crystal quilters quilt show

i'm *sew* excited!

on thursday we will be setting up a booth

at the crystal quilters quilt show

Sharing Our Stitches.

i've never been to this show.

it'll be different as a vendor and not just an attendee.

D will have some nolting machines for sale.

i'll also have my patterns, a few kits and fabrics.

here are the details:

friday, september 30 - saturday, october 1

from 10am - 5pm

at the Enumclaw Expo Center ~ 45224 284th Ave SE, Enumclaw

there is a $6 donation with a portion of the proceeds benefitting local food banks.

if you bring a non-perishable food donation you'll receive a fat quarter from Quilter's Roost!

i look forward to seeing you there!

xo,

~ h

it's fair time!

the washington state fair is happening right now!

i love going to the fair.

for a little while at least...

i like it just enough to look at the quilts, ride a couple of rides and look at some animals.

then my inner introvert kicks in and the noise gets to be too much.

this year i had a lovely surprise waiting for me in the home arts department.

kathleen's modern quilt

barb's beautiful chickadee quilt

gayle's red, white and blue log cabin

aren't they just wonderful?!?

it's the perfect way to end my professional longarming career.

and my quilts??

cornerstone got an honorable mention

silo barn quilt got third

i'd be lying if i said i was pleased.

really, i expected better.

and yet, i also knew that, due to lack of time, my quilts

wouldn't ribbon higher because i simply don't custom quilt my own quilts very often.

also needs to be noted that i'm an over-achiever.

try to keep everything in balance, right??

next year!

:D

congratulations to everyone who won ribbons!!

xo,

~ h

dan's climb quilt pattern

if you've purchased Dan's Climb quilt pattern and made it to this blog post

then you're probably looking for instructions for either 

the yardage or for the scrappy version of the pattern.

so before we get started i do want to note that this pattern wasn't

 intended for just a few yards of fabric.

the wide variety of fabrics you get with a fat quarter bundle is what 

gives this quilt it's lovely stained glass effect.

now, having said that, if you really must use just a few fabrics it is my 

recommendation to go no fewer than seven.

and you can see why with the graphic inside the pattern.

you'll end up with like colors next to each other thus looking like large squares of fabric.

note: the fat quarters are not used to make the "handrail" (small but long rectangles).

that is what your accent fabric is for...and the inner border.

right.

let's get to it!

for yardage:

looks the same, right?

well, it's not.

this is the 76" x 76" quilt.

and instead of using 16 fat quarters,

i used eight 1/2 yard cuts.

here's how it works:

from each fat quarter you can cut enough pieces for one full block.

that's 14 pieces squares of three sizes.

so if you want to use 1/2 yard cuts simply half the number of fat quarters needed.

then follow the cutting instructions.

the exception is your final yield will double.

example: instead of two 8 1/2" squares you'll end up with four, etc.

make sense?

this really doesn't work for the two smaller quilts.

just stick with fat quarters for those.

for 1/2 yard cuts:

76" x 76": eight fabrics

76" x 92": ten fabrics

94" x 94": thirteen fabrics (you'll have 1/2 yard extra...or twelve fabrics and one fat quarter)

94" x 110": fifteen fabrics

110" x 110": eighteen fabrics

still too many fabrics with the larger quilts?

half the number again and quadruple your yield.

94" x 110": seven fabrics and one fabric of 1/2 yard

110" x 110": nine fabrics

now what about the completely opposite direction?

what about a scrappy quilt?

such a good question!

i'm so glad you asked.

:)

pretty scrappy, right?

what holds this quilt together isn't the crazy, wild and varied fabrics

but the red "handrails" (accent) fabric.

you'll want to be sure to pick a color, preferably a solid,

that will keep the fabrics from becoming a chaotic mess.

i can't tell you exactly how much yardage to use, sadly.

however, i can tell you the simple math.

we'll use the 8 1/2" squares again for our example.

keeping in mind that you'll get two of those guys from each fat quarter

simply multiply the number of fat quarters for the quilt size you want

(94" x 94" has 25 fat quarters, multiply 25 x 2 (8 1/2" squares) = fifty 8 1/2" squares)

and that should give you the number that you need to cut out.

so for our example you'll need fifty 8 1/2" squares.

then sort through your fabrics to use all that you want.

the story behind this fantastic quilt...

a gal contacted me and asked me to make a quilt for her sisters wedding.

the idea was simple enough.

ask all invited guests were asked to provide a piece of fabric 

that symbolized the couple to them.

i got all sorts of fabrics!

fleece, upholstery, satin, cotton...old shirts...and even one block that had pieces glued to it!

it was a challenge that i never expected.

LOL

here's the back of the quilt...

(the fabric under the picture was the glued one...i ended up

stitching around the pieces to make sure the didn't come up...

i may have even soaked it to try and remove the glue!)

i do want to apologize again for not having this up sooner.

it was up on my last blog but that was attached with a website

that went away (against my desperate protest).

i hope you enjoy Dan's Climb quite as much as i have!

xo,

~ h

p.s. if you haven't purchased the pattern but have fallen in love with it
you can get it here.

another change

i don't know why i did it.

the history is this:

after going to Quilt Festival in 2014 i made a serious of choices.

i decided i needed a website with a shopping cart.

the website i had at the time was insufficient and all the parts that i was utilizing weren't attached to each other.

it was a lot of work to get everything updated.

so i did some searching and decided on a website company that focusses on quilting businesses.

it seemed reasonable.

i chatted with them and put down A LOT of money and in the spring of 2015 my website was ready.

then at the end of september last year i got an email notifying me that the website company had been sold and i needed a new website and it would cost me more money on top of the A LOT that i had all ready spent.

since it was right before Quilt Market i decided to put the problem on hold until i got home.

by the end of 2015 i had made my decision on a new website company, one with a broader background and would cost me less every month.

this was a good wise choice.

i spent a good portion of the last 8 months adding, tweaking, writing and making this website become functional.

as i'm not a techie person this was more than my poor brain could handle.

and then the calls started.

that my website wasn't hitting on any of the search engines.

more money.

or more time.

and more of my patience with a topic that was strained to capacity.

then the beginning of august happened and i realized that my next step was to close the longarm quilting portion of my business.

a huge relief.

but, i was counting on that money to pay for the website until patterns really took off.

back to square 1, it felt like.

seriously.

i'm thinking about the website again.

then i do what i always do...

start researching.

that's when i discover that etsy is now doing websites.

it's connected right with the shop.

and that's when it hits me...

that's what my next website move is.

when i update the shop, it updates the website.

it also connects right with facebook and pinterest.

and it's cheaper than other website options.

heaven opened up and the angels sang!

as we speak the website is populating and is down.

i also do not have email for a few days.

once it all comes back online though it'll be so good!

right...we're going to head out and do some errands.

hope everyone enjoys the rest of their weeks!

xo,

~ h

in transition

i am in transition.

and today, of all days, has caused me to stop and realize that this transition is probably one of the best decisions i've ever made.

today.

today i did laundry.

wash, hang, and stand in the sun, hot on my back and warming to my insides causing me to break out in a sweat.

then to take it off, folding all the fresh crispness into a neat pile ready for drawers.

i picked apples, put them in the crockpot, peeled and sweet then, when they were finished, i canned the cinnamon-y sauce.

four jars.

two big.  two little.

i cleaned up from the 12 year old birthday sleepover.

plates, cups, spoons, food...blankets, pillows, quilts...

deflated mattresses.

i hugged my girls.

one fresh from the tent.

the other fresh from staying over at a friends.

i fed them.

told them to take showers.

we did school.

abi first.

chloe second.

spelling, handwriting, quiet time then math.

it took an hour.

i'm putting a quilt on the frame.

i've answered emails.

i looked for curriculum.

i snuggled my puppies, scritching their ears, rubbing their bellies, telling them how wonderful they are even though they don't understand the words.

for years i felt i was living a trade-off.

it was quilt for others, the responsibility and commitment i made.

or take care of my family another responsibility and commitment i made.

and yet i could never quite get that juggling act down.

but now...now that the closing of my business is in sight...i've felt a relief of burden.

i'm sleeping in a bit.

i'm slowing down.

paying attention.

taking care of my people.

i'm stopping and smelling the proverbial roses.

and you know what?

it feels really good.

really.  really.  good.

because, you know the saying,

you've only got this one life to live.

it's a really good life too.

so now i'm off to finish putting this quilt on the frame,

and to roast a chicken,

and to find my phone which seems to have disappeared somewhere.

this is funny.

it's huge, my phone.

how i can lose it is beyond me!

xo,

~ h

page 64!

that's Dan's Climb on page 64 of Keepsake Quilting!

i'll tell you the short version.

in 2009 my mom was diagnosed with lymphoma.

in 2010 our friend dan, who is a firefighter here in western washington, participated in the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb which is a fundraiser for the LLS (Lymphoma Leukemia Society).

when he found out that she was battling lymphoma he asked and climbed in her honor.

my mom and dan heading off to the award ceremony
for the Scott Firefighter Stairclimb award ceremony.

during the time leading up to the stairclimb my mom was between treatments 

and i was asked by a friend to design a quilt pattern.

then in 2011 my mom was told her cancer wasn't gone.

it was more aggressive than originally thought and she would need a stem cell transplant.

there's a lot that goes with any transplant.

the toughest part for my parents was my mom was going to need 24 hour care for three solid months after the procedure.

naturally that care would fall to my dad.

which meant no work.

they would need help financially.

that is when i realized i could hold a fundraiser to help them out.

dan's climb was my first mystery quilt for a cause.

we raised $800!

my mom's cancer is gone.

she is still recovering from the stem cell transplant but is otherwise healthy.

and dan?

he's gone to climb more of the Scott Firefighter Stairclimbs, though this year was his last

due to knee and back problems (darn old age *wink*).

seriously...they climb 69 floors (that's 1,356 steps) in the Columbia Center in downtown seattle in full gear.

the quilt design reminded me of stairwells and, thus, the name of the quilt.

it's still one of my very favorites and a stunner in Jinny Beyer's Malam Batiks fabric.

you can find the kit over at Keepsake Quilting.

and if you live nearby i would love to sign your catalog!

(i say that tongue in cheek because it feels quite surreal...but if you really want me to i will.)

all right...back to quilting!

xo,

~ h

hey y'all! big announcement...

i've decided to use my flip flops to announce that next year we are moving back to australia!

(totally serious, folks.)

as well, on august 31st i will be closing the longarm quilting portion of my business to focus on the girls and quilt pattern design.

*long pause*

this blog post has been pushing at me for a couple of weeks now.

no idea why it took so long for me to write it!

i'm not typically into shock factor.

which this news certainly has a lot of.

so here's the answers to your question of "why?!?"

as for the move...

our trip in january was nothing short of amazing.

near the end of it we realized it was time to go home.

we want to go home.

as for closing my business...

three reasons...

(there are four but the last is the move to au)

1) i started the business to provide for my family should anything happen to D.

(he was making some pretty bad life decisions at the time.)

that time has long passed, thankfully.

the need for the business in that regard is over.

2) i've poured 9 years of the girls lives into the business.

now it's their turn.

and i'm struggling to do both well.

3) i'm dealing with some deep personal issues.

i need time to sort through it.

so there you go.

the last few years have found me mired in inconsistency.

i've done very little well!!

that's a sure sign that things aren't coming together.

i kept thinking, "if i hire someone..."

or "if i offer..."

or "if i work harder..."

but the reality is that all those things only add to the chaos

not make the current chaos easier or more manageable.

needless to say we are all looking forward to the break.

it was an extremely hard decision to make.

i cried.

a lot.

for two days.

but when it was all decided i felt as if a huge burden had been lifted from my shoulders.

and i'm looking forward.

i'm filled with anticipation again.

this is the end for only one part.

and, i think, it's a beginning to so much more.

the blog won't go away...and you'll still be able to find me on facebook and instagram.

there'll be one more mystery quilt in october.

after that it'll probably be april 2018 for the following mystery quilt.

the spring quilting retreat will continue as my friend colleen will be taking it on.

so there you go...the new changes we've got going on.

xoxo,

~ h

the kind-ly pinwheels quilt kit now available!

it's finished!

my kind-ly pinwheels quilt is done.

AND (as if that isn't good enough) the quilt kit is now available!!

you can find it on my website.

cute little owls.

fun 3-d pinwheels.

and all the polka dots!

*deep sigh*

The Kind-ly Pinwheels Quilt Kit

Great Polka Dot Wideback Fabric from Riley Blake

i quilted it with the Mod Dots pantograph and used a variegated dark pink thread.

the batting Warm & White 90" batting.

a huge thank you to susan who pieced the top for me!

without her it would've taken me absolutely AGES to make.

happy quilting today!

~ h

playing with scraps and thread

it's blog day!

and i've been playing with scraps and thread the last couple of days.
it's been fun!
and i feel the satisfaction of using scraps up.
here's a sneak peek...

i've had these aurifil threads in my thread box for ages and decided to use them on my home machine while the big machine is humming away.

so far i've got five little pieces waiting to be hand bound and one that i'll be quilting today.
it's been a fun experience...
with no expectation of where it's going to go.
certainly a fun way to let the creative juices flow.

and with the strange weather we've had (thunder, two hailstorms and  a lot of rain) we've been inside a lot.
good excuse to sew!

here's what's been on the frame these last two weeks...

Carla's Dr. Seuss quilt...quilted with Dainty pantograph in a light green thread

Carla's rail fence quilt...quilted with Bangkok pantograph in a light gray thread

Carla's birthday cake table runner...quilted with Rock 'n Roll Stars pantograph in a light variegated purple thread

Lindsey's arrow quilt...quilted with Circle Play pantograph in a dark gray thread

Lindsey's fading triangle quilt...quilted with Starry Night pantograph in a cream thread

Barbara's heart wallhanging...quilted with Inkblot Flowers pantograph in a variegated light brown thread

Helen's floral quilt...quilted with Bouganvilla pantograph (really big size) with a dark blue thread

have a great weekend!

american flag rag quilt and Aurifil thread giveaway!

**as of june 14th, this giveaway has now ended...thank you to all who joined in!
our wonderful winner is Kathryn Laposata!**

quilty friends...

i've been waiting impatiently to share this project with you!

but since the website is done NOW's the time!!

YIPPEE!!

(yes...i just yelled.  i'm that excited.)

 details...i know y'all want details.

first, i went through my stash and scraps (mostly scraps) and collected my reds, creams and blues.

i did not discriminate with light/dark, volume, print, etc.

if it was the color i needed, in it went.

i used Aurifil's 12 wt cotton thread in red, white (yes...white, not cream...i just didn't think!) and blue.

Aurifil 12wt cotton thread

for the blue squares i used the white and red threads (white on the outside and red on the inside).

for the red squares i used blue and white.

and for the cream squares i used blue and red. 

i just crossed right over the stitch lines.

it's a rag quilt...we're going for low perfection here.

(which is a serious test for me!) 

NOTE:  i made the stitch size for those x's really big...i think it was a stitch size 5.

plus i had to change my needle to a denim needle...100/16, i believe.

when sewing the squares and rows together then doing the finish stitching line around the outside of the quilt i used a stitch size of 2.6 and a 60 wt. polyester.

i had been calling for blue jeans on facebook and this is why!

the back of the quilt are cut up jeans.

some of them are mine but most of them came from friends.

and to them i say a huge THANK YOU!! 

didn't it turn out great?

it's really heavy.

perfect for outside!

i caught her!  :)

reading books, eating...playing with puppies!

now...here's the fun part.

i have one American Flag Rag Quilt pattern and 

one spool each of the Aurifil 12 wt thread to give away!

American Flag Rag Quilt kit

isn't that so cool!?!

you'll need to leave a comment below in order to be entered into the drawing.

i've made up kits of the pattern and threads and are available in my shop on my NEW website!

just in case you are keen...

*wink*

with this pattern you'll be able to celebrate the Fourth of July in style!

**i'll choose a winner for the give-away on monday the 13th of june!**

happy quilting y'all!!

xo,

~ h

i'm here!

believe it or not my silence has meant that i've been SUPER busy.

which is a good thing!

at the moment i'm finishing the website.

truly, i've been putting off this final bit.

why?

because i'm not a techie geeky type person.

i'm a quilter.

and though i could learn it and probably enjoy it if i did it EVERY day...

i simply don't want to

which means when i have to do it...it totally sucks.

because i simply don't know how to.

which means i rely on people who talk into techie lingo and i'm absolutely lost.

i spend way too much time trying to decipher their words.

it hurts my brain.

so if you think about me today know that i'm probably stressed to my gills (i just went from a 1 minute wait time to 11 minutes!!) and just want to go play with fabric.

because it does what i want it to most of the time.

*deep sigh*

okay.

venting done.

update (30 minutes later):

the first stage of finishing the website is done!!

YAY!

and here's the fun i've been having with other peoples quilts!

Kathy's adorable owl quilt.
Garden Owl pantograph with a light green thread.

Nancy's Christmas Poinsettia quilt.
Quilted with Mistletoe pantograph in a cranberry red thread.

Nancy's flying geese quilt.
quilted with Nouveau Feathers in a light brown thread.

Debbie's butterfly quilt.
Quilted with Butterfly Bliss pantograph in a variegated purple thread.

Barbara's stinking cute elephant quilt.
Quilted with Lather, Rinse, Repeat pantograph in a variegated cream thread.

Dawn's hawaiian boat quilt.
Quilted with Curlz pantograph and a variegated light blue thread.

Sylvia's modern diamond quilt.
Custom quilting.

Sylvia's modern diamond quilt.
Custom quilting.

Sylvia's modern diamond quilt.
Custom quilting.

Carla's floral diamond quilt.
Quilted with Crimson Rose pantograph and variegated bright purple.