Has it really been an entire month since I last wrote? I feel like it was yesterday in some ways and a year in others! I have been WAY busy.

Houston Festival has come and gone and I am still standing! The quilts were made, one even got quilted. As the binding hung off the sides of the quilt I knew not many of those students had any idea what it took to get it that far. Since I have been home I have been going out of the house all day doing errands that never got done while I was sewing on those quilts for class.

We cut it down to the wire on getting the kits to Houston. John had sent a group from each quilt, but the “add on” kits he had to drive since they were not cut until too late to ship. He came into the room with 15 boxes of kits right after lunch on the first day of classes. What a great guy he is! Timing is everything.

One of the quilts is pink. This is what the Surprise is all about. Not knowing what color or design the quilt will be is really the fun of it. Since there were two different classes this year there were two different quilts. Some students took both. The quilts were very different and although one was full of curves and pointy things the students felt it was an easier design. Now there is a surprise, for sure.

The quilt I made for the Alexander Henry Fabrics booth came out fine. I wasn’t sure of that until I saw it in the booth. It was perfect for what they had in mind. Isn’t it wonderful when something goes the way it was intended? They won best booth, too! I will post a picture.

The weather here in SC has turned much cooler. I got up to only 63 degrees in my house this morning! In some places that is a good summer day, but here that is almost like winter. I love it, but it means most of my plants are putting themselves down for the season.

I have a mountain of bills, mail and business to get to today. There are two huge suitcases full of quilts to unpack, orders to fill and yet, I want to go look for a pumpkin. For the first time in many years, I will be home for Halloween. With the Festival being early this year it leaves me home to give out candy and see all the little ones come to the door. I have my candy ready! This is a treat for sure.

I love fall!

Well, one thing is certain, my stash is getting a home…finally. I have not only unpacked 10 boxes of fabric and put it on the shelves I also took the boxes to the curb for pickup. The floor is visible in my studio. It isn’t complete but it is getting to look more like the place where I work.

The weather here is still pretty hot, but it isn’t 100 degrees any more. I am looking forward to cooler days. The nights have started cooling off already… by that I mean it might be in the 60’s at night here. That makes my studio much cooler to work in. Which is a very good thing.

Since John’s schedule and my schedule have been pretty busy this year we are both slammed right now getting ready for Houston Quilt Festival. Because of this he has sent me parts of a kit and then other parts from another kit and then back to the first one. It has been very interesting getting the parts this way. Working on two quilts at the same time is also interesting. I have never done it this way before. It is a good thing that the fabrics are so different in the two quilts.

At the same time I got fabric from Alexander Henry Fabrics. I make quilts for them to use in the booth when they are at Quilt Market. I haven’t made a quilt for them in a few years so I didn’t want to turn them down when they asked. I am working on that quilt as well…so if there are three quilts in Houston with the same mixture of fabrics it is because I lost my place while working.

Also…as a reminder…the Escape to Charleston, SC  February 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 is going to be a blast. If you are interested you should email me and ask for details. I would love to have you join us. The house is beautiful, the quilt kit will be fantastic and you will have great food, meet wonderful new friends and see Charleston, too. There are still available spots…all the rooms have private baths and you are welcome to bring a roommate (female).

Back I go to the Studio…all those parts are calling me.

or the garage as it is called from those who have no idea what is behind that door… I started to clean it. Yep, I have a space of carpet and less of a mess. Some of the boxes of fabric and crapola are getting unpacked and thrown out. There is stuff that has moved with me from here to there and back again only to be pitched at this point. How is it that I can’t find a simple bill on my kitchen table but I can find a bill from 1999 in a box labeled fabric?

It is a mystery.

One day soon…trash day to be exact…I am going to open the door of the garage to get to the empty boxes and drag them to the curb. When that happens I hope there is no one on the street in front of the house. If there is I can only imagine what they will think. Most garages have cars. Some have tools, bikes, lawn mowers and things of that nature. Mine has bolts of fabric and shelves of fabric and oh, my goodness, bags of the stuff. There will be two machine cabinets and a large cutting table along with an air conditioner and other things that have no real place in the house. They might have to take a second look.

I saw this ad for garage door covers. They looked like the garage door was open and the picture was of things you would never expect in a garage…like an airplane or a woman pole dancing. Now there is an idea…I could get me a pole…

I told you a few posts ago that I would continue to tell you about the kits and how it is that they come to be.

Right now I have the blocks done for one of the two quilts I will be teaching in Houston at Festival. These blocks are for the “Let Me Surprise You! More!” class. They are a little different from the normal blocks…one of the MORE things. There are lots of them as well. This kit is larger and a little MORE difficult than the regular Surprise class kits. I am trying something new with this one. It is amazing how much easier it is to sew when the cutting is so precise. I do believe the studenst will be impressed with how great this quilt will be…I am impressed and I still have the add ons to work on. There will be additional kits available to make the quilt larger. Some students like this and others like the kit with just the blocks. It makes it good for both.

The second kit is in route to me now and it will be for the regular Surprise class. This one will have less blocks, but I think will take me about the same amount of time. Also in route is the add on for the More quilt. Things are coming in spurts since John also cuts his own kits as well as other things. He has a great frame that he manufactures and all of that takes time as well. It is amazing what each teacher brings to the class room. So much work is done before the show ever starts.

Now I am going to tell you what has happened up to this point. I ordered fabric for both kits. I try to order new fabric so that it will still be available in shops when the students get home with the kit. That way if they want to change something or add to the kit they will be able to find the fabric. This doesn’t always work. In this case some of the fabric that was ordered wasn’t ready in time. By the time it was ready my designs were already to John and he was getting ready to cut. Since the Festival is early this would not have worked. So, some orderes had to be cancelled and other fabric already at John’s had to be used. This fabric isn’t old it was bought for something else though and not enough to get the number of kits we need. Can you see the problems? It is like this with every job.

Additional fabric was ordered, luckily it was still available, it is now to John and the cutting has begun. It is amazing how much fabric it takes to get this many kits. There are 150 students in the regular Surprise and 100 in the More class. Each takes many yards and there are times when we run short. Then there are times when I over order like a crazy person.

Whenever you take a class at a show, no matter how small the show or how large, please think of what all has to happen to make it happen. 

 My supply list is a seam ripper and pins.

That’s it.

The machines are set up and hauled into the well lighted, air conditioned rooms where they sit on cloth covered tables. Thread is furnished by the machine company and the kits are there waiting for you.

It doesn’t get any better than Quilt Festival in Houston. Really. It is the best. Be sure to sign up for classes now. They are starting to fill up.

This year has been a great year for good gigs. I have been working in wonderful places, seeing/meeting new people and for sure eating fab foods. It has been a blast. Now, don’t get me wrong, no matter where I go it is a good place, but this year has been outstanding.

I am on my way home from yet another good place. My friend Annette Clark calls it the Cod…but most people refer to it as the Cape. I had never been there before and after hearing about it I finally got to go. I did a lecture for the Cape Cod Quilters and I hope to return there some day to offer them a class. Great group of people that I would like to spend more time with. I also got to spend two days with my good quilting friend, Joan Shay and my new friend Willie….we shopped, walked and laughed our time away.

At lunch yesterday Willie and I ordered fish and chips. This not normally news worthy, but when it came to the table I couldn’t believe how huge the serving was. Neither could the man at the next table. He leaned over and asked “Is that a side of whale?”

It is fun to have friends around and having a job where I travel and get to see them is very lucky for me. I feel very blessed. I hope that each of you have a fun adventure with a friend this holiday weekend. Be sure to laugh, have a great meal and forget about at least one of your problems for a few days.

Seams good to me!

Cleaning and diets

I have been on a diet. Not that anyone could tell…but I have cut out some things and have been trying to eat better. I do believe I feel better but not so sure that I look better. Hummm. Diets suck. Now that is my opinion on that.

Finally got into the corner of my bedroom where a pile of stuff has been lurking for a year or so. That pile produced a mountain of hanging clothes (that never got hung up and were placed in the pile), a laundry hamper (that couldn’t be found) and many wonderful things thought to be gone forever. I am sure that most people have a corner like this somewhere. Maybe in a closet. Mine was in the bedroom and even though I am the only one going in there…it needed to be taken down.

Now the garage. The Studio of boxes. I went in there and could hardly believe how bad it is. I need help and getting it isn’t easy. I did move a few boxes, got some carpet down and now for the news…I found a long lost iron and quilt. This quilt is my favorite for hanging behind my couch. It is beautiful although full of mistakes. Yes, full of them. There are so many twists and turns in the pattern that rarely does anyone notice them, but they are there. I once had my picture taken in front of the quilt (since I was so in love with it) and oh, then the mistakes were obvious!

So, the quilt is now washed and hanging on the wall behind my couch. AND I have an extra Laura Star iron. It is the older one that I used for ages until I got the newer version. I love these irons. They are wonderful. Not cheap in any way and last forever. Steam shoots across the room if you want it to. Just like having an extra sewing machine having an extra iron is nice.

Speaking of extra sewing machines…found one of those in a box as well. Will wonders never cease?

I hope you are finding wonderful things, having great adventures …and oh! Don’t forget to sign up for the free online quilt magazine Quiltposium. It starts Sept 1. Just type in Quiltposium and register. I am writing a little note and so are lots of other quilt industry people. There will be neat stuff and more to come.

Seams good to me!

Gracie Allen’s Classic Recipe for Roast Beef
1 large Roast of beef
1 small Roast of beef

Take the two roasts and put them in the oven. 
When the little one burns, the big one is done  

I feel like singing! The designs for both quilts have been given to John for his part. Now the back and forth of where colors go and how big this is and that is, where does this go and what does that mean…all starts.

Most students have no idea how the process goes. I tell about it briefly before the sewing starts but there is a great deal that happens with this. First off, I am very lucky to be working with John Flynn. He is a master at pulling a rabbit out of his hat. I can give him a design and he can make it sing. John cuts the fabric out for each of the kits. Between the two of us the kits come out better than with just one of us. I suppose I work better with a team effort. He might not feel the same way, but I sure do. Two sets of eyes are better than one. One very mathematical eye and one without a clue about the hypotenuse eye.

The way this process starts is the buying of the fabric. I attend Quilt Market in the Spring and Fall where I buy the fabric from different manufactors. It is shipped to John mostly. Some of it comes to me if it is going to be backing or used in the borders. Mostly I have no idea where it is going or what the plan is. So let’s say it all goes to John in Montana. He then cuts off some of each fabric and ships it to me. You see, by then I have totally forgotten what it looks like or what my thoughts on it were. Using those small pieces I design something with graph paper and EQ. Not that I am all that good with EQ, but it gets me to where I can then send a design to John to rework. He has to draft it for the laser cutting. Yes, laser cutting. John has two lasers set up for cutting fabrics as well as his templates. They make sewing a real joy. He has to get the design the way he wants it so that he uses the best layout for cutting the fabric.

That is where we are right now. He has the two different designs needed for Houston Quilt Festival. This year I am doing two different quilts. One of the classes will be the regular, intermediate class that has been offered since 1994. Yes, it has been that long! The quilts have been different designs each year, but there have been that many of them. This class is intermediate because each student starts a quilt with me in class, but then I am no longer with her when the class is over. When she goes home she needs to be able to continue on with the sewing as well as being able to follow the rest of the instructions for borders and any extras. She might also want to change the design using some of her own ideas and this is where the great creative juices begin to flow. But some knowledge has to be ther first for this to work.

This year I am also offering, to those who have taken a class before, a Let Me Surprise You! MORE! class. This will be a push for me. I have designed a little more challenging quilt with a real whimsy flair. It is going to be great…I will know more once John sends me my kit to piece, but I can tell I am going to like this one.

The other design is fabulous as well…if I do say so myself! One of the great things that has come about is the Add On kit feature I offer to students. Over the years it came to my attention that so many students wanted to do more than a lap size/twin size quilt that is offered. So, the Main kit has blocks and then Add Ons are offered to add on to the main kit. They are extra and not necessary to finish a quilt, but I will have the add ons in my sample quilt. With the add ons the quilt can grow from a lap/twin to a king size depending on what I have done with the extras. The Add On can run in price from a few dollars (for yardage used in borders) to hundreds of dollars (for cut out pieced blocks, borders and yardages). That is all part of the Surprise.

There is still room in many classes offered in Houston this year. If you are thinking about going to the show I would love to have you in my class. Check out all the classes by going to Quilts.com and I hope to see you there.

More to come on the process in the making of the kits.