Holly Blog

244...My Favorite Things...Hearts A Plenty!

It's been so long...and just when I thought things couldn't get any crazier, things did...so it's wonderful to be back.

The Sweet Little Words Quilt from the March/April edition of McCall's Quilting was just returned to me.  It was so precious, I had to call Pam and have her come over to see it in person and snap a few shots to show you...The Pam Kitty Love color palette is positively radiant!

Kudos to Pam Kitty for her lovely, seemingly effortless photos.

Here are some close-ups of Nubin Jensen's delightful quilting...

And a big shout-out to Fat Quarter Shop's Debra Taylor, for her lightning-fast precision piecing...

Hugs all around for all you gals, it takes a dedicated & experienced team to meet the time demands of quilt magazine projects!  In case you haven't actually seen the magazine article, the Sweet Little Words Quilt is being offered as a kit (with two different border color options!).  To see the kit info, just click here.

In addition to all of the quilty-love excitement, there's been friends visiting from out of town, we've been putting the final touches on the Sweet Things collection, had several bouts of frozen pipes at the studio, and our mascot -- a Border Collie/Terrier mix who demands (seemingly endless) hours of exercise on every chilly day we have.  I could go on, but let's get to the really good stuff...

Alice Waters of Chez Panisse, who is a renowned chef from Berkeley California, says that the secret to being a good cook is knowing how to shop (for the best quality ingredients).

People often ask me about my design inspiration & secrets...Yes, there are tales of travels, flea markets & tiny one-of-a-kind boutiques, on quiet, tucked-away-streets in Europe.  More often than not, inspiration sort of "bonks me on the head" while I am walking down the street minding my own business, and *poof* something catches my attention out of the corner of my eye.  Or like the other day, at a little mom & pop store called Andy's Local Market near where I walk my dogs.  Getting a morning coffee, and what did I see amongst an adorable display of Valentine's Day trinkets & treats...?

Naturally, I thought of Pam, & our recent Pam Kitty Love collection...called her immediately.

We came up with the idea to offer all of you a chance to win your very own Pam Kitty Love LunchBox...

So here's the deal...Tell us a wonderful Valentine's story...it could be true romance...a tale about the power of love, or a rom-com, like a first date story that went awry, or a true tale about one of your most beloved & favorite critters.  Make it good, really, really good...and then tell us your story in our comments bar...and we may pick you!

The deadline is Thursday February 14th

The winner will be announced on Tuesday February 19th

Be there, or be square.

(Or keep carrying your lunch in a boring paper bag to work...)

*<:@)

H2

PS~Pam, this one's for you WoOoF!

PPS  thanks to Goji, for being such a willing subject

:oP

 

 

My Favorite Things...236...The Day After Market

It's been too long...Forgive me.  The last 15 months of my life have been filled with new adventures, new friends, lots of fun :o)  but also the craziness of not one, but two moves...& more things to do than I could do myself or delegate.  I had to put several things on hold...and blogging was one of them (even though it is one of my favorite things to do).  Thank goodness things are settling down a bit now...more details on all of the above later.

For the first time since 2003, when we started LakeHouse -- the fabric company, I did not actually make it to Quilt Market.  I came down with my second bout of the flu (in 6 weeks time) the week before market & it really hit me hard.  Luckily, Pam & her daughter Frankie were there to help out...Kudos & Hugs for stepping up girls!

Luckily, Pam took lots of fun shots of the Pam Kitty Love themed LakeHouse booth in Kansas City...(it's like they asked us what color to make the aisle rugs) -- LOL!

On our side & back walls were a combination of oversized posters that I designed for the booth, as well as quilts made by Pam, Nanette from Freda's Hive & Darla Padilla from Wildflower Quilting.  Many of you will recognize the gingham block quilt on the right (click to englarge photo), it's the one that I designed for McCall's Quilting Magazine, and oo la la -- I just love Nanette's sampler quilt!  The "Come Around For Coffee" quilt on the poster in the middle is a freebie click & print pattern from Pam...it's on the right sidebar on her blog...it's UBER CUTE! (I'll show you more color combinations of this quilt from our sale booklet sometime soon--wait till you see how she designed the handles on the coffee cups!)

Here's a couple of close up shots of the little goodies in our booth, (Is it just me, or do Pam's fabrics put a smile on your face too?)...The adorable bags filled with goodies are by Keiko Clark of K Cotton Studio.

Frankie helped us fold dozens of the heart-fan decorations, & Pam's accessories on the clothesline are just darling, aren't they?...

Before I close for today...Don't miss having your own mini version of the Pam Kitty Love sales booklet...just click on the 9-patch Pam Kitty Love sidebar icon to the right--->  So you can run in to your LQS and make sure that they'll be ordering exactly what your heart desires!

Sorry, but the perfectionist in me needs to mention that the colors on the .pdf are not the greatest. (They are muddy!)  Since you've probably seen the colors of Pam's first collection in your LQS, you already know that her color palette is clean & bright and filled with "good cheer".  Most importantly, the new Pam Kitty Love fabrics due out at the end of this year, will "play nicely" with the original Pam Kitty Morning fabrics...so you can't go wrong blending the old with the new.

Sort of reminds me of the song we used to sing in girl scouts..."Make new friends, but ke-ep the old, one is silver but the other's gold"...Do any of you remember singing that song too? 

Back in two shakes...(promise!)

:oP

H2

My Favorite Things...229...Families & Friends at Christmastime

WELCOME TO DAY ELEVEN OF OUR BROWNIE POINTS BLOG-ALONG-ATHON!

This is our second day with Kimberly & her gang over at the Fat Quarter Shop.  Since it's getting so close to Christmas, I'm feeling particularly nostalgic today.  First, I have to show you a picture of Kimberly and her brood, because it is a testament to multi-tasking, hard-working women everywhere...

I first remember meeting Kimberly at the Kansas City Quilt Show several years ago.  Almost every time I've seen her since, she's been walking the show (and pregnant) or she's not been at market because she was too pregnant to travel.

First there was Emma (on Santa's lap), who is looking almost grown up now.  Then the twins (in the matching snowman t-shirts).  Aren't they the sweetest little "toilet tissue" babies you've ever seen?  And in  November, another boy named Christopher.  Yet in the midst of all of all of this "family expansion", Kimberly's created an empire over at the Fat Quarter Shop.

Kimberly, her husband Kevin (who works with her) and all of their kiddles, are living proof that the American Dream still exists. 

As a fellow small business owner, I'd like to commend Kimberly and her "Stay Calm & Carry On" attitude.

Let's all take stock in Kimberly & her success ladies, and look forward to a prosperous New Year.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I'll remind all of you that Fat Quarter Shop is also selling the Fast Flowers Quilt Kit today, and their charity is the Make A Wish Foundation.

I'll be doing a little guest post over at the Jolly Jabber, so click here to go there...hint, more free stuff for deserving fabri-holics.

As we "wrap things up" (no pun intended) for Christmas, one of quilting's funniest is waiting in the wings to be introduced.  Can't wait...LOL

Back in two shakes...H2

PS  if you are here for my stash giveaway, pls leave your comment on this page!

PPS if you are involved in a group that does charitable works, pls click here

 

My Favorite Things...219...Old Friends with New Projects

WELCOME TO DAY ONE OF OUR BROWNIE POINTS BLOG-ALONG-ATHON!

As promised, the Fast Flowers Quilt Kits, are ready in time for Christmas, for your little angel...see more below!

I'm excited to introduce you to Tammy Tadd Designs.  Tammy & first met when our booths were near each other at our first Fall Quilt Market in Houston.  I've seen her evolve from a quilt & pattern designer into a shop owner, blogger & all around bon vivant.  Tammy's got the most colorful little quilt shop in Sycamore Illinois. 

Here's a close up of some of the beautiful Christmas tree ornaments that Tammy has made with our Fun Flowers fabrics.  Leave it to Tammy to kick off the holidays with this charming assortment of hand made & store bought ornaments.  Notice the jumbo ric rac she's using in her tree as a garland...a girl after my heart!

For more pics of Tammy's shop and clever designs, see Tammy's Blog--A Tadd More.

  

 

Tammy will be offering the Fast Flowers Quilt Kit for sale on her website, along with lots more projects that use LakeHouse fabrics.  As mentioned, I'll be donating $5.00 for every Fast Flowers Quilt Kit she sells to her favorite charity:  Tails Humane Society.

Just remember, the FREE Fast Flowers quilt pattern is available online at the Quilts & More website, so click here to see more pictures of the Fast Flowers quilt, and download your free pattern.

I'll be offering a FREE downloadable HOLLYTIPS TIP SHEET in addition to the FREE PATTERN later this week on the sidebar...(because you know how picky I am about quilt construction).

Come back tomorrow for more on Tammy and some of the fabulous freebies & special offers she'll be offering during our Brownie Points event...

So many of you write to us, wanting information on where to purchase LakeHouse fabrics.   So now's the time to see some of the wonderful independent shops all over the US who carry our fabrics.

Join us won't you?

;o-   H2

 

 

My Favorite Things...215...Little Tykes

I just thought I'd share a little fun news with you all...Paton's nephew Simon Hillis who's now 9 years old, is on the front of SKI magazine this month.

I can remember Simon up at the family cottage in the Muskoka's when he was just a baby.  He wasn't old enough to walk, but he could swim like a fish.

Simon has been on skis since he was 2...how cute is that?

:o)

H2

 

My Favorite Things...207...Anything worth doing is worth doing to excess!

Here's  another "composition" from the new sales booklet, that I made to show how I envisioned the colors & images going together.

 

If I do say so myself, this is sort of yummy, don't you think?

back in two shakes...

H2

My Favorite Things...206...Small Victories

This is the rear cover for the new Penelope collection...I am JUST LOVING how the NEW COLOR PALETTE...from soft to light and jewel toned, rich & dark...YUMMMMMMY!

Part Two...How I found the inspirational fabric for the Penelope line...

Can't exactly remember how things transpired verbally after that.   All I know is how fascinated I was with "the very odd artsy woman" that was now at the other end of my scraps of fabric.  I just wanted to stare at her and figure out what her story was, but I didn't want to lose my "prized fabric" to her.

I walked up to the attendant and inquired about the price.  Basia, (I found out her name later) followed closely.  In the end we vaguely discussed what we each wanted it for, and decided that I would split up the scraps with her, since all I needed was enough to see the whole repeat.

Thought that I would never see anything like Basia again in my lifetime...Boy was I wrong.  It turned out that on that particular trip to Paris, I had also planned on going to London for a few days before returning to Paris and taking my flight home.

There are a dozen or more interesting little shopping districts/neighborhoods in London that have wonderful idiosyncratic "independent" shops.  One day when I went to Sloane Square (a chi-chi little enclave made popular by Lady Di) I spotted a little jewel of a spot with luscious window displays...I went in.  It was an odd little place...one HUGE table running down the middle with all sorts of eccentricities displayed in a beautiful still life.  There before me was a pair of 18th century-inspired mules (think Marie Antoinette before the guillotine!)  It was covered in "my" fabric from the flea market in Paris. 

To make a long story even longer, apparently I didn't see the sign "DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING" right next to the shoes, and as if they had a laser system in place to catch the likes of me, a little bell went off and who rushed out of the back room, but the "artsy lady"!

Apparently I am so nondescript that she didn't recognize me from the week prior, as she scolded me and shooed me out of her museum store onto the street.

The unusual woman's name is Basia Zarzycka.  She is known for her couture "bling - cha - ching" wedding dresses and custom finery.  Her store is still in the same place just off Sloane Square. 

Here are a few pics of Basia & her "stuff"...

Trust me ladies, the above picture of Basia with her "headdress", while eccentric and "over - the - top" IMHO, is light years away from the kabuki-faced goth get up that I first saw Basia in at Cligancourt!

 

I got these pics off Basia's website.  The eerily real poodle handbag can be yours for 10,000 pounds (that's $15,098.10 to you and me at today's exchange rate, plus of course an almost 20% VAT tax and a 5% exchange loss, of course). LMAO!!!

Guessing this is one of her wedding gowns...check out the detailing on the sleeves...part fairy princess and court jester.

Hope you enjoyed my little trip down memory lane today.  I'll be previewing more of the Penelope collection in the next week or so...so much to show & tell you...

Back in two shakes...

X;O)

My Favorite Things...205...Encore Paris!

The new Penelope sales booklet front cover.  This new collection is due out in about two weeks at Spring Quilt Market in Minneapolis. . .

Hello Ladies,

I have been in a "Paris state of mind" lately...Missing the flea markets, the patisserie, the confisserie...I could go on, but to those of you who know me, I'm a bit of a broke record when it comes to Paris.

I've named my new "Penelope en Paris"  It's the fourth intro we've done of the Teatime Floral series...The color palette is slightly muted.  It looks great in with "tea stained" fabrics. 

It all started with the piece of a slipcover that I found at a little stall at the now famous Cligancourt flea market just outside of Paris. I'll never forget the experience I had buying that scrap of fabric...

So there I am in this little lean-to fabric shop in one of the alleys in Cligancourt.  It's one of the little shanties that seem like they have been there forever.  There are all sorts of tassels, shawls & embroideries hanging in fragments from the ceiling, with piles of large fabric scraps of every description:  huge drapery panels, parts of old quilts, you name it..all over the floor.  The aisles are tight and the people, and as you might expect, are as eccentric as the day is long. 

I spotted a lovely 19th century floral scrap of cotton out of the corner of my eye.  I moved over to it and began examining it for the quality of the printing, the repeat sizes, the motifs.  I loved it, but I stood around with it in my hand, thinking about what to do with it...it seemed a little sophisticated back then.  I closed my eyes and the next thing I know I feel a tug on the fabric that I was holding.  Opening my eyes a woman in a "get up" that was a cross between Vampira & a Nicholas Nickleby character, had her paws on the fabric I had not yet relinquished.

She clearly wanted the fabric that I had in my hand, and she wasn't giving up until she had it...

I'll finish this little tome in my next blog, when I tell you the rest of the story and show you the other cover from our new sales presentation booklet....it has some unexpected twists & turns and a trip in the Chunnel...so stay tuned.

Back in two shakes...

H2

My Favorite Things...204...Dolly Dresses Fabrics, Coming to a Store Near You!

It's finally here, and on it's way to a favorite independent quilt shop near you.  Fabric for the Dolly Dress Up Quilt that was published in McCall's Quilting March/April 2010 issue...and all of the other little goodies from the Dolly Dresses 2 Collection, too.  The Dolly Dresses 3 fabrics (with the alphabet panel, etc) will be in the stores 4 to 6 weeks later.

For those shops kitting the Dolly Dress Up Quilt, I have a special diagram on how to cut the Dolly Dresses panels...LH 09002 & LH 09003.  PLEASE LOOK AT THIS CUTTING DIAGRAM BEFORE YOU CUT ANY PANELS--It will maximize your yield for kits!  It's really easy...Download the click & print .pdf file we made for you in the right side column.

Many of you already know that there were lots and lots of quilts made out of the Dolly Dresses Panels for our blog event back in December '09.  If you want to refer back to those projects (some of the projects will be offered as a pattern), click on the DOLLY BLOG icon in the left side column.

Meanwhile back at the studio, we've been hard at work on another free pattern to go with our new Fun Flowers fabrics that will be out in late summer/early fall.  We'll be introducing the Pinwheel Party Quilt at Spring Quilt Market in May in Minneapolis.

For the first time ever, LakeHouse Dry Goods will be offering the quilt pattern  in a "Quick & Easy" panel format as well as a traditional "Cut & Piece" method.

Here's a little sneak peek at the Pinwheel Party Panel LH 10027 used in the "Q & E" version of the quilt:

We'll show you the whole quilt when we get back from Quilt Market at the end of May.

That's all for now gals, it's as busy as Santa's workshop here today, as we prepare for SQM.

Back in two three shakes...

:ø)

H2

My Favorite Things...198...Late Bloomers!

Day 13 of 16

I'm happy to say that today's guest Elizabeth Scott is one of my favorite quilting buddies.  I am trying to remember how we met, since we haven't been across the aisle at quilt market...I think it was the blogging connection. It might have been through Pam Kitty, who as most of you know is her BFF.

Rumor has it that Elizabeth is doing something very special with her quilt...She is going to auction it off for Irish Flood Relief...SO YOU MUST go on over to see what's up at the The Late Bloomer, and bid on Elizabeth's adorable quilt!

Let's see if I can make a guinea pig face with a few quick key strokes...?

:x>

That's all I got...a guinea pig with a goatee?

H2