LizzyHouse

the aftermath

I didn't take a single picture at market. You guys, I'm SORRY.

But I did steal them from other people who did. 

 

picture by Beth Dunn

here is a picture of me wearing magical shoes. That dude standing on the table was holding up quilts for me! 

I was very pleased with how my school house went. I felt so loved to see all of my peeps sitting on the floor and in the audience. The place was packed, and I really hope that the things that I said will really help everyone to remember to make a real effort in your shops, and also in your everyday dealings with people.

BE NICE! Don't judge people! Carry Modern fabric! Offer great classes at NIGHT! 

This, my friends, is Castle Treasury. A Quilt among quilts. It is one of 3 patterns that will be released shortly.

things like that. Also, lots of secrets were revealed. All of my quilts for my new patterns coming out NEXT MONTH were shown, AND people got a quick sneak peek of a great project I have been working on with the FABULOUS Nicole, of Follow the White Bunny. 

What's that? You want to see too??? Ok, but you won't get a full look until they are full and ready to meet you.

expect some lovely little patterns out with the quilt patterns around the middle of next month!

Also, the school house should be up on You-tube in a couple of weeks, so if you missed it, I will post it so you can re-live the joy and the wonder. 

Another also, if I owe you fabric, editors, testers, bloggers, it wasn't shipped before I left, because of mayhem, and it will be shipped before I leave for Squam next week. This is already a crazy summer.

The Cake Party was a success. I was asked several times, "why a cake party". That's kind of a ridiculous question. The better question is, ""why aren't you having a cake party right now," or, "where is the cake?"

As always, I was so happy to be at market, and to see all of my friends, to meet so many great new peeps, to show of my new fabric, Castle Peeps, and just generally hang out. I even got a new bff/ adopted sister  while I was there. We make a forceful duo, Julie and me. So look out! 

I have a lot more to say, but I am still recovering from Anaphylactic shock. I went on a walk last night, and something bit me, I got really itchy and then it got pretty bad. Unfortunately, this isn't the first time. So, to spare you horrific pictures of my swollen puffy self, I drew a diagram. If you follow me on Twitter, than you know about my equations to demonstrate what I looked like last night... 

talk to you all soon.

Villagers Rejoice!

TA-DAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here is one of my quilts. This is actually the free download that I designed! Villagers Rejoice. This quilt makes a great gift quilt. It literally goes together in no time at all. 

 

Download the pattern right here ----> Villagers Rejoice Quilt Pattern

Along with the pattern, I drew a diagram (literally drew) of how I quilted it, so you can too if you would like!

Also, I made up a red one and a blue one in Illustrator, if those will work better for you than the green!

They are essentially all the same, but the placement of the fabric changes, because the values change in the colorways. You know... so all of you and your villagers can rejoice.

Finn was hanging out with me while I was photographing the quilt. Somehow he lost his collar while I was gone, and now he looks naked. His face is changing. He's not much of a kitten anymore. More of a cat.

Enjoy the free pattern!

And I will probably talk to everyone again on the other side of market! Have a great week every one of you.

A winner and a SIGH of relief

If you follow me on twitter, you know that there has been drama these past few weeks. Quilt drama. Should a 24 year old have quilt drama?

Anyway... I just got back from Idaho, where I was for 2 days, where I quilted 4 quilts in 24 hours. Needless to say, I need a massage or a vacation or a present to recover from the stress I have been under. At least they are done. I will just sew on the bindings that I have already made after I post this, and then I might give you a little preview.

There are secrets that I have been keeping about Castle Peeps. Secret projects, secret quilts, secret patterns.

The contest is closed now, and I have picked a winner. If you haven't already, I would glance through the comments. Everyone said essentially the same thing with slight variations. Your answers are a wealth of information. Not only for myself, but for anyone who might want to open a store, improve their current business, or just likes to stay on top of the changes that are occurring in the industry.

Our dollars our are best voice, and you will continue to shop in places that hear and support you. So make sure that you truly support and buoy your LQS's that embrace you and the manufacturers and pattern designers you want to see, have, and create with.

SO, as promised I picked a winner using random.org. I have been trying to figure out the very best, most efficient, and fairest way to assign numbers and give the actual winner the prize. So in my gmail account I archived all the entries into a folder and I counted the oldest as #1 and the last as #177 (there were some double entries and gmail counts them as one!) and random.org picked...

Chatty Cricket!

"I'd say it would have to be a combo of cool modern fabrics and classes. They wouldn't need to do much to get me IN the door because I'm drawn to fabric stores like you wouldn't believe, but in order to get me to purchase and come back, they need to have a good selection of styles that appeal to me. ALSO, I love a shop that can accommodate classes or a stitch n bitch. I learned how to quilt at my closest fabric store (a little Mom and Pop in Salem, MA) and it was honestly the most fun I've ever had with my sewing machine."

Just email me your address and I will ship out your fabric!

So a big thank you to everyone who commented. I've really been pondering and praying about the very best way to deliver such a strong message. Hopefully it will spark a desire for change, not a desire to shoot the messenger... 

back to work... we leave wednesday morning!

School House Rock and a giveaway!

For those of you coming to Market, I'd like to announce my School House!

So to give you a chance to win a whole fat quarter stack of Castle Peeps, I am taking a bit of a survey. Answer me these questions:

If there was a local fabric/ quilt shop that wanted you as a customer, that you did not already shop at, what would be a good way to get you into their store?

What would keep you coming back?

I'm looking forward to reading your answers! and to sharing more Castle Peeps with you.

I will randomly pick a winner on Monday the 17th at noon central time.