2009 I S.E.W. So I Hop

The 2009 I S.E.W. Hop is just around the corner! Here are the details:



May 8 & 9, 2009, all shops are open 9am-7pm

10 participating quilt shops in the North Idaho/Eastern Washington area

Becky's Fabrics & Bernina
Emerald Garden
Grammy G's
Hawthorne Gallery
Quilted Heart, LLC
Quilt Something
Rather-Be's
Small Towne Quilts
Stitches and Petals,
and of course, me! The Crazy Quilter

Hoppers will receive a FREE fat quarter of your choice at each participating shop, plus door prizes, snacks, and lots of fun! Grand prize includes a $25 gift certificate to each of the 10 shops!

When you complete your shop hop passport, you'll also receive an exclusive FREE pattern!

Visit the shop, or email me through my website if you would like additional details, including a road map.

Happy Hopping!

Ge Designs and Comforts of Home Update

The Comforts of Home block of the month is sitting in my dining room/quilting room. Each section is completed, and it is ready for the wool, which I am patiently (OK, not so patiently) awaiting to arrive so I can add the appliques. Pictures will be added as soon as I get it! This block of the month will begin as soon as the sample is completed.

A few weeks ago, Gudrun of GE Quilt Designs so nicely talked about me in her blog. You can read her blog at:

http://www.gudrun.typepad.com/

Here you will find her upcoming patterns, design process, and more. I love her patterns, so it is great to get a sneak peak at what is coming next!

New Charms Idea - Neptune Necklace

I've posted before about the new site, Moda Bake Shop, that gives great ideas for using all of Moda's precut fabrics. Here is one we tried at the shop that I love!


This fashionable necklace features charms from a Neptune charm pack. Of course, you can make it from any charm pack for a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelery. This is a great kid's project, and one charm pack will make several. Or, make a bracelet to match! You can find the directions for this project here: http://www.modabakeshop.com/2009/03/neptune-necklace.html


The colors and prints in this charm pack are great. Makes me wish I had ordered the line in, but I just can't get them all! Believe me, I would if I could!

New Pattern from Abbey Lane Quilts

I've just received a new shipment of patterns from a company I haven't tried before. I'm excited to try some of their unique and fresh designs! You can check out their website, including a nice blog, at:

www.abbeylanequilts.com

View the patterns I have in stock under New Additions in the catalog!

The Happiest Vacation on Earth

My family and I just returned from a fantastic vacation at Disneyland! I am, of course, way behind on blogging about the wonderful new things at the shop lately, but first, here are a few pictures from our first ever bonafide family vacation. Look closely - you might see the promised Sun Surf Halter!

Direct From Portland

This weekend is the Spring Trends show at Portland, an open-house event for retailers at E.E. Schenck, a Portland based fabric and notions supplier. After arriving late last night, my mom and I spent a long day at their warehouse, shopping til we dropped! My Durango is loaded with some great new things! Fabric, patterns, books, notions, you name it, it's in my car and headed home tomorrow! My dad and husband came with us this time, so it's been quite a comical trip.

Monday and Tuesday this coming week will consist of a marathon of quilting for me, as I try to squeeze in as much time as possible before we head off to Disneyland. Yes-That's Right! DISNEYLAND!!! We've been planning a special Spring Break trip as a surprise for the kids, and we leave Thursday for 5 days at Disneyland. Yes, I know I'm crazy, you did read the title of this blog, didn't you??

After I return, hopefully tanned and happy, it's back to school to finish my degree in May. Will's birthday is the 26th of March, so there's a party in there somewhere. Not to mention, 2 quilt shows in April, a shop-hop in May, a quilt shop basement to clean and repair, and a TON of new samples to figure out how to complete. All as I continue to chip away at the mountain of quilting to be done. Whew.....I'm tired just thinking about it!

Watch for pictures of the first Sun Surf Halter, which I finished Thursday evening. It's the cutest thing you've ever seen, and it was super easy, taking only 2 or 3 hours to complete. So maybe it fits my almost 12 year old daughter and it was supposed to fit my almost 7 year old daughter......did I mention the pattern runs large?

By the way - I think I saw some notes about a "Boss Is Away" sale some one is planning. You might want to pencil in a trip to Deary for some great deals next week!

Now I Get It.......

I asked in my previous post what "Steamy Quilting" is and why everyone's searching for it. Thanks to a kind reader, now I know! You can too, if you visit the following website:

http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=35

Scroll down to "Listener Limerick Challenge" and listen for a few minutes. Turns out there was an interesting incident involving a recent quilting magazine article. It's actually quite funny, they had to sell the Jan/Feb. issue of Quilter's Home Magazine inside an opaque cover because the article title printed on the cover was too "Steamy" for store shelves. Yes, this is a quilting magazine we're talking about!

I tried to find this magazine online, and no luck. The copy of the issue I did find didn't refer to Steamy Quilting anywhere I could see. I guess they caved under the pressure and changed their cover.