Thought You Might Like to See!

Well, I just wanted to post some pictures of my studio! These are just little snippets. Can you tell I just love bright colors??? I have lots of fabric that I will just need to cut into, and I have lots of thread to sew it back together with as well as embellishment.

What should I do first? I have lots of patterns to choose from or should I design my own....decisions, decisions!! I love to get ideas from different websites, blogs, books, and magazines, etc. If anyone has a suggestion, please let me know.

I am also gearing up for the delivery of my new Statler Stitcher, it is coming next week and I just can't wait. I am counting the minutes until I can use it....woohoo!!

If anyone is in need of some quilting just let me know!! I am hoping that the quilts will keep rolling in and then out. In the meantime, keep checking back for more tidbits.

Oh, and by the way, I have a new and improved website being constructed at this time. You can view the old one at www.cvquiltworks.com
The new one will be the same address, but will not be up and running for a few weeks. I'll keep you informed.

Bye for now......Jackie

Thought You Might Like to See!

I Found the Article

I found the article by Holly Holderman

I had looked at Barnes and Noble and Borders, but low and behold it was at my local quilt shop, Gone Quilting!! So I picked it up! Here is a picture of me with the magazine and one opened to the article on blogs. Great article!!


Now I just have to figure out how to get it to Holly's blog!! Wish me luck!

Jackie

I Found the Article

What a Week!!

Hi Everyone,

Well I have had quite a week. I have spent (along with my husband) a lot of time setting up new cases in my quilting studio. Wow, what a difference! I was able to accommodate all of my fabric, projects, and books into a few cases. I owe a big thanks to Justine as she was my inspiration. The cases I purchased were from Ikea.

My daughter and I had never visited Ikea and we had a blast the cases were the perfect size and fit for my studio. Here is what they look like and they can be found on this link
They are just perfect. I also got 2 of the smaller units that are 2 cubbyholes by 4 cubbyholes.

Anyway, after working this hard for a few evenings we did go to my parents for Thanksgiving. It was great!! We had lots to eat and lots of friends and family to spend time with during the weekend.

I will post some pictures of my studio and our Thanksgiving feast over the next couple of days. I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday.

What a Week!!

The Best Lamp Ever!!

Yes... I am so sorry I forgot to let all my fellow retreaters know what kind of light I use in my quilting studio. So I am putting a picture of the table lamp (the one I have) and the floor lamp. Also, if you click on the word light, that will bring you to a website that sells them. They are really terrific lights and do help with seeing those tiny things us quilters all need to see.

Anyway, Happy Sewing and shopping!!
Jackie

The Best Lamp Ever!!

Yes...I am a Sales Rep!!

Hi all,

I just received some good news!! I am officially a Gammill Dealer Sales Rep!! So all you longarm wannabees, if you ever wanted to know what it was like to own a Gammill and quilt your own quilts, give me a buzz. My new Gammill Statler Stitcher will be delivered the 1st week of December and I can't wait to use it and show it off. This will be my 3rd Gammill in 7.5 years. Can you tell that I just love the product?

So get your quilts ready to be be quilted and let's go!!

Jackie

Yes...I am a Sales Rep!!

2008 Retreat Challenge Rules!!!

Hi all,

Well here they are the rules for the challenge due next year:

-You may use a minimum of 1/2 yard of the challenge fabric (you may use more if you like)

-You can add up to 6 additional fabrics, but no more

- It can not be any larger than 45 X 45 and no smaller than 25 X 25

- It must be quilted

That’s it so get ready, get set, go!!!

For those of you in cyber land who would like to try this, please do so. The fabric is at the left and can be found at Gone Quilting.

It is a Moda Pathways Batik Boysenberry Maple leaf. Have fun and I can't wait to see those finished projects.

Love,
Jackie

2008 Retreat Challenge Rules!!!

More Retreat Stuff!!

Back again for another post about my fabulous retreat. First, I want to talk about how much we ate, and ate, and ate....you get the picture! This fabulous ice cream sundae bar was all thanks to Erica. She looked after all of us and made sure that we all were fed, had the appropriate paraphernalia for quilting and made sure that we are booked into the year 2525 (ha, ha) for our retreat! She is truly the Mother Teresa of the Quilting Retreat.

Now onto what else we did while we were in between breakfast, lunch, dinner and the countless snacks and ice cream breaks. We actually did do some sewing. Some of us more than others. For example, Justine was very prolific in making neo-natal quilts for the preemies at the local hospital. But she was also very much into creating pillowcases for all her family, friends, and passerbys...only kidding. But the pillowcase fever took hold on almost everyone else as well. I believe that Justine made 10 or 11 ( don't quote me) over the weekend....here is a picture of her stack to prove it.

Now again if this was not enough, Julee got in the mix and had her own stack. Yes, it is smaller than Justine's, but none the less it is a stack. Erica even got in on the act, but I think she only made 2 or 3. But these were for her new grandson for the next 2 or 3 years. She is working on at least one for each birthday until he is at least 35. Here she is modeling one of the pillowcases. I do have to say it was very fun watching these gals make them and boy did they have fun!!

Now onto the remaining few, Eileen, Diane, Joan, Maria, and myself were a focused group. We came with projects to do and did not seem to be sidetracked by pillowcase mania. Although, we did get some Saturday night Dance fever. We were listening to a great station that had disco music and we couldn't help but catch the dancing bug. Here is the proof....

We also regularly did our neck and back exercises, because as we all know sitting down at sewing machine for countless hours is horrible for your body in an ergonomic sort of way.

When we weren't doing any dancing or exercising, we regularly hear "I'm done" in the far back corner. Of course, that was our Maria checking off the completion of another Christmas gift. She had a lot done and here is her stash of gifts... Wonderful!! Some lucky people are the recipients of these meticulously crafted items. I'm sorry the picture is sideways, I don't know how to turn it...oops!!

Joan, sat quietly most of the time, but completed a phenomenal quilt , of her own design. It was quite an undertaking, but truly a labor of love. Although, this was her biggest project she worked on some smaller ones and also did a fair amount of consultations with the rest of us when we needed a valued opinion. Thanks, Joan!! Here is her wonderful quilt!

Diane was also very productive during our retreat and we might refer to her as our artistic quilter. She worked on quilted journal pages that were truly works of art. I believe she was close to completing 4 of them as well as working on a queen size quilt for her bed from lots of scrap in her stash. Some the scraps were donated pieces from the retreat. Take a look at her journal pages.

Not to be forgotten or left for last was Eileen, although she did arrive last for the retreat, but we have forgiven her. Even though her arrival was late she became very productive at cutting and sewing a new quilt of which I coveted all of the fabric, especially the Michael Miller Gabriella print. Love, Love, Love it!! Found 4 yards on E-bay, woo hoo!! Anyway, here is a glimpse into the making of Eileen's quilt....

After all was said and done, the Stitchin' Sisters had another great year and we are looking forward to another next year, with a twist!! We are doing a challenge...keep your eye on the blog this week if you would like to see what the challenge is and maybe you could try it at home.
Until tomorrow, enjoy!! Jackie

More Retreat Stuff!!

Stitchin' Sisters Retreat!!

Hi Everyone,

Well what a weekend we had!! Lots of fun, work, food, food, food, and more food, whew!! We also were able to shop some. Our retreat center had a Fair Earth Bazaar and we did a little xmas shopping.

What a great place for our retreat, this is our 3 year there and we love to walk on the beach. We were able to do that and enjoy the sounds. Love, love, love, it!!

Now onto the quilting...first I wanted to share the 4, yes count them 4 projects that I was able to complete. The first one was a Chinese Coins top that I had started at International Quilt Market in a class with Linda Jenkins and Becky Goldsmith from Piece O' Cake Designs.

This can be found in their new book Piecing the Piece O' Cake Way, you can find this on their website by clicking on the link above. This was a fun and quick beginner quilt.

The next two quilts were also on my to do list. These are quilts for Emily and Jillian. They are from the magazine Quilts and More Fall 2007 issue. It is the cover quilt done in 2 different colors. They are so fun and modern. I think they will love them!!


I ironed, cut, pieced, and appliquéd both the quilts over this weekend. It was a lot of work but it was worth it. Essentially these were a start to finish project. I was very pleased that these 2 quilts were completed over this weekend, now just to quilt them.



Now, for the last quilt I completed... this quilt is called Diamond Twist and is from the Twisted Classics book. I just absolutely love this quilt. My Stitchin' Sister friend Justine helped me in picking my fabric for this one. I fell in love with the batik in the border and had to have lots of this fabric. We then took over an hour to choose the coordinating fabrics. The result is terrific!! I love the pink hues and I just love doing this block.



Last but not least, I did complete the two blocks for the block of the month that I am teaching at Gone Quilting.
They are from Marti Michell's Ramblin' Rose Meets Jamestown block of the month program. Love the colors.


It was definitely a productive weekend for me as well as my friends. Tomorrow, I will post what my friends were able to complete. Hint: Lot's and lot's of them were done over the weekend. Don't forget you can click on the pictures to enlarge the view.


See you tomorrow,

Jackie

Stitchin' Sisters Retreat!!

I'm Back From My Retreat

Well, I am back from my retreat!! What fun we all had. I was able to complete 4 of my quilting projects. Loads of fun, food, and peace by the shore!! Keep checking back for pictures and more details of our quilting escapades!

Bye for now!!,

Jackie

I'm Back From My Retreat

Packed and Ready to Go!!!!!

Today is the day, I am going on my yearly quilt retreat with my friends!!! Yahoooooo!!! As soon as my hubby gets home I am going. I have the GPS set and bags packed. I can't wait to get some quality quilting time in and projects complete.

As you can see my projects are in my box, I know that I have plenty to do and get done. What do you think, am I too optimistic in thinking that I will get all the projects I am bringing done during the course of the weekend? Remember it is non-stop sewing time. Well, we do break to eat or to walk on the beach. But not for long!! All I have to do now is go run some errands to get some goodies for my pals. I know they are going to bring some UNHEATHY snacks, so I thought I would get some fruit.

Everything else is set kids, hubby, cats, laundry, house....just waiting to go.

Talk to you Monday...hopefully with some pictures,

Jackie

PS. I posted another picture of one of my quilts on the left sidebar. Take a peek.

Packed and Ready to Go!!!!!

What do you think?

I took a picture of my design wall and as you can see I have several projects on it. At the top you can see my BOM (Block of the Month) which I am teaching at Gone Quilting

I will be working on 2 more blocks for the BOM at the quilt retreat this weekend...I can't wait. The appliqué block has been like this for years, as I have been awaiting that "light bulb" moment to tell me how to finish it. What kind of border...flying geese, half square triangles, set it on point??? Decisions, decisions, what do I do?? Help!!! Click on the picture to enlarge to get a better look.

The last one is a small quilt that I created from the computer program Kaleidoscope Creator. I used the original photo (hanging under the appliqué block) and manipulated it with this program to form the 4 blocks and the cornerstone blocks. Then found some great batiks and Voila! a wall hanging. I just have to quilt this one.

If anyone has any ideas for the appliqué block I welcome the advise.

Hope to hear from you soon,

Jackie

What do you think?

No Quilting Tonight....only thoughts of Quilting!

Tonight we had a pizza party for my daughter's fall softball team. I am one of the coaches and we had a blast. The girls had a terrific season finishing 1st with a 10 - 2 record and then went onto win the tournament. So we ate lots of pizza, handed out a trophy and medal to each girl and spoke about them. They are a great group of girls and I love coaching them. Most of them will be on my team in the spring!! Maybe someday a few of them may quilt...who knows.

Anyway, I did not get any quilting done of my own today. I did work on a customer's quilt, it is a custom job and looks gorgeous. When it is done I will post a picture of it...I love this quilt. Tomorrow night, I hope to sew a little and then on Wednesday off to my quilting retreat!! I am packed and ready to go...

Until then,

Jackie

No Quilting Tonight....only thoughts of Quilting!

Yellow Brick Road Layout

This morning I played with one of the quilts on my to do list....my flannel Yellow Brick Road. I had to create a new flannel quilt (a quick one) because the only other one that I have made has been loved by my kids and husband and is showing its age (11 yrs). Therefore a new one is in the works and couldn't be more timely. The winter is coming!!!

This fabric is from a new collection that the local quilt shop.. Gone Quilting has, it is called Sachet. I just loved the colors even though they don't match my living room.

So I thought tonight that I would start sewing the rows together. What do you think of the layout? Should any blocks be moved? Click on the picture to enlarge it if you would like. I tend to be a random gal and it doesn't matter too much to me. This quilt is going to be well loved and I don't think that my kids really care about the layout.

Now I just hope that this will stay in place and my cats don't have a say in the positioning of the blocks. Normally they do!! Let me know your thoughts!!

Luv ya,

Jackie

Yellow Brick Road Layout

Binding the Quilt Of Belonging

Hi Justine,

Thanks for the post, and boy is that a good question. How many inches of binding did they require for the Quilt Of Belonging? I suppose that would require my mathematical skills, and they are questionable at best. I am sure in short it was a lot. I'll have to get back to you on the long answer. However, I did buy the book and will look there, and I quickly looked on their website and came up empty handed. I 'll keep trying!!

Jackie

Binding the Quilt Of Belonging

Wow!! I created a Blog!!

Hi All,

This is a first for me!! I have gone techno on my own. I thought that I would create this blog to chronicle all my quilt happenings. I would love all my friends opinions on them, as I know that you all have one. Right now, I am busy getting back into the swing of things since returning from Houston's International Quilt Market. I met lots of Quilting "ICONS".... Ricky Tims, Carol Doak, Linda Jenkins, Becky Goldsmith, Kaffe Fassett, Paula Nadelstern, just to name a few. I went with 4 of my friends, we had a blast, bought lots of goodies and saw lots of eye candy. But I have to say the highlight was the quilt exhibit, especially The Quilt Of Belonging. What a labor of love by the woman who envisioned this. This quilt is 120 feet long and 10 feet high, making its U.S. debut in Houston. It contains over 263 patches representing all the nationalities and aboriginals that are the make up of Canada. See above picture. You can also visit the website for more info and pictures here.

Now, I am getting ready to go on a quilting retreat with my friends this week!! WooHoo!! Lots of uninterrupted quilting time. I can't wait!! I just have to get all my projects together to bring.

Also, one last thought... I am upgrading my Gammill and getting a Gammill Statler Stitcher, due to arrive at the beginning of December. All the quilting that will come from it will now just be a little bit better than before and I will have hundreds more options.

I would love to hear feedback from all of you....so go ahead and post those comments!!

Luv ya,

Jackie

Wow!! I created a Blog!!