Quilt Shows Rock My World!

While I was flying home from a quilt show in Washington on Monday, I received notification from another quilt show that I had been nominated for Machine Quilting Teacher of the Year for 2014.  Can I just say WOW?  There are so many amazing machine quilting teachers who have influenced the current generation of quilters and I am honored to be in their company.

Apparently there is a nomination/voting thing going on there, so if you haven't yet nominated/voted for your choice for Machine Quilting Teacher of the Year, you can do so HERE.

And that quilt show I mentioned last week?  It was fantastic!  I taught eight sold-out classes at Sewing & Stitchery Expo in Puyallup, WA.  I am not sure that I've ever had a better bunch of students.  We had so much fun and they quilted their hearts out.  You can see how much fun Jamie had when she discovered that quilting was her super-power:

Australasian Quilting Convention is the next show with a classroom waiting for me. I am teaching four days of sold-out classes there.  If you ever get a chance to attend that show, it is ah-ma-zing.  They have massages for the students, morning and afternoon tea with real tea cups and saucers and waitstaff.  This will be my third year teaching there and I'm getting excited already!

For the full calendar of where I'll be teaching, check my online calendar.

I hope to meet you soon!

Stepping Stones

I am so excited to show you my latest pattern, Stepping Stones:

This is a new addition to the Cutie pattern line.  I am so excited about this project.  Would I like to buy a Cutie pack of fabric (16 fat eighths) for $20?  Yes, I would, thanks!  I have an extensive fabric collection (aka "stash") and don't really need any more fabric, but that doesn't mean that I don't want to buy and own and pet and quilt with all of the pretty new fabrics.  The price is right on these fabric bundles and on the patterns that are written to go with them!

Have you seen my other patterns?

Squared Away

Going My Way?

Any Cutie pattern works with any Cutie pack of fabric.  You can mix and match to make the quilt yours!

Pat Sloan's Globetrotting -- month 6 St. Louis (pink)

I've made more progress on Pat Sloan's Globetrotting block of the month.  I just pieced the pink St. Louis block and I LOVE IT!!!

Sometimes, I think that all quilts should be pink.  This is one of those times!

I can't wait to start quilting this block!

____

Globetrotting Block 1 Washington DC (in review)
Globetrotting Block 2 Venice (in review)
Globetrotting Block 3 Chicago (in review)
Globetrotting Block 4 San Juan (in review)
Globetrotting Block 5 London (in review)

Quilt of the Week -- Joseph's quilt

I have the best hairdresser in the world.  I found her when she finished her schooling and I've never let her go.

She just had a sweet baby, Joseph, and he needed his very own quilt:

If you think you've seen this quilt on my blog before, well... you have and you haven't.  I pieced a few of these quilts at the same time and gave one of them to my nephew for Christmas.

I liked his quilt so much that I quilted this one the same way:

Lots of feathers and curves and some sweet puffy batting.  I even had enough of that great Kaffe Fassett swirl fabric to bind this one, too:

Welcome to the world, sweet baby Joseph!

Getting it Together -- it's all in the details

Last week I read a great blog post at Modern Mrs. Darcy.  She wrote about how she minimizes decision fatigue in her life.

Her seven main thoughts are:
1.  Eat the same thing every day
2.  ... or almost the same thing every day
3.  Embrace daily routines
4.  Establish hard edges in your day
5.  Create If-Then rules for yourself
6.  If it creates decision angst, drop it
7.  Limit your options

I've been doing variations of this for years, and it really works!

To match Mrs. Darcy's 7 points, here are 7 specific examples of how this works in my crazy in-town-and-then-back-out-of-town-again life:

1.  The first day home from a trip, I make fresh bread (from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day) and soup (usually bean soup in the crock pot).  I always have ingredients for this in my house and won't have to run to the grocery as soon as I get home.  This gives me food for the first day at home, as well as leftover soup for my lunch each day and bread for the week.

2.  Eat the same thing at restaurants.  I am forced to eat out while I travel.  If it sounds like fun, you haven't lived in a hotel room long enough.  As you saw above, I long for simple food when I get home.  If I am at a Mexican restaurant, I will have a cheese enchilada.  If I am at an Italian restaurant, I will have eggplant.  If I am at an American restaurant, I will eat a burger or salad, depending upon my appetite.  If I am at a Thai restaurant, I will order pad thai with tofu.  If there is a varied menu, I look for key words like "gnocchi" or "polenta" or "risotto" or "brie" or "duck" or "butternut squash."  I love those things and know they will make me happy.  After teaching all day at a quilt show and often at dinner with a large group, I can order at any restaurant in less than one minute without overtaxing my brain or interrupting dinner conversation.

3.  I have a daily routine, kind of.  The first day I am home from a trip, I sleep in if my schedule allows.  Travel is hard on this aging body and a little extra sleep is a good thing!  I am usually awake by 8 or 9am and then I start my day.  I will:

• shower and dress
• empty suitcase and start laundry 
• start making bread
• put soup ingredients in the crock pot
• go through my mail
• empty my physical inbox
• file any paperwork from traveling (receipts, etc.)
• check my bank and credit card statements
• check what library books are due
• do other things that I can't necessarily remember right now, but they are equally exciting

Once I've done these basic things, I might quilt a little bit as a reward for being such a grown up

4.  Wear the same clothes at work. I own a few pair of dress slacks, several cardigan sets, good socks/stockings (I fly often and stand all day while working), and a comfy pair of Dansko clogs.  It takes me about 10 minutes to pack a suitcase for a week.  I am trying to get it down to 5 minutes, but I'm not quite there yet.  I have run out of some of my duplicate toiletries and need to buy a second set just for travel again.  That should do the trick.

5.  I have one huge If-Then rule:  if I need to remember something, then I have to write it down.  If you tell me something that I need to do, I'll grab my phone and send myself an email.  If I think of something that I need to do, I'll add it to my to-do list, calendar, or file in my tickler file as appropriate.

6.  When I am home between trips, I don't leave the house unless it is on fire.  That might be an exaggeration, but not by much.  If a trip out of the house can be post-poned, I will post-pone it as long as humanly possible.  When I have a doctor appointment or something else that can't be moved, I'll run all of the errands I have put off while I am out of the house so I can stay at home again for days and days.  "The library book I wanted came in.  Should I go to the library today?"  Nope.  It can wait.

7.  I set hard edges to my days with CDs.  I listen to audio books often, and CDs make great timers.  They last from 60-75ish minutes.  I will turn on a book and work on some machine quilting for as long as the CD lasts, and then I will quit.  I will turn on the next CD and do some work around the house, but when the CD ends, I'm done.  It helps keep my day moving, and it keeps me current on my reading list.  Oh, I joke. Who is ever caught up with their "want to read" list?

Do you have any little tricks to help keep your life in order?  

There's More To Life ...

... than Netflix.

I spend a lot of time in hotel rooms and Netflix is a great companion, but sometimes I turn off Netflix in favor of other pursuits.

Did you know that it is possible to take courses online, and I don't mean quilting classes?  I have taken online courses through Coursera.com, edX.org, Yale University (oyc.yale.edu), and other places.  I can listen to lectures and watch videos on my computer from my hotel room, complete assigned readings on airplanes, and enjoy learning new things during those "in between" times in my life.  Some of these courses are self-paced and some are completed on a schedule, but every course I have taken has been FREE.  How cool is this?

I have completed Introduction to Art: Concepts & Techniques taught by a professor at Penn State University.  I have taken a writing course from Duke University.  I am in the middle of a literature course from Yale University.  I'm about to start two new classes, one self-paced/open-ended and one to be completed by June 1.

I feel like these types of courses have been designed to work with people's crazy schedules, and I certainly have a crazy schedule.

Have you ever taken an online course?  What did you take?  Do you know of any other good courses starting soon?

Favorite Friday

My favorite sign at Sewing and Stitchery Expo in Puyallup WA:

Found on a stall in the washroom. The vendors' bladders thank you!

Happy Trails!

As a traveling quilt teacher, I can write my own version of one of my favorite Johnny Cash songs:



This week I am teaching at Sewing & Stitchery Expo in Puyallup, WA, but I am also hard at work in the evenings doing paperwork and making travel arrangements for future events.

I just added a new event to my calendar and I'm so excited to announce that I'll be teaching again at International Quilt Festival in Houston, TX in October.  I will be teaching six classes on the Handi Quilter Sweet Sixteen!  I could nearly die of happiness at the thought!

Will I see you there?

Also, if you live near New York (or even if you don't but are in the mood to travel there), I will be teaching a class on the Handi Quilter Pro-Stitcher at the Quilt Basket in Pawling, NY on Saturday, March 7.  I love showing what that amazing machine can do!

Dinosaurs?

Like the dinosaurs, these YouTube quilting videos of mine will become extinct.  Watch them before it is too late!

Pat Sloan's Globetrotting -- month 6 St. Louis (green)

I'm running about a year behind on Pat Sloan's Globetrotting block of the month.  I've completed months one through five and am now (finally!) moving forward!

I am making two copies of this quilt.  I just pieced the green colorway of St. Louis:

Next up? The pink one!

____

Globetrotting Block 1 Washington DC (in review)
Globetrotting Block 2 Venice (in review)
Globetrotting Block 3 Chicago (in review)
Globetrotting Block 4 San Juan (in review)
Globetrotting Block 5 London (in review)

Quilt of the week -- a mini-quilt pillow

Oh, Pat Sloan.  That woman gets me into so much trouble!

It all started when Pat began posting about the Aurifil mini quilt series for 2015.  Gudrun Erla designed January's quilt.  I've been a huge fan of her work for years!  I tried to resist, really I did, but the pull of the pretty little quilts was too strong for me.

I downloaded the pattern, pulled out some American Made Brand solids, and began piecing:

I loved it!  So I cut and sewed some more:

That was cute, so I kept going:

Eventually, the entire top was complete!

I chose a few of my favorite quilting designs (ribbon candy, continuous curve, and swirls) and started quilting with red thread on the red fabric:

I quilted those same three quilting designs with white thread on the white fabric:

Since I don't have a need for a mini quilt.  I decided instead to make a 20-inch pillow:

I adapted the Complete Your Suite pillow pattern to get a 20-inch pillow with a flange.

I have to fly to Seattle tomorrow to teach at a show in Puyallup, WA but I will start the February mini quilt as soon as I get home!!!

Getting It Together -- at the ready!

I have designed several Cutie quilting patterns for the Quilt Basket.  Two patterns are out so far (Squared Away and Going My Way?), but many more are in the works.  Whenever I get an idea for a new pattern I am able to open my Cutie drawer, pull sixteen fabrics that will work together, and stitch up a sample.

My Cutie drawer is full of fabrics leftover from other projects:

It is so convenient to have a drawer full of pre-cut fabric for when inspiration strikes!  Fewer quilt ideas slip away from me this way.

Last week, I pulled a bunch of fabrics and tested a new pattern.

Sneak peek:

I promise that I'll eventually show the whole quilt.  Really, I will.

I'm sewing the last border today, then I will quickly quilt it, bind it, photograph it, and probably give it away.  If this pattern gets approval, I will then remake it with a pack of Cutie fabrics and the pattern will eventually be released.

I am having so much fun with this project and wanted to share a peek of how I get the process started.

Snowbound... Again.

I often complain about winter travel difficulties:  cancelled flights, de-icing delays, etc., but today I was reminded that I am blessed to not deal with a daily commute in the nasty white stuff.  I taught a class at a quilt shop less than an hour away from home.  There was no snow when the class started, but the last student left with still a half-hour of class time to go.  Then I, the steadfast teacher, had to drive home.  Wow.  Apparently, I never drive in the snow.  The roads were horrible and I hated every inch of that drive.

So, my hat is off to those who deal with a daily commute in the awful winter weather.  I am a princess who doesn't drive in the snow and I don't envy you for a second.  I also want to tip my hat to the road crews in my town.  The awful roads got a whole lot better once I crossed the border into my town.  Great job guys!  Keep up the good work, Town of East Fishkill road crew!

Now that I am safely home, I don't plan to leave again until this storm (#4,832 of the season) is over.  I will lock myself in my sewing room, plug my headphones into a good audiobook, and quilt!

What I won't be reading:

Any books/novellas about Jack Reacher.

It has taken a while, but I have finally read every novel and tracked down every short story and novella featuring Jack Reacher.  19 books, 4 novellas, and 1 short story.  I am now waiting, impatiently, for the 20th novel, Make Me, to be released later this year.

Dear Mr. Lee Child:  WRITE FASTER!

I know several other quilters who have read books in this series.  What do you do while you are waiting for another book to be published?

And in case you were wondering about the Jack Reacher book-to-movie adaptation:  TOM CRUISE IS NOT JACK REACHER!

Friday Favorites

I have the best husband ever. When he went grocery shopping tonight (I told you he was the best), he bought me a cake because he knows that I've had a long week.

This is the cake:

I understand that they couldn't call it "buttercream" if no butter was used, but "But-R-Creme"?  and a TM?  Because, obviously, everyone wants to claim that their cake is made with Butt Creme But-R-Creme.

Yes, I am still 12 years old.  Inside my head I'm hilarious.

Since today is about favorites (plural), I also like Brie cheese.

HOME! (but for how long?)

I am home this week, busily working in my sewing room and having the best time!  Fabric is flying and thread is covering my clothing completely.  This is my happy place!

(some of the remains of the day)

I am doing some "just for fun" quilting as well as making samples for new classes.  Stay tuned for more information about them!  I'm also making handouts and packing for some upcoming events.

On Saturday, I will be teaching at the Quilt Basket in Pawling, NY.  Students will use Handi Quilter Avante and Sweet Sixteens and learn how to use rulers and templates on them.  Could anything be more fun?

If you aren't on the east coast, maybe I'll see you on the west coast next week at Sewing and Stitchery Expo.  I will be teaching eight classes on twelve Handi Quilter Sweet Sixteens at that show.

I truly love my job!

If neither of these classes is near you, check my calendar to see if I'll be teaching near you sometime soon.

Going My Way?

I'm always going around and around and usually end up where I started.  That's why I designed this quilt:

My latest pattern is called Going My Way.

This is a new addition to the Cutie pattern line.  I am so proud to be involved in this project.  I think it is fantastic that a quilter can buy a Cutie pack of fabric (16 fat eighths) for $20, add a little background/border fabric, and create something beautiful without spending an arm and a leg.  I think newer quilters will love this cost-effective way to buy quilt fabrics and established quilters who have adequate stashes can buy a little new! pretty! fabric without much guilt.

I can't wait to re-make this quilt in batiks... I mean solids... I mean.... Sigh.  TOO MANY CHOICES!

Globetrotting -- Month 5 quilting videos (London, in review)

I had so much fun quilting the London block for Pat Sloan's Globetrotting block of the month.

First, I made a block:

And then I made a plan:

Full tutorial here.

Then I quilted curved lines:

  

Full tutorial here.

Then I quilted swirls:

Full tutorial here.

Then I quilted triangles:

Full tutorial here.

Then I stitched ribbon candy:

Full tutorial here.

My finished block:

I can't wait to staring quilting the rest of the blocks!

____

All of these amateur YouTube videos are free.  If you would like to see my professionally produced quilt DVDs, they are available for purchase:

Sit-down Longarm Quilting: Getting Started
Sit-down Longarm Quilting: Quilting Blocks and Borders
Sit-down Longarm Quilting: Using Rulers and Templates
Sit-down Longarm Quilting: Thread Work
____

If you would like to take a machine quilting class with me, check out my teaching calendar.
____

Globetrotting Block 1 Washington DC (in review)
Globetrotting Block 2 Venice (in review)
Globetrotting Block 3 Chicago (in review)
Globetrotting Block 4 San Juan (in review)

Quilt of the Week -- A hint

I'm not going to show a photo of this week's quilt of the week.  This is a scavenger hunt.

Step 1.  Buy this book:

Step 2.  Turn to page 64.  You'll see a quilt that I quilted for Victoria Findlay Wolfe.

I quilted the quilt about a year ago, and I was a nervous wreck if you remember.

This quilt was lovely and lime and orange and I'm so honored to have spent a little time with it.

Happy Monday!

Getting it Together -- on the road

I was in Denver this week.  It was beautiful!  It was 70*F and sunny and I ate lunch outside and wasn't wearing a coat.  Why don't I live in Denver?

I tried to fly home yesterday, but it was not meant to be.  This winter is becoming one for the record books.  I flew to Detroit and then this happened:

I officially hate winter.  I guess I am grateful that I wasn't flying in the awful weather, but mostly I'm just bummed about spending yet another night in a hotel away from my husband.  And it was Valentine's Day.  Happy belated Valentine's Day, sweetie!  Also, I have no hand-sewing with me here and I'm going nuts.

So, no hand-sewing, but this is what I do have:

If it is inside of my travel bag, I have it with me.  If it is not inside this one little travel bag, then I don't have it.  The airline keeps custody of luggage when they cancel a flight.  Good times.

What I do have:

• my computer
• a book
• a Kindle
• my datebook/planner
• pen and paper
• necessary medications
• comb
• toothbrush
• toothpaste
• phone charger (ok, 3 phone chargers.  Yes, I'm paranoid)
• snack crackers
• mints
• a wool wrap
• driver's license
• credit card for booking a hotel tonight
• cash for tipping the shuttle driver and the pizza guy.  Also good for the soda machine at the hotel.
• phone with contact list, including priority airline re-booking phone number for super-travelers like me.  Also including the number of a hotel that has a restaurant and good internet speed.  I've been stuck in Detroit before.

What I do not have:

• MY WINTER COAT!!!!  I packed it inside my suitcase.  I know better than this!

Oh well.  I had it mostly together and wrapped myself in my wool wrap to keep from getting frostbite while waiting for the hotel shuttle.  I had everything that I absolutely needed to get me through one night at the hotel.

Fingers crossed that I can get home to my husband sometime today?

I got one!

One of the best television series that I've committed to and binge-watched (listened-to-while-quilting) on Netflix was "Life."  I don't have a television and don't remember hearing anyone talk about this show while it was airing, but...

It is one of my favorite television shows.  Ever.  I can't really explain why.  I think it was quirky and clever and fun but serious at the same time.

Have you ever heard of this show?  Did you love it?  Can you explain why?