Fall Classes

After taking a long hiatus from offering a class schedule, I have decided to offer new classes this Fall and Winter! The classes through September are listed on the "News and Classes" page now, you can view them here. Questions, requests? Send me an email through my home page!

Who's going to be the first one to touch the ocean?!

Last week, I took a much needed break to visit the Oregon Coast with my husband and our three youngest kids. (The three that I get to share my very own DNA with. Some day they will thank me for this, I'm sure)

Charlie especially wanted to see Crater Lake, and since this was to be nothing if not a sight seeing trip, we hit the lake first thing. We drove from 12:30am Monday morning until about 9:30am to see this:

After looking around a bit, we excitedly headed for the coast. Well, at least we thought we did. See, Kylee and I had done some preliminary research the week before, and decided to pick Gold Beach as our first coastal stop. (OK, so I picked it and Kylee just wrote it down. I admit it, it was my fault already!)
Little did we know that there isn't exactly a main highway from Crater Lake straight to Gold Beach. In fact, my Garmin GPS didn't know this either. It deceivingly gave us directions, turn by turn, as if it were no big deal. By 2:30pm, we were headed up a winding, one lane, mountain road that looked alarmingly similar to the set of Deliverance.

The GPS said we'd be hitting the sandy beaches by 4:00pm. But, after several "keep lefts" and "turn rights" we were still in the mountains at 4:30pm. In fact, the only things keeping my from insisting we turn around were the road markers every few miles that said "Coastal Route" and the nearly full tank of gas in the car.

At one point, Charlie said that he needed to take a potty break, but thought twice about getting too far from the road in fear of ending up squealing like a pig.

About an hour into it, my car actually started to smell hot. My brand new, still on manufacturer warranty, car, started to smell hot!

The entire way we kept meeting large econoline vans, pulling trailers full of river rafts. We even saw a sign warning vehicles to use a CB radio if possible. I'm pretty sure every one of those vans was using their radio, to warn the vans behind them about the stupid ****'s from Idaho in the red car headed their way!

At what might have been the top of the mountain, we pulled into an overlook area and met a couple from Holland who were headed the opposite direction. They were on a 4 week vacation, and didn't seem alarmed at all about the road they were traveling. They must have some fierce traffic in Holland!

Finally, delirious from hours on a winding, narrow road that seemed to go nowhere, we emerged on some highway where there was road construction, complete with flaggers, and deep, unmarked trenches that tried to rip my car apart and swallow it. I'm pretty sure it will never be the same. The moose was no match for backwoods Oregon!

And then, just when I was about ready to turn around and go home, we finally found Highway 101, and Gold Beach. Actually, it was all worth it, because Kylee and Will have never seen the ocean, and I got to watch as Charlie called out, "Who's going to be the first one to touch the ocean?"

It's finally here!! The fabric I ordered at Spring Market, and then had to re-order when my order got mixed up in the supplier's computer, finally came! Now, I can finally begin offering this beautiful new block of the month from The Quilt Company.
This time it features barns! This quilt is gorgeous in person, and will make a fantastic addition to any one's quilt collection. These quilts are also fun to make, and are much less daunting than they appear when you take it one block at a time. (Months 5 and 6 include the setting blocks and borders.) Last year I vividly remember sewing up the last BOM in a round of 3am sewing sessions in late July. Maybe this year I will create my shop sample in the same fashion a month later? I will be sure to let you all know when it is complete. Regardless, if you are already in love with this quilt as much as I am, you can start yours anytime by ordering here!

Ready for Sun

While at Quilt Market, we completed a fun booth hop put on by some of the vendors from Utah. Bailey actually did most of the leg work on it for me, and was great at collecting stamps from each participating booth we passed. As a reward for all that hard work, we won one of the prizes!
A few weeks ago in the mail, I received a package containing my very own Abbey Bag, which I didn't even have to make! Plus, a copy of Abbey Lane's newest books. Just in time, too, because I was under the gun to make Will a sun hat before a camping trip, and I hadn't figured out how to adjust the Amy Butler pattern I made for Kylee into a less girly version of sun protection. I was excited to find a great unisex hat pattern in one of the books, and in a couple hours I whipped up a great hat for Will.
The books are full of other great patterns too, so watch for them in store soon!

2011 Crazy Eight Shop Hop

August 5, 6, and 7th marks the annual Crazy 8 Shop Hop! This is always a great time for all. Visit area shops Friday, Saturday and Sunday for a chance great prizes plus have a lot of fun. Each participant will receive a shopping bag with goodies at their first shop. Door prizes and refreshments along the way, plus prizes for the best poker hands in the end! Email me through the website at The Crazy Quilter website with any questions or for more info.

Snazzy New Bag for Bailey

Bailey picked out fabric for this great bag a few weeks ago, and while she was away at camp I surprised her by finishing it! Now it goes everywhere with her. It was surprisingly quick to make after the gathering of the strips was finished. It is the Snazzy Bag by Lila Tueller, made using Happy fabrics.

New Fun Projects

Last week I spent a few minutes here and there making some of the great new projects from Ellen Medlock. These are more of my favorites from Market, and they have been super fast, fun, and easy. My girls and I now have coordinating rings, bracelets, and purses for our dresses! Possibly the easiest and least expensive accessory ever is the button rings.


Then there's this fantastic heart clutch!



Great napkin rings! These come white, and you can paint them, cover them with ribbon, wrap them with fabric, or anything your imaginations can come up with! Make them to match your dishes, tablerunner, or whatever!


And finally, the bracelets. They are similar to the napkin rings, only bigger around to fit over your hand. They come in large or medium size (we all wear the large so medium is for small children and people with very small hands). I can't decide if I like the ribbon covered ones or the fabric ones better! They are like chocolates, you can't have just one!


Like what you see? Want to try it your self? You can find these items online under Gifts & Fun. Bracelets will be added soon!