Shavasana or Savasana??

I hate it when there are two spellings for words like this.  Since I'm relatively new to yoga, I want to use the correct verbiage, but I see both spellings and to me it sounds like people are pronouncing the "sh" sound, so for this post we'll go with Shavasana.  (Maybe I'll try to avoid using the word for the rest of this post!)

On my trip home last month, my SIL asked me to make her a quilted yoga blanket.  She gave me the measurements and she had specific colors and an order to the blanket.

So we all know that I have quite the stash of fabric, but of course none of it was right for this quilt!  So off to the store I went.  And this is how it all went down . . .

Before putting it on the longarm, I realized the length was a little short so I added another row of red.  Now I need to trim about 3" off of it.  I knew this going in so I think it'll be okay once it's a bit shorter.

 

 My SIL loves the burnt orange family so I did the back in various oranges.  I hope she likes it.  I wasn't sure if the back needed to follow the rules of the front or not.  After I finished the quilt, I "googled" yoga quilts and did not find a single one that followed the color order (or even used these colors!).   One lady is selling her yoga quilts for $895.  Whoa!  Back the truck up!  I'm curious if she's even sold any because the pictures posted were not "pretty".  But, that's just my opinion.

 

I still need to add the binding and hand sew it down.  The plan is to give the quilt to my SIL in a couple of days.  Small problem . . . B-guy is down with the flu and it's iffy if we're traveling.  So, I'm thinking I'll mail it along with a $750 invoice.  Hey, it's discounted and way prettier than the $895 lady's quilt!!  What a bargain!  I'm kidding, of course . . . I love my SIL!

Her friend has ordered one sight unseen.  Nice!  Maybe she'll pay the $750!!  I crack myself up!

In case I don't make it back before Thursday, Happy Thanksgiving to all!  Gobble! Gobble!

Hidden Stories

Sometimes all it takes is a simple Hello and suddenly you are immersed in a person's life.  Yesterday at Target I met a man who was telling me his grandpa would be turning over in his grave if he knew that a box of Kleenex costs more than a beer or two.  His accent was definitely not Texan and sounded more like Boston.  

And sure enough, he was from Cambridge.  His grandparents had a pizza parlor that was a popular hangout for both the Harvard and the MIT crowd.  Since I used to live up there, we discussed numerous local joints that we had in common. 

The conversation continued and I discovered that he had a band and a contract with Capitol Records.  He played (and partied) with Marvin Gaye and numerous other biggies in the 60's and 70's.  Although I don't remember the name of his band, I have no reason to doubt his story.  I wish I had been prepared to know I would be meeting this gentleman as I would have had a ton more questions and I would have paid better attention to the details.  But, we met discussing the price of Kleenex.  Who knew we'd take a stroll down memory lane in Massachusetts!!

These are the moments.  These are the stories that I love.  There are hidden gems in every person we meet, but we seldom take the time to dig deep enough to find them.

As I've mentioned a few times I was at both Quilt Market and Quilt Festival this year.  Last weekend, I was just walking down the aisles and I ran across a booth that was selling dress forms.  I have a love of dress forms and I really want to own one someday.  So, of course I ask the guy running the booth a few questions about the dress forms.  Next thing I know a guy comes up to me and wants to know if I need some help.  So, we chat.  Here's the thing.  This guy is the fitter for the dancers on Dancing with the Stars!! 

Meet Joe Veccherelli

 

 And he confirmed to me that the outfit Emma Slater (I think it was Emma) wore is the same outfit that Cheryl Burke wore in Season 2 when she won the Mirror Ball.  I tried to get my new best friend to get me tickets, but he said they are in hot demand and it's first come, first served.  Like I said, you never know who you're talking to.

 

But, one of the reasons I went back to Festival was to meet this person . . .

 Julie Fei-Fan Balzer!!!

 

 

Julie is remarkable!  She's a mixed media artist, but she was at the Festival demonstrating the Brother Scan-N-Cut.  Luckily I got a few minutes of her time to myself before the throngs appeared.  Super nice and knew how to work a crowd.  After listening to her podcast this week, I discovered she was sick while she was in town.  And still, she was on top of her game.  I tried to get her to come to Texas to teach classes, but she said she'd been here once and was kicked out.  Something about language and tears.  Hmm . . . sounds like a country song.  I guess I'll have to travel elsewhere to partake of her classes.  They sound super fun!!

 

So, next time you're contemplating the price, brand, style of your next Kleenex box, take time to say hello to the stranger next to you.  You never know who you'll meet!  Everyone has a story and I'm so glad I got a glimpse of a few of them this past week.

All Kinds of Yumminess!

Quilt Market changed their requirements this year and I had to scramble to get my company's, Ogmo Designs, application ready.  The deadline was October 3 for credentials to be mailed.  My first time on the site trying to register was a bust, but a phone call the next day had me up and running again.  The tickets arrived in the mail (albeit to the wrong address) and I was ready to go.

Donna and I spent Friday at Schoolhouse.  The classes were either 15 or 30 minutes long and usually there were freebies involved.  I have to say, we had quite the success in amassing little things of beauty.

Friday night we went to Sample Spree.  I resisted the urge to buy one of everything and I ended up with a fat quarter pack from Lecien. 

 

 

and some fabric from ?? (The bag's label says "Quilt Gate".) 

This is the cute little bag that was given out with the purchase of 10 fat quarters.  So sweet.  The bag is lined in gingham check.

Holly from Lakehouse Designs gave us some freebies on Saturday.  Her fabric is so FUN!

So, now it's time to start whipping up some creative magic!  I made this little quilt out of a charm pack.  Those are my go-to items when I want some instant gratification and I'm not up to the challenge of cutting.  This little puppy was made in a few hours.  I think the back takes longer than the front on these small quilts.  I did some simple line quilting and voila, another quilt ready for binding.

 front of quilt

 back of quilt

And these little guys are so much fun to make.  My project for the next couple months is to make as many of these as I can and then I will take them to the hospital for the holidays for the kiddos. 

All in all, I would say Quilt Market was a success.  I'd like to say I spent very little money, but I forgot that I bought fabric and labels.  And best of all, I got the call yesterday that my fabric shipped yesterday!  Yippee!!  I forgot to ask how long it'll take to get here, but I'm ready people.  All kinds of prettiness is coming my way!  Enjoy your weekend!