CONGRATULATIONS TO QUILTESSENTIALS!!!

I just got a phone call from Kourtney Kenzie, co-owner of Quiltessentials in Pittsfield, PA, that her and Melanie Barrett's shop, was voted favorite quilt shop in the Renegade Shop Hop! Now, I'm not surprised by any means, but it is great that they are being recognized for all the work they have done to open such an amazing place. I wish them lots of continued success and when I get there the next time, I promise to take lots of pictures!

New Post for Melanie!

Well....I got in trouble for not posting for a couple of weeks. My friend and quilt shop owner, Melanie Barrett of Quiltessentials in Pittsfield PA, told me she checks my blog all the time and its been the same for a couple of weeks, but I just haven't had anything interesting to talk about!

That changed this weekend. I spent the last 3 days at hers and Kourtney Kenzie's shop helping out with their shop hop. What could be better than spending a weekend in a quilt shop talking with other quilters and fondling fabric! The turnout was amazing, and Kourtney's and Melanie's shop is so wonderful, I know they have gotten a lot of new customers.

Now their shop is about 2.5 hours from my home, so I can't just jump in my car and head up there any time I feel like it, but when I do get to go, I get to stay with my friends, eat well, drink well and talk quilts to my hearts content. When I come back, I am tired but inspired and ready to go on to my next project!

If you are ever in their neck of the woods, it would be well worth your time to stop and check them out. They are located in beautiful "downtown" Pittsfield PA in a 200+ year old building right on Main St. Their phone number is 814-563-9798.

My husband is a packrat

My husband thinks if something comes into this house, it has to stay here. I have tried to throw things away and have found them back in the house somewhere else. For example, I use a tabletop ironing board, and the one I had been using was made of particle board. It was falling apart and turning back into sawdust. I put it out by the curb for the trash collector to pick up and thought it was taken care of, but found it about a week later sitting in the garage. I asked my husband, "why?" and he told me he could make something out of it. My husband can't "make" a bed! His idea of fixing my son's bed frame was to pile books up underneath the box spring instead of taking the mattress and box spring off and screwing the bed frame back together. He lets the kids bring "treasures" back from the cottage. This last trip, my son brought home half of a bowling ball he found on the beach. He has no need for a whole bowling ball, I can't imagine what he thinks he can do with half.

We had an argument just the other day about throwing away things we don't need, and his response to that was, "If we throw everything away that we haven't used in the last two years, we'd have nothing." What he doesn't know, is that 2 days earlier, when he wasn't home, I threw away at least 5 bags of old toys and magazines that had been sitting around for awhile unused. No one has noticed.

I think I need to do the same thing with some of my fabric since my tastes have changed from when I started quilting 8 years ago. The fabrics that I couldn't live without then leave me cold now. I'll probably hang onto then a "little" while longer, but at least, when I say, "I could make something out of it", I'm telling the truth!

Toasters

Does anyone make a decent toaster? You'd think making a piece of toast would be simple. We have had a least 3 toasters since I got married 13 years ago and not one of them has been worth the price we paid! Plus, we each had our own toasters before we got married and they probably didn't work well either. My Mother's Day gift earlier this month was a toaster oven, more of a family gift, but still better than the king size chocolate bar I got last year. I will have to destroy it before my husband will admit defeat and look for something else, but the thing that I have noticed with the toaster oven is that you don't really get toast from it. You get a piece of bread that is still mostly white, but has sort of a biscotti consistency with all of the moisture leeched out of it! If anyone is enjoying a good piece of toast this morning, please let me know what brand toaster you have. I will have to hide it somewhere in the house and will only be able to use it when my husband isn't home, but I don't think a good piece of toast is too much to ask for!

Maybe a toast quilt is in order to justify this silly post!

My Latest

Why do people assume just because you quilt, you can or would want to sew anything? I spent the day yesterday making 5 pierogi costumes for my son's field trip. For those of you that might now know why anyone would want a pierogi costume, here in Pittsburgh, after the 5th inning at the Pittsburgh Pirate games, there is a race called the Great Pierogi Race. Look it up on the internet, if you're curious. My son's class is going to PNC Park for their field trip but afterward they are going to a park close to the school for a picnic and games.

Now it was much simpler than I expected, and I don't mind doing things for my kids, but I would love to know why people think if you quilt, you can sew ANYTHING else! Does anyone else run into this?

BTW, what do you think about my latest design? I really need to quit my day job so I can sew all these designs out! I'm back to trying to design one per day again now that Market it over, so at some point, I will start sewing some of these out and publishing patterns. If anyone has an opinion on which one/s I should start with, I would LOVE to hear it!

Gym or blog--Which would you choose?

You can tell by my posting what my choice was. Tomorrow I have to get back into workout mode, but I'm going to take one more day off from working out to work on all my post-Market stuff .

My "studio"(dining room) is a wreck. And even though I know where everything is, I still have to rearrange everything to get any real work done. I have patterns everywhere. Fabric piled on top of fabric. Works in progress waiting in line.

My friends decided I need to move my whole operation to my living room, which doesn't get used, and give the dining room back to my family. Why can't I have both? The only problem with that is my living room is the only room in the house that looked like it was finished. Before long, my husband and 2 kids will be living in an apartment. I remember the blissful days when I didn't have to share my space, somedays I really miss them.

My comfort lies in the possibility that someday my "hobby turned occupation" may make it possible for me to have a real studio. One with a door that can be closed and locked and where I won't find school papers and insurance bills on top of my ironing board!

Whew!

Spring Market ended here yesterday in Pittsburgh. What an amazing experience! I'm not sure when I'll be able to wear heels again though, as every muscle in my body aches from standing around and walking the length of the exhibit hall in the shoes I chose to wear. I think I'll treat myself to a massage the following Monday after Market next time. Unfortunately, I didn't plan well and have to get back to teaching today at my "regular gig". I hope no one notices my tennis shoes.

I got to meet so many people that I only know via email and Facebook it was like a big party! And since Market was in my hometown, I got to see a lot of people that I already know in real life. In fact, I was talking to a lady in my booth on Saturday and noticed her name tag. I looked at her and said,"That's not your name." She was shocked and said, "How did you know that?" Because I know _______ ________ and you're not her. (Left blank to protect the GUILTY but you know who you are and I'll keep your secret for a fee)

We had a good laugh and I'm expecting an email from the real _______ _______ very soon!

My Booth!

I just got back from setting up my booth at Market and I have to admit it doesn't look as finished as the other booths I looked at, but it will have to do this time.

The coolest thing about Market is getting to see people in person that you've seen a million times before on TV shows, in magazines and on the covers of books. The first famous person I saw today was Eleanor Burns. I am so used to seeing her all over the place, that it didn't even faze me that she was ELEANOR BURNS. I saw a few more familiar faces, but most of the booths stood empty. I guess all the big names will be there tomorrow.

Here's something I found strange today. When I arrived this morning and tried to find my booth, it didn't exist, so I found someone who worked in the convention center to tell them about the mistake. They came to the row where my booth should have been and realized they gave my "neighbor" a whole booth instead of dividing it in half. They could have put a wall in the center of the booth, which would have been really simple, but instead, had to bring the back wall of the booth forward 4' and THEN divide the width in half. So in between the back wall of my booth and the booth behind mine, there is a 4' deep unusable space.

It reminds me of the time my brother went to buy his then girlfriend-now wife roses for Valentine's Day. The clerk asked him if he wanted long stem or short. After asking what the price difference was, my brother decided on short stem, so the clerk took the dozen roses he had in his hand and cut the stems off right in front of my brother. Wouldn't it make more sense to charge more for short stem roses since there is extra work involved?

Spring Market

Well, as soon as my kids are off to school, I will be packing up my car to head to the convention center here in Pittsburgh to set up my booth for Market. This will be my first time vending, so I'm really excited about it, but also a little nervous. I have been designing things all my life, but I only started my pattern company 6 years ago. Six years isn't a long time in the grand scheme of things, but if my designs aren't "well received", I think I need to make some tough choices. Unfortunately, I don't have the desire to do anything else, so if this doesn't work out, I don't know what I'll do!

Hopefully, I'll have some really exciting stuff to tell you about next week after this is all over.

Do you dream about Chocolate?

I SHOULD be working on getting ready for Market, but when inspiration strikes, you just can't ignore it! If and when I sew this one out, it will be called Chocolate Raspberry Torte and I'm pretty excited about doing it. I don't usually use brown much, but there is something about brown and pink that makes me think of dessert. In all honesty, a lot of things make me think of dessert, but this color combination in particular does.

Too much?

While I have been busy trying to help my friend with her fabric sale and getting ready for Quilt Market, I haven't been designing too many quilt blocks or quilts, but I came up with this and thought someone might have an opinion they'd like to share. Is the border too much? What do you think about the colors? What do you think about the layout? Do you like quilts on point? Do I ask too many questions?

BTW, my friend's fabric sale went okay. It could have and should have been much better, but I think with the economy the way it is, people are afraid to spend very much money, even when they are getting something at half price.

As soon as Market is over and I decide whether I will vend at Fall Market or not, my friends and I plan to work on a book! I have never done this before, but I figure with the help of good friends, you can do anything, right?

Time's up

Well, this is it, tomorrow is make or break.

We just unloaded a truck with nearly 300 bolts of fabric that we hope will be almost empty by this time tomorrow! The owner of the store where I teach, offered her shop as a place for my friend to have her fabric sale. My friend didn't want to have her sale too close to home or negatively effect her partner's sales in the shop, so she was going to have to rent a conference room, or something, somewhere in a big city and do it all on her own.

I'm so glad that's not the case and I pray it will be enough to pay her health insurance bill.

There are less than 3 weeks to go until Quilt Market and I'm hoping between now and then, that I won't have to worry about my friend so much.

If we have good luck tomorrow, I will try and post a message about it. If the news isn't so good, I don't know if I will write about it at all. I've really tried to get the word out and do as much as I can, but you always wonder if you could do more. I know that money's tight right now for almost everyone, so I feel a little guilty about asking people to buy fabric that they don't necessarily need, but I'm hoping they do it anyway!

Its official

I am finally confirmed as a vendor at Quilt Market. Whew, that was a close one!

I tend to wait until the last minute to do the things I need to do. I have been talking about vending at Market since last year and now its only 3 weeks away. This will be my first time and, I hope, my "big break"! I have been at this for 6 years now and it would be wonderful to be able to do this full time instead of having to work a "real" job and design on the side. There would be nothing better than being able to make a living doing what you love to do!

I am trying to be positive but I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch.

Its alway something!

For those of you who have been following my posts about the predicament my friend is in, I want to give you an update. She is still taking orders, but she can't fill them right now or return emails because she is in the hospital at the moment. She hopes to be back in her shop and able to answer emails tomorrow, so hold tight. In the meantime, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me at: larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com

I am not a crook!

I spent this last weekend at my friends' quilt shop, cutting fabric and boxing it up to send out to those of you who have contacted me about the sale. We had quite a few orders, but because she is practically giving the fabric away, I'm not sure how close she is to meeting her goal.

I have done all I can, including sending a message to a new Yahoo group that I just joined about 2 weeks ago. They all think I am a scammer! And since my messages are still on moderation, I can't defend myself. In my "real" life, I don't think I know anyone that DOESN'T trust me, so its hard to listen to people talking about you as if you're not there and frustrating since I can't respond to their comments in a timely manner. I didn't join the group for the purpose of asking them for help, but my friend needs help NOW, so I stuck my neck out. I don't think I'll be doing that again anytime soon!

There is still a lot of fabric available and it is gorgeous, so if anyone else is interested in a great deal, PLEASE contact me! Make sure I have some way of getting in touch with you. My email is: larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com

Michele

Hi Michele,

Thank you for wanting to help! I have no way of reaching you since I don't have your email, so if you see this post, comment again and put your email in or email me at larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com

Sue

THANKS!!!

Lost in the shuffle?

Yesterday, I posted an incredible offer, and to my surprise, I only had two takers! If you like great fabric at a REALLY great price, you should check out yesterday's blog post.

Thanks,
Sue

Have I got a deal for you!

People can be so cruel, even people you thought you were in love with and were once in love with you. I have a very good and generous friend who is going through a divorce to a man who has had a girlfriend for the past 8 years and now thinks his wife should walk away with nothing.

He made it almost impossible for her to find a lawyer because he knows all of them in town and they were all afraid to take her on as a client. She finally found someone who didn't care who he was or what he could do to them. Now another problem has come up.

Supposedly, he was fired from his job in February and lost his health insurance. She has health problems, ( I am being vague to protect her) that make her uninsurable if she loses the insurance she has now. And she, literally, cannot live without her medications. He neglected to tell her about losing his job when it happened and now a couple of months later, must come up with the money to pay for COBRA starting from the day he stopped working.

She has no savings to draw from since she started a new business back in November and things have been so slow with the economy the way it is. And since there usually isn't any profit to speak of with a new business anyway for a couple of years, she has been forced to sell some of her "stock" at or near her cost to pay her bills.

"What is this stock?", I hear you saying to yourself. It is first quality quilter's cotton fabric from 2 of the most well-known fabric manufacturers. She is not trying to liquidate, she is only offering to sell as much fabric as necessary to pay her bills and keep her insured, so the offer is limited and will end as soon as she raises enough money to pay her bills. These are hand-dyes and hand-dye look fabrics that normally sell for $10 to $12 per yard she must sell for $6 per yard.

I'm sorry this post sounds like an infomercial, but I am talking about life or death for my friend. If there is anyone interested in getting in touch with my friend, please leave me a comment including your email address and I will get her contact information to you. I can also tell you which lines of fabric she has so you can check them out at the manufacturers' websites.

This could happen to almost any one of us, so I hope you'll consider helping her. Please feel free to let others know about this offer.

Thank you,
Sue

Enough is enough

What a world we live in!

I wish there was another punctuation symbol to use when the point you're trying to make isn't a happy one. The exclamation point makes any statement look like a positive one and, unfortunately, my initial sentence isn't a positive one. I am so angry about the recent piracy situation, I could scream! How dare these criminals try to make it sound like they've been wronged! They brought this on themselves. Its not like they were "in the wrong place at the wrong time". They put themselves there, they caused their own deaths, and WE didn't go looking for them until THEY broke the law.

Ok, I feel a little better now.

On a more quilty note: "What do you think about my latest design? Should I sew it out? Is it too busy? Are you bored with this stuff yet? Is my sister crazy for taking her 16 year old daughter to get tattooed? (not quilty, I know, but I would love to hear your opinions anyway)

Killing two fish with one piece of stale bread?

Trying to figure out how to pick up two of my quilts that have been hanging in my friend's quilt shop, a couple of hours north of home, I hit upon the idea of meeting my friend and her boyfriend at the Spillway in Linesville, PA. I hadn't been there in at least 20 years, and my children had heard of it, but hadn't gotten to see it for themselves. It took us about 2 hours to get there, and my friends, about an hour and a half. Its amazing how much fun your kids can have throwing old bread to thousands of huge, ugly fish! Some of the fish aren't even in the water when they gather to fight over the food.

It was something I wanted to show my children for awhile, so I was glad to be able to combine my errand with something fun for them. We hung out at the lake for a bit, went for lunch with my friends, then headed home. We got home early enough there was still enough daylight left for my 8 year old son to get some time in at the skateboard park. He's embarrassed to have me sit in the park and watch, so I had to sit in the car with my daughter, who was getting annoyed every time I gasped over a fall or a jump he made. This is usually my husband's job, he's used to it and he can have it!