I haven't posted in just about forever, while my nose was becoming well-acquainted with the grindstone in preparation for Bazaar Bizarre.

Now that BB is over, I have a little cold and a little sunburn, but the effort was pretty successful, and I couldn't have had a better time. Now it's time to branch out into some other projects I've been wanting to get to (including, possibly, another peanut quilt) and, of course, finishing up my samples for the MTV Style Lounge. A shopper at BB envied my sewing and embroidery projects, because she guessed - correctly - that all that work meant lots of hours in front of the TV.

I should be well entertained this week, because my return to a normal schedule coincided, yesterday, with the return of the US Senate to Washington. This is my dirty little secret: I watch C-SPAN 2 obsessively.

One of the highlights was meeting the editors of the upcoming Craft Magazine, one of whom is also a blogger over at the MAKE blog. They had a lot to say about quilting, and questions about the changes in quilting over time.

Actually, now that I think about it, everyone asks me that.

What's interesting is that is that quilting haven't changed. It's the quilters who have. It's American life that's changed. That's why I bring up my love of politics. Years ago, quilting and embroidery were a way to keep women occupied, quiet, and out of debate. Remember Henry James' Washington Square? Now, with technology being what it is, my hands can live the life of a busy little homemaker, while my eyes and ears can be devoted to, among other things, being an informed citizen.

Quilting is such a slow, quiet art that I think it surprises people that I'm not nostalgic for a slow, quiet time in history. I love high-speed internet. I love high-speed EVERYTHING!!! I love living in an image-saturated era - I think it's good for design, and I think the freedom to seek out new aspects of good design is the major difference between traditional quilting and it more modern incarnations. I love vintage quilts, by the way, but there's a big difference between trying to make good design choices out of muslin and a pile of your husband's shirts, and trying to make good design choices when you have thousands of cotton prints at your fingertips.

Speaking of cotton prints, I may need to spend some of my BB earnings on cool Japanese imports. More on this later.

Two Quilts, Part 2

I feel like I have been buried under a mountain of quilts. It was great getting two commissions two days in a row, because that guaranteed plenty of work. I can't lie - making money on quilts is great, but not just for the obvious "I-like-to-eat" reasons. Designing and making quilts is the most fulfilling part of working for myself, and when I put my heart and soul into something and it doesn't sell, I have to concentrate on products that aren't as exciting to me. I actually like making every product I currently make, but for years my dream has been to be able to quilt full-time, and it's tough knowing that may never be profitable or viable.

On the other hand, it is really a hell of a thing to be buried under a mountain of quilts. Any project that takes more than a day or two to finish can become truly all-consuming for me. I have a hard time answering the phone, or even responding to emails, when there's an unfinished quilt nearby. That's why I have a hard time describing myself as a quilter, when that's really a pretty accurate description of what I do with myself, professionally. The day I become a quilter might be the day I fall off the face of the earth! So today I'm going to make some aprons - plural!

It's always good to get back to making things, plural.

Irish Coffee

I've been making the servicable sister of the tea cozy - the French press Warmer - from time to time over the past week or so. I felt a bit odd showing it off on the bar, but I guess that's appropriate for today of all days!
My mom called me this morning (9 am!) for the recipe for the famous Irish coffees we love to drink here in SFO. But the recipe is a no-brainer - it's the pre-heating of the glass, the dissolving of the sugar cube in the coffee, the shot of Irish whiskey and the slow pour of slightly whipped heavy cream over the back of a spoon that makes Irish coffee Irish coffee.

Cheers!

Two Quilts, Part 1

I got two quilt commissions this week! It never rains but it pours. I have been sewing my fingers off since then, and here's what I have so far:

1. The Peanut Quilt, requested by a friend for her friends' "peanut." I developed the character(s, they're all different!) just for this quilt, but I'll probably use him again.

This one needs a widish blue border to make it unisex. Then it will be ready for quilting and binding this weekend! Also, I added a little rick rack trim. Pics to follow.

2. Hambone and Jennicakes Portraits. A woman found my site via Google, and requested a crib-sized quilt with both Hambone and Jennicakes. They are FAMOUS!!! Well, not really. If you look closely, you can see I've done little line drawings of hams and cupcakes to fill the empty picture holes:

I don't know why I'm obsessed with embroidery that's "framed" with fabric, but I am. I'll be stitching the little guys for the rest of the week, and quilting and binding next week.

Now, off to get ready for the season finale of Project Runway!

I was so excited yesterday to discover and sign up for this Block Swap! I've always been nervous about swapping, but this is going to yield charity quilts along with stuff for me, so I'm very excited.

I can't believe it's March 3 and I'm already ready to order fabrics - AGAIN! Lately I've been mostly purchasing fabrics for aprons, and that's because they really do require quit a bit of fabric. But now that I'm committed to this swap, and because I'd like to do some tea towels, it's time to make another order. Crazy!

Dots!

I went a little crazy at the equilter spots and dots sale a while ago, and now that my fabric is here, I'm glad I did! I'm in the process of designing a quilt for the county fair, and I know I want it to be very, very dotty!