Excessive Compulsive Sewing

New Ideas, New Year

2012-01-11T16:05:00.000-07:00

I realize I haven't posted in a very long time but this last year has been a really hard one for me. I have finally been diagnosed with Fybromyalgia and the medication is helping so much.

With the lessening of pain comes more creative ideas and lately I have found that I am drawn to 1800 reproductions and the more primitive colors. I have ordered several new Civil War era fabrics online and I can't wait to get them. The colors will work so well with wool.

Another adventure that I can now accomplish, thanks to feeling better, is dyeing more wool. My daughter Jenny and I are going to completely redo my studio to accommodate dyeing. My Christmas gifts consisted of items needed to make dyeing much easier like a frying pan, utility sink, and cook tops. I already have everything else we need, except a lot more wool!

One designer I find so inspiring is Kim Diehl. Her color choices and fabrics are so appealing to me.

Simple Graces , Kim's latest book, was the first book of hers that I purchased. I love everything about it. So much so, that I'm purchased two others.

Just look at the Bear Paws in this quilt. Who would have thought....Oh, Kim did! I love he use of color, applique and piecing in her quilts. Kim Diehl is absolutely my favorite designer...right now anyway!

I am so very excited about the designs in my head for Woolin Rouge and the fact that I can actually feel like doing something with my ideas. Traci and I have some great designs coming so watch out 2012, here we come!

Best Gift Of All

2011-12-20T10:54:00.000-07:00

The Holidays are filled with so much joy and sometimes sorrow. One of my dearest friends has felt the sadness and heartache of losing three family members this year. Although this can make the Holiday season seem hard to manage, it can also be a time to take a closer look at our many blessings.

I have had my years of sadness for the ones lost but this year we have an unusual blessing. On December 22nd my daughter Jenny and her husband Mike will be adopting two children. I can't even explain the joy I feel. The two children have suffered so much sorrow and now we are all blessed with so much love.

In one year Mike and Jenny went from a family with one child to a family of five children. Danny, the oldest won't be legally adopted but he will always be a permanent part of our family. Lori, with her hands in the air, and Scott, in the gold, are our new members. Kenzie, holding David is their natural born, and David is a foster child we love with all our hearts.

Notice the look on their faces. What a beautiful family. This Christmas, even though we are exchanging the normal gifts and celebrating in our usual fashion, we will all be celebrating the love God has allowed us to pass on to our newer larger family. Blessings don't get any better than this.

Penny Rugs

2011-10-11T13:38:00.000-06:00

While traveling this summer I found myself in a place I have never been. Without a project to work on. All the projects I brought with me were finished in record time and I was panic stricken at the thought on my hands sitting in my lap, empty, without needle or fabric.

The next day I made plans to find a fabric store with wool. Luckily, the owner waited for me to get there and I bought a project and some small pieces of wool for a penny rug. The project hasn't been touched yet but I had so much fun with the pennies. I found objects in the 5th wheel in three sizes and proceeded to draw circles. I then found the Valdani Pearl Cotton I had purchased at the Woolen Needle and started stitching. I never knew sewing circles could be so enjoyable. I'm quite certain it won't be my last penny rug.

This cute little pattern from Reets Rags to Stitches was my latest set of projects. One I made for Traci Marvel, and one for myself. I reversed the pattern pieces quite by accident but it certainly didn't deter from the design. These adorable little shephardesses were so fun to make.

This adorable little basket mat was made from a pattern by Primitive Gathering. It is one I finished while on vacation. I didn't put the stars on the baskets like the pattern.

My Summer Vacation

2011-08-14T09:28:00.000-06:00

My husband Alan and I have been on our one month vacation for about two weeks now. Before I left home I made a list of all the places I HAD to stop to see. One of my "must see" places was The Woolen Needle in Williamsburg Iowa. http://thewoolenneedle.com During my planning stage I used MapQuest to get the location, then I used the satellite version so I could actually see what it looked like and found parking around the corner for our 5th wheel.

While I was still in the planning stage of our trip, I had already chosen The Woolen Needle as a destination when I was looking at a pattern for a wool quilt that had been given to me by Traci Marvel thinking I might get it prepared to work on while traveling. The pattern is For Every Season. I noticed the background had an amazing dip dyed piece of wool that went from white to green to fall colors for the seasons so I looked to see who made the pattern and guess what! It was The Woolen Needle!!! Now I not only knew I had to stop there but I had something I knew I had to buy!

I was so excited the closer we got to Williamsburg Iowa. I just knew this shop was going to be wonderful and I wasn't disappointed. My husband graciously sat on the husband chair while I walked around in a daze. Even though the shop is small, it was perfectly filled with the most beautiful hand dyed wool, unique projects and stunning quilts and kits.

After soaking in everything, I finally remembered my specific piece of wool I needed. I found that piece and a few more I couldn't go home without, picked out some Valdani Perle Cotton, and I even got a free t-shirt!

Summers End Quilt and My Rug

2011-07-07T09:52:00.000-06:00

So far I have two projects done form my bedroom redecorating. The rug, as I posted earlier, is my first rug and an original design. The quilt pattern is called Summer's End by Primitive Gatherings. I purchased the pattern last summer at Quilt Market in Minneapolis. Wool was, of course, the choice for the applique but it is also the background and backing. My love of wool grows with every project I use it in. The quilt really isn't misshaped, but since I am vertically challenged it seems that way when I take the photo from a lower angle. The rug isn't misshaped either. I just stood at the end and snapped the picture. I've never claimed to be a photographer.

The quilt that is going on my bed has been a years work also. It too is wool applique but with a cotton background. My husband chose the pattern Applique Affair by Laundry Basket Quilts but after completing all the blocks I realized it wasn't near big enough for the bed so I added 11 more blocks from the book by the same company called Hop To It. With only 3 blocks left and a few of the border blocks to applique I am very close to being finished. This has been a quilt that even though I am excited to see it finished, the process has been the real pleasure.

Big Black Dog Rug

2011-06-22T13:28:00.000-06:00

The Big Dog Rug is my next rug project. It is an original design by Joan Strausbaugh. I spotted it one day while reading my blog favorites at http://woolfind.blogspot.com/ . I sent an email to Kathy, the blog owner, to see if it was a commercial pattern or an original. Kathy lead me to Joan. I simply HAD to have this design! It was just so perfect and it reminded me so much of my son's black lab Buck. Joan had made this rug of her nephew's dog for his wedding gift. What a special gift!

Joan immediately emailed me that it was her own design and she did not sell her designs commercially but she graciously offered to copy the design on linen for me purchase. When the rug arrived I was a little surprised at the size.It is HUGE! Hence the name Big Black Dog. It didn't seem quite as big in the pictures. It is however, the perfect fit for the foot of my bed, which is exactly where I wanted it to go.

With rug hooking, I am finding that the craft is filled with wonderful, gracious, giving people who are so willing to help one another. Quilting is the same way. I believe it is women sharing and caring, just as they have been doing for centuries. We need each other for companionship, and what better way to get together than through our arts and crafts.

A am so grateful to Joan for this design. I'm almost afraid to start hooking. I think I have enough wool to start so I guess I should get with it.

First Rug Hooking Finished

2011-04-13T14:57:00.000-06:00

The border I chose for my rug is a very simple one. The first row is a pinkish tone from my very own hand dyed wool. The second row is one of the "as is" wools I used in the rug and the rest is mainly solid black with hints of 3 different tones used in the background of the rug. I chose to go simple because I felt everything else I thought of was very distracting to the center of the rug.

One of the things I changed in the original hooking was that I added some of my hand dyed green to the centers of the leaves. I felt there needed to be more contrast and there needed to be a darker green in there. A lesson I learned from this is that the rug is viewed from at least 5 feet away so the colors really need to show up at a distance. I also wish I had done the center flower in opposite order with the dark on the inside. I'm going to leave it the way it is however.

The next step is to steam the rug. Steaming the rug will make it more even. With the rug laying back side up, I will get a wet towel and hot iron and steam the rug in small sections a few seconds at a time. After I am finished steaming I will let it rest for 24 hours.

To finish the edge of the rug I decided on a whipped edge. There a three types I chose from. My choice to whip the edge with wool yard is based on the fact that wool yarn is readily available where I live. Cindy Gay has exceptional directions for this on her blog as well as the steaming. When the edge is complete I will steam the rug once again.

I am so happy with this rug. It's been a dream of mine to hook a rug for so long. I'm especially happy that the first design was an original of mine.

My only problem now is that my husband wants a rug for his side of the bed. I am trying to decide what to make for him. I'm thinking something from his childhood on Lake Michigan, or a geometric.

My First Time Dyeing Wool

2011-03-02T12:29:00.001-07:00

After collecting all the tools, dyes, and recipes I needed to dye wool, I was finally able to dye my first batches last night. I decided on some greens since I need to add 11 more wool applique blocks to my Applique Affair quilt to make it large enough for our bed. I had pretty much depleted my green stash so I chose colors to match the greens I had used in the blocks I already finished.
The first stack on the left are the original wools I used. There was a great sale on wool on an Internet site so I bought one yard each of some of the greens. I wasn't quite sure how great the wool was so I didn't want to get to much and with my antique monitor I wasn't sure exactly what color of green they really were. The second from the bottom is very yellow. The original colors weren't exactly what I wanted but the over-dyed fabric sure is.
I have all three of the color ways I dyed in the same order of fabric as the first stack. There is one more green I need to dye which is a camouflage green. Then I'm moving on to other colors, especially in the red family.
Dyeing wool is so much fun. When I first found out the wool had to be dyed on the stove I decided that was just too much work and too hard. In all the rug hooking books I bought they talked about dyeing wool. Once I saw how easy and fast it was I couldn't wait to try it. I prefer dyeing wool over cotton dyeing now. Much faster results!
Now I need a gas line put in my garage for my old stove, which isn't very old, so that I can dye the wool there. It is right next to the laundry room and utility sink so that will really make it easy for me.
I am SO hooked on WOOL!!!

Rug Hooking Progress

2011-03-02T12:11:00.000-07:00

As you can see I haven't made a lot of progress on my rug, but it's progress all the same. I still haven't decided on a design for the outside border yet but it will come eventually.
The black background makes the colors of the floral show up so much better than a cream or tan would have, which was my original idea.
It's amazing how one rug can have such a ripple effect. About a year ago we put in wood flooring in the living/dining room and hall way. Now, we have purchased the wood flooring for all the bedrooms. Originally, my husband insisted on new carpet for the bedrooms but once I promised him a rug for his side of the bed he has graciously agreed to the wood. In all honesty, he probably knew he didn't have much choice. I am thinking a geometric designed rug for his side. Humm, I should probably paint the walls too....

And Then There Was Color

2011-02-02T15:53:00.001-07:00

In an earlier post I mentioned dividing my wool strips in half so that I could make sure I had enough to finish my rug. Well, there is no worry about that! In fact I told my husband I had more than enough cut wool for a rug for his side of the bed and who knows how many others. But that's good. I can just keep right on hooking when this rug is finished.

Since my son has my laptop, I am using my old computer. The antique monitor I am using doesn't show color right so I have no idea if the rug colors are true on the screen or not, but I suppose it really doesn't matter, this is about my rugs progress. There is much more value variation than I'm seeing on my screen in each of the flowers but hopefully you can see it on yours. I haven't got a clue how well I'm hooking since I don't know anyone who hooks but I know I love how the rug is turning out and I love hooking! I am sure I'll get better as I go along. The beauty is that it's a Primitive Rug so I think that allows for imperfections. It's going to be on the floor in my bedroom, which means at all times I will be at least 5 feet away from it and as my eyesight gets worse it will just look better and better.

First Rugs Progress

2011-01-29T15:03:00.001-07:00

The red dot tracing paper along with some wool arrived in the mail at the beginning of the week. I transferred my rug design on to the tracing paper from the paper pattern with a pencil. The next step was to transfer it on the linen burlap by laying the red dot tracing paper on top of the backing and drawing over the design with a Sharpie. The marker goes through the tracing paper right on to the backing. I checked in one of my hooking books to make sure I was doing everything right and read that I needed 4 inches on the outside of each side so that it would fit on the frame. Guess what? I didn't have a large enough piece! So back to the computer I went, ordered Scottish Linen and today I was finally able to draw my design on my background!

Now I will go to my sewing studio and sew around the very outside of the background and just outside the finished line of the rug. I would normally use a serger for the outside edge but my daughter has mine so the sewing machine will work just fine.

I have wool in the washer right now being felted, and more hand dyed wool on it's way. I'd like to say I think I might run out so I keep buying more but we all know that's a lie. I just love wool.

So anyway, I'm almost ready to start hooking. I have a few more wool strips to cut and I will be on my way!

Strips Cut

2011-01-24T11:01:00.000-07:00

This weekend I decided to use my wool stripper and cut some of the wool for my rug. I am using size 8 or 1/4" strips. Unfortunately, my photography skill is lacking, so you can't see any of the colors the way they really are but I think you get the idea. The point is to show my progress on the rug anyway, right?

I have several more blacks that I have ordered so the background will have interest. The blues are more of a teal color and the pinks are not so pink. I have more shades the greens and pinks ordered too. The applique blocks around it are some of the 'unironed" wool blocks I have been appliqueing from Laundry Basket Quits, Applique Affair. I have two more blocks to finish out of 25 and some of the border blocks left to applique. I am making the rug to coordinate with the quilt when it is finished.

After I cut the strips for my rug I divided the quantity in half. Since my design is symmetric and I've never hooked before I wanted to make sure that I had enough strips for the whole rug. Now, if I run out of a color I can cut more or get more ordered. Someday I can just dye the wool I need but I'm taking baby steps right now.

My tracing fabric should arrive today so I am hoping to get my design drawn on my linen soon. Once that is done and all my edges sewn so my linen doesn't fray, I can start the process of hooking.

I don't know anyone who hooks in my area so I have learned everything from a few books and on the Internet. Thanks to great sites like Red Jacks Rugs I was able to see first hand how to hook. Gene Shepherd has a wonderful blog and a virtual camp to learn rug hooking and wool dyeing. I have also gone to YouTube to watch videos. I joined a Yahoo rug hooking group who are so great for giving advice and I am following several blogs of rug hookers.

By studying quilts at places like Virginia Rug Fest and several rug hooking sites I have learned what styles I am attracted to, what colors I prefer, how to shade, and making interesting backgrounds.

One of my favorite places to purchase wool has been Ram in the Thicket. Susan Sylvia has the largest selection of colors and values of anyone on the Internet and the best part is that you don't have to spend a fortune getting what you need. She is beyond gracious, a pleasure to work with and her wool is wonderful.

Rug Hooking Adventure Beginning

2011-01-15T11:05:00.002-07:00

My friend Susan Sylvia at Ram in the Thicket, who I buy a lot of my hand dyed wool from, thought it would be a great idea to document my adventure of learning to hook rugs. It never occurred to me that anyone would be interested in seeing this even though I would love watching someone else's progress. I haven't started the actual hooking yet but there is a process to getting ready to hook, just like any other craft.

One of the tools on my list was a rug hooking frame. The one I chose is from Hopewood Crafts and I LOVE it! (This is their picture by the way, not mine) I do a lot of researching before I jump into a purchase I know nothing about and this one had everything I needed. A floor frame with adjustable height and swivels 360 degrees. I read these are very important features. I wanted one that looked like my hand would easily go to the underside without hitting anything and I wanted it to be sturdy.

I looked at one rug hooking sight after another trying to find the right design for my rug. It's funny because in my mind it was like I thought it was the only rug I was ever going to make. Then one day I realized that I will be making many rugs, just like I have made hundreds of quilts. Realizing this helped but I still wanted it to be the perfect rug after all wool isn't cheap you know. I decided to design a rug that would compliment the quilt I am appliqueing out of wool.

After studying rug after rug I also realized that I would want a black background instead of the camel color I originally thought I would use. I had to move my thinking from quilt mode to rug mode. I felt that the black or dark background grounds the rug more. Some might think it is a clean factor but in my bedroom where the rug will be going won't get much dirt, so it was all a design decision. Since I didn't have much black wool in my stash that was the next move. Ordering and buying more black in a variety of shades.

This was the initial drawing of my rug. I do have a border added and I have tweaked it some. I was quite interested in reading that so many designers draw their designs small and simply enlarge them. Cindi Gay describes how to enlarge your design on your PC rather than having to go to a copy store. I was so amazed at how easy this was to do. I didn't even know my computer had this feature! When I had my finished drawing I scanned it. and enlarged it to 275% which came out perfect. 16 sheets of paper taped together and I have a life size drawing! If you click on her name it will take you right to the page on her blog where she tells how to do it. Her blog is very interesting as well and she is so helpful.

So, I have my hook, Scottish Linen for backing, a design, a frame, a fabric cutter, ambition, and desire. Next step will be washing some of the wool I bought to felt it, and getting my linen ready with the design.

Next Year's Christmas Gift

2011-01-03T10:52:00.000-07:00

I was looking at felted clogs in a catalog the other day, thinking about how much I would love a pair when I ran across a blog where a woman was talking about how she had made several pair for gifts. She showed the HUGE pair before felting and then the adorable pair after felting.

I immediately wanted a pair. No buying them out of the catalog for me, no sir. I want Hand Made! But there is a problem with that. I can't knit, and no it isn't that I don't just know how to knit, I really CAN'T knit. I've tried and it just isn't something I can do. However, my first born daughter can knit! In fact she is knitting me a felted purse right now that is almost finished. It is my Christmas gift for this year. She is finishing the handle right now.

So...I ordered the pattern from Fiber Trends and I ordered the children's size too so that my granddaughter Kenzie can have a pair. Then I called my precious knitting daughter Jenny to inform her that I found my gift for next Christmas. She didn't seem overly thrilled but at the same time she didn't say no either so I'm pretty sure she can get them done. I told her they must be easy because some people have made something like 20 pair. I neglected to tell her that they might not work full time, have children that had to be taken to dance class, a 10 month old that just learned to walk, and all the things that being a young mother entails. No. I just told her I ordered the pattern and I'll even buy the yarn. After all. I don't want her to be bored or anything.

You know...my birthday is in April....Nah..that's too soon.

What a Year!

2010-12-31T11:59:00.001-07:00

To Auld Lang Syne, for days past.... These last 365 days of 2010 have been so great, from the little things I take for granted like having a warm roof over my head and food on my table, to watching my grandson Vince two days a week and seeing him grow into this little boy who goes to preschool, seeing my granddaughter Kenzie once a week or so, and especially the big event of being Blessed with another granddaughter Aleena, just days ago.

It feels so good to look back on this year and see so many gifts I have been given, like Woolin Rouge coming out with our very first patterns, visiting with family in Michigan, having my grandchildren so close I can hug when ever I want, having a healthy loving family, and having the greatest working relationship with Traci Marvel and Bigfork Bay Cotton Company. I could go on for days because I am so Blessed. I have friends who I can tell my secrets to and a husband who loves me even though I'm sure I drive him crazy at times. Well, lots of times. He not only puts up with my Compulsive Sewing, he supports it. What more could I ask for.

So what will 2011 have in store for me? I know I will watch my grandchildren grow, sew with friends, create new Woolin Rouge patterns, love my family and friends, oh...and learn to hook rugs. (Got to love that wool!)

For you? I pray that God protects you and gives you what you need. I pray for health and happiness for you all.

Happy New Year to all my friends and family and anyone reading my blog. I love you all!

Holly Birdie is Ready

2010-12-15T09:16:00.000-07:00

Holly Birdie pattern by Woolin Rouge (Traci Suzanne Marvel and myself), for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company is NOW READY!!!!

The bird and holly leaves is done in felted wool but as a quilter, I'm sure you know you can take artistic freedom and do it with batiks, cottons, or anything you want! What I really like about this pattern is that it is so easy for a quilt shop to use any of their Holiday fabric without feeling like they have to make it exactly like the pattern. Speaking of which, the fabric used in this set is Kate Spain's 12 Days of Christmas by Moda.

It goes without saying that I used Aurifil thread. The wool was appliqued with Aurifil Lana Wool Thread and the rest was sewn and quilted with Aurifil 50 wt cotton. Bigfork Bay Cotton Company is a Distributor for Aurifil so quilt shop owners, give them a ring.

I hope you enjoy this new pattern from Woolin Rouge. We had so much fun designing it. This is the pattern that was in Magic Patch, a French Magazine.

New GrandBaby Aleena

2010-12-13T10:25:00.000-07:00

I would like to introduce my new Granddaughter Aleena Michelle Diaz. She came to meet us at 4:03PM on 12/11/10. These pictures are within a couple hours of when she was born.

My daughter Shelly had been experiencing labor pains for an entire week. I can't even imagine going to work with labor pains, but she did!

Grandpa Alan was at Aleena's birth. He said that he is 67 years old and he had experienced a lot of death because of war and experiences in his life, but never life. He was so excited when Shelly told him he could be there to see his granddaughter come into the world. I'm not sure if he ever realized before that it was an option for him. When my Grandson Vince was born I was there and talked about how it was the most amazing experience of my life. I think Alan realized that he had missed the most beautiful gift on Earth.

Alan is a hunter and Shelly loves elk meat so Alan felt it was so important to make sure she had an elk before the baby was born. Strange, I know. He and a friend, Ron Meyer went out hunting, shot elk, and still made it in time for the birth of Aleena.

Shelly did an amazing job giving birth and her husband Anthony is so great. I have always felt so Blessed with the family I have and life continues to show me how truly Blessed I really am. No matter what I get for Christmas this year, nothing will compare to the gift I received on Saturday and the feeling of having all my family around to enjoy this experience.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!

The Addiction of Wool

2010-11-29T10:07:00.000-07:00

Time moves so quickly. I always think in the summer months that once winter gets here things will slow down but it never does. If anything, there is more going on. I take my Grandson Vince to school once a week, then there are birthdays, and of course the Holidays! This year we have a special gift coming for Christmas. My daughter Shelly is having a baby girl in December so that will certainly add to the excitement.

Even though I feel like my life is so full and absolutely Blessed, and on top of having a design company with Traci, I have decided to take up Rug Hooking. Wool is so addictive. It is the most luxurious fabric to work with I have ever used. Rug hooking is something I have always wanted to do so it is just a natural progression that I move on to another dimension in wool.

I ordered this wonderful book from Pat Cross. It talks about everything I need to know and has the patterns to get me started. I have now have the wool, fabric stripper, hook, book, and ambition. All I need now is a frame and fabric and I'm ready to go. Oh, and did I mention time.......

Acorn O Copia by Woolin Rouge for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company

2010-10-31T10:24:00.001-06:00

Acorn O Copia Birdie is the new Fall table set, coming soon, from Woolin Rouge for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company. I can just picture this made out of so many different Fall lines of fabric. Quit shops will love being able to use fabrics from their own shelves to design this adorable set. Even though the rest aren't pictured, there are placemats, napkins, and napking rings included in the pattern set.

The wools used are from Mary Flanagan. I had fun with the embroidery on the acorns and leaves with Aurifil Lana Wool Thread. All the applique was done with the Aurifil Lana also.

So far I think this is probably my favorite design by Woolin Rouge Designs. I can't wait until the patterns are done by Bigfork Bay Cotton Company.

Holly Birdie by Woolin Rouge for Bigfork Bay Cotton Co

2010-10-26T12:34:00.000-06:00

We all know I can't take a photograph to same my soul but I give it a try anyway. Hard to believe my nephew is a professional photographer and my kids take better pictures with their cell phones, but it's true.

Anyway, I did a remake of Holly Birdie. The original was done for the French Magazine Magic Patch. It was in Moda fabrics and I just loved it, however, by the time Bigfork Bay tried ordering the fabric we needed it was sold out. So Traci Suzanne Marvel and Jane Anderson picked out new fabric at the shop and I remade the set for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company. We all have that fabulous piece of Christmas or winter fabric that we fell in love with but never knew how to use. Now you can see how easy it is to use it for a table set for the Holidays!

The wool I used is from Weeks Dye Works. I just loved how it looks. Of course, if I was a decent photographer you could see the fabric better. The thread I used was, of course, Aurifil. I used the Aurifil Lana Wool thread for the wool applique and the Aurifil 50 wt cotton for the quilting. One of these days I'm going to use the Lana Wool to quilt it too. Humm. Maybe the next one.

The pattern is available for preorder right now at International Quilt Market. If you get to Market or Festival be sure to look up Bigfork Bay Cotton Company and say Hi to my peeps.

Woolin Rouge Designs, Snow in Love

2010-10-25T14:56:00.001-06:00

One of the newest patterns from Woolin Rouge, to be presented at Quilt Market by Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. will be Snow in Love. This is a design taken from a drawing by Traci Suzanne Marvel. The background is Maywood Studio Flannel and Batik Textile Batiks.

I had so much fun to create these adorable snow people out of wool from Mary Flanagan. The thread, which is Aurifil Lana Wool Thread, is such a pleasure to work with. It never shreds or tangles. Kits and Patterns will be available from Bigfork Bay Cotton Company very soon.

I am always so amazed when a design is finished that it is exactly like Traci and I had both envisioned. Traci and I both live in different states so designing could be a challenge for some but Traci and I both seem to make it work.

Don't you just love the expressions on these faces. They are truly Snow in Love.

Woolin Rouge Hippie Birdie Cover by Bigfork Bay Cotton Co.

2010-10-04T14:45:00.001-06:00

It is finally ready for print!

Hippie Birdie will be ready for orders at International Quilt Market in Houston this month. This design means so much to me. I took a painting of Traci Suzanne Marvel, my business partner, and turned it into usable fiber art.

Traci jokes around saying she can't sew, and I say I can't draw, so together we make a whole idea. We really do make a great team because even though we joke about not sewing or drawing it isn't too far from the truth. While I could draw something if I had to, I don't envision original ideas. And while Traci can sew, it isn't her passion like drawing and painting is. (If you think Traci's art is good, you should see her photography.) Fortunately, we each bring a lot to the table.

But our design team doesn't stop there. Lynn Stalowy, owner of Bigfork Bay Cotton Company gets to have her input too. No pattern would be complete without the graphic design of David Boggs. John Stalowy, owner with wife Lynn, does all the photography for the covers of the patterns. David Boggs designed the cover graphic design with ideas form Traci and Lynn, and everyone else in the office gets an opinion about liking the designs too. I do a lot of the writing of our patterns but it is proofed several times and the overall design of the directions is the creation of Katie Bramante. Katie writes all the other directions for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company.

Traci Suzanne Marvel is the best Marketing Director I have ever seen. She puts all the designs from Bigfork Bay Cotton Company on the map.

There are so many other amazing people at Bigfork Bay Cotton Company involved in bringing you these designs. I am just so grateful to be a part of such an amazing company with so many wonderful people. I could have never lived my dream without all of them.

I also want to thank Patricia and Walter Bravo at Art Gallery Fabric for the fabrics out of the Girly Girl line and Susan Sylvia at Ram in the Thicket for the beautiful colors of wool.

Woolin Rouge Holly Birdie Goes to France

2010-09-22T10:52:00.002-06:00

When I was at Quilt Market in Minneapolis this Spring I had the honor of meeting Marianne Byrne-Goarin of The Cinnamon Patch. I have been a huge fan of hers since the first time I saw her book Cinnamon Inspirations. While we were chatting she mentioned she would like Woolin Rouge to do a design for a French Magazine called Quilt Country. Traci Suzanne Marvel and I were honored and thrilled to have this opportunity.

Traci came up with the idea of the Cardinal and holly and I went looking for fabrics. We both agreed on the 12 Days of Christmas line by Kate Spain which was graciously donated by Moda. Thank you Moda!

For this project I used wool felt instead of felted wool. The wool felt is more available in France. The thread was, of course, Aurifil. I used the Aurifil Lana wool thread for the applique stitches and Aurifil 50wt cotton for the quilting.

After completing the project and sending it to France for the magazine Quilt Country, Editions de Saxe decided to use it in a Special Holiday Edition of Magic Patch. I looked through the pages of the Magic Patch by going to the website. Go ahead and check out the other amazing designs. Marianne Byrne-Goarin and several other artists are featured. I clicked on the Magic Patch picture and then the button on the left took me to the place where I could flip the pages of the magazine. What an honor it is to be among such talented designers and what a special honor it is to be on the Cover!

This design set will be redone for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company to produce in different fabrics and using wool from Weeks Dye Works. The pattern set will be available at Fall Quilt Market or if you are already a subscriber to Magic Patch you already have a copy! We love the idea that this particular pattern can use any of your Holiday or Winter fabrics. We all have those beautiful fabrics that we never know how to use once we get it home. Well, now you can make either and entire table setting with table runner, place mats, napkins, and napkin rings, or simply make the table runner. The place mats can be made out of any fabrics for any occasion. It is a very versitle pattern.

I have to thank John and Lynn Stalowy, owners of Bigfork Bay Cotton Company and Traci Suzanne Marvel for making all my dreams come true. And a special thank you to Marianne Byrne-Goarin for fulfilling another dream for me. I am so Blessed to have these people in my life.

Aurifil and Stitchery

2010-08-29T17:24:00.000-06:00

The most beautiful colors of Aurifil Cotton 12wt. thread arrived at my door the other day. You can't even imagine how excited I was to open the package from Italy and see all the amazingly gorgeous thread inside.

A house guest of ours saw the assortment of thread sitting on my dining table. He was in awe of the colors and asked if they were silk. I told him they were cotton Aurifil thread and he said he had never seen such beautiful colors in his life. I was especially happy when he commented on the quality of the thread, and he isn't even a sewer. He was so right about all the things he said about the thread sitting before him. It did look like silk, it is the best quality on the market, and Aurifil thread does come in the most gorgeous colors I've ever seen.

The arrival of these special threads is the beginning of a new adventure for Woolin Rouge. We are adding Stitchery Designs to our Cabaret of Folk Art Designs. I love to sit and embroidery and Traci's folk art will translate perfectly. Bigfork Bay Cotton Company, the producer of our patterns, is excited about our new direction also. I can't wait to embroider with Aurifil 12wt. thread. It came highly recommended to me by Kelly Ann, owner of Kelly Ann's Quilting. You should check out her blog. It's in my favorites.

All the beautiful colors you see and many many more are available at Bigfork Bay Cotton Company. The Aurifil Cotton thread comes in 12wt, 28wt, 40wt, and 50wt, in 216 mouth watering colors. It is also available in smaller spools and large cones. For all my wool applique I use Aurifil Lana Wool thread.

Feel free to call Bigfork Bay Cotton Company for wholesale prices for your shop, or individual spools for your personal sewing needs at 1-866-245-5718.

Cowgirl Needs Our Help

2010-08-12T17:34:00.000-06:00

My business partner, and one of my dearest friends, Traci Suzanne Marvel, has the purest heart of anyone I know. She has always given so much to so many with no expectations in return. Now it's my hope that she gets her turn to get something back for all she has done for others. Her dog Cowgirl has Cancer. She has taken Cowgirl in for radiation which has helped, but Cowgirl needs more help.

Some, believe this is only an animal and doing so much is ridiculous. It's okay to believe that way, but there are many others who feel that we are our beloved pets advocates and it is our duty to help them as much as we can. Traci is one of those people.

Cowgirl and Cowboy are brother and sister. They are the sweetest dogs. Cowgirl and Cowboy are not just dogs. They are souls who have found their way deep in the heart of Traci and so many others. They are pets like your pets. They love us, let us cry on their shoulders, wait patiently until we come home, tails always wagging, and doing their dances. They rely on us for food, water, shelter, warmth, and most of all love. We are their caregivers. We are also responsible for their health. Some of us take that farther than others. Traci feels the need to do ALL she can as Cowgirls caregiver and family. However without the funds to do this it makes it hard. Some would just say, "Hey, I can't afford to do any more." but not Traci. She is finding a way to get the money to do what needs done. She is not only planning on helping HER pet but others as well.

With every tragedy, there are lessons to be learned. One of the things we have learned through this process is that sometimes the people who desperately want to do everything possible for their beloved pets can't afford to do so. Because of this we have realized the need to form a way for people to get the money they need. Once Cowgirls needs have been met, the fund raising will continue in different forms to help others.

If you feel in your heart that you want to help you can go to Traci's blog. One of her fund raisers is a coffee and tea company, there is a donate button where you can donate directly using PayPal, and she has an etsy store where she is selling her art.

Just remember. Everyone makes their own choices. Hers is to help Cowgirl and eventually other pets the best way she knows how. Your choice might be to help too. If so, I thank you.

Summer's End Applique Blocks

2010-07-28T15:18:00.001-06:00

When I was in Minneapolis this spring at Quilt Market I was drawn to the Primitive Gatherings booth. When I say "drawn" I don't mean, I liked it and spent some time there. I mean that I was "drawn" there time and time again. I could be clear across the building and think, "I need to go back to Primitive Gatherings. I would look at the wool, or the patterns, or the books, or the kits..... This particular pattern, Summer's End, is one I went back a few times to dwell on. Finally the second day I bought it and I am so glad I did. I have had so much fun making this wool applique quilt.

I am using a wool background, wool applique, and Aurifil Lana Wool thread. So far I have only done 5 of the 12 blocks. When I finish the blocks, there is the applique border and I need to decide on a wool sashing for the blocks.

Between Summer's End, Applique Affair, and the designs I am doing for my own partnership, Woolin Rouge, I am having the woolly time of my life. There is nothing quite like the feel, colors, and visual beauty of wool.

Bigfork Bay Cotton Company is Producing the patterns for Woolin Rouge so be sure you check out the website. So far the only one finished and selling is Star Light Snow Bright. They will have the kits available real soon too. Mary Flanagan is dyeing wool specifically for that quilt. It will be outstanding when it's done. I can't wait to get my kit and I've already made two!

Another Applique Affair Block

2010-07-28T14:44:00.000-06:00

Once again I am showing the wool and Daiwabo versions of Edyta Sitar's Applique Affair Blocks. I am having so much fun with these applique blocks that I am slacking from my other duties. Hopefully I can find a happy medium somewhere. I need to be working and my house is looking pretty bad. The dogs are still being fed and watered and I haven't missed any meals yet but I do think my husband is starting to notice how messy the house looks.

Lynn Stalowy, the owner of Bigfork Bay Cotton Company, is making her blocks out of the Daiwabos. I am sure if you wanted to order Daiwabos for your own Applique Affair someone at Bigfork Bay Cotton Company could hook you up with some of your own. When I went to Bigfork Bay last summer I spent 2 1/2 hours in the Daiwabo section of the store. Seriously! I bought enough Daiwabos for two quilts and went back the following day for more. I have ordered even more since then. I just told them to send me one of each of the new ones they got in. The texture in the Daiwabos if so wonderful and the girls at Bigfork Bay Cotton Co are the best! They can even pick out Aurifil thread for piecing project too.

If you are traveling in Northern Montana any time soon, be sure you make Bigfork Bay a stop. It's near Glaciar National Park and it is one of the most interesting towns I have ever been to. The quilt shop. Bigfork Bay Cotton Company is worth the drive, believe me. They have all the quilts for the patterns they sell hanging in the shop along with lots more inspiration. I hope you can visit Montana and the Girls at Bigfork Bay. Tell them Sylvia sent you.

Applique Affair in Wool and Cotton

2010-07-22T18:53:00.002-06:00

At Quilt Market in Minniapolis my husband fell in love with Applique Affair by Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts. Of all the quilts in all the booths, that's the one he wanted, so how could I say no.

Lynn Stalowy of Bigfork Bay Cotton Company has decided to make this beautiful quilt with me. She is doing hers out of beautiful Daiwabos and I am doing mine on cotton backgrounds with wool.

Here is one of Lynn's fused down out of Daiwabos... and the bottom one is mine out of wool. Mine isn't out of proportion, I just take lousy pictures and the camera was tilted. You'd think I'd learn.

Lynn's at the top and mine on the bottom.

Check out some of Lynn's other blocks on her blog along with a lot of other great quilts.

We are both using Aurifil thread. I am using mainly Aurifil Lana Wool for my applique and Lynn will be using Aurifil Cotton 50 wt. I am doing mine by hand and Lynn is doing hers by machine. Both will be Machine Quilted.

And while you are surfing the internet, be sure you check out the other fantastic books and patterns by the very talented Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts. She designs great fabric for Moda and has her thread collection for Aurifil too.

Lynn and I will keep you updated as we move along on our quilts. If you are making or have made Applique Affair send me your pictures and I will post them! sylviaquilt@yahoo.com

Under the Garden Moon Designs

2010-07-06T09:17:00.000-06:00

While my husband and I were cruising the isles at Quilt Market we stumbled upon this adorable booth of the cutest wool designs. Under the Garden Moon had some of the best ideas. In the bottom picture there is a cluster of small designs that are interchangeable centers for a wall quilt. As the seasons change you only need to change the center block. They said some people do all 12 blocks and some only do 4 for the 4 seasons.

I want to make the little farm in the top picture. I would have gotten the pattern there but they were sold out. Not surprising. I just can't decide if I really want to make it for my grandkids or if it is really just because it's too cute not to make for me. They really don't play with farm animals much. But if I make this, they might.

It really was and exciting booth and I honestly suggest checking them out. They were not only talented but nice. Can't beat that.

Gifts of Fabric for Domestic Violence

2010-07-02T09:24:00.004-06:00

Domestic Violence is something that's hard to understand until you've been there and gotten out. The loss of self esteem is so great that women actually think the deserve what is happening to them. So many times it is generational. Unless you have been there, it's hard to understand how anyone could let this happen to themselves, but it does, and it is extremely difficult to climb your way out.

Karen McTavish, is a famous longarm quilter who has written some fabulous books about quilting. She is a highly sought after teacher, lecturer, and a high profile personality at Quilt Shows. Knowing the importance of self worth and confidence she had started a program where she is personally teaching women how to make quilts. She is not just handing them a quilt, She is letting them experience the joy of creating one on their own, thus building self confidence and self worth.

Fabric donations for this worthwhile project are appreciated. She said they are making large Irish Chain with one solid and one print. Wouldn't it be lovely to chose from beautifully packaged packets of coordinating fabric to make their first quilt. So many times these women have nothing. Their children have nothing. What a blessing to be able to snuggle with your child under a quilt you made yourself.

Karen's studio is small and can only handle 4 students at a time. That's why I though pretty bundles would be better than a bunch of scrap fabric. Backing fabric would probably be nice too. I'm going to add a few dollars to the top of the bundle for the batting and thread. It doesn't take much from us to change someones life. Most of us have too much fabric in our stashes anyway.

If you would like to help Karen with this fabulous project please send your donatoins to:

Karen McTavish

728 N 18th Ave East

Duluth MN 55812

Think about starting projects like this in your area. Domestic Abuse is everywhere. Read about it and try to help stop such a horrible way of life. Something so small can mean so much.

Hippie Birdie at Quilt Market

2010-05-26T08:57:00.002-06:00

Our newest pattern from Woolin Rouge, for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company, called Hippie Birdie, was at the Aurifil Booth at Spring Quilt Market in Minneapolis, as well as at the Bigfork Bay Booth. Aurifil was happy to show the table runner because it uses BOTH Aurifil Cotton Mako and Aurifil Lana Wool threads. Both can be purchased Retail AND Wholesale from Bigfork Bay Cotton Company.

The pattern, Hippie Birdie, includes the Table Runner, which has the best directions on the Marker for Wool Applique, AND an adorable Place Mat, Napkins, and Napkin Ring! Bigfork Bay will have all the fabric requirements on their website and a great source for the wool and cotton. The resources we found for the wool make it very affordable for shops to kit as well as individuals to purchase.

The cotton fabric used in the Hippie Birdie set are Girly Girl by Art Gallery Fabrics. They are beautiful fabrics with a wonderful feel. I LOVE their fabric and the owners are as nice as they come.

Hippie Birdie will be available for purchase soon!

Off to Quilt Market

2010-05-18T09:05:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow morning, bright and early, my dear sweet Husband and I are off to Quilt Market in Minneapolis.
I feel so blessed to have a husband who would so graciously drive me to Market. Of course, we are going on vacation when we leave Minneapolis to his home town of Manistique Michigan and then on to visit the kids and grand kids in Lansing, but he's still on a high pedestal with me right now.

My main goal is representing Woolin Rouge and hanging out with my Peeps from Bigfork Bay Cotton Company. The new Woolin Rouge pattern Star Light Snow Bright will be dabeaueing as will the Hippie
Birdie set of Table Runner, Placemat, Napkins, and Napkin Ring. I have a very long list of my "absolutely have to stop at" booths and I have been in training for Speed Shopping for Sample Spree.

I will be updating with pictures of my favorite "Best of Show" (which is a pattern by Bigfork Bay) and some of the fun and exciting people I run into. I CAN'T WAIT!!!
Stay Tuned!

Iris and Rose Pattern by Brenda Yirsa for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company

2010-05-10T12:26:00.001-06:00

When it comes to floral quilt designs, Brenda Yirsa is at the top of my list. She knows how to bring fabric to life in her flowers. I love how unique each one of her designs are. Bigfork Bay Cotton Company has just added these two new patterns to her collection. These two quilts have that WOW factor when finished.

As always, the Patterns, Fabric Kits, and Aurifil Thread Kits are available on the website of

Bigfork Bay Cotton Company.

Bigfork Bay Cotton Company's patterns are very well written and designed. It takes an outstanding team to create something this good. Katie Bramante is one of the best in the industry at writing the pattern directions and no one can touch David Boggs with his graphic design and cover designs. The owners John and Lynn Stalowy run not only the pattern business but also the quilt shop and John is the photographer of Stalowy Productions. He is the photographer for ALL of the quilts done for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company's covers. There are so many more involved behind the scenes. I will write about them in future posts.

Hippie Birdie Table Runner by Woolin Rouge

2010-04-12T10:20:00.002-06:00

Here is a sneek peek of the newest design by Woolin Rouge for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company called Hippie Birdie. Traci Suzanne Marvel had done a painting of the bird and the flowers and I loved it so much that I just had to turn it into a wool applique design. The hand dyed wool is from Ram in the Thicket and the cotton fabric is from the Girly Girl Line by Art Gallery Fabrics which are designed by Patricia Bravo.

The thread I used for the wool applique is Aurifil Lana Wool Thread. I realized after using it for a long time that I had never had a single problem with it like most wool thread. It didn't shred at the fold through the needle and it never once knotted up. I have used it by machine with a 100 needle on other preojects and it sews like a dream. For the rest of the table runner I used Aurifil Cotton 50wt. It is my mainstay of quilting thread. I can't imagine ever using anything else.

The Hippie Birdie Pattern will include the Table Runner, Placemats, Napkins, and an adorable Napkin Ring. It is due to come out at Spring Quilt Market in Minneapolis.

There will be more surprises to come too so stay tuned!

Star Light Snow Bright Cover by Woolin Rouge

2010-04-01T12:35:00.003-06:00

Traci Suzanne Marvel, Jane Anderson, and I have joined forces to start a pattern company called Woolin Rouge. We will be producing a Caberet of Folk Art Designs so easy you Can-Can do them. Our goal it to bring a new and modern approach to wool applique. Even though Star Light Snow Bright is more traditional, we have some new twists we will be adding to the coming designs.

Star Light Snow Bright can easily used as a Redwork Design too just by using the layout guide as your pattern. So, you get two for the price of one!

Traci Suzanne Marvel and her son David Boggs designed the cover and John Staloway Productions did the fantastic photography. Bigfork Bay Cotton Company is producing the patterns for Woolin Rouge so all wholesale and retail orders can be made through them once they are ready. I want to thank them all for all their hard work. They are all so amazing. I am Blessed to be working with them all.

This design for Star Light Snow Bright was drawn by Traci Suzanne Marvel and I turned it into a wool quilt. We are very proud and excited about the designs that Woolin Rouge is bringing to you so stay tuned because there are 3 more in the making!

Star Light Snow Bright

2010-01-27T10:31:00.006-07:00

Traci Suzanne Marvel did this adorable drawing called Star Light Snow Bright. I loved it so much that, with her permission, I just had to create it out of felted wool. I used new and repurposed wool, which I felted myself. The roof of the cabin is actually my husband's old suit coat. The green plaid in the trees was old wool yardage given to me by Deb Carroll that she got in one of those boxes with all sorts of stuff in them at an auction, and the trunk of the tree was an old coat bought from a second hand store. The new yardage came from Bigfork Bay Cotton Company.

Aurifil Lana Wool Thread was the perfect choice for the applique stitches. The only quilting I did on this quilt was on both sides of the inner border. I did it on my machine with my walking foot, a size 100 needle and the Aurifil Lana Wool Thread. The thread worked beautifully in my machine and it melted into the wool so you can't even see it. I am definetly going to play more with the Aurifil Lana Wool Thread using my sewing machine. Bigfork Bay Cotton Company is a distributor for Aurifil which means shops can buy it wholesale or the rest of us can buy it retail. If you would like to know more about the Aurifil Thread call them at 866-245-5718 or click on their name above to go to their website where they also sell outstanding quilting patterns.

Bigfork Bay Cotton Co will be making Star Light Snow Bright into a pattern soon so let them know if you would like to purchase one. They sell Wholesale to Shops too. I am very excited to be working with Traci Suzanne Marvel. There are more surprises to come so stay posted!

Folk Art For Sale

2010-01-10T23:25:00.004-07:00

If I were to research the day I was born, an IBM ad in a magazine would be for a manual typewriter. Being able to cook food in minutes was something out of a Jetson cartoon. Technology is something that never ceases to impress me. Being able to shop multiple stores in minutes at my dining room table is one of my favorite pastimes.
One site I adore is eBay. I am as cheap as they come and yet I want it all. I buy books, fabric, and now art, all on eBay. One place worth checking out is an eBay store called Collect Artwork. Traci Suzanne Marvel is one of several artists selling their art on this amazing site. The picture here is the first collaboration between Traci and I. She did the top and I did the quilting.
Check this site out and see all the great Folk Artists there. It is such a great way to add to your collection.

Hippy Birday

2009-12-14T10:09:00.004-07:00

Hippy Birday was painted by my good friend Traci Suzanne Marvel. She gave it to Toni Whitney for Toni's Birthday. I thought it was such an outstanding painting for so many reasons that I decided to recreate it in wool felt, with her permission of course.

I used Lana Wool Thread from Aurifil for the stitching. What a great thread. I wasn't surprised to see how much I loved it since Aurifil makes such wonderful cotton thread.

I'm still working on our Hippy Birds eye because it isn't quite right. I'm also in the process of making 3 more blocks to make into a table runner, pillow, and wall quilt.

I love working with the wool so much and Traci has so much folk art I want to make into felt designs. I wonder what's next?

Whoopsy Daisy by The Quilted Fish

2009-11-11T13:02:00.002-07:00

Whoopsy Daisy by The Quilted Fish is one of the tops I finished at the cabin retreat this last weekend. This picture is taken off their website and mine will be quilted by Jan Barnett.

My Granddaughter Mackenzie wanted a black and white quilt so I thought this would be perfect for her. I even copied most of the fabrics because I loved it exactly as it is pictured.

To finish off the edges of the daisies I used a blanket stitch on my machine since the petals were fused with Pellon Fusible Web.

I can't wait to give this to her for Christmas.

Jan Barnett at Handi Quilter Retreat

2009-09-28T14:07:00.004-06:00

Handi Quilter owners were invited to write their Handi Quilter Stories to try to win a free trip to Salt Lake City for a Handi Quilter Retreat.

This is the reception the winners got from the employees at Handi Quilter Headquarters. The winners had no idea what was going to happen when they walked in the door. What a great surprise this must have been.Jan Barnett, the woman who machine quilts my bigger quilts, was one of the winners.
Here she is along with the other winners. Jan is the one on the far right.

Jan is working on the HQ Sixteen while Cheryl Duncan, HQ Studio Educator, watches.
I wonder what wonderful new technique she is learning now?

As you can see, Jan is having a great time. Jan works so hard on their farm and still finds the time to quilt for others. She recently bought the HQ Fusion after many years of service from her HQ Sixteen. Her work is outstanding and I can't think of anyone who deserves this trip more. Congratulations Jan!

New Free Motion Designs Every Day!

2009-09-17T09:52:00.002-06:00

365 Days of Free Motion Quilting Designs by Leah Day is one of the most outstanding Blogs on the Internet for Quilters! Leah Day is a beautiful young woman who has given herself the challenge of creating a new free motion filler design every single day for one year! She tells you her design inspiration and as if that wasn't enough...she shows a video of how to make the design.

Leah gives views the opportunity to ask questions like, "what causes skipped stitches?". She gives amazing tips and discusses tools that make a huge difference in making the quilting process so much easier.

Her website Day Style Designs Online also has great information and the products she uses not to mention a Gallery of her quilts.

I have been quilting for over 30 years and machine quited for most of that and I am learning so much from this talented young lady. All machine quilters, Beginners to Advanced, can learn from Leah Day. We will certainly be seeing a lot of her in the future.

Viola, Tulips, and Simply Daisies

2009-09-10T12:38:00.005-06:00

All three of these stunning new quilts are designed by Brenda Yirsa for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company. Brenda has once again done an outstanding job creating these beautiful, fresh, and modern designs.

I am honored to have done the quilting on the cover quilt for the Viola's.

These quilts are fun to make and what I like is that they look harder than they really are so it makes the quilter look even more amazing. By using Wonder Under Fusible Web the pieces are just traced, ironed on to the fabric, cut out on the drawn lines, and fused together to the background. Using the Applique Pressing Sheet from Bear Threads makes it super fast and easy! As always they are sewn and quilted with the BEST thread, which is Aurifil.

Each one of these designs is a pattern from Bigfork Bay Cotton Company and they also have kits for each pattern with the exact fabrics shown in the original. How great it that?! Just when you thought it couldn't get any better....they also have the thread kits that you can order so you have the exact thread used in the quilt too! High quality fabric from Batik Textiles, thread from Aurifil, and designs from a leading cutting edge artist. It doesn't get any better than this.

My First Basket

2009-07-25T16:30:00.004-06:00

This morning I made my very first basket. I've been wanting to make one ever since Alan and I were on vacation in Manistique Michigan.

Alan's cousin Kathy is an amazing Basket Maker. We all made plans that next summer JoAnne, Kathy, and I would all stay at Kathy's house and sit by the lake and make baskets for a few days while the guys all go do what ever they do at the cabin. Well, when I got home I started looking at basket making supplies, bought a couple of books, and finally couldn't stand it any longer and bought a kit. I decided that since Kathy was such an expert basket maker that I wanted to know a little about what I was doing so that I could get her help with more intricate things I can't figure out on my own or that I am doing wrong.

I can already find several mistakes in this basket, just like I did with my first quilt, but I'm anxious to move on to something else soon.

Don't worry, basket making won't take the place of quilting but I really do like it. Oh, and I have fixed the lashing on the top of my basket so it doesn't have the mistakes you see any more.

Poinsettia By Brenda Yirsa For Bigfork Bay Cotton Co.

2009-07-25T16:20:00.009-06:00

This is one of the Poinsettia I made for Trunk Shows for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company. It is designed by Brenda Yirsa.

Shelly Diaz, my daughter, put the top together for me and I did the quilting. We made three of them. They are so much easier than they look, and everyone wants more bang and less work.

The batiks are from Batik Textiles and the thread I used is Aurifil 50 wt. I use Wonder Under Fusible Web by Pellon to fuse the applique down.

Meet Mr and Mrs Diaz

2009-07-10T20:43:00.003-06:00

My daughter Michelle "Shelly" Paul became Mrs. Diaz when she married Anthony "Pony" Diaz on the 4th of July. It turned out to be the most beautiful day anyone could ever wish for. Even though the forecast was for rain all day, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Well, no black ones anyway. The temperature was in the 70's.

Everything about this wedding went perfectly. I've never seen an event go together so well. Of course, Shelly is a perfectionist and I doubt it ever occurred to her that it wouldn't go off without a flaw.

I love Pony and his family. We have been like one family for many years now and this just made it official. I wish Shelly and Pony a lifetime of love and joy.

Holly Moose by Bigfork Bay Cotton Company

2009-05-22T15:01:00.007-06:00

Holly Moose is a new pattern from Bigfork Bay Cotton Company. It is taken from the artwork of Paris Bottman. This is one of my favorite designs from Paris. I believe Carol Rockwell designed the holly in the border which I really like. I couldn't wait for this design to come out. I of course need one for me.

The patterns are available at Bigfork Bay Cotton Company as well as the kits. If you get one of the kits be sure you get the Aurifil thread pack that goes with it. Once you use Aurifil you will never go back to any other thread.

I always use Pellon Fusible Web for my applique. They have recently come out with batting too! Cotton, wool, soy, bamboo, and poly. I can't wait to try their batting. Soy sounds very interesting to me.

By the way, if you are a Quilt Shop, and you would like to book the Trunk Show with all three of the New Paris Bottman designs, be sure you get in touch with Traci Suzanne Marvel at Bigfork Bay Cotton Co.

Peace for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company by Paris Bottman

2009-05-06T13:51:00.006-06:00

When Bigfork Bay Cotton Company first came out with their amazing patterns, two years ago, and I started making their Trunk Shows for them I wondered how they were ever going to keep coming up with such wonderful fresh new ideas. I'm not wondering any more. The high quality of artistry just keeps coming with each new season.

This pattern, Peace, is designed by Paris Bottman. Her artwork, which is seen all over the World, transfers so well to quilts. I am so very excited to be making this quilt right now. Bigfork Bay Cotton Company has a total of three of Paris Bottman's patterns this Spring.

As always the kits as well as the patterns will be available at Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. For each of the kits there are also Aurifil thread packs that you can purchase. If you haven't tried Aurifil thread yet, you can't imagine what you are missing. It is the finest thread on the market. I will never use anything else.

New Puppy Toy Poodle Joey

2009-04-18T08:05:00.003-06:00

I would like to introduce you to our newest member of the family, Joey. He is an apricot Toy Poodle. He is very small. My friend keeps telling me to put him next to something when I take his picture so everyone can see just how small he really is. As you can see, I haven't done that yet.

We bought him from acquaintances in Montana on Wednesday. Today, Saturday, he is really comfortable being here. He is really active and driving the German Shorthair, Daisy, crazy. It's too bad Buck, the lab, went camping with Randy last night because Buck seems to like him more than Daisy does.

Joey was named by my 7 year old Granddaughter Kenzie. She had been thinking of names for 3 weeks. Kenzie has named all the new animals of her other Grandparents and friends and even renamed some of the horses. Vegas is now Spirit for instance.

Kenzie wants to be a Vet when she grows up. A Rescue Vetrenarian she says. On a field trip last year they saw a baby lamb being born and she thought it was so gross. She told her mom that the farmer stuck his hand up the sheeps butt and pulled this lamb out and all the momma's guts came out too. Jenny tried numerous times to explain it to her but she still thought is was gross. So when Kenzie told me she was going to be a Vet I asked her how she was going to do with that since she would have to deliver lambs. She informed me that Vets don't deliver lambs, farmers do! She really is amazing with animals and I wouldn't be surprised at all if she doesn't indeed become a Vet.

Christmas Tree by Paris Bottmam for Bigfork Bay Cotton Co

2009-03-05T13:53:00.005-07:00

Here it is! The first quilt I've done of the new designs for Spring 2009 by Bigfork Bay Cotton Company!

Christmas Tree is a wonderful design based on the art work of Paris Bottman. There are a couple more of her designs coming out too that are just as fabulous!

My daughter Shelly wants this quilt really bad. It is so amazing in real life and so very simple to make. I really mean that. I use Pellon Wonder Under so that I don't get heavy build up in the layers and it never leaves gummy stuff on my needle. To quilt it I use Aurifil Thread exclusively.

I can't wait for you to see all the new patterns coming out for Spring. Patterns and kits for Christmas Tree should be available around the second week of March. Call 1-888-245-5718 or order online at their website http://www.bigforkbaycottonco.com/. If you are really anxious I would pre-order just so you make sure you get yours right away.

Amanda's Flip Flop Quilt

2009-02-19T10:10:00.005-07:00

This is the flip flop quilt I designed for my Niece Amanda. When we were talking she mentioned that she wanted one of my quilts. I asked her what she liked and the first words out of her mouth were, "flip flops!" Next came colors she liked and that is how I began. I knew what I wanted to do and how I wanted it to look so I started looking at patterns. None of them were exactly what I wanted so I took elements from the ones I liked and did this. The hardest part was drawing out a flip flop. I finally just put my foot on a piece of paper, drew around it, and went from there.
Jan Barnett did the quilting for me and she did an absolutely amazing job. Each block has different things like starfish, shells, and sand dollars and each flip flop is quilted differently including toes in one. The blue strips say things like, let's party and I love flip flops.
I know it's not the best photo but I was in a hurry to get it in the mail and no one was around to hold it for me. Isn't it funny how I can spend months waiting to finish it but once it's done I want to send it NOW!
I can't wait until she gets it. It should brighten up her cold Alaska day.

Grayson David Holliday, My Nephew!

2009-01-19T15:54:00.002-07:00

My brother just sent me pictures of my adorable little nephew Grayson David Holliday! Here he is with his Mother Gay and his Dad Gary. Fortunately for him he is already a Cardinals fan so he is going to know what it's like to be a winner from the beginning! For those who track my blog who don't watch football, they are going to be in the Super Bowl.

My brother and his family live in Arizona so I haven't had the opportunity to see my "bundle of joy" yet but I sure hope it doesn't take long before I do.

Gary says Grayson is such a good baby. He is always so happy and hardly cries. I think he gets that from me.

We are all so excited for Gary and Gay! This is their first baby and they are having the time of their lives with him. I can't wait to have my time too.

Now I have to go..there is a baby quilt to make!!!!!!!

My Goals For 2009! Happy New Year!!

2008-12-31T09:23:00.004-07:00

As always, the New Year makes me look at my old quilting projects I want to finish and I usually have a list of about 30 quilts that need finished and stop counting there. One thing I have always said is that not all quilts are meant to be completed. They all have their purpose and sometimes I was only learning a technique, or just sewing with friends in a class. Besides, I strongly believe it is my duty as an ancestor to leave unfinished tops for future generations to find in trunks and boxes. I remember the joy and excitement of finding my grandmothers quilt tops. My mother would sit and look at the fabric in those tops and point out her favorite dress or her mothers favorite dress. So, my list this year isn't going to be about quilt projects.

I need to get my house organized, so at the top of my list is:

1. Go through each room one by one and organize and purge. I collect things, lots of things, and that needs to change. I learned when we started remodeling our house how much better I felt when I let go of a few things. I didn't throw much away...just put it away for another time.
2. Work out on my bike the way I should.
3. Hire Jenny to clean for me once a week. I'm not getting the help from my husband that I expect and I can't keep up very well so I will have my daughter come clean for me once a week. It isn't fair for me or my husband if I expect him to help do things that just isn't going to happen. He does cook so I'll take what I can get and hire out the rest.
4. Go to Alaska. Even though I know that this is a trip, I still need to plan for it and the one thing I learned last year is that since I have a home based business it was hard for me to realize that I still needed a break. I had the most amazing time with my family there and I can't wait to spend time with them again.
5. Go to Bigfork Montana. I have worked with these amazing people for two years now and I have yet to meet them. What's really sad is that they aren't that far away! I can drive easily in a day!

These are my goals. I believe that being more organized around the house, especially since I am here all the time, will make me more productive and help calm me down. It might not seem like much of a list, but organizing my house isn't about moving a stack of news papers to the garbage, it is moving furniture to different rooms, organizing closets, and painting walls and re-purposing areas. Shelly organized the closet in my bedroom when we were in Alaska and I couldn't believe how much nicer it was. There is a little bit of remodel in there too. And...throwing out some things.

Happy New Year! I wish you all good health and love.

Butch by David King for Bigfork Bay Cotton Co.

2008-12-15T19:54:00.005-07:00

Shelly, my daughter, and I finished two Butch quilts for Trunk Shows for Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. http://www.bigforkbaycottonco.com/. Butch is designed by the Artist David King and is the companion of Sundance which I finished earlier. Shelly drew the pieces to the Wonder Under Fusible Web, cut them out, and fused the pieces into a quilt top. All I had to do was quilt the top, bind and put on a hanging sleeve. Shelly has been such a great help to me.

This quilt is so adorable! My son Randy has a black lab named Buck who looks so much like Butch. As soon as Randy saw Butch he asked me if I would make him one. How can I resist?

The fabrics used in the kits, which can be ordered directly from Bigfork Bay Cotton Co., are all by Batik Textiles. They are by far my favorite Batik company and anyone who knows me and how much I LOVE my batiks knows that is a big deal. Batik Textiles keep coming out with more wonderful colors and designs all the time.

Plumeria and Hibiscus Quilt Patterns

2008-12-01T10:07:00.008-07:00

These are the new Plumeria and Hibiscus Quilt Patterns by Brenda Yirsa for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company. I absolutely LOVE all three of her new designs so much. They look like they are so hard but seriously they are not! These quilts, like the Bird of Paradise below, are quilted by Carol Rockwell. I saw no reason to photograph the three I just finished for trunk shows when Carol did such a great job of taking the pictures to send so that I could see how she quilted them. I was so impressed with her quilting that it is how I chose to quilt the trunk shows I have done.

Be sure to see these and other new designs at http://www.bigforkbaycottonco.com/ You can order the kits or patterns by calling Toll Free 1-866·245·5718. Don't forget that they also have the thread kits available for each design as well!

Bigfork Bay Cotton Co Bird of Paradise

2008-12-01T09:57:00.007-07:00

This is the new Bird of Paradise pattern, designed by Brenda Yirsa. This particular quilt was photographed and quilted by Carol Rockwell. She was gracious enough to send me photographs so that I could quilt my trunk shows as closely as possible to hers. I love her quilting style so much. Usually when you see a pattern by Bigfork Bay Cotton Company it is her quilting on the cover!

Kits and patterns are available as always at http://www.bigforkbaycottonco.com/ or you can order by calling Toll Free 1-866·245·5718.

Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T07:54:00.002-07:00

This morning I woke up early to start preparations for our family dinner later on today. I try to be grateful every day for the many blessings in my life but this day always makes me look at the big picture.
Today I am grateful that when I woke up there were no bombs going off in the distance. I didn't have to wonder if I was safe. I just assume that I am. My biggest fear outside my home has never been of war but only of the weather. I have a huge fear of a tornado. I'm sure it's the after effects of watching The Wizard of OZ my entire childhood.
I am grateful that my children have never had sickness or injury. I don't mean the flu or skinned knees. We have never dealt with something as horrible as cancer or automobile accidents that were serious.
I am grateful for my children. They have grown up into loving, caring, intelligent, productive adults and I am proud they are mine.
I am grateful for my grandchildren. My daughters have given me two of the most amazing gifts I could have ever wanted. Jenny even died and was brought back to life trying to have another one. I thank God she won that battle. Now, even though she can never have another child, she and Mike are fostering children. That is a blessing for so many too.
I am grateful that when I woke up it was in a house that I love. I am not homeless and I have never been homeless. My heart goes out to those that are. I can't even begin to image how that must feel.
I am grateful not only for my children and grandchildren, but for my husband, who even though he drives me nuts sometimes, okay, a lot, I love him and I thank God for his love and companionship, and support.
I am grateful for my dogs. They bark and drive everyone who walks in the door crazy but when I am alone I know they will bark and protect me from harm. Any time I turn my head I can always find one dog beside me. Nikki is 14 years old now and she has been a great companion and bird dog. They just make me happy.
I am grateful for my job. I work with the most amazing people. They are not only talented beyond belief, but they are all caring and giving.
I am grateful for my friends. I am finally at a point in my life where I am surrounded by genuine, loving, caring people.
I am grateful that I wake up in the mornings to my family, in my house, and email my friends, with my dogs by my side, and I know that in my own little world all is good. There is tragedy in other parts of the world, and there might be some pain in mine, but I thank God for all He has given me.

Vince's 2nd Birthday

2008-11-15T22:01:00.003-07:00

Vince turns 2 years old on the 20th but Shelly and Pony had his party today. There were 18 people who attended, including his great grandparents on Pony's side. I love the fact that our families can join together as one. He is very lucky to be loved by so many.

The theme of the party was Cars the movie. Vince LOVES the movie and I made him a Cars quilt for his Cars bed with Cars sheets and the works. He does like other things too but Lightening McQueen is at the top of the list. Mater is my favorite.. the tow truck Tow Mater. He just cracks me up!

It seems like yesterday that I watched Vince come into this World. At times it's hard to believe it's been two years and yet at other times it seems like it was so long ago. I feel so blessed that I have a job which allows me to work at home so that I can spend two days a week with Vince. They are very special days for me. I know how quickly they will go and if I blink I will be sitting at his graduation. It is nice to slow down as we age in order to appreciate the little things more. I am very grateful for this day and I am blessed to have the opportunity to spend it with such a wonderful family. Thank You God.

Rock Star, Free Pattern by Bigfork Bay Cotton Co.

2008-11-07T12:15:00.005-07:00

We ALL love free patterns and this is a great design called Rock Star by Lynn Stalowy, owner of Bigfork Bay Cotton Company. You can download the directions right off the website at http://www.bigforkbaycottonco.com/ The quilt uses fabulous batiks by Batik Textiles.

You can order the kits for this quilt right off the website, it's on page 10, or you can call Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. 866·245·5718 and talk with one of the ladies. You can't believe how reasonable the price of the kit is! I'm getting one for me!

Be sure you look at all the great kits available while you are there. They have other designs besides their own but I know when you see the fabulous patterns by the various artists who design for Bigfork Bay you will be amazed!

Don't forget the Aurifil Thread and the giant size pressing sheet by Bear Threads Designs while you are there!

A King and His Guards by Ty Livingston

2008-10-27T23:21:00.004-06:00

I haven't taken a picture of A King and His Guards yet so this is one of Carol Rockwell's. This is a new pattern designed by Ty Livingston for Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. http://www.bigforkbaycottonco.com/ It is lighter in real life and just beautiful..

My daughter Shelly made the two tops for me and I quilted them. She has been helping me out and doing an amazing job, as usual. I can't wait to get more of the new designs to make the trunk shows. Be sure to see the newest creations on the Bigfork Bay Cotton Company website!

Bear, Raccoon, VW by Ty Liningston

2008-10-18T21:34:00.005-06:00

Look what I got!!!! I won this fantastic painting by Ty Liningston on eBay. http://shop.ebay.com/merchant/tysoriginals I am so happy. I had emailed Ty to tell him how much I enjoyed his work since I do the trunk shows for his pattern designs by Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. http://www.bigforkbaycottonco.com/ and in my email I told him how disappointed I was that I didn't win a different painting with the VW, Bear, and Raccoon. Next thing I knew this painting was on the eBay store. You can't imagine how excited I was!!!

Photography does not do his paintings justice. This really is truly wonderful. My husband was very impressed.

Thank you Ty for allowing me to see this adorable painting every single day.

Butch and Sundance for Bigfork Bay

2008-09-26T07:48:00.008-06:00

I have been so busy finishing up quilts lately! Last week I mailed off 12 finished trunk show quilts, two of which were the new designs and I forgot to get pictures! Sundance is the retriever by David King for Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. Carol Rockwell does the original quilts for the covers and fortunately she took a photo so I am using her photograph of her quilt. He is just fabulous! The other dog coming out this time is a black lab named Butch. Sundance and Butch are two I will definitely have in my personal collection. I haven't done Butch yet but I can't wait! The one here is another one done by Carol Rockwell

The other quilt I didn't get a picture of is a new one of Ty Livingston's called Peek-A-Boo! It is an adorable raccoon peeking out of a pumpkin.

I am very excited about all the new designs coming out so you will have to check back for your sneak peeks. Hopefully I will get better organized and remember to get pictures!

Tasia's Quilt

2008-09-02T16:05:00.003-06:00

When I asked Cassondra, our Daughter, what colors Tasia, our Granddaughter, liked so that I could make her graduation quilt she told me that Tasia liked all colors. Not much help but Tasia really does like all colors. So being the good mother, Cassondra found out Tasia wanted a quilt that was black and white with just a touch of red. I assumed a modern design which was right. On a quilting road trip with Kathi and Jeanie, I walked into Washoe Quilt Shoppe in Washoe Montana and all the fabrics were lined up right in front of me! All I had to do was pick out the pattern. This was so much easier than I ever dreamed it would be.

Once the top was finished I had it quilted by Jan Barnett at Quilting by the Creek. She is just amazing and did a perfect job and we all know I am really picky! Her phone # is 307-765-4393 and her email is jeb@tctwest.net. She lives in Greybull Wyoming. I think she needs a blog don't you! Time and time again I am blown away with her quilting. She has won more ribbons than she can even count. I'm giving her all my big quilts from now on!

I hope Tasia likes her quilt. It was for graduation but I didn't get the binding on it until we got back from Alaska. Isn't it funny how a little trip can make so many things revolve around it? At least I'm not giving it to her for Christmas!

Butterfly Kisses by Ty Livingston for Bigfork Bay Cotton Co

2008-08-18T15:38:00.004-06:00

Butterfly Kisses is designed by Ty Livingston for Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. http://www.bigforkbaycottonco.con/ Ty Livingston sells his original art on eBay at http://myworld.ebay.com/tysoriginals/ I made three quilts of this design for the Bigfork Bay Cotton Co Trunk Shows. The One Moose Open Sleigh is in an earlier post and I made three of it too. These Trunk Shows are NOW SHOWING at The Copper Thimble in Miles City Montana, Deer Country Quilts in Seeley Lake Montana http://www.deercountryquilts.com/ , or Log Cabin Dry Goods in Spokane Washington http://www.logcabindrygoods.com/ . They are only showing for a limited time so hurry!

These patterns are available at any of the quilt shops above. I use Aurifil thread to quilt them with. Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. carries this thread in packs to match their kits too. If your shop isn't carrying Aurifil thread yet, they can carry it by contacting Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. BBCC are Distributors for Aurifil thread. Aurifil thread is the finest quality thread on the market. One spool of Aurifil goes farther and has less lint than any brand I have ever tried.

I use Wonder Under fusible web by Pellon on all my fusible quilts too, just in case you wondered.

Lazy Daze and Autumn Lullaby by Bigfork Bay Cotton Co

2008-08-11T11:02:00.006-06:00

I just finished making three each of these Lazy Daze and Autumn Lullaby quilts by Ty Livingston for the Bigfork Bay Cotton Co http://www.bigforkbaycottonco.com/ trunk shows. Lazy Daze is my favorite from the series. It just has so much meaning for me and I can't wait to make one for myself. They are all the most adorable designs. My Daughter loves Butterfly Kisses, which you will see soon. Everyone seems to have their own favorite! They are so easy to relate to. My husbands favorite is the Autumn Lullaby.

I hired my daughter Shelly to help me with the cutting and ironing down phases of the quilts. She is so good at it and I really appreciate the help. She is the only person I know who is as much of a perfectionist as I am so we make a great team. She made it easy to come home from vacation and not feel too far behind.

The other quilts in this series from Ty are just so adorable. This series is designed for a beginner so the pieces are all just fused on a black background and one border is added. You could easily translate these to fit your own color taste and use your stash since there aren't a lot of colors. The patterns are available at http://www.bigforkbaycottonco.com/ as well as the kits.

I'll be done with the others in the series soon so if you have a favorite shop you would like to see have the trunk show have them contact Traci Suzanne Marvel at traci@bigforkbaycottonco.com. These quilts are just adorable and you really need to see them in real life.

Alaska Quilt Shops

2008-07-29T18:18:00.004-06:00

On our fabulous trip to Alaska I was able to stop at two quilt shops. The first one was in Soldotna called Robin Place Fabrics. http://www.robinplacefabrics.com/ As soon as we pulled up I noticed quilts by Judy Niemeyer in the front window. She was teaching there for three days! The shop itself is the home of the original quilts of Letitia Hutchings of Mount Redoubt Designs.http://www.mrdquilt.com/

I was excited to see Bigfork Bay Cotton Co patterns right when I walked in the door! http://www.bigforkbaycottonco.com/ My husband said, "Look honey, your quilts!" The owner asked if I was Toni Whitney. I explained that I made the trunk shows for BBCC and she said that she was so excited when she first saw the moose, Summer Serenity. She said it was so nice that someone finally knew what a moose looked like.

The shop was well worth the stop and I, of course, had to buy a pattern from Mount Redoubt Designs and some fabric. I have most of the patterns from Mount Redoubt but I made sure I didn't buy the Iris so I could get it while I was there. It was very special for me to go to this shop.

The second shop, which is the one in the photo, was just down the road from my brothers house in Kenai called Quilt Kits Alaska. http://www.quiltkitsalaska.com/ This shop is a little out of the way but from the moment we pulled into the yard it was pure pleasure. Imagine a gorgeous lake with the most beautiful mountains in back of it. You are surrounded by lush greenery and trees. To your right is the most adorable log cabin sitting back on a beautiful lawn with a wooden walkway leading to the porch and the friendliest dog you have ever seen coming up to greet you. That is Quilt Kits Alaska. There were a lot of flowers but since I hadn't taken my camera I just took this picture right off of her website.

The inside is just as adorable as the outside. Of course, the first thing I notice is Autumn Eyes from Bigfork Bay on the wall. The owner is as nice as can be and I can honestly say that it is the first time in my life that I was so overwhelmed with wonderful kits and fabric that I didn't know what to buy. Don't worry though, I figured it out. Now I need to order more!

Both these shops were such a pleasure. Be sure to stop by if you get a chance.

Back From Alaska

2008-07-26T18:09:00.004-06:00

I don't even know where to begin talking about our trip to Alaska. It was the most amazing trip we have ever taken. My brother Rich picked us up at the airport in Anchorage and took us to a true Alaskan breakfast. The trip from there to his house in Kenai had us in awe the whole way. Once we got to the house it was so great to see my sister in law Sarah and my nephew Colter. I swore if I never did anything the whole time I was in Alaska but visit my family it would have been the best trip but being the perfect host and hostess, Rich and Sarah took us on the tours of our life.

We saw Glaciers, the Fjords, Homer, Seward, Soldotna........We went everywhere! I saw sea life I had never seen before and wildlife I had never seen before and scenery I never knew existed. I took over 300 pictures and they are all just amazing.

Being with my nephew Colter and niece Amanda was a blast but being with Amanda's daughter Jordyn was really special. Reid, Amanda's honey, was working on an off shore rig most of the time so I only got to meet him briefly but I sure did like him.

Sarah and Rich treated us like royalty the whole time we were there. Sarah is an amazing cook so we ate the best meals. She even baked Alan pies and for his birthday dinner he got halibut cooked three different ways and shrimp cooked two different ways. He got blueberry pie too. It was all to die for! The average temperature during the day when we were there was about 55 degrees so baking wasn't an issue like it is now that we are home.

Alan got to go fishing on the Kenai River for Salmon and the Ocean for Halibut with Rich. Fortunately, I didn't have to go! They had a blast. Of course Alan always has fun if he has a fishing pole in his hand but these trips were dreams come true for him.

I could talk about our trip for days....actually, I'll be talking about it for years. I thank God for the opportunity to visit my brother and his family. I just hope I go back soon.

I did get to go to quilt shops of course so I will talk more about THOSE later!

Chickadee Dreams by Bigfork Bay Cotton Co

2008-07-05T18:14:00.005-06:00

I finished three of the quilts for the Distributor Modeknappen in Sweden http://www.modeknappen.se/. So far I made them the Winter Wolf, One Moose Open Sleigh, and Dancing Chickens by Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. After I got them in the mail I finished three of the Chickadee Dreams by Ty Livingston for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company's trunk shows.

This little guy is so adorable. The Kits by Bigfork Bay use all Batik Textile Fabrics which I just love. As always, I quilted them with Aurifil thread, the only kind I use, and I use Wonder Under by Pellon for the fusible.

I am trying to get as many trunk show quilts done as possible since Alan and I are leaving for Kenai Alaska in a couple of days. My brother Rich and his family have lived there for 17 years and I have never been up there to visit. It's about time don't you think? We are so excited. I am going to fish for Halibut on the Ocean. It's my first time fishing ever. Alan and my brother Rich have done it many times so I will be in good hands. I plan on hitting some quilt shops with my sister-in-law Sarah. She isn't a quilter but what woman doesn't like to shop. My brother has planned our trip with some wonderful adventures. I can't wait!

One Moose Open Sleigh by Ty Livingston for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company

2008-06-29T15:15:00.004-06:00

OK, I know what you are thinking. "Wow, Sylvia finally learned how to take a decent photograph!" As much as I would like to take the credit I have to say that I am just using the photography of the famous John Staloway. He is not only my boss, who I have NEVER met, he is the photographer for all the pictures on the cover of the Bigfork Bay Cotton Co patterns. He's the owner of the company too, along with his wife Lynn, so I'm guessing it's ok for me to use his photo which shows how great the quilt is, instead of my photo's which make it look like the colors don't match.

One Moose Open Sleigh is one of the new designs by Ty Livingston for Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. This one isn't for their trunk show, which I will make three more for. It is for a Distributor in Sweden who has picked up the Bigfork Bay Patterns and the fabric from Batik Textiles. I told my family that I'm International now! She is having me make 4 of the BBCC quilts for shows in Europe. I am very excited. I am making some for a Distributor in Denmark too, I am International you know!!!

Sebastian the Beagle Quilt

2008-06-22T22:22:00.006-06:00

I'd like to introduce you to Sebastian. This adorable Beagle is the newest friend of Perrito the Pug. The pattern for this quilt, from Bigfork Bay Cotton Company, http://www.bigforkbaycottonco.com/ is adapted from a painting by David King who is from Halifax, Nova Scotia on Canada's Atlantic coast. His art business is called Pugcasso. http://www.pugcasso.com/ I am a huge fan of his work.

I just finished making three Sebastian quilts for the Bigfork Bay Trunk Shows. He really is even more adorable than in the photo and the fabric really does look like that in Bigfork Bay's kits. The fabric is all from Batik Textiles http://www.batiktextiles.com/ . You can get the Aurifil thread pack as well as the kit from Bigfork Bay. Aurifil thread is the ONLY thread I quilt with. Why, you ask? Well, let me tell you. It is made from long staple Egyptian cotton which gives the thread the strength needed for high-speed quilting. Because of the longer fibers in the Egyptian cotton the thread is tighter and smoother than other brands. This means that if I wind a bobbin with Aurifil thread I actually have more thread on my bobbin than with other brands and so I change bobbins less often. Machine quilting can be hard on a sewing machine and I take exceptionally good care of my machine. Aurifil thread has less lent than other brands which means my machine stays cleaner and runs more efficiently. In the long run I spend less money on thread since Aurifil thread goes farther, I change bobbins less often and I spend less time cleaning my machine, but the biggest and most important reason is that it has a more luxurious finish.

Knotty Girls Friday Night

2008-06-14T10:21:00.003-06:00

No.... it's Knotty as in sewing knots! That's the name our our sewing group who meet at Kathi's house on the second Friday of every Month.

The night started off with four of us going to a yard sale preview night at a friends house. It was a quilters dream yard sale! Hand dyed fabric, quilt tops, patterns, books, notions, and even a finished top, which my friend bought, for $10! I had to have another Rowenta Iron for $10. Mine is in perfect shape but you never know when a back up is in order. The only thing I asked is if it leaked. I guess I should have asked if it worked!

I grabbed a $2.00 phone while I was there. Vince, my 1 year old phone fanatic, has lost the phone from our bedroom. As much as I don't miss having cords on phones, they did come in handy for keeping the phone where you needed it. My original thought was that if Vince lost this phone I would only be out $2. When I got home from Knotty Girls I plugged the phone in so that it would be ready to go this morning. Surprise!!! It doesn't work. It's still plugged in because being a person who refuses defeat I still think it's going to take a charge (the receipt in the box said it was bought in 2003 so it's still under the 10 year rule) but if not then Vince will end up with yet another phone. At least it was only $2.00. You just can't find a great toy like that for $2.00 anymore. Update: Jenny came over today and checked the battery, which I thought I had done. She plugged the battery in and now the phone works. Sometimes it's the little things!

From Bigfork Bay Cotton Co I received, in the mail ,16 kits for the cutest quilts. Needless to say my night at Knotty Girls was spent drawing patterns on to Wonder Under. Why Wonder Under you ask.. Because when I have several layers on top of each other it isn't too thick for my needle to easily to through all those layers. When using Steam a Seam my needle gums up and I have to clean it off all the time. I don't have that problem with the Pellon Wonder Under.

Kathi made a great chili for dinner. Yes folks, chili. You see, while it's been in the 100's every where else in the country in June, here in Wyoming we got up to 70 degrees yesterday! Anyway... we had the delicious chili for dinner and chatted until after midnight. I can't tell you how much fun it is to sit around a table with everyone sewing and working on projects and talking. It's no wonder that quilting bees have been such an important event in women's lives through out our history. Even though we have the advantage of phones and email, we still look forward to our group getting together as if we haven't seen each other the whole month. It must be the combination of creating and chatting that makes it so special. Our Formothers knew what they were doing.

Wild Horse Canyon Re-Do

2008-06-08T11:09:00.006-06:00

This is what I am working on today. I will have it ironed down and ready to quilt for tomorrow. If it looks a little familiar you are right. Wild Horse Canyon is a pattern designed by Toni Whitney for Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. that has been changed a little. They changed the colors and they made it easier to make. I LOVE the changes, however I LOVED the first one too.

Although this quilt looks hard I want to assure you that it really isn't. It is time consuming to a point and using a pressing sheet is so important. I use the pressing sheet by Bear Threads that measures 27"x30". With this pressing sheet you can do fusible applique on just about any size quilt. I can use it for ALL the quilts from Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. Even the big American Icon! Using this size pressing sheet has made my life so much easier. You can order one directly from Veronica Cox, the owner at http://www.bearthreaddesigns.com/ if your local quilt shop doesn't have one, or you can ask your local shop to carry it. They won't be sorry. It does come in smaller sizes too. Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. carries them too at http://www.bigforkbaycottonco.com/.

For those who don't know, I make trunk shows for Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. It's my dream job. There is such a wide variety of patterns and kits available. There are the most amazing wildlife quilts by Toni Whitney, a baby quilt by Katie Bramante, frogs, dancing chickens, and Italian series from Debi Hubbs...the list goes on and on! Wait until I show you the newest artist Ty Livingston. I will be making his quilts next! You can see them right now at http://www.bigforkbaycottonco.com/ too.

I guess I should get to work instead of playing on my blog so you can see all the new quilts too!
Did I mention how much I love my job?

Pink Bootiful

2008-05-22T17:18:00.002-06:00

One of my Granddaughter Mackenzie's favorite things are her pink boots. Because of her I decided to make a PINK Bootiful! quilt. The Pattern Design is by OK Carol Rockwell for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company.

Bigfork Bay Cotton Company has their NEW website up and running at www.bigforkbaycottonco.com You can order your kits and patterns directly from the website now. They even have thread packs of Aurifil thread to go with the kits for machine quilting. Check it out. Remember that Bighorn Quilts carries a lot of the patterns too at www.bighornquilts.com

Hubby's New Toy

2008-05-19T18:37:00.003-06:00

Alan got a new toy today. He LOVES it! I love it because now maybe he will quit obsessing about having a bike and just go out and ride it. The bike already needs new chrome, new this, new that... It's ok, I can never have enough fabric either. You know, Fathers Day is coming up and now we can actually think of things to get him.

It's a beautiful bike and he really does deserve it.

My Adorable Grandson Vince

2008-05-13T23:05:00.002-06:00

I haven't shown Vince off lately so I decided it was time. I babysit him two days a week and it is so much fun to watch him change almost weekly. He has such a great personality. He loves the Wiggles. He dances and sings with them and what I think is so cute is that they crack him up. I love watching him laugh.

Vince has a thing for the phone, just like his Aunt Jenny. All day long he pretends his toys are the phone or he has a real phone up to his ear talking on it. I didn't have a picture of his Aunt Jenny for years that she didn't have a phone up to here ear. Ironically, she does tech support with customers over the phone all day and talks on it when she gets home all night.

Jenny's daughter Kenzie, however, is just like Shelly, Vince's Mom. Let's just say they are just a little controlling! I don't know where they all get their traits either. It wasn't from me....

Gondola, Vino, and Autumn Ride,By Bigfork Bay Cotton Company

2008-05-08T10:21:00.005-06:00

I just finished these great new quilts for Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. by Debi Hubbs. They were such delight to make. I just LOVE the little dog in all of them. Something about Debi's designs make me smile. I could look at them all day.

These quilts are so simple to make. Traci and Lynn will be at Market with all the new designs next week. The patterns and kits are, as always, available at Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. http://www.bigforkbaycottonco.com/. They aren't up on the website so just call and ask for them by name at 866-245-5718 . I'm sure my favorite shops will be carrying them after market, so check them out too. The websites are on my sidebar.

I am so very excited about all the quilts from Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. I thank God every day that I have the opportunity to make trunk shows for such an amazing group of people. Just wait until you see the other new quilts. They have added even more new artists this time!

STAY TUNED......

Winter Wolf Quilt by Bigfork Bay Cotton Co.

2008-04-15T14:22:00.007-06:00

This is the newest pattern designed by Toni Whitney for Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. As with all of Toni's designs, the quilt just seemed to come to life when it was finished. It really is easier than it looks to put together. The pattern and kits are available at http://www.bigforkbaycottonco.com/ or you can call 866-245-5718 or 406-837-2399.

I can't tell you how blessed I am to be working for Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. doing their trunk shows and proofing patterns. This is my dream job.

Katie Bramante is the person behind the scenes who writes the patterns for BBCC. She puts her heart and soul into each pattern to make sure the directions are easy to understand and follow. She has her own patterns that represent Montana too. You can see them at, http://www.katiebramante.com/. Katie is also one of the new designers signed by Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. and she will be debuting her newest creation called Heavenly Sheep at Market in May. It is an adorable baby quilt and I can't wait to show it to you all.

Speaking of behind the scenes people, I want to mention David Boggs. He is the nicest man and the most talented Graphic Artist. David works hard to design the great patten covers, does the graphics on the patterns, designs Bigfork Bay's fabulous advertising layouts, you name it, he does it. He is just amazing.

I just have to say that each and every person who works for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company is such an important "cog in the wheel" as my father-in-law would have said. I know I talk about them a lot but I have just never seen a team that works so well together in all my life, and that is a long time. I thank God for them every day. Lynn Stalowy, the owner of Bigfork Bay Cotton Company and her husband John have put this team together and I must commend them on the great job they have done.

HeArt At Work Auction

2008-03-29T11:50:00.002-06:00

This is one of the quilts I am donating to the HeArt @ Work Auction at Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. for their 60 mile, 3 day walk for Breast Cancer. You can read about it in the previous post. As usual, this isn't a good picture at all, but you should know by now that photography isn't my strong suit. I incorporated bead work on this quilt and it isn't near this orange in real life. Perhaps if you click on the picture you can see some of the detail better. I enjoyed making it so much. It is my one and only art quilt and I decided that since it is the quilt that everyone loves so much when they view my quilts that it might bring a few dollars on the auction block for such a good cause.

The women at Bigfork Bay are the most amazing women you could ever meet. Their hearts are as big and warm as they come. The amount of money they need to raise for Breast Cancer is only the beginning of this adventure. After money is raised for the Susan G Komen 3 Day Walk for Breast Cancer fund, they will walk for three days in Seattle, September12-14, 2008. These amazing women along with thousands of others will walk 60 miles! Read about this program at, http://08.the3day.org/site/PageServer .

The gifts they give, the gifts you give, and the gifts I give, are all returned to us you know. Feel free to just donate. Feel free to donate to the girls from Bigfork Bay. You don't have to send a quilt, you can even send $5.

We have ALL been affected by this horrible disease. Lets ALL try to do something about it. I know most of you already have. Instead of buying a Latte one day this week, donate. Send all donations to Traci Suzanne Marvel, PO Box 2303, Eureka, MT 59917.
For more information please call Traci Suzanne Marvel at 406-889-5140. Or email her at traci@bigforkbaycottonco.com/

Call To All Fiber Artists!

2008-03-18T10:30:00.002-06:00

2008 Juried Charity Poster Contest: The “Baboobalas” Susan G Komen 3 Day Walking Team wishes to invite all fiber artists to participate in creating a journal quilt to be considered for the cover of the 2nd Annual Heart @ Work Auction (formerly known as Art @ Work)

The event is sponsored by the Bigfork Bay Cotton Company and all proceeds from the auction will go to the Susan G Komen 3 Day Walk for Breast Cancer fund.

Journal Quilts need to be 8 1/2” X 11” finished
The winning quilt will best reflect the theme “Heart @ Work for finding a cure for breast cancer.

Winning Entry will be featured on the front of our poster.
Deadline: May 10th, 2008

Please drop finished journal quilts off at The Bigfork Bay Cotton Company. Or send them to Traci Suzanne Marvel, PO Box 2303, Eureka, MT 59917

Make sure your entry has a quilt label on the back with your contact information.

For more information please call Traci Suzanne Marvel at 406-889-5140. Or email her at traci@bigforkbaycottonco.com/

Note From Sylvia:
This would be a great opportunity to donate your Journal Quilt to the Auction for raising money for the same cause. Women helping women. We can all do so much.

Art at Work Auction for Breast Cancer

2008-03-18T08:54:00.003-06:00

It is time to announce our 2nd Annual "Heart @ Work" for Breast Cancer Research Auction.
The auction, formerly know as "Art @ Work", will be held in June 2008 (date to be announced)
at the Bigfork Bay Cotton Company, in Bigfork , MT.
We had to change the name because so many people wanted to donate items to auction off it became so much more then art at work, it became heart at work.
Anyone who would like to donate, art, gift baskets, gift certificates... please email me and I will give you instructions on how to participate.
We have to raise 3 times the amount of money this year as we have 3 new walkers to the Baboobalas team. Any help you can give us to raise close to $11,000 is greatly appreciated!
Looking forward to hearing from you! ~ . Traci .~

This is such a great opportunity to donate quilts or other art to such an amazing cause. These women all work so hard. You will see the link on the sidebar for the 3 day walk. This is your chance to help so many. If you aren't an artist or quilter don't hesitate to just donate. Even $5.00 is appreciated so much. We are all touched by this disease. Lets try to do something about it.

Tatanka Buffalo Quilt

2008-03-11T09:14:00.004-06:00

Tatanka...and yet another amazing design by Toni Whitney for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company. These quilts just seem to come alive. Everyone who sees this series is just taken back by the beauty of them. Toni's mastery in her art comes through in her quilt patterns. I can't wait to see what comes next.

Patterns are available at Big Horn Quilts http://www.bighornquilts.com/ and patterns and kits are available at Big Fork Bay Cotton Company http://www.bigforkbaycottonco.com/ I highly recommend getting the kits. Their fabrics are picked by the artist herself and it shows. This is another one I absolutely have to have for myself.

If you have a shop and you would like to receive this Trunk Show be sure to call Traci Suzanne Marvel at 1-866-245-5718. You just can't even imagine how stunning these quilts are.

Autumn Eyes Bear Quilt

2008-03-05T16:39:00.006-07:00

You can't even imagine how amazing this quilt is in real life! Autumn Eyes is designed by Toni Whitney for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company http://www.bigforkbaycottonco.com/ . I have ordered three of these kits for myself besides the three I am making for Bigfork Bay Cotton Co.'s trunk shows. I LOVE this one. I am making one for myself, one for my son, and one for the people who have taken such good care of my son when he moved to Washington. They love bear and just bought a new house so this will be the perfect gift. I only wish I took better pictures but you will just have to make one of your own so you can see how fabulous it really is.

This one, too, was a huge hit at Bighorn Quilts when I showed it to our monthly group, too. It looks hard because of the detail but the layout sheet and well written directions make it is so easy to put together.

I didn't think anything could surpass Toni Whitney's Spring Storm, the horse, but I should have known that she had more fantastic art in her. I can't thank Bigfork Bay Cotton Company enough for letting me make these amazing trunk shows for them. The entire crew are the most amazing women you can ever meet. Be sure to go to the link on the right for kits and patterns from Bigfork Bay and patterns from Bighorn Quilts.

Caution: This quilt is addictive! Once you make one, everyone you know and are related to will want one! It really is that breathtaking. If ordering a kit, consider ordering several just to save on shipping because you WILL be getting more.

Summer Serenity Moose Quilt

2008-03-05T16:28:00.003-07:00

Summer Serenity by Toni Whitney for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company http://www.bigforkbaycottonco.com/ was such a pleasure to make. I made three of them for their trunk shows. Toni's quilts are so different than the ones we are used to seeing. My son wants one of these for his house in Washington.

When I showed one of the tops at our monthly get together in Greybull, WY, at Big Horn Quilts it was a huge hit. I saw several patterns in the hands of women afterwards who were buying them. The patterns by Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. are very well done. What I really love is the actual size layout sheet. The pattern pieces are reversed for easy transferring to fusible web. Patterns are available at Bigfork Bay Cotton Co or Big Horn Quilts. Click on the links to the right. Kits are available at Bigfork Bay Cotton Co.

Horse Baby Quilt For Katie

2008-03-02T12:19:00.005-07:00

In between making trunk shows for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company, I made a quilt for my oldest daughters best friend Katie's baby shower. Katie has been trying for a very long time to have a child and I always told her I would make her a quilt when she had a baby. Well, this one was a pleasure to make for so many reasons. I am so very excited for Katie and Jason.

The pattern is Whimsical Whinny by Joyce Bridger Thompson of Red Leaf Designs. http://www.redleafdesigns.com/ You can't even imagine how fast this quilt is to make. Every time I make it, and I've made several, I am surprised at how quickly it goes together. This quilt can easily be made in a day.

I chose flannel for this horse quilt. I like the one I did for my granddaughter Kenzie better because I chose a darker background behind the horses but I don't think Katie will even notice the lack of contrast.

Her Shower was yesterday and she was absolutely thrilled when she opened the quilt. I just can't wait until her little girl is born so I can see her.

Red Leaf Designs Books

2008-02-18T21:33:00.005-07:00

My good friend Joyce Bridger Thompson, of Red Leaf Designs, (web link to the right) has written two Quilt and Bible Study books. Both of these books have been accepted into the Library of Congress. I am so proud of her for this accomplishment.

In the Beginning... is a study of Genesis 1-3. By combining her passion for spiritual knowledge and her artistic ability as a quilt designer, Joyce has created a new approach to grow spiritually, with a bonus of having a beautiful quilt as a meaningful reminder of the journey.

Designed as a 3 month group study, Joyce's explicit and inspiring instruction, plus her own insite, makes it easy to do the study individually. With each chapter in the study you can add to your quilt top.

I was extremely honored when Joyce asked me to quilt the tops made for this book by her and her mother. Little did I know at the time that my quilting was to be blown up as the background for the book.

Reflections of... her first of the series, combines a 6 lesson study based on the five character traits, the fruit of the Spirit, with a beautiful Tree of Life Quilt. With each revealing and uplifting lesson you will receive explicit and easy directions for adding to your quilt top. When you finish your quilt and Bible study, you will have not only grown spiritually but you will have a gorgeous visual reminder to be more like Christ.

I have done and taught these amazing studies and I must say that they are inspiring, well written, and enlightening. One of the Reflections quilts from a study, won first place in the Machine Quilted Wall Hanging division at Yellowstone Quilt Fest, in Cody Wyoming, a couple of years ago. It was made by Chris Algarme and quilted by me. Joyce herself bought the Reflections quilt I made. It was such an honor.

Be sure to check out her other unique quilt patterns at http://www.redleafdesigns.com/.

A Quilter Is Born

2008-01-12T22:00:00.000-07:00

Once a month, our small group called Knotty Girls, gets together at Kathi's house to work on our quilting projects. Our friend Catherine wasn't a quilter but she brought different sewing and needle projects for the evening of dinner, chatting, and sewing.

A quilting chat group I belong to on the Internet, called Stash Busters, were making Sudoku Quilts. It takes 9 fat quarters and sashing fabric. The 9 fabrics are cut into 9 blocks, numbered 1 through 9, and arranged in blocks using a Sudoku puzzle for placement. The sashing represents the lines between the blocks. I thought it would be fun for our little group to make some and to my delight Catherine agreed to make one too. I picked out 9 fat quarters for her and cut them out. I even cut her sashing. I just wanted her to start sewing!

Catherine caught on instantly and started piecing. She was so excited when she completed her very first block! Kathi took her picture so I could put her on my blog as the Quilting World's newest member. There is always so much pleasure in seeing someone become "One Of Us!" I can't wait for her to complete her whole quilt.

Garden Sunflower and Sunday Stroll

2008-01-07T17:52:00.001-07:00

This gorgous quilt is Garden Sunflower by Brenda Yirsa for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company. It is so much prettier than the picture shows. Everyone who has seen it has fallen in love. I took it to our group that meets at Bighorn Quilts in Greybull, Wyoming last Saturday and it was a huge hit!

Sunday Stroll is a new one from Debi Hubbs for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company. This is one of MY favorites. There is something about Debi's quilts that just make me happy while I'm making them. For Patterns and Kits you can call Bigfork Bay at 866-245-5718 or visit your nearest Quilt Shop. If they don't have the patterns they might just get them in for you. I know that there are some of the patterns at http://www.bighornquilts.com/ . These patterns are also available at http://www.fabricdepot.com/

2007's UFO List

2007-12-26T10:31:00.000-07:00

I went back in my Archives to see what I had listed in January as my Quilt UFO's I strived to finish in 2007. Not too shocking was the fact that I only finished 3 quilts on my list and put a border on one.

At first I wanted to believe I didn't get around to finishing these quilts because I hadn't found specific homes for them. You know, that perfect person who would just love that certain quilt.

It isn't because I haven't been quilting all year. I've made a lot of quilts. Most of them for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company for their trunk shows, but some for others too.

After giving it a little bit of thought I decided that it's OK to have UFO's. I remember when women would walk into the quilt shop with a quilt top that their mother or grandmother pieced or appliqued, we would be so excited. How lucky that woman was to have such a special gift. Sometimes someone would come in with SEVERAL quilt tops. We were all green with envy when that happened. Not once did we ever say, " Wow! Your Grandmother was REALLY a slacker! She never finished anything!" No, we would only admire how talented these women were and how lucky the recipient was to have them. SO... I have decided that even if I never finish some of these quilt tops it will be fine. I have two daughters who quilt, and grandchildren who might quilt and I am still going to be leaving a "piece" of me behind. You know, it might even be MORE special when someone in future generations has a quilt that was made by two or three generations.

So I have decided to just keep doing what makes me happy for the moment. If that leaves me with several unfinished quilt tops then so be it. Creating makes me happy and maybe the only thing I was meant to do was make the top. Maybe there are tops out there that were just never meant to be finished. Maybe....it's all about the process and not the end that counts.

Two New Bigfork Bay Cotton Co Patterns

2007-11-28T20:12:00.001-07:00

This handsome character is Romancing Red. He is one of the new pattern designs by Debi Hubbs http://www.artblooms.net/ for Bigfork Bay Cotton Co http://www.bigforkbaycottonco.com/. Bigfork Bay Cotton Co carries all the kits too and since they are the original designers, the fabric is the same as in the picture on the pattern. The kits are beautifully done too so they would make wonderful Christmas gifts.

Red is far more adorable than he looks in my poor photography. The Border is even in real life too. Do you think maybe I need a photography class. Nah. I'll stick to what I know best. Quilting. You just have to get the pattern and make him to see how wonderful he really is.

This little quilt is just adorable. It is called The Picnic by Debi Hubbs for Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. You know, you can purchase Debi's art work from her eBay store at http://stores.ebay.com/ARTBLOOMS-STUDIO-Artist-Debi-Hubbs Shipping is very fast. Yep, that means I've bought her art work too. And now her fabric line is out by Timeless Treasures called Blackbird Jubilee. I see that Julie has some of the new line at Big Horn Quilts. http://www.bighornquilts.com/ Guess where I'm going this weekend! We have Saturday Strip Club so I'm going to get the new Blackbird Jubilee fabrics while I'm there, among other things. She really has the most amazing shop. Her prices are wonderful and so is her selection.

I did some other quilts too but they are repeats so you have already seen them. If not check out my archives. I think I'm getting two more new ones soon. So, I guess the saga is "to be continued...."

Vince's First Birthday

2007-11-25T15:16:00.000-07:00

I was informed that I hadn't posted any pictures of Vince's first birthday so I thought I had better get with it. Here he is getting some help with the new toys. He got so many noisy toys! Do you think it was some sort of payback? I think so.
Isn't this just wonderful. He LOVED the Barney DVD. The look on his dad's face was more like OH NO!!!! Humm, Aunt Jenny, is that why you bought Barney?
Mom and Dad bought him his very own birthday cake. He hadn't even started to have fun with it yet in this picture. He was covered by the time he was done. It was a good thing his mom laid down plastic before he started.

Chicken A La Carte Quilt

2007-11-13T22:45:00.001-07:00

I just love this quilt! It is designed from the art work of Debi Hubbs
http://www.artblooms.net/ The pattern and kit are available from Bigfork Bay Cotton Co.
http://www.bigforkbaycottonco.com/ I think I need to redecorate my office in Debi Hubbs designs. She designed a line of fabric for Timeless Treasures called Blackbird Jubilee that I can't wait to get. Let me think now...pillows and a lap quilt for the couch, a new valance, chickens and crows on the walls....I would be so happy in my office!
Then there are the new designs from Tony Whitney for the rest of the house. Alan wants the horse Spring Storm. Wait until he sees the new designs! Wait until YOU get to see the new designs!!!! They are coming soon to a blog near you.

Perrito The Pug

2007-10-30T11:25:00.000-06:00

Perrito at Market in the Batik Textile Booth.

Lee Anne, the owner of Batik Textiles http://www.batiktextiles.com/ asked me to make this 56"x66" pug quilt for her booth at Quilt Market in Houston using her absolutely lovely batiks. The pug was originally painted by David King http://www.pugcasso.com/.

Bigfork Bay Cotton Co. made a smaller pattern of this design that just came out at International Quilt Market along with several other wonderful new designs. Lee Anne loved this design and wanted me to make a larger version. I added borders which were designed by David at Bigfork Bay. He did such an amazing job of the graphics for the cover that I just used it for the border.

The new patterns from Bigfork Bay Cotton Co http://www.bigforkbaycottonco.com/ will be showing up on my blog as I make the trunk shows. Patterns and kits can be purchased from Bigfork Bay Cotton Co directly but you can ALWAYS ask your local quilt shop to get them for you! I know that Bighorn Quilts caries some of them at http://www.bighornquilts.com And by the way, the batiks from Batik Textiles are absolutely the most amazing batiks. If your shop isn't carrying them yet, tell them about them and have them look at the website. If I were a shop owner I would have the entire line.

I sound like a salesman, but everyone who knows me knows that I only promote things I love and that if I love something I think you need it too.

I had a great time making this quilt. I only wish the quilting showed up. Thanks to Traci Marvel at BBCC for all she does for me. I love you Traci!

Two More of Bigfork Bay Cotton Co's

2007-10-09T17:54:00.001-06:00

Here are two more quilts I have done for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company. American Icon, the cowboy is pretty big. I was a little nervous about quilting it, but it wasn't hard at all. I posted a close-up of some of the quilting so you can see that I even quilted the eye, nose, eyebrow, and ear. I had to do the buttons, placket, and button holes too. It was a lot more fun than I thought it would be.

4 Ever Friends is the name of the quilt with the 4 horses. It was a lot smaller than the American Icon so I wasn't intimidated to do it at all.

I can't wait until the new line of patterns comes out at Market the end of this month. I am doing one for Batik Textiles that I can't wait to post on my blog but I can't post it until it premieres at Market in Houston.

Vince and Randy Mariners Game

2007-10-09T17:32:00.000-06:00

We moved Randy's things to Washington for him the end of September and while we were there Randy got us all Mariners Baseball Tickets. It was the first Pro Baseball game for Shelly, Vince, and I. He and Alan had been to them before. Our friends, the Peranders, went with us. We were in row 14 right behind the 3rd base. It felt like being on the ground. We even did the WAVE during the game. I had my first Ball Park hot dog and being in Seattle I got a latte at the game too.

We had so much fun while we were at Randy's. He has such a nice house. It has plenty of room for me to go out for some of the wonderful sewing events that they have near him.

While we were there, Shelly, Randy, Vince and I went to the ocean and one day we spent walking around downtown Olympia. Randy took me to one of my favorite Quilt Shops, Bayside Quilting, where he bought me a logo sweatshirt, and we had lattes in a cafe on our walk. It was so much fun. We even went into Antique shops. Vince was a perfect child. Well, he was the perfect traveling child the whole trip.

I can't wait to go back. I guess I can probably wait until Spring though since it snowed hard while we went over the pass at Bozeman on the way home. I don't care to go over the passes in the winter. They just aren't fun.

Blue Paint

2007-09-03T12:06:00.001-06:00

This is another quilt from Bigfork Bay Cotton Company. I love it. It's called Blue Paint. It's a pretty big quilt. The Artist who designed it is Brenda Yirsa. Debi Hubbs designed the quilts of the chickens, crows, and frogs, and Toni Whitney designed the horses in the previous blogs. Debi was kind enough to give me a comment on my last blog entry. I was so shocked and impressed. Thank you Debi. I love her website. You should check it out. http://www.artblooms.net/ It's so much fun. Be sure to go to About Debi. What a great personality.

More Quilts From Bigfork Bay Cotton Co

2007-08-13T14:06:00.001-06:00

These are all of the quilts I finished this last week. I know... my camera doesn't do well with taking pics of quilts but you get the idea. I did two of the cow one that's called Chicken Date. These quilts are all by Bigfork Bay Cotton Company...website on the right. I use Aurifil thread to quilt and Quilters Dream Cotton Batting. Applique is done using Wonder Under by Pellon. I not only love making these quilts but I love working with such a great group of women. Someday I hope to meet them in person. God gave me a great gift when He got me this job.

I get two more this week. It's like Christmas when I get new patterns and kits. These quilts are all done with the kits from Bigfork Bay and I would recommend anyone making these to use their kits. The fabric is fabulous!

Winner of the Kiddy Parade

2007-07-30T18:11:00.001-06:00

Kenzie's other Grandma, Charlie, decided to enter Kenzie in the Powell Kiddy Parade. She drove her truck with a big wagon hitched to it with all her stuffed horses inside the wagon, well, except her favorite which was in the back of the truck. Poor Grandma Charlie had to walk the whole way too with hardly any sleep and her bad knees. When Kenzie won first place Grandma Charlie said it was all worth it.

We had never seen the Powell Parade before so we stayed to see it after the Kiddy Parade. They have it every year during the fair. We were absolutely shocked at the amount of candy that was thrown to the children. When we were sitting by the curb waiting for the parade to start I noticed some children just down from us pulling out the plastic bags. I thought they were being either very optimistic or they were the kind of children who would bowl you over trying to get that one piece of candy in the street. They were neither. They just had parents who had been to the parade before. By the time the small parade was over, Kenzie's hat she is wearing was overflowing and she had given away at least that much to the smaller children around us who couldn't get it as fast. I do believe that a child can do better in 1/2 hour of the Powell Parade than 2 hours of trick or treating at Halloween.

We had a fun time. Thank you Grandma Charlie for entering Kenzie in the parade.

In Full Bloom for Jenny

2007-07-14T16:26:00.001-06:00

I am going to get a different photo of this quilt. I don't know what my problem is lately with pictures. I'm going to blame the camera. It couldn't possibly be the lighting or me.

Anyway, a long time ago, at least a year, Jenny and Mike remodeled their living room. Since Jenny is short on decorating abilities, or so we think, her control freak sister Shelly and her control freak Mother took over and hung pictures. Knowing I was going to make this quilt, we left a big space on the wall for it to hang. I truly expected to get it done sooner but I did get the top finished in time for her birthday, thinking of course that I would have it quilted within a week. Just short of a month later I finally finished!

One of the reasons it took so long to make is because I made two at the same time. Being in a hurry to finish Jenny's in time for her birthday I stopped working on both at the same time and focused on hers. I have one block left to finish on my quilt before I put it together and quilt it. I have been using the Aurifil thread on my applique quilts but with all the colors in this quilt I went back to the mono filament thread. I sure like the way the Aurifil looks and quilts better. The mono filament looked like it was too bright and glowing. Maybe someday I'll have every color they make just so I can use it for a quilt like this!

Three From Bigfork Bay Cotton Company

2007-06-29T11:46:00.001-06:00

I know this is a horrible picture but I had to hurry up and get it in the mail. This quilt is going to Ricky Tims for Justins office. I was extremely thrilled to find that out. This one is called Dancing Chickens. I can't wait to do the others too.

This quilt is called Star Gazing. This is the picture of their quilt not mine. I can't find mine in my files. They are by Bigfork Bay Cotton Company. The have the kits available if you call 1-866-245-5178. These quilts are sewn with Aurifil thread, fused with Wonder Under, and all fabric is by Batik Treasures. Bigfork Bay Cotton Company are distributors for Aurifil thread and at their website you can get all the colors in all the sizes. http://www.bigforkbaycottonco.com/

This one is called Thinking of You. I had to put the stars in and with a machine that was acting up that wasn't an easy task. I cut off the heart in the sky above his head accidently when I was taking the picture. It is a heart of stars. Sweet........

Boondoggle a la Flamingo

2007-06-11T19:46:00.000-06:00

Chris came up with the idea that she, Beth, and I should all do Boondoggle Quilts together. She then bought us all rulers and patterns and sent them out so that we could all do them at the same time. I got Jeanie involved here in Cody so now all four of us were going to Boondoggle. Well, between re-doing a bathroom, graduation, a new job, and just plain life in general, the Boondoggle virtual retreat didn't work out.

I finished my quilt a few months ago, so as incentive to the others I am posting it as a solo act. The reason for my excitement was because I was so eager to use the embroidery designs called Fantasy Flamingos by Cactus Punch.

I stippled the embroidered flamingo blocks. The dots on the black are hologram dots which really makes the art deco feeling of the quilt just shine. I did redesign the blocks a little so the diamond isn't like the pattern exactly.

Come on girls........The bathroom is done, graduation is over, Germany is a distant memory, the job, well, it's just always going to be there, and Jeanie, you have to finish before the baby get's here!

Vince and Shelly

2007-05-28T21:03:00.000-06:00

Okay! I can't stand not having an updated photo of Vince. He changes so fast. He is such a loveable baby.

Shelly looks great too, doesn't she? She is such a good mom. I really get a kick out of her telling me how to do things, like I've never had a child before. She always was the bossy one. (Sorry Shelly, but you know it's true.) Jenny was the opposite. She just assumed I knew everything.

Oh, I have to tell you a story. Kenzie's Aunt Lisa, Mike's sister, is here from Ohio. Lisa, Mike, Jenny, and Kenzie, came over for a fish fry one night and of course Lisa HAD to hold Vince for the first time. Well.......Kenzie started throwing a fit. Not just a little poutty fit, it was a running down the hall into the bedroom, slamming the door, stomping feet with arms crossed fit. I thought she was jealous because Lisa was holding Vince instead of paying attention to her. I couldn't have been more wrong! Kenzie was extremely upset because SHE wanted Vince! That girl loves her cousin so much! Lisa kept telling me I was wrong and sure enough, as soon as Kenzie got Vince she was happy again.