Everything's in place - I hope.  (I'm still very new at this but I had great help.)

We also hope you enjoy this tutorial on Natalie's Quilt.  To see it click here

AHAAA!!!! Email problem figured out at long last! - We Hope!

Before I go to the pictures, lets talk about email.  

Over  the last couple of years we have had lots and lots of people tell us that they had emailed us with no response.  We were completely mystified.  We check the email every day - usually twice a day and always answer any emails.

The other day Tori had to call Yahoo about something.  While talking to them she mentioned our problem.  When the gentleman investigated it seems that we had 9800 emails in our folder - going way back to when Tara was working here.  When it gets that full it just won't accept any more until some are deleted.  Tori had been in the habit of keeping most of the emails so she could refer back to them if needed.

Not any more.

All 9800 were deleted.

You should be able to get us on Yahoo if you have a question.  

Good heavens!  And that's just the first part.

Before I go to the 2nd part, we'll stop at Market.  

Here I am in my booth with Michelle and her friend Carrie.  Michelle was a real lifesaver.  She picked me up at the airport and ran me around Portland, leant me her umbrella and is taller than I am.  (See how tall you need to be to hang the quilt behind us.)

Many, many thanks to her.  I tried to talk her into moving to Pittsburg before the next Spring Market but couldn't do it.  :)

Since everyone had gotten me flying already (and I still really, really don't like it) I flew down to San Francisco to see my Uncle Fred and Aunt Grace who live in Los Gatos, Ca.  My sister Nancy flew out and met us.

And of course, we had to go see the Golden Gate Bridge.  It really is awesome!

The next day we piled into the car and went up to Pacific Grove and Carmel to stay at a Bed and Breakfast and go to the beach.  And plain old generally sightsee.

Uncle Fred and Aunt Grace are in their 80s and pretty well ran Nancy and I ragged.  

Wow!  We shopped, sightsaw (is that a word?) and ate our way across Northern California.  

Well really, Aunt Grace and Nancy shopped.  Uncle Fred waited in the car and did crosswords and I mostly took catnaps after Market.  

We all helped with the eating though.  

After 4 days we got on another plane and came home.

Before I left for Portland I broke down and got a smartphone. My friend Cherie Ralston went with me. Unlike me, Cherie has an excellent left brain so she helped me pick out my phone.  

While waiting in the airport at Denver I started playing with my new phone. 

Guess what I found?

  

Gmail!  

I didn't even know I still had a Gmail account.  Neither did Tori.  And I still am not sure how to get to it other than on my phone.  

So --- people were emailing us on Yahoo and a lot weren't coming through and people were emailing us on Gmail and I had no idea they were.

I'm rather surprised I still have any customers.  Hopefully we have both problems solved.  Until I can figure out how to get to gmail on the computer, I do have my phone.  I tried forwarding one to Tori though and it didn't get through.  Have I mentioned more that lots of times that I am really a very right brain person.  

At least I can design quilts.

Back at home Spike was supposed to be confined to a room or his kennel for 6 weeks.  And no stairs.  Just before I left we found him on the couch when our back was turned.  And a large bump at the top of his leg.  Pep and I were both sure that he had torn everything loose but there wasn't time to take him to the vet in KC again.

As soon as I got home I took him for an x-ray and everything was fine - still pinned, still plated - just a little swollen and sore.

 Here he is on the deck contemplating getting over the baricade to the steps.

He's a bulldog - so what if it hurts a little.    But Mom ..... it's not a step!

We took out the baricade and set up a fence so he could sit on the deck in the sun.  He loves to sit in the sun.

Back to Quilts - yes, I like doing quilts better than computers and stuff.  This is Natalie's Quilt.  Be watching for a new tutorial on Natalie's Quilt - baskets and flowers - coming soon to this very blog.  :)

We're really excited!

Market & More........

Well, here we are in sunny Portland.  Well ......... we're in Portland.  And luckily my hotel is very close to the convention center and my new very best friend Michelle leant me her umbrella.

Portland is a 3 day drive from home, then 5 days for set up and Market - then 3 days back home.  Pep couldn't take that much time off and I decided not to do the drive by myself again so he could fly in to meet me. And I can't set up a booth by myself.  

Moda - being the awesome company that they are had already come up with a solution to my problem. The is part of Designer's row.  My section - Deb Strain - Kathy Schmidt.

But I need to back up a little......... 

A few days before I needed to leave, Spike - who never goes down to the road by himself (we live about 300 feet back from the road) - decided to go bite a car.  He lost.

Our local vet looked at the break in his short, stout leg and said it was beyond him.  We made an emergency trip to Kansas City where Spike had a 4 hour surgery.  They had to come in from both sides of his leg to pin and plate it back together.  He was in intensive care all night and we picked him up the next day.

He is supposed to walk on it as little as possible for six weeks.  This is his convalescent center in the living room.  I set up a place to feed him there too because standing on the linoleum in the kitchen his leg would slide out and put pressure on it.  If I'm sitting in my chair sewing he comes out and is at my feet.  Otherwise he has to stay in his kennel so he doesn't follow me everywhere like he usually does.

The main problem is that he's a bulldog and they generally just ignore pain so we have to keep him from using it.  I took my sewing out on the deck so he could lay in the sun.

So it turned out to be good that Pep couldn't come.  He's at home taking very good care of our bulldog.  Spike was really upset when he saw the suitcases come out.  So it's good that Pep is at home with him.

Now - back to Market - where , by the way, I was a basket case the first 2 days - cried if you looked at me sideways.  My special thanks to Michelle who picked me up at the airport (yes, the damn airport) and driven me around everywhere and helped me set things up (I am not tall-she is), Camille, Jamie C. Holly and Josh Dunn and my cohort Deb Strain for all of their patience and hugs.

Anyway, here's my booth - or my section of Designer's Row.

We each have a section - with half a table, half a bulletin board and two shelves.

Then I got an herb rack and Deb got a ladder to hang quilts on

as well as a hook to hang things from.  All in all, it worked out quite well.  It was great to share a space with Deb Strain.  Deb and Sandy Gervais and I are the "vintage" Moda designers - Deb's word - isn't it great!

And I can't stop this post without thanking Tori and Falisha back home who got things packed and out of there for me while I was dealing with Spike.  Did I mention that the same week our plumbing stopped up and  someone sideswiped the van while it was parked and took out the drivers side mirror.  

What a week!  But it's over, Spike's going to be ok and I get to spend my day talking to quilters!  Oh, and the fabric line is Crossroads and will ship in August.  :)

Busy, busy, busy ..........

It's May 8th already and I leave for Portland on the 15th - I'm flying - yuck!

Anyway, back at home I've been sewing on bindings and sewing on bindings and sewing on bindings.

I've had a little help from Spike who is always there for me.  Of course, the minute I get up to get a drink of water or use the restroom, he somehow gets part of the quilt off of the chair and under him.

He does love quilts.

And we've started filming our new applique tutorials.  Jake Doan, Jenny Doan's son, who films the Missouri Star tutorials is working with me and he is a gem.

We filmed the first tutorial on basket blocks and some of the aspects thereof.  This is a block from Natalie's Quilt and was our prime example.  He said that the editing should be done soon, so be watching for it on You Tube and the blog.  I'm pretty excited about it.

And then today I figured out how to include the video's when you see the item in our store.  This is Audra's Iris Garden and when you click on the item in the store you can see the  video from Moda's Schoolhouse where I talked about it.  I may actually come into the 21st century here.  I got a new Smartphone too.  I still need to have Jake (Kelly's Jake - not Jenny's Jake) show me how to do Facebook though.  It is still a mystery to me.

And this is Country Quilts for your Soul.  If you click on it you can see all the quilts hung on the wall in France.  All the quilts on the wall are in the book.  The one on the bed is Jubilee and you can get the pattern for it here.  I just looked at the video again and I take that back.  The Bible Quilt is on the wall too and it's not in the book.  You can get it by clicking here.  All the rest of the ones on the wall are in the book.  This video thing is really fun.

Meanwhile, Old Man Winter had to have one last word.  Snow in May in Missouri for the 1st time since 1907.

And we had a pair of tiny bluebirds visit the feeders for a day or two.  I've known we had bluebirds around but have never seen them before.  That color is just awesome.

And speaking of color - back to work.  Have to get the brochures ready for the printer.  But I get to stitch on this year's BOM blocks each night.  And I have one last quilt to bind.

Oh - and my heavens I almost forgot to tell you what I forgot.  In the March block for Sleigh Bells - the Mystery Quilt, I forgot to include the Mini Charms to make the patchwork blocks out of.  And I didn't give you instructions either.  We'll send out both with the May Block.  You'll get 2 Mini Charms of Audra's Iris Garden.  You'll need most of them in the rest of the quilt.

Keep stitching ladies.

I do believe our drought is over.....

But old man winter is hanging on for dear life.

It's cold and rainy in this part of Missouri but at least it's not snow.

My bleeding hearts and daffodils are greening up

as are Aunt Odell's poppies

Grandma Laird's (Audra's) iris and my lillies.

And just before this last round of rainy days started, Pep and I got some Romaine Lettuce and Swiss Chard planted.  Pep makes the BEST Caesar's salads - can't wait.
I also got some weeding done.  In the bed with the Bleeding Heart there are Hostas still to come up and I hesitate to do anything till they pop out.  Just kills my little OCD heart not to be able to get to those weedy things - weeding is fun at this time of year.  Not so much later :)

And while it's not quite time yet for bees, we decided to put Honey Bee on sale for you this week.  Truthfully, I'm not quite up with Alma Allen and her bees.  I like them in the garden in small numbers and inside the skeps on a quilt.  :)

And while I'd like some warmer weather, it's still nice to be able to sit inside and be cozy while I quilt.  Have a great week ladies.

I think it's finally here - cross your fingers

Yesterday was warm and it was supposed to rain last night.  After church and lunch I went to the loft for a little sewing and then came to the house and got out our seeds. 

We had tilled the beds last fall so after just a little work with a hoe I had rows of radishes, spinach, 2 rows of Mesclun lettuce mix and a row of Black Seeded Simpson lettuce.  There's also a short row on the left end between the perenniels of mustard spinach - like spinach but a little spicier.  We grew some last year and really liked it.

There are also 2 rows of sugar snap peas in a different bed with a little fence to grow on.

At the right end of the bed are some of Grandma Laird's (Audra's) iris.

And it did indeed rain last night.

Hopefully the drought is over here.  The pond is starting to fill.

When I posted the sale on our Farmer's Market kit last week, I forgot to show you pictures of the quilting.

I mean, just look at how Lori's awesome quilting highlights the applique.    Anyway, the kits will be on sale until Wednesday.

This is a picture of the first 2 blocks and the sashing and borders of Spring Break - the BOM kit that started in March.  We're shipping the Sashing, Borders and Binding this week along with the kit for the 2nd block. If you pay with Paypal be looking for an invoice this week.  It will be awhile before you use it but if I don't get it now it will be gone when we need it.  At this stage Moda doesn't reorderso when the fabrics gone, it's gone.  Also a note that the first few blocks are small for the price but the later ones are HUGE so we just even out the cost over the months.

Pep and I looked this morning and even with the rain, our seeds aren't up yet.  I know they mostly say 7 days but it's been 18 hours.  Sheesh  :)

So I will content myself with my beautiful Amaryllis.

And of course, sit and stitch.

Keep quilting ladies.

Slowly - but Surely......

We're still in the warming up phase of spring here in Missouri.  Easter Sunday was beautiful - wonderful weather, good church service, lots of good food and family.

I didn't let the boys ice the lamb cake because I was afraid they'd break off the ears but they got to put the coconut and jelly beans on.  Good memories.  I remember putting the coconut on lamb cakes at Easter when I was young.  

Pep remembers going with his mother to the bakery before Easter every year to pick one up.  We both spent part of our childhood back East.  His mother didn't like to cook - mine did.

The garden is really starting to green up.  We are soooooo ready for green instead of white!

And speaking of green, Farmer's Market is on sale this week.  You can stitch some green and save some green :)

AND AGAIN..........

We seem to be having trouble with our email. Some - just some - are not getting through.

My son says we live in a communication black hole up here. Tori and I check the email at least twice every day, Mon-Fri. If you do not hear from us within 2 business days of sending the email, here's another option.  Go to our store.  On the left hand side of the page, at the bottom are the words "Contact".  If you click on the word it brings up a form to fill out and will send us an email.  Those emails usually get through.  You can go to the store by clicking here.   

Or call. 816-632-7632

And that brings up another issue - the phone. If you call and the phone rings and rings and rings and no one answers it doesn't mean that we're not here when we say we'll be, it means we're on the phone. Why in God's name Centurytel decided to do away with the busy signal is beyond me.

Enjoy your week and keep stitching.

And Linda - please look at the comments on the last post.