I will never understand the workings of a three year old’s mind. For example, take this poor, bedraggled, much loved bear. Bought when my son was just a baby, this bear has been his constant companion. Known simply as “Bear”, he has been dragged on many adventures and somehow always manages to turn up when lost. When he gets a little ripe, Bear makes a trip to the washing machine and is greeted with open arms and smiles upon his return.
Yet within the last 2 weeks, Bear has gained a new ability. One that is very unwelcome at 2 am. Bear turns into a monster. The once lovable stuffed toy now strikes terror into my little guy and sends him crying to Daddy (not Mommy) in the wee hours of the morning. Bear is no longer welcome to sleep in my son’s bedroom and has to stay out in the hall.
Luckily, this has stopped the nightmares and monster sightings. But I look forward to the day when Bear will stay Bear and can move from his lonely spot outside the bedroom door back to my son’s bed.
I have been invited to teach a class at one of our local quilt shops, Maplewood Quilts in Northfield, VT! On May 3rd, I will be teaching a paper pieced star class to make this quilted bag. The pattern is the China star from Carol Doak’s Mariner’s Compass Stars book and the bag is from my own pattern.
All of the fabrics are in shades of gold and amber set against an Amish black Kona cotton. My DH says it looks Mexican/Aztec but I think it has an African vibe to it. Either way, this bag is really hot and I am so glad it is mine, mine, mine! Of course, I have to display it at the shop until the class, but I can wait… maybe. 
Last night, I put the finishing touches on my newest baby quilt, Rainbow Sherbet. It is now up on my site and ready to order! This was such a fun quilt to make and I have enjoyed showing it off to my quilting friends. They all enjoyed the bright, fun colors and agree it is a welcome change from the grey, winter yucks.
So check out my newest quilt and let me know what you think! Here are some close up shots.
Grey, grey, grey. In the middle of winter in Vermont, all I see is grey. So I decided to head downstairs to my studio and play with color. What better way to deal with all of the winter blahs than to play with bright, spring colors?
This new quilt is one I am calling Rainbow Sherbet and evokes memories of push pops on sweltering summer days in Alabama when I was a child. Some folks think I am strange to pair raspberry pink with bright orange, but I love it. It makes me think of lilies in my garden or cheerful cosmos or maybe the lovely monarch butterflies around my rose bushes. I just smile when I see it. With the lime green that reminds me of grass and the sunshine yellow, I am ready for the snow to melt and the robins to come back.
So many people get really excited by all of the cool fabrics I use to make my handmade quilts. But the quilters want to know “Where did you buy it?!” Most of my fabric comes directly from the designers, but some retail shopping therapy must be done! Below is a partial list of the different quilt shops both on-line and off that I have used and found helpful. Note: I am not paid to endorse these stores in any way – this is just my humble opinion!
Quilt Shops in my area and where I vacation:
On-line Quilt Shops (who may have a store, too):
Added 2-18-08: Some people are getting confused. I DO NOT sell quilting fabric! I only sell handmade quilts that are finished. This post is meant to help quilters find the same types of fabrics that I use from shops that I use. Please do not e-mail me asking if I sell any of my fabrics. Thanks!
My newest quilt is currently underway! I started it last week-end and have been having a blast with it. As you can see, the design is very fun – a black and white log cabin pattern with bright red ladybugs. I was so thrilled with how Miss Grace’s Ladybugs came out that I decided to make the bodies of the ladybugs out of the black Minkee fleece for this quilt. It is soooo soft! I am finding it is a lot if fun working with the Minkee chenille fleece, but it sure does shed! My sewing room looks like a small black animal exploded over everything. I hope by the end of this week-end I will have finished this new quilt and will have pictures to show everyone.
The reasons why I chose to do only black and white with a red accent is that: one, newborn babies can only see contrasting patterns of black and white really well; and, two, it looks really cool! After a few months, red comes in as the first color followed by all of the others. By 3 months, a baby can see the full color spectrum! Read more about this topic at Bausch & Lomb.
