Out Of My Routine Part 2

Love the Border!

Nothing inspires you more than to be surrounded by creative people creating!  Kaye gave us vague supply lists which made perfect sense to her and almost no sense to this Kaye's College newbie.  It was hard to let go, to just bring what appealed to me, in amounts that appealed to me.  I'm not usually an organized person but I've traveled enough to know that if I don't have a detailed list of what needs to go into the suitcase - well you end up in Minnesota in the winter with ONE turtleneck and a bunch of undershirts.  Ask me how I know that . . .

So Kaye's list of just bring 2-3 yard cuts of backgrounds, light and dark FQs, a good variety of FQs had me wailing to Jill and Karen.  I finally sat down one morning and took all Kaye's emails and made a list of what she wanted in some sense of order.  I am sure Jill laughed her head off when she opened her email with her copy but Karen's reply of "Bless you!" made me feel much better that at least someone else was as lost as I was!

Now Karen is more of a control freak than I am, Jill maybe a bit more and I'm willing to go with the flow -IF I have some clue of where the flow is and a somewhat general direction of where it's going.  HA - throwing all the fabric into the suitcase and machine box and HOPING some of it would work for whatever we were going to be doing was a total leap of faith!

The magic of the whole week was Kaye enabled us to design.  To take her projects and go in a new direction with them - combine them, change them, make new from them and it was amazing to watch what was happening around the room.  Of course once I got something in my mind's eye -did I have the fabric to actually do it?  Noooooooo.  Everyone shared - fabric, tools, opinions, suggestions.

I was surrounded by a group of amazing women - creatively and business wise.  If you were stuck on a design, someone could help you.  Didn't know what color to choose for a border, someone offered an opinion - lots of someones.  Kaye was a constant inspiration.  Had a question about staff, classes, fabric companies, you name it - someone in that room had been in that same position and told her story.  Networking, it was wonderful!

Delectable Sunrise

I scribbled furiously in my graph paper notebook, itched to get to the lap top and Electric Quilt and designed on the fly playing with colors and fabrics.

Did I finish anything - not one blessed thing!  I came home with as many UFOs as I thought I would but best of all, I came home with ideas.  Ideas for classes, clubs, events, staff trainings and more.

Summer's Breeze

I have finished one thing since I came home.  Notice the pieced border?  Love it!

 It was an amazing week, one I'm definitely going to do again next year!

Get Out Of Your Routine

Sometimes you just need to get out of your routine - or rut - and do something different to stimulate your creative side.  I think we can all easily slip right into the rut of looking at the same things, doing the same things, making the same things and then wonder why we are bored.  Why wouldn't we be bored?  We never see anything that excites us!  Or in my case, you slip into the rut of never having time to sew and before you know it, you don't have time to sew or design because you don't make the time, there's too many other things you've gotten used to doing.

So, two friends of mine talked me into attending Kaye England's College for shop owners in Fort Meyer's Florida week before last.  Jill Reicks has been attending for years, telling me I should be going for years and of course I never had the time.  Karen Montgomery decided she was running away to Kaye's College this year and I was running with her.  So we did.  Yup, I chucked it all - the store, the grandbabies, you name it, I chucked it and ran away with Karen and Jill.  Should have done it years ago!

First I had to gather up all my supplies and the list was loooooooonnnnnnnngggggg,  Jim neatly packed some of my fabric in with my machine that was shipped.  40-50 YARDS!  What didn't fit in here, went in my suitcase with rulers, needles, threads, rotary cutting mat, scrapbooking supplies (?), journaling supplies (?), and I still had to fit clothes!






This is what was in my suitcase.  I did manage to get clothes in there and have it weigh 48.5 pounds!

All this stuff belongs to Therese Gansen (Jill's daughter) and I .  I could look window and watch the boats go by . . . .

When I turned around, this was the rest of the room. There were 42 lucky people here this time.

Mine and Karen's stash under the table.

I arrived at 10:30 and was sewing by 5.  Kaye had a mystery project & a pizza party for us that first night.

This is all I'm going to show you of the mystery.  If I show you anything else, it won't be a mystery will it? Look for this on the class schedule this spring.  (First I have to finish it or borrow Karen's sample!)

All this and it was just the first night!  Next post I'll share some of the projects and inspirations from the wonderfully inspiring week I spent out of my rut but here's a teaser of the view off our balcony . . . . .

Till next time.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday - EARLY

Resolutions?

Did you make any resolutions for the new year?  I didn't bother this year, seeing as where I didn't keep even one from last year!  I am hoping that I will do a couple of things this year, but I'm not calling them resolutions, that seems to doom me from the start.

One thing I'd like to do is NOT wait until the absolute last minute to make class samples . . . (ok, so far that one isn't going so well . . .).  This weekend I had FOUR, yes FOUR projects that needed to be finished - three for classes and the fourth is the shop hop quilt due on Monday.  I actually finished one class sample Wed morning, and whipped off the remaining two today.  I'm ready for tomorrow - phew!

The shop hop quilt, well ok, it's not going to be finished by Monday but in my defense the fabric for the center of the blocks only arrived yesterday.  I'll get a couple of blocks done Sunday morning but there is no way the whole quilt will be finished and photographed by Monday.

So why do I do this to myself?  I knew about those class samples for at least a month.  Is it true that I really work best under pressure?  Maybe.  Am I just a procrastinator at heart?  Probably.  Do I just like to torture myself?  Maybe!

I'm heading to Massachusetts to see Mom next weekend so I don't have any class samples due for then.  The week after I'm heading to FL with Karen Montgomery to attend Kaye's College so I won't have any class samples due for then either.  Wanna put a bet I'm sewing frantically the week I get back on a class sample instead of doing it between now and the time I leave for FL?  Although there is that shop hop quilt that needs to be done . . . . .maybe a FIRM resolution would work?????

2012

Another year gone and a new year begins.  2011 saw our James marry his Stefanie, our Jeremy ask his Stephanie to marry him (she said yes!) and our Sara give our grandson Nathan a little brother, Colin.  We were busy this year . . .

2012 we are looking forward to a nephew's wedding in May and Jeremy and Stephanie's wedding in September.  The outlaws of Jim's family (that's all us in-laws) have decided that we're all going to all the nephew and nieces weddings where ever they are since it's the only way we get to see each other all in one place!  I hope Stephanie warns her family about our crazy one.

From my family to yours - a safe, healthy & happy New Year!

Handmade For The Holiday 2 - French Bread Christmas

Looking for a quickie hostess gift and you did the wine bag last year?  How about a simple table runner?  Wrap up homemade cookies or a bread in this table runner, wrap with a pretty bow and you have a wonderful gift that any hostess would love!  Written by Susan Fuquay, she writes that this project will take you about an hour. I did a little bit one morning and then finished up then next morning so I'm not sure how long it took me but it was a QUICK project. We have a kit with pre-cut strips, so it's entirely possible to finish in an hour.  I used the Christmas Stonehenge fabrics from Northcott and this will give any room a bit of glitz and pizazz for Christmas!  Click here for the kit.

I free motioned holly and berries down the center but this would be a good project to practice your straight machine quilting too.

Want to add a bit more to the gift?  Riley Blake has a great video on how to make quick hot pads.  Make a coordinating hot pad to go with the table runner!  Click here for the video.   and here for a kit.

I'll be back in a few days with some other projects you still have time to make for this holiday season!

And don't forget to email me to be put on our "Stuff Your Stocking" email list!  Starting December 6th, I'll be sending an email at midnight for with a link to that day's special.  You can shop online, send me an email, call the shop to order or stop in and tell us to "STUFF YOUR STOCKING!" with that day's deal.  We'll keep a bag for you of the days you decide to purchase and at the end, we'll have it ready for you to pick up or we'll mail it to you on our way home on the 18th.  Specials are only good from midnight to midnight, so don't miss out!  These will make great gifts for sewing/quilting friends or for you!  Email me by clicking here.