Why I Design What I Design

There has been so much interest in my newest pattern, SPRING SHOWERS, including one message that read "I am not much on wall hangings but this is just so cute!!", that I thought I would explain why I design WHAT I design.

I like small projects because I get bored easily.
I like to see results quickly. (I made my newest version of SPRING SHOWERS  in two days and will post a picture of it as soon as it is quilted)
I like to change what I have on display in my home often.
My sewing time is limited so its easier to do small projects.
I like other people to see my quilts and don't want to drag them off to our bedrooms to "show off"!

How do you choose your projects? Are you like me and lose interest quickly? Is your time limited? Do you like to show off?

I'm a Cover Girl!!!

Wellllll, not really but....my block is a cover block! My clown block appears on the cover of the latest issue of 100 Blocks from Today's Top Designers in the upper left hand corner. This is my second time in this magazine but my first time on the cover! Who knows, maybe next time my name will be there! Always something to work towards in this business.

Lexa

This is a picture of Lexa Cleland, the beautiful, 7 year old daughter of my friend Nikki, who was tragically killed by a drunk driver in December 2010. She is the inspiration for my design, LEXA'S ANGEL, which I recently offered to quilt shops (only one per city) for use as a fundraiser for the Cleland Family.

I spent this whole weekend making sure the pattern is ready for those shops that respond to my offer and can now say it is ready! I have had a good number of shops contact me to participate but there are still lots of opportunities available. Since I am not charging the shops for the design it would be easy for participating shops to give a portion of the pattern price to The Cleland Family Fund and still cover any expenses such as paper and ink. Since the offer is limited to one shop per city it may help to draw customers to your shop that might not have visited otherwise if you promote the pattern on your website or in your newsletter.

We all have "angels" in our lives that this pattern or a quilt made from this pattern would be appreciated by as I can attest to from the calls I have received in regards to my design.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have about Lexa's Angel at larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com

An Exclusive Offer To Quilt Shop Owners



LEXA'S ANGEL

This is a picture of the actual quilt I made for my friend Nikki. It is hanging in Nikki's room at a rehab center where she is recovering from a car accident. Nikki's car was hit head on by a drunk driver in early December 2010. Sadly, she lost her beautiful, 7 year old daughter, Lexa, in the accident.

I took my design to my favorite, local quilt shop, Quilter's Corner in Finleyville, PA and spoke to the owner about using my design to raise funds for my friend's family. Mary Beth Hartnett went way beyond my expectations and produced a kit that she offered for a suggested donation of $6, of which, every penny went to the fund. Her total donation consisted of the fabric, the paper and ink to print the foundation, the packaging and the hourly salaries of her employees while putting the kits together!

She has had numerous inquiries from people in other states about getting the kits mailed out, but as you can see from my description above, she has done more than her fair share considering the only thing she is getting out of this project is a little extra foot traffic in her shop.

So I had the idea to offer this block to one quilt shop per city. The first quilt shop to contact me, from each city, about getting the block in their shop and agrees to use it as a fundraiser, to benefit THE CLELAND FAMILY FUND, will get a PDF of my design to use in any way you choose.

If, at some point, my friend and her family no longer need these funds, I will offer them to another organization, such as MADD, but for now, this design is solely intended to be used to help raise funds for my friend.

If you have any questions or want to reserve the block for your quilt shop, please feel free to contact me via email at: larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com

By the way, if you don't own a quilt shop but are interested in getting this pattern, feel free to pass this information on to your favorite, local quilt shop.

Quilting Gallery Weekly Contest-Nursery Rhymes

This is a picture of my quilt, Three Little Pigs, that I have entered in the most recent Quilting Gallery contest. The theme is nursery rhymes and there are some wonderful quilts in the contest. Check them out and vote for your favorite at: http://www.quiltinggallery.com/

My quilt has raffia straw, and several 3 dimensional elements such as the ears, legs, and tail as well as either a polymer clay button or applique for the nose and beads for the eyes. I hope you like it!

So Anyway...

This is a better picture of the project I was teaching when I had my little heart "episode". Its a design I worked on a few years ago and then got distracted and moved on to something else. People have been asking me for awhile when it will be ready as a pattern and I can finally say, "IT'S READY!"

It measures 26" x 33", and is a paper piecing project. The pattern retails for $12.50 because of the buttons that are included (3 rain drops, 2 ladybugs and beads for the eyes).

If anyone out there is interested in purchasing this pattern send me an email and I will make arrangements to get it to you. larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com

Interesting Class--not necessarily in a good way

This picture is of a class I was teaching yesterday at Sew Special in Uniontown PA and I was having a wonderful time untillll....my heart decided to "freak out". Things were going so great and my students were amazing! We were getting ready to break for lunch when all of a sudden my heart started to race and sitting outside in the cool air and deep breathing didn't help. One of my wonderful students, Julie, is a nurse who had just come off an extra long shift, took it upon herself to take care of me. She took me to urgent care where they told me they weren't equipped to care for me there and I needed to go to the emergency room. Unfortunately, the shop is an hour away from home and since I was being stubborn and insisted I go home to be seen the shopowner drove me in my car to the hospital closest to my home.

 Just so you don't think I am a total moron, this has happened very infrequently to me since I was a teenager and I have been checked before so I don't think it is anything to be overly concerned about but this time was a little different in that it went on longer than usual, I was getting light headed and started to sweat. By the time I reached the hospital my heart rate was back to normal and they couldn't find any reason for the problem in the first place but I will be making an appointment with a cardiologist just to be sure.

The class was for my design, SPRING SHOWERS, which you can see hanging on the wall in the photo (click on photo to enlarge). My students were so understanding and I got a couple of hugs before I left for the hospital so they made it easier for me to go. I have never left a class in the middle before so it was a difficult thing for me to do and I will be talking with Donna, the shopowner, to reschedule with the ladies, but I can't thank them enough for being so wonderful to me!

Real Men Knit (and felt)!

I spent this past weekend at the 7th Annual Pittsburgh Knit and Crochet Festival in Mars, Pa and had the opportunity to meet Randy Grossman, a former Pittsburgh Steeler, and teach him how to use a Babylock Embellisher to make a felted pin designed by Margo Duke.

Unfortunately, the only camera I had available was on my phone and I had to get back to work so this is the only photo I got at the event and wouldn't you know it...my eyes are closed! But in this photo you can see the pin Randy made on his left chest as well as ONE of his Super Bowl rings.

We taught more than 300 people to make this pin over the weekend and got to meet many wonderful people as well as show them just a few of the wonderful things you can do with the Babylock Embellisher. I can't wait to get mine!

By the way, I would LOVE to hear about projects you've done on your Babylock Embellisher!

2011 Quilting and Needlework Seminars at Trax Market

I am pleased to announce that I have been asked to participate in Quilter's Corner's seminar day at Trax Farm! Every year the ladies from my favorite local quilt shop plan a wonderful day of demos and lectures. I have never been able to attend before because I always had to work but this year I have been able to make plans to be there as a lecturer.

I will be showing my favorite techniques and tricks for paper piecing and I am so excited to share what I know! The details for this special event are as follows:

2011 Quilting and Needlework Seminars at Trax Market


Saturday ~ March 12th


10:30am – 4:15pm


For the past several years we have spent an entire winter day in the cozy atmosphere of Trax Market. The change in scenery allows us to share over 25 different topics, both lecture and hands-on presentations, in a “round robin” format, special quilt displays, charitable opportunities, yummy box lunches, goodie bags and door prizes.


The event continues to be met with overwhelming praise – we would love to have you join us this year. Seminar teachers are already getting their plans in order, (including information about the new Bread and Butter Society, our Quilts of Valor initiative, new block of the month offerings…), so that we may share a complete schedule for the event mid February.

Please register as soon as possible as spaces fill very quickly! Fee: $39.50

I stopped at the shop yesterday and was told there were a few spots still available so if you live in Pittsburgh or coming for a visit and want to take part in this wonderful opportunity call asap and reserve your spot--724-348-8010

Computer Headaches and Wonderful Friends

Can anything else bring on a headache like switching to a new computer can?!? My answer to that question would be, "NO!".
I haven't blogged much lately as I have been trying to get all of my old files over to my new computer without losing anything and that includes my mind. I shouldn't be complaining and I'm really not. More like venting, I guess. But its hard to be creative when your tools don't work properly. My old computer was 8 years old and was hanging on by a thread. It would shut itself off often right in the middle of a project and I would lose what I was working on.

A new computer has been on my list of things I need but just hasn't been in the budget but I happen to be able to count among my friends one of the most generous people on earth. I won't mention their name but this person needs their money as badly as the rest of us but chose to surprise me with a new laptop a couple of weeks ago!

Anyway, since my last post lots of things have happened. I found out I was nominated for Teacher of The Year by one of my students and am waiting to see who The Professional Quilter decides deserves that honor. I also entered my first major quilt show and am anxious to see if my quilt makes it in.Quiltmaker has chosen another of my designs to publish later this year,(more on that later). And I have several classes and lectures scheduled so far for this year.

I also saw my friend Nicole a couple of weeks ago and showed her the angel block I designed in honor of her daughter who was killed by a drunk driver in early December as a fundraiser for her family. Nikki is an inspiration to me. I went to see her to comfort her and instead left comforted BY her. To date, the quilt shop that is making kits to make the block have "sold" about 150 kits and are still cutting more.

I have at least a dozen new designs nearly ready to be published so, with any luck and my new computer, they should be available soon. Its going to be a good year!

Angel Kits are Ready!

PRESS RELEASE

LOCAL QUILT ARTIST DESIGNS COMMEMORATIVE BLOCK TO BENEFIT
THE CLELAND FAMILY FUND

PITTSBURGH, PA, JANUARY 12, 2011: Last month, many were devastated by the fatal car accident which took the life of 7-year-old Lexa Cleland and left her mother, Nicole, facing numerous surgeries and months of recovery. Local quilt designer and friend of the Cleland family, Sue Cook, realized she has a unique way to help the family and inspire others to do the same.

Sue is known for the extraordinary pieced pictorial work she offers through her company, Larkspur Lane Designs, and for patterns featured in numerous quilting magazines. To help her friend and to honor the memory of Lexa, Ms. Cook has designed a pattern for a beautiful foundation-pieced block appropriately titled Lexa’s Angel. This piece displays an ethereal angel, which can be finished as a small wall quilt or pillow. Several angels could become the centerpiece of an exceptional quilt. A kit for the block, including the foundation paper and fabric similar to Sue’s original is available from Quilter’s Corner in Finleyville for a suggestion donation of $6.00. One hundred percent of the proceeds from each Angel kit sold will go directly to the Cleland Family Benefit Fund to aide the family during this difficult time. Each completed block will help preserve the memory of a special child.

Contact Quilter's Corner at 724-348-8010 to get your kit.

Update on Lexa's mom

To those of you who read my blog with any regularity you know about my friend Nicole's accident in December in which she lost her 7 year old daughter, Lexa. I received a short message from Nikki via Facebook last night in which she told me she likes my angel block, Lexa's Angel. I was able to go to her FB page and check on her progress so I thought I would update those who have asked about her condition.

Nikki had her 4th surgery earlier this week and will be moved to a nursing home soon to complete her recovery. She will probably be there for 3 to 6 months and her doctors are confident she will walk again someday.

For anyone that wants to help Nikki and her family financially there is a fund set up at the First National Bank, called The Cleland Family Fund. If you'd like to send a check their address is 2550 Brownsville Rd, South Park, PA 15129.

My favorite local quilt shop, Quilters' Corner in Finleyville PA, is also helping me with a project to benefit Nikki and her family. They are designing a small project based on my angel block and selling kits. The kits are inexpensive and all of the money raised by them will go to the fund. I will post the information here when all of the details are finalized.

Why I Design

LEXA'S ANGEL

When Wayne Kollinger asked me to blog about why I design and to help inspire others to try their hand at designing, I was flattered...then I thought "Wouldn't that be like shooting myself in the foot?" But after a little more thought, I realized that even though I am a designer myself, I still like other peoples' designs and although I don't do it often, I still purchase patterns by other designers and I'm hoping others will do the same. So, here goes nothing!

Why I Design
The first reason I design is because I LOVE IT!
I love creating something from a thought, something that hasn't been done before or, even if it has been done before, doing it better. I have designed since I was a small child. I started out making dolls out of the wooden spoons that came with little cups of ice cream. My friends and I would draw faces on them and then make paper clothes. I sure wish I had saved some because I would love to look at them now.

I was fortunate to be chosen to take art lessons at our branch of the Carnegie Museum and did that every Saturday for about 3 or 4 years during grade school. When I went on to high school, I took only the required courses and then filled the rest of my day with art and craft classes. If I couldn't do something creative with my life I don't think it would be worth living!

Out of high school I went on to art school and earned a two year degree in graphic arts. My first job after finishing school was with a fine jeweler. After learning how to carve the waxes used in lost wax casting and to melt and pour the gold I was given the opportunity to do a little designing of my own. I worked in that industry for about 15 years before being bitten by the quilting bug.

COUNTRY CLAUS

The second reason I design is because I CAN!
Designing is the one thing for which I feel I have a talent. And I think we should all be using our talents to make other people happy and to make the world a better place.

For example, my design called LEXA'S ANGEL is my way of helping a friend deal with a recent tragedy in her life. My friend lost her 7 year old daughter Lexa in a car accident with a drunk driver December 6th, 2010. I made a small donation to a fund set up for her family and will continue to donate to that fund as I am able but my design abilities make it possible for me to help her in a bigger way and also to give others the opportunity to help her as well and get something in return.

The third reason I design is because I LIKE A CHALLENGE!
I will redraw a design as many times as necessary to make it as perfect as possible. My final version of LEXA'S ANGEL was the 11th version of that design. The original drawing was done about 4 years ago but I never did anything with it because there were other designs and deadlines that took priority. Now I'm glad I didn't use that design before because I think there was a bigger purpose for it.

The fourth reason I design is I LIKE THE ATTENTION IT GETS ME! 
The feeling I get when someone tells me how much they like my designs or how much they enjoyed making one of my designs is amazing. Every once in awhile I'll get a card in the mail or an email in which someone tells me the story behind a quilt they made from one of my patterns, such as who it was made for and why and that can totally make my day!

Warning

This has absolutely nothing to do with quilting but this is the only blog I write and I think it is important information so I will post it here. My friend's step-father just died last week and he had one of those policies that would/should pay for his funeral. Most people think you can sign the policy over to the funeral home and all the expenses will be covered. Maybe some work that way but this one didn't. They had to sign the policy over to an agency that will pay the claim in a couple of weeks but they had to pay the funeral home up front. They didn't have the money to pay so they were forced to borrow it from the agency at 40% interest!

This doesn't seem legal, moral or fair to me in any sense but when it comes to a dealing with the death of someone whose final arrangements must be taken care of in a timely manner you don't have many options. Funeral homes know this and I feel they take advantage of  the family of the deceased. This is just my opinion but it makes me wonder how some people can sleep at night.

Read the fine print is all I can say.

My Newest Angel

This is the latest version of my Angel pattern that I have sewn out. I have gotten such a wonderful response to the earlier version that I decided to work on the original design and have made some changes. Anyone that got the earlier version and would like to have the newest version can send me an email and I will send it out.

Anyone else that would like to make a donation to The Cleland Family Fund and receive my Angel pattern as a "Thank You" from me would be much appreciated.

Nicole Cleland is a friend of mine who was involved in a car accident earlier this month with a drunk driver. Her 7 year old daughter Lexa was killed in the accident and Nicole has more surgeries ahead of her and about 5 months of recovery. There is no telling when or if she will be able to return to work.

The Cleland Family Fund is set up at The First National Bank:
2550 Brownsville Rd.
South Park PA 15129
412-831-4800

Send me an email after you make your donation and I will email you the pattern for Lexa's Angel. larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com

Thank you!
Sue

Kate's Angel

This is my new friend Kate's version of my design, Lexa's Angel. My post about my friend Nicole's situation struck a chord for Kate as she has had her own family tragedy to deal with and she generously made a donation to help a total stranger. My friend Nicole was involved in a car accident a couple of weeks ago in which she lost her 7 year old daughter, Lexa.

I don't have any new information about Nicole's condition right now but I know she made it through her most recent surgery. I'm not sure how many more she will have to endure but she is holding her own at this time.

Nicole's car was struck head on by a drunk driver when she and her 2 daughters were on their way to pick her husband up from work. Her 11 month old daughter is being cared for by family members until Nicole is well enough to do it herself. There has been no indication as to when that might be, unfortunately.

If anyone would like to help Nicole and her family, there is a fund, THE CLELAND FAMILY FUND, set up for them at The First National Bank, 2550 Brownsville Rd, South Park, PA 15129, 412-831-4800.

Chautauqua Institution Summer Program 2011

I got an email confirming my proposal to teach at Chautauqua Institution has been accepted! This will be my second year on the special programs faculty and I am really excited to be participating. This year I will be teaching 2 weeks instead of 1. My class will run the first week and again the sixth week and will be open to daily students as well as those that want to take all the sessions. I don't have all the details yet but will post them as soon as I can.

Last year my class was three sessions, 2 hours each and I taught my own design called Lakeview. It was a paper pieced design in which I had the opportunity to show how to get a directional piece of fabric into a quilt. I haven't decided what the project or projects will be this time around but I want to show the technique for directional piecing again as well as a paper pieced "Y" seam.

If you've never been to Chautauqua Institution you owe it to yourself to check it out. It is one of my most favorite places in the world! Their website is http://www.ciweb.org/

Snide or Truthful?

There has been a discussion lately on a Yahoo Group for quilt designers about quilt magazines and whether they are worth buying anymore. Someone had criticized the magazines for lacking design inspiration. Another designer commented that if we, as designers, are looking to the magazines for inspiration we aren't working very hard at coming up with original and innovative ideas. Another designer took great offense to this statement and after I added my two cents (which maybe I should have kept it my pocket) personally emailed me and told me my reply was "snide" and she was leaving the group because she had had enough of snide comments. I simply stated that there are designers out there who change the color of a design and call it their own and there are designers out there who know a great design/idea when they steal it. But I think the kicker was when I said, "If the shoe fits, put it on." She took that as a personal attack, I think. I certainly didn't mean it that way and after we emailed back and forth several times, with me trying to apologize for offending her, I gave up. After all, the only people who would be offended by what I said are people with a guilty conscience or a lack of confidence in their design abilities.

I sent an apology to the group just in case others thought my reply was "snide" but I have gotten nothing but positive replies. I didn't apologize for what I said but more like how I said it.

Anyway, I'd love to hear what others outside of the design industry think about the quilting magazines. I think one magazine, in particular, has stepped up its game. The latest issue of Quiltmaker has some amazing quilts in it and their special issue, 100 Blocks From Today's Top Designers, is genius. I may be biased since I had a block in the first issue and might have one in the third, but either way, I think the concept is really great.

Do you still subscribe to magazines? Have you dropped some and picked up others? Are you more likely to buy a book or a pattern over a magazine? Do you scour the internet for free patterns? I would love to hear your thoughts.

A Christmas Angel is born

In a season that should be filled with joy a tragedy is especially hard to understand. This past Saturday night, my friend Nicole and her 2 daughters were on their way to pick up their father from work when a 23 year old man who had just left a bar on the South Side of Pittsburgh crossed the yellow line and struck Nicole's car head on. Her 7 year old daughter, Lexa, was pronounced dead at the hospital later that night. Nicole's other daughter was treated and released to her family as Nicole is in critical condition and has several surgeries and about 5 months of recovery in front of her.

This young man was able to get out of his car and run away. He was found hiding behind a building not far from the scene of the accident. There are so many labels I want to give this "man", but it would be useless and a waste of energy since his own guilt and whatever punishment he is given by the courts will have to suffice until he is judged by God.

I have decided to try and help Nicole and her family instead of focusing on his lost soul. There is a fund set up for Nicole and her family that is accepting monetary donations and I am offering to send anyone who donates to that fund an emailed copy of my design, LEXA'S ANGEL, pictured above.

Donations can be sent to:
The Cleland Family Fund
c/o The First National Bank
2550 Brownsville Rd.
South Park PA 15129
412-831-4800

I know quilters are very generous people by nature so I hope if you are able to send anything, you will. I will be honest and tell you I have no way of knowing if someone actually sends a donation but I trust that people are generally good.

After you make your donation, send me an email at larkspurlanedesigns@yahoo.com and I will email you the pattern.

Thank you and God bless you,
Sue

Paper Piecing using the card method

Madame asked me to post a picture using the card method for paper piecing so that's what I am doing! This picture shows the card (blue) which I placed on top of the foundation covering the number 1 segment and folding back the paper on the line between the number 1 segment and number 2 segment. I then line the 1/4" mark on my rotary ruler with the fold of the paper and trim the exposed fabric.

The next picture shows the same thing but using the Add-A-Quarter Ruler instead of a rotary ruler.

I hope this helps Madame.