting.....

I've been busy trying to get projects finished for my newest fabric line, Buttons & Blooms.  It's amazing how everything snowballs.... I was behind getting the book for Winterberry Lane done, which pushed me behind in getting new designs finished for Buttons & Blooms, but I think I may be catching up to myself, if that's even possible.  Whew!

So, for those of you who don't know by now, I am playing hookey at Quilt Market this spring. 

I know, I know, you can all start crying along with me right now. 

But I haven't missed one in 12 years, so I think I deserve a little slack here!  To be perfectly honest, I really am going to miss being there.  I love seeing my friends, the excitement of seeing what's new and different, and just having that time away from the usual day to day things at home.

So to explain to you why I'm not going to be there, let me first show you a picture....

This is my youngest in 1994.  And this is my youngest in 2011......

 

Yep.  My baby is growing up.  And he's graduating from high school.  So I think that is a bit more important than going to Quilt Market, right?!  Right!

But, just because I'm not going to be there doesn't mean that I won't have anything new to offer.  In fact, I hope to have a new book completed sometime next month, with the projects that I've made using the Buttons & Bloms fabric.

So, check back in the coming days if you want to catch some sneak peeks of these projects.

And if you're going to be at Quilt Market, take a few pictures for me! 

:: catching up ::

I've been back from Quilt Market for almost two weeks, and still feel like I'm playing catch-up.  All those things I said that I was going to do when I got home..... well, many of them are still waiting to be done. 

First on my list is to share with you some information about QuiltAid USA 2010.  

There are 12 blocks, each designed by a different designer, and 6 different shops that have each designed a finished quilt with the blocks.  You need to visit each of the shops to purchase the pattern for the blocks, and then choose your favorite finishing to purchase. 

Funds raised from QuiltaidUSA 2010 will be donated to the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia through the Hamlin Fistula Relief and Aid fund Australia AND The Fistula Foundation USA.  You can read all about the charity here. 

And to see all about QuiltAid USA, the participating shops, and the designers, go to their website.  I feel very honored to be among such well known and talanted people!

So, here is the block that I made.

You can get the instructions for making it through Homestead Hearth.  And while you're at it, check out their gorgeous finishing kit that you can also purchase.

Make sure you check out all of the finishing kits, because each one of the participating shops did a different one, and they are all great.  Now, I just need to decide which one I want to try making......

Posting pictures from Quilt Market is another thing that I said I would do when I got back.  Again, I'm late as usual, but here you go......

This shows the entire booth, funky couch and all.  I have to confess that I found the little couch at one of my local antique malls, brought it home, and promptly started covering over the lovely 1970's gold fabric with some neutral home dec fabric I bought for $3 a yard.  I looks much better now and although I had visions of leaving it behind in Houston, we finally decided to bring it back home and put it in storage with all the other treasures that I use for props.  'Cause you never know....  I might need another little couch for a booth someday!

The day before we left, I found these big letters that spell out "believe" and loved how they looked on the mantle.  Just the right splash of color and what a statement....

So, these next two can be attributed to my "quirkiness" as my husband calls it. 

Can you tell what I used for tinsel on my Christmas tree?! 

Right before Market, I cut a ton of fat quarters for my booth.  To do this, I just cut off the folded edge of the fabric and toss it on the floor into a big pile until I'm finished.  As I picked these little strips up off the floor, I looked at them in my hands, then looked at the tree standing there, and had a lightbulb moment.....

I threw them on the tree and voila!  Fabric tinsel! 

I think it worked great and it was fun to see the surprise on peoples' faces when they realized what it was.  I wonder how many shops are going to have fabric tinsel on their trees this year?!

I also had to scramble around to find some way to display the aprons.  I searched all over for some kind of mannequin, continually kicking myself for all the times I saw old ones in the antique stores and didn't buy them.  But I happened upon this one in SteinMart right before I left and was so glad because I think that the apron looked great on it.

One last picture....  Because I don't like carrying my camera around with me at Market, I seldom get any pictures of friends I meet or see there.  But, this time, I ran into Lynette Anderson and actually had my camera with me, so her husband took this picture for me.  She used some of my fabrics in one of the quilts in her booth, and I'm wishing that I had gotten a picture of it now, because it was a gorgeous quilt, but I didn't. 

Hmmmmm..... note to self...... upgrade to a smartphone before going to Market in the spring, so I can get more pictures!

And with that I'm going to sign off.  I can't believe that Thanksgiving is a little over a week away, and then November will be gone.  YIKES!  So much left to do, and so little time!  Gotta get to that sewing machine!

 

 

we have a winner!!!

Sorry for the lack of posts while we were at Quilt Market.  What a surprise to find out that the hotel we chose to stay in did not have free internet!  Add that to the long drive home, then spending the entire day yesterday receiving the final shipment of books, filling orders and trying to make heads or tails of where everything is.... well, you get the idea.

I did take some photos while we were at Quilt Market, but first things first.....

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WINNER!!

I randomly chose one name from the two days that I posted the projects from my newest book, Tangled Up In Thread, and the winners are.......

Tricia McCain in Oklahoma and Darlene B.

If you will send me your address in an email, I'll send out a free copy of the book!!!

Thank you to everyone who left comments.  Believe it or not, I read each one and am so excited that YOU are excited!  It makes this all so much more fun!

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So, since I didn't get to share any photos while I was gone, I think I should share them now.

Quilt Market can be a little overwhelming, especially when we first get to the convention center and unload everything, then stand back and look at this big empty space that has to be filled.  I do a lot of planning before I go, but it still seems so different when it's in such a large space!

And yes, it is that dark.  They don't turn on the air conditioning or many lights for set-up day, so it can be pretty miserable!

But, it didn't take us very long this time, and a few hours later, this is what it looked like.....

Yes, still a little messy, but we got it all together and when it was all done and ready for the show, here's what everyone saw.....

I thought this was really fun....

This is a jacket made using all the red fabrics from the Tangled Threads line.  The women from MorninGlory Designs have made it into a pattern and I think it looks great!  They let me borrow it for a day and I can't tell you how many people asked about it.  How cool is that?!

And here's another fun picture.  You might recognize some faces here, especially if you did the Cross Country Blog Hop in November.....

We had a chance to get together one morning before the show opened and snap a few quick pictures.  There were several that I only knew from reading their blogs or by name, but never had the chance to meet in person, so it was fun to finally meet them!  We were missing a few from the blog hop, but still had fun chatting and discussing ideas.  Will there be another blog hop???  Who knows?!  Stay tuned to find out!

All in all, it was a great show.  I got a chance to visit with my sister (who lives in Minneapolis), see some friends I only see twice a year, the book and new fabric line were met with great enthusiasm, and I'm ready to take little breather, clean up my house and yard, and spend a little time getting all my thoughts and ideas sorted out.  Then, it's off and running again, designing the next fabric line and projects for another book or patterns in October. 

Check back next week.  I have several other things I want to share, but right now, I see the bright shining sun outside my window and I hear it beckoning me..... I'm looking forward to enjoying it today!

And here's the rest

As promised, I'm going to share the remaining projects in my new book, but first of all I want to thank everyone for all the comments.  Wow!  It's pretty humbling, (and a bit frightening) knowing that there are so many of you out there who like what I do enough to support and encourage me.  It makes every minute spent working on the projects, fabric, and book so worth it.

So, the first project I want to show you is another one that I gave you a glimpse of a couple weeks ago.  Going along with the sewing theme (I couldn't seem to get that out of my mind) it's another one that I used the new fabrics in and probably the only one in this book that you won't be able to make until the fabric is out in the shops.  Well, you could substitute other fabrics, but what I did was cut up the large print to use in the setting squares for the star, and of course, the border print around the star.

I call this one Spare Buttons, and made it thinking that I would use it on the floor of my booth at Quilt Market.  But my friend that quilted it for me about had a fit when I told her I wanted to do that, so I guess I'll have to put it on a table instead.  I love the rick rack around the edge..... so fun!  

 
And when I get back, one of the things I plan on doing is a post on finishing a quilt with rick rack.  Oh geez, now that I said that I'm really going to have to follow through with it, won't I?! 

Here's one that may leave some scratching their heads.  I call it Sew on the Go.....

Doesn't it look like your dad's shaving kit?!  Well, it's not, but it does have a story to go with it....

Several months ago, I mentioned that I wanted to design something to carry my sewing projects in.  So, one day I was out browsing through one of those stores that I love wandering around in but rarely purchase anything from (because the prices are so high), when I came across a really cool toiletries bag.  One look at it told me that it would work great for carrying small sewing projects, threads, needles, etc, so I actually bought it, came home, and promptly started measuring, drawing, and cutting, and after several attempts, came up with this little pouch.   And I must say that it DOES work great for those smaller hand projects!  But, you might have to explain to people why there are spools of thread and needles in your toiletries bag.....

So, moving on. 

These two are my Early Bird and my Night Owl.  Since I don't sleep very much, I've never been able to decide which one I am, so I had to make them both!  They are the same quilt, but I love the way they show how much the overall look and feel can change with the use of a different color scheme and fabrics.  Oh, and more of those little embellished flowers.  These are made out of wool, a little lace, and buttons.

 

 
Here's a small project that goes together really quickly.  All of these fabrics are mine.  Yes, even the teal one.  That's in my new line and although it's a little out of my comfort zone, I love the "pop" that it gives this quilt.  The applique is a combination of cotton and wool.

And the final project is another one that you may have gotten glimpses of in previous postings.  It's the biggest quilt I did for this book (about twin size) and the fun thing about it is that ALMOST all of the fabrics are ones that I designed.  I say almost because I just had to throw a few others in just to balance things out.  Once again, I combined a few of my favorite blocks, the churn dash and the spool.  I call this one All Churned Up (again, have I said how hard it is to come up with names for everything?!)

 So, there you have it.  Those are the projects that are in Tangled Up in Thread.  I hope you like them!! 

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REMEMBER, if you leave a comment, you may be able to win a free copy of the book.  I'll choose two random winners and send them a copy when I get back from Quilt Market.

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But, before I go, there's one last thing I need to share. If you didn't know, I designed a quilt that appeared in Australian Homespun magazine (No. 80 Vol. 11.1) this winter.  And if your luck was anything like mine, you may have had a hard time finding the magazine here in the United States.  So, I made this into an individual pattern that I hope to have delivered the same time that I get my new book. 

I love sampler quilts with various blocks and this one is no exception.  It's got a little of this and a little of that, but a whole lot of character!

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Ok, so now I really have to go get my day started.  There's a rug to finish, booth drapes to make, a rental van to pick up, clothes to pack...... the list goes on.  So many things to still get done before we leave tomorrow morning!  Yikes!  I'm hoping that our hotel has internet access and I have enough energy at the end of the day to at least do a few posting from Quilt Market.  If I do, they will be short and sweet, just to give you a taste of what it is like. 

So check back and wish me luck!

It is finished!

Whew.

I finally got the new book and pattern sent off the to the printer and approved for printing.  What a big relief.  That would explain my recent silence.  At least the silence of the last few weeks.  The time before that, I really have no excuse except to say that sometimes I get so immersed in the process of designing and laying out a book that I think I could be considered a hermit. 

So, I've come out of hiding and am ready to show you some of the things I've been working on. 

First off, here's a sampling of the new fabric line, called Tangled Threads.  It will be shown at Quilt Market this week with the expected ship date to the shops sometime in August or September.

If I had more time, I would show one project a day, but because I still have to get my booth planned for Quilt Market and we leave in 2 days (yikes!), I think I'll have to double (or triple) them up. 

Oh, and make sure you read all the way to the bottom.  There's something important you might want to know.....

So, are you ready??

This is the cover of the book........

Drum roll please.........

I had a lot of fun with this little girl.  I've named her Ella, just because she looks like one to me.  I cut her out of a larger quilt that is in the book.  I called this one Tangled Threads, simply because most of the fabric I used was from my new fabric line called Tangled Threads  (have I ever said how hard it is to come up with names for all these things?!)

Because the fabric and book were both kind of a sewing theme, I had to include a few projects that went along with it.  So, this is my Sewing Basket and my Thread Basket.

 

I originally shared this hat in a February posting, but had so many people ask about the pattern, I decided to include it in this book. (And on a side note, just so you know, this is not the picture in the book.  For the book, I cut the hats out so that I didn't have to put my face in there.....)

I love these hats.  Actually, I think I've made a total of 6 or 7 different ones to take with me.  One is made out of felted wool and the rest are made out of batiks.  But I think what makes them so fun is the big fabric flower that's on the band.  Did you see that I put a flower on one of the sewing baskets too?  Yep, the instructions are in the book for those too.

And the final one for today is one that I called Among the Stars.  You've seen the block several times in my previous postings because I love the block.  And I love the quilt just as much. 

 

The LeMoyne star has always been one of my favorites, and this is just an expanded version of it.  I believe that the block is called Blazing Star.  I made the diamond points for the large stars and the border by strip piecing...... no templates....... so don't let it scare you away.  It's not as hard as it looks.  And think about it.  You only have to make 4 of the large star block, not 20!

And that's all I will show you today.  Check back tomorrow and I'll unveil the rest of the projects.

Oh yea, the important thing I wanted you to know.....

It's a Giveaway!

Because I'm so happy to finally have the book finished, I've decided that I need to give a few of them away.  From those that leave comments for me today and tomorrow (when I'll show the rest of the projects) I'll pick a couple winners who will get a free book.  How about that?  I won't be able to send it out until we get back from Quilt Market, but you'll get a free one nonetheless!

If you're going to be a Quilt Market, be sure to come by my booth.  I'd love to meet you.  Oh, and if I'm not there and you see a handsome man amidst all those lovely quilts, that would be my husband.  He'll know where to find me.  He always does.

And so it begins...

We are just back from Quilt Market and I am determined to figure out how all of this blogging stuff works. So, I'm starting out by simply posting a photo of our booth at Quilt Market.  I'm a little surprised at how well it turned out because we really had very little planned out before we packed what we could in our rented van.  In fact, two days before we left, we found this really comfy, but really ugly, chair that I foolishly thought I could cover with some fabric. 

Ha!  That didn't work!  So, the day before we left, I was frantically going from store to store, trying to find ANYTHING that would cover over this chair, and happened upon this neutral throw blanket.  I brought it home, unrolled it from its' packaging, and found that it had a stripe and fringe on the end!

So I threw it on the chair and was pleasantly surprised that it made it look kinda like a bedroom chair, and voila!  No more ugly chair!  It worked great for the booth, and we even got a second place award for Single Booth at market.  I was happy that no one could see the fabric under the blanket, and Tom was happy because he had a comfy place to sit in the booth while I ran around the show.  Now, if I can just find the time to make some kind of real cover for the chair, maybe it will find its' way into our family room and become a permanent resting place!