Bear With Me!

Hi everyone!

Please "bear" with me for another few days...

I'm working SO hard right now to get a fabric line out the door and on it's way to New York. I am obsessed with getting it finished and I'm almost done. Just another day or two and it will be on an airplane, hopefully carefully tucked inside a UPS plane. I like to think they have a special compartment for Express mail. If you work for UPS tell me it's so.

Until then I've found a few "left-over" photos for you to see. Not that you should have "left-over's at all. You deserve so much more dear readers.

Here's a photo of a guest room in our house in Bend, Oregon. We've made the decision we are going to sell this house and maybe find something a bit closer to home. If you have a magic ball and can forecast this economy, please let me know. And if you've always wanted a house in Bend, Oregon and you have a house in California you want to trade...

The quilt on the wall is the original "Confetti" quilt dating back to the early 1930's. If you love this quilt you can make one! You'll find the pattern on my web site. The bed quilts are from Eddie Bauer so no, I don't have a pattern. The pineapple bed is my husband's great grand-mother's.

Hanging on the wall in this room is one of my first attempts at machine embroidery. When embroidery machines first came out I HAD to have one. I bought the Janome and believe it or not I used it! I made this picture by repeating an embroidery pattern 4 times. Then I hand-quilted around each design or should I say I "tried" to hand quilt around each design. ( :

And my very favorite bunny in the whole world used to reside in our Bend house, but I just brought him home. He now resides in my studio. He's filled with Tanya Whelan's new fabric "Ava Rose". You'll see this fabric in a future Bunny Hill pattern.

Bear with me....I'm almost done!

It's The Weekend!

Ah, weekend sweet weekend. Just me, Mooch, Chelsea and occasionally Bitsy in the studio.

I love the weekends without any plans. The ones where I can sew, catch up on projects and do what ever my heart desires. Not all my weekends are like this, so when I have one I take full advantage of it. I choose the most comfortable clothes I can find and I settle in for a weekend of sewing. It’s not work, it’s fun, and it’s why I work for myself.

I found a box of vintage trims I had put away in the closet. I bought this box on Ebay and it was like a grab bag. I wasn't sure what I was getting. But inside I found lots of ribbons, lace, old thread etc. It was such a find!

Then I turned on the TV and I watched the shows I've recorded over the past three weeks; 48 Hours, In Plain Sight and Without a Trace. I usually work in silence so TV is a luxury. I’m actually getting things done! I’ve been working on my new fabric line. Drawing and re-drawing again and again, letting the ideas come in and out of my head. I selected colors and then selected them again. It's not a quick process this fabric thing, but when it's finished I have such a feeling of accomplishment! I hope to have it in New York by the end of next week.

Mooch changed positions and slept some more...

And then I went blog hopping. It's been awhile since I have visited any blogs. I've missed you all! And look what I found! Heather Mulder Peterson of Anka's Treasures has a new blog! It's wonderful and you can see lots of pictures of her studio. Wow Heather, it's a beautiful studio AND a beautiful blog! Heather and I both design fabric for Henry Glass Fabrics. You'll find me right next to her at Quilt Market. Visit her blog and say hi! Then be sure and get the next issue of American Patchwork and Quilting to see more of Heather! http://ankastreasures.wordpress.com/

How's your weekend going? Did you make time for sewing? Did you go to the quilt show in Long Beach?

Hope it's a great one!

Fabric and Fresh Vegetables!

Fabric in production and fresh vegetables. It just doesn't get any better than that!

My first set of strike-offs for Angel Houses has come and gone. Now I'm anxiously awaiting the second set. I have to say I LOVE this fabric. I had a few color adjustments, but the fabric itself feels so wonderful. This is my first line milled in Korea and I am jumping for joy! There's something that the Korean mills do right, that makes so many American companies use them. I should have the second set of strike-offs any day now and (keep your fingers crossed for me), fabric to design with in about 5 weeks. Wait until you see what I have planned for this fabric. Lots of fun little things to make!

And wait until you hear this next story! If you ever doubt the power of a blog, don't! I just hired the sweetest person ever, and I found her from my blog! That's right, Brigette is a blog reader who is now working for Bunny Hill! Turns out she lives less than 1/2 mile from me and she is going to be putting together all those fabric bundles and things I keep promising but never have time to do! She's starting with the Japanese fabric that I used on my Angel quilt, so by this time next week we should have bundles on our web site! I have lots of things for her to do and I'm excited to have found her! Thanks Brigette! I'm so glad you stopped by my blog!

If you're playing in Long Beach this weekend at the first ever International Quilt Festival/Long Beach have a great time! It's so exciting that Quilts.Inc has brought this convention to the west coast. Many of my friends are going, and almost all of our local shops. If you're there be sure and stop by the In Between Stitches booth to see my quilts. They have kits, kits, kits available!

Some of the groups from Northern California are even flying down for the day and coming right back. Doesn't that sound like fun? I can't wait to hear all about it and see some photos. A lot of the designers I see at Quilt Market have booths. If you're going, say hi for me!

So what am I doing this weekend? Well, in-between working I'll be visiting our local fruit stands. Remember I said I lived in farm country? No, not on a farm, but there are farms all around me. I visit the local stands to stock up on the best veggies and fruits. Organic tomatoes for $2.00 lb. can you believe it? They must have 10 varieties!

The Smith Family Farm is one of my favorites and sometimes you can even pick your own! People come from all over to visit this farm and I live about 5 minutes away!

Have a great weekend everyone! Have fun at the quilt show if you're going (:

We've got a surprise coming!

What's up with this? Could it be a new pattern?

Just maybe! You'll find out in about three weeks if you pick up Australian Homespun Magazine, Volume 9, number 8 available in August! That's right, it's less than three weeks away! I have a new quilt featured in that issue and you'll be able to get the kit and the magazine together! Shabby Fabrics will have kits available and they ship worldwide so you'll be able to order it no matter where you live! The minute the magazine comes out I'll link you to http://www.shabbyfabrics.com/ and show you the whole quilt! For now just take a tour of the Shabby Fabrics web site and fall in love with what they offer (:

I showed you a peek of this quilt many months ago, but I didn't tell you what it was.

And Chelsea had to sign a confidentiality contract. Missy hasn't, but then she's still new.

I'll get her paw print very soon.

Hugs,

Anne

Problem Solved!

When I need advice I'm coming to all of you! Seriously, you've solved my problem! After reading through your comments it was Cheryl who said to show him my blog and that's what I did! Patty, your husband's idea of cutting a hole in the floor for me to stand in was SO funny in made my husband crack up laughing! And when someone said to try putting the "stick on thing" on the shelf instead of the door it was a light bulb moment!

My husband knew after reading the first few comments he would have to re-hang it, and I promised to get him some help. So I expect within the next few weeks I'll have the ironing board at the right height and he'll have an enchilada dinner from me! Thank you EVERYONE for your help. You saved me from hurting his feelings; you put some fun into it, and solved a problem that I may have had to live with!

Update on our new cat Miss Mooch (I now call her Missy and my husband calls her Mooch). She thinks she's a dog. She has joined the "pack" with Chelsea and Bitsy... not the other cats! She follows the dogs everywhere. When someone comes to the door, it's Chelsea, Bitsy and Missy who greet them. And Missy gets really excited when the dogs come back from their walk. I almost think she wants to go with them.

So this little gray cat with only one whisker on the left side has captured a place in our hearts. She has a home.

Our little dogs let her share in everything!

Including a nap on the day bed in my studio...

And life is good at the Bunny Hill studio (:

Have a great weekend everyone!

150 lb. Ironing Board!

Dear Abby, (that's what I've named all of you blog reader's out there),

I need your advice regarding my 150 lb. ironing board. Who knew an ironing board could be so heavy? Well now the entire neighborhood does! When the UPS man pulled up, he made the announcement. It went something like this..."who on earth orders 150 lb. ironing board?" My husband chimed right in and said "it has to be my wife". They had a good laugh at my expense.

I had no idea when I ordered this "on sale" ironing board that it would weigh that much. It's one of those ironing boards that hang on the wall inside a cabinet. I hate the way my old ironing board looks in my studio, so I thought this one would be great to hang inside my studio closet. Why I even have a plug inside the closet. Then no one could see it and I could be a closet ironer. Tee Hee!

I forgot one thing. To measure! After my husband hauled it up the stairs, held it up on the wall under the closet shelves and I opened the cabinet door to make sure we adjusted the height, the board would only go as high as 2 feet off the ground. The closet shelves were in the way. I was SO dissapointed and he said "don't worry, I'll figure something out".

And he did! While I was gone he CUT OUT a section of the closet shelf and hung the ironing board. Yes, I'm going to let you all into my closet so you can see this. It's amazing! Here's a picture of the cabinet hung on the wall...you can see where he cut out the shelf. If you enlarge the photo you will see a little round plastic "stick on" thing that he says will act as a "door stop" so the door won't hit the shelf (Not so pretty, but he thinks it's great).

In the photo below you can see the cut out closet shelf...

And below is a photo of the door open so you can see the ironing board.

He has to be the perfect husband right? So sweet to do this for me and so proud of himself. I opened the door, pulled down the ironing board and then I heard the words come out of his mouth "I hope it's ok, because I guessed at the height". Guess he did. It's a good 6" too low for comfortable ironing. Comes up to the top of my thighs so I have to bend my neck too much. To fix it he would have to remove the entire cabinet (all 150 lbs.), re-hang the rods that hold it to the wall, and then hang the cabinet again.

So what would you do? Would you tell your husband that it's too low knowing what it means or would you just iron at a lower height and forget it? Should I just wait six months and then say something like "my neck is really hurting from that ironing board"? Would you leave it where it is and just use the old ironing board LOL! Adjust your ironing board to a lower height and you'll see what I mean.

Help!

Quilt Show Day

Saturday was perfect weather for an outdoor quilt show. Perfect! Low 80's until late afternoon, so we were in heaven walking around the beautiful town of Sisters, Oregon. We arrived early, before the crowds, and by the time we left the streets were filled with people. It's a quaint little town that looks like something out of a wild west movie. It's adorable! Fill it with quilts and you have a wonderful, refreshing quilt show. I took pictures so enjoy!

The fire department hangs the quilts high up on the buildings. You can see the firemen every year, ladder trucks and all. It's part of the wonderful tradition.

Every building has quilts... ...and there's always a line at the Sister's Bakery...

and all the shops are decorated their very best...

...and the local shoe store is a "must stop" shop.

Of course it wouldn't be a quilt show without quilts...

As we were leaving, I found a "Strawberry Hill" entered in the show. It's always exciting to see something you've designed on display!

And we can't forget the animals. This is the town cat enjoying a quilt. At least that's what he told me!

I'll have to wait a bit to see my own kitties and dogs. We had car trouble as we were leaving town and we've been here a bit longer than expected. We expect to drive back tomorrow. Keeping our fingers crossed.

If you want to see cute pet pictures, visit Lynette's blog. She's an animal lover like me and these pictures are so, so sweet. She found a little kitten and took it in...http://www.lynetteandersondesigns.typepad.com/ Lynette, we love you!

Enjoy the pictures everyone!

Room For One More

I wasn't going to blog about her yet. Not until I was sure she would fit in. But being away from home, has made me...

sick...

...and I miss my doggies, kitties, hubby and this new little cat we call Miss Mooch. She's a new, UNPLANNED addition to Bunny Hill and her story is a pretty sad one, but it's happening all across America right now.

For the last six months, off and on, she's been coming in through the dog door at my son's house late at night. He has 3 LARGE dogs so this isn't something I advise a cat to do. She's been seen around the neighborhood, and sneaking in his outdoor shed for shelter. She wouldn't come to anyone until a few weeks ago. Desperate times create desperate cats and I think she decided she'd had enough.

She came up to my daughter-in-law, Diana! She called, and we drove over to see her. Then she came to us too! She was so thin, starving and looked pretty bad so we kept her in the garage overnight to make sure she didn't make our other animals sick. Then it was off to the vet in the morning. She's been declared healthy, had her shots and now she's been at our house for about month. As tame as she is, our Vet said she thinks she was probably left behind when a house went into foreclosure. There are so many in our neighborhood. People loose their house and can't take their animals with them so they get left behind.

But Miss Mooch has a new home. She's joined Chelsea and Bitsy in the studio and spends her days with me. She follows me everywhere, right along with the dogs. I think she's become part of the pack. The ravenous eating has stopped and maybe she knows she'll be taken care of. It's not that we wanted another cat, but how can you turn your back on one in such desperate need? We couldn't. We just couldn't.

A bit of a grumpy look, but she is one happy cat. I adore animals. They are such wise creatures, knowing much more than they tell. Miss Mooch has plenty to say. I just can't understand it all yet!

Tomorrow is the Sister's Quilt Show here in Oregon, then it's back to California and my "pack"...husband and all the rest (:

Home sweet home everyone!

I Love Antiquing!

I Love Antiquing! Love it! I love looking at the treasures that I never knew were treasures. Who knew the Pyrex mixing bowls we used every day, and NEVER worried about breaking, would someday become prized possessions and sit on a shelf just to look at! I think that's part of the charm of antique stores...those nostalgic things we grew up with. Something that brings back memories. I'm always saying"my mother had one like that" when I antique shop!

When I'm in Bend I take a 30 minute drive to Redmond and here's where I shop...it's the Redmond Antique Mall. A HUGE store with lots of different vendors. By the time I go through this store I don't need to go any place else. It takes several hours just to browse and I always leave with a treasure. Always!

I took pictures for you. Pretend you're with me shopping! If you see anything you want I'll go back for you so come on in! (:

See anything you want? Sorry Pam http://www.pamkittymorning.blogspot.com/, I called and the Red boots are gone. Tee Hee!

And what did I bring home after all that eye candy?

A circa 1920's fireplace screen! It's going back to California with me. My husband will hate it, but I think I'll bring my lamb to help the "look". He's sure to see the lamb and NOT the fireplace screen, right?

Up next is the Sister's Quilt Show on Saturday and then it's back to California on Sunday.

Every week should be quilt show week!

I'm writing this from beautiful Bend, Oregon. We have a vacation home here and I've not had a "vacation" in a long time. It feels so good to get away and enjoy the beautiful country. Here's where I am tonight as I write this...in our great room with all the things I love. The day bed is my very favorite place to curl up and watch TV, read a book or even chat with friends. The house is a bit more cluttered with sewing "stuff" since I've arrived. Wish you could all be here!

We even have a bunny bed. Don't think that I sleep in this bed because my company is Bunny Hill....just guests and grandkids. The grandkids love it, and what can guests say? Not a thing !

Today my friend Anne and I went shopping at the Goodwill store. We are so proud of ourselves! I always go thrift shopping when I come here because they have great "finds". Vicki Bellino http://www.bloomcreek.blogspot.com/ called just as we were going into the store. She was whining about not being here yet, until she heard where we were headed and then she wanted no part of it! She'll be jealous, because look at what I bought for $3.99!

It's a rare, antique cabbage bowl and some Good and Plenty candies that I don't think are antique. OK, maybe the bowl isn't antique either, but it's sure cute with a "bunny" style! It's china from England and will be perfect next to my Porcelain bunnies on the hutch at home. Goodwill does it again and Vicki aren't you jealous?

Then it was over to one of the local quilt shops and I HAD to buy some fat quaters of Alex Anderson's redwork fabric. I LOVE it!

Now, before I say goodnight, turn your American Patchwork and Quilting Calendar to July if you haven't done so yet, and you'll see my "Candy Cobblestone" quilt! That's right, it's me and I bet you didn't know it, because who reads a calendar? Here's a picture as I was designing it...no staging, no lighting, and no side triangles! But you can see the design and the striped sashing . I loved that striped fabric SO much that I could have used it forever. I have no idea why this quilt is in July...must be the red sashing posts, do you think?

More tomorrow. It's past my bed time! Goodnight everyone!