Ice-Crystal Fog

The world outside my window is covered in white and it's not snow!
It's frozen fog!

The trees and ground are white!

It's like seeing the world in black and white film! The most amazing thing happened when I got up this morning. The fog moved in overnight and because it was so cold it froze! I had to run out and take some photos to show you. Here in Oregon they act like this is normal! Not for me...I'm staying inside today to sew (yes, Gloria I'm working on that spring quilt). In case you are wondering, these beautiful trees across the street from me will be surrounded by houses in a few years. I'm not so sure I'd call that progress.

Homesick for my cottage

My corner of the world in my little sewing studio

Another view of the studio (also known as the tiny former bedroom)

Our living room and dining room combination...now called the great room (:

Other end of the living room


Guest bedroom where so many of my patterns are photographed

Oh, I am ready to cry this morning. My husband just sent me pictures from home, and all of a sudden so much emotion came up! This is our little cottage that we bought when we were first married. It was a real mess when we bought it, and our friends all thought we were nuts. But to us, it was a diamond in disguise. We worked and worked to get it to what you see now. In a few weeks we will put it on the market and someone else will hopefully buy it, all 1300 square feet of it.

Transition is always hard. I hate it! Even when it all makes sense and I know in the long run we will have the room we don't have now. It's just so hard to leave what we've created. I keep telling myself that these pictures are without the clutter that was accumulating around us. These are the pictures of a house ready to sell. No stacks of books on the desk, no paperwork all over the top of sewing counters, and no kitties in the living room. But still, I will miss it. So many memories and so many fun times.

Blogged by the best

Oh My Sweet Baby! This is a present from Greg and Elena at http://www.gregorycase.com/

For some reason they know I love lambs!

There's a rule that reads "if your house is a mess, company will come for sure". I should have known, because the day I posted pictures of what a mess I made in my house, Gina at http://www.quiltersbuzz.com/ left me a note saying she had blogged about my fabric line. Gina is the queen of blogging in the quilt world. It's so great to have her blog about you that I knew I'd better clean up my mess. So the vacuum came out and the fabric is now neatly stacked. Looks a lot better around here this morning.

Now I have baby things all over my house, made from my very own fabric! They just arrived in the mail, made by my very talented friend Janis Stob. As soon as I can find some cute little baby clothes hangers, I'll take some pictures for you!

If you love lambs, let me know. I have quite a few I bring out at Christmas that are covered in pink glitter! For now, me and Sandy Klop of American Jane are the two with the most lambs.

Greg and Elena thank you for the present! Bye for now all my sweet little lambkins!

Designing Is A Messy Business

Remember this perfect little basket I showed you last week?

This is how it looks now on my kitchen counter

My kitchen table is no longer a table

I've created a mess! When I got up this morning and looked around I realized that quilting is really a messy business. No other way around it. If you look behind the sewing machine you will see that I am using the fruit basket as a fabric hanger. Pretty creative don't you think? I'm sharing this with you all for a reason. In May I will be creating my perfect studio and the pictures you will see will look more like they came from a magazine. We all swoon over how other designers have their studios set up, but the reality is most people sew and quilt wherever they can...me too! I have turned our entire house in Oregon into a sewing room. I have bits and pieces everywhere.

Now here is the key to successful sewing. Ready? You HAVE to clean up before you start a new project or design. Everything has to be put back in it's place, neatly organized and the floor must be vacuumed. This is the rule I live by. My friend Anne Bryson asked me the other day if I work on several projects at once. No, not when it's an applique project. I complete one, clean up the chaos, and start with the fresh little basket you saw above filled with new fabric. There is order in my universe! Until this new design is done, I won't be having company. Not even the UPS man gets past the front door.

Creating

From this little pencil sketch...

to this fabric!

Not many designers know what they're doing when asked to submit a fabric line. A few lines down the road we may act like we do, but the truth is it's a bit scary. It's like being in the middle of the ocean and not being able to see the shore...you don't know what's ahead and wonder why you ever left your safe space on land.

I just heard that my fabric is in the warehouse, being cut and put onto bolts and it will ship to the stores this week! A perfect time to share with you how it was created at the very start. Like many things in life you just have to jump right in and do your best. That's what I did. Pushed the insecurities down and jumped in! Yes, there were some "what if they don't like it?" that my husband and friends had to listen to. I think those will always be there.

Henry Glass had asked for a baby fabric and since I love lambs it was easy to start! I drew pencil sketches of all the lamb scenes you see in the fabric. Then I added the little things you see mixed in...hearts, heart bouquets, butterflies, birds, and anything else my heart desired. It was so much fun!

Of course you have to have co-ordinates like stripes, checks, prints, and dots so those were next. Then came the color. I got out my water colors and painted! I attached color chips, sample fabrics in the colors I wanted and sent my package off to New York! They took my drawings, put them into the computer, cut, pasted and colored and sent back my first fabric line on paper for me to see. Me! Me to say yes, no, hello? It was just too cool!

I'm feeling so much more experienced now. Can you imagine after just one line? (: Now I have more fabric in the works for spring market. My goal for this year is to learn how to use Adobe Photoshop to play with fabric. I'll never give up the drawing part. It's what feeds my heart. But I have to admit it would be fun to put my lamb in Photoshop and see how she looks wearing pink little dots!

The Bunny Bed

Photography by me


Photography by Gregory Case my wonderful photographer!

I had to share this bed photo with you. My husband thinks I am going through my second childhood, but I claim that everything I buy is for the business. With a company name like Bunny Hill Designs, I think this would be a normal purchase. The famous bunny bed is located in our Oregon house and many of my friends (famous and not so famous) have slept here. They expect this kind of thing from me and have to go along or sleep on the floor.

For many of my patterns I used "staged" photos. I love the way they look and I think they give you a feeling of how to use the design. What you may not realize, is that a staged photo is the hardest photo to shoot.It's an art by itself and many times can take hours. I always call on my photographer Gregory Case and his wife Elena to do these for me. They see things through the camera that you and I can't.

Greg and Elena shot the above photo for me when they were visiting in Bend. I wasn't here at the time, so I don't know how long it took. I only know that I love the end result! All of my quilt photography is done by them and I have to give them a round of applause! If you're interested in having some photos done, I'll share...http://www.gregorycase.com

The beginning of a new quilt design

Folklorique by Moda Fabrics

I'm so excited I had to take a break and show you this fabric I'm working with. It's a new line from Moda Fabrics, by Joanna and Lisa at Fig Tree. It reminds me of a spring day and maybe that's why it's so great! In the middle of winter it feels wonderful to think spring!

I'm starting with the fat pack like I always do, and I'll add to it as I go along. I'm designing a spring applique quilt and of course I can't show it to you yet. Spring market isn't until May and that's when most new designs are released. If you're interested you can purchase the fat pack at your favorite quilt store before they are gone! (:

Bunny Drawer Pull

Remember when I said that I had too many collections and I had to weed some out? It's hard to do when you sit down at your computer and decide to check on a few sites you have bookmarked. I don't feel guilty because now that I have a blog, I have to find things to share with you! Right?

I found this shop quite by accident one day. I think I had typed in the search word rabbit or bunny. I couldn't believe it when I clicked onto this site! http://www.rabbitshop.stores.yahoo.net/index.html
It's filled with bunny things to buy! Filled! The best part is that it's a non-profit organization dedicated to rabbit rescue. Yes, rabbit rescue...those bunnies that people adopt because they are so cute as babies and then decide they really don't want them when they grow up. Lots of that going around.


I think I may have to buy the bunny cameo. It's not like it's something that will take up space in my new house. Of course when I saw the drawer pulls this morning I started thinking about what I could put them on, how many I would have to buy, and how much it might cost. Oh my goodness, it's a good thing I'm in Oregon and don't have to hide any UPS boxes when they come. (:

This weather is for the birds

3 degrees tonight...even the birds have cold feet.

Now I know what they mean when they say this weather is for the birds.

Yes! We made it to Oregon! I have to say it was a drive I wouldn't want to do often. Not with cats in the car. If you've ever gotten car sick then you how my cats felt. I won't go into details but let's just say we had to make several extra stops. I thought we would never get here. I think the tranquilizers made it worse. They should have given them to me!

I am so lucky we have a second home! I can hide away in beautiful Bend and escape the horrors of fixing up and selling a house. I think I'm going to owe my husband big time when we finally move into our new house. I'm sitting here all warm and cozy, thinking of the projects I can accomplish and he is home working on our other house. It's a good thing he doesn't have a blog! I'd be in trouble.

During the next few months, I'll be posting from Bend, Oregon. It looks absolutely beautiful with the snow, but baby it's cold outside! (I took the photo from our back door...threw out some bird seed and everyone came!)

Let's be creative together

• The car is packed, the kitties have been to the vet to get their "car sick" pills, my new fabric line was expressed to Henry Glass, what more could I accomplish in a day? I have a moment to myself and I just read the other blogs I frequent. There are some pretty creative people out there in blog land! People who are willing to share their ideas, let us into their lives, help us decorate and teach us new skills. It's amazing to me!

• I just added a blog to my list called "Primrose Design". It's delightful, with step by step photos of how to do embroidery stitches. If you don't need them right this moment, chances are you may in the future! I'd bookmark this one if I were you.

• My good friend Brenda Riddle of Acorn Quilt and Gift Company has just started her own blog. It's sure to be a lot of fun, because she is so much fun! Little Acorns Blog is brand new and Bren's head is filled with creative ideas. You will love it. Did you know she was an interior designer and a graphic atrist? How's that for letting the cat out of the bag! Something she doesn't tell everyone. Tell her we want to see her cute, cute house.

• If you haven't noticed, my list of favorite blogs is getting longer and longer. I only hope that I can share and teach as much as all of these wonderful bloggers! It's a lot to live up to, but I've never been one to not try. So as I leave my little house tomorrow morning for our house in Oregon and new adventures, I'll share them with you. Until I can get back to blogging in a day or two, please take the time to check out the blogs I have linked to. Let's be creative together. And don't forget to smile (:

Kitties On The Move

Mr. Lucky
Miss Topsy

Miss Turvy

Miss Topsy and Mr. Max

Formal introductions aren't necessary. These kitties are all from the castoffs of society. You know the kind, the ones no one wanted...except us. Miss Topsy and her sister Miss Turvy were abandonded in a parking lot, Mr. Lucky showed up at our back door wet, skinny and hungry, and Mr. Max was the uninvited guest at a hotel where I used to work. On Tuesday they will drive to Bend, Oregon with me leaving the saftey of their little home. It's no easy trip...8 hours in the car. It's something that has to be done. We can't have them here while we sell our house. Too many strangers and too many times the doors might be left open. So it's off we go together!

Miss Topsy has promise to sleep the whole way!

We'll be living in Bend together for the next 4 months...until our new house is finished. And just about the time they start to feel at home, I'll be packing them up and driving back to California. What's a cat to do?

Cutest Little Pincushions

Oh those pincushions! I just can't resist them. They call my name wherever I go. I've been shopping for you and found these made by folk artist Cathy Pendleton. She is so talented and I am beside myself to have found her! Everytime I buy something for you, I buy something for myself and the mailman just keeps coming! Talk about creative hands! Cathy has them.

A Bunny Hill Club

I am so excited! Patti at Creative Patches in Nipomo, California just sent me an email telling me about the little club she's starting in her shop. It's called the Bunny Hill Designs Club! I've never had a club before! She is such a creative person the name of her shop is a perfect fit.

I've promised her group a few special projects throughout the year. I have to put my design hat on and get to work! If you live in her area give her a call. She'd love to have you join her group (805) 929-3704. You'll see more about this coming up. She's promised me photos as they go along.

Things To Be Thankful For...

I love the new year! I love the expectation it brings, the sense of excitement I get just thinking about what new things I can do, and the fulfillment that comes from getting my "nest" in order. My nest is a bit of a mess right now as I sort through things to keep and things that need to go, but I can hardly contain my excitement! I've made a list a mile long and I will feel so good and so in control as I cross each one off!

A new year, the end of the first week and suddenly it hit me that I have so much to be thankful for. I wonder if I ever take enough time to think about this? Just look at this photo! I'm surrounded by good friends who also quilt and applique for me. How lucky can someone get? I happened to stop by our local quilt store yesterday and there they were! We decided it had to be a photo moment. So, from left to right please meet Nancy, Kris, Me, Bobbie and Heidi.

I've so many dear friends, family, four legged pets and people like you to be thankful for! It's because of you that I cherish the new year. It's because of you that my life feels full. It's because of you that Bunny Hill is so much fun. Happy New Year to you all! May your life be filled with things to be thankful for too.


My treasures sometimes come in an email. Things that amaze me and make me smile...the thoughtfulness of a picture or two. It's these things that make quilting so much fun. I had to share with you the pictures from Marlene Ball...she has just finished Rabbits Prefer Chocolate and it is so beautiful! She used Moda's Faded Memories as her main fabric, and then added tiny rick rack and bias binding for trim. For all of you who can't find the lace, here is a great idea! Thank you Marlene for these photos!

One more thing before I end this post...I just added a free pattern on my website for my fabric line "My Sweet Baby" . Yes, it's free! I'll keep it there for awhile, so don't worry it will be there when my fabric ships to the stores. Look under "New Fabric", scroll down and click on the link.

A Treat from Japan

Today in the mail a long awaited package arrived. Yards of the most gorgeous pale pink Lecien fabric! It's exactly what I need to finish my new quilt! Lecien has a booth at quilt market that I would be happy to live in! Quilt stores order their fabric, but it takes awhile to get it. Sometimes it is held up in customs and can sit for a bit.

One of my best friends is visiting her family in Japan and she was able to ship me the fabric right from Japan. How lucky is that? This is my border fabric and without it my quilt would not be the same. Thank you Nireko for the wonderful treat! What a beautiful fabric to receive.

(You'll have to wait to see where the little dot at the bottom fits into the quilt!)

The ups and downs of a New Years Day!

Happy New Year everyone! I set my alarm to get up early today. I may be the only one who does this, and my husband just can't believe he is married to such a nut! Everyone else is still sleeping, tucked snug in their beds. We don't party on New Year's Eve. It's a good thing! You can't appreciate the wee AM if you've been partying all night. I poured myself a cup of coffee and curled up on the couch with one of my favorite magazines. Someday you have to try it. There is something very special about the first sunrise of the new year. Goodbye 2006 and hello 2007!

Now to write in my new pink journal! I have a passion for anything pink and I found this beautiful pink journal at http://www.seejanework.com/ This is a site you should only visit if you've paid your credit card bill. Today I can finally start my writing in my journal. I've been looking at it for a month and I have this plan to write everything in the pink journal so that I can always find my notes. My first organizational attempt for 2007!

Tonight we take my son and his girlfriend to the airport where they will board a plane for Germany. It's always hard to say goodbye. I'm sure I will cry on the way home. They will visit in Germany for a few days. From Germany they will travel to Portugal where they are working on a very large solar project for another three months. Then it's off to Spain for the start of a new project. Maybe by next Christmas they can return for a visit. I am so thankful for the time we have together. Saying goodbye is hard, but saying hello again is wonderful! You can't have one without the other.