The packages are wrapped.

The turkey is thawed---but, only because we had incredible rain storms which flew a fuse in out Christmas lights, which unbeknownst to me also tripped the breaker which turned off the freezer--which caused the turkey to begin thawing a bit early!  And yes, our electricity when out as well during the storms and the internet was down.

Come to find out, our dog, Capone, chewed through the internet and TV cable because he was bored when we were out Christmas shopping!

So, when Holly Holderman of Lakehouse DryGoods asked me to post yesterday...I literally had to say electricy went out and the "dog chewed" my connection and I could not do my "blog homework"!.

Edison fixed the soggy transformer, and the cable man saved me by reinstalling my internet connection and laughed at my 10- year old router.  So he gave me a new one of those too! 

And now I can post about the awesome goings on at Lakehouse DryGoods..as always Holly has some great things up her hardworking sleeves!

In the spirit of giving, Holly has figured out a way to get you quilters a great deal on an adorable quilt kit and to give back to the community.

We are partnering with Holly to give you the opportunity to buy a darling quilt kit called "Fast Flowers Quilt" --it is a twin-bed size and is only $108.95--including shipping! Part of the proceeds from the quilt kit will go the the Orange County Humane Society, here in California.

The OC Humane Society is where our family rescued Capone--the cable chewing puppy just a year ago.

The pattern for this quilt is an exclusive free downloadable pattern from allpeoplequilt.com and is featured in their Winter 2010 magazine.

At my shop, Fresh Picked Fabrics, we are fans of Lakehouse fabrics and carry Holly's lines.  Here are a couple of quilts we have made using her fun flowers

 fabrics.

And we have re-ordered her 

Dolly Dresses numerous times and I think we have finally bought out LakeHouse's warehouse of the last two bolts this last week.

If you are interested in buying the "Fast Flowers Quilt kit--you also have an an option to buy the backing for an additional $60.  The price includes shipping too!

Be sure and check out Holly's tips for "fussy cutting" and other ideas for perfect quilt construction!

 I am happy to be a part of the "Brownie Points" program, please give us a call at the shop 1-888-82-QUILT and we can order up a kit for you. 

 Wishing you and yours the Best Holiday Season and a Happy and Quilty New Year!

Denyse Schmidt's work speaks to me.  I love this quilt and just about everything she creates.  Here is a quick note from Denyse inviting you all to attend the show.  The show starts later this month at University of Bridgeport's Arnold Center Gallery. Congrats my friend.

Dear friends,
I hope you can join me at the opening of my solo exhibition at the University of Bridgeport's Arnold Bernhard Center Gallery, on Thursday October 21, from  5 - 7pm.

The show will include my quilts, fabrics, and other projects – as well as some of the sketches and reference materials that inform my process. A great opportunity to see the "art" of my business!

Creating Fun!  I get the opportunity to play with --and design with-- new fabric lines...Things get a little crazy the weeks just before Quilt Market, when fabric companies and fabric designers are madly sewing up samples so show off their goods.

Every once in a while, I will get a surprise package in the mail of bits and pieces (sometimes a yard or two) of fabric strike offs and I attempt to make a quilt with the goods.  Here's are some things I have been working on for the upcoming International Quilt Market.

This is "bonded cuddle" fabric by Shannon Fabrics.  It has a "leather feel" on one side and fur on the other side--the two fabrics have been bonded together and act as one fabric.

If you bought a yard of this 60" wide bonded cuddle, all you would have to do is add a binding and you could have a cute snuggly.  We also added some prairie points and some ric rac.

In another quilt project, we added borders to the bonded cuddle center, then we racked up up on the quilting machine with a backing and batting.  We only quilted the borders, then cut away the backing and batting from the center, letting the fur side of the bonded cuddle to show on the back.  I know it sounds complicated, but is quite easy. And lets  you take advantage of the double-sided fabric.

NEW Fabric Company! Anthology enters the Quilting World market.

This project (Threaded Pear Studio's "Modern Day Diamonds" Pattern) is made with fabric from a company --new to the quilting world, "Anthology".  This California based company has been creating beautiful fabrics for the garment industry and last spring introduced its first "quilt shop" fabrics. 

They are doing both prints and batiks and at this October's Quilt Market in Houston, they will be introducing over 125 new batiks to their collection! That is amazing. 

Peter, the owner, is young and excited about creating wonderful fabrics that meets the needs of both the next generation of quilters as well as a seasoned quilter. 

Here is my interview with Tina Givens for her Blog Book Tour for her book “Sew Tina!”,

 published by Lark. 

Read my interview with Tina in this post andread more about the book and the give-away here.

Gina: Just got the book. Love, love, love it.  My favorites so far??? Bouncy Beret, Reverisble skirt and Brookies!..  Of course, you need to make a big people version as well!

 Tina:I definitely do need to make a big girl version... I sew for myself all the time so it would be a nice part deux...

Gina: How does your creativity flow....can you stop designing in your head or do you do it all night?  When you design either fabric or patterns.. .do you think clothing? home decor or quilting?  

 Tina: I sort of have to turn it off or I'd go nuts.... I create in cycles... I have to apply my art and design to different medium and production specs so for stationery and paper design I craft a collection... (but little motifs of characters and such come to me all the time); creating pattern and surface design for textiles is a whole other creative process and starts with an idea... then it grows from there. And when I am in the 'zone' I can't shut it off. I need my sleep so I sort of shut it off before bedtime by having a quiet read, a cup of tea and just shutting off the mind. When I design clothing or specific home dec pieces... those designs are always there.

I seem to pull from a massive inventory of designs in my head.... I do have sketch books and constantly add to them so if I reference these for add-ons, similar themed shapes and such to bring a collection together.

For a quilt pattern I have my math hat on and begin with a shape I like that talks to the fabric I am making the quilt from. So Opal Owl focused on a simple bird house block, and then went from there. MY new fabric collection, Haven's Edge has a lovely trellis shape pattern and I am working on using that within the quilt..... 

 Gina: How do you balance motherhood and work?

 Tina: I have help! As women we are amazingly talented at multitasking the kids, the menu, the home and the kid activities... not to mention reading to them, loving them and playing the tickle game... However, for the small bits and pieces like laundry, cleaning the house I make sure someone other than myself is responsible for that!

We all pitch in in this house but there are just some things that take my time that I'd rather be with my kids... Very important to my psyche as a mom and as a working mom. They do their homework with me in my home studio, they each have a desk near by. I do spend a lot of time at the gymnastics school and on the soccer field. I also have a Kevin! He's the sweetest and the best dad in the world... he does car pool when I can't.

My advice: list the activities and must-dos with your kids including quiet time for reading, and the things that take you away from them and start assigning those tasks to the husband, the mother-in-law, sister without children, cousin, or hire someone one day a week. Even every 2 weeks will make a difference!

Gina: Are you messy when you create or have a method and system?

 Tina: So messy.... I do have a methodology of sorts but no one would ever get it other than me... I throw things on the floor, fabric gets everywhere, I lose things but find them again... I am a sad mess.

When I paint I am sort of tidy but not really. I paint in one place in the studio, and I need quiet to do so... but I jump from one painting to another.

When I am on the computer working repeats in the fabric I get tidier even still. Not much to throw around there, but I do have a to-do list prepping files for engraving, or printing.

 Gina: How free are you to create and let it flow in another direction--or do you try to keep on track?

 Tina: It's never on 'track' and never ever ends up being what I thought it would be. In some cases it's kind of close but in others it's so far from the original it's funny. It's like a journey for me, and as I start with an idea other things come into it and influence it into other things... the collection sort of evolves and grows along with me.

Gina: I like the thought that your designs are "everyday glorious".

 Tina: I like that! 'Everyday Glorious!' there's a tag.... I always have believed if you like a fabric use it whether it's for a baby item or a grown up piece. If you love it use it. My fabrics and designs are not for everyone because they are, I think, I little eclectic and have a little twist. But I see them as unique little pieces of art in brilliant color. 

 Thanks Gina for such a sweet interview. I hope your readers will enjoy it. I am proud of the book and think it will bring some joy and creativity into any stitcher’s library! But most of all to inspire sewing and creative thought!

 All my best

tg

I first met Tina Givens at Quilt Market several years back...her style of designing fabrics were like no other--quite out of the box!  Her colors amazing and crazy, the design elements unusual, but spectacular.  The size and scale of the design elements larger than life and perhaps not fully understood in the quilting world. That is...until...you put them all together into a quilt or creative project.

Tina is a multi-talented artist who designs textiles, giftware, ornaments, clothing, quilts and more.

Her quilt and clothing designs and patterns are simple ,yet stunning.  I knew I liked her instantly, because--she is adorable, nice and talented-- and because I felt I had a similar philosophy about the way I design patterns.  Be simple in design, but pick great fabrics...Make the fabric do all the work to make your quilt fantastic.

I got asked to review and help promote her book "Sew Tina!".

See more of the Blog Tour sponsored by Lark Books, the publisher here.  I am thrilled to be a part of the fun.

The book has 30 cute projects and adorable decor items for kids and infants.  A few of my favorites?  "Bouncy Beret"--a dang cute hat; "Brookies"--oversized and comfortable fancy shorts; and the reversible skirt--just for those who love to change their mind and their clothes a ba-zillion times.  And what girl wouldn't love to sleep under the "Sweet Dreams Canopy"?

The full-color book features a pattern pack (full-sized) at the front of the book and great illustrations and directions.  All of the projects are made using Tina's fabric line from Westminster Fibers/FreeSpirit Fabrics.

It is obvious that this mother of three "gets it" when it comes to creating simple designs that make "eveyday glorious". 

Catch Tina's blog at tinagivens.blogspot.com. 

 Tina has also offered a giveaway! yippee!

Please make a comment by October 31, 2010 at midnight---the witching hour on Halloween-- and you will be randomly selected to win a book, fabric packs  or stationery from Tina.  I will pick 5 winners and ship out your goodies.

 Madly creating is what I am doing.  And to be honest, I 

dont think I can do it any other way--madly that is.  It seems like just weeks ago we were in Minneapolis at Spring quilt market setting up this booth.  We featured a new pattern "Eliot" and it was a hit.

 I still need to put the finishing touches on a few other patterns from that Market and here I am with just a few weeks to go to ship stuff off to Houston for Fall Ma

rket.

But I am working on it!  And have Fairy Godmother, Kaye, stitching away-

-just about as madly  I am!

 How are you doing out there quilting buddies?

 Who is going to Houston market or festival?  I will be at both---in booth #666---pretty great booth number, since the show will be happening on Halloween.  

When Holly asked us (me and Kaye Wickman--my fairy godmother and amazing quilt sample maker) to  “play” dress-up for this blog event we were excited.  We brought the "Dolly Dress Up" panels back to the shop, pulled out our Lakehouse fabric collection and we dove into our collection of ric-rac, ribbons, buttons and bows.

Soon, we decided it would be a team effort...We call ourselves the "Scrappy Dolly Dress team".

We then asked for assistance from Sammie Belanger, our resident “embellishment” queen and stitchery instructor at my quilt shop, Fresh Picked Fabrics.  She worked her magic creating aprons, vests, necklaces, collars and other frou frous.  Sammie passed it back to Kaye, who added her own finishing touches with flair.

Quilter and customer, Carrie Wright advised us along the way and had a vision for putting the blocks and quilt together.  At the shop, we are know as the Ric Rac Queens, carrying all 42 colors of  JUMBO ric rac, Carrie decided we had to use JUMBO ric rac on the project.  She “shadowboxed” the dress blocks with the jumbo ric rac and decided to do “scrappy” sashings and a nine patch.  She also created an amazing “scrappy” binding.

Ginger Grimes, my go-to girl at Threaded Pear Studio, pattern company, is also an amazing long arm quilter.  She agreed to take on the challenge and I let her run with it.  After working long hours into several nights (and getting a little punchy) we saw “our” masterpiece on the Gammill quilting machines (she used both the Statler Stitcher computerized machine and the Premier hand guided mchine) and we jumped for joy!  Ginger used the Karen McTavish’s trapunto technique of adding “fluff” in certain areas of the quilt. Then Ginger, did some tiny tiny micro stippling around the dresses.  She finished quilting the sashing then we all decided we could not be happier “parents” of  these Scrappy Dolly Dresses.

We will have the panels and a Ric Rac kits available for purchase.  The kit will include  about 10 yards of Jumbo and tiny ric rac for embellishing the dresses and "shadowbox sashing.  We will also include detailed photos of each block for your inspiration.   Drop us an email at [email protected] to get on the sign up list.  Kits and panels should ship in April.

We the “Scrappy Dolly Dress Team” have had a creative adventure working on this project.

Thanks for letting us play!

Gina Halladay, head engineer and team captain

Kaye Wickman, fairy godmother and project leader

Sammie Belanger, queen of bedazzling

Carrie Wright, Piece maker

Houston. Quilt Market. Frolicing in Fabric.  Need I say more?

Yup, Quilt Market starts tomorrow and I am very excited to re-connected with many in the quilt industry as I roam the aisles at the Houston convention center for the next few days.  I join hundreds of quilt shop owners from around the world who are here to buy products to fill their shop at the International Quilt Market.

New fabrics, trims, patterns, and people...are all very inspiring for a quilter like me.

I ran into Amy Butler, (one of my biggest blog supporters and inspirational people), her hubby David and Amy's cute dad.  She showcased her newest fabrics "Love" --both quilting weight and home dec weight-- and new patterns, pillows, bags and other goodies in a presentation given today. (See the free-downloadable "Sexy Hexy" quilt)

She and hundreds of other vendors "fluffed" and put the finishing touches on their booths today to ready for the opening of market tomorrow.

Here are a few photos...to more to come!

(Amy Butler's Dad and husband helping to set up the booth--I call them "quilters eye candy")

Exciting news! I am in Atlanta, GA meeting with the "Sixth Man" travel team.  We are working out the details of booking an entire cruise ship for a quilting adventure next summer.

The Sixth Man rents a boat (ok, it is really a ship) and fills it with "like-minded people"--like us--who are looking for a wonderful crafting adventure.  (They have an Elvis cruise in the works--for those Elvis fans and impersonators!)

I will be hiring quilting talents and designers to lecture and teach and to entertain all on board. 

Do you want to play?  I will be posting more details as they come. 

In case you have missed me and posts on Quilter's Buzz...I have been busy opening a quilt shop,"Fresh Picked Fabrics" in Yorba Linda, CA.

  Then, soon after opening, decided to move to a bigger location (7500 sq feet! yikes) in the same complex!  We move early July.  Find us at 3810 Prospect Ave. #A in Yorba Linda, CA  92886  714-223-1701.

I missed going to quilt market (and missed all my friends!), but caught up by reading everyone else's blogs and facebook entries. 

I plan on getting back on track and writing more on Quilter's Buzz!