BroncoFest 2012

For the past week I’ve been working on details getting ready to have my first vendor booth, at the inaugural Boise State Craft Fair.

Of course, I didn’t get everything done.  And I’ve put customer quilts on hold for this week, which feels really strange, and instead, working on a Bronco T-shirt quilt.  Well, actually, I’ve been working on several at a time, as usual.   The Quilt Cave is strewn with blue and orange!  The main one I was focusing on didn’t get finished; it’s at the border stage and merrily hanging in the middle of my booth anyway!  It definitely got noticed and when I finish it I think it will sell quickly.

It’s been cold at the inaugural Bronco Craft Fair today, and very windy.  How cold was it?  Cold enough to have on a sweatshirt, windbreaker (that really works!), ear warmers, hat and still need to wrap up in an extra quilt!  My feet were like icicles all day!

We have a wind advisory starting at 3pm…I think it started sooner than that, because at 1:30 booths started blowing into the street and one knocked over a bunch of displayed glassware!  My quilt stands blew over several times and the quilts were flapping in the breeze.  I checked with the event coordinator and she said it would be OK to move to another place, but with so little time left before the end of the event, I didn’t want to break it down and reassemble it again for a 2 hour time frame.  As I was packing up, Security came over and confirmed that I should take it down.

The summary for the event:  no quilts sold, but I handed out several cards and flyers so I should be getting some calls for quilting services or T-shirt quilts.  I also realized I should have more items on hand for people to peruse.  The problem is, I just want to make quilts!

This sort of weather, and standing for long periods really wears me out.  We decided to forego the Bronco Spring Game and came home.  I put my feet up and enjoyed a cup of double spiced chai tea and am contemplating how I’ll finish out the day.

I’ll definitely have a booth next year!

Go Broncos!!

Bonnie Hunter’s Orca Bay Mystery dilemma

Have you all seen the new mystery quilt that Bonnie Hunter is running again this year?  I want to participate, but I’m stuck on my colors!   I love brights, but they don’t go with anything in my house; DH sort of over-ruled that idea! Ha!

So, we have all of the earth colors and I’m still trying to figure out what I can pull together that will work in the living room, and will be a quilt he’ll actually use.  All of this indecision, and the third step is already posted!

…not to mention that I need to make a Bronco quilt for a customer before Christmas, and complete 2 other small customer quilts!

My Vacation Report

I am at the end of my vacation, and I have accomplished quite a bit…which is why I haven’t posted in 9 days!

1. Two twin sized flannel log cabin quilts have been quilted for a customer and delivered back to her.  She was delighted!
2. U of M Grizzlies quilt
   I am almost done with the U of M Grizzlies quilt that my mom commissioned, I just have to finish the borders, which will be done after I post this message!  Then onto the quilt frame for completion!
3. Bronco Quilt #1 – Snowballs and 9 Patches
   This is a custom order Bronco quilt that is to be a Christmas present.  I have half of the blocks made, and need to cut the other half.
4. Bronco Quilt #2 – Known as Towne Square
   This is a quilt that I started to cut out this summer…or was it last winter?…and never got very far, but I’m dying to see it made!
5. I created my first Bronco quilt listing on Etsy.com for a Bronco quilt that does not currently have an owner.  It sure takes a lot of time to get all that set up!
6. I scanned some family photos for DH and got them posted online.  Next time I’ll show him how to do it!

So, that is what I accomplished.

But, of course, I am scheming to also:

1. Make myself a cute bag that was posted as a free tote bag pattern from AllPeopleQuilt.com
2. I need to start cutting the blocks for the home game Bronco Football T-shirt quilts I’m planning to make and sell.  I even came up with a great idea on how to make them even more special, which I’m keeping secret right now…can’t wait to show you how it turns out, though!
3. I’m also thinking I should make some placemats as a Christmas gift for my sister-in-law…but then again, I’ll probably just buy them to go with the cookbook I plan to get her.
4. Of course, my hubby has been watching football and now that it’s turned cold, the lap quilt I promised him last February has come to the forefront.  Better get that one done.
5. And I’ve been dying to start the new Bonnie Hunter mystery, Roll Roll Cotton Boll.  I sorted through about 2/3 of my donated scrap fabrics and started pulling out appropriate colors.  I thought I had a photo of how that sorting project is coming along, but can’t find it right now, so will have to post it later.  I still have quite a bit left to go through…and then I had an idea for another quilt using some of those pre-cut strips.

On a less frenzied note, I have almost all of my Christmas shopping done, too.  Aaah…

I think I accomplished quite a lot in these 9 days!

Holiday Plans!

My holiday starts tonight!

I was given tickets to the BSU vs. Fresno State football game...of course, it's predicted rain and snow mix tonight!  But they are a good team and it will be a fun game.  My DH and I had season tickets for the past 5 years, until this year.  The prices kept going up and it just didn't make sense to keep spending that money right now.  Hopefully we'll be able to buy tickets again.

My mom is supposed to drive from Montana and arrive for the holiday on Tuesday, but with the predicted snowfall and bad weather, she probably won't make it.  So, while that will be disappointing, I’d rather have her safe and sound.  I will console myself by sewing and quilting all next week, as I have the week off, too!

I still plan to finish the quilt Mom commissioned for her U of M friend by Tuesday, so after running errands on Saturday I will get that one moving further along.  Unfortunately, when the fleece back that I ordered arrived on Monday, I found that it referenced only the sport of basketball.  Since this is a football quilt, that simply won’t do, so I am returning it and will have to find another suitable back.

After that, I have two other customer quilt tops to quilt, then start serious work on the orders for two Bronco quilts to be done before Christmas.

I also need to find time to post a couple of quilts for sale on Etsy, finish one of my Bronco flimsies, and 3 baby quilts that need borders and quilting.  Then I have 3 more quilts in the queue for American Hero Quilts, too, if I get a spare minute!

I’m ordering parts for a new computer this weekend, too, so I’ll need to put that together and get it setup.  I’m very excited about that prospect, though, as this is what I’ve been waiting on before installing my new Pre-Design Studio II software.

Last night’s guild meeting was fabulous!  If you haven’t seen quilts by Karen Schoepflin Hagen from Genesee, ID, you are really missing something!  She was fabulous, and what a depth and breadth of work!  Inspiring and intimidating all at the same time.  WOW!

I volunteered to do a demo and/or a make-and-take class at the upcoming BBQ quilt show in June.  So, now I need to come up with an easy sort of thing to make that doesn’t require a sewing machine.  Any suggestions, send them my way!

That’s all for now…

Fun Playing in the Fabric Scraps!

My customer picked up her quilt tonight and I think it turned out really well.  Her 8 year old grandson is going to really like this Christmas present!   I am definitely getting better at the consistency in my overall meander.   I think it helps that it took less time to actually quilt it than it has in the past, reducing the impact that fatigue plays.  Now I’d like to focus on more variety in the overall size of the quilting design and I will get that chance!

I had a surprise request today from someone I work with to quilt two quilts for Christmas.  I have already figured out my schedule so I can quilt them in between making the two Bronco quilts I promised for another customer for Christmas.

We finally decided on the patterns and I am excited to get moving on them!  The first one is one I designed in EQ7 and I think it will be really fun when it’s finished.

I haven’t had a chance to work the second one up in EQ7 to show it in Bronco colors, but I think it is going to look great, along with being really fun to make!!  This pattern is called Town Square by SweetWater, and I contacted them when I purchased the pattern to secure permission to make and sell quilts using their pattern.  I have been waiting to get to do this one for awhile, so I’m really excited that she chose this one!

Mom’s quilt is coming along, too.  Last night I decided to start putting up the pieces of the blocks on the design board before making any more, and this is what it looks like so far: 

Mom will be here Tuesday night and my goal is to have it finished by then.  I will need to do some finagling, though, as the back arrived yesterday…just in time, yay!….only to discover (look in the lower right hand corner) that their is a sport displayed in the design…and it ain’t football!

Oh, dear!  So, I will have to see if I can return the fleece and go with something else.  There was no mention of this in the description, so this is very disappointing.  I really hope I can return it.  Exchanging it is probably out of the question, as I need it right away.

I’ve also been sorting my big box of donated scraps into colors, and making quite good progress!  I bought one of those plastic 5 drawer organizers and it is pretty full, with lots more to add.  My inspiration has been Bonnie Hunter’s mystery for this year, Roll Roll Cotton Boll.  This quilt will eventually go into her 4th book so it won’t be posted on the site for a long.

Now, considering I have additional quilting and the two Bronco quilts to finish, I will have to delay the start of this mystery.  But it sure has been fun playing in the fabric scraps!

Busy, busy, busy!

I knew it had been awhile since I’d posted anything…my mind, and my fingers, have been racing around!

So, what have I been working on?

DH and I have signed up for a series of Community Education classes on Patents, Trademarks and Copyrights.  It’s taught by one of the local patent attorneys in town and has been very enlightening.  I have some ideas for patterns and I want to make sure I have an idea of what I might be getting myself into!

Homework, of course.  Two weeks ago the teacher assigned FOUR chapters for one week’s worth of homework!  AARGGHH!   I read 1 1/2 chapters, but have not turned in the assignment; this was the week that my middle stepdaughter went into the hospital unexpectedly and had abdominal surgery for an infection, and my DH flew to Seattle to be with her for a few days.  You know the saying “when the wife is happy, the husband is happy”?  Well, same for the reverse, and he was understandably stressed.  I didn’t expect it to affect me quite so strongly, but it did, even messing up my diet for the past 3 weeks.

I also got the tax information in to the accountant; now I have to work on this year’s information, because I messed up my inventory file by trying to adjust it to a new method.

I finished my customer’s quilt this weekend, it’s a simple meander on a purple and white gingham top.  I’ll post pictures soon, just haven’t taken any yet.

I haven’t installed the Pre-Design Studio software yet; I want to be able to spend some time with it and I know I will not get anything else done once I look at it.  I also would like to get some specs for a new computer; of course, then I have to build it and install my OS….

I’ve also been working on my mom’s Grizzly quilt, so I have lots of pieces and partially finished blocks done.  I figured out a really fun, easy way to put it together and it’s going to look so much more difficult than how I actually get it made!

And, I think I’ve finally narrowed the other Bronco quilt selection down for my customer, I just need to send her the photos to choose from.  That means I have another one, maybe two, quilts in progress.  I got some great ideas at my longarm networking group last week on where to show them off for sale, so need to work on that next.

Guild meeting on Thursday…

Innovations 2010 – Second Day, and beyond!

Wow!  As they say, time sure flies when you're having fun!  I can't believe it's already the Wednesday after Innovations and haven't posted since last Wednesday night!  I haven't had a chance to tell you yet about all the fun things I learned on Thursday or about the great dinner I had that night.  Here’s our photo after dinner, from left to right:  me, Debbie Wendt’s mom, Debbie Wendt of Wendt Quilting, Marian Drain (CuddleTime Quilts), Marion Carmickle, and Edie Eliott (CuddleTime Quilts).

Marian Drain taught her Incredibly Easy Techniques for Success class for the first time…and it was a hit!  She talked all about grain line of fabric and how it affects the quilting process and those waving borders, as well as how to tame them.  Way to go, Marian!

I took a Baptist Fan class from Laura Lee Fritz, who is also the author of four different books.  I’ve had my eye on at least two of them for some time now, and I had ordered Creative Classics before I left for Innovations.  What a great class!  Not only did she explain the technique, but we got to go up to the whiteboard and draw out the patterns.  Some were shy and didn’t want to go up to the board, so they stayed at their desk and drew, but I really needed the feedback and it helped a lot.  What a treat to get to take a class from the author of a book!

I also took a class called Bluming Background Designs from Irena Blum, an award winning quilter, author and teacher.  This was also a hands on class and we drew for almost 2 continuous hours, going over the techniques and getting feedback.  Some creative students came up with their own unique variations, creating people and animals from the designs which were quite wonderful.  The time just flew by!

I flew back to Boise on Friday morning, as I was trying to get ready to sit at a booth at the Hyde Park Festival that weekend, but it didn’t work out.  However, I was able to finish a Bronco quilt!

I’ve been looking for a blue and orange variegated thread to use on Bronco quilts and finally found it!  Wonderfil, a Canadian company, was at the show and has a line of variegated rayon threads called Mirage.  I also bought a spool of their Deco Bob thread, but didn’t use it this time so I could test each separately.  Mirage quilted up perfectly, not one thread break!  I discovered, however, for this sort of project, that the variegated colors disappear too much for my taste.  It’s sort of cool that you see a “shadow” of the football design, but  I am going to stick with either a tone-on-tone or solid color that is opposite of the border color.

I’ve got another Bronco quilt top in the queue, I just need to decide if it wants a fleece or cotton backing.

Back to work this week, lots of homework, and quilts calling my name…there’s not enough time in the day!  Sigh….

School Has Started!

Well, school started this week, and I already have too much to do... but then again, that's nothing new!

One problem, though, is that the instructor refused to post the online course until the middle of the week instead of the beginning of the week when school actually started, so I've already lost time, and I'm not very happy about it.  Mentally, for me, it's a lot like that bad dream where you show up for an interview without having taken a shower, brushed your hair, or pressed your shirt.

On a brighter note, though, my DH surprised me yesterday with a Kindle!  Actually, the one he purchased hasn’t arrived yet, as it was just released this week.  He gave me the leather cover it will go into as I was ranting about being behind and the possible scenarios for managing this class, one being to purchase the Kindle edition of one of textbooks.  He wanted to know if I’d like to keep it, or go with another technology…that guy!  I’ve been wanting one of these for awhile now, but just couldn’t justify the cost, and now it will help with school, too.

Last weekend I started 2 new Bronco quilts.  The tops are together and now I'm ready to put the borders on them and decide what the backing should be.  I’d love to get them quilted this weekend, but I suspect that won’t happen for a couple more weeks, if I’m lucky.

My mom also commissioned me to make a quilt for her so I've been picking out the fabrics, washing, and ironing.   Now it’s ready to cut.  We picked a lasagna quilt pattern, so at least that one's a pretty easy one and it should go together quickly.  I’ve been planning more of these for Bronco quilts, too, I’m just not convinced I’ll get them ready any time soon.

Innovations, the machine quilting conference in Tacoma, is coming up in less than a month, too.  I’m planning on being there, but I need to hurry to get signed up for my classes; the deadline has been extended to September 1st.  Oh, and book my flight….

So, I’m making my list and checking it twice.  Hmm….that sounds familiar, somehow…..

Weekend Update

This was a very productive weekend!

Besides getting caught up on making sweet pickle relish and dill pickles for the first time ever, I made enough blocks yesterday to make 2 new Bronco quilt tops!

I still have to sew the rows together and audition the border fabric, but I’m considering simply adding outer borders, and not using inner borders on this one.

Since I’ve got two quilts, I’m also considering using a fleece back for one and a cotton back for the other.

School is starts today…or, rather, it’s supposed to.  I am signed up for an online class, but the class hasn’t been published to my account yet.  Last semester the professor wouldn’t even give me the list of the books we were supposed to use ahead of time so I could get them ordered beforehand.  I’ll have to see if I stay signed up for this class!

More Bronco quilts to come!

Official Boise State University craft vendor!

It’s official!!

I have been been awarded an official Boise State University crafter's license to use Boise State University themes in making and selling quilts to the public at large.

So, in addition to offering long arm quilting services and making custom quilts, I will also be creating BSU themed quilts!

Sample Bronco quilts are in progress, so stay tuned!

Bronco Quilts – work in progress

I have been very busy this weekend, working on trying to get some Bronco quilts made…and it is taking forever!  I sewed, with a little bit of cutting, on Saturday for about 6 hours, and I only have 28 Nine Patches made…and I need at least 42 for one quilt!  After those are made, then I need to make them “disappear”…into a Disappearing Nine Patch design.  Here’s the prototype:

I may need to reconsider the size of the strips, or the construction method; I know I’m slow but, dang!

I expected to already have two made, working on a queen sized quilt, and fleshing out other designs….too bad it’s all in my mind!

Not quite caught up…

I haven’t posted in awhile because I’m just finishing up the semester, and I’ve been working on getting my final done.  There’s still a 7 page  research paper due that the teacher has been gracious enough to give me an extension on.  For today, I’ll be sending in the final and taking a break!  Interesting to me that even though I never thought I’d post a blog, I’ve missed it;  there simply has been no time.  I’ve been sick the last couple weeks, too, which doesn’t help a bit.

I haven't exactly completed the quilt class that we started for my school project in that the blocks aren't all done and we haven't covered all of the material, but we certainly have had fun and learned a lot!  We'll be continuing the class after the holidays and I'm really looking forward to seeing what my students come up with.  I did however get the school project turned in and have had some good comments from a teacher.

 Oh, and I had a great business idea come my way….making Boise State University Bronco quilts! I’m not sure if you remember that I made my mom a University of Montana Grizzly quilt? Well, I had started a Bronco quilt before that, just hadn’t finished it because I wanted to create a pantograph design of my own, as I couldn’t find anything out there that I liked. That hadn’t come to fruition and I found a football design so I used that instead and started showing people. They LOVE IT! Now, I don’t think I’m being modest, it’s nice and all, but really, there are much nicer quilts out there….

Anyway, I’ve started the process to get a crafter’s license from the school so I can officially start selling them. I already have an order for 2 quilts, which are roughly 75” x 54” and I’m charging $200 each. They have a fleece back with the Bronco logos all over.  Another customer wants a king sized quilt, but I haven’t worked out a price with him yet. I bought a bunch of blue and orange fabric on Thursday on my way home from work, they had a 50% off sale and I’m going to buy the fleece from my wholesale vendor.

We got a birthday coming up next week to celebrate, and then I’m quilting a customer quilt on Sunday.  I'm really looking forward to seeing how this one turns out; I'll let you know!