A Book Signing with Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Co at the Olde World Quilt Shoppe

Amazon.com: Another Bite of Schnibbles: 24 Quilts from 5" or 10" Squares (That Patchwork Place) (9781604680584): Carrie Nelson: Books

One of my absolute favorite shops, Olde Worlde Quilt Shoppe had one of my very favorite pattern designers last Saturday for a book signing! It was so nice to have the opportunity to meet Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. and visit with her. She is so charming and talented. She also has a wonderful blog you can check out http://www.laveenrosie.typepad.com/ for inspiration, laughs etc. If you haven't bought one of her books or patterns, you really must. They are well written, easy to follow and are absolutely exquisite--destined to be family heirlooms. She even has a line of patterns called Schnibbles that are made with precuts--most go together quite quickly, and the small ones make such nice gifts. Also if you are ever in the Phoenix area, be sure to check out Olde Worlde Quilt Shoppe--it is such a warm and inviting shop, everyone there is so helpful and their fabrics are to die for!!

Take a look at a recent quilt I completed. It is made from Japanese fabrics and is really quite beautiful. While is has flowers and softer colors it isn't too feminine. I think it would work nice in a master bedroom 

I recently finished this quilt for a customer--isn't it a striking pattern? I think the use of strongly contrasted fabrics really pops and gives it movement. And what a nice border treatment--nothing like a bunch of saw tooth triangles to give a quilt a graphic punch.

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Scrapbook Papercraft Pre-Designed Project Kits: ScrapScription - Scrapbooking Kit Club and Papercrafting Project Kits

I'm back.....I have found the cutest little album, and it's shaped like a sewing machine. How cute is that?? As some of you know, I love playing with fabric, paper, thread, scissors, glue, etc.. This would be a great way to record some of your wonderful quilting or sewing projects.. Be sure to click on the link below to see images of the completed project!

Scrapbook Papercraft Pre-Designed Project Kits: ScrapScription - Scrapbooking Kit Club and Papercrafting Project Kits:

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 I am doing a happy dance--the kids are back in school &  fall weather is coming (slowly here in AZ) I have uploaded some photos of an incredible quilt I have the opportunity to work on. My friend Vicki is a prolific and accomplished award winning quilter and she has sent me some fabulous quilts to work on. The colors in the batiks are to die for and the piecing is incredible. What an amazing work of art. I hope you enjoy the pictures and that you are inspired to challenge yourself in your quilting. Take a class or try something that intimidates you. Maybe try making an art quilt. Another great way to grow as a quilter is to make small " art" quilts--say one a week. They can be as small as a postcard or up to 11x14. Try applique, raw edge applique, beading, quilting, couching and then quilt it on your domestic machine. You will learn a heck of a lot. The Arizona Quilters Guild has a small quilt auction every year, and I try to donate at least one quilt each year. A really good resource for learning about different techniques that you can experiment with is the magazine "Quilting Arts". Their website is www.quiltingdaily.com and there is an incredible amount of information available there to help you grow as a quilt artist.

Okay- I have a confession to make....I have been dabbling in scrapbooking lately.  I already have tons of supplies as I used to do a lot more when my children were little. Anyway, I decided to make these cute little 5 x 7 albums for my sisters with some of the photographs from our "Sister Trip" to France last year. I will be giving them their albums tomorrow--I hope they like them. I really had a great time making them. There are many parallels between scrapbooking and quilting these days, with scrapbook paper designers making quilt fabric, etc. There are some great stores in the Phoenix area, with classes to get  you started if you have never made one of these. You make the album first in the class and then you can add your pictures later--these make a thoughtful and personal gift that is sure to be treasured.

 Here are some photos of a wholecloth European Pillow Sham that I custom made for a friend of mine. She has a beautiful heirloom applique/pieced quilt that she made and she wants 2 of these shams to go with it. The pictures really don't do it justice--it is really gorgeous--I just may have to make myself a couple. Some of the crosshatch border will be sewn into the seams to make a flange. I can't wait to see them once she completes them!

I recently finished this quilt for my friend Marge. She worked on this project at quilt camp and it was fun to see it come together on the design board. It is interesting because all the fabrics are essentially solid. There is a trend out there called Modern Quilts and there are Modern Quilt Guilds, and they really do look different than the quilts Grandma used to make. When you're working with solids and graphic quilts like these, it takes some time to come up with a quilting pattern that compliments the design. In the close up, you can see that Marge and I found a pattern that I think really works well-it's called Geometric Path by Kristin Hoftyzer--I think it looks like a circuit board and really adds another element to the quilt. The quilts in the book would be great for men & boys and anyone who prefers a more contemporary design in their homes. Be sure to check the book out sometime, there are quite a few interesting designs inside. That's all for now....Happy 4th of July!!

Here is a couple shots of my latest quilt. This was supposed to be a pink and brown quilt, but then I found this fabulous border print... and it was on sale!! So, I ended up adding green and yellow as well. I really like how it came out. Hope you are managing to keep cool:)

I am working on several patriotic projects right now, and I just had to upload some photos. I am nearly done with this quilt, just need to finish the binding. I am really happy with how it came out and am looking forward to hanging it in my entry for the month of July. This project is from Moda and is called "Flag of Valor" by Minick and Simpson. It is packaged as a kit in a cute little patriotic bag. I've included a link for the bunting. You can find the kit at www.quiltersparadiseonline.com for $79 which is the lowest price among several online

Life on the Surface of the Sun

I know I've been mia for some time now, maybe I can blame it on the nice weather. It has been such a long pleasant ride, but the heat is on now(until late October probably) So, perhaps I will be inside more and posting more.... How do you like my title?? That little tidbit was from a Southwest Airlines Pilot as we were pulling up to the gate in Phoenix, he said "Welcome to the Surface of the Sun! Now, if you don't live here, you may not (or may) get it, but it gets reaaally hot here. In other areas of the country, people stay inside during the winter more--we do the reverse here. So I am hoping to post more, including pictures of what I 'm working on, what inspires me, and other random things. BTW, one of my new purchases is this book with such a clever title--all you fabriholics like me we get it. This is something I really would like to try, dying my own fabric and then creating something unique and original.
Well, that's all for today...

Early bird gets the worm

Okay--I have a Free Dream Green Batt for the 1st person to bring over a quilt to be quilted. The batt is 60 x 60 and you can use it on the quilt you bring, or take it home to use on one in the future. This batt is made from 7 recycled plastic bottles. They are pale green, colorfast and compatible with all projects. It can be machine washed & dried with little to no shrinkage, and it is wrinkle resistant. There is no scrim or resins and it can be stitched up to 12 inches apart. But call quick--the early bird gets the worm!!

Back from Market In Salt Lake City

Just got back on Sunday from my 1st Market ever!!! I was invited by my friend Diane Grubic of Quilted Treasures and Jan Goerke. So much to see--lots of great new patterns, fabric, products out there. Just when you thought they couldn't come up with something else, they do. I even won a new Slice-- a neat little item that cuts applique pieces for you!! Top photo is of a really cute vendor--they served ice cream!! and bottom photo is Jan and Diane posing in front of the raffle quilt--I hope I win it!!!

Block of the Month

This beautiful quilt is a Block of the Month done by Linda Heig. It was custom quilted on my statler and came out wonderful. Now, if  I could only get mine done:)

OMG-this photo is from my friend Gina at Cranberry Quiltworks. Her delivery guy is so buff he is bustin out of his pants and sporting a quilted kilt!!!(Lol) I wonder if they tried to sew the hole in his pants on their longarm???

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Alright, I know I have slacked a bit (alright, alot) on my blog lately, and hope to be turning over a new leaf and trying to be more committed to posting regularly. I thought you might want to check out my new website:)--see the link below

http://www.i-candyquilts.com/ This is the official website for my longarm quilting business. It is still a work in progress, so bear with me. In addition to monthly specials, I plan to do some other fun things that you'll need to look out for, so be sure to check it often--you never know when I'll put a crazy deal in there

I recently went to a Longarm meeting and Sharon Schamber was showing her amazing collection of quilts. If you ever get the chance to take a class from her, I strongly encourage you. She is constantly sharing little (sometimes big) nuggets to help you become a better quilt artist. This image is of one of her newer quilts and as always she has come up with some new techniques.

I just finished reading the book and really enjoyed it. However, I haven't heard great things about the movie, so I may wait awhile till it comes out on video

Favorite Guy (girl) Hannah Levos Justin Bieber Cover.MP4

Hey-check this out and post a comment..Hannah and I would really appreciate it:)

it has been way too long since I have posted. Just got back from quilt camp and this beautiful quilt is by Linda Heig. She worked diligently on it at camp and got it done!! What an accomplishment--I don't even want to know how many pieces were in it.

Carol demonstrated how to create these blocks. Pretty amazing technique from Quiltmaker magazine--what a graphic block--great in batiks!

this photo is of a beautiful vineyard I toured on my recent trip to Ensenada Mexico. It was so pretty there and the weather was perfect. So sad in downtown Ensenada, and the little children and women begging on the streets. So thankful for what we have here

Okay everyone, I went on a cruise to Mexico and had the opportunity to hold this beautiful baby lion. He was so cute and cuddly and relaxed. When I rubbed the inside of his ears he just melted in my arms. What an amazing experience