To Market, To Market

Hello Everyone,

 

The eagle has landed in Salt Lake.  Here we are taking off from Oakland yesterday morning.  Gail told me we had a good flight.....I slept most of the way.

 

The great Salt Lake is very impressive from the ground and the air.

We are staying at the Grand America.  But first we had to get here.  I rented a car at the airport and was immediately upgraded (at no extra charge)  to a full-size Ford Explorer instead of a Rav 4.  The problem began when the cute little attendant handed me the non-key for the keyless entry.  I didn't know how to start the car.....not a clue.  I was clueless to the keyless.

We got that figured out then faced the task of getting ourselves and Big Red, the SUV out of the airport.  I can tell you that Gail and I know our way around the rental car parking lot like the back of our hand.  We ended up at the exact same place where we started from.  Good thing I purchased that extra tank of gas.

We finally got out of the parking lot and proceeded to the hotel. Gail was my co-pilot, the other half of the Lucy and Ethel team.  At one point in time she had her phone in her hand looking at the map, and the other hand had the written directions from the hotel.  We made it here without taking a single U-turn.

 

You walk in the hotel and are greeted by the fragrance from this LARGE, at least four feet across, bouquet.  I thought I had just arrived in Hawaii.

 

We headed out last night to have dinner with our cousin Rick and his wife Gabi.  Gail had my phone in one hand with a picture of the map, she had her phone in her other hand with the step by step directions.  I now know what GPS stands for.......Gail's Palm System!

We made it there and back without an issue.  Today we are off to visit some quilt shops, breakfast with our cousin, then pick up our credentials to get in the show and we are set for two more days of fun.

Soon,
Lynn

.....and the Winner is.....

Hello Everyone,

 

I enjoyed reading the many comments about your Mothers.  The main theme was love, commitment to family, and a sense of joy passing on quilting and sewing to their daughters.

 

The winner of the Heritage pattern is................insert drum roll.......

The person that said this about her Mom,

My mother grew up in the WWII years and I think she felt that she missed out having fun those years. I think it was particularly hard for a Japanese American living in the USA. And she supported my sewing...bought me fabric and let me use her old Singer. I still have it and it is in excellent condition!   GALE 

Not my sister Gail but Gale.  Congratulations to you!

Normally we set up a photo shoot and have Mazey select the winner.  This time Mazey was demanding union doggie wages that were pretty steep, so I used a random number generator.  Basically I don't have the time to write everyone's name on a doggie cookie and set the stage for a contest.  It's coming down to the wire for Quilt Market, and I'm still working on my Schoolhouse presentation.  It is s-l-o-w-l-y coming together.

Thank you all for entering the contest.  I apologize for not responding to everyone personally.  Be assured that I read every single comment and email, and enjoyed hearing about your Mothers who raised "good people" and made this world a better place.

For those of you who didn't win the contest, the pattern is available HERE at In Between Stitches.  The quilt is on its way to Salt Lake City as we speak.  I'll be taking pictures of her at Market next week.  NEXT WEEK!!!  I can't believe it's finally here.

Soon,
Lynn
 

Late to the Dance

Hello Everyone,

 

I have a confession to make to you.  I have never foundation paper-pieced in my life until last Tuesday.   I've heard you either love it or you hate.  I LOVE it.  I LOVE the precision.

 

But I didn't love it at first.  I could not wrap my head around basically doing everything backwards.  I sounded like a frog, rip it, rip it, rip it.

This little house needs a chimney then it will be finished.

Many thanks go out to my building contractors Suzanne, Cindy and Carol who walked me through this process and gave me many tips.  I couldn't have made the little 6" houses without their help.

I'm late to the dance because this was a quilt-a-long awhile back.  Click HERE for the paper-pieced directions.  The site also includes the directions for machine piecing.

One of the girls in class said they enjoyed watching me struggle with this process.  Now I will be much more empathetic when I'm introducing something new in a class.  This process is going to be an ongoing, fun little project in my Sew'n Wild Oaks class on Tuesdays. 

On another note, Heritage patterns and Heritage kits are now available at In Between Stitches.  If you are interested in the pattern go HERE, if you are interested in a kit go HERE.  The kits are identical to the original......no fabric substitutions at all!

Today I'll continue to work on my Schoolhouse session presentation for Quilt Market. It is coming along slowly.  I have to fill a half hour with riveting pictures, and talking points.  I don't want to be pointless!  Also I have pickups to make at the printers, and then another baseball game.  The season is winding down, so we won't be warming the pines three times a week and all day Saturday much longer.  We are going to miss it.  How will I fill all of those extra hours in my week?

Soon,
Lynn

Back to Lucy Boston

Hello Everyone,

 

This is what I've been working on at the end of the day when I sit own after dinner and put my feet up.  I find working on an intricate Lucy Boston block is just the ticket for relaxation.  Stitch by stitch it comes together to form this kaleidoscopic look.

 

 

This block started out from only two fabrics from The Old Sturbridge Village Anniversary Collection by Judie Rothermel for Marcus Fabrics.

 



 

 Fussy cutting adds so much to the detail in the block.

Thank you all for your wonderful comments about your Mothers.  There seems to be a common thread of strength, determination, ability to create, and love, running through the comments.  Don't forget to  leave a comment on my post yesterday to be entered in the contest to win a Heritage pattern.  The contest ends this Friday the 13th.

Busy weekend here with lots of running around to baseball, and softball games.  Dinner with the kids.  Pattern writing, printing, and lots of computer work to get ready for Quilt Market.  This week I'll be concentrating on pulling my Butterscotch Baskets presentation together for the School House session.  When I return home from Market, I'm going to sleep for an entire week.  Well that's not going to happen, but I am going to get back to my sewing machine which has been gathering dust.

Soon,
Lynn

 

Happy Mother's Day

Hello Everyone,

 

 

In honor of this special day, it seems fitting to give away a copy of my new Heritage quilt pattern hot off the press.

 

Just leave a comment telling me in a sentence what your mother passed down to you.  Make sure to include your email so I have a way to contact you.  The contest will end Thursday, May 12, 2016.  I will announce the winner on Friday, May 13th.

 

My mother lived during the Great Depression.  She taught me how to enjoy and appreciate the small things in life.  We did not have much money when we were growing up, yet we never lacked for anything.  One of my fondest memories is piling into the car to go watch the sunset over Butte Canyon.  I'm sure my parents would be amazed to know what an impact that had on me decades later.

 

I hope you all enjoy your day.......go watch the sunset tonight and reflect on your heritage.

 

Soon,

Lynn

 

The Talent of the Pine Tree Quilters

Hello Everyone,

 

Yes, this is a quilt.  An incredible quilt.  Here is just a small sampling of the talent created by the Pine Tree Quilt Guild in Grass Valley, California.  Enjoy the show.

The hand holding back the leaves looked so real. 

I want to live in this house!

This quilt was made out of silk ties.

This quilt won the Viewer's Choice Award.  I wish I had taken a picture of the maker next to her self portrait.  It is an amazing likeness. 

It was quite a show of talent, color, creativity and eye candy.

Here's my week so far.  Accounting for the show finished....check.  All props, quilts, patterns and books stored away.....check. Quilts mailed to fabric companies for display at Quilt Market....check. Pine needles raked.....check.  

Now today, tomorrow, and Friday I will be hunkering down and writing a pattern for Heritage and finishing up the BOM directions for Butterscotch Baskets.  It sounds like it's going to be a stormy week up here in the Sierras.  Perfect writing weather for the great American novel.....Heritage, and it isn't a work of fiction!

Soon,
Lynn 

Spring Time in the Pines Quilt Show

Hello Everyone,



 

We did it!  Our booth is all set up and ready for visitors.

 

This is how we looked at 12:30pm Friday.  By 3pm we were set and ready to go.

First, all of the quilt stands and quilts go up.

That takes us the most time.  They only toppled over once.

We have our routine down.  I place the product and Gail (Ethel) gets the patterns placed in the rounder.  She also tags all the quilts with their name tags.

I love my lanterns.

My booth is so cozy, customers don't want to leave.

I love seeing all of my quilts together in one place.  I didn't bring the new quilts for Spring Market......just in case.  If I lost them now, I would turn into a pile of putty on the floor!

 

Our next challenge is working the new cash register.  Lucy and Ethel aren't the sharpest tacks in the box when it comes to the register.  We just had another crash course with the manual.  All went well so maybe, just maybe we'll balance at the end of the day.  (Ethel is a former accountant so it had better balance to the penny!)

Soon,
Lynn