Category: My Life

My Life, New Quilt Book

R(est) & R(elaxation) Sewing

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Whenever market is finally over, it takes me a while to get back into the swing of things.

I work so many hours getting my designs ready for market that at some point I stop doing everything and do just the bare minimum day-to-day and let things go. I still cook, and clean, but not the deep stuff.

After market I have to retrace my steps and get back to whatever is “normal.”

Then, such as now, I need to sew!

I bought this book this year to get back to my “roots” of sorts.

Although my first official quilting project with quilt shop fabrics was with Debbie Mumm’s Sunflowers, and now that I think about it, it was 20 years ago this month that I started quilting…my first love (addiction) was Thimbleberries!

I collected MANY pieces of Lynette’s fabric (a bit of an understatement???).

This sits near my computer in my sewing room.

It’s a lot, but not even close to all of my Thimbleberries stash.

The rather large Longaberger basket is full of Thimbleberries scraps from projects past.

There are some suitcases around the house that have my reds, blues & creams, and some bigger pieces that could be used as backings if only I could bear to cut them…  Oh and then there are the storages boxes… I also have a suitcase full of my Thimbleberries patterns.  I know, it’s an addiction!

Many of my early patterns used Thimbleberries fabrics;

My “Signs of the Seasons,”

Old Glory in Mini Applecore,

and An Old Fashioned Merry Christmas, to name a few.

This dear, antique shopping cart, although in plain sight for over 10 years, has definitely been neglected.

Yesterday I decided to make a project from the new Thimbleberries book and use my beloved stash!!!

It’s a lap quilt.

Last night with Clare at my elbow on the computer, trying to find some new recipes, I began to cut the fabrics that took me all day to select…

This morning I began to sew…

The fun thing about Thimbleberries patterns is that they are quick and easy.  The 6, 12-1/2″ blocks are already sewn.  I need to cut the sashing and assemble the top next.

Rosemary’s club meets next Thursday.  I hope to have this done for show & tell then.

Time will tell.

My nephew is getting married the 16th and I have family coming in town Monday night and I have Christmas fabric coming for a project that is getting down to the wire for the deadline that will definitely take precedence, but I’m determined to get some R & R sewing done just for me!!!

What about you?

Do you have a first love in quilting???

Until next time,

Susan

My Life, Quilt Market

More about Kansas City Spring Market

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As promised, a bit more about Spring Quilt Market in Kansas City.

International Quilt Market is held at the convention center, downtown.

This is a neat convention center, because you can drive right under it.  You enter on level 2, so the main convention center is on level 3… it was a bit confusing in the beginning.

I vended my very first market here in 2005.  What’s really amazing is how much more I know now than I knew then.  Getting early to the dock to unload.  Asking the dock parking team the best (and cheapest) place to park once the show starts…Where the nearest Starbuck’s is for some people…  The nearest Subway sandwich shop for others…

My friends and neighbors:

Robin in her Nestlings by Robin booth,

The Quilt Branch ladies, Mary Jane & Susan

Celine & her daughter, Molly from Perkins Dry Goods,

& lastly my daughter, Chloe & me in our booth.

Lots of standing and handing!  It makes for a very long day when you stand in basically the same place from 9:30a.m. until 6p.m. for three solid days (4p.m. on Sunday).

Then when it was all over we had to kick it into high gear and pack it all up and haul it all out to make it to Mass at the Cathedral, luckily just a block away.

And yes, this is my photo!!!

What a beautiful cathedral, and the music was wonderful.  The organist must have been a professional, no kidding, it sounded on the level of Phantom of the Opera, wow.  The soloist too seemed like a professional. Chloe and I were very glad it was air conditioned and not too crowded.  It was very hot that afternoon and we were sweaty by the time we made multiple trips to the van with all of our booth “stuff!”

Our hotel was across hwy. 70 from the KC Royal stadium.  Nope, we didn’t go see a game, but one night we had the pleasure of watching fireworks from our window.

Not sure what they were celebrating, they lost…but the fireworks were nice!

The real cool thing about staying near the stadiums was this car,

pretty cool, huh?

All in all a very good market.  It’s a whole lot of work, preempted by a whole lot of work, then it seems like a flash and we’re on our way home!

My new patterns are now on my website, so check them out.

Until next time,

Susan

My Life, New Pattern Sample, New Quilt Book, New quilt pattern, quilt as you go lap quilt, Quilt Market, Suzn Quilts Patterns

Home again, Home again, Jiggety jig!

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…and I’m so glad and so exhausted!

There’s a lot of physical labor required for attending market, both as a vendor & shopper.

I was fortunate enough to have my daughter, Chloe help me out again.

This shows our booth after everything was moved in and the drapes were hung.

Since we drove a short 4 hours to Kansas City this year, we could bring along some fun props.

This is a photo of the booth almost set-up, Chloe filing a broken nail?  Lots of that happening!

You would not believe all the compliments we got on the hanging chairs!!!

Market was great, with lots of shop owners walking the floor & shopping!

We handed out over 600 brochures.

Here are some of our first shoppers.

I’ve said it many times before, but I’ll say it again. There are so many nice people in the quilting industry!!!

We had many compliments on our booth and the quilts.

Of course my favorite part is taking orders and sharing the weekend with friends that I’ve met over the years while attending market.

More photos of market neighbors & friends to come.

Until next time,

Susan

My Life, New Quilt Book

New Book; Toddler Towne

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I’ve been wanting to do some little boy patterns.  It just seems like there is always an overabundance of little girl patterns out there, but not so for little boys.  Keep in mind though, when I asked for the help of a little boy to sport some of the items for photography, I learned that his little sister is in love with cars as well, so she joined the photo session too!

Well, I got started and couldn’t quit, so it turned into a book.

Included are a twin quilt, a growth chart, a birthday counter, an apron & hat and a backpack.

I used a lot of Cosmo Cricket’s Salt Air by Moda, plus a bunch of other Moda fabrics.

You will also see the jumbo rickrack that I’ve fallen for, so cute to use for a road, huh?

Judy Bishop quilted this twin quilt for me.

Lots of ideas for the car lover in your life…

One more new design, and it’s another book!

Until next time,

Susan

My Life, Quilt Market

Kansas City, here we come!

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We’re off to Kansas City today.

I’m happy that we can drive a short 4 hours to International Spring Quilt Market this year!

This is so much better than spending the better part of a day in airports…being limited to 2, 50 lb. suitcases, etc.

My daughter Chloe is once again helping me with this market.

It will be nice to spend time together now that her classes are over for the summer and the stress of deadlines for all my market prep have expired, yeah!!!

Now for the manual labor part of this job…

Stay tuned for my new designs.  I will post them here for you in the upcoming days.

Until next time,

Susan

My Life

Happy Mother’s Day!

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So many wishes for a happy Mother’s Day to all my friends!

I hope your family makes it a special day for you!

Doesn’t this picture make you want to grab a new box of 36?

I found it here.

I think Mary Engelbreit may have been inspired by this antique drawing.

What do you think?

I picked up all of my pattern covers, my two new books and my brochures from the printer Thursday and can’t wait to show you them here!

Stay tuned, perhaps tomorrow???

Until next time,

Susan

My Life

May Day & 100 Blocks Volume 5 Blog Hop too!

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Happy May Day!

I remember as a child, making a May Day basket one year and filling it full of little wild violets for my mom.

Whatever happened to that tradition?

I don’t ever hear anyone speak of it, do you?

Well, this May Day, my flowers are sent to you in a quilt block!

My block
Spring Love is featured in the new Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks Vol. 5.

 

I used a bias bar to make the heart, then fusible applique for the flowers & leaves.

 I also designed a quilt using the block and that is featured in the gallery on page 22.

Just pick up Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks from today’s top designers (plus me!) Volume 5, and make the block found on page 29.

Add a 1″ purple border, then a 6-1/2″ outer border.

Add a bit more bias tubing and a few more flowers around the border and you’re set.

For a chance to win a free copy here

before it hits newsstands May 8th, go

UP, UP, UP, to the TOP of this page and leave a comment  to be entered to win.

Don’t forget your email address if you want me to contact you.

For a second chance to win,

this time a free pattern of your choice from my website,

(2 lucky winners for this)

subscribe to my blog.

If you’re already a subscriber, just let me know that in your commment and you’ll be entered.

I will choose the winners Saturday.

For more fun and freebies go to Quiltmaker’s blog and see all the participating designers.

Until next time,

Susan

My Life

I feel like Michael Vale…

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This time of year I always feel like Michael Vale.

I know you know who he is, but do you know, you know who he is???

Fred the baker!

“Time to make the doughnuts. I made the doughnuts.

Time to make the doughnuts, I made the doughnuts!”

The last few months before Quilt Market, Spring or Fall, I’m always working late, working early.  It’s like a revolving door around here.  I’d hate to know how many hours I’ve racked up between designing, sewing, writing, editing, photo shoots, cover designs, dreaming up ways to address booth design, etc.

I go to bed too late and wake up too early remembering something else I need or want to do.

Back in December I made hotel reservations and sent in my booth registration and proposals for schoolhouse sessions. It seemed like May 16th was a lifetime away, but slowly and surely, the time spent with my sewing machine and computer, throw in a few parties for birthdays, bridal shower, Mexico vacation, quilt retreat, business trip with DH, out-of-town lecture/workshop, daughter’s confirmation…  is now down to a few short weeks.

It’s a good thing I pushed myself way back then to work on designs, and start instructions. At this point I love seeing some of those things done.

Let’s not forget I still have a birthday/Mother’s Day/confirmation party to host!

Not to mention my family thinks they need to eat EVERY day…

Just when I think I’ve got it all under control, I remember that I need to order electricity.  Other designers that are ready to go to market start asking about dinner plans, what?

I need to finish up my layouts for a couple more patterns before I go to printing, then I will get my brochure ready.  I should have the remainder of my photos back from my photographer by Saturday…

Is it any wonder that I feel like I made the doughnuts, it’s time to make the doughnuts???

…and this is why I feel like Michael Vale.

Back to it!

Can’t wait to show you my new designs.

Until next time,

Susan

My Life, New ideas, New Pattern Sample, New quilt pattern

What am I doing now???

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Well, can you guess from this photo?

No, I’m not making a kite’s tail, although today would have beena great day to fly one!

Here they are trimmed apart.

Next, I added another line of rick rack.

and once again, trimmed them apart.

Still not clear what I’m doing?

Know what?  I’ll bet you can’t guess unless you have been testing one of my soon-to-be-patterns.

Soon enough…(not soon enough for me, I’m so far behind where I’d like to be)

Until next time,

Susan

My Life

New blade, new attitude!

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I don’t know why a blade has to cut like this before I notice,

but I changed my rotary cutter’s blade over the weekend and just started using it today.

I feel like a new woman!

Can you relate or is it just me?  I have to totally use something up to feel justified in replacing it, or just have to be hit over the head to notice that it needs replacing…

Have you seen the movie Julie & Julia?

I’m reminded of the part when Julia (Merle Streep) is in the all-male cooking class in France and goes home to practice cutting onions after the first day of class.  She ends up cutting PILES of onions!

I’m ready to cut piles of binding strips!

Good thing too, because I just got two more quilts back from my quilter today.  On top of the two I got back Friday, that makes four.

I will be ready to watch Merle soon.  For those of you that don’t know it, my M.O. is to watch a movie(s) when I get the binding on a quilt and do the hand stitching.

Can’t wait!

Stay tuned. Hopefully soon I will have piles of quilts to share with you.

Until next time,

Susan