The Crazy Cousin - New Quilt Shop in Fredericksburg, VA!!!

Yay, I visitied the Crazy Cousin today...

Just What I Needed...More Quilting!!!

If you read my last post…you know that I am up to my elbows in quilting!  I thought I needed less quilting, but it turns out – I needed more!  As most of my friends and family know – I LOVE the Elm Creek Quilts Novels by Jennifer Chiaverini.  It is a series, but you don’t have to read them in order to enjoy them. 

Jennifer Chiaverini’s newest book comes out today, Oct 30, 2012!!!  I got my hands on it early and started reading it right in the middle of my quilting overload…but I just couldn’t wait, I had to read it!!!  I love these books because I am a quilter and her books are about quilters.  She sets the stories in historic times or at the Elm Creek Quilter’s Camp, but it sounds more like a retreat to me!  

In The Giving Quilt, Jennifer Chiaverini describes a quilter’s camp called Quiltsgiving.  It is a FREE camp where the quilters just have to make quilts (the entire process – longarming as well and as a longarmer…I LOVE it) for the Linus Project.  The Linus Project is nationwide and gives quilts to kids in the community that need them due to dire circumstances in their lives.

The chapters illuminate the characters that are attending the camp and why.  I am not sure if it is the way that Jennifer writes or if all quilters are so similar, but I can relate to almost every character!  The characters are exploring their reasons for giving and find out things about themselves along the way (all the while making beautiful quilts for the Linus Project). 

I found myself relating to Pauline and Micheala the most due to circumstances in my own quilt life, but every quilter/reader will relate to some character in the book!  It is a great read that will keep you turning the pages with the character development and Issues that each quilter faces.  Jennifer Chiaverini's newest book will capture your imagination with the characters and the quilt patterns she features.These books transport the reader to the quilt retreat and make you feel like you are at a retreat too!  Her writing is so good that you can actually make the quilt she features. It makes my imagination go wild picking colors that I would use. This book features the Resolution Block, which I plan to make a quilt with it as soon as possible.  I HIGHLY recommend this book!!!  It is available at Amazon.com, Wal-Mart, Hastings etc. at a reasonable price and worth every penny!!!!   It is a great gift idea for Christmas and Birthdays for the quilter in your life!!! 

Check it out here... http://elmcreek.net/

 

 

How Much is Too Much?

I love quilting!  I love to quilt, I love every bit of the process although after I get past the longarming it is hard from me to do the binding, label etc. 

However, recently I agreed to run the quilt show for my local guild, I thought it a good idea to write a cookbook with it...  If you have never done this, it is a ton of work and like an idiot I couldn't seem to delegate much of it.

I also signed on to be a rep for my longarm machine...I love my machine and think being a rep is AWESOME, however for the last month and a half I have been gone either to training or to work the booths at shows.  This weekend is my quilt show that I am running for my guild and next weekendthe local Innova Distributor is having an open house at her new facility.

Also, I am running my quilting business and although I am not too far behind, everyday that I don't quilt I feel pressure to get them done. 

So, unfortunately - I have now discovered that this is too much!  I don't even want to hear the word quilting right now!  I haven't gotten to spend time with my family in months and I am always saying "Mommy has to do some work"...ugh!!!  It is like all of a sudden I have 5 jobs!  Something has got to give...think it will have to be the guild.  I will have to see how it goes after the quilt show is over. 

Oh yeah and if you are interested...we have a really GREAT cookbook with 170 recipes, a gluten free/sugar free section for only $10...let me know and I can get one to you for you : 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!!!!

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...

Lots of Work Lately!!!

Yay, I have had several quilts to work on lately.  One of my favorite is my friend Ruth's quilts...

 This one was for my quilt guild...we are doing a challenge where we have to use a certain pattern and a certain fabric, it has to be 18" x 18", but those were the only rules.  Hers is amazing!!! Mine, not so much - which is the key to the challenge...to see how different each interpretation can be of the same challenge.

 Then, another one of my girl Ruth's quilts.  I LOVE this one.  I quilted and I still can't figure out how she did it...she doesn't use patterns, she just sees patterns and makes them - yep she ROCKS!

 Here is the second one I did of hers (today : D)...I haven't taken it off the machine yet, because I still have to do her initials before I can take it down...so the back pic will be posted later.  The above one - I didn't take a pic of the back, because the color of the backing was the exact same color as the thread...so it would have been pointless.  Had a GREAT last several quilting days - can ya tell?