Regrouping

Holy Cow!!!

I really have to thank all of the wonderful people that I got to chat with and share ideas over the weekend during the Farmpark Show Vendor Weekend! I had such an amazing weekend and it was soooooo incredible!

I signed more books than I could have imagined and each of the trunk shows I gave during the weekend were filled with both familiar and new faces. You all made me so happy.

After all of the hard work, this weekend was just what I needed to realize the hard work is over and you all love the book as much as I do!

The best part about this weekend was chatting with brand new quilters. There were some that came with friends who quilt and are diving into this awesome world we live in, and there were some that were brave enough to come on their own and maybe even sign up for a class or two! I love talking with new quilters and watching as they learn and evolve.

I still feel like my brain is going full speed after all of the excitement from the weekend, but I have to reel it in and get settled since I'm chatting with another guild tonight :)

One sad thing I have to report is... I was sooooo busy all weekend I never had a chance to go back around and look at the quilts and take better pictures of some :( I had a very small window to get away and I used that to boost the economy and get fabrics for some new stitchery patterns that should be out soon.

Thank you all again, I had no idea of what to expect when this book finally was released and all of my expectations have been blown out of the water. I am such a happy girl and should probably go work on some new quilts now... I'll be back later once my brain stops spinning!

Farmpark Trunk Shows

It's early and I'm starting off my day trying to wake up waiting for the coffee to warm up, but I wanted to let you know the schedule at the Farmpark Show.

I will be signing books all day at the Cottonpickers booth down in the atrium (by the Cafe) and each day at 1:30 I will be showing some quilts from the book in the Auditorium (behind the front desk). Hope to see you there!

In the meantime, Paco and I are going to try and wake up!

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!