Happy Monday!

This little flu bug is a tough guy to beat. He takes your brain and makes it mush, and then he jumps up and down on your body to make sure you know he's there! But after a week in bed I think he's a bit tired and I am back to work! Thank you to all my friends who left me a get well note!

I'm drowning in a sea of fabric and it makes me feel so happy! Just look at this table! Doesn't it make you want to drive right in and see what you can do? My assistant Nireko is coming over today and we are going to pick and choose from this stack and more. By the time we are done, a quilt will be in progress!

I've singled out a few already and these are ready to be put to work. By the time you see them they will be cut up, stitched and appliqued. YEAHHHHHH!!!!


And for all of you who are following Chelsea's progress, she ran like a maniac all around the yard yesterday. No stopping her. I would say she is almost back to normal. LOL!

I've also heard that my RSS Feed is not working. I have no idea how to fix this so if someone out there knows what to do, PLEASE email me. (:


I'll keep posting this week and show you some quilt progress as we go along!

It found me!

Yep, I left the studio for one day and look what found me! Don't know if it was at Target or Barnes and Noble but I picked him up and brought him home. Right now I'm feeling pretty sorry for myself, staying in bed and trying not to spread this awful little bug. My diet has consisted of Cream of Wheat and hot tea, a combo I'm sure only sounds good when you're sick.

I'm not getting much designing done, and I find myself standing in front of the closet or the pantry with no memory of what I went there to get. I'm not a patient person when it comes to resting in bed. When I can't pick up the newest issue of Australian Homespun magazine you know it's bad.

I know, I know, it's crazy. I can draw the little guy you see above, but for the life of me I can't draw a simple little snowman. Maybe next week when I'm not so weak! LOL!

No hugs today...don't want you to get sick ):

Bunny Club Day!

I had the best day today! It was Bunny Club day at Thimble Creek. No, we don't show up wearing rabbit ears, and we don't just work on Bunny Hill projects! This wonderful group of ladies bring whatever project they are working on and we laugh, sew and sometimes I actually teach something. It's the once a month class I have at our local quilt store and I always look forward to it.

Because these ladies are so creative I always come home inspired by them! Today, Jean Denak from Napa, CA was busy working on an embroidery by Meg over at http://www.crabapplehillstudio.com/. Jean's embroidery is just perfect and she does everything using a tiny, tiny stem stitch. Today I learned she uses a tiny 3" hoop, and a size 11 Embroidery needle (it's shorter in length). I'm all excited to try these needles! I love needles with a shorter length. They give you more control.

My friend Chickie let me borrow her "Artful Blogging" magazine. I was so excited to see the article on Kim over at Daisy Cottage! http://deardaisycottage.typepad.com/daisy_cottage/
I hope you can enlarge this photo and read Kim's paragraph. It's so inspiring! She is a dream and SUCH a sweetheart! Better run out and get a copy, read it and then visit her blog. She just so happens to be in another magazine I just bought! Hop on over! It's Easter weekend (:

My dear friend Kris Schnieders from Alameda, came up after class and handed me a little brown bag. Inside was this WONDERFUL little pink lamb. It's all glittery! And did I say it's pink? Glittery? Pink? How good can it get? (:

Then, when I came home and walked in the door, Chelsea RAN, yes RAN down the hall to greet me! She was so excited she forgot her legs didn't work right! As you can see she has become the poster girl for women's Rogaine. The bald patch on her back is from the pain patch she wore. Little red hairs are already growning back in.

Hope your day was just as good. Sharing the day with friends doesn't get any better.

It's Spring!!!

Oh my goodness, does everyone realize it's the first day of spring and almost Easter Sunday? I can't believe it! How did it get here so fast? I should have known because I've been getting the sweetest little treats from my friends. Yesterday in the mail this little chick arrived from my good friend Nancy Ritter. I was just so delighted when I opened up the present! It's a little chick-bunny! Isn't she the cutest thing?
Then my assistant Nireko brought me this little bunny pitcher. I actually collect these pitchers and they are so hard to find. Imagine my surprise when I opened the bag! I adore her! Nireko and the bunny (:

Today I got the happiest treat ever, but I can't share it with you yet. Elizabeth Scott over at Late Bloomer Quilts,http://the-latebloomer.blogspot.com/ made a darling quilt using my newest fabric line, Flowers For Emma! It's the first time I've had anyone design something using my fabric and I have to say I felt like dancing around the studio! It's the cutest design and I just love it! You'll be able to get it as a pattern in May on her web site! Such talent she has! Thank you Elizabeth!

Hope all of you are having a great week!

Look what I got!

Look what arrived in the mail today from Elizabeth at http://the-latebloomer.blogspot.com/! It's a teeny tiny thimble with a pink bunny on it! I just couldn't believe it when I opened the little package. She's sending me a present and THANKING me for sending her some of my fabric to design with. I'm the one who should be THANKING her!!!!!! She made something with my fabric and I can't wait to see it. I'm just so honored. She does such wonderful designs and if I had any time left for just regular sewing I'd be making her Flight of Fancy block of the month for myself! Thank you Elizabeth. I love the little thimble. It's on the shelf by my desk so I can look at it while I work. And yes, this is the time for lots of work. Every designer I know is going a bit crazy right now trying to get everything done in time for Quilt Market. It's coming up in May and we are all going to Portland! So far I've only been to the Portland airport so I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of that wonderful city. Every single designer makes the promise and swears up and down that we are NEVER going to be doing things last minute EVER again and we all end up doing LOTS of things last minute. I've decided we are all a bit nuts! Tee Hee!

As for Chelsea, she is looking so pitiful right now. At first she was doing good walking around, but I found out it was because of the pain patch she had on. Now she is walking like she is 110 years old! I feel so sorry for her, and the vet tells me that I have to make her walk. It hurts just to watch her, but I know it's part of the healing process. Every day we go outside and I try to get her to walk a bit. She goes about the length of two houses and then just stops. She's no dummy but she has secrectly told me she thinks the vet is...just kidding (:

And my favorite blog in the whole UK has given me the "You Make My Day" award! This is so sweet I can't believe it, because they make my day too! So I have to give them the "You Make My Day" award too! Are you getting the picture? This could go on forever! LOL! Spend some time on their blog and visit their online shop. You will love it! And right now they are visiting our very own USA! http://www.buttonberry.typepad.com/ Thank you my Button Berry friends! Have fun in New York!

It's back to work...

Happy Day!

Hi everyone! Chelsea is feeling really good. She's walking all over the house and I can see my next problem is going to be how to keep her quiet. It's a good problem to have so I'll take it!

Now that she's feeling better, I can get back to work! This morning I spent time in my studio, working on my new block of the month. Last year, when I was working on "All Things Christmas" I showed you a piece of fabric and asked you to guess what it would be in the quilt. Well none of you guessed although you had some great ideas! Don't know if you remember, but it turned out to be the body of this stocking.


Well, look at this tiny sketch I drew this morning. I'm going to use it in my new Christmas quilt. I hope you'll be surprised when you see where it goes. If you can guess, come May, you could win a free pattern. You'll have to wait until May to see if anyone wins because I can't let the sketch out of the bag just yet! Here's a hint; it's very whimsical. Oh there's that magic word again. The word I LOVE so much!

It's from these little tiny sketches that I design my appliqué quilts. I come up with a theme and then draw lots of sketches. I keep my sketches loose, and don't worry about how they look at this point. I just need the ideas on paper so I can remember them! Then I layout the quilt on graph paper, and pull together the sketches I think will work. Finally I take my "idea sketches", turn them into simplified drawings for appliqué, add pieced blocks and spacing blocks and ta da...a new quilt is on it's way! By the time you see the little sketch above, it will be all cleaned up, and appliquéd! Yes, there's a bit of embroidery in it too!

I'll show you a bit more of what goes into designing a quilt as I go along this time. (:

Home again!

Chelsea is back at home! That in itself is a miracle! She looks pathetic. 1/3 of her body is shaved, except for the tail, and she has a 2" incision on each leg. We had a rough night, and she cried off and on. This morning I think the morphine patch kicked in and she actually walked about 4 steps. After a breakfast of baby food, she's watching Texas Ranger with me on TV and doing well, all things considered. That's right Texas Ranger is one of her favorite shows. The UPS man even prompted a bark probably because she had just finished watching a karate scene! This is one smart dog.

Her mother is the one you should all worry about. Yes, that would be me, good old mom. I wish you could have seen my face at the vet when they brought her out yesterday. I took anatomy in college, but it obviously didn't include dog anatomy. I thought her knees were the part of the leg you see below, by the tip of the tail. Well, guess what? Dog knees are up by the thigh area! I honestly had no idea! All this time I've been wondering how on earth they could operate on such a tiny little area and then they bring her out with two huge old incisions on her "thighs". Much to my husband's dismay, I actually said "those are her knees?" I wonder if that's the first time the vet ever got that question. I'm sure she mentioned me at the dinner table last night.

So if there are some dummies like me out there I've included a short course in dog anatomy. The ankle bone's connected to the knee bone, the knee bone's connected to the thigh bone...right?

It will be awhile before I can take any glamor shots of Chelsea. That poor little behind needs some fur to grow back.

To all of you who have emailed us, Chelsea and I Thank You from the bottom of our hearts. Yes, I think I know where her little heart is so don't worry. I'll take good care of her.

Small, but Tough

Small but tough I hope! Tonight I am the one feeling like a "dog". I've been working all day in my studio and Chelsea's been with me. As we went about our normal activity I kept looking at her today, and feeling like such a heel. Tomorrow she has to be at the vet by 7:15 AM so she can have surgery. She looks and acts very normal right now so it's really hard to take her. I even called the vet just to make sure we were doing the right thing. Yes, she said, those little knees have to be fixed.

It's just not fair. A dog should automatically have good knees. Knees that last for life, knees that let her catch balls, run and play. Just plain old good knees! Maybe after tomorrow.

Here she is with Max, one of our cats.

When I looked I found her tucked in a small drawer full of fabric today.

Small but tough, I hope.

Tomorrow will be a long day for both of us. I'll let you know how she does.

It's Christmas at Bunny Hill!

That's right! Christmas right here in the studio! I swear I may have all the windows open so I can feel that spring breeze, but I'm working away on a Christmas quilt! It's so weird, but I'm getting very used to it! Spring market is coming up in May and its the time I'll introduce my new block of the month for Christmas! So here I am singing Christmas carols as I work. (:

Today I started sketching the layout, and drawing the blocks. Soon I'll open this fat quarter package and put it to work!

That's right, this is Christmas fabric from Moda. You see I'm not the only one who works ahead of the season. It's all so we can say "Merry Christmas Everyone!"

Multi-tasking Madness

As I head down the road to Quilt Market, I find myself caught up once again in the crazy world of multi-tasking. With only 11 weeks to go, I always start to panic. I look around at the piles of projects, the lists of tasks, and I tell myself next time I'll be more organized, I'll get things done sooner, blah, blah, blah...and of course it never happens. But this time someone has come to save me and she doesn't even know it!

Beth Ferrier, is an author, designer and a teacher who also writes articles for "American Quilt Retailer" a magazine written for quilt shops and retailers. She also has a blog http://applewd.com/blog/ that I think you'll enjoy. If you've been lucky enough to take one of her classes, or hear one of her lectures you are lucky. This is one smart lady and all of us can take something from her words of wisdom. In the latest issue of "American Quilt Retailer" she's talking about how to become a recovering multi-tasker, something I really want to be!

"Science is telling us that multi-tasking isn't all it's cracked up to be. As many of us have discovered, multi-tasking often just leaves us with more stuff half done. " "Contrary to what we've thought, multi-tasking doesn't get more done, it just makes us look busier. Giving our full attention to the task at hand instead of worrying about the chores to come means not only will we finish sooner, and with fewer mistakes, but we'll remember the pleasure that comes with savoring the fabric of all that we do." Thanks Beth for the wonderful words of advice!

She tells us to enjoy every step of the process of making a quilt. Working on one project at a time doesn't mean you are inefficient, it's a joy! So my advice to all of you is to look around your sewing room and figure out where you should start. Pick one project and finish it! Think of how you will feel when it's done! Enjoy the process. Don't make a list of things you have to finish. Instead just pick one at a time and enjoy completing it.

After reading her article, I stopped all the thousand things I was doing, and paid attention to just one quilt. Finish this one first, I told myself, and then move on. Enjoy the process of design, the wonderful feeling of seeing a quilt design come together, the way the fabric works together to bring harmony to the quilt. This is what it's all about. How easy this is to forget!


It's amazing how efficient and simple this process can be!

He actually called!

To all you little sweet pickles out there, I just have one thing to say...He called me! Yes, the man himself called...Mark Lipinski. I have to say I was excited. It was like talking to the Martha Stewart of the quilting world, and those that know me well, know how much I ADORE Martha. He's a whole lot funnier and he hasn't been to jail that I know of LOL!

He has the best job in the whole world because he gets paid to be himself. How cool is that? Not to mention his writing skills, design skills, and yes, people skills. He had me eating out of his hand in the first five minutes. He's going to add me to an article he's doing in the July/August issue! Can you believe it?

Warning: If you don't think this man is cool, then don't go here http://marklipinskisblog.wordpress.com/ . He's not for the weak of heart. You gotta get out that sense of humor before you visit. Anyone who wants to sew pearls on a patterned shirt is FUNNY! Oh, and creative too.

Chelsea wants to meet Tulip. A Chihuahua and a pug. Can't you see it?

Sundays are Like That!

Sunday is my catch up day of the week. I love Sunday! I can take a break from the phone you see peeking out by my desk, and I feel like the day is all mine!

Last week in my studio, I put a table up against a wall, added a few of my favorite things, and now I have a place to spread out, with papers, pens and even vintage books nearby. Today I've spent the whole day at this desk, working on all those little projects calling my name. No matter how messy the desk top gets, all those things on the shelf are always ready to inspire me!

A few of my treasures...notice the bunny egg cups from Sur la Table?

I collect vintage glass salt & pepper shakers and fill them with Crystal beads.


All shapes and sizes!



And Max, my 16 year old tabby, has been watching me work. He loves the comfy white chair right by my desk. That is one smart cat!

I love Sunday don't you?