oops, Joan Crawford Faye Dunaway . . .

ANYWAY, Michael Jackson was the ONE person in the ENTIRE UNIVERSE that I could count on who needed to be  Photoshopped more than me (er, most times, that is)  for a magazine cover.

The other day, I travelled to the Bridgewater Commons Food Court (in Bridgewater, NJ)  to hook up with my bestest buddy, Amy Bell Buehler, her husband, Bill and Amy’s  parents, the Bells (I really think they should have named Amy  Crystal, or Liberty, or  Ding-Dong), who were visiting from Amy’s home state of North Carolina!   If Amy’s name sounds familiar to you it’s because she has designed several quilts and projects for Quilter’s Home but also because she is the author of PUNCHNEEDLE FUN for That Patchwork Place:

You can buy Amy’s book by clicking here.

This is the first time I’ve met Amy’s parents . . . and here’s PART 1 of how it went  . . .

** For the record, and to keep things honest,  the term “celebrity stunt quilter” was coined by Miss Alex Anderson who has one or two of her own! xoxom

Oh, dear.   So I’m not a brain surgeon.  I can’t remember shit sometimes (the curse of the creative mind).   Necessity is the mother of invention.  That’s why, when a teleprompter isn’t available (due to budget) we at Quilt Out Loud created our own.   It’s kind of like a Bedrock bird typewriter.  Dude, you use what ya got!

Don’t forget to sign up to watch QUILT OUT LOUD – with  brand new segments every week!  Use this code   QH-75VEH   to get a 20% discount!    Go to www.quiltoutloud.com to sign up TODAY!   xoxom

xoxom

Here is just a short, short vid that I took with my nifty FLIP VIDEO HD from my viewpoint on the set of QUILT OUT LOUD!  You’ll get to see the crew, the producer – Michelle Clark (with whom I worked on a pilot for Universal Television several years ago), and co-host, Jodie Davis.   It’s not worthy of an Emmy, but you might get a kick out of it.

Don’t forget to sign up to watch QUILT OUT LOUD – with  brand new segments every week!  Use this code   QH-75VEH   to get a 20% discount!    Go to www.quiltoutloud.com to sign up TODAY!   xoxom

To anyone who comments on this blog posting will be eligible to win . . .

Easy Scrapbooking

A year of decorative borders & elements for every occasion

2010 Calendar *

* I know you’re a damn quilter, but there is 365 different quilty inspirations here if you just open your eyes!

The drawing will take place on

Thursday, July 9, 2009  

Don’t forget to

Tell all of your friends! 

Don’t want to comment?  Then buy your own by clicking here.   Check back to see who won – you only have a small window of time to claim your prize!  xoxom

On Saturday, July 4th, I will be choosing 15 names from the Pickle Posse’s Pickle Barrel (every person who joins Mark’s Posse has a ticket assigned to them, that is thrown into ’the pickle barrel’)  and each of the winners will win a SideWinder.  

It’s not too late to get in on the prize winnings — just join the Pickle Road Studio at Yahoo Groups, before July 4, 2009!

Just click here to join (it’s FREE)!

PICKLE PRIZES are randomly announced and tickets are generallydrawn on a monthly basis!   xoxom

NEW LINE OF DECORATOR FABRICS FOR WESTMINSTER FIBERS

Expertise Creates Stylish Fabrics Perfect for Sensible Decorating

Vicki Payne (who, I might add,  doesn’t look one bit familiar to me), DIY expert and host of the popular For Your Home series on PBS and Glass with Vicki Payne show, recently introduced a new line of decorator fabrics for Westminster Fibers, designed to give anyone, whether new to home decorating or a seasoned pro, the economy to decorate in beautiful chic colors and vibrant prints.

“It was important that this line speak across generations not only in terms of look but also in terms of the sewer’s or decorator’s investment,” said Payne, who has been sewing and creating home textile products on her television show for over a decade. “I wanted the fabric to inspire one and all and be that ‘aha’ moment, just what she’d been looking for in all ways.”

The collection, entitled For Your Home, incorporates 17 different patterns in 4 major coordinating colorways, each measuring 54” in width and retailing for $15 a yard, a fraction of the cost of most other decorator weight fabrics.  

“For less then a yard of fabric, anyone, especially a new sewer, can try her hand at making her own pillows to instantly change the look of a room or draw a room together simply based on color and prints,” said Payne.  “A minimal investment may encourage her to try it herself and perpetuate a lifetime hobby or craft.”
It’s this desire to get others to try new skills that drives Payne. Her experiences are reflected in her fabric from the style entitled Savory, reminiscent of her teaching so many to make stained glass art, to Chippendale, a direct reflection of a traditional design with a contemporary flair, the exact way Payne approaches any home renovation.

Here are a few samples, chickens:   (FYI if you click here, you can see the entire collection)

I havta admit, I’m liking this line and, while I haven’t felt the hand, I’d consider sewing it into a quilt or wall hanging.  Whosez you can’t use dec fabrics for patchwork!  Rubish, I exclaim!

Payne is founder and chief executive officer of Cutters Productions which has produced more then 23 program titles for national public television distribution.  She has appeared on numerous major home and garden programs.  In 2005, Cutters Productions was awarded the American Public Television (APT) MVP Award.  The American Home Furnishings Alliance (AHFA) awarded Payne with the 2008 Home Award.  For Your Home is seen in more than 98 percent of all US households via public television and the new Create Channel.  

C&T Publishing launched a social media campaign last fall . . . 

to connect more closely with quilters, artists and crafters around the world. In October 2008, they started their blog with just 400 visitors. Now more than 12,000 people enjoy their personal stories, free projects, design challenges, and book giveaways each month. Writing for their blog gives all the C&T staff and authors the opportunity to break away from book schedules and marketing campaigns, so we can focus on what drives our creativity.

In addition to reading and commenting on our blog, there are many other ways that artists and crafters can be more inspired by taking part in our online communities:

• Join over 1,900 members in their informational eClubs
• Check out their main website to read and/or write helpful book and product reviews. Over 30,000 visitors come to the site each month
• Enjoy entertaining and educational videos on YouTube that feature their books and products. Nearly 150,000 viewers to date have found something inspirational on their channel
• Follow them on Twitter and tweet along with 760 other followers
• Become one of their 1400+ fans on Facebook to give us feedback and make new friends
• Stay motivated by their Flickr galleries of projects made from their books or with their products–each day hundreds of people look through 500 images and counting!
• Share a link to their blog with peers by displaying one of our six beautifully-designed blog badges—so far 53,000 people have been introduced to their blog through another blog.

C&T is also producing downloadable eProducts that include individual patterns and out-of-print books from best selling authors. “It is my desire that C&T Publishing be thought of as a content provider. We are no longer just publishers of books,” says our CEO, Todd Hensley. More than 1,100 eProducts have been sold and downloaded in just the past few months.

With these new social media efforts, C&T has been more successful in connecting with more people, in more ways, than ever before. They say that they will continue to give quilters, fiber artists, papercrafters and many other creative types the best online destinations to find inspiration, education and information.

There seems to be a ton of stuff and PROPS to C&T for trying new things!  Click here for a link to the main C&T web site!  xooxm

I don’t know what it is!  I love books (and like fabric — you know, buy rather than use? — I would rather collect books than read most of them). 

C&T has just announced their September releases and I’m totally jazzed because the ALL look good!    Take a look!

I can’t wait to get this one!

(because I love me some Harriet Hargrave).  Where’s my reveiw copy, C&T?

This must-have course guides you step by step through the basics of quiltmaking, from setting up your sewing space to binding and finishing your first quilt. Classroom-tested lessons draw on best-selling author Harriet Hargrave’s many years of teaching experience.

Author: Beth Wheeler
ISBN: 978-1-57120-658-9
Description: 80p, color + CD
$25.95

• Explore the amazing visual effects you can create with your own photos and Photoshop Elements software
• Build on the techniques for printing on fabric covered in Altered Photo Artistry
• Bonus CD with 17 free photographs, 12 custom graphics add-ons, and free trial version of Adobe Photoshop Elements 6

You’ve learned to print photos on fabric – now you’re ready to explore the full artistic potential of altering images to create quilt art. Learn to transform ordinary photos in a dozen exciting ways with photo editing software. Bonus CD with Beth’s original photos and graphics add-ons helps you alter photographs as never before!

ISBN: 978-1-57120-854-5
Description: 160 pages: 96 blank, 64 graph
$16.95

• Quilted cover of artisan papers hand made from recycled fabric fibers
• Elegant Crystal Steps cover design includes shimmering papers in iridescent white, silver, purple, and black
• 96 pages of beautifully blank paper for journaling, sketching, and documenting your quilts
• 64 pages of 8-to-the-inch, blue lined graph paper for drafting quilt blocks or any kind of design
• Handy pocket inside the back cover to hold fabric swatches, notes, coupons, cds, etc.
• 160 pages total: 96 blank, 64 graph