Toby came into my life last November from an ad on Craig’s List.  He is a long haired Chihuahua, about a year and half old, and weighs 9 pounds.  He was a nervous little thing that wouldn’t eat, go outside, or generally relate much.  He would pick his moments of interaction and they were few and far between. 

Slowly, we built up our bond and now most days he is asleep under my desk or watching me from his little bed. 

He gets up and s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-s his front legs, s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-s his back legs, and then arches his back like his kitty cat sisters before he walks over and puts his front paws on my legs.  It’s a sure sign he needs to go outside…or he needs to be fed….or, maybe he just needs to feel someone touch his face. He’s getting to know the people around him more, and when he walks up to them it’s generally an invitation to “pet me”.  Very few invitations are refused. 

Working in an environment of textiles, the feel of fur and warm puppy is a natural. There’s nothing better during the days closing in on a deadline to make you stop, breathe, and get your bearings back than a funny, furry, cold-nosed little puppy.  He is a little prince prancing down the hallway on his way outside.  I’ve noticed that whenever we encounter someone in the hallway walking the other direction, the expression on their face changes. 

I have no idea what was going through his mind when he crawled up into my lap this morning, but paperweight comes to my mind!  His front paws were sliding around on the desk and then viola! he was flat out making himself comfy!  Not a big fan of cameras and flashes, his expression is annoyance, but not so extreme he was going to move.  “Just call me  MISTER T! No autographs, please!”

taking pictures of Mellisa taking pictures

In every issue of Quick Quilts, we feature several patterns that include how-to photography. Our staff photographer, Mellisa Karlin Mahoney, takes tons of photos of our quilts, quilting paraphernalia, and editor hands demonstrating techniques. But we never get to publish photos of HER doing her thing. So, here she is, taking one of the shots you’ll see in the September issue of Quick Quilts, on its way to subscriber mailboxes and newsstands right now. The technique we were working on was machine button sewing, which will save you lots of time when making Land That I Love, a great patriotic lap size quilt. Hope you’ll enjoy the lesson, and the quilt!

Welcome to my blog and thanks for stopping by! I am a complete blogging newbie (this is my first blog ever), so it’s sure to be an adventure. My kids are heartily amused. Wish me luck!

I’ve been thinking a lot about welcomes lately. You can be welcomed as you arrive at church or a hotel. There’s the warm welcome given to a performer by a round of applause. When I come home and all three of my cats are clustered at the front door I get a furry, purry welcome. And then there’s the unspoken welcome when we teach something to someone. Kathy (Senior Editor) is the one who taught me how to get onto this page where I can write my first blog. So, I’m now a member of the blogging community. Welcome to the club!

As a quilter, it’s always fun to watch a new quilter join in our fabric party. And I am thrilled to announce that my lovely (and beloved) daughter-in-law has joined the dance. She recently graduated from college with a degree in Linguistics and is looking for a job. In the meantime, she found herself a bit at loose ends and pulled her sewing machine out of the closet. She’s sewing on a very basic machine, no bells and whistles, but she seems to be having a ball. Her first quilt was one she made for her grandmother. Grandma has embroidered the most fabulous collection of tea towels imaginable. Vanessa took a number of the tea towels, backed them with fusible interfacing, and cut out squares centering the embroidery. She them came up the canyon to my house (I live at 7500 feet) and raided my stash for florals. Squares cut from the florals alternate with the embroidered squares in the finished quilt. I taught her how to baste the quilt sandwich and then she quilted it herself on my Pfaff. In the twinkling of an eye she had it bound and ready to be given to Grandma.

I like to think that I’ve influenced her a bit. She sees me petting fabric and making quilts and I think that the sheer volume of fabric in my house must be an inspiration. Then there’s my job. Nessa’s had subscriptions to our magazines for a couple of years, even before she began quilting. She really liked the Stars of India pattern by Bethany Reynolds in the April, 2008 issue of McCall’s when it first came out. So, for her second quilt she borrowed my 60-degree ruler and made a quilt for her little sister. That’s one of the blocks in the photograph. She finished that quilt and then made another one for herself. Then there’s the baby quilt for her best friend’s baby and the reproduction quilt from our last issue of Vintage Quilts (her current project). The most amazing thing about all of this…she’s done all of this in 2 months!!! I’d really like to take the credit, but I think the quilting obsession is in her blood. The beautiful quilt pictured here was made by Nessa’s great-grandmother. The variety of fabrics in this quilt is amazing. I think every article of clothing worn by the family in the 30s and 40s found its way into this quilt. And, guess where it was hiding? It’s a bit of a story.

You see, Vanessa has a younger sister, Danielle, who came to visit me this weekend. She has two adorable dogs, Bruno, a German Shepherd, and Luna, a rescued greyhound. In Colorado, everyone who drives long distances carries a blanket in their car in case they get stranded in bad weather. Dani’s safety blanket is her great-grandmother’s quilt. If I were a great-grandmother, I don’t think I could come up with a better use for one of my quilts than to keep my great-granddaughter safe in a blizzard. However, Bruno and Luna had managed to quietly help themselves to the quilt and were quite content snoozing away on it late Saturday. Well, needless to say, the quilt needed a gentle wash and a safe place to wait until needed. So, now Granny’s quilt is clean and is stored in the car in a pinned pillowcase, safe from clever dogs.

Which is a long way around to saying that I think Vanessa gets her quilting talent from her great-grandmother. If you could see this quilt up close, you’d see perfect hand-piecing and a wonderful eye for color. And as shown in Vanessa’s bright block (only her second quilt), the apple doesn’t fall very far from the tree.

It is so much fun to watch her prowling through my stash, falling in love with fabrics, dreaming of future quilts. I am one very blessed mother-in-law. So, darling Vanessa, from one quilter to another, welcome to our quilters’ dance!

What a wonderful world it is when the projects begin arriving for our next issue of Quick Quilts.  Actually, we have quilts being delivered at the beginning of each month alternating between Quick Quilts and McCall’s Quilting.  The projects for Quick Quilts are selected for the beginning quilter or the more experienced quilter looking for a project that can be completed in a hurry.  You will find certain quilts labeled as “Lessons” to help you build your skill levels, and if there’s something tricky, you may find a few photos explaining how to tackle it with confidence. 

The patterns are great for altering them for your own purpose. You can make fewer blocks, larger blocks, or change the way they are arranged to suit your personality or specific needs.  Quick Quilts patterns are like your favorite black dress.  You can change it from day to evening with the accessories you choose.  Fabric choices can take one pattern from a baby quilt, to a holiday gift, or the perfect quilt for the man in your life. 

You can pick up a copy of Quick Quilts at your local newsstand, or take a peek at the current issue here on our website.  Then email us and let us know what you liked, and what you’d like to see more of.

Take care and take pieces!

Tricia

No matter what else is going on in my life, just the sight of anything arrayed in rainbow colors lifts my spirit. The ribbon rack at my local Jo-Ann superstore, flowers at the market, crayons in a box, anything with lots of color tints and shades lined up together makes me want them all. There’s inspiration everywhere, and it always makes me wish I was quilting, so I could have tons of colors in my hands! Where have you found unusual color inspiration lately? I’d love to know so I can take a peek too!

A rainbow of ribbons

The May 2009 issue of McCall’s Quick Quilts is hitting the newsstands and subscriber mailboxes, and we couldn’t be prouder of it! Here’s a little look at one of my favorite projects, dimensional bird ornaments made with Susan Branch fabric from RJR. The pattern is so fast and easy!

A bit of birdie