meet owlivia...

this adorable little owlet

is the creative invention

of sandy gervais...

.

the minute

i saw her posted

on the moda bake shop

i just knew

she was to be a part of our display

but time was running out

not to fear

the instructions were easy to follow

so my own little owlivia

was birthed this morning at

approximately 4:15 a.m.

weighing in at about 2.5 pounds

she's filled with lentils

not what the pattern called for

but the only

suitable thing i could find

in the cupboard

at that hour of the night

i don't think she'll give a hoot

as she is standing tall

princess of the roost

i was thinking of making more than one

then i would have a parliament

just discovered that is what you call

a group of owls

do not try this at night...

i have found...

there are some tasks

that must wait...

.

until the rise of the sun

such as

cross pollination

which had my eyes

well...

...crossed

as i was trying to line up the many

diagonal cuts and

intersecting points

it's a stunner though

now complete
a perfect backdrop

for the jellen's house of fabric

business expo display

happy mother's day

there was a mother/daughter

look alike contest

in the newspaper today

.

i would not have thought to enter

as i don't think we look alike

until i went digging for a photo

guess i was wrong

this picture

circa 1978

i can tell by the glasses

and the hairdos

it was my senior year of high school

and i was sewing

alot

for both my mom and me

both our tops in this photo

i stitched up

you might ask why i was sewing for my mom

easy

she didn't sew

at all

most people are shocked when i say that

how ever did i learn then

by her support

for years she drove me to the fabric stores

in canton, ohio

so-fro fabrics at 30th street plaza

and schoolhouse quilts on hills and dales

were my two favorites

she would come in as a chaperone when

i was just starting out

at eight and nine

then as i got older she would stay in the car

or walk down to the stationary store

looking back

i find that especially amazing

i think it's probably easier

to support your daughter's love of fabric

when you already have a stash in the house

regardless

i truly would not be where i am today

without her support

thank you mom

i love you

happy mother's day

a thread of truth

rarely...

in my fifty years

of reading...

.

has a novel

spoken so directly to my heart

given me such

renewed enthusiasm for a project

that at times seems

risky at best

and never have i read a book of fiction

so beautifully portray a character

with down syndrome

thank you

marie bostwick

part of a rainbow...

a box arrived today

in the warm sunshine

from quilt home

.

inside were lots of

half yard cuts of

moda marbles

i thought about the dear soul

who would be stuck doing all the cutting

when i placed the order

might they grumble about the task

instead i received a lovely

handwritten note

from mary

thank you for shopping quilt home

i hope you enjoy your darling fabrics

i felt like i was cutting part of a rainbow

all the colors are wonderful

have a splendid time sewing

that made my day

thank you mary

it was a pleasure doing business with you

summer mini swap...

i love the...

mini catalogs

from stampin'up!

.

they are full of fresh new

products and ideas

the 2010 summer mini

is just that

i shared the card

i created for our swap

today i share the cards i received

so many great ones

i can never pick a best

there are some stand outs

like the one that is actually standing

look on the top left corner

it is a 3-d invitation

for a summer gathering

very cleverly created by

shana gaff

happy grad,,,

the 2010 Stampin'Up!

summer mini catalog

is out...

.

i love to participate in
new catalog swaps
i create 25 of the same
and in return acquire
25 different cards designed by
25 incredibly talented women in our
we bee stamping line lead by linda bauwin
my featured stamp is called
happy grad
i could not resist the urge
to select a scarlet and gray color theme
in honor of my soon to be
2010 OSU grad

the message to stamp is outstanding...

happy graduation

make a difference

live the dream

relish the adventure

conquer the unknown

make your mark

stand strong

love for 44 cents...

simply beautiful discovery

at the post office today...

.

so lovely in fact

i bought a sheet to share

and a sheet to display with

my collection

of all things purple

they remind me

of the

lovely lavender flowers

a top our wedding cake

almost twenty four years ago

if life is a bowl...

of thread...

i am one

happy woman

.

are these little bowls adorable

or what

thanks to my new friend kate

i was
roaming the aisles of

crate and barrel

looking for loire

when i stumbled upon them

perfect to display threads

i decided

in the kitchen of our new house

cross-pollination...

...moving right along

to our next

project with frolic

.

cross-pollination seems

appropriate for this

2010 spring season

of extreme high pollen count

i wonder what sandy had in mind

when she named this pattern

i'm curious about those little details

this will be a first for us

utilizing a jelly roll and

turnovers

in the same quilt

should be fun

all pinned up...

and ready to go

to the

quilting machine...

.

the fabric is

frolic

the verna project sheet from moda

is the pattern referred to

so perfect for sarah to stitch
with straight lines and

little pattern matching necessary

we plan to use a

large flower as our guide

wish us luck

scarlet & gray...

sarah and i have been

pasting up color cards

for the store

.

we will be referring to them as we

purchase

bolts of basic fabric

today we were inspired by the

annual spring game

scarlet and gray

is a favorite combination of ours

looks like it is for
her majesty Queen Elizabeth II too

.

photo courtesy of yahoo

oh how I would love

to have that hat

it would feel so regal

walking into

the horseshoe for

tj's graduation

in june

and then displaying

it with our buckeye themed fabrics

this fall

p.s. isn't she just beautiful at 84

bedazzled...

everyone in life

deserves

a cheering section

.

click to enlarge

a fan club

someone

or even a group of people

who sings your praise

who supports your passions

someone who reminds you that you are

appreciated

i am lucky enough to have such friends

and lately one has been emailing me

often

she loves the concept of the quilt store

how i have tied it all together

with sarah

but in your history

you missed

a major component of who you are

she wrote

then on tuesday

i posted a picture of tj sewing

and when she blew up the photo

there it was

the story board from bedazzled

she wrote again

joyce, you must show us that collage

please talk about your years as

a development officer and

how you included your talents as a seamstress

in each event

while raising millions of dollars

for the good of cleveland

ok so there you have it

a story of one event

for the cleveland institute of music

and one custom ensemble

which i was still hemming

as my husband drove to the event

cherish nature...

robin eggs and

butterflies

and honeybees...

.

and vines

tiny leaves and polka dots

damask in chocolate

aqua blue and olive green

the window's cracked

i hear the birds chirp

and feel springtime warmth

through the glass

as i stitch with this earthday treasure

designed by fellow ohioan

deb strain

purple passion...

it should come as no surprise

that i wish to have

a grand selection...

.

of purple

in jellen's house of fabric

for some reason

i don't often find it in quilt stores

so i got to thinking

maybe i will strive to have the best

collection of purple

in the midwest

so i started going through all the

moda basics

to see what they have

i'm happily off to a good start

speaking of happy

can you imagine my excitement

when i viewed

the post by kate spain today

guess you know where i'm headed tonight

do real men sew...

as i have been spreading

the word

about my new quilt store...

.

the most frequently asked question

so far is...

will you have classes for men

of course

i reply

i've been teaching boys

to sew for years

above is my own first born

when he was seven

i've discovered a few blogs you must check out

quilt dad

and be sure to go here today

i'm just a guy who quilts

for a great giveaway