Sunday, October 31, 2010

Sunshine in the Shadows Block Done!!

I'm thrilled! I finally finished the third block in the Mystery Block of the Month.
I am naming it...
Sunshine in the Shadows ...

for Amber!

I hope you like it Donna!!

When I drew the lines for transferring...
I accidentally drew twice on some
of the flowers.
So I decided to fill those few in with 
the satin stitch.

But once a few of them were done...
they all had to be done.

And you know...
I think it was one of those
happy mistakes!

It really made the little flowers 
stand out on this background...
which was something I was concerned about.

Here's a close-up...

Well...we pulled into Las Cruces last night
about midnight...
after a 13 hour day in the car.

We'll pull into Houston probably in the 
early hours of the morning.
Sigh...
What a week!

I will tell you about my last day in Panguitch...
in my next post.

The Guitar Man is wanting me
to get my boot'a' in the car!

Stitchin' and Travelin' Hugs...
      John'aLee

Monday, October 25, 2010

Who in their Right Mind does this to themselves????

Plans a major move across country...

Packing up Sewing Supplies...

Boxes and more Boxes...


Sewing, Hobby Home, Countryside Magazines to sort through....


Final Boxes in the Sewing Room

All while getting thousands of dollars of inventory ready...
for the biggest show of the year...
Houston Quilt Market...

Pillowcase Kits and Cut Yardage...

Tory working away on a Meet Me In Paris Kit...
See the labels on the left side? Yes...all of our kits are labeled. A pain to do...but our customers love it.

Ahh....Piles and Piles of Scraps left....
Fabric Packs Ready To be Loaded in the Trailer

Bolts and Bolts...emptied...
All of this work is taking place out back here in our Historical Granary
AND have a deadline to get a new
block out for 
our
Mystery Block of the Month..


I'm even going to show you where I slave
away on this new block...
my bedroom...



Now really girls??


What INSANE person....
would SHOW...
pictures to the whole world
of this?


Even her unmade bed???


You all see my booth at shows...
and think everything looks perfect...


Just wanted you to see...


what really goes on behind the scenes.


Nope! I'm far from perfect!!

Ahh....

the Truth is out....

Relief....

Now go and have a good day....
and get a lot of Stichin' done!!

Hugs...
    John'aLee

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Okay....I'm going to tell you about when my husband left with his secretary 18 years ago....




I can't begin to tell you what an uplifting
time this last week has been!
I was in my old stomping grounds...
where my ex husband left me 18 years ago...
when he left with his secretary...
leaving me with 4 little kids to raise on my own.


I never dreamed that years later I would be
back in the same area...
with tons of people praising me for my work...
and that I would have a business credibility
far and wide all across the nation.
Maybe if I did...
I wouldn't have shed so many tears!
So this is a special thanks to all of you
who stopped by...
and left encouraging words


about us...
our booth...
our designs...
and whatever else.

I love you all!
(Keep reading....I tell more about that crazy life on down in the post...)

The Pacific Int'l Quilt Show I will never forget.
I was so wiped out after our all-night drive...
and long set up the next day....
but somehow
Thursday morning I showed up.
To see people running down the aisle
to get to our booth first
so they could have 
first pick of the Meet Me In Paris Kits...
set the whole scene for me.

We took tons of sign ups for the new
Mystery BOM...
which is always humbling for me....
to think people trust my design capabilities...
still amazes me.
I asked a few ladies how they could
sign up not even knowing what the final quilt
was going to be....
Their answer...."Look at your booth...
and the quilts you've already created."
More humbling moments....
because I know any gifts 
I've been blessed with
are truly from God above...
and really don't have anything to do with me at all!

Then Joanna of Fig Tree stopped by...
and loved the new Block of the Month.
She even sent me an email!
See...I get awestruck by these celebs too!
Check out her blog:
Fig Tree Quilts


I am tickled pink with Verna from The Vintage Spool's
new Fabric Line called Heavenly Peace!
And it's all on the way!!
6 boxes filled with these yummy fabrics.
I will get them on the website just as soon as I can.
We will be making Meet Me In Paris kits
out of this line for the Houston show...
so if any of you want one...
call me before they are all gone.


I'm seriously thinking about offering
her new pattern with these fabrics Noel 
as a Block of the Month 
for next year!
What do you all think?
We could start in January....
and have a new Christmas Quilt
by Christmas!
Any takers?

And my oh my if you haven't met or seen
Bird Brain Designs....
Click Here! 
you must check them out.
They stopped by our booth the last day...
and what a hoot they are!
They are 65 and 70 years old...
drive a motor home around the country...
peddling their wares...
all by themselves...
without a man!
I didn't realize they even knew who I was...
but when they said, 
"Oh John'aLeeeveryone loves you! 
Everybody knows who you are!" 
I was surprised yet once again.
I think they are going to be my new heros...
They turned me on to Transfer Eze.
I'm going to try it out today.
It's a way to put your embroidery designs
into the computer with this paper
and it comes out with the drawings.
You peel off the back
and put it on to your piece.
WaLa....then stitch away.
No more drawing it on!!

Now to tell you about my girlfriends...
I was thrilled to meet up with three of them...
I stopped in and had dinner with my prayer warrior friend Nancy in Las Vegas. This is her Whimsy Lane Quilt from my pattern!
Where would I be without you girl???
 
A girlfriend I haven't seen in probably 30 years....
drove across town to have dinner with me...
we sat and talked til late in the night.

Another girlfriend came on Saturday night
to have dinner with me.
Now I have to tell you about her.

Chelsie was one of the first people who ever became
one of my design clients.
The year was 1992...
my husband had just walked out with his secretary....
leaving me with a pile of bills....
I was an at home mom and wife...
with no college education.
I knew there was no way I could go and get a 9-5 job...
with 4 little ones and all...
I think they were about 3,4, 7 and 8.
I moved us out of the big house we were renting...
and into a dumpy little apartment...
went and signed up for welfare...
yes...welfare girls.
(I was on it for 6 months while I struggled to
get my business off the ground.)
No loans from anyone....
just good ole hard work.

 I printed up these flyers....
and started walking the elite neighborhoods of the bay area....
knocking on doors....
trying to convince people they needed
my design services.
Several doors were slammed
but one brave lady...
My first client told me she wanted shutters.
I said, "Sure I can do shutters"...
I didn't know anything about shutters....
"I will have my installer out tomorrow to take measurements."
I no more had an installer ...
than I had a husband to support me!
But I stayed up the better part of the night 
figuring it all out..
and had an installer out the next day.
I made $ 1200 for a day's work
and told myself...
Okay...I can raise and support these kids on my own.
To say my self esteem was on the floor
at this time would be an understatement.
I had been married to this man for 12 years....
who had gone out with hundreds of women...
literally!
Cocaine, alcohol in the high society....
he was a corporate pilot...
ahh the drama.

So back to Chelsie.
The night I went to her house....
I was standing there measuring her windows
when she said to me....
"John'aLee...
you flaunt in here like you don't have a care 
in the world."
I stopped...
turned around....
and said,
"Chelsie...I have 4 little kids...
and my husband just walked out!"
Her response....
"Girlfriend...sit down!
We have to talk!"
I was there til midnight
telling her my story.

She believed in me...
even when I didn't believe in me.

 She's loved my girls like her own...
and had to hear all about Tory's 
stint in jail.
She has one of those rare gifts...
of drawing people out...
and getting them to tell their stories...
putting her own stories aside.

We love you Chels!

Okay....
Just a little teaser of the quilts to come...









We stopped in and saw Ken's mom in McFarland on the way home.
Here's him with his brother and sister!

Tory got to meet up with her BFF in Vegas

Then it was on to St George...

Me and my sweet girls!
Ashley's little family!
This is what a little grand boy looks like
after his grandma gets through with him...
curls in his hair!!

My darling son-in-law.
While we were there he hopped on to the computer
and worked on my patterns.
He's always so ready and willing to help!

My son and his sweet wife and little boy Ryan...
having breakfast with us at The Bear Paw
Gotta love this pic!

This picture really shows how this last run
wore out my poor hubby!
He was beat...
and not looking forward to going home...
to the monstrous pack-up and move job!


My oldest daughter Brooke Danielle
Brooke's husband Brian...my other sweet son-in-law!

And their son Cole...my first ever grandchild!


So now I must head into my sewing room.
I'm determined to get the most of this third block
in Buttercream Summer done today...
so I can mail it all out to you before I leave.


Sweet Stitchin'~~


     John'aLee

Thursday, October 21, 2010

3rd Block in Buttercream Summer Block of the Month is well on it's way!!


Oh...I just have to tell you about this block!!
The first ever sign-up for this quilt
was a sweet lady
at the Knoxville TN show.
Donna Snell.
She told me about losing her daughter...
after caring for her while she was sick.

When she saw my rough drawing...
and this sunflower....
she told me her daughter
LOVED sunflowers!
So I am dedicating this block
to her and her daughter.
It is stories like these
that give our quilts "Life"!

Thank you Donna for being brave enough
to sign up for a "Mystery" Quilt...
and trusting my design process!
Sending you Quilting Hugs across the wires.

You all check out her blog:
Sugar Spice and Southern Life
 

Here are a few close-ups.
Now this is a work in progress...
some of the sea coral flower points have to
be remade...
there is a lot more hand embroidery
to be added...
  And some of my blanket stitch...
has gotten shuffled around
in traveling.
I must fix it up.
I did have all the embroidery done
on the flowers.
I did it in the 'stem stitch'....
but because of the shuffling around in the car...
I had to rip it all out.
Tomorrow I will redo them in the 
back stitch.
I now understand why most designers
do these flowers in the back stitch
and not the stem stitch.
The stem stitch pulls
around the circular edges.


If you want to see more of the design process
of this block....


I still can't believe that I was able to
do the better part of this
embroidery work...
 in the car!!
Bumps and all!
Can you tell I am determined to get this
out to you gals by the first of November??

To   a'stitchin    I go....


Toodles....
John'aLee

P.S Stay tuned...I have lots to tell about
the PIQF Show!!

Friday, October 15, 2010

Having Fun at the Show!

Tory helping us to get ready for PIQF.
 What a day Tuesday was...
We pulled into Panguitch late Monday night...
had to wake up at 6 am. to go pick up
my daughter from...
the country club on the hill!
Oh to give her a hug,
after 4 long months 
of only talking to her through a window. 
Tory and I having dinner at Tusca.


She immediately went to work
helping us.
It was a good thing we had help...
We didn't leave town until 5 p.m.
and then literally drove all night...
pulling into Santa Clara CA
at 5 am Wednesday morning.
Wow! I refuse to do that again!
I'm getting too old for this.
We grabbed a few hours sleep
then...
down to the convention center...
to start setting up.
Our new 'Meet Me in Paris' kits!
My Winter Roses Rag Quilt Pattern
Goodies...and more goodies!
I've gotta run....
Another day at the show!
Toodles....
             John'aLee