finally!

IMG_0551, originally uploaded by 2ndAveStudio.

I finally finished my class samples. I am joining my local quilt shops "Beginner Thursday" line-up. Thursday Night is dedicated to the beginner. I will be teaching "New Sew Workshop" (ages 14 and up) over summer. Emphasizing fresh new patterns and teaching traditional skills, I hope I fit in and complement the "beginner sampler" class which is more traditional. Later classes will be "Modern Quilt Workshop" and "Free Piecing" but we right now its just 3
- 2rail, machine appliqué, and bento box (skill: seam matching).

I got both my samples done. Loading a single back to my machine and quilting them both was a big time saver. I love the green backing, I think its so cute. Here's the other sample. The first class is 2 rail fence, so they can learn basic 1/4 inch, pressing, squaring up, rotary skills and pattern drafting.

Close-up

here is the two samples and a baby quilt that is ready to be listed on my ETSY.

Next I will be working on a quilt job, but since its a holiday weekend, I feel like I should having fun- not that quilting for money isn't fun, put doing anything for money means its "work" right? I want to "not work" this weekend and play with some new fabric I got at "Sample Spree"

My dog decided to go into the garage and eat cat food last week... actually we don't know how long she has been doing this ;) lil rascal. I figured it out this week, we think its been going on since last week because suddenly the cats seemed "Very Hungry". We moved the food and the kitty box is being hyper attended to - our dog, Stella, thinks its a box that dispenses yummy "Kitty Roca" candy. She totally knows she is busted! We moved all the edibles, disciplined her twice and now we just ignore her when she gets caught in there. We don't answer her door barks, she needs to get out the way she got in. She only did it once yesterday, right before dinner, so this may work. HaZa!

Rock Star Photos!

IMG_0507, originally uploaded by 2ndAveStudio.

Here are some of my rock star photos of market. I love Minick and Simpson.
Traditional and clean I really like their design sense, when I grow up and make heirlooms. I want to quilt like them.

here is Kaffe at his booth near the end of the day.

Here is Heather Bailey at Anna Marie Horner's booth she is standing with her friend and SIL Mo.
Mo is Elinor Piece Bailey's daughter, a nurse and talked to me about passage quilting. They made me cry about passage- so I had to just "walk away"... But I will say it say it here.
I quilt for Passage because my husband has a heart problem called Left V-Tach. When he is sick, I go crazy with worry (not that I am not nuts a little anyway:)), so I quilt. One of the symptoms is "Sudden Cardiac Death", not that he has ever developed that symptom. He has spells of it, sometimes he has months and months of lots of PVCs. Right now he is off meds and is fine. I am very grateful for that. Quilting has been a way for me to force my focus off his health. Its my way of giving back to the hospital that treats him.

Blog Note: My husband has been diagnosed with "Sleep Apena". We believe that this lack of oxygenation in sleep is the core cause of his Vtach and other cardiac symptoms. If you or your sleep partner snore or wake often, please have a sleep study.

here is Valorie Wells and her new Home Dec fabric. She lives in Sisters (as in the Sisters Quilt Show)

Why do I have only one pic of Amy but 2 of Valerie- frankly I don't know. I thought I took tons of photos from her and anna Marie's booth and I don't have them. Must have been "user error" Go figure. Notice I am in none of the pictures- seriously, I photograph like Ma Kettle.... not gonna happen.

I am closing with Elinor Burns of Quilt in a Day fame. 30 years of QiaD! Congrats EB!
I use a couple of her templates and will redraft patterns to use them because I love her templates so much! I have learned a lot from her show, which is carried here on the Rural Farm Channel. Yeah, it can be corny but they are solid quilt techniques, generous show and tells, and its not the constant sales pitch of F&P. I tivo all the quilt shows and zip thru them really fast.

More to come...

Election Results

Hottie commissioner Sam Adams was elected mayor of Portland on Tuesday, in an easy victory over businessman Sho Dozono.

Adams' win makes him the first openly gay mayor of a major U.S. city.

"I'm running not to be a gay mayor, but a great mayor," he said after delivering his victory speech. "But I'm very cognizant, very aware that I'm the first openly gay mayor of a major American city. That's a real honor."

I am so proud of Sam, so proud of Portland!

I have family who is gay, family I love. Somewhere over the rainbow.... is Portland. Quilt market, Primary election, and now Sam's victory.... its been a great week for Portland.

Sample Spree Con't. Free pens and candy from the Threaded Pear / Quilters Buzz.com

freee pens and candy from the, originally uploaded by 2ndAvenueStudio.
Around 7:30pm things picked up in line and vendors started coming out and handing out coupons and flyers.
Threaded Pear Studio came out and asked us to sing happy birthday to the burnette on the left. I was so happy to get that breath mint I really needed it. We were let in to shop and boy was it exciting. There are great pictures at the JollyJabber and of course, Quilters Buzz.com of what went on inside. I don't have any. I was shopping, my hands were full and it was a crush!

Here is a picture of our haul.

we were parked in the garage, which could not have been further away if we tried. Mercy.
SewDaisy hauled most of it herself, because of my back. But really I seemed fine the next day, so I guess I was just sore, not injured, from BSR class/handiquilting. She was great and I am so grateful for the help.
Here is a picture of my haul

It includes Anna Griffin's Alix Collection (which I got on the exhibit floor Saturday), Hoffman Balipops and Pappillon, Some Batik Textiles and another fav - Art Gallery Fabrics. From MODA we have : Mary Engelbreit's Recipe for Friendship, Fig and Plum, Cotton Blossom, Butterfly Fling and Nest . Some of this will get used as "give aways" so stay tuned.
Here's a picture of a favorite jewel. Sometimes, It was hard to keep a clear head.

Its Amelia from timeless treasure.... so summery and fresh. I bought this because the colors
were "good" and the price was right, stuck it in my bag and moved on. When I got home and have sat with it for a few days, I am in LOVE! Turns out my Local Quilt Shop is ordering the line, I am gonna make a class sample with it. So happy. Its really lovely.

The other discovery I made is local and kinda off topic. After Spree we were so hungry, thirsty.
We drove around to Burgerville - which is local and I don't eat there usually, I like Wendy's chicken and McDs fillet o fish , when I have to drive thru for food.
Burgerville Halibut Fillet Sandwich!!! it was a big, fat fillet of lovely halibut that tasted so good and it came with lettuce instead of cheese.... Delish! I am now like "Mc-y who??"
I just went and looked at the nutritional info and maybe I won't always choose that sandwich but they have other choices. Its sustainable, uses local ingredients and it was GOOD! There you go.

sample spree line at 5 pm

line at 5 pm, originally uploaded by 2ndAvenueStudio.

This was way too early to get in line!
The week before market I went to my last required class for new Bernina owners. Doesn't matter that it has been months since I bought it, so long in fact, that the oil light went on after 180,000 stitches. It was BSR class, and I don't know if was the class or the 8 passage quilts I handiquilted after the 2 days after the class but my back went out. It was so sore, and tired, it spasmed and I was betrayed by my body and bedridden.
DANG, it's official folks, I have gotten to the age where I can feel my age.

My husband was a dream, he took real pity on me and brought me meals and snacks upstairs, I think he felt bad since I have been talking about this so long. The night before, the night before sample spree, Tuesday, he actually volunteered to go to sample spree for me, then he said he would just wait in line and I could go... he really didn't think I could do it and neither did I. We had grim tragic faces on all night. Sad.
Wednesday I got to thinking, maybe my girlfriend could handle it, I do need some help. I have an unrivaled group of quilty-girl friends, one is SewDaisy. She has what I call the "Lucy Gene". She loves a good Lucy and Ethyl challenge. I called to talk to her about what to do and she became available.
Thursday, the day of sample spree, I woke up feeling "Grrreat!" . No back pain, no soreness, nothing. 2 days of bed rest had paid off. hurray!
So we get there really early, too early. We sat on couches for a while
then we moved. SewDaisy just laughed at me for being so excited.
We could have waited till 6pm and still easily gotten in, but we did have to drive from Hillsboro on the 26, so better to do it before rush hour. right?
Thats my red bag on the floor in the photo.

Inside the hall, which we visited more than once, we checked to see where the vendors were located. This is a photo of this huge hall with no people in it. later it got so crowded and hot.

I am on Quilters Buzz!

I am on Quilters Buzz!, originally uploaded by 2ndAvenueStudio.

In my little book of goals and dreams I have written "be featured on www.quiltersbuzz.com" . I know its a stretch but here I am, 6 months old in my little business and there I am on www.quiltersbuzz.com!! Okay I know the QB post isn't about me, but I can see myself in this photo and I know its me.Gina said I could copy it to my flickr(see links) so I could note my face. Red faced from fright that I might miss some great fabric opportunity! 

 Seriously though, I know I am grasping at straws but it counts right? woohoo!
Since Gina put me on her blog: here she is in all her glory handing out candy, pens and thread beds. She looks great, on her blog she said she was gonna slim down, she did, and it shows!

Threaded Pear has great goods coming which is so exciting! Next time I will share my sample spree story and peek at some goodies.
using the ASL sign for "I Love You" and bobbing my head here's a heavy metal
"Quilters Rock! "

Quilt Market Saturday

salad, originally uploaded by 2ndAvenueStudio.

Im so tired all I could do was pick a little spinach and a couple of onions and I cut out an entire lettuce plant out because its getting really crowded and I didn't want to just pick leaves.
I didn't make dinner with it, I just sat outside a while and am going to bed early.
I saw all the stars I wanted to see and snapped a slew of photos that will be coming I promise.
Its so hot here in the PacNW that I really am consumed with keeping my plants alive and hoping my lettuce doesn't bolt.
That wee radish was left over from last months radish crop it must have been a stray that finally took root.
I found out today I am a non-branded quilt designer, I learned this from a puplisher. There is a title for what I have been doing and want to do more of!
HaaZaa!
I can also be called a "creative" as in "we always looking for more creatives to help market a line(fabric)"
I got some great leads to grow the business ... so overall it was a great time and I am so excited.
Its been super scary to be putting myself out there. But also really validating at the same time. Feeling really connected to the community is hard for me sometimes.

More on Quilt Market tomorrow or Monday (more likely).
Say it with me now! "Quilters Rock!" *head bob*

A plug for the plant people www.farmingtongardens.com

Sample Spree favorite score!!

IMG_0505, originally uploaded by 2ndAvenueStudio.

I was lucky enough to score some great things, but this was the best little jewel!
Cupcake Fabric! by Susan Branch its called Tea Party and a got a 5.5 x 22 inch roll. the other fabrics show tea pots, teaballs, flowers and hearts. It was a total surprise to me,  I hardly looked at it in all the excitement of "sample spree".  When I got home, I untied it's little ribbon and "Blam!" I was assaulted with its cuteness. Some how it screams pin cushion, baby quilt, and has hints of Japanese cuteness all at the same time and I love the strong colors. That green is pretty acidy. I also was so excited because I plan on playing 'tea party' with some friends real soon.

I did get to the Moda booth and scored some real lovelies so please come back soon to get the scoop.

Spinach doesn't mind the heat

Spinach doesn't mind the heat, originally uploaded by 2ndAvenueStudio.

I spent the day trying to save our new landscape from the heat. It was 95 degrees in Portland, Oregon today and we have only been in this house for 9 months. 6 months ago we had yard put in with drip irrigation.
Everything has been unused, until today, when I realized I better get out there and water.
Everything looks distressed!
I should have taken a photo "before" I watered - because this was some sad, limp spinach. But it bounced right back.
The yard man came over and discovered things were broken, not set right, etc.... and helped me straighten out my "getting it started" process.
I didn't go to Quilt Market today, but am planning to spend the day tomorrow.
this post is really a test of my blogging from flickr
I hope it works.