Zoo Lights and stuff..

Phoenix Zoo is presenting it's annual Zoo Lights show, and last nite I was able to attend along with my daughter, son-in-law and grandson.  We had a great time...the weather was comfortable, the lites were spectacular, and the company was great!  I encourage anyone in the Phoenix area to go, especially if you have kids or grandkids as they will really enjoy the lighted exibits.  Go to the Photo Album tab above and click on the link to see some of the pictures I took while there.

Deanna and I have been working on holiday quilts for our customers; we've even had a few brought in a bit last minute!  Deanna has sold her Nolting machine (as most may know, she is the Nolting rep for Arizona), and has a new one shipping any day now.  So in the mean time, we are down to my Lizzie cranking out the quilts.  No problem, tho...Lizzie can handle it!

Christmas is approaching...quicker and quicker as the days go by!  I still have a few Christmas projects of my own to get moving on, not to mention getting any shopping done !  It will all fall into place, I'm sure, but in the mean time...STRESS!!

We've added a few pictures to the Photo Album tab (there are links under the tab that you can click on to navigate to the photos); the pink and brown quilt I made for my niece who is expecting her baby girl, Rylee, on December 13th.  The fabrics used in the quilt were Moda Blush.  Really pretty tones of pinks and browns. 

Another quilt picture we've added is a batik quilt done for one of our customers.  Unfortunately, the pictures do not do it justice.  It was really beautiful, and so many people commented on it while it was on the long arm being quilted.  Kudos to our customer on this one!

Oh...also worked on a few bags, two made from the Bow Tucks Bag pattern and one from another Penny Sturges pattern that I can't remember the name of right now but it's a diaper bag.    The two bags were made to be given as Christmas gifts for a friend in Tuscon; the diaper bag was made for a friend of my daughter whose baby was just delivered today!  Great timing on that one!!

So, we will just keep chugging along here at Desert Flower Quilting.  Stop by and visit if you have a few holiday minutes to spare!  We'll have our Wednesday Morning Coffee each week as usual...oh! and we got a Keurig coffee maker, so you can treat yourselves to your own coffee flavor!!  Wooohooo!  So drop in, join us for coffee and fun.

Hmmmm..

It's been a rough week here in quilt land.  We had a great turnout at Wednesday Morning Coffee, but I suddenly came down with the death grip cold that sent me to bed for two whole days!  Time I cannot afford to give over to kleenex and Triaminic!!  Then...getting back on my feet....we find out that Cindi has come down with her ever-popular stomach flu, or whatever that strange malady is that she gets now and then.  What's going on???  We all falling apart at the seams, or is the wonderful holiday season pressure just setting in?

Whatever....!!  We will not let this stuff get the best of us, and we will rise up and forge onward.  Well, kinda...

We're getting quilts done, at least.  And that is all that matters right now.  We had several quilts dropped off recently, and each of those quilt owners have had their names placed in our drawing for the Basket of Goodies to be given away next month.  Bring 'em in, ladies....free stuff is always good!!

Sale....Sale...Sale...

All of our notions are now on sale for 40% off!  Be sure to stop in and pick up those little items you may need...and at a discounted price!  (Batting is excluded)

All remaining fabrics are also on sale at 50% off.  See what we have left, and maybe you can find that perfect backing for that hidden-away quilt top!

So after all the whining....

Thanksgiving will be here next week, and we all look forward to spending time with family and friends, sharing our wonderful holiday meal.  Maybe we need to think about what we are really, really thankful for and celebrate those gifts.  Times are tough, going is rough...but still in all we have lots and lots of good stuff, good times, and especially good friends. 

Deanna and I are personally thankful for all the wonderful friendships we have made amongst our quilting buddies.  We have some great times, plenty of laughs, and even some good cries.  And we appreciate those friends greatly.  Thanks for being there!

Another week gone by..

Well, here it is Thursday again...the weeks just keep flying by!  Which just means Christmas is getting closer and closer.  (Time to panic???)  Seems like those holiday projects of mine are not getting themselves done..and no elves have shown up to help out either!  Drat..guess I need to kick into gear.  I hope everyone else is making more headway on projects; but for those that still need quilting done, remember we have a November 22nd deadline on drop-off to guarantee you get your projects back in time for holiday gift giving.

Wednesday Morning Coffee.....
It was an exciting coffee morning yesterday!  Two more of our favorite winter visitors returned....Julie and Janie...and it was really nice chatting and catching up.  Our coffee crowd continues to grow as everyone returns, and it is so much fun for all of us! We sure look forward to Wednesdays each week to see who else will return to the roost!

Newsletter....
We just sent out our November Newsletter, and posted on it that we will be having a drawing for a Basket of Goodies to be given away in December.  To enter the drawing, you must bring in a quilting project for us; bring in more than one and you can enter your name in there that many more times!  The contents of the basket is valued at over $100.00, and would make a great addition to any quilter's sewing stash. Take a look at what is crammed into this basket....

So, don't miss this opportunity to enter your name into our drawing...bring in your quilting projects soon!

In-House Retreat Cancelled....
Due to personal conflicts, we must cancel the In-House Retreat we had scheduled for the weekend of November 19th.  We will be rescheduling after the first of the new year, so stay tuned for that information.  Thanks and apologies to those that did sign up.  We'll catch you next time

Rim Country Round-up Quilt Show....
We are headed north this weekend to Payson, AZ for the annual Quilt Show there.  It's really a great show, with lots of beautiful quilts on display, and lots of great vendors to shop with.  Check out their web page for more information: http://www.rimcountryquiltroundup.com/.  Take a day this weekend and drive up...you will enjoy the scenic ride on the way as well as enjoying the quilt show!  Hope to see you there....

Another Wednesday...another Visitor!

This morning we were surprised to have one of our very favorite "snow birds" return to the quilting nest....Fudge Cathy!  She is so named because each Wednesday morning for the coffee get-together she brings us a batch of her famous fudge...and she did not disappoint us today either.  It was great catching up with her, and it seemed as if she had never left. 

And check out this BEAUTIFUL afghan Fudge Cathy made and brought to me!  I just love it, and am actually looking forward to some cool nights just so I can snuggle in it!

It appears my cat, Zinger, loves the afghan too!....I put it down for 5 minutes to take a picture and she thinks it's for her.  Ha!  Think again, Zinger!!

Speaking of knitting (I think we were speaking of knitting, weren't we?)....since being at the bead and yarn shop, I have become addicted to all the yarn and the fun things to knit.  But my old canvas bag that I kept my needles in has seen better days....needles poking out everywhere, stabbing me in the legs as I walk!  So I went a-googling for a quilted knitting needle holder.  I found this one and decided to give it a whirl.  Super easy to make, and we have figured out with a few fabric placement adjustments, you can use 2 half-yard cuts of fabric for this completed project!

Knitting Needle Holder

Opened Needle Holder

Here it is,all bundled up,and then opened with lots of slots for different needle sizes as well as knitting markers, tape measures, crochet hooks and other important stuff.

We've already had requests for a few and we plan to make up several to have for sale at the bead and yarn shop, Just Bead It.

In House Retreat

Don't forget to let us know if you are interested in attending our In-House Retreat the weekend of November 19th.  We must have at leas 10 participants to hold the retreat; to date we have half that number.  Leave a comment on this blog indicating your interest in joining us.

Christmas Quilts

Don't wait until the last minute to get those Christmas quilts to us for long arm quilting!  We must have them dropped off by November 22nd to be completed in time for Christmas.  Currently we are not back-logged with quilts, so the sooner we get them, the sooner we can promise completion!



Shop Talk....and Visitors!

SHOP TALK

We had mentioned in a prior post the recent arrival of our AccuCut 3/4" die cutter; well, we have been cutting lots of strips and making baskets.  Cindi and Katie made really cute Christmas baskets...I wish I had photos, but alas, I do not!  Maybe in the near future.

Today, however, while taking a break from long arm quilting, I decided to make a basket from strips of a Moda fabric with coral/cream/orange roses and brown background.  I made a small oval basket.....and when I came to the end, started pondering how to finish it off.  Well, gee whiz....here I am, in a BEAD shop!  Low and behold, we found these really cute glass/ceramic beads that are perfect for the basket.  I hope you can get a sense for the beads: they are peachy-cream color with a crackle glaze finish.  Very pretty, if I do say so myself!!

So....keep the bead section of Just Bead It in mind when finishing those baskets.  PJ has tons of beautiful beads and stones that can be added to your finished project to give it that perfect look.

And don't forget, we can cut those pesky strips for you in no time flat!  Just ask Cindi....!!

Question.....

We are contemplating an In-House Retreat to be held in November (most likely the weekend of November 19th).  We would like to know if you are interested in attending our retreat.  We will be able to accomodate about 10-15 people, and will keep the format similar to what we have had in the past at our previous location. 

Please COMMENT below as to your interest.  We are suggesting this retreat would work best for local quilters.

VISITORS

We've had some visitors this week, and we thought we would post a few pictures of them.  Newborn Levi stopped by for a visit, along with his Mom and brother, Benjamin.

Such a cutie, and a good baby, too.  Except Grandma just kept poking him and holding him....and would not let him sleep!  Those Grandmas......no accountin' for them!

At Wednesday Morning Coffee we had another visitor....Judy Danz' granddaughter Kaitlyn stopped by (and brought her Grandma too).  Kaitlyn was trying out a Halloween quilt we just finished for Cindi;  but when her face started to get red and she seemed to be "concentrating", Grandma decided it might be time to move her off the new quilt!  Good idea, as it turned out.

 Be sure to join us for coffee and talk on Wednesdays....you never know who will be dropping in!

Baby Levi is Here!

Just wanted to let everyone know that Deanna's new grandson arrived October 14th at 1:09am.  Weighing in at 8lbs 4oz, Levi Timothy and mom, Rachel,and dad, Paul are all doing fine.  Big brother Benjamin got to visit today with Mom and Levi, and had the opportunity to hold his new baby brother.  Oh....Deanna and Steve are doing well too...both are very excited to have another beautiful grandson!

Deanna will be on "Grandma babysitting duty" for a while, so she will not be in the shop every day.  But have no fear....we will continue to crank out those quilts we have for everyone, and make room for more quilts to be coming in. 

Welcome Newsletter Recipients

For those of you on our Newsletter mailing list....Welcome!  This is our blog......and we hope you enjoy poking around here.  We hope you take the time to become familiar with this site, as we will be eliminating our newsletter in the near future.  We will be posting information here on classes, groups and long arm quilting and notions sales.

You have the ability to leave comments here also, so feel free to give us input at any time.  We have had inquiries into classes and groups, and altho we have some ideas in mind, we would appreciate your thoughts and comments on what you would like to see us host here at Desert Flower Quilts.  We have limited space, but are also working on the possibility of using a larger facility when we have gatherings.

So, enjoy yourselves looking around!  Be sure to visit here often to keep updated on our latest happenings, and be sure to visit other blog sites too.  There's a lot to be learned and looked out out there in the big internet world!!

Look what we did!

I just had to upload some of these pictures of two quilts that Deanna and I just completed. 


The red and cream was done by Deanna: custom quilted with cross-hatching and a design in the center of the block.  The entire quilt was done with stitch-in-the-ditch around the piecing.  It's a Christmas theme quilt, so the flower design in the centers of the blocks represents a poinsettia.  This quilt turned out beautifully!

For those of you that participated in our Block of the Month program at our former quilt shop, the second quilt is a completed BOM that I custom quilted.  Lots of stitch-in-the-ditch as well as continuous curves in the star blocks.  Then to soften it up a bit, I freehanded leaves in the sashings and feathers in the setting triangles.  I'm very please with how this turned out, and I'm anxious to get our former shop sample completed so that we can hang it for all to see!  And for those of you interested in having me quilt your BOM's...I will extend a 10% discount to you!  Give me a call or drop in and we can discuss quilting it just like this, or other options available.

 

Both quilts took some time to complete, but fun, fun, fun to do! 

More news: for those of you that are "hooked" on making the bowls out of fabric wrapped rope, we just recieved our AccuCut 3/4" strip cutter.  So, now you can bring in your fabric and we can whip it thru the AccuCut to give you your fabric strips!!  What can be easier???

We're hoping to have a little class/workshop on making the bowls and several other items using this rope method.  Stay tuned for news on that.

Deanna and I are quite pleased with the response we are getting from so many of you requesting we quilt your quilts.  Thank you so much!  Right now we are at a 2-3 week turn-around time, but as the holidays approach that time could increase.  We both suggest you get your holiday projects in early...those tree skirts, table runners, place mats and quilts! 

 We will be sending out our old newsletter in the next day or so to give some updates, so look for that in your email.  Remember tho, we will be eliminating the newsletter in the future and posting exclusively on this blog.  Oh....and feel free to leave your comments on the blog also!

A Little Update....

It's been about a week since I posted last, so I figured it was time to annoy everyone for a while!

Deanna and I have been busily working on customer quilts all last week and again this week. We both have quilts on our machines made by Pat Smentek; both very nice too. One is a Christmas quilt in reds and creams, and the other is from the block of the month for last year at Desert Flower Quilts. I'm having fun doing custom work on that one...lots of ruler work and feathers and leaves. Deanna is doing ruler work too, and getting ready to do cross hatching on hers. Stop in and take a look.

We will be having coffee on Wednesday morning, so be sure to join us!

Next week Deanna will be heading to the Rusty Barn show in Tucson. The show is on Thursday, Friday and Saturday (Sept 30th, Oct 1 and 2). I am tenatively planning on going down on Friday evening and coming back on Satuday to visit Deanna at the show. If so, that means there will be no DFQ people at the shop on Saturday. Just and FYI....

Otherwise, not much else new. We are working on forming some clubs and having some sew-ins and retreats in the near future. And we may even have a separate facility to hold these events in! Stay tuned.....

Welcome to our New Blog

Here we are, at our new blog site.  We hope everyone will find using this blog for news, club announcements, and general communication easy and simple. 

We will be posting all club announcements and other information to our blog beginning January 1, 2011.  We will be transitioning everyone from our current Newsletter format for ease of communication; so be sure to poke around the blog and become familiar with it's usage.

Watch for our newsletter for October for more information