Published!!!!!

It's a crazy world around my house. There is quilt/sewing stuff everywhere and there's no time to contain it. I'm getting ready for the CreativFestival for the next couple of days and then I have more events the following week. I'm trying to squeeze something into every possible moment.

It didn't help yesterday that my back was in bad shape. I'm certain that it had to do with all the manipulation that occurred with physio the previous day. I took some pills and that helped a lot. Now, why didn't I think to take pills earlier? I think my neck feels looser or is that my imagination?

Not going to worry about that for the moment - I just need to stand up straighter and that helps - a LOT.

I'm happy to report that I did get the prep work done for my Friday night class. And madly working on my UFO homework. We meet on Sunday AM and I'm bound and determined to NOT cough up $10 for incomplete homework. It's going to be tight - but I'm going to give it my best effort.

As you know, I've been doing a lot of work for magazines over the last couple of years. They haven't been the fastest at returning the quilt to me which is OK. But based on the current state of affairs (the company that I mostly work with has declared bankruptcy), I decided it's time to push to get those quilts back home. I have been receiving boxes of quilts back from them over the last couple of months. However, I got an e-mail from them - there are SEVEN boxes on their way back to me. Each one contains at least one, sometimes TWO quilts.

Yikes - where the heck am I going to put them all? Some of them will go into trunk shows and some won't. I could easily do a trunk show with just the published quilts and I think I'd have to choose which ones I take!

Speaking of which, I'm published again. This time there are two of my quilts in the magazine.

This is the current issue of A Needle Pulling Thread. It's a great magazine and covers all kinds of needlework, but there's always tons of quilting in each issue. The theme for this issue was Rainy Day Fun!!

The current issue of A Needle Pulling Thread

Let's start off with the cover. That adorable umbrella pillow was made by one of my fellow educators for SVP. She used the sequin stitches on the Designer EPIC (Husqvarna Viking) to create raindrops above the umbrella. Then she sewed on all those buttons by sewing machine. Oh yes - very easy to do with the sewing machine. Awesome job Margaret!!!!  Super creative.

I'm not sure where all my ideas come from - well they come from everywhere. I store them in my brain until I need something. I wanted to recreate a game board but wasn't sure about copyright. So I chose to replicate a word search puzzle. Not content to make a small one, I wanted a quilt that would keep you snuggly on a rainy day. My word search puzzle quilt is a generous lap quilt.

My Word Search puzzle quilt

Thanks to Northcott for providing the gorgeous fabrics (Canvas blender collection) for the quilt. I absolutely LOVE this blender collection. I'll take a bolt of each please and there are more colors coming later this summer. Check the link for the existing and new colors. It also comes in pre-cuts.

It was super fun to sew together. I remember doing some of the embroidery and sewing at a quilt retreat. Since it was extremely important that those letters be placed in the correct spot, Ronda was my "proofreader" before sewing it together. Thanks, Ronda!!!   You'll have to get the magazine to get all the details of how I constructed the quilt.

I have a second quilt in the magazine as well. It's also a game and it's an I Spy Quilt. There's an odd number of blocks in the quilt and essentially it's a matching game. I'll show you a better picture later. I will be selling kits of novelty fabric for that quilt.

I Spy Quilt also in the current issue of A Needle Pulling Thread

If you want to see both, you have two options. You can run out and buy the magazine. That's the best option. Secondly, you can come to the CreativFestival this weekend (starts tomorrow) to see the quilts in person.

I made super use of the embroidery machine in the Word Search puzzle. I purchased the rain boots and umbrella embroideries. All the lettering was edited in the Premier +2 software. Everything required a fill pattern as a satin stitch was just not going to work. It's hard to see in the photo below, but the fill pattern for the blue lettering looks like raindrops!!!

Fill pattern for the quilt title

All these letters had to be stitched. There are 225 of them!!!  It was loads of fun to make the quilt and I'm thrilled with the end results.

There are 225 letters in the quilt

This next part is so funny - we had a great laugh about it. When I was at PFAFF Sewing  Center of Vancouver, I noticed this small word search quilt. Hmm - that's neat. A smaller version of my quilt. 

A small word search quilt

I was chatting with the owner and she said that she got the inspiration from an ad that she recently spotted about a magazine. Hmm - would that be A Needle Pulling Thread? I asked.  OH MY GOD - it turns out that she saw my quilt in the advertising for the current issue and made this mini word search. I said that I had the original in the car and would she like to see it?

That was great for a chuckle and the quilt stayed in the store for the remainder of the day!

So yes - it's possible to get your inspiration anywhere!!!

There are several other quilts of mine in current publications. I'll try to post pictures of those tomorrow.

On that note, I'm off to do set up at the CreativFestival. This is the MOST FUN day ever. Not! It's a lot of hard work - I'm taking my Advil before I leave and also taking the bottle with me. But yes - I feel my neck muscle is looser this morning. Still hurts but I have a bigger range of motion before it starts to hurt. Let's hope the acupuncture will start to clear this up!

Have a super day!!!!


Ciao!!!