Register to win ~ MyTalk107.1!

If you hang out with me enough, you know that I listen to MyTalk107.1 ... probably a little TOO much somedays! But they make me laugh and that's important to me right now. So when I found out that I could take part in their shopping day in White Bear Lake on June 25, I couldn't resist!

The Shop Girls will be broadcasting live from Lillians on Fifth Street from 11am to 1pm on June 25 and then from 1-3pm, some lucky winner will go on a shopping spree at Lillians worth $250!!

There are other prizes too ... a $200 gift certificate for Rosebud's Cottage (yay!!) ... $100 to Ursula's Wine Bar ... and $100 for Fresh Face Loftique.

In order to win you need to register at any of our four locations ... registrations began on May 30 and continue through June 19 ... stop in any of our businesses and drop your name in the box!

I can't tell you how much fun it is to have them come to White Bear Lake again and to hear my store name in their radio ads! Make sure you listen to MyTalk to hear it, too!!

And don't forget to put Saturday June 25 on your calendar so you can be part of the live crowd at Lillians!

Listen in to American Patchwork and Quilting Radio!

I was very excited to hear that my friend Pat Sloan's radio show was being picked up by American Patchwork and Quilting! Now I can have all of my pals in one place! Many of you know that I have been a guest lots of times on Pat's show this past year ... it's loads of fun but I think the best part is when Pat and I decide what we'll talk about. We've known each other for a million years so when we get on the air, it's like being able to sit down and chat with her by my side.

If you're new to the radio show you might not know that it's not actually on the radio ... it's on the internet and you listen on your computer or your smart phone or your iPad. Here's where you go to  listen on American Patchwork and Quilting's site ... there are complete directions if this is your first time. It's really pretty easy ... plug in your headset if you don't want anyone to know! You can also find it on Pat's radio website if that's easier.

One of the things I like best about the show is the pairing up between Pat and APQ. Pat has a huge group of people in the quilting industry to choose from but when you add her info to the pool that American Patchwork and Quilting draws from ... the combination just gives an entirely different dimension to the amount of quilting content that can be shared. Oh! And here's another bounus ... you can listen to it while you work on a quilting project. Bonus!!

If you're at work or in a meeting ... you can find a podcast of the shows you missed. Usually they're up within an hour of the show. I download them when I can't listen in ... it was nice to have them available as I was waiting for flights back and forth to Quilt Market.

Pat and I are going to talk about some of the things we observed at market in Salt Lake City last week. We both noticed different things so this should be interesting! I hope you'll join us on Monday and then listen to the show every week. It's on at 3pm Central Time every week.

Let me know what you think, ok? Or if there's something you think Pat should talk about, let either of us know. There's always so much to say when it comes to quilting!

All things bright and beautiful at The Quilted Forest!

Last Saturday  I loaded up a busfull of great customers and we headed out for a Spring Fling ... shopping and eating lunch and hanging out with girlfriends. The first place we ended up was at The The Quilted Forest in Forest City, Iowa. I haven't been to my friend Shelley's shop since she moved last year and yi yi yi ... what a change! Her other store was cute but this new location ... right down the street ... is even more fabulous!

They must sew all the time at the shop ... there were TONS of samples! And they have such a way with their displays. One was as cool as the next. Plus the windows were fantastic ... made you wanted to rush right into the store!

Hmmm ... they seem to have a food theme going on!

Shelley's the designer behind Pieced Tree Patterns ... you probably have a bunch of them that you love. One of the riders on our bus had them all on a ring! So clever. Shelley let us peek through her wholesale shipping are and I loved this display so customers could see them all. And you guessed it ... there were lots of samples throughout the store.

I loved how the fat quarters lived in cute little 'houses' around the store!

And I can see how all those samples get made ... they have a sewing center right in the middle of the store. Isn't that Featherweight cute?

We all had a great time at The Quilted Forest so I think if you're flying up or down I-35, you should pull off at Cty Rd 9 and head west about fifteen minutes. It'll be such a fun and happy break for all the quilters in the car!

My favorite red quilt pix

I love mosaics and so love this quilt. Isn't this fun ... and how imaginitive ... and how organized to be able to pull it off! I want to make a quilt like this.

The quilt I'll NEVER make!

The quilt I feel inspires me!

The quilts I'd like to make ... someday ... when I'm old or something ... or maybe I won't wait that long!

And finally ... my favorite pix ... the circle of chairs. How does it look to you? Did they all get up and go out for lunch ... or is this a memorial to quilters who have gone before us?

Pulling threads. It's all about the quilting!

One of the things that struck me at the red and white quilt show in NY was that every single quilt was hand quilted. Don't get me wrong ... I'm a big fan of machine quilting ... but there's something about hand quilting that gives a totally different dimension to any quilt.

I can't imagine the effort it took to quilt this one ... the cross hatching was only a half inch apart. Don't you love how it has puckered up? It gives so much texture and really makes a simple quilt design something special!

Several styles of quilting going on here ... the straight lines of the echo quilting and then the softness of the feathers. It's unusual but it works!

So many of the 'modern' quilts are very graphic ... but it's kind of fun to know that in the past, graphic quilts were just as popular as today. What's different is the quilting. Where the modern quilts might have very simple quilting, this quilt is heavily hand quilted ... and I love how it softens the harshness of the straight lines of the block.

Love how the quilting looks like channels.

The row of hand quilted leaves is so striking with the angular look of the blocks and the quilting on them.

The hand quilting in this quilt makes it appear to be moving. I don't think you could get the same effect with machine quilting. Doesn't it make you wonder how the quilter knew exactly what would look best on this quilt? Not like you can get a do-over very easily.

Batting back when this quilt was made is nothing like it is today ... you had to quilt so close together to keep it in place. Not an undertaking for the faint at heart. But if you've ever done any hand quilting, you know that pulling the thread through the fabric is a wonderful thing! So many problems solved ... the stress of the day easing away as your fingers guide the needle. I wonder if we're missing the point of quilting by not slowing down and doing some of these steps by hand.

I worry that as quilt shop owners we are rushing our customers through the process by encouraging mostly machine quilting. Am I doing my part to get quilters to slow down and enjoy the simple pleasure of watching the quilting design come to life on their quilts? I worry that the next generation of quilters is going to bypass this important step and miss out on the joy that stitching brings. But I'm glad that we have such wonderful examples to use for inspiration when we do decide to pull out the quilting thread for one of our quilts.