Sadly, I haven't spent much quality time with my computer for a while (as you can see by how long it's been since I last blogged), but on a happy note that means I've been sewing like a crazy woman.
A couple of weeks ago, I went to a week end quilt retreat and "officially" started making projects for my new book -- the modern one -- with Kansas City Star. Of course the book won't come out until 2016 but time flies so I know that it's really right around the corner. I can proudly say that I have one top completed and two more in the works out of the 14+ projects. Not a bad start. Of course, ow that we're headed into the holiday season, I probably won't have much time to work on it until after CHristmas, but at least I can say that I have started.
I wanted to talk more about how this new book project is so very different from the first two book experiences. So grab a cup of coffee and keep reading!
After my book proposal was accepted this time, I began brainstorming how I could get this book out into the world more when it was published. At the same time I was thinking about how expensive it is to put a book together and decided that I wanted to try to defray some of the costs associated with writing a book (you know like fabric, batting, backing, notions -- did I mention fabric?).
Over the past four years, I've met a lot of people in the industry and I've developed some important contacts. One of my best contacts was a magazine editor who'd been in the business a long time so she knew lots of people so I contacted her to see if I could pick her brain for contacts for my book. She was very gracious and gave me several names to get me started. In the past, she had helped me make connections with Connecting Threads and Fairfield. Not only did she give me some of her contacts, she also made suggestions as to other companies to contact.
If you actually knew me, you would find the thought of me actually asking for stuff from companies to be a very odd notion, because I'm not usually so forward. But in the last four years, I have learned something very important that I am going to share with you:
IF YOU ASK FOR SOMETHING, YOU MIGHT JUST GET IT. BUT IF YOU DON'T ASK, YOU CERTAINLY WON'T GET IT.
Basically what I mean by this is that you shouldn't be afraid to try something because worst case scenario is that what you're asking just won't happen. You aren't losing anything by trying, and you just might get what you want.
When it comes to the quilt industry, I've learned that most people are kind and respectful. They are not going to call you names or ridicule you, so go ahead and ask. Of course, you have to remember that these kind and respectful people are also busy, overworked, and stressed so it may take several tries to get their attention. Also keep in mind that right before, during, and right after Quilt Market is not the time to make any requests or inquiries because pretty much everything grinds to a halt as companies prepare for, do, and then recover from Quilt Market. But beyond that, go ahead and try, you might be pleasantly surprised how easy it really is.
So....you're designing a quilt to submit to a magazine and you want to use a specific fabric collection -- well, go ahead and contact the company and see if they'd be interested in supplying the fabric to you. Doing a blog giveaway? Contact some companies to see if they'd be interested in donating items for the blog giveaway.
I know this sounds pretty incredible, but it happens. AND IT HAPPENS A LOT IN THE QUILT WORLD. Why? you want to know. It's simple, really. Let's say a fabric company gives you fabric to make a quilt for a magazine. You make the quilt and include the company's name in your instructions as providing XYZ collection. Once the magazine comes out and 50,000 quilters see the company's name in your instructions as well as the finished product, then a certain number of those quilters are going to either want the fabric for another project or else they want to make your quilt design exactly as you have. So you got free fabric and the company gets great advertising.
For my current book project, the companies that have generously provided supplies for the book will get their names in the book and I will of course promote them on my blog, Facebook, etc. And when the book comes out in 2016, I hope that the companies will promote the book to their customers because their products were used in the book.
Stay tuned for the next blog in this mini-series to see the goodies that I've received for my book so far. :)
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Thinking About Writing a Quilt Book?
Now that I'm getting ready to write my third quilt book, I am just amazed at how different the experience is this time around -- already -- and I haven't even begun making any quilts yet or writing any directions. Why is that? you might ask.
Let me tell you about my experiences with my first book, ORPHAN BLOCK QUILTS. I was really lucky with this book. I just happened to be at a friend's going away party (yes, she was a quilter). At the party was another sewist/quilter, Cheryl, who just so happened to have a copy of her very first book with her. I knew Cheryl from working in the quilt shop, but I didn't know her well at that point. Since I'd been thinking a lot about writing a book on using my orphan quilt blocks, I screwed up my courage and asked her how she got published. Cheryl was an incredible source of information AND was willing to share. Thank you, Cheryl! At some point that evening, I told her about my book idea using orphan quilt blocks to make new quilts. I made sure to mention that no other book had been done on that topic before that I knew of. Cheryl thought the idea sounded good and said that she'd mention it to her editor. Whoah!
It truly is the "who you know" that gets your foot in the door, but it's the "what you know" that gets you the job....or the book, in this case.
Interestingly enough, I believe the party was on a Thursday or Friday evening and for some reason I had a three day week end with Monday off. Amazingly enough, Monday morning I received a call from Cheryl's editor!!!! After a discussion, she invited me to submit a book proposal.
Could it really be that easy?
NO! Of course not. I submitted my book proposal and waited.....and waited......months passed by. Then eventually I received a rejected email -- they were sorry but they had already accepted a similar-type book. I was crushed. Totally crushed. I had always wanted to be a "writer" and now on my first try, I had failed. Then one day while driving home from work, I had a great idea that changed my original book idea. So I emailed the editor again. She liked the revised idea and we resubmitted the new and improved book proposal, which was eventually accepted. It took about two years from the submittal of my first proposal to the actual acceptance. Apparently in the middle of this, the company underwent a reorganization which really put a lot of things on hold.
Have heart, don't give up if you want to write a quilt book, too -- I'm pretty sure that the two years to acceptance is definitely NOT the norm. So, keep reading, please.
After my first book came out in 2010, I began thinking about a second book idea. I had several thoughts, but one of my ideas definitely shone above the rest, so I began talking to my editor. She took my ideas to the board and, although they liked the idea, they didn't want to commit to another project until they could see how the first book did. Please keep in mind what was happening with the economy at this time -- the recession. My first book did so-so, but was definitely not anything spectacular. I did have several great reviews and a lot of new opportunities surfaced because of my first book, even if the book never made the best seller list (LOL!).
I kept pestering my editor from time to time about writing a second book, and eventually the board decided that they did not want to work with me on a second project, no matter how good the idea was.
One of my new opportunities led me to International Quilt Market in 2011 (my second Market). I had a goal in mind when I went -- I was on the lookout for a new publisher.
You may wonder how I decided which ones to approach? I LOOKED AT MY COLLECTION OF QUILT BOOKS, OF COURSE! I looked at my favorite books and I saw who published them. Then I looked at the publishers' websites to see what else they published. I narrowed my list down to three or four good possibilities with Kansas City Star at the top.
To prepare for Market, I wrote short descriptions of my favorite two or three ideas along with some sample designs and a short bio of myself. I also included my contact information. I took four or five of these packets with me (thinking positively).
I stopped by Martingale and a few others and mostly I was able to get some information and saw the books that they were currently offering, but the right people weren't available to pitch my idea to. Eventually, I worked up enough courage and walked into the Kansas City Star Booth. I took a deep breath and found a KCS employee and asked about the process of submitting a book proposal. Edie (who I found out later was one of the main editors at KCS), was very kind and I took the chance to pitch my book. We must have talked for a half hour! At the end of our conversation, she invited me to submit my proposal. She even gave me some hand outs. I was really hyped!
But scared, of course. It took me about a month to actually sit down and get down to the business of writing a book proposal for my top book idea. Finally it was done, and I submitted my first proposal to KCS. Two weeks later, I had an acceptance email! After my first book experience, this was incredible!!!!!
Now let's fast forward a bit. When I went to International Market in Fall 2013 to promote my first book with Kansas City Star, A RUSSIAN JOURNEY IN QUILTS, which was timed nicely with the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, The KCS people were very supportive and asked several times if I was thinking of my next book. After the experience with my first publisher, I was so surprised that they would even ask since my book had just come out. Their nonchalant answer was that they didn't make their authors wait a certain period of time between books. This made me super excited, but I wasn't quite ready yet -- I wanted to concentrate on a Russian Journey in Quilts for a while.
Then I went to Market in May 2014 in Pittsburgh, and everything changed. I was there promoting my book to a more local crowd (since a good portion of the story takes place in northwestern PA). The book seemed to generate a lot of interest in Pittsburgh so I started thinking about writing another book. There was so much inspiration, every direction that I turned, and I made the decision that my next book was going to be a modern quilt book that didn't include loads of research and writing like my first two books.
After some discussions back and forth with the editor of my Russian Journey book, Kent, and some suggestions from Jenifer Dick who works with the new My Stars section of KCS (which features the new modern quilt books), I submitted my new proposal. Jenifer called me a few days later to clarify a couple things, and within a week of actually submitting the proposal, I had an acceptance! Holy Cow!
Sorry this was so much writing, but I really wanted to explain how the process worked for me. Maybe my experiences will help another would-be quilt author.
Let me tell you about my experiences with my first book, ORPHAN BLOCK QUILTS. I was really lucky with this book. I just happened to be at a friend's going away party (yes, she was a quilter). At the party was another sewist/quilter, Cheryl, who just so happened to have a copy of her very first book with her. I knew Cheryl from working in the quilt shop, but I didn't know her well at that point. Since I'd been thinking a lot about writing a book on using my orphan quilt blocks, I screwed up my courage and asked her how she got published. Cheryl was an incredible source of information AND was willing to share. Thank you, Cheryl! At some point that evening, I told her about my book idea using orphan quilt blocks to make new quilts. I made sure to mention that no other book had been done on that topic before that I knew of. Cheryl thought the idea sounded good and said that she'd mention it to her editor. Whoah!
It truly is the "who you know" that gets your foot in the door, but it's the "what you know" that gets you the job....or the book, in this case.
Interestingly enough, I believe the party was on a Thursday or Friday evening and for some reason I had a three day week end with Monday off. Amazingly enough, Monday morning I received a call from Cheryl's editor!!!! After a discussion, she invited me to submit a book proposal.
Could it really be that easy?
NO! Of course not. I submitted my book proposal and waited.....and waited......months passed by. Then eventually I received a rejected email -- they were sorry but they had already accepted a similar-type book. I was crushed. Totally crushed. I had always wanted to be a "writer" and now on my first try, I had failed. Then one day while driving home from work, I had a great idea that changed my original book idea. So I emailed the editor again. She liked the revised idea and we resubmitted the new and improved book proposal, which was eventually accepted. It took about two years from the submittal of my first proposal to the actual acceptance. Apparently in the middle of this, the company underwent a reorganization which really put a lot of things on hold.
Have heart, don't give up if you want to write a quilt book, too -- I'm pretty sure that the two years to acceptance is definitely NOT the norm. So, keep reading, please.
After my first book came out in 2010, I began thinking about a second book idea. I had several thoughts, but one of my ideas definitely shone above the rest, so I began talking to my editor. She took my ideas to the board and, although they liked the idea, they didn't want to commit to another project until they could see how the first book did. Please keep in mind what was happening with the economy at this time -- the recession. My first book did so-so, but was definitely not anything spectacular. I did have several great reviews and a lot of new opportunities surfaced because of my first book, even if the book never made the best seller list (LOL!).
I kept pestering my editor from time to time about writing a second book, and eventually the board decided that they did not want to work with me on a second project, no matter how good the idea was.
One of my new opportunities led me to International Quilt Market in 2011 (my second Market). I had a goal in mind when I went -- I was on the lookout for a new publisher.
You may wonder how I decided which ones to approach? I LOOKED AT MY COLLECTION OF QUILT BOOKS, OF COURSE! I looked at my favorite books and I saw who published them. Then I looked at the publishers' websites to see what else they published. I narrowed my list down to three or four good possibilities with Kansas City Star at the top.
To prepare for Market, I wrote short descriptions of my favorite two or three ideas along with some sample designs and a short bio of myself. I also included my contact information. I took four or five of these packets with me (thinking positively).
I stopped by Martingale and a few others and mostly I was able to get some information and saw the books that they were currently offering, but the right people weren't available to pitch my idea to. Eventually, I worked up enough courage and walked into the Kansas City Star Booth. I took a deep breath and found a KCS employee and asked about the process of submitting a book proposal. Edie (who I found out later was one of the main editors at KCS), was very kind and I took the chance to pitch my book. We must have talked for a half hour! At the end of our conversation, she invited me to submit my proposal. She even gave me some hand outs. I was really hyped!
But scared, of course. It took me about a month to actually sit down and get down to the business of writing a book proposal for my top book idea. Finally it was done, and I submitted my first proposal to KCS. Two weeks later, I had an acceptance email! After my first book experience, this was incredible!!!!!
Now let's fast forward a bit. When I went to International Market in Fall 2013 to promote my first book with Kansas City Star, A RUSSIAN JOURNEY IN QUILTS, which was timed nicely with the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, The KCS people were very supportive and asked several times if I was thinking of my next book. After the experience with my first publisher, I was so surprised that they would even ask since my book had just come out. Their nonchalant answer was that they didn't make their authors wait a certain period of time between books. This made me super excited, but I wasn't quite ready yet -- I wanted to concentrate on a Russian Journey in Quilts for a while.
Then I went to Market in May 2014 in Pittsburgh, and everything changed. I was there promoting my book to a more local crowd (since a good portion of the story takes place in northwestern PA). The book seemed to generate a lot of interest in Pittsburgh so I started thinking about writing another book. There was so much inspiration, every direction that I turned, and I made the decision that my next book was going to be a modern quilt book that didn't include loads of research and writing like my first two books.
After some discussions back and forth with the editor of my Russian Journey book, Kent, and some suggestions from Jenifer Dick who works with the new My Stars section of KCS (which features the new modern quilt books), I submitted my new proposal. Jenifer called me a few days later to clarify a couple things, and within a week of actually submitting the proposal, I had an acceptance! Holy Cow!
Sorry this was so much writing, but I really wanted to explain how the process worked for me. Maybe my experiences will help another would-be quilt author.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
After a long long vacation away from blogging.....LET'S START OVER WITH QUILT ADDICTION
I really don't have a knock-your-socks-off excuse for ignoring my blog for the last four months. I could lie and say that my dog ate my computer.....but he's only a little dog and the computer wouldn't fit. I could lie and say I volunteered for a risky mission to the moon.....but there's probably wi-fi there.
So instead, I'm just going to start over.
Hi, my name is Tricia Lynn Maloney and I'm a quilt addict.
Maybe you're not a quilt addict, so let me tell you about the life of a quilt addict.
A long time ago, I started collecting antique quilts, blocks, fabrics, patterns/books. If it was about quilting, I saved it. Of course, eventually I decided to teach myself to quilt. Interesting experience. Resulted in my first completed quilt -- hand stuffed with polyester fiber and hand quilted for that homey "biscuit quilt" style that's all the rage.....somewhere. Blue. Lots of blue. Didn't matter what the fabric content was....it just had to be blue. But the amazing thing is that after "Ugly Quilt" I kept right on quilting.
I started making quilty stuff for everyone I know because I really didn't know any better. Now I even prowl the streets at night looking for more "quilt victims"....... Okay, not really, but didn't that sound really scary? (I'm usually too busy quilting, of course.)
I found a job working in a great quilt shop and there my quilting life really exploded because I could work for FABRIC! (If you work in a quilt shop, you know exactly what I mean by this.) I learned all kinds of important stuff while working at the shop like free motion quilting, fabric dyeing, how to cut eight layers of fabric at a time without cutting my hand off. But this still wasn't enough so I started designing my own quilts. Then I started teaching quilt classes. OH NO! This is a terrible disease and highly contagious, I've learned. I even found friends......friends who quilt. This just keeps getting worse and worse, doesn't it?
Then one day, I decided that I wanted to write a book. It took a long time for everyonthing to fit together, but with the help of a -- shall I say it -- quilt friend, I finally got connected to a publisher. My first book, ORPHAN BLOCK QUILTS, came out in 2010. Every quilter's dream, right? To see your name on the front of a book in print. That felt really good so I begain to make plans to get my name on the front of another book. Of couse, I kinda got sidetracked by the quilt magazines and started getting my work published in magazines and other publications.
Then I went back to the second book idea and it happened. Really. My second book came out last year (2013) and was called A RUSSIAN JOURNEY IN QUILTS: THE STORY OF NICHOLAS AND NINA FILATOFF. This books is so very special to me because it tells a story shared by my grandma and it tells the story with quilts. Who knew you could tell a story using quilts?
2014 has been an interesting year for me. The last time I blogged -- back in May -- I was blogging from International Quilt Market in Pittsburgh. It was so totally MY MARKET. Of course, it helped that I live less than 2 hours north of Pittsburgh, so things weren't unfamiliar to me. AND my dear friend (who quilts of course), Leslie, went with me -- which was good because Leslie is from Pittsburgh. Of course, instead of a noisy uncomfortable hotel, we stayed with another good friend of mine, Isaac (who does NOT quilt....yet) in his very comfortable home.
Anyway, Spring Market in Pittsburgh was an amazing experience. I met a lot of great people and the inspiration that I took away from Market was staggering and a bit overwhelming. Probably one of the most important inspirations was that I wanted to write another quilt book. I decided that I didn't want to do a ton of research this time (like my first two books) and I wanted it to have fun quilt projects. After I got home from Market, after a short procrastination period, I wrote and submitted a book proposal. AND IT WAS ACCEPTED very quickly -- faster even than my second book.
So this is where I am at right now with my quilt addiction. Did you know that writing a book is a great way to explore your quilt addiction? You get to spend time shopping for fabrics, petting fabrics, cutting fabrics.......AND YOU GET TO SAY "I AM WORKING." Ha!
In my next blog I'm going to talk about who this book project is SO SO different than the first two.
So instead, I'm just going to start over.
Hi, my name is Tricia Lynn Maloney and I'm a quilt addict.
This is me, Quilt Addict Extraordinaire!
Maybe you're not a quilt addict, so let me tell you about the life of a quilt addict.
A long time ago, I started collecting antique quilts, blocks, fabrics, patterns/books. If it was about quilting, I saved it. Of course, eventually I decided to teach myself to quilt. Interesting experience. Resulted in my first completed quilt -- hand stuffed with polyester fiber and hand quilted for that homey "biscuit quilt" style that's all the rage.....somewhere. Blue. Lots of blue. Didn't matter what the fabric content was....it just had to be blue. But the amazing thing is that after "Ugly Quilt" I kept right on quilting.
I started making quilty stuff for everyone I know because I really didn't know any better. Now I even prowl the streets at night looking for more "quilt victims"....... Okay, not really, but didn't that sound really scary? (I'm usually too busy quilting, of course.)
I found a job working in a great quilt shop and there my quilting life really exploded because I could work for FABRIC! (If you work in a quilt shop, you know exactly what I mean by this.) I learned all kinds of important stuff while working at the shop like free motion quilting, fabric dyeing, how to cut eight layers of fabric at a time without cutting my hand off. But this still wasn't enough so I started designing my own quilts. Then I started teaching quilt classes. OH NO! This is a terrible disease and highly contagious, I've learned. I even found friends......friends who quilt. This just keeps getting worse and worse, doesn't it?
Then one day, I decided that I wanted to write a book. It took a long time for everyonthing to fit together, but with the help of a -- shall I say it -- quilt friend, I finally got connected to a publisher. My first book, ORPHAN BLOCK QUILTS, came out in 2010. Every quilter's dream, right? To see your name on the front of a book in print. That felt really good so I begain to make plans to get my name on the front of another book. Of couse, I kinda got sidetracked by the quilt magazines and started getting my work published in magazines and other publications.
Then I went back to the second book idea and it happened. Really. My second book came out last year (2013) and was called A RUSSIAN JOURNEY IN QUILTS: THE STORY OF NICHOLAS AND NINA FILATOFF. This books is so very special to me because it tells a story shared by my grandma and it tells the story with quilts. Who knew you could tell a story using quilts?
2014 has been an interesting year for me. The last time I blogged -- back in May -- I was blogging from International Quilt Market in Pittsburgh. It was so totally MY MARKET. Of course, it helped that I live less than 2 hours north of Pittsburgh, so things weren't unfamiliar to me. AND my dear friend (who quilts of course), Leslie, went with me -- which was good because Leslie is from Pittsburgh. Of course, instead of a noisy uncomfortable hotel, we stayed with another good friend of mine, Isaac (who does NOT quilt....yet) in his very comfortable home.
Anyway, Spring Market in Pittsburgh was an amazing experience. I met a lot of great people and the inspiration that I took away from Market was staggering and a bit overwhelming. Probably one of the most important inspirations was that I wanted to write another quilt book. I decided that I didn't want to do a ton of research this time (like my first two books) and I wanted it to have fun quilt projects. After I got home from Market, after a short procrastination period, I wrote and submitted a book proposal. AND IT WAS ACCEPTED very quickly -- faster even than my second book.
So this is where I am at right now with my quilt addiction. Did you know that writing a book is a great way to explore your quilt addiction? You get to spend time shopping for fabrics, petting fabrics, cutting fabrics.......AND YOU GET TO SAY "I AM WORKING." Ha!
In my next blog I'm going to talk about who this book project is SO SO different than the first two.
Saturday, May 17, 2014
More Market
Today was day 2 of Market. I had a book signing this morning and it was awesome. Mark Lipinski stopped by to share a hug before my signing which was a great start to my day. There was a great turn out for my signing -- we ran out of books but people were buying them from the booth! Wow! Got to talk to a lot of really nice shop owners.....hope they take my book. Ack to their shops to show their customers. One of my magazine editors stopped by and brought Marianne Fons along. Darlene Zimmerman even stopped by! It was a great signing and got me really hyped.
I talked to a quite a few fabric companies because I'm still interested in getting back into fabric design so we'll see how things go.
My friend Leslie and I had dinner with our friends, Konda Luckau of Moose on the Front Porch and Machelle Preston, from Utah. Quilt Market is so awesome because of the opportunity to meet lots of people who have similar interests and to make some great friendships along the way!
I talked to a quite a few fabric companies because I'm still interested in getting back into fabric design so we'll see how things go.
My friend Leslie and I had dinner with our friends, Konda Luckau of Moose on the Front Porch and Machelle Preston, from Utah. Quilt Market is so awesome because of the opportunity to meet lots of people who have similar interests and to make some great friendships along the way!
Friday, May 16, 2014
SPRING QUILT MARKET IN PITTSBURGH
Well,,here I am blogging Fromm Market in Pittsburgh. Today was he first day of the show but yesterday was Schoolhouse. if you've never attended Schoolhouse, you're really missing some intense and exhausting fun. There are thirteen sessions ranging from 15 minutes to 30 minutes. During each session, you get to select one program and then you go from program to program all day. it's really quite exhausting but still really fun and often educational too because these lectures tell you about new products, techniques, books, programs, etc.
I had a Schoolhouse lecture yesterday but it was scheduled in the last session which is the least desirable slot for the whole day! I was promoting the Block of the Month program with my book, A Russian Journey in Quilts. Although I was tired and the small but intrepid audience was also tired, we muddled through and I think there was some decided interest in my book.
So, anyway, today was the opening day of the trade show. It was really a glorious day. My friend, Leslie, accompanied me and we spent a fun laid back day. We visited with some old friends and caught up with some newer friends. We also made some new aquaintences too!
We caught up with Mark Lipinski and he remembered me for my book and Leslie for her Pittsburgh accent! We chatted for a couple minutes and he told me that my book made him love Kansas City Star books again! WOW! Then he told me that I better get my stuff together and write another book!
I had the opportunity to meet the amazing and very talented artist Deb Strain, too.
Later, I was talking about my book with an AQS person and she was so touched by my book because of her family history. It was a very moving experience.
We stopped in to the Fairfield booth and I met up with my contact there, Fairfield is one on my sponsors. We had lots of fun playing with their new product, Foamology-- have you seen it yet? I want to add photos to this blog, but sadly I haven't figured this out on my iPad.
Well, I wonder what tomorrow will bring. Ta ta!
I had a Schoolhouse lecture yesterday but it was scheduled in the last session which is the least desirable slot for the whole day! I was promoting the Block of the Month program with my book, A Russian Journey in Quilts. Although I was tired and the small but intrepid audience was also tired, we muddled through and I think there was some decided interest in my book.
So, anyway, today was the opening day of the trade show. It was really a glorious day. My friend, Leslie, accompanied me and we spent a fun laid back day. We visited with some old friends and caught up with some newer friends. We also made some new aquaintences too!
We caught up with Mark Lipinski and he remembered me for my book and Leslie for her Pittsburgh accent! We chatted for a couple minutes and he told me that my book made him love Kansas City Star books again! WOW! Then he told me that I better get my stuff together and write another book!
I had the opportunity to meet the amazing and very talented artist Deb Strain, too.
Later, I was talking about my book with an AQS person and she was so touched by my book because of her family history. It was a very moving experience.
We stopped in to the Fairfield booth and I met up with my contact there, Fairfield is one on my sponsors. We had lots of fun playing with their new product, Foamology-- have you seen it yet? I want to add photos to this blog, but sadly I haven't figured this out on my iPad.
Well, I wonder what tomorrow will bring. Ta ta!
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Getting Ready for Spring Quilt Market
It's official -- I am headed to Pittsburgh next month for Spring Quilt Market. This time I am going to promote my book, Russian Journey in Quilts and its Sampler Quilt/ Block of the Month guide.
Did you know that the large sampler quilt in my book can be done as a BLOCK OF THE MONTH program? When I wrote the book I also created a free PDF download for the Russian Journey Sampler BOM guidelines.
I am making another version of the Russian Journey Sampler, which I am calling MODERN GROOVE. I'm using the Neutral Love fabrics from Connecting Threads. It's really weird to me to follow my own directions to make the blocks. Happily, the instructions are very good!! LOL! :)
Did you know that the large sampler quilt in my book can be done as a BLOCK OF THE MONTH program? When I wrote the book I also created a free PDF download for the Russian Journey Sampler BOM guidelines.
I just love love love the focal print in the center (and the borders too) -- this was a retro Russian fabric I bought from Russia. I was s nervous waiting the two months it took to get here....but it finally did and I was certainly not disappointed because it really makes this quilt sparkle!
The Russian Journey Sampler Quilt in the book:
The Russian Journey Sampler Quilt in the book:
I am making another version of the Russian Journey Sampler, which I am calling MODERN GROOVE. I'm using the Neutral Love fabrics from Connecting Threads. It's really weird to me to follow my own directions to make the blocks. Happily, the instructions are very good!! LOL! :)
Here are my blocks so far:
This is what I anticipate the quilt basically looking like when finished. I decided not to make the flag blocks and substituted the focal print instead:
I want to get the top completed before May 7th when I have a Russian Journey in Quilts trunk show and lecture with the Quilter's Night Out guild in Warren, PA.
Then it will be on to Market.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Do You Have a Journal?
At one of my recent quilt guild meetings, a fellow member, Margie, has challenged all of us to begin a journal. At our last meeting we had to take our journal along and Margie gave us an activity for our journal -- create something with your fingerprints (and an ink pad). So, here's my original piece of artwork:
Yes, those are really my fingerprints! LOL! I had so much fun with this that since then I've added several more doodles to my journal, including this Zentangle-esque drawing.
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Next month we are going to begin decorating the cover, both insde and out.
You know, when I was a kid, I tried to keep a journal, but I got tired of writing about homeowrk and friends so I never could keep with it for long. My grandmother kept a journal for most of her life and I'm the lucky caregiver for those journals which are filled with lots of interesting nuggets of stuff. Her journa entries were mostly about the weather and what she did on a day to day basis, but there's lots of fun stuff like her and my grandfather's courtship, my father's (and uncles') births, and of course entries about Nicholas and Nina Filatoff.
My journal on the other hand is going to be a doodle journal where I can put anything I want into it. I don't think it's going to take long to fill it up. So I challenge you to start a doodle journal if you haven't already got one going.
Yes, those are really my fingerprints! LOL! I had so much fun with this that since then I've added several more doodles to my journal, including this Zentangle-esque drawing.
Next month we are going to begin decorating the cover, both insde and out.
You know, when I was a kid, I tried to keep a journal, but I got tired of writing about homeowrk and friends so I never could keep with it for long. My grandmother kept a journal for most of her life and I'm the lucky caregiver for those journals which are filled with lots of interesting nuggets of stuff. Her journa entries were mostly about the weather and what she did on a day to day basis, but there's lots of fun stuff like her and my grandfather's courtship, my father's (and uncles') births, and of course entries about Nicholas and Nina Filatoff.
My journal on the other hand is going to be a doodle journal where I can put anything I want into it. I don't think it's going to take long to fill it up. So I challenge you to start a doodle journal if you haven't already got one going.
Monday, March 31, 2014
What's New With You?
Well, again I've apparrently dropped off the face the planet for a while. I've been thinking about blogging but when I'm on my computer, I'm usually feverishly writing quilt instructions for a quilt that has to be shipped like yesterday. Seriously, I think I've made at least ten quilts since the beginning of January. Most have been for publications, but a few were for the benefit auction for the library where I work. Whew -- it's no wonder I haven't had the energy to blog for a while.
I know the Olympics have been over for more than a month now, but I just wanted to say that I fould them so inspiring. It was amazing to hear about and see places that I only read about while researching and writing my book, A RUSSIAN JOURNEY IN QUILTS. It really made me feel closer to Nicholas and Nina Filatoff.
Of course, now there's been the Crimea sutuation with Russia, too. Even that brings Nicholas and Nina to mind as they once lived in Crimea before fleeing Russia and eventually emigrating to the USA.
I am planning to attend Spring Quilt Market in Pittsburgh in order to promote the Block of the Month Quilt in my book. As I've been thinking about this project and made the decision to create another version of the BOM Sampler quilt (thanks Mel!), my thoughts have been filled with Nicholas and Nina Filatoff. We're planning a book signing and I am hoping to do a Schoolhouse lecture too, but haven't heard back yet as to whether I'm off the waiting list. Hope to see you there!
Here's my book.....again!
Here are a couple photos of Nicholas and Nina Filatoff. The first photo is circa 1915 and was taken in Kremenets, Poland (which in now part of Ukraine). Notice the bandage around Nicholas's head. He had suffered a serious head injury in 1914. Nina was a Red Cross nurse in WWI and Nicholas was a Captain in the Russian Army. The second photo shows Nicholas and Nina in their passport photo before coming to the USA in 1923. Look how much they had aged in nine years.
I know the Olympics have been over for more than a month now, but I just wanted to say that I fould them so inspiring. It was amazing to hear about and see places that I only read about while researching and writing my book, A RUSSIAN JOURNEY IN QUILTS. It really made me feel closer to Nicholas and Nina Filatoff.
Of course, now there's been the Crimea sutuation with Russia, too. Even that brings Nicholas and Nina to mind as they once lived in Crimea before fleeing Russia and eventually emigrating to the USA.
I am planning to attend Spring Quilt Market in Pittsburgh in order to promote the Block of the Month Quilt in my book. As I've been thinking about this project and made the decision to create another version of the BOM Sampler quilt (thanks Mel!), my thoughts have been filled with Nicholas and Nina Filatoff. We're planning a book signing and I am hoping to do a Schoolhouse lecture too, but haven't heard back yet as to whether I'm off the waiting list. Hope to see you there!
Here's my book.....again!
Here are a couple photos of Nicholas and Nina Filatoff. The first photo is circa 1915 and was taken in Kremenets, Poland (which in now part of Ukraine). Notice the bandage around Nicholas's head. He had suffered a serious head injury in 1914. Nina was a Red Cross nurse in WWI and Nicholas was a Captain in the Russian Army. The second photo shows Nicholas and Nina in their passport photo before coming to the USA in 1923. Look how much they had aged in nine years.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia
I've been watching the Olympics over the last couple days. Have you? I must say that I thought the Opening Ceremonies were quite amazing. I really loved the way that Russia touched on its very long history and showed its hope for the future. I've also really enjoyed seeing the scenery surrounding Sochi. What a lovely place.
Of course, as I watch the Olympics, I can't help but think about Nicholas and Nina Filatoff, the people featured in my latest quilt book, A Russian Journey in Quilts. They lived in Southern Russian for a time, and although it wasn't Sochi, I can't help but wonder about their life while they lived there before fleeing to Constantinople and later immigrating to the United States.
I am also thrilled to see the "patchwork" theme of the Olympics. It's on the flags and banners, it's features on the boards of the skating rink, you can see it at the top of the number vests worn by the skiiers and snowboards. It's so exciting to see "quilts" everywhere!
Here's the link to a great article which was actually written in 2011 by my publisher, Doug Weaver, of Kansas City Star Quilts. What's really fun is that this article inpsired me to submit my book proposal to Kansas City Star to begin with!
From Russia Quilts With Love
I hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as I did!
Oh! Before I forget......if you've been enjoying the Olympics, why don't you check out a copy of my book, A Russian Journey in Quilts?
To purchase a signed copy, please visit my website: www.orphanquilter.com.
Of course, as I watch the Olympics, I can't help but think about Nicholas and Nina Filatoff, the people featured in my latest quilt book, A Russian Journey in Quilts. They lived in Southern Russian for a time, and although it wasn't Sochi, I can't help but wonder about their life while they lived there before fleeing to Constantinople and later immigrating to the United States.
I am also thrilled to see the "patchwork" theme of the Olympics. It's on the flags and banners, it's features on the boards of the skating rink, you can see it at the top of the number vests worn by the skiiers and snowboards. It's so exciting to see "quilts" everywhere!
Here's the link to a great article which was actually written in 2011 by my publisher, Doug Weaver, of Kansas City Star Quilts. What's really fun is that this article inpsired me to submit my book proposal to Kansas City Star to begin with!
From Russia Quilts With Love
I hope you enjoy reading this blog as much as I did!
Oh! Before I forget......if you've been enjoying the Olympics, why don't you check out a copy of my book, A Russian Journey in Quilts?
To purchase a signed copy, please visit my website: www.orphanquilter.com.
Monday, January 27, 2014
Monday, January 20, 2014
Schoolhouse Lecture From Houston for A Russian Jounrey in Quilts
The other day I finally posted my schoolhouse lecture from International Quilt Market on youtube.
Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ41J94rIxw
Please check it out and share with your quilting friends!
Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ41J94rIxw
Please check it out and share with your quilting friends!
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
MEA CUPLA
Okay, it seems like I am forever making excuses for not blogging. But the truth is, the last three or four months have really flown by. It seems like just yesterday I was at Quilt Market and ZAP! now it's January! How did that happen?
I know I made five or six quilts between the end of October and Christmas. I created four sample fabric collections to submit to a fabric company. I participated in my Local Artisan Holday Shop. And a host of other things that kept me busy enough that whenever I was on my computer or iPad, I just didn't take the time to blog.
I guess I just need to make blogging more of a priority....
Anyway, I have some GREAT NEWS to share!
Tune into Creative Mojo Internet Radio with Mark Lipinski on January 29th at 3 PM (EST) to hear me talk about my new book, A Russian Journey in Quilts! What fun!
I know I made five or six quilts between the end of October and Christmas. I created four sample fabric collections to submit to a fabric company. I participated in my Local Artisan Holday Shop. And a host of other things that kept me busy enough that whenever I was on my computer or iPad, I just didn't take the time to blog.
I guess I just need to make blogging more of a priority....
Anyway, I have some GREAT NEWS to share!
Tune into Creative Mojo Internet Radio with Mark Lipinski on January 29th at 3 PM (EST) to hear me talk about my new book, A Russian Journey in Quilts! What fun!
Do you have a copy of A Russian Journey yet?????
If not, you can visit any of these fine places to get your own:
Of course, you should definitely check at your local quilt shop too!
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