For those of you who follow Whimsicals Quilts on Facebook, you may have seen some of these pictures already, but it's been so long since I've posted anything here, I thought I would share the journey of my studio from one end of the house to the other. You see, for 10 years I have called an almost 11' x 13' bedroom my "room", my "space", or most of the time, my "cave". It was cozy. It was familiar. It was all mine, with as much "stuff" as I could stuff into it. I was comfortable there.... most of the... Continue reading

Well..... Nothing like running myself down to the point of having a cold, chills, and no voice before going to Quilt Market, feeling a little better while at Quilt Market, only to come home and find myself (and my husband) sick again. You would think that after so many years of doing this that I would learn the importance of proper rest and nutrition, but < sigh > it hasn't sunk in yet. Getting ready for and exhibiting at Quilt Market is always a blur for me and this one was no exception. In fact, the night before we left,... Continue reading

Has it been a long time since I have written a blog post? Oh yea. Do I have a good excuse or reason? Um, no. But I have to be honest and say that blogging is one of the easiest parts of my "job" to ignore and let slide. And really I have no good excuse other than the fact that there is always something else that needs to be done, where blogging falls somewhere between a want and I-know-I-really-should-do-this. So several weeks go by without a posting, which then drags into a month..... or several months..... and I find... Continue reading

First things first. I want to thank each and every one of you for sharing your stories, your hearts, your hurts and prayers. I can't tell you how much they touched me. And made me wonder why I waited to share. Well, besides the fact that I was (and still am) so completely overwhelmed with how far behind I am..... BUT, I do have some good news! Tad's scan came back good and his tumor markers were down, so no surgery is needed right now. He goes back in a month for another check and they will once again look... Continue reading

So, I have some explaining to do because I have been silent for far too long. Like many creative people, I tend to expect a lot out of myself, which leads to working way too many hours and ignoring other things that really need to be done. Like cleaning the house. And doing the laundry. Or writing a blog. And I know that I can ignore those things for only so long before they too start to become another source of stress. Funny how that works. And my way of dealing with it? Go into hiding. Or more specifically, become... Continue reading

As you can imagine, I have been frantically trying to get ready for International Quilt Market, which is in { gasp } less than a week. Where oh where did the time go?! I've had several days in the past few weeks when my parents have graciously come to help out, and because mom always brings her camera and takes pictures, I thought I would let her write a post and share some things from her perspective. So, let me introduce to you..... Mom (aka Jackie)! As you read, you will see that I felt the need to insert a... Continue reading

Have you ever done something that unintentionally hurts a dear friend or someone you care about? Now I KNOW that most of you can relate, so go ahead and admit it. Well, this recently happened to me and I am so deeply saddened by it. Even when things happen that are merely an accident or unintentional, I still feel the need to try and make amends. So here goes.... You see, I just got my copy of Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting (November/December 2011 issue). And on page 78, you will see a lovely quilt called Winterbury Lane and... Continue reading

I know, I know, it's been FOREVER since I've written anything here. I've started countless times. Have had lots of ideas. I've even written them in my head - and please tell me that I'm not the only one who composes thoughts into stories in my head at a time when I can't write them down..... like when I'm driving or taking a shower.... No, the problem is not in coming up with the ideas or getting started. It's more in the completion. You see, I get started, then get distracted, then lose my train of thought, and by the... Continue reading

Sewing, cutting, writing, more sewing, more cutting..... I've been busy trying to get projects finished for my newest fabric line, Buttons & Blooms. It's amazing how everything snowballs.... I was behind getting the book for Winterberry Lane done, which pushed me behind in getting new designs finished for Buttons & Blooms, but I think I may be catching up to myself, if that's even possible. Whew! So, for those of you who don't know by now, I am playing hookey at Quilt Market this spring. I know, I know, you can all start crying along with me right now. But... Continue reading

My very friendly Fed Ex guy arrived yesterday morning, and look what he dropped off! Well, this is what it looked like after I unpacked the boxes and carried all these from the garage into the shipping, um.... I mean dining room. I love that they come all nicely rolled like this instead of flat folded, but it still is hard to cut the fabric off these big rolls. So, now comes the task of folding and rolling them onto the carboard bolts that my local shop gives me. Hey, it's purposeful recycling, right?! I did unroll just enough yesterday... Continue reading

Thank you so much for the comments about the projects! From the sounds of it, there are many of you who haven't used the paintsticks, so I'm going to get working an a tutorial that will show you how easy they are. Just need to figure out the best project to use for it.... And now for the winner of the fabric bundle and book..... The random picker chose: Jacquie B If this is you (and your comment said that you live in Canada), email me your information and I'll send your fabric bundle and book out as soon as... Continue reading

It is always so interesting to see which projects are the favorites and which ones intrigue people. Believe it or not it is seldom the ones that I would have guessed, so thanks for all the comments! And from the comments, it sounds like there are a lot of you who have not yet tried the paintstiks, so I guess I need to work on some sort of tutorial. In the books that have projects where the paintstiks were used, I do have detailed instructions on the technique that I use. I don't leave you wondering what to do with... Continue reading

I was a little remiss yesterday in not answering a few questions in the comments. I have yet to really figure out how to answer them within the comments section. Yea, I'm that slow when it comes to the blog world! Actually, I think I'm doing pretty good just getting something typed up and posted here! Anyway, about those questions..... The little purple flowers are crocus. I love these little flowers because they are so hardy. Every year, they insist on showing their beautiful colors right after the snow melts and the tempatures warm up past freezing. The problem is... Continue reading

So, yesterday, I showed you the cover for my new book. Make It Merry. Today, I'm going to show you a few of the projects! The first one is All Wrapped Up.... One of my favorite prints in this line is the one that I call a "wrapping paper" print because, well, it looks like wrapping paper! It makes a great border print on this quilt because it looks like you've taken lots of time to piece together all those squares, but really, it's just a print! I also did these really sweet little stitcheries I called Tiny Tidings.... I... Continue reading

Happy Spring!!!! I was so in need of a good weather day, and today did not disappoint. This morning as I was sitting in my room working, I glanced out the window and saw this..... And I realized that it was the first day of spring! And the sun was shining. And it was warm. I don't know about you, but it's been a long winter and I am so excited to think about putting my winter coats and boots away. My flip flops were calling to me from my closet this morning and although I ignored them, I know... Continue reading

Hello?! Is anyone there?! I know, it's been a very long time since I've posted anything, but believe me, I've been really busy. Wanna see what I've been up to? The first week and a half of February, I was snowed in. Well, ok, not really for a week and a half. It was probably more like 3 days. But it sure felt like a week and a half. And it wasn't really snow, either. It was ice, which would explain why I couldn't go anywhere, since my car doesn't do well on the ice. Or snow for that matter.... Continue reading

I so appreciate all your ideas and comments about my room! I had to laugh at the number of people who suggested I move to the basement. Believe me, that has been in the back of my mind for years. Someday it may actually happen, but there are a lot of things that have to fall into place before I make that big move...... additional heat down there being one of them!! Maybe after I find a cheap, easy way to make a 20 foot by 20 foot basement with tile floor and paneled walls warmer, I might think more... Continue reading

Thanks so much for all the comments!! They all give me something to think about! I realize that it would probably help to see an overview of my entire room and give you a bit more information, so I tried to tidy it up a bit and took a few more pictures. I thought about standing in the middle of the room and clicking pictures as I turned in a circle, but the room is too small for you to see much of anything unless you are physically standing here with me. Seriously. It is a bedroom that measures almost... Continue reading

Well, I don't know about you, but I feel like 2010 just flew by. For some reason, I thought that as my kids got older and I got more gray, that things would slow down for me, but that hasn't happened yet.... Ah well. It's a new year. A new beginning. So, I'm headed back into my sewing room. Time for some serious work now that the holidays are over. But as I sit here, I'm wondering how my room suddenly became so full and disorderly. I work in a relatively small space, and although I think it has personality... Continue reading

I hope that everyone had a merry Christmas! In the past month, I've started several posts and not completed any, so today, I'm going to try compiling them into one, so stick with me here...... We've were hit with cold weather really early this year, which is a major bummer to me, but it sure doesn't seem to bother our dog, Yukon. The first snowfall we had was at the beginning of December and there has been snow on the ground ever since. One day while my son was out shoveling the driveway, I happened to look out the window... Continue reading

It's 5 am, Thanksgiving morning. As I sit here, listening to the quiet rain, I am reminded of how many blessings God showers me with. The house is quiet. Dark. Peaceful. A stark contrast to what it was like yesterday. I'm sure anyone with high school and/or college age boys can relate.... One was sitting in the family room, happily drawing in iscribble, with his music blaring from his laptop. The other one was in the basement with several friends; laughing, playing video games, with completely different music humming through the speakers and up the stairs. I was in my... Continue reading