so much to celebrate!

I feel like things have been pretty darn crazy around here. There is a lot of self imposed stress going on, but it's stress nonetheless. But...if I take a step back, even for a minute, I can see that there is SO much to celebrate and so much to be thankful for!

-Amazon keeps sending me emails recommending Sunday Morning Quilts to me. It's highly entertaining and it makes me giddy every single time. Also on the recommendation list are new books written by Denyse Schmidt and Weeks Ringle/Bill Kerr, the 3 major influential people in my quilting journey. We are on the same list? Really?? Somebody pinch me!

-Cheryl's and my book comes out next month. After working on it for over two years, it feels so good to be this close. (It's also completely nerve wracking!) I received post cards to help promote the book just this weekend. They look so good! We got the quilts back a few weeks ago, which is fantastic as well. I have been choosing different ones to sleep under and rotating them around the house. (This is after they sat in a pretty stack in the corner for a few weeks.) It's so good to have the quilts home! By the way, Cheryl has a fun little contest going on over on her blog. Which comes first, the baby or the book? You should check it out! :)

-Moda developed a pattern sheet for a zig zag quilt using the no triangle method that I first shared here. How cool is that??? I received a lovely box from Lissa, which is always an ABSOLUTE day brightener. Thank you Lissa! 

On the back of the pattern sheets, a little blurb, right next to the moda logo, with my name on it. That feels pretty fabulous!

-Melinda and I have been working together to plan a quilt retreat right here in Wisconsin over Mother's Day weekend. Woo-hoo!!! I'm very excited that I'll be teaching my machine quilting sampler class again. The weekend should be a lot of fun! You can find more details about the retreat here. There is a link to the registration form there, too. We hope you can join us!

-On the home front...my kids got their report cards on Friday and they. were. fabulous. I'm so proud of each of my kids and I'm so very thankful for them. It's fun to watch them grow up and develop into their own little individual selves, even though it tugs at my heart strings...every single day. I'm so thankful that they are doing so well in school! And I'm thankful for the most wonderful husband ever. He's quite a guy.

-I took Tara to the airport today. Sad as it was to see her go back home, I've got a whole bunch of new memories with my dear friend. What a delight to be able to spend the weekend with her. I feel so incredibly blessed!

Hope you have a lot to be thankful for today, too.

Happy Monday to you!

retreat recap

I've been home from the Colorado quilt retreat for 2 weeks already! I don't know where the time went...I think I blinked.
 

Just a few of the many wonderful goodies from the gift bags...made by Tara.

If you EVER get the chance to attend a quilting retreat, JUST DO IT! (Especially if Tara is hosting...she knows how to do it!) It is so much fun to get together with like minded women and create/sew/chat for the whole weekend. It's overwhelming and so, so good! The only thing is that it just might take you 2 weeks to recover from the sleep deprivation. :)

I remember reading a post awhile back by Cherri House about teaching and she said that she learned so much from her students. I had that same exact experience! I learned a TON and came home so inspired! (I can only hope that everyone else left feeling the same way.) Everyone brought such great ideas to the table. I was astounded. Not to mention all the gorgeous fabric combinations there were to drool over. Seriously, I was on overload! We had running little game throughout the weekend called "name that fabric". There is a very specific audience that would appreciate that game, and we were it!  Let me tell you, Randi knows her fabric!



I taught machine quilting and I showed this quilt completed. That means that I had to start another version of the same quilt so I would have something to demo for the class. Bummer! ;)

 

loopy quilting inspired by Denyse Schmidt,
herringbone quilting inspired by Latifah's amazing quilt.

During the weekend I somehow committed to quilting each of the 24 blocks in my second quilt with different designs than I used for the 20 in my first quilt. Maybe I really AM crazy?! Or maybe it does get easier to come up with quilting ideas the more you work at it? I hope that the latter is true!

We had a scrap exchange as part of the weekend. Everyone that wanted to participate could bring a bag full of scraps, dump them in a community basket and then take what you want in return. I could regularly be found hanging out at the scrap basket. No surprise there. I may have been teased about it a time or two or three. But in my defense, no one else would have wanted the tiny pieces that I was rescuing. I pieced a bunch of scraps together for more of these blocks. I was so happy to see new-to-me scraps. Mine had been worked over and then some!

We also had a mini quilt exchange.

I took a ticker tape quilt (I can't get the photo to flip correctly, sorry!)....

and came home with a log cabin quilt, made by my friend Mama Urchin. It happily hangs in my craft room right beneath my thread shelf so I can see it whenever I'm sewing. I just love it! Thanks, Jen!

I came home with loads of new fabric, thanks to some generous friends. And a new Chik-fil-a cup. A reusable Chik-fil-a cup. (I'm still trying to live down drinking out of the same styrofoam cup all weekend long two years ago!) Several people were involved in the acquiring of said cup, which makes me grin. A lot. I love it and I use it all the time. Thanks Michelle!

I'd like to thank everyone of the women who attended the weekend: Julie, Rebecca, Emily, Ruth, Randi, Amanda, Penny, Jennifer, Meloddee, Audrey, Carmen and Darla. A huge thank you to Tara and Lizzy for feeding us so well, and for making it such a memorable weekend. I sure appreciate all the hard work it takes to make it happen! I keep smiling when I think about the weekend. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it. And I'm super excited that Tara and I have already started to plan for next year....I can hardly wait!

Happy Monday to you!

retreat recap

front row, left to right: Toni and Shelly,

back row, left to right: Doris, Michelle, Rene, Terri, me, Mary, Cindy, Stephanie

I was so fortunate to be able to spend last weekend quilting at Gruber's for our second annual quilting retreat. Man, was it fun. Seriously, I laughed until my abs hurt. (I finally found an ab workout that I LOVE! Hurray!) I feel like I owe these fine women for therapy. It was so wonderful to quilt together, to share ideas and stories and jokes. It was fun to EAT OUT and not have to cook for anyone for a few days. It was fun to browse the 10,000 bolts at the quilt shop, even if I didn't buy a darn thing. The side affect, though, is feeling like a slug this entire week. (It was still totally worth it!) I am still trying to get back into the swing of things, and it's Friday already! I am still trying to catch up on sleep! (Again, I repeat, still totally worth it!)

At the retreat, I hunkered down and got my fall 9 patch quilt top done. It took me all of Friday AND all of Saturday. And if you know me, I take my quilting retreat sewing time very seriously-I get down to business! This is just a time consuming quilt to piece, which also makes it the perfect retreat project. There was no shortage of great conversation and laughter to take my mind off the monotony. After I got the top done and I breathed a huge sigh of relief. I also saw the fruits of my labor. Yay!

The quilt specifics: Most of the 9 patches are pieced from Kona cotton jelly rolls in the Dusky and Dark colorways. The cream sashing is Moda Bella Solid in the color snow. The pattern is from a quilt along I did a few summers ago. (Links are on my sidebar...one a day quilt along.) It is a twin size.

Anyway, back to the retreat....I was lame-o and took VERY few photos. And the ones I did take turned out all yellow. But thankfully other people did. And they wrote beautiful recap posts all about the retreat. Click on any of the links above to read more about the fun we had. I feel so lucky to be able to call these women friends. I can't wait to do it again next year!

retreating

I had fun retreating in Colorado this past weekend. It's always wonderful to spend time with my friend Tara. That girl throws an amazing retreat! Good times, great food, great people!

Penny was just as cute as could be in her little apron. She taught workshops on paper piecing and improvisational piecing. The workshops were great.They had the perfect mix of information and inspiration with some challenge thrown in for good measure. I learned a lot.

I made these sewing machines without a pattern. I just improvisationally pieced them from my own little sketch. I looooooooooooooove them! This is nothing I have ever tried before, (shoot, this is nothing that I had even thought of doing before) and I am so pleased with my first attempts. The spools were Penny's idea and I think that it totally makes the block!

We had all agreed in advance to do a pot holder swap. It was fun to see how all 6 of them coordinated so well. Aren't they so so sweet? The second one from the left, made by Carmen, came home to live with me. Yay!

I sewed on this cutie patootie sewing machine all weekend, thanks to the ever generous Julie.

The prize bags were filled to the gills with goodies! We all got spoiled. Thank you Tara!

There was also fabric shopping, which was actually more like fabric hunting. :) We had great success. Hurray!

There were lots of laughs, a few headaches (literally, which don't mix well with paper piecing, let me tell you!), and lots of fabric scraps everywhere by the end of the weekend.

from L to R: Penny, Amanda, Tara, Carmen, Melinda, Audrey

Here's a group shot. I had met Carmen, Penny last fall. It was great to meet AudreyPawdry in real life (she and I were in a bee together a few years back), and Melinda, who is also from Wisconsin. I'm so glad that I was able to sew all weekend long with these very lovely ladies. Good times, good times.

On the flip side, it is great to be back home. I missed my husband and kids so much. Now, I have to find a home for a bunch of fabric scraps and the yardage I acquired while I was away.

playing catch up

I've been trying to find the time (and the words) to do a retreat recap. It's so difficult, because one really can't describe the fun that happens in a few short days. The retreat was AMAZING! Tara was a FABULOUS hostess. It was apparent that she worked very hard on all the behind the scenes details. The Inn was lovely. Colorado was a bit snowy and beautiful. My students were WONDERFUL! We laughed and laughed and had an amazing time. I have a bunch of new friends. :) I think everyone learned a lot, too. (I know I did!) I can't wait to do it again next year.



cutest name tags ever! made by Tara.



My little family is so great. My husband had the house spic and span when I got home. He's so good to me!! My oldest son crawled into bed with me on Monday morning and he told me how much he missed me over the weekend. Then he told me that he wore my coat for awhile. I asked him if that helped, and he said, "A little bit." Oh, my. Such sweetness. My heart melted completely. I have a wonderful family, I am so very blessed.

new fabric! bought at Mama Said Sew

On the flight home, I ended up sitting by a dear sweet woman (Hi Christie!) that loves to quilt, who also has a JUKI. (!!!!!) I don't know about you, but things like that NEVER happen to me! It was so fun to get to know her and share stories. What an incredible way to wrap up an already wonderful trip.

cutest pot holder ever! a gift from Penny.

This week at home has been completely crazy. So many things going on, my head is spinning. Today I got up at 6 am just so I could blog. (Sick, I tell you! Hee hee.) I have jury duty today and tomorrow, which I am looking forward to, but it's putting a serious cramp in my quilting time! After this busy, busy week I have a newfound respect for all the working moms out there. I could never do it. I have too much new fabric to sew up! :)

Innocent Crush fat eighths from Tara



excitement



 I've got PIPS!!!! Many many MANY thanks to Thimbleanna for hooking me up with these fat quarters. How I will EVER cut into these little lovelies??? I do not have a clue. Anna, you are a darling! I'm seriously excited for this fabric.

I'm also seriously excited because I've packed up my Juki (in my super cute new suitcase!) and I'm headed to COLORADO!!! I'm teaching (machine quilting) at a retreat this weekend. My stomach has been flip flopping all day. I'm very excited. And a little bit nervous, too.

See you in a few days!

Edited to Add: My suitcase came from Target. It can be found here.

blue

Blue is such a creative name for this quilt, isn't it? It's made from various (42 to be exact) Kona cottons. Simple straightforward piecing, with lots of little fussy quilting.

Actually, how to quilt this one had me stumped for awhile. Some of you suggested variegated thread, but variegated thread scares me. (It's true!) I thought about straight line organic quilting, but with the large graphic blocks, I wanted to add something that would soften it up rather than accentuate the bold lines. They didn't need any additional help. :) My solution? First, I stitched in the ditch to stabilize my seams. I used nylon thread on the top (it blends with nearly all colors) and a silvery grey thread in the bobbin (to match the back). I wanted the stabilizing stitches to blend in with the various colors as much as possible, since I'm not the neatest stitch in the ditch quilter. Then, I changed threads to match each color block when I filled them in with a simple meandering pattern. For that, I used the same thread color in the top and the bobbin. I started stitching in the top left corner of each block and ended at the bottom right of each corner. With all the thread changes, I needed to keep some kind of order. It worked like a charm.

I used lots of thread (12 colors!), but the only one I had to purchase was the royal blue. The rest I had on hand already. That was a little startling.

I used Kona Ash for the backing. Since I changed the thread colors with each block, the back has it's own pattern going on. It's pretty subtle, but the darker ones do pop a bit. I like the dimension it adds to the back. It's also the reason I went with a solid rather than a print fabric for the backing. All in all, I think it was a great quilting solution. I love it when a hair-brained idea like this actually pans out. I was holding my breath until the very end, though. I did NOT want to screw this one up.

I used some sort of Kona grey for the binding (not sure of the exact color), because it would have been too hard to pick a blue. :) I love how it frames it all in.

The quilt measures about 57" x 70".

This quilt is going to be the grand prize giveaway for the retreat that is coming up next month. It's going to be hard to let this one go, but one lucky retreat attender is going to go home with a brand new quilt. Now, THAT'S pretty exciting!

retreat recap

1. flock block progress, 2. checkerboard, 3. it's a sham, 4. red color study

Trying to write a recap of the retreat last weekend is difficult. It really was oh-so-wonderful, just like everyone says it was.

I got a LOT of sewing done. I only had one project that I took that was left untouched. That surprised me. Of course if I would have slept a little more, things would have been different. I was too excited to sleep! It borders on pathetic, I realize, but it's true. :)

The group of women I was with was incredible. Quilters are wonderful people. Bloggers are wonderful people, too. Quilt bloggers, well, they are the cream of the crop.

I had met Victoria last year, so I already knew how lovely she was. It was fascinating to watch her work. I may or may not have fondled her bin of scrap fabrics more than is socially acceptable. She has a fun (albeit messy) approach to quilting. Her stars are beautiful! She brought her kitchen sink quilt for show and tell. What an impressive work of art. V also brought her Accuquilt Go! cutter so we could try it out. Talk about a slick machine! I'm not normally a gadget girl, but I think I may need one of these!

Heather sewed with us for a few hours on Friday. What a humble and genuine woman. There were bolts of fabric that she designed sitting on the shelves at Gruber's, yet she was still hanging out with us normal folks, sewing quite unassumingly. She is also very generous. She donated a box of scraps to share...and my are they lovely! Thank you, Heather!

Mary is sweet and kind and I secretly hope she adopts me as her 3rd child. Her authentic quilt is stunning! As is her Hope Valley quilt. Her and I had a chance to talk while everyone else went to the MN quilt show, which was lovely and comfortable, despite the fact that we had just met. She's the best quilt model I've ever seen, what a ham! Thanks to Mary, I'm now working on my applique project with the highly acclaimed straw needles. It's amazing how having the right tools helps so much!

Shelly P. has a great sense of humor and she is one persistent quilter! She makes beautiful large quilts with teeny tiny pieces. Then she will say, "it's only a rail fence quilt." No only about it when the pieces finish at 1" wide. Her quilts are very impressive! We got to meet "her cowboy"...they are an adorable couple. I appreciate Shelly because she gets why I don't want my face plastered all over the internet without any explanation whatsoever. Thank you, Shelly! ;)

Shelly S...well she's a HOOT! You gotta love Shelly because you never have to wonder what she's thinking! She may be slow to pick up on teasing, but she's lovely all the same. Just don't smack talk against her beloved batiks or you may end up with your very own bag of scraps to take home. It was fun to pick her brain about machine quilting and to see her amazing work in person.

Rene is sweet and kind and generous. What a wonderful woman! She makes a great roomie, too. She may snore a little bit, but she is dainty while doing it. (Sorry, Rene, I shouldn't be picking on you!) It was fun to get to know her better and we had, as she put it, some interesting discussions about quilting and blogging. She was working on a quilt that had me distracted. It's definitely going on my "to do" list.

Terri is a fellow Wisconsin girl and she sure cranked out the quilt tops! Her fabric choices were gorgeous. She made us laugh! (If you ever lose your bindings, check your quilts!) I loved hearing her approach and thoughts on blogging and weight loss. So inspiring. It was fun to see her cute purse in real life, too...it is even more ADORABLE in person.

Toni is a hoot, too! It was nice having another woman there who has small children at home. I could relate with some of her stories all too well. This woman is AMAZING! She didn't buy fabric for a YEAR AND A HALF!!!! I can. not. imagine. She made up for it over the weekend, but I don't blame her one bit. Gruber's DID have one good sale going on. She was also a wealth of information. Did you know that laughter is good for the health of your liver? That's what I hear, anyway. :)

Doris is a great dinner companion and one meticulous quilter. I could learn a lot from her! Her applique pieces are so precise! Plus, she has great taste in fabric. She made an adorable little baby quilt that made me swoon. It was seriously cute! Her and I are planning to do a little swap on the side that I am excited about. (In contrast to the batik challenge that I somehow got roped into. Sorry, Shelly, I can't stop picking on you!) Doris and I live close enough that we may have a quilting weekend together in the not too distant future. Woo-hoo! You can tell that she is a retreat veteran...she had the slickest little setup with everything she needed right next to her sewing machine.

Last but certainly not least, there is Andrea. What an all around pleasant woman! She celebrated her birthday over the weekend with us. She was my other roomie and my Saturday morning running buddy. Thanks again, A! She told the BEST inappropriate stories and was kind enough to retell them to those of us who missed them the first time. She also dropped some great one liners. What a funny girl! She brought fabric and chocolate to share with all of us. Thanks Andrea!

Other highlights of the weekend included meeting up with my long time friend, Linda, for dinner at the Mexican Village. Yum! Both the dinner and conversation were so very wonderful. I also had the chance to take my dad out for dinner on Father's Day, which was great...I don't get to see him often enough.

And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my wonderful husband. What. a. gem. When I got home he and the kids were happy. The house was CLEAN. Plus, he didn't even flinch when I brought in my huge bag of new fabric. I love that man.

a retreat for me and a treat for you

Tonight I'm headed out to go on a weekend quilt retreat at Gruber's Quilt Shop! Victoria set it up last fall and it's finally here! Yipee! It's so weird to be making plans to go anywhere all. by. myself. I'm sure I will miss my family as soon as I leave the house, but I'm planning to enjoy every last minute. Seriously, how could I not? I'm meeting up with fellow bloggers to QUILT for the entire weekend! I've got my pile of projects ready to go...probably about 2-3 weeks worth. Overkill is nothing new to me!

Speaking of retreats...I will be speaking at a few this year.

The first one is going to be in Grand Rapids, Michigan for Margaret's Hope Chest at the end of July. You can read up on all the details here. I'm excited for this one! I have designed a quilt pattern especially for them and I will be showing several options to switch up the basic pattern. I'll be talking about color and fabric choices with a little bit of scrap talk thrown in, too. Margaret's Hope Chest is spreading HOPE in Jesus' name. I couldn't think of a better cause to quilt for. The work party is FREE! The majority of the sewing time will be spent making quilt tops for MHC. I think there are 10 remaining spots left.

I'm also going back to Colorado this November to Inn at City Park, which is a beautiful Bed and Breakfast. More details on the retreat here. Of course, I am excited about this one, too! Tara is a fabulous hostess. Last year we had an AMAZING time. I know I gushed on and on about it already, but seriously, it was so. much. fun. It was my first quilt retreat ever, and it set the bar for all future quilt retreats VERY high. This year I will be teaching machine quilting: using both your walking foot and free motion foot. Last time I checked, there were only 8 spots left for this one.

Heather is considering putting together a retreat here (in Western Wisconsin-just across the border from Minneapolis/St. Paul) but is trying to gauge if there is enough interest before she jumps in. Leave a comment on this post if you are interested.

Ok, enough retreat talk...

I also have a giveaway today!!!

Up for grabs is a Roll Up in the Dark Colorstory, compliments of Robert Kaufman. I'm not going to gush about how wonderful Kona cottons are because I'm sure you already know. If you ask me, this would look lovely paired with Ash colored Kona cotton as a background for my quilt along. You know, in case any of you are still on the fence about joining in. :) Of course, if you are the lucky winner, you get to decide what to do with it! Leave me a comment if you want a chance at it. One comment per person please. I will announce the winner on Monday.

Happy weekend to you!

finally figured it out

I wasn't planning on posting a part 2 about the retreat, but here goes. You can see the posts here and here for more details from different perspectives. (And a photo or two of me, for those of you who are curious!)

stash building from before my trip

I am so thankful that I got the chance to go to the retreat this past weekend. Not only because of the much needed the break, but because it really clarified what I want to do. I've struggled over the past two years trying to figure out where I want to go with my quilting. I had options...book writing, pattern writing, selling quilts, I even thought about making my own kits to sell. So many options that I went back and forth on from day to day. I've written two book proposals. One got rejected and one I gave up on before turning in the final copy. It wasn't my cup of tea and it was a whole lot like work. After teaching at the retreat this weekend, I discovered that is what I really want to do. I was nervous and I probably have a long way to go. To be honest, I didn't know if I had all that much to offer, but I saw people trying new things and being challenged to get out of their comfort zone, so I'd call that a success. And it didn't feel at all like work. When I told my husband, "This is what I want to do!!!" He said, "Go for it!" So, if you are interested in having me speak at a retreat, email me for details. Whenever I think about this, I just start grinning like a silly woman. It's so good to have finally figured this out.

Next post...I start showing that stack of quilts. :)

retreat

I have much to share about the quilting retreat over the weekend, which was in Fort Collins, Colorado. I doubt I will ever stop gushing over the awesomeness that was this weekend. It. was. incredible. Truly and seriously incredible.

The mountains were beautiful. As was the weather. Perfection.

Here's my new BFF, Tara, in the most incredible yarn shop in the world. Tara is an Innkeeper at the B & B and a wonderful Jill of all trades. She does everything! Such an amazing woman. And SWEET! And generous! Oh, my goodness. We met when she picked me up from the airport on Thursday and I feel like I've know her for years. LOVE that.

I did some sewing, of course....(photo courtsey of Liz)

...on a borrowed Singer Featherweight. Thanks Julie!
It was SO fun to experience sewing on one.

This is Alexis. She's such a charming and sweet girl. She is another innkeeper. The staff at the Inn were wonderful, as were the owners. I enjoyed my stay so very much.

It all happened at this B & B. I'd highly recommend a visit. I hope to go back some day with my husband for a getaway.

I bought some fabric. Of course. :)

This photo needs to become a quilt. This is more of the incredible yarn shop. It's called My Sister Knits. (in Fort Collins) I was almost overcome with excitement in this place...I was on the verge of overload. It was so great. SO GREAT!!!

This was my only purchase at the yarn shop. It was hard to not go crazy.

Gotta love a rustic VW van parked on the side of the road. :)

The quilters were GREAT!!!

SO GREAT!!! (I missed a few people in these shots...I didn't take nearly enough photos.)
It was great fun to meet Mama Urchin in real life after blogging with her for the past 2 1/2 years.

I ate at Chick-fil-a for the first time. I really love their cups. hee hee.

And we ate, and ate, and ate some more. The food was fantastic. Caramel whipped cream is wrong but so good.

The company was fantastic. It was fun to talk to fellow quilters about quilting, and it was also so fun to talk to fellow bloggers about blogging. That was a treat in and of itself.

I would be remiss if I failed to mention that I came home to a very clean house. My husband is wonderful. :)

The whole weekend....well, it. was. INCREDIBLE.
Would I go back again? ABSOLUTELY!!!!

We are already starting to plan for next year. Yipee!