How was your weekend?

I spent my days at the North Pittsburgh Quilt Guild Show. This is a local show for me. It is so close to home that I could stop in the shop each day before heading to the show and sleep in my own bed each night. Good perks as far as I am concerned! The show opened at noon on Sunday which gave me an entire morning off. A luxury in my book!

I don't have time to do many small shows, but this one is so convenient and the timing was right. I also recognize many of the quilts that are on display. This version of our Picture This pattern had a ribbon. It depicts Betty's trip to France.

The prolific Quilts of Valor group that meets in our store had their own section. The quilts on display will be shipped off to soldiers shortly. Bonnie and her team of volunteers do an amazing job. The quilt they are unfolding in the photo just came back from the quilter and will be taken home by another volunteer to bind. Last year they made and donated over 80 quilts and are well on their way to breaking that record this year. One of the things I like best about this group is that their focus is on quality not quantity. They haven't given away one quilt that I wouldn't be proud to own.

Kudos to my award winning staff for their performance this weekend! This is Nancy's redwork quilt that she designed and stitched and her sister hand quilted.

Missy's Lone Star shared multiple ribbons, including best machine quilting with "our" Mary Thomas! Mary is the angel that quilts most of my quilts - in record time. Now you know why I felt so bad about adding my scribble next to her precision feathers on the flying geese quilt!

It was fun to get out and catch up with friends and customers that we haven't seen all winter and spend the weekend just enjoying quilts. After I unpack the boxes and bins from this show I will be loading the car up with a different assortment of quilts and patterns. I'm heading to Columbus Ohio to present a lecture and class for the Common Threads Quilt Guild.

Then it is on to Cincinnati for a well deserved treat - a visit with the grandbabies and a little bit of spoiling. The plan is to kidnap the twins and their Mom and bring them back to Pittsburgh for a week with Grandma and Grandpa so that their Dad can get a few things done around the house.

After that I'm really going to need a rest!

Isn't this a cool quilt?

In a few months this Flying Geese project will be a free download on the Timeless Treasures website. You will be able to purchase the 30 luscious fabrics that I used for the geese, the background fabric and download the instructions and print them out absolutely free. What a deal! What you won't get are the "real" instructions. The download will be the condensed version, highly edited, for the sake of your sanity. The edited instructions will allow you to make this quilt quickly and easily and you will be amazed at how perfectly things fit together. I know, I designed it, but that isn't how it was made.

I'm going to share this designers dirty little secret.

The original idea for this quilt was in just two colors, red and white. I toyed around with the layout on my computer and filed it away in my "future" file. When Emily from Timeless called and offered me the opportunity to work with this eye popping group of gorgeous batiks. How could I say no? Flipping through the "future" file I immediately saw a colorwash of geese on a dark background - perfect. How big did they need the quilt to be? "Any size" was the reply. Timeless is in the business of selling beautiful fabrics. When you make a quilt for advertising, they want the fabrics to show. I decided to cut the geese 4 by 8 inches and make 4 of each color. That would show off the fabrics nicely. I could deal with the layout later.

It was time for the geese assembly process, which because of my schedule took place on numerous occasions, in numerous places on a variety of different sewing machines. No problem, a quarter inch is a quarter inch.... right? I will spare you the details, but suffice to say that among other things on one occasion using a different brand of machine, I neglected to adjust the needle position after a power glitch. At the final pressing of all 120 geese I had an assortment of sizes! I also had a big problem.

Those 4 by 8 inch geese were way too big anyway....... I think 3 by 6 look much better. Spend an entire day trimming geese........

Final assembly took place in my "new" sewing room. Our son had been living at home while house hunting and he finally moved into his own place. His old room was immediately filled with a sewing table, my machine, ....... and ...... what happened to our ironing board? No time for design wall or shopping for a new ironing board. That 18 inch pressing mat would have to do. I needed to get this quilt top assembled and off to the quilter. It was a bit like camping. Crawling around on the floor made me truly appreciate my design wall!

I delivered the quilt top to Mary, a true quilting angel, with instructions to "quilt the blue areas and not the geese". Those were my instructions and that is exactly what she did - beautifully. There are feathers quilted into every triangle of background fabric. Exactly what I had asked for.

I decided quite some time ago that the epitaph on my tombstone should read "It was a good idea at the time". I know better than to leave areas of a quilt unquilted. Quilting shrinks a quilt. The stitching puckers the fabric and makes them smaller than the areas without quilting. You have to balance your quilting or your quilt will not be flat. I know that..... Why did I forget?

The geese were a little "puffy" after quilting, but I was pretty confident that a good steam iron and I could take care of that. I'm nothing if not overconfident. I trimmed the edges to get ready for the binding. I didn't have time to add the binding after trimming, so I folded the quilt........ AAAHHHHHHHHHHHH.

The top edge of the quilt was a full inch and a half LARGER than the bottom! It was square when I pieced it! I know it was.... wasn't it......? Spend another hour with the calculator, the computer, a set of rulers, checking math. Why aren't they the same size? Measure again. Admit that the top is almost TWO inches larger than the bottom. What could have happened?

Yes, people will notice. No you can't just whack off the "extra".....

Realize it's the quilting. More unquilted geese at the top, more quilted background at the bottom. Is it possible that a little bit of quilting could make THAT much difference?

Yes it is.

I know for a fact that WAS the problem because I spent an entire afternoon quilting each of those geese with mono filament thread. Next to Mary's beautiful feathers you will see my @#$% scribbling in clear thread on each color triangle so that the fabric shows instead of the thread. Thanks to the BERNINA Stitch Regulator, my stitches are even - not in a pretty design - but they are even.

And the quilt is back to square.... or technically a rectangle.

Trust me the free instructions will be much easier than the process I used! This quilt is now bound and will be boxed up and sent to New York to be photographed. Emily is going to ask me if I have a name for it. I'm thinking "Gone South" is appropriate.

While The Staff's Away

My entire staff has left town. Everyone except Patty, who has concert tickets for tonight. The shop is open our regular hours 9:30 - 5:00 and we also have a booth at the Pittsburgh Home and Garden Show which is 10 - 10 today and 10 - 6 tomorrow and 99% of my staff is gone. It is an understatement to say that we are spread a little thin. I'm going to be exhausted on Monday, but it is worth it and it is my own fault.

Each year for the last several years my Christmas gift to The Quilt Company staff has been a sewing weekend at a retreat center in West Virginia. Rather than squeeze it in to the holiday rush, we book it for March when the staff can go and have fun while I hold down the fort here at the shop. I should have checked the calendar before agreeing to the Home Show, but it is what it is. I'm not superwoman, even with help from my Husband and son, I needed to call in help from retired employee Rose who understands the value of the get away weekend for the girls.

I know, I know, I'm a great boss. The truth is, I couldn't do all that I do without the help of these fun loving women. Believe me, having to work with me all year, they have earned a weekend away! This is the group photo they sent earlier today.

The retreat center has a nice open sewing room where they each have a table to themselves. Rooms are dorm style, but the best part is the food. Sarah, the young woman that runs the place is a trained French Chef and she serves the meals on china, in the dining room of the main house. You wake up to a cooked breakfast, sew until lunch, more sewing until dinner and then if you aren't too stuffed to move, you sew even more until you can't keep your eyes open. They sent me this photo of Jane's blocks arranged on the floor. I'm not sure Jane has gone to bed at all!

That might sound a little like a sweat shop atmosphere to some people, but if you are a quilter, it is heaven and naps are optional. Being able to push yourself back from the table after a fantastic meal that you didn't cook, grab the left over wine and head for your sewing machine instead of a kitchen full of dishes is a real treat in my book. And don't forget the laughter. When these women get together there is ALWAYS laughter! It is good for your soul. They learn things about each other, they tease like sisters and they laugh until their sides hurt. And they get a lot done too! This is the photo that they sent of Missy's first project. Missy is the resident over achiever!

If you have never been on a retreat weekend, grab some friends and start planning now! There are church camps, colleges, YMCA and scout facilities as well as retreat centers that are built specifically for sewing groups that would love to have you use their space. Some are more luxury, some are more rustic, but if you are traveling with a group of quilters I can almost guarantee that any of them would be fun!

Everything ... and More

Forgive me if this post is a little scattered. I think I have SCD. Otherwise know as Seasonally Confused Disorder. January and February which are usually the most dreary months of the year here in western Pennsylvania, have behaved more like March and April. No wicked snowstorms and no frigid temperatures. I like it.

I usually spend those dark dreary wintry days working on summer projects. Then in the spring when the weather turns nice, I start on the items we will need for fall. With these spring like temperatures I feel like I am way behind. Follow that up with a week long parade of Sales Reps offering me everything imaginable in Christmas prints, which will arrive in May/June and you will understand my confusion. I have to stop everything and get organized!

Let's start with the seasonally appropriate spring issue of Quilts and More magazine that is now on the newsstands and on the front counter of our store. Quilts and More is one of my favorite publications. I love their small projects, simple instructions and easy to make items that look great after your efforts. I am especially thrilled with this issue because it features my "Put A Spin On It" baby quilt on page 23. The easy to read illustrated instructions include my Quick Trim Ruler from Creative Grids and the project can be made from a stack of 10 inch squares and background fabric. If you are a purest and must have the exact same fabrics, the kits featuring the identical Tonga Batiks are here in the store and available on the website: http://www.thequiltcompany.com/ FYI the baby laying on the quilt in the magazine photo isn't one of our twins. I actually made 2 quilts. The one in the magazine will go to Grant. Madeline's has circles and may be featured in a future issue.

“Designed by Karen Montomgery]. Used with permission from Quilts and More® magazine. ©2012 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. For more quilt patterns, visit www.allpeoplequilt.com.”

Learning to use my new iPhone is also adding to my brain stress. Even though I can't get Siri to answer my requests I have to admit that this one is a piece of cake compared to the Droid that I eventually gave up on. I was perfectly happy with my "hello" only phone, but I needed a few features that the iPhone offered. Believe it or not you can plug a little gizmo called a Square into the iPhone and it will swipe credit cards. You sign the screen with your finger. Amazing. With a 5000 square foot full service quilt shop and BERNINA dealership complete with computerized cash register, are wondering why I need to swipe credit cards on my phone?

We will have a booth at the Pittsburgh Home Show, another annual rite of spring here in the 'burgh in the beginning of March. We are taking BERNINA sewing machines and Koala Cabinets. If you are in the area, stop by the Home Show to see us. We have some amazing deals on BERNINA machines and Koala products. To process sales I had to either upgrade to a fancy phone or pay through the nose to have the convention center run a phone line into my 10' by 20' temporary home for 10 days. I opted for the phone - because it allows me a direct link to Facebook.

Are you following this? I have been playing with The Quilt Company Facebook page for awhile and I finally have it organized. I would love to have you "like" us and then become one of our followers on Facebook. That will allow me to keep you up to date on what is happening in the shop. I will remind you about sales, special events, and cool new products. Once we have over 150 followers I will also be giving things away - if you leave a comment. Right now I have posted photos of monogrammed pillows that were made on the 830LE. Log on and leave a comment on either photo. To get started once I have 25 comments I will randomly select one to recieve a stitched out monogram in the letter of their choice.

Here is the link: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/The-Quilt-Company/142564535755634

Last but not least, I hope all of the local quilters are planning to attend our all day retreat at the Hampton Community Center on March 17th - National Quilting Day. We have a project for those of you with machine embroidery and one for those of you without. There will be demonstrations throughout the day. Your project supplies and lunch are included. Stop in the shop to see the sample. Or click on over to Facebook and scroll down to see the photo! See, I told you that you would want to friend us on Facebook!

Complaint Department

As a shop owner/designer/publisher I am required to wear many different hats. In the Customer Service area alone I deal with questions, comments and of course complaints. Nobody is perfect, and I am not using that as an excuse, just a simple statement of fact. Every now and then, no matter how hard we try, we screw up.

The mistakes that the staff and I might make in the store are easy to fix. They are mostly made one-on-one with a single customer. Publishing mistakes are a MUCH bigger issue! I write instructions, do my own sample sewing, have others proof read and often the published patterns have been distributed to my shop clubs where dozens of people have used them before they go to print. Still, every now and then you get that call that starts "Did you know that there is a mistake in ......" and panic mode sets in! OMG! If it really is a mistake (and not a confused customer) correcting it can be overwhelming. I immediately begin the process of contacting vendors, consumers, other shops, posting corrections on the website, mailing corrected copies...... a nightmare.

At the other end of the customer complain spectrum are letters like this one. Hand scrawled hate mail from someone so frustrated with one of my patterns that they took the time to pen me a detailed letter about what a miserable human being I am for writing such horrendously bad instructions. These make me smile.

I know that on first impression the fact that I find this humorous doesn't seem very customer service oriented, but inevitably these letters are written by people that are their own worst enemy. The letter featured here was received last week and has detailed issues with our Easy Stripped Table Runner pattern. Really? I have been publishing that pattern in one form or another since the mid 1980's. We sell an average of 1000 copies a month and it has been on the best seller list for the last several years. More than a handful of people have had success using the step-by-step illustrated instructions that are included in the pattern that has only FIVE seams. There is a very good chance that in this particular instance, it isn't me with the problem.

Now I am faced with the issue of how to respond.

The author of this particular letter begins by telling me that she has been sewing for 49 years, quilting for 5, has a doctorate degree and is not stupid. She goes on to explain that it took her "hours to engineer a 60 degree triangle for the runner".

Dear Not Stupid in California,
I am sorry to hear that you are having issues with our Easy Striped Table Runner pattern. Please keep in mind that the materials list for a quilting project is much like the list of ingredients for a recipe. On the back of the Easy Striped Table Runner pattern you will find a list of materials necessary to make the project. Clearly listed between "thread for assembly and machine quilting" and "basic sewing supplies" is "Creative Grids 60 Degree triangle ruler" an important ingredient for the success of your project. This is the same ruler that is shown in the step-by-step photographs that accompany the written instructions. Attempting to make the project without the proper tools is akin to preparing beef stew without purchasing beef.

..... um... too snarky?

Ms. California also goes on to take issue with my use of the word "equilateral" in reference to the type of triangle needed for this project. She points out that the word equilateral means "all three sides need to be the same"...... uh, I agree? According to her drafting experience "You cannot make a 60 degree triangle that is equal for the 8 1/2 inch strip".

Dear Ms. California,

As a resident of the state of Pennsylvania I am unaware of any laws in the state of California that prohibit the use of 8 1/2 inch increments in basic geometry. To complete the Easy Striped Table Runner project I suggest that you purchase the required ruler from your local quilt shop. If sales of the 8 1/2 inch size are somehow prohibited in your state, the ruler is also available in a 12 1/2 inch size a well. You can also order the ruler directly from our website. We are willing to ship rulers across state lines at any time.

...bad idea. Ms. California probably isn't the type to appreciate my sense of humor.

And my favorite part of the letter: "My God, you charge $10 for this pattern"! Which is signed with her name, followed by "Esq." - meaning she is an attorney.

Dear Esq.
I am deeply troubled by your dissatisfaction with our Easy Striped Table Runner pattern. In an attempt to rectify the situation I would like to refund my profit from your purchase. Unfortunately I do not sell the pattern for $10. I retail it for $8.50 both in our store and on our website. Your purchase was made from another shop that ordered wholesale through a distributor and established their own retail in our free enterprise system. Our wholesale cost is $4.25 - 30% for the distributor or $2.97. Subtract from that the cost of the bag, color printing, paper, employee payroll to fold and ship the pattern and we are left with .86 cents. Would you like that in the form of a check or shall I make a charitable donation in your name?

....nope. She probably wouldn't like that either.

Customer Service experts will tell you that one disgruntled customer is like one bad apple. They can spread rot and ruin your entire reputation that you have worked so hard to build. I spend a portion of every day, and I do mean every day - 7 days a week, talking to customers via email and phone, helping them understand techniques, find old issues of free patterns or pages they have lost. I've talked many a customer through enlarging or reducing a project or helped them to understand that what the instructions say and what they are doing might not be the same thing. If Ms. Disgruntled had dashed off an email or picked up the phone I or one of my employees would have been happy to talk her through drafting a triangle using any brand of rotary ruler. We would have pointed out the importance of the blunt tip on the Creative Grids brand and explained why that is our ruler of choice.

Because she eloquently stated that she intends to "not walk, but RUN" the next time she sees my name on a pattern I think we have past the point of talking her through the issues she described. Therefore I am appealing to you, loyal blog readers, for opinions on how to respond to this letter. You are officially in charge of this persons Customer Service. Post a comment. If you were in her shoes, what would make you happy? Go for it.

Work, Work, Work

I love my job every single day. There has not been one day in the last 19 years that I haven't loved going to work. I firmly believe that the old adage "Find something you love to do, then find a way to get paid doing it" makes for a happy life. But even when you love your job the way it is, sometimes the gods smile down upon you and gift you an office that looks like this:

That's right, for the next 6 days I am "working" in Ft Meyers Florida at the Pink Shell Beach Resort with Kaye England and several dozen shop owners. We will share ideas, sew, trade information on suppliers, sew, discuss class formats, etc, and sew. Apparently we will sew a lot.

Kaye runs this event and she sent us info about what we should have with us. To comply with Kaye's requests I shipped 48 lbs of fabric/sewing machine/notions before I left the burg. Then I packed a suitcase filled with everything that didn't fit in the box! If you total it all up, it was more than 50 yards of fabric that the wonderful Kaye suggested that we have with us. F I F T Y as in 5 - 0 yards! Plus trims for journal pages and things to share, rulers, notions, etc. I can't wait to see what she has planned for us.

My loyal followers won't be surprised to know that getting here wasn't easy. It involved Delta canceling my first flight. Getting up at 4am to make an early morning flight is bad enough, but getting to the gate on time only to find out that the plane is having "mechanical" problems could ruin your day. I have to say that Delta really stepped up, re-booked me through Atlanta, offered to cover my ground transportation and gifted me a $50 voucher towards baggage fees on a future flight (those 50 lbs are coming home with me too). I was impressed. I arrived at the resort only one hour after my original plan. Even though I was an hour late, my room wasn't ready when I arrived so instead of catching some late afternoon sun, I sat for an hour in the lobby with my luggage. Not fun - but a nice long walk on the beach, a glass of wine and a good nights sleep and I will forgive them.

I'm going to do my best to post updates of the weeks events on The Quilt Company Facebook page - you can follow the fun there. Post a comment, and see what 30+ shop owners can do with 1500+ yards of fabric! It is going to be fun!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/The-Quilt-Company/142564535755634

RESOLUTIONS

Happy New Year!
Time to make that wish list of resolutions that should last you through.... Martin Luther King day? I know, I know, this year is going to be different. Trust me, I know, I even believe you. I was saying the exact same thing to myself early this morning when I was on the treadmill. The same treadmill that I haven't been on since LAST January. Seriously, 2012 could be different... couldn't it?

This year I will be making only those resolutions that I can actually keep. Including the one I make every year to stop smoking. That one is a given. I don't smoke. Never have, never will. I think of that resolution as one of those things that you put on your to-do list that you have already done, just so you can have the satisfaction of actually crossing something off. ......I'm not the only one that does that am I?

This year the resolution plan is to finish off some UFO's. Not too exciting, but just think of how good I am going to feel when they are all done - or sort of done. Let's not get too crazy here. I still have a ton of "new" work to do. I'm shooting for a one-a-month average. That will by no means finish off anywhere near ALL of my UFO's, but it is a healthy and realistic goal. I'm feeling good about the ability to follow through this year, I'll keep you posted.

2012 is off to a good start. New Years day, while dinner was in the crock pot, I made and applied the binding to the quilt for our bed. All that I have to do now is the hand stitching. This is the same quilt that I made for the "new" look in our bedroom in August of 2010. The quilt has been finished - quilted and waiting for binding for 17 months. A few nights with a needle and thread and the room will really be "finished". I actually enjoy hand stitching bindings, but this king size. To apply the binding I had to clear a surface large enough to accommodate the light blue and white quilt so that it wouldn't get dirty. That took 17 months.

Cleaning the space in our huge workroom also unearthed about a dozen other UFO's, several of which have been waiting far longer than 17 months to be finished. With enough encouragement and enthusiasm I might even get those twin bed quilts for the guest room assembled, quilted and on the beds. I'm pretty sure I started those in the last millennium. Hmmm. I wonder how they decide what constitutes an antique quilt, the age of the fabric or the date that it is finished? If I dig deep enough in that UFO pile I might have a few antique contenders!

In The Meadow We Can Build A Snowman...

You should all be very thankful that you can't hear me singing! Even though I think I sound pretty good, I have it on trusted authority that when someone strikes up a tune, I should keep my mouth shut. Instead of singing about snowmen, I'm going to stick to telling you how to sew one. Use this photo for reference, I don't have step-by-step photos to share - but I know you can do it if you just follow along!

This great big gift bag is the perfect alternative to paper gift wrap for those of you that are going "green". Totally machine washable and cute as the dickens, this bag can be used year after year. Why not start by personalizing a bag for each recipient? I used a basic blue dot fabric for the body of the bag, but for those that don't like snow, how about a Hawaiian print? Pink candy cane stripes for the girly girl in your family or what about an ultra conservative plaid for Dad? Check your stash, you know there are fabrics in there and you can't remember why you purchased them. This is a great opportunity to put a nice size piece to good use.

To make one bag you are going to need:

1 1/8 yard of bag fabric, trimmed to 36" by the width of fabric

1 yard of black or whatever you like for the hat

1/4 yard of red, or any color for the hat band or 2 yards of wide ribbon

scrap of orange for the carrot nose

scrap of black for the eyes and mouth

18" square of PUL waterproof fabric for the face, you can order that here:

http://store.thequiltcompany.com/stores_app/Browse_Item_Details.asp?Shopper_id=144711242047421447&Store_id=466&page_id=23&Item_ID=2010

18" square of flannel for lining

2 yards of cord for the drawstring

threads, fusible web and basic sewing supplies

I have an instruction sheet that details exactly how to make the bag step-by-step and also includes the applique shapes for the snowman face. If you order the package of PUL fabric we will happily include one with your order. You are probably wondering why you need PUL for the face. You don't. It is just a beautiful bright white fabric with an exceptionally smooth texture and it makes a great looking snowman! The 18" square of flannel is to be used as lining for the PUL. Like any white fabric, depending on the print you are using behind it, you might get some shadowing. I like to line the white to make sure that doesn't happen. After all, you will be looking at this bag for years to come!

Step one is to construct the snowman face. You are going to draw an 18" circle on the PUL. If you have a Quick Trim & Circle Ruler that I designed for Creative Grids, flip the ruler over, find the center, count 9 spaces away (that's half of 18) and draw the perfect circle. If you don't have a ruler, start rummaging around the kitchen for something round that is around 18" that you can trace. If you want to see what else the Quick Trim & Circle Ruler can do, click here to see the video:

http://www.creativegridsusa.com/products.cfm?item_num=CGRMT1&ref=d

Now that you have seen it, I'll bet you want to order one, click here:

http://store.thequiltcompany.com/stores_app/Browse_Item_Details.asp?Shopper_id=144711242047421447&Store_id=466&page_id=23&Item_ID=1908

Now back to our Snowman Bag:

Layer the PUL on top of the flannel and draw the circle that will be the snowman's face. If you have the pattern, trace the eyes, nose and mouth pieces onto the fusible web. Press the fusible web onto the appropriate color fabric. If you don't have the pattern, cut the shapes out freehand. You know what a carrot looks like - just cut! How bad can it be? Coal comes in all shapes, you can't get that wrong!

Fuse the facial features to the PUL keeping everything inside the circle. You will want to use a pressing cloth when you iron on the PUL. Stitch the features down before cutting the circle out. If you have kids, get them involved with arranging the face, they know how to create personality!

Now stitch the face centered on one 36" edge of the background fabric. The head should extend past the edge of the fabric by about 2 inches. This helps it to look like the black hat is on the snowman not hovering above it. Trim the snowman's forehead even with the edge of the fabric.

Cut the black hat fabric into two sections measuring 18" by 36". Match the raw edges and stitch one section to the top of the snowman's head and the other to the opposite side. If you know how to make the pillowcases with the finished cuff seams (we call it the hot dog method) add the hat fabric using that method and all of your raw edges will be concealed.

If you have never used the roll-it-up method before, my friends over at American Patchwork & Quilting have a great step-by-step tutorial on their Million Pillowcase Challenge site. You can click here to see it:

http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/millionpillowcases/instructions/RollItUp.pdf

Now cut the hatband fabric into 2 strips measuring 3 1/2 inches by 34 inches. Fold about 1 inch of fabric to the backside on each end of both pieces and press. Stitch both pieces into a long tube. Press the tubes flat. Center each of these strips 1 1/2 inches up from the seam line on the black fabric. Top stitch along both long sides on both fabric strips. You can also use a nice wide ribbon to make these casings - faster and easier, but don't forget to finish the ends!

To assemble your bag, fold it in half with the right side showing, matching the seams. Stitch both sides using a scant 1/4 inch seam allowance. Clip the corners and turn the bag inside out. Stitch the side seams a second time using a heavy 1/4 inch seam allowance and all of your raw edges will be hidden.

Insert the cording through the hatband to use as a drawstring.

Enjoy - for years to come!

Button Tree Sweatshirt

I love this project for several reasons. Not only is it festive and easy to make, but it is really fun to wear. The buttons make a little jingle sound when you move that kids absolutely love.
First, lets get the "Don't make this shirt for anyone that is small enough to bite the buttons off the front" warning out of the way. Grant and Maddie are going to have to wait a few years for theirs.

You are going to need:

1 bag of Laura Kelly green buttons. (One bag is probably enough for 2 kid size shirts.)http://store.thequiltcompany.com/stores_app/Browse_Item_Details.asp?Shopper_id=92921025162369292&Store_id=466&page_id=23&Item_ID=2007
Green sewing thread

1 sweatshirt, the color of your choice, it doesn't have to be red.

1 embroidery hoop. Hand embroidery or machine embroidery, the hoop just needs to be a bit larger than the size of your tree.
1 triangle pattern - you are going to make this yourself so you will need 1 sheet of paper.

1 small rectangle of brown fabric if you want your tree to have a trunk

Brown thread for the tree trunk applique

A Button Sew-On foot for your machine, it's a #18 if you are a BERNINA owner.

Basic sewing supplies

Create your triangle tree shape by folding a sheet of paper in half lengthwise. Place your rotary ruler on the paper so that one edge extends from one corner of the folded paper to the opposite diagonal corner. Cut. (Yes I know that cutting paper with your rotary blade will dull it - use an old one. Having an extra rotary cutter with a not-sharp-enough-for-fabric blade at this time of year helps with gift wrapping too!) This is your tree pattern. Trace it on to the front of your sweatshirt using a removable marking pencil.

If you are adding a trunk to your tree, use a bit of paper backed fusible web fused to the brown fabric and cut a rectangle. Fuse it in place and stitch around it. The trunk isn't necessary, everyone will realize the green triangle is a tree without the trunk. I just added that step for you purists. Not making a trunk has one added benefit. After the holiday you can cut the buttons off and replace them with red buttons in the shape of a heart! Same shirt - new look!

Now put the shirt into the embroidery hoop. You want the shirt flat on the bottom of the hoop as you would for machine embroidery. For you hand stitchers, this is upside down. Put the outside of the hoop on the inside of the shirt. Push the inside of the hoop down from the outside of the shirt and secure. This will allow the shirt to sit flat on the surface of your sewing machine.

You didn't think we were going to sew those button on by hand did you?

Look at your buttonhole menu. Is there a picture of a button? Press it. All machines that do a zigzag stitch are capable of sewing buttons on. If you think about it, all that is required is a zigzag stitch that doesn't go anywhere. If you don't have a button sew on feature, set your stitch length to zero and your stitch width to match the holes in the buttons. The holes in buttons are pretty standard, so once you determine the setting you are good to go.

Set your machine up for free arm sewing. Slide the hooped shirt under the presser foot. You might have to take the foot off to get the hoop past the needle depending on what type of hoop you are using. When you have the shirt ready to sew, secure your Button Sew-On foot in place. - What? You don't have a Button Sew-On Foot? Ok, you can use another wide base zig-zag foot, but the process isn't going to be as much fun. Having the right tools makes the whole process SO much easier. BERNINA's #18 foot has little rubber feet that hold the button in place as you stitch. If you don't have that foot, you are going to have to sew slowly and keep a careful eye that the button doesn't slip and break your needle.

Place a handful of buttons on the shirt and scoot them into position inside the tree shape. Arrange them randomly using only the sew-through buttons. Save the ones with a shank for another project. Hop from button to button as you fill in the shape. If you have scissors built into your machine, this is a great place to use them. If you don't have scissors, just hop from button to button, you can trim all of the carrier threads later. Fill the entire triangle shape with buttons. Trim threads and enjoy!

Here are some helpful hints:
To keep the stitch spacing, some 4 hole buttons get stitched in parallel lines, smaller ones get stitched in an X. Look at the distance between the holes to tell the difference.

Make sure the whole tree is inside the hoop you select, you can't move the hoop after you have started to sew buttons.

Don't use a t-shirt, the buttons are too heavy. You need a sweatshirt for support

Turn the sweatshirt inside out to launder it so that the buttons don't get caught in the wash.

If you don't have a button sew-on stitch or scissors built into your machine, let Santa know, he might be in a generous mood this year!

Holiday Gift Ideas

For those of you that didn't get up in the middle of the night on Black Friday to forage for bargains at some big box store that insisted you show up before dawn to get a deal, this post is for you.

Over the next week or so I have decided to post my favorite gift giving ideas. Most of the projects don't require a long involved explanation and those that do have materials or patterns that you would probably need to purchase. I am going to make that easy too. I've added links to our website for those items. If you order the product to make the project and we have an instruction sheet, we will toss it in your package, free of charge. We also offer FREE SHIPPING on our website.

How's that for a little bit of Holiday Cheer?

This is a sneak peek at the projects for those of you that might want to product shop a little early:

Number 1 on the list is our Button Tree Shirt. The photo is a close up of a red sweatshirt that has been decorated with green buttons. Where did I get all those green buttons? I ordered them - don't try dying them yourself.... ask me how I know.

Sundays post will give you the tips and tricks for making this project unbelievably simple. I know you will be too busy supporting your local small business on Saturday to get any sewing done! Click here to order the buttons:

http://store.thequiltcompany.com/stores_app/Browse_Item_Details.asp?Shopper_id=92921025162369292&Store_id=466&page_id=23&Item_ID=2007

I have twin grand babies, Grant and Madeline. This is their first Christmas and as any Grandma with an embroidery machine knows, you have to sew like crazy for them before they are old enough to have an opinion!

These bibs are an "in the hoop" project from Anita Goodesign. You can order the design CD here: http://store.thequiltcompany.com/stores_app/Browse_Item_Details.asp?Shopper_id=92921025162369292&Store_id=466&page_id=23&Item_ID=2009

I will give you my tips for making them fast and efficient later in the week.

For those of you that are going "green" our Snowman Gift Bag is the perfect alternative to paper gift wrap. This huge reusable bag is large enough to hold an entire stack of gifts for one person. You supply the fabric - which might just be in your stash - and when you order the white for the face we will include the instructions for making the bag.

The snowman face is made from PUL waterproof fabric. You are going to want some of that to back the baby bibs too! You can order it here: http://store.thequiltcompany.com/stores_app/Browse_Item_Details.asp?Shopper_id=92921025162369292&Store_id=466&page_id=23&Item_ID=2010

Our 12" by 16" Gingerbread Button Pillow kit is a customer favorite! There is plenty of time to make this great little pillow because you won't have to waste any time running around town looking for the embellishments. We include them right in the package! The gingerbread men are already pre-cut and pre-fused in the kit as well. All you do is the fun part. We will talk zippers around Wednesday.

http://http://store.thequiltcompany.com/stores_app/Browse_Item_Details.asp?Shopper_id=92921025162369292&Store_id=466&page_id=23&Item_ID=1923



Speaking of customer favorites, have you made the Microwave Potato Bag? Amazing, simply amazing.


Click here for fabric by the yard: http://store.thequiltcompany.com/stores_app/Browse_Item_Details.asp?Shopper_id=92921025162369292&Store_id=466&page_id=23&Item_ID=2011


Click here for Warm Tater Batting:
http://store.thequiltcompany.com/stores_app/Browse_Item_Details.asp?Shopper_id=92921025162369292&Store_id=466&page_id=23&Item_ID=2008


If you are looking to dress up some bottles of wine for the gift giving season we have the perfect pattern for you, Wine Butler! A few tips and one of my secret tricks and you will be making these in quantity faster than you think possible. The pattern is available on our website:


http://store.thequiltcompany.com/stores_app/browse_item_details_photos.asp?Shopper_id=92921025162369292&Store_id=466&page_id=23&Item_Id=1705&Photo=One
When you order the Wine Butler we will toss in a copy of our more family friendly Holiday Mix Gift Bag. It works for wine, but it also works for some non alcoholic mix that I will share with you as well.


It is going to be fun!



Let's stitch up a festive holiday together!

Small Business Saturday

Remember when Black Friday happened after Thanksgiving?

This year it seems that nervous big box retailers are doing everything they can to jump the gun and offer Black Friday deals as early as possible. Is that really necessary? Is it really a deal? I've never been one to get out of bed at some ridiculous hour to stand in line in the freezing cold to push and shove my way to a "deal". For years our family made the trip to the downtown department stores on the day after Thanksgiving. Not really for the deals, more to support our downtown shopping district, enjoy lunch out with the kids and check out the decorations.

I like to shop local and being an independent shop owner I am acutely aware of what it takes to support an independent business. In the past two years there has been a growing movement to dedicate the Saturday after Thanksgiving to small business. The movement is called Shop Small. The idea is that small, local business contribute far more to your local economy than big box retailers. We tend to support other local business as our suppliers, we employ your neighbors and more of the money you spend with us stays in the local community.

Added to those efforts this year is the idea that you can and should shop local for those on your holiday gift list. For example, instead of the hot new toy that was most likely made in China, why not purchase an enrollment in one of our museums programs for kids? Instead of a shirt and tie that was stitched in some third world country why not get Dad a gift certificate for some lawn work from the guy around the corner? You get the idea.

If you live in my neighborhood and you are shipping packages to friends and family I recommend that you use Barry at The Shipping Depot in Shoppers Plaza on Rt 8. Barry and his staff are the friendliest people I know and they always go above and beyond to satisfy their customers. http://www.theshippingdepotonline.com/

The Hartwood Restaurant and Whispers Pub have been a favorite place to send our customers for lunch for years. My daughter worked there through high school and although the kitchen staff has changed the owners are still dedicated to providing a unique place to eat with excellent food. Located on Harts Run Road in Glenshaw, I know anyone on my gift list would love a gift certificate for a meal there. http://www.hartwoodrestaurant.com/

Another excellent lunch spot is the B&Z Deli at the corner of Harts Run and Saxonburg Blvd. Casual dining with sandwiches made to order and take-out available. I'm not really sure if they offer gift cards, but a ready made meal is always welcome over the busy holiday season. http://www.bzdeli.com/

Speaking of ready made meals, pop into A Fare To Remember in Shoppers Plaza, right next to The Shipping Depot when you are visiting Barry. You can stock your frig or freezer with delicious, gift worthy, meals to share with family and friends. http://fareathome.com/

I absolutely love Sarah that cuts (and colors) my hair at Super Cuts in Gibsonia. Unless they are bald, everyone on your gift list gets their hair cut. While the salon may have a name that seems like a national chain, most are franchise stores that are locally owned.

Obviously I also want to recommend that you purchase gift cards from local specialty shops, like your local quilt shop, that would be of interest to people on your list, but I also want to use this space to allow you to make additional suggestions of independent business that you recommend. Make a suggestion by leaving a comment. None of the business I've mentioned here ask me to advertise for them, I'm just a satisfied customer.

For our part in Small Business Saturday we will be offering free demonstrations in the shop from 10:00 - 4:00 featuring all American made products. If you are in the area, stop by, bring a friend, and shop small!

What is Karen up to now?

Busy, busy, busy. When you own your own business there is always a laundry list of things that you need to do. If you are working on controlling expenses, you think you should be working on advertising. If you are working on advertising someone has probably called off sick and you have to cover... well, you get the idea.

This week I am working on FUN. Nothing but FUN and I am having a blast! Last week I was in Houston attending International Quilt Market. To be honest, I can't remember the last time I came home feeling so totally jazzed about what I found. Fabrics, yes. There are always tons of fabrics to choose from and this season there are about a dozen new companies from which to choose them. Some years there is an obvious "hot" new item that everyone is excited about. Not so this year and I like it better that way!

When there isn't that special "one thing" that everyone gravitates to, you have to be more creative in your buying. You have to dig a little deeper to find the gems that you can polish and make sparkle in your own store. This Market I went out of my way to attend workshops and demonstrations that I normally wouldn't have time for. WOW! Talk about inspiration! I packed my overweight suitcase with fun stuff that I couldn't wait to get home to try.

This week is where the rubber meets the road for those new products. Sure they look good under the sparkly lights of the convention center, but before we offer them to customers I have to test them myself. Can I make them perform their tricks here at home? More importantly are they well designed enough that my customers will want to play with them too? Here in the "test lab" where I am creating new projects for our upcoming Handmade for the Holidays event I am happy to say that all of the new products have passed the test with flying colors!

In addition to new products I also gather a ton of ideas for projects that I create and write instructions for here at home. We have a huge button bin that we use on a regular basis but somehow it never seems to get any smaller. I saw some great dyed button projects at Market. Instead of purchasing the dyed buttons I decided to come home and dye our white and clear ones. How hard could it be? Hard. I sorted for about an hour, dumped the white and clear buttons into Kelly Green Rit Dye and waited... swished, stirred and waited. Then I waited. 36 hours later I had the buttons in the photo. These were all in the same dye bath for the same length of time.

Why some are light blue and some are lime green and absolutely NONE of them are Kelly Green is a total mystery to me. Frank Panion, my beloved high school chemistry teacher always said I made more chemistry in the hall than I made in class. My husband wondered why I thought I could dye buttons. My staff wondered why there was a strainer of buttons in their lunch sink! Easy fix. I ordered the already dyed buttons from our distributor!

So the button dying didn't work. Big deal. They are cool colors and I will find a use for them... eventually. I still enjoyed the thrill of seeing what would happen. Meanwhile I stitched up some batik rayon samples that are going in the wash tonight. I played with the new spritz dyes until I absolutely had to stop myself or there wouldn't be any left for customers. I steamed, fused, gathered, clipped and stitched. I've made the mistakes, learned some lessons and now I absolutely can not wait to share the success stories with my customers so that they can roll up their sleeves and have some fun! Sometimes the best thing you can get is permission to play for awhile.

Back In The Swing Of Things

Home is a good place to be.
We have been back from our shortened cruise adventure for about 10 days now and I consider myself older and wiser with the lessons I have learned. I can share this much with you:

#1. Never book a cruise that leaves port the weekend of a Monday holiday.

#2. If you are traveling during hurricane season, buy travel insurance*.

#3. If you are sailing on Norwegian Cruise Lines, don't expect a straight answer from anyone on board the ship or on the phone.
*I reserve the right to amened that statement after we settle the claim with the insurance company!

To make a long story short. Our cruise that was scheduled to leave port on Sunday didn't leave until Tuesday. According to NCL this was the result of dangerously high seas. That's odd, because the marine report called for 4-6 foot seas on Monday. Labor Day. A national holiday here in the U.S. One of those holidays where union port workers would have to be paid holiday overtime pay. I have a feeling that the "safety of their passengers and crew" was less a determining factor than their bottom line.

This is a photo of the Music Park that I took while we were waiting for out ship to come in - doesn't that look like a nasty day for sailing? Note the ominous skies and wicked winds.

NCL graciously granted us a "refund" for the two days and two ports that we missed. They decided the best course of action was to apply that credit to our shipboard account. We didn't use the entire credit so now we have to wait 3 weeks or more for a refund. We were told that our pre-paid dive trips in the ports that were skipped would be refunded to our credit card. We were also told they would be credited to our shipboard account and that they would be refunded via check. I am quite sure that if I asked 6 more people I would have six different answers. It is going to take weeks, possibly months to straighten everything out.

We did finally get to dive in Costa Maya and Cozumel. We saw sharks (not the dangerous kind) lots of Lion Fish, my first eel - a huge 5' long green eel, lobster and beautiful tropical fish. The best part of the vacation. Although I have to admit that the beniges at Cafe DuMonde were pretty good too.

Oh, one more thing to share on the list of things I have learned:

#4. If you get sunburned on the first day out wearing a tank suit and all of the evening wear you brought with you has a V neck, you are going to look ridiculous at dinner!

Now I am going to enjoy the rest of National Sewing Month by doing a little sewing. Until Friday, when we have to leave for Quilting Around Chautauqua at the Chautauqua Institute in Chautauqua, New York. Are you going to be there? Stop by and say "hello". I am giving a lecture on Sunday Morning and my husband and I will be manning a booth in the ballroom of the Anthenaeum Hotel. It is a fun weekend and well worth the trip!

Caution: Vacation Ahead

Some days I wonder why I even make plans to leave my house.

I've already decided that my tombstone should read "It was a good idea at the time". I've been stranded in Washington DC because my seat was given away, had my luggage lost in Philadelphia (numerous times), been grounded by hail in Denver, sat on the tarmac in New Jersey for hours, driven home instead of flying because of ice in Florida. I've been searched, patted and swabbed in the best and the worst airports in our country and abroad. Why won't I learn to just stay home?

Earlier this summer I was pouting because we hadn't made plans for a "real" vacation. Not the visit the kids, kiss the grand babies, give a lecture while you are their kind of trip, a REAL vacation. The kind where you go for nothing but relaxation and enjoyment. My husband had pretty much told me to put my big girl panties on and deal with it when I received a very enticing offer in my email box. Oh that wicked email. Norwegian Cruise Lines was offering a ridiculously low rate on a cruise out of New Orleans starting on Labor Day weekend. It would have been an absolute sin to pass up the balcony rate. Seven days, 4 ports and 3 dive sites that we have never been to.

My husband is an avid scuba diver and he talked me into joining him about 10 years ago. I really do love to dive, but the absolute best part is that all I have to do is suggest a diving trip and he is immediately agreeable. I found some cheap flights, booked a balcony and relaxed knowing that I had a "real" vacation to look forward to.

Then Lee showed up.

We lived in Florida for almost 8 years. I know when hurricane season starts and I know when it ends. I also know that cruise lines make adjustments to their itinerary when necessary to avoid storms. I'm OK with that. I honestly have to say that when Lee showed up, much earlier this week, I thought we had dodged a bullet. Then it was as if Lee realized that moving at the pace it was it would blow through New Orleans before Saturday and that wouldn't interrupt my plans. The travel gods couldn't have that, so Lee immediately SLOWED DOWN. It has been pummeling those poor people in southern Louisiana with rain for days.

This map shows the current conditions in New Orleans. 24 hours before our ship is set to sail. NCL decided not too long ago and notified their future passengers that it is too dangerous to bring the ship into port so those passengers currently on the ship get an extra day at sea, well south of the storm. Those of us that are set to board the ship.... we loose a day. Oh, and they suggest that we change our travel plans to arrive at the port no earlier than Monday evening. WHAT? Change travel plans to fly into a tropical storm a day later? Are they kidding? Setting aside the fact that making a change with the airlines weeks or months, let alone hours before your planned flight requires a credit line and willingness to strap yourself to the wing, what makes them think those planes won't be grounded? I realize they make their living on the water, but do they not know that they gauge these storms by SUSTAINED WINDS?

We are sticking to our original travel plans. Our flight on Sunday is from Pittsburgh to Houston and Houston to New Orleans. There is an excellent chance that the Houston to New Orleans segment will be canceled. No problem. I know Houston well. I attend Quilt Market there every year. Better yet, this month is the Texas Shop Hop. Almost every shop in Texas is participating. With 24 + hours to kill we will rent a car and hit as many Houston area shops as possible. I guess this vacation just turned into a business trip.

I Heart Ohio

I spent the better part of last week traveling the Ohio countryside with my husband. If you ever feel that the whole world has gone "you know where" in a hand basket, pack your bag and head for rural Ohio on a summer day. It will do wonders for your outlook on life.
This was not a vacation trip, it was work related. We probably would never have found our way to Greenville Ohio unless I had been invited to speak, but it was well worth the trip. We began the week in Maumee, Ohio, home of Checker Distributors and Creative Grids Rulers. I was one of the featured speakers for their annual Open House - my absolute favorite summer event. This is a wholesale show for shop owners, long armers and quilting professionals. The event is fabulous and the dinners each evening where the vendors and demonstrators have the chance to catch up with friends and network with other people in the industry are an absolute highlight. It was at this event last year that I learned from Sue Hausmann that my husbands official position in our company is as CEO. Which really stands for Carry Everything Out. I'm sure that he agrees because that is what he did for most of the week!

Finishing up after the Creative Grids designer meeting on Tuesday and having to be in Greenville, near Dayton on Thursday made the trip home to Pittsburgh silly, so we headed south to visit the grandbabies! Wednesday also happened to be my birthday and I don't think that I could have found a better way to celebrate than holding, hugging, snuggling, feeding and changing these two, especially when it was capped of with an all you could eat crab leg dinner on the kids deck!
Thursday we headed for Greenville and the Great Darke County Fair. I was the featured speaker on Friday afternoon and offered a class on Saturday morning at Smiths Merchants in nearby Arcanum. That left plenty of time to explore Greenville and the Great Darke County Fair. This isn't your average county fair, this is the largest county fair in the country and they have everything you think they should and more.

There were chickens - beautiful chickens - an entire barn full of rabbits, a swine barn and a Cow Palace. The Domestic Arts building was filled with quilting, crocheting, cross stitch and needlepoint. I was wondering why cooking wasn't represented in the Domestic Arts category until we found an entire room full of entries for the best pies, cakes and cookies, jellies, jams, etc. in a different building with flowers and vegetables.

My husband found his own way of enjoying the fair offerings.

This is him enjoying Greek food:

Sweet Potato Fries

Rootbeer Float

Bourbon Chicken

Fried Ice Cream

Hot Sausage

Fruit on a Stick

Foot Long Hot Dog

Burger

Pie

And then he picked out the tractor of his dreams.

I had to break the bad news to him that he couldn't bring it home. But the fair was so much fun that we might just go back and visit it again next year.