Lull in Business - Heightened Activity Anyway!

 So, I am experiencing a lull in business...but my activity level is through the roof! 

I am pretty sure that the lull has more to do with the fact that it is the end of summer and everyone is on vacation or focused on school starting.  Either way...it is giving me a moment to focus on some much needed admin stuff...

I sent out a survey to my customers to find out how they think I am doing for them.  I used SurveyMonkey - it is super easy and I got some good feedback.  You have to know how to write the questions, but they have help if you are not sure what kind of questions to ask.  I highly recommend staying in touch with your customers to close the feedback loop.  People don't like confrontation and will usually say something nice to your face no matter how they really feel.  SurveyMonkey is anonymous, so you don't have to worry about confrontation.  Here is the link if you want to check it out...  http://www.surveymonkey.com/

Next, I have to learn how to do my accounting software...I just ordered QuickBooks and it looks really hard!!  I am looking for someone to help me set it up, so can populate it with my business stuff.  You can try it for free first and they have lots of resources for you to check out...here is the link:  http://quickbooks.intuit.com/

After that, I am going to finish the cook book that I am writing for my Quilt Guild and the Show that is coming up in Oct, which I am in charge of running, which includes, managing entries, planning the layout of the quilts, set up and take down as well as managing volunteers for the whole thing and advertising.  The quilt show is for the local quilt guild the Stafford Piecemakers Quilt Guild  - here is that link:  http://www.staffordpiecemakers.com/ (oh yeah did I tell ya I do the website too?) 

The website for my guild is http://www.webs.com/  it is really user friendly and intuitive -  I use Go Daddy (which is expensive, but I already have a contract)

Then, I am going to send out my reminder e-mail that we are only 30 days out from the Christmas deadline that quilters must meet to get their Christmas presents quilted and bound before sending them as Christmas presents.  I usually give them until October 31 - but have to see how many quilts I get.  Sorry no link for that : D.

All the while, I do have some quilts to work on...I have the Swirls on Batiks that I put on the FB this morning and two customs to do in the meantime. 

It is all so exciting...even when I am not actually quilting it is 100miles an hour - Yay!!!!  However, right now...I am going to finish my glass of wine and Scooby Doo with my son/husband : D.

Getting Ready for the Quilt Show...

Well, it may seem premature, but I am getting ready for the Stafford Piecemaker's Quilt Show - Oct 19 - 21, 2012 at the Porter Library here in Stafford.  I am in charge of it this year and I know that as it gets closer I am going to be super busy with publicity and logistics etc.  So, I am starting NOW : D.

The Quilt Show theme is "Quilts: Food for the Soul" ...and you have to make something quilted that has food fabric in it or applique food stuff or have some kind of food theme.  It can't be larger than 36" x 36", which means that you can make pot holders, coasters, oven mits and small wall hangings etc.  I am making pot holders and a small wall hanging for my cousin who recently bought her own first house.  She wanted to get the fabric from me the last time she was here, but she is so busy that even if I had given her the fabric, I doubt she would have had time to quilt it  - so I am doing it for her...so far I have made 6 pot holders...here is one and I'll post the other ones when they are done too : D.  I hope she doesn't read my blog or this won't be much of a surprise for her - huh?!

Web Mistress...

So I volunteered to be the web mistress for my quilt guild...and I am trying to find a way to post a link to our blocks of the month...so I am going to post them here and then link to them.  Hopefully it works and I hope you enjoy our block of the month instructions : D.

To Guild or NOT To Guild...

Let's talk about Quilt Guild... 

When I first started quilting, my Mom told me two things...take a class and join a guild.  I learned how to make a Double Irish Chain Quilt pattern by using strip and chain piecing - whooo hoo!  Then, I joined the guild!  So, now I go to Quilt Guild (my local Stafford Piecemaker's Quilt Guild) and it is quite mind blowing!  I am NOT usually a joiner...I tried to join some Mommy groups and some Crafty groups, but they didn't take - however the quilt guild has turned out to be quite the opposite.

We have two meetings on is a business meeting, which is pretty boring - but necessary and then after we have show and tell, which is the fun part.  After the show and tell we eat some light refreshments and talk.  Then, we have the program meeting, where we learn to do techniques, have trunk shows etc. 

We do lots of charity work through the Stafford County Sheriff's Dept and the local hospitals and we are hoping to expand our reach to other charitable outlets as well.  This is a picture of us burying our Deputy Sheriff in quilts for the officer's to carry in their trunks for those in need. 

We do a block of the month...which is featured in our newsletter and on our website:  http://www.staffordpiecemakers.com/blockofthemonth.htm and we do a fabric exchange also on our website.  In our guild there are those that are experts at just about everything, but no one is an expert at everything.  I can be intimidating, but not to me.  I just get inspired...when I leave I cannot wait to get into the studio the next day and start working on a new or current project. 

There are also a lot of longarmers in the guild and I have met most of them.  We are thinking of doing an event for a program meeting and maybe starting our own side group to share info etc. 

I do have to get a babysitter and then pray that little man sleeps later in the morning than usual or else I am useless the next day no matter how inspired I am... : D. 

I have taken on the website and the quilt show this year, so I seem to have stuff to do for them all the time...I am even putting together a cookbook that we can sell at the quilt show in Oct to raise money for the guild...WOW!!!!  I just seem to LOVE it - huh???  So, in my case it is definately To GUILD!!!!

Charity Round Robin Quilt

Round Robin Quilts are awesome ways to get quilts done (several at a time) without anyone having to do a whole quilt and they are pretty fun (even with fabric that is not terribly pretty) : D.

A round robin quilt is when one person makes a block that becomes the center of the quilt...the required size for our center block was bigger than 12"...mine was about 18", which makes for bigger quilt at the end usually.  There were 7 or 8 people in each group.  We sign them on a list.  Each person on the list puts a border on it...we didn't have any size requirement on the border, but the smaller the border, the smaller the quilt at the end. 

Then, at each quilt guild meeting (every 2 weeks) we gave the one we had to the next person and got another one from the person above us on the list.  It sounds a little complicated and at first it took us a minute to figure out what we were doing. 

Since this is for charity, we weren't required to use our own fabric although most of us did.  We were given two big bags of fabric and when we received the round robin quilt we picked out some fabrics to use for our border.

This is the one that I started, I think it came out really cool looking...I never would have come up with that rust color fabric, but it really pops and makes the quilt really cool.  Also, I LOVE the stars for the border...those are not easy to make and that was a lot of them to make...

I quilted the back already, unfortunately - it was on my machine when I was supposed to be presenting it at my quilt guild - oops...however, it will still get donated - Yay!!!

Recent Road to Oklahoma Quilt

I recently did a quilt for a customer/friend of mine from my quilt guild, Stafford Piecemakers Quilt Guild.  I absolutely loved this quilt although scrappy isn't really my style.  Barb is really quite amazing she is almost an octagenarian and knows how to do Facebook!  She comes to my studio and climbs the stairs better than me and she makes wonderful quilts!!

Here is her Bonnie Hunter Road to Oklahoma pattern quilt in all its glory : D...

Great Time at the Quilt In of Stafford Piecemakers Quilt Guild!

On Saturday we had our 15th annual Quilt In for the Stafford Piecemakers Quilt Guild. 

We have it at a church and the atmosphere is super energized and positive!  This year the guild decided to display the quilts from previous Quilt Guild Presidents. They were just beautiful.

Below -  is a picture of my new friend Kim!  The best thing about these outtings is the friendships that are formed.  She is new to the guild, but has been quilting for many years. 

 I wasn't terribly productive (or I kinda was...) I like to use what I have and I ended up there with a bag of charity Round Robin quilts that needed borders put on by me. I only had a few little pieces of fabric to choose from for each quilt (because I didn't bring extra fabric : )...so I had to make do. When I quilt like this I feel very close to quilters of old...who didn't have qyilt shops close to go get fabric - and had to make do with what they had around... Here is what my border looks like and it took me ALL day : D.

Yay!!!  I love you ladies!!!!  Can't wait until next year!