Kansas City Here We Come!

Downtown Kansas City, Missouri taken from the front porch of our townhome

I am so happy that Quilt Market is coming to Kansas City.  Though it's no longer my place of residence, it will always be home to me and I'm proud to welcome the quilting community to this great city. I know Quilt Market is about WORK rather than play, and my schedule is packed with meetings, appointments and work, so I probably won't be able to enjoy the city and see my friends like I would like to, but I wanted to share a bit about the city in case you're coming early or staying after market and might have a chance to see and enjoy Kansas City.

Kansas City is two cities in one.  Kansas City, Missouri is the larger of the two and is where the convention center and most of you will probably be staying on the Missouri side.  Kansas City, Kansas is the smaller sister and you probably won't get there, but us Kansas folks want you to know that we exist.  The two cities meld together and when driving on certain streets you can have Kansas on one side of the street, Missouri on the other.

Downtown Kansas City, Missouri has recently been undergoing a wonderful revitalization.  Folks are moving back downtown with the construction of the Power and Light District, an entertainment district in the city center which is a short walk from downtown hotels.  My son just moved into a loft downtown, which shows you how downtown is now attracting the young and the hip! The Crossroads Art's District is on the edge of downtown and is bringing in artists, galleries and more retail between downtown and Crown Center.

Kansas City is full of wonderful neighborhoods and quaint and interesting shopping districts throughout the city.  If shopping is your thing, try Westport for some fun, quirky shops including BonBon Atelier.  Betsy runs this tiny shop with her sister and she's got fabric, knitting supplies and unique items for you and your home and they always have something surprising.  It's a tiny shop, but you'll linger just to talk with these gals and see what they're up to.

JC Nichol's fountain on the Country Club Plaza

The Plaza is a large outdoor shopping district unique to Kansas City.  It is filled with upscale shops and restaurants, but honestly for me the best part of the plaza is the art and architecture.  It is modeled after Seville, Spain and is filled with unique buildings, tile work and fountains.  Did you know Kansas City is the city of fountains?  Brookside is another wonderful shopping district nestled in a historic neighborhood of large trees and unique homes.  Be sure to stop by my favorite store, Stuff and stop in at the Dime Store....it's a Brookside institution. Julian is a great restaurant in Brookside with the wonderful James Beard award winning chef Celina Tio.

As for fabric shopping, are you up for a field trip?

One small part of Sarah's Fabrics in Lawrence, Kansas

Modern, traditional, batiks, quirky, unique...Sarah's has it all!

This is just the wall of batiks.

There are so many fabrics at Sarah's that bolts are stacked under and just about everywhere she can find a place for them!

Can I say selection?  Sarah's has an amazing selection of books and patterns.

So, maybe fabric is your thing. Kansas City and the surrounding area has fabric shops galore.  In addition to Bon Bon, my favorite is a bit of a drive outside of Kansas City, but for a great fabric experience it's worth a little drive.  Sarah's fabrics is in Lawrence, a 30-40 minute drive from the city.

Lawrence is a college town, the home of Kansas University.  Sarah's is located on Mass Street which is the main street through downtown and is filled with wonderful, unique shopping and restaurants.

Sarah's is the fabric mecca.  Enjoy the wood floors, the brick walls, the tin ceiling, and the rows, and rows, and rows of fabrics, books, patterns and Sarah herself.  If you can't get out to Sarah's, Harper's Fabrics is another favorite.  Harper's is located in downtown old Overland Park which is a suburb of Kansas City on the Kansas side.  The owner, Elaine is terrific and is a wonderful supporter of both traditional and modern quilting.  I don't have pictures to share of Elaine's shop, but it's well organized and the staff is extremely helpful!  It is the "go to" shop in Kansas City.

After all that work at Quilt Market, you're going to be hungry.  If you can drag those aching feet out on the town here are a few great places...you may need to grab a cab or a car for most of these.  KC is famous for BBQ and my all time favorite is a dive (it's inside a convenience store/gas station) on the Kansas side called Oklahoma Joe's.  Grab a cab, get carry out and indulge.  For something a bit more upscale Jack's Stack, in the freighthouse district (right by Crown Center), is wonderful and Lydia's (great Italian) is next door.

The Drum Room, located in the historic Hilton President hotel downtown is a blast from Kansas City's jazz past.  Great food and it's like stepping back in time.  Stroud's (We choke our own chicken is their motto) is a Kansas City classic.  Go to the one in North Kansas City for a homestyle meal.  (Be ready for a food coma and a long session in the gym after that meal!)  For a late night greasy burger, grab a cab to Town Topic.  It's close to downtown (a short cab ride) and a Kansas City institution.  My favorite place to eat is Room 39 in Westport. It's a quiet, small, unpretentious gem with wonderful food.

I have lots of other favorite restaurants and places to go and see.  If you're like me and can't go to a city without visiting a museum or gallery, the Nelson Art Gallery is amazing as well as the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art.  They are both located right off of the Country Club Plaza.  On a nice day, strolling around the grounds of the Nelson and through the sculpture gallery is a great way to relax and enjoy an afternoon.  The Steamboat Arabia museum in the River Market district is a hidden gem and if you have your family with you is a must see for children.

Bottom line, enjoy my hometown.  I know that folks will be helpful and welcome you with open arms.  If there is anything I can do to make your stay better or help in any way, please drop me an email.  I hope to see you all there! Welcome to Kansas City!!

Finally Out of the Closet!

As Katie said, it's so nice that the quilts in the book can finally see the light of day.  Some of them have joined my regular quilt rotation....on the bed, on the sofa, hanging over the chair and even hanging on the wall.  It's nice to be able to change the looks in the house on a whim.

I chose Tunnel Vision to be the bed quilt this week.  This is the back of that quilt.  One tiny disappointment I have in the book is that most of the quilt backs didn't get shown and there are some that I like just as much as the fronts.  There are only so many pages in the book and Interweave really didn't want to publish an encyclopedia.

My bedroom may look familiar to some of you because it was used as the publicity for a new magazine that I'm super excited about.  Meander Publishing will be debuting a publication dedicated solely to modern quilting in the fall, Modern Quilts Unlimited.  You'll be hearing more about it, I'm sure!  It's so exciting that we are becoming a legitimate force in the quilting world.  They're a Quilt Con Platinum sponsor too!  Be sure to sign up for their newsletter to get the latest news.

Their mock up first cover showed my bedroom with my Not Lost in the Woods quilt.  I showed the cover to my parents when I was back in Kansas and my dad was thrilled...not so much for me or the quilt, it was all about the headboard in the picture.  My dad built and my mom finished that headboard.  

Dad, you've been officially published.  This is the ad for the magazine in Meander's other publication, Machine Quilting Unlimited.  My dad noticed one detail that was sorely missing in the picture.  He gave me this when I was back in Kansas and I dutifully added it to his headboard.

Giving credit where credit is due!  Right dad?  My dad will be releasing his first pattern soon too.  Stay tuned for that announcement!

If You're in the Seattle Area...

Don't forget to join Katie today at The Quilting Loft from 11 to 2! She's doing a demo and signing the book. She's fun to chat with too!!

When Quilting Gives You Lemons...

...make a whole bunch of lemonade, and that's what I did with these rejects.

 I hate to call them rejects because I think they're beautiful. They're made using a layer cake of Malka Dubrawsky's A Stitch in Color fabrics which Tammy of Marmalade Fabrics sent me to play with. Malka's line is almost as wonderful as her original hand dyed fabrics. I've bought her hand dyes for years and was thrilled to see this fabric.  I combined Malka's prints with some bright Kona cottons and I think they make magic together.

So what's the reject part?  Well, A couple of months ago, Tammy asked me to design a quilt for her using this fabric and I designed this block which is an adaptation of a block in one of my Japanese quilt block books.  I thought it would make a great tutorial because it uses a partial seam in the construction and this is a simple block to practice that skill.

So far so good and then I started sewing and having a ball making blocks.  I was a happy camper working with fabric I adored and a block that made me happy.  I made a whole big stack and used up almost the whole layer cake and then I noticed something...my stack didn't look right.  It wasn't stacking...you know how blocks that are the same size should stack neatly and all those edges should line up.  Well, they didn't, so I started measuring, a little late now for sure.  For some reason, none of the blocks were the same size and they varied widely.  I measured again, and again...hoping that I was reading the ruler incorrectly.  I kept measuring and I couldn't believe what I saw.  I know I could have framed them all and hidden my error, but it wasn't the look I was going for.  I popped each and every block in the trash...disgusted with myself.

Things sometimes end up in the trash around here, but cooler heads usually prevail and rejects get rescued and made into something else.  These blocks got a couple of layers of batting, some fun quilting, bright binding and my signature large grommet and presto I had loads of potholders.

They're great out by the grill on the balcony...

...hanging in the kitchen ready to keep my fingers from burning...

...and I gave some to my mother for gifts and to my son for his new loft.  Now that's making lemonade from a very lemony quilting day.

Have you gotten some of Malka's fabric?  Tammy can hook you up if you're interested.  It's pretty and fun and hopefully you can do better with it than I did.  I think I need to try again.

An Afternoon with the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild

I had the opportunity to share and talk quilts and quilting with my Chicago Modern Quilt Guild friends on Sunday. I had a blast!

Thank goodness this is a helpful group willing to pitch in at a moment's notice.   Rachel took a great picture of the quilts stacked during the process of moving them from my car! There were LOTS of quilts to tote!

Within minutes they were arranged on the counter and ready for showing.

It was the first time I got to share quilts that are in Quilting Modern.  It felt good to finally be able to let those quilts out of the closet and take them for a test run!

Mary and Sarah held everything for me so I could talk with my hands like I love to do.

Again, the team helped load everything back into the car and our fab president, Donna, even found a wayward quilt that I would have left at the venue. My husband thanks you, Donna.  Our house without Night Forest wouldn't be the same. I'm still working on getting everything put back where they were before.

Thanks to everyone for helping out and to Rachel and Tricia for taking pictures for me.  There will be more events around the Chicago area coming soon, so if you missed the meeting, stay tuned for more event announcements.

And by the way...Marianne of The Quilting Edge, in her enthusiasm for the book, pre-ordered not one, but two (one by mistake) and is generously doing a giveaway of the book on her blog.  Head on over for a chance to win and be sure to stay and take a gander at her quilts.  You might never leave.

Home Sweet Home!

I'm home after a long trip to Kansas and Florida to take care of myself, (fill my cup as my friend Heather says) and to take care of family, and I have to say there really is no place like home.  It's good and not so good to be disconnected.  I was able to focus on what's important, but now I have loads to catch up on. I'll tackle that one step at a time.  If you're waiting on a response from me, know that you're on my list!

The book is finally available in stores and online and the UPS man seems to be running around the world dropping books off at doorsteps of loads of people and many of you have emailed, tweeted and posted on facebook about your impressions of the book.  I can't thank you enough for the kind words and tell you how much it means to Katie and I that you took the time to contact us and tell us your impressions of the book.  I have to say it was a thrill to see the book sitting on a shelf in a store for the very first time.

I was able to stop by my favorite fabric store in the world, Sarah's Fabrics in Lawrence, Kansas.  My mom needed to drop in to pick up the books she ordered.  Sarah has been such a good friend and supporter and she has been a major fabric supplier for me since I made my first quilt.

I did an impromptu book signing and ended up staying and signing, talking with customers for a couple of hours.  So much fun!  If you're in the neighborhood and want a signed copy, Sarah has a few left for you.

I'll be speaking and sharing quilts at the April meeting of the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild on Sunday, April 22nd.  The meeting starts at 2:00 at the Park District of Forest Park, Building 4.  7501 Harrison, Forest Park, IL.

I hope if you're in the area, I hope you'll stop by.  There will be lots of quilts to see and it's going to be a good time.  If you've never been to the Chicago guild, you'll love the folks in this group!  See you soon and back to normal posting and sewing around here soon too!

You Are My Sunshine

It's done and on its way to the almost new mom.

I quilted it in a sun ray motif that echoes out to the edge of the quilt.  The first one forms a sun ray shape in the center and then I repeated it three more times around the quilt.  It's easy to get lost on a round quilt when you're used to quilting squares and rectangles.  I tried to keep the quilting consistent across the quilt (about the same distance apart).  There are some areas I'm more happy with than others, but overall I think it's cute.

 And by the way...you young moms (and not so young moms) were so right about a circle being the perfect shape for a baby quilt.  It is a swaddling dream!  Even Yoda thinks so!!

Thanks to my friend Rachel who came over and shot the photos for me, and it was her brilliant idea to use Yoda for a test swaddle.  A bit much for a Jedi master, but he, like my son, was willing to forego his dignity for me.

Have a wonderful Easter weekend.  I'm heading to Kansas to celebrate Easter, my parent's anniversary, my dad's and my youngest son's birthdays and enjoy a weekend of rest and relaxation.  I have much to celebrate!

A Reason to Celebrate!

I called my mother to wish her a happy anniversary and asked what they were doing to celebrate (Long John Silvers maybe?), and she told me they hadn't even mentioned it to each other yet. That is so like my parents. Another year together is simply expected. Of course we've been together another year. They've had 58 years as a couple. Since they weren't talking about it, I decided to make it public and celebrate blog style.

In the beginning, they were young, and that fun, creative side was in evidence. It takes a sense of humor and a little creativity to stay together that many years.

The future was bright...

and so much lay ahead.  I wonder if they had any idea what they what they would encounter together over the next 58 years?

They became parents...they did it four times.  When something is fun, you want to repeat it.

There were the good days when everyone cooperated...

And there were "those" days when they wondered what they had gotten themselves into.  Yet, they persevered, together.

And the kids grew up and flourished....

and multiplied.  I wonder if they knew they would be sharing their bed again?

And sharing holidays....and memories.

....and having "those" days with their grandchildren.

They celebrated 50 years together and they still had the top of their original wedding cake.  Some things never go stale when they are made with good ingredients!

And that last 8 years has flown by.  Still together.  Damn good ingredients last a long time.

Happy 58th anniversary!  You are a great example for all of us.

Dad, I hope you at least got her a card. Mom, did you make him a pie?

Fresh Cut

(All photos used with permission from Better Homes and Gardens American Patchwork and Quilting.  Copyright, June 2012 Meredith Corporation.  All rights reserved)

Katie and I are pretty excited that the June issue of American Patchwork and Quilting has an excerpt from our book, Quilting Modern: Techniques and Projects for Improvisational Quilts and a bonus project baby quilt we call Fresh Cut! (It's not in the book...it's an extra.)

Fresh Cut utilizes the Slice and Insert technique from the chapter titled Slice and Dice.  It is a simple and versatile technique.

We were so thrilled with the photo styling. The quilt looks fabulous and certainly fresh.  The issue is jam packed with other fresh quilts AND an article featuring the timeless improvisational quilts of Gee's Bend.

Thanks American Patchwork and Quilting!  Hope you pick up a copy!

A Secret....Shhhhhhh

BE SURE TO READ THE WHOLE POST...down to the very last word.

Today I come clean. Some of you who heard me speak at the LA Modern Quilt Guild last year may know the truth, but you may not have believed it.  (My youngest son stood outside of Sew Modern and tried his best to tell you. He told me most of you didn't believe him.)

I've kept the secret....our secret.  It's shocking.

Today everyone will know.

The mind, the hands, the genius behind Tallgrass Prairie Studio is my 21 year old son, Jonathan.  He designs, sews and creates the quilts and I take the credit.

He's a creative savant...sketching, designing and creating.  He can design, piece and quilt a quilt in a day.  He's amazing.  He sews so fast I could barely get a picture of him.  He's a cross between Denyse Schmidt, Christian Siriano and Craig Ferguson all rolled into one quilty guy package.

April Fools!

If you look at the picture closely you'll see he is about to BURST out laughing (and possibly die of embarrassment). Now, do I have a witty, fun, and willing son with a GREAT sense of humor?  Enjoy your April Fool's Day!

PS  Did we fool you....even for a few seconds?  I am an April fool!  Are you playing a prank today?