Back to "Normal"

Quilt Market was wonderful, but it was good to get home...I missed my guys...and my grandpigs...and I do believe they missed me.


I got to help Jeff get ready for school on Halloween. (BTW...according to Jeff, being a 15 year old male Princess is the BEST way to get real positive girl attention in high school. Food for thought.)
But seeing Jeff in all his royal splendor got me thinking. And I realized I'm still not over my pink and aqua thing.



Making this quilt made me so happy! So obviously MORE pink and MORE aqua will make me even happier, right?
So I called my ever so trusty sidekick and driver, Pam and we agreed a trip to Niles was in order!
I'll leave out some of the less pleasant details for Pam herself to cover...
Anyhoo, we ended up hopping on the back road out of town...Just me, and Pam, and apparently James Bond. I'm pretty sure I drooled all over Pam's upholstery when I saw that car--hope it didn't stain...


We didn't have to worry about having 007 beat us to any pink and aqua as he took off toward the North. To Thimble Creek, perhaps?

And I'm pleased to report that my new fav shopping spot, Mary Margaret's did not disappoint. I mean check out the front windows! To the right, my aqua...



To the left, my pink!



And yes, I found goodies. So back to sewing! I'll share when there's stuff to show, but you already know what the colors will be.

Creative Sunday

Yesterday was loads of fun at In Between Stitches here in Livermore. It's pretty much always fun to make Christmas stuff, right?
I taught a class based on my Cottage Christmas pattern...some ladies had kits and others were ready to do their own thing.


Sandy had no desire to make Christmas ornaments, she just wanted to learn how to turn her piece of lovely applique into a pillow. But she was getting caught up in the fun and considering a runner and some ornaments by the time the class ended.


Kathleen was finished FIRST. Which is a big deal in a class, you know. What was funny was seeing ladies trying to remember just how to go about cutting something out with scissors...and using their pinking shears for the first time in ages.


I tried to take a picture of Rose working on her Christmas tree, but she didn't like that idea too much...so she created a vignette for me to photograph instead. That's her runner and tree, Karen's star ornament and I'm pretty sure that's my pillow!

It was a fun class and I had a chance to make a couple things myself--for the aqua and pink Christmas kick I'm still on.
But more on that later.

In the meantime, be sure to go see what Holly's got to report. Pam and I are scouring the local shops trying to get our hands on that magazine!

My Favorite New Designer!

OK, Pam has hinted around about it a bit, but I'm gonna make it OFFICIAL. Pam is now a designer! Yes indeed, she's got TWO new bag patterns that debuted at Quilt Market. Some of the bags were in the Late Bloomer booth and some were in Holly's booth. Plus one was over at Checker Distributors and still another at Windham Fabrics. That Pam really gets around. They are absolutely darling, both of 'em, and as a non-bag maker (3 dimensional stuff confuses me) I can tell you they are super easy to make. How do I know this? Because in preparation for Market, I made a TON OF THEM. I think I made about 8 of the Market Bag and around 20 of the Little Purse. Did we need that many? Nooo...but it was so much fun to pick fabric combos that I couldn't stop. Yes, I know I have some OCD issues. But this meant that many ladies got to leave Houston with an actual Pam Purse and how cool is that.
The smaller bag Pam has wisely named "A Little Purse" and isn't it cute in the new LakeHouse fabrics?



We also did a couple of Market Bags with the fun new Cherry Baby fabric.



If you are interested in making some for yourselves (and you know you are) the patterns are available on my website.
At some point, more finished bags may be offered for sale as well--since I've got a ton of fabric and these bags are almost as addicting as Jax french fries.

Continuing Market Themes

Here we have Cyndi taking a picture of Pam taking a picture of me! Such cleverness!
And now we'll smoothly transition into Sunday's dinner at the Strip House where I'm taking a pic of Holly taking a pic.


Hey, Brenda's amused!



Then we realized it would be incredibly clever to take a pic of Gregory (photographer to the stars) taking pictures!
Next to Gregory, our intrepid reporter Gina, agrees.



Check out the way the Strip House does chocolate cake!



Hilarity ensues when Brenda's driving us back to the hotel. That's Cyndi again.



You'd think that would have been enough food, right?
Well, Pam and I cannot go to Houston without going to our FAVORITE PLACE EVER. And that would be Jax Grill.



Check out my artery-clogging feast!



That's a bowl of chicken and corn chowder with a giant platter of super good fries covered in cheese, bacon, chives and jalapenos.
Pam's in heaven with her chicken salad.



After reading their sign on the way out, it's awfully tempting to give up quilting and work at Jax--if I can have a discount on food.



Guess we'd better load up the jeep and head to the airport.

Our Neighborhood

I'm sure you've already been over Pam's way...she does an excellent job of explaining our "neighborhood" at market. That's part of what's fun--getting to know your neighbors!
And there is cuteness everywhere you look, as you can well imagine. All the new fabrics, patterns, and booths. But there's more! Being directly across the "street" from Moda Home turned out to be a mixed blessing. Who is gonna be looking my way when there are the most darling room vignettes imaginable over there? I saw the sides of many ladies' heads, let me tell you. And to top it off, they had CUPCAKES. Real CUPCAKES on a big Moda plate. FOR PEOPLE TO EAT.
But don't be feeling too sorry for me. Because while I may have lost some foot traffic, I gained something even better. A daughter.

Pam and I thoroughly enjoyed the moda girls. Whitney reminded us both of Pam's daughter Frankie, and once that connection was made we had to agree that if I had a daughter, she'd look JUST LIKE ALISON. And then one thing led to another...and apparently restraining orders are not that easy to come by in Houston...so I'm pleased to introduce Alison! Isn't she lovely?


And so talented! Yes, Alison is an URBAN CHICK. How cool is that?
So I had to have "our girls" sign my moda catalog...above you see Holly's signature (the other Urban Chick!) as well as darling Whitney. Who plays along with the whims of crazy ladies very well.



So it was great fun (for me, anyway!) to gain a wonderful daughter, and I can't wait to get my hands on some yardage of their new line "Swell" so I can design something TOTALLY Urban Chicks. In a non-stalkerish way, I might add.
And just in case you couldn't see it clearly...


I just couldn't be more proud!

ooops!

Just thinking about that alfredo sauce turned my brain to mush. Seems Celine DOES have a blog, so go check it out! And yes, I'm well aware that Tammy's wonderful mom is named VELDA. She's not one of Scooby Doo's sidekicks.
Can't take me anyplace.

Saturday Dinner

During Quilt Market time it's difficult to eat 3 normal meals a day. The timing just isn't right and when you don't have a car, the options are limited.
The Thursday mid-afternoon Guadalajara-fest was awesome. I could drink that queso sauce with a freaking straw. Which I'll remember for next year.

I'm really not sure just what Pam and I did on Friday, but I vaguely recall consuming an inappropriate number of desserts.


Saturday was great. We were invited to go to Josephine's with Tammy, her crew, and some of her Market friends. The alfredo sauce came highly recommended and that was good enough for me. I'd eat alfredo sauce on chunks of cardboard, if necessary. And yes, I ate the WHOLE THING.


This was when we started a market long theme of taking pictures of people taking pictures of us. Aren't we clever girls!

We were all sporting Hello Kitty necklaces--you know, with the bubbles inside. Because that's the kind of fun-lovin' gals we are.



Here's Pam with Celine of Perkins Dry Goods fame. Hopefully Celine will have a blog going soon.
Pam and Tammy...



Didn't get pics of the Quilt Branch ladies...Susan and Mary Jane are lots of fun. And good at math. They've got really nifty quilts made from 1/2 yard pieces. The kind of projects I couldn't design with a gun to my head.

Sherry, Velma and ...(geeze I'm terrible with names, but I can just see her smiling face) cracked us up with tales of their experiences on the road. Travelling to quilt shows is not always the life of glamour you'd expect.

Wish I had pics of the trip back to the hotel...Celine graciously agreed to let us pile into her rental car and poor Sherry wound up in the teeny tiny cargo area in the back.

Got back to our room in time to reopen the Late Bloomer sweatshop...had lots of cones and hearts to finish and Pam was working her fingers to the bone cranking out tiny little yo yos. But more on that later.

Houston!

Fall Quilt Market was awesomely wonderful--only downside is that I woke up this morning feeling about 90--so there's an aging process connected to the event that I'm finding a bit disturbing.
I still stink at taking pictures, but hopefully between Pam and all the other bloggers out there you'll get a real sense of what the place was like.

We started by picking up our rental car and then off we went to see what we could find. Like lunch. Pam is (almost) always the driver and she has an amazing sense of direction. Unlike me, who is lucky to find my way home from the grocery store. So it was quite upsetting when Pam couldn't quite remember where Guadalajara (the restaurant, not the city) was located. So I focused all my energy on their queso sauce and led us right to the place. It was like magic.
As were their enchiladas. Which I did photograph but also like magic, they seem to have disappeared from my camera.



Had to get back in time for Sample Spree. You know, to sneak into Sample Spree. Which I've previously discussed my aversion to doing. So how lucky was it that we were asked to help lug about a bazillion pounds of adorable LakeHouse charm packs to the ballroom? So we got in early. Legitimately, which I really appreciated. Swore I wouldn't buy any moda, but the "swell" Urban Chiks bag (more on them later!) made me change my mind. Plus "Simplicity" by 3 Sisters is soooo beautiful. Then we stopped at the Lecien table for a gorgeous bundle of their fat quarters. Then back to LakeHouse where even though I've already made 3 quilts and multiple bags (more on THAT later, too!) I still had to buy 3 charm packs. Holly is some kind of marketing genius.

OK, so now we'll skip to the first official morning. Had to stop by Jackie and Tamara's booth first thing. Here I am with Jackie (look at her outfit!!)



We LOVE those two! Jackie Clark has one of those booths you just want to move into. And every day she's wearing some adorable vintage/crochet outfit that just makes you want to cry. Luckily she and her sister Tamara are as nice as can be and didn't seem to mind when we kept showing up.
Here's Pam with Tamara--the crochet twins. Tamara does the most amazing crochet work I've ever seen and Pam's pretty darn good at it too. Again, more on that later.



On our way back to our booth (which I somehow managed to never really take pics of) we stopped by the Checker Distributors booth. Something looked a bit familiar there!



More quilts, more people and more FOOD coming soon!

Happy Monday!

Just a quick post...you know, before I forget who I am. Here's a tiny explanation of what Pam's talking about...and LakeHouse fabric tea dyes quite nicely...wonder if Holly knows this...

Am I...

I feel like I've been living in a cave. Just me and my sewing machine. Well, the washer and dryer are keeping me company, too.
I MISS BLOGGING. I miss posting and I really miss hopping from blog to blog checking in on what everyone's doing. I haven't been able to read a single blog in over a week. I don't even know what Pam's been saying!
I really, really, really want to thank all of you who leave comments. It makes me feel a little less like a cave dweller...knowing that you all are out there!
Quilt Market prep is taking all of my time. As in 14 hours a day. In 2 weeks it'll all be over and I'm not even close to being ready.

But I really do feel lucky. Pam brought over friendship bread starter awhile back...that she received via Monica. That's what was in the bag up there. And yes, it was put on my cutting table--the only place where I'd be sure to see it.

Only thing is, I was afraid that I'd totally neglect that bag of goo and it would explode all over my kitchen if I left it alone too long. Not that anyone in my house would notice batter streaming down the walls. Except perhaps the dogs.

So I have to admit I gave the starter to my dad...who has a bit more time for that sort of thing. And I learned this morning that the bread was in the oven. With MORE CINNAMON. He seemed a bit miffed at what the recipe called for. And then he tells me that one of the loaves is mine. Can't wait to go collect it!

So that's a lucky thing. Sweet, cinnamony bread that has come from the kitchens of 3 special people!

Boxes of stuff are on their way to Houston...Quilter Extraordinaire Diana has the last of the quilts...Pam will be helping out more tomorrow...all lucky stuff.

And it seems the least I can do is show a couple more sneak peeks...this guy now has eyes and legs...

Remember the pink and aqua Christmas quilt? Well, here's part of it. Complete with vintage crochet trim I picked up while antiquing with Pam awhile back.

I promise a super-cool sneak peek really soon...before everything's on its way to Houston.
So yeah, I'd have to say I'm lucky...but I sure miss you all!

Just wondering...

Is there anything sweeter than polka dots and cherries?


I don't think so, either!

Boo!

Sorry, I know I promised the drawing at the end of the week. Did I say which week? Hmmm. Maybe I can wriggle out of this. Or maybe you just all totally understand that with Quilt Market coming up I don't know one day from the next.

Before we get started, I would like to address certain ladies who commented on this blog...it's a darn good thing I don't let the pigs near my computer because what would they think if they read that some of you were offering bribes? Actually, I fear they'd be sending out self-addressed stamped envelopes in the hope that you'd be mailing them carrots. Peeled, baby carrots.

I decided that we needed a more Halloween-ish looking pig for this drawing. What with the theme and all. So here's Jack. Not much is ever expected of Jack, he's very sweet, but very, uh...um...."special". And we love him very much. Hope he can handle this awesome responsibility.



Apparently Jack is just as big a fan of bits of paper as his cousin Compton. Which is awesome because this means we could possibly be finished here before he leaves any "gifts" on my cute fabric.



And we know he's impartial, 'cause how on earth could he have read the paper with all that hair in his eyes.




So congratulations to Vicky! Who according to her comment seemed to think she wouldn't win...Jack says otherwise!
Vicky, please email your address to me at latebloomerquilts@yahoo.com and I'll get your banner in the mail right away.

Wasn't it Dazzling??

I don't know about you, but I had a blast going from blog to blog drooling over desserts and wonderful projects! So a big THANK YOU to Holly for getting this rolling. And keep checking back with Holly so you can win a cool prize!


I can attest to the fact that these are super recipes--had a Fall Market meeting with Pam yesterday and decided to treat her to a bit of her own apple recipe. It was delicious! And of course I had to provide Cheez-its to keep Pam focused on the business at hand.
(Not everyone has a lake front terrace for meetings!)


Anyway, in the spirit of Fall and the spirit of copying everyone else who is giving things away...
If you want to win this Late Bloomer Quilts banner, you know the drill...someone (probably another guinea pig) will draw a name at the end of the week!