I've Reached the Breaking Point

Well, it finally happened. I was rude to a customer this morning. I can only be pushed so far, and I found my breaking point this morning. It's all because of that silly little Fab Shop Hop bunny.
The Fab Shop Hop is an online shop hop. Basically, participating shops hide a bunny somewhere in their online catalog. (Mine is hiding among the Quilt Kits) Then, participants in the shop hop go to each participating shop's website and locate the bunny. By clicking on the bunny from each shop, participants complete the shop hop. Once all bunnies have been found, the participant is entered into prize drawings.
Sounds simple enough, right? The bunny is not allowed to be placed more than 2 clicks from the home page. This means that all of my fabric sections are off limits, since they're all 3 clicks away. Thus, the Quilt Kits placement of my bunny.
Well........sometimes that bunny is a little too elusive, and customers glance right over it. No problem, they usually email me and I respond with a clue. Usually my clue is to just tell them where it is. Even so, some customers send what I consider to be rude and unnecessary emails. I don't know what it is about that bunny, but it brings out the worst in some people when they can't find it. I get comments at least once every week insinuating that I have placed my bunny in a purposely impossible location, that I'm unhelpful, like I want them to fail. Keep in mind that these are the first emails from that person asking for help. I haven't even been given a chance to assist before they assume I won't help.
If you know me at all, you know that I respond to 99% of emails within a couple hours, and 100% within a day. (I can't help it, I'm an Internet junkie) What's that got to do with anything, you ask? Well, this morning I received a particularly rude email stating that I hadn't given a clue, she had searched over 5 clicks away from the home page, and concluding with "If you can't help me, why should I spend my money with you."
I guess I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, because I couldn't be sweet and nice. After searching my email boxes to be sure that I hadn't missed a previously sent email, I informed her of my bunny's location, and that I don't appreciate her attitude or her rude email. I guess I'm officially done taking any guff via email. The majority of customers are very polite in asking for help, but the ones that aren't spoil it for everyone.
If you're looking for that bunny and you need some help, don't hesitate to call or email me. If you don't intend to try badgering or bullying me, you have nothing to worry about. I'm really not a mean person, I promise not to bite you're head off via email! I might even be kind and polite, given the chance.

Upcoming Events in Quilting

Here is a list of what's coming up in the next couple months!

April 24th is the one year anniversary of my Moda University quilt club! I am so excited that Moda University continues to gain popularity. With the introduction of my website last Fall, I have also been able to gain new members from all over the country! I hope you'll all join me for another fun year of Moda fabric and quilts. Check for details each month on my Moda University web page.

May 3rd is the next Sip & Sew date at The Crazy Quilter. This is a fun-sew day where quilters in our area gather to spend a day of quilting. $10/day includes all day sewing, free help, and soup for lunch!

May 5 I will be speaking at a ladies lunch in Troy, a small town between Deary and Moscow, ID. Not too bad for a gal who put off "public speaking" class in college until I changed my major and it wasn't required! OK, so I haven't prepared and have no idea what I'll be talking about........maybe I should wait to brag.

May 9th and 10th is the I Sew so I Hop Shop Hop. This shop hop involves 9 shops from Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho. Completed passports receive a free pattern, participants receive goodies and 1 free fat quarter from each shop they visit! It's sure to be lots of fun. Here's a pic of our version of the shop hop quilt, which uses Holly Taylor's latest, Natural Garden. This is the free pattern you'll receive for completing the hop. Email or call me if you would like more information on this hop!

May 11 is Kylee's birthday! She is my middle child, turning 6 this Spring.

May 16, 17, and 18th I will be traveling to Portland for Spring Quilt Market. Watch for pictures from Market, since I've learned my lesson and I'm never traveling without my lap top again! Also, watch for new and exciting products that I discover at Market. It's sure to be entertaining, at least, since my mom and a couple friends who help at my store will be accompanying me! Thankfully, we're close enough to drive, so I won't risk getting sick on a plane!

May 23-26th, you can find me on the lake, opening the boating season. We always try to go camping on the lake with the kids, depending on the weather. This month, it will also depend on whether we have to take a second mortgage to buy gas for the Durango and the boat! (OK, so this has nothing to do with quilting, but I'm still excited about it)

June 7th will find my mom, a friend, and myself attending a class in Walla Walla, WA taught by Kim Diehl. Kim is an Idaho quilter who makes beautiful quilts using invisible machine applique. I hope to learn her techniques well enough to bring them to my customers, since Kim's schedule is booked through 2009! I already carry several of Kim's books and products in my store.

June 16-22 brings the Bee Bop Shop Hop. This means long hours at the shop, compared to my usual 8-3 schedule! Still, it will be lots of fun!

June 23rd is Bailey's birthday. My oldest is turning 11! How time flies.......

Wow, what a schedule! Things here are sure to stay interesting!

Confession Time!

So......I have a confession. I am not actually making Blossom myself. Yes, shocking, I know! I passed it on to a friend who makes things for the shop when I need her. I'm living vicariously through her, so does that count for leaving Blossom on my "Current Projects" list?

I am moving Makin' the Cut up to the Current list too. I promise, I really am making this one myself, at least for now. I found this pattern and saw the sample at Fall Market, and I've been waiting until the new Kansas Troubles line, Garden Inspirations was released. Garden Inspirations is here, and this quilt is going to be great! So far so good, it is mostly strip piecing using a jelly roll, which has gone extremely fast! Pairing the darker colors with the light background makes for a stunning quilt.

I wish I could say the same for quilting lately. I'm afraid I'm fighting a losing battle. I am now booked out almost to the end of June, and that's if I quilt every day between now and then. Of course, that doesn't always happen. Especially with the next few months' schedule! I am working on being at peace with the fact that I can no longer return a quilt within 3 weeks, which used to be my normal lead time. If only my customers could be at peace with me, we'd all be happy! I'd show you a picture of my "quilt mountain," but you might wonder how I get anything done at all without losing your quilts, so I'll keep that to myself!

Pirates Need Their Sleep, Too

Ever since Pirates of the Caribbean, Will has loved pirates. The year before last, he got a Jack Sparrow dress up kit, complete with a plastic sword that mysteriously dissappeared a few months later. Here he is enjoying his toys.

Will has 2 pirate figures he got with a couple Happy Meals this past month. Since he loves pirates, Will plays with them all the time, they're always the main characters in some involved scenario. Climbing Spud Hill, (the hill behind our house), fighting each other, fighting the dinosaurs, etc. Last night, after brushing his teeth, Will came up with a new idea.
Will decided to make the pirates a bed. A "puny" bed, in Will's words. (Will never says small or little, everything is puny. He's come up with more ways to use the word "puny" than I ever knew possible) Apparently, after all that climbing and fighting, the pirates were tired. Here they are, tucked in safe and sound on Will's bookshelf.

Nightie-Night!

Quilting Product of the Week-Layer Cakes

This is a belated post that should have been up Monday. I am still catching up.........

This week, I am introducing Layer Cakes. Layer Cakes are Moda's latest brain child. They are basically a new addition to the family of precut fabric, ala charm squares and jelly rolls. Layer Cakes are packets of 40 10" squares. Each packet sells for $29.99.
Of course, there are now patterns designed for Layer Cakes popping up everywhere. Although I haven't found many that I love yet, more and more designers continue to join the Layer Cake movement. These patterns can be used with any fabric you can cut into 10" squares, not just layer cakes. The attractiveness of the layer cake, however, is that you get precut pieces, and in perfectly coordinated variety. It is difficult and expensive to purchase 40 different fabrics. However, in a layer cake, you get 40 different pieces easily. Like charm packs and jelly rolls, this creates beautifully coordinated quilts with very unique looks because of the variety.

I am planning to start making the Blossom quilt soon. I saw this quilt done up in a shop in Salt Lake City, and, like most, it is much cuter than the picture. For now, I've filed the "At Water's Edge" quilt (the one with the circles and paper pieceing) with the "some day" pile, since I've decided it's not worth the trouble for now.

Cute Sun Hat

I meant to be more timely, and make myself a sun hat before we left for Jamaica. Well, that didn't happen, or I wouldn't have had that sunburn along my hair line! My new goal is to make one for this Summer, if Summer actually makes it to the Northwest this year. Here is the hat I am going to try:

Wish me luck!

Snorkeling in Jamaica

Here are some pics of Monte and I snorkeling in Jamaica. This was a complimentary service included at the resort, and we wished we had tried it earlier in our trip. We didn't try it until Sunday, and only got to go once, but it was a lot of fun.



After we survived our Canopy Tour, the rest of our vacation went by fast, but relaxed. I had a wonderful massage on Saturday morning, and Monte took advantage of my being gone to lay by the pool without sunscreen. We have this sunscreen battle at home every Summer, he hates it and doesn't think he needs it. So, by Friday evening Monte was completely fried, shins, face, and stomach! I had a dalmation style sunburn, each day I gained a new spot wherever I missed the sunscreen. First my right shin, then my left shoulder, then my hairline, which has just now finished peeling!
We had a lovely meal Sunday evening at the Italian restaurant at Sandals. Our meal at "Tokyo Joe's" was equally as good Friday. Monte was all ready to order the beef appetizer, until our server mentioned that the beef was served raw. "Are you OK, sir?" I heard her ask, and when I looked up at Monte his eyes were bulging at the thought of raw beef. With her Jamaican accent, it took Monte a few seconds to realize that he should order the "Vegetable Spring Roll" instead!

One Show Down, One to Go!

This past weekend was the annual Palouse Patcher's Quilt Show in Moscow, ID. Being a vendor at quilt shows is a lot more work than it appears, but I find it is usually worth it. This weekend's show had great attendence, despite near 80 degree temperatures that might have kept people outside instead of quilt gazing. The show went well for me, and now I am looking forward to the Seaport Quilt Show in Clarkston, WA the last weekend in April.
Here is a pic of my booth, as promised. Now I get to rearrange and rethink the booth for Clarkston, since some things sold out, some were not as popular as I'd hoped, and some new things will be done before then. So much to do, so little time, as usual!

Tarzan & Jane - Sort Of

Day 3 of our trip to Jamaica finds us relaxing on the beach through the morning. We're finally starting to relax, but the thought of that Canopy Tour is hanging over us. Still not sure how it's going to go, we board the bus that will take us there at 12:30pm. There's a video link to the tour from the link above, but you need a super speed connection to view it!

Luckily, our fears were unwarranted. After an hour long drive through Montego Bay and into the jungle, finally through a 1700 acre orange grove, we arrived at the tour site. There were about 12 people in our group, and 2 other groups behind us. The guides made jokes and made everyone feel at ease, and even though every time I jumped from a platform, my stomach threatened to leap out my throat, I made it through in one piece. I didn't look anything like Jane on that zip line, but Monte was much more graceful.



Obviously, we made it back to the resort in one piece!