Quilt Market - 1st Post

OK!! I'm home and my pics are readable so I'll start at the beginning - boring as it may be! Bill and I travel in a motor home and tow our car. To quote another friend - I didn't know I was a turtle. I want my house on my back! To be clear.... I am NOT a camper! I just prefer my own stuff and my own bed and my own potty to a hotel room. Let's just say that I like to have my condo on wheels.

This is where we parked in Houston. A nice place around a pretty little lake where we'd stayed before. The weather was mostly gorgeous!

The RV Park was FULL of people there for disaster relief from Hurricane Ike. There were 5th Wheels as far as the eye could see!

As soon as we got there we were off to deliver quilts to the Maywood booth to be displayed. Here's how my quilts looked...

And here's a close up of the chicken coop. Another pattern designer (I'll find out who) made these pincushions and needle keepers with the Rise N Shine fabric. Are they not the cutest things?? I think they're going to be in Nancy's Notions. Also note the darling Rooster quilt beneath the coop.

And another designer (again, I'll find out who) did a fabulous Block of the Month with the fabric. You can do either the big quilts or two smaller ones which are hanging on the sides.

After hanging quilts we were pooped and headed for home. Come back tomorrow to see the best part. I got to meet all kinds of wonderful blogging stars!!

Til then... Blessings ~

Quick Update

Well...

I had fully intended to have several posts online by now, but my laptop won't read my photo card (grrrr) so I'll have to wait til we get home!

I've got some great pics to show you and lots to tell you so be sure to check back over the next few days. I did my best to help out the economy while we were here!

Blessings~

Last Day Before Market

Well, this week we're tying up loose ends and getting ready to head out. I'm looking forward to seeing many of you this week in Houston. If you're there and have a minute, here's my schedule:

• Schoolhouse on Friday from 12:20 - 12:50


• Book signing at Krause on Saturday at 11:00 am


• Book signing at EE Schenck on Saturday at 3:00 pm


• Book signing at EE Schenck on Sunday at 11:00 am

Other than that I am going to have fun looking around and seeing what's new! And hopefully visiting with friends.

My Mom got sick last week with bronchitis. You might remember that we had to cancel our vacation last summer when she had hallucinations. What a nightmare that was! I took her to the Dr. on Friday and he put her on some med that made her hallucinate again. I think we nipped it in the bud and she seems to be some better. I've got a nurse checking on her every other day for awhile. Keep your fingers crossed that she does OK until we get back.

I wanted to show you the quilts that Denise Schillinger of Swanville, MN sent me pics of. The first one is a butterfly quilt that she made for her church for an auction from some feedsacks that had been donated. Lucky gal! The second is another butterfly that she made from repros and a closeup. I never get tired of butterfly quilts. I know there's one in my future. Thanks so much Denise!

Don't forget to keep sending the pics! Can't wait to see what you're up to!

I'll keep in touch while I'm gone. Til next time---

Blessings~

Quick Note

If you haven't visited Pat Sloan's blog, take a minute to check out her interview with my dear friend Linda Jenkins of Piece O Cake. Her celebrity interviews are really fun!

Linda wrote on Oct. 7th about our visit to see her and her husband, Paul, this summer. If you didn't have a chance to read about it, check out the Piece O Cake blog for that date.

Blessings~

Terrific Tuesday!

Finally! I'm DONE with my last project before Market and it's off to the quilter!! Woohoo!! I do have a couple of bindings to do, but I can sew those down in the car. It's a great feeling to have that done. Here's a pic of the newest Rise N Shine project. All the new quilts will be available in kits after Market.

Today's Gallery Quilt is from Kathy Holscher in Greeley, CO. She has done a fabulous job with this feedsack quilt she calls Feedsack Frenzy. The large squares look like they are all novelties and she has sashed with an amazing array of feedsack triangle squares. Absolutely stunning! Thanks so much for sharing, Kathy!

Don't forget to keep sending pics to share!

Have a great week!

Blessings~

Home Again!!

The retreat was so much fun!! It was a lot of work and long days, but such a pleasure to be with 225 people who love quilting as much as I do! Sadly, this picture of me doing my lecture was the BEST of the bunch! Does that indicate a lack of photogenic aptitude????

I taught the Bees Knees pattern in my all day class. They didn't need me. All really good quilters that worked hard and hopefully had a little fun, too. Here are some of them with their heads down.

And here they are with a finished block. Some used the fabric from a kit and others used their own creativity with their fabric. I thought they were all great!

It was very appropriate that this retreat was my last class to teach. I was a charter member of the guild that began the fall retreats at that facility over 20 years ago. It was like coming full circle. Maybe I'll actually have time to attend as a participant in the future!

It did make me think about all the friends that I have made over the last 25 years. Many have remained close and I treasure their friendship more than ever. I don't know of many things that builds kinship like quilting does. We can pretty much go wherever we want and there will always be a place to fit in. How lucky we are to have so many sisters! Quilting supercedes all other things in life. It doesn't matter whether we're married, have children, which church we attend, which political party we follow, what color or sex we are. We are still sisters through quilting (except for the brothers!) And now I'm making friends through the internet and this blog! It just goes on and on. I'm feeling very blessed!

So now to catch up with orders, calls and email. THEN to list items on Etsy and work on one more project for my new fabric for Market. Hope all of you had a terrific weekend and are off to a great week. I'll be in touch soon!

Blessings~

Off to the Retreat!

I'm not quite ready, still cutting feedsacks squares, but here's what I've been working on all week. Doesn't seem like much, huh? It's amazing how much time it takes to get ready to go to an event. Still have to pull quilts, etc. together to show. At least it's fun when I get there! But I'm reminded as to why I don't do shows anymore!!

Thanks to all of you who have sent pictures! I appreciate it so much. They are all wonderful and I can't wait to show them. Don't stop sending though! The more the better and I know there are lots of quilts wanting to be seen.

Todays pic is courtesy of Cheryl Tooker from Yucaipa, CA. You can visit her wonderful blog at Polka Dots and Rickrack. She used my Sailing Sailing pattern which until Square Dance was my best selling pattern ever. I think she did a terrific job with it. Thanks so much Cheryl! I'll get your free pattern in the mail pronto! Don't you just LOVE quilts with feet???

As you can see on the sidebar, I am once again sold out of feedsacks. Thankfully I cut some for Etsy as I was cutting for the retreat so you should see some next week. Thank you so much for being such loyal customers. I'll get better as my time frees up. Don't give up on me!

I hope everyone is having wonderful fall weather. This retreat is located at a State Park not far from here and it's always gorgeous this time of year. Again, if I remember to, I'll take some pics! Have a terrific weekend and I'll see you next week---

Blessings ~