LAST CHANCE!

Thank you so much for following along this whole month with the

30 Blogs

30 Days

30 Books

tour.

I've had so much fun seeing what other designers have had to say about my book.

 and I hope you've enjoyed getting an inside peek at several of the patterns.

For those of you who haven't won one yet, this is your [last] chance.

As my thanks for all your support, I'm giving away

3 copies of 'Geared for Guys'

picked from random comments on Friday.

So leave your comments and keep those fingers and toes crossed!

(p.s.- you might want to make sure you're a follower too. I'm thinking of having a 'follower' exclusive giveaway in the next couple weeks. *hint!*)

Friends and Family

I wanted to finish my market re-cap with pictures of my favorites. I'll start with FAMILY- my Michael Miller family:

Sarah Jane's new collection Out To Sea is adorable. Well, all of Sarah Jane's work is. It has a classic vintage look with a fresh modern feel. A perfect combination if you ask me. You've never seen pirates and mermaids until you've seen them like this!

She pays such attention to detail in her booth. It's no wonder she won the award for Creativity. I mean, a narwhal!?  LOVE IT!!

And look what we saw when we came in one morning! Mr. Pirate and Miss Mermaid got a little frisky during the night. :o)

Violet Craft was my booth neighbor showing her new collection Madrona Road. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this collection. The colors are gorgeous and her designs are perfect.

This pattern with the houses is one of my favorites!

And it's in THIS BOOK.

That book has been on my list for a while now and this was just the push I needed to order.

Patty's booth was fabulous as always. Her new collection Heaven & Helsinki is so fun in 3 colorways! And her new knits or luscious. I don't sew clothing or anything with knits- but these new ones might have me convinced to start.

Her new book has patterns and techniques for those knits and cottons. Cutest patterns EVER!

Michael Miller fabrics won (again!) for best booth with their circus theme. I saw guys bringing in these elephants during setup and was immediately in love (I LOVE elephants!). Imagine my pleasant surprise when I realized they were coming right to the MMF booth to stand right in front of me.

Alright, now for a few FRIENDS:

My friend Moose was there with a lovely booth. She had dozens of mini quilts hanging in her booth. Each time I passed by another one caught my eye. The list keeps growing of ones I want to make and I'm having a hard time deciding which one to do first.

You can find them all in her new book "Simpy Charming- Mini's"

Super cute patterns from traditonal to modern. Seriously, there's something in there for everybody.

I am still drooling over Vanessa's Simply Color collection. *sigh* It's just gorgeous!

And look at her cute patterns. Delicious!

Remember the ombre's? Oh yeah, they're even more gorgeous in person.Yum Yum Yummy!

Well hello Cute Camille! Bonnie was out scoping the floor so I only got a snap of Camille looking fabulous in their combined booth showing 'Marmalade'.

Honestly they just keep getting better and better. I love all of their collections a little but more. But this one, with the orange, is my new favorite. I want this one so bad I can taste it!

Fishsticks patterns are adorable! Bonnie was right across from the MMF booths and I had such a fun time chit chatting with her. Her patterns are so cute but I especially love the ones for BOYS!

She was showing 'Hall of Fame' some love with the booth curtains and chair covers.

And check out this adorable ensemble using Shore Thing.

Terry's Thankfully Sew booth was full of new patterns. I hang with this gal at least once a week and I'm still trying to figure out where she found the time to have so many new patterns. :o) The tie quilt pattern in the back is a cool way to showcase all of Mr's ties (especially if you don't want him wearing his "Favorite" anymore  :o)

And check out 'Blake Otis' featuring Hall of Fame and a personalized monogram.

Her scalloped clutch is my new fave when it comes to bags! It has raw edge scalloped detail on one side and a detachable strap. And yes, that is Shore Thing on her sample.  :o)

Terry was two-timing market with her second booth for PATTERNS GONE DIGITAL. If you haven't heard of PGD by now, you better start listening. This company sells designers' pdf patterns to retail shops ONLY! (not end users) 

With their new concept "Patterns in the Palm of your hand" in the form of a virtual catalog your shop can carry hundreds of patterns with the click of a button. It's amazing I got these pictures because their booth was swarming the whole show!

C'mon now, you can't have patterns in the palm of your hand without having hands! These chairs were so much fun and added such a fun personality to the booth.

I hope you enjoyed my post of pictures. Stop back by tomorrow where I wrap up the book tour with some amazing giveaways!  :o)

Almost there

Only a few more days left to follow along on the blog tour and maybe win yourself a copy of 'Geared for Guys'

Tomorrow: Fat Quarterly

Monday: Bumble Beans

Tuesday: Lily's Quilts

And make sure you come back here on Wednesday for my final wrap. 

It's going to be GOOD!

Oh the people you meet!

I nearly had a heart attack when I came back to my booth after a potty break and saw Amanda Jean in MY BOOTH! I really tried to be professional but I LOVE THAT GIRL!!! Even better? Cheryl was there too!

On Sunday I ran into those cute girls again and look what Amanda Jean gave me:

Um, yes I had her sign it!

These gals became instant BFF's. They're the awesome ladies from Marmalade Fabrics. That's Tammy on the right with the blonde hair- but I like to call her Tiny Dancer. :o) And Lisa Hirsch a.k.a. Lady Marmalade on the left. LOVE! They also happen to be members of the famed Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild and encouraged me to attend the Modern Meet-Up on Saturday night. SO glad I went (even though my ankle was killing me). Guess who Lisa introduced me to? None other than the Jacquie Gering from Tallgrass Prairie Studio. Wow. Do I have a pic? No. But I swear it really happened.

An extra special thanks to Amy Smart (in the pic with Amanda Jean, myself and Cheryl) from Diary of a Quilter for coming to market and helping in my booth. Since I always manage to forget to take pics, she sent me most of these. Here's a nice pic of the Geared for Guys booth she took.

And I definately couldn't do market without the help of this guy. This is my dad, Walt. He has a background in art and design and puts all the finishing touches on my booth(s). Plus we have a really good time together. :o)  And yes, he's even wearing a 'Shore Thing' shirt made from the sailboat fabric.

Love you Dad! 

This cute girl is Jana Kigin from Adventures of a Cross-Stitch Drama Queen. (Love that name!) I think she approached me on day 1 (Friday) to say hi. She is part of The Quilted Fish design team (say what!?) but her and I go back further than that. :o) About a hundred years ago I had a contest to name one of my patterns and Jana won! How cool is that!?

It was so fun to meet her. You need to check out her blog and read her post 'Meet the Butlers' HILARIOUS!

Enjoy your holiday weekend and I'll be back on Tuesday with more market re-cap.

Getting Settled

Wow! Market is such a marathon of activity I just needed a day to come home and veg. Of course with the kidlets needing my attention there wasn't much resting going on. But that's ok because I missed those little monsters. :o)

Before I left I had every intention of sharing the prints and patterns in 'Shore Thing' with you. Then one things led to another and I was scrambling to get packed. All of a sudden I was on the road to KC and hadn't posted. So I'm going to combine with a few pics of market and show you the goodies.  :o)

Here is the official shot from the Michael Miller 'Circus' where I was showing "Shore Thing"

"Shore Thing" is a close cousin to Going Coastal with even more elements of the sea/ocean/coast to complete your collection. There's lobsters and flamingos, life rings and sailboats, Urchins and Waves. The list goes on and on.  And of course, a revisit to everyone's favorite plaid- This one even BETTER than the first!

I designed 5 new (print) patterns with "Shore Thing" in mind, and also displayed 'Clambake' to remind everyone of the free tutorial here on the blog. (As a side note: soon to be a fully downloadable PDF pattern)

To see all the gorgeous prints in the "Shore Thing" collection, hop over to Michael Miller fabrics.

Now, you might remember me telling you I was going to have 2 booths this market. Well I did. And it went relatively smoothly. I say that with hesitation because of this picture: 

The only picture I have of 'Geared for Guys' in with me in my Jazzy on the last day. Don't worry, I'll get a better pic of the booth soon.

Oh, you want to hear about my chair?

I ended up with a stress fracture in my right ankle. (Yes, it was a self diagnosis but I've seen this before and knew exactly what I was dealing with) Treatment requires staying off of the injured area for several days to facilitate healing. When you're in the middle of quilt market that's just not possible. So I rented myself some wheels and left everyone in the dust. My friends even made a sign for the back that read 'Crazy Old Lady'. Nice!

Anyway, I'm doing much better now. I just need to be careful not to overdo it until it's completely healed. :o)

I've got so much more to tell you about market. I'm going to spread it out over the next few days as to not overwhelm you (Ok, to not overwhelm me :o) 

Don't forget the 'Geared for Guys' book blog tour is still going on. I know you want that book! So head over to p.s.i quilt today, then Pink Chalk Studio tomorrow, In Color Order if scheduled for Friday, and It's Sew Shannon on Saturday!

See you soon!

Hello Dorothy!

After 2 days of driving,we made it to Kansas City and it's been a whirlwind-or should I say "Tornado" of activity ever since.

Somewhere in the middle of Wyoming (where my husband has familf roots) we passed this sign. I just HAD to get a picture of it. :o)

On the morning of day 3 we made our way into downtown Kansas City. I just love skyline pictures- even if this one isn't the best quality. But it's hard to take a picture when you're trying to be the navigator and tell the driver which way to go.

The two days of work so far have been just that, WORK. After unloading the U-Haul the real fun begins: setting up 2 BOOTHS!!!
Here's a little in-the-middle-action of booth setup

 Getting in gear for the Crazy Old Ladies 'Geared for Guys' book release!

Soon to look like a relaxing vacation? Shore Thing!

My legs are tired, my eyes are still sleepy, but the show must go on. Actually, mentally I feel great!Market officially opens today and I'm super excited. So if you're in the area make sure you stop by and say"HI!" at my Shore Thing booth in the Michael Miller 3-ring circus (aisle #3000), or my 'Geared for Guys' booth nearby in #3039.

Generation Q is posting on the tour today. Got a copy of their magazine (paper!) yesterday and I'm LOVING it!
Check out Fresh Lemons Quilts tomorrow and Thomas Knauer on Sunday!

chances to WIN!

Hop over to FOR THE LOVE today to enter for a chance to win a copy of Geared for Guys!  Lou is AMAZING.  Take a moment to scroll through some of her work and be sure to check out her patterns.

Tomorrow (Sunday) Amy at Amy's Creative Side is posting. Have you seen Amy's book- Modern Basics?  After you order (or WIN) Geared for Guys, this one should be second on your list of "Must Have"  :o)

Monday is another Amy, Diary of a Quilter. She'll be posting right before she heads out to Kansas City to help me at market. I owe Amy a HUGE thanks for her help sewing samples, binding, and (in advance) standing in booth for hours on end.  :o)

Then on Tuesday you'll want to check out Blue Nickel Studios for Scott's post. He's behind the amazing Generation Q also and will be posting there soon too!  Double Prizes!

So here's the deal, I'm posting these here and now to give you a little fun for the next few days while I'm frantically finishing my market prep, loading the u-haul, and hopping in the car for our 2-day trek to Kansas. Oh yeah Todo, we're comin' to Kansas. Actually, we're going through Kansas to the Missouri side of KC. :o)  Even through all the work and sweat I'm starting to get very excited! WOOHOO!!! 

More to come in a few days.

Happy Sewing!!!

Friends and Laughter

I just have to do a quick shout-out to all my peeps out there. Honestly I feel like I'm running on fumes right now. I'm very lucky (blessed) to have amazing friends willing to help with whatever I need. Whether it be sewing samples, quilting, binding, bringing me Dr. Pepper- whatever. Thanks a BAZILLION- you guys rock!  Even more than all the actual help though is just knowing that they care about me and always make me smile even when it's through crazy sleep deprived tears.  :o) Laughter really is the best medicine.

Speaking of laughter. I woke this morning to Pat Sloan's awesome post which got me laughing first thing this morning. It was in the middle of getting my kids out the door to school, a time when laughter usually isn't the sound you're likely to hear.

If you want a giggle this morning and another chance to win your copy of G4G- go HERE!
(you can even listen to my radio show if you want  :o)

Stepping on cracks

The other day I was running some errands with my 10 year old and he kept saying "Sorry Mom" over and over and over again. However when I looked at him I couldn't see that he was doing anything wrong. So I asked him why he was saying sorry to me and he replied "'Cuz I stepped on cracks and that means your back is going to break" (Step on a crack and you break your Mother's back). Nice! So I grinned and told him he was silly.

Well the last few days I've had a kink in my back and I think it's all his fault.  :o)

Ok, it's not his fault. But this is the worst timing in the world to be less tham mobile. Last night was the worst. I woke in the middle of the night like someone had stabbed me in my back. I couldn't get comfortable. Standing is fine- but sitting is excruciating. Problem is I have sewing to do and I can't do that standing up. Oh yeah, and I'm at the computer sitting again. I just have too much to do than to be in pain. So I'm doing the best with what I've got and hoping I can get my growing list of projects done.

Today is Vanessa's day on the blog tour. Um, LOVE her. No really, I do. Her post will be up soon (after she gets her kids off to school) but I just had to post about her in return.

Picture from V and Co. with permission

Have you seen her new fabric collection!?

I am so excited for this girl! This collection is at the top of my list to fight my way through the crowds for at Sample Spree next week during market. I LOVE it!

My favorite part and quilt possibly what everyone's buzzing about:

Picture from V and Co. with permission

The ombre solids! I am SO excited about these and already have the perfect pattern in mind. They are so delicious and fun. YUM! Don't you just LOVE them!?

*sigh* :o)

Alrightie folks, that's about all I can stand sit for now. Talk to you soon.

What day is it?

My head is spinning with all that's going on. Fabric. Books. Kids. Oh My!

Just wanted to remind you of the 30 blogs 30 days 30 books tour for Geared for Guys. There have been some amazing posts so far (THANKS GUYS!) Including todays over at Jaybird quilts. That girl is a fast quilter! If you want to see some fun sneak peeks at the book you should hop on the tour now. Plus, there's tons of chances to enter to win a copy of the book! Many of the bloggers posting about the book are excited that G4G is available as an eBook. I'm not very techy but this is a mustin today's fast moving world. But don't forget, it's also available in hold-it-in-your-hands paper too. So climb aboard and head over to Julie's to see what funs she's stitched up and see who's posting tomorrow. :o)

Wanna see?

The full reveal coming soon.  :o)

Jack the Ripper

Last night was one of those nights. I've been going to bed way too late the past few nights and last night was going to be different. I even planned on taking a minor sleep-aid to help clear my mind when my head hit the pillow. My goal was sleep before 10pm.

Yeah, well, things don't always go as planned.

I had just finished another quilt top that is scheduled to be dropped at the quilters this morning. I laid it out on the floor and stepped over to my computer to wrap up a few emails. I was ready to go to bed when I turned to look at the quilt and something just wasn't right. I kept staring at it trying to figure it out. I finally pulled up the template I had done on the computer and there it was- plain as day. I had forgotten a very important element of one whole section of the quilt. The middle section.

ARGH!!!

So at 10pm, the time I was supposed to be laying down to sleep I was instead searching for my seam-ripper. Now, I usually don't take out seams. When I'm working on a small block and make a mistake that block goes into the scrap bin and I start over. On larger projects I usually just RIP the seam. Meaning I grab both ends of the fabric and pull. I've had many a quilting friends cringe at this practice. However last nights project was just too special for either scrap-binning (uh, no!) or RIPPING apart- it is for quilt market after all.

I sat in my chair for nearly an hour picking the seams apart. As I was doing so I sang 'Seam Ripper' in my head to the tune of "Heart breaker". I also tried to think of other silly/funny sayings to replace the word seam-ripper with. Hence the title.

When all was said and done and the clock was bridging midnight my quilt top was done. A quick press I could feel good about the finished product. Now it is morning, much earlier than I would like to be up (almost 8 am :) and I should be getting the back prepped. In a minute. I can't wait to show you this one. Even through all the blood, sweat and tears (there was a little of each) I think it's my favorite of the new patterns. I'm calling is RIVIERA. I hope you like it as much as I do.

Pick a Pic

I'm exhausted today. I was up way too late last night and running around all day. I wanted to post today and my day just got away from me. So I grabbed my camera to show you a little of what's going on here.

A snippet of what's currently laying on my studio floor. 

A cute little prop I found at Michael's today. The perfect color and just what I need for market.

 Sitting right next to my computer to keep me going. Along with a Dr. Pepper, of course.

And this little monster child that just had a birthday a couple weeks ago. She recieved some roller-blades (the first of our children to own them) and is always rolling around. Good thing the sun came out or I'd be yelling at her while she rolls around my kitchen to "Take those things off before I throw them away!"  C'mon, you know what I'm talking about.

Did you stop by John's blog today? It's not too late. Besides, if you want to know who's talking about the book tomorrow you're going to have to check there.  :o)