Showing posts with label Road to California. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Road to California. Show all posts

Saturday, December 8, 2018

A Blustery Day at the Lake House...An Upcoming Teaching Engagements

Wow!  I would sure say that winter has arrived.  We have not gotten snow here at the Lake House like they have back in Des Moines and other parts of the midwest, but it's still cold and windy.  Why is it we always feel shocked when winter sets in? The forecast for today was 6" of snow but now has reduced to 1".  That's moving in the right direction for me!  It's pretty mild most of the time here at the lake, so it will be gone quickly. 1" will be just enough to enjoy for a day or so.  ❄❄❅❅  Maybe this view will be white tomorrow!  It will put me in the mood for Christmas...🎄



I have been busy going through the items of my parents lifetime.  It's taking me down memory lane for sure.  There are so many memories, it makes me both happy and sad, but comforted as well.  My parents talked about wanting to update the house but never could decide what to do.  We decided to redo the kitchen, remove wallpaper and paint.  Thank goodness the painters have a product that will eliminate having to remove the wallpaper and will be able to paint the walls easily.  The kitchen is in the middle of its' remodel and I will post some before and after pictures when it is completed.  What an experience!

I plan on taking a few minutes from going through items today to do some sewing while football is on.  It used to be that I would prepare a lot of Applique or English Paper Piecing ahead and bring my stack upstairs to sew while Dear Hubs was watching football.  But so far this year I have not had time to prep much ahead of time.  I do have a stack of triangles that I have been sewing together for a while now so I will get them out and try to get some piecing done.  It seems I have been carrying this box of triangles around with me for over a year!!  Time to get it finished!


What will it be??  I'm not quite sure yet!  HAHA!  I am pretty sure I do know, but I'll be keeping that a secret for now!


I've used the Triangle Punch to make my Premium Freezer Paper shapes very quick and easy.  You can find them on the notions page with the Hexie Punches by clicking HERE.  

I have two teaching engagements coming up if you want an excuse for a road trip!  The first is at the Road to California show in Ontario, California.  I will be teaching English Paper Piecing using my technique of basting with starch.  It's a great class!  Click HERE for info.  My workshop is the 3rd one on the page.  Join me for great tips, a new technique for basting and fun!

The second teaching engagement is at the Academy of Applique' in Williamsburg, VA.  I am so honored to be teaching at this event.  It looks like a wonderful location in the heart of history of the beginning of the USA.  I will be teaching two sessions and the topic is The Gardens Of A King quilt.  We will work on 3 blocks in each session and lessons will be full of great tips for excellent results.  I love teaching this quilt to show people it is not as hard as they think it will be!  Click HERE for information.  My workshop information is on page 12.  Click the arrows in the bottom left corner of the picture that comes up on the page and all the information will be there for you to see.  I can't wait!

Wish me luck for actually getting to sit and stitch today!  
Have a wonderful day yourself!
Take care,
Missie


#31daysofblogging2018
#EnglishPaperPiecing
#TraditionalPrimtives

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

OLFA Ambassador and More!

I've been a lover of OLFA products since I started quilting 27 years ago.  Good products stick around for a reason and OLFA is one of the companies that keeps on giving us quilters great products to love!  I am thrilled to let you know that OLFA has chosen me to be an Ambassador of their wonderful line of products!

First up to highlight for you is the new SPLASH Mats and Rotary Cutters!  The stunning colors of Hot Pink and Teal are beautiful, but for me the bright color serves a great purpose on my cutting table...I can SEE them in my stash of reproduction fabrics!  Look at that beautiful new pink mat and rotary cutter...so bright and cheery! And as I mentioned, so easy to see and find on my cutting table.


Both the Pink Mat and Rotary Cutter are new products.  Aren't they pretty!


The Teal Mat is new and matches my well used and loved Teal Rotary Cutter I've had for several years now!  It's fun to have cute stuff that works well in our studios.  But it's also very important to have great products that actually work well.  I find that a good rotary cutter is so taken for granted.  A sharp blade really makes a huge difference in the enjoyment factor for me!  The OLFA products are comfy, cute and work great!  Take a peek at the other Ambassadors and the Design Team HERE!  There are so many different interests in the groups and some pretty cute projects too!

You can bet we'll be very well prepared as we cut more fat quarters for you all as we get geared up for the next few shows!  Next up is the Bits & Pieces Quilt Show in Ballwin, MO near St. Louis.  Click HERE for info and I do hope to see a few of you there!  This is a great show with lots of beautiful quilts and vendors of course!  

Then in a few short weeks we'll be headed to Paducah, KY for AQS Quilt Week!  Click HERE for info so you can join the fun.  This will be our first time vending in Paducah and we will be located in the convention center on the upper floor, booth #3608/3610 in the River Room along with the Prize Winning Quilts.  Now, that will be inspiring to be so close to all those beauties!  I hope to have a few new patterns available for you as well as new woolens and great notions!  You'll have the chance to pick up everything you need for my Starch Basting for English Paper Piecing in person!  

Since I wrote last, we have traveled the country from coast to coast- literally!  We started the year out in Ontario, CA at the Road To California show.  This year we had great weather.  It was a great time and we were so thankful to have two of our daughters join us to help with the crowds.  It was great to chat with old friends and we met lots of new folks too.  Quilters are a sweet bunch!  Here's a pic with our youngest and oldest out in CA.  Katie learned to do punchneedle in front of a crowd and my motto became true once again.  It takes 10 minutes to learn punchneedle and 30 minutes to become an expert!  Give it a try if you haven't done so yet.  You'll be hooked and having fun in no time!  Of course I have all the goodies you need on my website TraditionalPrimitives.com 


After the California show we set up shop in Phoenix at the Quilt, Craft and Sewing Festival.  Again we had great weather and a good crowd.  Super nice folks out there in Phoenix and we were able to catch up with several friends from the past who now live in Phoenix.  Great show and Great fun!  We hope to see some of you next January at this show!

A few short days later we ramped up for another long trip, but this time we headed to the east coast to the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival.  Again, we had great weather thank goodness and even ate outside in the evenings!  Our other daughter joined us for this show and she was a great help!  We are so thankful our girls enjoy helping us at the shows now and then.  Bonding and learning about owning your own business all in one.   


It's been nice to squeeze in some snuggle time with our little grandson Paxton.  He's growing so quickly and has such a great personality!  


He's squeeling with delight here in this picture sent by his mama!  This is what his little face looks like most of the time...happy and smiling!



And here he is looking so grown up.  Such a handsome little dude!


I know, I know, this is a quilting blog, but how can I resist!  Haha!  He's so darned cute!  

OK Back to quilty stuff!  I believe I mentioned previously that I have my first line of fabric coming out soon from Blank Quilting.  The time is getting closer and closer to when I can get my hands on the fabric in person and I can't wait.  If you haven't seen it yet, click HERE to take a closer look.  Don't hesitate to ask your local quilt shop to check it out as well!  It will be shipped to shops in July and it's not too late to get it ordered.  Ginger & Spice is a collection that will add a little spice to the  collection of quilts you make with tender lovin' care. 



We have a few new items on the website now- Brookshire Star is now available in a kit containing various red fabrics for a 9 patch background or solid background.  You can see the difference in the two versions in the picture below.  If you look close you can notice the interest the 9 patch background makes with the quilt on the left.  I love those busy backgrounds!  I will work on some better pics for the website so you can see the difference.


We also offer a green Fingertip Stiletto now, while they last!  We have been pleasantly surprised that folks like the green so well.  We are hearing from customers that they love having them in different sewing areas of their home so they always have it handy.  A good sign the product is being well used!  If you have not heard about this product, it is a handy fingertip extension that I use to protect my finger from the hot iron while I baste with starch.  It's very comfortable to wear and very helpful while manipulating the hot fabric.  The angle of the bend is like the tip of your finger so it is very easy to learn to use.  The wrap around arms are adjustable to all sizes of fingers to make it fit anyone's hands.  If you order the Fingertip Stiletto leave a comment when checking out if you want a specific color and we will do our best to make your wishes come true.  The comments box is on the page where you see your address.  



Check out the new items HERE at TraditionalPrimitives.com on the Quilts and Notions Page.  

Speaking of the website, we will be updating the website in the near future.  Just a heads up- if you try to visit and the site is down, please know it will be back on line soon and that we are still in business!  The same is true for my email.  If a note to me gets returned please keep trying.  It sometimes takes a few days for these changes to work out.  

Thanks so much for stopping by today and taking time to read my post!  I appreciate each one of you!  If you see me at a show, please let me know you read the blog.  It has been so rewarding to meet some of you as we travel the country.  I'm glad to know you still check in here to see what's up!

Take care,
Missie