Friday, December 5, 2014

It's finally here!!!

That's right, CABIN FEVER is back! (Read about our first retreat here and here) Helping me on this awesome adventure are my besties Terry from Thankfully Sew and Shannon from It's Sew Shannon. They are the BEST!

We're getting everything set up and ready for registration which will open DECEMBER 15!
This is a cozy retreat and space is limited so if you want to come you better move this to the top of your Santa List. I'll have more information next Friday about registration. Until then....

HAPPY SEWING!

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Counting On Christmas

Are you starting to feel it? I've had the Christmas bug since Halloween! It's a big deal this year since I haven't felt very Christmasy the last few years. I didn't realize how much I missed it until I started feeling it and now I hope it never leaves.
My daughter has been very adamant this year about not putting up Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving. She's only 9 but she notices how Thanksgiving gets skipped right over, especially in the stores. And I have to agree. So our tree will have to wait until after Thanksgiving to be put up. But I did manage to sneak my "Counting on Christmas" quilt on to the wall. I mean, I did need to take a picture and there's no sense in taking it down if I'm just going to put it back up in a couple of days :o)


I just finished a remake of my advent calendar quilt- Counting on Christmas. I wish I could tell you these fabrics are in your local shop but I've been saving (hoarding?) them for years. One of my very favorite Christmas collections is Kate Spain's 12 Days of Christmas


You have to admit, it's simply delicious! But from 2010 it's a little hard to come by. Thanks to a dear friend and a quick thumb on an IG destash I was able to score a couple Layer cakes and some yardage earlier this year. Oh, you haven't seen the last of it yet :o)

Are you dying to make one of your own? The pattern is available as an instant download in my Etsy shop! Now I know we're getting a little close to the start of December but since it's fusible applique it goes together so quickly you can have the top done in an afternoon. And if you're a real plan ahead type you can start planning for a twin size for next year. I always thought it would be the cutest for my kids to have countdown quilts on their beds during the month of December. Right!? Somehow I don't think my 14y/o would agree :o)

HAPPY SEWING and a very

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!


Friday, November 7, 2014

November Aurifil BOM designer- SCOTT HANSEN

This is old news, I know, already a week old, but this month we celebrate one of my friends,
SCOTT HANSEN of Blue Nickel Studios. 


Scott is one of the best people...EVER! He and I became friends and Quilt Market and although we only hang out twice a year it's always awesome to see him. 
I still remember one of my first markets coming back to my booth after a quick minute away and finding a blue nickel sitting on the table. It took me a minute to make the connection and I hurried to find him and say HI. This last spring we enjoyed a fun lunch away from market (it seriously felt like we were cutting school) along with our friend Frances Newcombe of Art Gallery fame. It was my favorite moment from spring market- we had so much fun!

Take a minute and head over to Aurifil's blog to learn about Scott. Really, if there's anyone you want to know in the quilting world, Scott should be it. 
Don't forget to download the instructions to his block and to enter into the contest each month to win a package of Aurifil thread!

HAPPY SEWING!!!

Monday, September 22, 2014

Beyond Neutrals- Book Tour


From the moment I got wind that John (aka Quilt Dad) was working on this book I could hardly contain my excitement for it's release. I knew it was going to be fabulous but really I had no idea. This book blew me away!



The whole idea of the book is to get you to look at fabrics in a different way and to use those fun, vibrant fabrics in places you would normally reserve for boring neutrals (white, grey, etc). John has designed 16 amazing quilts using colors and prints that make you say "Wow! I wish I'd thought of that!" 
One of those quilts is Fallen Timbers, pictured above. I'm the boring quilter that reserves prints and color for the blocks and uses white for sashing between blocks. I absolutely LOVE how John used a variety of prints, many light in color, for the main blocks and chose a gorgeous grass green for the sashing between. The overall look is stunning!


Another quilt that I LOVE in the book is Raven Rock. John didn't use any boring neurtals in this quilt. In fact there is no sashing, background, etc- it doesn't need it! The bold strips of fabric flow through the quilt with graphic movement. It's awesome! 

Let's not forget the cover model and show stopper- Pacific Crest! Those prints, in that layout, with the deep blue background is breathtaking. I'm hoping to make up my own version of this quilt some time soon. Guess what I've chosen as my fabrics!? (hint: see the first picture :)

This book should be in everyone's quilt book library. The patterns are fabulous and perfect for all quilters regardless of their level of expertise. My other favorite part of this book? The photography- it's stunning!

So, do you want to win an ebook of Beyond Neutral courtesy of Martingale?
Simply leave a comment telling me the fabric(s) you would use in your own Beyond Neutral quilt. I'll choose a winner and announce on Friday!

HAPPY SEWING!


August 25 -- Kick-off -- YOU ARE HERE!
August 27 -- The Stitch This! blog at Martingale Books
August 29 -- Sara Lawson at Sew Sweetness

September 2 -- Molli Sparkles
September 4 -- Angela Pingel at Cut to Pieces

September 10 -- Lynne Goldsworthy at Lily's Quilts

September 15 -- The Fat Quarter Shop's Jolly Jabber
September 16 -- Julie Herman at Jaybird Quilts
September 17 -- Nick Ball at Quilts from the Attic
September 19 -- Amy Lobsiger at Mrs. Schmenkman Quilts

September 22 -- Emily Herrick at Crazy Old Ladies Quilts
September 23 -- Sarah Fielke at The Last Piece
September 24 -- Monica Solorio-Snow at the Happy Zombie
September 25 -- Scott Hansen at Blue Nickel Studios
September 26 -- Katy Jones at I'm a Ginger Monkey

Friday, September 12, 2014

MASSDROP- Geared for Guys

Are you still waiting around for your own copy of Geared for Guys? Look no further. I've partnered with Massdrop to offer my ebook at an amazing price!
What is Massdrop you ask?

Massdrop takes a group of people that each want to buy the same thing, combines their order, and places that order directly with the vendor. As a result, everybody in the group gets the large quantity price while only having to buy one. So....The bigger the group (the more people at order), the better price that everyone will get!)

This week their offering my ebook, Geared for Guys!


This book is an amazing deal and it's only getting better. With 8 quilt patterns and tips for making that guy quilt you can't pass this up. It's listed on Massdrop for only $15.99 but if 15 or more people purchase the price drops to $13.99. You can't beat it!

So what are you waiting for!? 

HAPPY SEWING!

Monday, September 8, 2014

Birthday weekend getaway!

 So a little over a week ago I celebrated another birthday. The hubs treated me to a weekend getaway to sunny St. George. On the agenda was a visit to Zion's National Park to conquer Angel's Landing

Just to preface- I am not an experienced hiker. I enjoy a leisurely hike through the woods, on a trail. Recently I mentioned to the hubs that I would like to do more hiking so he thought this would be fun. We have been to Zion's a couple of times and talked about the hike but my health wasn't great at the time and decided against it. I thought, on the brink of my 38th year that it would be a great time to do this hike.


This is us at the beginning with Angel's Landing behind us. See my smile? I was excited for this fun adventure. I had no idea what was ahead of me. :o)


It's sometimes difficult to tell scale in a picture. Even with the heads in the bottom of the picture it's difficult to tell just how tall this peak is.  


The hike starts off gradually and eventually leads into a series of switchbacks. If you've ever been to Disneyland or any amusement park you know how horrible those switchbacks in line can be. These weren't too different. I quickly became aware of how difficult this hike was going to be for me.
(If you look closely you can see people on the different ledges of the switchbacks)


Here is a look down at the trail from high atop the switchbacks. If this seems crazy to you, you haven't seen anything yet!

The weather was gorgeous as we started out. It definitely got warm, even hot as we were hiking but there was a cool breeze that came through to cool us as we continued on. 


After the first series of switchbacks we walked along a canyon for a bit. This was an easy trail that meandered along. It was a nice break from the steady climb we had just come from.


The views were spectacular!


I took this pic in the gift shop before our hike started. I thought it was a bit funny sounding. We have a lot of Walter's in our family. I giggled at the sticker having no idea what I was in for.


Walter's Wiggles is no joke! This is a series of 21 steep switchbacks. At this point in the hike i was struggling. I've talked about my health here on the blog before. It is nothing short of frustrating. I pushed myself but knew not to push too far. I had to take lots of breaks. The hubs was super supportive and never complained once.


We finally reached the Scout Lookout point. I knew there was more to come but wasn't really looking forward to it at this point. The hubs asked if I wanted to turn back but I figured I'd come this far, I might was well keep going. Anyway, I wanted to reach the top.


I took pictures of the signs before I packed up my camera for the rest of the hike. I know it's difficult to see on the screen my picture of a sign but basically the rest of the hike is along a sandstone ridge using chains to help along the way. 


There are warnings to those fearful of heights. You just don't mess around up here.
Luckily the forecast was great and we had no lightening strikes to worry about.


It was pretty crowded at different points on the trail. Sometimes we had to stop and wait for people to come down before we could continue up. I was grateful for those times to rest. My legs were tired and I used the chains to my advantage using my upper body to keep climbing. 


Here's a pic of the river and road below. And this wasn't even the highest point.


We would come to the end of a series of chains at the top of a ridge and I would be so excited thinking we were there. And then I would turn my head and see more people climbing and realize I wasn't there yet. I just wanted to be done!


This guy kept encouraging me and helping me along. There were so many little things he did that touched my heart. It may sound cheesy but I just kept thinking "He really loves me. He really cares" I didn't even need to ask for help, he was just there. If that was the only thing I learned on this hike it was enough. He carried the pack with all the water. Every time I saw an older person or even a young kid on the hike and said "See, even they can do it without trouble" he would remind me of what I've been through and the mountains I've already climbed, encouraging me to go on but supporting me if I didn't want to continue. He really is the best! 


We finally came to the last big haul. If it looks like it's almost straight up, that's because it is!
We rested for a moment while people came down including a young couple with an INFANT in front snuggly carrier. Seriously!? 


We finally made it!


I really wasn't very happy. I was glad to be at the top but I was so spent. I asked the hubs if he would call 911 and have them air lift me from the top. I was not looking forward to the climb down.
"Take my picture so I have proof I did this and let's get the heck off this mountain!"


It really was something up there to look around at the valley below; to look at all the sandstone mountains and the canyon; to think about our beautiful earth and God's wondrous creation. Moments like that are awe inspiring.

We trekked down pretty quickly. My legs felt like jello and my upper back ached from pulling myself up the chains. We scrambled down the rock and jogged a lot of the way down. I scoffed at people passing us when we were headed up but realized when I was going down that it was much easier to use the decline to my advantage. 

The 5.4 mile round trip took us about 5 hours. Only 1 1/2 hours of that was to come down. When we reached the bottom we headed straight for the drinking fountain to fill up with cool water.

I have to say, as miserable as it was, I do feel a great sense of accomplishment to have conquered Angel's Landing. And if asked if I'll ever do it again the answer is a firm and certain...
NO!

After a few days of resting sore muscles I'm happy to be back at my sewing machine :o)

HAPPY SEWING!


Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Aurifil Design Team Block of the Month- Pat Wys

Well it's September and in true Crazy Old Ladies fashion I am late again!

This month's designer is Pat Wys from Silver Thimble Quilt Co. 


This lady is something else! She is so talented and has her hands, or Quilts, in so many things. 
I had a fun time reading all about her on the Aurifil blog post. 
Don't you just LOVE the quilt in the collage up there? It's a stunner and can be found in her book 


And if you think that's great, she has a second volume out and a third on the way!
Check out her shop to purchase

Pat's block this month features 4 friendship star blocks, each representing a woman that inspires her.


To find out about these women and to get the instructions for the block visit the Aurifil blog

Don't forget, Pat Sloan picks a winner each month to receive a box of Aurifil thread so make sure to 
enter by posting a picture of your block on the Flickr page!

HAPPY SEWING!

Friday, August 22, 2014

Quilt St. George- I'm Teaching!

I know summer is coming to an end and the weather is still nice and warm for most of us. But can you remember just a few months ago when the sky was grey and dreary? Well folks, in just a couple short months we're going to be right back in the middle of ......WINTER!

I love winter..... for the first few days. After that I'm so over it and always looking for a way to beat out those winter blues. This winter I won't have to worry because I've already got plans and YOU should join me!


Held at the beautiful Marriott in St. George we're going to have a BLAST!

I'll be teaching two classes:


Rainbow Orange Peel
Come make this fun orange peel quilt using my easy applique method. This is a great quilt for using up scraps from your stash. It is so fun you will easily become addicted.


Promise Ring
Promise ring is one of my newest and best selling patterns- and for good reason! Come play as we make my modern take on a 'single' wedding ring quilt. We'll learn and perfect foundation paper piecing techniques as well as tackle the fear of curved piecing learning it's not so scary after all.

I'll also be sharing my creative journey in quilting through a trunk show. 

There are so many other amazing teachers and fabulous classes available.

Registration is open now so head on over to 
to learn more!

HAPPY SEWING! 




Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Modern Sewciety!

Are you familiar with the Modern Sewciety Podcast? Stephanie is such a doll and has chatted with some of the biggest names in the industry. So imagine my surprise when she wanted to interview ME!

The other day she had a CRAZY day- literally. She featured me, the Crazy Old Lady along with Amanda Jean from Crazy Mom Quilts. I LOVE HER!! Stephanie and I had such a fun chat as I told her all about my start in patterns and fabric. It was a blast!


Hurry over and listen to our chat on her podcast. And when you're done with that one listen to all the rest!


HAPPY SEWING!

Monday, August 11, 2014

Fun Sized Quilts WINNERS!


Of course I totally missed the end date of the contest- but never fear because I am HERE!

Since I'm totally late picking a winner I have decided to pick 3 winners to receive a 
PAPER COPY of this terrific book!

Here are the three randomly chosen winners:

Havplenty
Will Cook for Shoes
Sandi

Thank you all for playing along

HAPPY SEWING!

Thursday, July 24, 2014

Fun-Size Quilts BLOG HOP!

Hey there, thanks for stopping by on the blog hop!

For the longest time I couldn't understand why people would make mini quilts. The idea just baffled me. And then I got the opportunity to design on for this book and I totally get it now. They are so fun, quick and easy and the design options are endless!


I am so fortunate to be among some of my favorite designers in this book. 


My mini- "Skyline" -features fabrics from my stash as well as several prints from my Technicolor fabric collection for Michael Miller Fabrics.

Do you want to win an e-version of this fun book for your self? All you have to do is visit the Martingale blog and then hop along to the rest of the designers on the blog hop to have a look at their quilts (you can enter to win an ebook on each of their blogs). Then come on back here and leave a comment telling me which is your favorite (it doesn't have to be mine!)

It could be-

"Hedgehog Heyday" from Cheri Leffler

or "My Little Garden" by Jackie White

or "Fox in a Box" by Jeni Baker 

or any of the others- there's 19 different fun-size quilts!

Can't wait to see which one you choose! Contest will run through July 30th. 

HAPPY SEWING!



Friday, July 18, 2014

Getting to know...RUSTIQUE!

Photo from Hawthorne Threads. Used with permission. 
Since RUSTIQUE is now shipping to stores all over I wanted to tell you a little about my inspiration and how I came up with the ideas for each print. 
I've been planning this post for a while and had to postpone due to a computer crash. Unfortunately I lost a lot of photos and have had to re-think how I'm going to do this post. I hope you enjoy!


Park City was one of the first prints I designed for the collection. Originally each hexagon only had one trophy in it and the animal varied in each including an Elk, Mule Deer, and Moose. While playing around with the trophies I got this snowflake design and loved it! It was decided that choosing only one animal would be best so I stuck with the trophy motif from the Trophy print. I LOVE the snowflake shape that it makes.

From the beginning of it's creation I  knew I wanted woodgrain somewhere in the Rustique collection. This fabric line was in the works for a while and by the time it was ready to go there were lots of woodgrain fabric already out there. I decided not to have a woodgrain print and instead chose to add just a touch in these prints. I really like the accent they add to Park City.


I had the idea for Trophy all along. I knew I would have deer heads with antlers evenly spaced on a background. In my head I envisioned wallpaper. What would these deer heads look like on a wall? My deer went through several drafts before deciding on the one you see here. Their antlers were a work in progress, too. Originally they were just antlers. My husband helped direct me to the specific type of deer and the best "rack". I really learned a lot about deer, specifically the difference between whitetail and mule deer. At some point, I don't remember exactly when, but I had the idea to make the collection more organic by adding flowers and branches. It was an "Ah Ha!" moment when I replaced the antlers with branches and tiny blossoms. It took some convincing to get the hubs on board but I really didn't care if he agreed or not- I loved it! Of course this changed the final look in Park City, also, both for the better.


The idea for Embossed came about from one of the original trophies in Park City. This trophy is a whitetail.   A lot of the design process is just moving images around and seeing what happens. I wanted to line them up and see what secondary design would appear. Once they were lined up I immediately saw an Aztec/tribal style design and added the little diamonds. I knew this print would be a tone-on-tone print and envisioned embossed leather where the design shows up in shadows depending on the way the light hits it. This one might be my favorite of all the designs despite the fact that my husband still wished they were mule deer instead. :o)


Crosscut was another idea that I had from the beginning, yet it took on many different forms before the final print was ready. 

I love the design that crosscut wood branches make so I used images like this as my inspiration. The disks were originally more intricate with their designs and had lots of rings. Each disk was tone-on-tone. When deciding to go more organic I had an idea for flowers. 


The flowers I envisioned were primitive as if they'd been cut from the end of a piece of wood (obviously not as intricate as the ones in the pictures above). Once I designed the flowers I knew I needed to simplify and change the wood disks to follow the feel of the flowers. I color blocked each wood disk and intermixed the woodcut flowers and the Crosscut print was born. 


The leaves for Leafpress are like my other prints in the fact that they went through many phases before the final was ready. In fact, my original leaf was the one that was used in Technicolor. Since the first leaf was very geometric and already used in another collection I revisited the leaf for a different look. I thought of leaves in a press and the image they make. I also thought of the "embossed" process of leather and the wood stamp inspiration I used in crosscut. All of those ideas helped shape the leaves for Leafpress.


Adirondack style and decor was one of the ideas that originally inspired me to do this collection. Yes, my husband was a big part but the first thought came here. I saw a page in a fashion magazine (dang I wish I still had it!) And it showed a runway model wearing what looked like a blanket from a cabin. The rest of the page had different images in a design board style of Adirondack style in both fashion and decor. This was a couple of years ago and really got the creative wheels turning in my head of how I could combine Rustic and Chic = Rustique! I absolutely love plaid and developed this plaid to accompany the rest of the print in the collection.  


When I first started this collection I sketched out and wrote down a bunch of ideas. Because I started so long about chevrons were just getting started in their fabric fame. I also wrote down feathers. I wanted to do things differently than were already being done which meant that I didn't want a print with feathers on it or a basic chevron. Simply adding a curve to the chevron lines I got a design that looked like feathers and a chevron all at once. Feathering


I love geometric designs and prints. I played around with lots of ideas and like many others was influenced by hexagons and triangles. I changed the shape a bit and developed a cool design. The altered triangles reminded me of a Sharktooth necklace one of my brothers got when he was in cub scouts as a kid. Sharks and deer obviously don't fit in the same theme, but shark teeth are used in tribal jewelry. So I managed to make it fit with the theme. :o)


Main prints are always a little bit tricky for me to design. I just think in smaller scale and tinier repeats. Open Season (named for my husband) and Yes, Deer (below) were designed almost simultaneously. In Utah we have a lot of Quaking Aspen trees up in the mountains. We call them "Quakies" and their a beautiful tree. I wanted to incorporate them into my collection somehow but their scale is difficult to work with. If I shortened their trunks they just wouldn't bee quakies anymore. 
The bird in the print is a special addition for me since it came from an actual picture I took of a vulture or hawk flying around. After designing the trophy deer head I really wanted some full deer silhouettes. I made a grazing doe and two nice bucks hiding in the trees. By staggering the trees I was able to get a print that could be a good scale to work with and still look like the forest I envisioned.
 One thing that I find amusing is the tree trunks themselves. Quakies are white with black notches and knots. This print just did not look good with a colored background so I couldn't make the trees white. I reversed the color placement on the trees for this print and they look awesome! They're just opposite of what they would normally be in nature. :o)


Yes, Deer uses the same buck silhouette from Open Season and carries the wood cut flowers over from crosscut. I don't do a lot of flowers in my design process so I struggled a bit with this print. It went through many revisions and color changes before I was happy with it. I like that my deer is hiding in the gorgeous bouquets of flowers. This print brings a softness to the collection that ties it all together.

I hope you enjoyed learning a bit about my design process for Rustique. I just love this collection and I hope you do too! 
Do you have a favorite print? What are you planning on making with Rustique? Tell me all about it!

You can purchase Rustique for your own collection from HAWTHORNE THREADS or ask for it at your local quilt shop!

HAPPY SEWING!!!