The Blog from Pickle Road

Last night I went to Borders.  A bookstore is my favorite place in the world (right next to the bakery). Even a quilt shop comes in third. 

 Here is what I found. 

    First of all, I love Piecework Magazine and have been a longtime subscriber.   This issue is all about quilts.   Some really interesting articles about recycling clothing into quilts in India, Marie Webster: Early 20th Century Quilt Designer (I believe that there are STILL some early 20th Century quilt designers still at work  judging by the look of quilts being published in some of the new books and magazines I’ve leafed through), Quilt Blocks to Knit (which fricking SCOOPED me and a project I have — er, HAD– coming up!  Shit and damn!), Civil War Era Quilts (what the hell else is new?  EVERYONE does that.  Wonder if they used a psychic?), etc.    Anyway, it’s a great magazine and there is A LOT for us quilters in this issue.  I think you need to get a copy. 

 Next, I found Dorothy Wood’s Simply Stylish Bags on sale for a song.   Nice stuff inside.  Really good photo instructions.   A moron could make a good looking bag using this book. 

Again, look for it on the sale table! 

Last, but not least, I found this amazing book on beading on fabric (I have a lot more coming from Amazon).     Beading on fabric is my new passion.   You ought to see my credit card - the bead purchases are U-G-L-Y!

I also visited my buddy Toby at Kindred.  She made a Katmandu quilt from just two of the plain brown colors.  Here’s a sneak peek (click on it to make it bigger).    She hasn’t embellished it yet but I saw the beads she’s going to use. 

Dudes!

A GREAT NEW IRON

I had the chance to use this amazing iron while I was in St. Charles and I wanted to pass on my excitment onto you!    Now, if you’ve tried this iron and hate it, I want to hear about your experience, too!

 It’s called the Reliable Velocity Digital Iron  and you can get it online for about $129.00.   My local shop, Kindred Quilts sells them for slightly more.   It is heavy as lead, the steam is strong and steady, it heats up quickly and, the best part is that you don’t have to set it to Hades High in order to get it to steam. It will steam on lower settings.   The digital settings are pretty neat, too.   I HAVE to get one of these.   

I have to admit that I don’t mind spending big bucks for an iron, and have invested a mansion mortgage in more than several Rowenta irons.  Bottom line, my experience is that the Rowenta’s suck and I would never own another one again.   All of my Rowentas (I think I had 5 before I realized that they were just junk in the shape of an iron) have lasted under a year, they leak like a New Orleans levy and they are expensive. 

That said, I have no idea how these Reliable’s actually hold up but it’s worth a try and they are a pleasure to iron with. 

SUBSCRIPTION CARDS

Didja see the inserts in the new Quilter’s Home magazine?   I like the style a lot!   

NEW BOOKS SENT TO PICKLE ROAD

These books came in the mail from Martingale(That Patchwork Place).  

   It’s too late for me to review the Christmas book before Christmas (and I’m not that into Christmassy stuff…I have enough shit sitting around the house catching dust) but if YOU love Christmas and crafting, then you might want to consider this book.

   I love this Polly Minick book!  It’s right up my alley.  I took a rug hooking class a few years ago with my friend Sherry.   I don’t think that either of us actually finished our rugs but buying all of the junk was fun.   I will finish - someday.   I have one that I designed and want to finish.  If I’m not crazy, I think I remember that Polly Minick has (or had) a line of fabric for Moda, too!   

Hate paper piecing.  Hate little quilts.  LOVE this book.   I may have to shelve my neggie attitude and get to work.  

A very busy Pat Sloan writing books for Leisure Arts.    TWO books for Leisure Arts!  One documenting her trip to Ireland and the other on color. 

More later turnips!  xoxom

Yesterday I visited the offices of All American Crafts, who are the publishers of The Quilter, The $100,000 Quilting Challenge, and Fabric Trends.  

They are doing an article on Katmandu.   I love these people and have known them for a long time.  They really feel like family to me.  

Here is a photo of Laurette Koserowski (Editor of The Quilter) along with Maddie Cohen (AAC owner) holding a Katmandu quilt. 

These are my good buddies, Carol Newman (director of sales) and Laurette in Laurette’s office.

 This is the publisher, Darren Cohen.    He never fails to crack me up!  He and his brothers work for their family business under the eye of their father Jerry Cohen.   I have to say that Jerry and Maddie have done a fantastic job of raising good kids — these guys are terrifc.  I only hope that someone will say that about ME one day (that is, if Evan ends up not running away to join the circus)!

While I was there, Laurette got this book which caught my eye.  

I love Eastern European fabrics and needlework so I’m anxious to get a chance to sit down with this book.    Sweet, wonderful Laurette gave me the book so I didn’t have to read it while sitting on her lap! 

      Later, sweethearts!   xoxom

What joy!  What rapture!  

Guess who I met?    Here’s a hint:

  +     =

 Yup!   Kaye Wood!!

Her Royal Highness, Kaye Wood, Diva of ALL Quilting Divas was also teaching at the Round Bobbin and graced my class for a quick visit!   

 Holy cats!  What a sense of humor this native New Jerseyan has! 

Here is Kaye mugging it up with me!

I call this one KAYEmandu as Kaye is draped in my Katmandu line.

Someone asked her to autograph the cover of Quilter’s Home.   She signed right over my face!  Gotta love THAT!  

Later Kaye came back into the classroom wearing her cruise outfit. 

She calls this her Sun Over the Moon outfit!    Isn’t she just the BEST?!?! 

Here I am again!

 This was the third year for the Round Bobbin Expo at the St. Charles Convention Center.  It’s a beautiful venue!   The weather was pretty spectacular, too!  93-degrees!  

I had totally forgotten that my own vintage apron collection went on sale in a silent auction for charity at the Expo.   Once I saw the entire collection hanging in the main hall, I just about had a change of heart - but it was too late!  LOL   I’m such a damned pack rat.  I need those vintage aprons like I need another damn hole in my head.   But you know how it is…..you look at them en masse and think, “SHIT AND DAMN!  I could even add MORE to the collection.”    I’m a fricking trainwreck!     The money went to a good cause and I was happy to allow other apron collectors to enjoy them!  

 Some of the quilts that I had designed over the years and have appeared in various quilting magazines were also on display at the Expo.  Here are a few of them.

The first class I taught was the Katmandu Bag.  Here are some of the students!

These three are the Bernina Babes that helped the students man their Berninas during class!  I loved hanging out with them.  

I taught 2 Simple Simon classes.  Here are some of the students from those classes!    The first class was as quiet as a mouse.   Sunday’s class was outta control!   Don’t let anyone tell you that the midwestern quilters are demure!   Do you know any of these folks?    Aren’t they cute? 

Hello Punkins!

I’ve been here, there and everywhere and knew that if I didn’t update this damn blog today that you’d be waiting for ages a new entry!

Last week I flew into St. Louis to lecture and teach at the Round Bobbin Expo and Quilting with the Artists in St. Charles, Missouri.  I had some great photos of the first day but in the middle of “downloading” the suckers in my hotel room that night I realized that I was actually DELETEING them.  Sometimes my life sucks.  I learned my lesson but sadly, Suzy Pickle from Illinois ended up on the cutting room floor as did Kathy Miller’s lecture from Michael Miller Fabrics. 

QUILTING WITH THE ARTISTS – I shared the stage with Kathy Miller from Michael Miller Fabrics, Kansas City Star journalist Edie McGinnis and Patches Quilt Shop owner, Ann Hazelwood.    The venue was amazing and the day was fun.   I did a trunk show, as did we all to some degree.  

Ann did a talk on her vast collection of vintage aprons.   Look at how she decorated the simple folding chairs for the luncheon.  

Cute, huh?    I’m TOTALLY stealing this idea!

The night before the event, the organizers Cindy and Judy took us to dinner at The Mother-In-Law House restaurant which was amazing! 

The servcie was terrific, the food was wonderful and, OH MY GAWD, the homemade PIES were 2 die 4!!!   Now the restaurant’s claim to fame is their coconut cream pie   but by the time we got there they were sold out so I opted for the cherry cream pie (hideous name.  I thought I was going to get some Jello concoction) and it was totally fantabulous and I loved it!    This place was so good that Edie and Kathy went back the very next night. 

Meanwhile, naked and zoning out in my room in that, you know, groggy state, I hear a timid lil’ knock at my door.   I digress, but if I were “built”  I would have just pulled on a pair of jeans and answered the door — but since I’m so fat I had to FULLY dress to get the door .   There was Kathy Miller with a piece of Coconut Cream Pie that she brought back to me!  I was in such a fog that I didn’t even offer to pay her for her kindness!!  Nice guy, huh?      Two minutes later, without silverware, I was inhaling the pie using the crust as a spoon to shovel it into my mouth.  It was terrific!  

QUILTING WITH THE ARTISTS

Here are a few photos from the event….

Here is Kathy Miller trying to find her way into the lecture hall.

This is Edie McGinnis with the front of one of her wonderful feedsack quilts.   Shit!  I have chickens!  I buy feed!   I want Purina to sell their chicken feed in feedsacks again!  

Here is Ann with her aprons….   Her outfit was terrific — all the way down to her red and white Spectator shoes!  

Here are some of the ladies who came to enjoy the day….

Here is a pic of Erika “Pickle” wearing her Pickle shirt.     Poor Suzy “Pickle” from Illinois is in the green shirt (front row, above) in the audience.  Suzy was one of the photos that I lost!  Ugh!

      Here are some photos from the Kindred Quilts fundraiser for the historic Red Mill in Clinton, NJ this morning.  It was a beautiful day and these quilts are just a small sample of over 300 photos that Jeff took while he walked the quilted grounds.  xooxm

Jeff and I were at Quilts at the Red Mill (look for a special Red Mill chapter full of pictures that Jeff took) today and Toby gave me a disc of all of us making Katmandu quilts last week.     Just like I promised, here are the photos of one of the quilts we were working on (Kindred Quilts is closed tomorrow but I’ll be there tomorrow (maybe Bonnie too) to work out a pattern and do a little sewing.  If you’re around stop by):

   OK, I’m no Colonel Sanders, but I grow good chicken - kind of.   The truth be told, my homemade “homemade chicken” soup was the very best I’ve ever tasted — in my life (and that’s saying something for a chubette like me).  It was amazing.  That said, I had a hard time downing it.   Evan loved it (but I never told him the hideous truth) and Jeff took one look at the boiled bird, who cooked very differently than the hormone and antibiotic fowl we are used to eating, well, let’s just say that wings and legs were stretched out like it was begging for mercy even from the big hen house in the sky.  

Now every gentleman farmer ’round here (Seeeeee? Even I can talk cuntry) told me that laying hens are terrific for soup and horrid for eating.  Take my word for it:  They’re right.   That chicken was tougher than Lindsey Lohan trying to get to some Boones Farm Strawberry Hill! 

Unknown to my lil’ darlin’, Evan prepared a concoction of noodles, chicken, spices, and anything else he could find for lunch and raved about his kitchen creation.  

 So I didn’t get Mexican last night but there is no way I was having leftovers today.  The cruelest lesson from this experience is that I can never be a Survivor contestant.  I’d be voted off the island for being a whimp.  

xoxom

    Evan rarely asks me to cook him anything special for dinner but today, right at breakfast, he announced that he was in the mood for chicken soup for dinner, after his soccer game (which his team lost, by the way). 

 The enivitable time has come, my little poundcakes!

Although I will deny it to my metrosexual family (Evan and Jeff), tonight will be THE night we eat one of our homemade chickens!  We’ve raised them. We’ve eaten the eggs.  BUT we have never eaten one of OUR chickens. 

 OK.  Look.  The truth is, I’m not sure that I can eat the damn chicken soup either but I’m going to try to give it a shot!  

Stay tuned.  In all probability, we could all happily be eating Mexican tonight!  

Deliver me!   xoxom

I was going to post yesterday but don’t things just get totally fouled up when you make plans?  I know it happens to me!  

On Monday and Tuesday, Toby Preston, Linda Wood, the amazing Picklehead Bonnie Espenshade (maebe43@earthlink.net) and I cranked out two Katmandu quilts at Kindred Quilts in Clinton, NJ!   There are photos of our progress but I can’t get them to load on this damn thing and I don’t have finished photos of the quilts, Toby does, but as soon as I get the finished quilts back from Kim Buterbaugh, the amazing North Carolina long arm quilter, I’ll post photos of the completed quilts for you to see – that is if the Bloody Mary I’m drinking (and put too much hot sauce in) doesn’t burn out the back of my throat a la Nat King Cole and kill me.  

For some odd reason I was in the mood for a Bloody Mary today.  I don’t even drink so when I get a Liza Minelliesque craving Daddy’s gotta listen!  Now my lips are on fire and feel like I just finished a Park Avenue collagen session. 

Next craving: Frozen Margarita!     

I have a fantabulous frozen Margarita recipe that I got from my old friend Carlos Garcia.  We worked together at the Child Crisis Service at Children’s Hospital in San Francisco    and I’ve been making his super E-Z brand of Margaritas ever since.

  Carlos Garcia’s Margaritas

• Fill a blender with ice then add:1 small can frozen Minute Made (or some other brand) limeade 

• Using the empty limeade can pour in:

• 1 can Tequila

• ½ can Triple Sec

• Puree the hell out of all of it.

Ahhhhh…..Margarita heaven (and perfect every time).

 Now dudes in the St. Louis/St. Charles area!   I’m going to be there next Friday through Sunday - September 21 through 23.  If you’re around please come.  I promise we’ll have a lot of laughs and well, you may never see quilting the same way again!     The classes I am teaching at the Round Bobbin Expo are Mark’s Katmandu Bag and The Simple Simon Ball.   I won’t be back in that area for a long time so I hope to see you there!   There is room in each of the classes so sign up now!  I’m also speaking at Quilting with the Artists in St. Charles on Thursday.   I’ll be there with Kathy Miller from Michael Miller Fabrics (and who DOESN’T love those fabrics?  She’s incredible), my buddy and another fun person Ann Hazelwood who owns Patches, Etc. and  Edie McGinnis (whom I don’t know).   Don’t miss this event!     I’m giving a full trunk show of all of my quilts from my first published designs to the present (I’ll also be showing my first quilt and the unbelieveable quilt that almost got me in big, hot water, trouble with the State Department).

 Here is the Quilting with the Artists information: