Book Signing II

On Friday evening, Janine and I returned to the scene of the crime, so to speak.  Pieceful Heart fabrics in Lisle, IL was nice enough to host a book signing for us.  Janine and I actually met at this store about 8 years ago in a sewing class that she was teaching.  To make a long story short, she mentioned that she had a longarm and I hired her to quilt a couple of my unfinished tops.  And, as soon as I saw her longarm I decided that I had to have one!  So, I quit teaching junior high and high school history, convinced my dear husband that I needed a gigantic sewing machine at the same time Janine was thinking about teaching longarm classes.  As I started my longarm business, we got to know each other pretty well and the rest, as they say, was history.  Since then, we have about 50 patterns in print, and between the two of us and Janine's sister, we have probably about 150 quilts that go out as samples and trunk shows.  We spend A LOT of time with our suitcases, carrying quilts back and forth to various places....

On Friday, we brought all of the quilts from the book as well as a few other new ones to give a trunk show and a brief talk about Colorful Quilts for Fabric Lovers.  We had a ton of fun--Deb, who works at the shop, baked some amazing brownies and made whiskey balls, there was wine, and we spent the evening in a fabric-filled environment.  Pieceful Heart has some great finds!

Batiks

Westminster Prints

But we really love the fact that at Pieceful Heart, you get to stand ON the cutting table to give your trunk show.  I haven't really stood on a desk (or cutting table for that matter) since I was teaching.  Especially in my junior high classes, I used to do it once in a while just to grab the girls' attention.  Most  students do not expect to find their teacher standing on the desk when they get to the classroom!  Janine usually shows the quilts.  Here she is, post-trunk show:

Thanks to all the ladies who work at the shop and made the evening a great success.  And, thanks to everyone who came out to meet us!!

Rear Window with Soul

Earlier this year while I was browsing the aisles at Patched Works in Elm Grove, WI, the shop owner asked if we had ever made any of our quilts with Amy Butler prints.  I had used Amy's prints here and there in our samples, but never for the whole quilt.  However, I had been eyeing what was at the time her latest collection and was looking for an excuse to buy some and make a sample with it.  As it turned out that summer day, a quick question was all the encouragement I needed to acquire a neat little stack of Soul Blossoms in what I am calling the blue/green colorway.  I decided to narrow down the palette instead of using the entire collection because the fabrics are very eclectic in style.  This particular quilt only finishes 54" x 63"-- too small to add all of the fabrics in the collection and still get a cohesive look.  So, I narrowed it down to about ten different fabrics.  And I knew right there at the cutting table that I was going to use white kona solid as the frames.  I am happy with the way this top turned out.  It has a fresh, springy look to it--very contrary to our current weather in Chicago!

The quilt is now in line to be quilted at Patched Works.  Stay tuned for future pictures, or, go and check it out for yourself.  They will have the quilt on display in the coming months and you can get some Soul Blossoms of your own as they stock much of the line.

Because I can.....

I am always telling myself how nice it is to work at home.  You can go grocery shopping in the morning, when the store is less crowded.  You can go the the mall on the weekdays, when the mall is less crowded.     You can watch daytime TV--if you are into that sort of thing.  You can get to know the small children and retired people in your neighborhood.  Or, you can take a day to hang out with your family at places like the Chicago Botanic Garden...when they are less crowded.  I am very into the 'less crowded' thing.  

So today, because I can, I took Maggie to the Botanic Gardens.  It was a mother-daughter bonding day--the first of many I am hoping!  

Not to get all corny, but spending a day amid such beautiful surroundings helps me recharge my batteries and look forward to our lecture and trunk show tomorrow in Steger, IL.

Maggie's favorite part of the day was the Model Railroad garden.  After all, where else can you go from one coast to the other in a matter of minutes??

My favorite part of the day:  spending it with Maggie :-).

And to top off this lovely experience, these were waiting for me at my doorstep when we arrived home...Some new Amy Butler prints as well as a mix of some other Westminster prints!

Oh how I do love working at home....

Book Signing!

Last night Julie and the wonderful staff at Patched Works in Elm Grove, WI hosted a book signing party for Colorful Quilts.  If you have never been to Patched Works, it's time to get in the car and take a road trip.  Julie stocks about 8,000 bolts of fabric in a wide variety of styles!  Our favorites happen to be her batik and kona solid sections but she also carries a wide variety of Moda, halloween, novelty, childrens and Westminster fabrics.  And, if your travels make you hungry, stop in at Le Cakery (it's right next door!) and have a soup and sandwich....and something sweet for desert.

We had a great time showing the quilts from the book and talking a little bit about the process of writing it from start to finish.  I love all of the quilts in the book, but two of my favorites at the moment are the cover quilt:  Club Noir, and Union Station.  Both are pictured below:

Thanks to everyone who joined us--especially my dear mother, sisters and niece Josie!  I am hoping she gets the quilting bug soon:-).

If you weren't able to join us last night, we'll be at Pieceful Heart fabrics in Lisle, IL this coming Friday and at Quilter's Destination in Arlington Heights, IL in November.  Hope to see you there!

Weekend Workshops

This past weekend, we had the pleasure of doing a trunk show and teaching 2 workshops for the lovely ladies out at the Berrien Towne and Country Quilt Guild in Bridgman, MI.  Janine and I both agree that teaching workshops is one of our favorite things to do.  We have never had a group of students that did not inspire us in some way.  After all of the years I have been quilting, I am still astounded at the different perspectives people bring to quilting.  These perspectives influence the way they look at fabrics, how they put fabrics together, and even why they are sewing in the first place.  And, there is nothing more satisfying than the sound of several machines humming, constant laughter and companionable chatter, accompanied by the smell of steam irons and cotton.

Here are a few accomplishments we witnessed this weekend--

On Friday, the pattern was Curved Log Cabin.  As always, one quilt can have so many different looks! Everyone used different looking fabrics in a wide range of designs from traditional to contemporary....

Reproduction type prints in a neutral palette with a tone on tone chocolate print:

Reproduction prints with a neutral alternate print:

Scrappy fall prints with a gold alternate print:

Batiks on both sides!

Some students even decided to make both sides of their Curved Log scrappy.  This takes some tenacity but is well worth the effort...

And there is always one combination that I love and wouldn't have thought of myself--like this quilt using Amy Butler, etc prints on the scrappy side and Kona stone on the other.

Saturday's pattern was Around the Block.  Again, we were blown away by the different fabric combinations and people's willingness to step "out of their box".

Of course some people started with their quilt already finished!

Brights and dots....and one of my personal favorite colors:  lime green

A mixture of various types of prints in a controlled palette.....we liked the selective cutting for the center in this block...

And this quilt using garden themed fabrics.  Centers here are also selectively cut and each has a butterfly, flower or a bee....

Both days, everyone got some blocks finished and were well on their way to having a finished quilt.  And Janine and I had such a good time!  So, thank you Berrien Towne and Country Quilt Guild for a wonderful weekend.  We hope to see you again in the future.

Book Shelf

The above is a picture of the greater part of my collection of quilting books.  Yes, I did arrange them in rainbow order....not an original idea...I saw it in a home design magazine a couple of years ago and have wanted to try it ever since.  So as soon as they finished the bookcase above my desk in our new basement, I arranged most of my favorites as you see here.  I have to admit it does make me smile every time I look up from my work (which is often!).

So, other than their colorful arrangement and the fact that these books made it through the final cut when I was purging my quilting studio of all extraneous objects, this collection of books would not normally be something of note on my blog.

But wait....what's that book at the end of the row?  The one at the end of the purple section??

Oh, yes it is!  It is a copy of our first book, Colorful Quilts for Fabric Lovers published by C & T!!  And, it will be available for purchase any day now!  I have a spot on my own bookshelf!

We are obviously REALLY excited about the release of our first book!  (sorry for all the exclamation points!!)  I can remember when I first became aware of sewing.  I used to swear up and down that I would never sew.  And now, I am up there with many of the quilters I have come to admire!

Vintage Handmade

Have you ever bought anything on Etsy?  I love it....sellers from literally all over the world.  So many different items (including fabric!) available on one website.  Recently, one of our very own Blue Underground Studios designers, Stephanie Sheffield, started her own Etsy shop called two sisters handmade.  Stephanie has always loved sewing, even before she started quilting and designing her own patterns.  She is always bringing her handmade creations over for our lucky household--doll's clothes, kid's clothes, tote bags etc.  I have been trying to talk her into doing a tutorial for some of her tote bags here.  If I can drag her away from her sewing machine for long enough, we'll get together and do that!  

Last week, she brought over a couple of little wallets she had made out of hand dyed wool.  And, a few days later, she opened her shop officially.  My favorite is the 'Olive Martini' wallet.

The leaf wallet is a very close second...

She also has some cute vintage items.  You can check them out your self here.

The shop is new--only a couple of days old--so check back often for her latest creations!!