Simply Spring Cover

I'm trying to get better at pattern covers and just finished this one for my latest pattern "Simply Spring".

It took a while because I discovered some new tools in Photoshop Elements (PE6) that I didn't know existed. Duh!

You know how when kids get a new game and they start playing it without even looking at the directions, that's what I did when I got PE6, I just dived in. So why didn't someone tell me I could play like this????

Head over to my website if you want to purchase this or any other patterns or just email me and I will send it right out to you.


See ya next time"In the Hayloft",

Funky Cool Spring!

I've mostly been working on the computer trying to get pattern directions finished but had to get my hand into some art.

I was asked to do a demonstration at the Charlotte Quilt Show that was held two weeks ago to showcase the way I use fusible web in my applique. Using this method I don't have to remember to reverse my pattern image which is a BIG BIG help for me. This quiltlet is such a cute little thing that I decided to finish it with one of my favorite methods of binding...fusible of course!

10 1/2" x 14"

After finishing the machine quilting and binding I thought it would make a great seasonal pattern so look for the "Summer" quiltlet to appear next month. If you are interested in getting this pattern (or others) from me, just drop me an email and I'll put you on the list.

See ya next time"In the Hayloft",

Wednesday Quote

"We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned
so as to have the life that is waiting for us."


As you know I collect all sorts of quotes and have them posted all over my studio so that I can pause and breath while I work. This one I have had for a very long time and thought it was time to share.

Remember......

...don't stand in your way, step aside and let your path unfurl.


See ya next time"In the Hayloft",

Believe it Baby!

Check this out.

I happened upon this narrative short film about women and their thoughts on all sorts of topics including their own beauty. Take a peek but don't stop watching until you see the credits roll.

You can find it here at In the Trenches Productions, a website with the tag line "Power to Women Over 40!" (isn't that way cool?) Anyway, scroll down and click on "Believe It Baby" on the left. Have a laugh, ponder a thought and get back to me on what you heard.


See ya next time "In the Hayloft,

Vote for your favorite!

Some of you know I entered a quilt designers contest and was maniacally rushing to get it finished before the submission deadline.

FatQuarterShop's blog, the Jolly Jabber, held a contest where designers had to use only the fabrics from Moda's "Simplicity" line of fabric to make any sewn item. My entry was a table topper I designed for my breakfast nook table. The pattern is called "Simply Spring" and will be available for purchase on my website (RedBarn-Studios) next week.

The table topper is 's 51 1/2" square and I made it so the triangles gracefully hang off the sides of the table. The photo below shows the quilt in a different colourway.

Now go.....go vote for your favorite design here. Polls close Tuesday (4/22/08) which just happens to be my daughter's 16th birthday. Yippee!

See you next time "In the Hayloft",

My First Presentation

Whew! I DID IT!!!!

I gave my first ever guild presentation yesterday to the Moorseville Centerpeice Guild. My presentation "The Evolution of a Fiber Artist: The Life and Times of a Quilt Addict" is a tongue in cheek look at my life as quilt addict turned fiber artist.

My stomach was turning, my head was swimming and my nerves were playing up big time until the moment I stepped in front of the group. I was a member of this guild a few years ago and recognized some faces so it made it much easier to get up there and talk. Also, unbeknowst to me at the time, my year as Program Chair for Charlotte Guild had given me a chance to be at ease in front a group of people.

A couple of good friends came to support me...thanks DeLane and Jean (who, by the way, is having an Open House this Sat celebrating the opening of her new studio space in Lincolnton, Front Porch Studio).

When I start to speak, most people immediately recognize that I am not a local girl (those who know me are smiling now) so it was interesting that after my presentation a few people came up to me and thanked me for giving them some insight on where I was from.

Thanks Sandy for inviting me to speak to your guild. You were a gem yesterday and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Should be a piece-a-cake next time right? .........ha!

I will be listing my presentation schedule on my website as they come up.


See ya next time "In the Hayloft",

Greenpiece - March TIF Challenge

I bet you thought I would never post my March TIF Challenge piece. The very late unveiling is upon us.

I have had so much going in the last few weeks that my duty to my fellow TIF Challenge compadres has been shirked. My apologies. Okay, okay...the challenge piece.

Here's a detail of my stone quilting. I added the bunches of white seed beeds in clusters along the top. My daughter is not happy with the addition but hey...it's my quilt.

The challenge for April is change. Here's is Sharon B's take on what to think about.

"Some people see change as positive while others are fearful of change. People say we have to learn to live with change as change has always been part of life. As soon as we are born we start to grow in other words we start to change. How do you see change? That is the challenge topic this month."

Of course I see change daily in my kids, watching them grow and mature (well some anyway) and there's the change I, as one who is approaching the big 50, is experiencing. I see change in the sky from daylight to dusk; I want to see change in our world so we take care of it and preserve it for future generations; I see a change that needs to take place in us as humans and how we intereact with one another.

Change can be a wonderful thing if we think if it in terms of growth. We all need to grow, to evolve and become better people. Let's see what I can do with this one. Ideas are percolating...

See ya next time "In the Hayloft",

Thanks Mummy...you're special!

.....is what my son said to me today. I had gone out to take one of the kids to her PT appt then came back and argued with 18 yr old (again...grhhhh!!!!!) and my youngest comes up to me about a half hour later and just says that to me...out of the blue.

Oh can't they stay their sweet selves all the time?

Hugs to all the special people out there

...oh my...that includes YOU!


See ya next time "In the Hayloft",

Listen to the Whispers

I am truly grateful for what I have and am thankful for the things I have accomplished so far in my life. My prayers are mostly of gratitude rather than requests, my one main request being strength...strength to get thru whatever struggle I might be going thru at the moment.

Oprah's new show, "The Big Give" is a must for me and invariably I end up in tears because someone in need is rewarded with a Big Give and it's usually a powerful experience. The premise of this show is based on the thought that prompted me to do a Pay It Forward post a while back...giving for giving sake only, with nothing expected in return.

Tonight as I sat and watched the Oprah Show (recorded) with Oprah interviewing the latest contestant to leave the show, Rachael Hollingworth, I was perplexed.

To recap, Rachael and the other three Big Givers were to make dying wishes come true for two people. One of them, Miss Emily's wish, was to play at Carnegie Hall. Miss Emily is on permanent oxygen and sits in a wheeelchair most of the time but from the time she was a little girl had seen herself on stage at Carnegie Hall.

Racheal, who could only see things in terms of herself finnagled her way into doing a solo performance at this dying woman's big event. I was truly upset that she would take some of the limelight away from Miss Emily. She did not see the big picture!

She did not see that she was taking away some of the beauty of the Carnegie Hall moment that belonged solely to Miss Emily. She did not hear the whisper that kept telling her that this moment was not about her. She missed all the cues until Oprah sat her down and explained that she was only the vessel in this life event, not the event itself. She was looking out into the ocean to catch the big waves but missed the ones lapping gently at her feet.

Yes, she will always be able to brag that she sang at Carnegie Hall, but in the sunset of her life she'll always have the knowledge that she encroached on someone else's moment...that it really was not her time. She'll have to come to terms with the fact that she just didn't listen to the whispers...this time.



Listen to your whispers.


See ya next time "In the Hayloft",

New Class I'm Teaching

I've had to reschedule my "All About Bindings" class from last weekend to Sat, May 24, 2008 at Quilter's Loft in Moorseville. This will not be a demo class, you will be working on a small sample that you can use for reference at home.

I will show you how to create double fold binding and will be doing a demonstration of bias binding.




For those quilters who get in a "bind" when it comes to joining binding ends after it has been attached to the quilt, I will show you a foolproof way to do this that will not have you pulling out stitches (or your hair...egads!) because binding won't fit flat.

Call Quilter's Loft at 704-662-8660 to register.





See ya next time "In the Hayloft",

QA Online Festival?

Imagine going to a quilting festival but not getting out of your jammies!

Quilting Arts will be hosting an online Festival the week of May 29 - June 2nd. It sounds so very cool that I thought I should give a heads up to it.

From what I hear you'll be able to:

• Discover new quilting tips and techniques
• Shop for the latest quilting, embellishment, and surface design supplies
• Meet and chat with quilters from around the world
• Take exclusive classes with top quilt artists
• Win prizes every day!

Check out their Festival web page here to sign up.

See ya next time "In the Hayloft",