I just had a great weekend – family time, good movie, sewing time and sewing room organization.  Let’s start with family time and good movie – Caitlin and I were on line at 10:30 AM on Saturday for the 11:10 AM showing of “2012″.  Disaster movie, movie popcorn, Diet Coke and time with my daughter – it can’t get any better than that.  We contributed to the $65 million that “2012″ earned in its opening weekend and all I can say is – YAY!!!!  AND now where is it showing in IMAX?  I love a good disaster movie and  this one had it all – tsunamis, volcanoes, earthquakes, fire and destruction of landmarks.  If this is your type of movie, then be sure you check it out.

Sewing time – I almost have all of the blocks finished for the new Belle Meade quilt.  I actually planned on having them all finished by Sunday night so Paula could arrange them for the quilt top, but sewing room organization got in the way.  The Dynamos lost the game they played in California on Friday night, so that ended their season and the possibility of a game in Houston on Sunday, sooooo Peter was available for sewing room organization assistance.  He hung my Elfa shelves on Sunday afternoon and I spent the rest of the time decorating and setting up the last of my Elfa drawers.  I have all of my fabric stored in these drawers and I just love them.  I filled them with fabric I’ve been stockpiling and I actually have some empty ones right now – trust me, that won’t last for too long.  Caitlin’s comment when she sat down at my sewing table – “Now this looks like YOUR room.”  Yes, it feels like me now.

Website update:  check out Rouenneries by French General for Moda.  This is the collection we are using for the new Belle Meade.  Also check out our new version of one of our most popular quilts – Patriotic Glory Bound.  As part of our “Bonnie Blue Gives Back”, we are always looking for a way to support a worthwhile organization.  Last year we donated to our local quilt guilds, Quilts of Valor and St. Jude  Children’s Research Hospital.  Patriotic Glory Bound was introduced at Festival and PIQF and 25% of the sale of the quilt kits will be donated to “Operation HomeFront” – an organization that supports soldiers and their families.  It is beautiful quilt and a great one to honor that special soldier in your family.

Patriotic Glory Bound

We did actually get some reorganizing done in the warehouse too, so hopefully I’ll have pictures of a cleaner, organized warehouse to share soon (and some Belle Meade blocks).  It always seems to take longer than we expect – so what else is new.

Enjoy your week and happy quilting.  I’m sure many of you will be working on Thanksgiving preparations.  I’ll be planning for our family Thanksgiving in Royersford, PA.  Can’t wait until Saturday and my Sydney-time.

Congratulations Kristine – you have won the free copy of 100 Blocks that we are giving away from the blog.  We will also announce a winner from the people that submitted e-mails to our website.  We would like to thank everyone for the great comments and compliments about our blog, our website and Paula’s beautiful block.  So many people mentioned using the block in patriotic quilts and we would love to see those quilts when you have completed them.  Please be sure you send us pictures of those quilts.

We’ve gotten some great new collections in the past couple of weeks and Marcie has been busy putting them on the website.  Check out Moda’s Celebration for a Cause: Alliance, Andover’s Toast II designed by Jo Morton, and Windham’s Pennock Album (great pre-printed quilt panel with this collection).  Alliance is the collection that Paula used in our “re-do” of our quilt, Vicksburg.  This quilt is a little larger than our original version and it is an absolutely gorgeous quilt.  Here it is:

Vicksburg using Alliance collection

I’ve been working on our new Belle Meade using Rouenneries by French General for Moda.  The collection should be on the website any day now and I’m hoping to have the quilt done by sometime next week.  Then it’s off to be quilted.  Our dear friend, Cynthia Regone, graciously made all of the half-square triangles that we needed for this quilt.  Thank you Cynthia!!!  Check out the picture of the shoebox that she filled with all of those half-square triangles.  Thank heavens for Spinning Stars.  I use these great papers anytime I have to make half-square triangles.  They insure that I will have accurate half-square triangles and if we’ve used them to make our quilt, then they are in our kit.

Box of half-square triangles for Belle Meade

Large center half-square triangles

Half-square triangles being sewn together

I just love the fabrics and colors in this collection and I think Belle Meade is going to be beautiful.  As soon as the quilt is done we will put it on our website for ordering.  We will also having backing available.

That’s all for tonight.  Caitlin and I have a big day ahead of us tomorrow – we’re reorganizing the kit warehouse.  It’s time to make room on the shelves for the fabric for the new kits.  If we get as much done tomorrow as I hope, I might even take a couple of pictures and share them with you.  The warehouses are anything but pretty but the size and amount of fabric is pretty impressive.

I also want to get in a little reading tonight – David Baldacci’s First Family is my current book.  What book do you have on your nightstand?

Good night and happy quilting.

Animated book cover

Thank you for all of the great comments about Paula’s block, our blog, and our website.  I wish everyone could win a free book.

We were inadvertently left off the blog tour on Monday morning, so we were added in later and then given an additional day on the tour.  We will do our drawing for the free book on Thursday morning, so keep submitting your entries.

Way back in June, Paula was asked to submit a block for a new book that Quiltmaker’s magazine was publishing.  Paula designed a 12″ block using one of her new fabric collections – Bonnie Blue’s America. While we were at Market, we received a copy of the cover for Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks and lo and behold Paula’s block was on the front cover – wow, impressive.  The book will be released November 17th and Quiltmaker’s magazine is sponsoring a blog tour to promote it.  Our blog is one of the 8-10 blogs/websites that will be featured on Monday, November 9th.  Follow the 100 Blocks Blog Tour daily at Quiltmaker Quilty Pleasures Blog for inspiration, ideas and giveaways galore!  Look for 100 Blocks from Today’s Top Designers in your local quilt shop, or purchase it at Quiltmaker.  Click on this link to order directly from Bonnie Blue Quilts.

Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks cover

Paula's block

Quiltmaker’s  magazine is also giving away free copies of the book.  Enter to win the free copy from Bonnie Blue Quilts by clicking on this link.  You could be our lucky winner.  We’ll choose our winner on Tuesday morning.

Enter Now!

The fabric collection Bonnie Blue’s America was also used for Web Sampler Celebration IV and our new pattern and kit, Old Abe.  This quilt was introduced at Fall Market and Festival and it received rave reviews.  We had so many people interested in the eagle fabric that we actually did something that we don’t usually do, we brought a large roll of the fabric to Festival and sold out of it in 1 day – don’t worry we have more.  The unique feature of the eagle fabric is the design and spacing.  You can cut vertical rows of eagles and star clusters, horizontal rows of eagles and star clusters or individual eagles and star clusters and never clip an eagle wing or star point.  No eagles were damaged in the cutting of this fabric (thank you Paula for this great design). Paula used the fabric in vertical rows for Old Abe and it looks beautiful.  Someone even asked my husband if the eagles were appliqued on the quilt.  You can order the Old Abe pattern and kit from our website and here’s a picture of the quilt.

Old Abe Quilt

Caitlin and Peter did go the soccer game (Dynamos won!!!), so I spent the afternoon at  the warehouse cutting the fabric for this kit.  It was very popular at Festival, so now I’m trying to get all of the special orders filled.  The fabric arrived last week, so we are in speed cutting and folding mode to get them out in the mail to everyone.  Hopefully next weekend I’ll be able to grab my husband for some much needed shelf hanging in my sewing room.  Dynamos may be playing again, but we’ll see – I really need these shelves!!!

Check out the other blogs that are on the blog tour.  Happy quilting.

It’s hard to believe, but yes we are home again and it’s for the rest of the year.  Our next show isn’t until January 2010 – Road to California – so for now it’s regroup, reorganize, reunite with family and the always dreaded – clean the warehouses.  It’s amazing how quickly we can trash them when we’re getting ready for a show or shows.  They haven’t had a good cleaning since before Market and Festival. We unloaded the trailer and reorganized the kits and bundles, so now we ACTUALLY know what we have available for the website.  So now it’s time to get in and clean up the shelves – UGH!!!  Not my idea of a fun time, but at least it’s a little cooler in the warehouse.  The weather has been beautiful since we got back home.  We can actually leave the windows open at night AND best of all – sleep under a light blanket.

We enjoyed our visit to Des Moines and it was a great to see everyone – customers and friends.  I finally found the other picture of our booth that I messed up when I sent it to my e-mail and the picture of our good friends, Docia and Jim Fuller, from The Quilt Merchant in Winfield, Illinois.  It’s great to be home, but we’ll miss seeing the great friends we’ve made on the road.

The missing photo of the other half of our booth at AQS-Des Moines.

Docia and Jim Fuller of The Quilt Merchant

I’ve had the sewing machine fired up this week after it’s much needed rest.  Paula is teaching at a retreat this weekend, so I’ve been busy finishing up the sample.  It was inspired by an antique quilt and Paula’s version in scrappy fabric, aged muslin, and red is just gorgeous.  The vertical setting is great and can we just cheer – it has no border.  YAY!!!  My new cause is “Quilts without Borders” and I love when Paula is inspired by an antique quilt that doesn’t have borders. I do have to be careful though, 1 quilt without borders usually means the next quilt will have at least 3 and 1 will be pieced!!! Next on the sewing list is another Evangeline quilt (for Marcus Fabrics) and a new version of Belle Meade, using Rouenneries by French General for Moda.  We may not be traveling, but there’s always quilts to be made.  I’ll include pictures as the sewing progresses.

Small portion of the retreat quilt

That’s all for today.  I’ll be blogging again tomorrow – something exciting to share with you.  Until then, happy quilting.  I was going to tackle the mess that is my sewing room tomorrow, but I need some help from my husband and it would seem that Caitlin has convinced him to go an MLS playoff game.  The Houston Dynamos are playing at U of H tomorrow afternoon.  That sounds way more enjoyable than hanging shelves in my sewing room.  More tomorrow.

Well, we made it to Des Moines, IA and we did it in 16 hours – 1 loooong day and 1 short day.  We did the long day first so that we could get on line for unloading at the show.  We waited in the parking lot for 3 hrs for our space on the loading dock and would you believe the battery in the truck died.  Thank heavens for good friends with jumper cables and a nice fellow vendor willing to give us a “jump”.  Would you believe it happened to someone else about an hour later – must be something in the air.

We were not the only ones traveling to Des Moines; a number of friends were driving in from other states, so Gloria (from the Olde Green Cupboard got us started on a great car game.  We’ve played it before, but this time we added Phyllis and Bob (from Silver Thimble). Each car gave a list of 5 items that the other cars had to find – fire truck, yellow VW, tour bus, dead deer, Texas Roadhouse, palomino horse, white cow, Penske truck, red semi, to name a few.  You call the group after you’ve found all of your items and they give you a new list.  Unfortunately, we didn’t get to call with a completed list.  Would you believe we never saw a live deer and it took forever to find a dead deer – almost negotiated all of the dead skunks, dead dog, stuffed longhorn, and other road kill that we saw for 1 dead deer.  It’s a fun way to pass the time.

Paula, Marcie, and I also played a geography alphabet game – 1^st person names a location, the next person names a location that starts with the last letter of the location just named.  Great game, but eventually you run out of places that start with “e” and “o” and friends start to question the existence of places you’ve named.  All of my upstate New York and Long Island names were coming under fire.  Of course there’s a Canajoharie, Hauppauge, Yaphank, and Armonk and I never questioned any of their places (yeah, right).

This is our last show for this year, so we’re enjoying the time with the good friends that we’ve made as we travel from show to show.  This is the first time that we’ve had a booth near the lovely ladies from Back Door Quilts in Indianapolis, IN and we are right across from them.  They have some great patterns and kits in their booth and they are also participating in the Web Sampler Celebration.  Here’s a picture of Linda and Teri in front of a couple of their beautiful quilts.

Linda and Teri from Back Door Quilts

And of course, here’s our booth across the aisle.

Our booth in Des Moines - only 1/2 of the booth - I messed up when I sent the other picture of the other half.

More soon. Happy quilting.

It’s hard to believe that Market and Festival are actually over.  The planning and preparation consumed our lives for so long and now they are done and we are actually getting ready for the AQS show in Des Moines, Iowa.  I also can’t believe that I haven’t blogged in forever.  With both Market and Festival being right here in Houston, we were home every night, but by the time you drive home, say hello to the family and eat some dinner, it’s time to go to bed and get ready for the next day.  Needless to say, blogging time was not in the schedule.

Marcie also arrived home from the PIQF show in Santa Clara, CA yesterday, so the troops are all home again and gearing up for the last show of the year.  The trailers are unloaded and we’re reorganizing and repacking.  Vending at 2 shows at the same time is a real challenge for us.  We have to split up the quilts and our merchandise, so people don’t get to see all the items that we have available.  All of the new quilts were with Paula and I for Market, so now Marcie will quickly update the website so everyone will get to see them.

I have some pictures to share from Market (they were on my camera), but unfortunately I was a victim of a cell phone theft, so I don’t have pictures from Festival.  Our newest quilts were well received, so be sure you check out the website to see them up close and personal.

Our dear friends, Phyllis and Bob of Silver Thimble, spent Market and Festival with Paula and we have all been enjoying the wonderful meals they prepared.  Phyllis and Paula’s husband JR have been dazzling us with their culinary talents: seafood chowder, chili, gumbo, 2 Cajun dishes I can’t even begin to spell, cedar plank salmon, and much more.  Peter, my husband, grilled steaks and served a taste treat we love from Syracuse, NY – salt potatoes.  Weight Watchers begins after Des Moines!!!!!  We’re going on a cruise in December and at this rate I’ll never fit into my clothes!!!

It was great to see so many of our customers at Festival.  Thank you for stopping by and saying hello.  And now for some pictures.  I’m including 2 of our Market booth, a close-up of the baby bed featuring Paula’s new collection Sophie and Friends, a close-up of Old Abe (Paula’s Bonnie Blue’s America) and a close-up of Evangeline (Paula’s newest collection French Quarter that will be out in January).

BBQ booth at Market 2009

BBQ booth at Market 2009

Sophie and Friends Collection - quilt pattern is Sophie

Evangeline from Paula's new collection French Quarter

Old Abe from Bonnie Blue's America and a corner of Vicksburg from Alliance collection

That’s all for tonight.  Happy quilting.

Yes, we are back on the road again, but this time we are heading home!!!!  We were in Longmont, CO for Quilt-A-Fair, a 2 day shopping spree for quilters.  The event is sponsored by the Colorado Quilt Council and it is really a vendor show only.  A few quilts are hung up high in the room, but basically quilters come to shop the vendors and boy do they shop.  A special thank you goes out to all the quilters that shopped and visited with us AND helped us go home with an emptier trailer!!!!  We just may have to do some shopping so we can fill that empty space.

The show also turned out to be a bit of a reunion for us and we had the chance to catch up with old friends:  Su and Dwayne Bunch from Piece Keepers in Yukon, OK and Saundra and Curtis Marquez of Nana’s Parcels in Glen Rose, TX.  We met both couples at the West Houston Quilt Guild quilt show before we even thought about opening Bonnie Blue Quilts.  Surprise visitors were Nanette Turco (former WHQG member and current Colorado resident) and Sue Spivey (Paula’s longtime friend from Texas and part time Colorado resident).  And of course there were our loyal Bonnie Blue customers.

The show ended each day by 5 pm, so Paula and I grabbed dinner to go (Five Guys Burgers one night – none in Katy yet, so we just had to stop) and headed back to our hotel for some sewing time.  We’ve been working really hard on getting everything done for the baby bed display of Paula’s new collection – Sophie and Friends.  The quilts are done and off to the quilters.  Yes, we did 2 quilts – one for our booth (that has the applique on it) and one for Marcus Fabrics’ booth.  We ended up doing tag team hand applique and it looks beautiful.  It’s off to Crooked Creek Quilts for their marvelous custom quilting.  Paula has been working on the bumper pads, but the need for a ruffler has put them on hold until we are back at home.  I finished the 2 tier bedskirt (we used the toile and the brown polka dot) and now I’m doing embroidery while we travel.  Some fancy pillows and it will all be finished.

Tomorrow is family day.  We are stopping in Dallas to visit with Paula’s mom, daughter, and granddaughter Sophie (can you guess where the name for the new fabric collection came from).  I spent time with my family when we were in Pennsylvania, so this is a great way to end the trip.  We’ll arrive back home on Tuesday and then we put it in high gear to get ready for Market, Festival, and Santa Clara.  There’s quilts to still be made, kits to be assembled, patterns to be written and printed, and fabric to be folded.

Bonnie Blue Quilts is now on Facebook, so please become our “friend”.  Wow, all this new technology and I thought I would never even learn how to text someone on my cell phone!!

I just checked out our website and apparently the UPS man has been dropping off all sorts of goodies at the warehouse.  Check out these new collections that Marcie has just added: Sophie and Friends, Inkwell II, and Stafford County and I know there are more to come.  We love our man in brown, he’s always bringing something good to us.

Sorry, no photos this time.  I’m in a hotel room in Oklahoma and everything I could take a picture of is out in the truck or packed in the trailer – the story of my life.  So good night and happy quilting for now.

Yes, we’re back on the road again.  We finished up the PA quilt show on Sunday and I know I said I would post more photos of other vendors, but I spent Sunday moving and loading Caitlin’s things into the truck and trailer for the move back to Texas and Paula was at the booth all day by herself.  Sooooo, no other pictures.  Be sure that you check out these other great vendors:  Traditions at the White Swan in Hagerstown, Maryland and Back Door Quilts in Indianapolis, Indiana.  A special thank you to Wendy and Dick for the great tote bag they brought us.  We saw the tote bags at another show and commented on how great they were and how much we loved them and Wendy and Dick remembered that and brought them to PA.  We see Linda and Teri of Back Door Quilts at a lot of shows and we just love their stuff.  They are also participating in the Web Sampler Celebration.  Check out their websites.

On Monday we began the next leg of our journey as we headed to Longmont, CO for Quilt-A-Fair.  It’s 3 days (3 long days) in the car, and we’re trying to make the trip as interesting as possible.  We were thumbing through the new Quilt Sampler – Fall/Winter 2009 issue and discovered that the Quilter’s Corner in Finleyville, PA was actually on the way to Dayton, Ohio, our 1st day’s stop.  The Quilter’s Corner is a great shop with a wide selection of fabric.  It was well worth the stop.  Our congratulations go out to Mary Beth for a great shop and for receiving this great honor.

Tuesday’s goal was Kansas City, KS and we made it without any problems – even after we stopped and shopped for 3 hours!!!  Our 1st stop was the Warm Glow Candle Outlet in Centerville, IN.  It turns out that this is the home of the World’s Largest Candle (as you can in the picture) and 11,000 feet of shopping paradise.  We figured this might be a great place to find the pillows that we needed, but 2 hours later and 2 shopping carts full of Fall decor, Christmas decor, and Americana decor (for our booth), we emerged – without pillows- but  smiles on our faces.  We had a GREAT time.  After a quick stop at an antique mall, we were back on our way.  Tomorrow’s goal – Longmont.  Meanwhile, we still need those pillows, so I’m sure there will be some shopping in our future.

World's Largest Candle - Warm Glow Candle Outlet - Centerville, IN

I finished the applique on the quilt from Paula’s Sophie and Friends collection (yes, I did the “A” word and in a car no less) and once we find the pillows, we’ll be able to finish up everything we need for the baby bed.  The soft pinks, browns, blues, and lights of Sophie and Friends make for a great collection.   I can’t wait until we have it all done.  Still more quilts to make after this, so it will be crazy when we finally get home.

While we’ve been on the road, the warehouse has been in overdrive as the girls (Robin, Cindy, Caitlin and Jackie) work to get all of the fabric cut for the kits and bundles that we need for International Quilt Festival – Houston and Pacific International Quilt Festival XVIII- Santa Clara. I left a 7 page “note” and they are flying through it.

We also got a little glimpse of the beginning of Fall with just a touch of Fall colors.  I really miss that in Texas, so I’m glad it had started to change before we left.

Fall along the Pennsylvania Turnpike

Well, its back on the road again.  Another 9 hour day tomorrow  and that’s without any shopping.  I don’t think we’re capable of that though.  Happy quilting.

Well the Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza XVI in Oaks, PA is almost over.  It’s been a great opportunity for us to meet our online customers in person and also a great chance for our customers to see our quilts up close and personal.  The quilts  aren’t nearly as beautiful on a computer screen as they are in person – plus you get to touch them at a quilt show.  Quilt shows are also a great time for us to catch up and visit with all of the wonderful vendor friends we have made during the last 4 years.  They are from all over the United States, so quilt shows are really the only chance we get to see each other.  I thought that tonight I would take the time to introduce you to a few of these great people and give you a little glimpse of their booths.

Gloria Parsons is the owner of The Olde Green Cupboard in Jacksonville, FL.  If you are traveling through or near Jacksonville, be sure to stop and visit this must-see quilt store/antique store/gift store.  You will think you have died and gone to heaven.  It is a beautiful store that is always decorated for the current/upcoming season or holiday (currently Fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving) and everything is for sale.  Jill and Sue traveled to PA with Gloria for this show.  Jill’s specialty is punch needle and her pieces are exquisite (and from what we have heard she is also a phenomenal cookie baker and decorator).  Sue is a longarm quilter that is demonstrating locker latch hook rugmaking this weekend.  The rugs are beautiful and I even tried to do one, but apparently I whined so much about the process that I’m not allowed to even entertain the thought of trying it again.  Cathy, from The Olde Green Cupboard, graciously completed mine.

Phyllis and Bob Anderson of Springfield, New Hampshire are the proud owners of Silver Thimble Quilt Shop, formerly a brick and mortar shop that they decided to take on the quilt show circuit.  Phyllis designs quilts and wearable art jackets and often teaches at the quilt shows. Be sure to check out her DVD, “Make Your Own Playful Patches Wearable Art Jacket“; her technique guarantees success.

We have 1 more day of the show and I will try to get around and get some photos of some of the other booths for another blog.  If there’s time, I might even try to really look at the quilts.  I’ve glanced at them as rush by on my way to the ladies’ room or concession stand and they are just beautiful.  Now I have to cut the borders for the new baby quilt from Paula’s Sophie and Friends collection.  It is so cute and I can’t wait until we have all of the nursery items completed.  The iron baby bed we use for display will finally be used as a real baby bed when we arrange all of the items in it.  (Watch for photos).  Happy quilting for another day.

Gloria and Jill from The Olde Green Cupboard

Sue from the Olde Green Cupboard

Phyllis and Bob from Silver Thimble Quilt Shop in front of the beautiful new quilt Phyllis designed for Marcus Fabrics

Olde Green Cupboard booth at quilt show - beautiful quilts!!!