CONSTRUCTION HAS BEGUN!

I'm the type of person that doesn't get excited easily. Things don't really hit me until I am in the moment. When my husband and I were waiting to close on our new house; the one I will be running a quilt retreat from, I didn't want to get too excited incase something happened and we couldn't get it. Now that we have closed on the house, it still didn't seem real until Thursday, when we went out to look at what our builder has been doing to my new studio. It then hit me! It is really going to happen! He (the builder) has not done a lot of work yet, but he has patched the walls and ceiling and put about 10 coats of paint on both and it really made quite a difference.

The building that my studio/classroom/shop will be in, was at one time a shop room for a high school shop teacher. It has all of the outlets and is wired for big machinery. There is 1500 square feet of open space that is air conditioned and heated above a 5 car garage. I couldn't ask for a more ideal place. It is separate from the house, just across the driveway. Here is the view from the front of the house. The circle above the garage doors will have a St. Louis Star painted over it.

There are three sections to the room. On the left side the ceilings are high. This will be the classroom. I hope to be able to handle up to 24 quilters at a time for large workshops. The house will not be able to host that many, probably 4-8 quilters. Here the builders have finished painting the walls and ceiling and are getting ready to put in new lighting. There are lots of wonderful windows for natural lighting so during the day it will be bright and cheery and at night it will be well lit up.

There is lots of empty wall space I have yet to figure out what to do with. I'm sure I will figure something out. Peg boards on the walls perfect for hanging quilting tools and items for sale.

The middle section has a lower ceiling. The garage door will be replaced with French doors leading out to a loading area so people can bring in their machines and supplies. This is the section where I will be keeping my longarm machine and possibly add another in the future for teaching and renting out. There is a wood burning stove to keep the room warm in the winter time.

 There will be a kitchen area here and a bathroom somewhere on this end of the room. So, you can see there is a lot of work to be done.But it is very exciting for me and now it is all too real! Especially since I will be writing the checks to the builder! 

 This is the other side of the kitchen area. There will be a wall with a door covering the steps. Can't wait to se what the room will look like with the new flooring! Stay tuned for constant updates.

Now to my current projects. I have three new web patterns currently posted. Two of them are on Hoffman Fabrics website. One called Royal Mendhi and the other called Keiko's Garden cover and Window's pattern. The third one is on Timeless Treasures website called Florence. (Click on links to get to the patterns.) I will be carrying the fabric for all three kits in June so go ahead and download the patterns and come back later for the fabric if you can not find it in your LQS.

Well, gotta go. I will be leaving for Providence, RI on April 11 and be gone for 10 days (Texas is also in the trip) so I have lots of stuff to get ready to pack and ship.

Remember: Always do what you love and love what you do. Toby

What's new

Okay, I know, I haven't posted anything in a long time. I've attempted twice to write something but something else always seems more important at the time.

        Well, a lot has happened since my last post. I've had numerous quilts published in McCalls Quilting, McCalls Quick Quilts, The Quilter, Quilt, Quick Quilts, and Quilt Almanac! Just a few photos. I do have the kits for all three quilts shown here, plus more.

I also have some new free web patterns. Florence on Timeless Treasures www.ttfabrics.com website and Royal Mendhi Crystals on Hoffman's www.hoffmanfabrics.com website. I do not have the fabric yet for the kits but will be carrying them in a few months. More free patterns to come on Hoffman's website.

The biggest news of all is that my St. Louis Star Inn is finally becoming a reality. My builder will be working on my studio next month and promises to have everything done by the end of May. I have just posted information regarding fees, workshops and other information on my website www.gatewayquiltsnstuff.com. Just check under Quilt Retreat Center.

I'll post more information as I get time and catch you up on what I'm doing. Also don't miss my HUGE birthday sale on my website, March 31. One day only everything will be 40% off with a $20 minimum purchase (before the 40% is applied). Your 40% off will be refunded after your purchase. Be sure to check it out.

Quilting Friendships

I just came back from a three-day retreat in Watersmeet, Michigan. What a beautiful setting! It is in the upper pennisula of the state about 45 minutes from Lake Superior. The trees were all shades of orange, red, and yellow and a little bit of snow fell on the rooftop of the retreat center on Saturday morning. (The flies are a whole other story!) There is nothing more peaceful than being in the country with quilters!

I am always amazed at how strong friendships are among quilters and how well they all get along. If you have ever worked in an office, you know that anytime you get a group of women together, they become caddie and have trouble getting along. It was like that when I was a little girl. I could have one friend over, but if there were three girls, one always seemed to feel left out (and it was usually me). I have never felt this way or noticed this among quilters.

I have always been welcome with open arms whenever I teach or lecture at a guild meeting. I never feel out of place because I am with people that love quilting as much as I do. There is nothing better than teaching a group of people that are truly interested in what you have to say. It is nothing like being in the general education setting (or special education setting for me) where you have students that would rather be anywhere but school.

What is so wonderful about quilters, is how giving and encouraging they are with each other. One of the quilters in the group had heath issues and one of her friends was cutting the pieces for her block while another one was helping her piece it when she wasn't feeling well and had to go lie down. The friend did not want her to feel too far behind the other quilters in the group so she finished a block for her. There was also a fourteen year old girl who was making her first quilt. She wasn't new to sewing, she had made many purses and other things, but had not made her first quilt yet. The workshop that I was teaching was my St. Louis Star block and it was not an easy first block. Everyone was so encouraging of her efforts and each one of her blocks was better than the one before. She felt so good about herself by the end of the weekend as did other quilters who had struggled at first with their first  block because of the comments and praise from all of the quilters at the retreat. I don't know of any other group that is so willing to help each other. Of course, there was some competition among the quilters to see which one could finish the most blocks, but  it was usually done with humor. (A little competition is healthy!)

I have also found this willingness to help true with national quilt teachers. I have had lots of help along the way from well known teachers like Marti Michell, Sharyn Craig, and Libbie Lehman. They were all so encouraging of my journey to becoming a national teacher and always took time to answer any questions I had or calm my nerves at my first large teaching engagement (Houston quilt festival).


I love doing retreats because I get to spend more time with the quilters and see what they do with the skills that I teach them. This was a particulary good workshop in that many of the quilters felt comfortable enough to take off on their own to create something other than the pattern they were given. It makes me feel good  that I was able to encourage self-creativity after teaching the general instructions about the block. It also gives me a chance to get to know the quilters better. I always come away from a retreat (or any workshop) with new friends!

Now to quilt news. One of my newest designs has been published in Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting. It is called Isabella and was created with Timeless Treasures Isabelle collection.

I have the fabrics on my website for sale. You can see it here: ttp://www.shopfonsandporter.com/productdetail/ISABELLE.htm.

My next blog will show you how to foundation piece using freezer paper and sewing off the foundation so that you do not have to tear off paper.

Everyday do what you love and love what you do. Toby

Can't say no

I have difficulty saying no. When I started writing this I was getting organized for my state guild retreat (Missouri). (That's me dressed up for the Missouri Waltz dinner along with others partaking in the fun!) Well, the weekend has come and gone. It was a great retreat! We hold this retreat once a year in the beautiful Missouri ozarks and it is a fun weekend with workshops and a guest speaker/teacher. Billie Lauder was our guest this year and everyone thoroughly enjoyed her program and workshops. One of my good friends last year was the chairperson and asked me if I would be the co-chair, thus becoming the chair this year. At the time, I thought it would be a good idea and a way to get involved in the state guild. Right now, I am cursing myself for not saying no, because I have way too much to do to with my commissioned work for the fabric companies that are getting ready for Quilt Market. I never seem to learn my lesson, but I do believe that things happen for a reason.

When I was younger I was a shy child, not very outgoing. I never enjoyed talking in front of a large group. I became a special education teacher and I didn't have any problems talking to students, they wouldn't judge me, but talking to a group of adults made my stomach queezy. I went back to school and got my degree in Educational Psychology and now I had to speak to groups of adults. Actually going back to school as an adult (in my 40s) was one of the best things that could have happened to me.  I was no longer afraid to ask questions in class and would have other students come up to me after class and thank me for asking the question. I began living the pholosophy that there is no such thing as a "dumb" question (and I always tell my quilting students that). I also learned that if you are good at something and you are knowledgeable about your specialty area, that people listen and respect your opinion. Working in educational psychology I realize that everyone is good at something. It was my job as an educator to help kids realize their potential. Now I feel it is my job to help adults realize their potential as a quilter.

The next best thing that happened to me was learning to quilt in 1985. It was something that gave me confidence, so much confidence that I started lecturing to guilds. Now I had to speak in front of very large groups! It was hard for me at first. However, it seems that when I started talking about quilting, I didn't feel shy anymore and people actually enjoyed listening to me! I had a woman come up to me recently after speaking to a guild for the second time. Their guild was one of the first ones that I lectured to when I first started about 10 years ago. She told me that I had really "blossomed". That the first time I spoke I was so meek and shy and that I had come out of my shell and was more confident.

So what does this have to do with me not being able to say no? As I get older I am beginning to realize that I don't know how to relax. My husband is great at that. I have to be constantly busy doing something. Whether it is quilting, working on the computer or playing a game (on the computer). I can't seem to just sit and do nothing. I have trouble watching T.V. with my husband, not only because he is a constant channel changer, but because I find it boring. Even when I am sitting watching T.V. I am thinking of quilting; what I should be doing or what new ideas I can come up with. So when a company says that they want me to design a quilt, I can't say no. I guess I feel if I start saying no, I won't get another chance or they won't ask me again. So the pressure I feel is self-inflicted! Maybe some day I will learn to relax!

Now some quilting news. My Treasures of the

East pattern is finally up on Hoffman's website. http://www.hoffmanfabrics.com/EDocs/Site10/Treasures%20of%20the%20East%20pattern.pdf. Two other quilts are also posted, Nouveau Riche and A Spash of Color. The templates to make the Treasures and Nouveau blocks are for sale on my website. (Treasures is called Glorified nine-patch set.)

 

I also have another quilt published in

McCalls Quilting Holiday Issue 2009.

It's called Gingerbread Town and has a

wonderful fabric collection from

Clothworks called Peppermint Cottage.

The kit is available for sale on my website.

Everyday do what you love and love what you do. Toby

Fussy-cutting (not stack n cut)

Sorry for the missing posts. Things get pretty hectic for me before Quilt Market and I have deadlines to meet. I thought I'd start by giving you a sneak preview of a couple of the blocks of a quilt that will be in McCalls Quilting magazine in the spring of next year. The fabric collection is Paula Nadelstern's Nuance by Benartex (http://www.benartex.com/). It is made with one of my favorite blocks, New York Beauty. Both the center quarter circle and the background fabrics are fussy-cut. For those that do not know what that term means, it is cutting a fabric in the same place for each similar section to create a kaleidoscope look. You can also get this from a popular technique called "Stack 'n Whack" but I like to use templates and a set of mirrors to plan what it will look like. 

I prefer to fussy-cut the matching sections using templates instead of stack n cut because I am very particular about how the blocks should look. I don't like the randomness (if that is a word) of what you get when you stack the fabric. I use a set of mirrors by Marti Michell and my own acrylic templates to get the effect I want. Of course you can make your own set of templates with template plastic.

I like using fabrics that are symmetrical like this one because when I place the mirror on the center of the fabric pattern, I see exactly what effect I will get when I sew the sections together. Symmetrical means that if you draw a line down the center of a pattern, the left and right sides are exactly the same. The background fabric was a stripe so I had to cut a left and right orientation of the design to get the mirror effect. So, how do I get a perfect match each time? I've tried drawing registration marks on my templates but that didn't work for me.

There are a couple tricks. One reason most people do not like templates is because they never stay in place when you are trying to cut out the fabric. The first trick is to place some rolled up scotch tape on the back of the template. This holds onto the fabric well. Cut your first repeat with your rotary cutter. I use the 18mm size because it does not cut into areas that I might use for another block.

Now here is the second trick and the way each cut is a perfect replica of the original; leave the first cut on the template! Take the template with the fabric on it, find the next repeat, place the template and move it around the fabric until it disappears and is exactly on the original design. I check all the way around the template to check the edges. I continue doing this with the original cut until all of the repeats are cut out.

The background of the block was created from a stripe and I wanted to create a mirror image with the two sections (left and right) so after cutting out the first repeat, I had to turn the template upside down and cut the mirror image by matching the design on the back of the fabric to the front of the fabric. Because I cut the same place on all of the background pieces, I kept the left and right sections on the template, so I had a guide for both cuts, until all of my background pieces were cut.

If you have never tried fussy-cutting you should try this method. You can use it for squares, triangles, or eight point stars. If you really want to experiment, try other shapes. There are no rules. Once you try it you might get hooked on it like me. I specifically purchase fabrics so that I can see what kaleidoscope effects I can make. 

For more information regarding choosing fabrics, making templates, and fussy-cutting along with 9 wonderful quilts, check out my book, St. Louis Stars, published by Kansas City Star Quilts, available on my website, http://www.gatewayquiltsnstuff.com/. Templates and Marti Michell's mirrors for this block are also available.

Everyday, do what you love and love what you do. 'Til next time, Toby

Fabric choice for beginners or those who hate picking colors

To continue with yesterday's theme about fabric selection, I thought I would talk about picking fabrics. This seems to be the most difficult thing for most beginner quilters (and even some veteran quilters) to do. Quilt kits are great for those not wanting to bother trying to pick colors (or for a quick project), but I think the thrill of making a quilt is to make it personal. I'm always flattered that quilters want to buy my kits, (which I have to admit is a good chunk of my income) and make a quilt that looks just like the original. But I think it is also important to be able to pick your own fabrics and colors to say that this quilt is "mine" and not just a replica of the pattern cover.

I have never taken any art classes or classes on colors theory. I just know what I like. I think that just like there are people that are tone deaf when it comes to music, there are quilters that are color blind. Not that they can't see the colors, it's that they can't see the slight variations in the tones of the colors. A person that is tone deaf can't hear the different music tones to know if someone is off-key. Their ears are not fine-tuned to hear the small differences in the musical notes. I took music lessons (piano, flute, and oboe) when I was in school and I knew when my instrument was off-key. Now I don't know if it was something I learned when playing or it was innate (I was born with it). With colors the effect is similar. There are slight variations in reds, blues, and yellows. Red is a wonderful example to show the different variations in color and the hardest to match. Some reds have more yellow, making them look orangish, some have more blue, making them look purplish. (The photo doesn't show that real well, so find some reds in your stash and look at them). These slight variations are hard to detect unless one has a sharp eye for color. If you have problems seeing that, rely on a good friend or your local quilt shop employee to help with it. Maybe from working with customers and expanding my color choices I have developed the skill or maybe I was born with it, who knows. But that is not important to you. We all have different skills and abilities and have to work with what we have.

How important is that ability? Well it depends on how particular you are. For most quilters if it matches close enough they are happy with it. You are making a quilt to please yourself or the person you are giving the quilt to. Because I do competition work, I want the colors to blend and work together perfectly. Those slight variations, to me, are blaring. But if it is pleasing to the eye to you, the maker, then you are the only one that matters. When I am teaching quilting I am asked if I'm happy with their results. More important is are "they" happy, not me. It is their quilt and they have to be pleased with the results.

So what should the average or beginner quilter do? My first suggestion is to start with a quilt pattern with no more than five or six fabrics. The more fabrics you have to pick the harder it is. Begin with a print that you love. The more colors in the print the easier it is to find fabrics to match. Remember yesterday when I said I was so proud to pick light, medium and dark prints that went together; I still pick fabrics based on that principal. After picking your print, start with the lightest and darkest colors in the print.

After that, pick two or three contrasting colors in the print. Fabric companies purposely make collections to make this selection easier because they are purposely made to go together. This is a skill that anyone can pick up. Some quilters are so afraid of picking colors they freeze up and feel that they can't do it. If you start simple it gets easier each time. So next time you are shopping for your next quilt project, take that first step. you might surprise yourself!

Just an aside: Feel free to share my tips with your friends but be sure to mention where you read it and tell them about my website and blog. It would be greatly appreciated. No images may be copied from my blog.

Everyday do what you love and love what you do. 'Til tomorrow, Toby

What ispires me

I'm always asked, "Where do you get your ideas for your quilts". When I first started quilting, I was just like most quilters; I would get a pattern, find the fabrics (had to have a light, medium and dark) and make the quilt. My first quilts all had to match my decorating colors. I was so proud that I could pick the fabrics! Can you see something in common about the quilts and figure out the colors on my home? This was the color dejour for the mid 80s.

As my children got older and didn't need my constant supervision, I started working in a quilt shop (in 1995) and teaching quilting classes. As I started gathering fabrics for customers I began to see colors in a whole new way. I expanded my color palette and experimented with putting fabrics together not with my home colors in mind, but with colors that I liked working with. My quilts no longer had to match my home.

I wanted to challenge myself and started entering contests. I was intrigued with miniature quilts and subscribed to Miniature Quilts Magazine. (These quilts I actually finished since I could quilt them easily on my sewing machine!) They had a yearly contest, Quilts from the Heart. I had just finished designing and working with a bed size quilt for the band's mom group raffle quilt for my son's high school band, so I decided to miniaturize it, donated it to the band dinner's silent auction and enter it into the contest. I was so surprized when I received a letter from the magazine tellng me that they wanted to publish it. I was even more surprized to see it on the cover! Mine is the red, white and blue one. (The person that won it in the auction would not sell it back to me so I don't have that quilt.)

The biggest revelation about fabrics and design for me was when I started entering the Hoffman Challenge in 1996. I  realized that by starting with a fabric or collection of fabrics, I could design my own quilts to show off the fabric's designs. After winning a second place prize in the 1997 challenge I was spurred on to create and enter more contests! As I entered more contests and won more awards, in 2001 I decide to contact fabric companies about designing for their new fabric lines. P&B Textiles was the first company to take me on as a designer. Now I currently work with P&B, Timeless Treasures, Hoffman, Benartex, and RJR as a commissioned designer.

So to answer the question as to what inspires me to design a quilt.... I find that the fabric lines "talk to me" on what kind of quilt design best enhances their theme or colors. If it is a specific theme, such as Americana or Oriental, I would use a block or blocks that reflect that theme. Some fabrics scream "curved block", some "simple block" (well they don't really scream just a voice in my head). No, I'm not crazy, I don't hear voices! It's just my brain is always on design mode. I will lie in bed at night trying to think of the best way to work with a fabric group and get up in the morning with the idea clear or at least clearer. I encourage everyone to try that at least once. Even if it is looking at a fabric group and finding a pattern to go with it, instead of visa versa, you are thinking in a different way. For more about me and what inspires me take a look at my recent interviews http://resources.quiltwoman.com/blog/ and http://www.electricquilt.com/users/news/2009/2009_03_3.asp .

Everyday do what you love and love what you do. 'Til tomorrow, Toby