3littlebrds

Crazy for a Jellybean-a-thon!

2013-02-27T01:00:00.000-06:00

A short time after Fall Market in Houston, I got an email from the incredibly talented Thomas Knauer asking if I would like to design something using only his jelly bean prints from Andover Fabrics. Well, of course I was incredibly flattered, but honestly... I can't design something! Yikes, I am AWFUL at it! Plus, I just am so busy with home life, my writing job and of course working on Gen Q! I just can't possibly...

And then I saw the list of people he had invited! Ugh! They are all, like pattern designers and book authors! No, I can't possibly! It would be awful! These are people that I follow on Instagram and stuff. People I don't know would be comparing my work to people who have won ribbons and stuff. Yikes!

And then I woke up the next day. One of my first thoughts was "Boy, I sure am protesting a lot!" Hmmm...

So, before I could lose my nerve, I emailed Thomas and said yes. I explained that I really am not a designer and my mind is saying no and that is exactly why I should do it.

Luckily, he didn't think that was at all crazy. He completely agreed with me. The fabric arrived just around Christmas and it took a while for me to have the time to even look at the fabric. I laid it on my sewing table and would pet it occasionally as I walked by.

Then about a month ago, I had an idea. What if I crazy pieced rectangles and made a quilt called "Crazy for Jellybeans"?

It was enough to get me started. So each morning, before I sat down at the computer, I would spend 15 minutes and play. I was really liking what was happening and I was having fun. I figured it would be lap sized, I would use white as a background and I would practice my machine quilting on it. It would be great!

And then I realized, I did not like white. And I did not like gray. I liked NOTHING that was in my stash (my husband says what else is new?!)So, I packed up my junior editor and headed to my local quilt shop. We honestly had bolts of fabric laying all over the floor with blocks lying on them. It was comical. We narrowed it down to a violet and an olive green, when I spotted magenta. It was perfect.

Then I got home and thought "the scale is all wrong! This needs to be a bed quilt!" It was really funny, this whole experience. I worked completely outside of my box. This is not my color scheme - it's was unlike anything I have ever done before. It was fun!

Without further ado, here is "Crazy for Jellybeans"...

The blocks will lay across the foot of the bed. It sort of reminds me of Doppelganger, which just won an award at QuiltCon and was on the cover of the winter issue of Gen Q.

I have been wanting to take photos for DAYS, but the weather has not been cooperating. I finally had to give in and take photos in the blizzard we were having today. Kudos to my eldest son for braving the storm and helping a mom out! (I kind of liked the snow covered brush in front of the quilt...)

It is just a top at this point because I decided that it needs EPIC quilting. And EPIC QUILTING can only be done by the amazing Lisa Sipes. So as soon as she can fit this baby in, I will upload photos... that's as long as I am still blogging at that point - she has quite a LONG wait. But it will be SO worth it!

Here is the rest of the tour! Tomorrow, the Jellybean-a-thon continues it's tour of Chicago by visiting the talented Sara at Sew Sweetness! Don't miss popping by and taking a look - she is great!

Feb 25: Thomas Knauer

Feb 26: Allegory Lanham

Feb 27: Me!

Feb 28: Sara Lawson

March 1: Rachael Gander

March 2: Rashida Coleman-Hale

March 3: Heide Mueller-Hatton

March 4: Audrie Bidwell

March 5: Kim Niedzwiecki

Thank you so much Thomas for having the faith in me to play with your fabrics, especially when we had only just met! You are incredibly talented and add an amazing voice to the world of Modern Quilting.

Thanks everyone for stopping by! Have fun on the rest of the tour!

Tracy

Thursday Thoughts...

2013-01-24T11:50:00.002-06:00

So much for blogging regularly... (that doesn't count as my promise not to ever apologize. I didn't say "sorry"). My poor little helper in the sewing room has had back to back illnesses this winter. We are on cold number three since the beginning or December. Poor thing! The doctor prescribed rest, lots of fluids and plenty of vitamin C. It is so hard when the little ones are sick. I know that you Mom's completely understand.

In the meantime, I have been doing a little bit of stitching on my project for the Jellybeanpalooza with Thomas! Want a sneak peek of what I have been doing?

My photography skills make me sad...

These are just a few block that I was playing with. I am not sure if I will continue with this pattern, add in another block or change the size of this one. I think it is a bit small. Though it might make a super cute bag... hmmm....

Still thinking and playing!

I also have had two new video ideas and I want your feedback. I was thinking of doing a video about how I taught my daughter to use the sewing machine and some fun ideas that I use with her just for a little "sewing time". I have some interesting techniques that I think will inspire.

My second idea is about Sizzix and Accuquilt. I did a ton of research when I bought my machine and I wonder if it might be useful for quilters to hear? I have been using diecuts a lot lately and it is safe to say that I will be using them more and more. Cutting has always been my least favorite quilting activity and this is life changing! Special thanks to Ebony Love for helping me through my initial bumps! It really has been "quilting life-changing". I actually use both Accuquilt and Sizzix dies in one machine.

What do you think? Don't make me sad and not let me know what you are thinking. :(

And just for fun...

You know that you are spending too much time at home when you not only recognize the squirrels, but notice when they come back after a year.

This is Peanut. Peanut used to come for breakfast every morning and take nuts right out of our hand. We got worried when he stopped showing up. But he stopped by to visit this morning. Silly, I know.

And this was the sky this morning. "Red skies in the morning, sailors warning", no? This was just before 7am.

So, not much sewing time, but a lot of snuggles with the little one and squirrel visits. Not a bad week, I think. :D

Tracy

It's a ME day!

2013-01-09T16:43:00.001-06:00

It was a ME day and this morning was FABULOUS!!!! This truly is something I never do. As a matter of fact, my hubby was all "What are you talking about - "A me day"? What's that???" But I assured him it was a required mental health day. I even GOT DRESSED... I know! Crazy, right?

I have been a bit grumpy this week and I realized last night that I was quite stressed with the amount of work I have for freelance work. I am not complaining, I just realized it was weighing heavily on my mind. So I made the decision to work late last night and finish up today's assignment so that I could relax this morning.

I made a little video blog of my progress. Please watch. :D

Here are the photos I promised of the fabulous Jellybean fabric from Thomas Knauer.

Isn't that going to be fun and colorful? I am planning a quilt with those babies. I will show you a tease in a few days. In the meantime, why don't you schedule some me time? It could be a morning or it could be five minutes alone. However long it is, just take some time to do something FUN. It really is therapeutic.

Sewing Resolutions for 2013

2013-01-07T11:37:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year! So much has happened since my last post and I have been so busy - it is a good thing! Since I have really not had any more time to devote to writing, I thought perhaps I would try a video blog. I would like to do a new video post once a week. I will still post pictures here and write about what is going on, but I hope to start doing some videos book reviews and tutorials here this year. I have so much to share with you!

So here is my first vlogging entry for 2013. Enjoy! Leave me a comment below telling me your thoughts about sewing perfectionism and resolutions for 2013.

(Why, oh why does the video still shot have to be when I am making a stupid face???)

Houston Quilt Market, pt 2

2012-11-12T00:30:00.000-06:00

Quilt Market... Talk about overwhelming goodies. I did not see the whole show - not even close. The convention center is HUGE. At Spring Market I was able to go up and down the aisles and get a glimpse of the whole thing. In Houston, I had people to see and the Gen Q crew was constantly asking me to stop at this booth or that to check something out - so much fun, but this girl was not able to stay focused and see every booth.

As I walked the center aisle, I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw Willow by Jane Sassaman... in person!

This quilt was named one of the top 100 quilts of the 20th Century. Up close it is just perfect. Jane's stitching is spectacular. The only thing that could possibly top seeing the quilt in person was this...

I got to talk to Jane about how excited I was to see "Willow" in person and to tell Tula Pink not to miss Jane's quilt! How cool is that?

<I swear I was a total geek standing in Tula's booth but had the clarity to realize a photo opp when I saw it!>

Tula's mom lost her cell phone with the custom Nightshade case Tula made for her for a Mother's Day gift. So if you see an iPhone with a Nightshade witch on it... tweet @TulaPink 'kay?

Tula has some fantastic patterns coming out featuring Saltwater. I especially am excited for her "Hex on the Beach" quilt kit with precut hexagons and papers - ready to start stitching right out of the box!

Next I went to see the Butlers. Iwas completely flattered that they remembered me from Spring market. I spoke briefly with Amy but didn't have the sense to take a photo of her in the booth.

David pretty much always looked like this...

Constant stream of interviews....fabulous booth though. Finally...

Melody Miller was right around the corner from the Gen Q booth. Her booth was colorful and retro... just fabulous.

I was able to sneak a shot of Valerie Wells between interviews also...

In short, for a person who has been quilting for 20 years it was like heaven on earth with lots of quilty rock stars. My head exploded on more than one occasion... just ask Megan. She knows! We were swooning over the new products and samples from Lecien at schoolhouse and then it just kept going wherever we went.

I think I may have enough photos for one more Market recap... stay tuned!

Modern Designs for Classic Quilts Book Review and Giveaway!

2012-11-09T18:07:00.000-06:00

At Spring Quilt Market I had the pleasure of meeting the lovely Kelly Biscopink of Stitchy Quilt Stuff. We chatted for quite a while as I ~~begged~~ patiently waited for the Tula Pink book signing.Well she didn't let on that she was about to become very famous.

Just before leaving for Houston Quilt Market this arrived in the mail...

You can read the remainder of my review over at Generation Q Magazine and don't forget to leave a comment on the GenQ post to be entered to win a copy of the book! I wanted to make sure that you didn't miss it. I love that the book has been touring Chicago for the past 24 hours - yesterday was Faith from Fresh Lemons who just happens to be in my branch of the MQG! Pretty cool!

While in Houston, I finally got to meet Andrea Johnson of Andie Johnson Sews. Let me tell you... these two ladies are the real deal. They are uber-talented and sweet and pee-your-pants funny!

They are my new besties I tell you - though I don't want to make anyone else feel jealous because I came home from market with about 12 new besties! I felt truly blessed while I was there. It is always nice to be surrounded by people who get you.

Don't miss there blogs with more Quilt Market goodness. Kelly is actually working her way through a modern Dear Jane - the crazy woman! Andie has some great tutorials! Go check them out.

More pix this weekend and the continuation of my Quilt Market wrap up! While you are awaiting for that, go check out my buddy Megan and her stories of our shenanigans while in Houston!

Cheers!

Fall Quilt Market 2012, Pt. 1

2012-11-08T13:35:00.000-06:00

Note to self: When traveling to Quilt Market pack an extra bag!

This was me waiting at the airport on the way back home...

I had three giant bags heading through security at Hobby in Houston. I had to rearrange and cram my purse into one of the totes - which was quite obviously spilling over the top. I struggled through the terminal with way too much stuff. People were staring and I was getting "the look." You know the look where people are all like "Seriously??"

I caught the flight attendant give me a dirty look as I picked a seat and began to put my stuff away. I looked her square in the eye and said "Don't worry. Everything will be fine..." in my best Obi-Wan Kenobe "These aren't the droids you are looking for" sort of way. And it was. It all fit neatly under the seat and in the space of one suitcase up top.

If I had an extra bag, I would not have been stressing the entire weekend as someone from some quilty goodness company handed me yet another goodie sample. I also wouldn't have failed miserably as I tried to tip the baggage checker as he weighed my luggage that was five pounds over.

I am not complaining. I merely was unprepared for going to Quilt Market and people actually know who you are or at the very least, the magazine you write for - AMAZING! Really... it was fantastic.

But I will start at the very beginning... I got to market in time to shop at Ikea for supplies for the booth. We got chairs, picture frames, accessories. And then we saw this...

We got a bit distracted... but at $5 - $8 per yard, who can blame us???

We finally got to the convention center and set up the booth... in record time I might add!

There was only problem. This was our neighbor...

ZOINKS!

How is a girl supposed to concentrate??? Especially since, they don't give out charm packs or samples and the fabric that they had for sale was full retail price! OY!

I tried BEGGING...

But that didn't work.

(Actually, this was my buddy Simon who belonged to Jenna and Tom, the creators of "Stitched the film" documentary who were kind enough to let several of us crash at their house.If you haven't seen the film, you should!)

That is all I have time to share today. Tomorrow, I will share more about the fun people I got to talk with like Tula, Bari J, Thomas Knauer, David and Amy Butler... I promise, it will be good.

(Even with my crappy photography skills...)

Cheers!

Tracy

To Market, To Market...

2012-10-25T09:16:00.000-05:00

I am on the plane to Houston, bag packed though I am sure I forgot something! With the way that I got ready... at the last possible moment... I am guaranteed to have forgotten something. I did remember my cowboy boots, so I've got that going for me.

This was me at Spring Market. The quilt behind me was made by the talented Scott and Quilted by Angela Walters.

If you are going to be in Houston, stop by the Generation Q booth and say Hello - we are in booth 960.

I will be there with Jake, Melissa, Vicki and Megan - visit Megan's blog when you get the chance!

Melissa Peda will be helping out in the booth. As will the lovely McLisa - I just can't wait to see her again. Her quilting is just phenomenal!

I will be attending the Modern Meetup, Fabric 2.0 and maybe the Robert Kaufman cocktail party. I will also be having dinner tonight with my Gen Qbies and perhaps a few quilting celebs. I will keep you posted and take LOTS of crappy photos! See ya soon! I can not promise that I will post while I am in Houston, but I will just as soon as I can.

Have a great weekend ~ Do something Quilty!

Quilt Market Houston, Mashable, Pinterest and Halloween!

2012-10-23T10:10:00.001-05:00

Exciting stuff a-brewin'!

Boy I have just so much going on... I wish I had more time to blog here and let you know all the ins and outs. In short, I am getting ready to head to Houston for Fall Quilt Market and see all the goodies that will be headed to a quilt store near you in the coming months. I promise to take lots of pictures and fill you in on all the good stuff when I get back like I did last time here and here and here and even here.

I got quoted on Mashable in a great piece about Pinterest by Kate Freeman. I don't know if I have ever blogged about my Pinterest addiction... I just love it so darn much! I am lucky enough to freelance creating Pinterest pages for a few companies - fun but hard not to get distracted!!! I would love it if you came over and followed me on Pinterest so I can see your boards too.

Here are some kick ass pins I pinned this week.

I just made my daughter's Halloween costume, I can't share pics here yet because the tutorial will be going up on Generationqmagazine.com.I will post here as soon as it goes live and give you the direct link. If you love Halloween as much as I do, be sure to follow my All Hallows Eve Board on Pinterest.

In the meantime, I have the perfect photo to show you how I feel...

I will see you all on Halloween!

Over at Riley Blake...

2012-10-17T09:05:00.000-05:00

Hello!

How have you been? I have been quite a busy girl these days (understatement of the year!). However, I did an interesting little project that you can find over at Riley Blake today. I am letting everyone take a peek in my fridge...

We are calling this "laminate liners" and I think it is cheerful! I am really curious to know what everyone else thinks. :D

A letter from the (Associate) Editor

2012-09-05T08:36:00.002-05:00

A little sumpin' sumpin' came in the mail last week... Can you guess how excited I was?

Well, to be honest... the package arrived and I was a little teary. And then I was afraid to open it because I thought I would cry... so I waited until my hubby was home and the kids all gathered around as I opened the package. We all cheered and I got lots of congratulatory hugs.

It is not every day that you see your name in print...especially when it says "Associate Editor" next to your name.

The reason I was so emotional is because I never thought I would ever work for a magazine. I always dreamed that I would, but I often thought that it was impossible. I mean, I don't have a background in journalism, I take terrible photographs - I am not the "editor' type. But, in January, I made a resolution that quilting would take a priority in my life and five months later I started to work on GenQ.

So, no matter what "crazy" thing you love to do. No matter what you dream is your day job. I am here to remind you that it can happen. I wished and hoped that I would somehow make money doing what I love. I thought I will create this blog and it will be all about the things I love about quilting, including reading books and maybe I could do a few reviews of the books I like. A few months later, I have a stack of brand new quilting books to review for the magazine. So dream big! You never know what will happen.

Keep an eye out for Generation Q in quilt stores and Barnes & Noble. You can also order it on our website - just click on the link in my side bar. Let me know where you find it - I am having a hard time finding it here in Illinois.

Friday Fun

2012-08-10T05:00:00.000-05:00

Not much to share this week... ; )

After the lovely comments on my tutorial at Riley Blake Cutting Corners College - that really was so nice. Sometimes it is so quiet here and I wonder if anyone is really paying any attention. To see such sweet comments after making my very first tutorial - well, it was encouraging. :D

Work has been full of social media this week. I am setting up a Pinterest page for a company. The lesson this week is remaining focused and not getting distracted by all the pretty pins! I wasn't entirely successful...

You can check out my Pins here. :D

Follow me while you are there... ;)

Other than that, this week has been full of work and volunteering. I volunteer for Veggie Fest which is happening this weekend, August 11 & 12. If you are in the Chicago area, stop on by! You can find me there.

Finally, I thought I would share this fun photo with you. The day after I had finished piecing the top, I walked into my sewing room first thing in the morning and this is what I saw...

I thought it looked like stained glass. You see, my sewing room is an old porch that was enclosed, so I have a ton of windows. I don't really have a place for a design wall, so I tacked up some flannel over my window so I could hang the pieces and make sure I was sewing them in the right direction.

I was planning to spend the day quilting the top, but when I saw it that morning... well, I still think it needs more. More what...I am not sure. What do you think? Should I add a border? Or is it good the way it is?

My first ever guest tutorial!

2012-08-06T09:02:00.000-05:00

So I created this long list of projects to finish.

...and what am I working on???

Something new. ;) It is really fun - and it should have been on the list because I have been sitting on it for a while.

I am calling this quilt Apple Blossoms, named by my friend Jen. The fabric is Apple of my Eye designed by Amanda Herring of the Quilted Fish. The pattern is a Disappearing Nine Patch and you can find a full tutorial over at Riley Blake!!!

Welcome to all of the new visitors today. I am so happy that you stopped by. I hope you will poke around a bit and let me know what you think!

The reason it has been a bit quiet around here...

2012-08-05T22:35:00.000-05:00

So, if you have been following my blog, you may have noticed that I have been making some changes around here... moving the virtual "furniture" if you will. This has been for two reasons: Generation Q and Riley Blake.

I have mentioned that I started working with Generation Q Magazine after attending Quilt Market last May. Well, I am very excitedly awaiting the newest issue that I got to help out on and it will be hitting your quilt shop any day now! Every extra minute of writing has been going on over there to give our readers a GREAT issue. So I hope you will go check it out, if you haven't been there yet.

So of course, I had to change my formatting around here so I could add one of these to my blog...

Around that same time... Quilt Market, I mean... I signed up to be an instructor over at Cutting Corners at Riley Blake. So I have been sitting on a pile of hot off the presses fabric for months! Of course, up until about a week ago, I had no idea what I would make. ~~My procrastination is that great!~~ I thrive on deadlines, I guess!

I really wanted to make a log cabin hexagon, but the scale of the fabric was a bit large and I was really struggling with the size of the block. When I finally got my publish date, I had to make a decision. Luckily, Julia over at Riley Blake told me not to get hung up and to remember not to make the quilt too difficult, since they attract newer quilters.

So, my first ever tutorial goes live tomorrow... but I will give you a sneak peek tonight...

See you all tomorrow!

Tracy

Calling it as it is...

2012-07-19T11:09:00.000-05:00

My husband walked in last night and announced "Oh! It must be truth in labeling day!"

So it is! ;)

Sewing Buddies

2012-07-16T12:59:00.000-05:00

I have two new sewing buddies.

One is featured in this photo. His name is Tank because he is one and because that is the name he came with when we adopted him. I wanted to re-name him Teddy Roose-cat or Stitch or some other name. But Tank he has remained.

He loves sleeping on my sewing table, watching me write. When I get up, he steals my desk chair. Don't let his sweet face trick you... he is a feisty boy. I often refer to him as canTANKerous because he is often so grumpy. He is a handsome one but alas the good-looking guys are always assholes.

My other sewing buddy has turned out to be my 8 year old daughter. The other day a friend wanted to stop at Sam's Club. As we were walking through, I realized that they have several quilting magazines. So I grabbed two as we walked to the back of the store. My little girl was suddenly at my side asking to check one out. So there we were, following the guys, reading our mags when I suddenly realized that she was READING A QUILTING MAGAZINE!!!

Go figure! The gene didn't skip a generation! Well, perhaps I shouldn't say that out loud yet. But the piecing in my old Featherweight is her first quilt that she is working on! Fingers crossed that she finishes at least a pillow!

Prioritize Quilting - The List

2012-07-06T11:20:00.005-05:00

As promised, I am making my list and checking it twice. I am sure I will be adding to this lovely list of WIP's, UFO's and I wanna's, but here is my initial list:

Quilt for Cutting Corners
My Half-square triangle nightmare - Shaded Nine Patch (otherwise known as "Jay's Quilt)
Drunkard's Path Moda
Halloween Baltimore
Antique Lantern Quilt - needs new binding
Antique Pink and Blue - needs new binding
Antique Flower Quilt - needs repair
Purse for myself
ModKids Kyoko
Pineapple Quilt
Christmas TBD Quilt
CAST quilt - needs Binding

That is a lot of binding! But I should be able to knock those out pretty quickly, no? Wishing I had one of those Simplicity binding machines right about now...

But you get the idea, right? Understand why I have been at a standstill in my sewing room? This makes me feel better to have it all written down and now I know where I can start. Some of these UFO's, I must admit, will be challenging because my tastes have changed. However, I am determined that I can update them into something that I will love and be happy with enough to complete.

In the meantime, what do you think this block might be? A basket?

I guess in the photo it looks more like a basket than in person. The block is missing the feet that are usually present. This quilter apparently hated applique, because the handles are pieced! This is one of my quilts that needs a new binding.

Does anyone else need to make a list of sewing tasks like me? Please leave a comment - it sure would make me feel better.

Sew much to do! Sew little time!

And then I started going to the gym...

2012-07-04T10:54:00.001-05:00

This poor, poor blog...you have been so neglected. I am sorry blog. I started writing professionally and just like the shoemakers children, you sit ~~barefoot~~... er, unwritten?

Well, anywho, I have been BUSY! Writing, writing, writing! Some of it has been very boring, writing for businesses that I don't really understand what they do but must pretend that I do. And then I write for the new quilting magazine Generation Q - and that is FUN! It makes me very happy. I am writing the book reviews and a special feature that I will announce on the Gen Q blog in a few days. I will post a link when it goes live so you won't miss it!

So with all this busyness, I haven't had any sewing time at all. On top of it, my back went south last week. I have "severe arthritis" in my lower spine that I was diagnosed with about 4 years ago. I usually don't talk about it much... don't share on Facebook... and only my closest friends, who live near me, even know. For the past two years it has been fine. I have been able to function and go about my life with little pain and interference.

And then I started going to the gym.

Big mistake! Lol! I must have irritated it, because last week it started feeling funny and then my legs started to feel a bit numb when I sit. I went to the doctor and my sciatic nerve is acting up - affecting both legs. I have to go to have an MRI and see more docs. I spent the entire weekend in PJ's, wandering from room to room because I couldn't get comfortable in any one position for very long. So I would sit at the computer, then I would walk around, then I would head downstairs and watch TV, then I would sit on the porch swing...

So what does this have to do with sewing and quilting??? Is there anyone even still reading? Well, if you are still there, I will tell you.

I found myself straightening my sewing table and itching to sew. I have some new fabric - I got some fabric from Connecting Threads. I was curious about their fabric quality because their price is less than $6 per yard. And, I have to tell you, it is lovely! I got some of their cotton lawn - BEAUTIFUL! I plan to make my daughter the Kyoko by Patty Young's ModKid.

With this lovely fabric...

But then I remembered that I still need to review Patty's new book. So I put that thought away because I couldn't sit long enough to write the post. So then I figured, well, maybe I can work on a quilt!

But then I thought, which one? I really should work on my hubby's quilt... the poor guy has been waiting 10 years! But I also got the rad Christmas fabric from Connecting Threads too - what am I going to make with that???

And then I wasted the whole day trying to figure out what I was going to make... Granted I really wasn't feeling well, which isn't the best time to sew. I was bound to make cutting mistakes or sewing mistakes...

But I came to a decision. This blog has set me on track this year. I decided in January that I was going to use this blog as a way to force myself to make quilting a priority in my life. Five months later, it was not only a priority but also my career. It brings so much happiness to my life and I smile every day.

So, my next post will be my list. I will create a list of all my sewing projects that are taking up space in my sewing room. Then whenever I am wondering what to do, I will have a list to which I can refer! I also will have a list in which I can strike off the items I complete. Therefor, I will have a sense of accomplishment... and something to hold me accountable. I can also post pictures of my progress. Sounds like a win-win to me! How does that sound to you?

So Happy Birthday America and Happy 4th to you! Hope your holiday is fun! Talk to you soon!

Tracy

Sunday Morning Quilts

2012-06-17T11:08:00.001-05:00

I have been reading quilting books for 20 years. In the last year or two, I have actually read more books than I have done any quilting. I used to always say that I don't really read to people when I was asked if I had read some hot novel. Then one day it occurred to me, as I struggled to carry the eleven non-fiction books out of the library - I READ ALL THE TIME! I read a minimum of five books per week, mostly sewing and cookbooks.

I have loved quilting books, been inspired by them, been enamored by the photographs...still, I haven't made a quilt in quite a while. Don't get me wrong, it hasn't stopped me from buying books for the projects. I simply have not found a book that has left me itching to start sewing. Until now...

I am going to back up and start at the beginning. At Spring Quilt Market in Kansas City last month, Thursday was "SchoolHouse". Since I was with the team at Generation Q, we divied up each of the schoolhouse classes as best we could and tried to spread ourselves as best we could to support friends of the magazine, see good stuff and get ideas. When I was assigned Sunday Morning Quilts, I didn't really think much of it other than the fact that I had to hightail it to the other side of the convention center to get there. When I arrived at the room, it was packed! I noticed that there were still a few seats in the front row, so I tried to discretely head to the front and sit. I quickly sat down only to find, I was sitting in front of the projection machine and my giant head was flashed up on the screen. I tried to scrunch down, but you saw and enormous head trying to scrunch. People were staring... it was embarrassing...

So, I slipped down to the floor and gathered my composure and my belongings. I decided this was a great vantage point as I was right in front of Cheryl and Amanda Jean, the authors. They started talking about the book, what set it apart from other scrap quilting books and started showing their lovely quilts. I quickly realized that I follow Amanda Jeans blog "Crazy Mom Quilts" and I am aware (in awe!) of how prolific a quilter this woman is!

See those quilty boxes on the table? The pattern is in the book for making those to house your scraps. Pretty and fun, no?

( I promise when I go to Houston, I will bring a better camera! I thought I was a terrible photographer until I used my son's Nikon digital SLR!)

During these sessions, they usually give out prizes. So I grabbed a card and Cheryl was kind enough to grab it and add it to the basket... and then pull it right back out! WooHoo! I had been sitting there saying "Pick me! Pick me!" in my head!

Later, they stopped by the booth and I grabbed a photo because I already knew I would be writing up a review for the blog - I was so impressed with their schoolhouse.

Cheryl flattered me by letting me know that she had read my blog. Little old me??? But I only just started blogging? Zoinks!

Well, anyway back to the review of the book. I learned to quilt back in 1990 from the book Quilts! Quilts!! Quilts!!! by Diana McClun and Laura Nownes. That book was a resource for me for many, many years. As a matter of fact, when my sister wanted to learn to quilt, I loaned her my copy. It was probably the best learning book I could have ever found.

When I started reading Sunday Morning Quilts, it felt to me like a modern version of Quilts! Quilts!! Quilts!!!. Truly. It is fresh and fun and it explains how to make a quilt, gives great tips and tricks and shares beautiful designs. They even give you a way to organize your scraps, which is really helpful. Because even if you are a quilting newbie, you are going to make scraps. It's just the nature of the craft.

I for one, am completely obsessed with these two designs:

So colorful and fun! And they show you how to improvise as you go along to make the "slabs" you need for these designs. I love this book! I strongly suggest that you check it out! And check out their blogs while you are at it...

Cheryl can be found at http://naptimequilter.blogspot.com/ And Amanda Jean can be found at http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/.

Have a Scrappy Sunday!

Saturday Special - Mother Daughter Edition

2012-06-02T17:54:00.000-05:00

This morning a few of my girlfriends and I were supposed to go to a quilt show in a nearby town. Well, one friend had a sick child. My other friend twisted her ankle. My husband had a training session in the city for the Chicago Marathon so I had to watch my daughter today. So instead of sitting around, I decided to take her with me and go enjoy the show!

I have never been to the quilt store who was hosting, so I had no idea what to expect. However, I did know that Edyta Sitar was going to be there, so I knew it would be traditional. I had no idea that the show was COMPLETELY traditional! Which, is fine. I still got to ogle quilts and enjoy the fresh air.

Edyta was a complete hoot! I thought she was quite entertaining. Man that woman is prolific! I can't tell you how many quilts she displayed saying something like "ooops! I made too many blocks so I made this king size quilt with the leftovers!"

Her newest fabric line is a bit brighter than her previous stuff. I gravitated more toward those. Here are a few photos of Edyta talking about her quilts.

I liked this quilt - I only wish I new who made it. I know her name was Anita. (Sorry Anita!)

We also thought this quilt was fun...

My daughter saw this quilt and really liked it.

Not her usual color pallet. The lime green and black was so striking!

So I let her get a little bit of fabric to start her own stash! She went right for the same fabric. A girl after my own heart! When the ladies in the store got a little bit pushy because it was SO incredibly crowded, I just let them know that this was my girls first fabric stash. They all let us go ahead of them and patted her on the back!

After the quilt show, we grabbed a bite to eat and then headed home. Suddenly I remembered that a local garden center had a special miniature garden weekend. So off we went in hopes of learning to make a fairy house.

I knew we were on to something when the employees kept grabbing people and showing them our house.

This is the back entrance...

We had so much fun making this adorable little house. I really needed a day where I didn't have to be anywhere. You know what I mean? We dawdled and meandered and strolled. It was really nice.

I hope you had a nice weekend too. :)

AccuQuilt Testimonial by Me!

2012-05-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

All right, I admit it... I was ~~sort of stalking~~ admiring the Accuquilt booth at Quilt Market when I met Carolyn and Lee. You see, I love my Accuquilt dies! I also have been following the company enough to know that in order to work for Accuquilt, you have to make a quilt. So I started asking Lee what quilts he has made. That conversation turned into this video that he uploaded today!

Watch and enjoy!

All that in one take! I am a professional. See, all the more reason I deserve my own quilting show. (Hint! Hint!) Someday I will get my butt in gear and just create my own. That goes on the list just after "acquire a Mac". A girl needs an easy way to edit!

(Speaking of editing... could I have said my blog address right????? Yikes! But anywho...)

I kind of laugh as I watch because I know what was going on in my head as Carolyn asked those questions. I was frantically trying to remember any dies at all! Chances are pretty darn slim I will ever make a Bohemian Rhapsody quilt, but it sounded good, right? I don't exaggerate how easy the Accuquilt dies are to use, however. Super simple and perfect every time!

Here are those hexagons I mentioned in the video...

I used the hexagon die for the center and strips for the "logs". I will be playing with this pattern a bit more in the next week or so. Stay tuned!

If you don't already use Accuquilt dies, I suggest you to check out their website right now. You can also follow them on Facebook for a weekly chance to win a Go! Baby.

2012-05-25T09:11:00.000-05:00

I <3 Tula!

Apparently Blogger does not like the title "I <3 Tula!" so this blog does not have a title...

I loved her from “Hello”. From her fantastic glasses to her tattoos, I knew right away that Tula Pink is my kind of girl. As I sat in her schoolhouse session at market, I found myself sighing audibly as she displayed each of her quilts from her brand new book Quilts From the House of TulaPink. SO when I got the chance to meet her the next day and get a copy of said new quilting book, I jumped at the chance.

I said I loved her glasses. She said she loved my hair. I think we are besties now. :D

I love this book. I am not just saying that because I got it for free either(my attempt at a blogger disclosure)... Or because it is autographed to me.

The book starts out describing a little about how Tula works. It quickly moves in to a few techniques. Well photographed, easy tricks for half-square triangles, nesting seams, and Tula’s tubular technique make this book great for beginners and seasoned quilters alike. Simple coordinating no-sew projects even make this book great for the DIY crowd.

I especially enjoyed the glimpse into her fabric design process. Her style is so approachable; it draws you in, pats your hand and says “It’s all right. While we are here, why don’t we make a little something?”

Her quilts are different, fun and colorful.

The quilting is TO DIE FOR!!! Done by Angela Walters of Quilting is my Therapy. I can not express how amazing it is and my pictures do not do justice.

She has these designs printed up for her for her quilt backs. I would buy these in a heartbeat.

Her next line is called Nightshade. I personally can not wait to get this line in my hot little hands! Nightshade is her Halloween line. She, like me, loves Halloween and created a line that can be left out for longer than just the month of October.

The girls are three sisters that Tula created stories around to inspire the line. They are adorable and my kids need quilts made out of this line immediately!

More about Tula, including epic pix of her quilts, can be found at her site.

What Happens at Quilt Market...

2012-05-23T08:20:00.000-05:00

Stays at quilt Market...

The theme of our booth was "Breakfast at Tiffany's" complete with a claw foot tub sofa, luggage end table and even "Cat". No Breakfast at Tiffany's booth would be complete without a enormous Martini Glass filled with candy cigarettes. There were people who just stopped by to grab more "smokes".

Scott of Blue Nickel Studios and I often got requests for photos in various poses around the booth. We even indulged one new fan of the magazine by making a short video of us smoking and including an inside joke for her sister.

Scott and I often walked around with our cig's in hand. You could always find the smokers in the crowd because they would give me the double-take with a look of nicotine deprivation in their eyes.

My new GenQ bud's feeling weary but happy.

I think my favorite moment was standing in Amy Butler's booth talking to her and the handsome David Butler when Amy blurted out "Where did you get that candy cigarette?"

"Why, at our booth of course!"

I then got to escort the handsome David Butler through half of the show floor in search of candy cigarettes for Amy. See, I am not the only one who has a sweetie for a husband! I also got many a stare - "Who's that redhead with him?"

Who says quilter's don't have fun?

Quilt Market And My Husband.

2012-05-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

Before I go any further with the Quilt Market related posts, I want to tell you a little story.

A few days before I was supposed to leave for Kansas City, I started to get concerned. I have been out of work since January and money is starting to get really tight. I started to question my sanity in going to Quilt Market. How could I go to Kansas City when I would have to pay for a hotel? That is a few hundred dollars that could go to paying the mortgage or at the least buy a week of groceries for my kiddos.

On Tuesday night I got a note from my friend Jake. Here is a little snippet, it read:

In the meantime, know that you've already had a huge part in what we're doing...You stuck when we started all over. You tweet us and cheer us and it's hard to really make clear how much that helps what we're doing, and what I do. So THANK YOU for all that you've done! Friends are wonderful! Send me a headshot of you and I'll send you back a pic of you in the booth and then you'll know that you really were there. Love and hugs, Jake PS: There's always Houston!

As I read those words, I burst into tears. Jake made me feel like it would all be okay. She made me feel like I had a small part of Generation Q making it to print and though it would be a while longer before we would finally meet in person, I felt like it would be okay.

The next morning my husband woke me up and simply whispered "Go."

When I protested "I am trying to be a grown up... I want to do the responsible thing."

He argued, "Honey, do I have to remind you that you wanted to go to network and find a job?"

I countered, "I found a freelance job. Do I have to remind you that I wont see a paycheck for another month?"

"Yeah, but you don't want that job. You love quilting. Go. Hand out resumes and find work doing something you love. There. I have said my piece."

It took a post on Facebook and a big push from my friends to make me decide to take the leap and get on the plane. Everyone should have the support that I have - I am so incredibly lucky! Thank you to all my friends who gave me the little extra push.

I landed in Kansas and soon got a call from Jake telling me that they had found a place for me to stay. I didn't have to pay for a hotel after all. It turned out that I barely spent any money while on my trip. I made connections. I found companies that would share products with me so I could review them on my blog. I found new friends that I can't live without. And my feet have not touched the ground since Friday when I was invited to join the staff at Generation Q magazine!

All this never would have happened if my husband did not support me in this trip. He pushed me out of the nest so I could fly. He stayed home to take care of my "three little birds". Not only did he not complain, he called me to let me know that he was glad I had gone on the trip so he could remember how much I do every day.

Pretty incredible, right?...I know.

I have a bit of a favor to ask all of you. Can you help me show my husband the love that he showed me these past few days?

This is Jay. He loves to run. He is running the Chicago Marathon this fall and raising money for the American Cancer Society. Can you help me support his cause? Go to his DetermiNation Page and donate any amount you can. You can donate $1 or donate more. If you can't afford anything at all, that's okay. Perhaps you can tweet this link or post it on Facebook. That way we can support him in what he loves just like he has supported me. Maybe together we can get him to his goal of $3000, what do you say?

Then let me know. Leave me a comment letting me know what you did so that I can say Thank You!!!

Spring Quilt Market 2012

2012-05-20T11:31:00.000-05:00

I had just arrived at Market and I was saying "I AM SO EXCITED!!!" wherever I went. Unfortunately, I was completely by myself at this point... so perhaps some of the more jaded in the crowd were shaking their heads, but I did not care! This was my first Quilt Market and nobody was going to rain on my parade, not even the ladies on my shuttle from the airport who had been to QM for 20+ years and were tired before they even got there.

I was literally walking down the hallway, practically getting whiplash...

"Oh look! There's Pepper Cory!"

"Oh, I just passed Eleanor Burns." (For the record, I did not see her strip anything...)

"Oh, hai! Itz Pat Sloan" (not sure why I slipped into my Lolcat voice for that one...)

"JANE SASSAMAN IS SITTING IN FRONT OF ME!!!!" - I think I did whisper yell that one, but if she heard me, she didn't let on...

For me, Spring Market was to help my friend Jake Finch launch the brand new magazine Generation Q, make some new friends and do a little networking. My three days in Kansas City exceeded all of my hopes for a successful market. I made some GREAT new buddies (even found a new surrogate mom), made some great connections and even got a new job - more on that later... ;)

So the next few weeks will be filled with images from Quilt Market, sneak peeks of what will be coming to stores soon and some book reviews of books that you will want to run out and buy immediately! I will be getting books from C&T, Stash and F+W Media to review in the future! So excited - I finally have a new source to feed MY BOOK ADDICTION!!! Mwah ha ha!

I will be sharing more exciting news later... but for now I will leave you with a picture of the oh so handsome David Butler sitting in the Generation Q booth...

Sitting with David are (from left to right): My gracious host Stephanie, my new surrogate mom Bev, David Butler with "cat" and the very popular Princess Lisa.