Quilts for babies=fun!

I got this in my inbox and thought you might like to see an actual quilt on this blog. I'm so happy to have it!

This is what Vicki said:
Used your hop, skip, jump pattern on page 20. I made this for my brother and his wife's first child. They live in a 200 year old house and like old fashioned looking things, though I did throw in one contemporary fabric!




Are you lucky enough to have a baby on the way? Check out Wee Wonder Quilts!

2 Words for you: Best Group

This is why us creative types oughta stick together when we can. Every one around this place is an artist of some kind: fabric, thread, paint, clay, hot glue...something. I don't normally include myself in this club, but I do think I have a flair for creating crafty Halloween costumes. I'm not sure what that gets you in the "real world" but around here, if you can get enough people to join in, that gets you a bucket of candy, a pizza party, and the title of "Best Group" for your efforts. And this year there was some tight competition.

The first picture is me...before, showing off my tatoo (which was not permanent after all, thank goodness) and after as Captain Christmas (on account of the lovely series of Christmas books that are kind of a "big deal" around here).
The last pic shows the Crafty Pirates of the Carribbean, from left to right:
Yarnacle Bill (our secret weapon), Gluebeard (her sticky finger come in handy), Captain Christmas, Long John Stitcher, Fat Quarters, and Black Art (the painter in the group).

Sneak Peek: Brand New Sewing Pattern Downloads

As I am a person who knows talent when I see it, I have to take a minute to tell you about how talented the Quilt writers are here at Leisure Arts. In fact, I happen to also know how talented all the writers are, but great design isn't something that they get to do every day. Technical expertise is what they are all here for. And then some of them are creative designers on top of that. I shake my head in wonder sometimes as I am a dedicated pattern-follower, not a blazer of trails. Still, there may be something in the air around here that I occasionally have this idea that I can be a designer too. And really, that has nothing to do with this...a sneak peek (well, really not so sneak as these patterns are now available for purchase over at the Leisure Arts Library. Click on Mary Engelbreit. Go, look, buy. You're going to want to.

What we have here is 12 brand new patterns featuring the new line of Mary Engelbreit Friends and Flowers fabric from Moda and the original designs of my "original" quilt writers, Jean, Lisa, and Frances. And they are impressive and would be stinkin' cute even if you don't have the Mary Engelbreit fabric. Like, you could make one in another fabric while you were waiting for the Mary Engelbreit fabric and still love them both. I'm feeling the need for one of these aprons (which may be my salute to International Quilt Day tomorrow). That's the power of these designs...I don't even cook and I know I need a Petals apron. Click on the link above to see all 12 of them.

Sneak Peek: Tot Stuff, Tattoo Tees

So I'm taking a break from the hat parade for Monday. Here's a sneak peek of the first of a new series of books called the Modern Crafter. First up is Tot Stuff, designs by Linda Lum DeBono. The whole series has a fresh look and these projects are updated with great fabrics. If you like your tot stuff without the usual soft pastels and featuring some fun and funky touches like yo-yos, check this one out. Item 4426, 52 pages, $10.95.


And my other sneak peek actually belongs to Mundane Jane. Technically. It came through her area so it's really hers to sneak and peek. I just wanted to steal the cover...
Super top secret publishing information...we tend to use the same models for different publications. They might be quilt, they might be knit, they might be crochet, they might be anything, but the same models can turn up over and over. And these have so it's interesting to see them on a cover, trying to look tough. I'm used to seeing them trying to rock a crocheted sweater or fuzzy scarf. It's a different look for them. The one in the middle is going to turn up in a future Pat Sloan book learning to paper piece. I'm pretty sure she'll be smiling in that one.

LA's Rock Stars

And the photos you've all been waiting for (I have a kazillion photos so I figured 2 posts would be better than one and that means I'm posting Friday early. It's never too early to celebrate Friday, right? As I am an equal opportunity offender, I thought I'd post all the rock star photos today. I usually have to chase down people to get shots of them, but I am a diabolical genius and now I have photos of several dressed for the par-tay. I'm sure the captions are going to get away from the photos. Maybe this will be like a game!

Our guest of honor: Sandra and some super famous rock star that dropped in for the day with her orange guitar. She's a total rock genius and actually painted her rock like an orange (see yesterday).


Design girls: Lori and Kim with Becky looking on. How did I miss Anne?


The Artists formerly known as Art; Rhonda, the shy one with the guitar, is in charge of that bunch. And she sings too.


Mundane Jane: Here she is with her little turtle friend.


The management: Here we are. We also go to meetings.


The Beach Boys...or Girls: OK so here we have quilters Jean and Frances, artist Lora (see Picasso's rock yesterday) and MJ. They were just looking for an excuse to wear shorts and flip flops to work. I admire that about them.


They're Crafty: Christina, Laura, and Kathy pose in the lunch line. They got some ink just for the party. Rock on.


Yes, the letters are sticking: And this is the reason I feel justified in posting these photos. If I'll put one up of me, looking like this, then I feel OK about putting up nice pictures of everyone else. I'm not sure what to think about the fact that I got so many compliments while I was dressed this way. It must be all the makeup. Maybe I should actually put some on when I come in to work. I think I look more like Bad Sandy (Tell me about it, stud) without the cigarette.

Party Like A Rock Star

I've decided to add a little "pop" to my blog so that when I say something like "Now I have that song 'Party Like a Rock Star' running around in my head...", maybe I won't get are-you-an-alien looks from my friends. Thus the video post. It actually accomplishes other "pop" things...Family Guy cartoon, Shop Boyz, and Brian (the dog) and Stewie (the baby) references should all be covered if I can find a way to work it into conversation. That escapes me right now, but I'm involved in some strange conversations sometimes.




So...the real reason for the post. A rockin' retirement party for Sandra Case, our VP/Editor-in-Chief. After 23 years, she's retiring and we're going to miss her! So I've previously shown how Lesiure Arts parties...this time, there's a rock theme...rocks for her garden, rock star dress, rock music playing. Apparently it takes only 2 things to get me to wear a costume to work...1. the possibility of incorporating jeans into my costume and 2. a friend who'll dress up, too. As I had both this time, I am "Rock Royalty" until the letters fall off of my shirt. I just know it's going to happen. So, for your enjoyment, here are some rock pictures.

Ireland is in!

The Ireland book is in! I borrowed a copy to show my anxious fans (OK, my grandmother) this weekend, and so far the reviews are excellent. Jean has ordered our copies and if you're on the list to get an advance copy (hey, Sew Many Places trippin' ladies), they should ship out later this week. Isn't Jean's haircut cute? It's such a big change, too! And do you see how clean that girl's desk is? She's one of those clean it off before the end of the day. Not me (I know that's a shock). I pretty much just leave it where it falls, get up and go. Then I sit down and pick up where I left off. My desk looks like a disaster area most of the time. That just means I'm creative, right?

Quiltstream.com

Our webcast guru Clint called to tell me that we'd been contacted by Quiltstream.com. They wanted permission to include the webcasts that Pat taped while she was here (currently also available for viewing in many fine establishments). So, of course, being the publicity whiz that I am, I said, "You betcha". If you are into webcasts and quilting and the combination of the two, you may want to hop over to Quiltstream.com. There's still plenty of room to grow, but there's always a place for another quilting stop on the web, right?

(And, yes, I am aware that this a very freaky picture. Screenshots of video are tough to time. And I'm working on a borrowed time here. Go see it in person.)

...and some quilts

The best part about holding down the chair at the quilt show was listening to everyone talk about the quilts. Yes, I'm from the South and so were they. Nearly every sentence started out with "Ohh!" and every word was at least 2 syllables. I'm so glad I'm not alone! "Ohh, would you look at that?" was the most popular comment, each word 2 syllables..."Oh-h, wou-ould you-ou loo-ook a-at tha-at?" and then you have to swing up at the end. I'm really so glad to hear "look" turn into 2 syllables as I've been known to do the same thing (over and over) with "book."
I loved seeing the quilts here. Most were very traditional, but there were also some surprises (are those crystals on that quilt? yes, they are).

Did you notice the quilt ladies in the posts yesterday? I made the pictures small, hoping to sneak them by. I didn't take any pictures at lunch. It was a good lunch, pasta was had by all.

Road trip!

This weekend we went down to Hot Springs to see the quilt show put on by the area's guild. I think there were 21 vendors there. We saw...Blossom Quiltworks from Sherwood, Pinwheel Quilts from Alexander, and Playtime Quilts from Conway. It's funny to go to Hot Springs to see someone who's pretty much around the corner from home (and Pinwheel is for me as far as independent quilt stores go), but I was glad to see those booths packed while we were there. I'm not a great shopper. It doesn't take me long to spends loads of cash (which, sadly, I did not do this time...is my shopper broken?) and then I'm holding down the nearest chair, watching the people go by. Unfortunately, at this show, I didn't see anything too exciting...everyone was well-dressed, well-behaved, and appeared perfectly normal. I probably should have wandered over to watch the shoppers for referee supplies (yes, the yellow flags, whistles, and black and white striped shirts) that was also going on at the convention center.

Sneak Peek: Pat's Learn to Machine Quilt, Color Book

Today I thought I'd show some exciting Pat Sloan sneak peeks. The first publication, Learn to Machine Quilt with Pat Sloan should be available just any day now. It's a really pretty book (of course!) where Pat teaches us all about machine quilting...nice projects and full-color photography (even if the models are not REALLY models but Leisure Arts employees, a designer we work with, and one super-duper pattern tester who makes our lives easier). The second publication, Pat Sloan's Take the Fear Out of Color should be available in July...so this one really is a sneak. And this is a very cool book, so you're going to be looking for it. Pat's made every design in 2 or 3 different color ways so that you can see how color choices affect a design. From experience, we know that some quilters want to reproduce exactly what designers like Pat produce, down to the very same fabrics. Others aren't afraid to change it up but may need a little color confidence to step out in new directions. All the Sloanies out there know that Pat loves color...not a specific color, but colorS. This is a fun book with info on how Pat reads color in fabric and how to mix it up. And the projects are great, too. I believe we have the same models in the photography, but we had too much fun to limit our classes to one day.

Sneak Peek: Garden of Applique, Slash Your Stash Quilts

In the spirit of equality for sneak peeks, here are some really nice quilt publications coming out soon. The Garden of Applique should be available by the end of May and the Slash Your Stash Quilts by July (but I decided I better go ahead and get it out there in case I get sidetracked by more Ireland pictures). Even if you never plan on doing any applique quilts, I would tell you to get this Garden of Applique book. The photography is bee-you-ti-ful, some of the nicest we've seen lately and that's saying something. Our photography just keeps getting better...and I have nothing to do with it, so I can say that, right?


And if you have a more impressive stash than I do, you need this Slash Your Stash book. Mine is pitiful...it still fits in one closet. Rammed, crammed, stacked, and piled but in one closet. I really need to work on that, don't I?

Sneak Peak: A New Noel

Since this fits the season so well (and I really like this photography, too), here's a sneak peak of 4139 A New Noel by Linda Lum DeBono. It's not even available until March, but it seems to fit my Christmas mood today.

A few more Halloween pics

Chew, chew, gulp, slurp, blow, growl, "mmmm"...it's cook-off time!



Don't this fisherman in the front of the the Redneck Yacht Club and this grandmother (for quilt block demonstration purposes only) look cute together? I think maybe they should go out for coffee some time. A couple that can close their eyes at exactly the same time for pictures has probably already been out for coffee more than once.


Wish I had a better picture of the Ms. Potato Head girls or the Rumor Mill, but these are some of the characters around Leisure Arts.

A line-up of unusual suspects

Halloween is a party around Leisure Arts. Here's the Quilt Department (lined up along the wall like we're suspects in a funny criminal matter of some kind). So...we're quilt blocks...from left to right, a (Sock) Monkey Wrench, a (rootin' tootin') Lone Star, a (ho-hum) Nine Patch, and a (very young) Grandmother's Flower Garden. My costume could use a little pizzazz, but I do get some points for an original idea. They just did it better than I did! Now then, who do you think did it? I think the sock monkey looks guilty...and you should see her tail!

The captions would be either:
From the boardgame Clue:
Pee Wee the Sock Monkey killed Mr. Body in the Atrium with a large wrench.

or:
Yes, Officer, I'm certain suspect number 1 is the one you're looking for. I'd never forget a face (or tail) like that.

We didn't get much love from the judges, but the quilters in the audience should appreciate it!

The Piggott Part (Mini horses!)

So, if you aren't from Arkansas (and maybe if you are), you've probably never heard of Piggott. It's nearly out of Arkansas, close to the Missouri line. It's a great place where we stay at the H Bed and Breakfast (the H's are the parents of one of the quilters). We have a great time every year because they make us so welcome. Mrs. H is a real, live quilter...she quilts by hand...and she finishes things...all the time! I'm always impressed when anyone finishes quilts. I can only manage wall hangings!

Some of the attraction is out in the barn...miniature horses! And this year, there was a baby! How cute are these pictures? The only thing cuter would be a box of puppies, but then, I have a small hesitation around horses. Do you see how their eyes glow? I swear at one point, one was giving me wild eyes. These horses are small, but they do have teeth.

These are soon-to-be mothers...the horses, not the ladies. I think this may be the only picture that I have of the innocent bystander that we picked up for the trip from Leisure Arts. She's a graphic artist here, so she doesn't quilt...but we'll keep working on it. She's a great addition to the group, so I hope she'll be a part of next year's party.