Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Look at this gorgeous antique quilt I found. This is one of my 15 that I'm re-designing!!! What do you think? Won't it be wonderful in reproduction prints in the golds, browns, reds, blues? Add those scrappy backgrounds.... a stop border(inner border...I think it needs one) and a super outer border and we have a winner!!


Now tell me... who doesn't love making 1/2 square triangles? Each large block will be 18"! With borders it should finish somewhere around 100" x 118".... just the way I like them! BIG!!!!


H-m-m-m-m... I'll have to come with a great name for this quilt!! It's full of flying geese... they seem to be flying around the center block! How about helping me to name this quilt? Let me know what you think!! If I pick your quilt name, I'll send you a pattern when it's finished ... FREE!!!

Later.... Gloria

Monday, April 26, 2010

We're back home....



Wow... what a whirl wind trip we had to Paducah! The show was over before we knew it. We had a great time... we stayed in a lovely home with Gayle and her husband. It was nestled in a wooded area... big white house - long front porch with beautiful wicker furniture with stuffed pillows, flowers everywhere, beautiful ferns, and the most gorgeous antiques I've ever seen! We felt like we were queens. Look at our beds we slept in!!! Aren't they awesome? She had a beautiful table set for us each morning and fixed our breakfast! aaaahhhh.... lived like a queen for a week!
And look at this adorable "TC" !! This was the sweetest dog I've ever seen! He was so adorable...and he LOVED Jill !!! Check out this bed!!! This was Jill's bed and the other photos are of the upstairs where we were housed. She had collected 6 panel doors for years and then put them in the house as her walls - painted white - GORGEOUS!!


Our booth was located in the Pavilion in Paducah. It's a GREAT, BIG white vinyl bubble tent! It's like living inside a marshmellow! It was bright and cheery and perfect for large events. We were also in a film... eeeekkk.. I'm not a fan of having my picture taken. It's some type of documentary they are making of Paducah. The camera crew came to the house as we were arriving and filmed us meeting Gayle the first time at the front door!

We went to dinner with our "show buddies"! What wonderful gals they are... I've never laughed so much in my life! They were from South Dakota, Texas, Iowa, and New Hampshire. It's so sad... we won't be seeing them again... it was a very tearful departure. We have promised to keep in touch with each other through our blogs and emails.

This is the last week of open hours for the store. Thursday and Friday we will be closed - preparing for the auction on Saturday, May 1. I'm praying I will not be a blubbering mess... time will tell. I do want it to be fun for everyone... that's the only way to go... having a good time.

While I've been gone Katie Puckett has been working on my Block-of-the-month rug design! She's getting it drawn on monks cloth. Then we will pick the color palette!! That's the part I love! Once we get that all set, I'll be able to put it on the website and blog and get gals signed up! So exciting!! While I was at the show my creative side of my brain went crazy! I sketched so many new ideas I was dizzy!!! eeeekkkk.... now to get them to paper and samples made! I think I'll also have it designed as a quilt! oooohhh.... with wool applique!! I'm liking it!

My goal.... this is a big one.... is to have a good supply of new patterns along with their samples to show at the Houston Fall Quilt Market in October! Whew... here's hoping I meet that goal! I know I sure have alot of work ahead of me. I'll keep you all posted on the ideas so I can get your feedback!

Well... it's off to unpack and do some laundry... and hit ther sheets early! I'm a tired girl!!
Chat with you soon!!
GLORIA

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Paducah....here we come!!

Well, Vicky and I loaded up the Sprinter van this morning (man was it hot...!) for our last show - on to Paducah! It was very sad knowing that this was the last time we would be getting ready for a retail show. I am excited for this trip... we are in a new building. The hotel in Paducah is no more (it was really, really icky inside!) The city has purchased this building - it's like a big blown up tent!! They use them at the Olympics and huge events. It is permanent in this location. Has 40 foot ceilings, concrete floor, very bright and light inside. It has to be better than the "greenhouse" we were in last year. What a nightmare that was!!!! It will be fun to see my Bonnie Blue buddies and all of the other nice vendors we've become friends with. What a great group of hard working people they are!


It's also hard to believe than in just two short weeks, the store will close. I can't even imagine how I'm going to feel when I walk out the door for the last time and lock it. My heart is just simply broken. However, I do know that God has plans for me and I'm movin' on! I have so many ideas that I want to design... I know I must be scaring poor Heather to death. You see... she's a big part of my designs... I love her talent..hhhmmmm.... did she get that from me? HA!!!


We think Lexie is going to be artistic too... you should have seen the stick figure she drew on Friday... without any of us helping her. It had fingers and toes... Heather was shocked. What a sweet little girl...!!


My suitcases are packed, our goodie snacks (for in the van) are ready... tomorrow morning bright and early ... I'm off to pick up Jill and off we go! I always have to prepare hand projects to work on while we're in the van. I just prepared another wool block that I'm designing for a block of the month quilt. It's pretty drop-dead-gorgeous. Whatcha think? I can't wait to get started on it. I use a whip-stitch applique method with silk thread... you can't even see the stitches. LOVE IT!

Also... today Jack (my hubby) brought the Olde Green Cupboard to the house. I have it full of quilts already with my pretty red/brown/cream star quilt hanging over the door. It looks so pretty in the house.





That's all I have for today... I'll keep you posted while in Paducah!!

Remember - "Celebrate Handmade"
Gloria