Since we were unsuccessful finding a traditional publisher for his book, last April we released “Fallen Stars” in Kindle format on Amazon. Last month we used CreateSpace to publish it through their print-on-demand service, so now “Fallen Stars” is available in paperback through Amazon as well.

Using CreateSpace was a very easy process, and I can see where quilters could easily publish reasonably priced, print-on-demand books for other quilters. The extra bonus is that it cost nothing to set up. You just have to follow their setup guidelines so it is ready to print whenever someone wants a copy. Of course, you don’t have the exposure that you would get through traditional publishers, but it might be an option to consider. Just a thought for you aspiring authors!

Actually writing a book (and not just talking about it) is impressive enough, but it is doubly impressive when you know that Dave has severe dyslexia, and when he graduated from high school, he was functionally illiterate. That poses a problem when you feel like God is calling you to be a pastor. With God’s grace, after we got married, he learned ways to compensate and now reads, even out loud, with very few problems. Congratulations, Dave!

I know many quilters who want to be able to depict realistic images, but they get bogged down when it comes to drawing something in perspective. For instance, a cabin in the woods, or a window, or even a simple cube. If you know a few basic steps, however, these things become easy! I’ll be teaching this workshop at the National Quilting Association show in Columbus this June, as well as a few quilt guilds, so I wanted to have several examples for students to learn from. I hope to teach a variety of ways to depict things three dimensionally on a two dimensional surface like a quilt. Once you know the basics, it’s a lot of fun to do!

I used a fat quarter of Kona cotton with some scraps of 100% cotton batting to quilt on. I used 40 wt variegated thread by Superior. I roughly divided the quilt sandwich into fourths. My plan was to begin quilting the all-over leaf pattern which Frances was teaching in one section, and then do something a little more complicated in each section. I’ve taken these pictures with a flash to minimize the shadows so you can see the quilting lines better.

Here is the simple, all-over leaf pattern. I started in the lower left corner and worked my way around in a somewhat counter-clockwise direction. This leaf is just a simple shape with the center vein. Occassionally, I threw in a curly tendril.

In the second section, I quilted the same leaf shapes, but this time I added veins within the leaves.

In the third section, I wanted to work very loosely and sketchy. I did the same leaf with veins as I did in section two, but this time I went around the leaf a second time, purposely creating a line that meandered back and forth over the first line. I wanted to create places where the lines merged or crossed and places where they were just near each other. My purpose was to create variety and energy.

In the last section, I just tried to do each leaf differently, some with multiple lobes, some with jagged edges, or whatever struck my fancy at that moment.

All in all, this was a fun little challenge. I can’t wait until the next one. Diane Gaudynski will be the guest teacher!

I’ve been not-so-secretly hoarding fun children’s fabrics for many years now. Since DD#2 loves children’s books, as soon as I saw Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar fabric, I handed over my plastic as quick as I could, and I have a nice little stack ready and waiting. Then they very cleverly came out with The Very Hungry Caterpillar Encore edition, so I naturally bought more. Then they came out with The Grouchy Ladybug fabric which was so cute I bought some of that too. So, these special parents get a choice of these or some others that I’ve been hoarding. Hopefully, no new really fun kids fabrics will come out in the next nine months because I’m sure I’ll totally be a sucker for those too.

I also have two winners for the February/March 2012 issue of Quilting Arts magazines!

The winners are Cathy Byrd and Sharon Driver! Congratulations!

It started out innocently enough, pinning some interesting craft pictures. That led to good examples of free motion quilting motifs and quilts I liked.

Then I thought, “I should post my own quilts,” so I did.

Then I saw something blue. Oh dear, a whole new world of blue things!

Ideas for my home, ideas for my daughters. Organizing stuff and dream studios.

Oh dear, I’ve fallen, and I’ve fallen big! It’s so relaxing pinning on my iPad while watching TV. I’m officially addicted, and I don’t think I want to get better.

If you’re on Pinterest, too, come by sometime. I even added a logo in my sidebar.

This is a really nice, portable, full spectrum light that can be used with regular or rechargeable AA batteries. If you use rechargeable batteries, you can charge them in any USB connection with the cord that is included. The light comes with a palm-sized travel pouch that keeps everything together.

I tucked the clip into the neckline of my sweather and let the light rest on my chest, just under my chin. Okay, it was no fashion statement, but it nicely lit a fairly large area of my quilt so I could hand sew the binding in place while sitting in a completely dark room. The light bulb is adjustable so I could point it in just the right angle so it wouldn’t bother anyone else. So, I got to enjoy the movie and still get the binding done at the same time.

Today, I signed the quilt, slapped on a sleeve, and hung the quilt up in my dining room. Here it is in its new home.

On to the next project!

I brought along my Sapphire Star quilt and spent many luxurious hours hand quilting, and (drumroll, please) I finished quilting it!!! Now I just need to trim it, bind it, label it, sleeve it, and hang it. Who knows? The way things are going for me right now, that might take another six months or so.

We came back to civilization to find three copies of the newest Quilting Arts magazine. Inside, on page 76, is my fabric marker product review. When choosing a marker, I think it is also important to consider the size of the marker tip, so I’m showing you those here.

What they didn’t show in the magazine were my five willing guinea pigs who made the entire testing process so much more fun! Each one was given a white t-shirt and one brand of markers and allowed to create whatever they wanted. I observed as they drew, watched for possible problems, asked questions, and took pictures. Thanks for your help, kids!

And now for the part you’ve all been waiting for! I have two copies of the February/March 2012 issue of Quilting Arts magazine to give away. Just leave a comment below. I’ll draw two names on Monday morning. (US residents only, please.)

1. We started by carefully studying the custom table that came with George.
2. We moved the Janome from the worktable and studied the opening that DH had cut for it way back in 2003.
3. We used the acrylic table that is custom cut for George to plan the new opening.
4. Sweet hubby cut the new opening with his handy-dandy sawzall.
5. Next, he created braces under the table to hold George.
6. Last, he used some hardware that came with George’s original table to secure the machine so it won’t vibrate when running.

George's permanent home

So now, George is happy in his new home. I’m eventually going to paint the exposed wood white so it won’t be distracting, but I’m eager to start learning all about how to use the new member of the family.

THANK YOU, sweet hubby! You are the best!

Janome's new home

I’ve never even imagined having two machines permanently set up, just waiting to play! Wow! God is so good. With much fear and trepidation, I quit my full-time job in 2008 so I could pursue quilting. God has faithfully cared for us through these past years. I can’t wait to see what He has in store for us next

Oh well, humility is a good thing to learn!

When it comes to housekeeping, I always tell the ladies in my church that I like to set the bar low, so they’ll feel better about themselves. I guess I’ll add public speech-making to the list of areas where I’ll set the bar low!

Long ago, I ran across a little saying that I liked. It goes something like, “He who can laugh at himself will keep himself entertained for a long time.” Let me assure you, I am never bored. I keep finding new ways of applying that!

I grabbed the Sapphire Star quilt I’ve been hand quilting. It’s been sitting for several months and I really need to start working on it more regularly.

Anyway, I got to church with the quilt, my needles and thread, and my thimble and peacefully began quilting. I’m just doing a simple running stitch 1/4″ away from the seams. Nothing fancy. As I worked near the edges I needed to quilt 1/2″ from the raw edges so I could leave space for the binding. But, I didn’t bring any marking pens or pencils with me. After a brief look around the room, I decided to use a simple plastic spoon and a borrowed ruler to mark my quilting lines.

It worked as easily as the proverbial 1, 2, 3! The creases were so quick and easy to make and so simple to quilt along. And best yet, no marks to remove later! Sometimes the simplest methods are best. Now I just need to keep this quilt by the couch so I can work on it a little every night. I know just where I want to put it when I’m done!