Crickets...

Sorry it's been a tad quiet around here. I've been working a ton on behind the scenes things and quilting and there's unfortunately not much that I can share right now.

One of the things I have been prepping for is the Vendor Weekend at Lake Farmparks this weekend. We're setting up later today and I'll be out there the next few days doing demos and book signings the whole weekend! As soon as I know when I'll be doing trunk shows of the quilts from the book I'll let you know!

But once this weekend is over and things calm down a tad, I think it's about time to tackle this mess:

Book Signings Round 1

I wasn't quite sure what exactly to expect on Friday because as the weather can be in Northeast Ohio, it was pretty nasty. The morning started off with rain which turned everything into a sheet of ice, but there were some troopers who braved the cold and wet to come on out!

 The day started off with my wonderful friend Gayle bringing me these amazing flowers! I really am blessed to have good friends that are such a great support!

 I displayed most of the quilts from the book (and a couple new versions of some) on the design walls in the classroom at Cottonpickers.

 Also we decided to display all of the current Alphabet Stitchery patterns. It was so neat to see them all together!

There were quilts everywhere. It was personally so cool for me to sit back and finally realize that all the hard work is done. The quilts are made, the book is hitting stores and it was neat to see them all side by side too. It gave a different perspective I think. 

One thing I really enjoyed was watching people I know walk in and guess which quilt they would like best based upon their fabric favorites and past projects I have seen. Honestly, more times than not I was WRONG! It was nice to see ladies drawn to something outside of their comfort zone (which was part of the plan with the book)

And just one last shot of my beautiful flowers! They smell sooooooo nice! Thanks again Miss Gayle!

Next weekend we'll be doing this all over again in a slightly different mode seeing as how I'll also be working the Cottonpicker's booth Friday through Sunday at Vendor's Weekend at the Farmpark Quilts 2013 Show. Come on out and see me and once I find out the demo schedule I'll let you know when I'll be showing off quilts from the book!

Farmpark Preview Part #3

Alrighty then! This is it for now of the pictures from Farmpark, but I'll be out there all next weekend and if I get a chance to get away for a bit, there may be more pictures in the future.

All of the quilts today are ones that needed a closer look.

Like this beauty. I absolutely fell in love with the quilting at first sight. 

 I love how the patterns she chose to quilt effectively work well together yet fit each area individually.

 This quilt has this charming simplicity to it.

 The quilting isn't very dense, but it doesn't have to be. This quilt actually won first place in it's category and it reminds me that not all show quilts have to be extreme.

 Super charming. That's really all I have to say. I love the embroidery and the colors, but on a closer look...

 The checkerboard in the background is quilted in. How cool is that?! That would be for either a no caffeine at all or super caffeinated day at my house!

 And then there's this beauty. It's hidden in the back corner of the one room, but this was probably the quilt I heard the most about while walking around. There's just so much to look at.

 The combination of quilting styles was striking enough, but at the center of each side was a special place for quilting. Most of them were super dense in texture, but the top of the quilt had a monogram quilted into it!

 I LOVE these flowers, okay I love almost everything about this quilt...

What don't I love? To be honest, that its not coming home with me, but other than that I love everything about it!

So which quilt is your favorite of all the beauties I've shown? At the opening night, all of the people in attendance either have entered a quilt or know someone who has. I get so caught up in reconnecting with others that I may only get to see once or twice a year and then looking to find everyone's quilts that I know.

I know I missed some and there will be some that will need a better look the second time around, but all in good time.

Reminder! I will be at Cottonpickers for book signings both this Friday (10-5:30) and Saturday (10-4) and now I will be doing both days down in the classroom (the old Art & Function next to Howard Hannah). Come on out and see me. I'll have some goodies and most importantly - books to sign! Hope to see you there!

p.s. If you can't make it this weekend come on out to see me at Vendor's Weekend at the Farmpark Show March 1-3!

They're Here!!!

Look what Mr. UPS Man just brought me! Give me a day or so and all of the Preorders will be on their way!

Farmpark Show Part #2

This group of quilts were just so striking, they deserved to be shown.

 This quilt is large and the coloring is spectacular!

 This quilt is interesting. Not only is the quilting gorgeous, but it looks like a wholecloth. It is, kinda. It's actually pieced, but they only used one fabric... I honestly don't know why, but hey!

 There were interesting color combinations like this quilt that mimicked the fabric colors in the stitching.

 This quilt is so large and has so much detail I'm definitely taking another look next time I'm at the show!

 Not everything is designed for technical aspect, this fun Harry Potter quilt even had the different badges for the schools appliqued in each of the corner stars.

 Linda made this quilt and what an honor for her first entry to be right in the main lobby!

 This Wedding Ring quilt was hand quilted by the talented Tina!

 Here's Mary's Glacier Star in the hallway just outside the room that holds:

 Paulette's Glacier Star. You can see both of them if you stand in the hallway and I hear many comments of how people can't believe they're the same quilt. So cool!

 Wendy made this adorable quilt for her brother and then asked for it back to hang in the show :)

 Here's my entry for the show. Now if you see it in person it doesn't hang all that well but that's because I washed it and that's fine with me. It's all crinkly and wonderful and I can't wait for it to come home. (This is my pattern Prima)

 And near my quilt was this version of my Alphabet Stitchery: Farm Animals pattern! The lady that made this stitched the embroidery and then waited to piece the blocks until she knew what kind of grandbaby she was to expect. How neat!

 Gloria pieced this Lone Star with embroidery blocks between each of the points. Her husband quilted it for her and together they are one dynamic duo.

 Ruth returned with yet again another miniature masterpiece. I really think I need to make something like this soon :) Thanks, Ruth!

 Dawn made this incredible flannel quilt that will be perfect for those cold nights on the couch!

 Marge's Glacier Star looks wonderful hanging in the show! Behind it is another Glacier Star too, but I like this one better (not that I'm biased or anything)

 Kathryn made this monster of a quilt with a technique called fracturing. She takes several of the same fabric or panel and cuts it in a certain way and places it back together giving it a unique feel. The bottom left sewing machine and the center right(ish) sewing machine panels show off her technique. If you have the time you should Google this technique, it's pretty neat!

Mary and I see eye to eye on few fabric choices as I'm a bit more reserved and she likes the brights, but I have to admit this is a wonderful quilt using my favorite color. That pop of green really ties in the border print and grounds the quilt. I love it!

So that's enough for today. I have one more post for you with quilts from the show, but there may be more in the future.

Remember that this Friday and Saturday I will be having book signings for Seamingly Scrappy at Cottonpickers Quilt Shop in Chardon, OH! Come on out and see me! I'll be there all day both days (Friday I'll be in the store and Saturday I'll be in the classroom!) Also, if you can't make it out this weekend I will be at the Farmpark Show Vendor Weekend all weekend each day from 9-5 (Friday thru Sunday March 1-3). I  will have a bunch of the quilts from the book with me and will be doing demonstrations and book signings there too! I think I need to go rest up, it's going to be a busy couple weeks!

New Quilts: Aura & Tiny Bits

So you may have noticed these quilts already in my pictures from my last trip to Shipshewana, but here's better pictures for ya.

 For this version of Aura, I immediately fell in love with Kate Spain's new collection, Honey Honey. I was going back and forth over which background to use. I ended up choosing this navy from the Primitive Muslins by Moda, but the other option was a Charcoal Gray from the Bella Solids. I love how the navy makes the colors pop though.

 I quilted this one very similarly to the original, but both quilts look very different, don't you think?

 And this version of Tiny Bits isn't much different than the original. They both use the same sashing and binding, but the newer version uses Jenn Ski's new line for Moda, Oink A Doodle Moo. Not only is it absolutely adorable, it's super fun to say.

The original version was made with Jenn's last line, Ten Little Things, so that's why the quilts are so similar. I love the quilting in this one, it's great for modern baby quilts that seem to be everywhere these days.

Honey Honey is definitely in stores now and is ready for purchase while Oink A Doodle Moo should be arriving any day now.

I may just be making more new versions of some more book quilts in the future. Check back for those as I'll share pictures on here!

Machine Quilting: Wreath & Beach

I know it's sort of a weird combination, but Nancy is in the process of finishing all of those projects she started or collected over the years and seems to be getting great progress done.

 Isn't this wreath great? Nancy chose some amazing fabrics too.

I quilted swirls all over the background and borders. 

 Then I added texture to the wreath itself and quilted in some details on the bow. The center of the bow also had this cool 3D element. This should make a great decoration later this year.

 The other quilt Nancy had ready was this fun star with beach themed prints.

The border fabric had these fruit themed beach gals that were too precious.

Thanks Nancy! I'll be working on more quilts later this week. I'll show you more quilting pictures as I can!

Farmpark Preview: Ribbons!

So sorry for the delay today, but after the show last night I came home and crashed and then there were a ton of pictures to go through on my camera! I sorted them all out and have three different posts during the next week dedicated solely to the Farmpark Show. I'm sure there will be more come Vendor Weekend since I'll be back out there, but without further ado:

 Welcome to the Quilts 2013 Show! This year, this quilt won the Best In Show.

 You may remember this quilt from before on the blog. Jeanne got an Honorable Mention for her quilt.

 Carol not only took Second Place in her category but she was also awarded the Color Award!

 I love the colors and the beautiful hand quilting on this one!

 Need I say more? Anything Jo Morton related is a winner to me!

 This one was quite interesting. Not only was the applique so detailed, but the hand quilting was unlike anything I've seen before. Hence the Best Hand Quilting Ribbon.

 Are those glum winter days getting you down? Turn that frown upside down after taking a glimpse at this tropical beauty.

 Feathers anyone? The quilting on this quilt was spectacular!

 This small wall hanging has a ton of fall pizazz. The quilting and fabric choices were spot on.

 This piece was started with two hand-dyed pieces of silk which were then quilted with all sorts of various threads. This reminds me of so many art projects from back in the day.

 Mom's huge Mariner's Compass won Second Place in her category. The neatest thing is her quilt is hanging right in the front lobby near the Best In Show quilt. You can't miss it!

 Sandi worked so hard on these chickens and the quilting really sets the applique off. It's a beautiful quilt with lots and lots of details.

This is Sue's version of the Sunflower Illusions by Judy Niemeyer. You really can't see it here, but the quilting is amazing. There's different threads and styles of quilting, it's really pretty.

So that's all for today. Come on over to the show if you're in the Northeast Ohio area. The show runs from now until March 27th at the Lake Metroparks Farmpark in Kirtland, OH from 9-5 most days. You can check the class listing and see more info about the park and the show here.