Quilting

Dear Quilt Friends: I have been contacted and asked to spread this info to you. It's important to get the word out to all the quilters you are in contact with, so could you please share this blog post with your email lists,  message boards, flickr groups, twitter, wherever quilters gather to help get the word out? This is from Ellen Medlock of the Ellen Medlock Studio Store in Tulsa, OK. "I

Life gets busy sometimes. That's how it's been here for a little while now. No sewing has been done, although I have started trimming some embroidered blocks for another quilt I'm putting together for John's aunt. This one is being done in two shades of solid blue. At least it will be a bit brighter than the black and gray of the last one I did.One thing I have done is sit with the baby goats. This is little Donovan making himself comfy in my lap. He's so silly! :0)And here are Emily and Kylie bathing one of the goats before the goat show last weekend. I'm not sure if the goat or the girls got wetter! LOLAnd this was at the goat show. The goat was trying to get the Fritos Kylie was eating! LOLSo that's about it for now. Hopefully I'll have some sewing to show you next time!

I'm thrilled to be offering another webinar through Quilting Daily (the same folks that do Quilting Arts magazine, TV show and dvds). This one is all about using sheer materials in fabric collage. I just went back and did a count of all my 12x12 quilts --- the Theme Series, the ColorPlay series and the 2012 Series. Guess what... I used sheer fabrics in 18 of my 29 quilts. Here is my quilt, Garden Gate, from the Rusty theme of the ColorPlay series. It incorporates a sheer silhouette of a crocus created with tulle. I will be discussing this technique --- and many others -- in the webinar. The live webinar is TOMORROW May 22 at 11:30 am EST. If that fits your schedule and you're interested in hearing all kinds of things about sheer fabrics and the cool ways you can use them in your artwork, you should register! You'll get an email confirmation right away, then you just log in tomorrow. If you can't attend tomorrow, but are still interested, register anyway and you'll get a code to download the audio and video of the webinar anytime you like. One of the cool things about webinars is that anyone anywhere can join in. I think it's just amazing that our 12x12 project has fans all over the world and I'm excited that some of you might be able to join me tomorrow.

So, like the nerd I am I agreed to let Clint take a picture of me at the airport with the Quilt Market sign. It was funny to me because he said "this Market must be a big deal" referring to the welcoming sign in the airport. I love him, he makes me laugh. When I told Clint that I wanted to go to Market, he thought about it for two seconds and booked us the plane tickets and a place to stay. Knowing him though, he would make it more of a vacation than just a trip to Market. It is good for us to get away as a couple because our lives are busy and most of the time we are dealing with kiddos and the business. I am getting more and more used to traveling, which is a good thing because that is what Clint loves to do. As I was going down the elevator I realized that my life is nothing like I planned, the Lord has given me opportunities that I never knew possible. For that, I am grateful. Everyone warned us that it just rains in the NorthWest. And, it does - it rained most of the week. But, we are so used to it being dry, hot, with tons of red rocks and blue skies, so it was a welcome sight to see the grey clouds and the rain.I have a crazy fear of going over bridges, but this bridge was awesome with it's flying geese triangles. I was like a kid in the candy store just looking at all the trees. I forgot how much I love trees, they are everywhere. The drive to our resort was incredible, full of trees and incredible farm land. When I was a kid I always dreamed of living in a place that had a dirt lane up to the house with both sides of the lanes being covered with trees. People actually have that - seriously, I am so jealous! It is so gorgeous. Remember, I live in the desert. This is the early morning sight in Seaside, Oregon. Wow! I had the best time catching up with my good friend Emily. She moved to Seattle and I miss her so much. She is one of my quilting friends, we used to go to lunch about once a month when she lived here in Saint George. It has been so hard to not have her here, I miss her so much! So, needless to say - I am grateful that she made the trip down to see me. It was the best time, too short though. It is always fun to find out the history in the towns we stay in. Seaside is the end of the Lewis and Clark trail. There is a famous turnaround that a lot of people come and drive around in their cars called the Promenade. It's a perfect spot to watch the sunset as well. There is nothing like an ocean sunset. This is just some of the beauty of Seaside. It is such a beautiful place to visit. If you know Mr. Madsen, he loves cheese and ice cream - a lot. So, going to Oregon means we make a trip to the Tillamook factory. It was so fun. We went through the taste test area three times and loaded up on some yummy cheese. On the drive home we found this awesome beach. It was in between Seaside and Tillamook. The area looked so familiar, then I realized that Goonies was filmed around here in Astoria and Cannon Beach. We made our way to see that as well. I kept saying to myself, "HEY YOU GUYS," over and over again. ;-) It was a beautiful time that Clint and I were able to spend together. Everywhere in the world we can find the beauty that is unique and incredible to the place we are visiting. It reminds me of a loving God who created this beautiful world for us to enjoy. I have come to appreciate that more and more as I have been blessed to be able to create in my own way with my quilting. It really is incredible when you think about it. So, not quite the Market post you may of been thinking of. Don't worry. I have another post coming with more details of my day at Market.

Just need to take a little break! Will be back soon!

Yesterday, Susan brought in her Great Grandmother’s Double Nine Patch blocks to show me….. WOW! These were so close to see up front.  I’m guessing these to be somewhere between 1850 to 1870 ---someone else may have a closer date. But what amazed me more than the blocks themselves…..was how MANY of them were frugal-pieced!  Tiny bits, stitched together, some with as many as 3 seams…to make up

have y'all ever heard of craftsy?if yes, aren't they dreamy?if not, sit back and let me tell you a bit about them.craftsy is an online community for all crafters.for people that love everything from quilting to cake decorating.they offer a wide selection of classes from all sorts of peeps across the world.people like vanessa christenson, camille roskelley & elizabeth hartman.just to name a few.my favorite thing about craftsy, is that you can watch your classes from anywhere, from any device with an internet connection.you can take them anytime you want, as many times as you want.and your access never, ever expires.after receiving my free voucher at fall market, i couldn't decide which quilting class to take.it took me forever to make up my mind. but i finally chose camille's precut piecing made simple class.it was such fun to have camille in my house.she didn't even care about the dirty dishes in the sink. ;)(hi, camille. xoxo)since then, i've taken a few other classes as well.i really like being able to take the classes at my leisure.let's face it, miss lindsey takes most of my attention during the day. so, when i have a few extra minutes after bedtime, it's nice to settle in with a lesson or two.the good folks over at craftsy, want to give a lucky ps i quilt reader a precision piecing class.you'll learn how to step up your piecing skills and tackle more complex patchwork.this class is taught by nora mcmeeking.to enter : click HERE to sign up for craftsy. (it's free!!!)don't worry, if you already have a craftsy account, just follow this link and sign in.one entry per person.please note: you have to follow the link in order to enter the giveaway.also, come back and tell me which craftsy class you really, really want to take.i think my next class will be angela walters' free motion quilting with feathers.i could use a good feather lesson.winner will be announced saturday.xo, rachel

We are back and thanks to a very, very long day yesterday - adjusted to the time change. Flying home on the red-eye was a time saver, but a bit of an energy zapper. No worries, as we are all back to normal. Assuming we were ever normal.What can we say? It was grand. It was also pretty busy in the Minick and Simpson area. I didn't get to venture out much, except for early mornings when booths were empty. I'm sure you've been following along via the internet, twitter, Facebook, and Instagram haven't you. I don't have much to add - but I will post what were some of my favorite things......Our friend Pam Kitty Mornings great new collection - Pam Kitty Picnic by LakeHouse FabricsThis middle beauty is by American Jane and is called The Americas. Oooh, it's a stunnerThis sweet beauty is by Joanna at Fig Tree Quilts and called Cherry PieThis is the new offering of Quilts For a Cause - the Love fabric collection by Howard Marcus and it's an antique reproduction masterpiece.Here is a close up of the fast and easy techniques they used to re-create this quilt. Our friend Susan Stiff at Moda is responsible for this one.The new Carlyle Bag by Me and My Sister Designs. Ahem, ladies - this bag goes with my new pink shirt and orange scarf quite nicely!This is Edyta's new quilt using her Hope Chest fabric collection!Here is a close up of my new favorite fabric - the goldish, greenish, tobacco-y print. Yum.This is a sampler quilt made by Sandy Gervais and her new fabric collection SoHo Chic.Jan Patek's new BOM is a stunner - it's called Eagles and Roses.My friend Karen Styles of Somerset Patchwork stopped by and gave me this - a present of Australian cookies. She also had some very good news for us!The Mrs. Billings Coverlet book of directions, the die cut templates, and the paper hexagons are now available to you from our Etsy shop !This is Karen Styles Masterpiece - Mrs. Billings CoverletThis is my version - so far. Look for me to add the next border very, very soon.We'll have more on our collection - Midwinter Reds in the next post. LaterLaurie

It has been a long time since I've baked cookies. These are an absolute favorite of ours and I made them to gift to our builder. Yes, we have chosen our builder, have our house plan and today signing the contract. I can't even begin to tell you how much we have missed being in our own home......and yes we are still uncertain about so many things but will push forward with this dream we've had ever since purchasing our property over two years ago.

8-1/2" squares are sewn into large triangles are sliced the park rearranged and sewn back together in this really fun scrap quilt :-) These blocks come together so quickly that many of the ladies already have several blocks to play with. What I love the most about this quilt is all the different ways that the blocks can be arranged and rearranged in so many different layouts! Look how much fun