Jina's World Of Quilting

All in White

2012-02-07T07:51:00.000-07:00

My little niece asked if I would make her something for her baptism. She knew I was working on a blessing dress for my baby grand daughter, Nahla. Gracee wanted something special too.My mother has collected a lot of lace which I used in this dress. Layers and layers of lace and toile.

I used my base pattern from the Olivia Skirt from the Butterfly Kisses pattern line. The flower embellishment is layers of fabric and lace with strands of lace and ric rac hanging. I stitched antique buttons to the center. This is removable. We have yet to find and embellish a cute sweater to go with the skirt.There are still a few more weeks to finish this project. Of course, she will need leggings and a headband.

This is the blessing dress I have been working on for Nahla. I used the base of a onesie. On one side I did swirls of cotton ruffles and flowers with stitched pearls in the middle of the stitched roses. On the other side I used swirls of lace and toile. I used yards and yards of lace and toile.

The length of the skirt is almost 30" long from the waist with a tie at the bottom.

It was quite the chore getting Nahla dressed in and out of this outfit. Once she was in her dress you had to be very careful to not loose her in the mass of lace and fabric.

The headpiece is made up of toile, lace, pearls and some fabric twisted flowers on an elastic white stretch lace. Look at her sleeping. She is so beautiful and peaceful! Notice her cute bracelet my sister made out of pearls.

Can you see her painted toes and fingernails? Her little leggings are a pair of nylons that I cut the feet out of and added stretch lace. I ruffled toile and sewed it on with some crocheted flowers in the middle.

Tahmor holding Nahla with her cute ballets. The only pink she is wearing. Her dress is pulled up so you can see her little leggings and ballets.

Another photo of the whole outfit.

And there she is in all her glory. Beautiful Princess!

She is so precious!

We had a special day with lots and family and friends.

Headed to Ruby's to teach for the week. Can't wait to share all the fun projects we will be making.

Happy Sewing!

Jina

What's new?

2012-01-25T08:02:00.002-07:00

I am finishing up a few projects for work. This one is Fly A Kite designed by October Afternoon. I love the main print of the girl swinging and the boy playing with his puppy. The coordinating prints make for great contrast with the fun prints in this fabric collection.

You can see the whole quilt here. All of these are free projects you can download here.

I love how this quilt turned out and it is very simple to cut and sew. This is a great quilt design for showcasing a bigger main print.

Look how pretty and vibrant these colors are corals, grays and aquas. This is a stunning collection designed by Emily Taylor called Verona for Riley Blake Designs.

Again this is another quilt I designed and you can download the patterns. They are free.

This fabric collection is called Stars and Stripes designed by Deena Rutter.

The reds and blues are colorful and saturated in color. I am going to have to make me a cute summer picnic blanket. I hear it calling my name.

This is another free pattern. Be sure to check it out. Super easy!

This fun project I just finished to put in October Afternoons booth at CHA.

This is the Fly A Kite fabric collection. I used my pattern from the

Butterfly Kisses Pattern Company called No Calorie Pin Cushion.You can find the pattern here.For those of you coming to Ruby's Inn in February I will be teaching this class. I can't wait. We always have a lot of fun. I love the ladies who attend this event.

I stayed up most of the night working on a blessing dress for my granddaughter. I can't wait to post pictures when I am finished. Just a hint, it's super easy and I used up a lot of lace I have collected over the years.

Happy Sewing!

Jina

Zippitt Car Seat Canopy

2012-01-20T14:11:00.000-07:00

My daughter Tahmor sent me these cute photos of this darling car seat carrier I made for my new grandbaby girl, Nahla. Riley Blake Designs carries this pattern by Elizabeth Wyatt called the Zippitt Car Seat Canopy.

You can see the cute ruffle from the top view here that goes along the front of the carrier.

It has a zipper up the front. I put a cute ribbon on the zipper pull to make it easier for opening and closing.

You can see the whole view of the car seat cover. It doesn't touch the ground so it won't get dirty. It covers the whole car seat nicely with a few embellishments of ruffles and fabric trim.

It opens in the front with a zipper and you can see the lining is black and cream. I used the fabric line designed by Riley Blake Designs called Lost and Found. The black and white damask is sparkle cotton. It has a little shimmer to the damask.

Another view from the top. I like the convenience of being able to have the front open or closed. The zipper was a great idea.

This shows the tabs for holding toys.

I would highly recommend this pattern. I loved making it. I especially love the look and function of the design. Ask your local store if they carry Elizabeth Wyatts pattern called the Zippitt Car Seat Canopy. If they don't then recommend they purchase it from Riley Blake Designs.

Happy Sewing!

Jina

November That Alpine Quilt Group and a few projects

2012-01-05T07:24:00.001-07:00

A little jacket I made for Nahla out of scraps from Delighted! I used to make jackets like this all the time for my girls when they were little. They would wear them with cute skirts I made and then colored stockings and boots with a huge bow or hat on their head. Little girls are so fun to dress.

The next are pictures from our quilt group in November. I know I am a little behind but there are some great quilts that I thought you would like to see.

This is a quilt design by Syd Haglund. She has made one for each of her children. This is for her youngest and is centered around a story her daughter wrote and pictures she drew as a child. It is all about dogs.

The colors are spectacular in this quilt. A lot of the applique is wool.

You can see the letter H to the right of the quilt which is the first letter of her name.

I remember this quilt being designed for a baby and both parents are at school at MIT or some kind of school that has modern buildings and architecture. This quilt was to represent the architecture.

Most of the following quilts are designed by Geoff's Moms Quilts which is a pattern company with 2 wonderful women at the head, Norma Whaley and Joyce Weeks

I love these quilts designs and color combinations.

This is the free pattern for Scoot I designed for Riley Blake Designs. Deena Rutter is the designer of the fabric. It is such a cute collection for boys. The designs are retro with fun trains, helicopters and toys.

Another look at the man quilt I made for Randy. It is a10" squares with 3" corners for any of you who love doing snowball blocks. Super easy and super fun. The fabric line is called Back Country by The Paper Loft.

Lots of Happy Quilting and many tiny stitches this week.

Jina

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

2011-12-31T11:57:00.000-07:00

Talen is serving a mission in the West Indies and he sends his Christmas greetings with this sandman instead of a snowman. I love the coconut head and ball cap. We haven't even built a snowman this year. I've actually loved the warm weather we have been having. I could handle winter if it stayed this way.I'll take the warmer days for as long as we can have them.

Here he is with the only 4 missionaries in the upper part of Gwada. They have to be off the beach by

9:00 am. They usually go to the beach around 5:00 in the morning on their P-day which is their day off. They only have a few hours in the morning to themselves for sightseeing.

A few pictures from my house to yours. It was a wonderful Christmas. We were able to talk with Talen via Skype. I love technology.

Grandpa, aka champ, is holding our new little Christmas present Nahla.

She is so sweet and beautiful.

I did happen to do a little sewing for Randy. His first man quilt out of Back Country designed by

The Paper Loft for Riley Blake Designs.

It is so cozy and warm out of the flannel. He loves it.

This time of season is a wonderful time to reflect on all the many things we can be grateful for.

I love having my children home and enjoying great movies, food and conversation.

The New Year is soon to come.

I wish you all a Happy New Year. There is so much to be grateful for, even a midst the storm. I love the quote..."Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...it's about learning to dance in the rain.

Many Happy Sewing Days in the Year 2012!!!

Girls Sewing Day

2011-11-21T17:46:00.000-07:00

We had such a great day sewing. To be able to have a sewing day with my girls is a rare occasion. I decided to share a tutorial on a quick and easy baby quilt. This quilt works out to be about 47" x 47" This is great for using up your scraps.I chose 7 different prints.

The first thing you will want to do is cut 2 1/2" strips. Sew one section with the color print on both outside edges and plain on the inside and one section with the solid on both outside edges and the print on the inside.

You can see here the colors I chose for the pink and the gray. You can do all your blocks different colors if you would like. This really is a great block for scraps. 1/2 a strip (40" in length) will make 8 sections of the
2 1/2" strips. It takes 3 sections to make a block.

Cut the sections into 2 1/2" strips.

Lay your strips out into the desired colors you would like.

Sew each row together to create the 9-Patch block.

Cut sashing strips 1 1/2" x 6 1/2" to go between each block.

Cut 5 sashing strips 1 1/2" x 27 1/2" to go between each sewn row. Cut 2 strips 1 1/2" x 29 1/2" for the sides.

Sew rows together. Starting with the center rows then finish with the sides.

Now for the borders. I cut 2 strips 3 1/2" x 29 1/2" for the sides and 2 strips 3 1/2" x 35 1/2" for the top and bottom. Sew the sides borders first and then the top and bottom borders.

For the outside border I cut 2 strips 6 1/2" x 35 1/2" for the sides and 2 strips 6 1/2" x 47 1/2" for the top and bottom. Sew the sides borders first and then the top and bottom borders.

Quilt by layering your top, batting and back. Bind your quilt and enjoy!

She loves it. It is simple and quick.

Here is another fun project that Tahmor created.She sewed random rows of fabric together. Pressed and stretched the fabric across the cardboard that came with the frame. She glued the antique doilies and buttons in place. I think it turned out darling. It will look so cute hung in her nursery.

We made a few minky blankets with flannel on one side and minky on the other.

And of course, a baby is never complete without headbands. Before they were even in style I had my babies in headbands and hats. They were embellished with ribbons and bows bigger than their heads. They were so cute.I made one for every outfit and you would never see my baby without something on it's head.

What a fun day. Enjoying sewing with your friends is the best. I encourage you all to plan and organize a day quarterly to sew. It is amazing what you can accomplish when you have a plan and lots of helping hands. Of course you have to have good food too!

Happy Sewing!

Jina

That Alpine Quilt Group

2011-11-16T08:07:00.002-07:00

This is a quilt I designed using Grandma's House from The Paper Loft for Riley Blake Designs. Both the following quilts are free downloads from here. They are pieced by Chris Orton and machine quilted by Connie Atkinson.

This quilt is designed using Country Harvest by Eric Dowdle Folk Art. They both turned out great and were a wonderful success at market.

These quilts are the inspiration from my wonderful quilt group "That Alpine Quilt Group".

Sharon Wright, President-elect for the Utah Valley Quilt Guild came to our quilt group and shared her many wonderful creations. Her work is very inspiring and it was a privilege to be able to see her work.

This quilt was a school project for one of her children taken from a picture. I think she got an A.

If you look very closely to this quilt and exchange the negative and positive space you can see a picture of Christ.

As usual my pictures do not serve these quilts any justice. The workmanship was just beautiful. When I come home from my quilt group, I am always in the mood to quilt. It is inspiring to see others work and it is motivating to finish all those projects that were started. I hope these quilts do the same for you .

Happy Sewing!

Jina

Winner of the Vol 4 Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Magazine

2011-11-12T09:36:00.003-07:00

Thank you so much to everyone who left wonderful thoughts and comments. It has been so fun to hear from all of you.The winner of the Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Magazine Vol 4 is poppyinpink.

Below is what she wrote:

Yo-yo's..a memory of a doll whose lanky arms and legs were made from fabric gathered discs of ev'ry colour shade and hue and made me laugh and Grandpa too as they dangled and jangled with bells, ah yes..the feet and hands of that dear clown, would jingle, jangle as they dangled down. I wonder what became of that dearest doll, your yo-yo flowers brought it to life again in my mind! I would love to make some for myself...might even make a clown as well.. thank-you!

Poppyinpink please leave a comment with your address. I can't wait to get this package in the mail to you. There are a few surprises that I think you will love.

I am having a sewing day with my girls today. I'll take lots of pictures and share what we have created. It will be baby cuteness for a nursery. Can't wait to get started.

Happy Sewing !!!

Jina

100 Block Tour 2011

2011-11-08T20:04:00.000-07:00

So happy you dropped by to enjoy this fun 100 Blocks Blog Tour, by Quiltmakers Magazine. Vol 4 is here, and you have a chance to win a free magazine issue! I feel lucky to be one of the designers picked to have a block in this issue! As you turn the pages of the magazine you can see many wonderful creative blocks designed specifically for this issue.

I was on a little kick with yoyos when I designed this block. I chose the line Happier designed by Deena Rutter for Riley Blake Designs. When I look at this line of fabric I think happy thoughts. How can you look at these cute bugs and flowers and not think garden cheer?

I was inspired by the design of the prints to think flower garden thoughts. Thus, the flower pot with all the cute yo-yo flowers. Below I show how I made my yo-yo flowers. There is also the option of the clover Yo-Yo Maker tool.

I like making my yo-yos by first cutting a circle. This one is approximately a 4" circumference and will make a yo-yo about 2" in circumference. Use double thread in your needle for stitching.

Use your finger to press as you stitch a running stitch around the outside edge of the circle. Turn the raw edge toward the center of the circle 1/4".

Continue to stitch all the way around the outside edge of the circle.

Once you finish your yo-yo, pull your stitches in firmly, without breaking the thread. Take your needle to the back and make a knot to finish.

For the flower stems I used the bias tape maker. I love the Bias Tape Maker by Clover. This is a fabulous tool that makes these wonderfully perfect 1/4" bias strips.

I think this block would be great in a table runner with 3 or 4 blocks and some sashing to frame the blocks. You could alternate the direction of the blocks making it non-directional. How cute would a scrappy 2 1/2" checker board border be with yo-yos. Place the yo-yos on the white 2 1/2" block and the other blocks would be scrappy 2 1/2" prints left over from your blocks. Soooo Cute!

Don't forget to leave your comment and receive your chance to win a free copy of this magazine! It is super easy to enter! Please make sure to leave a comment and be a follower of my blog.Your comment needs to be in by November 12th. Say something that makes me remember who you are!! Tell me what you have enjoyed or learned by following this blog tour.

So leave a comment today and be sure to check back next week to see if you have won a copy of the Quiltmakers 100 Blocks Magazine. If this is your first time here please visit again and enjoy the rest of the blog tour.

Happy Sewing and Creating!

Jina

Fall Quilt Market Houston 2011 Day 5

2011-11-07T19:25:00.000-07:00

This is the cutest mini bed. You can't appreciate it's cuteness from this picture. It is a doll bed using The Quilted Fish fabric collection called Sugar and Spice. It is adorable.

This was my favorite find of the show. It is by Sue Daley. Her pattern company is based in Australia and is called Patchwork with Busyfingers. The center hexagons are 1/2". The outside hexagons are 1". It is a spectacular quilt. I picked up a couple of her patterns and plan on doing them on some long business trips.

I had to take a picture of this cute outfit out of Hoo's in the Forest by Doohikey Designs. This was a great new designer who uses knits. Her clothing was very cute.

Another fabulous quilt in the Leicen booth.

There's cute Norma with her new pattern company called Geoff's Moms Quilts. They were busy. You can see on her right the quilt she designed around the story of her life. Their quilts and projects are inspiring.

Another fellow Utah pattern designer Amy from Under the Garden Moon Patterns.
was busy also.

How cute is the above dress out of Lost and Found? Serendipity is another favorite designer that I think has fabulous patterns for clothing and bags.

Who can forget how fabulous Kaffe Fausett is. One of my favorites. Look at those colors!

These are some antique quilts that I fell in love with. Again you cannot appreciate the size of these squares. They are 1" squares.

All these quilts have block measurements of about 1". Just fabulous!

Now this was a spectacular quilt. Museum worthy. Those are all yoyos about the size of a dime. You can see my dime I placed on the table beside the yoyo to show the comparison.

I hope you can see the design that these yoyos make. It really is such a great quilt. I loved the red yoyos that outlined the center design. I hope this inspires you to continue creating and quilting. I appreciate the workmanship and thought that goes into each of these quilts, fabrics and designs.

Happy sewing and creating!

Jina

Fall Quilt Market Houston 2011 Day 4

2011-11-06T13:51:00.000-07:00

More pictures of the Riley Blake Design booth.

All of this cute fabric is designed by Doohikey Designs known as Shari Butler. These are all her new patterns. Check out her blog here.

Lila Tueller designed Fiona's Fancy for Riley Blake Designs. Check out her work here.

All of these wonderful designs are by Lori Holt of Bee in my Bonnet. Check out more here.

You can see Amanda Herrings Delighted! Check out the Quilted Fish blog here.

This is Randy's chocolate cake. Doesn't it look divine?

He is known to love chocolate cake so whenever we get a chance for dessert he likes to try it. This was a good one but I think the hit was the Ghirardelli cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory. That was yum!

Keep Sewing!

Jina

Fall Quilt Market Houston 2011 Day 3

2011-11-05T16:49:00.000-06:00

More great pictures from Quilt Market in Houston. This line is Country Harvest designed by Eric Dowdle Folk Art.

Mod Tod by Sheri Berry Designs.

Woodland Tails by Sheri Berry Designs.

More Mod Tod.

Daisy Cottage by Lori Holt for Bee in my Bonnet. This picture hardly does these quilts and projects justice. It really is an extroadinary line with fabulous projects by Lori. Check out her blog.

Sunny Happy Skies by Bella Blvd.

Peak Hour by Kellie Wulfsohn of Don't Look Now.

Costume Clubhouse by Sheri Berry Designs.

Alpine Wonderland by Sheri Berry Designs.

Riley Blake Designs new lines for 2012.

This display showcases our laminates and kits.

Fly A Kite by October Afternoon.

Seaside by October Afternoon.

Grandma's House by The Paper Loft.

Different views of the booth. We invite people to come in and look and take pictures.

Believe it or not there are still more pictures to come. Enjoy your day.

Today is my Birthday and I am having a great day!

Do something fun today to help me celebrate!

Jina

Fall Quilt Market Houston 2011 Day 2

2011-11-04T07:02:00.000-06:00

More pictures of the Riley Blake Design booth. Here is lost and found designed by My Mind's Eye.

Stars and Stripes by Deena Rutter for My Mind's Eye.

Back Country by The Paper Loft

Here is Fox Trails designed by Shari Butler of Doohikey Designs.

Tuxedo by Doodlebug Design.

Country Harvest by Eric Dowdle Folk Art.

This is showcasing

our in house designs with Ombre Solids, Ombre Dots and Chevron.

Grandma's House by The Paper Loft.

Dainty Blossoms by Carina Gardner.

Santa's Workshop by Doodlebug Design.

Saddle Up by Samantha Walker.

Decadence is also by Samantha Walker.

Lost and Found again.

We had a great show. There will be more tomorrow.

Happy Sewing!

Jina

Fall Quilt Market Houston 2011

2011-11-03T08:33:00.000-06:00

For the next few days I will show our Riley Blake Design booth. This is the front portion of the booth starting with Fiona's Fancy designed by Lila Tueller Designs.

This is our laminate shower curtain out of Fiona's Fancy that hides our little closet where we keep everything hidden and can take a little break.

Randy is busy getting the computers working. He's the best!

Delighted! designed by The Quilted Fish, Amanda Herring.

The little skirt hanging there is one of my new patterns soon to be released. I'll show more later.

So Sophie is designed by Jen Allyson for My Mind's Eye.

More to come tomorrow. Happy Sewing and Creating!

Jina

Thriller

2011-11-02T21:53:00.000-06:00

I know it is 2 days too late for Halloween but I had to post about a really fun event that we went to. Randy and I took Emma and Clancy to the Thriller at Kingsbury Hall at the U of U.

These are some of the scary characters that made the night a little spooky.

Just a little scary!

This is one of Clancy's good friends and she cannot stop laughing. It was hilarious.

It was such a fun evening. The dancing was great and we all got in the mood for the spooky part of Halloween. We loved it!

Spark Event No 3

2011-10-28T07:54:00.001-06:00

Margie Romney asked Riley Blake Designs to

be part of this great evening called Spark.

Look how cute this entrance is? Tahmor and Alexis came to help me for the evening.

The following are some of the fun ladies we taught how to make a miniature pin cushion. Amanda from the Quilted Fish had a little make and take at her launch party and we continued the idea with these women who love to create.

Alexis and Tahmor were so great! I was relishing the moment of enjoying crafting with my girls. It reminded me of the good old 4-H days only this time they were really enjoying themselves and I wasn't forcing them to finish projects. Thanks girls!

Delighted Launch Party!

2011-10-27T22:43:00.000-06:00

What a fabulous evening! Amanda Herring of The Quilted Fish celebrated the launch of her new fabric line called Delighted!

There were so many fun and creative ideas. I am so excited to share a few of the creative things Amanda designed.This doll house was so adorable. Barbie would love to live here.

Amanda, Tahmor and Alexis enjoying the celebration.

These antique doors and windows were among my favorites of the evening.

Everywhere you looked there was eye candy.

Don't you love this vintage car? The colors in this line are so bright and fun. Just like Amanda.

Every window was filled with projects. Amanda's Glam Lamps with cute pillows and quilts.

Every table was decorated with fabulous center pieces like these DYI dress form pincushions.

Look at this great fabric covered guitar.

Banners hung from every window and every doorway.

Yummy candy and treats.

More projects made from both laminate and cotton.

This is Casey. She is the fantastic kitchen help. There were yummy cupcakes and cookies. Soup and sandwiches. Of course, everything was picture purfect.

This is Shane filling in for Michelle. He was helping all the ladies make necklaces.

Each little cushion was made from a print in the fabric line.

Precious crowns.

You can't see the cute skirt Amanda made from the green and white polka dot but it was adorable. She looked darling. It was so fun to celebrate with her and of course she was the best hostess. There was not one square inch that wasn't decorated. Congratulations Amanda. You had a successful evening because so many people came to celebrate your success with you.

Quilt Market Projects

2011-10-21T07:54:00.001-06:00

Here a few of the projects I have designed and been finishing for Market. Chris Orton has been doing all the piecing.When it gets this close to market Connie Atkinson does most of the last minute quilting and I bind.

This is a collection by Lila Tueller Designs called Fionas Fancy. It is a beautiful collection of sophisticated colors and design combination. There are damasks, flowers, stripes and dots.

These are some laminate travel bags that I have been making for friends. They are super easy. I will be sharing with you the YouTube video we filmed at Riley Blake Designs.

This is my Olivia Skirt pattern from Butterfly Kisses. I used Delighted! by The Quilted Fish. You need to go check out her fun after party dance. Amanda came to visit Cindy and I at the office and it was pretty fun. Go see for yourself.

This is the same pattern using Lost and found by My Mind's Eye.

This is another My Mind's Eye fabric called So Sophie.

This is my Bella Skirt pattern from Butterfly Kisses using Lori Holts new line called Daisy Cottage.Go check out her fabulous new patterns with this line. She is so talented. There are beautiful quilts and projects to see.

This quilt I designed with Fox Trails from Doohikey Designs. Shari is another one of Riley Blake Designs talented artists. Check out her blog here.

This is my snowflake pattern from Butterfly Kisses using Tuxedo from Doodlebug Design. This is a great black and white with some gray and white colors. Very classy. You could also add any color and have it look fantastic. One of my good friends Paula McKinlay helps me do some of my last minute sewing projects for market. What would I do with out my good friends. Thank you for all you do to help make market such a success.

Again this is my free download pattern from Riley Blake Designs. You can download all these patterns from here. I used So Sophie from My Mind's Eye.This quilt is called "Sophia."

This is Mod Tod from Sheri Berry Designs. It is such a cute line for boys. You know how hard it is to find good boy fabric lines to work with. The color combination is original and fun. Love it!

Back to work. Another day. You will find me at the Spark event tonight teaching how to make zipper flowers. Come see me!

Jina

Leaving Sunny Florida

2011-10-20T07:17:00.000-06:00

There was a little store in this quaint little town near Jacksonville that had just gotton some antique hankies in. These 2 hankies were calling my name. The handwork in them is beautiful.

This has blue stitching on white cotton. All of it is made by hand.

This has a beautiful purple crocheted edge.

Leaving Jacksonvile and heading to the Orlando airport we stopped in a little town called St. Augustine. This little town has been around 55 years before plymouth rock was founded. I loved the nostagia of the buildings and couldn't resist showing some of the fun architecture that I loved seeing.

This column is made of seashells.

This anchor looks very old. I think of the ship that it used to belong to.

This is the oldest school house.

Loved this fountain. It reminded me of Spain.

This is the fort that protected this little town.

Back to work. Lots to get finished. Less that a week before I head to Houston for Quilt Market. I promise to show some fun projects I am working on.

Jina

Southern Women's Conference Day 3

2011-10-19T07:31:00.001-06:00

When I think of Florida. This is what I think of: oranges and lemons.

We stopped at a gas station and I just had to take some pictures of the citrus. If I could I would take home a lemon tree.

This looked like a lot of fun. It is a motorized parachute. He looked like he was having so much fun flying above the ocean.

Look at this view. We had to stop in Jacksonville to visit Cindy's brother who lives here. Cindy went to visit and I visited the beach.

It is about 80 degees and amazingly beautiful. I enjoyed about 2 hours of sunshine.

Looking out from my room while blogging and working on work related emails and things.

This hotel may be new but down the street are the quaintest little beach resort stores that have been around for a while.

This bat mobile car was outside a little restaurant on the street corner. I had to take a picture. I just love it!

Look how cool it is.

There is nothing that makes me feel more at home than palm trees, sand and the ocean. I could stay here forever.

The walk to the beach from the hotel. It is about 50 feet.

The back of the hotel.

There is nothing much better than the feel of sand between my toes, even if it is only for a very small moment in time. Loving the sunshine. Loving the fresh air. Wherever you live make sure to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine whenever you can. It rejuvenates the soul. Believe me I need a lot of that.
Back to work. Sew. Create. Enjoy

Jina

Southern Women's Conference Day 2

2011-10-16T20:23:00.002-06:00

We found the yummiest restaurant by going to another restaurant. Our waitress told us about a quaint little shopping area on Park Avenue in Orlando. We found this cute little place. The restaurant we ate at was called Bosphorous Lounge and it was yummy. It was Turkish food and we loved it! This is what we started with. Zuku which is a flat bread. When it came out it was all puffy and when you break the middle steam comes out. We had a yogurt and dill spread. It was very delicious!

We then had a chicken dish and baklava. The baklava melted in your mouth. We have decided that Turkish food is on our list of favorite places to eat. I read that it is one of the top three cuisines in the world: Chinese, French and Turkish. They're right. It is scrumptious!

Here we see some flowers being made from felt. You cut a circle. Then you cut the circle in a circle. You can cut it straight or wavy. The wavy creates petals.

Then you can adhere the various flowers to a wreath. I love the effect. These colors look great together for Christmas. You can see below how to do the various flowers. Aren't they cute?

This is Lacy. She works for Where Women Create. Notice the zipper flower she is wearing on her wrist. Love it!

This is Jennifer and Kitty O'Neil with Cindy (I am behind the camera) They were teaching us all about Steampunk. It is designs such as gears and keys. They say it is taking the craft industry by storm.

That is why they are launching their new book called Steampunk Chic. The chic means sequins and girly cute embellishments added. I'll have to keep my eyes open for Steampunk. We have some new fabric lines at Riley Blake Designs that are considered Steampunk. Take a look at

Mod Tod and Grandma's House here.

The following are the wonderful ladies we got to meet and teach.

This lady was so excited to show us her finished bracelet from the day before. Look how great her yoyos are.

Here are some more wonderful ladies. In the back is my new friend Victoria who lives in Florida. This is one of the great reasons I love to travel and teach is to meet people like these women. They were so much fun to talk with \

The lady below in the burnt orange shirt had never crafted before. Not only did she learn how to do a yoyo yesterday but she was learning how to make a zipper flower. I was really proud of her and I am pretty sure she had a great time.

This lady sat in this same spot crafting all day.

These 2 darling ladies below are the zipper ladies and they just met each other. They were going to craft and make zipper flowers all night.I wonder how that went?

This is Jo Packman. She became involved in helping these women learn to make a zipper flower. She is the owner and creator of Where Women Create magazine. She has more friends than any one I know.

Look at that cute little face. She was so excited to show me her hot pink zipper flower that her mother made. She was going to put it on a headband and wear it.

Cindy and I heard a lot of screaming. We walked to the corner of the convention center where we saw a crowd of women. What could possibly have these women all hot and bothered?

Well, there were firefighters doing a fundraiser. They were earning money for burn victim children. The firefighters were stripping their tops and dancing. And wow could they dance!

Believe me. We were getting our eyes full. I'm pretty sure they earned a lot of money. How could they not?

Look at the crazy crowd of women. After watching for a little bit Cindy and I realized no one was shopping and this would be the perfect time to run and get what we needed. Sure enough, all the vendors were bored. There were no shoppers. They were all watching the Firefighters.

As soon as I get home I will hit the ground running. With only one more week before we leave for Quilt Market, there is still a lot to be finished.

Happy sewing and creating!

Will share more soon.

Jina

Southern Women's Conference

2011-10-14T17:06:00.000-06:00

Well here we are in Florida. I don't want to brag too much but it really is beautiful and warm here. The first person we met was Suede from Project Runway. He has been designing patterns for Simplicity. He takes one design and creates 3 patterns featuring edgy, classic and flirty. It was really fun to see the different ideas.

I saw this jacket and thought the fabric print and idea were fabulous. We are releasing a new line for Riley Blake Designs that has a classified add. I have been seeing handbags and fun clothing with these kind of prints on. I think it is a great look.

I loved this camper. I want one. I would call it the "glamper."

The other thing I liked today were these fabulous decorated cakes.

Notice the girls pink tips on her blond hair in the back there. I thought it was kind of cool. I'm thinking of doing something different with mine.

I have to say it was fun seeing Riley Blake Design buttons and crochet flowers being sold in this little venue.

Again we saw Suede with a Princess someone. We watched a Simplicity fashion show and it was really great. There were a lot of very fashionable, modest outfits I thought my girls would really like to wear.

You have to see the rest of these cakes. I had to take some close ups. I thought they were very creative and beautiful.

Cindy and I just finished teaching a demo and a make and take. I think we had a class of about 40 women. I designed a bracelet. It was embellished with buttons and yoyos. We taught them how to make the yoyos.While they were sewing the yoyos we did a trunk show with some of our quilts that we brought. We had a great time. We teach once more tomorrow. We will be teaching lanyards and my good friend Paula made about 70 of them. We will be showing how to make zipper flowers to embellish the lanyards. Enjoy your weekend. I hope to be here again tomorrow with another day at the Southern Women's Conference.

Jina

September That Alpine Quilt Group

2011-10-07T08:06:00.001-06:00

We had a guest speaker named Gwen O’Leary come and share here story with our quilt group. She has written a book about the last year of her mother's life called "When Life hands You Alzheimer's, Make Aprons". It is an inspirational story about sewing in very difficult stages of our lives. Gwen shared writings from her book and write ups from newspapers. She is so eloquent in her word choices and it was so lovely to listen to her story.

She lives on the road (they travel all over the USA in their car) with her husband and visits friends, stores and libraries sharing her book that she has written. She sells the books and aprons and all proceeds go to the research for Alzheimer's. She shared funny stories of how her mother would come into the room to sew everyday and be able to pick coordinating fabrics that looked wonderful together but yet she would be wearing an outfit with colors and prints that didn't match or coordinate at all. Her mother would forget many things but still knew how to sew.Her story was inspiring and something we all could relate to.

All of these quilts are from show and tell. They are all huge for some reason. Everyone was getting wedding presents and game board quilts finished.

Janice shared this wonderful Halloween quilt she finished. I love the bright colors.

This is the back to the quilt above.

This lanyard is pieced (most likely paper pieced). Can you see how tiny the fabric pieces are and appreciate the intricacy of the sewing? It really is a work of art.

I love going to my quilt group. They are so inspiring and I love hearing and sharing what wonderful women create.

Keep sewing! I will be sharing all the fun projects I am working on for market next. Time is flying by. Don't waste a single minute.

Jina

Last of the Summer Roses and Pattern Review

2011-09-29T21:11:00.000-06:00

I made a wonderful connection the other day through my Butterfly Kisses Patterns. Her name is Kristy and she was so kind in her request for some help with one of my patterns. She wrote a beautiful critique about my patterns that I want to share with you here. Check out her blog.

My daughter is so fabulous behind the camera.She took these pictures that I wanted to share with you of my roses from my garden. They will be the last of the season. They are in my kitchen brightening my day as they greet me with their fragrance and color.

Flowers inspire me. I love the softness of the petals and the colors. I love the texture and the natural beauty. I need to stop more and smell the roses. I need to appreciate more, the beauties that I am surrounded by everyday. Tis the season to be busy.

Happy Sewing and Creating!

Jina

My Missionary

2011-09-27T19:37:00.002-06:00

I wanted to share some fun pictures from Guadalupe in the West Indies. If you don't know where this is located, check out a map and look just above South America on the right hand side you will see the islands of the West Indies.

My son is serving a 2 year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

These pictures are so beautiful. I'm sure they are so breath taking in person. It looks so lush and green. I just can't imagine how incredible this really is.

This is Talen (Elder Barney on the left) with his best friend from the same home town in Alpine, Utah. They grew up together and were called to the same mission.(That rarely happens) Matt (Elder Garlick on the right) left in January and Talen left in May.

Matt surprised Talen by picking him up from the airport when he arrived. I can hardly imagine their excitement when they saw each other. They have been serving in the same area. They are not companions but they do see each other several times a week because they are in the same district.

The boys doing the Hakka. Talen played rugby for the United Team and won the US Championship during his senior year in high school. It was such a great highlight in his life. He is Polynesian from my dads side. He loves his Maori background and is so proud.

Look how cute he is. He is such a fantastic missionary. He loves the people and culture. It is such a joy and privilege to have a missionary and I am so proud of him.

The Creative Connection 4th day

2011-09-22T20:10:00.003-06:00

This is my last day at the Creative Connection event. I took a class with Julie Cove from The Alkaline Sisters. You have got to check out her blog. Her photography is so fabulous and she has great tips and recipes. She shared the most wonderful recipes and tips for eating healthier.

Julie also shared her story about having a bad back and being incapacitated for 4 months; having back surgery and a year later not being able to function again. She creates yummy recipes for eating healthier and cleaner with fresh in season fruits and vegetables.

Julie also shares some fun packaging ideas for the fun healthy treats she does for giving away to friends and neighbors.

My next class was with Kim Stoegbauer and her team from The TomKat Studio. They create parties.

We learned how to make banners, cute cupcake labels and mini banners. The funnest part was the competition. Our table became our group and we were told to create a party. Someone from our team chose items from another table. I always wondered how I would do under the pressure of creating on the spot and it happened. I quickly thought, "let's make a cake!" We started building and everyone on our team took an item and started adding. It was so fun to work as a team and see something come to life quickly.

Look how fabulous this is. I want you to notice the jewels hanging from one level of the cake, the cute mini banner on top of the cake, the sign that reads "Marie Antoinette. Let them eat cake" and the best: a mini banner with napkins folded in an accordion style and tied to the wall. Aren't you impressed. It was great fun.

Kim Stoegbauer is the owner of The TomKats Studio and Toni Chase is the project coordinator.

It's time to say goodbye to everyone with a cupcake party. Aren't those beautiful?

More beautiful cakes.

We love these ladies.Kris and Kim Thurgood from My Girlfriends Quilt Shop and DYI Dish.

Cindy and I with Jo Packman who made this whole event possible. She is such a great lady with so many connections. This was a very rewarding event. If you get the chance to go next year. Please go. You will have such a great time.

Keep Sewing and Creating!

The Creative Connection Day 3

2011-09-19T20:53:00.003-06:00

Romancing the Wristlet was the name of the first class I took at The Creative Connection. It was so much fun.

The class was taught by Shea Fragoso, Debbie Murray, and Heather Ales. Shea and Debbie own A Gilded Life. They have the coolest, blingiest (Don't know if it's a word but I just made it up if it's not), glitter trinkets I have ever seen.

We learned how to make this bracelet. It started with a metal wrist band. We applied paper with modge podge. Then we glued trims and sequins and buttons. I think they are so cute.

Above is Emma's bracelet. Check out her website called Fl(h)air Accessories. She is amazingly talented and it was so fun getting to know her. Look at her fabulous notes. She has beautiful handwriting and artwork.

Emma Burke and Kathleen Maibauer are showing the beginnings of the cutest bracelet.

The following are pictures of the market that was downstairs and you could shop in between classes. I featured a few of my favorite eye candy's.

Buttons and antiques again. Soooo cute! It was addicting. Of course, I bought more.

More Glitter, more jewelry. More of all the things I love to look at and play with.

Antique fabrics and handkerchiefs and doilies all tied into different artwork and designs. So wonderful.

Brooches and bling and velvet. What more can a girl want.

Here is the beginnings of my next project. First you pick your papers and tear them. Then you modge podge the paper onto a canvas surface. Next you paint the face of a girl. That was hard. But so fun.

The class was taught by Jenny Heid and Aaron Nieradka. Aren't they the cutest couple. Check out their blog. They are so talented.

There you have it! My painting skills. It looks good from a distance. I think it will look cute hung in my studio/office.

Shari this one's for you. I can see if you are following. How cute are these? I couldn't resist a photo. They are adorable. The one on the left is Hooty Hoot and the one on the right is Hoo's in the Forest. They are buddies. I moved them so they could be next to each other. Check out Shari's website. She is one of our designers for Riley Blake Designs.

I hope you have all enjoyed a little of my

day at the Creative Connection. I'll share more tomorrow.

The Creative Connection Event Night 2

2011-09-16T21:36:00.002-06:00

Lyea, Cindy and I attending the conference. Lyea attended a class while Cindy and I sat on a panel for the pitch slam in the afternoon. Now we are headed to hear the keynote speakers and have dinner.

Sitting at our table were these great young entrepreneurs from Princess Lasertron.Their names are Shannon, Megan and Emma. They are so delightful and so creative. It was so fun to meet them.

Holly Becker was one of the keynote speakers and has a blog called Decor8. She also has a book out called Decorate. She is so darling and spoke of her cute husband of 10 years in such a sweet endearing way. You couldn't help but love her.

Cristina Ferrare was another keynote speaker who also told her life story. She has a new cook book out called Bowl Full of Love. She also has a new cooking show on Opera Winfrey's new OWN. She was very inspiring and we had such an enjoyable evening.

Each time we went to dinner or lunch there were fabulous gifts for everyone at the table. Always great magazines and goodies. I wish it could be Christmas everyday. That is how we have felt each day here as we have received so many wonderful magazines and treats. Riley Blake Designs did sponsor the bag we all received this evening with some sparkle cotton from the Lost and Found collection and some crocheted flowers.

Happy Sewing!

The Creative Connection Event

2011-09-15T22:48:00.002-06:00

Here we are in the city of Minneapolis,Minnesota on a street called Grand Avenue and it is Grand! We came to visit this quilt shop that has been around for 35 years. The whole street is so quaint with beautiful architecture and cute little stores inside.

Of course we had to see what Riley Blake fabrics they carry. There it is Indian Summer designed by Zoe Pearn who lives in Australia. This is our minky which we call Dreamy because when you touch it you want to cuddle with it and dream the night away.

Then it happened! I asked if these were vintage buttons on the counter and the lady said no but these are. She pulled out 4 beautiful printed boxes with vintage buttons. Some were post war Germany. Many from Czechoslovakia, Austria and places all over the world. Cindy and I were googling and drueling and coveting over buttons. Who does that? Well we both splurged but I know she spent a lot more than me. ha ha

As you can see the buttons are beautiful and displayed on this heavy printed card stock. Each has a little story. How could we resist?

Shari this post is for you. This is our view from our window. You can see the Mississippi River. It is getting cold here. Cindy and I are learning a lot about social networking.
We have met the most wonderful people. I hope everyone is working on something productive. Whatever it is. Enjoy!

Swiss Days 2010

2011-09-12T21:43:00.000-06:00

Pavlova is a dessert that is a favorite when we visit my mum and dads home. It is always devoured. I was able to get a quick picture as it was being cut. It is made from egg whites, whipped cream, and fruit. Doesn't sound that great but because of the way it is baked it is delicious!

My Clancy has found a new love. Baking. She is great at desserts and pasta. I caught her making red velvet cupcakes which I will post the recipe for. They are the best! Her frosting is yummy!

Look how great these look!

We took a quick trip up to Swiss Days. I mean quick. We were there less than an hour. You could hardly move there were so many people.

There looked like some fabulous treasures but like I said there were too many people.

I have to say I don't do crowds very well.

I thought these metal statues were so ingenious. The workmanship was beautiful. I loved this cowboy and look at the ant. There are more in the background to the right. They are adorable!

Midway is a beautiful little city nestled in the mountains. Such a cute country town. This is a view to the south looking toward Deer Creek.

A view of Deer Creek.

The airplanes were doing a little show. They are so cute. I would love one.

A fun car that I couldn't resist taking a picture of.

This quilt is a free pattern that can be downloaded from the Riley Blake Designs website. I designed it with Amanda Herring of the Quilted Fish' fabric line called Delighted! It is a happy line with great reds, yellows, greens and blues. Keep finishing those projects.

Happy Sewing!

2011 Alpine Days Quilt Show

2011-09-03T12:50:00.000-06:00

Our small little town in Alpine, Utah has some of the most talented quilters around. Once a year we have an Alpine Days event that has a parade, food, games, and a quilt and art show.

Here is a view of some of those fabulous quilts.

Aren't the colors and design fantastic?

I love the patriotic colors in this quilt with a little green thrown in. Love it!

All of these quilts are so fantastic.

I do know that the apron quilt below is designed by Lori Holt. check out her great blog. Cindy Cloward did the hand piecing and Xenia Stirland did the quilting on the quilt below. Love it!

The quilt below is one from Nanette Merrill's stash. She is so talented. View her other quilts and blog here.

Enjoy these fabulous quilts. I hope they inspire you to continue sewing, quilting and dreaming.

The Vintage Cupcake

2011-08-31T18:20:00.004-06:00

This is the cutest vintage cupcake place. It is located on 24th street in Ogden. You must see!

How clever are those vintage doors in different colors for the counter top? As you can see there are old windows, chandeliers, and more.

This was my first time meeting all these great bloggers. All of them are very talented with some kind of creative blog where they share their ideas.

Cutest little table and chairs through the walkway to the cupcakes.

Love the pink! It's all over. So girly and so charming!

Delicious cupcakes everywhere. Lemon, red velvet, chocolate and more.

The sign for the Vintage Cupcake Co. is on a door. A pink one. Like I said. Soooo Cute.

There is even a pink mixer. I want one.

Above the door is this cute banner made from a combination of paper and trims.

I don't know how long this little place had been here but I think it's a keeper and we all need to keep visiting so we can keep these great cupcakes around. Who doesn't like a sweet treat?

More Finished Quilts

2011-08-31T07:58:00.001-06:00

I finished these quilts a few weeks ago but I wanted to share how cute they are.

The fabric used in this line is designed by Cyndi Walker of Stitch Studio Design for Riley Blake Designs. As you can see the yellow, aqua and fuschia combination create a fun summer look and feel.

I try to make most of my designs geared towards the beginner sewer. This is an easy pinwheel block. A fun quilt if you want something quick and easy.

The line below is called Decadence designed by Samantha Walker for Riley Blake Designs. This fabric line will be a great addition to fall. It has wonderful oranges and browns. There are pears throughout the line as you can see I used the pears in the border.

This is a closeup of the center of this quilt using Dresden plate block.

This quilt is for the intermediate quilter because of the center. The outside blocks are squares and easy to assemble. To simplify you could put something different in the center block or leave it plain.

This fabric is called Back Country designed by The Paper Loft. It is the first outdoor line we have done for Riley Blake Designs. All the guys want a quilt out of it at work. It is the first line we have done that any of the boys have requested a quilt.

All the girls are going to have to go on a retreat to make their guys a quilt out of this collection. It comes in flannel also. It really is a great guy fabric line. I'm going to put that on my Christmas list for making.

You can find all these projects and download them if you go here.
Have a happy sewing day!

Las Vegas

2011-08-24T07:55:00.001-06:00

My mum loves Las Vegas. She wanted to drive her new convertible to Vegas and have a Grace Kelly experience. So My sister and daughter and I brought our hats and headed to Vegas.

As you can imagine it was quite the funny experience trying to enjoy being in 106 degree weather with the top down and fumes and diesel coming from all directions from the other cars. Needless to say we only lasted about 45 minutes.

I wanted to share some of the things I love about Vegas that inspire me to design and create. Above those are rows and rows of beaded sequins drooping like lights and curtains coming from all directions. Beautiful!

Mosaics that create shapes and colors.

Lights in trees.

Fancy Shaped lamp shades in beautiful color combinations. Look at those shapes.

You know diamonds are a girls best friend. Look at those yellow diamonds.

The following pictures are from Le Reve. An incredible Circus O' Le show.

These were incredible flowers that dropped from the ceiling. It was a spectacular show.

Of course you can't go to Vegas without seeing sporty cars.

Fancy limousines for the rich and famous.

This ceiling is incredible. The detail with no expense spared.

This was the view from our hotel. Beautiful.

Of course lunch at the Cheesecake Factory was a highlight. It was national cheesecake day so all cheesecakes were half price. We had to try several. They were yummy. You can probably look at this picture and gain weight.

Gorgeous pink chandeliers out of glass.

This was a fun store that used old sewing machines as their decor. It was fabulous. I had to take pictures and share how fun those old machines are and what a unique idea for decorating a clothing store.

Well on with the day. Happy sewing to everyone. Thanks for stopping by to see the things that inspire me and make me happy.

July Alpine Quilt Group

2011-08-14T19:43:00.001-06:00

This was a fun quilt I worked on for my nephew that just got married. I had some left over kits with some of this fabric from Summer Song and worked up a quick pattern.

I cut 10" blocks and then sashed in between the blocks with 2 1/2" strips and 2 1/2" posts.

Threw a 6 1/2" border on to finish. I did a quick overall pattern with my long arm machine.

They are a darling couple. I'm sure Anthony and Ana will love it.

Our Alpine Quilt Group in July showcased Kaffe Fausett fabrics and quilts. We learned a lot about him as an artist and shared ideas on how to use his fabrics. I have been influenced so much by Kaffe. I love his color combinations and think he is very talented in so many different mediums of design.

The above quilt is the block challenge we are doing this year in our quilt group. Some one very ambitious has started to put this together with the bright colors. We have 2 groups, one being the brights and the other being the darker colors, as Flora calls them the sad blocks. The above blocks are the happy blocks.

I love this red work quilt. The pictures are simple yet striking because of the simplicity of the red and white color palette.

The quilt below is a quilt Cindy did for a friend of hers that just had a baby. It is all raw edge and is darling out of the fabric called Sweet Nothings from Zoe Pearn who is one of our Riley Blake Designers who lives in Australia.

I love the subtle colors of the quilt below made by Flora. I notice some Riley Blake Fabric from the Penny Lane collection.

The next few quilts are made by Janice. They're fabulous.

I'm not sure who made all these quilts but I wanted to share how talented our quilt group is.

The Home Sweet Home quilt is made by Paula below. We made them together with Sherry and Janice many years ago. It's one of my favorite quilts. I love this quilt.

I hope you are all inspired to pick up one of your many sewing projects and finish. There is no better felling than finishing one of those projects. Happy Sewing!

Girls Camp at Payson Lakes

2011-07-19T07:56:00.002-06:00

It was so incredibly beautiful at Payson Lakes. We spent the first day just setting up our camp site and taking in all the beautiful surroundings. It started to rain and the girls ran to my car. We went for a drive up to the top of the mountain where we found this overlook. This is looking out at Utah Lake. You can see that it is clear on the left side of the lake and it is raining on the right side of the lake.

The girls wanted to keep driving and take pictures of the beautiful mountains. You can see how green everything is this year. It took your breath away as you looked out into the valley below.

The trees and sunshine were just what I needed to be reminded of the beautiful area in which I live.

This picture of the water below is right next to our camp. My daughter loves taking pictures and captured a mother duck and her ducklings enjoying a morning swim.

This is a unique shot of the trees at an angle. I love how artistic she is as she views nature from behind the lens of a camera.

Take a break and make sure to enjoy the outdoors this summer. There is nothing like catching a glimpse of nature to spark your imagination and get those creative juices flowing again. It is a breath of fresh air.

New Quilts

2011-06-13T19:44:00.002-06:00

Now that Quilt Market is over and life is getting back to normal, whatever that is, I wanted to share some fun quilts that I designed for Riley Blake Designs.

This is a fabric line by Doodlebug Design called Christmas Candy and is available in stores now. It has cute candies, cupcakes, gingerbread men and more. The pattern is called "Wrapped Up In You" and can be downloaded here as a free pattern.

This is a fabric line called Lola's Posies after Lila Tueller's new grand daughter Lola. It has cute flowers, dots and damasks. The pattern is called "Lola's Garden" and can be downloaded.

Holly Jolly is designed by My Mind's Eye for Riley Blake Designs. It has a very sophisticated feel with ornaments, dots and damasks. The color palette is gray, red and green. It is called "Christmas Stars" and can be downloaded.

Happier is a line by Deena Rutter and has cute bugs, trees and flowers. The pattern is called "Starburst" and can be downloaded.

This is a line designed by Cyndi Walker of Stitch Studios. The line is called Daydream and is so full of cute gingham, florals and dots.The color palette is beautiful yellows, blues and corals.

This line is designed by Shari of Doohikey Designs called Hoo's in the Forest. It is so whimsical and cute. The color palette is pink, yellow, blue and green. It would be so fun in a little girls nursery.

All of these quilts I have shown are free downloadable patterns through Riley Blake Designs. I designed these quilts with beginners in mind and with the desire to have someone piece them in a days work.

Happy Sewing!

Spring Quilt Market 2011

2011-05-27T09:06:00.001-06:00

Spring International Quilt Market was here in Salt Lake City. The venue was the Salt palace in downtown Salt Lake City. It is a beautiful facility.

You can see the front of the booth above and the back of the booth below.

We like to merchandise all our new upcoming lines of fabric in their own separate sections. This keeps everything looking nice and clean. Each section is called a tower.

Above you can see Farm Fresh on your left that is coming to stores in July and on the right is Happier which is in stores right now.

The tables are where we sell and show our lines of fabric from. You can see our Sew Together tower that houses all of our new trims that go with our fabric lines.

Another look at Farm Fresh. The cutest line designed by October Afternoon.

This is a look at the All Dolled Up Quilts that were part of a fun treat for shops to participate in and win these adorable quilts.

To be involved all you had to do was pick up a brochure and visit all the the Utah designers that participated and get your brochure filled with stamps. Then Drop the brochure in the mailbox for the drawing of the 2 quilts.

Here is a look at the shredded bits of fabric that we used to make the birds nest. Lori Holt let us borrow her little velvet bird that was perfect for the nest.

I made the little glass containers with wire holders and ribbon to hang from the tree with lights in them for a little nostalgia.

The tree was wrapped in the same fabrics that the dolls for the quilt were made out of. We used batting under the fabric to hide all the little pokies from the tree. We tried to prune most of them but there were many we could only hide with batting and the 2 1/2" strips of fabric. Randy made a wrought iron holder that the tree was set in to make it stable. We placed moss around the bottom of the tree to hide the opening in the grass.

This collection is called Daydream by Cyndi Walker of Stitch Studios. It is a beautiful line that is available in stores right now. This line showcases well in both clothing and quilts.

How can you not love Sew Cherry. Available in stores right now.

Lori Holt of Bee in my Bonnet is the designer of Sew Cherry. As you can see she has some fabulous patterns that she has designed for this line. Quilts, pillows, aprons, clothing, bags and more.

Happier is a darling line available in stores right now. Deena Rutter is the designer.

Pirates designed by Emily Taylor is a great line for boys and just in time to be released with the movie Pirates of the Caribbean. It will be available in stores in June.

More great lines. This is called Sugar and Spice designed by Amanda Herring of The Quilted Fish. How can you not love the combination of colors in this line.

Look how cute it is in clothing, quilts and pillows. Amanda has some fabulous new patterns with her line including the cutest mad hatter. It's a darling hat that can be worn as a headband. You could pretend you are at the royal wedding. It is that cute.

This line is just yummy!

Eric Dowdle is a famous artist from Utah that has his first release with us called Country Harvest. This gives Riley Blake Designs a lot of versatility with a great country feel.

Mod Tod is our first line with the famous Sheri Berry who I know has a great following and we are so excited to be working with her. This cute boy line just makes you chuckle when you see how cute it is. Due to release in October.

Alphabet Soup is a line we divided into 2 lines. One for the girls and one for the boys. This is designed by My Mind's Eye. On the right is another line by My Mind's Eye called Lost and Found. We just recently received some sample yardage and it is to die for cute. We did some sparkle cotton in some of the prints and I am so in love with this fabric. My mind is going crazy with cute ideas that you can do with sparkle cotton.

Another look at our new Sew Together Tower. Don't you love our pink and white polka dots? They're adorable.

Holly Jolly is one of our Christmas lines designed by My Mind's Eye. So fun for Christmas.

Look at the fun Christmas stockings, skirts, pillows and quilts.

Sweet Nothings is designed by Zoe Pearn on the left. On the right is Wanna be a Cowboy 2 by Samantha Walker.

Doodlebug Design showcases their new line with us called Tuxedo and on the right is their Christmas line called Christmas Candy.

Lila Tueller is another one of our fabulous designers showing off her line called Lola's Posies. Look how adorable it is in clothing and quilts.

Lola's Posies has some great color combinations that are so fun to work with. Lila has some great new patterns using all the fun laminates that come with this line.

This is our Halloween line called Trick or Treat designed by Doodlebug Design. Don't you love that pop of lime green and fuchsia?

Above you can see the Trick or Treat panel quilt. This is a free downloadable pattern I designed for Riley Blake Designs. You can get it here.

It was worth all the hard work because Riley Blake Designs received the award for Best booth. As you can see Cindy and I are elated. This is a great accomplishment for us and we are thrilled.

More pictures of our grand prize ribbon and plaque.

A few more fun pictures of Alphabet Soup and Lost and Found. Ask your store to purchase these lines of fabric. They will be available in stores in June.

Another look at our tree in it's cute backyard and our giveaway cruiser bike. If you want to wind this bike you better check out Riley Blake Designs here.

Notice the cute mailbox that Amanda from The Quilted Fish did out of fabric, of course.

More close ups of the quilts that were won by 2 stores. One in Washington and one in California.

The quilting on these quilts was done by Xenia Stirland who lives in my home town of alpine, Utah. The detail that she quilted in each block is just fabulous.The quilts were pieced by Chris Orton and both quilts had a different person do each border. One was done by Konda of Payson and Marian of the Pink Hippo Quilts.All the blocks were done by the individual designers.

This is my block which I tittled "I wish, I wish for a Happily Ever After. I used needle turn appliqué with a combination of embroidery to design my block. She's a princess. Don't you dream of being a princess?

Here is a look at our man cave. We loved the idea that men could sit and watch ball games while their wives shopped and walked the long show.

This is Stellar who used to be the cutest Stella a few years ago in Lila Tueller's booth.

The quilt on his lap is another free down loadable project you can get from here. I designed this one out of Play Ball. It is available now.

Notice the refrigerator that had drinks for all those man cave visitors. There were also chips to eat.

Sorry not a great picture but I had to catch Randy and Bonnie from Pie Plate Patterns taking a break in the man cave.

I didn't show the cute signs we had on the outside of the man cave that read No Pink allowed, Let's talk sports not fabric, and more.

This is my quilt I designed for a magazine out of Love Birds. They showcased it here at market. It is also available in Quilts for Kids magazine.

I hope you enjoyed my small view of market from our booth at Riley Blake Designs. We appreciate so much the support of all our local designers and fabulous artists that we work with. I pinch myself that I am living my dream.

April 2011That Alpine Quilt Group

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It is that time of month again when our group meets and shares quilts and then we have a fabulous trunk show. It's a standing joke that it puts me in the "mood." It always does. I am surrounded by the most incredibly talented women who share their love of quilting with each other.Then I want to go home and quilt.

The quilt above and below are both by my wonderfully talented friend Paula. The one above is a blackbird design quilt in a book called "Birds of a Feather." The one below is "Oh My Gosh" and that is exactly what it is. It is fabulous!

I apologize for not knowing everyone's name. The quilt below is beautiful.

We had several log cabin quilts. Aren't they great?

I'm so proud of Cindy. This is her quilt she finished. The pattern is by Lori Holt of bee in my bonnnet. All those little aprons are hand appliquéd.

Another great log cabin quilt.

Look how great this quilt is appliquéd against the red background. It is a piece o' cake pattern. It turned out fabulous.

This is Amber from Gigi's Thimble. She used a Riley Blake Designs line called Daydream by Cyndi Walker of Stitch Studio.

Love the yellows and greens in this quilt.

Another new quilt by Gigi's Thimble.

The following is the beginning of the trunk show with Marilyn and Connie. All I know about these ladies is that they are fabulous quilters who truly inspire. They attend girl gang at Broadbents where flora met these ladies and invited them to come and share their talent.

I hope you enjoyed all these wonderful quilts. There were more. It was a great trunk show. Hope this inspired you to quilt, sew, cook, clean, organize and just enjoy creating . I've got to get back to getting ready for quilt market. There is a lot to finish.

Projects in the works

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Projects and more projects. There are so many and not enough time to get them all done. I thought you would like to see some of the things I am working on. This is a quilt that I designed for Riley Blake Designs called Picnic. It is a free download here.

This is the fabulous fabric of The Quilted Fish called Sugar and Spice. The color combination is fabulous. It makes up into the cutest projects.

Here it is again in my Snowflake Skirt pattern. Aren't the greens and pinks gorgeous? You can see a piece of Riley Blake Designs designer ribbon that matches Sugar and Spice on our large pearl buttons that are now available in local stores. My pattern line is called Butterfly Kisses.

This is Lori Holt of Bee in my Bonnet's fabric line called Sew Cherry. This is my Butterfly Kisses pattern called Sunny Dress. It works up very quickly and look how cute it is in Sew Cherry.

The following fabric line is Sweet Nothings by Zoe Pearn Designs. This is my Butterfly Kisses line called Olivia Skirt.

This is my Snowflake Skirt made up in Daydream. The colors and design in this line are beautiful and designed by Cynthia Walker of Stitch Studios.

Happier is the name of this fabric line designed by Deena Rutter of My Mind's Eye. This is another skirt pattern of butterfly Kisses called Bella Skirt. This line of fabric has cute gardens, trees and bugs. It is so, so cute.

Another look at Sweet Nothings fabric for Riley Blake Designs.

Another cute skirt with Sew Cherry by Lori Holt for Riley Blake Designs.

This is a quilt I made for one of our fabulous designers who had a baby and wanted something out of these colors. Most of these prints were from a line we did called Andrea Victoria for Riley Blake Designs.

I hope after looking at these fun projects and the beautiful color combinations, that they inspire you to get busy sewing and finish the fun things you are working on.

Happy Sewing!!!