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For a first timer at Quilt Market it can be an overwhelming thing! Especially when you voyage to and from and plan to see the whole show all in one day. I commend all the vendors for a providing a fabulous show, from the individuals to the big timers. I do not know how an owner can keep everything straight, a good game plan is a good start.
It was great to meet some wonderful new people, and also to run into a bunch of friends from all over the world and finally meet face to face!
I was amazed to see how much children’s clothes we represented and soft toys and interior decorations. I saw a huge amount of modern fabrics, modern quilts and large scale piecing and traditional patterns revitalized in modern fabrics! A ton of gray, pink and oranges prints. A lot of batik tonals that I wish I bring home all of them. I am loving the Christmas prints that will be coming out soon!
I also want to take my hat off to all of the quilters who had their quilts on display in the show area, tremendously beautiful quilts!
Its amazing how a trip like that can revitalize you, your spirit and make you want to run home to my studio and create! That it is after a well deserved nap.
I did however learn one very important thing, bring a cart or suitcase with wheels to the show, it will save you from having some incredible sore shoulders! A small thing to endure, I truly enjoyed every minute of it!
 Carpenter’s Square, c. 1895. Artist unknown. From the Quilts, Inc., Corporate Collection.
Hello Everyone as many of you know Quilts Market is in Kansas City, Missouri this year, start tomorrow the 18th – 20th and just a few hours from home Whoo Hoo!!! I am so excited for my first trip to Market!!! What quilter would not be ecstatic, all the vendors, new quilting gadgets, machines, thread and last but not least new fabric lines, I think I am just giddy with delight. I better find my comfy shoes as it will we a long day! I hope to bring back a wealth of information and hopefully some photos too! I am sure the pocket book will be a bit lighter but as long as the bags are fuller all will be good.
In June, 2012 we have two upcoming quilting events right here in our hometown of Omaha, Nebraska! Both during the same time a stones throw away from each other giving you a chance to make a day of it and enjoy both!
Omaha Quilts 2012 “A Piece Rally” - The 34rd Annual Quilt Show
Quilt Display * Vendor Mall * Silent Quilt Auction * Doll Display * Drawing for the 2012 Opportunity Quilt * Feelin’ Groovy Challenge
Thursday, June 21, 5 pm – 8 pm; Friday, June 22, 9 am – 8 pm; Saturday, June 23, 9 am – 4 pm
LaVista Conference Center, 12520 Westport Pkwy, LaVista, NE 68128-5610 (map)
AccuQuilt’s 3rd Annual Barn Quilt Unveiling Event
Friday, June 22 at the new AccuQuilt Headquarters in Omaha, NE, 8843 S. 137th Circle! This is a free event open to the public. Enjoy AccuQuilt’s Barn Quilt Unveiling Event at starting at 10am. Take a tour the facilities and meet the AccuQuilt team; check out the new AccuQuilt Gallery and state-of-the-art Quilt Studio; Do a Make It, Take It pillowcase project with the editors of American Patchwork & Quilting! Not to mention Special Guest, Alex Anderson!! Alex Anderson presentation and Barn Quilt
Winning Block Unveiling starts at 11 am. CST. plans to attend now! RSVP at Accquilt.com
More Midwest Quilting Events!
Black Hills Quilt Show-June 8-10, 2012
Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, 444 Mt. Rushmore Road N., Rapid City, SD, www.blackhillsquilters.org
Minnesota Quilters Show-June 14-16, 2012
Mayo Civic Center, 30 Civic Dr. SE, Rochester, MN, www.mnquilt.org
Quiltfest-June 29-30, 2012
Freeman Academy Campus, 748 S. Main St., Freeman, SD
Rocky Mountain Quilt Festival-August 17-19, 2012
at The Ranch, 5280 Arena Circle, Loveland, CO, www.rockymountainquiltfestival.com
Round Bobbin Expo-September 14-15, 2012
St. Charles Convention Center, St. Charles, MO, www.roundbobbin.com
I am happy to announce that Toadally Quilts will among the vendors at this years Holiday Splendor Quilt & Needlework Show sponsored by Prairie Piecemakers Guild! The show will be Friday, October 12, 2012, 9 am – 8 pm & Saturday, October 13, 2012 9 am – 5 pm.
The featured Quilter and Artist will be Pat Young along side a 200+ Quilt Display, Vendor Mall, Country Kitchen, and Mini Raffle . Additionally they will have a Raffle Quilt : Floral Explosion. Admission is $5.00. The show will be held at the Fremont City Auditorium, 929 Broad Street, Fremont, NE.
Sew I will see you all in October for what I am sure will a wonderful show!
Looking for a great Mother’s Day Present, what could be a better gift than to take her to the quilt shop for Mother’s Day weekend! Toadally Quilts will be having a Trunk Show at I Love Sewing in Fremont, Nebraska [Map]; this quilt shop has a wide variety quilt fabrics and patterns, not to mention a staff that is just wonderful! Not only will you get a chance to see Toadally Quilts quilts up close and in person, patterns for each of the quilts we be on hand as well! So whether you are looking for a Mother’s Day present, a weekend outing or want an excuse to check out a new store you may not have been to, I am positive you will not be disappointed! Toadally Quilts and the staff at I Love Sewing would be glad to see you and help with any of you quilting needs!
Ever had a desire to design or already have quilt blocks you have designed? Here is your chance to win Accuquilt’s Annual Barn Quilt Contest, the winning design will be blown up to 17 ft. x 17 ft. and will be displayed at their new location along Interstate-80 in Omaha, NE. Everyone driving by will see your design!
Design any quilt block you would like as long as it is a square block. Enter by submitting original entry designs (picture of a block, drawing, digital image, etc) in .pdf, .jpg, .gif or .eps format.
Deadline is coming up fast! All entries are due by midnight, April 9, 2012 and winners will be announced at AQS Quilt Show & Contest – Paducah, April 25-28, 2012!!! For more information or to submit your entry go to http://accuquilt.com/barnquilt.html.
I would make a wager that some part of your to do list has to do with functionality and/or space utilization. Functionality is to serve a useful purpose. Space Utilization is the best use of space. So you can see how functionality and space utilization go hand in hand. From the evaluation of your space, what works, what doesn’t? Are there things that you might need to make your space more functional? Are there things that don’t serve a purpose? Are there things that could be re-purposed or rearranged to better utilize your space? What are they?
Now that you know what works in the space and what doesn’t, let’s keep our focus on fixing the things that don’t work and/or don’t serve a purpose or need re-purposed or items you need to get. Many things that can make your space more functional can be found around the house; some things you may be able to make or purchased depending on your needs.
Best utilization and functionality of your space is key to having a happy quilting/sewing room and a happy quilter! I have done my quilting/sewing in a variety of places throughout the house, on tv trays, the dining room table, even the coffee table, I’m sure some of you can relate, it can be very frustrating. If you can follow some of these organization techniques it will help save you time and frustration. When everything has a place it makes everything in the space more enjoyable, more efficient and more productive . In turn it makes you want to quilt even more!
As quilters we all have a fabric stash whether it is just a small amount of fabric or piles you could get lost in, not that I see any problem with that! Trying to keep your fabric organized is very important and increases your abilities to not only find things but also to be more efficient. There are many schools of thought when it comes to this topic; I have a few suggestions that may help you get going on the organization of your cherished fabric stashes.
Fabrics in my studio will fall into one of two categories; Projects and the Fabric Stash. Projects are everything that I have obtained or collecting for a specific quilt pattern. Each project is put in a separate container so they don’t get mixed up. This includes everything purchased or pulled from my stash including threads, embellishments, the pattern and most importantly a piece of paper noting which fabric went for which part of the quilt! If you are anything like me you will have many projects at various stages of completeness and this helps keep you from having to guess what you were thinking 2 weeks, 2 months or even two years ago. There is nothing I hate more than finally having everything ready to go and I can’t for the life of me remember which fabric goes with what!? Do I see some of you nodding you heads in agreement, good, I’m not the only one then.
The other set of fabrics is the Fabric Stash. I try to keep the stash fabrics separated out by colors. It makes it easier when you are trying to find just the right color later down the road, you could take that one step further if you’re feeling ambitious and separate each color into lights, medium and dark. If you are a lover of all types of fabric like I am, I will sometimes separate my stash further by type, such as batiks by color and 30’s reproductions by color, etc. There is nothing wrong with keeping them all together; it just helps me find things easier. Take some time now to organize your fabric, it can actually be fun to look at all your fabrics, remembering where they came from, was it handed down to you, purchased at your favorite quilt shop, maybe on a bus trip with a group of friend or on a vacation, a little trip down memory lane.
There is one more step I take before my fabric ever reaches either the Project box or the Stash. Quilters tend to be either a prewasher or non-prewasher when it comes to fabric. I am a prewasher, with a few exceptions. I prefer to wash and iron all of my fabric when I get it home, that way I know everything I have has been washed. If I can’t get it washed right away I will keep it in the bag from the shop so I know its not washed yet. If you have ever washed a quilt and had the colors run, you understand why I do this and it was not just red fabrics that have done it, I have had black do it as well. My exception to this rule is if I am using precut yardage like charm squares. Obviously this would be difficult and the potentially to lose some of the 5” square size. In this case I don’t wash any of the fabrics that will be used so that when it is washed and dried it will hopefully all shrinks evenly. They do make color catchers now that you put in with the wash that catches extra dye, Shout® has one that can be found at most big box stores like Target® or Wal-Mart®. I personally have not used it yet so I cannot attest to its effectiveness.
I will continue our quest for organization in the next blog. Until then, Happy Quilting to all and to all a good night.
Over time our quilting/sewing rooms tend to magically collect things. Not everything belongs in the space so now is just the time for a bit of spring cleaning. Take some time to go through things and remove anything that does not belong in the space and put it back where it belongs. Did that free up some space? I hope so. That is a good step towards a more organized room.
One thing that helped me a lot was moving my sewing room out of the dining room and into a spare bedroom. I know that may not be an option of everyone or you may already have a dedicated room but that was my first step. Upon moving into the space I quickly realized that I had outgrown the room before I even got everything in. I found that I had bits and pieces of things all mixed in together. I even found duplicates of things I must have purchased a second time because I couldn’t find it.
The next step to take is to organize everything into groups: fabric, scraps, batting, thread/bobbins, pin/clips, tools, notions, rulers, marking pens/pencils, fusible web, etc. You may be surprised at all the things you do have! You may be asking yourself “Why would I want to do all that?” and as counterproductive as it sounds to deconstruct your entire space and its contents, it will really help in the long run. Are there things you don’t want or need? This is a good time to get rid of those things and pass them on to new homes, donate to a quilt guild or toss depending on what it is. We will continue with more specific organization of things in the next post. Till then Happy Quilting!
Pat yourself on the back; you have already gotten yourself off to a good start by evaluating your space and your priorities within that space. Here are a few keys to understanding organization that will help you through that process. It’s all about reality, functionality, best utilization of space and organization; last but not least, decoration-inspiration-motivation. I will talk more a bit about each of these over the next few days!
Let’s talk about reality, be realistic! I can’t make you a whole full out quilt studio with all the bells and whistles out of just a desk. But whether it’s a dedicate room, the dining room table, an armoire, closet or even a desk you would be surprised what you can do with whatever you have! It’s time to get started! Grab the list you made and prioritized, now take another look at your space, are you still satisfied? Here’s the chance to make changes to your list before you start. I will find solace in knowing that the total reorganization of my studio will not have been in vain if I can help you avoid making some of the mistakes I did. Don’t forget you don’t have to get rid of the unrealistic ideas from your list, just make another column and mark it future goals-something for you to work towards!
Toadally Quilts is so pleased to announce that the Pepper Mint Twist Pattern is now available as a download pattern, come check it out on http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/quilting/Home-Decor/Pepper-Mint-Twist/6946!
There are several things to consider when you finally plunge yourself into the mode of organization. Here are a few things that can help you to get started. Figure out what you want to achieve! Look at those quilt magazines you have, the editions that show peoples studio can be very helpful. Almost all of the magazines have tip section that may give you some inspiration as well. When you see something you like and might want to incorporate into your room, cut out the pictures of things you want and put them on a bulletin board to keep them in the front of you mind. Once you have had time to ponder over what you want it’s time to formulate a plan! I know easier said than done, but looking at those pictures, start a list of all of the things that you want to do, now take that list and figure out what you can actually do within the space you have, we unfortunately don’t all have huge studios to work in so you may have to cross off a few things or get a little creative! The next thing you will need to do, prioritize! You now have a list of what you want to accomplish, number them in order of what is most important to you. Take a look at the list when you’re done, make sure you aren’t making life harder by having to do something twice like moving furniture. Having a plan will keep you from getting over whelmed and keep you motivated. Finding a good starting point can sometimes be an intimidating task, believe me I know from experience. I will talk more about that next step in my next blog post. In the mean time happy quilting to all!
When you finally decide it’s time to do a bit of spring cleaning, be it a part of your New Year’s resolution or maybe you’ve just had it with not being able to find anything; it can feel like a daunting task, well that is depending on what condition your quilting space is in now. For me the biggest motivator to starting to work on reorganizing my quilting studio is due to relocation, I have moved my studio. In the process I need to reorganize as I start to set things up to fit the new environment. You may be asking yourself where do I start and what to do? I will share with you some tips over the next several weeks that I hope will encourage you to get that space organized, functional and comfortable!
As quilters and fabricaholics, I don’t know one of them that doesn’t have a favorite fabric they just had to have but don’t have the heart to cut it up into little peaces! We pull it out of our stash, admire it, and put it right back into the stash. That is the precise reasons I developed the Night Owl Hoot Pattern! It gives you a chance to use that fabric in larger pieces so that you can show off that cherished fabric. One of mine was a wonderful black and white owl print fabric that would be totally lost if cut up into smaller bits, see below as I was auditioning fabrics.
This pattern has great uses not only a good way to show off a specific fabric but it is a great quilt design for novice quilters! The pattern uses some quick piecing techniques which makes it a great pattern for those times when you need to get a quilt done in a hurry. I hope that you enjoy the quilt as much as I do! check out the pattern in our Online Store.
 Owl Fabric for Night Owl Hoot pattern
We have decide a great way to celebrate the New Year would be to extend out pattern sale through the end of January!
We are extending the savings onto our fellow quilters with a $1 off all quilt patterns! Check out the Online Store for the patterns- prices listed on all inventory have already reduced for your convenience. We wish you all Happy Quilting from Toadally Quilts!
***Store Owners are welcome to share in the savings!! Please contact us via email for pricing and to place orders.
We look forward to hearing from you!
From now through January 1, 2012 we would like to spread a little holiday cheer to our fellow quilters with a $1 off all quilt patterns! Check out the Online Store for sale prices, we have already reduced the prices on all inventory for your convenience. We wish you all Happy Holidays and Happy Quilting from Toadally Quilts!
***Wholesale orders are welcome to share in the savings, please contact us via email for pricing!
My new years resolution has started a bit early this year. We have been in the process of moving my quilt studio to a larger room in the house!!!! It is not its ultimate final destination but definitely a major increase in space! It has been a lot of hard work and have way more to go before I am settled in, but am happy with it already!
Making a move like this has made me see just how much quilting things that I have acquired and how desperately I need to work on organization, as I am sure that many of us need to do. My last space I grew out of before I got a chance to fully move into it. In the process of moving I found UFOs, forgotten projects and things I knew I had but just could not seem to find them anywhere, and the list goes on!
One of the things that I have found to be helpful is if you are like me and collect fabrics for more than one quilt at a time I use clear totes (size approx. H-5 W-15 D-18) and put not only the fabric but also the pattern in the box. When organizing these project boxes I will try to keep a list of items needed and cross them off as I acquire them. I also try to make notes of which fabrics go for what part. This is especially helpful if it is a project I may be collecting fabrics for for a while or won’t be able to get to right away. Thatt way I don’t have to rack my brain trying to remember which goes with what later. It also makes it easier to take the box with you to the quilt store if you need more things.
For the regular fabric stash I like to organize fabrics by color. I find it is the easiest way to find the right fabrics faster. I also like to keep clear jars like cookie jar size to keep my scraps in and you can even get several and sort those by color as well, again making it easier for when you want to use them.
Tools and notions are another thing that need good organization. I know we have all at some point spent way too much time trying to find that tool you need and it is nowhere to be found. I have a basket that keeps all of my templates and rulers all together. I also have a tool lazy susan that has multiple heights, they can be found in the art section or even kitchen gadget sections at the store. This is great for corralling all the marking pens and pencils, scissors, seam rippers and rotary cutters, etc; it is a good size that it will fit right on your sewing table and in easy reach.
Thread racks can be very helpful to be able to see what you have and keep the bobbin that goes with it so you don’t need to search for the bobbin and figure out if its the right color. They also have spice rack organizers for drawers if you have space for one that also helps for organizing thread spools.
I like to have a bookshelf as well for quilt books, I use stick notes to mark pages I use frequently and also keep graphing notebooks for when inspiration hits and I need to write it down before I forget! Another fun thing to have is either a bulletin board or a magnet board to hang on the wall and hang reminders, project ideas and things up that give me inspirations. Sometimes that’s all it takes to get you started on that next project.
I have to admit that I am a fabricaholic, as well as many of you are!! We see that fabric we just have to have, and we all know that most of the time if you go back later to find it, it will be gone, so you buy it when you see it. If you are great at working from a stash that is wonderful! I have been trying my best, as a part of that new years resolution to only purchase fabrics for projects I have designed and not just random fabrics without a destination plan. It helps me to try and keep myself from buying the whole store especially after the stores get in their new fabric lines! Right now I have fabric for at least 6 quilts and need to get those done and get the patterns finished for all of you to enjoy.
If you decide to take some time and do a bit of organizing your fabric stash and come across fabrics that you have no clue why you ever bought it and don’t ever see yourself using it, consider donating it to a local quilt guild or church groups, most of whom make quilts for those less fortunate, or consider making some yourself!
Even if you are not planning on moving your sewing room, a bit of organization can still help us all be a bit more productive especially with everyone’s’ busy lives these days! I have several projects that need to get done before Christmas that is only a week away. I wish all of you good luck for those of you trying to get those last minute projects done in time for the holidays!
I think a little organization can be helpful for just about all of us and can give us a sense of renewal and motivation. Especially for those of you who live in the Midwest (like I do) or Northern US when winter can be cold, lifeless and dreary.
I wish you the Happiest of Holidays and Best Wishes for the New Year and Happy Quilting to all!
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