My beautiful store

     This summer we must have re-arranged the store four times.  I love having new places for all of the fabrics.  This photo is just a very small amount of our floral fabrics – my favorites are the florals.  Our newest collection is the Jo Morton Civil War fabrics.  I was not a fan until I saw some of the projects being done in these subtle fabrics.  To see the projects in a book does not do them justice.  I should have taken a photo of those fabrics.  We have a Civil War/ Jo Morton class that meets on the fourth Saturday of the month.  What great inspiration classes are.   

     The kids and I had such a great time this summer with all of our friends and family.  Thank you all!!

Summer fun!

I have been away from my blog for such a long time.  Who knows what happened?  I know that I am back and ready to work and blog again.  Let me get you up to date since Mother’s Day 2009.  Yes, Mother’s Day.

In the beginning of June I went to a quilt show at the Dulles Convention Center and ran into a wonderful friend – Bruce from Sew Batik!  I knew his fabric and then I saw my dear friend.  Where was Diane?  At another quilt show in another state.  Well, after a great talk and lots of hugging and laughing I now have a new job!!!  I am so excited to tell you that I will not only have my beautiful quilt store in Minnesota and I will be vending for Sew Batik who happens to be my other favorite quilt store!  My first vending opportunity will be in Pennsylvania the 15th of September.  I am so excited for this new adventure and opportunity.

During July the boys and I drove, yes, drove to ND/MN to spend six weeks of our summer.  We had a great time.  Brian was able to run around with all of his Grand Forks friends while Matt was able to spend time with his Minot cousins and Grandmother.  They both had the summer of their lives.  I was able to stay with my dear friend Marilynn and even go to work once in a while.  Lizzy who works at Quilter’s Eden got married to a wonderful young man – Darin.  They had the most beautiful wedding with Liz being a very beautiful bride.  I was even lucky enough to have a very dear friend Sondy come all the way to the store from Iowa.  I have not seen Sondy for 11 years.  We laughed and had a great time together.

In August I was invited to attend my brother-in-laws 50th birthday in CA.  I was so happy to see some of my niece and nephews, sisters and my mother.  We had a great time.  I wish all of my boys would have come with me.  Jeff was busy working and the little ones were having so much fun in ND that they could not leave.  After 8 days I went back to MN and back to work.  I do not think my job is really work – you should see me wander around and talk with people.  I am sure it is not work at all.

We are all finally home – together!  We each had a wonderful and very short summer.  It was such a long drive, I would do it again in a second to be able to see all of the wonderful friends that we have in the ND/MN area.

Belated Mother’s Day

     Jeff’s mother Helen was visiting us for two weeks from Minot, ND.  We had a wonderful time going out for Mother’s Day Brunch at Ft. Belvior, VA.  The boys looked so handsome! I had to have a photo of them with their Grandmother. 

     We have had three weeks of company and that means that I have not sewn in three weeks!  I have gone up to my sewing room and thumbed through the wonderful stacks of fabrics, but felt it would be rude to get too busy working on any projects.  I am staying home this weekend while Brian is off  in Philadelphia for a regatta.  Jeff is off saving the world and Matt and I were going to go to Quilt Market in Pittsburgh.  Brian comes home too early for us to be able to get much buying done.  I need to get some sewing finished soon – Quilter’s Eden is vending at the Quilting on the Red Quilt Show.  I am not going to be able to attend the Quilt Show either (very sad for me!).  A huge downside of having to move is not being able to go to work at my quilt store everyday. 

     I hope you had a wonderful Mother’s Day!  We did!

Mathews Regatta, VA

     Brian (in gray shorts)  had a great Regatta yesterday in Mathews, VA.   He and his team mates placed first in every event they participated in.  It was so exciting, we were able to sit next to the rowers and still able to be right at the finish line.  For lunch we had crabcake sandiches.  They were just so yummy!  I kept thinking I would bring a quilt to put binding on it, but we had a chance of rain and I did not want to chance it.  I am glad I did not bring a project – Brian and his team mates had so many races it was hard to sit in a chair.  We were all jumping up to see how the kids were doing. 

     I am so proud of Brian.  He started in a new school with 3500 kids and only knew his younger brother on the first day of school.  Now he has received so many compliments on his rowing abliity, his good nature and his character.  I knew he would be able to fit in and have a good junior year, but I never thought he would be the best rower on the team.  What a great kid!

Another project finished

     Last week I finished another project and mailed it off.  This one is a Four-Patch Mismatch that we made up on EQ 5.  This quilt is  fun to make and it is made with Layer Cakes.  If you do not know about Layer Cakes they are another great idea by Moda.  Ten inch squares of 42 fabrics from a Moda fabric line that are so easy to sew with.  You just cut them up, and add some borders.  I love all of the Moda Bake Shop ideas and ways that Moda makes quilting so much easier now.  I have a closet full of charms, jelly rolls, honey buns andLayer Cakes.  It is just so exciting to see what is new in the fabric world.  Check out Moda Bake Shop for some free patterns and some really great ideas.

Familiar face??

 

 

     Does this gentleman’s face look familiar?  Hint:  You may have seen him on tv with President Obama.  This weekend Vice President Biden was cheering on his granddaughter in a regatta here in Virginia.  I do not remember what place her boat took in their heat.  I do remember that my son’s boat from South County Secondary School placed third in their heat.  One of the other SCSS boats placed first in their heat.  What a fun Saturday afternoon.  Big Daddy came home early from his trip to Russia and he was able to see Brian and his team mates row to victory. 

     The sweet lady in the photo with Mr. Biden could not get over that he was at the Occoquan River with us.  What a great crew of secret service Mr. Biden has…they were able to do a preety good job of blending in with the crowd.   You can see two of the secret service also in the photo.  Big Daddy used to fly Air Force Two eight years ago.  He had lots of great stories of these regular people who work so hard for our country.  It was nice to see Mr. Biden being Grandpa Biden on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Virginia.

Shoes and farbic

     Liz from Quilter’s Eden made this very cute table runner out of Moda’s Objects of Desire fabric collection.  She had so much fun putting it together and from what I understand we are almost out of the fabrics.  It is so exciting to make a quilt or table runner and be able to sell kits so customers and friends can make one also.    I can’t wait to see what Liz makes next.

Quilter’s Eden

     This is another photo of my sweet store.  I just miss it so much.  I was able to finish three quilts this week and send them off to be quilted this afternoon.  My sister Judith is coming from the Boston area and I want to get a few more quilts finished before she and her family arrive.  She will be travelling with her husband, two children, my cousin Christine and Christine’s three children.  We are going to need to use my sewing studio as a bedroom.  I should take a photo of my “studio.”  I have stacks of plastic drawers in the closet.  I should count how many drawers I have.   I wonder how many yards of fabric are in those drawers.   Now I am a bit freaked out.  Like most quilters I have enough fabric for this lifetime and a few other lifetimes.  I keep thinking I am making a dent in my “stash”, but then I go back to Quilter’s Eden and bring back fabric for a sample or for a quilt for a friend, family member or just me.  It is so much fun!  I better get back to the “studio.”  The post office will wonder what happened to me if I do not show up to mail a box next week.

Patches and Posts Dinosaur Quilt

     I just mailed this darling charm square quilt to Quilter’s Eden a few days ago.  The pattern is called  “Patches and Posts.”  I just love how it turned out.  So different from the picture on the pattern.   Jeff and I have two boys and I am always on the look out for fun fabrics for quilts to make for them. This quilt would be so fun for a little boy or a raffle quilt at a school.  I love doing raffle quilts they are such a joy to give away.  It seems every day there is another quilt to be made and get ready to send back to Minnesota. 

     In the next few weeks Quilter’s Eden is getting ready for our local quilt show June 4 and 5 in East Grand Forks, MN.    We are all working so hard to get samples and kits ready.  It is all so much fun.  If you are up in North-west Minnesota in early June come by Quilter’s Eden and we will direct you to the quilt show down the street.  You will actually be able to walk to the show it is only two blocks from our store.

Happy Easter!

 

 

 

     Happy Easter!!  Big Daddy had to leave last week to save the world from nuclear insanity and was not able to be here with us today for Easter Sunday.  We did have our traditional Easter Dinner on Thursday before he left.  It was so YUMMY!!  We had lamb, asparagus, roasted green beans, rolls and mashed potatoes.  Matt picked brownies for dessert. 

     Today (Easter Sunday) we did our egg hunt.  The easter bunny did a great job hiding the plastic eggs that we have only lost two of them.   Brian then hid the eggs again for Matt.  The photo above it the best hiding place yet!  Brian duct taped an egg to the ceiling!  It was hysterical!  That boy is so funny.  We need to do that again next year.

     Happy Easter from our silly family to yours!