Here is our booth at Road to CA.  I think I took this photo on Sunday.  We were pretty cleaned out by then!  Thank you shoppers.  I love that they carpet the entire show floor.  Thank you Carolyn!

And here I am with my dear husband and partner in crime . . Oliver.  He wrote all the historical narrative for Away From Home.  Teaching Early American History at California State University Bakersfield for the past 30+ years has been good practice for writing a quilt book with me.
I took LOADS of photos of the spectacular quilts. I will try to post those soon.
Two of my hometown girls, Cindy Krug and Molly Hamilton won best of show.  Here they are with their stunning quilt. Cindy taught me how to machine quilt!

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Okay, it's been QUITE a while since I have blogged.  Finishing up the Mill Girls' first draft, editing it, cutting shop kits for Amish With A Twist, my first BOM with Marcus Fabrics,  finishing The Mill Girls BOM (again with Marcus), and now trying to complete the Mill Girls BOM patterns has kept me busy, busy, busy.  Oh, and in there was a trip to Ontario, Ca to vend at Road to California, and a weekend vending at the Cotton Patch Quilter's Guild biennial show here in Bakersfield,
I feel like I've been working from dawn to dusk seven days a week!  But what a whirlwind of experiences I have had.
So let me show you a few things from the list above!

Here's the feature quilt for Away From Home: Quilts Inspired by the Lowell Factory Girls.  The book is scheduled for an April 2012 release and is being published by Kansas City Star.

And here is The Mill Girls: 1830-1850 block of the month quilt.  It is a 10 month program that will run in shops starting September, 2012. Encourage your local shop to participate!

A swatch chart of The Mill Girls' fabric collection.  Judie worked with the archivist from Old Sturbridge Village to create a collection authentic of the time period.
Now switching gears . . .

 

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It is almost time for the fantastically fabulous Road To California Quilt Show!  Please stop by and visit us in booth 313/315 to see our new projects, kits, and fabric!

To learn more about Road to CA, click here: http://www.youtube.com/embed/W1-PRsFAiZE

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A big cheer went up here on the day I shipped off the quilts for Away From Home: Quilts Inspired by the Story of the Lowell Factory Girls.  I worked doggedly to get nine quilts/projects done for the deadline.  But I only finished eight.  The ninth was not done.  My sense of triumph was tinged with a bit of disappointment.  But Donna, my editor assured me that eight was quite enough for a book.  But you haven't seen this ninth quilt, I thought.  It really fits with the story we are telling in the book.

But luck was on my side.  The photographer wasn't available until December 9th.  Is this an odd coincidence?  Quilt number nine, Dec. 9??  Donna told me get it done and to her before Dec 9 and it's in the book.

Although #9 was not done, I eked out some here any there over the Thanksgiving holiday.  When the family was in watching football, I was in my sewing room.  When everyone was sleeping in the day after Thanksgiving, I was up early making the binding.  Here's a picture that shows where I was.

So today after my daughter headed home to San Diego with her cute little dog Jack riding shotgun, I sewed the binding to the quilt.  Tonight I'll sit in front of the TV with Oliver and watch our favorite shows that all seem to be on Sunday night and sew down the binding, add a label and a hanging sleeve. 

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It's been quite a while since I blogged about the quilt I'm making for my upcoming book, Away From Home: Quilts Inspired by Lowell Mill Girls, (Kansas City Star Books pub).  Getting ready for my first Quilt Market put things on hold for a while, but I am back at work, trying to make my November 17 deadline.
Here is the center panel all appliqued.  The spool blocks are being arranged and a row of them are added to the top and bottom of the center panel.  

Now it's time to arrange the border blocks I've been piecing and appliqueing. Still have a few blocks to finish. 

All the blocks are done and sewn to the top.  Just two more borders to go.  Moved to the design floor "aka. the living room".

Loaded on my Millie.  Time to quilt . . . .

 . . . and quilt . . .

 . . .and quilt. . . and still quilting!  In this last photo you can see a little bit of the last two borders.

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