Fresh Figs

Going on a little trip

Happy Belated Thanksgiving everyone! Somehow in the all of the family hubbub I never manage to post a "Happy Holiday" type message before the actual holiday. At first I felt bad about that, but now I am considering it a tradition. If i get a "happy holiday" message out there anytime during the weekend surrounding the holiday... well, in my mind it still counts :-)... so   Happy Thanksgiving!!

I am throwing the last things in my new luggage and going off on a little trip. Well actually I am weighing every last scarf and every last sock on my special shipping scale to see what I can shove in there and be exactly at 49.99 without hitting the magic number of 50 lbs.! Its become quite an art in this house.

I once again get the privilege of going to teach for MODA in Madrid and then on to Paris to adventure for a few days. I know, I know what's a girl to to with such a difficult assignment? This time my aunt Wanda is meeting me for a few days of Paris fun and I can't wait to shop and walk around that gorgeous city. Even though I have to tell you that the weather forecast is for both rain AND snow during the few days that I am there so it will be a very wet adventure, but an adventure nonetheless....

 My fun new carryon bag is accompanying me on my travels...

and a new friend is joining us...

She just got finished last night and she is making me a bit giddy. In fact I am wanting to keep her... but I won't. She is for my traveling companion who I am pretty sure has already gotten on her flight so she is in no danger of seeing this post. She told me this was her favorite fabricin my new collection, Patisserie, and I am hoping she enjoys this little gal as much as I enjoyed making her. I am so excited to hang out with her for a bit [my friend, not the bag :-)]... watch out Madrid, here we come.

Oh, and I forgot to share a fun thing I got to do in Portland the week before Thanksgiving. Here is the link that the news station sent over. It was a lot less nerve wracking than I had anticipated and it went by so much faster than I thought it would.  Thanks for watching. If you are interested in those slippers, here they are.

Talk to you soon. If I am lucky, from Madrid or Paris :-)!!

The Quilt Show

It seems like it was so long ago that Gina and I trapsed over to the far reaches of Colorado to film our episode of The Quilt Show with Alex and Ricky. Well, the episode finally premieres today on Monday. I've never had a tv premiere before and its a bit exciting and kind of fun to think about. Even my kids have started to telling there friends that their mommy is even on tv... well, I have to explain to them that its not quite tv, its computer tv... but they don't care. For the time being they all think I'm pretty cool. I think I'll take that. None of them are old enough yet to think that I am a total dork and they are way too cool to be seen with me :-)!

Here are a few shots of our adventures on the set of the Quilt Show and here is the fun trailer that they have created to entice folks for this episode and for the entire season. 

Here is Alex unrolling my Jelly Roll to get ready to demonstrate the Jelly Roll Diamonds pattern.

Here is a shot of me on the set  [nice job Gregory...]

The requisite shot with the amazing duo of Alex and Ricky...

After we shot the actual instruction part of the segment, we had a sit down interview and question and answer time from the audience. People asked really good questions and Alex and Ricky and the whole crew including Angel and Lilo were so nice to work with. Thanks so much guys for my first ever "tv" experience. As you can see both Gina and I were having way too much fun...

If you haven't had a chance to check out The Quilt Show, here is a link to see what all the episodes for this series include. Look at all that talent! There are so many tips and techniques that they offer and both Alex and Ricky are great teachers. Since you own the episodes if you subscribe, you can watch them over and over again until you perfect the technique you are trying to master. Basic membership is free which gives you access to some of the goodies on the site. To see all of the filmed episodes you need to subscribe. What a deal!

[all photos courtesy of Gregory Case Photography/The Quilt Show]

Happy Quilting.

Talk to  you soon.

A few more pics & a little oops...

Sorry for the mixup. The winner of the fabricmatcher contest I mentioned below is Amber Johnson.  Amy was one of our runner ups.  Thank you all for playing!

Once I am here, here are a few more goodies from one of my favorite MODA designer duos, Barb and Alma.

Congratulations on the win and on another absolutely stunning booth! Love ya both!

And then of course, Kansas City Star.... I could just lay here all day and admire the beautiful color combinations and the gorgeous applique... Love all that they do!

talk to you soon.

A few fun items

Before I post a few more shots from Market, I wanted to share with you a few fun items:

1.  The MODA Fabricmatcher contest for October is done and the winners have been announced. I got the privilege of looking through around 130 entries and picked my favorite for the winner. Here it is, don't you just love it? Congratulations Amber Johnson! I have to tell you that I couldn't pick just one so I chose 6 runner ups... I know, its a little overboard but I couldn't help myself. If you haven't tried this program, you really need to wander over here a bit and give it a try. MODA does a contest every month. In fact there is a new one going on for November to do with color... so you could win a bundle for playing with fabric on your computer... hello? We would do that for free! 

And speaking of MODA....

2. Our favorite marketing director [well our only marketing director, but she is our favorite anyway :-)] has started a blog of her own. So if you haven't already been over there, please go give her a big blogland welcome and if you have.... well go over there anyway as she just posted some of the funniest pictures of our MODA reps... and that's saying a lot.  Welcome girlfriend!

And speaking of MODA [wait, didn't I just say that?]....

3. Although I didn't get out of my booth to wander and see my friends nearly as much as I would have liked to this time around, I did manage to at least make it around to MODA HOME, and the MODA mothership as we like to call it...

At the bake shop...

A few goodies and decorations at MODA Home...

And Miss Jen [Tula Pink herself] with a stylish pose in front of the quilt made out of her newest line, Neptune... very nice Jen!

A whole wall of kitchen accessories...  and even when lunch gets mixed into the display... it still looks yummy....

more later. talk to you soon.

A few Market pics...

I know my schedule might not be quite in line with everyone else who is so patiently awaiting me getting my bottom in gear... but I have just cleared the studio of debris and have a few moments to share a few booth pics from Market... shots of my booth, a few of our edible accessories, my fun little floor items and my favorite shopkeeper  :-)!

 

Talk to you soon.

Post Halloween Post

HAPPY POST HALLOWEEN TO ALL OF YOU OUT THERE!

   

Ha Ha... do you get it, post, post.... I must have had too much chocolate last night because I am finding that funny! 

A belated BOO to everyone. I know that it is the day after Halloween but to be quite honest, this is as soon as I have been able to make myself get on a computer since I returned from Houston Quilt Market. Where is it that I have been, you might ask, the couch and with my kids and then the couch again. Not a whole heck else! 

I do want to share though, that on the night before Halloween I found myself at my sewing machine for some "simple" alternations on a couple of munchkin costumes....  Let's just say that in case any of you were doubting my claims of not being a seamstress.... I could have sewn a quilt in the time it took me to make these costumes fit my kids!  Now, in my defense we did have to buy an XL for my middle son who wears a M because that was all they had in ICE WOLF NINJA STORM sets. I tell ya, it would have been easier to start from scratch I think. But of course he would have none of it because he wanted it to look exactly like the one on the package... I would show you all a picture of my efforts but it would be embarrassing and not good for my persona as a sewing goddess :-)... so you will just have to use your imaginations.....

As for Market, it was fabulous! Both our newest fabric line, Patisserie, and our collection of new patterns were very well received. People continue to"eat up" the simple to make but complex to look at designs and our new formats! So all our fretting about the economy was for nought. Quilters are a resilient lot  I think and although I did definitely hear of friends and other folks who felt the sting of the times, in general stores seemed ready to see what was new and fresh, to find some great patterns and to create wonderful vignettes and displays in their stores of the new fun stuff that they found at Market. I really do think that much of what is going on is turning people toward quilting and not away from it. People want something to do with their hands, at home, for family. Quilting is perfect for meeting all of those needs. Just my humble opinion...

Several of our newest patterns that seemed most popular.... "My Paris Traveller's Bag" [which I just can't wait to take with me on  my upcoming travels], "Jelly Girl"  [which was so fun to make that I might have to make another] and "Sweet Sugar Swirls" [featured in the MODA booth as well as ours so got lots of extra viewing time & was the favorite of many]. From our Threads series of smaller, less expensive project patterns, both the new releases were flying off the rack, "Purselets" and "Slipper Cuties"... definitely show favorites.

 

More in a bit.  Talk to you soon.