I've Been Gone A Long Time

Okay, so I never said posting on my blog was my strong point.  Every day I feel a "little" guilty that I haven't posted something.  But I guess not guilty enough to actually do it.  There are so many things that need to get done each day that posting here just goes to the bottom of the list.

Here's what's been happening lately around Holly Hill Quilt Designs - I am in the final rush to get all the projects done for the book I'm doing with Leisure Arts.  It is a Christmas book with 7 projects and my deadline to have all the projects and the directions to them is June 1st (I sure wish it was June 1, 2013, rather than 2012).  This is a HUGE undertaking and I won't even tell you how many hours are into it so far and I don't have one quilt 100% done and there are no directions written for any of them.  

My fabric line with Henry Glass, called Ninth and Vine, came out mid-March.  You can follow some of the goings on at Henry Glass by clicking this link to their facebook account  http://www.facebook.com/HenryGlassCo .  You can view Ninth and Vine by going to www.henryglassfabrics.com .  I just received the strike offs (strike offs are very tiny pieces of fabric that allow you to see the colors and designs and make any adjustments you think are necessary).  Now I'm going to try and put together a few little projects that use these strike offs.  I went to "town" the other day after the fabric arrived and found some adorable little pieces of trim.  I think I'm going to try and make a couple of little pillows, but who knows!  Sometimes what you think you are going to make turns into something else when you start sewing.  I could never understand how someone makes a quilt on the computer.  Maybe that's because I grew up in the time long ago when there were no computers (not even electric typewriters - gasp!) and we used crayons, colored pencils, etc. to draw and create.  I suppose I'll have to join this new world some day.  But I guess I'm somewhat modern because I can blog, right???

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I'm still alive and well and if you are coming to Spring Market in Kansas City look for me.  I'll be in Booth #2700.  Or if you aren't coming, ask your local quilt shop to stop by and see me.   Mary Jane

Snow, Snow and More Snow

If you live anywhere that it snows, my guess is you've seen plenty of snow this winter.  I was in California a few weeks ago vending at the Road to California quilt show.  When we were setting up it was 79 degrees there and about 10 degrees BELOW zero at home.  Now I'm not a wimp and I don't mind the cold (that is quite a statement considering I was born in Los Angeles), but while I was away in CA and then upon my return to NH the snow just kept coming and coming and coming.  Our deck was piled almost as high as the rail and we were afraid it might just fall off the house.  So my husband and I shoveled 1 hour each one night, then the next day I shoveled another 2 hours and it's not even 1/2 done.  Now dear hubby has been using a snow rake to get the big pile of snow off the roof so guess where the snow is going to land - back on the deck again!  Tomorrow it might be back to shoveling again, but then on Monday I leave for California again to vend at the Folsom Quilt Guild show.  If it snows while I'm gone then I hope the good fairies come and work their magic.  I hope you are finding lots of quilt projects to work on during the winter months.  At least that way you can stay warm!  Mary Jane 

Some Winners Missing In Action

I've just emailed the winners who had links to their emails from blogger, but there are a few of you who I can't reach.  So if Qltn Robin, JYB Quilter and Bertie Quilts could email me then I can tell you how to claim your prize!   Mary Jane

AND THE WINNER IS......

I'm sorry it has taken me so long to pick the winner of my blog tour .  There were so many wonderful messages that it was really hard to choose!  I know sometimes people use a "random number" generator to choose winners, but I decided to use my own "human" brain instead.  I must admit the brain is a little overworked right now - I'm still working on writing the 6 new patterns that debuted at Market and then in the midst of this fun my husband decided we needed another garage built so there have been carpenters, cement trucks, etc. here all of last week.  But the good news is now the BIG cargo van that I use for shows will have an indoor home - and believe me it is a BIG van that I lovingly refer to as the "BOAT".

Here's how I decided to pick the winners - anyone who the word "quilt" or some variation of it in their blogger name has been picked as a winner.  So Happy Cottage Quilter, Qltn Robin, Quilt Mom, Renegade Quilter, jyb quilter, kwiltnkats, beckquilts, and bertie quilts are ALL WINNERS!  Pick any pattern from my website www.hollyhillquiltdesigns.com  and then email me with which one you want and your mailing address, and I'll get the pattern out to you.  (just remember that I'm still writing 6 of the patterns so they may take a little longer to get to you)  And then I decided to pick one other winner who didn't have quilt in her blogger name, but she was the 1st to write on my new blog site so VickiT is also a winner.  She's going to get a copy of the 100 Quilt Blocks by Top Designers, Volume 2 from Quiltmaker and a pattern of her choice. 

Hope you enjoyed the blog tour and I'll try and post some photos from my trip to CA so you can see the other "pink" Christmas tree is action there.  Mary Jane

OOPS!!

OOPS!  I have been posting on my retail site for a couple of years now, and when someone comments it posts automatically.  DUH - it didn't work that way on my new blog.  So if you were looking and wondering what happened - I found out tonight that I have to manually go in and publish each comment.  Oh the modern world is sometimes so confusing.  But I'm safe and sound in California - but a little pooped out.  Got in to Sacramento about 7:30 pm last night and arrived at my sister's house about 8:30.  Then of course we decided to work and finally went to bed about 11:30 pm (which of course is 2:30 am my time!).  Then 4:30 am came around today and I was wide awake and ready to go.  Therefore you can understand why I didn't even take a look at the comments earlier today.

I'll fill you in on this last show of the year - each year now for 21 years my sister has a "boutique" at her house.  I arrive about a week before the show starts and we move furniture out of rooms and set up displays throughout the house.  Now of course if she had a nice small house it would be different, but she has a very big house.  Between the 3 hours we put in last night and the 12 hours or so we put in today I have made a little progress.  And if you thought my pink tree was fun in Houston you should be the "sitting room".  We have a black wrought iron tree with white ribbons and green lights, a lime tree tinsel tree, a pink tinsel tree, and 3 small white feather cone trees.  It is looking so cute.  I'm going to take some pictures and post them once I get home and you'll be able to delight in our winter wonderland.  My job is to set up 27 crafters merchandise which can sometimes be a little overwhelming for "color girl".  I have little sections set up throughout the rooms - you never know what you'll find.  So far we have a chicken section, a black and silver section and a pastel section.  We open for business on Thurs. night so that gives me one week to get it all set up.  Seems like a long time, but it really isn't.  Well I better see if I can get the binding sewn on one quilt I brought to sell.  Mary Jane

Here's A Glimpse At My Crazy World

Some people's imagination is limitless as if the child in us never grew up!  I sometimes think I am still a child , if only the mirror didn't tell me otherwise.  When I was planning my trip to Houston for my 2nd wholesale show for Holly Hill Quilt Designs, I had picked out an aqua rug with cream swirls.  But then found out at the last minute that the rug was defective and they didn't ship it.  So here I am in CA getting ready to vend at Pacific International Quilt Festival and now I've got to go rug shopping.  My sister and I and Polly went to store after store.  Now of course, there is such a thing as "budget" to consider, but then there is also wanting to like the rug too.  You'll see in the picture below that I found the most adorable chicken rug.  And my sister found the lovely pink Christmas tree so we created a rather unique look from these items.  If I told you I was going to have a chicken rug and a pink Christmas tree, would you have thought I'd gone off the deep end?  But I think you'll agree it looks cute. 

And if you look close you'll see all of our quilts - we had so many new ones to show.  Everyone really liked the snowman in the back corner - maybe because winter is fast approaching! 

There is a blog tour being done for the 100 Quilt Blocks by Top Designers and Nov. 12th is my "day".  As an incentive for people to stop by and see what's going on here, I'm going to be giving away some of my patterns and the winner(s) will be randomly drawn. Comment on my blog any day between now and Nov. 25th and maybe you'll be the winner!  

Well it's off to bed because tomorrow I fly to California for my last show of the year.  I'll be back on the Monday before Thanksgiving and then we are having a BIG crowd for Thanksgiving dinner.  Mary Jane

I'm Up and Running (Almost)

I've been working with Tim Atkins at Walnut Hill Design on the new website and blog for Holly Hill Quilt Designs and we are almost ready to debut!   I definitely work better with a deadline because on Nov. 12th it is my day on the designers blog tour for 100 Quilt Blocks by Top Designers Vol. 2.    So needless to say, both the website and blog will be functional as of that day.  I might even surprise myself and be ready a couple of days ahead of time.  I spent most of today writing pattern descriptions for the website.  Tim has been right by the phone and his computer all day too so we have really tweaked it.  Hopefully everything will operate correctly on it's first maiden voyage into cyberspace.    I'll write more tomorrow and tell you about Houston and my 2nd wholesale Quilt Market.  In the meantime, enjoy your evening and happy quilting.  Mary Jane