Um, ya - this is going to take a long time. Wish me luck!

A little distracted.....

 

So, remember this block? I have been wanting to finish up this quilt top for a while, but I have been forcing myself to get some quilting done instead. Well, I let myself get some piecing done today. It was so much fun.
 

 

It never fails that the wind is blowing when I want to take a few pictures of my quilts outside. I am sure the neighbors heard me complaining, well ranting and raving about the darn wind. I swear, it is always windy when I want to take some quick, fast pictures! Oh, well....I did manage to finally get a couple pictures.

 

The colors in this quilt are so fun, I am really happy with the brightness of the quilt. I really can't wait to quilt it, but that will go in the "sometime, a lot later" pile. My daughter has already claimed the quilt - we shall see about that!

 

I chose to just put outside borders on this quilt to give it some width. I was going to have just the blocks be the quilt top, but I did not like how skinny and long the quilt was by itself. I may or may not add more to the borders, but I think I like it just how it is. This quilt was seriously so much fun to put together. So, now I have to stop being distracted and get to quilting on the quilt that is on the frames, it is just gorgeous. I will be sure to post some of my progress on that one. 

Okay, for those who are overly anxious for the September and October precuts that are coming out - we have some in stock (a very limited stock) - our Moda Sample Spree is going on right now! Check it out here!!

Moda label quilt.....

 

Sometimes you just need to throw some fabric together and make a super cute and easy quilt. This quilt is an autograph quilt made out of Julie Comstock's new line coming out in September called Odds and Ends.  I love this idea for a quilt because this will be for a wedding and the guests will write their well wishes for the couple on the empty spaces in the quilt.  Lissa asked me to quilt this up, and it took almost 15 hours to quilt up.
 

 

It may seem like the quilting is simple - it is, but that does not mean it did not take a long time to do. My straight ruler was my best friend and I have to say that straight stitching over and over can get a little redundant. I had to keep telling myself "keep it simple, stupid" because it is a wedding quilt and people are signing it. That doesn't mean it wasn't difficult to try and add in more detail. :-)

 

Isn't this a cute fabric line? I really like it! Sometimes just showcasing the fabric is the best way to quilt up a quilt.

 

So, green fabric for the back, loving it! I also love how the texture in this quilt just shines. So, sometimes simple and fun quilting works - I don't always have to quilt the heck out of everything right?

Be sure to check out our 30% off clearance page. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Getting over the disappointment

First off, thank you so much to all the love, support and encouragement for my last post.  I am really so thankful to all of the sweet comments, emails, texts and phone calls I have received since my last post.  I wanted to write everyone back,  but I was just overwhelmed with the many comments I received, so I hope you all know how grateful I am to you and will forgive me if you didn't receive a personal response back.  

I feel like I have learned a few things, I am human and I was depressed for a few days - I haven't even posted for a week and that isn't like me.  I am sure that Clint and my sister Jessie were ready to beat me because of the many outbursts of tears.  I also realized that I was treated very unprofessionally.  I should have never been given the go ahead and strung along for so long of the publishing process, just to have my idea dumped at the last minute.  So, now I know before I go through this process again that I will expect communication and honesty. That being said, I won't say who the publishing company is because I am sure that plenty of authors have had a positive experience with them and my bad experience doesn't warrant me to slander their name.

I have looked at all the different options on how to move forward.  Self publishing seems a little out of reach for me now, just because of all the extra effort I would need to go through to hire someone to photograph my projects, do the illustrations and also the layout.  I am sure if I really wanted to do that I could, but I am not in this to make the most amount of money I can.  I just want to get my ideas and projects out there and I think going through a publisher would be the best option for me.  While, I am a little nervous about going through a publisher - especially the submitting process again - my experience with the last publisher can't make me gun shy. So, it is back to the drawing board.  

I received my projects back from the publisher last night and I opened them up and just starred at them and realized that the publisher is crazy.  I don't want to sound too proud - I hope you don't think that about me, but these projects are beautiful!  It makes it easier to think about submitting my idea again because all the work is done.  Who knows, maybe something good will come of this and a better publishing company will take on the project.  All in all, I feel better and I plan to move forward.  Life sends us experiences to build our character and hopefully make us stronger.  Thanks again for all the love and support.  It really means more to me than you can ever know. 

Broken Hearted

Okay, so every designer's dream is to have a book published.  This has been my dream and last year, my dream came true with a "go ahead, let's do this" by a big publishing company.  I worked my butt off for 4 months, it was a hard time for my family because I was cramped down with deadlines and I was so stressed out.  Stressed out Mama means stressed out family. So, I finally got everything done - I felt so excited and relieved that I could send out my projects and be done and just wait for that book to arrive in the mail. 

Well, the time came that the book was to come out, my editor was not getting back to me.  I just wanted to see my cover and be able to share with you, my readers that it was actually happening.  This happened for months and my original release date had passed by, I finally got someone to respond to me and turns out my editor was no longer with the company, but my book was coming out in July.  With a promise of preview pictures I kept waiting.  Well, I got an email yesterday saying that the VP of Editorial would like to have a phone conversation.  In my gut I knew what was going to happen, then all day yesterday she never called.  This morning she got a hold of me and told me that they decided not to publish my book.  Wow, shock, sadness - and I was just listening thinking, really?  So, no one ever bothered to tell me months ago?  All I could think about was how hard I worked, how everyone around the blog world has a book, and it just seems like it would be my turn.  Then, the reasoning - apparently my quilting was "too good" - okay?  So, I should have just not put as much effort into my work and maybe it would have worked out?  I guess their readers are beginners and their buyers didn't want it.  I understand that publishers are out to make money, and I guess I can wrap my head around the fact that maybe I wouldn't have sold enough for them, but I just can't wrap my head around the fact that my projects were too good. I pour my heart into every project I do and my book was no different.  I feel like if I share my talents, then it will encourage everyone in the quilting world to do their best and go after their own goals.

So, perspective - maybe things will work out better than before... Maybe I can publish it myself?  Or maybe another publisher wants to take it on.  Then, I think about it and realize, what publisher is going to take on a "axed" project?  It's all just so disheartening, I have been bawling for the last couple hours and I wasn't going to say anything about it.  Then I thought that maybe if I just get it all out in the open, and let you know that I don't have a book coming out then I just might feel a sense of closure...is that the right word?  Maybe the Lord just wants to keep me humble so that I remember and realize that quilting isn't everything and that I have a husband and children that I care for more than a book.  Anyway, I will just cry for a little bit, take a day off quilting and hold my head up high and start again tomorrow...

Sam's Darlin' Hearts, more than just a quilt......

 

I was contacted by a friend of Mary Lou, she asked if I could quilt this special quilt which was made in memory of Mary Lou's son Sam who sadly passed away. I have spent some time getting to know Sam and Mary Lou through Mary Lou's blog entries about Sam and my heart aches for her loss. I felt honored that they thought of me to quilt this, because it is more than just a quilt.  It's a treasured memory of many quilters goodness during a time of need for another quilter.  It's amazing the power of love that can spread through the blog world and I am happy to be apart of this great quilting community.

Photo courtesy of Mary Lou

So, this is Sam and here is the story of the quilt by Mary Lou in her own words:

Sam's Darlin' Hearts :-) is a testimony of the kindness and generosity of quilters!! In May last year, my 17 year old son, Sam, inexplicably and unexpectedly passed away.  He was an amazing kid...generous of heart, a total optimist, and a friend to all who met him.  An avid runner, he made the point of meeting the men and women who beat him in 5K's and such, so he could learn from them and become as excellent as he thought they were.  A home school kid, his closest friends were a couple of kids his own age, a couple of pastors and their wives, and one of my quilting buddies (who also taught him chemistry!) and her husband. His best friend, Luke, said of him that "Sam loved without filters." As the ambulance carried him away and Jeff and I prepared to follow, both fairly certain he was gone, I sank into Jeff's arms and said, "He's the son of my heart!" Later as people remembered him, they commented on his servant heart. We learned from his autopsy that his heart was enlarged -- typical for runners -- and our family doctor (a close friend to Sam), said that was no surprise!!  "We always knew Sam's heart was bigger than most!!" And out of the blue, after I wrote about Sam's passing on my blog, beautiful heart blocks started arriving in my mail box!! Some of them were from blog friends that I've become close to.  Many others were from quilters who didn't know me.  Most were from the "Hands to Help"challenge that Sarah Craig did with you for quilts to Romania.  I can't even tell you how comforting they were!! I commented that the blocks make me cry -- like Charlene Darlin on the Andy Griffith Show --lol-- and Sam's Darlin' Hearts became the name of the quilt.

 

So, the quilting had to be special, I hope I achieved that. I spent 25 hours quilting this quilt, I have two layers of batting in it as well and used 12 bobbins of thread.  I marked all the straight lines then used my straight edge ruler to quilt the lines, then free motioned quilted everything else.

 

I had fun with the borders. I love detail, but you know that already.... 

 

Love this block, it was so fun to quilt.

 

This block was fun too, love that I quilted hearts into the echo quilting - seemed fitting.. :-) 

 

The large triangles on the side of the quilt made for a fun new dimension in the quilting - I thought about continuing the straight line quilting like in the borders, but I am happy I did this instead. 

 

It really was so fun to quilt up all these different blocks, it is so hard to pick which ones to share up close.

 

I love that the blue and yellow triangles make a block around the heart blocks.  The quilting makes a frame around them that I just love...

 

A lot of ruler work went into this quilt.  I quilt at a speed of about 4 1/2, so it's a little on the slower side so that I can be sure that everything comes out even. 

 

Oh my goodness! The back, I love it! It turned out so pretty! 

 

Love the triangles in the borders.

 

It was a treat for me to work on this quilt, thanks for letting me share the whole story of this quilt with you.

Giveaway Winner - plus new Moda fabric!!!!

Using random.org, the winner of the Tradewinds Fat Quarter Bundle is -

Robin of Quilty As Charged

Thank you for all the entries, it was so fun to see which fabrics you can't wait to get your hands on.  Remember you can always pre-purchase them on sale if you want to make sure you'll get your hands on them.

So we have two new Moda lines that just came in, plus we have Free Shipping going on right now on top of our low sale prices in case you need even more incentive to buy precuts!  Be sure to use the code freeship within the 50 states, no minimum purchase required!  If you are an international customer, use the code international for free shipping with any purchase of $300 or more.  This offer expires Monday night, so hurry!

And don't miss our two newest Moda lines - Serenade by Kate Spain and Monster Bash by Sandy Gervais. 

Cover girl! Not me, but my mom!!!

Photo courtesy of Quiltmaker

A lot of you don't know that my mom and I started out on our quilting adventure together.  She loves to design, and she is wonderful at it.  She makes beautiful quilts with her own designs that you just want to make.  That is what I thought when she showed me her original "Flea Market Flowers" quilt.  I have dibs on the original one... Anyway, I have been trying to get my mom to get out of her comfort zone of just showing a few friends and me her quilts, so she submitted this design to Quiltmaker and she was pleasantly surprised to have it accepted. She designed it, pieced it, quilted it and did a beautiful job.  She was nervous though, and didn't hear back once it was sent off, the waiting game started and she started to worry that they didn't like the quilt. Well, I was at dinner one night and my mom called me and told me she was sent two copies of the magazine and HOLY COW - she was the cover!! I have never been more happy and so excited for my mom.  She worked so hard on this quilt and what a reward to be the cover girl on her first magazine quilt submission.

Photo courtesy of Quiltmaker

Isn't this quilt beautiful?  I love it so much!  I couldn't be prouder of my mom.

Photo courtesy of Quiltmaker

 Because this quilt is so great, Quiltmaker has a limited amount of kits available here.  You can get your own copy of the magazine here.  Now, I just have to finish convincing my mom to start up a blog so she can share her talents with the rest of us.  Oh, and I need to convince her that the computer is not her enemy... Love ya Mom!

 

Working on a very sentimental quilt, I like it so far.....

Giveaway!!!

 

It has been a while since I have done a fabric giveaway on my blog, so of course I had to make it a good one. I love being able to pick out the fabric that I would choose from our shop to give away to one lucky winner!

So my choice is a Tradewinds fat quarter bundle, 35 different fabrics come in this adorable beauty bundle and it could be yours!  So, what is the deal? How do you enter?  Well, go to our September and October pre-purchase pages and tell us what your favorite lines are coming out for those two months!  Simple, simple! And, while you're at it, if you aren't a follower of my blog - follow me, and sign up for our newsletter if you haven't already, or tell me if you already are, and you will get extra entries.  It wouldn't hurt to blog or share about our giveaway too for an additional entry...So, four possible entries for this giveaway!  Have fun and good luck - you have until Thursdayish.....

One last thing - check out our 6 new Moda lines on our home page, which just came in.  We have them all at 25% off during our giveaway! 

Em's Tree of Life

 

I have to say, I love Emily! She is one of my dearest friends and it is always a treat to quilt for her. She has her own style, and I love it! I never want to take away from the heart she puts into each quilt. So, hopefully the quilting just enhances her art. Here is what she said about her quilt:
"The story is simple...we were moving to Seattle and the animal fabric seemed like what I would see in the art up here when visiting San Juan Island 10 years ago. I love the Tree of Life and wanted to mimic the art of Klint and South American. The branches are fussy cut from fabric that was an oriental print of fans."
I love the way Emily puts her quilts together, everything has a meaning, it's more that just a quilt to her and I love it when I quilt for her. However, I do miss not being able to give the quilt to her personally since she moved to Seattle! Darn it!

 

I used a gold metallic thread for the quilting, I really like the gold in the fabrics and this thread was perfect.

 

My mom and I were talking on the phone and she told me she was going to quilt straight lines in blocks, but in different directions for each block. Funny where inspiration comes because this border was so fun and I got the idea from talking to my mom. There is no rhyme or reason to the border quilting, just ruler work with straight lines. I am definitely going to do this border again, it really worked for this quilt.

 

The wavy lines are supposed to mimic the tree roots, I think it worked out pretty great.

 

So, this border took most of my quilting time, since the rest of the quilting was fillers and outlining. I figure the border took about 5 of the 8 1/2 hours it took to quilt this quilt.

 

Awesome shot of the back. I really loved working on this quilt and I already have the next quilt on the frames. It feels great getting some quilting done!