Welcome to the QuiltSoup blog

And the QuiltSoup winner is....

2011-11-20T17:45:00.004-07:00

The winner of five fat quarters of Pajama Party from QuiltSoup is Pat V., Nov 16, 2011, 3:59 pm who said she also needed new potholders. Please send me your address and we ship out soon. If we haven't heard from you within 7 days we reserve the right to do what we think is best with the prize. Again thanks to all of you for your nice comments and for visiting our site. We enjoyed the hop and hope you did too!
Don't forget to enter the big drawing at the Henry Glass website. I'm pretty sure you need to visit their blog to enter.

This is it!!!

2011-11-18T21:48:00.008-07:00

It's the final day of the Henry Glass Designers' Jolly Holiday Party. Today you can visit Chelsea Andersen of Pink Fig Designs whose fabrics definitely trend to fresh and modern.

Next is Linda Lum DeBono of dzyning things. This girl is super creative! She is also the Techno Guru of our bunch. She is so savvy when it comes to electronic publishing, blogs, facebook, twitter and all of that stuff. She has had the unenviable task of herding us all through a blog hop. We may not be the easiest bunch to herd but we probably have some fun once we get going!!
These two ladies have the last 2 two secret words. Be sure to write them down somewhere. I need to say that my word was actually 2 words...gingerbread cookies. The QuiltSoup contest ends Saturday night, 11:59 pm MST. I will draw the winner on Sunday morning and announce then as well. Please send your address right away because I am leaving on Monday morning and will not be shipping again until Dec 2.

Thanks so much for hopping and following our designers. I wish you a wonderful holiday season filled with every thing you absolutely adore.

Snowy day

2011-11-18T09:11:00.007-07:00

Holy moley! I am posting a little late this morning. I have been out shoveling snow that I am just certain Pam and Janet of the Buggy Barn have sent this way. It is that kind of snow that is gentle and quiet and continual. It piles up in a hurry. I have been to the Buggy Barn for annual outdoor quilt show and it is truly spectacular. I see a great write up about them and the show in Mary Janes' Farm Girl mag thisi month.
After you visit with them, stop by and see Renae Allen at RGA Designs. for some of the most beautiful pieced quilts going. If you are a traditionalist, today is your day!

Lastly, if you stop by the Lazy Diasy Cottage you will find Dana Brooks. I'm not sure whether she has done a project for you for not, but it is always fun to visit as many shops as you can in my opinion. Dana is a very talented designer and runs a mile a minute. I am also lucky to count her as one of my friends. Don't forget about those secret words. I m sure these women have plenty of fun for you today.

Christmas Sweets

2011-11-16T22:46:00.006-07:00

Today the HG designers for the blog hop are Leanne Anderson of the The Whole Country Caboodle and Brenda Pinnick of Brenda Pinnick Designs.

Leanne has been in the quilt biz for a good long time. It is a family endeavor and I am pleased to say that I met her mother a couple of times at market and now her daughter as well. How wonderful to be able to share the quilt bug with your mom and child.

I can still see the photo of Brenda's project from last year in my mind. She did the cutest fabric banner and the sight of it has stuck with me. I am guessing that she is a lover of color. I'm sure this year's project will be as memorable. We don't get to see her at market and I have a feeling that is our loss. She has also tried to keep us a bit organized on this blog hop!

Thanks to everyone who visited me yesterday and for all your nice comments. Don't forget to collect those words as you hop.

Gingerbread Cookies

2011-11-15T09:27:00.034-07:00

Happy Holidays from my house to yours! I didn’t realize I had so much to talk about when it came to Christmas until I had a look at the interview questions we are answering.

I did know that Christmas is absolutely my favorite time of year and always has been. I love the generosity and kindness one sees at Christmas and always wish we could keep that spirit with us a little longer than we do.

I’m excited to share a pot-holder design with you. It seems like everyone always uses Christmas dishes and towels during the season and these might make nice hostess or neighbor gifts. You could make a plate of Gingerbread Cookies and provide the recipe with the pot holders. The reason I made these is that my mother needs new pot-holders. Here she is.

She was very specific about what she wanted; “like those ones I got 20 years ago from that lady at the craft fair”!!!! I, of course, had no idea what she was talking about but did a little investigating. The hot pads were simple round cloth disks that really fit a hand pretty well. What I loved about them is that didn’t have any hanging loops or wooden rings attached to them (which made my photo shoot a little more challenging).

They were just the essence of a pot holder. “What happened to the ones you had?” is asked? “Oh I caught them on fire” she said. Forget about taking away someone’s keys when they get older…maybe we need to take away her pot-holders! I plan to make a holiday set as well as some everyday ones for her. You can find the patterns on our web site. We also have some good sales going on right now too!

What is your favorite holiday food?

I debated sharing this recipe with you because it makes for a long post. In the end, I decided why not?! My grandpa was an incredibly patient farmer from Arkansas and he used to make the kind of corn he said "made a rabbit hit a bear". We never knew why he said that but it always made us laugh. When he and generation all passed away, no one made this corn anymore and I missed it way too much. As a way of honoring him and keeping this tradition alive, I resurrected this recipe for home-made creamed corn! This is not that icky stuff from the can that you are probably thinking of. The best way to explain what it is, is to tell you how we make it. Then you will see why it is only served during the holidays (we ration it out!)

During July, when corn on the cob is in season, we order 6-12 dozen ears from the farmer. We chose a farmer that grows the “Confetti” variety of corn. It is white and yellow and incredibly sweet. We schedule a picking for a Saturday because making the corn is a time consuming job. The corn is picked early in the morning and we are there to load it up and head for home. From there, we husk, remove all the silk, wash, dry and stack the ears in a cool place.

Next comes the tedium and the mess. We do this job outside and cover the ground where we work with sheets. Take a sharp razor blade, (you will need a pack of single edge razor blades for this job, barely trim the tops of the kernels by running the razor blade down the ear. These tops are for the compost post pile. Next, take a butter knife and run the smooth side of the knife down the ear while holding it over a pan. All the creamy goop and goodness that comes out is what we are keeping. When the pan is full, stop and bag the corn goop. We use very strong freezer bags. For every pint of goop, add 1 teaspoon sugar and 1/8- 1/4 teaspoon salt. Squish all the air out of the bag and seal well. Lay the bags flat in the freezer and allow corn to freeze before moving it.

To prepare the corn, melt 1 stick (yes, one whole stick) of butter in a large frying pan. No wonder this is so good! Add the corn. I have used it frozen or thawed. The only difference is in the time it takes to cook. Cover the pan and cook over low heat stirring frequently. You have to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t scorch. We usually give someone the job of "corn stirrer" so somebody tends it closely. Cook about 1 hour. Sometimes we have to add a little more butter as it cooks. You will end up with a bowl of the creamiest, most delicious creamed corn you have ever eaten. It takes some planning but it is really worth the effort of keeping this tradition alive.

Does your family have a favorite holiday tradition?
Ours is to have a sit-down traditional Christmas dinner and a family party. We do this on Christmas Eve.

Did you love or hate sitting on Santa’s lap?
I loved it and I loved him!

Was there a gift you desperately wanted? Did you get it?
I wanted everything I wanted desperately!! Yes, I always got what I had hoped for.

What is your favorite holiday movie? I don’t watch them.

Favorite holiday song?
There are three that I love equally; they are the Carol of the Bells by Celtic Woman, Mary Did You know (but only the version by Michael English) and Christmas (Baby Please Come Home). I just downloaded All I Want for Christmas by Justin Beiber and Mariah Carey a couple of weeks ago. I listen to these songs all year long!

Do you make many holiday presents? What do you like to give?
I used to make almost all of the gifts I gave. That might have included Gingerbread Cookies or not. My time is so limited now that I only make gifts for my grandchildren and their mother and father. I like to give them something they can’t buy and something unique. This year it will likely be knitted and felted intarsia bags for the girls, knitted scarves for my snowboarder boys and/or quilts. I am always hopeful when I undertake my Christmas gift making. Usually, I find should have started about 6 months earlier than I did in order for it to be humanly possible to complete it all in time! Sound familiar?

If you could go back in time, when would you say was your most favorite holiday memory?
The best Christmas mornings I ever had, were those when my son (who is an only child) was about 3-5 years old. Seeing the excitement of Christmas through his eyes was better than anything else!

Do you like a big family gathering at the holidays or do you prefer a small dinner followed by hot chocolate by the fire?

I like them both, it just depends on the time of the day! I like to start out with lots of family and chaos but by evening I am ready for a calm respite. I don’t like chocolate so it would be some kind of a latte instead of cocoa for me!

As a reward for persevering to end of this epistle, I would like to tell you that we have a giveway contest for you here at QuiltSoup. We are giving away 5 fat quarters of our latest Pajama Party line of fabrics. It isn’t even in stores yet but you can see the whole thing at Henry Glass. I am really excited to work with this line. We have done a free quilt and pillowcases for you. Who knows, maybe pot holders would from these fabrics would be cute. Just leave off the Christmas appliques, etc, etc. Comment to be entered into the drawing. We will draw and announce the winner on Tuesday. Could someone please check on those gingerbread cookies????

I hope I haven't worn you out. I am sharing the day with Anni Downs of Hatched and Patched and everything she does is wonderful! I don't know Anni very well yet but hope to change that!

More free projects! Can you even stand it?

2011-11-14T22:14:00.010-07:00

Good morning to all. The blog hop continues today with the ladies of Little Quilts. They are Mary Ellen Van Holt (seated), Alice Berg and Sylvia Johnson (don't they look so pretty?) Last year they did fabric strips that were tied onto the branches of their Christmas tree and it was so stunning and so simple. I can't wait to see what they have come up with this year!

Lucy Morey of Hot Scott Patterns is of the up and comer generation and I am expecting a hip and funky twist from her.

All I know about Vicki Oehlke of WillowBerry Lane is that I have loved every collection of fabric she has ever done, even when she was designing for another fabric house. She leans toward the romantic and lovely florals and I am one of her biggest fans. I have made it one of my goals to meet her at the next market. Her blog is willowberrylane.wordpress.com.

I don't mind telling you that I am starting to sweat. I will be sharing my project with you tomorrow and I am feeling just how talented all these other ladies are. Here's hoping for a good outcome! Have a fun day and please enjoy your hopping! Are you collecting the secret words?

East and West

2011-11-14T08:16:00.001-07:00

We are spanning the country today from Arizona to New Jersey.No matter where you are located or where you come from, it seems there are some holiday traditions that transcend all of that.On the second day of our Henry Glass Blog hop you will find a project from Jacquelynne Steves of the The Nobel Wife

and the girls from LizzieBCre8ive. Have fun visiting and collecting projects. If you happen to have experienced any technical glitches or missing projects with our hop on Sunday, please try again. It turns out that sometimes life gets in the way of the best laid plans of mice and designers!!

And we're off!

2011-11-12T14:48:00.014-07:00

Today begins the Henry Glass Jolly Holiday party. For the next week you will be able to visit many of the HG designers and download a free holiday project from each of their blogs. Collect the secret word at each blog and put them in safe place. At the end of the hop you will be able to comment on the Henry Glass blog to become eligible for the grand prize. You need to know the secret words though! We are also doing a giveaway at QuiltSoup on our day (Wednesday). Comment to be eliblgible for our prize.
Jillily Studios (do you believe she is a grandmother?)

and Kari Ramsay of Fresh Cut Quilts.

Both of these women are from Utah, are very talented, and are lovely people. I can't wait to see what they have come up with.

You are cordially invited....

2011-11-06T16:13:00.004-07:00

There's a Jolly Holiday Party coming up and you're invited! The dates are Nov 13-21. Come and join in on all of the fun that we are going to have.

There will be giveaways, stories and lots of inspiration. We get to visit with each designer. You'll find her wonderful holiday post and a special design that she's made for you.

We will post the schedule on Friday.

Fabric give-away

2011-10-29T09:01:00.002-06:00

Fabric give-away by Henry Glass! Like us on Facebook. Give-away closes Tuesday.

What do you think?

2011-06-20T11:58:00.001-06:00

New pillow to accompany a new quilt.

QI does it again!

2011-06-14T16:19:00.006-06:00

Penny Sturgess of Quilts Illustrated makes the cutest dang bags. She made us a new one called City Zipper. It has a cute flower called Pleated Posy. She made it out of our Cherry Fizz line. It is over-sized and perfect as a project bag for quilt retreats, knitting or crochet. I may also drag it onto an airplane just so I am stylin' the next time I have to fly! The kits and patterns are available at QuiltSoup.

Market pics

2011-05-19T08:31:00.005-06:00

We just finished Quilt Market in Salt Lake City. Here are a few quick shots of what it looked like for us.

The QuiltSoup Booth:

My neighbor and friend, Jill Finley of Jillily Design Studio:

Jill's award winning booth and our charming friend, Lenny:

I'm behind!!!

2011-05-10T13:00:00.001-06:00

I am falling behind with designer profiles for the Utah girls. I took a little break and caught up with Lila Tueller and Lori Holt. Both are featured on the All Dolled Up blog. Please link from the button to the right!

Big News from Pam Kitty Morning!

2011-05-01T12:49:00.004-06:00

Check it out! Pam has big news! And so do these Utah designers...

Creatures and Modern Basics

2011-04-23T15:24:00.005-06:00

Today I had the chance to visit Ingrid and her creatures and catch up with super clean quilts of Amy. Both of these talented women are featured in the latest posts of All Dolled up in SLC. Stop in if you have the chance.

Happy Easter to all.

Terry Griffin Thankfully Sews!

2011-04-18T10:45:00.006-06:00

Today's blog post at All Dolled Up in SLC is about a company called Thankfully Sew and its's owner, Terry Griffin. Stop by and say hello.

I am working like a mad woman to get it together for HMQS and Quilt Market! I just finished a pattern for a quilt called Treasured.

This quilt is hand embroidered around the English paper pieced hexagon blocks and is worked from Lecien fabric and COSMO floss. Boy do I love that COSMO floss. (Please forgive the photography...it is just to give you the idea). Pattern will be out in a matter of days. Have a fun week!

Heather and Megan, a design duo

2011-04-11T14:48:00.002-06:00

Stop by the alldolledupinslc blog to read about Heather and Meagan. They are sisters and new to quilt market. Cute, cute stuff!

This poor old blog!

2011-04-04T08:57:00.004-06:00

Hi to all. It has been a very long time hasn't it? I have something new to tell you about. It is an event called All Dolled Up in SLC. Several Utah designers have partnered to make a new quilt design that will be available to shop owners free of charge during market in SLC. You will see the icon for this at the right and below. We each started with the same paper doll pattern and could dress her any way we liked using any method we liked. It was just too much fun! They will be posting designer profiles here from now until market I think so you can meet some local talent via the blog. Hope you have fun and visit often.

Thank you Cheryl Lynch!

2011-02-27T22:05:00.003-07:00

Thanks again to Cheryl Lynch for her generosity in giving you a chance to win a copy of her new book "Quilt Fiesta". I hope you enjoyed visiting new blogs. I did! It is amazing what others do and how creative everyone is, isn't it?

Don't forget to enter the Henry Glass drawing for Cherry Fizz. Just leave a comment on their blog.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to comment. We enjoyed all of our visitors. The winner of Cheryl's book is "JCnNC" who said "I have always thought people that design tile have such a unique and special talent. To be able to see that now interpreted in a quilt is beyond expectation. What a wonderful world we live in with all this inspiration. Wonderful book and I surely would love to have it on my shelves. Wonderful giveaway." My sentiments exactly! Please send address via email.

Planets have aligned!

2011-02-23T20:57:00.004-07:00

I don't even believe it! Henry Glass just happens to be sponsoring a Cherry Fizz give away this week! How did this all come together at the right time? Besides working with a good company who supports our endeavors you mean?

Planetary alignment is what I am chalking it up to. Visit the henry glass blog to leave your comment. The stars might align for you too!

My day for a Quilt Fiesta and some Cherry Fizz

2011-02-22T22:48:00.008-07:00

Did I mention there was a giveaway going on? Cheryl Lynch, the author of Quilt Fiesta, has given us a signed copy of her new book to give away here at QuiltSoup! Aren't you all lucky?

How did we luck into such a sweet deal? Cheryl used some of our fabric in a quilt for her book and was kind enough to include us in the blog hop and give away. Leave your comments and we will announce the winner at the end of the hop. This is a great book to own.

If you don't know us, feel free to snoop around the blog, visit our website or check out our fabric collections at Henry Glass fabrics. Here's a sampling of our upcoming line called Cherry Fizz.

Quilt Fiesta!

2011-02-21T21:49:00.004-07:00

I am sure that you have probably seen a great new book by Cheryl Lynch from That Patchwork Place. It has an eye-catching cover and wait until you get a chance to look inside.

Cheryl has put together a blog hop for you this week and you will have a chance to win a copy of this book. Start at Cheryl's place and she will keep you on the right path from day to day. I will tell you how we came to be involved in this on Wednesday...

Giveaway next week

2011-02-18T10:28:00.000-07:00

Watch for a new giveaway next week!

Home again, home again...

2011-02-02T15:29:00.005-07:00

We are back from the Road to California Quilter's Conference where we had a great time teaching and vending.

Our booth looked like this from the left:

and like this from the right:

We had a great time seeing old friends and making new ones. Here is a horrible picture of our students. Why we took the picture of their backs, I will never know! If you recognize the back of anyone's head tell them I am sorry! I had an exceptional group of students this time and the best quilting angel (helper) that you can imagine.

And just so you know...the skies were blue and the temperature was about 75 degrees everyday. Can you see why I love this trip?

Baby Buds are on the Road!

2011-01-14T12:27:00.004-07:00

The baby buds quilt I was telling you about is just about finished. I am trimming up a few threads and packing it up for the Road to California Quilter's Conference in Ontario, CA next week. This event is an annual treat for me. Everything about it is lovely! The venue, the people and, of course, the weather! I will be updating while I am there. If you happen to be there, by all means drop by and say hello. We are in booth 913/915.

On the move!

2011-01-06T15:13:00.006-07:00

I finally figured out how to edit links to other blogs today! My friend Glenna of Hollyhock Quilts has moved so here is the address to her new place. I do hope I got this right!

The aforementioned baby quilt is at the quilter's today! This is one of the leftover blocks on a piece of paper with no stitching! Can't believe I would even show this to you...must be desperate for a picture!

Tweeking Tradition

2011-01-01T15:24:00.009-07:00

I like to cut out a new quilt on New Year's Day and that has been my habit for about 20 years. It always fills me with hope and excites me! This year was no exception. I wanted to use our new Doll Babies fabric which arrived the week of Christmas.

I tweeked the tradition by using a pattern that I didn't design. Instead, I used the cutest pattern from Dana Brooks of Lazy Daisy Cottage called Baby Buds. We will kit the quilt for our visit to Road to California which is coming up this month! I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Happy New Year to each and every one of you. I simply can't wait to see what will happen this year!

Just so you know...

2010-12-27T17:36:00.001-07:00

There is a big old sale going on over at QuiltSoup..... Have a great week!

Merry Christmas to All

2010-12-20T22:26:00.006-07:00

On behalf of QuiltSoup, I would like to wish you and yours the happiest of holidays.
We hope you eat what you love, laugh as much as is legally allowed and spend time with the ones you want. That's what we're gonna do!

Ever Hopeful

2010-12-16T07:22:00.006-07:00

You may have heard that we had a winner at the Henry Glass Holiday Project Parade. Congratulations on the big win to Erica in Montana. Santa will be stopping at her place this year!

Now on to the last minute things....I am not sure why it is considered last minute shopping yet. It seems to me I still have a few more days to go to gather up, wrap and ship Christmas Gifts. I always joke that when the commercials for jewelry come on TV, it is the last minute. They are on! I like to make something by hand for my granddaughters each year and haven't even thought about it yet. Last night I had a free project download delivered to mailbox. I knew these were the right things for me to make but I am not quite sure I can make the deadline.

These are jewelry hangars that are crocheted. You crochet or knit a little swatch and then mount it into a frame and there you have it! The free download is available at Stitch Diva Studios. Let's see...I have to make 3 of these and ship by Monday.....gotta go!!!

The QuiltSoup winner is.....

2010-12-07T23:10:00.005-07:00

As far as I am concerned, you are all winners! Wouldn't it be nice if I could just wave my wand, or wiggle my nose and make this come true. But there is only one Santa Claus and I think of him looking like this. He sings "I'd like to buy the world a coke and".......

The name I drew from the hat was that of MommaRock who commented on December 4, 2010 7:50 AM. Congratulations! Please email your info and I will send your prize right out.

This is it!

2010-12-06T20:32:00.010-07:00

Today is the last day of Holiday Project Parade. The designers for today are Kim Diehl who does bee-u-tee-ful machine applique and piecing. She will post her project on the Henry Glass blog. She doesn't live too far from me but we have never met in person. We need to change that!

Here are Pam and Janet from the Buggy Barn. I hardly think they need an introduction! I had the opportunity to visit the Buggy Barn one year during the outdoor Quilt Show they hold each autumn. If you ever get the chance...go!!! It is a sight I will never forget! Can hardly wait to see what the projects are today.

And now, a little housekeeping.
1. My word was "present"
2. If you tried to download my project Saturday afternoon, you need to try again. I had made a mistake and it took until later that evening to get everything right. I had to re-do the templates for the download. If you got no templates, you need to get them.
3. QuiltSoup will announce the winner of our giveaway on December 8th (tomorrow).
4. The grand prize: After you have visited everyone and collected all the key words you can visit the Henry Glass blog on December 8th and comment with the list of words and your name. Please be specific about who you are. There might be more than one Nancy in Florida, for example. When you post the key words, your comment will not be visible but it will be recorded. We have to keep everyone honest you know. Please enter only once.

The grand prize is all the stuff you see in this picture.

Carrie at Miss Rosie's put the whole thing together for you. Henry Glass furnished the fabric (about 40 yards or so)! You will see a rotary cutter, ruler, some books, and a calendar in addition to the fabric. I would say that Santa is definitely visiting someone and I hope it is you!

I also hope you have had a good time and found projects that will help you throughout the holiday season. Stop back whenever you have the chance.

Flying by

2010-12-06T08:30:00.005-07:00

I can't believe how fast the week is flying by. Today is the the sixth day in the Henry Glass Holiday Project Parade. The designers for today are LeAnn Anderson and Dana Brooks.

LeAnn does the most charming projects. Her business is called the Whole Country Caboodle. Her family helps her at market and I have met her mother and her daughter. They are all very lovely people.

Dana hails from Utah as I do. She lives in St. George where the sun shines just about all of the time. She owns the Lazy Daisy Quilt Shop which was featured as one of the top shops by Quilt Sampler a few years ago. She has a knack for merchandising and she has boundless energy.

You will have fun at both places today. See you back here tomorrow for an intro to the last designers and the details about entering to win the grand prize.

Holiday Project Parade- More Freebies for you??

2010-12-04T22:52:00.009-07:00

Thanks to all who left such nice notes yesterday! If you are half as nice to today's designers, they will be thrilled.

I haven't met either one of these women but I can tell you that I am looking forward to it. I'm going to visit both with my morning coffee. Hope you do too! Don't forget about those key words...

Today's designers are Chelsea Anderson (she has music at her place)

and Brenda Pinnick (she has a darling baby at her place). Both have tons of talent! Have fun making the rounds today! I will be out mingling with the shoppers.

Christmas Present

2010-12-04T00:39:00.012-07:00

Today's designers are Laurie Bird, LizzieBCre8tive and Me! I am excited to have you here and have lots to tell you about. Hope you have a cup of hot cocoa!

Laurie Bird owns Rose Cottage Quilts and she does some really cute patterns. She and her sister are from my area and were in business before I was. I have made several of their patterns and love every one of the quilts.

LizzieBCre8tive is headed up by 2 ladies that are sisters-in-law. They married brothers. Beth (left) lives in the west and Liz (right) lives in the east. Somehow they work it all out. They have authored two books that I know about and have a new online venture in the works I think.

For those who don't know me, I am Barbara Jones and I design patterns for QuiltSoup which specializes in applique patterns for rookies and intermediates.

I have written a few books for Kansas City Star, published a few patterns in quilt magazines (Quilts and More, Australian Homepsun, Quiltmania and others) and designed a few fabric lines for Henry Glass & Co. The latest and greatest ones are Summertime, Doll Babies and Cherry Fizz. My husband Mark (aka Souperman) helps me with orders and Quilt Market. He is fired and rehired on a regular basis! I have one son and daughter-in-law and five grandchildren. I put the Christmas Tree up on Dec 23rd and take it down on Dec 26th!

Our family shares a meal and exchanges presents (key word) on Christmas Eve every year. It is my favorite day of the year. We find that as our kids have gotten older it is harder to get everyone together at the same time.

I also find that I am giving more gift cards and money than ever before. What I like about gift cards is that the recipient always gets what they want. What I don't like about gift cards is that they are less than personalized. I was trying to find a way to make my peace with this kind of gift giving. The gift card wallet was my solution.

There is a present (key word) on the front of the case so I thought it could be used for any occasion where gifts were called for.

If you have a child in college, it is fun to fill the wallet with gift cards to the restaurants near campus, a local mall, a local theater and some iTunes cards (of course). For my quilting buddies, I might fill the wallets with packets of our favorite pins and needles, gift cards to local tea and coffee houses, bakeries and chocolate shops...you know...the essentials. I made one from Summertime, one from Heather's Christmas line, and one from Hip Holidays.

If you are watching your nickels this year (and who isn't?), the actual gift cards could be homemade. For example I might make my husband gift cards that he would think are sexy throughout the year. Things like "You are entitled to one home cooked meal that you didn't have to make yourself" or how about "Take the week off...I will mow the lawn" or "Relax...I had the oil changed and you don't have to do it". You will probably want to ration these kind of cards carefully!

The gift wallet coordinates with our Hip Holidays quilt. There is just barely enough time left to make one. I think they still have some kits available at QuiltSoup. The pattern is a free download and you can find both of the patterns here.

We are gving away a copy of our latest book Picnic Park and a few fat quarters to get you started on the quilt. Just leave a comment.

Merry Christmas from our house to yours!

On third day of Christmas....

2010-12-02T22:09:00.005-07:00

The designers today are Jacquelynne Steves and Jill Finley.

Jacquelynne is a New Jersey girl now and owns and operates The Noble Wife. She was my neighbor at the last quilt market and it was the first time I had met her. She had a cute booth and lots of enthusiasm.

Jill Finley is a Utah girl and has worked very hard helping to put the project parade together for you. She designed the cover for the project book and I think she and Linda Lum DeBono collaborated on the blog hop icon. Jill's company, Jilily Studio is the source for "Appli-glue", an applique basting glue that is acid free and won't harm your fabric. She has authored a book about quilting retreats for Kansas City Star. She will lend a helping hand if you are in jam...I know because I was and she did! That's all I'm saying about that!

Remember to collect the key words and check back tomorrow for the schedule. I hear it is my turn in the barrel!

Some more fun for you

2010-12-01T22:17:00.013-07:00

Who's designing for day 2? Kati Cupcake, Miss Rosie and Fresh Cut Quilts.

That would be Amy Hamberlin aka Kati Cupcake who lives in a little town in Idaho. Can you believe she is the mother of teenagers? I could not. Her trusty sidekick is Miss Melda Dean and both are too much fun.

The one who is not Miss Rosie is Carrie Nelson. I have only recently become acquainted with Carrie but I can tell you that she is one of those people with whom you feel an immediate rapport. She is self-effacing, way talented and can gab with the best of them. She is like the world's best cheerleader and her enthusiasm is contagious.

Fresh Cut Quilts is owned by Kari Ramsey. Kari hails from my neck of the woods and I remember when Fresh Cut Quilts was just a dream for her. Hats off to her for making her dream come true. Kari also had a good idea for a Holiday gift for all your quilterly friends that she posted yesterday. Be sure to check that out too!

I know they will have all cooked up something interesting and fun for you! Don't forget to collect the key words and stop back for Friday's batting order.

Kick off! Yahoo!

2010-11-30T22:11:00.007-07:00

Today is the day! That's right. Its the first day of the Henry Glass Designers Holiday Project Parade. Each designer has a holiday key word that she will use in her blog post. You collect the key words (keep a list). At the end of the parade you list all the key words in your comment on the Henry Glass website and if you get them all, your name goes into the hat for the drawing.

Today's designers are that cute Linda Lum DeBono of Dzyning Things, Heather Mulder Peterson of Anka's Treasures and the gals of Little Quilts. They are all authors, designers, and quilters. I have been to their sites and want to make everything I have seen. Here is what I know about each of them...

Linda is a techo-savy genius and funny. She goes a mile a minute and you need to fasten your seat belt if you are going to run with her. She is one of brains behind this project and it wouldn't have been possible to get it all together without her.

You will never meet a nicer person than Heather Mulder Peterson. She works incredibly hard and is one of the most humble and modest people I have met in the quilt business. I love both those attributes not to mention the quilts and fabrics she creates.
I don't know the ladies from Little Quilts very well but am hoping to. I do know that I love the rich coloration in their fabric lines and always look forward to what they have coming off the drawing board.

Have fun visiting everyone's blog and collecting free projects today. Don't forget about the key words. Stop back tomorrow to see who's up next.

Late Breaking News!!!!!

2010-11-28T10:02:00.007-07:00

My travelogue has just been interrupted by some exciting news! The designers at Henry Glass are doing a Holiday Project Parade especially for all of you (I wish I were you right now!).

How does this work?????

Dates of the Parade: Dec 1-7, 2010. That's this week. Yay!

How many projects will be offered each day? Three, uno, dos, tres!

How do I find the projects? You can visit your favorite Henry Glass Designer's blog to get pointed in the right direction or you can visit Henry Glass each day for a referral to each blog. You then visit each of the blogs listed for the day to see the free projects. Love the project? Download the file. FREE, FREE, FREE!

How do I enter to win the grand prize? Collect the clue words from each site you visit. You must visit all 21 sites and collect all 21 clue words. At the end of the parade, visit the Henry Glass website and enter to win the grand prize giveaway.

Do I need to comment on each designer's blog? Not to be eligible for the grand prize but you may if that designer is offering an extra little giveaway on her blog.

What is the grand prize? The winner will receive a prize from each and every one of the designers in addition to a prize that Henry Glass will give. That means you will get 22 presents in the mail! (I told you I wished I were you!).

Next up, Santa Barbara

2010-11-18T13:12:00.010-07:00

From the Getty Villa, we traveled up the PCH (pacific Coast Highway for you easterners) to Santa Barbara where we did a little site seeing.

Here is the view from my hotel balcony at sunrise.

Walked across the street for breakfast at the Each Beach Grill. I think this was the best meal I ate while on the trip. It may have had something to do with dining on the sand with the ocean breeze drying my hair!

We toured the historic but active Santa Barbara mission. This mission was originally constructed around 1830 or so. Fourth graders in California study mission history so lots of them tour the missions. Lucky for us (and you!), we had a young girl in our group who knew the answers to all of the questions! The 3 statues on the top of the mission are Faith, Hope and Charity. Faith has a cross, Hope has a ???? (where is that little girl when I need her?) and Charity has a baby.

The chapel altar is breath taking as are the ancient statues and religious icons.

I visited Knit and Pearl, one of the local yarn shops and found some yarn I have been looking for awhile. I had a to-die-for pumpkin strip pastry at Andersen's, a local Danish bakery before leaving town. Next-up, grand-kids and the civil war....

Working vacation

2010-11-14T09:36:00.008-07:00

When I got home from market, I had just enough time to wash a couple of loads of laundry and then it was off to Southern California to present trunk shows and teach workshops. So far, the trip has been wonderful. Here are a few places we visited.

Our own private hotel in St. George (one of my brother's homes which he generously opens up to us when we are traveling to and from California).

Orange County Quilt Guild Trunk Show. The attendance was good and our welcome was spectacular!

The students are all in their places with bright shiny faces! The Orange Bee Quilt Shop hosted us and it was a wonderful location as you can see from all the windows and the huge classroom!

Then it was on to Santa Monica where we stayed almost across the street from the ocean and dined at the Ivy (think Jenifer Aniston, Lindsay Lohan, etc). We saw none of them (it was a school night as my mother would say!) but what a lovely view to start the day off with.

We checked out Santa Monica and Venice and I am just certain that one of these towns was meant to be my home! Laid back, eclectic and interesting.

Then it was on to the Getty Villa in Malibu where Roman antiquities are housed. Lots of statues, even more pottery all in a spectacular building and garden that overlooks the pacific. To be continued....

this poor old blog

2010-11-06T20:15:00.008-06:00

Mimi would say that this is a sad, sad, sad blog. She would be right! I am going to try to keep up with this thing one more time. Why? Something turbo cool is headed your way. We will be making an announcement in a day or two.

In the meantime, here are a couple of market photos.

Our booth when we arrive...stunning, no?

Our booth after we hang a few things. Photo is taken from aisleway in front of booth.

After-right hand wall. Roses courtesy of the folks at Lecein. Beautiful aren't they? Same goes for the roses!

Our table of wares at Sample Spree

And we're off!

Our friends, Glenna and Bill Hailey. If it wasn't for them, we would have never left the hotel. We had dinner with them and the company couldn't have been any better. Food was pretty good too.

The nicest people

2010-09-07T12:16:00.007-06:00

You meet the nicest people in quiltmaking. Joyce Keller sent me a touching note and she said I could share her note with all of you. I have never met Joyce (at least that I remember) but would definitely like to!

"I am the fourth girl or five girls in our family. It was my youngest sister who died on Aug 30 of pancreatic cancer at age 53. She leaves behind 2 daughters, a son and three grandchildren. I was invited to one of the grand children's birthday party this year in February and wondered what I was going to give her. As I told you previously, I had made the Spring Loaded quilt (purchased as a kit from Nadine at Material Girls) a couple of years ago. It has been sitting in the cupboard (since I have no grandchildren of my own . . yet) and thought it was a perfect gift. Then I thought about the mystery quilt I was in the middle of and wondered what I was going to do with it. Ah hah! The 9 yr old's birthday was in June -- perfect gift. Then that left me with what to give to 6 year old boy -- thus, I found Bad Dad on your website! My niece told me that she had to take Austin to the doctor on the hottest day we've had this year and he wanted to be cuddled in his quilt."

Thank you Joyce for sharing your story with us and your beautiful quilts with your surrogate grandchildren.

Impatiently waiting...

2010-07-29T08:05:00.008-06:00

I have been waiting and waiting to show you something I am really excited about. It is our very newest fabric collection for Henry Glass.

My sister is expecting her first grandchild and the baby is a girl. I LOVE happy and fun fabrics for babies, toddlers and little kids so decided to do a line for our new baby and, I hope, your new babies too. The collection is called Doll Babies and features those little girls from our pattern of the same name.

We have a really cute floral in black, pink and watermelon. I made bottles and rattles inside the paisley shapes, and did diaper pins for those of us who remember them!

Here are those cute babies in their buggies and we thought they wouldn't go far without their binkies!

I don't want to operate without a polka dot or two so we did our signature "double dots", a stripe and a windowpane to round out the line. I can just see the nursery, the diaper bag, the crib, the baby and her blanket, her clothes, etc all done from this line. The list is never-ending! Bet you have some great ideas for this too!

Quilting Angels

2010-07-18T11:46:00.011-06:00

Let me introduce you to Esther and Nancy. They belong to a charity quilting group that makes quilts and baby items for folks who are in need. They turn anything I send them into gold. And believe me, I have sent them some dogs.

They recently went on a quilt run in Georgia and visited several wonderful shops and got to know a little bit about each one. They "take me with them" on their trips via phone calls, emails and pictures. We thought you might like to visit a couple of wonderful shops in Georgia as well.
The first is the Scarlett Letter which is owned by Karen. This shop definitely looks like my kind of place. So lovely and a great way to stack bolts...

This is Melissa and she works at the shop.

Then it was on the Sweet Home Quilt Co. Isn't this building fabulous? They used our Hip Holiday Line to make a quick and easy throw from different sized squares. Love it!

The next shop was the Patchwork Cottage. They really seem to know who to display a thing or two at this shop.That's the owner mugging for the girls! I think she might have been a little embarrassed by all the fuss!

Welsh Festival-The finale

2010-07-08T08:00:00.008-06:00

We visited the restored log cabin where Olive Osmond grew up. Luke Waldron headed up the restoration. There were, of course, old quilts on the bed inside. One was autographed by all the Osmonds and was being raffled as a fundraiser. I thought of Nadine and Donny!
Next it was on to the Blue Goose, a 100 year old building with a checkered past. Mr. Hughes is an herbalist of sorts and volunteers at the shop 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. He makes his own skin cream called St. David's oinment. He gave us samples and we think the cream is very nice.

We attended a lecture by Jean Schoell on Welsh quilting. Who knew the Welsh were big quilters? It seems they made wool quilts (cause they raised sheep) to keep them warm (in cold old Wales). They settled in Pennsylvania when they came to the states. They also made many medallion quilts and there was scuttlebutt that they taught the Amish to quilt!

Went for a ride around the block. Thought you might like to see my vehicle. Mary and I had walked the runway the night before to see whether we could land at this little airport. We thought we would all survive so she gave the thumbs up to our transportation crew. Our pilot said we should put my logo on the side of the plane and I am thinking about that. My husband, me, Mary and our co-pilot. My corporate jet?.......

Lastly is transportation from another time. This milk truck was in the July 4th parade as was a manure spreader. Its not everyday you see something like this! We were so busy attending all the events this year that we missed the bed races, the melodrama at the playhouse and who knows what else. Good reason to try it again next year.

Welsh Days-2: More old quilts

2010-07-06T09:25:00.013-06:00

Here are a few more vintage quilts from the Welsh Days quilt show:

Scrappy spider web block:

I love how this maker used everything she had. Gives the quilt such interest.

Next it was on to the museum....

where treasure like these are housed...

The cushion in the the antique weathered rocking chair is made from what looked like an old velveteen but I couldn't really tell how the chenille flowers were made.

There are few more things I want to show and tell you about Welsh days later this week. Have a great day.

Welsh festival-Day one

2010-07-01T10:06:00.018-06:00

I went to the Welsh Festival last weekend. They had a quilt show of vintage quilts amongst other things. My heritage is Welsh and I love attending this festival. I will have to share my pics with you over a few days cause there was so much stuff to see.

Mary and I arrived in town just in time for the community cookout luncheon where homemade fried chicken, dutch oven potatoes, baked beans, rolls and brownies were on the menu. Not hardly low calorie but totally delicious. Then it was on to the quilt show where we first saw Welsh proverbs taped to the walls. I thought these two would be good reminders for me...

This is Mary and the tulip quilt.....

A scrappy log cabin tied with yarn...

A half square triangle quilt that was much loved and much worn....

Two quilts by the same maker using 30's prints on muslin...

More next week! Have a safe and fun holiday.

Just wondering...

2010-06-22T11:19:00.004-06:00

I was just wondering what I had to tell you that was new. I am starting work on another booklet for KC Star quilts...that's new. Then it occurred to me that in all the market hoopla I forgot to tell you about our latest book here on the blog! We ran this quilt as a block of month mystery quilt over at QuiltSoup. We held the pattern back until our "mystery mavens" had received their last block patterns and instructions. This is the front cover and the publisher's description (right now I am wondering how to put a color frame around this picture)......

Backyard Blooms: A Month by Month Garden Sampler by Barbara Jones

Quilt artist Barbara Jones of QuiltSoup presents this new six-month appliqué sampler quilt that takes you through the joys of flower gardening. It’s made up in fresh, lovely fabrics from Barbara’s Simply Sweet line by Henry Glass & Co.

I designed this quilt to please only me (it was during a rough patch) and had a good time making it! I think there might be some kits for this quilt left at QuiltSoup if that is what you are wondering!

Summertime

2010-06-04T09:20:00.010-06:00

We released a new line of fabric at market called "Summertime". Thought you might like to see what is coming soon to a quilt shop near you. I wished you could see the colors in person. The red is somewhere between coral and scarlet, the blue is a soft shade somewhere between aqua and teal, the green is lime, the orange is a soft peach and I mixed it all with black, white and gray.

The fabric is shown on a great big card that folds out. Here's the front cover designed by the graphics guru at Henry Glass. Cute, huh?

Here is the first page with the baskets and blooms print in black, a subtle texture and colored hand drawn squares on a light background.....

This is the second page with a floral lattice, colored squares and big, multi-colored dots.....

Next is baskets and blooms on a light background, little tiny micro dots on colored backgrounds and that great subway stripe. I call this a subway stripe because it reminded me of the windows in subway cars when I drew it. You probably noticed it in the black colorway above....

And the final pattern is a large floral line work print on a variety of background colors.

This is the quilt I designed and made from Summertime to take to quilt market. I used the floral print as part of a border in "Single Stems". The pattern will be released on June 15, 2010. I just love my job!

A little bit of quilt market

2010-05-28T10:12:00.018-06:00

I dutifully haul the camera to market with me every time I go. I put it in my purse so it won't get stolen. Then I usually leave it in my purse the entire time and end up with no pictures! Minneapolis was really no exception. We only have three pictures this time that are worth showing.

This is our new quilt "Social Networking" behind Michelle D'Amore and I. She designed this wonderful fabric collection entitled "Wordplay" for Benartex and I chose to make this quilt from her line. She had been a textile designer for about 25 years and knocks it out of the park with every collection she does.

The funnest part about market is seeing old friends and making new ones. That's probably why I take no pictures. I like to catch up and hear what's new with everyone. One of my favorite people is Cindy Lammon. She makes the MOST beautiful quilts that I always love. She has a new book out called Flowers All Around for That Patchwork Place. Can you see how lovely her quilts are?

I am truly embarrassed and I will tell you why. I got to have my picture taken with a great group of women who design fabrics for Henry Glass. I stood next to this friendly and funny lady, whom I didn't know but liked immediately. It turns out that she was non other than Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. I could have died! I sent her a note with egg all over my face. I was pretty surprised to find out who she was and had to read it on Linda Lum DeBono's blog! Left to right we are me, Carrie, Mary Ellen of Little Quilts, Linda and Heather Mulder-Mulder Peterson of Anka's Treasures. I was honored to be included with these talented women. Speaking of Linda, she was one of the brightest spots for me at market. We had a chance to go to dinner with her and she is just delightful and way too funny!

We flew home on Monday and there was tons of weather that day. We were re-routed from Denver to Chicago (makes sense doesn't it?)! All I knew about Chicago is that it is in the United States and Oprah thinks its fine there. Here is Glenda (my sister) posing with Jake and Elwood at the airport in Chicago. She just kept saying "Hurry up and take the picture! People are looking at me!" We are happy to have been in Minneapolis and happy to be back home. I have a few new things to show you next time.

Hip Holidays tutuorial-2

2010-05-07T07:41:00.005-06:00

The next thing you need to make the Hip Holidays quilt is fabric requirements and paper piecing patterns. You can find both in the free pattern download at QuiltSoup. The fabric has just barely arrived and it way cute if I don't say so myself! All the fabrics are posted at QuiltSoup too. Just click on the Hip Holidays link. The pattern is full of detailed photos and is quite long. My hope is that the photos will help you see what is going on the paper piecing part of this adventure.

I will meet you back here on Monday and we will continue with the quilt. I also got something else from the UPS guy this week that I will show you then!

New winners!

2010-05-06T06:20:00.003-06:00

The new winners for tickets to the HMQS show are Kristen Kimber and the Wallins. You have each won 2 tickets so you and a friend can enjoy the show together. Please email your name and the name of your guest and I will have the tickets ready and waiting for you.

You snooze, you lose!

2010-05-03T17:27:00.002-06:00

I haven't heard from all the winners of the Home Machine Quilting Show tickets and I hate to see any of them go to waste. If you won, please send me your name and the name of your guest by midnight, Tuesday, May 4th (tomorrow)! I will be drawing winners for any unclaimed tickets and posting the winners on Wednesday. So....if you snooze, you lose! And if you didn't win yet, there is still hope!

You meet the nicest people

2010-05-03T11:54:00.006-06:00

One of the perks of working in the quilt industry is that you meet the nicest people. For example, we struck up an online friendship with Liz Johnson over at Sew4Home. They have a beautiful website with outstanding photography. They do just what they say they do...Sew4Home. They have the cutest and most creative quick projects I have seen in awhile.We were lucky enough for them to use our "Simply Sweet" line of fabric in a post they were doing about retro fabrics. They made this darling table cloth with flounced corners. Check out all the cute stuff they do. It will take you awhile!!!

Hip HolidaysTutorial- Here's the quilt

2010-04-29T11:45:00.009-06:00

It was snowing here today. I heard some grumbling about it being the end of April and snow and such. I thought it was fabulous because I wanted to take a picture of the quilt we are making while it was in a snowy setting.

Here's how the day looked:

Here's my thinking...hurry and run outside with quilt! Slap it over the garbage can so you can see the snow and the quilt together! This is soooo against everything I was taught when I was growing up that I just about couldn't do it!

Try laying the quilt over the lemon thyme bush! That will never do. Too Lumpy!

Get back inside with the quilt that now has snow (and probably dirt) all over it.

Dry it out by a roaring fire. I tried to get a picture of the flames but it didn't work out. The flames would flare up and I would snap. By the time that happened, the flame was long gone. I did this over and over and my reflexes never did improve. Hope you have a good idea what we are making even if the photography leaves a little to be desired! The next step will be fabric requirements and cutting and piecing.

and the tickets go to...

2010-04-28T15:15:00.004-06:00

Here are the lucky winners for tickets to the HMQS show...Tressa, Gayle, Jana and Jolene.

Each one of you has won 2 tickets so you can bring a friend. You need to email your first and last name to me by Friday April 30th, along with name of your guest. If you aren't going to bring a friend with you, please let me know so someone else can use the ticket. I look forward to seeing all of you at the show.

Hip Holidays is coming to the blog tomorrow (don't say liar, liar, pants on fire!) I am buffing and polishing the instructions right this very minute!

Time for a giveaway!

2010-04-20T20:14:00.003-06:00

We are vending at the Home Machine Quilting show (aka HMQS) on May 6-8. This a a great event with a very large quilt show, top notch classes, vendor booths and a great awards evening. There are lots of make and take demos and it is THE place to be if you are thinking about buying a home quilting machine.

We are delighted to be able to give away some tickets for free admission to the show. Toss your name into the hat and we will announce the winners in a few days.

I am going to help you make Hip Holidays quilt here on the blog so I took about a zillion pictures last week. Gather up your rotary cutters, rulers and mat and your Hip Holidays fabric (of course) and join me here on Monday.If you haven't seen that fabric yet, don't worry. I will show you on Monday. See you then.

One of a gazillion.

Under a mountain of paperwork!

2010-04-08T17:09:00.008-06:00

Oh my word! I was going to come right back and tell you more about Hip Holidays and then one thing led to another.. When people say they are buried under a mountain of paperwork it looks something like this.

I am showing you the entire mess. Kinda like letting you see me in my underwear! Today I put the finishing touches on a project and now have to dig out a little bit before I can go on to the next one.

First there is the mess at the printer...

Next is one of the messes on the floor and the desk...

Here is the mess on the other side of the floor...

And the mess at the end of the desk!

I am showing you shot after shot of paperwork so you can feel the same sense of messiness that I do without bothering to mess your own place up! Hope something good comes from all this paper, ink and paintbrushes! If it does, it was worth it....I think. Now I am off to clean up. Oh yeah...I really will be back to talk more about Hip Holidays soon.

Thank You!!

2010-03-01T21:25:00.002-07:00

Thank you Canada...it was awesome!

Xmas anyone?

2010-02-01T20:52:00.012-07:00

I know we just finished Xmas. I can see that some people still have their Xmas lights up! I always say that I am going to have to start writing tickets because it is long past time for them to be turned off (guess you could say it was a pet peeve of mine). Good thing I am not in charge of the planet isn't it?

Well they have one more night to turn those Xmas lights on again. I am delighted to show you our latest Xmas collection for Henry Glass Fabrics. It is called "Hip Holidays" and I really like it if I do say so myself. Most of the prints can be used all year through (think birthday, showers, weddings) while a couple are specific to Xmas. Thought I would show you the free project quilt I did to go with this line. We can talk a little bit more about it on Friday. Flip the switches and fire up those Xmas lights one more time!

Claim your prizes please

2010-01-28T21:11:00.009-07:00

And the winners are...

Color bundle in red, blue, yellow, green or pink:

Bev from January 26, 2010 4:51 PM
Deanna on January 25, 2010 3:57 PM
Jeanette on January 21, 2010 2:49 PM
Sharon who stitches on Mars January 24, 2010 1:21 PM
Marcella, January 24, 2010 7:10 PM

Fat Quarter Bundle (drum roll please)......
Deanna January 25, 2010 3:57 PM

Please email me your addresses and we will send the fabric right out!

Thanks to everyone for all your kind words and taking time to comment. Wished we could give you each a little somethin' somethin'!

Back on Tuesday with another announcement!

Did you know?

2010-01-26T14:13:00.003-07:00

Did you know that there is a fundraiser to help the victims of the Hatiian earthquake over at the fatquartershop blog? There are some very beautiful quilts up for auction. Better hurry tho' cuz the auction ends Jan 29, 2010. Who knows? There might even be an original QuiltSoup quilt up for bid! Thanks for having a look to help those in need.

Our giveaway winners will be announced on Thursday!

A little somethin' somethin' for you

2010-01-21T12:51:00.016-07:00

I dutifully hauled the camera, its charger, the computer, etc to Road to California so I could blog while I was there and show you pics from the show floor. I was ready to post when my husband said that I should have brought the card reader with me too!! Man oh man (grumble, mumble and grumble!)Anyway, here are the pics of QuiltSoup. The lighting at these places always leaves a little to be desired but I think you will be able to get the idea.

Simply Sweet debutes at Road!!!

Charming Cherries (on the left) and Petal Path (a free download for you at QuiltSoup or Henry Glass):

Some of our customers...recognize anyone's backside?

I taught Learn to Needleturn to a terrific group of women. I taught Repeat Offenders too and the ladies were just as fun but I didn't get a picture!!

And now a little somethin' for you! I think we out to celebrate the new line by giving away a fat quarter stack of all 24 fabrics in the line. I am also giving away one bundle of yellows, blues, green, reds and pinks. That make 6 prizes in all. Any takers?

The winners are....

2010-01-06T22:26:00.001-07:00

It looks like Cathy and Jeri will be getting a free ticket to Road to California! Thanks for your comments and I will look forward to seeing you there. Please email me your mailing address so I can send the tickets right away.

Free Admission

2010-01-04T11:08:00.005-07:00

We are teaching and vending at Road 2 California next week and it is always a good time. Lovely weather, nice people...what more could you ask for? How about free admission? I have two tickets to give away. Leave a comment and we will choose the winners on Wednesday.

Simply Sweet

2010-01-02T23:20:00.004-07:00

Simply Sweet is in the house! Yay!!!! This is our newest collection for Henry Glass fabrics. We designed a free project for you and you can download at QuiltSoup or Henry Glass fabrics as long as you promise to enjoy it with my very best wishes! I think I feel a giveaway coming on....

Not far behind!

2009-12-08T11:32:00.006-07:00

This arrived today.

The sleigh and reindeer can't be far behind.

Time out!

2009-11-23T13:26:00.005-07:00

We are taking a little time to design, sew, visit and eat.

I hope you all enjoy your holiday. We are always thankful that you are a part of our quilting family. Here is a part of our regular family.

The good...

2009-11-09T11:19:00.008-07:00

I recently ran across this mag at my dentist's office. It is called Real Simple and I think it is a great publication. It is full of recipes, beauty and household tips and practical advice like "To sharpen household scissors, cut a piece of sandpaper with them". Probably wouldn't use that tip on my best applique scissors but it works great for those cheap ones that we all have a million pairs of. you can check it out here.

They talk about this...

and this....

and this.....

Pumpkins and hexes

2009-11-05T12:21:00.006-07:00

Our friends are pumpkin masters. They carve over 100 pumpkins in a marathon each year. This was my favorite this time.

Pam Kitty Morning made me make these!

PKM owes me $300.00!

2009-10-28T12:14:00.013-06:00

When I got home from Quilt Market, I took a little time to put my feet up and wander around all the marvelous blogs out there. I started over at Pam Kitty Morning's place because she has the most extensive list of turbo cool places.

My oh my aren't you a creative bunch? I landed here (attic 24) about the time I was feeling totally inadequate which led me here (Sarah London) and her work struck a cord with me. I have made ripple afghans, granny squares and the like a lifetime ago but they looked so fresh to me! You know that I am all about colors and happy stuff. So, I visited here, bought these and maybe a little other stuff, ok quite a bit of other stuff!. I'm claiming that Pam is responsible and she owes me 300.00 for the damages!

Simply Sweet

2009-10-22T14:46:00.007-06:00

I am totally thrilled to be able to show you the designs from our newest collection Simply Sweet for Henry Glass fabrics (it took me 3 tries but I finally got it!).

I designed this collection as a follow-on to Bubblegum Basics (so we could mix and match!). The fabrics will arrive in quilt shops in January 2010. Better run down and tell them if you think you need it!

Put on your dancin shoes, turn up the volume, press play and dream on!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Before, after and friends

2009-10-14T11:04:00.019-06:00

We went to Quilt Market in Houston and just got home. Thought you might like to see what the booth looks like when we get there, when we are set up, and some of the friends that stopped by.

Kind of a "bare bones" look, don't ya think?

After we wiggle our noses: Glenda in our booth.

Funnest visitors ever: Elizabeth and Pam are always willing to mug for the camera a little bit. They are making a fuss over our new fabric line "Simply Sweet" which debuted at market. The quilt behind Pam's head is our LadyBug Hug quilt featuring Simply Sweet. More about that later (the quilt and fabric, not Pam's head!). They drove to Houston from the Bay area and you can follow the adventure on their blogs.

Brenda Riddle of Acorn Quilt and Gifts standing in front of our Rose Essential quilt made from her new Celebration line from Lecien. She is just as lovely as her fabric.

This is Linda Lum DeBono who does contemporary, quick projects. She chats a mile a minute and is fun-ee!

We missed seeing Heather (Anka's treasures) and Camille (Thimbleblossom) and forgot to take pictures of about 100 other friends.

We are glad to be home and look forward to showing you all what we have been up to right after I take a much needed nap!

Later, gators!

Outta Here!

2009-10-06T23:57:00.003-06:00

We are off to Quilt Market in Houston. Should be a good time. I will snap a few pics and send them along for you. Wish us luck!

We have left Soup-erman in charge around here. He does a pretty good job. If you have problems or questions with any anything QuiltSoup-ish, put him to work! We are featuring a couple of new pre-cuts in October's newsletter. They look like this.

Nor dark of night

2009-09-06T22:46:00.006-06:00

We are underway with mystery Block of the Month program. Here is Souperman at the Post office with the last of many loads.

The clock reads 12:15 and you know it is a.m. because it is dark. You know what the Postal Service claims "Neither rain nor snow nor dark of night"... We claim the same thing! If you are one of the mystery participants, please check the blog from time to time. Might have some updates posted for you.

I must apologize...

2009-08-31T08:43:00.006-06:00

I must tell you that I'm sorry to have not posted a little more frequently. I have lots of excuses but no good reasons. To make up for it, I thought I could show you the cutest bag and quilt patterns with dimensional flowers that our friend Katie Cupcake has done out of Bubblgegum Basics. She is an up-and-comer with a young family and has recently designed her first fabric collection for Henry Glass. You might want to pay her a visit and let her know we sent you.

A new stack

2009-08-11T11:00:00.004-06:00

This funky collection is called Luna and was designed my friend Gail Fountain for Maywood Studios. How hip is it? Thought you might like to see what it looks like before I wiggle my nose and it turns into something that is (hopefully) too much fun.

Kit girl

2009-08-07T09:51:00.013-06:00

My granddaughter has moved back to town and is working with me a few days each week. What a treat this has been for me. She has been cutting kits for about 2 weeks and has taken to it like she was born to do it. I always tell her that she is my quilter.... she just doesn't know it yet! I'm not sure she agrees. I think every quilting grandma is entitled to at least one quilting grandchild, don't you?

Which kits has she been working on you ask? The latest is "The Wedding Quilt" from our new book "Cradle to Cradle". She kitted several of the quilts in the book and is now working on kits for our mystery Block of the Month which starts next month. I think she has done a good job on this one (it's my right to brag a little bit!), don't you?

In and out the door

2009-07-30T18:33:00.004-06:00

He delivered again and I want you to know I gave him a cold beverage as you all instructed me last time! Guess what's in the boxes?

Then I was out the door. My friend Nancy from Florida sent me a surprise. She made the bag from our Bubblegum Basic so I could "strut my stuff" as she said! Friends are just the best! I am on the way to quilt group and it is filled with a project!

I'm ready... r u?

2009-07-29T12:50:00.004-06:00

Our mystery Block of the Month (BOM) is ready. I am only sneaking a little of it! Don't even ask me to show you anymore.....it's a mystery!! Sign-ups start in August over at QuiltSoup and BOM program starts in September. This one was just too much fun and I am looking forward to doing something mysterious.... Are you feeling Matahari-ish?

Look what I got!

2009-07-21T13:01:00.005-06:00

The waiting is over. Yahooooooooooo! Cradle to Cradle has arrived! QuiltSoup will be posting it on their website as soon as they get the shrinkwrap removed!

I have to tell you that I was laughing as I snapped this off-kilter pic. I was thinking about ThimbleBlossom Camille as I was shooting willy nilly with all kinds of angles. This pic is not to be confused with the beautiful shots she takes...but it made me smile to tip the camera a little bit and imagine her thinking I had lost my mind if she could only see what I was doing!

Knitted sweater

2009-07-13T11:20:00.003-06:00

Several of you were wondering about the sweater pattern. It is a free download from elann.com under the Lara cotton yarn.

The gauge swatch is worked in stockinette stitch. The sweater is worked in the round and starts out on double point needles until you have enough stitches to move up to a 16" circular needle. You work on the 16" until it gets too crowded and then move up to a 24". The same thing applies and you move up to a 36" and work until the knitting is completed. You can see that I am not quite that far yet. I can also tell you that without the help of Shannon at Hemstitched Heirlooms I would still be trying to figure out what the pattern was talking about. I am kind of new to knitting. As it is, I am well on my way...

Malad Quilters

2009-07-11T10:27:00.011-06:00

This week we traveled to Malad, Idaho and did a trunk show and stitch demo for the Oneida County Quilters. They gave us a trunk show of their own, a wonderful lunch and a ton of fun! We thank them for their hospitality. They do lots of good works and donate quilts to those in need.

Here's the whole group with Mary and I....

And their fund-raising raffle quit for this year (contact the Oneida County Quilts for tickets at http://www.southeastida.com/oneidacounty/index.html).....

And some of their individual quilts.....

This one by Ruth Thomas looks like it has lace inserts but it is simply tons of embroidery on a piece of gingham check...

These are antique (her grandmother's) hankies set into a quilt and sashed with satin

And this one is appliqued and embroidered by machine and for her son I think...

A new knitting project

2009-07-06T16:15:00.006-06:00

I have started a new knitting project today. Well, I should say that I am still making the gauge swatch. I hate this part but it is just like quilting without finding an accurate quarter inch seam allowance before you sew. Speaking of that, do you know how to find an accurate seam allowance? The easiest way is to place the first line on a ruled index card under the needle and slowly lower the needle till it just touches the right hand side of the ruled line. Mark this spot on your machine with seam guide or whatever else you want and that is where the fabric runs as you sew.

Here is my bee-u-tee-ful new sweater pattern. You can wear it two ways. One is short and one is long.

That is for those days when you don't know up from down. You will still look smashing either way! Hope it gets made!

As the book turns....

2009-06-09T11:08:00.010-06:00

I have not fallen off the planet for those who are wondering.

Remember when I was telling you about our new quilt book? I was going to keep you updated as we went through the process. The book is called Cradle to Cradle and this is what the cover looks like. The book features quilts designed to commemorate the moments in a girl's life from her baby quilt through her wedding quilt and ends with a baby quilt for her first born child.

When I left off last time, the quilts were getting their beauty shots taken by the photographer. Well today the whole thing has gone to the printer! I don't know how that happened. We will give you all the details in our July newsletter.

The good folks at Henry Glass have agreed to reprint Bubblegum basics one more time so we will all have enough fabric to make the quilts in the book! What a company! Two of the quilts in the book are made from Bubblegum Basics.

We also have a new mystery block of the month quilt made from Bubblegum Basics in the works. We will be offering it on our website and I think it is pretty cute if I do say so myself! The reason I say that is because I am doing exactly what I want and will keep this quilt for one of my grandaughters. It has been really fun to work on. Sometimes you gotta do exactly what you want, don'tcha think?

Funnest day ever!

2009-06-01T16:09:00.003-06:00

A couple of weeks ago I spent the day with my friend Nancy who was visiting from Florida. Our tradition is to shop hop and eat and catch up. Here was my take for the day. I wonder what I am making...I figure with these fabrics it will turn out cute no matter what it is! Hope I haven't jinxed myself!

860 before I go

2009-05-29T13:47:00.005-06:00

So far this week I have ridden 860 miles in the car and am going to do 200 more miles before Monday. See what I mean about stitching in the car? I can really get a lot done. It is like the QuiltSoup mobile unit! However, I usually forget the camera and then regret it when I remember that I forgot it.

We visited Superior Threads in St. George, Utah. Don't you think their building really suits the red rock and bluff landscape?

We were treated royally by Carrie who works at the desk. Bob, the owner, lived in Japan for several years and Carrie's office is decorated with Kimonos and the like. That little diploma by her work area says she has a Ph.D. in Threadology!

I stopped in to pick up some Frosted Donuts for all of you but they were on backorder so we will have to wait for awhile. Darn it!

I love the portability of this thread collection (cause I am on the road you know!) and the quality of the Masterpeice 100% cotton thread for my applique and handwork.

Idle hands

2009-05-20T12:52:00.003-06:00

Idle hands make me nervous! I have been putting a few of these together while I am designing the next batch of quilts. I don't have any applique ready to go and I cannot stand it when I have nothing in my hands! Know what I mean? Looks like I still need to get an iron out before I take pics for you! I figure you have all seen creases in fabric before, can identify what they are and probably have some of your own just like this!

Sweet Tea

2009-05-10T23:23:00.005-06:00

I have been showing you snippets for a few days and wanted to show you what the finished product looks like. I mean, how many little snippets can one person stand? The quilts is made from Flower Sugar, a new collection by Lecien Corp. Aren't the fabrics wonderful? Now I just need to write the pattern...

Joe the quilter

2009-05-07T21:56:00.009-06:00

Serendipity favored me today. We are vending at HMQS in SLC this weekend.
I had reserved 2 tickets to the awards and entertainment evening because the featured speaker was to be Joe Cunningham telling the story of the Joe the Quilter. If you don't know who Joe Cunningham is, treat yourself to his website.

Who should happen by and chat us up this morning but Joe himself?

You may not know this about Joe and I am hoping he won't mind that I am telling tales out of school, but in addition to being a gifted quilt artist with "quilt" running through his veins and filling up his very soul, he is affable and self-effacing. What else can one human being be? We drug him to a local soup and sandwich shop for a quick bite between the show and his performance. We then watched in awe as he regaled the crowd with his one man play and musical telling the story of Joe the quilter, an Englishman who lived in 1765 (or so Joe Cunningham claims). You find yourself wondering which Joe is really Joe, where do they overlap, how authentic is each and are these questions even relevant.

Are you with me so far? Just let me recap a little bit for you...he (Joe Cunningham) writes plays, music and lyrics and performs them, and envisions and makes original conceptual quilts telling the story. Can you say talented?

To top it all off, he unveiled his latest body of work and I felt my breath catch a couple of times. So fresh, so artistic, so inspiring. So rich, so humbling and just so...Joe. Thanks for sharing your talents Joe the Quilter Cunningham. It was an honor.

And the winners are.......

2009-05-02T10:04:00.005-06:00

If your name is Amy at park city girl, Laura or Kristen Kimber your are going to the HMQS show! Please send me your address and I will drop your ticket in the mail today. Stop by booth 213 and say hi!

The stitching continues....

Free tickets to winners!

2009-04-29T23:11:00.008-06:00

I am giving something else away! I have 3 tickets for the Home Machine Quilting Show in Salt Lake City, May 7-9, 2009. The tickets are good for a one day admission. HMQS offers over 100 classes on a variety of machine quilting and embroidery topics, has 175 vendor booths (including us in booth 213) and a judged quilt competition with $23,000 in prize money. Some of those girls can really quilt. You can check it out at this place. . If you're up for a little shopping, some make and take, free demos and beautiful quilts, leave a comment. Oh yeah... this is part of what I cut out and marked for applique today. Sorry about the glare. No time for beauty shots right now! Off to stitch!

Free patterns

2009-04-27T00:26:00.005-06:00

I'm delighted to tell you that we have posted 3 free patterns over at QuiltSoup. APQ is doing a story about pre-printed panels and free patterns that use them as a service to their online community. We have posted the patterns for all of you, our regular visitors, as well as the newcomers. We have patterns for the pillow you see here(and yes you have seen this before) and two quilts made from Bubblegum Basics. Please use any and all of the patterns with our very warmest wishes. It's our way of saying thanks for being such great friends. Speaking of thanks and friends, I would like to thank RuthAnn Hogan for turning my pillowtop into a pillow! Great job!

And the winners is...

2009-04-21T09:53:00.009-06:00

The winner of the fabric drawing is jerseystitcher who commented on April 13. Congratulations. Please send me your address. Thanks to all of you for entering and you just never know when there will be another one!

My favorite things about quilting are talking to quilters about quilts and seeing quilts....any quilts. Last week I had the good fortune of presenting a trunk show for the Main Street Quilters and they gave me a little suprise! Thank you ladies. I had a terrific time and laughed till I cried!

Let me bring you up to speed on this book I have been writing. Again, it is being published Kansas City Star Publications and will be called "Cradle to Cradle". So far, we have made one jillion new quilts and a pillow for the book. We did them in a twinkling of an eye as we wanted to use the "freshest" fabrics possible. Next, the quilts were packaged and shipped to the editor. The quilts were to be shot "on location" and in the studio! Sounds like the movie bizz doesn't it? This is where we will pick up next time.

Drawing is closed

2009-04-20T09:52:00.003-06:00

The drawing for the fabric give-away is officially closed. While we print and draw names you might want to visit my friend Vicki at Bloom Creek (link is to the right). She has posted a very nice tutorial about how to make unique labels for your quilts. Leave her a note and let her know we sent you and that we are all so happy she did this wonderful post!

Puzzle Palace

2009-04-16T10:55:00.005-06:00

I don't know Christy B but she has been working on a puzzle quilt with Bubblegum Basics and sent me a picture of her results. It's really nice when someone takes the time to do that. Seeing your quilts is so much fun for me. You can read all about the construction on her blog periodicalprolix.blogspot.com. (wished I knew how to add links successfully!) Cute quilt Christy!

You still have time to enter the fabric drawing!

Let's get this party started!

2009-04-13T11:35:00.002-06:00

Let's kick off the book adventure with a give-away. The Easter Bunny left a fat quarter stack of Bubblegum Basics for me to give to someone special. You are all special so now I don't know what to do! Leave a comment and we will enter your name in the drawing. Deadline is April 20th MST.

Finshing and beginning

2009-04-07T19:18:00.003-06:00

Today I finished a little pillow from the panel in the Bubblegum Basic line. Nothing too fancy, just quick and easy.

Tomorrow I will start the journey of writing a book. Want to come along with me? I might need a little input from time to time and I sure could use some good company!