Class?

I have been teaching for a local sewing machine dealer for about the past 5 or 6 years. A job which I've loved and made lots of friends while doing, but I am in the process of branching out and teaching in other cities and other states. I would also like to teach more locally and have been trying to find a room somewhere that isn't too expensive to rent for a day. I'm not sure how many local people read my blog with any regularity, but if there are any out there who would be interested in learning my techniques for paper piecing or know of a place I can teach that doesn't cost an arm and a leg, I would love to hear from you.

The project I want to teach is my Bell Door Hanger, pictured above. It is a project that can be pieced in less than a day and finished quickly. It would make a great addition to your holiday decorating or a wonderful gift!

I am teaching this class in Erie and also Uniontown, PA but would love to teach it in Pittsburgh as well and possibly Columbus, OH or Westfield or Jamestown, NY. These happen to be places that I either have a friend I can stay with or some other arrangement where I wouldn't need to pay for lodging.

I would be happy to hear from anyone in these areas to try to get something scheduled before the holidays! You can email me at: larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com if you have any questions or suggestions.

Thanks!

Sue

Sorry...And Thanks to Julie

For any of you who have tried to comment on my blog lately and have been unable to, I apologize. Julie was kind enough to send me an email to let me know she tried to post and was not able to leave a comment. I had changed my settings on my blog to keep the spammers from being able to comment and leave embedded links in their comments and also so I wasn't constantly having to moderate comments. I have changed it back and anyone who wants to comment on anything will now be able to once again. I will still moderate all of the comments to try not to let any of the junk get through. I hope to hear from anyone with a serious (or not so serious comment) soon!

Thanks Julie!

Which do you prefer?

The quilt on the right is my design named PRESSED FLOWERS. This is the color way I chose when I originally made the quilt but I am considering re-doing it in fall colors. What do you think?

Seams Like Home Retreat

This is my new friend Carolyn and her almost finished version of my design SPOOKY LANE. I got to spend the past weekend once again at Seams Like Home B & B in Vanderbilt PA. This visit was even better than the last and makes me look forward to my next visit in November. Even though I am teaching when I am there I still manage to get some of my own projects done. There's just something about having someone else doing the cooking and cleaning up afterward that gives you the energy to really get things done! We had a great time and sewed to our hearts content.

Next month I am teaching my design CHRISTMAS BELLS ARE RINGING in Donna's quilt shop, Sew Special, on Saturday November 20th, but I get to spend Friday and Saturday nights at the B & B. I am getting to be so spoiled!

The class is filling quickly, so if you're interested, sign up soon at Sew Special in Uniontown, PA! If you need more info contact me via email at larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com

Quilting Around Chautauqua 2010

This past weekend was my annual trek to Chautauqua Institution for Quilting Around Chautauqua. This year was a little different. My friend and I had the same spots and were surrounded by the same wonderful group of vendors as in the previous years and at least one new person whom I hope to see again next year (welcome to QAC, Peter!). But normally we have a couple of friends join us who help out in our booths and drink wine on my porch in the evening and they couldn't make it this time.

Needless to say, neither of us was able to leave our booths except for a restroom break, so there was no shopping for us this year. Call it a blessing in disguise. I was also unable to take very many photos this year but I have posted what I have. The photo at the top of this post is from my newest pattern called CHRISTMAS BELLS ARE RINGING. There are 3 projects in the pattern: Table Topper, Tree Skirt and Door Banner (shown in photo).

Show attendence was good, but purse strings were being held very tightly this time. Something simply MUST be done about our economy! What is the world coming to when quilters can't afford to buy the latest fabric and patterns?

We still had a great time and are already planning for next year so its time to look ahead.

Also regulars at the show are Donna and Rick Eicher who own Sew Special, in Uniontown and Seams Like Home in Vanderbilt, PA. Seams Like Home is the new bed and breakfast they opened and have begun hosting quilting retreats like the one I am teaching October 8th, 9th and 10th. For their show special they were offering a $75 discount off the price of my retreat and $50 off of any other retreat coming up. DISCLAIMER: I AM WRITING THIS FROM MEMORY OF A HURRIED CONVERSATION AT THE SHOW, SO YOU CANNOT HOLD DONNA OR RICK RESPONSIBLE FOR ANYTHING I MAY SAY IN ERROR! Check their website for details or call their shop: 800-572-7570 or

724-438-1765. http://www.seamslikehomeretreat.com/

This house made me pull over and snap a pic. I think its my new favorite.

Quilts, Wine and Chocolate!

What a great weekend!

I headed to my cottage in Westfield, New York, Friday evening. On Saturday, after a wonderful day of teaching at Millcreek Fabric and Sewing in Erie PA, my friend and I stopped to watch the sunset over Lake Erie at Noble Winery. We shared a bottle of wine and relaxed with the owners of the winery as the sun set. Saturday night was the last bingo of the season in the park where my cottage is located. My friend was a big winner with a total of 32 candy bars. Believe it or not, we actually had some left when we headed back home Monday morning! Westfield has such a small town, old-fashioned feel that it is a nice change from my "real life" in Pittsburgh.

We slept in on Sunday then headed out to visit a couple more wineries in the area along with some of the great cheese stores in the area. We also stopped at Bemus Point to see what was happening the last official weekend of the summer. There were a lot of sales and some live music on the floating stage. Our last stop was back at Noble Winery to discuss with the owner what type of quilt she wanted made to hang on the wall of the tasting room. I am so excited to be doing this project for her and can't wait to get started. It will be a collaboration between myself and one of my best friends so I think will be a lot of fun. I will try to show some pictures as the project moves along.

I usually don't make quilts for other people unless they are for family or friends or for a magazine, so this will be a totally new experience for me. I'm pretty easy-going about most things, so I think the process will be fairly painless. Has anyone reading this ever done a project like this? Was it as much fun as you thought it would be? Are you still friends with the person or people you worked with?

Designing?

I think designing is coming up with something that hasn't existed before. I don't believe that taking an existing block and changing the colors or fabric used should be considered designing. I also don't believe a designer should design around a fabric line. A good design will work with many different fabric lines not just one. I'm not sure what to call people who do this sort of work, but I wouldn't call it designing. Marketing maybe, but not designing. I, for one, am tired of picking up a magazine and seeing the same quilt made over and over again and I would love to hear from others about this subject, even the "marketeers".

Comments?

Feel free to send me an email if you'd prefer not to leave a public comment on my previous post at: larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com

What would YOU do?

Imagine this-- You have found someone you think you can trust with whom to open a business. The business is essentially 2 businesses in one where each of the "partners" buy their own stock. They each have their own code to ring their merchandise through. The hours the shop is open are split between the partners unless there is a special event and more than one person is needed in the shop, such as the opening of the shop. Now imagine that one partner has decided she needs to get her hair done before the opening the following day and doesn't show up until late in the afternoon the day before. The other partner has realized long before the opening that she is going to have to do more than her fair share of work to have the opening be a success, so she calls a couple of friends who drive almost 3 hours to help her get ready. The friends put in a full day's work staying until about 1:30 in the morning to get the store ready while the other partner has left hours earlier after working only about 4 hours and are back the following morning when the shop opens to help some more.

Fast forward a month or two. Things have fallen into a comfortable routine and only one person at a time is necessary to run the shop. When one of the partners is working alone, the sales are fairly even, but when the other partner is working, sales are severely skewed in her favor. To me, that would be a red flag that something is wrong, but would be very hard to prove.

Along comes another special event and the two friends that helped with the opening are asked to come back and help out again. The have to take off work from their own jobs to be there, but they make the trip. After working for 3 days and losing 2 days pay each from their regular jobs, they are ready to make the nearly 3 hour trip back home. Knowing they don't have enough gas to get home, they ask for gas money. Their request is met with a blank stare from one of the partners, while the other partner manages to scrape up $30 of her own money since she is not "allowed" to get it from the cash register before the other partner goes over the receipt tape with a fine tooth comb.

What if one of the partners finally had enough, decided to leave the business and take her stock with her. Stock she ordered herself and was responsible for paying for directly to the companies they were ordered from. The companies the merchandise was ordered from would have the right to contact her for payment but that should be the end of the parnership with no further need for communication between the former partners, in my opinion. But, what if one of the partners were so vindictive and bent on revenge, she managed to find a lawyer that would take a case that has no merit. The kind of lawyer who would sue the family of a child hit by a car for damages to the car. I know its hard to believe there are people like that out there, but I'm told there are.

What if the partner who left the business now finds out that the other partner has decided to go after her house, which is the only thing she owns other than her car.

Sounds like a nightmare, doesn't it. But what if it wasn't, what would you do? If you were friends with the non-evil partner what would you suggest your friend do?

Trunk Show at Millcreek Sewing and Fabric

I will be spending most of the day tomorrow at Millcreek Sewing and Fabric in Erie, PA showing my quilts and demonstrating paper piecing. If you are in the area stop in and say hi. I will have at least 4 new designs with me to show and will add them to my website http://www.larkspurlanedesigns.com/ as soon as the patterns are ready.

Unfortunately, I have had to change some of my settings on my blog as far as comments are concerned. If you want to comment on a post you will need to become a follower of my blog. I'm sorry for the inconvenience but I have been receiving so many SPAM comments lately and I think this might be the only way to stop them. They come from a "no reply" address, so I can't block them as far as I know, but they often contain a link to another website that I am afraid to click on so I don't know where they would take me if I did.

Coming Soon!

Just so y'all know I'm not sitting around playing Freecell all day, which I do play a lot, but it helps me think, (at least that's the excuse I give my husband) this is a picture of some of the new designs I am working on. Clockwise from the top are CHRISTMAS BELLS ARE RINGING, HAUNTED HALLOWEEN, PAPER SNOWFLAKES and CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY TORTE. The Halloween quilt will be the first pattern available and will go to print next week, followed shortly by the bell table topper/tree skirt. I will be making a 16" square single block pillow of the Chocolate Raspberry Torte design and will include the foundation in the pattern for a bed size quilt. These designs will be added to my website http://www.larkspurlanedesigns.com/ as soon as they are ready but feel free to bug me about them if there is anything you are interested in right away. (I work best under a deadline)

You Just Have to See This!

I saw the most amazing crazy quilt pillow the other day made by a customer at the sewing machine store where I teach that I just have to share! Unfortunately, the only camera available at the time was the one in my phone, so the pictures aren't the best quality, but I'm going to post them anyway.

Janine Franc did all the embellishments by hand and it only took about 2 months to complete the pillow. She had a contest deadline, so she really pushed herself, but it was worth it because she said she won.

Sewing Room Horror Stories

When I teach a brand new quilter who has never touched a rotary cutter before, I make sure they know how dangerous a tool they can be. First I show them my scars and tell how I got them, then I proceed to tell them the horror stories I have heard or been witness to over the last 10 years. For instance, I have a friend that another friend has nicknamed "Nine Fingers". NF travels with my other friend and I on occasion to shows and helps us by cutting fabric for customers when we are busy. Within 3 months, she had cut herself 2 times. On the second accident is when she received her nickname. After we had her bandaged, she returned to the cutting table and picked something up. It was the tip of her finger.

I have left my rotary cutter open on the table, and since I am barefoot most of the time when I am home, when I knocked it off of the table, it landed on the top of my foot and cut me. From this experience, I now have a rule in the classroom. If I come by your table and your rotary cutter is open and you're not using it, you owe me a quarter.

I had one student who told me she left her cutter open on her table in her sewing room and her grandchild walked in and picked it up thinking it was a lollipop. I have forgotten the end of this story, unfortunately(maybe I blocked it out), so I don't know if she caught them in time or had to make a trip to the hospital.

I heard about a nationally known teacher who cut herself during a workshop she was teaching and asked for a needle and thread to sew her hand shut. Fortunately for herself and the workshop participants, the cut wasn't as bad as it could have been and the shop she was teaching for had butterfly bandages which did the trick.

Rotary cutters aren't the only dangerous tool in our studios. We have all seen or maybe own a tomato pincushion. How many needles do you think are lost inside of them? I'm betting close to 100. A friend of mine knocked hers off her sewing table and didn't notice until she stepped on it. She pulled about 80 needles out of her foot before she stopped counting.

Do you have any sewing room horror stories you'd like to share that I can include in my rotary cutter safety speech?

My Room at Seams Like Home!

This is the Hydrangea Room at the Seams Like Home Bed and Breakfast in Vanderbilt, Pennsylvania, where I was scheduled to teach a quilting retreat this weekend. I was lucky enough to be able to bring a friend with me to enjoy all the ammenities at this brand new B & B, so I am sharing this room with one of my best friends and having a wonderful time sewing away. I have known the owners, Donna and Rick Eicher, for about 5 years now, so I almost feel like family anyway, but I have a sneaking suspicion that they will make all of their guests feel that way.

The building has been completely re-done from its former life as an office building, so EVERYTHING inside is brand new. This is the view from the balcony down into the entrance. See the quilt block in the floor? The next picture is another view of the foyer from another angle.

You can see pictures of all of the rooms, including the lounge, on their website http://www.seamslikehomeretreat.com/

I have to admit I started quilting simply because I wanted a quilt for my bed and after 10 years, I still don't have one, but every guest bed has a quilt made just for that room. If they'd just let me move in, I NEVER have to make one for own bed!

Chautauqua Institution

What an amazingly creative place! I taught my first class yesterday afternoon and have 2 more to teach this week before I head back home to my regular teaching job. I am so inspired by everything else going on here, that if I could figure out a way to spend the entire season here, it would be a dream come true. I have so many new ideas that I can't wait to get back to my studio and try them out.

If you are ever in this area, even in the off-season, you would be so impressed with even just the grounds of Chautauqua Institution, it would be worthwhile to stop and check them out!

The people that volunteer here are friendly and helpful they make your visit even more enjoyable. The Special Studies classes being taught here are so diverse, you can come here and learn about almost anything, from Middle Eastern belly dancing to bridge, knitting to life casting, investing to yoga.

If I get the chance to take any new pictures while I'm here, I will post them soon.

Does anyone else have a place they know of that they consider "magical"?

My New "Toy"

I am mainly known for paper pieced designs, which I love to do, but I am starting to venture into some applique. My most recent applique design is the mermaid I have been working on. Because of a recent event at the sewing machine dealer where I teach, I have purchased an Accuquilt Studio Cutter and have inquired about having a custom die made to cut out my mermaid pieces. I should get a quote today to see if it is possible for me to produce my mermaid as a precut applique and offer her for sale without having to remortgage my house first!

I didn't buy any dies with the Studio Cutter, since I only bought it to do custom dies, so it is set up in a corner of my studio, just waiting to be put to work. I hope it isn't waiting too long. I have a lot of students who want to purchase my mermaid applique and put her on all sorts of things, like tote bags, jean jackets or make a small wall quilt like my sample, so I am hoping I don't have to disappoint them or make them wait too long.

Lakeview

This is a picture of the project I am teaching at Chautauqua Institution this year. It is a simple, paper pieced design I call Lakeview. This will be my first time teaching there and I am really excited! I hope I get the opportunity to teach there many more times.

Mermaids, mermaids and more mermaids

My family and I stopped at a roadside shop and saw this amazing fountain. The best I could do is take a photo since I don't have any place to put her or any money to buy her. I also have a small mermaid in my cottage, here in New York, where I got to spend the weekend, but I will have to add her later, since this isn't my computer and I don't know how to edit my photos in Paint. I had a friend meet me here at my cottage, so I was able to drink some wine and talk quilting for the whole weekend. What a great time. Next time, we bring sewing machines and no husband or kids!

Adding Details

Last night, I got brave and started stitching in a couple of details on my mermaid. She is only about 10" tall, so the most difficult part is deciding the scale of the details. I shortened the stitch length for the hair strands to 1.5, down from the default setting of 2.5. I also found a stitch on my machine that I thought mimicked fish scales and stitched some highlights on her tail. I think I will vary the width on the highlight stitching as it goes around curves when I re-do her, but for now, I am happy with the effect. Her face will be the most difficult part to do and I haven't decided if I want to stitch it or paint it yet. Any suggestions would be welcome!

Mermaid quilt started!

I got to spend the weekend with one of my best friends, who happens to be an amazing art quilter, so I was inspired to start working on my mermaid quilt. I drew my mermaid on Saturday, then started to play with different fabrics on Sunday. She is done with fusible web applique and I am pretty happy with the progress so far. My husband told me my original sketch was "comic book" good, which I took as a huge compliment coming from him. You can't see any details yet in the actual quilt, but I am planning to do some thread painting and beading and who knows what else!

This is so different from anything else I have done and I hope I continue to be inspired by this project and will post pictures as I go along.