Now Showing This Week at the International Quilt Market

This quilt design is called: Bachelorette Party! It is made with RJR Fabrics' Soiree line that came out in September. It will be showing in RJR's booth at the International Quilt Market.

You can purchase the pattern for this quilt on our website, SuzGuz Designs. Be sure to check out the Green/Lt. Blue/Brown colorway of this quilt, as well.



Showing in Quilting Treasures' booth, the following quilt is made with fabrics designed with Norman Rockwell's artwork. The line is called Rowdy Kids and I named the quilt design, Fond Memories. If you click on the pictures, you can see a closer view of the panels used. In addition, be sure to check out the outside border . . . kids hanging out of car windows.

Quilting Treasures will have a free pattern on their website in November 2008, so you can re-create this quilt, if you are interested.



This young girl, sitting outside the Principal's office, sports a shiner . . .




And the young boy in this frame, concerned for his best friend, patiently waits for the Vet . . .



This is another Quilting Treasures line designed by Julia Cairns called Joyful Days. I named this quilt Joyful Village. It shows off the colorful variety of fabrics you can get with this line and it, too, will be a free pattern available on the Quilting Treasures' website in November 2008, and is also hanging in their booth during International Quilt Market.




All quilts are quilted by Russ Adams of The Back Porch Quilters.

What we did last weekend . . .

Seriously . . . is this not the cutest puppy you ever saw? Meet Maisy . . . our youngest.


And Boomer . . . he's so pretty, even though he could use a good bath after running around in the mud . . .


Erv and I loaded up the SUV with our two dogs and some extra jackets (okay, Erv loaded up the SUV) and drove up to one of our favorite spots to visit: Estes Park, CO, and Rocky Mountain National Park. Estes Park is a charming little town at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. That is where The Stanley Hotel is located.


The Stanley is where the inspiration for the movie The Shining was gleaned (eek!). The story goes that Stephen King wrote the outline of the story while staying there with his wife.

We are so fortunate to live so close to one of the most beautiful national parks in the country.



I love this shot . . .



And it was so pretty in this area (wish you could see this in person . . . it's so much prettier!) . . .




And this area was very cool . . . we were heading up Trail Ridge Road (the road that takes you from Estes Park, over the Rocky Mountains, to Grand Lake, CO). The road was closed further up, due to snowy weather. I really liked this shot because where we had pulled over, there was no snow on the ground. Then just ahead and into the bend in the road, the weather had changed.




I took over 200 pictures that day. And finally, on our way home before leaving Estes, we took the puppies to a dog park for a good run . . .

Houston International Quilt Market and Block-of-the-Month News

The International Quilt Market, which takes place in Houston next week, is such an exciting event. My dear friend Kari Ramsay, of Fresh Cut Quilts, will have her first booth there, so if you are a quilt shop owner or will be attending the show under other circumstances, please be sure to stop by her booth and say hello. She's a great gal who has some great designs, so please check her out and give her support for her first time displaying her lovely quits and patterns.

Unfortunately, I will not be attending this year's Market. But that's okay, as I have lots to work on. I'm talking with a fabric company about doing a block-of-the-month using their fabrics, then distributing the pattern through their sister company. I'll actually be reviewing the fabrics that will be out during Market, after Market. The next week will give me time to wrap up my ideas for this project, which I am very excited about. In addition, I will be hosting a block-of-the-month on my website. I should have the designs complete within the next 4 weeks, so this should be a fun one to participate in, as it will be ready to go on January 1st. Anyone can participate and if someone decides to join later in the year, the patterns will still be available. I will be charging a minimum (very minimum!) fee because I will be using a third party to deliver the blocks to each club member and the funds will go toward that cost. Using the third party should eliminate any delivery problems we had over the past year with returned e-mails due to problems on the receiver's end. I'll talk more about this real soon!

SuzGuz Designs will have 4 quilts at Market. I know we'll definitely have two, but I believe a third quilt design of mine will be in Quilting Treasures' booth. The 4th quilt will be in RJR's booth. Again, if you are attending, please ask to see our quilts in QT's and RJR's booths! Say hello to Donna for me at Quilting Treasures', and Beatriz at RJR's booth.

Everything Looks Better in White

My husband Erv and I have a running joke, how I believe you can take anything, paint it white, and it will look fantastic! I have tried to do something with this blog to make it look good and, not that I'm there yet, but . . . I just needed to paint-it-white!

I heard on a program, many years ago, that chefs love to use white plates to show off their creations well. I've always stood by this simple rule when it comes to serving up my own creations in the kitchen, but I've also kept it in the back of my mind whenever I look at a beat-up piece of furniture, longing for a new life. So when you're out at a second-hand shop or an antique mall, or happen upon a good yard sale, keep this simple rule in mind and you may end up with a diamond in the rough.

Hancock's of Paducah Has A Braided Love Kit

I was searching for some fabric for a project on Hancock's of Paducah and saw that they have a quilt kit available for the quilt I designed, called Braided Love, for Quilting Treasures (see pictures of the sample quilt in a recent post). So if you're interested, check it out.

Our Online Shop Has Been Updated

Our easy-to-use shop, where you can order our patterns, dolls, and pin cushions, has been updated with more information. You will also find our new RJR quilt design patterns using the Soiree line. Buy the patterns directly from me or, if you're a shop owner, you can order the kit off of RJR's website. Shop owners, you can also order patterns in bulk directly from me for classes in your store.

Have fun shopping!

Two New Patterns And A Class, Perhaps?

A few weeks ago, Russ Adams (my quilter) asked if I would be interested in coming up with a new quilt pattern using a Layer Cake and a Jelly Roll. I combined the two and came up with a new pattern called: Candy Bar Road. There are only two shapes in the pattern and I've used the shapes to come up with two different blocks that are used in tandem. It's super easy to make and I hope the pattern catches on because it's a great way to make up a quick quilt using the latest fabrics. I made the sample top up using the Layer Cake and Jelly Roll Russ sent to me from Moda's Nest by Tula Pink. I sent it out to him yesterday to be quilted and he will be adding the backing and binding before he quilts it. When finished, the quilt will be given away through our friend's blog. I will let you know more when I have more details so that you can sign up for a chance to win it.

So that's the first new pattern. The second new pattern was just drawn up last night using 20 Fat Quarters. I'm going to make up my sample using Christmas fabrics I bought a while ago designed by Anna Griffin for Baum Textile Mills/Windham Fabrics. The fabrics have an old-fashioned, elegant feel to them and I think they will make up beautifully. This new pattern is also very easy to make and I will post a picture when the sample is finished. I haven't finalized the selection of names I've come up with yet, but hope that this pattern will also be one that quilters everywhere will want to use for a fast, pretty quilt.

This past weekend, my husband and I sat down and went over a plan for me to teach a few classes. We relied on his excellent project planning skills to get the project off the ground (I don't know what I'd do without his help!). The preliminary idea is to hold two classes: one, the first week of November, and the second during the second week of November. I'm still deciding on what we'll be making in the classes, but know that it will be geared toward Christmas entertaining and gift-giving. The quilt I drew up last night would be a great one to make during class time and is a strong contender! I'll be back to let you know what's happening when I have the final details.

Have a lovely week! And please feel free to comment. I'd love to hear from you!